Senior Perspectives...2017/01/03 · Nope. It’s true that I ought to have healthier eating and...

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senior perspectives 2 MAY | JUne 2014

editorMichelle Fields231-733-3523 or [email protected]@srwmi.org

publisherMark WilliamsonOrshal Road Productions

designerJay NewmarchCRE8 Design, LLCKalamazoo

proofreaderBonnie Borgeson

writersAl SchneiderAmy VanLoonAndrea MorrellCathay ThibdaueCece RileyChuck StaffordClif MartinDick HoffstedtGil BoersmaGreg HoadleyBrian BaileyHolly Lookabaugh-DeurIsabelle HuddlestunJudy BrownKeith SipeLinda AertsLouise MatzMaggie JensenPearl FlahertyRolina VermeerVonda VantilWebb ScrivnorBruce KonowalowMike Simcik

Senior Perspectives

Enjoy online at www.orshalrdproductions.com

A Senior Resources Publication Pam Curtis .................................................... Director, CEO

senior resources2014 board of directors

Chairperson ......................................................... Scott KlingVice Chair .............................................................Anne SolesSec./Treas. ........................................................Kathy Moore

muskegon county

Linda Bailey Kathy Moore Tim Erickson Dr. Doris Rucks Holly Hughes Sherry White Linda Kaare

oceana county

Jose Barco Anne Soles Bernice Salisbury Theresa Steen

ottawa county

Barb Boelens Dr. Gary Robertson Joel Elsenbroek Gary Scholten Scott Kling Cheryl Szczytko Carol Rickey

2014 program & planningadvisory board

Beth Baldwin. .................................................... Spring LakeBarb Boelens ......................................................... AllendaleDiane Cunningham ...........................................MuskegonVickie DeCheney ................................................ MuskegonCarolyn Mitchel ........................................... Norton ShoresRolina Roosin ............................................... Grand HavenGary Scholten ........................................................... ZeelandAnne Soles ............................................................ PentwaterCheryl Szczytko ................................................... CaledoniaPeter Theune .................................................... Spring LakeBill Van Dyke ........................................................... Holland

Our mission is to provide a comprehensive and coordinated system of services designed to promote the independence and dignity of older persons and their families.

This agency does not discriminate against, exclude from participation or deny benefits to any eligible recipient of services on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex or handicap.

If you have a discrimination complaint, please contact Senior Resources of West Michigan, 560 Seminole Rd., Muskegon, Michigan, 49444, phone 231-739-5858 or 1-800-442-0054.

560 Seminole Rd., Muskegon, MI 49444

231-739-5858www.SeniorResourcesWMi.org

• United Way Community Partner • An Area Agency on Aging

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Ottawa Counties

Senior Perspectives accepts advertising simply to defray the cost of production and distribution, and appreciates the support of its advertisers. The publication does not specifically endorse advertisers or their products or services.

To advertise in upcoming Senior Perspectives publications, contact:

Mark WilliamsonOrshal Road Productions231-766-3038 or 231-578-4275

No part of this publication may be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

Submit articles for publication or letters to the editor to [email protected] or to Senior Resources, 560 Seminole Rd., Muskegon, MI 49444, Att: Senior Perspectives.

on the cover:“Standing Watch”by Rae Jeanphotographybyraejean.com


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MAY | JUne 2014 3 senior perspectives

Law Office of David P. Covell, PLLC

FOR YOUR PEACE OF MIND

(231) 727-3108

n Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo and Louis Vuitton would have been proud of this year’s Heels for Meals event at the Watermark Center in downtown Muske-gon. On Saturday, March 29th, AgeWell Services proved that philanthropy and fashion do go hand in hand during their benefit to support Meals on Wheels.

Stephanie Webb from WZZM TV-13 and Gary Nelund, Mayor of Norton Shores, were the co-emcees for the evening.

Sharon TerHaar, Executive Director of AgeWell Services stated, “Funding cuts and sequestration have left the Meals on Wheels program with a wait list for services for the past year. I am over-whelmed and grateful to our dedicated staff and volunteers, to our community and the shoe lovers that attended tonight’s event. It was fun, but more importantly, this event begins the journey to eliminate the wait list for Meals on Wheels!”

Guests were asked to wear their favorite footwear or style and transform their existing shoes to enter one of the shoe contests. The categories included: Best Heels, Best Group or Theme, Fabulous Flats, Glitz & Glam, Zaniest/DIY/Most Creative, Sporty & Spectacular, These Boots are Made for Braggin and Vintage. Trophies were awarded in each of these categories.

Hand-painted wine or martini glasses were sold which included the evening’s signature martini, The Sole Sisterini.

If you know of an event for a non-profit organization that would make an inter-esting Senior Perspectives story, please contact the Senior Perspectives Editor, Michelle Fields at [email protected] Please submit all event information at least 90 days in advance.

Heels for MealsBy Michelle FieldS

editoR oF the SenioR PeRSPectiveS

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n I was born and raised on a farm in Custer, Michigan. My dad owned 120 acres. His dad had bought 80 acres and my dad added to it. We kept active on that farm and didn’t go into town very often. We kids would often go along just to watch my dad sell his eggs to exchange for groceries -- mainly flour, oatmeal, coffee and tea. Most every-thing else was produced on the farm. These stores were in Custer, Fountain

and Scottville. Most stores carried dry goods as well as gro-ceries. I liked the cookie containers that opened in the front. I remember cookies frosted in pink and white. We could pick one out and take it to the counter to pay for it. The counter often held a huge round of yellow cheese under a dome. My dad would get a sample then buy a hunk of it to eat in the car with a box of crackers. A big fat dill pickle could also be purchased from a barrel of them. They were quite large, juicy and messy, and very tasty. Penny candy was avail-able for us -- some two for a penny. What a bargain!! In the back of the store there were counters and hangers of bib overalls, flannel shirts, long underwear and heavy boot socks. Most of our clothes were bought from our mail order catalog, but we didn’t buy many. My mother sewed most of our clothes on her Singer sewing machine. The boys’ clothes were bought except for shirts.When I was in High School I had a friend whose parents owned a store in Tall-

man. She would fill her lunch pail full of cookies to bring to school. She was a little overweight as she ate way too many sweets. She also helped herself to the cigarettes. She would take them over to a gas station near the school and smoke every day in the restroom. I didn’t like the smell, as my parents and brothers never smoked. I don’t think she cared much for them either – just a lot of rebel-

lion! Some of these country stores had front porches where men would hang out and visit, talking about crops, cattle, prices of grain and corn which were very important to a farmer. This was the time when nearly all of the mothers were home when you came home from school. A time when girls neither dated nor kissed boys until late high school. It was a time that when you got gasoline, the windshield was cleaned, gas was pumped and oil levels checked, and bills were exchanged and change brought to the car. In those days we weren’t afraid of drive-by shootings, drugs,

gangs, etc. Our parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat.

I like to think and write about the “good old days”!! I do realize that not every-thing was good. I’d hate to go back to kerosene lamps to read by and the old wood stove for heat. The outside toilet was quite a ways from the house and we had to carry a lantern when we used it in the evening. We didn’t have the nice toilet paper we enjoy today. We never did have a telephone but didn’t miss it. I would visit girlfriends who lived in town and had some modern conveniences, but I loved my country home. I stayed there until I married a year out of high school and moved to Muskegon.Isabelle enjoys reading best-seller books, grandkids activities, writing, live theatre, and living in the country. She can be reached by writing in care of Senior Perspectives, 560 Seminole Rd., Muskegon, MI 49444.

ByiSABelle huddleStun

My Good Old Days


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Confessions of a Slow Poke

n Here are my excuses for a late start in keeping my New Year’s resolution to lose weight. First, it was such a com-mon resolution, shared with much of America. Second, for me it was a repeat resolution, marking the second year in a row, so the voice of experience whis-pered that I wouldn’t enjoy it. Third, perhaps starting before I was entirely ready would cause me to stop too soon. And, my personal favorite: it seemed to

snow every day, and what better way to enjoy a snowstorm than to accompany it with eating goodies?

Lame? Of course! They’re excuses; they’re supposed to be lame. It gets worse, though. I only had to lose five or six pounds, so it’s not like my assignment involved anything drastic--just a moderate decrease in eating and a moderate increase in exercising. Still, the first of January turned into the middle of January before my laughable excuses turned into action.

It’s as interesting to me what didn’t motivate me as what finally did motivate me. Was I motivated by pressure from others? Nope. In between New Year’s Eve parties and Super Bowl parties, it’s possible to be the only person in the grocery store buying junk food. I was that person. On a daily basis I watched my neighbors, typically much older than I, walking the neighborhood--in the snow, sometimes using walkers! I had promised a friend at work to tackle our identical resolu-tions together. She started and began enjoying success while I didn’t. All of this affected me but not enough.

