January 2018 | Baltimore Beacon

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Foster parents give and find love

JANUARY 2018

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PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER MYERS

By Carol Sorgen The nationwide heroin epidemic has not left Baltimore unscathed. Drug-addicted parents who can no longer care for their children have led to an increasing number of kids who need a secure, stable and loving home environment — a home provided by foster moms like Janis Oglesby.

Oglesby, who lives in Baltimore County and is “past 65,” has been a treatment foster care parent with the Woodbourne Center for the past 12 years. Treatment foster care utilizes foster parents who have been specially trained to work with children who have significant emotional, behavioral or medical needs.

The Woodbourne Center provides individualized psychiatric residential treatment for boys, as well as a treatment foster care program for emotionally disturbed boys and girls from birth to 21.

Treatment foster parents are trained and provided ongoing workshops after they are carefully matched with a child to ensure a positive and successful placement. Children are referred to the foster care program through local departments of social services and local departments of juvenile services.

Currently, Woodbourne has 35 youth in its foster program. “Some kids only stay briefly,” said foster care social worker Katherine Heinz, “often ending up needing a higher level of care, such as a hospital.

“Some kids come and go. Others go home or to a family member. And one was adopted this year by his foster parent,” she said.

Heinz added that there are various foster care programs throughout the state.

Each county in Maryland, as well as Baltimore City, has its own foster care program. But most of these do not have therapeutic or treatment foster programs.

Treatment programs are often specialized, with some placing children who are medically fragile, mentally limited, etc.

Woodbourne specializes in youth with emotional/behavioral issues.

Prospective foster parents in Maryland can choose among the different agencies they would like to foster with, perhaps based on location or on types of youth served. In 2015, there were 3,913 youngsters in foster care throughout the state of Maryland, ac-

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SEE SPECIAL INSERT Housing & Homecare Options following page 10

Janis Oglesby poses at her home in Baltimore County with her current foster child.

Oglesby has welcomed more than 20 foster children into her home, working with the Woodbourne Center’s foster care program for emotionally disturbed boys and girls.

She says, “I’m a good listener,” and “they respond to love.”

cording to Kids Count Data Center.

Lots of love to share Oglesby, a retired teacher with five grown children of her own, was looking to fill the “big vacuum” left when her husband died. Since she began fostering, Oglesby has cared for more than 20 children, many of whom had no other home.

“These children have been in such hurtful situations,” said Oglesby. “When they first come to me, they don’t know me, and I don’t know them. They just need a place to stay, food, and someone to trust. In time, they’ll tell me their pain.…I’m a good listener.”

Despite the tragic circumstances most of these children have gone through, Oglesby said she can reach almost all of them.

“They’re little human beings, just looking

for love and security,” she said. “Even if they don’t trust you, they respond to love.”

They certainly seem to respond to Oglesby, as she proudly recounts that most of the boys continue to touch base with her long after they have left.

“They always come back,” she said.

“Sometimes they want to visit, or see how I am, or show me they’ve become a success.

And sometimes they just want a hug.”

Though Oglesby becomes attached to the youngsters, when it’s time for one to leave, she feels satisfied that she has helped set him on the right path and looks forward to the next child. “There’s always another child who needs me more,” she said.

Having younger children around also See FOSTER PARENTS, page 5

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Albuquerque’s sunny disposition; plus, what to do about nonrefundable fares page 11

FITNESS & HEALTH 3 k Huge health study seeks 1 million k Dealing with negative people LAW & MONEY 8 k Make the most of your donations k Are your bonds doing their job?

ARTS & STYLE 14 k An updated Alice in Wonderland ADVERTISER DIRECTORY

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Reasonable risks When I was growing up, I remember and that reading labels was the most imlooking in my parents’ medicine cabinet, portant thing to do first. or on high garage shelves, I think that lesson was a and seeing cans and bottles good one to learn as a kid. It set with various warnings printme in good stead to be a moded all over them. ern consumer — attentive to Indoors there was rubbing the warning inserts that come alcohol, something called with drugs and other products “witch hazel” (which always and the “fine print” on conpiqued my interest), peroxtracts. ide and other intriguing subSo I was surprised to hear a stances. report on the radio the other Some said DANGER/POIday about efforts to take off SON (usually with a skull FROM THE the market a product used to and crossbones), or Toxic: PUBLISHER strip wallpaper that had By Stuart P. Rosenthal Do Not Ingest. And almost caused the death of several all added in large letters: poorly trained workers due to Keep Away from Children. inhalation in a closed room.

Outdoors there were cans of paint, turA reporter was asking a representative pentine, gasoline cans, and other items from the manufacturer why they continue marked: WARNING: HIGHLY FLAMMA- to sell such a dangerous product. Their BLE, Do Not Use Near Flames. Or, USE conversation went something like this: ONLY WITH ADEQUATE VENTILATION. The rep replied, “Our labeling is clear.

I liked to build models and do various The product should only be used with adearts and crafts projects as a kid. So I fre- quate ventilation; it’s important to open a quently made use of glues, liquid plastics window if using it indoors.” and other products, all with similar “danThe reporter pushed back: “A person ger” and “flammable” labels: Don’t use in- can die in 30 minutes from inhaling this doors; Don’t breathe fumes. (They never product in a closed room. How many peowarned it could make you high; just dead.) ple have to die from this product before In short, probably like all of you, I grew you take it off the market?” up being aware that there were plenty of The rep replied: “It’s the only product things in the world (and around the on the market that works as quickly and as house) that one had to use very carefully, well, so it should continue to be sold. All a

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The Beacon is a monthly newspaper dedicated to inform, serve, and entertain the citizens of the Greater Baltimore area, and is privately owned. Other editions serve Howard County, Md., Greater Washington, DC and Richmond, Va. (Fifty Plus).

Subscriptions are available via third-class mail ($12), prepaid with order. Maryland residents add 6 percent for sales tax. Send subscription order to the office listed below.

Publication of advertising contained herein does not necessarily constitute endorsement. Signed columns represent the opinions of the writers, and not necessarily the opinion of the publisher.

• Publisher/Editor ....................Stuart P. Rosenthal • Associate Publisher ..............Judith K. Rosenthal • Vice President, Operations........Gordon Hasenei • Vice President, Sales & Marketing ....Alan Spiegel • Managing Editor............................Barbara Ruben • Art Director ........................................Kyle Gregory • Assistant Operations Manager ..........Roger King • Contributing Editor ..........................Carol Sorgen • Advertising Representatives .................................. ..............................Barbara Koscielski, Steve Levin • Assistant Editor ..........................Rebekah Alcalde

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person has to do is read the label and follow the instructions.”

The reporter retorted: “But people don’t read labels! How are you going to make people read the label?”

The rep weakly answered: “I guess we can’t make people read the label. That’s just something people are supposed to do.”

Now I usually find myself on the side of reporters, even (or especially) when they are being aggressive. I don’t mind seeing interviewees squirm when they are trying to wiggle out of a situation for which they deserve to be nailed.

But I felt very differently about this interview. Shouldn’t the reporter be blaming either the remodeling company that apparently failed to train its staff, or the employees who ignored what they were told? Removing the product from the market would seem in this case to penalize the wrong party and disappoint many users who rely on it.

The reporter’s logic — that “people don’t read labels,” hence dangerous products should not be sold — could be applied to many, maybe even most, of the products we all use daily. What would our lives be like if every product that required a warning of some type were simply to become unavailable?

In our country’s past, there were many years when manufacturers put assembly line employees, and many consumers, at great risk without a thought to the consequences.

But over the last 50 years or so, Ameri-

ca’s regulators on the federal and state levels have made our lives progressively safer by ending manufacturing practices harmful to workers, forbidding the importation of dangerous toys, changing the way playground equipment is made and installed, adding safety features to all cars — and requiring safety warnings on products that can be misused.

These efforts will continue to be important, as no doubt new risks will come to light that may need to be addressed through regulation.

But that doesn’t mean consumers and workers bear no responsibility for the proper use of a product. People should be expected to read and follow instructions, and not blithely ignore clearly stated warnings.

On the other hand, in a society where many different languages are spoken and where workers are often immigrants with a poor knowledge of English, we do need to be sure warning signs use universal symbols or are written in multiple languages.

And companies need to be sure the people they hire understand these warnings.

The truth is, we will never be able to regulate all risk out of our lives. (And if we were to try, I think most of us would rebel at the resulting infantilization.)

There is a lot of room, however, between no risk and reasonable risk.

Letters to the editor Readers are encouraged to share their opinion on any matter addressed in the Beacon as well as on political and social issues of the day. Mail your Letter to the Editor to The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915, or e-mail to barbara@thebeaconnewspapers.com.

Please include your name, address and telephone number for verification.

BALTIMORE BEACON — JANUARY 2018

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Health Fitness &

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SHRINKING DOUGHNUT HOLE The Medicare drug coverage gap will continue to close in 2018, with patients paying a smaller percentage of drug costs out of pocket DEALING WITH NAYSAYERS How to confront negativity from family and friends in a positive way A WEIGHTY CANCER QUESTION A study underway at many Baltimore hospitals is examining if losing weight can lower breast cancer recurrence

Massive study seeks 1 million volunteers

By Lauran Neergaard In a quest to end cookie-cutter healthcare, U.S. researchers are getting ready to recruit more than 1 million people for an unprecedented study to learn how our genes, environments and lifestyles interact — and to finally customize ways to prevent and treat disease.

Why does one sibling get sick but not another? Why does a drug cure one patient but only cause nasty side effects in the next?

Finding out is a tall order. Today, diseases typically are treated based on what worked best in short studies of a few hundred or thousand patients.

“We depend on the average — the onesize-fits-all approach — because it’s the best we’ve got,” said Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health.

That’s changing: The NIH’s massive “All Of Us” project will push what’s called precision medicine, using traits that make us unique in learning to forecast health and treat disease.

Partly it’s genetics. What genes do you harbor that raise your risk of, say, heart disease or Type 2 diabetes or various cancers?

But other factors affect that genetic risk:

what you eat, how you sleep, if you grew up in smog or fresh air, if you sit at a desk all day or bike around town, if your blood pressure is fine at a check-up but soars on the job, what medications you take.

Not to mention differences based on age, gender, race and ethnicity, and socioeconomics.

Layering all that information in what’s expected to be the largest database of its kind could help scientists spot patterns, combinations of factors that drive or prevent certain diseases — and eventually, researchers hope, lead to better care.

“The DNA is almost the easiest part,” Collins said. “It’s challenging to figure out how to put all that together to allow somebody to have a more precise sense of future risk of illness and what they might do about it.”

Pilot study has started Pilot testing is under way, with more than 2,500 people who already have enrolled and given blood samples. More than 50 sites around the country — large medical centers, community health centers and other providers like the San Diego Blood Bank

and, soon, select Walgreens pharmacies — are enrolling patients or customers in this invitation-only pilot phase.

If the pilot goes well, NIH plans to open the study next spring to just about any U.S. adult who’s interested, with sign-up as easy as going online.

It’s a commitment. The study aims to

run for at least 10 years.

The goal is to enroll a highly diverse population, people from all walks of life — specifically recruiting minorities who have been under-represented in scientific research.

And unusual for observational research, See HUGE STUDY, page 4

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JANUARY 2018 — BALTIMORE BEACON

Medicare’s Part D doughnut hole shrinks

By Kimberly Lankford Q: What will be happening with the Medicare Part D doughnut hole in 2018? Will it continue to close?

A: The Medicare Part D doughnut hole — the coverage gap in Medicare prescrip-

tion-drug coverage, in which you pay a larger portion of the drug costs out of pocket — will continue to close next year.

In 2017, people with Part D pay 40 percent of the cost of brand-name drugs in the coverage gap and 51 percent of the cost of

generic drugs. In 2018, you’ll pay 35 percent of the cost of brand-name drugs in the coverage gap and 44 percent of the cost of generic drugs.

The doughnut hole will continue to shrink each year until 2020, when you’ll need to pay only 25 percent of the cost of brand-name and generic drugs in the coverage gap.

How Part D coverage works For 2018, after you pay a deductible (up to $405; the deductible amount varies by plan), your Part D plan will provide coverage until your drug expenses reach $3,750 (including both your share and the insurer’s share of the costs).

Then you will land in the doughnut hole, and your out-of-pocket cost will be 35 percent of brand-name drugs (50 percent of the discount for brand-name drugs will be covered by the drug company, and your

Our legacy is going strong.

Just like our patients.

plan will pay 15 percent), and 44 percent for generics (a 56 percent discount for generics will be a federal subsidy).

For example, if your generic drug costs $100, you’ll pay $44, and the government subsidy will cover the remaining $56.

When your out-of-pocket costs reach $5,000, you will be out of the donut hole, and your plan will pay 95 percent of your drug costs. You’ll just pay the remaining 5 percent.

Even though the pharmacy applies the discount in the doughnut hole automatically, both the 35 percent you pay and the 50 percent discount the drug company pays for brand-name drugs (but not the 15 percent paid by your plan) will count toward your $5,000 out-of-pocket cost cutoff. For generics, only the 44 percent you pay will count toward your out-of-pocket costs.

For more information, see “Closing the Coverage Gap” at www.Medicare.gov. © 2017, Kiplinger. All Rights Reserved.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Huge study From page 3 volunteers will receive results of their genetic and other tests, information they can share with their own doctors.

“Anything to get more information I can pass on to my children, I’m all for it,” said Erricka Hager, 29, as she signed up last month at the University of Pittsburgh, the project’s first pilot site. A usually healthy mother of two, she hopes the study can reveal why she experienced high blood pressure and gestational diabetes during pregnancy.

Focus on tailored medicine

For nearly 50 years, MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital has provided comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation for patients recovering from stroke, amputation, spinal cord injury and complex medical conditions. In partnership with MedStar National Rehabilitation Network, our team focuses on each patient’s capabilities rather than disabilities, so he or she can become as independent as possible, adding life to years®. To learn more, visit MedStarGoodSam.org/PatientRehab or call 855-546-1864.

