Our July 9 meeting was supposed to be at the Knox town park. But, because of a rainy forecast, the higher-ups decided it was best to have it at the senior center. There was some grumbling, but indeed it turned out to be a rainy day.
We still had our picnic with the good food and hamburgers on the grill. Now hamburgers on the grill did present a problem, because the grillers got soaked. Thanks to the Walls and Vincents for putting up with Mother Nature.
So, we also ended up having a short meeting. Birthday greetings were sung to Lois Wood, Mike Vincent, Carl Remmers, Shirley Slingerland, and Frances Miller who is celebrating her 97th.
Anniversaries were acknowledged for Stephanie and Carl Remmers and Karen and Marty Grossman.
Dan McCoy, Albany County Executive; Travis Stevens, County Legislator; and the Berne and Knox supervisors joined us for a minute.
While they were there, I presented Mace Porter, one of our veterans, with a scrapbook of our trip to Washington, D.C. We had pictures taken and stories to tell.
Upcoming trips
Talking about travel we have two trips coming up. On Aug. 25 we are going out Cooperstown way for wine tasting, Fly Creek ,and Brooks BBQ. The cost for members is $20 and non-members $30.
Then, on Sept. 14 we are going to New York City to the 9/11 museum. You can go on your own and also take a 1-hour tour. Dinner is on your own at Olive Garden on the way home. The cost is $45 for members and $65 for non-members. This will be our only stop in NYC as I am told it takes hours to go through. These trips are opened to the public.
Past events
Our trip to the Essex Railroad and boat ride was a complete success. The car we were in was air conditioned and the lunch great. The conductor was very entertaining and provided us with some interesting facts. We also celebrated a birthday and anniversary. The boat ride was very refreshing and we had trouble deciding which house we would like to have on the river.
My memory books aren't doing so well. Bert Miller and Elsie Turon shared their memories of their siblings and early childhood.
This month we are writing about our school days. So, this should be very interesting as someone suggested that if they didn't bring their papers back there would be no dessert. John Rossman said he would bring his own! Out in the hall for him.
Dan McCoy was the winner of our 50/50 and he returned his winnings to the club. Thank you Dan.
There did you notice I just called Mr. McCoy, Dan. I hope it isn't that I am getting older (getting older?) and he is the age of my son.
I never called Mr. Breslin, Mike, he was always Mr. Breslin. We talked about this in church one Sunday. We are starting if we haven't already, to lose traditions and standards. Also, our pride and priorities. I remember when one of my son's friends called me Linda. I almost fainted.
Do you call your minister “Reverend”, your doctor, “Doctor”? (By the way, Gary Kolanchick has definitely left the building and is now living in Maine. What do kids call their teachers? I guess we better not ask them.
Have you noticed that the president isn't spoken to as Mr. President. It’s now Mr. So-and-so. Or maybe Mrs. So-and-so. Even the president. When I see him without a suit or tie, I just want to say, "Hey, aren't you the number one man of our country? Show me some respect. I am not your buddy.” And there go our traditions and standards, pride, and priorities.
Well, enough. I hope you are all staying cool. Check on your neighbors. And remember to give to your food pantries.
Quote
My mother used to say, " The older you get, the better you get, unless you're a banana!"
I collect recipes. The problem is, I now have about 2,000 (at least) patiently waiting for me to try them out. This wouldn’t be a major problem if I didn’t live alone. (The cats will only try new foods that begin with tuna, and even then they’re not terribly adventurous). I only get one cooking magazine a month, and I haven’t really clipped anything from that, because (of course) I save the whole edition.
I used to think that I would be more inclined to do something with them (the recipes, not the cats) if they were better organized, instead of the lemon cake being mixed in with the Moroccan tajine entrees. (I don’t have a tajine, but I’m sure I can adapt something to make do). So on several occasions, I have separated the clippings into file folders, except that I keep running into classification problems. Do little meatballs go with appetizers, beef, pork, or Italian entrees?
I once tried putting everything into a cookbook on the computer, which provided weeks of amusement as I scanned, formatted, chapter-ized, and then corrected all the measurements that didn’t scan well. Now, in addition to the two (3-inch-thick files of new clippings), I have two volumes of printed and organized recipes sorted by category. Amidst all this, have you noticed that nowhere have I mentioned actually cooking anything?
Another issue is that all those possibly-luscious new ventures are portioned for a family of four, at least. What if I hate it? I think olives and chicken might be tasty, but what if it’s awful? I’ve wasted a whole chicken, and those Kalamata olives aren’t cheap. Not to mention the recipes that begin “take two pounds of crabmeat….”
So, I could just eat the disasters, but I don’t look forward to it very much. I once made an absolutely lovely entree featuring sea bass with a light egg-cream Hollandaise-type sauce; that was when I discovered that sea bass tastes nothing like largemouth bass (I suppose I could have tried that one on the cats, but I was worried about the bones).
I could invite some people over to try the experiment with me, but then I’d have to clean the entire house, which I hate, and which would take even more time. I know, if they are friends, they aren’t coming to look at the dust under the bookcases, but I’d hate them to know what an absolute clutter-bug I am. And what if the recipe is lousy? Then I’ve subjected not only myself, but my friends to the fiasco, which hardly seems fair.
