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August • 2012 • 3

Senior Spectrum NewspaperP.O. Box 7124 • Reno, NV 89510

(775) 348-0717e-mai l : S eniorspectrumnv@aol . com

S eniorspectrumnewspaper. comPublishers: Chris & Connie McMullen

Senior Spectrum is a monthly publication dedicated to inform, serve, and entertain.Publication of advertising contained does not constitute endorsement. Signed columns

are the opinion of the writers, and not necessarily the opinion of the publishers. Copyrighted publication. All rights reserved.

This Issuepage 3 - Editor’s Desk: Senior Fundson the November Election Ballot page 6 - Guest Editorialpage 12 - New Interagency Council on Veterans Affairspage 14 - Caregiver Resource Fairpage 16 - Fan Club for Seniorspage 18 - DHHS Deputy Directorpage 20 - Senior Fest 2012: healthscreenings, entertainment, resourcespage 22 - Social Security

Every Issuepage 19 - Eclectic Observer

Janet Rosspage 23 - Eydie Scher - Excerptspage 25 - Art of Living Well

Through Books!page 26 - Biggest Little City

Harry Spencer

page 27 - Calender/Crossword

page 32 - this ‘n that - Anne Vargas

page 33 - Seniors 4 Travel

Robert Boyd & Carolyn Prusa

Healthpage 10 - Five Lessons to Live By

Dr. Lawrence J. Weiss, Ph.D.

Center for Healthy Aging

page 13 - Caregiving: Dr. Marion

Tips for Summer Heat

page 18 - Ophthalmology:

Dr. Michael Fischer, M.D.

Financial page 7 - Why Your Trust Should

Not be Short & Sweet

Bradley B. Anderson

Wealth Advisors

Editor’s Desk:

Voter Advisory Question on Senior Services

August 2012

Voters will be askedon the November6th General Election

Ballot if Washoe Countyshould increase theGovernment Service Tax(GST) to support seniors,public safety, and publicinfrastructure. The WashoeCounty Commission votedto approve the advisoryquestion July 16, after senior

advocates made a case thatthe Senior ServicesDepartment needed morefunding for the growingpopulation needing publicassistance.

Washoe County current-ly has a 4 percent GST onthe depreciated value ofmotor vehicles. One percentwould increase the GST to amaximum of 5 percent. Anincrease of 1 percent of theGST would produce $9.4million annually.

The GST of 1 percentcan be enacted any time butthe County Commission hasnot raised the tax to the

maximum 5 percent. Ifenacted, the GST willappear on residents vehicleregistration bills from theDMV. The average registra-tion bill will increase $43.

Washoe County SeniorServices serves 5,000 to6,000 people a year, and pro-vides seniors with programsto maximize their independ-ence such as Adult Day

Health Care, the Senior LawProject, Meals on Wheels,Home Delivered Meals, casemanagement, visiting nurse,home care, and Aging andDisability Resource Centersupports. Even though theDepartment collects a 1 centad valorem tax on propertyenacted in 1985, funding hasdeclined in recent years withthe recession. SeniorServices has had severalbudget cuts as has all otherWashoe CountyDepartments.

Washoe County cur-rently serves 650 Home

(Editor’s Desk page 4)

Senior Fest

20

Senior advocate Martha Gould, 81, testifies before the Washoe County Commissionto increase senior service funding. Commissioner John Breternitz listens on.

4 • 2012 • August

August • 2012 • 5

Delivered Meals(HDM) a year.The GTS wouldserve an addition-al 300 home-bound elders,increasing thenumber of mealsto 70,000 for atotal of 180,000HDM annually.

The depart-ment also pro

County Manager Katy Simon listens while theCounty Commission discusses the ballot question.

vides meals to 2,100 at con-gregate meal locations,many seniors who report itis their only meal of the day.The GTS would restore sitemanagers, clerical andsocial work support previ-ously cut.

The GTS would alsoprovide an additional 10low-income seniors servicesin DayBreak, the Adult DayHealth Program. The annu-al costs for DayBreak is$11,000 per client. NevadaMedicaid Nursing Homecosts for the same senior isabout $59,000 per year, anannual savings of $48,000per year.

An increase in the GTS would also increase Seniorlaw services to 400 morepeople, and expand infor-mation and referral to anadditional 5,500 seniors andtheir families. The medica-

tion management programwould expand to serve 350more seniors, grow casemanagement to coordinatecare for 600 seniors, andprovide in-home services toan extra 400 low-incomeelders.

Passage of the GST ballotquestion would not bebinding, but it would givethe County Commissiondirection regarding fundingof critical programs assist-ing the most vulnerableaging in the community.The GST is an opportunityto help many low-income,disadvantaged, chronicallyill and disabled people, pre-dominately women over age65 living in their homes.There is no better time thannow for us to vote yes onthe GST ballot questionbecause it will meet theneed and save money.

6 • 2012 • August

Guest Editorial

The deci-sion of theUnitedStatesSupremeCourt touphold theAffordable

Care Act (ACA) was asweeping win for seniorsacross the Unites States.Nobody, especially Nevada’sseniors, should feel corneredby high-priced health carecosts or inaccessible healthservices. Nevada’s seniorsdeserve the very best servic-es their government canoffer them, and now that theSupreme Court has spoken,

we must focus on imple-menting the full extent ofthe ACA so seniors, and allpeople in Nevada, can enjoythe highest quality of lifepossible.

Too often, people onlyvisit a doctor when they aresick, hurt, or are affected byserious illness. But by offer-ing new preventative servic-es free of charge, like annualwellness visits for seniors,the ACA is making it easierfor people to detect illnessesand health risks early.Nevada seniors on Medicarehave also benefited from

(Reid page 13)

Supreme Court Ruling is aVictory for Nevada Seniors

Sen. Harry Reid

U.S. Senator

Harry Reid

August • 2012 • 7

You’ve just returned

from your estate plan-

ning attorney’s office

with a draft of your new

Trust. As you read through

the document, the first thing

you notice is how long it is.

You’re not rich or famous.

Does it really take pages and

pages of legal jargon to

accomplish your intentions

for your estate? You’ve seen

do-it-yourself Trust kits

online, and they look like

they’re only a few pages

long.

A short and sweet Trust

might be easier to read

through, but it is likely not an

adequate foundation for a

solid estate plan. One purpose

of a Trust is to anticipate

issues that might arise after

your disability or death;

another is to provide instruc-

tions for what should be done

with your assets in different

situations. A few pages of

simple instructions just are

not sufficient to address all –

or even most – of the poten-

tial situations that might

arise.

