July 2021 | Howard County Beacon

The Howard County

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More than 30,000 readers throughout Howard County

‘Top 100 woman’ works nonstop PHOTO BY STEPHEN CHERRY COURTESY OF HOWARD COMMUNITY COLLEGE

By Robert Friedman Felícita Solá-Carter, who was born in Puerto Rico and has lived in Howard County for the past 30 of her 70 years, is a wonder woman of sorts.

The former federal official, businesswoman, wife, mother of two and nonstop volunteer was recently chosen as one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women 2021.

Solá-Carter currently chairs the Board of Trustees of Howard Community College, where she also leads the board’s audit and finance committee. She earns no salary in either position.

“What I do is because of my mother, my family, teaching me that you have to be of service. This was one of the core values inculcated in me from an early age,” SoláCarter said in an interview with the Beacon.

The designation was bestowed on her by the multimedia publication The Daily Record of Baltimore. (She received a similar recognition from the business and legal newspaper in 2008.)

The Daily Record newspaper noted that “the winners are recognized as high-achieving Maryland women who are making an impact through their leadership, community service and mentorship.” This year’s winners “are navigating Maryland businesses through extraordinary times,” according to publisher Suzanne Fischer-Huettner.

Solá-Carter was also inducted in 2014 into the Howard County Women’s Hall of Fame. It was noted that she was “the first Puerto Rican woman appointed to a senior level executive position at the Social Security Administration and the current president of Conexiones, a nonprofit advocacy for Howard County Public Schools System Hispanic students.”

She also happened to receive in 2014 the Leadership Howard County Unsung Hero Award, which went to volunteers

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Urban cowboys meet culture in the Canadian West; plus, ditch the hotel and stay in a treehouse, Conestoga wagon or houseboat page 20

Felícita Solá-Carter was named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women this year.

After working at the U.S. Social Security Administration for 38 years, Solá-Carter now serves on the board of Howard Community College and is involved in several volunteer efforts.

“whose efforts have not made headlines but have made a difference.”

College scholarship launched career

Her parents enrolled her in Colegio Católico Notre Dame, a pre-kindergarten to high school run by the Catholic Sisters of Notre Dame. The bilingual school gave Solá an

Felícita Solá-Carter grew up in Caguas, Puerto Rico, about 20 miles from San Juan.

See TOP 100, page 25

ARTS & STYLE

Ellicott City poet Patti Ross, host of local open-mic poetry nights, publishes her first book page 23 FITNESS & HEALTH k Best cures for loneliness k Act now on hearing loss

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Guest columnist While our publisher is on a brief sabbatiTragically, vulnerable nursing home cal, in lieu of our regular “From the Publish- residents suffered the most. While, overer” column we will be having all, about 1 percent of those guest writers. This month’s diagnosed with coronavirus guest column is written by died, about one of every six Howard Gleckman, a senior nursing home residents who fellow at The Urban Institute caught the virus passed away. and president of the Jewish And keep in mind that these Council for the Aging of death rates represented only Greater Washington. He is the those who died directly from author of Caring for Our Parthe disease. Many more likely ents. succumbed to loneliness and We are beginning to see depression that were directly what may be the end of the LESSONS caused by the COVID-19 lockworst pandemic in a century. LEARNED downs in facilities and by selfMany of us are visiting By Howard Gleckman isolation of those living in the friends again. We are seeing community. children and grandchildren — and parents What can we do to make sure this never and grandparents — for the first time in happens again? Here are a few possible somore than a year. lutions: But the scars remain. COVID-19 has ilBuild a support system for as many luminated the deep flaws in the way we older adults as possible to live at home. care for older adults. The question now is: Not everyone will be able to stay at home How will we respond to these painful les- as they age, but many can. sons?

I’ve estimated that as many as 20 perIn Maryland, 87 percent of those who cent of those living in nursing homes have died from COVID-19 were age 60 or older. no clinical need for skilled nursing care.

More than half were 80-plus. It was the same They are there because that is where Medstory in Virginia, where 90 percent of those icaid pays and because they lack those who died from COVID-19 were over 60. supports for remaining home.

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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).

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Publisher/Editor – Stuart P. Rosenthal President/Associate Publisher – Judith K. Rosenthal Executive Vice President – Gordon Hasenei Managing Editor – Margaret Foster Art Director – Kyle Gregory Director of Operations – Roger King Advertising Representatives – Steve Levin, Alan Spiegel Assistant Editor – Catherine Brown Content Manager – Ashley Griffin

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Congress has increased the federal contribution to Medicaid’s home-based care program for frail older adults and younger people with disabilities by nearly $12 billion for the next year. And the Biden Administration wants to raise the federal payment by another $400 billion over eight years.

These dramatic increases promise to make Medicaid home care far more robust. But individual states will decide how to spend the money. And they have varied widely in how they use Medicaid longterm care dollars.

For instance, Maryland covers about 44,000 people in its home-based Medicaid program, while Virginia covers about 51,000. Maryland spends an average of about $44,000 annually on each enrollee while Virginia spends about $34,000.

However, Maryland focuses two-thirds of its spending on people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Virginia, by contrast, spends four-fifths of its Medicaid home care dollars on seniors and other adults with physical disabilities.

And boosting Medicaid will help only some frail older adults. Many seniors will never be poor enough to qualify for Medicaid yet cannot afford the staggering costs of long-term care. For example, in Maryland and Northern Virginia, home care aides cost $25 or more an hour, or at least $100 a day for a four-hour shift.

For those families, we need to build a robust infrastructure of care, including more home-delivered meals, transportation, adult day care, case management services, and caregiver training and respite care.

Without those services, many people will have no choice but to move to a facility.

For those who do live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, we must vastly improve infection control.

Keep in mind that COVID-19 was not the first deadly virus to rage through senior communities. Every year, thousands of residents die from seasonal flu.

Staff need to be better trained and better paid. They need masks, gloves, and other personal protection equipment.

They need access to rapid and accurate testing, and they need to be encouraged to be vaccinated.

Finally, there is a growing body of evidence that under-staffed facilities were more likely to suffer outbreaks of COVID19. Thus, we need to increase staffing levels and reduce turnover.

All of this will cost money and will require state and local governments to give priority to the needs of older adults.

[The Beacon encourages readers to contact their elected representatives via phone, letter and/or email and express their views on this matter. Politicians don’t typically receive a lot of correspondence on current issues from voters. Your contact will have an effect.]

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 email info@thebeaconnewspapers.com.

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

Dear Editor: I am a faithful reader of your newspaper and appreciate it very much. Several years ago, I returned home to the U.S. after living and working as an international teacher for 40-plus years. We had a very hard time adjusting to living back in the U.S. We also had just recently retired, and this is where I found your newspaper so invaluable. It was very informative and helpful in our readjustment.

I also find the articles inspirational at times, as was the case with the latest monthly column from the publisher, Mr. Rosenthal. He talked about how he is taking a break to pursue his music. He said he didn’t know where it would lead, but that one should follow their dreams. I wish him all the best in his endeavor.

Kay Kruk Via email Dear Editor: At the end of your guest column in June, you asked for advice for aging well. I am now 82 and worked until I was 75. Then I volunteered for the National Park Service for six years.

My advice: Keep the body healthy with exercise and good food. Stop smoking; stop all

alcohol, which can affect medications; get on a low-fat diet; lose weight; exercise daily or 25+ days a month. No matter the pain of joints, stiffness of joints, KEEP MOVING! Settling down will only take years off your life.

Think of your future like you have been born again, and enjoy every day. Keep moving, follow a good healthy diet — lots of veggies, fruit, and grains. Take as few pain pills as possible; be strong and work through pain, and keep moving.

Encourage the aged. Help others, young and old.

John W. Gorman Alexandria, VA Dear Editor: Reading the guest column in the June issue, one feels like having a fireside chat with you and with your grandparents. The story simply flows out of your mouth and forces one to re-live the very lives you are telling. When your grandmother told you, “That’s just how it was,” one could imagine the miserable war situation that engulfed the European continent and the whole world. Keep on writing the guest column.

Hungtak Lee Woodstock, MD

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — J U L Y 2 0 2 1

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Throughout the ages, there have been many important advances in mobility. Canes, walkers, rollators, and scooters were created to help people with mobility issues get around and retain their independence. Lately, however, there haven’t been any new improvements to these existing products or developments in this field. Until now. Recently, an innovative design engineer who’s developed one of the world’s most popular products created a completely new breakthrough... a personal electric vehicle. It’s called the Zinger, and there is nothing out there quite like it.

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Health Fitness &

HEART BOOSTER Fiber isn’t only good for your gut; it maintains cardiac health, too HEAR, HEAR If you have hearing loss, there’s hope.

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Prescriptions to cure loneliness abound

By Lindsey Tanner and Martha Irvine The stranger’s call came when Dianne Green needed it most.

Alone in the Chicago home where she’d raised four kids, Green had never felt lonelier. She was grieving recently deceased relatives and too fearful of COVID-19 to see her grandkids and great-grandbabies.

Then, one day last spring, her cell phone lit up.

The cheerful voice on the line was Janine Blezien, a nurse from a Chicago hospital’s “friendly caller” program, created during the pandemic to help lonely older adults cope with isolation. Blezien, 57, lives just six miles from Green.

“She wasn’t scripted. She seemed like she was genuinely caring,” said Green, 68, a retired dispatcher for the city’s water department. The two women started talking often and became friends without ever setting eyes on each other.

“I called her my angel.”

Rampant loneliness existed long before COVID-19, and experts believe it’s now worse. Evidence suggests it can damage health and shorten lives as much as obesi-

ty and smoking.

In addition to psychological distress, some studies suggest loneliness may cause physical changes including inflammation and elevated stress hormones that may tighten blood vessels and increase blood pressure.

Yet loneliness as a public health issue “has kind of been swept under the rug,” said Dr. Ada Stewart, president of the American Association of Family Physicians. There’s no formal medical diagnosis and no mandate to screen for it.

“Now the pandemic has unveiled it,” Stewart said. “This is real.”

than 75. Rates were highest in countries including the United States that prize individual success over collectivism.

The true impact from the pandemic has yet to be seen.

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, who has called loneliness a public health crisis, points out that much of the world, including the U.S., “was struggling with remarkably high levels of loneliness before COVID-19.

“The pandemic has shed new light on this struggle and reminded us of an unmistakable truth: We need each other,” he said in an emailed statement.

A public health crisis

Other countries test solutions

Just a month before a global pandemic was declared, a National Academies report showed that one-third of U.S. adults aged 45 and up were lonely. Surveys have surprisingly found higher rates in younger adults.