But I’d really like to try some of those possibly-delectable dishes. I suppose I could sort through them, and only keep the ones that really sound good, but then I’ll just have a smaller file, and I still won’t have actually tried anything...
What if I just start at the top of the pile, and make whatever comes up? That might work, but I’m afraid that the stack is rather heavily weighted toward the dessert category, and even cake with fluffy frosting can get to be too much after the first couple of weeks.
I could stop clipping so many recipes, but I’ve been trying to do that for several years, and, even at a reduced rate, they still pile up. I suppose I could try to stop “cold turkey” (no pun originally intended). It would be hard, but I always have those three bookcases of cookbooks to fall back on. Do you think that maybe there’s a “Recipes Anonymous” program out there somewhere?
Coming up
However, if you want a good lunch that requires no work at all, come to the Helderberg senior lunch every Monday, Tuesday, and Friday. See friends, play games, and get out of the heat for a bit. Doors open at 11 a.m., and lunch is served promptly at noon
We may not be celebrating all of the holidays, but July is Eye Injury Prevention Month, National Horseradish Month, and National Parks & Recreation Month. The week of the July 15 to 21 is Rabbit Week, Everybody Deserves A Massage Week, and National Zoo Keeper Week. The 17th is National Ice Cream Day and Wrong Way Corrigan Day; the 20th is International Cake Day and Moon Day; and the 22nd is National Penuche Fudge Day, and Rat-catchers Day.
On Tuesday, July 19, the Helderberg senior lunch program will have Preventive Moves and Actions for Health, presented by physical therapist Brian Thornton. The 22nd will be chair yoga with Laurel. Coming up on July 26 will be a session on hydration, covering the advantages of drinking more, and what can happen if we don’t.
The Altamont seniors are taking a Hudson River cruise on Wednesday, July 20, including lunch at Mariners Harbor.. The cost is $45 for village residents, and $55 for all others. Call Kathy at 861-6258 to grab a seat.
Menu
The menu for the upcoming week is:
— Monday, July 18, chicken parmesan, spaghetti, Romaine salad, wheat bread, citrus ambrosia with whipped cream, and milk;
— Tuesday, July 19, roast turkey with gravy, mashed potatoes, roasted squash, stuffing, applesauce cake, and milk; and
— Friday, July 22, baked ziti with cheese, Italian blend vegetable, wheat roll, applesauce, and milk.
Please call Linda Hodges 24 hours in advance at 872-0940 to reserve lunch, or email her at: , or sign up when you come in. Tell us how many are coming, your name, and your telephone number. If you’d just like to come and help out, give Mary Moller a call at 861-6253, or email her at , and put volunteer in the subject line.
Congregate dining is provided by Helderberg Senior Services, and funded in large part through support from the Albany County Department for Aging, the NYS Office for Aging, and the Administration on Aging. Additional support for this program comes from donors and community businesses like you. The Hilltown Senior Center is located at 1360 Helderberg Trail (Route 443) in Berne.
Since this is the graduation issue, I thought I’d take this opportunity to give a commencement address.
Seniors, as you embark upon this new phase of your life, there will be great opportunities, but there will also be challenges. This is the time when you can test your mettle, and pursue your dreams.
Try new things, try out careers, do what you love, but know that only your efforts are a sure thing; the outcome depends on a universe of factors, most of which are beyond your control.
This is a time to find out your own individual strengths and limitations. You have strengths you didn’t know you had, and weaknesses that will become all too apparent. Limitations are frustrating, but the truly wise and brave persevere.
Think of the incredible scientist Stephen Hawking, who continues his genius-level work in the face of a paralysis that would defeat many others. Limitations are not barriers, they are speed bumps; most can be worked around. They require us to use creative thinking, and look for new ways to accomplish our goals.
You will make new friends, and some of the old ones will fade away. Regret their loss, but look upon the new as unread books, filled with adventure and wisdom. Practice team-building; two (or three, or 17) heads can be better than one.
Work hard, but please, remember to take time out for yourself: This is the only life you have, and it would be a shame to waste it on trivial tasks that have no payback. Weigh your choices and choose your battles; unless your goal is chaos, a little daily triage will make things much easier.
Learn as soon as possible to be self-reliant, but know when to ask for help as well. There is a fine line between independence and pig-headedness. No one among us is Superman or Wonder Woman, and falling on our face because we wouldn’t accept a helping hand only makes us look foolish.
This is a time to explore, to try new ideas and meet new challenges. Time is valuable; savor every moment, whether you are digging a garden or looking at clouds. Although it may not seem like it, every moment counts.
Plan for the future. If nothing else, the planning process will help to define what you value most. Plan for misfortune, too, so, when it comes, as it inevitably will, you will be ready to deal with it and then move forward.
Yes, money is important, but not the most important thing. As they say, nobody ever lay on their deathbed saying, “Gee; I wish I’d spent more time working.” Sometimes ice cream is as nourishing as oatmeal.
Ask for advice, and listen when it is given, but make your own choices; what is right for one person under one set of circumstance may not be right for you. Pay attention to experts: They have studied extensively in their particular field, but this is your life, your priorities, and your future. You set the goals, not the rest of the world.