Empowering Your Trustee

Much of your Trust is

devoted to defining the pow-

ers and duties of your

Trustee, the person in charge

of managing your Trust

assets. Your Trustee may be

faced with any number of sit-

uations to deal with, and a

well-planned Trust will

empower him or her to man-

age the Trust in a way that

best suits the Trust benefici-

aries while complying with

your wishes.

When your Trust does not

specifically empower your

Trustee to take certain actions

on behalf of the beneficiaries,

your Trustee’s hands can be

tied. For example, do you

want your Trustee to be able

to mortgage your home to

pay for your children’s edu-

cation or for medical expens-

es? If your Trust does not

explicitly authorize your

Trustee to do this, the bank

might be concerned that your

Trustee is not permitted to

sign the mortgage documents

Identifying Beneficiaries

Another portion of your

Trust identifies your benefici-

aries. At first blush, it seems

like this should be the short-

est part of the document.

After all, you just need to list

a few names, right?

Not necessarily. Imagine

you want to make Amanda,

Ben, and Charlie your Trust

beneficiaries. If your Trust

document simply names these

(Trust page 8)

Brought to you byBradley B. AndersonAnderson, Dorn, & Rader, Ltd.

The American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneyswww.probatebusters.com • blog.wealth-counselors.com

Why Your Trust Shouldn’t be Short and Sweet

8 • 2012 • August

Trust / page 7

beneficiaries and goes no fur-

ther, a spectrum of potential

problems arises. What if

Amanda dies before you, and

she leaves behind children?

Should her children inherit

her share of the Trust assets,

or should Ben and Charlie

divide the Trust assets even-

ly? If you want Amanda’s

children to inherit her share

of the assets, in what propor-

tion? What if Amanda has

adopted children or step-chil-

dren – should they be treated

the same as her biological

children?

This is just a taste of the

many issues addressed by a

good Trust. A well-drafted

Trust document anticipates as

many potential questions and

problems as possible, and

resolves them according to

your wishes. This simply

can’t be done in a handful of

pages.

An experienced estate

planning attorney will delve

into your financial and per-

sonal situation, help you clar-

ify your hopes, wishes, and

intentions for your loved

ones, and then draft a

detailed Trust designed to

bring your plans to life.

The Law Firm ofAnderson, Dorn & Rader,Ltd, is devoted exclusively toestate planning. We aremembers of the AmericanAcademy of Estate PlanningAttorneys and offer guidanceand advice in every area ofestate planning. We offercomprehensive and person-alized estate planning con-sultations. For more infor-mation or to attend anupcoming seminar, contactus at (775) 823-9455 or atwww.probatebusters.com.

August • 2012 • 9

10 • 2012 • August

Ithought I would sharethese lessons to live bywith you in my column

this month given all the neg-ativity and human atrocitiesthat are occurring around us,such as the Colorado mas-sacre and the political mud-slinging happening. I do notknow where I found themand I apologize for not hav-ing the source, but I thoughtthey were inspiring enoughto pass them on. I hope youenjoy.

First Important Lesson -Cleaning lady. During mysecond month of college, ourprofessor gave us a pop quiz.I was a conscientious student

and had breezed through thequestions until I read Thelast one: "What is the firstname of the woman whocleans the school?" Surelythis was some kind of joke. Ihad seen the Cleaningwoman several times. Shewas tall, dark-haired and inher 50s, but how would Iknow her name? I handed inmy paper, leaving the lastquestion blank. Just beforeclass ended, one studentasked if the last questionwould count toward our quizgrade. "Absolutely", said theprofessor. "In your careers,You will meet many people.All are significant. Theydeserve your attention and

care, even if all you do issmile and say "hello". I'venever forgotten that lesson. Ialso learned her name wasDorothy.

Second Important Lesson -Pickup in the rain. Onenight, at 11:30 p.m., an olderAfrican American womanwas standing on the side ofan Alabama highway tryingto endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had brokendown and she desperatelyneeded a ride. Soaking wet,she decided to flag down thenext car. A young white manstopped to help her, generallyunheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took

her to safety, helped her getassistance and put her into ataxicab. She seemed to be ina big hurry, but wrote downhis address and thanked him.Seven days went by and aknock came on the man'sdoor. To his surprise, a giantconsole color TV was deliv-ered to his home. A specialnote was attached. It read:"Thank you so much forassisting me on the highwaythe other night. The raindrenched not only myclothes, but also my spirits.Then you came along.Because of you, I was able tomake it to my dying hus-band's bedside just before he

(Life to Years page 11)

Adding Life to Years

Five Lessons to Live ByDr. Larry Weiss

Center for Healthy Aging

passed away... God bless youfor helping me and unselfish-ly serving others." Sincerely,Mrs. Nat King Cole.

Third Important Lesson -Always remember those whoserve. In the days when anice cream sundae cost muchless, a 10-year-old boyentered a hotel coffee shopand sat at a table. A waitressput a glass of water in frontof him. "How much is an icecream sundae?" he asked."Fifty cents," replied thewaitress. The little boypulled his hand out of hispocket and studied thecoins in it. "Well, howmuch is a plain dish of icecream?" he inquired. Bynow more people werewaiting for a table and thewaitress was growingimpatient. "Thirty-fivecents," she brusquelyreplied. The little boyagain counted his coins."I'll have the plain icecream," he said. The wait-ress brought the ice cream,put the bill on the tableand walked away. The boyfinished the ice cream,paid the cashier and left.When the waitress cameback, she began to cry asshe wiped down the table.There, placed neatly besidethe empty dish, were twonickels and five pennies.You see, he couldn't havethe sundae, because he hadto have enough left toleave her a tip.

Fourth Important Lesson. -The obstacle in our path.In ancient times, a kinghad a boulder placed on aroadway. Then he hidhimself and watched to seeif anyone would removethe huge rock. Some ofthe king's' wealthiest mer-chants and courtiers cameby and simply walkedaround it. Many loudlyblamed the king for notkeeping the roads clear,

but none did anything aboutgetting the stone out of theway. Then a peasant camealong carrying a load of veg-etables. Upon approachingthe boulder, the peasant laiddown his burden and tried tomove the stone to the side ofthe road. After much push-ing and straining, he finallysucceeded. After the peasantpicked up his load of vegeta-bles, he noticed a purse lyingin the road where the boul-der had been. The pursecontained many gold coinsand a note from the kingindicating that the gold was

for the person who removedthe boulder from the road-way. The peasant learnedwhat many of us neverunderstand! Every obstaclepresents an opportunity toimprove our condition.

