york county 50plus senior news january 2014

Laurie Kolanko with several of her handmade tote bags and tie pins.

By Lori Van Ingen

Laurie Kolanko was just looking for a way to make some Christmas giftswhile caring for her elderly mother.

What she found was a new venture and a new way to help people honortheir departed loved ones.

“I knew someone who made purses out of placemats. I thought thatsounded like fun,” Kolanko said.

She also knew a lot of people used tote bags and wondered if she couldmake them using placemats.

So Kolanko found some online tutorials, purchased some unusual-lookingplacemats and webbing, and she was set to go to work.

“I enjoyed it so much,” Kolanko said, that she went back for more. “I fellin love with the whole process of shopping for them, mixing and matchingcolors and textures.”

Kolanko said she has always liked sewing and making things with herhands.

“I remember making clothes for my trolls out of felt when I was veryyoung. I always had a needle of some sort in my hand when sitting downand relaxing.”

She even made her daughters’ school clothes with matching clothes fortheir Cabbage Patch dolls. She also did counted cross stitch, embroidery,

Fabric Artist Creates Keepsakes fromBelongings of Loved Ones

Wearable

Memories

please see MEMORIES page 12

York County Edition January 2014 Vol. 15 No. 1

Strength-Training

Tips for Seniors

page 4

The Gone with the

Wind Trail

page 6

Inside:

2 January 2014 50plus SeniorNews t www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com

Best Wishesfor a Happy

2014!from

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y now, most of us are back to ourroutine day to day.

The Christmas tree stands lifelessin the corner of the room where, justdays ago, it was imbued with a certainseasonal magic—a magic especiallyobvious at night when its lights glowedwarmly, and the bright, shiny ornamentsreflected the illumination in a colorfulpalette of red, green, blue, silver, andgold throughout the room.

The electrical plug now droops over abottom branch. Nobody notices; thelights remain cold. The tree has seen itsbest days, done its holiday duty, and willsoon be stripped of its finery.

The township mulch pile is the nextstop for some trees. Others will beenclosed in giant bags and placedcurbside on trash-removal day. There aretiring days ahead for those who mustheave the woody remains onto a truck.

In the meantime, some gifts remain

under the tree. Sweater sleeves appear toslither over the shallow sides of theirboxes to touch the floor, chain-store tagsdangle from bathrobes and slippers, andreturnable items are bagged up andready to go back to the mall at the nextconvenient moment.

The best gifts are already in use.That’s not to say that sweaters, slippers,and bathrobes aren’t great gifts. They are.It’s just that most people do not feelcompelled to model slippers and robeswhen they’re outside the home. It wouldjust be odd. There’s not much aboutthose items that elicit admiration andapproval, anyway.

As for sweaters, I haven’t looked goodin one since I was young and almostslim (maybe not slim, but a lot lessbulgy).

Stockings will be taken down, andnot necessarily with the care in whichthey were hung; I yank, and tacks fly.

They land in places where only bare feetcan find them. The small stuffers of pensets, bottles of fragrance, candy bars,shaving razors, and all sorts of otherknickknackery have been whisked away.

I shook my stocking out several times.I’m convinced it was only hung to addsymmetry to the lineup; I didn’t ask.

Listen, it’s all good. I have little usefor pen sets; the ink is nearly dried up inthe ones I already own. My bottle of OldSpice is almost full. It’s obvious that Idon’t need candy bars. I mostly use anelectric razor, when I remember tocharge it. And I certainly have no use forknickknacks and the dust they collect.

It’s a new year. We embrace hope andthe idea of a do-over for mistakes, poordecisions, and bad habits that havehindered our aspirations andrelationships. We vow to be better. Wewill lose weight, quit smoking, be morepatient with our spouses and children,

unselfishly serve mankind, and makeother resolutions, numerous and diverse.

We will invariably fail to followthrough on some of our loftier aims. Ithappens because we are human. Beinghuman is a good general excuse for whywe often fall short of our grand schemes.

But resilience of spirit is anotheraspect of being human. When we fail,we feel challenged. We back up, take arunning start, and head for the goal,again and again. That’s when goodthings happen, and we become betterhuman beings. Keep at it—you’ll see.

Happy New Year.

Mike Clark writes a regular column for TheGlobe Leader newspaper in New Wilmington,Pa. He has a Bachelor of Science degree inorganizational behavior/applied psychologyfrom Albright College. Mike lives outsideColumbia, Pa., and can be contacted [email protected].

The Way I See It

Mike Clark

It’s Over So Soon

B

www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com 50plus SeniorNews t January 2014 3

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Not an all-inclusive list of advertisers in your area.

Roth’s Farm VillageRoth’s Church Road, Spring Grove(717) 633-7300

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Community Animal HospitalDonald A. Sloat, D.V.M.400 S. Pine St., York(717) 845-5669

Gordon’s Body Shop, Inc.10 Mill St., Stewartstown(717) 993-2263

Sun Motor Cars6677 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg(877) 316-3030

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Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre510 Centerville Road, Lancaster(717) 898-1900

Alzheimer’s Association(717) 651-5020

Alzheimer’s Information Clearinghouse(800) 367-5115

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Minnich’s Pharmacy976 S. George St., York(717) 848-2312

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By John Johnston

Many people ring in the newyear with champagne. Peoplewho receive Social Security or

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) getto ring it in with a COLA.

This year, more than 60 millionAmericans are receiving a 1.5 percentcost of living adjustment (COLA) intheir monthly benefit payment.

The 1.5 percent COLA begins withincreased benefits for more than 57million Social Security beneficiaries inJanuary 2014. Payments to more than 8million SSI recipients began in lateDecember 2013.

The estimated average monthly Social

Securitypayment to aretired worker is$1,294 (in2014), up from$1,275 (in2013). Theaverage monthlySocial Securitydisabilitypayment for anindividual is $1,148 (in 2014), up from$1,131 (in 2013).

The basic monthly federal paymentfor SSI is $721 (in 2014), up from $710(in 2013).

Some other changes that take effect inJanuary of each year are based on the

increase inaverage wages.For example,the maximumamount ofearnings subjectto the SocialSecurity payrolltax (taxablemaximum) willincrease to

$117,000, up from $113,700.Of the estimated 165 million workers

who will pay Social Security taxes in2014, about 10 million will pay highertaxes as a result of the increase in thetaxable maximum.

The amount of earnings needed for

one credit of Social Security coverage hasgone up as well, but all workers can stillearn up to four credits in a year. In 2014,a worker earns a credit after earning$1,200. In 2013, one credit of coveragewas $1,160. It takes 40 credits to be fullyinsured for retirement benefits.

Information about Medicare changesfor 2014 is available atwww.medicare.gov.

