Hilltowns Senior News for Friday, July 1, 2016

Well, I’m glad that’s finally settled. In this age of uncertainty, with Britain abandoning the European Union and trouble worldwide, Miss Manners has at last addressed the question of when and where to wear a tiara.

This had been causing me a certain degree of concern, because it’s so difficult to choose proper attire for events that Emily Post does not address. For instance, does an evening lasagna dinner at the church require street dress or a long gown?

As we all know, one must dress for dinner after five, but precisely what length is appropriate for the senior center? If a fire company banquet specifies semi-formal, must the gentlemen wear tuxedos, or is a dinner jacket acceptable?

Does one address both a company chief and a district chief using the same honorific? I have a copy of the White House protocol book (you knew I would), and this critical issue is not covered.

Is the district chief to be spoken to as “Honorable,” or should one use the military form? The rank above captain is major, not chief, but it seems improper to use that. “Excellency” is reserved for foreign heads of state.

What to do? The Roman Catholics and Episcopalians have their hierarchies all laid out, but everybody else is just reverend or Rabbi. I suppose that tracks back to the Reformation, and the refusal to accept intercessors when speaking to God. It’s all too complicated for me (right now, at least, and I don’t plan on taking holy orders anytime in the near future).

I actually remember a lot of those rules, and I must admit I miss them a bit. It was annoying, but one always knew what to wear.

Going out to lunch with grandmother was an occasion, and no little girl would be allowed out of the house unless she had her hat, gloves (white cotton, or lace if you were lucky), a purse containing one hanky and a penny, and shoes that were patent leather. I was so proud!

Later, for special occasions, we had fabric shoes that were dyed to match a particular dress. Nothing other than tennis outfits or bathing suits were above the knee.

Does anybody remember when, in some schools, you had to kneel down on the floor in front of the teacher to be sure your skirt was long enough? If it wasn’t, you got sent home. Same thing for boys in engineer boots or greaser hairstyles.

Everything was scripted; you knew exactly what to wear, depending upon the hour of the day and formality of the invitation. Men knew that you never wore tweed unless you were in the country in the daytime. Even the fabrics were quite specific.

For a woman over 40, a formal dress must always have a train. Tea gowns also have trains, but are customarily only worn at home. Gentlemen, of course, would never wear a shooting jacket in town. A woman who lives far out in the country as we do, may wear whatever she chooses for riding, but in town, once a young woman is old enough to make her debut, she must always ride side saddle if she really wishes to look divine on a horse.

For those of us out here in the Hilltowns, time off from school was not a vacation; it was the season when you got the hay in, put up peaches and tomatoes, and weeded the vegetables. Only city kids and rich people wasted their time.

I am so glad that I can go to the store on a Sunday morning without having to put on stockings and high heels first, but I still like to play dress up. I think there should always be one or two occasions per year when one can drag out the costumes and act like royalty. Why not?

However, Emily Post begs to differ from Miss Manners, and I can’t help but agree with her: If you look silly or vulgar in a tiara, you should not wear one.

Coming up

The month of July is National Blueberries Month, and National Doghouse Repairs Month.

July 3 through 10 is Be Nice to New Jersey Week, Freedom Week, and Nude Recreation Week.

July 1 is U.S. Postage Stamp Day; the 2nd is International Cherry Pit Spitting Day, Made In The USA Day, and World UFO Day. Bikini Day is July 5, and July 6 is Eid-Al-Fitr, the celebration at the end of Ramadan. Collector Car Appreciation Day is the 8th, and Bald Is In Day is July 9th.

The lunch program at the Hilltown Senior Center will begin chair yoga classes with Laurel on Friday, July 8. They will continue through July on the 15, 22, and July 29.

July 12 the presentation will be All About SNAP (Senior Nutrition Assistance Program).

Wednesday, July 13, the Guardian Society presents a community forum titled “Aging and the Meaningful Life”, held at St. Sophia’s Church at 440 Whitehall Road in Albany. The forum will be from 8:30 a.m. to noon, and a continental breakfast precedes the forum.

Menu

Next week’s lunch menu for the Hilltown Senior Center is here, and remember, we will be closed on Monday, the July 4.

With summer in full swing, if you could give us a hand for a couple of hours (especially on Friday) it would make a big difference. The first Tuesday is our monthly birthday celebration, complete with cake. Come celebrate with us, and enjoy a lunch that you don’t have to cook. Doors open at 11 a.m., and lunch is served promptly at noon

—  Monday, July 4, no lunch;

— Tuesday, July 5, macaroni and cheese, stewed tomatoes, California blend vegetables, whole-wheat bread, milk, and birthday cake;

— Friday, July 8, lemon-garlic baked fish, baked sweet potatoes, spinach, whole-wheat bread, citrus ambrosia, and milk.

Please call Linda Hodges 24 hours in advance at  872-0940 to reserve lunch, or e-mail her at: , or sign up when you come in. Tell us how many are coming, your name, and your telephone number. If you’d  like to come and help out, give Mary Moller a call at 861-6253, or e-mail her at , and put “volunteer” in the subject line.

Lunches are provided by Helderberg Senior Services, the Albany County Department of Aging, and Senior Services of Albany. The Hilltown Senior Center is located at 1360 Helderberg Trail (Route 443) in Berne.