Vol. 37, No. 2 February 2018 Trinidad Lighthouse Goes Down the Hill • Page 21 FREE The Loves of Our Lives Life Lessons From a Bird By Pat Bitton “Wisdom” the Laysan albatross is aptly named. The 66-year-old alba- tross from the northwestern Hawaiian Islands is the world’s oldest known wild bird, and she clearly knows what’s what when it comes to love and parenting. For more than 60 years, she’s suc- cessfully hatched dozens of chicks, and she’s still going strong. In fact, she’s been getting stronger in her golden years. Albatrosses normally breed only every other year, but the pull of maternal love has led Wisdom to hatch a chick almost every year since 2006. Wisdom may give us humans some clues to leading a long and happy life. Deanna and Elwood Bartlett may have been “late bloomers” when they married 46 years ago, but the Arcata Being an albatross means being on couple obviously found a formula that has worked. Ted Pease photo. the move (or on the wing) most of the time, and it’s estimated that Wisdom After 50 Years, What’s the Secret? has logged more than 3 million miles. For the first five years or so of By Ted Pease their lives, Laysan albatrosses don’t Nationally, the divorce rate is re- cata have been married for 46 years, it, because we were too old and set in land on solid ground at all. Albatross- ported at 40 percent, so as Valentine’s and know the secret to a long, happy our ways,” Deanna said. “And they es are built for long-distance flying, Day approaches, we thought we’d ask marriage: Toothpaste. said newlyweds who used different with long, narrow wings, and the some local couples for tips on their toiletries couldn’t change.” birds essentially return to land only The Bartletts say they were “late long-lasting marriages. for love and parenting. bloomers,” marrying in their 30s in “But we’ve always used the same Continued on Page 20 Deanna and Elwood Bartlett of Ar- 1971. “People said we’d never make Continued on Page 8 SINCE 1981 HEALTHY LIVING THEN & NOW LETTERS

Published by Love Your Heart Trinidad Memorial Silver Sneakers HUMBOLDT SENIOR RESOURCE CENTER Page 5 Page 21 Page 22 Page 2 Focus: Loves of Our Lives February 2018 • Senior News

Tedtalks: It’s About More IN THIS ISSUE LOVES OF OUR LIVES Than Candy Hearts FEATURES Published monthly since 1981 by By Ted Pease 50-year Marriages...... 1 rowing up in New England, the best this issue we talk to some experts in the field Lessons from a Bird ...... 1 Gthing I could ever think to say about the — no love doctors, but couples who, after 50 Wooden Hearts...... 3 Circulation 13,000 month of February was that it’s only 28 days. years of marriage, know how to do it right. A Hummingbird’s View ..... 3 All opinions expressed in Senior The weather is always awful — cold, snowy, News are those of the writer and not What’s the secret to a strong and lasting Love and ‘King Lear’ ...... 4 wet — the days are short and dark, and sum- necessarily of the Humboldt Senior relationship? Marriage counselors list some It’s Lovely Alone ...... 10 Resource Center. HSRC does not mer seems a very long way away. building blocks — compassion, respect, endorse any products, services or COLUMNS candidates advertised in Senior Maybe that’s why Valentine’s Day was compatibility, patience — although one local News. All advertising is paid for by invented — a way to lighten up mid-February. therapist declined to offer an opinion, saying Tedtalks ...... 2 the businesses involved, which are totally responsible for content. That’s almost true. The ancient Romans there’s no secret formula. The Doc: Love Your Heart.. 5 celebrated the ides of February with a fertility Fair enough, but the couples we talked to Morse: The ‘Violet Hour’ . .6 Call Elizabeth Advertising: festival called Lupercalia, dedicated to their for this issue reveal what worked for them: Kellermann: Wet Dogs...... 8 Whitley at 443-9747, ext. 1227, or god of agriculture. As part of the proceed- shared values, trust, openness, laughter . . . visit www.humsenior.org. Heckel: Dining Room...... 10 ings, bachelors would pick the name of an and toothpaste. Submissions: Senior News may Rainwater-Gish: John Ash .16 accept unsolicited readers’ stor­ies, unmarried young woman from an urn in a You don’t have to be part of a couple — or up to 400 words. Contact the editor, Roman-era dating game that often ended in even human — to appreciate love, an import- CALENDARS Ted Pease, at 443-9747, ext. 1226, marriage and children. or [email protected] at least ant point our contributors make about alba- Senior Centers...... 12-13 one month prior to the desired The early Christian church outlawed the trosses, hummingbirds and those contentedly Community Event...... 17 publication issue for details. festival but adopted the date for its own St. single. HSRC NEWS Subscriptions: Subscriptions Valentine in the fifth century. The first known Others in this issue of Senior News are $20 a year. Credit cards and written valentine was a poem by Charles, the celebrate the importance of love in theater, ‘Are You OK?’ Expands..... 11 personal checks are accepted. Call 443-9747 or mail to 1910 Duke of Orleans to his wife from a Tower of literature, health and music. It’s a joyful and Volunteer Spotlight...... 14 California St., Eureka, CA 95501. London cell in 1415. It wasn’t until much varied subject. & ETC. . . later that greeting card manufacturers made a Next month, while Humboldt is still in the Joyce Hayes, Publisher Chamber Players...... 4 fortune on the idea. grips of wet winter, Senior News will take It’s a little gross, really, what Americans Health: Coffee Time...... 5 TED PEASE, Editor you to the movies. If you or someone you 707-443-9747, ext. 1226 spend on Valentine’s Day — an estimated know has a connection to the movie business, Music of Our Lives ...... 7 [email protected] $18.2 billion last year, or $136 per person, on if you have a story to tell about playing an Humboldt Then & Now... 21 ELIZABETH WHITLEY, jewelry, cards, roses and chocolate, according extra, or if you have “Star Wars” props stored Letters to the Editor...... 22 Advertising Coordinator to the National Retail Federation. in your barn, we want to hear from you. 707-443-9747, ext. 1227 Senior News declines to get all commer- [email protected] — COMING NEXT MONTH cial, syrupy and candy hearts about February, HSRC Board: Jim Davis, president, Ted Pease is Senior News editor. AT THE MOVIES but love is always worth celebrating. So in Jim Aste, Kathryn Dunning, Elan Firpo, Willard Foote, Jack Irvine, Nancy Dye Leer, Richard Hanger, Susan Hansen, Sue MacConnie, Nanette Medin, Robin Smith. Community Advisory Board: GALE & NIELSEN John Heckel, Carol McFarland, Ralph Nelson, Dave Rosso, Jessie Wheeler Trusts & Estates Conservatorship Proofreaders: René Arché, (707) 269-0167 Ann King, Mark Larson Medi-Cal Planning 2850 Harris Street • Eureka CA Volunteer Distributors: Special Needs Trusts Diane Cohan, Steve Courington, www.galenielsen.com Probate Dean Davenport, Gaining Ground, Judy Silvers,Dave Woodson Business Law © 2018 HSRC Senior News • February 2018 Focus: Loves of Our Lives Page 3 Wooden Hearts to the Real Thing A Hummingbird’s View of Love By Jan Ostrom By Betsy Goodspeed Valentine’s Day at school was always a bit Last month, at 73 and 74, we celebrated 32 “Love Is Lovelier the Second Time Around” was #1 on the edgy for me. Girls were expected to wear red years together, long enough that we are known Hit Parade when I met my children’s father. The last thing or pink dresses with bows and hearts on them, as “AlexnJan.” either of us wanted was to try again after disastrous marriag- es that were casualties of the Second World War. which I thought We moved was stupid. from Los An- Rupert Goodspeed was a television cameraman at Channel In 1955, geles to Eureka 13 when black and white screens measured 5 inches. I was in when I was in in 1989, and front of the camera with a concert harp, singing love songs. the 6th grade, were married My father’s story at their 65th wedding anniversary our homeroom legally in 2008 convinced us that we were on the right track with our rather teacher let us in the Hum- unique approach to marriage. give each other boldt County “Thelma and I were sitting at the dining table after return- valentines in Courthouse, ing from a trip,” he said, “when a hummingbird hovered in class. A chubby amidst tears, the window as if he were curious about how humans lived. boy at the next laughter and Then he flew to a living room window. desk hit me in gay and straight “We followed, watching him peer into several windows the head with a applause. like he was searching for something. When Thelma opened fist-sized wood- Wonder of the solarium door to the outside, the hummingbird quickly en red heart wonders, we flew in to search the house, calling out his presence. he had carved were feted, “Then the curtains in the music room barely moved, and a with my name congratulated second frightened hummingbird emerged. She followed him on it. A sweet and gifted — back to the open door so they could escape.” gesture, if not VALENTINE’S DAY is a happy holiday for Jan Ostrom, something gay My father shook his head. “We’ve never forgotten our too articulate. left, and her wife of 32 years, Alexandra Wineland. persons never wonder about what made the female dare to venture inside, Stilson Snow photo. The problem believed would or how much courage it took for her mate to search for her.” was, the smil- happen. For my father, it was a lesson in life and in love. “Now, af- ing kitty valentine card I had to give was not Social acceptance was, as the grandchildren ter 65 years of marriage, those hummingbirds have given us intended for him, but for his sister in the 5th say, awesome. I still have trouble saying the more joy than a lot of people ever know,” he said. “We find grade. I kept it in my desk under my books, words “my wife,” but being free to say “my it easy to understand a devoted hummingbird determined to knowing never to take the risk of giving it to love” right out in the open remains an extraor- make his partnership last as long as possible.” her. dinary feeling. — Such was the life of a gay or lesbian kid. Alex and I share a worldview and personal Betsy Mills Goodspeed, 91, is a former TV and I’ve had many valentines come and go in values that keep us together. Compassion, in- Hollywood musician and singer, who was married my life, but never found That Special Some- tegrity, kindness, respect — for ourselves and to “Rupe” for 56 years. She continues to write her one. As with many gay people, I assumed I others; a desire to be able to trust, connect and memoirs in Cutten, because she ain’t done yet. would be alone in aging. support family and community; and, most of But in 1986, I met the most wonderful all, we like to laugh and watch old movies. woman in the world, and fell hopelessly in After all these years, Marilyn Monroe and love. With flowers, candy and music, I con- the boys in “Some Like It Hot” (1959) can vinced Alex to be mine in a simple, private, still restore our faith in humankind. All in all, non-legal ceremony. it’s a wonderful life. In public, we bravely introduced each other — as lovers, or partners, sometimes confusing Jan Ostrom, 73, of Eureka is a retired people as to what business we shared. But we professor of film and television and media were “out.” Alex’s grown daughters and our consultant. Her wife, Alexandra Wineland, grandchildren (and one great-grandchild) have 74, is retired from the Humboldt County loved and accepted me as “GrandJan.” Public Health Department, where she was director. Page 4 Focus: Loves of Our Lives February 2018 • Senior News ‘King Lear’ Confronts Lore, Old Age and Ageism By Diana Lynn

