Free Seminar from Curlew Hills Memory Gardens
Wed Mar 29th 6:00pm - 7:00pm
funeral cremation seminar outback-steakhouse
Outback Steakhouse,
Palm Harbor, 31988 US Hwy 19 N, Palm Harbor map 

As a service to our community, we are pleased to offer a free seminar to
those interested in learning more about making final arrangements.
Topics we’ll discuss include:
• At-need vs Pre-need Benefits
• Veterans Benefits – What the Gov’t Does & Does Not Provide You
• Social Security Benefits
• Handling a Death While Traveling
• Why Insurance Should not be Used for Purchasing Burial Needs
• How to Transfer Your Loved One Out-of-state
• How to Transfer Your Out-of-state Burial Property to Florida
• Advanced Funeral Planning – Burial & Cremation Options
RSVP is REQUIRED. Please call Curlew at 789.2000 to reserve your seat.
There will be No Selling at the seminar. Information only.
Complete meal provided FREE to all Seminar Attendants.
We kindly request “first time guests” only.



​
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DEAR PAW'S CORNER: What is the value of training dogs using a clicker? I have tried using a clicker to train my dog Atlas, but he didn't listen very well. When should I click at him -- when he's misbehaving? Or when he's doing something right? And how can he tell? -- John H., Springfield, Massachusetts
DEAR JOHN: Clicker training, or "mark and reward" training, can seem almost magical in terms of how quickly and enthusiastically a dog learns. But that magic only happens when it's being done correctly.
Basically, you press the clicker device when your dog does precisely the thing that you are trying to train him to do. And you follow up immediately (like, within a second) with a reward -- usually a little bit of a treat. So, here's how it is done:
-- Decide on one behavior that you want your dog to learn in your training session. Start with a basic behavior, like "sit," "come here," "lie down" or "give paw."
-- Give Atlas the command. If he doesn't follow the command, don't click. 
-- As soon as he follows the command, click once and give him a little treat.
-- Repeat the process again and again until he follows the command immediately.
By associating the clicker noise with a command and a reward, Atlas will quickly build a positive association with the command. This works for many types of training, from basic obedience to agility to job-specific commands. But you start with just one command at a time.
Also, consider working with a trainer, either one on one or in a group training setting. You'll pick up many training skills quickly. It's worth the investment. Send your tips, comments or questions to 
ask@pawscorner.com.(c) 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.

By Jean Mlincek
(Editor’s note.  This is the first column in a series explaining why the author was almost void of humor this past year.  You will find her restored sense of humor elsewhere in this newspaper.)  
I hit my “Stop -the-world-I-want-to-get-off” moment early in 2021.  Nothing seemed funny to me anymore, so I “retired” from writing humor for Senior Voice. It felt as if my soul had flat lined.
Our world is changing.  People are changing.  Norms are changing, and it isn’t pretty.  It is hard to believe, considering how the masses function today,  that man and woman are God’s highest creation. We alone are created in His likeness, His image.  We often forget that wonderfully astounding fact.
You look at people today and you know something has gone sideways. Too many people are rude, violent, selfish, unkind.  And so ignorant of the fact that they sabotage themselves, so needy that they compromise self-worth, so bent on power and “perfection” that they ruin the original work of God.  I hate what I see.
One thing that troubles me a lot is the rampant abuse of our own bodies.  It’s not just the internet ogres who are body shaming; we do it to ourselves, especially women.  The death of Lisa Marie Presley is a classic and tragic example.  She lost 50 lbs. in 6 weeks so she could “look good” at the Golden Globe Awards.  Dear God, she looked terrible:  frightfully pale.  eyelids half shut, steps precarious.  Was her attempt to “look good” a case of stupid vanity, or was she just another victim of our cultural demand that women must look beautiful 24/7?  Either verdict still is cause for an untimely and unnecessary death
I grew up hating my nose, my thighs, my big ears, my rounded shoulders, my inability to grasp left-brain tasks.  I wasn’t born with this self-hatred.  It came from the outside, one blow after another. Even now, I am still beating myself up because I fall short of “beautiful” per my culture, the  beauty industry, Hollywood, the Kardashians, and everyone else who dictates what beautiful looks like. I hate my body.  No, in reality, I  hate ME--the one graced with the image of God!   My body works hard for me, but I rarely sing praise about it. .  And I easily dismiss my true beauty--the twinkle in my hazel eyes, my soft hands, my creative mind, my nurturing spirit, my deep empathy.  Thanks to my body, I can walk, talk, touch, laugh, hug, pray, share kindness, encourage.
I never realized how brutal, how unforgiving I was of my own body until I read Jen Hatmaker’s wonderful book titled “Fierce, Free and Full of Fire; The Guide to Being Glorious You.”  Women in particular consider their bodies an “it.”  And we are unmerciful towards “it.” Hatmaker says we should address our bodies as “she” or “her”--because our body is us, not something we are forced to drag around.  She is so right.  My body IS glorious; “she” has served me well.  She deserves daily celebration.  I need to cut her a break.
I hate that we have been pummeled into self-loathing.  We need to find joy in being ourselves, in being accepted “as is”, in loving and being loved.  Unfortunately, our world has become too dark, too demanding to allow those rights. 
​
Next: The clowns in Congress.
Jean Mlincek is a free lance writer who resides in St. Petersburg, FL.
jean.mlincek@seniorvoiceamerica.org