Heading the giant All Of Us project is a former Intel Corp. executive who brings a special passion: How to widen access to the precision medicine that saved his life.

Precision medicine is used most widely in cancer treatment, as more drugs are developed that target tumors with specific molecular characteristics.

“Why me?” is the question cancer patients always ask — why they got sick and not someone else with similar health risks, said Dr. Mounzer Agha, an oncologist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

“Unfortunately I don’t have answers for them today,” said Agha, who says it will take the million-person study to finally get some answers. “It’s going to help them understand what are the factors that led to their disease, and it’s going to help us understand how to treat it better.”

Beyond cancer, one of the University of Pittsburgh’s hospitals tests every patient receiving a heart stent — looking for a genetic variant that tells if they’ll respond well to a particular blood thinner or will need an alternative.

— AP

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Lorraine Carter is another of Woodbourne’s foster parents. The 61-year-old Randallstown resident, who retired from her secretarial position with the Baltimore County Police Department in 2011, began fostering in 1995.

Foster and her husband, Robert, not only wanted to help children, but wanted to give their daughter a “sister,” since their two sons had each other as playmates.

Since then, the Carters have had approximately 20 foster children, one staying

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helps her stay young and gives her a sense of purpose, Oglesby said. “As you get older and are not out there in the career world anymore, you need something to help you contribute to the world. Being a foster mom makes me feel useful and satisfied.”

“Every child has different needs,” said Heinz, the social worker. “But I think the most important thing foster parents do is help children learn to develop relationships, and hopefully repair some of the trauma that they have been through.

“We hope that children will make lifetime connections with their foster parents so that, even after they move out, they have someone to reach out to, or at the very least have a memory or some learning that they took away from the foster home,” Heinz said.

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From page 1

for almost four years. The children come with “a lot of baggage,” said Carter, from neglect, to physical and sexual abuse.

“They can be challenging,” Carter admitted. Many are defiant — especially the teenagers — and some run away and then return. But the rewards far outweigh the difficulties for Carter.

“To see these children blossom,” she said, her voice trailing off, before recounting the story of one young girl who had had a series of unsuccessful foster placements because she was so difficult to handle.

“But our souls met,” said Carter. “I was the one who was able to keep her.”

There is no specific personality that makes a good foster parent, according to Heinz. “You have to be willing to hang in there with a kid, and go through the tough things together,” she said.

You also need to be able to “see the positive in the child, and remind others of it when they are frustrated. And to be willing to work with a team of people to achieve the best possible outcome for the child.”

What you need most to be a successful foster parent, according to Carter, is love.

“I love children, and I love what I do.”

For more information about becoming a foster parent through Woodbourne Center, call Katherine Heinz at (410) 433-1000, ext. 4130, or visit www.nexus-yfs.org.

To learn about foster care throughout the state of Maryland, visit http://dhr.maryland.gov/foster-care or call (800) 925-4434.

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JANUARY 2018 — BALTIMORE BEACON

Dealing with negativity from family, friends Dear Solutions: My nephew recently moved to my city from across the country at my recommendation. Now all he does is complain that he can’t find any interesting people here.

I want to convince him to try joining groups I think he might find interesting, but he keeps being negative. He says everyone he sees is a fool. How can I change his attitude? — Millie

Dear Aunt Millie: Tell him to stop looking in the mirror!

He is acting the fool by judging everyone without giving himself a chance to know them.

Does this make him feel superior? You can’t control his need to look down on people in order to look up on himself.

Just tell him you hope he’ll give people a chance, and then step away. You’re not responsible for his sad attitude. If you stop sympathizing with him, he’ll have to start

making changes for himself. cerely sympathetic will ask no questions Dear Solutions: but merely wish your son well.

My son had a very big job As for the others, don’t and was well known with a waste your anger on them. company that was written Rise above them and just say, about a lot in the papers. He “He’s fine thank you,� and was often interviewed on telchange the subject. evision and quoted about Dear Solutions: his expertise. Then, unfortuI’m a recovering alconately, the company went holic, and I’ve been sober out of business. for over six months. But I’m He’s been out of a job for having a hard time when I some time now, and he’s copgo out with new people.

SOLUTIONS ing with it the best he can.

My brother and I were I’m the one who’s having By Helen Oxenberg, with friends of his, and they trouble controlling my anger MSW, ACSW were celebrating something when people, casual acquainand wanted to toast the occatances, keep asking me what he’s doing, sion. When I ordered a soda, they said, where he’s looking, how he’s coping, how “Oh, come on. You have to toast to wish awful I must feel and so forth — and us luck.� even make suggestions about how I I don’t want to tell people my situashould help him cope. tion every time. What should I have They think they’re being sympathet- said to them? ic, but I think they’re just nosey. How — Molly do I answer them? I’m surprised at Dear Molly: the degree of anger I feel.

If it happens again, just say, “I don’t — M drink liquor, but my wishes are just as sinDear M: cere, and my glass clinks just as nicely The degree of your anger is directly re- with soda.� lated to their sudden degree as therapists.

You don’t have to explain anything. But They masquerade as sympathetic support- if you want to, do it with pride in your acers who are giving you a chance to vent complishment and your on-going determiyour feelings, but what you’re sensing, es- nation. pecially from casual acquaintances, is a Š Helen Oxenberg, 2017. Questions to be smirking satisfaction about, “Oh, how the considered for this column may be sent to: mighty have fallen.�

The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, When bad things happen to other peo- MD 20915. You may also email the author ple, there is often a sense of relief that it at helox72@comcast.net. To inquire about didn’t happen to them. Those who are sin- reprint rights, call (609) 655-3684.

BEACON BITS

Jan. 4

REJUVENATE WITH MEDITATION Learn techniques to reduce stress and establish a healthy

lifestyle with a meditation session at the Perry Hall Library. The free session will

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take place on Thursday, Jan. 4, from 7 to 8 p.m. The library is located at 9685 Honeygo Blvd. in Perry Hall. While the event is free, participants must bring their own cushions to sit on. For more information, call (410) 887-5195.

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BALTIMORE BEACON — JANUARY 2018

7

Can losing weight lower cancer recurrence?

By Carol Sorgen According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 20 percent of women treated for breast cancer today experience a recurrence of the disease, with most of those women developing metastatic breast cancer.

Excess body weight has long been linked to an increased risk of developing breast cancer, and growing evidence suggests that obesity is associated with poor prognosis in women diagnosed with early stage breast cancer.

However, despite the reports supporting a relationship between overweight and breast cancer prognosis, there have been no studies examining the effect of weight loss on the risk of breast cancer recurrence.

The Breast Cancer Weight Loss (BWEL) study, sponsored by the National Cancer Institute and the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, is currently enrolling nearly 3,200 overweight early-stage breast cancer patients to determine if weight loss can help prevent their disease from returning.

13 local sites The study began in August 2016 and is enrolling women with breast cancer through oncology practices across the United States and Canada. In the Baltimore area, the following hospitals are participating: Mercy Medical Center, Sinai Hospital, MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center/Weinberg Cancer Institute, Kaiser Permanente-Woodlawn Medical Center, Johns Hopkins University/Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Northwest Hospital Center, and University of Maryland Saint Joseph Medical Center.

In announcing the study, lead researcher Dr. Jennifer Ligibel, a breast oncologist in the Susan F. Smith Center for Women’s Cancers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, said, “The increased risk of cancer

recurrence linked to excess body weight threatens to limit our progress in treating breast cancer and preventing women from dying from this disease.

“If this study shows that losing weight through increasing physical activity and reducing calories improves survival rates in breast cancer, this could lead to weight loss and physical activity becoming a standard part of the treatment for millions of breast cancer patients around the world.”

Patients will be divided into several groups according to menopausal status (premenopausal vs. postmenopausal), hormone receptor status of the tumor (ER and/or PR positive vs. ER and PR negative), and race/ethnicity (African American vs. Hispanic vs. other). Each group will randomly be divided into two groups.

In Arm 1 of the study, patients will receive a standardized intervention focusing on healthy living. This will include mailings describing healthy lifestyle behaviors sent at the beginning of the study and one year later.

All participants will also receive a two-year subscription to a health magazine.

In addition, all study participants will be invited to join twice-yearly webinars/teleconferences that focus on breast cancer and other health topics, such as treatment updates in breast cancer, management of menopausal side effects, general cancer screening, etc. Those in the study will also receive a newsletter with study updates and other general breast cancer news.

In Arm 2, patients will receive the above information focusing on healthy living as well as a two-year, telephone-based weight loss intervention. This will include individual weight loss, caloric restriction, and physical activity goals for each participant.

It will be administered through phone calls delivered by trained coaches, and supple-

mented through print and online materials. The intervention will be tailored for each individual participant.

Participants get FitBits Dana-Farber is partnering with FitBit, which will donate products to help participants stay motivated while tracking their weight loss, and to allow their coaches to make sure participants meet their weight loss and fitness goals.

Patients will be followed for up to 10 years, primarily through the devices, which will send data to the researchers.

You may be eligible for the BWEL study if: • You have had a stage II-III breast cancer diagnosis within the past 12 months • You had surgery for your breast cancer and completed chemotherapy, if applicable • You are interested in losing weight and have a body mass index (or BMI) greater than 27.

Reach out to your oncologist or medical team to see if the trial is a good fit for you, and if the facility where you received or are receiving treatment is participating.

For more information, visit www.clinicaltrials.gov, Identifier: NCT02750826.

8

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Mid-size and large SUVs have the best resale value. See story on page 10.

More risks stemming from hack of Equifax

By Liz Weston Long after the Equifax breach was announced, people were still struggling to freeze their credit reports as credit bureau websites failed, lured people to look-alike products, or even redirected visitors to download malicious software.

But that’s just the start of the gauntlet people may have to run to protect their financial lives.

The Equifax hack exposed the names, addresses, birthdates and Social Security numbers of up to 145.5 million Americans.

Drivers license information for 10.9 million people was also exposed, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

This is the type of sensitive, private information that’s used to establish your identity, which is why freezing your credit reports — as important as that is — won’t be enough.

Credit freezes won’t prevent criminals from taking over credit, bank, retirement and investment accounts, said security expert Avivah Litan with Gartner Research.

[See sidebar: “Secure your bank accounts, too,” on the facing page.]

Thieves also could use the purloined information to snatch your tax refund or mess with your Social Security benefits.

Your email, phone, shopping and cloud-

based storage accounts aren’t safe, either.

Here are some cybersecurity steps you should take now: Make sure all of your freezes are in place You need to set up credit freezes separately at each of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion), as well as with Innovis, a lesserknown bureau, and ChexSystems, a database that banks use to track people who mishandle their accounts.

When your accounts are frozen, banks and lenders can’t access your reports, so they are much less likely to allow criminals to set up phony accounts in your name.

Keep track of the personal identification numbers you’re issued, since you’ll need those to lift the freezes if you need to apply for credit or financial accounts.

Set up two-factor authentication wherever you can Two-factor security requires both something you know, typically a password, along with something you have, such as a code texted to your phone or generated by an authentication app.

Security experts including Litan recommend using an app, since criminals have started taking over cell phone accounts to

circumvent two-factor verification by text.

Yes, two-factor authentication is a hassle, and no, it’s not foolproof. But it creates another barrier between your accounts and the criminally inclined. Typically, once you set it up, you’ll have to use it only if you try to sign in with an unrecognized device or after a set amount of time.

Two-factor security is a must for your password manager (if you have one), your email, and any cloud-based storage account, including DropBox and Evernote.

Consider setting it up for shopping sites, such as Amazon, and your social media accounts, too. Incredibly, not all financial institutions offer this (though they should).

Consider whether you want to continue doing business with a company that refuses to take your security seriously.

The four big cell phone carriers don’t offer it, either, which is pretty horrifying. Phone numbers are often used as a security backup, so a criminal controlling yours could reset passwords on many of your accounts.

File your taxes early It’s pretty lame that the only thing you can do to thwart thieves from ginning up a phony tax return is to file your legitimate one as soon as possible after the IRS begins accepting them. Right now, that’s all

you can do.

People who have already been victims of such a scam are issued a special code they can use in the future. But a pilot program offering codes to other taxpayers hasn’t been extended. The IRS will start processing returns Jan. 22, 2018. (However, employers don’t have to send out the W-2 forms most of us need to prepare our returns until Jan. 31.)

Create a “my Social Security” account Again, you’re trying to get there before the evildoers. Setting up online access to your Social Security records will help you monitor activity, such as attempts to take over your account or apply for benefits.

If your credit files are frozen, you’ll need to lift the freeze with Equifax before you can set up the account. Yes, Equifax is the bureau Social Security uses to verify your identity. Or, you can set it up in person at a Social Security office. Equifax is waiving the fees to set up and lift freezes until January.

You can’t make your identity hack-proof, unfortunately, any more than you can keep a determined burglar from breaking into your home. Your goal is to make the bad guys work hard enough that they’ll decide to move on to an easier target — Nerdwallet via AP

Are your bonds lowering or raising risk?

By Eleanor Laise Most retirees hold a mix of stocks and bonds, assuming that their bonds will not only generate income but also cushion the fall if stocks crash. But are your bonds really taming your portfolio’s risk — or amping it up?

For much of the past two decades, bonds could be depended on to zig when stocks zag. But now, some analysts and money managers are warning that the correlation between stocks and bonds is headed higher — meaning they’re more likely to rise and fall in sync.

At the same time, many bond funds that form the core of retirees’ portfolios have sought juicier income in bond-market sectors, such as high yield, that behave even more like stocks.

“Your bond funds are meant to be defensive when equity markets melt down,” said

Craig Israelsen, financial-planning professor at Utah Valley University. But investors can no longer take that for granted.