To encounter ageism, get thee to thy nearest Or you might head over to the North Coast Rep- old man betrayed by a bad son, breaks down and drugstore, where racks of birthday cards, filled with ertory Theater (NCRT) in Eureka, where Shake- wants to die. His good son reminds him, and us, to ugly stereotypes, might convince us there’s nothing speare’s old “King Lear” confronts both aging and shape up, because no matter what old age imposes, to look forward to after 50. ageism of a higher order. The difference is that the “Thy life is a miracle.” Bard holds out hope even as his Lear manages to Shakespeare’s views on aging are varied and grow old unwisely. nuanced, but in the case of Lear, we stand warned. There’s no shortage of good lessons on aging in As Hamlet said, “There is nothing either good or this play’s bad behavior. It’s a great metaphor for bad, but thinking makes it so.” Accept the message how society still condemns old age, and, moreover, of ageism at your own peril. for how we seniors hurt ourselves by accepting the “I can identify a lot as a father looking ahead to messages of ageism. retirement,” says Scott Osborn, a local actor and Shakespeare wrote “King Lear,” the last of his wildlife biologist who plays Lear in the NCRT pro- great tragedies, as he faced his own mature years. duction. “Lear is fundamentally flawed and didn’t In the play, Lear realizes it’s time to turn over his bother to work on himself, but he eventually finds kingdom to his offspring. That’s a wise idea, except redemption through the unconditional love he gets that Lear applies a love-test to divide his realm from his good daughter, and he sees his salvation is according to which of his three daughters says she just to love her.” loves him most. So Shakespeare speaks to us still, asking us to That plan heads south fast. After the old king consider what love is and how we best treat one banishes the honest daughter, who truly loves him, another, and ourselves, as we grow old. the remaining two smooth-talkers take power and Join King Lear in confronting ageism at NCRT, drive him away. Brokenhearted by their treachery, 300 5th St. in Eureka, through Feb. 10. Tickets are he soon doubts his sanity. It’s not long until he’s $14 for seniors at NCRT.net or 442-6278. LOVING DAUGHTERS — Scott Osborn as King calling himself “wretched,” nothing more than a Lear is beset by his daughters: Jenna Donahue “poor, infirm, weak, and despis’d old man.” — as Goneril (left), Nicole Halverson as Cordelia, and Kim Haile as Regan. Photo courtesy of North The play is indeed brutal and intense, but not Diana Lynn, 75, of Blue Lake is a theater Coast Repertory Theater. without hope. Near the end, Lear’s friend, another volunteer, artist, and retired educator. Senior Chamber Players Cater to Classical Tastes By Franklin Stover With years of work behind us, we’re ready to was 71 at the time. learned over a lifetime to help deepen my under- appreciate life on a deeper, slower level that carries Phillips said he “felt the need to see if I could use standing, and to collaborate with my fellow musi- the potential for developing special interests. For the experiences of a life as a professional musician, cians.” some of us hard-working types, this may pose a conductor and administrator to put together a series Tubaist Fred Tempas agrees that age enhances dilemma; we were so busy we didn’t consider life of concerts for North Coast listeners, featuring music comprehension. “I think being older and minus the job. North Coast musicians.” more experienced deepens my understanding of the But some knew long ago how they wanted to It’s not by design, but Chamber Players are over- music I’m playing,” he said. spend their free time as they aged, blessed to have whelmingly older, and have more time to fine-tune The Chamber Players of the Redwoods present discovered their passion early on. They share their each performance. their first concert of 2018 on Sunday, Feb. 4, at 2 love of music through the Chamber Players of the Clarinetist Kenneth Ayoob says he finds playing p.m. at the Lutheran Church of Arcata, 151 E. 15th St. Redwoods, an organization created 10 years ago. chamber music in retirement satisfying. “I’m able — The nonprofit music collective of classically to focus on music without outside problems divid- Franklin Stover of Eureka is in his 60s, and is trained musicians was founded by retired Humboldt ing my attention,” the former music professor and a former news reporter, clarinetist and lifelong State University music professor Val Phillips, who dean said. “This allows me to use everything I’ve composer of instrumental music. Senior News • February 2018 HEALTHY LIVING Page 5

ASK THE DOCTOR How About a Nice Cup of Coffee? There is no evidence that coffee analysis — a review of multiple Show Your Heart -drinking can hurt you, doctors say. In research studies — the American fact, it seems to be good for you. Heart Association looked at 36 studies Some Love Caffeine can have negative effects, involving 1.3 million participants, and By Jennifer Heidmann, M.D. of course — increasing insomnia, found no evidence linking coffee con- anxiety and blood pressure in some sumption with cardiovascular disease. human heart beats about phorical way of describing that full, cases — but “recent research has Moderate coffee consumption is A 100,000 times in a day — 36 pleasant feeling one can get in the shown that coffee . . . may help pre- associated with lower risk of heart million times a year, and more chest when love overwhelms us. vent diseases like stroke and certain failure, Carroll said. Other studies than 2.5 billion times in an average The heart itself needs some love cancers, lower our risk of Parkinson’s also found no connection between lifetime. in order to stay well. Various things and dementia, and boost concentra- drinking coffee and strokes. When it beats, it contracts. It is a can lead to heart damage, some that tion and memory,” AARP reported. Coffee may even protect against muscle, and its job is to push blood we can control, and some we can’t. Dr. Aaron Carroll, a pediatrician some kinds of cancer and there also through the blood vessels to feed the We cannot control our genetics, for at Indiana University School of are positive associations between whole body with oxygen and nutri- one thing. But if heart problems run Medicine, agrees. He hosts a regular drinking coffee and mental function, ents. The heart muscle itself needs in the family, we should take extra program called “Healthcare Triage” research finds. oxygen and nutrients, so it has its special care of our heart. on YouTube, and says research finds Watch Carroll’s discussion of what own blood vessels, called coronary So what can we control in terms more potential health benefits to arteries. A big artery feeds each side research shows about coffee con- of heart health? drinking black coffee than any other sumption on YouTube at youtu.be/ of the heart, and branches out into 1. We can exercise. Aerobic exer- beverage — except for water. smaller arteries ly1NjibK79U. cise (walking, running, swimming, Take heart disease. In one meta- —Ted Pease Arteries are like pipes. If you get dancing) makes the heart muscle gunk in your pipes, the flow slows stronger. If you have the tendency and stutters. If you completely block toward blocked blood vessels, exer- the pipes, nothing can flow. Blood cise actually helps the body develop flow to the heart can get sluggish if new pathways for the arteries to arteries get gunked up (atherosclero- supplement blood flow to the heart. sis), and a heart attack can occur if 2. We can eat heart-healthy % they get clogged or if a piece of the foods. These include grains, veg- off gunk breaks off. 10 etables, fruit, lean meats, fish. The We also think of the heart as the gunk that can build up in arteries seat of love in our bodies. We use can be caused by eating fatty foods, Senior Tuesdays heart drawings to “like” Tweets, we sweets, too much meat, and high-fat carve hearts around our initials and dairy products. Give your heart our sweetheart’s in school desks, 3. We can control cholester- and we give out heart-shaped can- ol levels. Some people have high dies with cute sayings on Valentine’s cholesterol despite good diet and a valentine this February Day. exercise, in which case doctors may E eka cKinleyvi M lle

The connection of the heart to recommend medications called

emotion and romance goes back to statins. The recommendation for

the ancient Greeks. It makes some people over 40 and younger than 80

sense, given the way our heartbeats is to consider a statin if their calcu- th can respond to emotions, and the lated 10-year risk of heart disease F M e way a loved one can make your and stroke is 7.5 percent or higher. br lth u e a heart “swell.” The Grinch even grew Eureka y H 4. We can control blood pres- 1450 Broadway 2 t 0 e his heart three sizes when he discov- sure. High blood pressure can put (707) 442-6325 18 H McKinleyville ered the true meaning of Christmas. strain on the arteries and on the I think this was Dr. Seuss’ meta- 2165 Central Ave. Continued on Page 19 (707) 839-3636 Page 6 Focus: Loves of Our Lives February 2018 • Senior News