Persevere, follow your dreams, and each day, try to do something to bring joy into the world and make it a better place. Good luck!
(Oh, and you high school and college grads, we wish you the best, too!)
Coming up
The month of July is National Blueberries Month, and National Doghouse Repairs Month
July 3 to 10 is Be Nice to New Jersey Week, Freedom Week, and Nude Recreation Week.
July 1 is United States Postage Stamp Day; the second 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 eighth, and Bald Is In Day is July 9.
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 15th, 22nd, and July 29th.
July 12, the presentation will be All About SNAP (Senior Nutrition Assistance Program).
On 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 Fourth of July. 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 11: Lasagna roll-up with Marinara sauce, cauliflower, wheat bread, tropical fruit, and milk:
— Tuesday, July 12: Orange glazed chicken with Orzo pasta, roasted zucchini and tomato, apple juice, rye bread, tapioca pudding with whipped cream, and milk;
— Friday, July 14: Lemon pepper chicken, sautéed kale with tomatoes, garlic rosemary roasted potatoes, wheat bread, fresh pear, oatmeal cookie, and milk.
Please call Linda Hodges 24 hours in advance at (518) 872-0940 to reserve lunch, or email 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 (518) 861-6253, or email 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.
Location:
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.
TMI. In contemporary parlance, that stands for “too much information,” and usually refers to something embarrassing, or too gross to imagine.
However, even for us more “mature” (hopefully) folks. It’s a real issue. The last time you went to the pharmacy for a prescription, along with the pills you were given a lovely five-page set of instructions. In my opinion, this serves the purpose of providing an out for the drug company in case you die, so it can say “but we told you about that side effect” in court.
In practical terms, it’s largely useless, because even if you read all the instructions for all the meds you’re taking, you’re no further ahead than you were when you started, because you have no way of evaluating which parts of what to pay attention to.
Would you take a drug that could cause abnormal liver function, giant hives, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, or vocal cord swelling? That’s part of the list for acetaminophen, sold under the brand name “Tylenol.”
How about depression, anxiety, or headaches, which are often included on those lists? If you’re telling me that my thinking may be affected, then how am I supposed to know whether my thinking is affected? If the tool used to measure depression (my analytical powers) is depressed, then it isn’t working right and isn’t much use as a tool.
If I find one of those symptoms, at what point should I pay attention to it? Is an annoying headache a symptom, or just too much television? How bad is bad? If it’s really bad, but only lasts a couple of hours, or it’s bearable, but goes on for two or three days, which should I pay attention to? A category five hurricane is classed as “catastrophic,” but a slow-moving category three can do just as much damage.
If you have a computer, or other access to the internet, a site called “WebMD” (www.webmd.com) can be a big help. They will at least list the likelihood and severity of various side effects.
Your doctor is of course your primary source of information, but his or her job is to know what’s wrong with you and recommend appropriate treatment. Insurance companies often require that they see a large number of patients every day, so they don’t have the time to talk that they used to.
The two people who can save your life in this maelstrom are you, and your pharmacist. What you can do is carry a list of your meds with you at all times (OK, you could leave it on the beach with your towel when you go swimming).
I think those “vial of life” tubes that you keep at home are essential in case emergency medical personnel are called, but not every medical event occurs at home, and each new prescription or over-the-counter preparation you take can drastically change the medical picture. Some of us have medical insurance plans that require mail-order refills, and mail order doesn’t talk with you.
The second thing you can do is to open your mouth and ask questions! If the drug says “avoid grapefruit,” does that mean all the time, or only at the time when I take the pill? Do “fermented foods” (prohibited with some drugs) include beer? Pickles? Salami? Some other specialty that my gourmet tastes have developed a yen for (Kimchee, or Kombucha?). You have to ask!
Nobody expects us to have memorized the periodic table of elements and every organic chemical compound possible under the sun. Research chemists still use reference books, so not asking questions is almost an indication that we are not thinking.
Your pharmacist is the one whose job is to assure that you get you get what you need, and know what to do with it. A good pharmacist will take the time to discuss your concerns, and warn you about any possible extra things to keep in mind.
That little “counseling” window is there for a reason. Use it!
If the pharmacist is too busy to talk, you might want to go elsewhere for your medications. He or she can tell you whether it really matters what time of day you take your pill. Your pharmacist can answer a question like “What do I need to know about this drug that may not be clear in all those printed instructions?”.
Ask them to write down the important points. If somebody else picks up your prescriptions, a good pharmacist will be available by phone to talk with you. If George, or Ron, always understands your concerns, whereas Mary seems to brush you off, it’s OK to ask George and Ron about their work schedules, so you can be sure to come in when they are on duty.
Try to use the same pharmacy for all your prescriptions; that way they can get to know you, your conditions, and your lifestyle.
Make that list now, and put it in your wallet! Include the cold pills, miracle weight-loss products, and painkillers along with the prescriptions. Once you do that, it’s done, and you only need to change it when you buy something new, or stop using something.
Dawn Jordan, a retired licensed pharmacist from Berne, took time out of her busy schedule to give me a lot of the information in this article, and she is knowledgeable enough that even I paid attention. Excuse me while I grab a scratch pad and go look in the medicine cabinet.