To be sure your bonds are bringing stability to your portfolio, rather than rocking the boat, you need to keep a close eye on your fixed-income funds’ holdings as well as on the performance of those funds when the stock market takes a dive.

How stocks, bonds correlate While many investors assume that bonds will tame their portfolios’ stock-market risk, that hasn’t always been the case historically. From the 1980s to 2000, correlations were positive, according to fund firm BlackRock — meaning stocks and bonds were likely to rise and fall in sync.

Since 2000, correlations have tended to be negative, meaning stocks and bonds have generally moved in opposite direc-

tions. That’s because most stock-market declines during that period have been driven by economic or geopolitical worries, and in those situations, bonds tend to do well, said Russ Koesterich, portfolio manager for BlackRock’s global allocation team.

With the Fed now raising rates, stockbond correlations are drawing more scrutiny. Over the past 25 years, BlackRock found, the correlation has tended to move higher when the Fed is hiking rates.

(When interest rates rise, bond prices fall.)

Analysts aren’t predicting that stocks and bonds will start moving in lockstep — after all, the market isn’t expecting many more Fed rate increases in the near term.

But if the stock-bond correlation does move into positive territory, cash will become a more effective way to hedge stock risk than bonds, Koesterich said.

Check out the prospectus Another factor introducing stock-like risk to bond holdings: fund managers thirsting for yield. During a long stretch of low rates, many bond funds have dipped into high-yield bonds, emerging-markets bonds and bank loans — three fixed-income segments that have shown the highest correlation with Standard & Poor’s 500stock index over the past three and five years, according to investment-research firm Morningstar.

Check a bond fund’s prospectus to find out how much leeway it has to invest in lower-credit-quality holdings — or even stocks.

The Loomis Sayles Bond Fund (symbol LSBRX), for example, can invest up to 35 percent of the portfolio in non-investmentSee BONDS, page 9

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BALTIMORE BEACON — JANUARY 2018

Bonds From page 8 grade holdings, and up to 10 percent in common stock. The aggressive approach has helped the fund build a strong track record, beating roughly 85 percent of its peers in the multisector bond category over the past 15 years. But its three-year correlation with the S&P 500 is also one of the highest in the category, according to Morningstar.

Many bond funds launched in recent years are “unconstrained” or “go anywhere” funds, which typically means that they don’t need to stick closely to a bench-

mark or maintain any minimum average credit quality. In many cases, managers have used that flexibility to load up on high-yield or emerging-markets bonds. In a study of 10 large unconstrained bond funds, Israelsen found that all but one had a high correlation with the S&P 500.

“A portfolio is like a go kart: You have an engine and brakes,” Israelsen said.

“The brakes have traditionally been bond funds.” But if unconstrained or other, more aggressive bond funds form the bulk of your fixed-income holdings, “good luck,” he said. “You’ve chosen a brake that looks a lot like an engine.”

Some defensive bond funds So where can you find some brakes that will keep your portfolio from running off a cliff? Focus on bond funds that keep most of their assets in investment-grade government and corporate bonds.

And if the managers venture into highyield or emerging-markets bonds at all, check that they use caution to avoid overpaying for those holdings, said Karin Anderson, associate director at Morningstar.

If a fund has a significant stake in international bonds, which expose investors to foreign currency swings, read the prospectus to find out whether the fund is hedging

9

away that risk. In unhedged funds, currency fluctuations can make for a bumpy ride.

Bond funds that take a more conservative approach should truly behave like bonds — and they should form the core of retirees’ portfolios.

Some good options, Anderson said, include Baird Aggregate Bond (BAGSX), Fidelity Intermediate Bond (FTHRX), Fidelity Investment Grade Bond (FBNDX), and Kiplinger 25 member Metropolitan West Total Return Bond (MWTRX). © 2017 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Secure your bank accounts, too

By Lisa Gerstner The huge Equifax data breach has made consumers hyper aware of how vulnerable they are to identity theft.

But the major credit-reporting bureaus aren’t the only ones that track your data.

Several other specialty reporting agencies also collect consumer information.

Among them is ChexSystems. When you apply for a checking or savings account, the bank or credit union may look up ChexSystems’ report on you. You can retrieve it, too, to look for errors or fraudulently opened accounts.

A ChexSystems report usually includes only negative information associated with accounts you’ve held. So if you have a good record, the report should be clean.

But if, say, you overdrew an account and failed to pay back the debt and resulting fees promptly, a black mark may appear. Such information remains on your report for five years. ChexSystems

also lists inquiries from banks that have viewed your report.

You can request a free ChexSystems report every 12 months at www.chexsystems.com, and you’ll receive your report in the mail. If you find a problem, you have the right to dispute it.

And just as with your credit reports, you can set up a security freeze (you may have to pay a fee), which blocks new institutions from viewing your report, or a security alert, which is similar to a fraud alert.

Doing so may prevent an identity thief from opening accounts in your name.

If you want to go the extra mile, you can also check your free annual reports from other bank-account screening agencies, including Early Warning (www.earlywarning.com), TeleCheck (www.firstdata.com/telecheck) and Certegy (www.askcertegy.com). © 2017 The Kiplinger Washington Editors

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Money Shorts Buying a new car? Check the resale value When you’re shopping for a new car, dickering with the dealer to lower the sticker price may be your main concern.

But even if you drive the car until the wheels fall off, overlooking resale value

could be a costly mistake.

“Depreciation is the largest cost in owning a car, more so than fuel and repairs,” said Tim Fleming, an analyst for Kelley Blue Book (KBB). Even if you don’t plan to sell it anytime soon — or ever — how your vehicle retains its value is important. For example, if your car is totaled in an accident, insurers will cut you a check for the value of the car at the time of the incident.

Midsize pickup trucks and midsize and large SUVs hold their value best, according to KBB. That’s because cheaper gas and improved fuel economy have boosted

JANUARY 2018 — BALTIMORE BEACON

their appeal. Electric vehicles and subcompact and luxury cars depreciate the most over time. (Porsches are an exception because low volume fuels demand from status-conscious buyers.)

Sleek “performance” vehicles, such as the Volkswagen Golf R and Subaru WRX, fare best after the bulky SUVs and trucks.

Resale values can vary widely among models within the same brand. For example, the Toyota Tacoma truck was named KBB’s resale winner for 2017, holding 67.5 percent of its value after three years and 57.5 percent of its value after five years.

The 4Runner SUV came next, with a resale value of 62.2 percent after three years, and 52.5 percent after five. But the tiny Prius C and Yaris models held only about 30 percent of their value after three years and 20 percent after five.

KBB and Edmunds.com both offer “cost to own” tools, which allow you to enter a make and model and calculate additional costs of vehicle ownership — including depreciation — over the course of five years.

The higher the depreciation figure, the more value it loses over time.

One way to make depreciation work to your advantage is to buy a used car instead of a new one. Thanks to a glut of off-lease vehicles, prices for used cars have declined. Fleming said he expects the bargains in used cars to last another two years.

Claim saver’s credit on your tax return If you contribute to a 401(k), traditional

or Roth IRA, 403(b), 457 or other retirement plan, you may be eligible for the retirement saver’s tax credit. The credit can be worth $200 to $1,000 per person, depending on your income (couples earning more than $62,000 and single filers earning more than $31,000 are ineligible). And knowing that you’re eligible for the credit might encourage you to save a little more.

The credit is worth from 10 to 50 percent (depending on your income) of the first $2,000 you contribute to the retirement plan for the year.

You can claim the top 50 percent credit if your adjusted gross income in 2017 is less than $37,000 if married filing jointly, $27,750 if filing as head of household, or $18,500 for single filers.

The credit is worth 20 percent of your contribution if you earn $37,001 to $40,000 if married filing jointly, $27,751 to $30,000 if filing as head of household, or $18,501 to $20,000 for single filers And you can qualify for a 10 percent credit if your income is $40,001 to $62,000 if married filing jointly, $30,001 to $46,500 for head of household, or $20,001 to $31,000 for single filers. You can’t claim the credit if you earn more than that.

To be eligible, you must also be 18 or older, not a full-time student for five months or more of the year, and not claimed as a dependent on another person’s tax return.

To claim the credit, file IRS Form 8880, Credit for Qualified Retirement Savings Contributions, with your tax return. For more information, see the IRS’s Retirement Savings Contributions Credit factsheet.

— Kiplingers

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Assisted living for comfort, conversation

By Carol Sorgen Lisa Cini is one of the nation’s foremost experts on making living spaces comfortable and functional for seniors. Through Mosaic Design Studio, her firm based in Columbus, Ohio, she has been designing assisted living facilities for 25 years.

Cini is also a speaker on the subjects of design, aging and technology, and has written two books — The Future is Here: Senior Living Reimagined and Hive: The Simple Guide to Multigenerational Living.

“But more importantly,” said Cini, “I’m a

wife, mother, daughter and granddaughter to a huge and loving extended family. It’s because of my desire to honor all of my family — both the ones still here and those who’ve left us — that I do this work I love so much.”

Cini said she has a simple mission: to improve the quality of life through design. “The places we live aren’t about the beautiful furnishings we put into them or the high-end design aesthetic my professional eye loves to create,” she said. “It’s about creating a home where great memories are formed through comfort, company and conversation.”

Cini said that in her business, she works hard to create beautiful, warm and inviting assisted living homes for seniors.

“I got into designing for senior living when I decided to switch from healthcare design, where I only got to impact patients for two to three days [as compared] to impacting seniors for...years,” she said.

Thoughtful features One of the features included in the assisted living facilities she has designed is induction looping technology — a wire that is placed under the floor that allows sound from a TV or other device with sound to be picked up directly by a hearing aid. Another innovation: Toilet seats are designed to incorporate a bidet to aid self-care.

In the common areas of assisted living communities, Cini places an emphasis on good food — from demonstration kitchens where cooking classes are taught, to pubs and pizza ovens. She adds vegetable gardens, where residents can participate in raising the organic produce that will be used in the kitchen.

To make therapy pools safer, she adds a feature where bathers can walk in and have a mechanism gently lower them into the water, which is “safer and more dignified,” she said.

At the same time as she helps make assisted living more comfortable, Cini acknowledges that the majority of older adults either don’t wish to live in such communities, or don’t have the financial means to do so.

As a result, there is a need to create other solutions for how and where we are going to live as we age, or care for our loved ones who can no longer live on their own.

A four-generation household Cini came to this realization through first-hand experience. When her now 95-

year-old grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Cini and her parents knew they had to find some solutions to the coming problems her grandmother’s diagnosis might create.

“We could have moved her into an excellent care setting, but it would make seeing her much more difficult,” said Cini. “My grandmother didn’t want to be a burden, but I knew as a family we could find a way to keep her safe, loved, and with us at the same time.”

That’s when Cini and her husband, two children, parents, and grandmother all decided to move in together several years ago. Cini and her husband sold their four-story home, bought a home that was more conducive to multi-generational living, and embarked on what Cini called a “big social experiment.”

There have been challenges, Cini admitted. “You would think as a designer I should have realized what a big issue storage would be,” she said ruefully. “Where is it? How much does each person get? How can they access it? Why didn’t I think to get everyone color-coded bins?”

Then there was the issue of privacy.

While Cini’s sister had felt free to visit her parents in their own home without knocking before she entered, Cini didn’t think her sister should just be able to walk into Cini’s home without letting anyone know she was coming.

“We worked through all the issues that arose,” said Cini, “but it was challenging at times.”

Learning from each other Those challenges, though, have been offset by the many rewards, Cini said. For example, her children — who were teenagers when their grandparents and great-grandmother moved in — are “so See ASSISTED LIVING, page B-4

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Home improvements for aging in place

By Mary Kane In response to demands from baby boomers, improvements that help people stay safely in their homes as they age are more stylish and functional than before.

Think of a curved and tiled shower soap dish that also serves as a grab bar. Or a decorative kitchen cabinet pull with a wider loop for arthritic hands.

More forward-looking homeowners are including aging-in-place features in home renovations such as a kitchen makeover, so they won’t face last-minute decisions during a health crisis. And improvements such as curbless showers and LED nightlights in soothing colors in a bathroom can benefit everyone from grandchildren to their grandparents.

Such changes can also add to a home’s resale value, said Mary Jo Peterson, a Brookfield, Conn., kitchen and bath designer and aging-in-place specialist.

We’ve pinpointed five areas where improvements could help you stay in your home longer. For each area, we include a big project solution followed by a less expensive suggestion. Estimated costs include labor and installation, and they are based on average prices [prior to Hurricane Harvey] in Houston, Tex., said agingin-place specialist Dan Bawden, who is also president of Legal Eagle Contractors in Houston.

To reach upper floors Install a pneumatic vacuum elevator Cost: $60,000 to $80,000 (big project) If you live in a multilevel house and you plan to stay there as long as you can, you’re going to eventually face the problem of how to get up and down the stairs.

Some homeowners turn to a traditional elevator, but installing one is a major project that can be both expensive and time consuming.

A newer alternative: the pneumatic vacuum elevator. It looks like something from “The Jetsons,” and it operates on the same general idea behind the tubes at your bank drive-through but with a fold-down seat for

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ADAPTIVE TECHNOLOGY

The Maryland State Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped is offering training in adaptive technology at its headquarters at 415 Park Avenue, Baltimore, and online as well. Geared to persons with hearing and vision disabilities, the library is part of the National Library Service of the Library of Congress and the Maryland State Department of Education. To learn more, visit www.lbph.lib.md.us/adaptivetechnologytraining.html or call (410) 2302424, ext. 5033.

you. The tube whisks you up to the next level, powered by a vacuum pump. It’s cheaper and takes less time to install than a traditional elevator. Another bonus: It takes up less space in your house.

Add a stair lift Cost: $4,000 to $6,000 (small project) For a less-expensive option, give oldfashioned stair lifts a look. The seats and footrests on newer models fold up when not in use, and the rails have a sleeker and more modern appearance.