Visit www.socialsecurity.gov/pressofficeto learn more about the COLA andother Social Security changes in 2014.

From everyone at Social Security, havea Happy New Year.

John Johnston is a Social Security publicaffairs specialist.

Ring in the New Year with a COLA

Social Security News


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serving the senior community.On-Line Publishers, Inc. will not knowingly accept or publish

advertising which may be fraudulent or misleading in nature. Views expressed in opinion stories, contributions, articles and letters

are not necessarily the views of the publisher. The appearance ofadvertisements for products or services does not constitute anendorsement of the particular product or service. The publisher will notbe responsible for mistakes in advertisements unless notified within fivedays of publication. On-Line Publishers, Inc. reserves the right to reviseor reject any and all advertising. No part of this publication may bereproduced or reprinted without permission of On-Line Publishers, Inc.

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Winner

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Dear Savvy Senior,Can lifting weights help with age-

related health problems? At age 70, Ihave diabetes, arthritis, andosteoporosis and recently read thatstrength training could improve myconditions. What can you tell me? – Looking for Help

Dear Looking,A growing body of research

shows that strength-trainingexercises can have a profoundimpact on a person’s health asthey age—and you’re never tooold to start.

Regular strength training,done at least two nonconsecutivedays a week, helps you buildmuscle strength, increases yourbone density, and improves yourbalance, coordination, andstamina.

It can also help reduce thesigns and symptoms of manychronic conditions like arthritis,diabetes, high blood pressure,back pain, depression, andobesity. And some studies evenshow that it helps improvecognitive function too.

Safety FirstFor the most part, strength-

training exercises—especially if youstart conservatively and progressslowly—are safe for most seniors,even those with serious healthconditions. But, if you have healthconcerns or if you are currentlyinactive, you should talk to yourdoctor about what may beappropriate for you.

A good self-help resource to helpyou find an appropriate, safe exerciseprogram is the “Exercise andScreening for You” tool at EASY(Exercise and Screening for You,www.easyforyou.info).

Getting StartedIf you’ve never done strength-

training exercises before, you maywant to work with a personal trainerfor a few sessions to help you

develop a safe and effective routineyou can continue on your own.

To find one, ask your healthcareprovider or contact a good healthclub or fitness facility in your area.You can also search for one online atreputable sites like the AmericanCouncil on Exercise

(www.acefitness.org) or the IDEAHealth & Fitness Association(www.ideafit.com).

If personal training isn’t anoption, there are lots of great seniorstrength-training videos you canpurchase to guide you through awide variety of exercises that you cando at home. Collage Video(www.collagevideo.com, (800) 819-7111) sells dozens of age- andfitness-appropriate DVDs.

Also see Go4Life(www.go4life.nia.nih.gov), a resourcecreated by the National Institute onAging that offers a free exerciseDVD and guide that providesillustrated examples of exercises youcan do at home to strengthen yourbody. You can order your free copiesonline or by calling (800) 222-2225.

Senior ClassesIf you don’t like exercising alone

or need some motivation, considerjoining a gym or call your localsenior center to see if they offer anystrength-training exercise classes.

You should also check outSilverSneakers (www.silversneakers.

com, (888) 423-4632) orSilver&Fit (www.silverandfit.com, (877) 427-4788). Theseare fitness programs offered inthousands of fitness centers,gyms, and YMCAs throughoutthe U.S. that offer specialclasses designed for olderadults.

These programs are availableonly to seniors that have certainMedicare supplemental policiesor Medicare Advantage plans.

EquipmentIf you work out at home,

you’ll probably need to investin some equipment. Whilesome strength training can bedone using your own bodyweight (like push-ups, sit-ups,and leg squats), hand weights,ankle weights, medicine balls,resistance bands, or rubbertubing are all great tools forstrength training. You can find

all these products at sporting-goodsstores or online.

Cans of soup, water bottles, orplastic milk containers filled withwater or sand could also be used(like small hand weights) forresistance.

Another strength-training toolyou should know about is theResistance Chair. This is an all-in-one home fitness system that helpsseniors maintain and improve theirstrength from a safe, seated positionwith minimal risk of injury.

To learn more, seewww.vqactioncare.com or call (800)585-4920.

Jim Miller is a regular contributor to theNBC Today show and author of TheSavvy Senior Book. www.savvysenior.org

Strength-Training Tips

for Seniors

Savvy Senior

Jim Miller


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VolunteerSpotlight

VolunteerSpotlight

Jody Duncan, Mary and GaryGrant, and Nevin Shultz have beennamed Volunteers of the Month by theYork County Area Agency on Aging fortheir ongoing service and dedication tothe agency and York County’s olderadults.

Jody Duncan enjoys volunteering forYCAAA as a friendly visitor. Inaddition to friendly visiting, Duncanalso volunteers for many otherorganizations and encourages others tovolunteer.

Duncan is blessed with a large familythat helps one another and continues tohelp others in their community.

Mary and Gary Grant volunteer ascoaches in the Matter of Balance

Program. Together they present arealistic approach to fall prevention forolder adults.

Following retirement from careers inhealthcare, the Grants have seen howdevastating a fall can be and howfrequently they can be prevented.

Nevin Shultz has assisted manyMedicare beneficiaries over the past 15years as a volunteer for the agency’sAPPRISE Program. Between him andhis wife, also a YCAAA volunteer, theyhave been volunteering for variousorganizations for more than 60 yearseach.

When not volunteering, Shultzenjoys spending time with his family,which includes three special grandsons.

Do you know a 50+ volunteer who gives selflessly to others? Tell us what makes him or herso special and we will consider them for 50plus Senior News’ Volunteer Spotlight!Submissions should be 200 words or fewer and photos are encouraged. Email preferred [email protected] or mail nominations to 50plus Senior News, Volunteer Spotlight,3912 Abel Drive, Columbia, PA 17512.

Mary and Gary Grant Jody DuncanNevin Shultz

YCAAA RecognizesVolunteers of the Month

Want to Get Smarter?

Watch What You EatWant to increase your brainpower?

Cybernetic implants aren’t the answer(except in science-fiction stories), butsome foods may actually help your brainwork better.

No guarantees, but try some of thesemental boosters:

Walnuts. A Spanish study found thatpeople who eat a small handful ofwalnuts a day saw their memory improveby 19 percent.

Coffee. It helps you wake up, and aBritish study suggests that just 20-30milligrams of caffeine (less than 1 cup)can enhance mental agility.

Spinach. The magnesium in Popeye’sfavorite food may not make you instantlystronger, but it can increase the bloodflow to your brain along with the rest ofyour body—at least according to aJapanese research team.