June is Dairy Month
June 27 is PTSD Awareness Day. June 28 is National Columnists' Day, and June 30 is National Hand Shake Day.
July is Herbal/Prescription Interaction Awareness Month, Cell Phone Courtesy Month and National Ice Cream Month. July 1 is Canada Day, and International Chicken Wing Day.
Tuesday, June 28, there will be a lunch presentation about the Weatherization Assistance Program, put on by Albany County Cooperative Extension.
Altamont Seniors are having their next trip on Wednesday, July 20, with a cruise on the Hudson River. Village residents pay $45, and others $55. Call Kathy Adams at 861-6258 to sign up.
Next week’s lunch menu for the Hilltown Senior Center is here, and we will be celebrating the Fourth of July on Friday, since the Center will be closed on Monday, 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! Swap tales with friends, 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, June 27: Spaghetti with meat sauce, romaine salad, wheat roll, tropical fruit, and milk;
— Tuesday, June 28: Chicken cacciatore, rice, broccoli, wheat bread mandarin oranges, and milk;
— Friday, July 1: Hot dog with sauerkraut, cole slaw, baked beans, watermelon, and milk;
Please call Linda Hodges 24 hours in advance to 872-0940 to reserve lunch, or email 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 email 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.
A good laugh recharges your batteries. If this is true, the seniors that attended the June 11 meeting are
ready to go for the next 10 years.
The Mike and Donnie show was put to a test and we decided that every month we would include them in
our meeting. Mike informed me that it is not a model T, but a model A that he drives. Correction accepted and noted.
We sang our usual "America The Beautiful" and later we sang "God Bless America" Donnie (the other half of the team)
said we sang them so good we should of taped them. So right then and there we decided to go on the road.
Elsie Wilms reported that we had $56.95 collected for coffee. (everyone pays a $1.00) so we are still scratching our heads
to see who was only 95% there. Oh, it only gets better.
I decided that each of us was to write our memories. I know, I know, some of us have lost our memories, but we will give
it a try. Our first page is going to be about our earliest childhood memory. I gave them an example. My first memory was
trying to get out of bed without waking my sister (she would have yelled at me) and then going into my parents’ bedroom
to get in bed with them. So this led my sister to jump up and tell everyone that her first memory was me taking her
outside and cutting off her only curl. Well you can imagine the uproar. Anyway we are going to try this and I will keep
you informed.
Along the way we did manage to have a meeting, sing birthday greetings and celebrate a very special anniversary.
Ed and Lois Wood were celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary. "They" even brought the cake and ice cream.
Stories were told about their courtship and wedding,
The travel committee reported that the June and July trips are ready to go and she will give a report on more at the next meeting.
The next meeting will be our picnic at the Knox Town Park. Even that got some laughs. So July 13 the Walls and Vincents
will provide hamburgers. We will bring a dish to pass and bring our own place settings. Alyce is making drinks.
And I bet there will be a little bingo played.
Remember: Laughter is the corrective force which prevents us from becoming cranks.
Knowing I’m going to die has made a big difference in my life. (No, I’m not going all morbid on you, although I am awfully fond of Morticia Addams.) You see, I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time being “prepared.”
As a teen, my interpretation of circumstances was that you couldn’t trust anyone or anything; as soon as you depended on something, it would get yanked away. If I didn’t take care of myself, nobody else would.
So I became a personal disaster planner. If I analyzed the negative possibilities of any possible future occurrence, then, when the worst happened, I would be ready for it. As you can imagine, this took a fair amount of effort, and I have more canned goods stored than most families of six. If civilization as we know it comes to a sudden screeching halt, I’m ready. (Okay, I’m not very good with hand-to-hand combat, but I’ll figure out some sneaky way around it; booby traps, perhaps.)
The result of all this is that I’ve spent a lot of time in the future, and less in the present, except for trying to make the present useful in preparing for the future. This is all well and good, up to a point, but I’ve never been much good at moderation. I joke that I only have two speeds: Damn the torpedoes, and full stop.
So what happens when one discovers that there is a finite amount of future left to prepare for? It could be one day, or 15 years, but one has to acknowledge that the end point is at least vaguely visible from here. So what good are all those chickpeas and paper towels?
I’ve also discovered that there actually is a limit to how long you can save stuff; I pay no attention to expiration dates, but after 10 years or so, the brownie mix develops an unpleasant “off” taste. So what good is all this prep work if it’s going to end up wasting money? That’s another cardinal sin, almost as bad as not being prepared. It makes no sense to keep stocking things for the next 20 years if I’m not likely to be around to use them.
Now what? The future is shorter than it used to be, so I’d better start paying a bit more attention to the present.
What’s on the “bucket list,” and how badly do I want it? The trees are very green, and the breeze smells wonderful. I don’t want to waste my remaining years organizing defenses against something that I may not be around for.
This absolves me of an awful lot of work and worry. I’ve never felt that kind of freedom before. It means my life is mine to enjoy, and, since there is a finite amount of it left, I have a perfectly good justification for appreciating today (I’m big on justifications, too).