They’re particularly easy to use on a flight of stairs with no curves. Installation usually takes less than a day.

Boost bathroom safety Curbless shower Cost: $8,000 to $11,000 (big project) A curbless shower allows you to walk in and out without stepping over a big threshold. It opens the floor space for easy ma-

neuvering, which can be an advantage when you might need help from someone else while you’re in the bathroom.

You can also use a rolling shower chair, so you can get in and out without needing to stand, walk or transfer in a wet area that can be slippery, said aging-in-place consultant Louis Tenenbaum, of Maryland.

The floor is sloped so the water flows down the drain. You can add a chair or bench, with shower accessories reachable from a sitting position.

Add grab bars Cost: $1,000 (small project) Your bathroom needs to be safe, but it doesn’t need to look like a hospital room.

Some of the newer grab bars blend better into the bathroom’s design and avoid that institutional look. The bars hold your weight, but have the same decorative details as towel racks or shower shelves.

If you need support to pull yourself up

from the toilet, for example, you can grab on to a reinforced toilet roll holder. It also helps to place them strategically where you will actually use them, so think about how you move around the bathroom before installation.

Revamp kitchen cabinets Pull-down and pull-out shelves Cost: $1,600 for three pull-down shelves in upper cabinets; pull-out pantry shelving system, $1,100 to $2,500 (big project) For aging homeowners, reaching wall cabinets can be a stretch. But there’s a solution: pull-down and pull-out shelves, said Curt Kiriu, president of CK Independent Living Builders, in Mililani, Hawaii.

You can put the pull-down shelves in upper cabinets, the pull-out shelves in lower cabinets, and install a pull-out pantry See AGE IN PLACE, page B-4

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Call 1-800-222-9651 for a free brochure.

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JANUARY 2018 — BALTIMORE BEACON

Age in place From page B-3 system for good measure. There’s a handle on the bottom of the shelves in the upper cabinets, so you can pull down the shelves toward you and bring them to countertop level.

The pull-out shelves in the lower cabinets eliminate the problem of bending and reaching into the back of a shelf to get things. And the pantry system eliminates the need to reach up for spices or other items. The best part: You can install the shelves in your existing cabinets.

Kitchen drawer and cabinetry pulls Cost: $300 (small project) This area to improve seems like such a small thing that you might not even notice it: the pulls you use to open your cabinet drawers and doors. But when you get older, you can catch your fingers in small loops on the pulls, or find it painful to tightly grasp them.

You can change them out to longer and wider drawer pulls, which are easier to use. Even small changes like replacing cabinetry pulls can make your kitchen more functional for you as you age.

Brighten things up LED canister lights Cost: $200 per fixture (big project) Our vision declines as we age, so don’t forget about improving the lighting in your home. Your old ceiling fixtures may not be bright enough, and putting lamps around the room likely won’t be adequate to compensate.

For a total of $1,600, installing two rows of four LED canister lights running lengthwise on each side of a living room ceiling can transform a once-dismal room into a comfortable place to curl up on the furniture with your tablet or book. Bonus: The LED bulbs use much less energy and will last for years, seldom needing replacement.

Add nightlights

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We offer private or semi-private suites, certified nursing assistance, medication management, a 24-hour emergency response system, laundry & housekeeping services, delicious & nourishing kosher meals and individualized service plans. Our doors are open to everyone, regardless of income level, and we strive to keep our fees at a competitive market rate. Call today to schedule a tour! We look forward to showing you the comfort and care we offer to all our treasured residents!

From page B-2 well-adjusted,” said Cini, adding, “They can talk to anyone of any age, and they enjoy listening to my parents and grandmother share their wisdom.”

From the other side, the older generations appreciate how the kids and their friends “energize” the house. “My 78-yearold mother does Snapchat,” Cini laughed, referring to a popular app that the younger set uses to communicate with their friends.

“Our house is full of life,” said Cini. “My parents and grandmother are living life, as opposed to watching life.”

If you’re aging yourself or want to help your older loved ones age in place, Cini of-

Cost: $60 to $100 for a light-rimmed toilet seat (small project) Other areas of your home also can benefit from lighting changes. You can rim a toilet seat with a soft blue light, for instance, so you can easily and safely find the toilet without turning on the bathroom light. The light will even highlight the inside of the bowl when you lift the seat, for extra help.

In your kitchen, you can add toe-kick nightlights under your base cabinets, for when you sneak in for a midnight snack.

Easier front-door access Build a ramp Cost: $8,000 (big project) Homeowners sometimes worry that ramps from a sidewalk to the front door may be unsightly and detract from value when selling their homes. But like grab bars, ramp designs are improving.

Instead of a typical wooden ramp with railings attached to the side of the house, you can build a path that looks like a sidewalk, often using slate, and nicely bordered by landscaping. It’s a “lipstick on a pig” approach that hides the appearance of a ramp.

Eliminate the door threshold Cost: $400 (small project) As you get older, just getting to the door might not be enough. A typical entry door often has a threshold that sticks up about an inch or so, making it difficult for wheelchairs to enter and presenting a tripping hazard.

You can remove the threshold bump and give the door a retractable bottom that seals when the door is closed and lifts when the door is swung open. A homeowner can activate the device and open the door using just a pinky finger.

With no threshold bump, he or she can roll or easily walk in. When the door closes, the rubber door seal drops to ensure the entry is tight and secure. © 2017 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC fers several tips (more are available in her book, Hive, and at blog.bestlivingtech.com, where you can also subscribe to her newsletter).

First, she’s a big proponent of increasing lighting to reduce risk of falls. She also recommends installing pocket doors to allow for wider access, in case a walker or wheelchair is required.

Her biggest recommendation is to embrace technology. (Cini has a website, BestLivingTech.com, that sells products to make life easier and more pleasurable — from wireless glucose monitoring devices, to health and fitness reminder devices, to robotic pets that offer companionship — they even purr and bark — without having to be walked or have their kitty litter changed.)

BEACON BITS

Jan. 5

TAX RETURN TIPS

The Seven Oaks Senior Center will host Burgess Law to provide tips on tax returns on Friday, Jan. 5, beginning at 10:15 a.m. The center is located at 9210 Seven Courts Dr. in Baltimore. To register, call the center at (410) 887-5192.

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B-5

Plan ahead if caring for a parent from afar

By Mary Kane Dave Nickerson’s mother, Catherine, is almost 95, but he said she’s as independent and self-sufficient as ever. A former schoolteacher, Catherine has lived for 65 years in the same house where Dave grew up, near Boston. And she’s made it very clear she intends to stay there. “She’s embedded in the community,” Dave said.

Dave helped remodel the house a few years ago, so his mom’s living space is all on one floor. Supportive neighbors check in on her regularly. Dave oversees her medical care and manages the bills. He said he feels he’s on top of her situation, even with the one major complication that he deals with on a daily basis: He lives 1,800 miles away.

“I moved out of that house back in 1972,” said Dave, who is 65. “Now, I’m up there regularly. Her emotional well-being and health are tied into remaining in that home. I intend to support her in that manner for as long as I can.”

Caregiving for an elderly parent or relative is hard on anyone. But for the nation’s seven million long-distance caregivers, “there’s an extra layer of stress,” said John Schall, who heads the Caregiver Action Network, a nonprofit in Washington, D.C. He’s a long-distance caregiver himself.

He calls it “the worry factor” — you’re not there to see for yourself if the parent ate a good lunch, got out for a walk, or took medicine correctly. You wake up in the middle of the night, anxious about missing something. “The not knowing is even a greater stress,” Schall said.

Around the holiday season, adult children sometimes realize a parent may need more help. When you’re home, you might notice things are amiss. The refrigerator is nearly empty, or there’s expired food. The house is dirtier than usual. Unopened mail is piling up.

If it’s time to step in, you should prepare for your new caregiving role. You’ll face financial challenges, from handling a parent’s bills, to paying out of pocket for travel and costs for caregiving, which can average $12,000 a year, according to a recent AARP report.

You’ll need to spiff up your organizational skills to get a parent’s medical and legal paperwork in order, and be ready to jump in as the advocate for his or her medical care. If you’re still working, you’ll pile these duties on top of your full-time job.

responsibilities increase, seek support from local resources or online caregiver groups.

And take a deep breath — start out by accepting that you can’t do everything at once — and that you shouldn’t even try. Give yourself credit for starting to plan, instead of waiting for an emergency, such as a fall.

Start small, and build up some trust, before taking your first steps, said Leah Eskenazi, director of operations at the Family Caregiver Alliance. Work with your parent to find out where all the important documents and assets are, from bank accounts to safety deposit boxes.

But don’t come barreling in and demanding information. You may be the most accomplished financial whiz in town, “but your mom may still see you as the 16-yearold kid who crashed the car,” Eskenazi said.

Visit on a regular basis, if you haven’t been doing so already, and launch a conversation in a nonthreatening way. Men-

tion you’ve been thinking about what to do in an emergency.

“You can normalize it by saying, ‘This is something I was going to do for myself, too, which is updating my own information and making sure the right people have access to it, in case, God forbid, I got hit by a bus,’” said Ruth Drew, director of family and information services for the Alzheimer’s Association.

Or mention recent financial data breaches as a door opener to discussing the need to protect one’s accounts.

Ask about two types of powers of attorney, one for decisions on healthcare and one for finances, said Katherine Pearson, an elder law expert and a Penn State Dickinson Law professor. If your parent doesn’t already have those documents, help get them prepared.

And brace yourself for a blizzard of other paperwork: life insurance, retirement accounts, bank statements, deeds, wills and

trusts, a list of passwords, and more.

Print out the “Where to Find My Important Papers” checklist from the Family Caregiver Alliance’s website and take it with you on a family visit. If you need more advice, find an elder law attorney at www.naela.org.

Once you have access, you often can handle a parent’s accounts and pay bills online. But if you need more help, consider hiring a daily money manager.

Dealing with siblings Next, settle sibling issues. Decide who will be responsible for routine day-to-day matters and when to consult with others.

Be realistic about the family dynamic.

“You may have to promise — and live up to that promise — not to second guess your brothers and sisters, especially if they are the ones living closer to Mom or Dad,” See CARING FROM AFAR, page B-6

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Steps to success The good news is you can break down your caregiver role into stages, and use strategies that have been proven successful for each stage.

Early on, for example, set up a network of friends and neighbors to help you keep tabs on your parent or loved one.

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Oak Crest 1-800-333-5693 8820 Walther Boulevard Parkville, MD 21234 www.OakCrestCommunity.com A move to Oak Crest in Baltimore County is a wise decision for your future, your finances, and your family. No other retirement community in the Parkville area offers so many fabulous benefits. Since opening their doors in 1995, seniors have flocked to Oak Crest for catered, maintenance-free living. From its stylish apartment homes and clubhouses packed with amenities, to the expert on-site health care and predictable financial structure, Oak Crest provides a secure and stimulating place for seniors age 60 or older to call home. Learn about everything this exciting 87-acre campus has to offer. Call 1-800-333-5693 for a free brochure.

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We have virtually limitless options that nurture the mind, body, and spirit: Our award-winning program Brain Health University is always popular for those residents who like to stretch their minds and socialize with friends, as are the plethora of life enrichment programs available. Staying active and happy is the key to living a full life. We invite you to unretire and start living at Atrium Village, a Senior Lifestyle community.

JANUARY 2018 — BALTIMORE BEACON

Caring from afar From page B-5 Pearson said. “Learn and practice the art of biting your tongue, before you make a suggestion about how to do it ‘better.’”

On the health front, arrange for a full medical assessment during one of your visits home, to rule out any medical causes for some of the changes you’re noticing, Eskenazi said. To avoid roadblocks later, ask the doctor if your parent needs to sign a consent form giving the doctor permission to speak with you about your parent’s medical issues, even when your parent isn’t present.

Finally, enlist friends and neighbors.

Deborah Fins, a geriatric care manager in Worcester, Mass., suggests giving out your business cards or sharing your e-mail at a parent or loved one’s place of worship or a favorite coffee shop. Encourage acquaintances there to call you if they notice changes in a parent’s behavior, or haven’t seen him or her in a while. Ask neighbors to check in regularly.

Stay connected Technology can be helpful. But don’t rush into buying the latest expensive monitoring gadget, said Grace Whiting, chief operating officer of the National Alliance for Caregiving, a research and policy nonprofit, in Bethesda, Md. Use an app such as Care.ly — a free care coordination tool that lets family members and caregivers track visits and share updates.

For safety, a parent might be willing to wear a personal emergency response device if it’s shaped like a bracelet, or carry a mobile device with a GPS in her jacket or purse.

Or try Care Angel, an app that uses technology to make check-in calls to a parent and collect information to report back to you.

Check with a parent’s healthcare system and pharmacy for apps they offer, so you can keep tabs on healthcare visits and prescriptions, Whiting said.

And if your parent is in a nursing home or assisted living, seek permission to use teleconferencing to get progress reports from the staff and ask questions, said Lynn Feinberg, a senior strategic policy adviser for AARP’s Public Policy Institute.

Getting more help If you decide monitoring from a distance isn’t enough, consider hiring a geriatric care manager, also known as an aging life care manager. They provide on-theground care — from home visits, to assisted-living oversight, to hiring and overseeing caregivers, to accompanying parents or loved ones on doctor visits.

Phil Pfeiffer, 62, who lives in Johnson City, Tenn., uses a care manager because his mother, age 89, wants to stay in Pittsburgh.

It’s been a big help in making sure she’s

doing well in her nursing home, he said.

“There have been any number of situations that have come up where the care manager has stepped in,” he said. “The care manager will note that there’s a sore here, or she’s not being propped up right.”

He also used the agency to vet and hire local caregivers when his mom lived independently. “It’s not something we could have done on our own without considerable difficulty,” he said.