A British online survey in 2018 of more than 55,000 people in 237 countries found that loneliness affected 40% of young adults, compared with 27% of those older

Facing troubling loneliness statistics, the United Kingdom in 2018 created a parliament position called the minister of loneliness, believed to be the world’s first.

In February, after a rash of suicides, Japan appointed the second.

The UK’s current minister, Baroness Diana Barran, says the pandemic has kept her busier than ever.

“I have quite a wide portfolio of respon-

sibilities, but I think I get probably 8 or 10 times as much correspondence on loneliness as I get on anything else,” she said.

Some of the solutions they’re trying: Mental health support via texting for young people, “garden gate” visits by volunteers offering socially distanced conversation outside older folks’ homes, and a campaign encouraging people to wear yellow socks to highlight loneliness in teens and young adults.

Unique ‘prescriptions’ Some doctors have gone as far as writing prescriptions for loneliness. There’s no recommended medicine, so they’ve gotten creative.

Evelyn Shaw’s physician knew the widowed grandmother had been holed up in her New York City apartment, too frightened to venture out. She hadn’t seen her close-knit family in person for months.

So the doctor wrote her patient a prescription that said simply: “You are allowed to hug your granddaughter.”

See LONELINESS, page 4

Learning to live well with ‘long-haul’ illness

By Jennifer Crystal, Harvard Health Blog When we get an acute illness like the flu or a cold, we feel sick for a week or two and then get back to our usual lives. This is how illness is “supposed” to go.

But what happens when illness doesn’t fit this bill? What do patients with chronic conditions like diabetes or multiple sclerosis, or with persistent symptoms of Lyme disease or long-haul COVID-19, do when they can’t go back to their normal lives?

Having suffered from the latter two — tick-borne illnesses that have plagued me for two decades, and a case of COVID-19 that took four months to shake — I’ve learned a few lessons about living with persistent illness.

through years of intense treatment, all I could talk about was getting back on track.

I even threw a big “back to life” party when I finally achieved remission. Then I went right back to the high-functioning lifestyle I’d always known.

Three months later, I relapsed. It took another couple of years of treatment to get well enough to attend graduate school, socialize, exercise and work. The journey wasn’t linear, and I had to pace myself to have more good days than bad.

I realized I couldn’t just wipe my hands of my illnesses. These persistent infections were coming with me, and not only did I have to accept them, I had to learn to move forward with them in a way that honored my needs but didn’t let them run my life.

Reframe your mindset The most important — and hardest — lesson I’ve learned is that with debilitating, persistent conditions, there is no going back. I got sick at age 25. I had been working full-time, living an active lifestyle, burning the candle at both ends. Suddenly, the candle was gone. While I was bedridden

Recognize your needs Our bodies are good at telling us what they need: food, sleep, down time. We’re not always good at listening to these messages, however, because we live busy lives and sometimes can’t or don’t want to make time to take care of ourselves. When you have a

persistent illness, ignoring your body’s needs becomes harder, if not impossible, and the consequences are more severe.

I’ve learned that I have to pace myself physically and neurologically, stopping activity before I get tired so my symptoms don’t flare. I have to rest in the early afternoon. I must stick to a particular diet, stay on low-dose medications, and do regular adjunct therapies in order to maintain my health. Now, after recovering from COVID19, I also need to be conscious of residual lung inflammation.

At first, I saw these needs as limitations.

They take up time and energy and prevent me from living a normal life. But when I reframed my thinking, I realized that I’ve simply created a new normal that works in the context of my illnesses. Everyone, sick or healthy, has needs. Acknowledging and respecting them can be frustrating in the short term, but allows us to live better in the long term.

your needs, you can plan other parts of your life accordingly. Your health must come first, but it isn’t the only important aspect of your life, even when you have a persistent, debilitating illness.

I had to shift my thinking from feeling anxious and embarrassed by what I couldn’t do, to optimizing what I can. I can’t work a traditional 9-to-5 job anymore, but I can write and teach on a more flexible schedule. I can’t go for an all-day hike (and might not want to anyway, due to ticks!), but I can enjoy a morning of kayaking.

Ask yourself what skills you have to offer, and what innovative opportunities might put them to good use? What activities do you miss, and how can you do them in an adaptive way? If that’s not possible, what’s a new activity you could explore?

Hope for the future, but live in the present Learning to live well with a persistent illness does not mean resigning yourself

Think outside the box Once you figure out how to best meet

See LONG HAUL, page 5

Loneliness From page 4 The hug “was magical. It was surreal.

We just held onto each other, and we cried,” Shaw said. Her daughter filmed the moment in a video that was posted on Twitter last month and went viral.

“We don’t want to live lonely and alone and terrified and afraid,” said Shaw, who along with her granddaughter has received a COVID-19 vaccine.

“We all want to be able to gather with the people we love and our friends. We want to go back to normalcy.”

Friendly calls and screening tools Of course, loneliness won’t vanish even when the pandemic ends, said psychologist Benjamin Miller, a health policy analyst with Well Being Trust. Some people may still fear interaction, and Miller said programs to help will be needed more than ever.

In Chicago, the friendly caller program initially targeted seniors but will expand to primary care and pediatric practices, and will continue even when the pandemic subsides, said social worker Eve Escalante, manager of program innovation at Rush University Medical Center.

University of Texas researchers tested a

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H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — J U L Y 2 0 2 1

similar friendly caller program with adults involved in a Meals on Wheels program.

They found meaningful improvements in loneliness, anxiety and depression after four weeks. Several health centers have contacted the researchers to learn how to launch similar programs.

Even health insurers are paying attention. Last fall, Humana Inc. posted an online loneliness screening tool for doctors and included links for referrals to programs to help affected patients, some free and others covered by its health plans.

The insurer also created a “Far From Alone” campaign for older adults, with on-

line links to free virtual programs, including exercise classes, cooking lessons and howto courses on gardening and journaling.

In Chicago, vaccination allowed Dianne Green and Janine Blezien to meet briefly in person recently for the first time.

Amid hugs, tears and laughter, they seemed like old friends.

“Dianne helps me as much as I help her,” Blezien said.

Now Green is considering becoming a volunteer for the friendly caller program, an idea that thrills Blezien.

“Dianne,” she said, “has so much to offer the world.”

—AP

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Hopkins on the Hill presents a conversation about how the COVID-19 Dashboard by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University helps to advance understanding of the virus, inform the public and brief policymakers. This free virtual event takes place Wed., June 30 from 12 to 1 p.m. For more information and to register, visit bit.ly/JHUCovidTracking.

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Improve your balance in this virtual workout presented by AARP. This free event takes place Mon., July 12 from 1 to 2 p.m. and is open to nonmembers. For more information and to register, visit bit.ly/AARPBalanceBootcamp.

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take place Tues., June 29, Wed., June 30 and Thurs., July 1 at 8:00 a.m. For more

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Register with an email address to receive an immediate registration confirmation, and you will receive an email from the Howard County Library every Friday with activities. Email HCLS.brainfitness@hclibrary.org for class details.

ern technology, providing diverse perspectives to enrich the discussion. Talks

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to it. In my case, I’m able to do more each year, even though I sometimes have short setbacks. I change medications. I try new therapies.

I manage my illnesses as they are now,

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Long haul

but I haven’t given up hope for a cure, and am always striving to find ways to make my life even better.

I can’t control what my illnesses do, but I can control how I handle them. And that makes life a little brighter. © 2021 Harvard University. Distributed

by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Fiber helps your gut and protects your heart

By Carolyn Williams As part of a healthy diet, fiber is a nutrient most associated with keeping the digestive tract regular and — thanks to the marketing on the oatmeal container — lowering cholesterol.

But fiber’s role in the body goes way beyond regularity, and one of fiber’s most important roles stems from the influence that gut health has on heart health. To put it

simply, a healthier gut means a healthier heart.

According to research, a healthy gut has a protective effect on the heart by influencing factors that cause and contribute to heart disease.

Here are four ways that eating fiber protects your heart: 1. Lowers cholesterol in multiple ways

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CONCERT AT THE CHRYSALIS

On Sat., June 26, at 5 p.m., the Columbia Orchestra returns to the Chrysalis for the popular, family-friendly Symphonic Pops Concert. Vocalists Emily Casey and Montel perform songs from Porgy and Bess, Kiss Me Kate, Anything Goes, and the orchestra will play music by John Williams and Simon and Garfunkel. Bring a lawn chair and picnic. Tickets are $20. For more information, visit tinyurl.com/xxwym2ep.

Foods with soluble fiber (such as oats) have demonstrated ability to lower levels of LDL cholesterol — the type of cholesterol we want less of — when eaten consistently and regularly. Soluble fiber attaches to bile, a cholesterol-based compound that assists in digesting fats, and both the fiber and bile are later excreted. The body then uses circulating lipids (fats) to form new bile molecules, lowering total and LDL cholesterol.

But in addition to that, research now suggests that gut bacteria also influence blood lipid levels. In fact, bacteria in healthy guts play a role in lowering LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.

2. Prevents inflammation Gut health plays a key role in the inflammatory process. The mechanism works like this: A healthy gut creates a protective barrier in the intestines, allowing nutrients

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to pass into the bloodstream but blocking out many inflammatory compounds in food. When these good bacteria are disrupted or become unbalanced, this barrier isn’t as effective and starts to “leak,” allowing those compounds into the body.

Because most chronic conditions are driven by inflammation, promoting gut health with a healthy, fiber-rich diet is key for preventing heart disease as well as a host of other lifestyle-related conditions.

3. Lowers blood pressure Fiber can’t be digested, but good bacteria in the gut can ferment some fibers in the colon. The fermentation process produces short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). These SCFA provide energy and nutrients for the bacteria, and research suggests that SCFA production can also lower blood pressure.

In fact, eating a high-fiber diet is even considered a treatment for hypertension by some health professionals, since increasing fiber intake is the best way to increase SCFA production.

4. Helps you lose belly fat Consuming a high-fiber diet is associated with less abdominal fat. This is important since people who carry extra weight in their abdominal area are at higher risk for developing heart disease.

Increasing daily fiber can help with weight loss by slowing down the digestive process to provide a feeling of fullness and satiety. And it can also increase the number and diversity of good bacteria to reduce inflammation, which is also now considered an underlying driver of obesity.

The takeaway The gut-heart connection is a new area of research with lots of unknowns. Until research offers more insight, we do know that eating plenty of fiber-rich foods is one of the best ways to support gut health.

Most of us need to get more fiber in each day. Fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains are the best sources of dietary fiber, providing a mix of soluble and insoluble fiber, so look for ways to sneak more of them into meals and snacks.