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By Jean Mlincek
I call them “crazy ants.”  I am talking about Florida’s newly arrived drivers.
“Crazy ants” is the name of a species of ant that seem frenzied over nothing and which move fast and chaotically and exhibit psychotic behavior.  They dart and dash about in patterns that make no sense.  They have found their match in today’s frenzied, speed happy, pyschotic, erratic Florida driver.   
Driving today is a nightmare thanks to crazy ants (and thanks to our city leaders who have promoted a ridiculous influx of crazy ants from other states). With today’s roads more congested than ever, one would think the call would go out for patient, safe driving. The only call crazy ants hear is “Start your engines”, and God forbid if you are in their way. It’s bad enough that they ride your bumper, but you hear their engine revving so loudly behind you that you are certain your vehicle is about to go airborne, landing somewhere in the state of Wyoming.
I tell my Northern friends that here in St. Pete, I feel like I’m driving in New York City, even though I have never driven in New York City.  I only know  that no one likens drivers here to those in Frankenmuth, Michigan.  So there you have it.
Crazy ant drivers are rude and reckless.  They are notorious for speeding through school zones.  I hate to think that they don’t see the orange cones, the flashing yellow lights, the other cars going 15 mph, but apparently they don’t.  They barrel past the “End School Zone” as if the school crossing guard is there to wave a victory flag as they sail through.  They apparently don’t see the children, either.
They have no respect for pedestrian crossings or bike riders or the elderly who ride with full vulnerability on electric powered  mobility scooters.  Crazy ants see all three as annoying speed bumps forcing them to slow down or stop.  Only they often don’t stop. 

They risk sideswiping other cars just to get one measly car ahead.  Any stretch of highway, no matter how short, is their Indy 500.  They treat parking lots at malls like racetracks, totally ignoring shoppers going to and from their cars. They think anything that moves, whether other drivers, bicyclists, or pedestrians, should relinquish a path for their maniacal driving. I hate venturing out anymore because these assholes ON our roads are more dangerous than the numerous potholes IN our roads.

Too often, a line of 50 or more cars wait impatiently to get on the entrance ramp to our interstates, 
blasting horns, thrusting the middle finger out their window, and engaging in hot-under-the-collar behavior.  For what?  The highways are at a crawl, so why the pressure to “move us along’’?  If they are in such a hurry to “get out of Dodge” every evening, why did they move to “Dodge” in the first place.  We were doing fine without them.

I have never liked round abouts, but even in that small circle, crazy ants rule with their infantile aggression. They won’t let you merge and if you happen to accomplish that feat, they won’t let you exit. I always feel like a hamster on a wheel, going round and round until I somehow escape the “dreadmill’’.  The Kia Soul hamsters make driving look so leisurely, God bless their “Souls.”
Crazy ants are a prime pest in South America, but trust me, we aren’t crazy about crazy ants here in Florida.
​
Jean Mlincek is a freelance writer who resides in St. Petersburg, FL.
​
jean.mlincek@seniorvoiceamerica.org
https://www.seniorvoiceamerica.org/
​https://www.seniorvoiceamerica.org/featured/category/jean-mlincek