Fifth Important Lesson -Giving when it counts...Many years ago, when Iworked as a volunteer at ahospital, I got to know a littlegirl named Liz who was suf-fering from a rare & seriousdisease. Her only chance ofrecovery appeared to be ablood transfusion from her

5-year-old brother, who hadmiraculously survived thesame disease and had devel-oped the antibodies neededto combat the illness. Thedoctor explained the situa-tion to her little brother andasked the little boy if hewould be willing to give hisblood to his sister. I saw himhesitate for only a momentbefore taking a deep breathand saying, "Yes I'll do it if itwill save her." As the trans-fusion progressed, he lay inbed next to his sister andsmiled, as we all did, seeing

(Life to Years page 12)

August • 2012 • 11

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Life to Years / page 10

the color returning to hercheek. Then his face grewpale and his smile faded. Helooked up at the doctor andasked with a trembling voice,"Will I start to die rightaway?" Being young, the lit-tle boy had misunderstoodthe doctor; he thought hewas going to have to give hissister all of his blood inorder to save her.

Most importantly… “Worklike you don't need themoney, love like you've neverbeen hurt, and dance likeyou do when nobody'swatching." What better wayto “add life to years”.

Lawrence J. Weiss, Ph.D.,CEO of the Center forHealthy Aging, welcomesyour comments. Write tolarry@addinglifetoyears.com.

12 • 2012 • August

Life to Years / page 11

Governor Brian Sandovalhas signed Executive Order2012-15, establishing theGovernor’s InteragencyCouncil on Veterans Affairs.

Governor Brian Sandoval’s order creates thecouncil to work to identifyand prioritize the needs ofNevada’s veterans. Thecouncil “shall further worktowards increasing the coor-dination of State govern-ment’s efforts to meet theneeds of veterans with theefforts of Federal and localgovernments, non-profitorganizations and any otherentities working towardsmeeting the needs of veter-ans.”

“The Governor’s

Interagency Council onVeterans Affairs is a crucialaspect of our efforts to opti-mize the delivery of veterans’services in Nevada,” CalebCage, Director of the Officeof Veterans Services said.“Governor Sandoval’s leader-ship on this and other veter-an and military related issueswill greatly improve our abil-ity to coordinate statewideservices for veterans andtheir families, and we appre-ciate his foresight in enactingthis order.”

The council will meet atleast four times beforeDecember 31, 2013, and willdeliver a report to theGovernor on or before thatdate.

Governor’s Executive Order Creates Interagency Council

On Veterans Affairs

With many hot days on the calendar, I worry about my father who is in ill health. I take care of him on the weekends. Do you have any suggestions on how to “beat the heat”? Florence, 59, North Carolina.

Summer is hereand it’s time forsome fun in

the great outdoors. But if you’re a care-giver for an elderly loved one, you mustremember that the heat can be a veryserious issue. I recently played a part ina close call. I’m happy to say everythingturned out just fine, but it was scary.

In the midst of a heat wave a few yearsago, I was called by an elderly woman’srelatives who lived in a different statefrom her. The relatives were in regularcontact with their grandmother, but

they had been unable to reach her. Theyfirst tried to get in touch with thesuperintendent of her building, but hewas on vacation. When they called me,I quickly had them overnight the key toher residence along with a certified per-mission slip that allowed me to enterthe home.

Right away, I went to the apartmentalong with a nursing aide in case wehad an emergency. We entered theapartment and called her name, butthere was no answer. All of the windowswere closed, and the air conditioning

was turned on but not working. Withina minute, we found the grandmothersitting in her rocker in front of the tele-vision. She was dehydrated, hallucinat-ing, and looked like a limp rag. She did-n’t have the energy to react. We quicklycalled 911, collected her medications,and brought them to the hospital withus. Because she was a high-functioningindividual, she was coherent within 24-hours and within a few days, she wasre-hydrated and stabilized. But manyelderly with weaker constitutions couldhave met a much worse fate.

(Hot S ummer Days page 15)

August • 2012 • 13

Reid / page 6 cheaper prescription drugs.

Since the ACA was signed intolaw, more than 20,000 Nevada sen-iors saved more than $12 million onmedication. These seniors wouldhave fallen into the prescriptiondrug “doughnut hole,” a coverage gapforcing seniors to pay for medicationout-of-pocket. Seniors will havetheir worries fully put to rest in 2020when the doughnut hole is com-pletely phased out.

The ACA will continue to paydividends, but my Republican col-leagues in Congress remain commit-ted to rehashing the health caredebate to halt progress we are mak-ing for seniors. Since the SupremeCourt’s ruling, House Republicansvoted again to repeal the law andSenate Republicans are similarlysteadfast in waging a battle againstthe ACA, including its Medicareprovisions. I hope we can put thisfight behind us and work together tomake sure seniors in Nevada aretaken care of.

Ask Dr. MarionDr. Marion Somers. Ph.D.

Caregiving: Tips for Hot Summer Days

Dr. Marion Somers

14 • 2012 • August

Resource Fair HelpsCaregivers, Families

The Third Annual CaregiverResource Fair drew manyparticipants seeking commu-

nity resources. Held at theContinuum in Reno, the CaregiverResource Fair provided opportuni-ties for family, neighbors, paid andinformal caregivers, volunteers, andfaith groups seeking services.

Sponsored by the NevadaCaregivers Coalition, attendeeswere able to network with profes-sional community providers forservice options and respite care.Continuum owner, Diane Ross,Nevada Caregiver CoalitionChairman, said a survey conductedby the Center for Healthy Aging forWashoe County showed employeesthought information and educationwas the most important to them

regarding caregiving of family andfriends. “Caregivers need informa-tion so they can plan ahead, sothey know what to do when thereis a crisis,” Ross said. “The mostimportant thing is talking to yourchildren before you pass away,making your wishes known.”Talking to family will stop fightingamong siblings. Additionallyimportant, caregivers need toknow how to access Social Securityand veterans benefits, and how tocomplete an advance directive.

Participants also attended miniclasses on medication manage-ment, legal and financial concerns,and home safety tips, and receivedresources on adult day care, inhome care, and adaptive equip-ment.

Diane Ross, The Continuum, Reno, and Monie Cyr, Director ofCommunity Outreach, Circle of Life Hospice, at an information tableproviding resources at the Third Annual Caregiver Resource Fair.

August • 2012 • 15

Consider these precautions:

• If your father lives alone,arrange daily contact withhim via phone, internet, or inperson. This allows mostheat-related problems to besolved before potentially irre-versible damage is done. Ioften have my clients checkin with a local coffee shop orother neighborhood store,too.