EatingWell is a magazine and website devoted to healthy eating as a way of life. Online at www.eatingwell.com. © 2021 Meredith Corporation. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — J U L Y 2 0 2 1

7

Most with hearing loss don’t see a doctor

By Margaret Foster About 48 million Americans have some form of hearing loss, whether from illness, military service or too many loud concerts.

Worldwide, 1 in 4 people will experience hearing loss by 2050, according to the World Health Organization’s first World Report on Hearing, released this year.

In May, the American Speech-LanguageHearing Association (ASHA) announced that its recent poll of 2,500 adults showed a “disconnect between the high value that Americans say they place on their hearing and their low willingness to be treated for any hearing loss,” according to a statement.

That’s a problem because hearing loss can affect our health.

“We know, and are consistently learning more, about how untreated hearing loss can not only impact a person’s quality of life and mental health, but that it can also be associated with cognitive decline, dementia, preventable hospitalizations and more,” said A. Lynn Williams, PhD, ASHA president.

“There are effective treatment options that can enable adults with hearing loss to

live fuller and more satisfying lives.”

Results of the survey The poll, conducted by YouGov in March 2021, found the following: —80% of Americans say maintaining their hearing health is extremely important or very important to their quality of life.

—Yet only 2 in 10 (20%) adults have had a hearing test in the past 5 years, compared with roughly 6 in 10 (61%) who have had their vision tested.

—More than half (51%) of all adults reported having hearing problems, but only 11% of those respondents have sought treatment.

—More than three-quarters (78%) of those with hearing problems have had these difficulties for 1 or more years — and over one third (35%) have had trouble for 5 or more years.

—42% of Americans understand that mild hearing loss can impact a person’s life or daily functioning. Yet more than half of those with untreated hearing problems (56%) say that they would be unlikely to treat it unless it was “severe.”

Tell them you saw it in the Beacon!

—64% say they would be “much more” or “more” likely to seek treatment for hearing difficulties if they knew it could help lower the risk of developing dementia later in life.

—44% of employed adults worry that hearing loss would reduce their effectiveness at work — and 37% worry that it could hurt their ability to remain employed.

—People are much more likely to seek treatment if a loved one encourages them to do so: Roughly 6 in 10 said that they would likely seek help if either their spouse/part-

ner (59%) or child (61%) asked them to.

This spring, ASHA’s consumer affiliate, the National Association for Hearing and Speech Action, launched a public service announcement campaign called “Act Now on Hearing” to encourage the public to take action on their hearing difficulties by visiting a certified audiologist for a hearing evaluation.

Visit ActNowonHearing.com to learn the signs of hearing loss or search for a certified audiologist. Or call ASHA at 1800-638-8255 or by TTY at (301) 296-5650.

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J U L Y 2 0 2 1 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

Savory galette makes a great lunch or dinner

Corn, Tomato and Bacon Galette Serves 6 All-purpose flour (for sprinkling on counter) 1 pie dough (make your own or use 1 round store-bought) 3 slices bacon (standard, turkey or vegetarian) 1 cup frozen corn, thawed and patted dry 1 cup (6 ounces) cherry tomatoes, halved ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese (2 ounces) 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced

¼ teaspoon salt ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (1/2 ounce) 1 large egg, cracked into bowl and lightly beaten with fork 1 scallion, dark green part only, sliced thin 1. Adjust the oven rack to the lower/middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. If using homemade pie dough, sprinkle flour over a clean counter. Place dough on floured counter and sprinkle dough with a little extra flour. Use a rolling pin to roll dough into a 12-inch circle, rotating the dough and reflouring the counter in between rolls. (Store-bought dough is already rolled out.)

3. Gently transfer the dough to the parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate while making the filling.

4. Line a microwave-safe plate with two paper towels and place the bacon on top.

Top with two more paper towels. Microwave until the bacon is crispy, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the plate from the microwave. Let bacon cool.

5. In a large bowl, use a rubber spatula to stir together corn, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, garlic and salt.

6. Remove the baking sheet from the re-

PHOTO BY DANIEL J. VAN ACKERE, TNS

By America’s Test Kitchen A galette is like a pie, except the crust is only on the bottom and the sides and it’s a totally free-form dish. No pie plate here!

A good galette has a crust that is nice and crisp. But the filling can create a problem. Most veggies are filled with water, which can make the crust wet. The solution? We put a layer of grated Parmesan cheese on the bottom of the galette before adding the filling. This creates a (delicious!) barrier against any excess water.

If you don’t want to make the dough yourself, feel free to use a store-bought dough. Also, it’s important to bake the galette right after assembling it. Don’t let it sit around and get soggy!

frigerator and discard the plastic. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese evenly over the dough, leaving a 2-inch border around the edge.

Use a rubber spatula to spread the corntomato mixture over the Parmesan. Crumble cooked bacon over top.

7. Fold a 2-inch border of dough up and over the edge of the filling. Continue folding, overlapping folds of dough every 2 inches, until you get all the way around the galette. Use a pastry brush to paint dough with a beaten egg.

8. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake until the dough is golden brown,

45 to 50 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack. Let the galette cool on baking sheet for 15 minutes. Transfer the galette to cutting board. Sprinkle scallion greens over the filling. Slice into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.

For 25 years, confident cooks in the know have relied on America’s Test Kitchen for rigorously tested recipes developed by professional test cooks and vetted by 60,000 athome recipe testers. See more online at americastestkitchen.com/TCA. © 2021 America’s Test Kitchen. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — J U L Y 2 0 2 1

9

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

Low- and regular-dose aspirin safe, effective Aspirin helps prevent blood clots, but it’s not recommended for healthy people who have not yet developed heart disease because it carries a risk of bleeding. Its benefits are clear, though, for folks who already have had a heart attack, bypass surgery or clogged arteries requiring a stent.

But the best dose isn’t known, and the study aimed to compare the doses in a real-world setting. The study was funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, created under the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to help patients make informed decisions about health care.

dose they were told, Virani said.

After roughly two years, about 7% of each group had died or been hospitalized for a heart attack or a stroke. Safety results also were similar — less than 1% had major bleeding requiring hospitalization and a transfusion.

Nearly 41% of those assigned to take the higher dose switched at some point to the lower one, and that high rate “could have obscured a true difference” in safety or effectiveness, Colin Baigent, a medical sci-

entist at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, wrote in a commentary in the medical journal.

One study leader, Dr. Schuyler Jones of Duke University, said the study still provides valuable guidance. If patients are taking low-dose aspirin now, “staying on that dose instead of switching is the right choice,” he said.

People doing well on 325 milligrams See ASPIRIN, page 11

How the study worked About 15,000 people received invitations to join through the mail, email or a phone call and enrolled on a website where they returned every three to six months for follow-up. A network of participating health centers supplied medical information on participants from their electronic records and insurance claims.

The participants were randomly assigned to take low- or regular-dose aspirin, which they bought over the counter. Nearly all were taking aspirin before the study began, and 85% were already on a low dose; therefore, “it was an uphill task right from the get-go” to get people to use the

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By Marilynn Marchione Thousands of heart disease patients recently enrolled themselves in an unusual study that required them to track their health online as they took low- or regularstrength aspirin. The study concludes that both doses seem equally safe and effective for preventing additional heart problems and strokes.

But there’s a big caveat: People had such a strong preference for the lower dose that it’s unclear if the results can establish that the treatments are truly equivalent, some independent experts said. Half who were told to take the higher dose took the lower one instead — or quit using aspirin altogether.

“Patients basically decided for themselves” what they wanted to take because they bought the aspirin on their own, said Dr. Salim Virani, a cardiologist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston who had no role in the study.

Still, the results show there’s little reason to take the higher dose, 325 milligrams, which many doctors assumed would work better than 81-milligram “baby aspirin,” he said.

Results were published in May by the New England Journal of Medicine and discussed at an American College of Cardiology conference.

10

Fitness & Health | New: subscribe online! See how on p. 21

J U L Y 2 0 2 1 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

What to do about chronically itchy skin The average person is estimated to will clear up with those. scratch an itch on their body about a hunBut what if it doesn’t? dred times a day, and that is The misery of chronic itchy considered pretty normal. sensations and an accompanyBut what if you have a ing painful rash could baffle chronic itch? The scratching you and your practitioners for could be nonstop, and you weeks, sometimes months or could scratch yourself to the years! point of bleeding, risking inToday I’ll cover a few condifection. tions that cause itch, along Itching is one of those with my suggestions for treatsymptoms that will drive you ment. Please ask your doctor mad unless you get to the about what’s right for you.

DEAR root cause and treat it. This PHARMACIST can be the most difficult part. By Suzy Cohen Tinea Versicolor Unfortunately, digging deep This common fungal infecisn’t what happens at first when tion results in discolored patches of skin you show up at the doctor’s office with an that are lighter or darker than surrounditchy rash. You likely will have to go to the ing skin. Since this is caused by a fungus, pharmacy to pick up a steroid, such as a you will need to eliminate refined sugar in Medrol Dose pack, and some Benadryl. If your diet because that feeds fungus. you’re among the lucky, the itchy sensation You could rub some coconut oil on the

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area since that is an easily accessible natural anti-fungal. If it’s all over your body, you could take a shower and use a selenium sulfide body wash (like Selsun Blue) or buy a soap containing zinc pyrithione.

Hot Tub Folliculitis This is sometimes also called Pool Folliculitis, and the rash can cause itchy, red and tender bumps that contain pus. You can get this from a swimming pool or whirlpool that looks like it has perfectly, clean water because the causative bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa will survive in water that’s been chlorinated! Treatments usually include silver-containing creams or gels. Some people try compresses with distilled vinegar. In serious cases, an antibiotic will be prescribed.

Progesterone dermatitis This is an immune-driven condition that causes itchiness in a recurring fashion due to the rise in progesterone with every menstrual cycle. Managing hormones and suppressing the immune response may help this.

Neuropathic itch This type of itch is difficult to diagnose

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because there is no presentation of a rash or bump, scaly skin or anything! The itching is caused by damage to the nervous system. You can change your shampoo, soap, laundry detergent, bedding and clothing, and the itch will stay with you.

One of the most promising treatments for neuropathic itch are the JAK inhibitor drugs. One in particular is Xelganz (tofacitinib). I researched to find a natural JAK inhibitor, and it appears that thymoquinone might be helpful. Black Seed oil supplements are rich in that compound.

[Ed. Note: Other common causes of itching include allergies and bedbugs, so try to rule those out, too.]

In closing, I will refer you to the work of Dr. Brian S. Kim, who can be found on Twitter as @itchdoctor. Dr. Kim has done pioneering research on the topic of itch.