You can find a local care manager through the Aging Life Care Association.

But note that many charge between $100 and $300 an hour, and insurance doesn’t cover the cost. Care managers may be nurses, geriatric care specialists or social workers. Decide if you want to use a team of managers or a solo practitioner, based on your parent’s medical and other needs.

Expect change Even if caregiving from a distance is going well, you can’t expect the status quo to last forever. At some point, you may need to move your dad to a geriatric care facility, or move him in with you.

Instead of ignoring the possibility, find out your parent’s or loved one’s preferences. Consider visiting a few facilities together. Emphasize that you’re not pushing for an immediate decision, but instead creating a list of options for when they are needed.

For help in relocating a parent or a loved one, see the online community resource finder at the Alzheimer’s Association website, www.alz.org. Review its page for longdistance caregivers, or call its 24/7 helpline at 1-800-272-3900. The Caregiver Action Network, caregiveraction.org, offers similar resources for other disease-specific caregivers.

Check with your employer. Some offer geriatric care manager services in their employee assistance plans, which could help you with the time-consuming task of handling insurance and paperwork. But be aware that only three states so far have implemented paid family and medical leave — California, New Jersey and Rhode Island — and the availability of caregiver support policies varies widely among employers.

Still, don’t quit your job, if at all possible.

Most likely, you won’t find financial support to replace your lost wages, said Eskenazi.

You may feel guilty about your time crunch. But realize that your caregiver role has limits, and you can’t control the progression of a parent’s or loved one’s aging or disease. You can try to make your parent’s life as safe and as comfortable as possible, and feel a sense of satisfaction in your effort. © 2017 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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FREE HOUSING AND OTHER INFORMATION # For free information from advertisers in this special section, check off those that interest you and mail this entire coupon to the Beacon. Please do not request info if you are not interested.

All replies by February 12, 2018 will be entered into a random drawing to win tickets to Romeo & Juliet.

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JANUARY 2018 — BALTIMORE BEACON

How to prevent water damage this winter

By Kimberly Lankford Q: What can I do to avoid water damage this winter? I know my insurance policy doesn’t cover flooding, but does it pay for other types of water damage claims?

A: Yes. Homeowners insurance covers

water damage, such as from leaks and burst pipes, or water that comes into your home through your roof and windows. In fact, water damage accounts for almost half of all property damage claims, according to the Insurance Information Institute.

Burst pipes or undetected leaks can cause

damage to the floor, walls, ceilings, furniture, artwork and other valuables. It can also soak electrical systems, and can even cause dangerous mold if not cleaned up quickly.

A Chubb study found that 57 percent of homeowners who have filed a water leak claim in the past two years spent more than $5,000 on clean-up costs; 15 percent spent $20,000 or more!

Here are six things you can do to protect your home from water damage, especially if you’re leaving town during the winter.

1. Install a water leak detection device. A minor water leak can cause expensive damage if it remains undetected — if the leak is behind a wall, say, or if it happens while you’re away from home.

The lowest-cost leak detectors include sensors you can set up under sinks or near a water heater, dishwasher or refrigerator; they sound an alarm if they detect any moisture.

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Leak detectors that cost a bit more (typically $50 to $80) will send an alert to your smartphone if they detect moisture or a big change in the amount of water used in your home (signaling a possible leak).

Some sensors even monitor the flow of water to your house and can shut down the water valve automatically if there’s a noticeable change in the amount of water used, which is particularly helpful if you travel frequently. Your home insurance company may offer a discount for installing some kinds of leak detection devices.

2. Turn off the main water supply before leaving town for an extended period of time, suggests Annmarie Camp, executive vice president at Chubb Personal Risk Services. “That’s the easiest and most cost-effective way to prevent water loss from happening,” she said. As an alternative, you could have someone check your house every few days, and walk around to make sure there aren’t any evident leaks.

3. Check your water supply lines at least once a year. Give your house an annual leak checkup to inspect water supply lines and washing machine hoses for signs of wear, Camp recommends. Check for leaks from your hot water heater, washing machine, refrigerator ice maker, and any other appliances that can leak.

Most water supply lines tend to last for about five years; you may want to replace rubber hoses with steel-braided hoses, which tend to last longer, Camp said.

4. Get sewage-backup coverage.

Heavy rains and melting snow can overburden the storm water system, causing water or sewage to back up into your house.

Sewage and drain backups usually aren’t covered automatically under your homeowners insurance, but it may cost only $50, say, to add $10,000 in coverage. Also consider having a battery-powered back-up for your sump pump if the electricity goes out.

5. Clean your gutters and inspect your roof. Remove leaves and other debris, which can clog gutters and send water pouring down the side of your house or under your roof. Also, inspect your roof, and repair or replace missing or damaged shingles, which can cause water to come in through the roof.

6. Protect your pipes from freezing.

Insulate accessible pipes with pipe insulation materials, especially in attics and crawl spaces.

When it gets very cold, keep cabinet or closet doors open to help prevent pipes there from freezing. Consider low-temperature detectors, which can send an alert to your smartphone if the temperature in areas of your home near pipes dips below freezing.

For more information about protecting your home from water damage, see the plumbing damage protection pages of the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (disastersafety.org). Also see the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes for ways to protect your home (www.flash.org). © 2017 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

BALTIMORE BEACON — JANUARY 2018

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B-9

How to make a move as smooth as can be

By Daniel Carlson Editor’s note: The following article is excerpted from the new book, Home Sweet Apartment: Getting Rightsized in Our Seventies, about how Daniel Carlson and his wife moved from their long-time house to an apartment.

When we were younger, moving from one home to another was a fairly simple process: Pack belongings in old cardboard boxes from the A&P, rent a truck, line up friends and family to help, provide some beer, and pray that nobody sustained an injury and none of your possessions got broken.

Today, though, things are considerably more complicated as friends and family have gotten older and, thus, less willing/able to help, while those still in their prime “furniture moving” years have become (rightly) less eager to sacrifice their weekend in exchange for a sore back and a couple of warm brews.

As for me, I knew my days as a mover were over years ago when a friend asked if I could help him move some furniture in his house. When I got to his place I

learned that the “furniture” was an upright piano with a lead sounding board, and that he wanted it moved upstairs.

Looking at the other three “volunteers” my friend had invited, I noticed we all had several things in common: we were young, we were big, and we were (presumably) strong. The piano, though, was the ultimate “immovable object,” and we struggled mightily to get that really heavy thing up the curved staircase.

We finally succeeded with only a few minor abrasions, some damaged wall board and a broken railing. But I learned a valuable lesson that day: when it comes to moving, it is worth paying a few bucks to professionals who know what they are doing.

as we found ourselves sorting through an extraordinary number of moving companies advertising on the Internet and elsewhere.

Nationally known conglomerates…local crews who seemed to operate on a shoestring…fire fighters with trucks…mom and pop operations…the list went on.

Finally, we decided to explore two options that appeared to offer services that came the closest to what we were looking for: the first were senior relocation specialists, and the second were concierge movers who would “do it all” for us.

Senior Relocation Specialists. A relatively new specialty, professionals in this field provide a broad range of services to the over-55 segment of society.

As we met with and interviewed several companies, we were impressed by the obvious attention to detail they promised in handling the entire move process for us.

They would, for example, take pictures of our current room arrangements and decorations, and then set up our new place so it See MAKING THE MOVE, page B-10

Choosing the right company And so, keeping in mind our goal of effecting this move with as little stress as possible, we set out to find a suitable moving company.

Very quickly, though, this seemingly simple quest resulted in “information overload”

BEACON BITS

Jan. 9

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Making the move From page B-9 would look virtually identical.

As we talked further, it was clear that the services offered by these groups would be ideal and much-sought-after in circumstances where clients with physical or mental limitations (or their families) could be assured that every detail of a move would be handled with care and grace.

Some of what these groups offer, in fact, would likely be especially reassuring to someone who, even in the face of necessity, might be reluctant to move after many years in one home.

While impressive in scope, we did not feel that, at this point in our lives, we would require the range of services offered by organizations of this sort.

Concierge or “do it all” services. In researching local moving companies we no-

ticed one, in particular, with a Better Business Bureau rating of A+ and a number of very positive customer reviews. We spoke with their representative who explained the very reasonable per-hour cost for packing, moving and unpacking us, along with a range of other “concierge” services that we could consider if necessary.

Those extra services included such things as arranging for change of address notifications, handling the details for any donations to be picked up, and setting up junk removal if necessary. All in all, our reaction to the reputation of this company and what they offered was, Wow! As we dug deeper, we found there was a lot to like about this fully licensed, insured and bonded moving company, not the least of which was their screening and training of uniformed staff. We were attracted, as well, to their promise of care and concern for us and our personal needs, and we

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learned that we would have a “move coordinator” as our point of contact throughout the process.

Though the range of available “add-on” services was impressive, we would require only 1) the packing of our goods beforehand, 2) the actual move itself, and 3) unpacking of our things in our new place.

We decided to contract with this local concierge moving company, and we are very glad that we did. Their service was excellent, and the resultant stress-free process of transporting everything from point A to point B was flawless.

Making the move On the day before our actual move, two men arrived at our home at 9 a.m., fully prepared to get all of our possessions boxed, cushioned, disassembled, and otherwise ready for loading and transporting the next day.

The company provided all the cardboard cartons, paper and bubble wrap (for which we paid), and we provided direction on what needed to be boxed, and how things should be marked for proper placement in our apartment.

We had already “pre-packed” certain collectibles and other delicate items, but the moving men wrapped, cushioned and boxed all dishes and glassware from the kitchen cabinets and our china closet. In short, everything at risk of breaking or

being damaged was carefully wrapped, boxed and made ready for transport.

We had made arrangements to spend the night in an area hotel, so we had a suitcase with our clothing and other overnight things already packed. The remainder of our clothes were placed in wardrobe boxes, with the exception of items in the drawers of three dressers. Those pieces of furniture were very sturdy, so the movers simply padded and wrapped them with the contents still inside.

The beds were disassembled, padded and wrapped, and each piece of furniture we were taking with us was similarly prepared and protected. By the end of the day, everything was in place and ready to go.

At 8 the next morning, the moving truck pulled up in front of our house and things got rolling right away. Whereas only two men had packed and prepared our belongings the day before, the move itself employed three men — and they moved quickly!

Our mission during the loading process was simply to stay out of the way, and to pull together the things that we would be carrying in our car (more on that in a moment). When everything was aboard the truck, we walked through the now-empty house with the move coordinator to make sure everything had been accounted for, after which we set out for the new place.

See MAKING THE MOVE, page B-11

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

GINGERBREAD VILLAGE

The Maryland Science Center invites guests to take a stroll around a gingerbread village, handcrafted by Chef Lovitch.

Located on Level Two of the museum, the unique holiday experience will be on display until Sunday, Jan. 7. Admission to the science center costs $24.95 ($1 discount for those 62+). The center is located at 601 Light St. in Baltimore and is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.mdsci.org or call (410) 685-2370.

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BALTIMORE BEACON â&#x20AC;&#x201D; JANUARY 2018

Making the move From page B-10 In that the movers were being paid by the hour (at a very reasonable rate), we were impressed by how quickly they transported everything the 40 miles from our house to our new apartment.

Our apartment is on the second floor and, fortunately, the elevator is only about 20 feet from our front door. Management had reserved the elevator for our use on that day, thereby allowing the movers to have unrestricted access for the duration of the move-in. The work began quickly and, like the loading process, the unloading and unpacking went better than we had any right to expect.

The moving crew assembled the beds, unpacked all the dishes, put all of our clothes on the racks in the closets, and carried certain items to the storage closet in a separate part of the building. And on an especially happy note, we were pleased that the time spent measuring floor space and furniture paid off, as everything fit perfectly in the areas we had planned.

As they went about cleaning up, the movers asked if we wanted to keep any of the now-empty boxes and wrapping mate-

rials we had paid for. We had no interest in (or space for) retaining any, so we declined the offer with assurances from them that the collection would be properly recycled.

With the move coordinator we did a walkthrough of our now-fully-furnished place, and verified that nothing was broken or missing.

The movers, having spent only eight hours to load, move, unload and unpack us, departed with our thanks for a job very well done.

On our own While the moving company and its staff did a commendable job moving our possessions safely and securely, there were certain items that we chose to transport ourselves on moving day.

For example, sensitive documents to include our wills and powers of attorney were hand-carried to our new address, along with our computer and similar electronic equipment. Naturally, we made sure to back up all files before disconnecting the computer and placing it in our car.

We also transported food from our pantry, along with refrigerated and frozen goods. Finally, we carried with us an assortment of house plants.

Part of the reason for us transporting these items ourselves was our concern for

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com | Housing Options

the absolute security of certain things. For other items, though, moving companies are prohibited by federal law from transporting them.

A list of articles moving companies are barred from carrying includes hazardous materials like propane, ammunition and other flammable items, along with lawnmowers and gas grills. Similarly, moving companies will not move perishable things like food and plants. We had educated ourselves about these restrictions, so on moving day there were no last-minute glitches about what the movers would take and what we would have to transport on our own.

When we laid out the time line for our

pre-move preparation and the move itself, we factored in one additional day at the end that would allow us to return to our house and do a full cleaning of the premises.

This was a bittersweet process, for this very comfortable house had meant a great deal to us for more than 16 years, and we wanted to be sure that we left it in pristine condition for the new owners. We were pleased that we were able to do so.

And with thatâ&#x20AC;Śwe were done!

Home Sweet Apartment, a 67-page paperback, is available from Amazon for $6.95. The Kindle edition is $2.99. Learn more about Carlson and his other books at www.danbonbooks.com.

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

ADULT WRITERS GROUP

Meet with other writers to share your work and improve your skills, as an experienced facilitator offers guidance and leads critiquing sessions on writing. The group meets on Thursday nights from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Cockeysville Branch of the Baltimore County Public Library, 9833 Greenside Drive in Cockeysville. The event is free. For more information, call (410) 887-7750.