• Discuss your father’s hydra-tion with his doctor so youknow the appropriateamount of daily water heneeds to consume based onage, weight, height, and bodytype. Discuss the facts withyour father and be sure headheres to the program.

• Make sure all air condition-ing units are serviced by pro-fessional maintenance peo-ple. The filters have to bechanged and clean, and inthe winter, you need to pro-tect the unit if your fatherlives in cold weather.

• If your father is out in theheat, make sure he has sun-tan lotion on all exposed skinincluding behind the ears,under the chin, and on top ofthe feet if open shoes or san-dals are worn.

• Your father could also carryan umbrella and/or wear awide-brimmed sun hat tominimize sun damage or thechance of heat stroke.

• Bring along a sweater orjacket if he is going indoors

to a theater or restaurant sohe won’t be too cold.

As long as you use commonsense and extra precaution,your father will have a betterchance to beat the heat andenjoy his days in the sun.

Dr. Marion Somers, Ph.D. isthe author of "Elder Care

Made Easier" and has over 40years of experience as a geri-atric care manager, caregiver,speaker, and expert in allthings elder care. She offerspractical tools, solutions, andadvice to help caregiverseverywhere through herbook, website, iPhone apps,and more. Visitwww.DrMarion.com.

Hot S ummer Days / p. 13

Taking precautions to avoid the heat during hot summer days is a good idea.

Washoe CountySenior Servicescontinues to

receive donations to help

seniors live comfortably dur-ing the hot summer months.Businesses, organizations,and residents have donated

over 140 fans,and more than$2,000 to theannual KOLOSummer FanDrive forSeniors sinceJuly.

Sparks resi-dent CindyLichty, 36,donated twoelectric fans tohelp seniorsstay cool. Shesaid she wasmotivated bythe generosityof the commu-nity.

Fans will becollectedthrough September to meetthe need during the hottestmonths. “Last year, KOLOFan Clubmembershelpedover 200local sen-iors whodid nothave a wayto beat theheat,"WashoeCountySeniorServicesDirectorGradyTarbuttonsaid.

People wanting to donateare encouraged to drop offnew fans at the WashoeCounty Senior Center, locat-ed at 1155 E. 9th Street, inReno. Only donations ofnew fans in the box will beaccepted. To qualify for a fan,

recipients must be 60 yearsof age or older. Seniors with-out air conditioning and

those that have not previous-ly participated in the pro-gram are a priority.

To join the program, sen-iors can call (775) 328-2575.Drop off or pick up isbetween 9 - 3 p.m., Mondaythrough Friday.

16 • 2012 • August

Fan Club Helps Seniors Survive the Summer Heat

Meet and Greet for the Tonopah Lamb ApartmentsLas Vegas’ Newest, Premier AffordableApartments for Seniors 62 and Better

Thursday, August 23rd From 3 – 6 p.m.Las Vegas Senior Center,

451 East Bonanza Road, Las Vegas, NV 89101Come for refreshments, learn about the new

quality, rent subsidized apartment community opening in October. Experienced staff will

answer questions and help with applicationsCall 800­466­7722 for more information!

Applications can be found online at www.accessiblespace.org

Ellen Desilva, 64, Reno, is given a fan by Nancy KernsCummins, Washoe County Senior Services. Desilva is a caregiv-er to a 97-year-old woman suffering with Alzheimer’s disease.

Ashley Brune, Publicist, Atlantis Resort Spa, gives Connie McMullen, Washoe County Senior Services Advisory Board, Senior SpectrumPublisher, a check of $500 to purchase new fans.

August • 2012 • 17

Just onelook in themirror isusually all it

takes to make people afflict-ed with “pink eye” to go run-ning for their sunglasses.

There is nothing pretty aboutthis inflammation of thetranslucent mucous mem-brane (conjunctiva) that linesthe underside of the eyelidsand covers the white of theeye. “Conjunctivitis” (the

medical term for this inflam-mation) may be the result ofa bacterial infection thatcauses the eyes to lookbloodshot and dischargethick mucus that can makethe eyelids stick together (a

symptom that can be helpedwith warm compresses).

Once bacterial conjunc-tivitis has been properlydiagnosed, it may be treatedwith an antibiotic ointment.Viral conjunctivitis, on theother hand, usually disap-pears on its own. It shouldbe noted that another type ofconjunctivitis, “allergic con-junctivitis,” may disappear onits own when the allergenthat caused it is removed.

If you experience any dif-ficulties with your vision, seeyour eye doctor or call us at775-882-2988. We are locat-ed at 3839 N. Carson Street,Carson City. Hours are 8-5,Monday - Friday by appoint-ment. M/C, Visa, MedicareAssignment accepted.

18 • 2012 • August

call775.858.1900 or

Ophthalmology Pink Eye BluesMichael J. Fischer, M.D.

Eye Physician & Surgeon

New DHHSDeputy Director

Mike Willden, Director ofthe Nevada Department ofHealth and Human Services(DHHS) has appointed JaneGruner, as the new DHHSDeputy Director of Programs.

Gruner is currently theDeputy Administrator for theMental Health andDevelopmental ServicesDivision; a position she hasheld since February 2011. Inher new role, Gruner isresponsible for oversight ofDirector’s Office programs toinclude the GrantsManagement Unit,Governor’s Office forConsumer Health Assistance,Suicide Prevention Office andEarly Childhood Systems. Inaddition, Gruner will contin-ue assisting in the transitionof programs into the Divisionof Aging and DisabilityServices.

Erin Breen had acolumn in theJune 12th Reno

Gazette Journal abouthow “sometimes thingsjust speak to you.” InErin’s case, the objectthat spoke to her was a

August • 2012 • 19

ECLECTIC OBSERVERJanet Ross

large, yellow dahlia plant.The idea that things speak toyou struck home. Back inMarch “Pedro” not onlyspoke to me, he spoke direct-ly to my heart.

More about Pedro later,but first I need to providesome background. Mydaughter, Lisa, and I are catlovers. Her favorite cat,Grumpy, died three years agoat 16. Grumpy, despite hisname, was an outgoing,super-lovey fellow. He greet-ed the mailman every day,roamed the neighborhoodmaking friends, and lovednothing more than lots ofhugs and petting. Grumpyreluctantly shared his livingspace with a pair of strayswe’d adopted. Max had beenabandoned by neighbors whomoved, but as an autistic ani-mal he’d never been social-ized with other cats or peo-ple. We fed Max, gave himshelter, and what little affec-tion he would tolerate. Mauwas a purebred Savannah,also abandoned, who showedup on our patio two sum-mers ago starving and trau-matized. Mau’s behavior isbest described as wiggy; he’stotally frantic at mealtimesand tolerates only the occa-sional affection.