I bought a couple of lovely long dresses recently (OK, they were on sale). I bought them because I like long dresses; I like the swooshy sound they make around my ankles, and how graceful they make me feel. Long dresses are not in fashion right now. So what? I’m beginning to understand those old ladies you see wearing red hats and purple gloves; they are pleasing themselves, not the rest of us.
I believe in kindness and gratitude, because that’s where I want to spend my mental time. The world will do what it does, but I can choose how I want to look at it and react to it.
So, I find that being able to wave at the Grim Reaper on a distant but visible hill has been a big benefit. I have no desire to be able to see what color his eyes are, or the make of the scythe he’s carrying, but knowing he’s there isn’t such a bad thing, for me.
Coming up
Now, enough of the philosophy! We have plenty of interesting events and flavors to sample in the here and now. Did you know: June is Great Outdoors Month, National Bathroom Reading Month, National Soul Food Month, National Pet Preparedness Month, and National Zoo and Aquarium Month?
June 19 through 25 is Carpenter Ant Awareness Week, Lightning Safety Awareness Week, and Old Time Fiddlers Week.
American Eagle Day is on June 20, as is Flitch of Bacon Day (ceremony was first noted on June 20, 1751. It is held every four years on Leap Year). Tall Girl Appreciation Day is the 21st; World Humanist Day and Baby Boomer's Recognition Day are the 22nd. The 23rd is Pink Flamingo Day, followed by Take Your Dog to Work Day on the 24th.
The Altamont Seniors have a Hudson River cruise coming up on July 20. It includes lunch, a cruise, a coffee break, and transportation. The cost is $45 for Altamont residents and $55 for everyone else. Call Kathy Adams (no relation to Morticia) at 861-6258, and be sure to tell her whether you want chicken parm, prime rib, or broiled Tilapia for lunch.
Cruises are popular this season; the Hilltown Seniors will be having a steam train and riverboat lunch excursion on July 12. The trip includes a three-course lunch in a 1920s Pullman railroad car, followed by a cruise up the Connecticut River on the riverboat the “Becky Thatcher.” The bus leaves Berne at 7 a.m., and the cost is $60 for members, and $85 for others. Call Shirley Slingerland at 797-3467 if you want to go, and your lunch choice (beef tips or chicken parm).
The Senior Meals program will be having a speaker from the Albany County Weatherization Program after lunch on June 28. Come find out about the requirements for the service, and all the things they can do.
The Statewide Senior Action Council’s telephone teach-in on comparing nursing homes is coming up on June 21. Learn the new five-star rating system, and how to evaluate services, quality, and safety. Call Senior Action at 1-800-333-4374 to reserve your place.
Albany Guardian Society is presenting a community forum entitled Aging and the Meaningful Life on Wednesday, July 13, at St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church. Check-in begins at 8 a.m. with a continental breakfast. The program runs from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Speakers from several different perspectives will focus on opportunities for spiritual growth and community engagement. Call 269-3976 to register, or e-mail: . St. Sophia’s is at 440 Whitehall Road in Albany.
We also have the lunch menu for next week at the senior center. Stay afterward for cards and games, and hear our own Nancy Frueh and her flute on Fridays.
— Monday, June 20: Barbecue chicken, spinach, mashed sweet potato, wheat bread, and chocolate pudding;
— Tuesday, June 21: Roast pork with gravy, mashed potatoes, carrots, stuffing, and fresh pear; and
— Friday, June 24: Ham and bean casserole, spinach, corn bread and pineapple.
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 just 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.
Why don’t we speak cat? (or dog, or ferret?). There are all kinds of studies centering on our attempts to teach other species our language, but almost none about our inability to learn their languages. After all, we are the ones with the big brains, so isn’t it our responsibility?
If we went to a foreign country to live, we would eventually learn at least some of the language, but we have spent tens of thousands of years with animals and have learned very little, communication-wise. The animals have learned to understand our speech to some extent; animals have been “trained” to follow commands in all our various dialects, from Urdu to Chinese, but we, the allegedly smart ones, know almost nothing.
We know some of the reasons why cats can’t speak English: their vocal cords aren’t the same shape, or in the same location in the body, and cats don’t have the breath control necessary to make our sounds. So if we have the “better” vocal cords, why didn’t we learn their sounds?
Chinese and Navajo both use tones and inflections to differentiate words and meanings, and even those of us who didn’t grow up in those societies are capable of picking it up. I asked Pat Jones, a professional speech therapist, who said the question had never come up in her practice, although she is able to understand perfectly when her cat asks a question. I tried calling the Department of Otolaryngology at Albany Medical Center, but haven’t heard back from them.
Cat’s brains are similar to ours. They have frontal lobes, and lots of folds, and have been found to be about 90 percent like ours. They have long and short-term memory. They can remember things for up to 10 years, and their short-term memory is good for 16 hours (Now tell me, what did you have for lunch yesterday?). And 10 years is longer than the expected lifespan of many cats. Older cats can get dementia; it is called Feline Cognitive Disorder, and it can resemble Alzheimer’s in humans.