Was I motivated by health concerns? Nope. It’s true that I ought to have healthier eating and exercising habits year-round. However, a relatively fast metabolism can cover a multitude of sins, and I have to admit that sometimes I’m self-indulging enough to let it. How easy it is to think I’m probably “healthy enough” or “healthier than others” and to ignore the likely future consequences of bad habits. All of this also affected me but not enough.

What finally motivated me was personal and practical--I really dislike my waistbands being uncomfortably tight, and my favorite clothes are too out-of-date to replace, not to mention the expense of buying all new clothes. Yep, that’s it, but it worked. As of mid-January, I began keeping my resolution.

We’re all different in what can shift us into doing the things we know we ought to do. Maybe what matters most is not what motivates us but that we are motivated. And, maybe a slight delay isn’t such a big deal as long as it doesn’t turn into a long delay.

What’s the right thing to do for you? And, is it time to do it? Eating healthier? Adding exercise to your daily or every-other-day routine? Offering to help a friend in some way? Volunteering at a community agency? Arranging to receive home-delivered meals? Allowing an in-home aide to help with the more difficult tasks? Exploring day center atten-dance for a loved one so that caregiving responsibilities are given a healthy respite? All of these resolutions and others could be assisted by Evergreen, where I happen to work, and by various wonderful organizations throughout West Michigan.

Let’s admit one more thing, especially since this is the May issue of a publication. My resolution ought to be kept lon-ger than a few weeks or months. It ought to remain year-round. If I was so hard to motivate to start, what’s going to help me continue? Well, telling you! Now you can watch for me at the grocery store and check what’s in my cart!

Judy Brown is the Resource Coordinator at Evergreen in Hol-land. You may reach her at (616-355-5118) or [email protected]

ByjudyBRown

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n When my wife passed away in December, just short of our 60th anniversary, there was no service and I needed to be alone and quiet. I know there are friends and family members who were uncomfortable with that and who felt deprived of their need to be there with me. Because I did feel some guilt about that, it meant so much to me to read a beautiful and touching online post from a friend who understood my need.

John Keener, a minister and a fellow introvert in Montana titled his article “Dancing with a Limp,” from a lovely verse by Anne Lamott. She wrote of the loss of a loved one as something like a broken leg that never quite heals. After a while you learn to dance with a limp. John wrote, “Spoken like the true introvert he is, my friend shared his needs. It is not selfish or aloof.” After speaking of his personal losses and the many he has dealt with as a minister, he added, “In one of the greatest losses of my life, as silly as it may seem, when my beloved boxer died my heart was broken.” When he wrote that, neither of us knew that I would soon need to end the life of Amy, a fa-vorite cat who loved me totally. Losing Midge and Amy so close together was too much and I broke down at the vet’s

office. The photo of Midge with Amy on the back of the chair is from my Facebook page. I titled it “How domestic can you get.” I don’t know how I would get through this loss if I did not still have Willie and Andy, my other two loving cat friends. Pets are so very important. I used to think that pets, so-called lower animals, cannot feel love anything like the way we humans claim to understand it. I have changed my mind. Maybe they know more about love than we do.

John ended his article with, “If I were there, I would just sit with him in the quietness of his grief. I would let him know that I, too, ‘Dance with a Limp.’ When you are ready, we will dance with a limp in celebration of a life well-lived and shared.” Doesn’t that make you wish you could be in his congregation in Joliet, Montana! These few lines from what he wrote don’t come close to giving you its full beauty. The Internet address for the article and for his blog, “Big Old Goofy World” is below.

Clif’s column in the July/August Perspectives is all about introverts. John Keener’s blog is at WWW.bogw.blogspot.com “Dancing with a Limp” is at http://bogw.blogspot.com/2013/12/dancing-with-limp.html

Clif writes blogs about old time radio, being an introvert, church stuff and various rants and raves. E-mail him at [email protected] and he will tell you how to find them on the internet.

Dancing with a LimpBy Anne Lamott

you will lose someone you can’t live without,and your heart will be badly broken, and the bad news is that you never completely get over the loss of your beloved.

But this is also the good news.they live forever in your broken heart that doesn’t seal back up.

And you come through. it’s like having a broken leg that never heals perfectly—that still hurts when the weather gets cold, but you learn to dance with the limp.

have senior perspectives mailed to your home In order to have Senior Perspectives mailed to your home, send us your name, address, city, state and zip code along with your check for $5.00 to cover postage and handling, to:

Senior Resources, 560 Seminole, Muskegon, MI 49444.

Senior Perspectives is mailed only to those with paid subscriptions.

BycliFMARtin

martin’s meanderings

Limping Along

Clif’s wife Midge and beloved cat, Amy, are captured in a quiet moment at home.


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n Recently I was reading a post on Facebook and it re-minded me of something that happen to my wife Pam over 44 years ago…

Pam and I took my 1965 Volkswagen from Muskegon to Wichita, Kansas, to return to McConnell AFB where I was stationed. We left Muskegon during a snow storm and drove all the way to St Louis before the weather improved somewhat. That was some trip to St Louis, another exciting story I might share sometime.

Anyway, Pam was to stay with friends during the week of Christmas and then would fly back to Muskegon. Her scheduled flight back home would take her to Chicago where she would be picked up by her mother and my mother and then on to Muskegon. Because of the snow storm in Chicago, her flight was di-verted to Minneapolis, where she would have to wait for the next flight to Chicago.

Later that evening the airport announced that another flight to Chicago would take place, but it was with another airline and she would need to change her ticket. Pam then proceeded to the ticket booth and stood in line to be processed.

While Pam was waiting in line, an elderly lady behind her started up a conversa-tion with her. She was telling Pam that it wasn’t a good idea to change flights. She mentioned a few reasons, and one in particular was that there was a good chance that luggage could be lost. This lady convinced Pam to just wait it out and stay with her original flight plans. Pam thought for a second but when she turned around to tell the lady that she was going to do just that, stay with her original flight plans, the lady wasn’t there. Pam didn’t think much of it and went back to her seat and waited for her flight to leave.

A few hours later her flight was back on schedule and she boarded and flew to Chicago.

Upon entering the terminal where her mother and mother-in-law were waiting, Pam noticed the look of anticipation on her mother’s face. Her mother was re-lieved that Pam was safe, but Pam didn’t understand why her mother was wor-ried. Pam knew her mother had been up all night waiting, just as she had been, but why all the concern?

Her mother then told her what happened at the Chicago airport earlier that eve-ning. An incoming flight from Minneapolis crashed on landing, and people were injured and died. She thought for sure it was Pam’s flight.

Later Pam told her mother of the conversation she had with this elderly lady about not exchanging her ticket for another flight. Pam told her mother that this lady said, “It’s always best to stay with your original plans.”

But thinking back, when Pam turned around to tell the lady that she would stay with her original flight, the lady had disappeared. Pam started wondering why the lady was even in line with her in the first place.

After many conversations about this experience, we are now convinced that God sent an angel that night.

You may reach Keith at [email protected] I enjoy writing, photography, flying, cooking and living in downtown Muskegon

keith’s world

Angels are Real

BykeithSiPe

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n Taking Ransom Sheldon’s call, Michigan Senator Al-pheus Felch presented a petition on behalf of Sheldon and other area maritime interests before the Senate on Febru-ary 17, 1853 “praying for the erection of a light-house at the mouth of Portage River.” The matter was referred to the Committee on Commerce for further analysis, and Con-gress approved $5,000 appropriation for the new aid to navigation.

Over the summer of 1855, the new station took shape in the form of a free-standing rubble stone tower and a small stone detached dwelling. The cylindrical tower walls stood

2’ 10” thick at the base and tapered to 2’ 3” thick at the gallery. Atop this tower, an octagonal wooden lantern 4’ 6” in diameter was installed, reachable by a series of wooden steps within the tower. On completion, the structure stood 39 feet in height from foundation to the top of the vent ball.

A Fifth Order lens manufactured by Henry LePute in Paris exhibited a fixed white characteristic interrupted by a single white flash every minute. While the lens consisted of four fixed 90-degree panels that did not rotate, a pair of bullseye flash panels were attached on opposite sides of a frame that encircled the lens. The 11/2 - story rubble stone dwelling to the north of the tower stood 29 feet by 28 feet, with a 10 foot by 12 foot summer kitchen attached to the rear gable end,

Construction was completed late in 1855, and in accordance to the contract the station buildings were submitted to the district inspector, who refused to accept them. However, in the case of the Portage River light, even though the deficien-cies remained unresolved, Michael W. Lyons was appointed to the position of keeper of the new Portage River light station on September 10, 1856, and exhib-ited his light soon after.

With the matter of the station’s acceptability still unresolved in 1858, and the station in such bad condition, the inspector recommended a special appropria-tion to fund installation of a new brick lining within the tower, the installation of an iron a stairway and lantern floor, and the erection of a standard size Fourth Order lantern. Determining that the dwelling had deteriorated beyond repair, he further recommended that the entire structure be demolished and a new dwell-ing erected and connected to the rebuilt tower by a covered way.