Point of Departure— By Bob Morse Great Writers Living with Death Mon-Fri 9am-7pm he subtitle of Katie Roiphe’s book, “The Violet Hour: But Roiphe doesn’t provide the actual passage from Eliot. Sat 9am-4pm TGreat writers at the end,” is a bit disingenuous. So here it is. Make of it what you will: Each of her profiles covers much more of the writers’ Free delivery in Fortuna lives than the relatively brief period at death’s door. But the At the violet hour, when the eyes and back mini-bios give context for how these thinkers have thought about death throughout their lives, according to their writ- Turn upward from the desk, when the human engine ings and to the people closest to them. waits Roiphe explains her own encounters with death as the Like a taxi throbbing waiting, genesis for the book, and her choice of writers to portray I Tiresias, though blind, throbbing between two lives, was very personal. “I was drawn to each one of them by in- Old man with wrinkled female breasts, can see stinct, felt some heat coming off their writing, some intuition that they could answer or complicate or refine the questions At the violet hour, the evening hour that strives I was asking myself, that their deaths, laid open, would show Homeward, and brings the sailor home from sea, me what I needed to see,” she writes. The typist home at teatime, clears her breakfast, The resulting collection may seem strange, but is ultimate- lights ly a satisfying kaleidoscope of thought and personalities: Susan Sontag, Sigmund Freud, John Updike, Dylan Thomas Her stove, and lays out food in tins. and Maurice Sendak, plus notes from an interview with a still-living (at the time) writer James Salter. What ultimately emerges from Roiphe’s portraits of Interestingly, it’s this epilogue where, in spite of being writers “at the end” is that these thinkers, like us all, with able to ask direct questions of Salter, Roiphe finds the least the mystery of death, struggle to find meaning, have con- insight. Salter, while often addressing questions of death flicting ideas and emotions. in his writing, is carefully closed and enigmatic about the As Roiphe points out, in the end, “We make our own Senior Tuesdays subject in person. comfort.” Self-Serve In case you were wondering, the author doesn’t explain — Copies the title of the book until the notes in the back. The “violet 5 ¢ Bob Morse is owner of Morse Media, a Eureka web hour” comes “from T.S. Eliot’s ‘The Waste Land,’” Roiphe development company. He has had a longtime interest 326 I Street • Eureka writes. “To me, the phrase evokes the mood of the elusive in cultural attitudes toward death. His articles and more period I am describing: melancholy, expectant, laden. It cap- 444-3044 information on the subject can be found tures the beauty and intensity I was finding in these scenes, at speakingofdeath.com. the rich excitement of dusk.” TELL US A STORY On the occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary party, my mom Senior News wants to hear your stories: A complained to my dad — finally (they were Norwegian-American) favorite dog or Chevy, lost loves, pet peeves, — that he never said to her, “I love you.” the best place for pic- He replied, “Well, on our wedding day 50 years ago, I told you, ‘I nics, a late-life career. Call Ted Pease @ love you.’ And I also said, ‘I’ll let you know if anything changes.’” 443-9747, x1226. Or —Mark Larson, Arcata [email protected]. Senior News • February 2018 Focus: Loves of Our Lives Page 7 Be Teleported by ‘Music of Our Lives’ By Jan Ostrom Can you be in two places at the same time? I and theatrical performances. song and dance in an evening of thoughtful stories, can, with music. Music is a time-travel machine, “Music is one of the most powerful forces in shared remembrances and a celebration of the nev- in which a riff or phrase takes me on a journey of our lives,” she said. “My grandpa would call all of er-ending power and magic of music. unbidden thoughts and emotions, and an image of the grandkids into the kitchen, make us chocolate This is a ticketless event. Advance reservations myself in another place and time. malts, and belt out in his deep, Tennessee Ernie encouraged. Reservations can be made via the When I listen to Oldies and hear the telephone Ford voice, ‘Sixteen tons and whattaya get?’ and OLLI website at humboldt.edu/olli/boomer. ring and The Big Bopper shout, “Aw, baby, that’sa we would shout out, ‘Another day older and deeper — what I like!,” I am instantly 14 again, back at my in debt!’ and laugh ourselves silly.” Jan Ostrom, 73, of Eureka is a music lover, best girlfriend’s house, listening to our fave radio Music gives us magical moments when we are retired media consultant, and former professor hits. on a wavelength with life. This shared experience is Suddenly that song, “Chantilly Lace,” and our universal, from Millennials to Boomers. That’s both of film and television. laughter are interrupted by a news bulletin that a the reasoning and the hope behind “The Music of plane carrying The Bopper and Buddy Holly and Our Lives,” when Humboldt Light Opera Compa- Ritchie Valens had crashed in a blizzard in Iowa. ny’s 50-and-older Boomer Troupe opens its show “The Music of Our Lives” It was Feb. 3, 1959, “The Day The Music Died.” I Saturday, Feb. 17, at the Eureka Woman’s Club at Saturday, Feb. 17 - 2 p.m. & 7 p.m. still feel the shock of that moment of recognition of 1531 J St. Sunday, Feb. 18 - 2 p.m. mortality. What song transports you to your first love, or Tickets $18 for OLLI members “Most people are like that,” says Tracey Barnes to Somewhere Else? What does music mean in $20 general Priestley, co-director of Humboldt Light Opera’s your life? Join the Boomer Troupe, an ensemble “The Music of Our Lives,” an evening of music of fun-loving, 50-plus performers, on a journey of FEBRUARY 2018 PROMOTIONS Wake Up A Winner! 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Painting the Ocean HAPPILY MARRIED . . . From Page 1 By Margaret Kellermann toothpaste,” Elwood said. “Crest.” So if one of them had brushed with, say, Colgate, their marriage would Keeping Wet Dogs at have been doomed? Elwood and Deanna nod. “And Dial soap,” Dean- a Distance na added. “No problems.” he highway in heavy rain, the back in. Maybe I’d be rescued by For the past 15 years, the Bartletts car nearly hydroplaning, my helicopter. I dreaded the headlines: have volunteered together four days Tbeachdog Luke whining as we ap- “Senior airlifted from giant rock a week at the Arcata Senior Dining proached the state park, a still-insis- ‘heart’ at high tide; Police conjec- Center, making coffee, keeping re- tent ticket booth demanding money ture she built heart herself, forgot to cords and generally helping keep the before allowing us entrance in a step out.” weekday meal program going. February Tuesday downpour. Not wanting that, I hiked on, fol- Spending time together has been None of this improved my mood, lowing the broken-heart track of one the hallmark of the couple’s 46-year which had driven me from my dry deer that seemed hesitant. I trailed marriage. They never had kids and al- home to this weird getaway. Rain the heart prints till they disappeared. ways spent their spare time with each drenched the world where I found I never can remember which way other and with common friends and myself. Meanwhile, over the sea, far a deer’s hoofprint goes. Maybe I’d Continued on Page 9 on the west- been following Sarah and Jim Turner on their ern horizon, “Everywhere I looked, its tracks back wedding day in England (right) the sky shone to the start. in 1966, and at home in Ferndale unfairly sun- I found a valentine.” Glaring again today. It was love at first sight gold. at the golden for the former junior high school I parked but stayed seated. Even weather on the world’s far rim, I teachers. Photo at right courtesy of with rain lashing the windshield, found myself humming an old tune the Turners; Ted Pease photo below. Luke howled to get out. “You won’t but couldn’t recall the source. “It Is be delighted,” I warned. But I was Well With My Soul”? Hardly. wrong. With a lunge he cleared the Oh: “Hard Times.” I love that sad blacktop, bounding through tall song. I crowed it, loud and proud grass with leaps and plunges of as an Appalachian woman standing Bambi-like proportions. on her porch. As if “Hard Times” I followed halfheartedly, my were a call of the wild, Luke came sneakers squealing their distress. ripping across the stretch to greet Negotiating a steep trail, Luke and I me with his fishy breath. It’s hard to dropped onto the beach. Immediate- keep wet dogs at a distance. ly Luke found a dead fish to taste. Now a strong breeze caught some The wet sand spread out, wiped hardy trees clinging to a vertical clean of everything except an cliff. Heart-shaped leaves fluttered enormous ring of rocks, each one as down, pasting themselves all over large as a paving stone. It dawned the sand. Everywhere I looked, I on me: someone had taken time found a valentine. with each rock, to place it — thud — — to make a tremendous heart, all Margaret Kellermann is a local dots and dashes, unbearably under- writer and musician who also standable. creates photography of deliriously I stood in the heart’s center, won- happy dogs on local beaches. dering what would happen if I got Inquire at bluelakestudio.net/ stuck there while the tide washed contact. Senior News • February 2018 Focus: Loves of Our Lives Page 9

. . . AFTER 50 YEARS . . . From Page 8 family. “We enjoyed the same things, The Turners knew the same people,” Deanna said. “There’s no secret,” says 88-year- After marrying in 1971, Deanna old Jim Turner of Ferndale. “She and Elwood had their own careers talks. I listen.” — she in a bank and he in a plywood “She” is Turner’s wife of 51 years, mill — until they started working Sarah Turner. “He’s never boring,” together doing housework for seniors. says Sarah, 78. That may be the secret They also liked to travel, and their to the success of long-lasting marriag- home is crammed with exotic objects es: It’s never been boring. from their travels and friends from In 1964, Jim was one of two social other countries. studies teachers in a Stockton, Cal- They got “a late start,” Deanna ifornia, junior high school when he said. She was nearly 30 in 1970, first met Sarah, a new teacher. convalescing at her parents’ home in “Sure I remember,” Jim said. “The Arcata when she got curious about the principal brought her into the class- man in a “beautiful blue Thunderbird” room. I was standing behind the desk, who would stop in front of the house behind the lectern. I looked up and IT’S ABOUT TRUST, agree Dottie and Bob Riffenburg of Fortuna, and to talk to her dad. there she was, looking at me with that’s as true today as it was when they were married 57 years ago. Ted It turned out to be Elwood. “The those blue eyes.” Pease photo. day I met him was my first day out of The rest was history, the two for- “She knows everything,” he said. nomics, history, social studies and the house after surgery,” said Deanna, mer history teachers agree. “I’m older, but it turns out she’s American government at Fortuna now 76. They were married two years later smarter. I know about sports. She High for 30 years. Over three months, Elwood helped in a very British ceremony in the knows everything else.” Bob also became a school teacher, her recovery. “Dad asked him over at town hall in a little medieval market Sarah laughed. “Humor is import- first in Loleta and then at Jacobs Ju- Christmastime and he kept coming,” town called Bishop Waltham, where ant,” she said. “Ninety-nine percent of nior High School in Eureka before go- Deanna said. “We were engaged in Jim was on a Fulbright teaching the time I can get him to laugh.” ing into real estate in 1977. Together, April, married in September.” scholarship. The Riffenburgs the Riffenburgs were property man- “The truth is that I got along with Since then, the Turners have shared agers for the company town of Samoa Dottie and Bob Riffenburg of For- the cat,” said Elwood, now 84. careers in teaching, devotion to fam- for about 10 years until 2003. tuna were married 57 years ago in Los The cat didn’t like anybody, ily, and a love of travel. In their life Angeles. The secret is trust, they say. Dottie says strong relationships Deanna said, but when Elwood came together, their sometimes opposite require time together. “From day “Honestly, I always thought trust around, “she just looked at him, and approaches bring them together. one, we ate morning breakfasts and was there, from the beginning,” said kaboom! she was in his lap. Calico “We like to travel,” Jim said. “My evening dinners, almost always in our Dottie, 81. “When times got rough, fell for him before I did.” travel is in a straight line. Hers is all kitchen,” she said. “Time spent in the the thing that always pulled us over — drags kitchen was more beneficial than time through was trust.” me off the in the TV/recreational room.” Both Depression babies, Dottie straight line.” “We were getting to know each was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, It helps, other,” she said, “building trust.” in 1936, Bob in Detroit in 1938. Bob Sarah added, joined the Marines at 18 and was Bob agreed. “Our daughter always that “he really posted to Camp Pendleton in San Di- called us ‘the unit,’” he said. “From doesn’t have ego. They met when a Marine buddy the beginning, we always have agreed a very good — Dottie’s brother — took him home on most everything. Politically, philo- sense of direc- to meet his sister. sophically, socially, on money issues, tion.” we were pretty much in synch.” “He told me all his life that I owed Jim nods. him,” laughed Bob, 79. “And I do. I Dottie nodded. “She has taken married up.” — me to places The couple moved to Humboldt in Bob and Dottie Riffenburg on their wedding day, 1960. I’ve never Ted Pease is Senior News editor. Photo courtesy of the Riffenburgs. been.” 1961, and Dottie taught home eco- Page 10 Focus: Loves of Our Lives February 2018 • Senior News