This information is opinion only. It is not intended to treat, cure or diagnose your condition. Consult with your doctor before using any new drug or supplement.

Suzy Cohen is a registered pharmacist and author of The 24-Hour Pharmacist and Real Solutions from Head to Toe.

Study predicts dementia via driving data

By Margaret Foster Tracking drivers’ behaviors can predict dementia, according to a recent study by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Columbia’s Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Researchers developed algorithms for detecting mild cognitive impairment and dementia in older drivers, according to the study’s findings, published in the journal Geriatrics this spring. In fact, they successfully predicted mild cognitive impairment and dementia with an 88% accuracy rate.

Nearly 3,000 people participated in the LongROAD study, in which a recording device was placed in their car to track naturalistic driving data.

Although drivers’ age was the factor that

most accurately predicted mild cognitive impairment and dementia, researchers also looked at their race and ethnicity, the percentage of trips traveled within 15 miles of home, minutes per trip, and number of times they hit the brakes and decelerated quickly.

“Driving is a complex task involving dynamic cognitive processes and requiring essential cognitive functions and perceptual motor skills,” said Guohua Li, MD, DrPH, professor of epidemiology and anesthesiology at Columbia Mailman School and Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, and senior author of the LongROAD study.

“Our study indicates that naturalistic driving behaviors can be used as comprehensive and reliable markers for mild cognitive impairment and dementia.”

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — J U L Y 2 0 2 1

Health Studies

11

INFORMATION ON AREA CLINICAL TRIALS

Stroke survivors can help future recovery

By Margaret Foster A stroke can be permanently debilitating.

Every year, of the nearly 800,000 Americans who have a stroke, only 10% make a full recovery, according to the American Stroke Association. In fact, stroke is the fifth leading cause of death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine are studying stroke survivors in the hopes that they can help people recover more completely. This summer, several clinical trials are recruiting people who have had a stroke as well as healthy older adults.

“The research that we have ongoing is generally focused on getting people to a higher level of physical functioning after the stroke,” said Dr. Kelly Westlake, Associate Professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science.

“Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability in the older population” Westlake said. “As we learn more and more about the mechanisms that can potentially promote functional recovery, it is critical that we develop and evaluate rehabilitation interventions that target these important recovery processes.”

Most of the university’s studies require at least one in-person visit to the Veterans Administration Medical Center or School

Aspirin From page 9 now may want to continue on that and should talk with their doctors if they have any concerns.

For new patients, “in general, we’re going to recommend starting the low dose,” Jones said.

of Medicine in downtown Baltimore (free parking is available). One study, however, is web-based and can be done entirely from home. Studies run from a couple of visits to up to 12 weeks in length. Participants need not be veterans.

Most people who have had a stroke are eligible for at least one of the ongoing studies, regardless of their level of impairment, or time after stroke. Older adults without strokes are also needed in some studies that are evaluating the general effects of the interventions in older populations before testing in a stroke population.

“We always encourage any interested individuals with a stroke or their caregivers to contact us early, even before formal rehabilitation services have ended so that we can find a study match as soon as possible and avoid delays in treatment,” she said.

“Some of our studies include patients within the first few months after stroke, while others include individuals who are 6 months or more post-stroke.”

Studies include robot-assisted rehabilitation, more One 12-week study will look at how well protein supplements and resistance training improve strength and balance in stroke survivors. “This study aims to improve physical function, quality of life and overall wellness and decrease fatigue,” acVirani said people must remember that aspirin is a medicine and that even though it’s sold over the counter, patients shouldn’t make decisions on its use by themselves.

“Don’t change the dose or stop without talking to someone,” he warned. “This is important, especially for a therapy like aspirin.”

—AP

cording to researchers.

Another clinical trial will use robots to rehabilitate arms or legs. A third study, which lasts about two months, will train stroke survivors to transfer their weight carefully while walking. “The information collected will guide future interventions aimed at improving walking speed in

stroke,” according to the study protocol.

“All the studies are trying to develop more effective rehabilitation protocols in order to improve the functional outcomes after stroke,” Westlake said.

If you or a loved one has had a stroke, or if you’re a healthy adult who wants to participate in a clinical trial, call (301) 873-2363.

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J U L Y 2 0 2 1 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

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Say you saw it in the Beacon

A Publication of the Department of Community Resources and Services

Transitioning to an Age-Friendly Community

A Message from Howard County Executive

I

T

n 2006, the World Health Organization (WHO) developed an initiative to help communities worldwide become age-friendly places for persons of all ages. In December 2019, Howard County joined 400+ Age-Friendly communities in the US and over 800 worldwide to focus on the importance of addressing the needs of community members of all ages.

An age-friendly community works to ensure that residents have access to health care and social services provided in a respectful manner; employment and volunteer options; adequate sidewalks, bike paths and public transportation; and opportunities to gather, socialize, exercise, and enjoy intergenerational activities. To be granted Age-Friendly designation, community leaders must first develop and submit action plans to establish priorities and set goals.

Howard County will complete its multi-year Action Plan by the end of the summer and begin implementing more than 80 suggested action steps at that time. Achieving the short- and long-term goals will require input, support and engagement from individuals, organizations and groups of all sizes. Watch for ways you can become involved in Age-Friendly Howard County here in the 50+ Connection, online at www.howardcountymd.gov/agefriendly and on Facebook.

Planning and development to move Howard County’s Age-Friendly initiative forward has been underway for more than 18 months, including the following recent projects that support the goal of becoming a more inclusive, age-friendly community: The Digital Equity Initiative and New County Website. Launched in May 2021, these updates increase digital access for individuals across the county and make the county’s website more user-friendly for residents to get the information they need. Communication and Information is one of the domains of an age-friendly community; residents need information that is reliable, accessible and available to individuals at all stages of life, regardless of cultural, age and ability differences.

The opening of the third phase of Blandair Regional Park. The fully-fenced playground opened last month by the Department of Recreation and Parks utilizes universal design to enable children of all ability levels to play together, while addressing cognitive, communicative, social/emotional and sensory abilities.

Funding granted for Complete Streets projects, a critical component of livable or age-friendly communities. According to the AARP Public Policy Institute, a Complete Street is safe, comfortable, and convenient for travel by automobile, foot, bicycle, and transit, regardless of age and ability. In May, the Howard County Council approved $5.375 million in the FY22 budget for bike and pedestrian infrastructure projects to advance complete streets projects in Howard County, spearheaded by the Office of Transportation and supported by the Horizon Foundation.

Capital Funding for a new East Columbia 50+ Center. The council also approved $5.5 million in FY22 capital funding to expand the East Columbia 50+ Center. The new 29,000+ square foot facility will provide increased opportunities for socialization, education, communication and information exchange, and intergenerational activities — all essential components of an age-friendly community.

13

Volume 11, No. 7 • July 2021

Calvin Ball his summer is starting to look a lot more like normal, thanks in part to all of you who have worn your masks, listened to public health guidance, and gotten vaccinated. We’re thrilled to have welcomed you back to our 50+ Centers, and excited that the long-awaited expansion of the East Columbia 50+ Center is fully funded in our FY22 budget.

As more of our world reopens, and we can gather together once again, let us not forget the collective anguish and grief that many of us have experienced over this past year. July is National Minority Mental Health Month, and there is no time like the present for all of us to focus on our mental health. Over 20 percent of Howard County residents report feeling nervous, anxious or on edge.

We want our residents to know that we’re here to help. Our health department and our community partners have many resources and supports for anyone who is struggling or is in crisis at howardcountymd.gov/gethelp. This month, we’re also pleased to welcome the opening of Sheppard Pratt’s Baltimore/Washington Campus in Elkridge, which will provide enhanced behavioral health services to our residents. Making more mental health services available can directly help these residents and give peace of mind to their loved ones.

This summer, as you meet up with family and friends or get out to enjoy the natural beauty that surrounds us in Howard County, remember that it’s vital to ask the people important to you, “are you ok?” Mental Health is something we all can focus on, as we emerge from a year of missed celebrations, hugs, and time with those we love. Throughout the past year we’ve looked out for one another, and I hope that spirit of working together will continue as we put this pandemic behind us.

These projects – with more to come – will move Howard County closer to becoming an inclusive, Age-Friendly community for all to grow up in and grow older in.

East Columbia 50+ Steering Committee member Pearl Atkinson-Stewart thanked County Executive Calvin Ball and the Howard County Council for committing $5.5 million in FY22 capital funding for construction of a new, larger facility to meet the needs of older adults in the East Columbia community. "This announcement brings tears to my eyes," she said, "Tears of joy!"

14

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The 50+ Connection

J U L Y 2 0 2 1 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

No Appointment Needed!

A

s of July 1, appointments will no longer be needed to visit Howard County’s 50+ Centers, and capacity limits will be lifted. As in-person classes and activities resume, the Office on Aging and Independence’s 50+ Center teams are also piloting some hybrid activities. To balance public facing responsibilities and the technology needs of virtual programming, virtual programs will continue to be offered Tuesdays through Thursdays in July, and Tuesdays and Thursdays in August.

The Virtual Group Exercise Package will continue as scheduled through September, but may be modified based upon participation levels and instructor availability. In-person programming across the 50+ Centers will gradually increase in the months ahead. “The entire Office on Aging and Independence team is deeply gratified by the community’s positive response and feedback to our programming throughout the past 15 months,” said Barbara Scher, 50+ Center Division Manager.

Scher also announced that Howard County’s Virtual 50+ Programs have been selected by engAGED: The National Resource Center for Engaging Older Adults to be featured on the engAGED Social Engagement Innovations Hub, a searchable online database which will facilitate the sharing and replication of best social engagement practices. The National Resource Center is a project of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a).

It has been our privilege to come up with innovative ways to meet the needs of our older adults [during the pandemic], and to see the positive impact our efforts have had on their lives.

Barbara Scher

50+ CENTER JULY EVENTS Exercise Consultations with Malarie Burgess BAIN 50+ CENTER Third Wednesdays • 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.

Schedule an individual consultation to establish a personalized fitness program based on the recommendations of your health care provider, your goals and fitness assessment results. Ideal for those age 50+ who have never exercised before or who have not exercised in a while. $15 per 30-minute session.

Register at https://bit.ly/3gbcYJJ.

Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program ELKRIDGE 50+ CENTER Mondays & Wednesdays (begins July 12) • 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.

Cycle2Health will return to its regular schedule of three rides per week in August. Registration is now open at www.howardcountymd.gov/c2h. All level riders are welcome.