Their cerebral cortexes, where learning, decision-making and memory lie, have similar lobes. True, cats’ brains are smaller than ours, even proportionally, but brain size isn’t everything. Research has shown that compared to insects, animal brains are not proportionally that much greater in size. An average cat’s brain takes up about .9 percent of their body mass; humans’ equivalent is 2.3 percent. Yet, according to “Scientific American” magazine, a cat’s brain has 1,000 times more data storage than an iPad, and operates a million times faster.
We can learn by just watching a task. Cats usually need to practice rather than just observe. It has been posited that a cat has the sensory-motor intelligence comparable to that of a 2-year-old child. They are aware of objects that are no longer in sight (think peek-a-boo games with grandkids).
So, we have some ideas about why our companions haven’t learned English, but what’s our excuse?
We have made some progress. We can interpret a limited amount of feline body language, and tell the difference between “feed me” and “I’m hurt!” But beyond that, the scientific jury is still out. The two main camps are those who anthropomorphize (mentally interpret animal behavior in human terms), and those who believe that language is the proof that we are superior to animals.
There is evidence that elephants have funerals for their dead, and chimps wage war. A scientist who has been studying prairie dogs for decades has discovered that they have different chirps to warn each other of predators, and not just generic predators.
The chirp for an overweight, tall human in a blue T-shirt is different from the chirp for a thin human wearing green. New threats (like the picture of a big black oval set up by scientists) cause new chirps to be invented, and every alarm chirp results in action suited to that particular type of threat.
So we know animals can communicate with one another; why don’t we understand them? It is possible that we’re not looking at things in the right way. Just because our language is verbal, and has subjects, objects, and verbs doesn’t mean that that is how animals communicate. Harry Harrison, in his novel “West of Eden”, invented a society where giant lizards ruled, and their language was a combination of color changes, posture, and sound. Some animals have a highly developed sense of smell. Why couldn’t their language include olfactory messages?
Human body language is a parallel of the dominant/submissive behavior of many mammals. Humans can only hear in a limited range, and we have discovered that whales “talk” in ranges that we cannot hear. Most animals have specific sounds and behaviors associated with seeking a mate. For some of them, the precise color, sound, and action combination of the male tells the female whether a particular guy is “her type.”
So why can’t I speak cat? I’ve certainly had long enough to learn. I suspect that it’s because I’m just not paying close enough attention, and have never really practiced pronouncing the syllables. I also think that even if I discount or ignore my desire to have a furry friend who is just like me, there is still behavior left over that can’t be explained away. So, along with Simcha and the rest of my crew, I leave you with this thought: Mrrrrow!
Coming up
Talking about other things, the Hilltown Seniors will be meeting this Saturday at the senior center at 10:30 a.m. Bring a dish to share if you are so inclined.
After the Helderberg senior lunch on Tuesday, June 14, there will be a discussion of Medicare Part D provided by Walgreens. The benefits and services provided by the Weatherization Program will be the topic for Tuesday, June 28.
The Albany Guardian Society, in partnership with Capital District Senior Issues Forum, will host a community forum entitled, Aging and the Meaningful Life. The forum will be held on Wednesday, July 13 at St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church, 440 Whitehall Road, in Albany, from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Check-in starts at 8 a.m. and a continental breakfast will be available. This program will explore how seniors come to value the many opportunities for spiritual growth and community engagement that come with aging.
On Tuesday, June 21, the New York statewide Senior Action Council is holding a telephone teach-in on “How to Compare Nursing Homes”. Call 1-800-333-4374 to reserve a place on this call.
June is also Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome Awareness Month, Effective Communications Month (how appropriate!), Georgia Blueberry Month, and Turkey Lovers Month.
The week beginning June 12 is National Flag Week, Worldwide Knit (and crochet) in Public Week, and National Hermit Week.
June 12 is National Jerky Day, and National Peanut Butter Cookie Day. The 14th is National Bourbon Day, and World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. Ugliest Dog Day is the 17th, and the 18th is International Sushi Day and National Splurge Day.
Menu
There will be no sushi on the menu for the senior lunch program, because we will be having hot meals. Join your friends for fun, interesting talks, cards, games, and live music by Nancy Frueh on Fridays.
— Monday, June 13, chicken primavera, Italian vegetables, rice, wheat bread, and tropical fruit;
— Tuesday, June 14, meatloaf with tomato gravy, garlic mashed potato, spinach, wheat bread, and sugar cookie; and
— Friday, June 17, baked fish with tomatoes, mushrooms, and peppers, roasted summer squash, rice, wheat roll, and tapioca pudding.
Please call Linda Hodges 24 hours in advance to 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 just 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.
Why don’t we speak cat? (or dog, or ferret?). There are all kinds of studies centering on our attempts to teach other species our language, but almost none about our inability to learn their languages. After all, we are the ones with the big brains, so isn’t it our responsibility?
If we went to a foreign country to live, we would eventually learn at least some of the language, but we have spent tens of thousands of years with animals and have learned very little, communication-wise. The animals have learned to understand our speech to some extent; animals have been “trained” to follow commands in all our various dialects, from Urdu to Chinese, but we, the allegedly smart ones, know almost nothing.
We know some of the reasons why cats can’t speak English: their vocal cords aren’t the same shape, or in the same location in the body, and cats don’t have the breath control necessary to make our sounds. So if we have the “better” vocal cords, why didn’t we learn their sounds?