After reviewing the magnitude of the repairs required, the decision was made to completely rebuild both buildings to current Lighthouse Board standards. A work crew and materials were delivered and a temporary structure built from which to display a light. The tower and dwelling were then demolished and construction of the new buildings began.

The new cylindrical tower, constructed of locally quarried sandstone, tapered from 12 feet in diameter at the foundation to eight feet in diameter beneath the gallery. The tower was of double wall construction, with the tapered outer wall standing 36 inches in thickness at the base and the cylindrical inner wall four inches in thickness. The dual walls were separated by an open space through which air could rise from vents near the foundation, flowing upward through the structure to exit through the vent ball at top of the lantern. Centered atop

Jacobsville (Portage Lake) GPS 46º 58’ 40 N -88º 24’49” W

BychuckStAFFoRd


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the circular gallery, a standard prefabricated decagonal Fourth Order 841/2 inch lantern was installed, with its vent ball standing 51-feet above the tower foundation.

To the north of the tower, a 1½-story brick dwelling containing eight rooms was erected and connected to the tower by a covered way 10 ft.-6 inches in length. An iron door at the tower end led to the spiral stairs that wound within the inner brick cylinder of the tower, providing ac-cess to the lantern through a scuttle door in the lantern’s 3/4 ” thick iron floor. The buildings were not ready until 1870. The light shines 65 feet above the water.

Lightkeepers Mi-chael W. Lyons, John Crane, Samuel Stevenson, Earl Edgerton, John B. Crebassa, George Craig, Carl John, Charles T. Rosell, Franklin W. Witz.

With the old light station and grounds no longer needed for lighthouse purposes, the property was transferred to the State of Michigan to be used for the creation of a park on August 10, 1932. However, the state never moved on creating the park and the old station reverted to the Coast Guard on October 29, 1948. With the Coast Guard having no use for the property, it was turned over to the General Servic-es Administration for liquidation. As a result, the property was sold at auction on November 25, 1958 for the sum of $18,251 to Joynt Automotive of Alma.

Since that original sale, the historic property has changed hands, but still re-mains in private hands. Mike and Cheri Ditty presently own the property and run the historic lighthouse as a bed and breakfast.

DIRECTIONS: from Highway 26 in the town of Lake Linden, turn east on 9th Street that will become Bootjack road. Follow Bootjack Road around Torch Lake and then Portage Lake for roughly 7.5 miles until you come to a fork in the road. Take the left fork, Dreamland Road (Jacobsville Road) and follow it for 8.4 miles where it will tee. Turn left, and after a short distance, you will find Lighthouse Road on your right.

Having been associated with the out-of-doors all his life, mainly because of his parents, it was only natural that Chuck Stafford became an outdoor writer and photographer. He has been associated the past 40 years in television, magazine, and newspaper writing.

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For years, Social Security has been at the forefront of offering convenient, easy-to-use, and secure online ser-vices. We, along with those we serve, have saved a lot of paper, shipping costs, and fuel—and cut back on a lot of carbon exhaust and pollution—by going online instead of doing things the old-fashioned, less efficient way. We are committed to conserving energy, reducing waste, and protecting our environment.

We’re most proud of our online services, which allow people to conserve their own fuel (and time) by com-pleting their business with us where they are instead of where we are.

You can conduct so much of your business with us from the convenience of your home or office—no paper, print-ing, postage or petrol needed.

One of our most popular online services is my-SocialSecurity. Connect with us by creating your own online account that allows you quick access to your personal Social Se-curity information. For example, dur-ing your working years, you can use mySocialSecurity to obtain a copy of your Social Security Statement to check your earnings record and see estimates of future retirement, disability, and survivor benefits you and your family may receive. If you already receive Social Se-curity or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, you can use mySocialSecurity to view, save, and print a benefit verification letter and check your benefit payment informa-tion. Social Security beneficiaries also can change their address and start or change di-rect deposit information online.

For more information about Social Security, visit www.socialsecurity.gov.

Vonda VanTil is the public affairs specialist for West Michigan. You can write her c/o Social Security Administration, 3045 Knapp St NE, Grand Rapids MI 49525 or at [email protected]

ByvondA vAntil

SociAl SecuRity PuBlic AFFAiRS SPeciAliSt

Social Security goes green on Earth Day ... every day


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n Several years ago I attended a performance by George Carlin that included a description of a trip he took into Michi-gan from Toledo, Ohio. He headed north on I-75 looking for sights “up north some place.”

As he crossed the Michigan border, he saw a sign that read, “The Bridge 300 miles.” He knew that Michigan was a pen-insula surrounded by the Great Lakes, but did they have only one bridge? That seemed pretty improbable. He continued north and encountered several more signs reminding him of “The Bridge” yet to come. He thought, boy this must be some kind of bridge! When he arrived at Mackinaw City all

he could say was, “Now that’s a bridge!” Indeed it is.

The seeds for the Mackinac Bridge were sown in the late 1800’s when the Brook-lyn Bridge was dedicated. The people pressing for a permanent crossing at the Straits felt it legitimized their de-sire for a permanent structure to move from the Lower to the Upper Peninsula in tired vehicles.

Many meetings were held and reports written as the years passed. In 1923 the legislature ordered the Michigan State Highway Department to establish a ferry service between the two penin-sulas at the Straits. Within five years the service was ordered to create a fea-sibility study for a bridge. The report came back with an expected cost of 30 million dollars. Momentum slowed until the Mackinac Bridge opened on November 1, 1957. The last of the bonds were retired in 1986.

Here are a few facts about the bridge’s design:

• Total length 5 Miles • Length of main span (between main towers) 3,800 feet • Total length of wires in main cable 41,000 miles • Maximum tension on each cable 11,840 tons

The source of revenue for the bridge since the bonds were retired has been tolls paid by the drivers crossing the bridge.

In January 2014 traffic on the bridge totaled 158,283 vehicles, down 6.6% from 2013.

Fare revenues were $1,033,740, down 7.6% from 2013.

Each Labor Day the Mackinac Bridge opens one lane for walkers. If you go, be aware that a school bus will take you from Mackinaw City to St. Ignace, (for a $5 fee), and you will walk back to Mackinaw City.

An average number of walkers in recent years has been 50 to 60 thousand people. I have walked it with our camping club three or four times over the years, and my wife went with me in another year. I really enjoyed it.

I feel Michigan did itself proud when it was able to erect such a magnificent struc-ture that serves two major needs: earn more revenue, and offer a viable option to link the two peninsulas together for the enjoyment of all who seek it.

Greg is a former managing editor of a college newspaper, an amateur genealogist, and a want-to-be freelance writer.

Spanning the Straits

By GReG hoAdley

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Tanglewood Café

Full espresso bar • 10% senior discount every day

Tanglewood Park • 560 Seminole Rd., Muskegon www.tanglewoodpark.info

Monday-Friday 7 a.m.- 3 p.m. • 231-733-8644

new Menu iTeMS! OPen TO THe PuBLiC

Check out Agewell on Facebook! Are you getting the Agewell weekly e-newsletter from us? if not, sign up at www.agewellservices.org.

Strawberry Fields Salad Fresh spring mix, oven roasted almonds, fresh strawberries, dried cranberries, red onion and feta cheese and served with poppy seed

dressing

Crunchy Asian Salad Romaine and spring mix topped with crunchy teriyaki chicken bites, Colby cheese, carrots, mandarin oranges, almonds, and chow mein

noodles served with ginger dressing

Slider Combo Two mini sliders topped with American cheese, ranch dressing and French’s fried onions on a toasted bun and served with your choice of chips and drink

Chicken Fajitas 2 flour tortillas served with grilled chicken, roasted red peppers and onion, Colby cheese, salsa and sour cream and a side of refried beans

AgeWell Services offers neighborhood locations to hang out. It all starts with coffee and conversation. Each location takes on a personality of its

own due to those who attend and activities are different at each location. Why would you drop in to a center?

THe FOLLOwing iS yOuR LOCATiOn key FOR THe LiSTingS BeLOw: Fellowship Senior Center is FSC; Northside Senor Center is NSC;

Downtown Jefferson Towers is DJT; Whitehall SHAWL is WS

DINNER first Tuesday night of the month at NSC! Pizza Party one month and Formal Dinner the next. Call them to get more info.

Come alone or bring a friend – LUNCH is served daily at these locations. Call your neighborhood center or drop in for a menu and see what is happening!

_____________ LOCATiOnS _____________

Like uS On FACeBOOk!

weekLy SPeCiALS And SOuP CALendARAT AgeweLLSeRviCeS.ORg

SPRing FeATuReS:

TASTe OF TAngLewOOd!

Summer Kick Off Cook OutSave the Date!! May 21st, 2014

Café Patio from 11-2 pm Join us on the patio for a cook out to kick off summer! We will be grilling hotdogs,

brats and burgers and many picnic sides available. Hope to see you there!