Aging is an Art — By John Heckel And While We’re Embrace the New Celebrating Love . . . By Ann King Dining Room I propose a toast in recognition of I’m still wrestling with that one. yet another aspect of love. Gradually, it has become possible aging-parent dining room. y 99-year-old mother-in-law This is the love born of a realiza- for me, the fiercely independent “lon- MLois lives at Spring Lake The silence in this dining room, as tion that friends and community are er,” to say, “I love you,” regardless of Village, an all-inclusive, one- opposed to the energy and conver- held, deeply treasured, in an individu- gender or relational overtones. Each stop-shopping for the elderly, senior sational noise of the first, I project, al life. Living in the small Humboldt time I hug someone or say to them, “I residence in Santa Rosa. is due to self-acceptance, rather than Bay area has everything to do with love you,” I feel a massive infusion of She moved into her own indepen- the constant chatter that evades it. this realization. warmth and joy. dent living cottage 20 years ago. Her As we age, there are so many A determined I’ll-do-it-myself This, my friends, is Soul Juice. aging journey has taken her from things we don’t want to see. Do introvert, I became aware of this So, all you starry-eyed couples, independent living, through assisted those of us who need to be fed ob- phenomenon relatively late in my life younger and older alike, when Feb. living, and now, with hospice attend- ject to being in a dining room with when I began to notice that I had a 14 comes, enjoy the nice wine, good ing, to the skilled nursing facility. people who can feed themselves? few men and women to whom I relat- meal, romantic getaway, artisanal My wife ed at other than a surface level. chocolate. I’ll be at home in front of Janet and Do we ob- As the realization really began to the fire in my sweatpants, comforted I spent “As we age, there are ject to seeing sink into my soul or center or what- in the belief that I have an amazing Christmas so many things we don’t what we ever you want to call it, I also noticed community of friends, male and fe- Eve with once were as want to see.” that I felt somehow different — male, that I deeply love, and that I can Lois. We had much as we warmer and deeper inside my very be- tell them about that. dinner in the resist what ing — when spending time with these But if you feel like sharing some of “it’s- permis- we might important friends. The more I notice that chocolate . . . . sible-to-see-feeding” dining room, become? this in myself, the bigger and more — where we fed Lois her Christmas We have little, if any, control over inclusive the circle becomes. dinner. Ann King, 82, enjoys her books, how our lives end. Forces far greater These are people for whom I would fire, friends and alone time in Midway through our meal, I than I can imagine determine the do chores, help in any way I could. Eureka. She is a word maven and a had to go to the bathroom. I found end. We can, however, stop avoiding It’s been a hard lesson for me to learn Senior News proofreader. myself standing outside the large, — and even embrace — the visual that I can also call on them for help. beautiful, full-of-life-and-energy images of old age. We can track our dining room — the one where it is emotional reactions to those images. not permissible to see a daughter The feelings triggered by being in Emergency Preparedness feeding her mother, or a wife gently the presence of an elder being fed, wiping spilled gravy from the chin or another sitting, seemingly lifeless, In the wake of devastating fires and mudslides in other parts of the state, of her husband of 60 years. After a in a wheelchair, can clue us into the Humboldt County has launched a new emergency alert system. few minutes, I found my way back perils that lie ahead. Those feelings The county’s new Humboldt ALERT system provides residents with infor- to Janet and Lois. are clues to the shame, guilt and fear mation by phone, email or text, permitting the Office of Emergency Services It’s not that I don’t miss the Lois that will guide our own end-of-life to contact thousands of residents in minutes in case of severe weather, fires, of that earlier dining room. I do. I journey. floods, evacuations and other emergencies. miss the excitement in her voice as The acceptance of that journey, To sign up, go to humboldtgov.org/2014/Emergency-Notifications, fill out she read from the evening menu. I at each precious moment, can be the form and select how you want to be notified. miss the pride she exhibited at being achieved regardless of which dining The county Department of Health and Human Services also reminds resi- able to treat Janet and me to a fancy room you eat or are fed in. dents to be prepared with plans and supplies in case of disasters. dinner. But I do not want that to Make plans for places to meet and how to get out of danger in case of an negate my seeing and being with the John Heckel, Ph.D., is a former emergency, officials advise. Households also should put non-perishable food, woman now sitting in front of me HSU theater and film professor water and other provisions aside, enough to sustain a family for two weeks. in the it’s-permissible-to-feed-your- with a doctorate in psychology. —Ted Pease Senior News • February 2018 Page 11 1910 California Street • Eureka CA 95501 HSRC News 707 443-9747 • www.humsenior.org ‘Are You OK?®’Service Expands to Arcata, McKinleyville

“Are You OK?®” is a telephone reassurance senses that the call is answered, it is logged in the “But something like that could happen,” he said. service to assist residents who live alone, offering system that the subscriber is OK. “The ‘Are You OK?’ program is a morning phone regular contact and peace of mind for program If the subscriber does not answer, the system call to make sure you’re up and about. If you don’t subscribers. will call again a number of times. If there still is no answer, that sets other things into motion.” Led by the Humboldt Senior Resource Center response, the system issues an alert, and an HSRC To subscribe to the service, participants must: (HSRC), the service is now expanding beyond Eu- or City Ambulance staff member either calls the a) live within the Arcata Fire or Humboldt Bay fire reka in collaboration with City Ambulance, Arcata subscriber’s emergency contact or notifies a public districts; b) be able to answer the telephone, and c) Fire District, and Humboldt Bay Fire. safety officer to check the residence. provide a house key, which is kept in a secure lock “This program takes some of the fear out of Now the service is expanding to residents box accessible only by fire district personnel. living alone,” said Barbara Walser, HSRC Nutrition in Arcata, Bayside, Jacoby Creek, Manila and There is a one-time registration fee of $12 for the and Activities director. “It offers a sense of security McKinleyville. The program is already available program; the required key lock box is provided free both for seniors alone in their homes, and for loved to residents in the greater Eureka area served by of charge. ones, who may not live nearby.” Humboldt Bay Fire. For more information, call 443-9747, x1240, or Here’s how it works: At a set time every morn- “Everyone thinks, ‘It’s not going to happen to visit the HSRC website at humsenior.org. ing, the computerized “Are You OK?” phone sys- me. I’m not going to have a heart attack,’” said tem automatically calls subscribers. If the computer Arcata Fire Chief Justin McDonald. – René Arché

MEDICAL OFFICE IN RIO DELL, CA LICENSED PROVIDERS Frank B. Fisher, MD • Eileen Moy, MD M. Arlene Staton, FNP 764-3139 129 Wildwood Avenue in Rio Dell ACCEPTING MEDICARE & INSURANCES