After Grumpy headed tokitty heaven we sorelymissed having a cuddly cat,but seeing as strays hadfound us before, we expectedthe “right” cat would appear

before long. Two years wentby and we were still waiting.The beginning of March Istopped at the NevadaHumane Society to leave adonation of towels. TheNHS was having a black catadoption event and, out ofcuriosity, I decided to walkthe aisle of caged, black cats.I made it only a few feetbefore I spotted Pedro,#163758.

Pedro had been at theNHS since October 2011(after a previous 30 days inAnimal Control). He wasestimated to be about 8-years-old, to weigh about 9 ½pounds. His ID card noted“I’m a pretty cool looking cat,and I have a great personalitytoo! I’m calm and affection-ate; all I need is a quiet homeand somebody to love, andI’ll be a happy cat!” Pedrotruly tugged at my heartstrings, but I worried howhe’d be accepted by our pairof less-than-friendly fellows.With that in mind, I leftNHS without adopting him.

As the week went on Ikept thinking about the catthat captured my heart. Itold Lisa about Pedro, andfive days later we agreed tosee if he was still available foradoption ... also, if Lisa likedhim. Pedro won a piece ofLisa’s heart, too. Then tomake sure he could copewith other cats, we observedhim in a situation with

(Eclectic page 22)

20 • 2012 • August

Health Screenings at Senior FestBig Band Music, Eldorado Entertainment, Networking

The 17th annual SeniorFest 2012 will be heldSeptember 4, 9-2 p.m.

at Reno ‘Old’ Town Mall, onPeckham Lane, in Reno.

Organizers of the specialevent anticipate the day to bejust as busy as previous years,meeting the communitiesneeds for information andreferral, resources, and fun!

Renown Health and SeniorCare Plus (SCP), Senior Festdynamic sponsors, haveteamed up once again to bringhealth screenings to the event.A major undertaking by thehealth care providers, hun-dreds of seniors will bescreened and tested during thedays event. Those who fastfor blood draws can arrive at

the mall parking lothealth tent early tocheck in (between 7:30 -8 a.m.). Screeningsoffered include:Wellness Blood Profile: (10 hours fasting requiredfor accurate assessments)• Basic Metabolic Panel(BMP) includes: Calcium,Chloride, CO2, BUN andCreatinine, (for kidney function), Glucose (for Diabetes),Potassium, Sodium• Lipid Panel: includesCholesterol, HDL,Triglycerides, andCalculated LDL Cholesterol (forheart health)• Glycohemoglobin (HbA1c) forknown diabetics

* Laboratory results are mailed

Renown Health and Senior Care Plus at Senior Fest.

to each participant within 2weeks after the event

Physical Measurements:• Blood Pressure, Pulse Rate,Cardiac Risk display, handouts

• Body Mass Index, Nutritiondisplay, handouts• Bone Density Screening - SCPmembers only (First come firstserve/100 members/4 machines.)

(Senior Fest page 28)

August • 2012 • 21

For many retirees (and near

retirees), there is nothing that they

look forward to as much as a day

on the golf course. The game recently

has been made more pleasurable by the

use of computers and GPS technology.

A hand-held electronic unit acts just like

a personal caddie, providing quick and

accurate yardage information — and

much more. It saves time … as well as

mental and physical effort.

So golfers should be among those

retirees (and near retirees) to recognize

the value of technology in other aspects

of life, such as Social Security’s online

services. By logging on at

www.socialsecurity.gov, you can han-

dle important Social Security busi-

ness as: Applying online for retire-

ment, disability, or Medicare benefits.

One thing that golfers everywhere

hate is slow play — waiting on the

tee box, and then waiting again in the

fairway. While we can’t eliminate

waits on the golf course, going online

to www.socialsecurity.gov can elimi-

nate the time you would spend wait-

ing in lines at an office.

Eclectic / page 19another shelter cat at NHS.

All doubts erased, we headedhome with Pedro who made not asound during the entire trip. Oncein the house he headed immediatelyfor the space under a living roomcouch - typical cat behavior in new

surroundings.It took only a few weeks

for Pedro to settle in. He andMau are the kind of buddieswho often sleep together and,just as often, fight like sib-lings. Max ignores Pedro,but Pedro continues to makefriendly overtures. Pedrodidn’t come to us weighing9+ pounds - those months ina cage gave him what we calla “basketball belly.” (I’d guesshe tips the scales at close to15 pounds and we reallyshould find a way to helphim lose a little weight.)Pedro will never replaceGrumpy in our hearts, he’smade his own place there ...we have our cuddly cat whoadores being on a lap, havinghis silky coat brushed and hisears scratched. I’m so glad Ilistened when Pedro spoke tome.

22 • 2012 • August

Rita Meier

Make Social Security Online Services ‘PAR For The Course’

August • 2012 • 23

Our next foray intoNew York onceagain takes us over

the GW Bridge. We aremeeting our friends at theIntrepid, a WW11 aircraftcarrier and a museum.Parking is a mere $24.This day is special.

The Shuttle Enterpriseis coming up the HudsonRiver for its permanenthome on the Intrepid.Cameras line the entirearea. I get one good shot.It’s a joyful sight.

The news channels giveprecedence to the shuttle’sarrival. We tour the shipand climb the narrowstairways as David hosts

information from his Navydays.

On David’s bucket list,he includes a visit to a realNew York Deli. Ourfriends know just theplace. They don’t mentionit is a mile walk.

Crossing New Yorkstreets is scary. Trafficstops right in the middle ofan intersection. Hold yourbreath as you maneuver infront of vehicles. Yes, thecrosswalk sign flashed butit doesn’t make a differ-ence. Horns blast.Pedestrians crush oneanother. Surprisingly,there are no accidents.

(Bucket List page 24)

Eydie’s Excerpts

Eydie Scher

Start Spreading the News David’s Bucket List...in New York Part 2

The Shuttle Enterprise on its way to the Intrepid.

24 • 2012 • August

Sweatdrips downmy face aswe finallyenter thedeli. Bowlsof sourpickles areplaced infront of us.A salad onthis partic-ular day is

Bucket List / page 23

David’s pastrami sandwich.

40 cents. Yes, you read thatright. The place is celebrat-ing 40 years in business withspecials like that. The size ofDavid’s pastrami sandwich isdaunting.

The car takes us to viewthe new World Trade Centerbuilding. There’s no place toget out. Once you’re on theWest Side Highway or FDRDrive in Manhattan, youkeep going no matter what.