The Arthritis Foundation’s low-impact physical activity program is proven to reduce pain and decrease stiffness and includes gentle range-of-motion exercises suitable for every fitness level and ability. This program is led by a trained program leader. Call for fee details or to register at 410-313-5192.

Nutrition Education: Anti-Inflammatory Eating ELLICOTT CITY 50+ CENTER Monday, July 19 • 12:30 p.m.

Are you suffering from a chronic condition like rheumatoid arthritis? Nutritionist Carmen Roberts, R.D., will discuss how what you eat can dramatically impact the way you feel. A proper diet can reduce symptoms associated with chronic inflammation. Free; register at 410-313-1400.

2021

Mark Your Calendar NOW! October 1 through November 30 The Beacon’s Virtual 50+EXPO returns this Fall, with full access to programming available online from October 1 through November 30.

Potential sponsors and exhibitors can register now to participate in the 2021 EXPO at https://www.thebeaconnewspapers.com/50expos/.

Exhibitors will be promoted on Facebook and other social media, as well as in multiple print ads and targeted e-mail blasts to more than 100,000 baby boomers and seniors. In addition to all exhibitor benefits, sponsors receive speaker opportunities, banner, print and Facebook ads, plus radio mentions, e-blasts and more!

PRESENTED BY

the KINDNESS CHALLENGE The Office on Aging & Independence is kicking off a HoCo Summer Kindness Challenge by asking the community to perform acts of kindness throughout the summer. Even small gestures can create a ripple effect — for every act of kindness you perform, another person will pay it forward by being kind.

The more people to take the challenge, the kinder, safer, and more engaged Howard County will become!

Sign up at www.hocovolunteer.org to receive kindness challenges for July and August!

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — J U L Y 2 0 2 1

Say you saw it in the Beacon

PHOTO BY DANIEL MEE

Money Law &

15

Which birthdays can affect your finances?

See story on page 18.

For better customer service, phone it in

By Laura McMullen When the pandemic began, Sean McAuliffe’s New York-based distribution company suffered financially. So, he set out to cut operating costs. He canceled a few services, and for more important ones, he contacted the providers to request deferred or lowered bills.

First, he emailed, only to receive unhelpful replies.

Then, he called — and every one of those same companies he had emailed agreed to temporarily pause or lower his bill. McAuliffe estimates that these conversations saved his company thousands of dollars, which helped prevent layoffs.

This technique can work on the individual level, too. If you’re willing to chat on the phone, you can save money and, often, time.

How a phone call can help Is the idea of talking to a real-life stranger on the phone about as appealing as waiting at the DMV or getting blood drawn? Join the club. In 2019, gadget trade-in website BankMyCell conducted an online survey of more than 1,200 millennials in the U.S. When asked if they sometimes feel they need to summon the courage to make a phone call, 81% of respondents said yes.

But if you can push yourself to pick up the phone, a call to customer service is often the best way to request a favor that will save you money. You can ask to have a bill lowered or deferred; a credit limit raised; an interest rate lowered; a fee waived; a service or booking canceled without penalty or just about anything else.

All it costs to ask is time and potential phone-call awkwardness. And the worst thing that can happen is the stranger on the other line says no. (But read on, and you’ll probably get them to negotiate.)

Phone calls are also the way to resolve errors, such as unwarranted late-payment fees or duplicate charges on a bill. Ira Rheingold, executive director at the National Association of Consumer Advocates, recommends regularly scrutinizing your bills for mistakes.

“Do not expect the company you’re dealing with to always be accurate,” he said.

“When things don’t look right, they’re probably not right, and you should follow up on it.”

Even if you’re not necessarily trying to save money, jumping on the phone may help you understand a nuanced money topic

more quickly (and maybe more accurately) than spiraling down an online search hole.

Call your insurance agent if you don’t understand how your policy works or if a certain something is covered, for example.

Call your credit card issuer to learn why you were rejected for a new card. Or call your health care provider’s billing office to identify head-scratcher charges.

How to prepare for the call Before picking up the phone, get clear on the outcome you want, said Stephanie Richman, certified financial planner and regional director of Northern California/East Bay at EP Wealth Advisors. Knowing this goal and clearly communicating it will help See CUSTOMER SERVICE, page 16

What we can learn from the best investors As far as success in the markets goes,

By Elliott Raphaelson though, almost all the experts profiled Financial journalist William Green has touched on a common theme: written a great book, Richer, that one of the most important Wiser, Happier: How the World’s factors was buying undervalued Greatest Investors Win in Marsecurities. Not all of the experts kets and Life, based on his ininvested in equities. Many were depth interviews with the successful purchasing other inworld’s most successful investment vehicles. For example, vestors. The book stands out Howard Marks specialized in because Green probes beyond depressed bonds and high-yield the field of investing to find out securities. how they have succeeded in Another common theme is their lives generally.

THE SAVINGS that most of the experts are “lonThis is especially interest- GAME ers.”

They spend a lot of time ing because some of those By Elliot Raphaelson reading by themselves. This inprofiled experienced significludes Warren Buffett and John cant problems during their Templeton.

The most successful investors are careers. There were many lessons to be not afraid of buying when others are selling, learned from career setbacks.

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June. 23+

THE LEGACY INTERVIEWS

Every Wednesday at 4 p.m., from June 23 to September 8, the American Society on Aging presents The Legacy Interviews, hosted by Ken Dychtwald, PhD. The web series, sponsored by Age Wave, will feature conversations with experts in the fields of aging, health and social services.

Conversations delve into relevant topics such as ageism in the workplace, politics and media; how healthcare, financial and social services systems can better support older adults; and the opportunities and obligations of today’s and tomorrow’s elders. There is no cost for watching the conversations, but registration is required. For more information and to register, visit asaging.org/legacy-interviews.

and vice versa. Many of these investors are avid game players. Many play bridge.

I found the chapter about Templeton very instructive. He, George Soros and Buffett shared one invaluable characteristic: “the willingness to be lonely,” as Green puts it. They take positions that others don’t think wise. “They have a conviction that a lot of people don’t have.”

When Templeton began his career, for example, the default wisdom of investment advisers was that Americans should invest exclusively in U.S. assets. Templeton took a different approach. After graduating from Oxford, he traveled the world, gaining an informational edge over investors who lacked his insatiable curiosity.

Most of the investors profiled in the book emphasize the importance of understanding probability. Most think very long term. Buffett and his partner Charlie Munger believe that when they finally select a company, it’s a lifetime investment.

The book presents a variety of opinions about diversification. Some of the experts are confident about having a small number of securities in their portfolio, while others, such as Joel Greenblatt, emphasize the importance of having a large number.

Patience is a virtue in investing One of the most important lessons from the book is the importance of patience.

Too many investors monitor their portfolio value too frequently, making rash judgments based on price changes that don’t reflect long-term conditions.

In the first three or four months of 2020, when the stock market fell dramatically, some sold much or all of their equities at lower prices, and many of them have still not gone back into the market. In doing so, they missed a significant market rebound and now have a much lower allocation of equities.

Following Buffett’s philosophy, I sold no equities from my portfolio at that time, and I continued dollar-cost averaging because I expected that the market fall was temporary. Most investment experts also did not sell early and have been rewarded.

Very few of the experts Green profiled depend on leverage for their performance.

Some who did have been hurt. Bill Miller, who had great success as chief investment officer of Legg Mason Capital Management, was burned badly in 2008 because of leverage. He has recovered, however, and is still widely admired.

You will find excellent investment advice and life advice from all of the other experts interviewed, including Jack Bogle, Peter Lynch, Ed Thorp, Will Danoff and many others.

One thing stands out: These experts See INVESTING, page 16

16

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J U L Y 2 0 2 1 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

Customer service

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Ongoing

RETHINK YOUR JOB SEARCH

From page 15

Are you looking for a new job? Do you want to find an employer seeking to hire experienced professionals 50 and over? AARP’s job board provides listings searchable by location with special designations for companies seeking veterans and companies committed to hiring people 50 and over. Visit jobs.aarp.org to learn more.

July 8

PINS AND NEEDLES

Want to connect with people to knit, crochet, embroider and sew? The library’s free virtual forum for creating, conversing, sharing, and learning meets twice a month on Thursdays at 10 a.m. To register and receive links/instructions, email pinsneedlearts@hclibrary.org.

June 29+

PERICLES OUTDOORS

Have you missed Shakespeare in the park? This summer the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company will perform “The Adventures of Pericles” at the Patapsco Female institute Historic Park in Ellicott City. Picnics welcome before the performance. The play runs July 2 to Aug. 1, and tickets start at $19 (kids free with paid adult). For more information, visit chesapeakeshakespeare.com/pericles or call (410) 244-8570.

make for an efficient and effective conversation.

Also, consider the motivations and interests of the company you’re calling, she said. That will help you anticipate their questions, answer them and ultimately encourage the other person to help you. So, in practice, that may mean asking to defer this month’s water bill and explaining how you’ll be able to catch up on payments by your next due date.

Ahead of your call, gather relevant paperwork, such as a copy of the bill you’re asking about or your insurance card. And mention your history with this company.

Let the customer service rep know if you’ve been a loyal customer for a long time or if you’ve gone years without a late charge. The company will likely be motivated to keep a customer like you around.

Finally, “be prepared to have patience,”

FIND Y FIND YOUR OUR N NEW EW H HOME OME A AT T

Rheingold said. This call may take a while and, yes, become tedious or frustrating.

Set aside some distraction-free time when you’re feeling good, not when you’re irritable or hungry.

How to make the most of the call OK, you can articulate exactly what you want and have armed yourself with information (and maybe snacks). Time to dial.

Be kind to whoever picks up as you clearly state your request. When McAuliffe, the business owner, made his calls, he said he was simply honest with the service providers about what he needed.

“It was more about working together than trying to strong-arm them,” he said.

If the person on the other end denies your request, or if it seems like they’re sticking to a script, Rheingold recommends asking to speak to their supervisor. That person is probably in a better position to help.

“There’s nothing wrong with working your way up the food chain,” he said.

As you climb said chain, remember your manners. “You can ask for a supervisor in a nice way,” Richman said. “Assertive does not mean aggressive.”

—AP

Investing From page 15

and enjoy and enjoy a life life of of lluxury uxury aand nd e ease as e

ELLICOTT CITY’ S RESORT-STYLE 55+ COMMUNITY

Discover the secret of maintenancefree luxury living with friendly

have been successful because of continued hard work and courage in following their instincts. They are not easily influenced by the crowd. They are willing to buy undervalued securities when everyone else is selling, and they know when to take some profits.

Not only will you learn a great deal about investing and life lessons from this book, you will probably also find it captivating. Once I started reading it, I read it from cover to cover.