Multipurpose Senior Services Program -MSSP Now Enrolling MSSP provides care management that helps eligible frail elders to stay living in their homes. Call (707) 443-9747 Page 12 February 2018 • Senior News Senior News • February 2018 Page 13 River House For your ASSISTED LIVING February Senior Center Activities LIC.# 126803075 Valentine Respect & Humboldt Senior Resource Center in Eureka McKinleyville Senior Center Arcata Community Center Compassion 1910 California Street • www.humsenior.org Azalea Hall • 1620 Pickett Road An HSRC Dining Center Lunch: Tuesday-Friday at 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. in a family Open Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-4 p.m. 321 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway Quality For more information call the Tasha at 443-9747 x1228, [email protected] atmosphere [email protected] • 839-0191 Lunch: Tuesday-Friday at 11:30 a.m. • furniture riverhouseliving.com • 707.764.5505 • Rio Dell CA Every Weekday Every Thursday Call Vanessa at 825-2027 grade frame Every Monday Mondays 9-1 Library 10-11 Grocery Bingo: • Lifetime warranty 9-3 Senior Service Office Bring 1 grocery item 8:30-9:30 Tai Chi Feb. 12 & 26 11-12 Silver Quills Writing Group 12-3 Billiards 10-11:30 Intermediate French class 10:30 Walking Group at Hiller Park Feb. 19 Closed for Presidents’ Day on lift frame Every Monday 11:30-12:15 Lunch – Menu page 15 12-3:30 Computers* 1:15-2 S.A.I.L. w/ Muriel (*call for availability) 9:30-10:30 Karate with Jerry Bunch • fire retardant 2:10-3:10 FABS/S.A.I.L. w/ Beth & Lois 1-4 Party Bridge Free 10-12:30 Mah Jongg Feb. 1 & 15 10-12 Genealogy group Feb. 26 11-12 Low Vision Workshop Every Tuesday 1:15-2 S.A.I.L. w/Muriel • massage Feb. 15 12:30-1:30 Covered CA/Medi-CAL 2:10-3:10 FABS/S.A.I.L with Beth & Lois Every Tuesday 9-11 Katie’s Krafters 00 assistance drop-in clinic 10-11 Senior Pool Hour-HealthSport Elegance Collection PLR975M - $1,295 Prescription Delivery 2:30-4 Memoir Writing Class 9-11 TOPS Feb. 22 8:30-11:30 Medication Interaction & $5 fee (prior registration required) Feb. 19 Closed for Presidents’ Day 9:30-10:30 S.A.I.L. Class Consultation 11 Bread distribution Eureka 10:40-11:40 Stretching Every Tuesday 12:30-2 Bead Jewelry Class Arcata Call 443-7086 Every Friday 12:30-3:30 Bingo 10-11 Harry’s Bingo (not Feb. 6) Feb.6 10-11 Blood pressure check Comfort 1:30-2:30 Exercise 11:30-12:15 Lunch – Menu page 15 9-10 Falun Dafa Jan. 2 & 16 10-11 Caregiver Support Group Fieldbrook to transfer Feb. 13 5-7 Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser 12:30-1:30 Bunco (not Feb. 6) 10-11 Beginning Tai Chi Movements Mad River Community Hosp. • quiet & Blue Lake 11-12 Beginning Yoga Azalea Hall, $10 your prescriptions 12:15-2:15 Pinochle Every Wednesday Minkler Education Room 2:10-3:10 FABS/S.A.I.L with Beth & Lois 11:30-12:15 Lunch – Menu page 15 3800 Janes Road, Arcata smooth lift McKinleyville 8:30-9:30 Tai Chi Feb. 6 & 20 1:30-3:30 Ukulele Play ’n Sing Feb. 2 11:30-12:15 Super Bowl Party For info call 443-9747 9-12 Computers* • battery Trinidad to Cloney's now! Feb. 6 10:30-11:30 Dine & Dance w/Ray, Dave & Lois 1-4 Bridge Games Feb. 27 2 Arcata Slow Walk-Arcata Marsh (*call for availability) Feb. 27 6-9 Stamp Club Feb. 2 & 16 1:30-2:30 Conscious Living Book Club On hold until Spring Walking Group w/Chris 10-12 Needlework backup Every Wednesday Feb. 23 11:30-12:15 Birthday Celebration Every Wednesday 10:30 Walking Group at Hiller Park • fully padded 11:30-12:15 Lunch – Menu page 15 Saturday 1-4 Pinochle 10-11 Chi Gong-RSVP 443-8347 Free Health Classes* 1:15-2 S.A.I.L. w/Muriel Feb. 3 Noon Sassy Seniors: Feb. 7 10-11 Genealogy 11 Bread distribution chaise 1:30-3:30 Intermediate Line Dancing Village Pantry, Eureka Feb. 21 10:30-11:30 Executive Board Meeting 10-11 Tai Chi for Arthritis Advanced Heritage Collection LC358M - $89500 Diet & Exercise 2:10-3:10 FABS/S.A.I.L. by Beth & Lois Feb. 17 Noon Nooners: Denny’s, Eureka Feb. 28 12-1 Monthly Luncheon: 10-11 Karaoke for high blood pressure* Feb. 7 & 21 1-2 Caregiver Support Group Spinach & Mushroom Lasag- 11:30-12:30 Tai Chi for Arthritis Beginning and chronic diseases Alzhei mer’s Library, na Rolls, Bread, Salad, Feb. 14 10:15-11:30 Valentine’s Day Celebration 1901 California St., Bldg. B, Dessert (Sign up by 2/23) $5 Feb. 14 10:30-11:30 Chuck Clarke & the Old Gold 2nd Floor, Eureka Feb. 28 1-2 Heart Healthy Club Band Every Thursday Diabetes education Feb. 7 11-11:30 Ella & Sam perform Every Thursday Your for everyday living Feb. 14 11:30-12:15 Emblem Club serves lunch 9-10 Tai Chi w/Tim ($3 donation) Options Feb. 14 11-12 Bob Ebenstein performs 9:30-10:30 S.A.I.L. Class 9-11 Katie’s Krafters Hosts 10:30-12 Pinochle Lessons • color PHARMACIST & CERTIFIED Feb. 21 11-11:30 LeAnn Morini performs 10-11:15 Chair massage w/Pete 10:40-11:40 Stretching Rich Spini, Pharm.D., CDE DIABETES EDUCATOR Feb. 21 9:30-11:30 Foster Grandparents Program (donations accepted) • fabrics (REGISTERED NURSE & WELLNESS COACH) Feb. 21 10-11:30 Commodities distribution 12:30-3:30 Bingo 10-11 Senior Pool Hour-HealthSport Jane Spini, RN Feb. 1 11-11:30 Navy Bean & 1/2 Sand, $3 * For times see the Activities at Senior Centers $5 fee (prior registration required) • heat MUSIC AT LUNCHTIME: From left, bassist Stephen Ines, saxophonist Don Baraka, Feb. 8 11-11:30 Baked Potato w/Chili, $3 calendar for Eureka, Arcata & McKinleyville. 12:15-1:15 Learn Tech with Brett drummer Doug Kamprath (behind) and guitarist Val Leone volunteer their time and talents Feb. 15 11-11:30 Chicken Vegetable Soup Feb. 1 10:30-11:30 PJ’s Live Music • massage at the HSRC Dining Center in Eureka. Ted Pease photo. 1/2 Sand, $3 Feb. 8 11-12:15 Cal Fresh Sign-up assistance Feb. 22 11-11:30 Lentil Soup & 1/2 Quesadil- Cloney’s Prescription Pharmacy Feb. 15 10:15-11:15 Swing ‘n’ Sway Trio 00 las, $3 Essential Collection LC105 - $595 2515 Harrison Avenue • Eureka Fortuna Dining Center Feb. 15 10:30-11 Commodities Distribution Every Friday Every Friday 443-7086 Fax: 443-0302 HSRC at Mountain View Village • 2130 Smith Lane • Call Launa at 725-6245 8:30-9:30 Tai Chi 10-11:30 Ping Pong with Pete Check our store for specials Cloney’s Red Cross Pharmacy Lunch: Tuesday-Friday at 12:00 p.m. - Menu page 15 10:30 Walking Group at Hiller Park Feb. 2 10:30-11:30 Super Bowl Party 1-4 Pinochle Tuesdays Thursdays Feb. 9 10-11:30 Site Advisory Council Mon-Fri 525 5th Street • Eureka Feb. 2 10-11 Sweet Spot 12:00 Lunch 12:00 Lunch Feb. 16 10:30-11:15 Sing-a-Long with Half Notes 8 - 5:30 443-1614 Fax: 443-4461 Feb. 23 10-11 Full Board Meeting (Open) Feb. 1 & 15 12-1:30 Caregiver Support Group Feb. 23 11:30-12:15 Birthday Celebration Lunch Wednesdays Sat Since 1902 Cloney's McKinleyville Pharmacy United Methodist Church 9 - noon www.broadwaymedical.com 1567 City Center Road Feb. 7 10:30 Music w/Bill Corena & friends Fireplace Room For info call 443-9747 922 N Street, Fortuna “Don’t smother each other. No one can grow in McKinleyville 12:00 Lunch Fridays 1034 Broadway • Eureka • 442-3719 840-9923 Fax: 840-9928 Feb.14 12:00 Valentine’s Day Lunch 12:00 Lunch the shade.” —Leo Buscaglia (1924-1998), author. 5-8 BINGO Feb. 2 12:00 Super Bowl Lunch Local Delivery & Installation Available Feb. 23 12:00 Birthday Lunch Page 14 February 2018 • Senior News Page 15 February 2018 • Senior News VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT February 2018 Dining Menu FIRST WEEK FOURTH WEEK Earlene Fisher, 69, of Eureka has learn their names. I can get to know Feb. 1 Meat Loaf with Gravy Feb. 19 Dining Centers & HSRC sites volunteered at the Eureka Dining them, and they get to know me. We Feb. 2 Pepperoni Pizza closed for President’s Day Center for seven years. become like a family in the dining Feb. 20 Beef Ravioli Health & Care Management Programs SECOND WEEK Q: What do you do as a room. We always need and Feb. 21 Chicken Curry Feb. 5 Dining Centers closed Adult Day Health Center volunteer? welcome new volunteers to Feb. 22 Soft Taco Alzheimer’s Services join our family. So come see Feb. 6 Hot Turkey Sandwich A: I have done numer- Feb. 7 Greek Chicken & Orzo Feb. 23 Baked Citrus Salmon-Birthday Cake Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP) me for lunch and see if you ous jobs, from greeting Feb. 8 Harvest Butternut Squash Ravioli FIFTH WEEK Redwood Coast PACE at the front desk, data would like to become one Feb. 9 Lemon Herb Fish Feb. 26 Dining Centers closed a Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly entry, selling firewood of us. THIRD WEEK at all three sites, doing Cathy Denbo, the Feb. 27 Swedish Meatballs Feb. 12 Dining Centers closed annual assessments, Eureka Dining Center Feb. 28 Chicken Cacciatore Nutrition Programs Feb. 13 BBQ Pork Rib Sandwich organizing lap quilts coordinator, has only People 60+ are invited Dining Centers in Arcata, Eureka, & Fortuna Feb. 14 Roast Beef w/Gravy as gifts to Home glowing things to say $3.50 suggested donation Home Delivered Meals Feb. 15 Tamale Pie For those under 60 there is a fee. Delivered Meals par- about Earlene. “Ear- Feb. 16 Chinese Chicken Salad ticipants, organizing lene is wonderful,” No one 60+ will be turned away Activities Programs for lack of funds. Information and educational resources fundraisers to support Denbo said. “She is LOW-FAT OR NONFAT MILK IS SERVED WITH EACH MEAL the Eureka dining such a joy. She not Exercise classes and recreational groups st Call for Reservations center and the Home only helps the partic- HAPPY 101 BIRTHDAY! Redwood Coast PACE participant Dial-A-Ride tickets Christine Fisher celebrated her 101st birthday in January Delivered Meals ipants, but she helps Arcata • 825-2027 Eureka • 442-1181 Fortuna • 725-6245 Earlene Fisher at the PACE Day Center dining room. Born in Burg, Senior Firewood Program program. I’ve served as me. She raises money Are You OK?® telephone reassurance service Alberta, in 1918, Fisher worked as a school bus driver a Site Advisory Committee member for more to improve the dining center, serves as a train- and in offices, and enjoyed square dancing and trout Senior Home Repair than six years, and worked to improve our er for new volunteers, and uses her experience fishing. Here are a few of the things invented in Christine’s OLLI at HSU & Humboldt Light Opera Company’s Boomer Troupe present dining room. I am currently working at the with our activities to help as needed — which lifetime: automobiles, radio and TV, the Eskimo Pie, Senior News reservation desk in the dining room. It is the is pretty much all the time. airplanes, Band-Aids, refrigerators, washing machines, job I enjoy the most. traffic lights, hair dryers and the jukebox. And cell “She has helped develop a family environ- phones? Forget it. Ted Pease photo Volunteer Opportunities Q: What’s the highlight of your volun- ment, and welcomes everyone with a smile teer work? and warm greeting,” Denbo added. “She is “ For one, I don’t have to worry about going A everything I could ask for in a volunteer — : I think in all of my work here, I was able to doctor appointments, they pick me up and to recognize people’s faces, but working at the kind, welcoming and flexible. She is a plea- Throughout a lifetime, music touches our lives in sure to work with.” Help ensure the future greeters desk has given me the opportunity to bring me home and,...schedule everything.” countless ways … a sweet melody can bring back of quality senior programs stirring memories, a simple tune can soothe or energize, a pounding composition can unite or divide. Weaving together music, songs, and stories, The Boomer with a bequest to Troupe celebrates the never-ending power and magic of music! THE FRIENDSHIP LINE Joyce, Redwood Coast PACE Humboldt Senior An Accredited Crisis Intervention Program for the Elderly participant Humboldt Light Opera Company’s Boomer Troupe is a talented ensemble of fun loving performers, all over the age of 50. Resource Center’s