Free time takes us to ourfirst house in RocklandCounty. It has been repaint-ed. The tree we planted 46years ago to hid a rock isnow worthy of RockefellerCenter. It is enormous. Wevisit our neighbors who stilllive there. Gosh, it’s good tohang with old friends.

Also on David’s Bucketlist is dinner at a NJ diner.Again, our friends Irene andHarold know just the place.David has a running jokeabout diners. He says healways asks for Nick or Gusand they are always part ofthe diners. The surprisecomes when he asks ourwaitress if there is a Nick orGus at this diner and shesays they are brothers whoown the diner, and whichone would he like to see.Score one for David! He isright about the food. It isincredible. No downsizingthe meals here in NewJersey!

We’re heading home.

Newark airport is ourembarking point. Anotherpat down and I am againasked if I want a privateroom. This gets old.

The flight takes off ontime and we are served que-sadillas and warm nuts. Butit is the final flight out ofDallas that is the best.Dinner is tortellini in mush-room sauce, a salad, wine,fresh buttered bread and anice cream sundae for dessert.

If you have never traveledfirst class, you have got totry it but be aware that goingback to coach will be disas-trous. We are not planningto fly again any time soon.

What a trip. Everythingwent better than expected!

The landscape is so dif-ferent. Lush green is thecolor of New Jersey. Hugetrees are everywhere. Whata contrast to Nevada. Butyou know something, we arehappy to be home and welove our adopted State.Farewell New York!

David’s Bucket List- Yankee Game at the new

Stadium - Lunch at a New York Deli- Visit the Intrepid- New World Trade Center- Dinner at New Jersey Diner- Visit his old Neighborhood- Visit our first house

All done! I love comments,e-mail to eydies@aol.com.

August • 2012 • 25

We are born (most ofus) with this ability,yet we rarely make

full use of it. If even 10 per-cent of us made better use ofit, our world would be a dif-ferent place. Like breathing,it is taken for granted andmost folks believe that theydo a good job of it (and there-fore rarely put effort intoimproving it).

We’re talking about listen-ing. Do you feel really lis-tened to? Think of the differ-ence it would make if each ofus could emphatically answeryes to that question. In herbook “Practicing the Sacred

Art of Listening,” Kay Lindahlstates “The simple act of lis-tening to each other cantransform all of our relation-ships. Indeed, it can trans-form the world, as we practicebeing the change we wish tosee in the world.”

She presents some inter-esting statistics about people’slistening habits. Marketingstudies indicate that the aver-age attention span for adultsis 22 seconds. When some-one has finished speaking, weremember about half of whatwe heard. Within a few hourswe can recall only about 20percent. The number ofadults who have had anytraining in listening skills is

less than 5 percent.One of her clients, a busi-

ness executive, states “I justrealized that I spend a greatdeal of time preparing myselfto speak, I don’t think I haveever prepared myself to lis-ten.” Just let that one sink in aminute.

Lindahl considers threeways to define listening, andasserts that “each one is moreof a way to think about listen-ing than the “right” answer.”Her first offering is that it is achoice, a decision that is,admittedly, often outside ofour awareness but it is still achoice. Think of a time whenyou’ve supposedly listened tosomeone, but can’t recall a

word they said for the last fiveminutes. Conversely, it does-n’t take long to realize thatsomeone is not listening to us!

Her second definition isthat listening is a gift. Eventhough it doesn’t cost anymoney, the gift of one’s timeand attention in listening –like the commercial says – ispriceless. Feeling that con-nection, knowing the otherperson cares about whatyou’re saying….there are fewfeelings that are better thanthat.

Listening as an art isLindahl’s third definition.Beyond the development of askill or the acquisition of

(Hear Me Now page 30)

The Art of Living Well Through Books

Emily Headley, Executive Director

Sierra Place, Carson City

Janice Jagoda, R.N., Director of Assisted Living

Can You Hear Me Now?

In its search for a new iden-tity the city of Reno woulddo well to emphasize its

Western culture. Many years ago there was a

movement afoot to constructwooden sidewalks and fakefronts for the buildings onVirginia Street. This in effectwould create a modern dayVirginia City for tourists toenjoy.

At that point in time Renowas a wide-shouldered smalltown that apologized to noone. In fact The Biggest LittleCity was a place where therugged individual felt most athome. Many expatriates fromthe East found it a safe haven,particularly if they were a littlemore eccentric than their fel-lowmen.

Show business, politicians,and other celebrities from allwalks of life crowded into thetiny 24-hour town. Miners,cowboys and Indians roamedthe streets at will. Prior to thelegalizing of gaming, divorcewas the main industry andmany guest ranches populatedthe area. Of those HarryDrackert’s Donner Ranch was

the most prestigious. Thegay divorcees appreciatedthe Western way of life thatthey had only previouslyseen in motion pictures.

When gaming came tothe fore, Reno quicklyturned into a 24-hour a dayoperation. As the casinosgrew in popularity big-timeentertainment was added.It was at this time that theidea of making Reno aquasi-Western town, alaScottsdale, Arizona, wasfloated about.Unfortunately the idea

never took hold and Renobecame a mish-mash of sever-al competing architecturalstyles.

A big tourist draw that sur-faced was the creation ofmajor special events. Themost prominent of which wasthe annual Silver Spurs award.Following is a history of theSpurs that I penned for the2011 Reno Rodeo program.

“One of Reno’s most suc-cessful Western styled promo-tions was the annual award ofthe “Silver Spurs” which ranfrom 1950 to 1965. The origi-nal presentation was made bythe Reno Chamber ofCommerce in 1950 to JohnWayne and Director JohnFord.

The idea was to create aWestern “Oscar” to be award-ed to the most popular cowboymovie star in America for thepreceding year. Later, asWestern motion pictures fellout of favor it was awarded tothe most popular TV Westernstars.

Many of the locals whoparticipated in the 16-year runof the “Spurs” have long advo-cated that if a CelluloidCowboy Hall of Fame is everestablished the logical locationwould be somewhere in Reno,Nevada.

The initial award was aneasy choice for the Chambersince Wayne and Ford hadworked together on such epicfilms as “She Wore a YellowRibbon”, “Fort Apache”, “TheSearchers”, “The Man WhoShot Liberty Valance”, “TheHorse Soldiers”, and “RioGrande”. Even today Waynestill reigns as the top iconic

(Biggest Little City p. 29) 26 • 2012 • August

BIGGESTlittleCityHarry Spencer

Reno’s Western Roots

Aug. 7 - Nevada Attorney General tospeak at NV Women’s LobbyLuncheon, 11:30 a.m., Rapscallion’sSeafood House and Bar, (775)827-2481.