Mussels. Seafood is considered brainfood, right? Mussels provide high levelsof vitamin B12, which can help insulateyour brain cells as you age.

Asparagus. Eating your vegetables isgood for you. Asparagus is packed withfolate, which can decrease the risk ofdepression.


Traveltizers Travel Appetizers: Stories that Whet the Appetite for Travel

By Andrea Gross

Iallow three days to explore theGone with the Wind Trail in andnear Atlanta, but it takes me only

one to become a Windie. A Windieis a die-hard GWTW fan, a personwho is immersed in the history,legends, and legacy surrounding thePulitzer Prize-winning novel andenormously popular film.

Some dream of Rhett; othersdream of Scarlett’s fancy clothes or17-inch waist. As for me, I dream ofpublishing a novel that wins one ofthe world’s most prestigious awardsand is turned into a film that earnsme millions.

On the surface, GWTW is thewildly romantic tale of ScarlettO’Hara, a headstrong Southern belle(played by Vivian Leigh in the movie)and her love-hate relationship with RhettButler, a dashing, successful opportunist(depicted by Clark Gable).

But on a deeper level, GWTW is the

story of the American South during andimmediately after the Civil War, a timewhen an entire society was challengedand ultimately transformed.

The book, written by first-timenovelist Margaret Mitchell, was releasedto the public in 1936 and became an

overnight sensation. David Selznickproduced the movie, which is thehighest-grossing film in box-officehistory, earning an estimated $3.3 billionin today’s dollars.

To capitalize on the public’s interest,the state of Georgia created a GWTW

Trail that leads people to five sitesthat are in some way connected tothe book, the film, or the author.

Our first trail stop is in ClaytonCounty, where Mitchell’s relativeshad a rural home. As a child,Mitchell visited often and listenedintently as her family elders toldstories about their experiencesduring the Civil War.

Many of these tales weretransformed into scenes in her novel,leading her heirs to dub ClaytonCounty the “Official Home of Gonewith the Wind.” (To Mitchell’sdismay, Selznick upgraded thecomfortable farmhouse of Mitchell’smemory into Tara, a much grandermansion that he thought wouldbetter appeal to movie audiences.)

The Road to Tara Museum has apainting of the old farmhouse, inaddition to authentic Civil War itemsand reproductions of many of thecostumes worn in the film, including thegreen “drapery dress” that Leigh wears in

The Gone with the Wind Trail

Gone with the Wind has earnedmore money than any othermovie in box-office history,

adjusted for inflation.

A Tudor Revival mansion had beensubdivided into small apartments

by the time Mitchell and herhusband moved in. One of the most popular

pieces in The Road to TaraMuseum is a replica of the

“drapery dress,” worn byVivian Leigh.

All at an affordable price to you ... priceless to consumers!

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If your organization or business offers a product or service relevant toseniors, the disabled, caregivers, or their families,

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York County

Calendar of EventsSouth Central Senior Community Center – (717) 235-6060, http://southcentralyorkcountysrctr.webs.comFirst and Third Mondays, 12:30 p.m. – Card-Making

ClassWednesdays, 9 a.m. – Ceramics ClassWednesdays, 11 a.m. – Dancersize

Please contact your local center for scheduled activities.York County Library Programs

York County Department of Parks and Recreation

Pre-registration is required for these programs. To register or find out more about these activities or anyadditional scheduled activities, call (717) 428-1961.

Jan. 17, 7 to 9:30 p.m. – Owl Walk, Nixon ParkJan. 18, 1 to 4 p.m. – Beekeeping Program, Nixon ParkJan. 19, 2:30 to 4 p.m. – Birds of Prey Program, Nixon Park

Programs and Support Groups Free and open to the public

Jan. 7, 7 p.m.Surviving Spouse Socials of York CountyFaith United Church of Christ509 Pacific Ave., York(717) 266-2784

Jan. 16, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.Alzheimer’s Support GroupSenior Commons at Powder Mill1775 Powder Mill Road, York(717) 741-0961

Collinsville Community Library, 2632 Delta Road, Brogue, (717) 927-9014Tuesdays, 6 to 8 p.m. – Purls of Brogue Knitting Club

Glatfelter Memorial Library, 101 Glenview Road, Spring Grove, (717) 225-3220Mondays, 6 to 8 p.m. – Knitting and Spinning Group

Senior Center Activities

Give Us the Scoop!Please send us your press releases

so we can let our readers know about free eventsoccurring in York County!

Email preferred to: [email protected]

(717) 285-1350

Let help you get the word out!

What’s Happening?

one of the movie’s most memorablescenes. But it’s not until I see the displayof foreign-edition books that I begin tomorph from casual tourist to possibleWindie.

GWTW has been translated into morethan 40 languages and sold in more than50 countries, from Albania and Burmato North Korea and Serbia. Why arepeople all over the world so intrigued bya story about a war that took place inAmerica so long ago?

We learn the answer the next daywhen we visit the Margaret MitchellHouse, where the author lived when shebegan her novel. It takes only a fewminutes to see the small apartment butmuch longer to peruse the exhibits in thenearby hallway. There, on a largesignboard, is a quote by MargaretMitchell: “If the novel has a theme, it isthat of survival.”

Why, of course. GWTW addresses abasic concern: If their old world is “gonewith the wind,” how do people create anew one that will work in their newcircumstances? This is a question askedby everyone who has ever suffered ahardship, be whatever the cause. Whenseen in this light, it’s easy to understandthe story’s universal and enduring appeal.

Our next stop is Atlanta’s PublicLibrary, where there are more than 1,500

of Mitchell’s personal items, includingher old Remington typewriter and 1937Pulitzer Prize certificate.

We’re even more fascinated by the

items on display at the Marietta GWTWMuseum, Scarlett on the Square, whichholds a treasure-trove of photos andephemera. I examine the film contracts.

Gable got $160,000 plus a bonus thatenabled him to divorce his wife andmarry Carole Lombard, the love of hisreal life.

On the other hand, his co-star VivianLeigh got a mere $30,000. Yes, Gablewas a mega-star, but still, I can’t help butwonder what Mitchell, who was quitethe feminist for her time, thought ofthat.

Finally, we double back to Atlanta tovisit Oakland Cemetery, where Mitchellis buried next to her husband. Hertombstone is small compared to manyand gives no hint of her fame. It’s simplyinscribed with her married name,Margaret Mitchell Marsh. Someone, aWindie no doubt, has decorated thegrave with pink flowers, reputedlyMitchell’s favorite color.

I want to extend my stay in Georgia,to delve more deeply into the GWTWphenomenon and to learn more aboutthe era in which the novel is set. But wehave a plane to catch, so I console myselfby remembering Scarlett’s words,“Tomorrow is another day.” I’ll be back.

www.gwtwtrail.com

Photos © Irv Green unless otherwise noted;story by Andrea Gross(www.andreagross.com).