Planned Giving 1-(800) 971-0016 Redwood Coast PACE is now enrolling. Saturday, February 17, 2 p.m. & 7 p.m. Call & Sunday, February 18, 2 p.m. 24-Hour Telephone Hotline/Warmline Call us at 707-443-9747. 707-443-9747 Eureka Woman’s Club: 1531 J St., Eureka • $18 OLLI members/$20 general Call-In Service: to discuss your gift This is a ticketless event. Advance reservations encouraged. Reservations can be made at the OLLI at HSU website: caregivers and/or younger disabled individuals who may be lonely, isolated, TTY 711 - California Relay Service • www.humsenior.org humboldt.edu/olli/boomer grieving, depressed, anxious and/or thinking about death or suicide. 1910 California Street, Eureka CA 95501 Page 15 February 2018 • Senior News February 2018 Dining Menu FIRST WEEK FOURTH WEEK Feb. 1 Meat Loaf with Gravy Feb. 19 Dining Centers & HSRC sites Feb. 2 Pepperoni Pizza closed for President’s Day SECOND WEEK Feb. 20 Beef Ravioli Feb. 21 Chicken Curry Feb. 5 Dining Centers closed Feb. 6 Hot Turkey Sandwich Feb. 22 Soft Taco Feb. 7 Greek Chicken & Orzo Feb. 23 Baked Citrus Salmon-Birthday Cake Feb. 8 Harvest Butternut Squash Ravioli FIFTH WEEK Feb. 9 Lemon Herb Fish Feb. 26 Dining Centers closed THIRD WEEK Feb. 27 Swedish Meatballs Feb. 12 Dining Centers closed Feb. 28 Chicken Cacciatore Feb. 13 BBQ Pork Rib Sandwich People 60+ are invited Feb. 14 Roast Beef w/Gravy $3.50 suggested donation Feb. 15 Tamale Pie For those under 60 there is a fee. Feb. 16 Chinese Chicken Salad No one 60+ will be turned away for lack of funds. LOW-FAT OR NONFAT MILK IS SERVED WITH EACH MEAL HAPPY 101st BIRTHDAY! Redwood Coast PACE participant Call for Reservations Christine Fisher celebrated her 101st birthday in January Arcata • 825-2027 Eureka • 442-1181 Fortuna • 725-6245 at the PACE Day Center dining room. Born in Burg, Alberta, in 1918, Fisher worked as a school bus driver and in offices, and enjoyed square dancing and trout fishing. Here are a few of the things invented in Christine’s OLLI at HSU & Humboldt Light Opera Company’s Boomer Troupe present lifetime: automobiles, radio and TV, the Eskimo Pie, airplanes, Band-Aids, refrigerators, washing machines, traffic lights, hair dryers and the jukebox. And cell phones? Forget it. Ted Pease photo “ For one, I don’t have to worry about going to doctor appointments, they pick me up and Throughout a lifetime, music touches our lives in bring me home and,...schedule everything.” countless ways … a sweet melody can bring back stirring memories, a simple tune can soothe or energize, a pounding composition can unite or divide. Weaving together music, songs, and stories, The Boomer Troupe celebrates the never-ending power and magic of music! Joyce, Redwood Coast PACE participant Humboldt Light Opera Company’s Boomer Troupe is a talented ensemble of fun loving performers, all over the age of 50.

Redwood Coast PACE is now enrolling. Saturday, February 17, 2 p.m. & 7 p.m. Call us at 707-443-9747. & Sunday, February 18, 2 p.m.

Eureka Woman’s Club: 1531 J St., Eureka • $18 OLLI members/$20 general This is a ticketless event. Advance reservations encouraged. Reservations can be made at the OLLI at HSU website: TTY 711 - California Relay Service • www.humsenior.org humboldt.edu/olli/boomer 1910 California Street, Eureka CA 95501 Page 16 Focus: Loves of Our Lives February 2018 • Senior News

Live Vigorously By Joan Rainwater-Gish John Ash: ‘My Age Is Not Limiting Me’

ohn Ash, local retired architect, area has an ocean activity such as run- thinking puts up age barriers and is Jbusinessman and active older with a beautiful bay ning, hiking, kayak- called ageism. adult. When seeing his picture, so I decided I want- ing, dancing, or with Q: What lessons have you I said, “This is a man I’d like to ed to kayak. I didn’t any mental activity learned that you would pass on to interview to learn how he goes about know anything about such as writing. other older adults? Living Vigorously at age 74.” kayaking, so I took Q: Is it your per- Ash: Seek advice from profession- Q: John, have you always been lessons, bought sonality to try new als who know how to help you, like physically active? gear, and went out things? Some of a good doctor and a personal trainer. Ash: No. Not until my doctor told on the water. After your choices might Listen to your body so you don’t me I needed to do aerobic activity to a few times, I began be intimidating, overextend yourself, or cause pain or improve my health. I chose running meeting other people like your recent injury. When I was younger I often because it was cheap — all I needed on the water. We performance in did ocean kayaking. But now, my were shoes. I joined a running club exchanged contact “The Nutcracker.” body tells me to stay in the bay. I can and then set goals. My first goal was information and began arranging I mean, you are 74. still enjoy kayaking and being with to complete a 5K race. The next goal kayaking trips together. Ash: I took up dancing because my friends. So my age is not limiting was marathons, and finally complet- Q: Listening to how you ap- my personal trainer told me it was a me, it’s just making adjustments. ing the Iron Man. It was exhilarating proach physical activity, it seems great muscle exercise, and the North — to compete in and finish every one of like you have a formula. Coast Dance Studio offered ballet these goals, especially the Iron Man. Ash: Yes, I do. I look for an ac- classes for $10. Yes, trying new Joan Rainwater-Gish, 75, of Eureka is a certified personal Q: The picture is you in your tivity I want to do, take lessons, buy things at our age can be intimidat- trainer and group fitness instructor kayak. How did you get into gear, do it, join a group or club to get ing, as some instructors don’t like who leads senior exercise classes. kayaking? better and then help others. I use this to deal with older adults. They think formula with everything I undertake, we can’t learn new things and we Contact: jrainwater-gish@ Ash: When I moved to Eureka in suddenlink.net. 1997, I looked for things to do. This whether it has to do with physical don’t move fast enough. This kind of Senior News • February 2018 Page 17