Elliot Raphaelson welcomes your questions and comments at raphelliot@gmail.com. © 2021 Elliot Raphaelson. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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July 18+

WOMEN BEHAVING BADLY

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Law & Money

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — J U L Y 2 0 2 1

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18

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J U L Y 2 0 2 1 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

Birthdays that can affect your finances

By Liz Weston You hit a lot of milestone birthdays when you’re young. There’s your first birthday, of course, and at 13, you’re a teenager. At 16, you’re probably thinking about driving. At 18, you can vote; at 21, you can get into bars.

You reach milestones later in life as well, and many of them have to do with retirement. Knowing these age milestones can help you better prepare for life after work.

They include: Turning 50 It’s catch-up time! People 50 and older can contribute $6,500 more to their 401(k)s or 403(b)s each year, for a total contribution of up to $26,000 this year.

Those 50 and older who contribute to IRAs

and Roth IRAs can throw in an additional $1,000, for a total maximum annual contribution of $7,000.

Turning 55 Normally people have to pay a 10% federal penalty, along with income taxes, when they withdraw money from retirement accounts before age 59 ½. The penalty (but not the taxes) disappears on 401(k) and 403(b) withdrawals if you’re 55 or older when you quit, get fired or retire.

This “separated from service” rule applies during or after the year you turn 55.

Turning 59 ½ At this age you can take withdrawals from workplace plans or IRAs without penalty. Also, some 401(k) plans allow workers who are at least 59 ½ to do an “in-

service” rollover, allowing you to move money into an IRA while still working and contributing to the 401(k). If you’re interested, check with your 401(k) plan provider or your human resources department to see if this option is available to you.

Turning 60 For most widows and widowers, age 60 is the earliest that they can begin Social Security survivor benefits. (Survivor benefits are available starting at age 50 for survivors living with a disability, or at any age if the survivor cares for the deceased spouse’s children who are under age 16 or disabled.)

Turning 62 This is the earliest age you can begin Social Security retirement or spousal benefits, but your checks will be permanently reduced if you start before your full retirement age, which ranges from 66 to 67.

Also, you’ll face an earnings test (see story on page 33) that reduces your benefit by $1 for every $2 you earn over a certain amount, which in 2021 is $18,960. The earnings test disappears once you reach full retirement age.

Turning 65 At 65, most Americans are eligible for Medicare, the government health care program. Typically, you’ll want to sign up in the seven months around your birthday — meaning the three months before the month you turn 65, the month you turn 65, and the three months after. Delaying after that point can cause you to pay permanently increased premiums.

You can learn more at medicare.gov or by calling Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800633-4227) to request the “Medicare and You” handbook.

Turning 66 to 67 Full retirement age is 66 for people born between 1943 and 1954. The age rises two months for each birth year after that until it reaches 67 for people born in 1960 and later. Waiting at least until full retirement age to start Social Security benefits means you won’t have to settle for checks that have been reduced because you started early or because of earned income.

Turning 70 A juicy benefit awaits those who can delay the start of Social Security after full retirement age: Their benefit increases by 8% annually until it maxes out at age 70.

This not only means more money for the rest of your life, but if you’re the larger earner in a couple, it also maximizes the survivor benefit for your spouse.

Turning 72 Most retirement plan contributions reduce your taxes in the year you make them, and your account grows tax-deferred over the years. But eventually the government wants its cut. You’re required to start taking at least a minimum amount from most retirement plans beginning at age 72. (Required minimum distributions used to start at age 70 ½, but that’s been pushed back.)

There are a couple of exceptions: If you continue to work, you can wait until you retire to start minimum distributions from your 401(k) or 403(b). Minimum distributions are still required from traditional IRAs even if you’re working. If you have a Roth IRA, however, you won’t be required to start distributions at any age.

If you leave the money to your heirs, though, they will have to start taking withdrawals.

—AP/NerdWallet

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June 25+

SALON SERIES

Enjoy opera at Wolf Trap without leaving the comforts of home.

Virtual performances can be streamed online Thursday and Friday evenings in June and July at 7 p.m. Learn more at bit.ly/WolftrapOperaOnline.

ART HISTORY TRIVIA NIGHT

July 22

Join the Walters Art Museum for a free virtual trivia night. The focus will be summer and leisure in the Walters Art Museum collection, and the event will take place Thurs., July 22 from 5:30 to 6 p.m. on the museum’s Facebook and YouTube pages. For more information, visit thewalters.org/event/trivia-summer.

June 30

WRITERSLIVE!

Enoch Pratt Free Library hosts Writers LIVE! on Wed. June 30 from 7 to 8 p.m. with award-winning writer Sadeqa Johnson in conversation with Robert Jones Jr. about her newest book, The Yellow Wife.

Register for this free virtual event by visiting bit.ly/JohnsonandJones. Call (410) 396-5430 with questions.

June 25+

SMITHSONIAN FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival is taking place virtually this year from Fri., June 25 to Sun., June 27. Visit festival.si.edu for a full schedule of activities, including craft workshops, kitchen demonstrations, and story circles.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Law & Money

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — J U L Y 2 0 2 1

19

What is the Social Security earnings test?

By Austin Powell More than half of Americans surveyed

by Voya Financial plan to work in retirement. If you share that plan, you may assume that you can easily combine paid employment with other sources of retirement income, such as your retirement savings and Social Security.

However, if you claim Social Security before your full retirement age — which is based on your year of birth — your benefits may be reduced through a mechanism known as the Social Security earnings test.

Essentially, this rule limits your benefits if your paid employment earnings exceed certain thresholds.

The good news is that once you reach full retirement age, the benefit amounts that were withheld due to the earnings test will be returned to you in future Social Security payments. However, that doesn’t help when you are trying to balance your budget during the early years of retirement.

How the earnings test works The impact of the earnings test on your benefit can be broken down into three distinct phases. Each phase is based on your current age relative to your full retirement age.

Stage 1: You will not reach full retirement age in 2021: In this stage, you can earn as much as $18,960 a year from employment without affecting your Social Security benefits. There will be a $1 reduction in Social Security payments for every $2 of earnings over the $18,960 limit.

In the event of a reduction, Social Security withholds benefits in the form of

whole payments at the beginning of the year. If Social Security withholds too much, that means money will be refunded in the next calendar year.

Stage 2: You will reach your full retirement age in 2021: If you will reach your full retirement age during 2021, the earnings test is much less restrictive. You can earn as much as $50,520 a year from employment without affecting your benefit. There will be $1 reduction for every $3 of earnings over the $50,520 limit.

Stage 3: You reached your full retirement age before 2021: If you have already reached your full retirement age before 2021, the earnings test doesn’t apply to your earnings.

You are free to earn as much as you want while receiving your full benefit.

Special Rule: A special rule exists for filers that fall into phase 1 and 2 who retire from employment mid-year. Regardless of your earnings, if you stop receiving employment income once you collect Social Security, you can collect your entire benefit without reduction due to the excess earnings test.

Social Security claiming primer The amount of your Social Security benefit depends on your earnings history and your age. Social Security benchmarks all benefits around the concept of full retirement age, which for those born between 1943 and 1960 is between ages 66 to 67.

At full retirement age you receive what is known as your full benefit or primary insurance amount (PIA). If you claim Social Security before your full retirement age, your benefit is reduced. Similarly, if you

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Aug. 5

BLACK MUSIC HISTORY Smithsonian Associates presents “A Change Is Gonna Come: How

Black Music Powered the Civil Rights Movement,” a discussion led by civil rights and Black music historian Leon Burnette. This virtual event takes place Thurs., Aug. 5 from 12 to 1:15 p.m. and costs $25 ($20 for members). For more information or to register, visit bit.ly/MusicofCivilRights.

claim after your full retirement age, your benefit is increased.

The earliest you can claim Social Security is age 62; the latest you can claim to receive the maximum potential benefit is 70.

Managing employment and Social Security benefits Ultimately, the Social Security earnings test does not affect the benefit you receive over the course of your retirement because Social Security will make up any

benefit reductions later when you reach full retirement age.

However, this isn’t much comfort when you’re trying to balance your budget in early retirement. That’s why it’s critical to understand the earnings test and weigh all of your possible options when making your Social Security filing decision.

For more information, contact the Social Security Administration office or visit ssa.gov. © 2021 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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J U L Y 2 0 2 1 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

Travel Leisure &

Stay in a Conestoga wagon, houseboat or historic house. See story on page 21.

Cowboys and culture on Canada’s plains

Walkable in all types of weather Calgary’s downtown is compact and easily walkable, with many shops and eateries along Stephen Avenue Mall.

The Plus 15 skywalk network makes strolling around town comfortable even in inclement weather. Opened in 1970, the 11-mile network now includes about 60 enclosed bridges connecting downtown buildings.

After an 1886 fire incinerated most of the town’s wooden buildings, all buildings by law were made of sandstone, earning Calgary the moniker “Sandstone City.”

Many still stand.

The 62-foot Calgary Tower’s elevators whisk visitors to the top in only 62 seconds. There, you can sightsee on the observation deck’s glass floor, watch the city’s comings and goings below, or soak in broad vistas of the prairies, foothills and the Rocky Mountains. Built in just 24 days in 1968, the tower can withstand winds up to 100 miles per hour, partly because 60 percent of the building is underground.

Olympic Plaza, built for the 1988 winter Olympic games’ medal ceremonies, has plaques honoring the winners. Today, it’s a fair-weather setting for concerts and festivals, an ice rink in winter and a gathering place year-round.

The second floor of Jamieson Place is a mood booster with its skywalk-level garden and a 2,000-square-foot “living wall” that recalls a prairie landscape. The area sparkles with three hand-blown Dale Chihuly chandeliers of intricate, twisting tendrils and orbs that reflect the light in amber, green and blue — colors that suggest the prairie sky just before sunrise.

PHOTO BY COLIN WAY

By Glenda C. Booth In the middle of southern Alberta Canada’s vast prairie, multicultural urbanity meets cowboy country in Calgary. The outlaw Henry Longabaugh, better known as the Sundance Kid, himself once owned a saloon in one of its grand hotels.

Locals still brag that when the city hosted the 1988 winter Olympics, some Calgarians opened their homes to visitors from all over the world, and others cleaned up horse manure after the Western-themed opening ceremony.

But the city is perhaps best known for the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth, the annual Calgary Stampede. Celebrated every July since 1912, the stampede offers 10 days of high-octane rodeo competitions that draw cowboys and cowgirls from all around and 1.2 million fans in non-COVID times.