Chinese and Navajo both use tones and inflections to differentiate words and meanings, and even those of us who didn’t grow up in those societies are capable of picking it up. I asked Pat Jones, a professional speech therapist, who said the question had never come up in her practice, although she is able to understand perfectly when her cat asks a question. I tried calling the Department of Otolaryngology at Albany Medical Center, but haven’t heard back from them.
Cat’s brains are similar to ours. They have frontal lobes, and lots of folds, and have been found to be about 90 percent like ours. They have long and short-term memory. They can remember things for up to 10 years, and their short-term memory is good for 16 hours (Now tell me, what did you have for lunch yesterday?). And 10 years is longer than the expected lifespan of many cats. Older cats can get dementia; it is called Feline Cognitive Disorder, and it can resemble Alzheimer’s in humans.
Their cerebral cortexes, where learning, decision-making and memory lie, have similar lobes. True, cats’ brains are smaller than ours, even proportionally, but brain size isn’t everything. Research has shown that compared to insects, animal brains are not proportionally that much greater in size. An average cat’s brain takes up about .9 percent of their body mass; humans’ equivalent is 2.3 percent. Yet, according to “Scientific American” magazine, a cat’s brain has 1,000 times more data storage than an iPad, and operates a million times faster.
We can learn by just watching a task. Cats usually need to practice rather than just observe. It has been posited that a cat has the sensory-motor intelligence comparable to that of a 2-year-old child. They are aware of objects that are no longer in sight (think peek-a-boo games with grandkids).
So, we have some ideas about why our companions haven’t learned English, but what’s our excuse?
We have made some progress. We can interpret a limited amount of feline body language, and tell the difference between “feed me” and “I’m hurt!” But beyond that, the scientific jury is still out. The two main camps are those who anthropomorphize (mentally interpret animal behavior in human terms), and those who believe that language is the proof that we are superior to animals.
There is evidence that elephants have funerals for their dead, and chimps wage war. A scientist who has been studying prairie dogs for decades has discovered that they have different chirps to warn each other of predators, and not just generic predators.
The chirp for an overweight, tall human in a blue T-shirt is different from the chirp for a thin human wearing green. New threats (like the picture of a big black oval set up by scientists) cause new chirps to be invented, and every alarm chirp results in action suited to that particular type of threat.
So we know animals can communicate with one another; why don’t we understand them? It is possible that we’re not looking at things in the right way. Just because our language is verbal, and has subjects, objects, and verbs doesn’t mean that that is how animals communicate. Harry Harrison, in his novel “West of Eden”, invented a society where giant lizards ruled, and their language was a combination of color changes, posture, and sound. Some animals have a highly developed sense of smell. Why couldn’t their language include olfactory messages?
Human body language is a parallel of the dominant/submissive behavior of many mammals. Humans can only hear in a limited range, and we have discovered that whales “talk” in ranges that we cannot hear. Most animals have specific sounds and behaviors associated with seeking a mate. For some of them, the precise color, sound, and action combination of the male tells the female whether a particular guy is “her type.”
So why can’t I speak cat? I’ve certainly had long enough to learn. I suspect that it’s because I’m just not paying close enough attention, and have never really practiced pronouncing the syllables. I also think that even if I discount or ignore my desire to have a furry friend who is just like me, there is still behavior left over that can’t be explained away. So, along with Simcha and the rest of my crew, I leave you with this thought: Mrrrrow!
Coming up
Talking about other things, the Hilltown Seniors will be meeting this Saturday at the senior center at 10:30 a.m. Bring a dish to share if you are so inclined.
After the Helderberg senior lunch on Tuesday, June 14, there will be a discussion of Medicare Part D provided by Walgreens. The benefits and services provided by the Weatherization Program will be the topic for Tuesday, June 28.
The Albany Guardian Society, in partnership with Capital District Senior Issues Forum, will host a community forum entitled, Aging and the Meaningful Life. The forum will be held on Wednesday, July 13 at St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church, 440 Whitehall Road, in Albany, from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Check-in starts at 8 a.m. and a continental breakfast will be available. This program will explore how seniors come to value the many opportunities for spiritual growth and community engagement that come with aging.
On Tuesday, June 21, the New York statewide Senior Action Council is holding a telephone teach-in on “How to Compare Nursing Homes”. Call 1-800-333-4374 to reserve a place on this call.
June is also Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome Awareness Month, Effective Communications Month (how appropriate!), Georgia Blueberry Month, and Turkey Lovers Month.
The week beginning June 12 is National Flag Week, Worldwide Knit (and crochet) in Public Week, and National Hermit Week.
June 12 is National Jerky Day, and National Peanut Butter Cookie Day. The 14th is National Bourbon Day, and World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. Ugliest Dog Day is the 17th, and the 18th is International Sushi Day and National Splurge Day.
Menu
There will be no sushi on the menu for the senior lunch program, because we will be having hot meals. Join your friends for fun, interesting talks, cards, games, and live music by Nancy Frueh on Fridays.