Stately Oaks is an 1839 home inClayton County. Although it bears some

resemblance to Tara, the plantationhome depicted in the movie, it is

much more elegant than the homethat Mitchell described in her book.

The apartment where Mitchell lived whenshe began her novel has been reproduced

as accurately as possible in theMargaret Mitchell House.

Windies from all over the world visitMargaret Mitchell’s grave, which is inOakland Cemetery.

If ever an actor was recognized byone career role, it was DonnaDouglas with her portrayal of Elly

May in the highly popular CBS ’60scomedy The Beverly Hillbillies.

In the four decades since the seriesended its nine-season run in 1971, thedrop-dead gorgeous blonde, a native ofPride, La., is still strongly identified withthe show wherever she goes.

Rather than distancing herself fromthe connection to Jed, Granny, Jethro,and the Clampett clam, Douglas hasembraced her sitcom heritage and stillmakes public appearances as a real-lifeSouthern belle.

“Elly was a slice out of my life,” saysDouglas, whose official website(www.donnadouglasofficialwebsite.com)was launched in 2012.

“I was raised a tomboy, with oneolder brother and all male cousins. So Igrew up swinging from vines and

playing softball. I was getting ready forJethro long before we ever met! I stilladore Elly and we have a lot in common,with the same interests and values.”

After Hillbillies ended, Douglas wasoffered many roles but accepted just ahandful that she felt wouldn’tcompromise her standards.

“I’ve got no regrets about anything Iturned down. I sold real estate for awhile, made a couple of record albums,and speak at churches, ladies groups, andschools around the country. My days arefull and I’m very happy!”

This year, she also published anostalgic cookbook, Southern Favoriteswith a Taste of Hollywood, a collection ofrecipes gathered over the years, manyfrom friends including Debbie Reynolds,Buddy Ebsen, Phyllis Diller, and ValerieHarper.

“The cookbook came about as a wayto share my favorite recipes,” saidDouglas, who recalls homecooked mealsprepared in the rich, Southern traditionthat many will also remember from theirchildhood.

“Homemade dishes are almostunheard of today,” she lamented.“They’re all premade in a box or from adrive-thru. That’s today’s way. But therewas something about the way your mommade dishes with a special touch—with abit of this and a pinch of that.”

Although her own mother never usedGranny’s “possum fat,” her childhoodmeals weren’t exactly lean.

“Lard and bacon grease, especially inthe South, were cooking essentials!”

Interspersed between the book’srecipes are delightful personal anecdotesfrom her Hollywood days.

“I thought fans would enjoy a fewremembrances from my life, along withsome photos from my scrapbook.”

In an effort to remind readers of thelong-lost art of good manners, there’salso a quaint section called “HollywoodSocial Graces.” Advice includes neverusing your fork as a toothpick, chewinggum in someone else’s home, oranswering a cell phone while a dinnerguest.

“Etiquette was taught in the South,but I’m afraid it’s a thing of the past now.Social graces are lacking all around us,people are rushing all the time, and noone sits and visits any longer.”

Not a big fan of today’s televisionprogramming, Douglas says she likes towatch the classics in reruns, such asTouched by an Angel as well as theoccasional Hillbillies episode, whichbrings back memories.

“Elly may not have kissed manyfellows during the show’s run, but shesure did kiss a heap of animals.Somewhere around 500 were usedduring the series, provided by Hollywoodanimal trainer Frank Inn.”

Today, she shows little sign of slowingdown.

“I seldom really rest,” admits Douglas,who turned 80 in September. “I travel allover the U.S. and Canada and have avery busy schedule. But I have to turndown a lot of requests. I also garden,spend time with family and friends, andstill get quite a bit of fan mail.

“My days are full and then some, soI’m always playing catch-up. Life hasbeen very good to me and full ofblessings for a little backwoods girl fromLouisiana who never had any thoughts ofa career in showbiz.”

Thomas’ features and columns have appearedin more than 300 magazines and newspapers,and he is the author of Raised by the Stars,published by McFarland. He can be reachedat his blog: http://getnickt.blogspot.com

Elly May Offers Up Some Vittles

Tinseltown Talks

Nick Thomas

The cast of The Beverly HillbilliesDonna Douglas today

Your key to choosing the rightliving and care options for you

or a loved one.

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with a Taste of Hollywood

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The Beauty in Nature

Clyde McMillan-Gamber

Maturing blue spruce andAmerican holly trees havepyramidal forms, drooping

limbs like half-collapsed umbrellas, anddensely packed needles, or leaves, theyear around.

Blue sprucesare native to theRockyMountains, andwild Americanhollies are barelyestablished insoutheasternPennsylvania.But both speciesare commonlyplanted on locallawns, aselsewhere, because of their beauties,including shapes, evergreen leaves, anddecorative cones on the spruces andstrikingly red berries on the hollies.

And both offer year-round shelter, andseasonal food, to the wildlife that addtheir beauties to those of the trees.

Heaps of snow push the limbs ofthose trees down tighter than normal.The snow and foliage together protectsquirrels, hawks, owls, and small birdsnestled under them from cold, winterwinds and the keen vision of predators.Through that leaf and snow insulation,and their own fur or feathers, much bodyheat of those mammals and birds isretained, keeping them warm.

In winter, owls shelter in the sprucesand hollies during the day, while red-tailed hawks, Cooper’s hawks, mourningdoves, dark-eyed juncos, Americancrows, blue jays, and other kinds of birds

snuggle inthem at night.Those treesare goodnursery sitesin early springbecause theirevergreenfoliageconceals eggsand young.

The hawksalso hide inthose trees to

ambush squirrels and birds. Squirrels, mice, and wintering

American goldfinches, pine siskins,chickadees, and other bird species eatseeds in the spruce cones. The smallbirds cling to the cones to pull seedsfrom between the scales.

Flocks of American robins, cedarwaxwings, and other kinds of birdsconsume berries on the hollies duringwinter. And robins also do so in Marchwhen migrating north.

Look closer at blue spruces andAmerican hollies on lawns. You willenjoy the beauties of those trees and theanimals that benefit from them.

Blue Spruces andAmerican Hollies

Happiness May Depend on

Where You Live

Are you happy? The answer maydepend on where you live.

The United Nations’ WorldHappiness Report measures well-beingacross a range of economic,psychological, and statistical factors.

The United States came in at No. 17in the 2013 report. Here are the top 10:

1. Denmark 2. Norway 3. Switzerland

4. Netherlands 5. Sweden 6. Canada 7. Finland 8. Austria 9. Iceland 10. Australia

At the bottom of the list, the five leasthappy nations are Rwanda, Burundi,Central African Republic, Benin, andTogo.