• Meet people• Renew friendships• Volunteer

• Stay active • Healthy affordable lunches• Try new things

MOndAySPickleball, Wii Games,

Soup & Salad Bar at FSCBINGO at NSC

TueSdAySBingo at FSC

Exercise at DJTCLOSED – WS

wedneSdAySCards & Games at FSC

Cribbage at NSCBINGO at DJT

THuRSdAySChair Aerobics at FSC

Cribbage at NSCCrafts & Scrapbooking at NSC

MuSkegOn COunTyEgelcraft

(231) 773-4400 2129 Arrowhead Dr., Muskegon

Fellowship Activity Center Fellowship Reformed Church

(231) 788-47834220 Apple Ave., Muskegon

Northside Seniors Crosswinds Church (231) 744-8613

1910 Ruddiman, N. Muskegon

Jefferson Towers (231) 670-1027

1077 Jefferson, Muskegon

Pine Grove Manor Senior Housing (231) 327-2027

1764 East Apple, Muskegon

Shawl Meal Site Senior Housing (231) 894-4670

225 South Hall, Whitehall

Trinity Healthcare Mercy Hospital Campus (231) 672-2000

1500 E. Sherman Blvd., Muskegon

OCeAnA COunTyOceana County Council on Aging

(231) 873-4461 621 E Main St., Hart

Pentwater Friendship Center Village of Pentwater Community Building

(231) 869-7901310 Park Street, Pentwater

OTTAwA COunTyNorth Ottawa County Council on Aging

/Four Pointes (616) 842-9210

1051 S. Beacon Blvd., Grand Haven

Lloyds Bayou Senior Housing (616) 844-9001

17046 Lloyds Bayou Dr., Spring Lake

Georgetown Senior Center (616) 457-3270

7096 Eighth Ave., Jenison

Evergreen Commons Senior Center (616) 396-7100

480 State Street, Holland

FRidAySBINGO at NSC, FSC

Exercise at DJT

wHeRe TO gO, wHAT TO dO!


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n The 36th Annual White Lake Area Arts & Crafts Festival is expected to draw thousands of people this Father’s Day weekend, June 14 and 15, 2014. Goodrich Park in Whitehall is home of this favorite festival.

More than 60 talented and creative artists will participate in this very popular juried art show from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Saturday the 14th and from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday the 15th. Those attending can purchase a variety of hand-made art and crafts such as jewelry, wood furni-ture, birdhouses, ceramics, items for the garden, clothing, paintings and prints, folk art, leather goods, floral designs, stained glass, signs, children’s toys, and bath items.

A great line-up of musicians will entertain the crowds throughout the weekend, including the local favorite Mike Snell and Keith Scott playing acoustic Chicago blues. These local favorites are sure to be enjoyed by the many who come out for a great afternoon filled with food, fun, and music.

For those with an appetite, a variety of food vendors will be serving pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, corn dogs, Italian sausage, fried veg-etables, elephant ears and toes, fresh-squeezed lemonade, candy, root beer floats and sundaes. Vendors will also be offering various cuisines. Festival attendees can’t miss the fun and bright ice cream wagon along with roasted nuts.

This year’s Arts & Crafts poster artwork will be created by a local student. These colorful posters will be available at the blue & white Chamber booth for $3.00 each.

Spend a leisurely day at this popular outdoor event which is held off the shores of White Lake and under the trees at Goodrich Park. It’s a beautiful spot to meet up with friends and neighbors you haven’t seen for a while, discover some great finds and enjoy the music and ambiance of a sunny summer day.

For more information on the Arts and Crafts Festival events, contact the White Lake Area Chamber of Commerce at (231) 893-4585 or visit www.whitelake.org. Amy L. VanLoon is the Executive Director for White Lake Area Chamber of Commerce in Whitehall, MI. www.whitelake.org

ByAMyvAn loon

36th Annual Arts & crafts Festival scheduled for father’s day weekend

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Ask the Vet!At Glenpark Animal Hospital, we find that people have general ques-tions for us all of the time about their pets; like what to feed, why and when they should vaccinate, what we think about that latest news sto-ry or new flea product they saw advertised -- all sorts of things! They may not always think of these questions when they’re at their appoint-ment, and may not feel comfortable “bugging” their vet with a follow up phone call. So we decided to start a question and answer forum for readers to submit their questions. We figure if one person has a ques-tion, they are probably not alone!

Here’s a little background about our staff: combined we have over 3 8 years’ experience in treating your pets.

Dr. Houser is a Michigan State grad-uate, practicing primarily in West Michigan for almost 20 years. She is a mother to three daughters; ages 8, 14 and 16, three dogs, six cats and a hedgehog!

Our Licensed Veterinary Techni-cians, Angie and Kelly, are native to the Muskegon area, both gradu-ating from the highly-recognized Baker College Veterinary Techni-cian program over five years ago. Angie is mom to two sons; ages 15 and 17, one dog, and two cats. Kelly is proud mom to three dogs (one of which is Angie’s dog’s lit-termate) and two cats.

Julie, our receptionist, has been a local resident most of her life. For five years now she has been the first face and voice our clients count on to assist them with all of their pets’ needs. She is mom to two daughters; ages 26 and 21, three guinea pigs and a hedgehog (she’s the reason Dr. Houser has hers!).

We will work together to answer your questions as a team so they are comprehensive, thorough and easy to understand. Here’s our first try!

Be Prepared! don’t let spring bring fleas into your life It is that time of year again; time for those creeping, biting, infesting pests known as fleas. As the weather warms up, the insects start to come out and that means fleas start looking to fortify their numbers. Fleas love to hide under bushes, sheds and decks. They lurk in the grass after hitch-

you can submit your pet vet questions by email to glenparkreminders @ frontier.com or by

mail at glenpark animal hospital,

1550 w. sherman blvd, muskegon, mi 49441


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ing rides on wild animals into your yard. Squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks, raccoons, skunks, opossums and stray cats are all common carriers of the fleas that affect our pets. Fleas make our pets itch and wiggle, cover-ing their fur with the black specks of their digested blood meal. This can make our pets irritable, uninterested in eating, restless and just plain miserable!

For their tiny size, fleas can cause big problems. Some pets are very sensitive to flea bites, and develop a severe reaction known as Flea Allergy Dermatitis (FAD). FAD is the most common veterinary skin condition. In FAD, the pet usually loses patches of their fur and a skin infection sets in, adding to the itch, pain and misery. In small and young pets as well as those with weakened immune systems or those with high number of fleas, fleas can cause anemia. In severe cases the anemia caused by fleas can actually kill a pet. Fleas also carry Tape-worms… EWWWW! When pets groom, they inadvertently ingest the flea, which then gives our pets Tapeworms. Tapeworms can steal the nutrients from your pets, causing them to become sick and malnour-ished. Some fleas also carry severe diseases, such as Bartonella and Bubonic Plague, which can affect humans, too!

Fleas can be difficult to get rid of, in part due to their life cycle. A fe-male flea can start laying eggs within 24 hours of being hatched. That same female flea can then lay up to 50 eggs per day, 2000 in her life-time! Those eggs roll off of our pets and into the environment. They roll into our carpets and rugs, under and on our furniture, into the cracks of our floors and even into our beds! Our pets walk around like little salt shakers, spreading the eggs around our homes, yards and cars. Once those eggs are in the environment, in 1-6 days they turn into flea larva. The larvae hang out in the environment, eating up the flea “dirt” for the next 5-11 days while they mature into pupae. The pupae are like a hard cocoon where the larvae develop into adult fleas. The pupae are nearly indestructible and while the typical time for hatching is 7-14 days, depending on heat and humidity, a flea can stay in the pupae for many months, waiting for just the right setting to emerge. The adult fleas hatch and start the process all over again. The experts surmise that a flea colony is made up of only 5% adult fleas (that we see), 10% pupae, 35% larvae and 50% eggs, YUCK- all of that in your house! Due to this life cycle, in order to get rid of fleas, all pets must be on a flea prevention every month for a minimum of 4 doses. The flea control that you purchase from your veterinarian is best. This is because you can be assured that it is safe for your pet, it is guaranteed and you can be sure that it works. If you have exotic pets, such as rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs, etc., please be sure to see your veterinarian before applying any flea medication.

Fleas are a real pain. They bite, tickle, itch and spread or cause disease. All pets are susceptible to fleas, even indoor-only pets. Fleas will hitch a ride with whoever is going their way, the dog, another cat and even us, they don’t care! Fleas can also jump 200 times the length of their bodies. If you are seeing fleas or suspect that your pet has fleas, visit your veterinarian for medication and treatment tips.