​

Tampa Bay ...... Meet that special someone ! 
New ! New ! New ! New !         Dating Site 
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By Harry Fuller <hfuller358@hotmail.com>
FROM 10/06/2022
The Independent Order of Odd Fellows Tarpon Springs Lodge celebrated its 130th anniversary at a celebratory picnic held at the Lodge on Saturday, March 19, 2022. On March 18, 1892, twelve members of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows convened in Tarpon Springs to form Tarpon Springs Lodge No. 34. The Lodge is one of the oldest fraternal and service organizations in the Tampa Bay area and has approximately forty members today. Over one hundred people attended the picnic, including many Brothers and Sisters from other Florida Lodges and even one Brother as far away as New Hampshire. Then Mayor of Tarpon Springs Chris Alahouzos presented to Noble Grand Alan Causey a City of Tarpon Springs Proclamation that recognized March 19, 2022 as Odd Fellows Day. The Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of the State of Florida, Nicholas Farradaz, also presented a Proclamation to the Lodge. A Proclamation from the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners was also received. A portion of the Pinellas County Commission proclamation stated, "The Independent Order of Odd Fellows is an international fraternal order composed of thousands of members operating in approximately 10,000 lodges, located in 29 countries and ...seeks to improve and elevate the character of mankind by promoting the principles of friendship, love, truth, faith, hope, charity and universal justice".
The Lodge continues to be active in the community by contributing funds to Tarpon Springs Elementary School so school supplies may be purchased for needy children and sponsoring a team with Tarpon Springs Little League. Other activities include a bi-monthly cleanup through an adoption of a section of the Pinellas Trail in Tarpon Springs with Keep Pinellas Beautiful, volunteering with Pinellas County .
Emergency Management to distribute emergency radios to local residents, refurbishing the garden at the Boys and Girls Club of Tarpon Springs, providing scholarships to local high school students, working

with other organizations such as The Florida Dream Center to assist local residents, and helped to create the Greater Tarpon Springs Community Council with other local groups to address various issues facing Tarpon Springs
The Independent Order of Odd Fellows is one of the Most Justified and Ancient fraternal orders. While the true origins of the Odd Fellows are lost to the mists of time, historical records indicate that the Order evolved from medieval trade guilds into a fraternal organization during the 1700s in the period of the Enlightenment in England and Scotland. One of the theories why the name Odd Fellows is used comes from the guilds in which workers did not fit in the major trade guilds and were composed from the "odd trades", such as porters or teamsters. After an apprenticeship was completed, a member became a "fellow" in the guild. The name "Odd Fellows" remained when the guilds transformed into a fraternal order. The purely American wing of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.) was formed in 1819 in Baltimore, Maryland.
The Lodge hosts an open house and potluck on the second Thursday of every month at 7:00pm and the public is invited to attend. Odd Fellows member only meetings are on the fourth Thursday of every month at 7:00pm. The Lodge is located at 438 East Lemon Street, Tarpon Springs, FL 34689. For more information about Tarpon Springs Lodge No. 34, visit www.IOOFTarponSpringsLodge34.org or
www.facebook.com/IOOF34. To contact the Lodge directly, email TarponIOOF34@gmail.com. The Sovereign Grand Lodge website is www.odd-fellows.org.

By Harry Fuller <hfuller358@hotmail.com>
https://www.seniorvoiceamerica.org/featured/the-independent-order-of-odd-fellows-tarpon-springs-lodge-no-34-celebrates-130-years-of-service
https://www.seniorvoiceamerica.org/  October 2022
​813-693-5511

Ask a smoking male about his greatest risk due to smoking, and you’re likely to hear things like lung cancer, heart attack and stroke. But it’s rare that anyone would mention an abdominal aortic aneurysm. 
 Known as AAA, abdominal aortic aneurysms are weak spots in the aortic artery, and they can be silent, deadly killers. Consider these statistics:
   *   Over 15,000 people in the U.S. died last year from ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms.
   *   AAAs are the tenth leading cause of death in men over 60.
   *   An estimated 1 million men and women worldwide are living with undiagnosed AAAs.
For a little background, most people know the aorta as the main artery that starts in the heart, but as it travels through the chest it’s called the thoracic aorta, and when it reaches the abdomen, it’s called the abdominal aorta. As a main part of the body’s vascular system, it carries oxygenated blood away from the heart, and then splits into the two iliac arteries that supply the legs with blood. 
                                        What are the symptoms?
According to the Society for Vascular Surgery, many people do not feel symptoms at all. However, the following are warning signs that might prompt a screening for AAA:
   *   A pulsing feeling in your abdomen, similar to a heartbeat.
   *   Severe, sudden pain in your abdomen or lower back. If this is the case, your aneurysm may                    be about to burst. 
   *   On rare occasions, your feet may develop pain, discoloration, or sores on the toes or feet.
 AAA can be life-threatening if the aneurysm bursts, so if you experience any symptoms you 
should consult with a vascular specialist right away. Typically, the aneurysm can be identified through an abdominal ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
                                          What is the treatment?
If an aneurysm is confirmed, there are two pri-mary types of recommended treatment, since no change in lifestyle will make the aneurysm go away.
Endovascular Surgery: Some patients can undergo a catheter/stenting surgery, which is less invasive, involves a shorter hospital stay and a quicker recovery overall. However, not all patients qualify for this type of surgery based on the location and shape of their aneurysm, and this option does involve more follow up, future scans and possible maintenance to ensure the stent inside the artery is still working. 