Web: www.lebanon.va.govwww.facebook.com/VALebanonwww.twitter.com/VALebanon

You may already qualify for free,

or reduced-cost, health care services

and other benefits from VA.

Enrolling for VA health care is easy.

Call: 1-717-228-6000

or 1-800-409-8771, ext. 6000

For more information:

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When Walter Jones graduatedfrom high school, hereasoned that, since it was

likely that he would soon be drafted, hebetter enlist in the Army Air Corps. Inthat way, he could follow his long-helddream of becoming a pilot.

So, on Nov. 28, 1942, he enlistedand shipped to Miami for basic training.

After basic, the Air Corps discoveredthat he was color blind, so that was theend of his dream of becoming a pilot.They then put him through a battery oftests and found that he was adept atradio work.

So, he was sent to Scott Field in St.Louis to learn to become a radiooperator. Morse code seemed to come tohim naturally, and he did so well with itthat he was made an instructor, teachingMorse code there for 18 months beforehe was sent to more extensive training

to equip him to be a B-17 radiooperator.

Jones says there was a lot more tothat training than he ever imagined. On

a B-17, the radio operator compartmentwas just behind the bomb bay and justin front of the waist section of theFlying Fortress.

He had far more responsibilities thanjust manning the main radio gear forthe aircraft, however. He also had a .50caliber machine gun mounted in theceiling of his compartment. And heprimarily assisted the navigator.

He had a couple of instruments thatduplicated those of the navigator thatgave heading information. He couldforward radio fixes, known as positionreports, to the navigator. And as long asthe navigator knew where the radiosignal was coming from, based upon theheading of the signal from the radiooperator, the navigator could get a fixon where the aircraft was.

He Flew in 32 B-17 Missions over

Germany and Came Out Without a Scratch

Robert D. Wilcox

Salute to a Veteran

Pvt. Walter N. Jones in 1943 atScott Airfield in St. Louis.

please see SCRATCH page 15


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Pets Are Gaining in the

Weight Department

America isfacing an obesitycrisis, and it’s notjust humans whoare in danger. Evenour pets are gettingheftier.

According tothe National PetObesity Survey,more than 50percent of cats anddogs in the U.S.are overweight orobese, adding upto more than 80million pets.

And pets aren’tthe only membersof the animalkingdom whocould stand to lose a little weight,apparently.

An international research teamtracking animals used for study in

strictly controlledresearch facilitiesfound that male andfemale chimps grewplumper between1985 and 2005,with malesexperiencing anaverage weight gainof 33.2 percent andfemales gaining anaverage of 37.2percent—increasingtheir odds of obesitymore than tenfold.

What are thereasons behind theweight gain?Possibly the use ofsugary foods as areward for good

behavior, as well as lack of exercise dueto the fact that research animals don’thave to search for food as vigorously asthey do in the wild.


omen’s xpoLancaster County

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and pillowcases. “I would sit and watch TV with a

needle in my hand. I liked to do thateven as a child. It was my time to relax.It was very calming,” she said.

Creating tote bags gave her that samefeeling, so she kept making them to giveto family and friends.

Because everyone loved the tote bagsshe made, her husband and daughterthought she could sell them. Theybrainstormed name ideas and came upwith Totelly Unique.

“No two tote bags I make are alike. Inow make three different sizes: a small,purse-type tote; a medium-size tote thatwould carry a laptop; and a large one tocarry more items,” Kolanko said.

She sold her first tote bags to the storewhere she gets her glasses.

“They said, ‘You should bring some inand people will buy them,’” she said.“The first time I walked away with beingpaid for something I made was reallyexciting.”

The 58-year-old Spring Grovewoman, who was a full-time physicaltherapist for VNA for 30 years before hermother needed her care, now takes herTotelly Unique bags to area craft showsand would like to expand the territory

she hasattended.

“I enjoymeeting peopleand makingcontacts. It’s areally enjoyablebusiness.”

Besides using“beautiful andunusual”placemats,Kolanko nowadds handmadeflowers andotherembellishmentsto her tote bags.

“I’d sit atnight with mymom and makeflowers” for thetote bags, shesaid. She’d make a “poofy” flower andput something in it like costume jewelryor a button.

Then on other tote bags she’d just usejewelry, like retro pins, from oldfashioned to contemporary.

Kolanko also has added a side branchto her business, Tie Flowers.

“When I hadbegun makingflowers toembellish the totes,my best friend’sfather passed away,and I wanted tomake somethingfor her as akeepsake for herdad,” Kolankosaid. “He was apastor and hadmany ties, and Ithought I couldprobably makesome lovely flowersout of his ties. So Iasked her for someand made her andher mom someflower brooches.

“That broughtsuch joy to my heart that I began to dothe same for family and friends, and itspread from there.”

The tie flowers are 99.9 percent handsewn with only a tiny bead of hot glue onthe back that can’t be seen, she said. Shealso uses the tag that comes on the backof the tie, adding beauty to the flower.

“I try to make the back as beautiful asthe front,” she said.

Kolanko also makes flowers out offabrics other than ties.

“If a mom or grandma had a specialdress or scarf, or even a tableclotharound which the family had dinner, Icould make flowers from these,” she said.

She has made pocket squares out ofshirts for a man to remember his dad,hairclips using ties for little girls, andtote bags using pockets, buttons, andbelt loops from a man’s jeans as pocketson the bag.

It gives Kolanko the most pleasurewhen customers see a flower for the firsttime and tears come to their eyes, orwhen the tie is from a very specialoccasion. She recently worked on a tieflower pin from a tie that a man wore tohis daughter’s wedding, and her momgave it to her for Christmas.

Also, in the future when she is able totravel, Kolanko would like to teachwomen in other countries to make totebags and flowers to help them earnmoney.

“A lady from Nicaragua likes to wearbright and colorful flowers in her hair,and she said she would like me to teachher to make them,” Kolanko said.

MEMORIES from page 1

Tie pins, also created from an oxford shirt.

Several memorial tie pins made from neckties.


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Have you photographeda smile that just begsto be shared?

Have you photographeda smile that just begsto be shared?

Send us your favorite smile—your children,grandchildren, friends, even your “smiling” pet!—and it could be 50plus Senior News’ next Smile of the Month!

You can submit your photos (with captions) either digitally [email protected] or by mail to:

50plus Senior NewsSmile of the Month3912 Abel Drive, Columbia, PA 17512

Digital photos must be at least 4x6'' with a resolution of 300 dpi. No professional photos, please.Please include a SASE if you would like to have yourphoto returned.