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Senior Perspectives

mag

e

egp Answers on page 27

Babe Ruth Baseball Bat Catcher Cracker Jack Curveball

Double Dugout Field Foul Game Glove

Ground BallHome RunMajorMinorOpening DayPitch Hit

StadiumTy CobbWillie MayYogi Berra

ACROSS 1 Carry through legislatively 6 Circle, square, or triangle, e.g. 11 Nine-to-five drudgery, say 14 Glare blocker in a car 15 Itty bits 16 Function 17 Interstates 19 Woman of habit? 20 Tall flightless bird 21 “Mo’ Better Blues” director Spike 22 _____ King Cole 23 Bitter leaves used sparingly in salads 27 Soup legumes 29 “Shut yer _____!” 30 Panetta or Spinks 32 CAT _____ 33 Before, poetically 34 Fourth deck of a ship 36 Incited (with “on”) 39 Flamingo feature 41 Kind of training 43 Small Eurasian duck 44 Diva’s Repertoire 46 Brief summary 48 What may follow you 49 Kin to Blvds.

51 Venture 52 “Do not open _____ Xmas” 53 Easy-chair occupant 56 Beach burrower 58 Tolkien cannibal 59 What makes a drink clink 60 Air traffic agcy. 61 Amazon squeezer 62 Soaked with rays 68 Age verifiers 69 Get in shape for a competition 70 Reprimand mildly 71 Word before a maiden name 72 Bart Simpson’s aunt 73 _____ the run (munch in motion)

DOWN 1 Halloween, to All Saints’ Day 2 Give a thumbs-down to 3 Nile Valley reptile 4 Delicious leftovers? 5 Cheap trill 6 Female sib 7 Questioning word 8 If-possible connector 9 Check beneficiaries 10 Perfume

11 Aspiring veep 12 “Business as _____” 13 Where some pitchers sleep? 18 Surpassingly good 23 Carnivorous cackler 24 More quick to the helm 25 Isolated instance 26 Eclipse type 28 Catches in a rundown 31 Hard-_____ (tough) 35 10-pitch types 37 Creepy 38 Abide 40 bitter brew of Polynesia 42 Wide-mouthed wine bottle 45 Chauvinistic types 47 Atonement for sins 50 Impervious to break-ins 53 Batman’s favorite bird? 54 Eat into 55 Kidney-related 57 Russian country house 63 Not very bright, really 64 “Messenger” compound 65 Any of the Billboard Top 40 66 Former name of Tokyo 67 Daniel’s famous place

Take Me OuT TO The BallgaMe

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What iS MMaP?Hello to all of our faithful readers. Your MMAP office hopes that you have made it through all the challenges of this past winter, and welcome the sunshine as much as we do.

As a reminder, your MMAP office is here to help you with your Medicare related questions and concerns. Those might be about coverage, a medical bill, or even what Medicare is.

Your MMAP office is here to help you all along the way. Many people who are new to Medicare call us to find out

what they need to know in order to make an informed decision.

Medicare is a bit more complicated in its options than it used to be several years ago. This is one of the topics that MMAP counselors can assist you with. MMAP stands for Medicare Medicaid Assistance Program. This is a free service to Medi-care beneficiaries and their families who are trying to help them.

So where can I find a MMAP office? In Muskegon, MMAP is located inside Tanglewood Park at 560 Seminole Road. In Grand Haven, MMAP is located at Four Pointes Center for Successful Aging, 1051 S Beacon Blvd., Grand Haven MI 49417. Contact number (616) 842-9210.

If you are a reader in Holland, the MMAP office is at Evergreen Commons, 480 State Street, Holland MI 49423. Contact number is (616) 396-7100.

MMAP has highly trained counselors to assist you at all of our locations. We will

be training a couple of people in Oceana County soon to help assist our MMAP counselor at the Health Project.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the summer.

MMAP Minutes is submitted by Vickie DeCheney who is the Regional Coordinator for the Medicare Medicaid Assistance Program (MMAP). Vickie is retired from the State of Michi-gan after 30 years of service, with extensive background in Long-term Care, Medicaid and Medicare related issues. She enjoys spending summer weekends at her cottage in Hesperia as well as times with her many grandchildren.

MMaP Minutes

Byvickie decheney


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Our First Line of Defense: Our Skin

n Our skin is the first thing people see when they look at us – faces with a few “happy” wrinkles around the mouth and eyes, a dark pigmented area maybe on the backs of our hands and cheeks, and a little droop here and there. We look at celebrities and see the perfect skin and neck and think, “Why don’t I look like

that?” It is amazing what cosmetics, plastic surgery, and lasers can do! Our skin does so much more than keep us looking good; it is our first line of defense.

The skin is a vital organ in our body, capable of great change and adaptation to our environment. Functioning in many different ways, the skin serves to fight off infection, regulate body temperature, protect our inner organs and tissues, assist with maintenance of our fluid and electrolyte balance, and nerve endings in the skin allow us to “feel” touch, pressure and temperature.

As we age, our skin is impacted by a loss of elastin and becomes thinner in the dermis, or the middle layer of the skin. Hair growth may be less (except where you don’t want it to be!), and tiny hemorrhages of blood vessels and pigmentation areas may be more prevalent. Most noticeable are the wrinkles and relative sagging of the skin, which is a direct reflection of the loss of elastin and other proteins. Wrinkles are impacted by other issues, too, such as exposure to the sun, history of smoking (which closes down capillaries and blood supply), and other systemic issues such as overall circulation, history of diabetes and long term medication use.

An internet search for the words “anti-aging” yields over 35 million hits, with re-sources for every type of cream and diet imaginable. Truth be told: We can’t stop time. Our skin is aging every minute, every day. Do surgeries and bleaches and treatments work? Of course some of them do. Many expensive as well as less in-dulgent ways to take care of your care are available. Here are the top 5, evidence-based anti-aging skin care tips according to the National Institute of Health:

1.) STOP SMOKING: Smoking has serious effects on the appearance of the skin. First, smoke itself comes in contact with the skin, causing biochemical changes to skin cells. Smoking damages the collagen and elastin found in the dermal layers, which provide pliability and elasticity to skin tissue. This leads to an acceleration of sagging and wrinkling of the skin. Cigarette smoke also constricts the blood vessels that deliver oxygen and nutrients to skin cells, which slows cellular pro-duction and growth.

2.) CHECK YOUR DIET: Some foods may actually combat the aging process be-cause of the nutrients they contain. Under the free radical theory of aging, our bodies wear down as the result of cellular destruction by free radicals. These are molecules or atoms with an unattached electron, produced by normal body pro-cesses where oxygen is used, which seek to attach itself to another atom. These radicals can attach to a number of different molecules and atoms; if they attach to a cell’s mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), damage can occur and the cell may even-tually die.

Here’s where food comes in. Foods containing antioxidants have been shown to neutralize free radicals by stabilizing them. The theory goes that the more anti-oxidants (like vitamins C and E and beta carotene) are consumed through food, the less chance free radicals have to damage cellular structures, including skin

cells. Physicians recommend eating a diet rich in antioxi-dants, such as colorful veg-etables and cold-water fish like trout and salmon. Care for your skin from the inside out.

3.) BEWARE OF THE SUN: Ultraviolet radiation (UV) from the sun stimu-lates production of vitamin A, which, in turn, is used in the production of mela-tonin, a key neurotransmit-ter. Without proper melato-nin levels, humans may fall into a depressed state. We also need the sun to convert chemistry into Vitamin D.

Too much UV radiation, however, can accelerate the appearance of wrinkles and other signs of aging by de-stroying collagen and elas-

tin. The sun’s damaging effects on the skin is a specific form of external aging called photoaging. Over time UV radiation lowers the body’s ability to produce new collagen to replace what was lost to radiation. Use sunscreen! Dermatolo-gists recommend UV protection with sunscreen of 15 or higher.

4.) STOP THE STRESS: In 2004, geneticists discovered that chronic stress shortens the lifespan of cells in the body by affecting telomeres, the ends of chromosomes that allow DNA to successfully replicate itself and form new cells. These telo-meres wear down naturally over time, but the process accelerates when the mind experiences stress; then the DNA in the nucleus of a cell can no longer divide. As a result, cells, then tissue, then organs, begin to die.

Reducing the stress in your life is an internal anti-aging technique, leading to better sleep, which, in turn, reduces the appearance of age, like wrinkles and the bags under the eyes.

5.) BELIEVE IT OR NOT: LIFT WEIGHTS AND BE STRONGER! Over the age of 55 we begin losing about 1% of our muscle strength every year – unless we are actively combating this natural change. Senile Sacropenia is the result of a loss of muscle mass, which results from the death of motor neurons that control muscle fibers. When a mass of muscle fibers lose the neuron that controls them, they are left inactive, wither and die. In some cases, other neurons will bind themselves to abandoned muscle fibers. The result is an overloaded neuron that controls mus-cles with lessened precision. Sarcopenia accounts for sagging skin and wrinkles. As we lose muscle fibers beneath our facial skin, the tissue droops.

Bottom line? Start with the INSIDE for healthy skin, before you buy expensive creams and treatments. After all, a smile on a face with a few wrinkles is far more beautiful than a pouty, porcelain, taut face. We are living longer – embrace your age and make the most of every day!