Ongoing

HOUSING ADVICE AND ASSISTANCE

The IMAGE Center (Independent Marylanders Achieving Growth through Empowerment) is hosting free monthly informational workshops on housing options and basic rights for getting housing. Meetings are held every third Thursday of the month from 2 to 4 p.m. at 300 East Joppa Rd., Suite 312, in Towson. For more information or to register, contact Kate Wallace at kwallace@imagemd.org or (443) 377-3984.

DIABETES SUPPORT GROUP

Ongoing

The LifeBridge Health Diabetes Support Group hosts a free monthly group for patients to share their challenges with diabetes.

Taking place at 6 p.m. on various Thursdays until June 2018, the group will meet at Weinberg Park Heights JCC at 5700 Park Heights Ave. in Baltimore. For more information or to find out dates, call (410) 601-5639.

B-11

B-12

Housing Options

PULL OUT & KEEP THIS SECTION

JANUARY 2018 — BALTIMORE BEACON

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Say you saw it in the Beacon

Travel

11

Leisure &

Should you buy trip insurance to protect against nonrefundable vacation costs? See story on page 13.

Albuquerque basks in its place in the sun

Pueblo influences The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center

chronicles the Pueblo people’s reliance on the sun’s sustenance for their land-based culture, as well as their respect for the Earth, and their undaunted perseverance through three uninvited, colonizing forces aimed at suppressing the native culture: Spain, Mexico and the United States.

The Spanish conquest brought horses, livestock, disease, missions and a new religion. Franciscan Catholics tried to squelch Pueblo customs, leading to a full-scale revolt in 1680 that killed 400 Spaniards and drove 2,000 would-be settlers away.

In another not-so-sunny chapter, the U.S. government forcibly removed native children from their families and plunked them into boarding schools. The U.S. government also usurped native water and mineral rights.

Pottery, baskets, weaving and farming exhibits in the Center’s museum symbolize the Pueblo peoples’ strong survival spirit. New Mexico has 19 Pueblos or tribal nations today. “Our struggle for existence has not ended,” says one sign.

Pueblo influences are threaded like a tapestry throughout Albuquerque, like the University of New Mexico’s pueblo-style buildings.

The city’s original Old Town is a tight cluster of 150 flat-roofed, Pueblo-Spanishstyle, adobe buildings with soft contours connected by brick sidewalks, some lead-

PHOTO BY RON BEHRMANN

By Glenda C. Booth Albuquerque license plates sport New Mexico’s symbol — an ancient red sun on a bright yellow background, an image borrowed from the indigenous Zias for whom the sun was sacred. Maybe that’s because the sun shines on Albuquerque 310 days a year.

Sunlight dapples across the high desert, and sunsets turn the Sandia Mountains watermelon pink. The sun inspired early inhabitants, who chipped images on rock formations, as well as the Pueblo Indians, who built thick adobe walls to retain the sun’s warmth.

The sun helped heal thousands of tuberculosis patients, known as “lungers,” who basked in the warmth and low humidity between 1880 and 1940, giving Albuquerque the title, “Health City of the U.S.” With 559,000 people, Albuquerque is the largest city in the state dubbed “Land of Enchantment.” Visitors can explore petroglyphs of 13,000 years ago, the native Pueblo culture of yore and today, the area’s Spanish heritage, the town’s 1706 roots, the coming of the railroad in 1880, the famous Route 66, and even some of today’s high tech gurus.

Each October, Albuquerque hosts the world’s largest balloon festival, with 600 hotair balloons taking to the sky over the city and the Rio Grande River.

PHOTO BY GLENDA BOOTH

ing to tucked-away courtyards dating to the early 1700s.

Many buildings have long portals or porches offering shade from the sun.

Thick walls help cool interiors on hot days and absorb heat for chilly nights. The oldest building in Old Town is the San Felipe de Neri Church, built in 1793 on a Spanishstyle plaza.

Old Town today is a warren of art galleries, crafts boutiques and souvenir emporiums hawking cowboy hats, chili pepper key chains, and Route 66 T-shirts.

One curious anomaly is the largest collection of live rattlesnakes in the world, the American International Rattlesnake Museum, home to western diamondbacks, twin-spotted, Arizona black rattlesnakes and more.

Varied museums

The Pueblo Deco style KiMo Theatre, which opened in 1927, is an Albuquerque landmark. It continues to host a variety of entertainments, including film, theater and musical performances, today.

At the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, visitors learn how a Native American language helped the United States win World War II. Chester Nez, one of the 20 Navajo code talkers, was fluent in both Navajo and English, and used this language as a tool for victory in the South Pacific.

Another exhibit, highlighting Albuquerque’s ethnic diversity, touts, “We’ve all been blended. We embrace the differences.”

The museum’s 10,000-works collection focuses on the art and history of the south-

west U.S., from Native Americans to contemporary artists. The history wing spans four centuries, displaying items from the Spanish military invasion, Mexican cowboys, and the town’s early railroad years.

For more modern history, the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science sings the praises of two hometown boys who made good: Bill Gates and Paul Allen, the entrepreneurs who in 1971 started MITS, Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems, a business that morphed into today’s computer giant, Microsoft.

The “Start-up” exhibit relates the history of the microcomputer — “electronic brains” created by the U.S. military in World War II. In 1953, this computer cost $1 million and required seven staffers to operate it. In the 1970s, Gates, a Harvard University dropout, and Allen envisioned “a computer on every desk and in every home.” Imagine that.

Downtown or “new town” is spread along Central Avenue, a.k.a. Route 66.

That’s the well-known “Mother Road” and 2,000-mile highway from Chicago to Los Angeles made famous by Nat King Cole as “the highway that’s the best.”

Urban renewal demolished many of the original neon signs, motels and other icons once there, but brown signs note its path.

You can still “get your kicks,” as Nat See ALBUQUERQUE, page 12

12

Leisure & Travel | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Albuquerque From page 11 crooned, at the no-frills Dog House Drive In, and scarf up green chili tater tots, chili cheese fries, chili burgers and chili dogs.

Downtown’s KiMo Theatre may be Albuquerque’s most distinctive building, built in a flamboyant, Pueblo Deco style and decorated with southwestern motifs and Native American iconography.

Mountains and petroglyphs Atop the looming, black Sandia Mountains east of Albuquerque the sun is closer at the highest peak, 10,678 feet, and the temperature 15 degrees cooler than in town 5,300 feet below.

The end reward of a climb up by car or via the Sandia Peak Tramway (2.7 miles) —

through varied landscapes and life zones to the top — is a panoramic view of the Rio Grande Valley and a line of extinct volcanoes. The Sandias are “a place for reverence,” home of ancient gods revered by the Puebloans, wrote James A. Morris, a local.

Along the west mesa, the sun bears down on the 7,500-acre Petroglyph National Monument, decorated with more than 24,000 images — one of the largest petroglyph sites in North America.

Boiling volcanoes erupted 150,000 years ago and left behind five cones along a jagged escarpment. Basalt boulders are coated with a dark, natural varnish, conducive to scraping with stone tools to reach the paler, grayer stone beneath.

Scratched in the rocks are hands, feet, lizards, birds, snakes, spirals, geometric patterns, and many more mysterious im-

JANUARY 2018 — BALTIMORE BEACON

ages from 400 to 700 years ago.

Ancient graffiti? Art? Messages? “Each of these rocks is alive, keeper of a message left by the ancestors,” wrote William F. Weahkee, a Pueblo elder.

On the way up to the crest of the Sandia Mountains is quirky Tinkertown, where the late Ross Ward, a certified circusmodel builder and master whittler, created the Old West in miniature with hundreds of thousands of wood-carved figures and displays, some animated with tiny levers and pulleys.

This 22-room cabin is crammed with a mishmash of folk art and objects such as swords, wedding cake toppers, ice tongs, wrenches, corn grinders, a hand-cranked horse, and a World War I-era mule clipper.

Over 55,000 glass bottles wedged into the walls suggest some phantasmagoria. Ward once said, “I did this whole thing while you were watching television.”

Go Topes! How could a baseball team get a cumbersome name like Isotopes? A clue: Life-size, fiberglass statues of Homer, Marge, Bart and Lisa Simpson, from the fictional television series “The Simpsons,” proudly stand in the town’s baseball stadium. They were hauled 800 miles from Los Angeles, washed and refurbished with shiny new paint. Homer holds an Isotopes ticket, and Marge a bucket of popcorn.

What’s the connection? Local newspaper readers chose the name Isotopes over the Road Runners and the 66ers because in a 2001 episode of “the Simpsons,” the manager of fictional Springfield’s team, the Isotopes, threatened to move the team to Albuquerque. This Triple A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies plays in 11,124-seat Isotopes Park.

Gustatory Albuquerque While the sun heats up the outdoors, Albuquerque cuisine heats up “the innards.”

“It’s all about the chili,” promotes Coci-

na Azul, a popular eatery. Another favorite, Monroe’s, uses 150,000 pounds of chilis every year. Servers routinely query customers, “Red or green?”

Chefs blend chilis with Mexican, Native American and Spanish dishes, using local ingredients like corn, beans and squash.

Chilis go into tamales, eggs, chicken soup, stews, ribs and cheeseburgers.

Joyce, age 80 and a Kansas transplant, said, “After you’ve been here for awhile, I don’t know what you’d do without green chilies. You can get them mild to hot and roasted. I put them in eggs and gravy.”

Other staples include enchiladas and sopaipillas, the latter being puffed-up, fried pastry filled with savory ingredients. Locals stress that New Mexican food is not Mexican food.

The city’s zingy specialties are front and center at the National Fiery Foods and Barbecue Show, dubbed “the hottest show on earth.” It features hot sauces, hot rubs, hot ribs, hot BBQ, hot jerky, hot salsas, and a “cool down booth” for ice cream to ease the burn of the hot and spicy foods. The 30th annual show will be held March 2 to 4, 2018.

Visit www.fieryfoodsshow.com.

If you go Start your planning at www.visitabq.org.

Once in Albuquerque, get oriented and see the major attractions on the ABQ Trolley, www.abqtrolley.com.

The Spanish-colonial-style Hotel Albuquerque, steps away from Old Town’s attractions, has a Southwest feel. Visit www.hotelabq.com.

Throughout the year, Albuquerque hosts events that feature, among other things, bull riding, flamenco dancing, powwows, fiestas, wool dyeing, salsa, arts and crafts.

Oh, and every October, throngs gather for the world’s largest hot air balloon fiesta.

United Airlines has the lowest roundtrip fare in mid-January at $326 from BWI.

BALTIMORE BEACON — JANUARY 2018

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Leisure & Travel

13

Nonrefundable fares vs. trip insurance If you look at the many consumer com- fundable rate that you can cancel up to 24 plaints about the travel industry, one issue hours in advance without penalty.

In my trip planning, I always clearly rises to the top: nonretake the refundable option. Yes, fundability. In exchange for it costs more, but it leaves me giving you a price break, airfree to change either my itinerlines, hotels, car rental comary or my choice of hotels. panies, tour operators and But not all travel arrangeothers make your payment ments are as easy as hotels. nonrefundable.

With airfares, a fully refundable Airlines allow you to alter a fare can be more than double the nonrefundable ticket, but only nonrefundable rate. Cruises and after a very stiff change fee, vacation rentals are often totally and only by spending the reTRAVEL TIPS or at least partially nonrefundmainder with the airline. And

By Ed Perkins able, no matter what. In those other nonrefundable services are completely nonrefundable: You can can- cases, I buy insurance. cel, but you get nothing back.

Requests to refund nonrefundable pre- Buying travel insurance My position on travel insurance has repayments are sometimes wrenching: A spouse dies, a parent develops cancer. mained consistent ever since I’ve been doing Consumers often think, “Yes, I know it’s this: If you have more money at risk in nonnonrefundable, but in this special case, the refundables or cancellation penalties than supplier should obviously take pity and re- you are willing to walk away from if somefund my payment.” And then they con- thing happens, buy trip-cancellation/interdemn the supplier as being heartless for ruption insurance (TCI). It costs 5 to 10 percent of what you have at risk, and it usually not bending. includes medical and other benefits, as well.

What options do you have?

TCI is a “named peril” form of insurance: Legally, when a supplier says “nonre- Each policy specifies what contingencies it fundable,” it is on firm ground when it re- covers as a “named reason” — and it won’t fuses to refund your payment: The contract cover anything else. you accept when you buy clearly specifies Most TCI is very good about all sorts of the nonrefundability and the penalties. sudden sickness or accident, not only if The suppliers’ position is straightfor- something happens to you as a traveler but ward: If you don’t like the idea of nonre- also to your travel companion. And it usually fundability and penalties, don’t buy nonre- covers you if something happens to a close fundable, or buy insurance. And those are family member, or even to a business partner exactly your options. at home who isn’t even traveling.

Overall, my primary rule is to avoid nonIt typically also covers a laundry list of refundables whenever you can. When you other contingencies, such as being called to book a hotel on a site such as Booking.com, jury duty or to active duty in the armed for example, you often get to choose either forces, or damage to your home, or a natural a nonrefundable rate or a slightly higher re- disaster at your destination. And, these days,

most policies allow you to cancel if your destination area suffers a terrorist attack.

TCI isn’t perfect, and I’ve seen cases where an insurer has denied what looks like a legitimate claim. But for the most part, it’s a good protection for money you have at risk.

I recommend buying from an independent third-party travel insurance agency such as g1g.com, insuremytrip.com, quotewright.com, squaremouth.com, totaltravelinsurance.com, travelinsurancecenter.com and tripinsurancestore.com.

You should avoid any “insurance” that is really just a supplier’s waiver of its own cancellation policies. Those waivers offer a lot less protection, and, in some cases, the benefit is limited to a credit toward future travel rather than a cash refund. My suggestion is to bypass the supplier’s link and buy from an independent insurance agency.