Are You Reading?Join the 2014 One Book, One Community campaign by reading

The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan

93 libraries in Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster,Lebanon, Perry, and York counties and theircommunity partners present the regionalreading campaign:

Visit www.oboc.orgor your library to learn more

© Sophie Egan

GGeett aa ccooppyy aattyyoouurr llooccaall lliibbrraarryyoorr aarreeaa bbooookksseelllleerr

Public Vote Selects Book for

2014 Reading Campaign Representatives from libraries in

Berks, Dauphin, Lebanon, Lancaster,Perry, and York counties recentlyannounced the selection of The WorstHard Time by Timothy Egan as the 2014One Book, One Community selection.

As part of the campaign’s 10th

anniversary, organizers wanted topromote community involvement in theselection of the title, rather than handingover a single title for the 2014 campaign.

A public vote in October selected abook from a narrowed-down list of threetitles. The vote also established a newtimeline for the community readproject, which previously took place inthe fall.

The Worst Hard Time by TimothyEgan is a non-fiction book that tells the

story of the 1930s Dust Bowl primarilythrough the eyes of those who did notflee but stayed and watched thedisintegration of their homes.

Residents of the six-county region areencouraged to read the book duringJanuary in preparation to attend freeprograms and discussions that will beheld at public libraries during February.

The public will also be invited to apost-read celebration that will be heldthe end of February or early March.

Libraries in the six counties will stockcopies of the book that can be borrowedfree of charge in January. Books will alsobe available for purchase at localbooksellers.

More information is available atwww.oboc.org.

Book Review

Unpacking Memories: The Story of aSuitcase, a Country Doctor, & aCommunity is the story of life in

the 1950s in a tiny town in Missouriwhere Deborah Sweaney, her siblings, hermother, and her country-doctorfather lived.

She was inspired to writeUnpacking Memories when sheopened an old, forgottensuitcase stored in her basement.It was filled with newspaperclippings, photographs, cards,and notes packed away in thesummer of 1960.

Frank Sweaney was a doctor inthe rural community of Oregon, Mo. Hiswelcome to town on the day he arrivedwas an office packed with patients. Itremained that way until Doc Sweaney gotsick and died.

He made house calls late into the nightand on weekends, took time to talk withand listen to his patients, and, as hisdaughter writes, believed that healthcarewas far more about care than aboutmedicine. But he worked too hard,ignored his own health, and died a youngman.

Towns like Oregon, Mo., dotted theAmerican landscape in the years followingWorld War II. Unpacking Memoriesportrays life before the interstate highway

system, strip malls, and technologychanged America.

The book returns the reader to a timeand place that is no more, back to thedays of black-and-white television, the

March of Dimes, and doctors whoadministered care in place ofdrugs.

Sweaney writes of acommunity that nurtured itsyouth through scouting, 4-H,and county fairs. It was a worldwhere kids had the freedom torun and play unsupervised—climbing trees, playing cowboys

and dress-up, and creating their owngames.

Unpacking Memories is available fromwww.deborahsweaney.com and other onlinesources and can be purchased atWhistlestop Bookshop at 129 W. High St.in Carlisle.

About the AuthorDeborah Sweaney lives in Cumberland

County. After residing in Washington,D.C. for 30 years, she and her husbandleft the Washington area for Pennsylvaniain 2006. She is a frequent lecturer at theCumberland County Historical Society, aformer adjunct instructor at MessiahCollege, and a consultant for NationalHistory Day.

Unpacking Memories: The Story of aSuitcase, a Country Doctor, & a

CommunityBy Deborah Sweaney


Pick up your monthly refill … of news!

50plus Senior News is availableeach month near the entranceof your local CVS/pharmacy.Pick up a free copy with your

shopping basket!

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Nursing & RehabilitationCenter

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Soda lime glass is basically colorless.Metals and oxides can be added toglass to change its color during the

glassblowing, molding, or machine-production process.

The following additives make thedistinctive colors:

• Red glass: selenium• Ruby/cranberry glass: copper or gold,

depending on the concentration• Amber glass: sulfur, carbon, iron salts• Yellow-green or Vaseline glass: uranium• Yellow glass: cadmium sulfide• Yellow-brown glass: titanium• Dark-green glass: iron oxide and

chromium• Green-blue glass: iron oxide• Turquoise glass: copper oxide• Blue glass: cobalt with potash• Purple or amethyst glass: manganese

• Violet glass: nickel• Black glass: nickel

depending on theconcentration

• White glass: fluorsparor zinc oxide

• Milk glass: tin oxide,arsenic, antimony

Why are wine bottlesgreen? Why are beerbottles brown? Why aremedicine bottles blue?

The answers to thesequestions speak volumes about Americanculture and design. For instance, bottlesfor wine and beer were typically dark incolor, such as green or brown, in order toprotect the wine or beer from the lightthat could change its taste.

Dark-colored wine bottles also hidethe unsightly sediment that accumulates

at the bottom of a winebottle.

Often used for powderjars and bedroom vanitypieces, purple oramethyst glass has a longhistory. Purple oramethyst glass was firstused in ancient Egyptand is a popularcollectible today.

In many 19th-centuryand early 20th-centurygeneral stores and earlypharmacy or apothecary

shops, blue bottles lined the shelves. Bluebottle glass was inexpensive to make,which was of interest to those who weretrying to attract customers to newpotions, tonics, and medicinal products.The cobalt-blue bottles were attractiveand became connected with signs ofgood health.

Ruby glass is associated with itsadditive, gold, making the collecting ofruby glass a high-society status symbol.Ruby glass is often featured in objectssuch as decanter sets, goblets, and vases.

Milk glass was a Venetian invention,the site of a longstanding history ofglassblowing and glassworks. Milk glasswas commonly used for items atweddings, such as bride’s baskets to holdmoney for the newlyweds, since milkglass resembled porcelain.

Color reveals a great deal about thechemistry and history of collecting glass.

Celebrity Ph.D. antiques appraiser, author,and award-winning TV personality, Dr. Lorihosts antiques appraisal events worldwide.Dr. Lori is the star appraiser on Discoverychannel’s Auction Kings. To learn about yourantiques: www.DrLoriV.com,www.Facebook.com/DoctorLori, @DrLori onTwitter, and (888) 431-1010.

Collecting Colored Glass

Art and Antiques by Dr. Lori

Lori Verderame


Celebrate Those Strongly Tied Knots!

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After that training, Jones was assignedto a B-17 crew at Lincoln, Neb., andthey were soon headed for combat,flying over the northern route, throughGoose Bay, Labrador; Reykjavik,Iceland; and Valley, Wales.

In England, he was assigned to the303rd Bomb Group (called the Hell’sAngels) in Molesworth, England, andflew his first mission on Dec. 6, 1944.