Holly is a physical therapist and board certified geriatric clinical specialist; founder and president of Generation Care, PLC. She can be reached at [email protected] for references or comments.

By hollylookABAuGh- deuR

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senior perspectives 20 MAY | JUne 2014?_________________________

what’s going on?

special events FoR aCtiVitiEs inYoUR aREa, ContaCt thE FoLLowing: AgeWell Services: (231) 755-0434 or 1-800-442-6769Coopersville: Contact the Senior Center at (616) 997-3609 Evergreen Commons, 480 State, Holland (616) 396-7100Fellowship Reformed Church, 4220 Apple Ave. Phone (231) 788-4783Fifth Reformed Church, 2330 Holton Rd, MuskegonGrand Haven Senior Center, 422 Fulton St. (616) 842-9210Georgetown Senior Center, 7096 8th Street, Jenison (616) 457-1170Hesperia Seniors, (231) 854-0007Lakes Community Church of the Naza-rene, 2270 S. Milliron (231) 773-2812McGraft Park City Centre, 2204 Wickham, (231) 755-8453 Mona Shores Golden Agers, Norton Shores Library, (231) 780-3173Northside Senior Center, 1910 Ruddiman, (231) 744-8613Oakridge Golden Eagles, 1050 Carr Rd. (231) 788-7150Orchard View Seniors, 1074 Shonat (231) 760-1493Oceana Council on Aging, 621 East Main St., Hart (231) 873-4461Pentwater Friendship Center, Rush & Park Streets (231) 869-7901 White Lake Senior Center, 8741 Ferry Street (231) 894-9493_________________________

n The other day I was doing some research on ex-cellent websites and I encountered “Hillel: The Foun-dation for Jewish Campus Life.” This one piqued my interest. Hillel was a Jewish sage and the foremost master of biblical commentary and interpreter of Jewish tradition in his time. Hillel was most famous for making people ask themselves the following three questions:

“If I am not for myself, who will be for me?”

“When I am for myself, what am I?

“If not now, when?”

The questions are just as significant now as they were when Hillel first posed them sometime during the estimated period of 30 BC to 10 CE. These ques-tions have haunted me on many levels; they were meant to do just that. While I won’t trav-el down the path of investigating the internal workings of my psyche with you, I will say that lots of things are shaking me up lately. Perhaps it is a function of age? Perhaps it is the realization that life is short! And, perhaps I have not yet found that piece of me that truly lets me know the reason for which I was placed on this earth? (Okay – that one did reveal some of what goes on in-side my head.)

But really good things can happen when people ask themselves, “If not me, then who?” Last summer Harbor Hospice sponsored the showing of Honor Flight: One Last Mission. It is the story of how one man in Wisconsin decided to sponsor a group of WWII Veterans on a flight to Washington, DC, to see their memorial. He didn’t know how he was going to pull it off, but “where there is a will, there is a way” and he and scores of other dedicated people pulled it off.

Between 1941 and 1945 over 16 million veterans served our country during World War II. The VA currently es-timates that there are approximately 1.3 million veterans still alive, and those survivors are passing away at a rate of approximately 900 per day.

After working on the Honor Flight project, one Har-bor Hospice volunteer, Steve Allen, asked the same question of himself, “If not me, then who?” He then asked, “If not now, when?” Because of Steve’s deter-mination to make this happen for our local WWII Vets, Muskegon will have its own version of this amazing mission called Legends Flight, departing

for the WWII monument on October 9, 2014. This trip is absolutely free

for Veterans. For information on how to register for this

flight or become in-volved in this project,

visit their website at www.legends-flight.com.

Ask big ques-tions of yourself? Amazing things can happen…

Linda is the Ex-ecutive Assistant at

Harbor Hospice where she has been for 12 years.

Please feel free to email her at [email protected] or call 800-497-9559 with questions.

ask Big Questions

BylindA AeRtS

FRoM hARBoR hoSPice


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February 2014 marked the 112th birthday of one of America’s greatest authors. His name is John Steinbeck.

Elaine Burgess was the teacher who intro-duced this author to me almost 65 years ago. Don’t let her name determine her heritage. She was a full-blooded Native American from Oklahoma who wore her pitch-black hair in a single braid down to her waist. She was my high school English teacher and took her name so as to blend into American

society in the late 1940s. She had a passion for books. She was concerned with her students being readers AND writers.

Reading was also a passion for me before entering high school. A Chicago Public Library card was in my hands as far back as grade school, with a small branch library within walking dis-tance of my home. It was small, and the selection was limited. High school changed all that…a huge library and an English teacher who opened new doors.

Every once in a while Miss Burgess had a contest. Everyone in her class had to write a short story, and it had to be fiction. She also awarded a prize for the best story. Of course, she was the final judge and jury. That was okay. We all felt that she was fair.

The contest that sticks out the most in my memory is the one where she awarded the prize to me for a story that is long forgotten. The prizes she awarded were always books, and she paid for them out of her own pocket. The school said that these contests were her idea, and they would not fund the awards.

The book I won in that contest was John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. It trig-gered a lifetime love of Steinbeck which is still with me today. That particular copy of The Grapes of Wrath still sits on my bookshelf among every other book Steinbeck ever wrote. It still resonates today with readers around the world.

When people are asked about the book, they invariably say that it’s a story about the Dust Bowl in the 1930s and the “Okies” migrating to California to escape their plight. They remember the Joad family, especially Ma Joad, the strong matriarch who guides the family along with her son, Tom. It’s more than that.

There is a subtle religious subtext, but not in the everyday sense we think about religion. Steinbeck never preached, he questioned. Even some of his other books had a religious

feel to them…The Pastures of Heaven, To a God Unknown and one of his best novels, East of Eden. Steinbeck sees religion in his char-

acters as a hope of finding a deeper awareness of life and the universe. His people struggle to translate conventional religion into responsible, humane action. When Jim Casy says, “Maybe all people got one big soul everybody’s a part of,” he argues that mankind as a whole is more important than any one individual. We owe it to help one another.

This book still moves me just like it did when I first read it in high school. It is one for the ages, like so many other classics. It captures a moment in America’s past. Thank you, Miss Burgess, for a lifetime love affair with books. To John Steinbeck, I thank you for bringing years of joy and understanding into my life.

Richard A. Hoffstedt, Retired. Married 58 years, 4 daughters, twin sons, 5 grandchil-dren, 1 great-granddaughter, engineer by profession. Interests: Music, reading, theater, film, and now writing.

Bydick hoFFStedt

two influencial People,A Teacher and An Author

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By BRuce konowAlow, deAn oF culinARy ARtS FRoM culinARy inStitute oF MichiGAn

n When the snow finally begins to melt and spring slowly pushes winter out, thousands of Michiganders will spread out in the woods and the fields search-ing for one of nature’s little gems, the Michigan morel. The short growing season and delicate earthy flavor compels legions of mushroom lovers to seek them out and hunt them down. Morels are an elusive prey, and morel hunters keep their secret hunting grounds highly guarded. It seems a morel grows where it wants to, mysterious and intriguing to the would-be hunter. Areas that are snowy inthe winter and have sandy soil seem to be fertile. The black morel, which is prized and more flavorful than the white or yellow morel, seems to like the ground around fruit and poplar trees. The white morel seems to prefer fruit, elm and ma-ple trees. Areas affected by forest fires can also attract morel growth. Learn your trees and it may help you bag your catch.

Like all wild mushroom gatherers, make sure you know what you are picking. There are a variety of false morels that produce toxins that can make you ill or worse. Learn from an experienced morel hunter before you go out on your own. There are good field guides you can use once you have a little experience. A good rule of thumb is, “When in doubt, throw it out.” Real morels are hollow inside when you split them in half. A fleshy interior usually indicates a false morel so “Do not swallow if it is not hollow.”

Once you have found them, they should be picked by pinching the stem just above the soil line. This method helps to encourage re-growth. Morel hunters often use mesh bags to carry their harvest through the woods, allowing spores to drop as they walk.

If it is a good year, and this year has the makings of a good year, you can dry your morels for future use. The morels can be dried in a dehydrator, a low oven or even sun-dried on non-metallic screens. Once they are dried they can last for years as long as they stay dry. It will take 8-10 pounds of fresh morels to produce one pound of dry morels. For faster drying you can split your morels in half.

The delicate, subtle flavor of morels should not be masked by overly complicated cooking preparations. Here is a simple spring morel recipe for you to try.

Chef Bruce Konowalow began at Baker College as Dean of Culinary Arts for the Culinary Institute of Michigan in July of 2013. He has over 30 years of experience in the restaurant and culinary educa-tion fields. Chef Konowalow has been teaching culinary arts and restaurant management since 1987.

Michigan Morels Sautéed Morels with Sherry and Cream 1 pound fresh morels

1 tbsp. chopped shallots

1 tsp. chopped garlic

2 oz. whole butter

1 tbsp. chopped tarragon

1 oz. dry sherry

2 oz. heavy cream

Salt and black pepper to taste

clean morels by soaking them in warm salt water in a bowl. Repeat this process at least three times.

dry morels with paper towels and trim the very bottom of the stems.heat butter in a heavy bottomed sauté pan and add shallots and garlic. cook for 2 minutes.