Aug. 8 - NV Legal Services,Free Foreclosure Class, call(775) 284-3491. Also Aug. 20and Sept. 17.

Aug. 9 - 16 - Rhythm and SightReading Piano Workshop, 10a.m., TMCC MeadowoodCenter, $69, (775) 829-9010.

Aug. 11 - NV Urban Indians’Summer Health FairCelebration, 11 - 4 p.m., Boysand Girls Club, (775) 788-7600,ext. 119.

Aug. 14 - Knitting Group, 5:30- 7 p.m., South Valleys Library,(775) 851-5190.

Aug. 14 - 30 - E-mail 101, 9a.m., TMCC MeadowoodCenter, $59, (775) 829-9010.

Aug. 15 - Lifescapes,Northwest Reno Library, 1-3 p.m., (775) 787-4100.

Aug. 16 - E-Book Help -Getting Started withOverdrive, 3 - 4 pm.,Northwest Reno Library, (775) 787-4100.

Aug. 17 - Bridge, 1-4 p.m.,South Valleys Library, (775) 851-5190.

Aug. 18 - Knitting Club, 1 -3p.m., Northwest Reno Library,(775) 787-4100.

Aug. 24 - Sept. 14 - Fun withSocial Networking, 12 noon,TMCC Meadowood Center,$39, (775) 829-9010.

September 4 - SENIOR FEST,Reno Town Mall, 9-2 p.m., Renown health screenings,information, entertainment,free parking, Atlantis Resortlot, (775) 348-0717.

Sept. 6 - 7 - Grant WritingUSA, workshop in Las Vegas,Las Vegas Fire Rescue TrainingCenter, 633 North MojaveRoad, Las Vegas, (800) 814-8191.

Sept. 7 - Annual DiabetesConference: Breaking the LinkBetween Diabetes &

Cardiovascular Disease, www.medi-cine.nevada.edu/cehso/cme/index.html

Sept. 8 - Second Annual GreatYerington Yard Sale, Jeanne DiniCenter, downtown Yerington, (775)463-3699.

Sept. 16 - Vegan Cooking Class,Mexican food, Stonehouse atRiverview, 1- 4 p.m., $20, (775) 327-4500.

Sept. 19 - Washoe County ObesityForum, Joe Crowley Student Center.

Sept. 26 - 27 - NHCC/HSC HealthCare Conference, Diabetes Preventionand Control, Atlantis Resort. Visit formore information:http://nhccreno.org/health-care-con-ference/

August • 2012 • 27

August Calendar

Frankie Valliand the FourSeasons.“JerseyNights” willtake SeniorFest audienceson a nostalgictrip. (EldoradoscheduledAug. 7 - Nov.4.)

Senior Fest entertainmentwill also feature theBarbershop Express Quartetwith harmonized performanc-es. Barbershop Express mem-bers are: Tenor- Jay Ciccotti,Lead-Chris Sciarrotta(Melody), Baritone- DonnieMiller, & Bass- Norm Howard.They will delight audiences at9:30 a.m. on the Senior Feststage. Additionally there willbe Big Band Music beginningaround 11 a.m. Catch classictunes that bring back memo-

ries such as “Satin Doll”.Senior Fest is a one-stop

shop for resources and infor-mation. Over 50 vendors willbe available to provideresources and referral, materi-als and services inside themall. So remember to visit!

Senior Fest is free and opento the public. Parking isoffered at the mall and at theAtlantis parking lot. Look forthe bus shuttle! Informationcan be obtained by calling348-0717, ask for Chris.

28 • 2012 • August

Jersey Nights cast singing Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons songs.

Fest / p. 20

People who participate in thehealth screenings are encour-aged to dress comfortably andwear a hat for sunny

September days!The Eldorado Hotel Casino

will be back with itsShowroom entertainment,celebrating the hit songs of

August • 2012 • 29

Biggest Little City / page 26American cowboy.

The awards themselves gainednational and world-wide notoriety whenthe late Judd Allen became CEO of theReno Chamber of Commerce. Allen hadbeen a Press Agent in Hollywood andwas well connected with the MovielandPress. He hit upon the idea of pollingthose writers in Hollywood and thencounting the ballots, ala the “Oscar”, andannouncing the winner. That movealone gave the awards greater credibilityand prestige. Oft times the winner ofthe “Spurs” would serve as the GrandMarshall of the Reno Rodeo parade.

Working with the Chamber’sPromotion committee on numerous“Spurs” awards I can recall one of thehighlights of the presentation days wasto take the recipient to Sundown Town,which was located halfway to CarsonCity up in the hills west of the highway.It was operated by Bob Talmadge, theson of Buster Keaton and NormaTalmadge. Constructed much like thefalse front sets in Hollywood it featureda saloon, quick draw booth, live stage-coach rides, a small lake and severalother buildings and corrals. FormerGovernor Paul Laxalt and Lt. GovernorRex Bell were usually in attendance.

The “Spurs” themselves were a workof functional art. Mounted on a hand-some wooden plaque they could beremoved and actually worn by the recipi-ent. They were handcrafted byNewman’s Silver Shop in Reno.

The list of “Spurs” winners reads likea pantheon of prestigious performers. Itincludes Wayne and Ford (1950),Gregory Peck and Henry King (1951),Jimmy Stewart (1952), Gary Cooper andFred Zinneman (1953), Alan Ladd andGeorge Stevens (1954), Spencer Tracy(1955), Jimmy Stewart again (1956), GlenFord (1957), Glen Ford and JackLemmon (1958), Fred McMurray (1959),Jim Arness (1960), Richard Boone andWard Bond (1961), Dan Blocker (1962),Lorne Greene (1963), Michael Landon(1964), and Glen Ford (1965). WardBond’s award was posthumous and wasaccepted by his widow and John Wayne,his longtime friend. Glen Ford’s awardin 1965 was changed to the “GoldenSpurs” since he was a three-time winner.”

30 • 2012 • August

knowledge – the art of listen-ing implies “that extra some-thing, something special thatelevates the experience or actto an art”. A masterful listenercan be likened to the mastersin other areas of life, and thereis good news in this observa-tion: by making the choice tooffer your gift of listening, youcan elevate your practice to anart form and therefore make areal difference in any relation-ship and, dare we say, theworld. There is unlimitedpotential out there for makinga difference in this area of life.

Should you be dulyinspired to pursue the path oflistening artist, Lindahl’s bookis a valuable resource. Shepoints out that, like anyonewho wants to be good at any-thing, you need to practice.She continues, “We want tocreate the equivalent of mus-cle memory, a state when ourresponse is automatic and weno longer have to think about

it because we have practicedregularly”.