On thatand latermissions,he foundthat therewas a lot tokeep theradiooperatorbusy incombat.He wouldmonitorthe groupfrequenciesto find outanychanges tothe flightplan. Ifthe lead plane decided to switch to asecondary target, or if a plane fell out offormation, he would record the messageover the group channel and pass theinformation on to the pilot.

He logged all radio events and asmuch of what he could see going onaround him as possible. He would notewhich planes went down, when andwhere, along with the number of chutesseen to come from the plane. Hechecked with his crew every 15 minuteson intercom to make sure all were OK.If needed, he would have been one ofthe first ones to tend to a woundedcrewmember.

He remembers well that, on one ofhis missions, his ball turret gunnerhadn’t yet entered the ball turret, andJones found him flopped over,apparently asleep. Jones examined himand found that the man’s oxygen tubehad come loose from the main supplyline, and he was getting no oxygen.

He promptly reattached it andbrought him to life. But a few moreminutes at the 28,000 feet that theywere flying, and the man surely wouldhave died.

As all radio operators did, Jones hadflare pistols, so he could signal otheraircraft when formations were forming(when he was in the lead ship) or tosignal that there were wounded onboard when the plane was returning to

base. He also had a clear view of thebomb bay and could check the area fordamage or a hung bomb when theaircraft came off the target.

It was also his responsibility todispense the chaff that was used toscramble enemy anti-aircraft artilleryradar when over the target area. Hewould unbind the chaff bundles andrelease the chaff out a chute that was

built intothe radioroom.

Onmany ofhismissions,his planewas with1,000 ormoreotherplanes,and hisplaneoften ledhis group,anespeciallydangerous

position. He often saw enemy fighterscircling but was never attacked,“probably,” he says, “because we flewsuch tight formation.”

He remembers having lost twoengines more than once, and there wasmany a time his plane was riddled byflak, yet it somehow always got themhome in one piece.

After his last mission, on April 3,1945, Jones came home to the U.S. onthe luxurious French passenger liner, Ilede France, except that it was now packedwith 10,000 men.

He was discharged from the AirCorps as a tech sergeant in May at FortDix, N.J., and then became a linemanfor Bell Telephone.

Did his getting that job haveanything to do with his World War IIknowledge of electronics?

Laughing, he says, “Not a chance.They told me to forget all that stuff.They wanted me to learn the Bell way.”

Well, he did and, after varying levelsof responsibility, retired from Bell in1983.

He now lives comfortably in aretirement home with Marie, his wife of31 years. But he still has vivid memoriesof those missions high over Germany,with enemy flak bursting everywhere.

Colonel Wilcox flew a B-17 bomber inEurope in World War II.

SCRATCH from page 10

T/Sgt Walter Jones (far right, front row)with his combat crew in 1945.

This happens every New Year’s. It’sa combination, I’ve decided, ofGood Intentions and Fond

Hopes. As we who have already lived alifetime already know, these two virtuesare extremely fragile. Some of us havebegun to suspect that they might not bevirtues at all.

Good Intentions pave the road tohell, I’ve been given to understand. FondHopes, however, help us get to sleep,and the fonder of the hopes rapidlymorph from childish fantasies to adultambitions—especially around 4 a.m.

Even with a good night’s rest, we can’toverlook the reality: We just don’t reformvery well. Especially me. For example, Istill have a paperback edition of a bookcalled Budgeting Your Retirement Years. Ibought a used copy two years ago. Notsurprisingly, it arrived postage due.

I never read it, because the next week

our condo fee was raised $50 a monthand the car began making loudcomplaining noises somewhere underthe rear seat,and how doyou budgetfor that?

Thebudgetingbook went tothe locallibrary sale.The librariansaid theyalready had40 copies of it in the sale, and did Iknow about recycling? (She had thatsweetly frozen manner of speaking thatlibrarians learn to turn on for thosepatrons who have a dozen books that arefour weeks overdue—each of them—andwho want to complain—loudly—about

the fines.) Also in the area of New Year’s self-

improvement, our daughter with thedegree in fine artssent us a CDrecently. Itfeatured “GreatArt of the EntireWorld.” I believeshe got it as apremium forpaying hermuseum dues. Sheapparently figuredshe didn’t need

it—the college degree in fine arts beingenough for anybody—but that herparents could use some cultural tuningup.

She showed us where the CD goes toplay on the computer. There aremonthly follow-up recordings coming,she told us, so we could look forward toa full year of cultural enhancement. Shedidn’t notice that neither her mother norI had any difficulty concealing ourenthusiasm.

At first I thought that maybe asampling of the digitized lessons wouldcatch our interest more strongly as theysteeped us in refinement, so I tried toplay the initial CD once again just tosee. I found the little panel in thecomputer, the horizontal gateway thatflew open at our daughter’s touch whenshe demonstrated it.

But neither I nor her mother couldfind the magic spot to be touched. Weeven tried saying “open, sesame” severaltimes, getting louder and louder until wefelt insane doing it. It was far morepractical, we decided, to await a visitfrom one of the grandkids to show us

how to operate the thing. With a littleluck, the child would swear to lifelongsecrecy and be unwilling to rat out hisown grandparents!

I haven’t really given up on self-improvement in the new year. On thelast library visit I returned the overduebooks, so I felt entitled to browse a bit.In the magazine section, I picked up acopy of Art Today. I did this rathersurreptitiously since the magazine coverblazoned a feature titled “ModernNudes.” I found a quiet reading cornerand folded over the front cover while Iinvestigated what was new in art circles.Frankly, I felt a bit like a preteenpunching in s-e-x for a Google search asI hunched down in the chair in thelibrary’s “quiet corner.”

But if I was expecting prurience, whatI got was geometry. Modern nudes,according to Art Today (and who wouldknow better?), consist of triangles,circles, squares, and what I think areparallelograms—if I remember my high-school geometry.

Another version of the undrapedlooked like a waterfall with orange water,or maybe it was Snapple, for all I know.There were six pages of similar portraits.Nothing approached what I expected tofind, which, now upon reflection, waspretty close to what the eighth-graderexpects to find via Google.

I’m afraid this whole self-improvement thing is beyond me. Andheaven knows what we’ll find on theCDs, with 11 of them yet to come.

A collection of Ted Rickard’s family-funessays is titled Anything Worth Knowing ILearned from the Grandkids. It is nowavailable in paperback on Amazon.com.


The Squint-Eyed Senior

Theodore Rickard

Good Intentions

DAUPHIN COUNTY

May 27, 20149 a.m. – 2 p.m.

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June 10, 20149 a.m. – 2 p.m.