The best care FebruaryCommunity Calendar combined with the latest Keep Your Balance Senior Music Fest Tickets digital hearing aid The Biomechanics Lab at Hum- Seniors can purchase special $25 Trisha Ostermeier, Au.D. technology William Speer, Au.D. boldt State University is making tickets for all Saturday shows at the Doctor of Audiology Doctor of Audiology appointments for free one-on-one fall- 28th Annual Redwood Coast Music risk assessments for seniors week- Festival, April 5-8. Senior tickets for hearing tests • hearing aids • custom ear plugs days through the end of March. The April 7 music events from 10 a.m. to program evaluates seniors’ mobility, 5 p.m. are available at the Humboldt balance and risk of falling, and then Senior Resource Center between Feb. PC provides a detailed written report and 1 and March 9. Contact Tasha Romo recommendations. Call the lab at 826- at 443-9747, x1228. 5973 to make an appointment. Hear what you’ve been missing. History @The Clarke ‘Run, Serve, Lead!’ The Clarke Museum opens a new 831 Harris Street (J & Harris) • Eureka • 832-4919 The North Coast People’s Alliance exhibit from 6-9 p.m. during Arts will hold a Fortuna version of its Alive! on Saturday, Feb. 3, tracing the “Run, Serve, Lead!” forum, designed history of “Fraternal Organizations to help everyday people get more of Humboldt County: Long Ago to “Love is the whole thing. We are only involved, from 1-3:30 p.m. on Sun- Today.” Another new exhibit tells pieces.” —Rumi (1207-1273), Persian poet. day, Feb. 4, at the MultiGenerational the tale of the 1917 shipwreck of the Center, 2280 Newburg Road, Fortuna. USS Milwaukee on Samoa Beach. Panelists will include former Super- 240 E. St. in Old Town Eureka. Visit visor Clif Clendenen, Ferndale City clarkemuseum.org. Council member Patrick O’Rourke, North Coast and new College of the Redwoods Local Filmmakers Night Board member Danny Kelley. Join five local “Artists Who Ani- mate” for an evening of short animat- Co-op Events Friends of Books ed films at Eureka High School, 1915 The Friends of the Redwood Li- J. St., Wednesday, Feb. 7, 6:30 p.m., February 7 • Wellness Wednesday brary Winter Book Sale is set for early followed by a Q&A with the film- The first Wednesday of every month, February at the Eureka Main Library, makers and reception. A collaboration save 10% off our entire Wellness Department. 1313 Third St. Members only Friday, of Access Humboldt, Humboldt-Del Feb. 2, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (become a Norte Film Commission and Eureka February 6, 13, 20, 27 • Senior Day member at the door). Everyone wel- High School Media Club. $5. Info at Seniors 60 and over receive a 5% discount on Tuesdays. come Saturday, Feb. 3. from 10 a.m. 707-476-1798 or accesshumboldt.net. No membership needed, but we’d love for you to join! to 3:30 p.m. Books, vinyl, DVDs and CDs. Benefits the Humboldt Library Audubon Birding Trips February 1 • Board of Directors Meeting System. Website: eurekafrl.org. The Redwood Region Audubon Monthly Board Meeting. Member-owners are welcome to attend! Society hosts bird walks at the Arcata Located at Ten Pin Building, 793 K Street, Arcata at 6pm. HUUF Annual Auction Marsh every Saturday morning in The Humboldt Unitarian Univer- February, 8:30-11 a.m. Meet leaders salist Fellowship, 24 Fellowship Way, at the end of South I Street (Klopp Bayside, holds its Hearts Together Lake). A three-hour birding trip is Auction, Saturday, Feb. 10, 4-8 p.m. planned at the Humboldt Bay Nation- Silent and live auction, plus soup, al Wildlife Refuge for Sunday, Feb. homemade breads, and elegant Val- 11. Meet at the Refuge Visitor Center entine desserts. $10 at the door. Info: at 9 a.m. Call 707-822-3613 for more 407-0047. information. WRITERS WANTED Nursery and Garden Center Senior News is always Shop and Power Equipment looking for stories and writers Landscape Contractors to tell them. In coming months, we’ll be doing issues on: • March at the Movies; • the April Humor Issue; • our personal proudest 839-1571 • 1828 Central Avenue • McKinleyville Glory Days; millerfarmsnursery.com • the role of pets and ani- mals in Humboldt lives; • Art & Music . . . HAVE SCISSORS WILL TRAVEL And more. Every month, we also run historical stories in “Humboldt Then & Now,” In-home haircuts and we love tips on interest- for men & women ing local history. 40+ years experience • Reasonable Rates If you’ve got a story to tell — Eureka $25 — — on any other topic — get in touch with Senior News Call Julie for an appointment editor Ted Pease at 443-9747, x1226, or tpease@humsenior. (707) 613-0776 org. in Humboldt Joan Woodcock Neil D. Kushner MD Humboldt Transit Authority - HTA Insurance Services General Practice Medicine ALL BUSES HAVE WHEELCHAIR LIFTS Scotia to Trinidad HTA Paratransit Service I CAN HELP! Accepting new patients Fee for Service practice - cash basis Redwood Transit System (RTS) Southern Humboldt Prescription Drug Plans Mon-Sun (checks accepted) Eureka Transit Service (ETS) & Garberville, Redway & Supplements Miranda areas Willow Creek Dental • Life Door-to-door transit service for 442-8200 Mon-Sat ADA qualifying passengers. Southern Humboldt 519 6th Street • Eureka, CA 95501 24-hour reservations (Wheelchair Lift) are required. Tish Non-Village Mon-Fri Call to see if you qualify. 443-0826 • www.hta.org 1-877-688-0826 Need money? Ferndale Senior Bus Fortuna Senior Bus make life easier For people 50+ & the disabled. For people 50+ & the disabled Wheelchair Lift 786-4141 Wheelchair Lift 725-7625 www.friendlyfortuna.com Let’s Talk. Bob Lawton K-T Net (Klamath-Trinity Non-Emergency Transportation) 725-1200 W illow Creek • Hoopa Valley • Weitchpec • Wautec (Pecwan) 1506 A Main St. You have options. Seniors & the disabled ride at a discount. Serving the public Monday-Friday. in Fortuna 1-530-629-1192 www.ktnet.org CA Lic. #0E34152 CalBRE: #01144618 • NMLS: #323296 445-3027 Focus: Loves of Our Lives Senior News • February 2018 Page 19

ASK THE DOCTOR . . . From Page 5 heart muscle itself. Over time, the to stressors. Anger, anxiety and fear Senior Living arteries can narrow and the heart can all increase cortisol and adrena- muscle can thicken, thus not pump- line levels, which in turn can lead to ing as well. Controlling blood pres- artery-narrowing, higher blood pres- sure can start with good exercise and sure and probable adverse effects on at Its Finest. diet. Some people need medications, our immune system. There is even a and most who do will need more syndrome called the “broken heart than one to get blood pressure to syndrome,” in which big stressors Love never ages. goal. Another way to reduce blood can lead to reduced pump function pressure is to lose weight. And if of the heart. There are techniques Let your heart dance with Timber Ridge. you have sleep apnea, treating it to cope with stress and reduce the with a breathing mask for sleep can body’s flight-or-fight response — help control high blood pressure deep breathing, choosing not to and reduce become an- the risk of gry, getting the heart “Most of us get just the one adequate enlarging. sleep, do- Because heart. It is a workhorse ing mindful a bigger that needs attention.” medita- heart is tion, yoga good only if and other you are the exercises Grinch. that pro- 5. We can avoid methamphet- mote relaxation, being mindful of amines and cocaine. And all illicit our schedules and need for a break, drugs for that matter. Uppers can and spending time with people who cause heart attacks, strokes and heart make us feel loved and cared for. failure by enlarging the heart. Hero- Sometimes talk therapy can be help- in can cause infections on the heart ful if stress is a big issue. valves, which can be life-threaten- My father had a heart transplant, ing. Alcohol is a legal drug, but too a miraculous thing that gave him much of it can enlarge the heart and some extra time. But most of us get cause heart rhythm problems. just the one heart. That heart is a 6. We can avoid tobacco use. workhorse that needs attention. It About 20 percent of deaths from is easy to forget about the 100,000- heart disease are directly related plus beats it gives us every day. to smoking. Evidence is starting Take some time to show your heart to arise that vaping also increases some love. risk of heart attacks, likely from the — McKinleyville | 707.839.9100 nicotine itself. If you are a smoker, Dr. Jennifer Heidmann is or if you know one, repeat this over medical director and primary Eureka | 707.443.3000 and over: The single most effective care provider at Redwood Coast way to reduce risk of heart attack PACE (443-9747). This column TimberRidgeCare.com and stroke is to stop smoking. should not be taken as medical 7. We can manage stress. I advice. Ask your medical provider admit, this one is tough. Life is if you have health questions. Send hard and unpredictable. We have no comments to seniornewseditor@ control over a lot of things. But what humsenior.org we can control is how we respond Page 20 Focus: Loves of Our Lives February 2018 • Senior News

BIRD . . . From Page 1 Albatrosses begin to return to their home base at 3 or 4 years old, but don’t begin looking for a mate until they reach sexual maturity at around 7 or 8. Almost all the world’s Laysan albatrosses breed on Laysan and Midway islands in the mid-Pacific, which is where Wisdom was first banded in 1956. Laysan albatrosses have elaborate courtship rituals, performing up to 25 different “dances.” It’s important for the birds to be sure about their prospective partner, as they typically mate for life. Each time they breed, they must dedicate 65 days to incubation, plus another 160 days until the chick fledges. Given her advanced age, it’s likely that Wisdom has outlived at least one mate; That’s why they’re including a charitable partnering with a younger male is likely also a factor in bequest for OLLI at HSU in their estate plan. her late-in-life fertility. While not common off our Jerry and Gisela love teaching OLLI classes every semester To learn how you can touch the lives of others by including shores, Laysan albatrosses and have a special passion for sharing their knowledge your favorite charity in your will or estate plan, contact can sometimes be seen on about Humboldt’s history with students. OLLI at HSU an attorney, financial advisor or LEAVE A LEGACY pelagic birding trips out of Humboldt Bay. So if you ever provides a unique outlet for curious minds in Humboldt’s HUMBOLDT at (707) 267-9922. take a deep-sea birding or 50 and better community. They know that OLLI enhances fishing trip, keep an eye out quality of life by building friendships and by supporting for Wisdom gliding by. students in their lifelong pursuit of knowledge. By including — OLLI at HSU in their estate plan, Jerry and Gisela have the Pat Bitton, 66, of Eureka is satisfaction of knowing their joy for learning will endure a writer and editor who’s into the future. never hatched an egg but still believes in the power of love. Reach her at pbitton@ To learn more call (707) 267-9922. Make a Difference in the Lives that Follow hotmail.com.