So off you go, engaging inas much or as little ofLindahl’s suggested exercisesand practices as you wish.Listening deeply one minute,allowing your mind to wanderthe next. For as with every-thing, it is indeed your choice.It’s just nice to know aboutanother way of giving, fornothing feels better than tap-ping into an authentic feelingof generosity and connectionto others.

On a related note, it is withheartfelt generosity and thedesire to connect with ourcommunity that the residentsand staff of Sierra place havecreated Carson City’s firstLittle Free Library. Stockedwith our favorite books, thislittle structure is always openfor business. It is part of aninternational movement topromote literacy and buildcommunity – details atwww.freelittlelibrary.org.

Hear Me Now / page 25

August • 2012 • 31

It was twoo’clock inthe

morning bythe time wegot to our

house. Our flight fromLondon to Reno had involvedseveral connections, one ofwhich we missed, and we hadbeen traveling for 32 hours.We were relieved to be homeand very anxious to get to bed.Then we opened the garagedoor.

While we were cruising inEurope, sailing off intoScandinavian sunsets to thenext port of call, our freezersailed off into the appliancesunset leaving behind its con-

tents, all of which had defrost-ed. The mess was dreadfulbeyond description so we didwhat any sensible personwould do, we went to bed.

When we got up a fewhours later, it was still there(no, it wasn't just a bad dream)waiting to be dealt with so thesubsequent days were some-what different from those ofthe preceding week. Insteadof lounging around the shipnibbling, sipping, reading abook and deciding what towear to dinner I was sitting onthe garage floor in filthyclothes, wearing gloves and aface mask, surrounded byClorox and Ammonia bottles.

First we had to bag all that

rotten food (which took moretime and trash bags that I careto count), get it into the trunkof the car and haul it to theWaste Management drop site.Then we started to clean thefreezer and thefloor, a taskinterrupted bynumerous tripsto the store formore supplies.

By day fivewe still hadn’t even unpackedthe suitcases. The clean-but-lifeless freezer was in the mid-dle of the not-yet-quite-clean-enough floor awaiting arrivalof the repairman. Meanwhile,this unanticipated project hadsuddenly headed in a newdirection.

First my spouse announcedthat we would henceforth befreezer-less. If it wererepairable it would be sold; ifnot, it would be hauled away.He said it had been ridiculousto have that much food in thefreezer in the first place and itwas actually a good thing thishad happened. Since thefreezer was his, this was aston-ishing news. A product of hismother’s Italian kitchen wherefood and hospitality were syn-onymous, he enjoys cookingand likes to keep things onhand for entertaining. He isthe one who kept that freezerfull. Had I heard him correct-ly? And that was just thebeginning.

If trophies were awardedfor themessiestgarage wewould bestrong con-tenders, something that hasbeen a bit of an issue in ourotherwise harmonious mar-riage. Shelves and corners

have been stacked with accu-mulated “stuff ”, defined by meas things we should get rid of,defined by my spouse asthings we absolutely mustkeep because we might need itsome day. He hasn’t seenmost of it in years and proba-bly doesn’t even know what alot of it is but I knew betterthan to touch it. Ever. Butnow…

Maybe the ammonia fumeswere affecting him. He startedlooking around and then hemoved something. Then hemoved something else. Thenhe started pulling things offthe shelves, tossing all that“stuff ” onto the floor anduttered the words I’d beenlonging to hear since we’dmoved in here: “let’s get rid ofthis”. I stared at him for amoment and said “who areyou and what have you donewith my husband?”

It didn’t stop there; twodays later the “stuff ” wasarranged neatly into stacksand transported to donationcenters or trash bins. I could-n’t’ believe it. There are emptyshelves in that garage now, andspace. And a clean floor(although it reeks of Clorox)so there really was a silver lin-ing in that hideous homecom-ing cloud.

Oh, and there is also afreezer inthere; clean,cold andempty. Therepairmanquickly foundthe problemand fixed it, assuring us it’s ingreat shape. Will it stay or go?Can my spouse really live afreezer-less life? Only TheShadow knows—and he’s nottelling.

32 • 2012 • August

this ‘n thatannevargas3@gmail.com Behind every cloud…

Avisit to WashingtonD.C. that doesn’tinclude the

Smithsonian Museums wouldbe a mistake. TheSmithsonian Institution hap-pens to be the world's largestmuseum and research com-plex that includes 19 museumsand galleries. Regarding thehistory of our nation’s capital,here are some tidbits we foundinteresting.

We’d recently completedextensive research on ThomasJefferson for a program wepresented at OLLI, so everybit of Jefferson history, the firstpresident inaugurated inWashington, was still heavy onour minds during our holiday.

When President JohnAdams and his family movedto the White House in 1800the interior of the building wasnot quite finished.Construction was completedduring Thomas Jefferson'sterm (1801-1809).

Two exhibits on ournation’s third president were ofparticular interest to us:

It wasn’t until the age of 77that Jefferson began a projecthe titled “The Life and Moralsof Jesus of Nazareth”. But, weare told it was one he’d beencontemplating for at least twodecades. Page by page, verseby verse, Jefferson meticulous-ly read the New Testament,comparing editions in fourlanguages - English, French,Greek and Latin – and clip-ping out verses he thoughtJesus actually may have said.These he pasted onto blankpaper, which he then hadbound into a book.

Shortly before our trip, welearned that in1895 theSmithsonian Institution pur-

chased the Jefferson Biblefrom the President’s great-granddaughter CarolinaRandolph. Earlier this year,the completion of its yearlongrefurbishing and exhibition atthe American HistoryMuseum was announced.Fortunately, we were able tosee the exhibit before it closed.(The exhibit is available onlineat the Smithsonian website.)

The other NationalMuseum of American Historyexhibit we went to is called“Slavery at Jefferson'sMonticello: Paradox ofLiberty”. It was organized inconjunction with the ThomasJefferson Foundation atMonticello.

Thomas Jefferson draftedthe Declaration ofIndependence and called slav-

ery an “abominable crime”. Yet,like most other foundingfathers, he was a lifelong slave-holder. The focus of the exhib-it is on six Monticello slavefamilies and includes evidencesuggesting Jefferson fatheredchildren with his slave, SallyHemings. Slavery at Jefferson'sMonticello: Paradox of Libertyruns through October 14,2012.

August • 2012 • 33

Seniors4Travel

Robert Boyd and Carolyn Prusa

On the Trail of Thomas Jefferson

34 • 2012 • August

August • 2012 • 35