Add morels and cook for 3 minutes. Add heavy cream and cook for 2 minutes. Add sherry and flambé. cook for 1 minute. Add chopped tarragon and salt and pepper.

can be served over buttered toast points or as is.


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Mr. Greensleeves For years, fables have been delighting children and adults alike, but now and then a new one comes along. Or not. I ought to know. I wrote this. It’s somewhat modern in concept, but they always start with. . .

. . . Once upon a time, there was a man they called Mr. Greensleeves. His real name was Henry Wilson. At the mo-ment, he was in front of an office building. Before him, on a woodland site, was a unique summer camp, warming to a beautiful fall day, with the flowers blooming and the leaves beginning to turn. He knew there were six cabins and an as-sembly hall on the grounds, and as Chairman of the local En-vironment Committee, he thought it a good place to hold a week-end retreat.Henry entered the building and spoke to the man behind the counter. “I’m Henry Wilson,” he said, “and I’m here for the Environment Committee this week. Has Carl Johnson arrived yet?”“Yes,” said the young man. “He’s in cabin five if you want to walk over there. You’re here in cabin one, since you are, apparently, the Chairman. But, I would watch out for yourself. We’ve had a few robberies here this past month, although it seems to have stopped. That’s why I warned Mr. Johnson to leave any valuables here in our camp safe.”“That’s sound advice,” Henry said. “I’ll be sure to discuss this problem with him.”The clerk pointed to Henry and asked, “You’re the one they call Mr. Greensleeves, but there are no sleeves in your green vest.”“I’d prefer not to be called that, but word does get around.”“By the way,” the clerk said, reaching under the counter, “here is a bunch of disks Mr. Johnson will be needing. Take them along if you’re planning to go visit him.”Just then a man dressed as a Security Guard entered. “Mr. Johnson and his lug-gage are safely in cabin five, so I guess I’ll take a break, unless you’ll need me to move this gentleman into cabin one. Say. . . you must be the Mr. Greensleeves I heard about, but you don’t have any sleeves.”“I think I can handle the luggage, and I’d rather. . . never mind,” Henry said, and in a few minutes, he re-parked his car and took his luggage into the cabin. He didn’t notice a man hidden in the forest who started toward the next cabin. A few more minutes and Henry was headed down a path that led to cabin five.As Henry was passing by cabin three, however, a man dressed in walking gear stood by the door, looking up as he did.“Oh, he hasn’t arrived yet,” the man said. “I’ll come back after he’s here. Nice vest, where are you headed?”“Cabin five,” Henry answered, “but I’ve been told he’s already there.” With no explanation, the man turned and quickly lost himself in the forest.Henry decided not to chase him and ask what he was doing here. He was cer-tainly not with the Committee. He’d be sure to tell the Security Guard. Meanwhile, the man in walking gear ran ahead and entered cabin five, closing the door behind him. He brandished a pistol at Carl Johnson and said, “Hand me your wallet, quick, and I won’t harm you. That’s a fancy watch you’re wearing. I’ll take that, too.”Just as the man had taken the wallet and watch, there was a knock on the door.“Who’s there?” the man asked.“Open up, Carl,” Henry said. “It’s the one you all call Mr. Greensleeves—al-though generally not to my face. I’ve brought you the disks.”“Okay. come in,” said the man.Henry opened the door and stopped half-way when he saw he man in walking gear standing there with Carl, and Carl didn’t look too happy about it.

“Come on in.” the man said. “We were just having a little chat.” There was no gun in his hand, but he had a big sneer on his face.“Do I know you?” Henry asked. “No, I don’t think so, but I was just leaving anyhow.”“Those are fancy duds you are wearing. How many miles a day do you run?”“Enough to keep me busy,” the man answered.“Well,” Carl said, “I see you carry expensive field glasses.”“The better to see the mountains and valleys. And now I must be going.”As he pushed by Henry and opened the door, Carl warned him, “Look out Henry; he’s got a gun.” “Yes, I do,” the man said and drew it from behind him as he turned around. “As long as you mentioned it, you might as well contribute your wallet.” As he stood in the doorway, he held out his left hand and prepared to back out of the room.Henry’s wallet was in an inside pocket of his green vest, so he unbuttoned it to get at the wallet. With a quick move, Henry threw the disks forcefully at the man’s face with his right hand and slammed his left hand against the gun, causing the man to hit the door frame and drop.“Help! Help! Thief!” shouted Henry and Carl joined him, as Henry unzipped off his vest and threw it over the man’s head.As the man bent over to regain his pistol, a voice beyond him said, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” It was a Security Guard who quickly subdued the robber and fastened his hands behind him with handcuffs. He then pointed to a laptop com-puter leaning against a tree. “I forgot to bring your laptop when I came before. Better late than never, I guess.”After the guard left with his prisoner, Henry and Carl ordered some food and stayed a while to chat about the upcoming meeting of the Committee.“Well, it was a good thing, Mr. Greensleeves,” Carl said, grinning at his friend, “that you had that green vest. Came in handy, sure enough.”Webb Scrivnor is a former music teacher, former editor of Peninsula Poets, a freelance writer and author of the novel, Drako.

By weBB ScRivnoR

TALE OF THE DRAGON DRAKOBy Wilbur T. Scrivnor

From a special place between the Milky Way and Earth, a friendly dragon, DRAKO, manages to escape the confines of forced retirement and is now seeking Ernie McCord in Michigan. Bota-nist McCord heads to the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes with his class from Grand Valley Univer-sity, but has no idea that he is about to encounter a giant dragon with a giant problem and only one person in mind to help him solve it.

This meeting sets off a bizarre chain of events that involve the media, a Pentagon major, a circus manager, and two former girlfriends.

In this amusing tale, a friendly dragon and a man-about-campus become unlikely friends as each embarks on a journey to pursue true love—and their destinies.

Note: You can pick up a copy of Webb’s novel, DRAKO, at most book-stores, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon

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n May 1st is the National Day of Prayer. Check out: www.nationaldayofprayer.org. The website states, “Our theme for 2014 is One Voice, United in Prayer, emphasizing the need for individuals, corporately and individually, to place their faith in the unfailing character of their Creator, who is sover-eign over all governments, authorities, and people.” This is a beautiful concept. Can you imagine what our nation (and if you want to think big, the world) would experience if we all humbled ourselves and prayed? My faith and belief is that we’d find heaven on earth-- wonderful, right? So, what do you think about prayer? What role does prayer play in your

life? Is it even possible to define prayer?

A favorite resource of mine is The Upper Room’s Dictionary of Spiritual Formation; Keith Beasley-Topliffe, Editor, 2003. In this resource I found that prayer is defined as “com-munication with God through thoughts, words, and gestures whereby we express what we believe about God and our relationship to God and to one another. God intends and initiates this relationship and we accept it. In prayer we express God’s activity in and presence to us. In faith we pray believing that God is concerned about and responsive to human need.” This is clear and seems easy to live out. We need not box “prayer” into a place, posture, time, or the right words.

Note these words in the above definition: “our relationship to God and one another.” Jesus taught that all the com-mandments and teach-ings of the prophets were summed up this way (I paraphrase): 1. Love God with everything you are, and 2. Love your neigh-bor like you love yourself. What we believe is seen in everything we are and do.

It begins with a relationship with God, which God initiates and we accept (with all our heart, soul, mind and strength). Neither belief nor faith is just a concept, but they transform our lives and how we treat our neighbors. I am glad that prayer does not require closing one’s eyes, because I pray in my car! But more importantly, imperfect as I am -- my life and how I live it is a prayer. Now do you see how big, important and limitless prayer is?

I John 4:19-21 reads: “We love because God loved us first. But if we say we love God and don’t love each other, we are liars. We cannot see God. So how can we love God, if we don’t love the people we can see? The commandment that God has given us is: Love God and love each other!” (CEV)

So my final question is -- how often do you pray? But even as I write this, I realize a more important question in my life is … what does “not praying” look like? I Thes-salonians 5:16-22 reads: “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circum-stances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.” (NIV) Wow! Now this seems impossible for me and you, but all God asks of us is to love him and don’t stop. So can you join me?

Rev. Gil Boersma, M.Div., BCC is a retired pastor with extensive experience in healthcare chaplaincy. He continues to pursue experiences and education to deepen his spiritual life, and practices Spiritual Direction with individuals and groups upon request. He can be reached by sending a text or calling (231) 557-5640.

SOUL FOOD Reflections upon how spiritual growth improves our health

ByGil BoeRSMA, M.div., B.c.c.

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n We celebrate many spe-cial holidays during the year, but a few are more precious than others, especially those in May and June.