While the pandemic has dampened travel everywhere, “Calgary’s ‘giddy up’ never left, and we’re looking forward to welcoming visitors back with our Western hospitality when it’s safe to do so,” said Tourism Calgary’s Nancy Jackson.

Located near five UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Calgary is an intriguing, walkable historic city just an hour’s drive east of the Canadian Rockies.

PHOTO BY LEBLOND STUDIO INC.

Tourists can test-drive instruments and observe musicians in recording sessions at Studio Bell, the headquarters of Canada’s National Music Centre.

Outdoor square dances, carnival rides and rodeo performances transform the city of Calgary, Canada almost every July since 1912. The annual Calgary Stampede was cancelled for the first time last year but will take place July 9 to 18, 2021.

The 20-gallery Glenbow Museum, one of western Canada’s largest, chronicles the history of the Canadian West — from the indigenous First Nations through pioneers to the oil boom.

Alberta has been the hub of Canada’s oil and gas production since oil was first struck here in 1914. Today, around 85 energy companies have their headquarters here. Oil and gas are “in Alberta’s veins,” according to one exhibit.

Other exhibits explore mineralogy, cattle ranching and railroading. The museum has the oldest known rock in the world, a tonalite gneiss, 3.9 billion years old (the Earth is believed to be 4.5 billion years old).

Throughout the Glenbow Museum, plaques provide the First Nations peoples’ perspective, for example, pointing out that Europeans brought both tools and diseases to North America.

Blackfoot, Sarcee and Stoney tribes lived for centuries along Alberta’s converging Bow and Elbow Rivers. A gallery is dedicated to the culture of the indigenous Blackfoot people.

Another must-see is the city’s vibrant Chinatown and the Chinese Cultural Center, which is modeled after Beijing’s Temple of Heaven. Twenty percent of Canadians are Chinese, descended from immi-

grants who helped build the Canadian Pacific Railroad in the 1880s.

The center’s Chinese Artifact Museum has impressive replicas of the terracotta soldiers from a 247 B.C. imperial tomb discovered in Xian in 1974. Also on display is the first seismograph, invented in 132 C.E.

by Zhang Heng: The ball in a dragon’s mouth drops to a toad’s mouth during an earthquake.

Another exhibit on discrimination recounts the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act, which banned most Chinese people from immigrating to Canada until it was repealed in 1947.

Musical musings An especially intriguing attraction is Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre, which welcomes visitors with its motto, “Everyone’s born to sing.” Visiting is as much an auditory tour as a visual one.

The center’s 2,000-piece collection tells the story of 450 years of Canadian music.

Artists use some of the center’s 200 instruments and recording studios, and visitors are invited to watch and listen.

One exhibit replicates a theater, where a professional organist makes a “great big See CALGARY, page 22

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — J U L Y 2 0 2 1

21

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Leisure & Travel

Stay in a treehouse, wagon or caboose

By Victor Block So you’d like to get away for a while without driving too far, but the idea of a cookie-cutter hotel doesn’t appeal. Fortunately there are enticing alternatives for a variety of preferences and pocketbooks, from treehouses to houseboats to museum-like houses that allow you to step into chapters of history.

It’s no surprise that treehouse accommodations exist in a state that’s virtually blanketed by forests. Those at Pinehaven in Beaver, West Virginia combine an introduction to unspoiled nature with welcome creature comforts, including a full bathroom, heat and air conditioning. A private hot tub is an added bonus. (For more information visit pinehaven.com.)

If you don’t mind driving a bit farther, you’ll find nine houses perched in trees at the unlikely named Mohicans Resort and Wedding Venue in Glenmont, Ohio. They can accommodate two to six guests, and facilities include both outdoor showers and full indoor bathrooms. Some structures were designed by a leading treehouse designer and featured in a Discovery Channel series (themohicans.net).

Rock to sleep on a houseboat There also are options for those who like accommodations that move with the

wind and waves. The houseboat Pisces, docked in downtown Philadelphia, can sleep six people. A kitchenette, roof deck and parking spot add to its appeal (sleepafloat.com).

Rather than being anchored, houseboats on Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia are free to explore miles of unspoiled shoreline and hundreds of protected coves. This typically uncrowded body of water is a fisherman’s paradise and the site of numerous tournaments for anglers each year (houseboating.org).

Maryland, where another historic event took place. In 1863, John Greenleaf Whittier penned a poem about Barbara Fritchie in which she pleads with a Confederate general, “Shoot if you must this old gray head, but spare your country’s flag.”

Despite the fact that the incident described in the poem probably never occurred, it made Fritchie an instant heroine and part of American folklore. (It is true that she was a Union sympathizer and did have a flag.)

After the original early 19th-century house was destroyed in 1927, it was reconstructed using documents and photographs. Today, although it’s not open to the public, it’s possible to rent it to catch a glimpse of artifacts from Fritchie’s life. If you’re thinking of overnighting there, be forewarned that some people who say it’s haunted have claimed to have seen Barbara’s rocking chair moving on its own (stayinfrederick.com).

See OFFBEAT PLACES, page 22

Lock houses on the C&O Canal The past comes alive at seven historic lock houses that line the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, which stretches 184 miles from Washington, D.C. to Cumberland, Maryland. The narrow waterway was constructed from 1828 to 1850 to enable cargo, primarily coal, to be transported in mule-drawn barges. A total of 74 locks were installed to deal with the 605-foot elevation change, and lock keepers and their families lived in houses adjacent to those structures.

Seven of the historic buildings have been equipped with period furnishings and are available to overnight guests. Each lockhouse is designed to relate a different time period in the canal’s history (canaltrust.org).

The C&O Canal passes near Frederick,

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Calgary From page 20 sound” daily on a 600-pipe 1924 organ built

by Kimball Piano and Organ Company for the silent movies, one of perhaps 600 in the world. Because it is a theater organ, the organist can use both hands and feet to make the sounds of a xylophone, glockenspiel, drums, marimba, chimes, wood blocks, gongs, gunshots and a toy box.

One performer explained that he “pulls out all the stops,” or mechanical knobs, playing all the pipes at once. “That’s how Bach started each piece.”

If you go For travel planning, check ahead for current COVID-19 requirements. Roundtrip flights from Baltimore via Denver currently start at $525. For tourist information, go to visitcalgary.com.

The Calgary Stampede, July 9 to 18, is a 10day spectacular of professional athletes in high-dollar rodeo competitions, including bareback, saddle-bronc, bull riding, tie-down roping, steer wrestling and barrel racing.

Rodeo tickets available for purchase have been situated to allow for current physical distancing requirements. For ticket inquiries, email tickets@calgarystampede.com.

J U L Y 2 0 2 1 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

Other highlights include First Nations dancing and drum competitions, livestock shows, midway rides, chuckwagon races, concerts and tasty treats like maple-glazed donuts and deep-fried, bacon-wrapped Reese’s cups.

Planners hope the Calgary Folk Music Festival, July 2 to 25, will be live (2020’s was virtual). Seventy Alberta artists will perform on six daytime and two evening stages. Visit www.calgaryfolkfest.com/festival.

Through the Beltline Urban Murals Project (BUMP), artists have transformed Calgary into an open-air gallery with outdoor murals. During the BUMP Festival,

August 6 to 29, the city is expected to pop with live DJs, music, food and self-guided mural tours. Visit yycbump.ca.

Set aside a couple of days to visit nearby Banff National Park, 100 miles west — a vast expanse of nature bursting with sublime scenery, glacier-fed lakes, 1,000 miles of trails and a gondola that takes adventurers to Sulphur Mountain’s summit.

A good “base camp” is the stunning, emerald green-turquoise Lake Louise, which has several lodging options, including the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. Check banfflakelouise.com for accommodations.

Offbeat places

ons were replaced by trains. Railroad buffs are likely to enjoy sleeping in renovated cabooses in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Fancy Gap, Virginia. They offer a kitchenette, private bath and other comforts, along with access to Jacuzzis in the depot (grassycreekcabooses.com).

Other unique overnight spots include a rustic 65-foot-tall fire tower with 360-degree views over West Virginia’s largest state forest; the 183-year-old Cove Point Lighthouse and keeper’s home on the shore of Chesapeake Bay; and several family-operated farms in Pennsylvania’s Amish country where guests may help with chores, interact with cows and other animals and enjoy farmto-table meals (onlyinyourstate.com/westvirginia/thorny-mountain-wv, calvertmarinemuseum.com, painns.com).

From page 21

Conestoga wagon replicas

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In the 1700s and 1800s, canvas-topped Conestoga wagons were the primary cargo vehicles used to cross the Appalachian Mountains.

Some campgrounds include Conestoga reproductions among their campsites and RV hookups. The Kampgrounds of America (KOA) Delaware Water Gap site in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, rents out a Conestoga wagon with a king-sized bed and bunk beds as well as three teepees.

Other members of the KOA chain also have Conestoga wagons and other different accommodations (koa.com).

Starting in the 1850s, Conestoga wag-

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — J U L Y 2 0 2 1

Say you saw it in the Beacon

Style

23

Arts &

Our cover story on Felícita SoláCarter continues on page 25.

Ellicott City poet publishes first book Black Americans, she can trace her family’s history back to at least the mid-1800s, partly because of her family’s record-keeping.

“My great-great-grandmother provided a picture of the family to my grandfather’s mother because she did not want them to forget each other should they be sold back into slavery,” Ross said.

“I think about some of the … things that my ancestors have gone through, and that’s when I pull from that. And a lot of that tends to be my spoken pieces.”

Dancer, writer and mother Ross was born in Richmond, Virginia, and raised in the Takoma neighborhood of Northwest Washington, D.C. She danced with the Washington School of Ballet and attended the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, graduating early at age 16. She has a degree in print journalism from American University, and also attended Carnegie Mellon University. After college she worked for The Washington Times and the Rural America newspapers.

While working and raising her two daughters, Ross wasn’t writing poems for publication. But she did create personal poems for family occasions, she said, “an ode or an homage to an individual or whatever the celebration was… but nothing really published after my initial work in newspapers.”

When she took early retirement in 2020 to help care for an elderly aunt, Ross, by then divorced from her husband of 25 years,

knew she wanted the next chapter of her life to focus on the arts.

“I didn’t know how or what it was going to be exactly, but I knew it would be involved in the arts. I think the writing piece just took its natural course. And that’s really what my whole life had sort of been about prior to being a wife and mother,” she said.

Ross, who describes herself as a “feminist warrior,” said her new book includes several poems about the female experience.

“When I was doing this collection, I realized that…I do tend to write a lot from a woman’s perspective or a woman’s experience, and also about different women that I admire,” Ross said.