Send e-mail to Ed Perkins at eperkins@mind.net. Also, check out Ed’s new rail travel website at www.rail-guru.com. © 2017 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

14

JANUARY 2018 — BALTIMORE BEACON

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Style Arts &

Musician and hip hop producer Wendell Patrick is among featured speakers in the new Great Talk Maryland Series. See story on facing page.

Through the looking glass at Center Stage

Alice as adolescent While Carroll’s Alice is assumed to be about 7 years old, Prescott’s character is no child, but more an adolescent attempting to determine who she is and where she wishes to go in life.

Guiding her on her journey is “Mr. Dodgson,” played by Christopher Ramirez, who is true to the real-life Dodgson — as seen by his occasional stuttering (son of an Anglican minister, Dodgson’s stuttering kept him from pursuing the priesthood).

A mirror above a mantle “shatters,” (thanks to the use of vivid 3-D video imagery, which is used adroitly throughout the show), and Alice begins her journey “down the rabbit hole” where she first encounters the White Rabbit (Garrett Turner).

Like his fellow actors, Mr. Turner is a combination of dancer, singer, acrobat and comedian. He’s a dynamo of energy, constantly jumping, falling, posing and running, while playing multiple roles. (In addition to the White Rabbit, he also plays the White Knight, the Wicket, and the March Hare.)

All of his multiple costume changes seem to happen within a few blinks of the eye.

Alice’s world is a kind of bizarre chess game, where she herself is “a pawn” (as described by the Red Queen, played by Patrice Covington). Alice needs to go forward, never backward, to reach the final square and be crowned a Queen.

A theme at the heart of the production is

JANUARY 11 - MARCH 11

PHOTO © RICHARD ANDERSON

By Dan Collins It’s been more than 150 years since English mathematician Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (a.k.a. Lewis Carroll) introduced readers to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland — a literary classic that spawned a 1903 silent film, a 1951 Walt Disney adaptation, and a couple of Johnny Depp movies, while providing inspiration to songs, books, comics, a Web series and even a video game.

Now, Dodgson’s fantastical vision comes to Baltimore’s Center Stage in the form of a taut, brisk, mini-musical that follows Alice (Markita Prescott) through the looking glass in 75 non-stop minutes of theater.

Lookingglass Alice is an adaptation by David Catlin who, coincidentally, is a founding ensemble member of Chicago’s Lookingglass Theatre Company, which received the 2011 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre.

Lookingglass Alice, now playing at Center Stage, is an updated musical take on Lewis Carroll’s classic Alice in Wonderland. Alice (in foreground) is played by Markita Prescott. Behind her are Jessica Bennett, David Darrow, Garrett Turner (as the White Rabbit), Patrice Covington and Sensei Silab.

that, no matter what we may find before us — however odd, unexpected and challenging — maturity and wisdom come from “taking one step at a time” (another bit of Red Queen advice).

A red hot queen If Alice is the play’s heart, Covington’s Red Queen is its hot and steamy soul — right down to her red fur wrap, red leather pencil skirt, and off-with-their-heads-axewielding fly girls. Strength, style and attitude personified, Covington creates a char-

acter who is supremely confident. She instills this trait in Alice as the two sing “Confident,” one of five songs that give the production its tone and beat.

Alice eventually finds herself at the Mad Hatter’s tea party where it is eternally “6 o’clock.” Played with relish by David Darrow, the Hatter is ironically hatless, but is definitely mad, both in mind and in temper.

This comes out particularly when he sings “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bat,” and ponSee ALICE, page 17

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15

Series sparks thought and conversation

By Carol Sorgen The newly founded Great Talk Maryland Series is hoping to bring people together throughout the state to discuss issues that matter to Marylanders and spark our curiosity.

“Good old talk is still the ultimate art form and social engine that people crave,” said Great Talk President Eve Vogelstein. “The Great Talk Series will provide Maryland with a live forum to voice and exchange ideas with the best brains and talent around, and with one another in live conversation.”

The fledgling nonprofit kicked off in early December with a talk featuring National Security Agency whistleblower Thomas Drake.

“Our goal is to promote conversation with a purpose,” added Vogelstein. “Each of the Great Talks features distinguished speakers who address relevant issues in the arts, culture, the humanities, science, social concerns and other topics. [Talks are] held at a wide range of venues in Maryland.”

Partners include a variety of private and public institutions, including the Chesapeake Arts Center, the Maryland Institute College of Art, Maryland Public Television, Maryland Science Center, Morgan State University, and Radisson Hotel Cross Keys.

The series differs from other speaker series in that the talks are not offered through a religious institution or a school,

Years of Over 120

but are open to the broader community, reaching out to people from many different backgrounds and interests.

“Our goal is to make these talks available to people who would not normally have the opportunity to hear from such accomplished speakers,” said Vogelstein. “We also wanted to make these talks affordable, and we are hoping to inspire many residents of our community to think and learn about their community and the world around them.”

Upcoming programs in the series are:

January 9, 7 p.m.

“We the People: A Crisis of Identity,” moderated by Noah Bierman, LA Times White House reporter. The panel includes Lawrence Jackson, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of English and History at Johns Hopkins University; Kathleen Matthews, Maryland Democratic Party Chair; Ernesto Castañeda, social scientist and professor at American University; and Josh Grundleger, lead analyst at Moody’s and regional coordinator for National Review Institute. This event will be held at the studios of Maryland Public Television.

technology at UMBC. The panel consists of Dr. Robert Armiger, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory engineer; Joel D. Green, NASA Space Science Institute project scientist; Harris L. Edge, Aberdeen Proving Ground Army Research Lab director; and Tina C. Williams, TCecure security and intelligence expert. The conversation takes place at Friends School of Baltimore.

April 24, 7 p.m.

“Truths, Myths and Breakthroughs in Medical and Cancer Research,” moderated by Dan Vergano, BuzzFeed reporter and science writer, with two panelists: Dr. Bert Vogelstein, cancer genomics pioneer, and Elisabeth Rosenthal, medical reporter and author. The talk will be held at the

Maryland Science Center.

June 5, 7 p.m.

“Into Music: The Lines, the Heat, the Business” will close the inaugural season at Morgan State University. WYPR radio producer Aaron Henkin will moderate the panel featuring Wendel Patrick, musician and hip hop producer; Dave Hill, musician, radio host, author and comedian; and Susan Zhang, classical pianist and founder of the Concert Truck.

Tickets are $25 for individual talks or $85 for the series subscription. More information is available at (443) 59-TALKS (443598-2557); greattalkseries@gmail.com, http://greattalk.org, or https://www.facebook.com/GreatTalkSeries.

It’s never too late to

MAKE MUSIC Peabody Preparatory at the

March 20, 7 p.m.

“Star Trek Technology, Innovations, and Ideas — For Real,” moderated by Sherri Braxton-Lieber, director of instructional

Classical Entertainment!

REGISTER NOW!

SPRING SEMESTER BEGINS JANUARY 22

Our Adult and Continuing Education program offers private music lessons and classes for lifelong learners at all experience levels.

Lessons and classes available include piano, violin, cello, guitar, voice, chamber music, chorus, dance, and more.

New This Season!

3pm

SUNDAY SU UN

Serenades

AT THE LYRIC C

Featuring Internationally-Acclaimed Operatic Artists Performing a Classical Repertoire

3 Matinee Concerts

for as little as

$59* FEATURING THIS SPRING: CHAMBER MUSIC FOR ADULTS: STRINGS AND PIANO

Mezzo-Soprano

Soprano

Baritone

STEPHANIE BLYTHE PATRICIA RACETTE

NATHAN GUNN

Jan 21 accompanied by pianist Alan Smith

accompanied by pianist

Mar 11 accompanied by pianist Craig Terry

JULIE GUNN | May 6

*Must purchase all 3 concerts together to receive special pricing. Additional ticketing fees may apply.

4 EASY WAYS TO BUY! Visit the Box Office (M–F 10am–4pm) 140 W. Mount Royal Ave. Baltimore, MD 21201

(410) 547-SEAT

Whether you’re an advanced musician or an intermediate player with less chamber music experience, this course is designed to match you with students of a similar level to learn classical repertoire.

Individuals and pre-formed groups are encouraged to apply.

Instructor: Lura Johnson

or call audience services

410-900-1150 410 900 1150

Groups p 10+ SAVE! Call 410-900-1165 C heck Our Website for New Shows!

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16

Arts & Style | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

JANUARY 2018 — BALTIMORE BEACON

34th Street retains its miraculous charm Musical highs and lows The show itself is a little disjointed, though Toby’s does its best to smooth out all the lumps. The music borrows elements from other shows, especially Willson’s own Music Man, and can’t seem to figure out what kind of show it wants to be.

There are boisterous, fun numbers, like “Big Ca-Lown Balloons” during the Thanksgiving Parade, but then things quickly turn dark with “You Don’t Know,” in which Doris croons a cautionary tale to her daughter about how disappointing life is.

By the next song, the mood’s back up, and so the rest of the show goes on. You will get to hear a familiar tune in act one by the ensemble, though — holiday favorite “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” penned by Willson before he wrote the musical.

Perhaps the most perplexing thing about the show is that it doesn’t need to be a musical at all. The film’s story is so solid on its own that the songs appear to be injected at odd times, conveying feelings that are sometimes better spoken — not sung (and danced).

Outstanding cast What is always reliably excellent at Toby’s is the talented cast, and Miracle’s runs the gamut of age and experience.

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PHOTO BY JERI TIDWELL

By Rebekah Alcalde No doubt you’re familiar with the 1947 film, Miracle on 34th Street — a classic featuring a young Natalie Wood that challenges you to suspend disbelief and embrace the idea that Santa Claus is real.

But you probably didn’t know there’s a musical theater version, penned by Meredith Willson, composer of The Music Man. The show debuted to mixed reviews in 1963 and was originally billed as Here’s Love. Since then, productions have changed the name, sometimes calling it It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas.

Now, Toby’s Dinner Theatre is presenting the musical, renaming it to match the film.

The show’s plot primarily follows the movie, with a focus on embittered and pragmatic divorcee Doris Walker, who hires an old man named Kris Kringle to play Santa Claus at Macy’s flagship store in NYC. The twist? He thinks he’s the real deal, and manages to convince Walker’s young daughter Susan (and everyone else but Doris).

Their neighbor and marine-turnedlawyer Fred Gaily also charms them, and does his best to loosen up and open their hearts. When Mr. Kringle is wrongly sent to jail on an assault charge that turns into an insanity hearing, Fred is the lawyer who does his best to free him.

An entertaining musical version of the 1947 classic film Miracle on 34th Street is now onstage at Toby’s Dinner Theatre. Toby’s veteran Robert Biedermann plays jolly Kris Kringle, shown here with the full cast.

The ensemble of child actors is especially wonderful and sweet. Hannah Dash steals a scene as an orphan from the Netherlands named Henrika, who wants to meet Santa. His response back to her in Dutch is partly why Susan believes in him.

And who can forget our show’s Susan, played splendidly by Camden Lippert, the ideal balance between wide-eyed and shrewd — with a great singing voice to boot.

The adult cast is just as entertaining.

Heather Beck, as Doris, is the perfect picture (and pitch) of a strong woman living in a man’s world, trying to protect her daughter. When she tells Susan not to believe in anything she can’t “see, taste, touch or smell,” you truly believe she means well. Beck also belts out all the

right notes, effectively leaning into a few of the songs’ strange minor-chord endings.

Always-funny Jeffrey Shankle (Fred) plays a different kind of character as the ex-marine who’s just as disillusioned with love as Doris is. He definitely has the fasttalking New York attitude down pat, and his few moments of vulnerability stand out — as in “My Wish,” when he sings to little Susan while they’re alone at the playground (clearly a different era, when this was acceptable).

Fred does repeatedly talk down to Doris as a “little girl,” which is a bit unnerving, but Shankle does his best to make Fred roguish rather than repulsive.

The strongest performance from the See 34TH STREET, page 17

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

BALTIMORE BEACON — JANUARY 2018

Alice From page 14 ders riddles like “Why is a raven like a writing desk?” — both plucked directly from Carroll’s work.

Director Jeremy B. Cohen breaks the fourth wall several times, including once as the play slows a moment to pluck a patron from the audience to attend the party.

34th Street From page 16 main cast belongs to Toby’s veteran Robert Biedermann as Kris Kringle. He brings a slightly more youthful, energetic and sweet portrayal of the classic figure, which feels fresh. He also has great chemistry with everyone, especially Susan.

Though he doesn’t do much singing, he’s spot-on in every other aspect.

Supporting actors shine As is the case in many of Toby’s productions, the side characters are particularly memorable.

Doris’ assistant Marvin Shellhammer (Tommy Malek) is fantastic in every scene he’s in, especially the amusing number “Plastic Alligator,” where he convinces the new clerks to use a silly jingle to push the toys he accidentally bought in surplus. His energy is infectious.

My favorite performance of the night was, to my surprise, Russell Sunday, who brought the character of Macy’s CEO William H. Macy to life. He may be in and out of the show, but he commands every scene he’s in. Sunday’s booming deep voice and excellent vocals really help elevate the second act.

He shines particularly brightly in the show’s strongest number, “My State, My Kansas,” in which he tries to convince the judge on Kringle’s case that sending Santa to prison would be bad for his career. He’s joined on the number by Shellhammer, the hilarious David Bosley Reynolds as the judge, and a very good David James as Tammany, a local political figure.

“Keep going, there’s no intermission!”

Darrow’s Hatter exclaims, and the frenetic pace of the party continues.

Darrow also plays the Cheshire Cat and Humpty Dumpty. The latter’s linguistic legerdemain, as he verbally spars with Alice, was pure delight for this reviewer (a former English major).