“We have to recognise that there cannot be relationships unless there is commitment, unless there is loyalty, unless there is love, patience, persistence.” —Cornel West, philosopher. Senior News • February 2018 THEN & NOW Page 21 A New Home for a 68-year-old Lighthouse Memorial By Ted Pease

The slow, soaking drizzle and wafting ies donated a 45x50-foot parcel of land fog that accompanied the Trinidad Me- on the bluff for a memorial park. morial Lighthouse on its inching journey The Civic Club raised more than down the hill to Trinidad harbor seemed $4,000 for its Trinidad Memorial Light- appropriate. house, which was dedicated on June 26, It may not have been a funeral, as 1949. Since then, the names of 23 sailors some observers saw it, but the relocation lost at sea, along with 221 others already of the 25-foot-tall, 40,000-pound con- buried at sea and 68 planning to be, have crete lighthouse certainly was the end of been engraved there on a marble and an era in the seaside village. granite memorial wall. The 68-year-old memorial lighthouse, Overlooking Trinidad Harbor on land an exact replica of the original working that for centuries had been home to the version perched on the southern cliffs of Yurok village of Tsurai (or Cher-ae), the Trinidad Head, was erected in 1949 to red-roofed memorial lighthouse became commemorate fishermen and sailors lost an icon not only of Trinidad, but of the at sea. entire northern Humboldt coast. The original lighthouse was built in For some Yuroks, however, the tourist 1871 to help guide ships through the attraction was also a reminder of all that fog in and out of Trinidad, which had had been lost with the arrival of white become an important redwood mill town. settlers in 1850, who drove out a people In 1947, the Coast Guard decommis- who had lived in redwood slab houses on sioned the light station’s 2-ton fog bell Trinidad Bay for some 1,000 years. FLYING LIGHTHOUSE — The 20-ton replica of the Trinidad Head and original Fresnel lens, both made When the bluff started slumping lighthouse takes to the air in the dramatic relocation of the Memorial obsolete by the advent of electricity. The in 2017, Civic Club and city officials Lighthouse from its 68-year home atop a crumbling bluff above Trinidad Ladies Civic Club volunteered rushed to find a way to save the memo- Trinidad Harbor to its new temporary home at the foot of Trinidad to preserve the historic artifacts, and Earl rial before another wet winter. A stopgap Head (below). At left, unnamed workers atop the Memorial before its 1949 dedication. Lower left photo courtesy of Patti Fleschner and the and Neva Hallmark of Hallmark Fisher- solution to shift the lighthouse about 20 Trinidad Museum. Other photos by Ted Pease. feet east onto what was hoped was more stable ground drew protests from Yuroks and others, who saw that as yet more desecration of their ancestors’ ancient gravesites. In a compromise, a massive crane in- stead hoisted the fog bell and lighthouse off the compromised and contested bluff on Jan. 10 as residents, officials and pro- testors watched, and workers trucked the memorial gently down Edwards Street to the harbor. For now, the Trinidad Memorial Lighthouse and fog bell dominate a sandy slope on Cher-ae Rancheria prop- erty at the foot of Trinidad Head near the harbor. — Ted Pease is a Trinidad resident. Page 22 Focus: Loves of Our Lives February 2018 • Senior News Letters to the Editor Silver Sneakers Pause to Consider Life To the Editor: To the Editor: The Silver Sneakers program covers gym monthly dues Reading the January 2018, Senior News to worry about. But I prefer to live much longer. for seniors 65 or older. Many but not all supplemental health gave me many pauses to consider life. It “Remember Typewriters?” by Dave Rosso insurance plans include this program. Local gyms do not seem seems each article was speaking to me as I reminded me of my later-life return to college to mention the program to seniors, possibly because they make am getting older, but do not wish to believe and attempts in a writing class. It took many less money than from private memberships. I am old. hours to write a paper in those days. To see if your supplemental health insurance plan covers Ted Pease’s article “Suggestions for Un- “Get Stronger in 2018” [Joan Rainwa- Silver Sneakers, you can either go to the Silver Sneakers web- learning Fear of Dying” reminded me of the ter-Gish] is something my husband and I are site (silversneakers.com), or you can call your provider. If you time I had to go into the hospital during my both working toward. We attend the Staying tell your gym that you want to enroll under the Silver Sneakers junior year in high school for removal of my Active In Life (SAIL) program at the Senior plan, they should simply sign you up. tonsils and adenoids. While being prepped Resource Center in McKinleyville. My 95-year- This plan can save you $40 per month or whatever your for the surgery, the doctor entered the room young Aunt Arvis, known as “Cuc,” attended a gym membership is currently charging you. And it should be and asked if I was getting sleepy. similar exercise program in Eureka for many, easy to sign up for it. “No” was the last word I remember many years, and continues her exercise in the Barbara Copperman, King Salmon saying. Redding area. Cuc will be 96 this April, and When I awoke, I wondered if my feel- many times I’ve told her she is my role model. ing while under drugs is the same feeling I There is so much I wish to do before I reach would have when I’m dead. If so, I thought, that ripened or withered age of “old.” dying is not that bad. Everything is gone, Rowetta Miller, Fieldbrook Knowledge is Power your mind is blank, and there’s nothing left To the Editor: I would like to respond to the article, “Easing the End: Sug- gestions for Unlearning Fear of Dying,” which appeared in the January issue of Senior News. The article said, “We cannot know what happens when we die, or where we came from before birth.” But the God of the Bible explains what the future holds after death. Your Pharmacy For Life We are bombarded daily with advice and information. Our job is two-fold: 1. Is the advice/information correct? “Round up for St. Jude” 2. Where can we find advice and information that are accu- or donate and we’ll make sure rate and true? I believe knowledge is power, and from my research I your donation reaches the hospital. determined that the Bible is the inspired word of God. God, Bene tting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital not man, provides accurate information and comfort about the subject of dying, which all mankind faces. Nancy Chambers, Eureka 2097 Harrison Avenue, Eureka 441-8500 Fax: 443-7608

Letters Policy: Senior News welcomes letters to the editor. To be considered for publication, letters must not exceed 300 words, and may be edited for space. Submissions must include the writer’s full name, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address. Senior News reserves the right to reject any letter. The same requirements apply to those interested in submitting longer commentary columns (up to 400 words). E-mail [email protected] or mail to Senior News, 1910 California St., Eureka CA 95501. COAST DENTURE SERVICE The REPLACEMENT DENTURE MEADOWS Independent Senior APARTMENTS Living 55+ With this ad Winter $ Reg. $1,000 Discount 900each each • 1 BEDROOM FLATS • 2 BEDROOM FLATS Experienced Craftsmanship Counts! • TOWNHOUSES Dentures • Partials • Relines • Repairs • Teeth Replaced • PETS WELCOME Contact Albert Giddings Today! • ON-SITE LAUNDRY Licensed Denturist • 45 years Experience Eureka • ACTIVITIES Central Residence www.kkramer.com 541-469-2610 of Old Town 707-444-2919 2520 HUBBARD LANE • EUREKA Cell 541-971-1828 Independent Living for Seniors Brookings, Oregon Studios & 1 Bedroom 800 Chetco Ave. • Across from Les Schwab Apartments On-site Laundry on the EZ Radio ALL NEW 980 AM Elevator COMPUTER CLASSES FOR SENIORS Close to Bus Route OLD TIME STANDARDS & EASY LISTENING TUNES Facebook for Beginners Internet: Access to the World On-site Manager M & W, Feb. 5, 7, 12 & 14 M & W, March 12 & 14, 19 & 21 333 E Street • Eureka Seems Like Old Times - Saturday mornings 10am – 11:30am $135 10am – 11:30am $135 445-2990 Instructor: Miriam Elizondo - Sunday evenings Classes are at CR Downtown Location • 333 6th Street, Eureka TTY: (800) 735-2922 Sounds of Sinatra Register Early! Class size is limited Local & National News call (707) 476-4500 Emergency Updates Choose Services Weather Forecasts Elite We Lifestyle Programming Caregivers Provide on nutrition, tech, pet tips, travel

Elite Caregivers Provide • Individual Case Management • Registered Nurse Support PACIFIC • Assist with Medications • Certified Nurse Assistants MEDICAL • Personal Attendants • Bathing, Dressing & Feeding RESOURCES “We are here for you.” w/background checks • Meal Planning & Preparation • 2-24 hour care including holidays Where Compassion Meets Care • Assistance with PT Humboldt Caregivers Using Current Technologies • Light Housekeeping • HIPAA Compliant • Shopping & Errands Serving our community more than 20 years! • Web-based scheduling Call us for a FREE in-home consultation. • Life Alert® 24-hour monitoring • Transportation • 24-hour emergency call line Elite • Personalized Care Toll Free: 877-964-2001 Competitive Pricing for Body, Mind & Spirit Caregivers INSURED & • End-of-Life Care www.paci cmr.com BONDED Family owned & operated Serving Humboldt, Del Norte Registered nurse support by John and Laura Neely and Shasta counties Licensed, bonded & insured HCO# 124700001 Light housekeeping • Personal care Call us today at 1-707-496-8499 • www.elite-caregivers.com Assistance with daily activities • Respite care & more Senior News PRSRT STD 7 HSRC U.S. Postage 1910 California St. PAID Eureka CA 95501 Permit No. 83 8 Eureka, CA 95501 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED Chamber Music Benefit Special Guest Scott Seaton on saxophone, in addition to chamber music trio favorites John Chernoff, piano, Carol Jacobson, cello, and Terrie Baune, violin. Benefit proceeds support the Symphony’s ongoing music programs. At the Eureka Woman's Club on Sunday, February 11 at 3 p.m. Are You Turning 65? Co-sponsored by the Eureka Woman's Club and Humboldt Mortgage PURCHASING TICKETS EARLY IS RECOMMENDED. Need To Sign Up CONCERT In Like A Lion SPONSOR: Special Guest Flutist Paula Thomas For Medicare? Sinfonia No. 1 in C Major, RV 116 by Antonio Vivaldi Flute Concerto in E minor by Franz Benda We Can Help! Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op. 10 by Antonín Dvořák Call Medicare Specialist, Friday & Saturday, March 2 & 3, 8:00 p.m. David Powell POLLY ENDERT 444-3434 Carol Jacobson conducts. Free Musical Notes Lectures at 7 p.m. Lic. #0C60256 Symphony ticket prices range from $19-$49 Buy tickets online at eurekasymphony.org or by phone (707) 845-3655 CALL Polly Endert CASH ONLY "Rush" tickets available at the door (Student $10, Adult $15) Medicare Specialist Children under 12 FREE with paid adult ticket (limit 2 children, order by phone only) TODAY! Eureka 707-444-3434 • Arcata 707-822-7251 Health Agent

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