In early May, on Mother’s Day, we pay tribute to the brave mothers who brought us into this world. At times it’s not biological mothers who raise children into their adulthood. Rather, grandparents or adoptive parents take the responsibility and love of putting bandages on those cuts, with an understanding smile. They give us a shoulder to cry on, hugs, guidance, and help to get us through those difficult years of school.

Each year, most of us give love, admiration, and thanks, along with flowers, to mothers living or deceased. It seems like such a small thing to do for women who do so much for us. They cook, clean house, take care of the kids, are very organized and even find time to work outside the home to help pay bills. Many of the “mothers” are actually dads who lost their wives through one tragedy or another. Raising children as a single parent is not a simple task.

Can one imagine not being born and the wonders of the world being missed? Imagine not seeing flowers in the day, stars at night or dancing to music. Think of all the lives a person can touch in life and the great things we can accomplish, thanks to our birth.

At the end of May, we observe Memorial Day. This is a day in our lives when we bow our heads, remembering all the brave men and woman in all the wars who lived and died, defending our nation against tyranny and oppression. Nearly all of my relatives on both sides of my family were in the military, starting with the Civil War. My choice was the US Navy.

These individuals gave us the opportunity to enjoy simple things like voting, voicing our opinions or even writing and reading stories, like this one, published on a freedom-loving American printing press. Almost everyone knows a veter-an. Take a minute to say thanks for serving. It means more to them than anyone knows. One might remember that these fighting men and women went willingly when others could not or would not serve.

In the middle of June, another special day in our lives happens, called Father’s Day. Some people never get to know their fathers very well, maybe because they died in the military or experienced some kind of tragic accident. Other children, more fortunate, know their fathers for the great men they really are.

My dad pulled his own weight for his family and social obligations every day of his life. He taught me how to play sports, how to fish, hunt and camp. It’s through him that I learned to defend myself, I learned work ethics, and I know the differ-ence between right and wrong. Mom and Dad made a great pair. What I didn’t learn from Mother, I did from Dad, one way or another. I would have missed so much had I not been born. But, being born the son of my particular parents made the days of my life so much better. Even though Mom and Dad are no longer on earth, they will live in my mind for the rest of my life.

Mike Simcik is a Navy Veteran with a degree in Arts and Humanities. He rebuilt and owned Twin Gables Country Inn for seventeen years and owned five businesses. He en-joys building bamboo fly rods, fishing, shooting clay sports, golfing and writing essays. Mike and his wife are celebrating their 45th wedding anniversary.

ByMikeSiMcik

Days of Our Lives

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n Many years ago our family lived on 9th Street in Muskegon Heights. Never has there been such a great neighborhood. All of us took care of each other’s kids, shared their problems and just got along famously. All the men in the families worked at Lakeys, Campbell-Wyant-Cannon, the gas company, Consumers Pow-er, and Dresser Industries, just to mention a few. Most of the ladies didn’t work out of the home, as we all had chil-dren to raise and look after.

I never learned how to drive, but we had a city bus stop down the block and I would ride the bus to take care of the bills and buy what was necessary, but not groceries.

That was taken care of on Friday nights. My husband would sit in the car with the kids and wait for me to shop. Our big celebration on payday night was to buy soda pop and ice cream.

When I made a trip downtown I would stop at Woolworths for a vegetable din-ner. It was $.45 and very good. I sometimes ordered an apple dumpling to go along with my meal. I think it was $.25. I figured out the recipe for the sauce that was poured over the dumpling and make it often at home. Delicious!!

With my extra time while I stayed at home, I was on the PTA board at Roosevelt School, den mother to Cub Scouts, and leader to a troop of Girl Scouts.

For fun we ladies would have Stanley products demonstrations at our homes. It was great going to each other’s homes in the morning for coffee and doughnuts and a lot of games and visiting. Just last year, I met our demonstrator Penny Cobb at a church bazaar. Can’t believe we remembered each other from over fifty years ago. We had a great visit. She remembered our old friends by name and inquired as to where they were living and their lives in general. It truly was the good old days!!

No one locked their doors, so if you needed something and the neighbor wasn’t home that day, you could go in and borrow it. We trusted each other. My youngest daughter, Kathy Kay, would go to Minnie’s home and ask her if she could help her clean house. What she really was hoping for was some “good junk” that Min-nie didn’t want. One time she even hauled home a small Christmas tree. It was just too good to throw away. It must have been our Scottish blood. Our neighbor Jim made a huge crock of dill pickles every year. The kids in the neighborhood would all be walking around with pickle juice running down their arms. They were huge dill pickles and very good. I wish I had one right now.

One day my daughter Sandy was coming home from a neighbor’s house when she was hit by a car whose driver was “sun-blinded.” My neighbor Jim picked her up and took her to the hospital before I even knew what was going on. His wife came over screaming, “Jim took Choo Choo to the hospital.” Nowadays people wouldn’t do that for fear of being sued. Fern took me to the hospital. Sandy’s thigh bone was broken and put in a cast. In the daytime when I went up to see her, neighbor Marian took care of my baby at home. In the evening my husband and I would go up and visit her. She recovered from the accident very well and it was a miracle she wasn’t killed. She was knocked out of her sandals; someone brought them over to me later.

The excitement in our neighborhood was cheap and didn’t cost anything. One of our entertainments was when my daughter Kathy was learning how to ride a bike. We would all stand around and watch her ride around a neighbor’s house and hit their garbage can every time. None of us thought to take the can out of her way. Imagine! The can was full of dents, as all garbage cans at this time were metal.

I remember the long column of frozen cream coming up on my milk bottles on the back porch when I didn’t bring them in right away in the winter time. If I needed cream for my coffee I just whacked off a piece and put it in a little pitcher to use.

Our bread was delivered by the Colonial Company. I loved their salt-rising bread. It made great toast. I made some one time but never again. I had to ferment pota-toes overnight. The smell was terrible! It made good bread, but I decided it was better to buy it from Colonial.

My youngest son Darrel had a natural immunity to diseases. I think it was be-cause he was breast fed. When any of his friends had chicken pox, measles, or scarletina, he would sneak over to their houses and try to catch a disease. He never did, but not from lack of trying.

My other kids would always conveniently come down with something at Easter time. I always went up home to the farm at Easter to go to church with my mother. I would call them and tell my sister-in-law Arlene that we couldn’t come because the kids were sick. She’d say, “Come anyway. They will get it sometime anyway.” I did and they did. I would never do it again.

I still keep in touch by letter and phone with old friends who are still living. One of my good friends, Connie, moved to California with her husband to live with their daughter Judy. Connie was always available to give me a home perm. She took care of my baby Sue when I had to have an unexpected surgery. Good friends are precious at the time and in our reflections. They sure stand the test of time.

Isabelle enjoys reading best-seller books, grandkids activities, writing, live theatre, and living in the country. She can be reached by writing in care of Senior Perspectives, 560 Seminole Rd., Muskegon, MI 49444.

My OldNeighborhood

ByiSABelle huddleStun


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answers for Word Search , Crossword Puzzle and Suduko on Page 17

n I never intended to have a garden. The decision was thrust upon me by fate. This is how it went down. We moved from Fremont, where we had a tidy lawn with a few obligatory Shasta daisies at the drive and some geraniums in the window box. Our new home was a cottage on Lake Michigan. The front lawn was marram grass with a path that led to the top of the dune. I liked that ambiance; the wildness suited me. However, Lake Michigan was rising. Summer storms took our stairs. A fierce storm in December decided us that we would have to move our house back or perhaps see it tumble down the dune and end up on the beach.

In April we moved our house back 200 feet from the dune edge. That left a lot of space between us and the lake. I decided to garden. I start-ed where the house had been because that ground was bare. This is a sand dune, so compost, manure and black dirt were required to give the garden some hope of survival. I started with vegetables, but that didn’t work for me. I tried broadcasting wild flower seeds, but not enough of them were Michigan natives, so that didn’t work out well either.

Now, years later, my garden and I have settled into a routine. We each do our own thing. If a plant is reluctant to thrive, I understand. Some plants, obedient plant for instance, have a yen to take over and that is okay. too. I can depend on it to fill in the gaps. Echinacea and Rudbeckia proved to be quite reli-able. Day lilies are dependable. Deer like hosta. Roses don’t like wind. We learn by doing. Little by little, we have come to terms and can live at peace with one another. I am sometimes a bit permissive, welcoming plants into my garden that I do not plant. Milkweeds for the Monarchs, Solomon Seal and Canada

Mayflower who come in from the woods. I like them, and I tell myself that they were here before I was. A beautiful little plant, velvet leaf, appeared in the garden. You see exactly what the name implies. Plants are so determined, you have to appreciate their will to survive, espe-cially if they choose your garden to do it in.

I love my garden. In some areas it is beautiful, some areas remain pa-thetic. The sun, the sand, the wind are constant reminders of who is in charge here. I appreciate all of these things and feel privileged to garden on top of a Lake Michigan dune.

The Reluctant GardenerBy MARilyn SwAnSon

GueSt wRiteR

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