A cup of piping hot tea and a plate of the Red Queen’s biscuits go to costume designer

David Burdick, whose imaginative creations added wit and whimsy to the proceedings — from the Caterpillar’s folded arms, the spiky headwear of the “hedgehogs” in the Red Queen’s game of croquet, to Dodgson’s costumes as Carroll and the White Queen — a mix of Las Vegas meets P.T. Barnum.

Does Alice finally reach that final square to become a Queen? You’ll have to see the show to find out. But rest assured, she cer-

tainly finds her voice, as Ms. Prescott reveals a singing talent that once caught the ear of legendary performer Michael Jackson.

Lookingglass Alice runs at Center Stage, 700 N. Calvert St. in downtown Baltimore, through Dec. 31.Tickets are $25 to $74 and are available at www.centerstage.org or by calling the box office at (410) 332-0033.

The play is meant to be enjoyed by both adults and children over 6.

From the creative set design for the Big Apple, to the dazzling costumes and effects like mock snowfall (spoiler alert!), Miracle is the perfect show for your grandchildren (and inner child). It may be a little saccharine for some, but it’s the holidays, after all.

At Toby’s, the show’s actors also wait on tables. Their tips constitute much of their pay for their performances, so be sure to tip well.

For more information or to reserve tickets, call (410) 730-8311 or visit www.tobysdinnertheatre.com.

Seeing the show Miracle on 34th Street continues through Sunday, Jan. 7 at Toby’s Dinner Theatre, located at 5900 Symphony Woods Rd. in Columbia.

The show runs seven days a week, with evening and matinee performances. Doors open at 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, for dinner prior to the evening performances, which begin at 8 p.m. For Sunday evening performances, which begin at 7 p.m., doors open at 5 p.m. for dinner.

On Wednesdays and Sundays, there are matinee performances, which open for brunch at 10:30 a.m., with shows beginning at 12:30 p.m.

Reservations are required. Ticket prices range from $45.50 (for children under 12) to $64, depending on the performance.

Ticket prices include buffet dinner or brunch, tea and coffee. Specialty alcoholic drinks — like this show’s strawberry-flavored “The Kringle,” which my husband topped with optional Pinnacle whipped crème vodka — are priced separately.

While not five-star cuisine, Toby’s buffet-style meals offer something for everyone. Our meal featured prime rib, roast potatoes, cocktail shrimp, a variety of vegetables and salads, and more. Cake and unlimited ice cream are also included. You can also arrange to have coffee or alcohol brought to you during intermission.

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ANSWERS TO JUMBLE Jumbles: CLOVE WHEEL DEFACE SECEDE Answer: When the con man pulled the wool over their eyes, the couple was – FLEECED

Classes at multiple locations throughout Baltimore County!

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The incredible value of education. www.ccbcmd.edu/ConEd

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JANUARY 2018 — BALTIMORE BEACON

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Crossword Puzzle Daily crosswords can be found on our website: www.TheBeaconNewspapers.com Click on Puzzles Plus Beans and Cornbread 1

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Temper tantrum 1. Tells lies to 4.

“Must ___” (90’s NBC slogan) 7. Fall birthstone 5.

Completely mistaken 11. Solemn promise 6.

Muggle org. that uses powerful wands 14. Those named after the Little Mermaid 7.

Poet Nash, who said “Progress might have 15. Ridicule been all right once, but it’s gone on too long” 16. Shrinking Arctic feature 17. Partners referenced in the 1949 Jump Jive 8. Organized cannonballs 9. “Only ___ buddy will tell you the truth” song Beans and Cornbread (Mame) 19. Family room 10. Metropolis businessman, Luther 20. Sched. notation for two Tuesdays and a 11. Wi-fi bandwidth hog Wednesday 12. The Indian is the youngest 21. Widely-used shoebox stickers 13. Takes the scenic route 22. ___ on arrival 18. Coming into view 23. See 17 Across 22. Restaurant reviewed by The Food Network’s 26. Tavern Guy Fieri 27. AL East foe of BAL and BOS 23. Tall migrant from Minneapolis to LA 28. Vasectomy patients in 1960 29. Letters before a bandit’s nickname 24. First line of data in a spreadsheet 30. Ghostbusters star, Kristen 25. Anthony Michael Hall, in several 80’s 33. The Sword of Gryffindor, for example movies 37. See 23 Across 26. Fishhook’s end 41. Start a game of 8-ball 31. “Art ___; science is we” (Claude Bernard) 42. Nile river city 32. Garden shade makers 43. Voodoo doll piercer 34. Cocktail party spy, perhaps 44. The 1st state 35. Less friendly 46. There were 7 in nineteen ninety-nine 36. Word on the reverse of all Lincoln pennies 48. On Soc. Sec. 38. No better then 49. See 37 Across 39. Squeaked out 55. Massages 40. Mork and Mindy greeting 56. Underdog at a bullfight 45. Next born after Tito and Jermaine 57. Are mixed-up 47. Walked boldly 58. Rite answer 49. Succinct 59. Writer and singer of the song, and a 1987 inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 50. More like Goofus than Gallant 51. Chess board wood 63. Poetic dusk 52. There are two each in 17, 23, 37, and 49 64. Unit of force across 65. “Life is not ___ rehearsal” 53.

Hangs out on a clothesline 66. Prepare a blooming onion 54.

Latin lead-in to -cotta or -firma 67. Backtalk 59.

Mormons, initially 68. ___ cape (dresses as a super-hero) 60. Trash talk Down 61. Beast of burden 1. Descriptive of John or Ringo 62. It is said to stand for “No Such Agency”

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BALTIMORE BEACON — JANUARY 2018

CLASSIFIEDS The Beacon prints classified advertising under the following headings: Business & Employment Opportunities; Caregivers; Computer Services; Entertainment; For Sale; For Sale/Rent: Real Estate; Free; Health; Home/ Handyman Services; Miscellaneous; Personals; Personal Services; Vacation Opportunities; and Wanted. For submission guidelines and deadlines, see the box on the right.

CAVEAT EMPTOR! The Beacon does not knowingly accept obscene, offensive, harmful, or fraudulent advertising. However, we do not investigate any advertisers or their products and cannot accept responsibility for the integrity of either.

Respondents to classified advertising should always use caution and their best judgment.

EMPLOYMENT & REAL ESTATE ADS: We will not knowingly or intentionally accept advertising in violation of federal, state, and local laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, familial status or handicap in connection with employment or the sale or rental of real estate.

For Rent: Real Estate WE BUY HOUSES!!! Sell your unwanted Real Estate. Are you tired of tenants and toilets but like the cash flow? Give us a call at 443-4150790 or visit us at www.ikebuyshouses.com.

ARBUTUS — ONE BEDROOM APT. Second floor with balcony. Carpet, AC, heat and hot water included. Non-smoker. $695 per month, plus electric. 410-242-2249.

For Sale LEATHER FULL-BODY ELECTRIC MASSAGE CHAIR, with remote. Brown. Excellent condition. $1,500 or best offer. 410-519-7174.

2 CEMETERY LOTS, SIDE-BY-SIDE, Meadow Ridge. Paid $2,500 for one or $4,000 for both. 443-250-6697.

2 SALVADOR DALI woodblock prints from Dante’s Divine Comedy. Signed and framed.

Asking $900 for the pair. Can email pictures if desired. Call Steve, 410-913-1653.

Say you saw it in the Beacon

Health REFLEXOLOGY AND REIKI in the comfort of your place of residence! Alternative therapy may assist with health and relaxation. Contact Shelby at 410-412-0230, or www.solesorcery.com.

Home/Handyman Services BORN AGAIN REFINISHING c/o Vernon E. Madairy Sr. Because your antique and fine furniture is an investment. Photographs at www.bornagainrefinishing.com. Furniture refinishing & repairs. All pieces hand stripped.

Restorations. Missing pieces hand-carved. Veneer repair and replaced. Upholstery. Kitchen cabinets refinished. Hand-woven natural cane.

Cane webbing. Natural rush. Fiber rush. Wood splint. Residential and commercial. Since 1973 (43 years). 410-323-0467.

I WILL MOVE YOUR POSSESSIONS OR HAUL them away. No job too small. Don’t pay hefty delivery fees. Call Tim, 410-889-3795 or 443-690-6525. Senior and military discounts. www.tshaulingandmoving.com, also like us on Facebook.

T’S HAULING & MOVING — I will move your possessions or haul them away. Don’t pay hefty delivery fees. Call Tim, 410-889-3795 or 443-690-6525. Senior and military discounts. www.tshaulingandmoving.com. Like us on Facebook.

SANFORD & SON JUNK REMOVAL. Trash + Junk removal, house & estate cleanouts, garage + basement cleanouts. Demolition – Shed, deck fence + pool removal. Licensed + insured. Free estimates over the phone. Call 7 days a week, 7 am to 7 pm. 410-746-5090.

Personals SEEKING ONE OR TWO WOMEN INTERESTED IN BUYING and sharing vacation home on Eastern Shore. I have found a charming small town with low-cost home.

Mid-shore area, close to water for kayaking and wooded areas to explore. Joyce, 410-3580977.

BUFFET-STYLE DATING: Dating for companionship, dating for socialization, dating for entertainment. Me: AA Woman, 5’8”, age 63.

You: Man, tall, age 56-65. Exclusivity not required unless mutual strong affection develops.

Email flynnrebecca23@gmail.com. Send photo with email.

TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED Deadlines and Payments: Ad text and payment is due by the 5th of each month.

Note: Only ads received and prepaid by the deadline will be included in the next month’s issue. Please type or print your ad carefully. Include a number where you can be reached in the event of a question. Payment is due with ad. We do not accept ads by phone or fax, nor do we accept credit cards.

Private Party Text Ads: For individuals seeking to buy or sell particular items, or place a personal ad. Each ad is $10 for 25 words, 25 cents for each additional word.

Business Text Ads: For parties engaged in an ongoing business enterprise.

Each ad is $25 for 25 words, 50 cents for each additional word.

Note: Each real estate listing counts as one business text ad.

Send your classified ad with check or money order, payable to the Beacon, to:

The Beacon, Baltimore Classified Dept.

P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915-2227 Personal Services

Wanted

SEEKING INTERESTED PERSONS for Dysfunctional Sibling Support Group. How to deal with estranged or difficult family members.

Group is free of charge, meeting in northern Park Heights area. Call Joyce, 410-358-0977.

COLLECTOR BUYING MILITARY ITEMS: Helmets, weapons, knives, swords, bayonets, web gear, uniforms, etc. from all wars and countries. Also Lionel Toy Trains, and coin operated machines. Will pay top prices for my personal collection. Discreet consultations. Call Fred, 301-910-0783.

Wanted MUSIC FOR YOUR SERVICE — Beautiful, uplifting, comforting music for end of life services, including graveside, and other special events, weddings. Professional. Experienced. Affordable. www.MusicForYourService.com. 410-788-6442.

MONEY, TIME TO SELL! Make the right choice. Call Greg, 717-658-7954. We buy jewelry, coins, silver, antiques, watches, gold, art, paper money, toys, bottles, etc. No middleman, no fees, no overhead means more money for your stuff. Give me a call, and let’s do business.717-658-7954.

BUYING VINYL RECORDS from 1950 through 1985. Jazz, Rock-n-Roll, Soul, Rhythm & Blues, Reggae and Disco. 33 1/3 LPs, 45s or 78s, Larger collections of at least 100 items wanted. Please call John, 301-596-6201.

FINE ANTIQUES, PAINTINGS AND QUALITY VINTAGE FURNISHINGS wanted by a serious, capable buyer. I am very well educated [law degree], knowledgeable [over 40 years in the antique business] and have the finances and wherewithal to handle virtually any situation. If you have a special item, collection or important estate, I would like to hear from you. I pay great prices for great things in all categories from Oriental rugs to Tiffany objects, from rare clocks to classic cars. If it is wonderful, I am interested. No phony promises or messy consignments. References gladly furnished. Please call Jake Lenihan, 301-2798834. Thank you.

Thanks for reading!

ADVERTISERS IN THIS ISSUE Clinical Research Studies

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Chemotherapy Study . . . . . . . . . .7 Memory Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Slow Walking & Exercise Study .7

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Dental Services Denture Doctor . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Diamond Dental . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Education CCBC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Events Celebration of the Arts . . . . . . .20

Financial Services First Maryland Disability Trust .10 Hawkins, d.a. Insurance Services 9 Organizer, The . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-8 PENFED Credit Union . . . . . . . .9

Funeral Services Dignity/Schimunek . . . . . . . . . .10

Housing Aigburth Vale Senior Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-2 Alta at Regency Crest . . . . . .B-11 Atrium Village . . . . . . . . .B-5, B-6 Charlestown/Erickson . .B-2, B-4 Christ Church Harbor Apts. . . .B-9 Cove Point Apartments . .B-3, B-6 Ednor Apartments . . . . . . . . . .B-3 Everall Gardens . . . . . . . . . . . .B-2 Evergreen Apartments . . . . . . .B-3 Greens, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-3 Linden Park Apts. . . . . .B-4, B-11 Oak Crest/Erickson . . . . .B-2, B-6 Park Heights Place . . . . . . . . . .17 Park View Apartments . . . . . . .B-8

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St. Marys Roland View Towers B-9 Virginia Towers . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Weinberg Senior Living .B-4, B-12 Woodholme Gardens . . . . . . .B-10

Legal Services Angels of Elder Care Planning .10 Frank, Frank & Scherr Law Firm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

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Shopping Custom Window Dressings by Sheila . . . . . .B-11 Radio Flea Market . . . . . . . . . . .14

Johns Hopkins Peabody Prepatory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Lyric Theatre . . . . . . . . . . .B-7, 15 Toby’s Dinner Theatre . . . . . . . .14

Travel Eyre Bus, Tour & Travel . . . . . .13 Nexus Holidays . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Superior Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

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