“As women, we know that none of what men have been able to accomplish could probably have been accomplished had there not been a woman behind them.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF PATTI ROSS

By Susan Ahearn Patti Ross always wanted a career in the arts. Instead, she worked in journalism, business and technology and spent time raising a family. In the past decade, however, Ross, 59, began to focus on her writing again. Her debut chapbook of poems, St. Paul Street Provocations, is being published in July by Yellow Arrow Publishing of Baltimore.

Ross says the poems in St. Paul Street Provocations were inspired by the time she spent living in Baltimore on St. Paul and Lafayette Streets from mid-2010 to 2012.

She became friends with some of the homeless people and recovering drug addicts in the neighborhood.

“We started conversations. From those conversations came several of the poems,” she explained.

Ross said when she moved to what became known as the Station North area of Baltimore, she wasn’t planning on writing a book of poetry.

“I started writing when I was there. I didn’t think about a book at all; I was just sort of writing about what was happening.”

Ross not only writes poems for the page but also appears at open mic sessions in the Baltimore area as a performance poet.

“My stage or spoken-word name is ‘little pi,’ and that is an homage to my greatgrandmother and my mom, who used to call me ‘little pi,’” Ross said.

Ross said that the experiences of her ancestors influence her poetry. Unlike many

Former journalist Patti Ross, who hosts openmic poetry nights, will publish her first book of poetry this month. The poems in St. Paul Street Provocations, published by Yellow Arrow Publishing, describe her experience living on St. Paul Street.

Open mic nights in Ellicott City

the Syriana Café & Gallery in Ellicott City in 2019. “It started with a salon series… and it sort of became an open mic, and

Ross established a series of open mic sessions known as EC Poetry & Prose at

See POET, page 25

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J U L Y 2 0 2 1 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

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Top 100 From page 1 excellent education and fluency in English, which helped her earn a full scholarship to the College of Mount Saint Vincent, located in the well-to-do Riverdale section of the Bronx.

“Upon graduation in 1971,” she said, “in order to stay in New York, which I loved, I needed a job. My family always believed in public service and valued federal employment in particular.”

So the 20-year-old Puertorriqueña took a federal exam and scored high enough to be offered a claims adjuster position at the Social Security Administration (SSA).

“It was the beginning of a wonderful and challenging career, one that made my parents proud as my bilingual and bicultural skills would be in use,” she said.

Solá-Carter was employed at the agency for 38 years (1971-2009). She moved up in the ranks from claims adjuster in Washington Heights (the area where fellow-Puerto Rican Lin Manuel Miranda set his highly acclaimed musical “In the Heights”) to assistant deputy commissioner for human resources in the SSA’s Woodlawn office, just outside of Baltimore. While there, she provided leadership in, among many other fields, training, civil rights, equal opportunity, labor management and employee relations.

After her 2009 retirement from the federal government, she established Felicita Solá-Carter Consulting, where she gives strategic advice to government leaders, business executives, and others.

Just a part of her long list of volunteer work over the years includes serving as

Poet From page 23 then we went into COVID,” said Ross.

During the pandemic, Ross, who is a board member of the Maryland Writers Association, created an online open mic opportunity for that organization called First Fridays.

“I try to feature a variety of different types of poets that write different things,” Ross said.

president of Conexiones, 2007-2014; a consultant at the Partnership for Public Service; chair for six years of the Hispanic Youth Institute of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund; a founding board member of the Bright Minds Foundation, which arranges grants and scholarships for the county’s public school students; a member of the Howard County Library System’s Choose Civility Campaign; a member of the county’s General Plan Task Force.

A few more of her many recognitions: U.S. Hispanic Youth Entrepreneur Education Hispanic Hero Award (2008); SSA Human Resources Leadership Award (2006); Presidential Rank Awards for Meritorious Executive (2003) and for Distinguished Executive (2004).

Heritage still part of her life Solá-Carter has been married for 44 years to Baltimore native Bruce W. Carter, also a former SSA official, who was one of the agency’s first webmasters. They have two grown sons.

Both wife and husband love to cook the Puerto Rico Christmas dish of pasteles (pork and several dozen other ingredients wrapped in green plantain leaves and boiled). During the holiday season they gather with other Puerto Rican families in the area for yearly joyful pasteles cook-ins at one another’s homes.

Her family has lived in the same house in Howard County since 1991.

“Moving to Maryland was one of the best decisions of my life,” Solá-Carter said.

“I wanted to live in Columbia because I believed, and still believe, in [Columbia founder] Jim Rouse’s philosophy of people She appreciates the support she’s received from other poets.

“The poetry community in the DMV, honestly all over the world, is just absolutely wonderful. The poetry community, I think, is just really warm to me,” Ross said.

Ross said her success as a poet at this stage of her life came as a surprise. “I would not have declared myself a poet, so I’m just so honored to have the recognition.”

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

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of all backgrounds living together. That appealed to me — and so did what was considered, for my kids, one of the best school systems in the state.”

Inspired to lead by serving Of her dedication to volunteer work, Solá-Carter points to Robert Greenleaf, a former AT&T business executive who took an early retirement to write a book about his philosophy of “servant leadership.” Greenleaf, who wrote in the 1970s and 1980s, proposed that “a true leader who is trusted by followers is a servant first.” He noted that this was very different from the general belief of the time “that leadership only comes with fancy titles.”

“I’m a firm believer and practitioner of Robert Greenleaf’s ser vant-leadership

philosophy,” Solá-Carter said. “It is the leader’s role to invite, develop and encourage the unlimited potential of each person.”

She is also a follower of one of her mother’s dictums, “No basta ser bueno, sino paracerlo,” which means, more or less, “One is always ‘on’ and will be judged by how one chooses to appear and engage with others,” she said.

“It is important to know who you are and what you stand for. To succeed in public service, one must earn public trust by being a person of integrity,” Solá-Carter said.

“I feel blessed with all the opportunities I have had, and it is a privilege and an honor to give back.”

ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD

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ANSWERS TO JUMBLE Jumbles: REBEL TREND VENDOR CUSTOM Answer: The fact that they were tubing down the river now made it a — CURRENT EVENT

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J U L Y 2 0 2 1 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

Crossword Puzzle

Daily crosswords can be found on our website: www.TheBeaconNewspapers.com Click on Puzzles Wind Power 1

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71. Rapunzel requirement

1. Restroom region 6. Atlantic game fish 10. Samples cappuccinos 14. Neighborhood pal 15. ___ of your bee’s wax 16. Make a scarf 17. Convenient site for mass-vaccinations 18. “They are gaining on us; step ___” 19. Italian mountain, one of 16 worldwide “decade volcanoes” 20. Reach Friday afternoon 23. Eve, originally 24. Vegan’s protein source 25. Grain used for whiskey 26. Notes after dos 29. Patron saint of Norway 31. Rules and ___ 33. Number system with digits 0 to 7 35. Unsuccessful baseball game 37. Cash-out conveniences 40. Whimpered for attention 43. Divide M&M’s into their color components 44. Castaway’s landing spot 45. Get back one’s glow 46. Scarlet and maroon 48. Mine entrance 50. Emergency exit, on a keyboard 51. Participate in the Winter games 53. Start of Mr. Rogers’ theme song 55. Opera solo 57. Edited a dictionary while tipsy 63. Pond dweller 64. Start an orchard 65. Farewell, mademoiselle 66. Look sullen 67. Reveal secrets 68. Instrument played with vertical strings 69. NFL Primetime channel 70. Ohio’s Great Lake

1. Nobel-winning Pygmalion playwright 2. Donut shapes 3. “You got that right!”

4. Actress Blair or Hamilton 5. Play’s protagonist, probably 6. February missiles 7. Only RI and Del are smaller than it 8. Furlongs and fathoms 9. You can buy one on EquineNow.com 10. Distort data 11. Federally-funded road 12. Covered in conifers 13. Vampire killer 21. Hibachi helper 22. Part of the Great Seal of the United States 26. Ticket stub data 27. Reverberation 28. Agitating 30. “Behold; there it is!”

32. Mr. Kotter of Welcome Back, Kotter 34. Poker starter 36. Scamper away 38. Investment bank job applicants 39. Lip-___ (perform like Milli Vanilli) 41. Aversion 42. Museum holding 47. “___ I do that?”

49. Outrage 51. Stormwater filter 52. Lufthansa luggage limits 54. Look at with contempt 56. Right-hand man 58. ___ your keep 59. Sandwich seller 60. River to the Mediterranean 61. Snakelike fish 62. Superhero partners

Down

Answers on page 25.

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — J U L Y 2 0 2 1

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ADVERTISERS IN THIS ISSUE Events

Housing

2021 Beacon Virtual 50+Expo . . . . . .18

Alta At Regency Crest . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Brooke Grove . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12, 28 Charlestown/Erickson . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Enterprise Residential . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Park View Apartments . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Residences at Vantage Point . . . . . . . .11 Shriner Court . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Funeral Services Cremation Society of Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Going Home Cremation & Funeral Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Harry H. Witzke’s Family Funeral Home, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 MacNabb Funeral Home . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Sol Levinson & Bros., Inc. . . . . . . . . .21

Medical/Health

Perfect Sleep Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Perfect Walker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Zinger Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Senior/Government Services BeaconSilverPages.com . . . . . . . . . . .22 COGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Howard Co. 50+ Connection . . . . .13-14 Howard Co. Library System . . . . . . . .10 Maryland Relay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Home Health Care

Age Well Senior Fitness . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Dr. Jeannine George-Richardson, DPM 9 Laurel Wellness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Medical Eye Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

A-1 Action Nursing Care . . . . . . . . . . .10 Options for Senior America . . . . . . . . .19

Retail

Travel

Balanced Spectrum Floor Lamp . . . . . .8 Columbia’s Village Centers . . . . . . . . . .9

Superior Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Theater/Entertainment Columbia Pro Cantare . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Toby’s Dinner Theatre . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

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J U L Y 2 0 2 1 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

INDEPENDENT LIVING

SIMPLY

DIFFERENT

Set on our 220-acre campus of lush pastures and hardwood forests, Brooke Grove’s cottages offer plenty of space to live the life you love. With maintenance-free living, there’s more time for outings, family and hobbies.

• Floor plans from 1,350 to 4,000 square feet • Basement space for crafting, exercising, entertaining and more

• Extra bedrooms and dens • Cathedral ceilings, gas fireplaces, walk-in closets, over-sized garages, screened porches

because what surrounds you really matters.

Cottage availab le now!

18100 Slade School Road Sandy Spring, MD 20860 301-260-2320

www.bgf.org INDEPENDENT LIVING Assisted Living REHABILITATION LONG-TERM CARE MEMORY SUPPORT