— Monday, June 13, chicken primavera, Italian vegetables, rice, wheat bread, and tropical fruit;
— Tuesday, June 14, meatloaf with tomato gravy, garlic mashed potato, spinach, wheat bread, and sugar cookie; and
— Friday, June 17, baked fish with tomatoes, mushrooms, and peppers, roasted summer squash, rice, wheat roll, and tapioca pudding.
Please call Linda Hodges 24 hours in advance to 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 just 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.
Last week I went to the LIFE Conference. LIFE stands for Low-Income Forum on Energy, and there were some good things, and some not-so-good things.
The best thing was the people who attended. They came from Community Action Agencies, upstate, downstate, and a lot of advocacy groups committed to making our society better for everyone. A number of the state agency staff, at least at the grassroots level, were also doing their best to assure that information and services were directed where they are needed
Another apparent purpose, from the higher levels, was to roll out the governor’s “Reforming the Energy Vision (REV)” initiative. This is a comprehensive plan to tie together clean energy, regulatory reform, and more efficient energy generation and delivery.
Andrew Cuomo’s Clean Energy Standard mandates that half of the state’s energy come from renewable sources by 2030. This will be accomplished through encouraging alternative energy (solar and wind) generation by localities and in new construction.
It includes efforts to create “a cleaner, more efficient, and sustainable transportation system” and continuing those programs that already exist for energy relief, like the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP); Weatherization; and EmPower, which provides free energy audits.
I applaud the continuation of those programs, but I’d like to see them all work on a sliding scale, where practically everyone can get some degree of help, but the contribution level adjusts with need and income. In other words, middle-income folks could also receive benefits proportional to family size and income. Essential expenses (medical, taxes, and actual housing costs) would be exempted, and maybe Social Security income would be exempted as well.
A banker talked about creating something like a reverse mortgage for home repairs and energy improvements, where the savings on fuel and increased house value could be used to pay back the money taken out from the home’s present value (also known as equity).
In terms of the renewable energy promotion, I asked how wind and solar farms would be integrated for communities that depend on tourist income. It appeared that this conflict either hadn’t been considered, or was thought to be less important than the energy-generation issue.
There were several initiatives and programs targeted toward cities, urban areas, and places with a high-density, low-income population. I agree, a small dense area lets a program target its money toward getting the most “bang for the buck,” but what about the rest of us?
At the end of the opening panel, which featured the president and chief executive officer of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, a deputy from the State’s department of Public Service, and a senior advisor to the chairman of Energy and Finance from the governor’s office, the moderator asked if there were any questions, so I raised my hand.
My question was: What new programs or incentives or improvements had been made in this initiative that would benefit rural residents and seniors?
The microphone got passed back and forth a bit, and the gentleman from the governor’s office advised me that, as energy efficiency improved, then energy bills and costs would drop, and so everyone would benefit. It’s just the sort of answer I would have given back when I worked for government and in public relations. In other words, the “trickle down” effect, and no practical, useful answer at all.
It is what I expected, but not what I hoped for.
There was some good information, too. Small business owners who are disabled veterans can get an advantage in applying for state contracts.
A solar leasing company can help homeowners get solar systems without having to pay the cost of purchasing a new system. The Public Utilities Law Project had a lot of good information about your rights as a utility customer. The Restore Program provides money for home repairs to seniors whose income is roughly the same as the guidelines for the subsidized housing program. Last year’s income guidelines were $26,931 for a single person, and $35, 217 for a two-person household.
All this information is, of course, my impressions and opinions only. Income guidelines change, as do the methods for calculating them. If you have questions about any of these initiatives or programs, I strongly recommend that you contact the appropriate agencies directly.
Coming events
Now, having dispensed with the news, there are a few other things going on this month and coming week that you may find more interesting:
June is Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month, Perennial Gardening Month, Fashion in Colonial Virginia Month, and National Steakhouse Month. The coming week is Bed Bug Awareness Week, National Automotive Service Professionals Week (hug your mechanic!), and Pet Appreciation Week.
Monday is Atheists Pride Day, and *D-Day (a little bit of a contradiction there, I fear, foxholes being what they are). Thursday is Donald Duck Day, and Friday is Alcoholics Anonymous (Founders) Day and Iced Tea Day (appropriate). The weekend includes Banana Split Days, National Lemonade Days, and Poultry Day, which at least demands a barbecue.
Menu
We also have the lunch menu for next week! (You knew I’d get to it eventually), and games and cards on Monday and Tuesday. Walgreens will be coming by on June 14 to talk about Part D Medicare, and on also on June 14, Butch Lawyer from the Weatherization Program will be giving the details about what is available and how to sign up.
— Monday, June 6: Chicken Parmesan, spaghetti, Romaine salad, wheat bread, milk and citrus ambrosia;
— Tuesday, June 7: Roast turkey with gravy and stuffing, mashed potatoes, roasted squash, milk, and applesauce cake with cream-cheese icing; and
— Friday, June 10: Baked ziti with cheese, Italian blend vegetables, wheat roll, milk, and applesauce.
Please call 24 hours in advance to (518) 872-9400 to reserve lunch. Email , or sign up when you come in. Tell us how many are coming, your name, and your telephone number. If you’d just like to come and help out, give Mary Moller a call at (518) 861-6253, or email 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.