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WORD SEARCH

SUDOKU

Solutions for all puzzles can be found on page 18

Your ad could be here on this popular page!Please call (717) 285-1350 for more information.

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1. Negatives2. Double-reed

instrument3. Tense4. Bunsen burner5. Temp. (abbr.)6. Romance language7. Organic compound8. Hawkeye State9. Shoes10. Time zone (abbr.)11. Inundated12. Menu13. Go inside18. So. school inits.

22. Annums (abbr.)24. Crazes26. Fmr. president27. Parent28. Prayer word29. Lease30. So31. Bundles32. Elderly34. Applaud36. Saddle horse37. Flower holder38. Saw41. Pack43. Most kempt

46. Ex-serviceman48. Ogles49. Summate50. Racket51. Confronts52. Time zone (abbr.)55. Solo56. Make over57. Homework58. Cay59. Hawaiian volcano

goddess60. LAX postings62. Turner or Williams64. Lyric poem

Across

Down

CROSSWORD


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My last few columns havereviewed changes to the freeMormon genealogy research

website FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org). The mostrecognized subscription genealogy site isAncestry.com.

As previously noted, Ancestry.commay be considered expensive by manybeginning researchers; however, theservice does offer free 14-day trials. It isavailable for free at many public librariesand at most Mormon FamilySearchCenters (FSCs).

Many features of FamilySearch mayalso be found on Ancestry.com. Theseinclude images of many European civilbirth, marriage, and death records.Ancestry.com, however, has records fromsome European towns that FamilySearchdoes not, while FamilySearch has churchbaptism and marriage records for U.S.cities, which Ancestry doesn’t.

Both sites have extensive images ofU.S. federal census records and access tomanifests of passenger ships that brought

immigrants to the U.S. If a searchedname on FamilySearch yieldsinformation on a ship’s manifest, that sitejust transfers you to Ellis Island’s website(www.ellisisland.org) to see thedocument’s image, while the same searchon Ancestry.com will produce the actualimage; furthermore, it can bedownloaded and printed.

In my experience, Ancestry.com ismore user friendly and more intuitive inits use than FamilySearch. I find thatFamilySearch also tends to steer the userto its Family Tree function, which Ibelieve is the least helpful to newresearchers.

Ancestry.com also has family treeoptions, for which it encourages the useof its site as well as its associatedsoftware, Family Tree Maker. However,it’s not as forward as FamilySearch iswith its Family Tree function.

Generally, it’s a good idea to use bothof these sites in concert. What you don’tfind on one, you may find on the other.Images may be clearer on one than on

the other, or it may be simpler to makecopies. You may find that due toindexing errors on either site, a namesearch on, say, the 1930 U.S. federalcensus on FamilySearch fails to find yourrelative, while a search of the same censuson Ancestry.com gives the results youwanted. Or vice versa!

Ancestry.com, like FamilySearch, hasonline instructional videos. Though theyare not as extensive and are not groupedby nation, subject, etc., they too can bevery helpful. Included are such titles as“Coming to America – Finding YourImmigrant Ancestors,” “Polish Ancestry,”“Irish Ancestry,” “Finding Females inYour Family Tree,” and “ForwardThinking – Tracing the Children of YourAncestors and Their Children.”

This latter video shows that there ismuch more to genealogical research thanjust finding one’s direct ancestors. Thoseancestors had siblings who had children,and their descendants are your relatives.This video explains how to identifythem.

Like FamilySearch, Ancestry.com hasoptions to allow searching by anindividual’s name. But unlikeFamilySearch, when you do so onAncestry.com, many sources can beviewed in their original format, ratherthan in the transcribed version. In someinstances, selecting “View Image” onFamilySearch will simply transfer theuser directly to Ancestry.com, and to seethe record you must log on there, as apaid user, or from a library or FSC thatallows access.

As with many genealogy sites,Ancestry.com is continually tweaking itsfunctions and adding to the already vastarray of information it holds. I’ll go intomore detail about that next time.

Write to Angelo at [email protected] orvisit his website, www.bit.ly/AFCGen. He isthe author of the book The Lady of the Wheel(La Ruotaia), based on his genealogicalresearch of Sicilian foundlings. Seewww.bit.ly/ruotaia or www.amzn.to/racalmutofor more information.

What’s New at Ancestry.com?

The Search for Our Ancestry

Angelo Coniglio

Early Warning for Alzheimer’s: Peanut Butter?

The sense of smell may be animportant clue in a diagnosis ofAlzheimer’s disease.

Researchers at the University ofFlorida ran an experiment designed totest the ability of Alzheimer’s patients todetect odors, based on the fact thatimpaired smell is often one of the first

effects of cognitive decline. The mainingredient in the test: peanut butter.

The scientists capped subjects’nostrils one at a time and observed thedistance at which each participant couldsmell a teaspoon of peanut butter,which was used because its odor doesn’tinclude any secondary effects like

stinging or burning (as other smellsgenerally do).

They found that in patients who hadbeen previously diagnosed withAlzheimer’s, the left nostril’s sense ofsmell was significantly more impairedthan the right.

Control subjects who either didn’t

suffer from cognitive decline, or whohad different kinds of cognitivedisability, didn’t exhibit the samediscrepancy.

The finding could serve as a vitalearly warning of Alzheimer’s, a diseasethat’s difficult to detect in its earlystages.


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“Sages” and “Seekers” met for eight weeks as part of an intergenerational program.

Seniors and Students Pair Up forIntergenerational Program

Windy Hill on the Campus seniorcenter and the Spring Grove AreaSchool District recently collaborated ona unique intergenerational programcalled “Sages and Seekers.”

This is an eight-week programpairing older adults (sages) with highschool students (seekers). They havebeen meeting on a weekly basis forapproximately one hour and sharingtheir stories, experiences, and wisdom.

Through a series of one-on-one

activities, the pairs were able to get toknow one another. The students thencompleted a biographical story on their“sage” and recently made theirpresentation at an evening program.The program was facilitated byvolunteer Sara Smith.

This is the third year that WindyHill and the Spring Grove Area SchoolDistrict have collaborated on thisprogram. For more information, contactTammy Miller at (717) 225-0733.

If you have local news you’d like considered forAround Town, please email [email protected]

The little boy stood by the windowwatching the morning sky.

Something strange was falling from heaven.He knew neither what nor why.

He had never seen anything like it,But it was pretty and oh-so-white.

It fell to the ground and stayed there,Truly a beautiful sight.

“O, Mama, come quickly,” he called her,“and see what’s happening this morn.

The weather’s all mixed up and crazy,’Cause today it’s raining popcorn.”

Written and submitted by Wilma Musser

On Seeing Snow for the First Time

york county 50plus senior news january 2014

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