Open Surgery: As the name implies, open surgery requires an incision in the abdomen. Then, instead of placing a stent inside the artery, the surgery actually removes the damaged part of the artery and replaces it with a graph, which is a plastic tube the same size as a normal artery that allows the blood to flow through. 
While there are some occasions where the aneurysm is small enough to merit a “wait and see” approach, whereby it is monitored every 6-12 months, a neglected or undiagnosed aneurysm can be dead-ly. If the aneurysm bursts, patients may suddenly feel intense weakness, dizziness, or pain, and may eventually lose consciousness. This is a life-threatening situation that requires immediate medical attention. 

Senior Voice America Publications 
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DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 78; I had a hysterectomy in 1976 due to excessive vaginal bleeding, but I still have my ovaries. I have had hot flashes since undergoing menopause — they usually last three to five minutes, and I have them about every two hours around the clock (which obviously interferes with my sleep).
Over the last 28 years, I have tried Premarin (which gave me bad head-aches), gabapentin, venlafaxine, Bellergal, melatonin, black cohosh, clonidine, DHEA, Pro-Gest cream (chamomile, hops and valerian root), progesterone and estrogen (together), avoiding caffeine, and eliminating dairy products. None of these has helped.
I would appreciate it if you could offer any suggestions. — L.E.
ANSWER: I’m sorry to hear of your difficulties. You have certainly tried about all the available therapies.
There are two additional ones you might want to consider: Megesterol is a hormonal therapy that is helpful for some women, but the fact that you haven’t responded to estrogens and progestins is not promising. The other is called a stellate ganglion block. You can ask your physician about it.
                                                                                    ***

DEAR DR. ROACH: After a patient has had megadoses of IV and oral antibiotics, is there any-thing they should do to restore the balance in their body, such as eating probiotics or yogurt? Or is that all nonsense? — N.W.

ANSWER: The idea makes perfect sense: Antibiotics not only kill the bad bacteria that is infecting us, they also kill many of the healthy bacteria that help us with digestion and other functions. (The whole suite of healthy bacteria living in our gut is termed the “microbiome.”) Why not help the gut return to normal by giving it some healthy bacteria, such those found in yogurt with live cultures, or specific probiotics, which are just the healthy bacteria?
The answer is that it has been very hard to prove that there is any benefit in doing so. In people with no symptoms after finishing an antibiotic course, there probably aren’t any benefits.
At least one study showed what researchers called a “very severe disturbance” in the person’s microbiome and actually slowed the return to a per-son’s normal microbiome, which they had prior to antibiotics. Worse still, very rarely, infections have been transmitted through probiotics.
Symptoms after antibiotic therapy, especially diarrhea and fever, could indicate a very severe infection called Clostridioides difficile (“C. diff”), which does not respond to probiotics and usually needs powerful antibiotics to treat. Pro-biotics have not been found to prevent C. diff.
                                                                                  ***
DEAR DR. ROACH: Why are older patients always asked, “Have you ever fallen?” It is annoying, and I wish you would stop asking.  — L.M.B.

ANSWER: Falls in older adults are a major cause of disability. Falls can lead to fractures, and fractures lead to poor movement, sometimes to a progressive decline.
A history of a fall is a major risk for future falls, so any person with a history of indoor falls should undergo a comprehensive evaluation as to why they fell and see what can be done to prevent future falls. This includes, of course, managing any chronic illness, but also correcting vision as much as possible; evaluating the home for risks such as poor lighting and area rugs; and evaluating gait and balance, with a referral a physical therapist for exercises to improve these, and for assistive devices if necessary.
Falls may also be the first indication of a significant medical or neurological condition that may benefit from treatment. I’m sorry you find it annoying, but it’s an important question.
Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer individual questions, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible. Readers may email questions to ToYourGoodHealth@ med.cornell.edu.
© 2023 North America Synd., Inc.
All Rights Reserved

https://www.seniorvoiceamerica.org/
February 2023

Healthcare is changing dramatically for those who seek care and those who deliver it.  The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has brought healthcare coverage to millions of consumers who previously could not afford or did not want health insurance.  Now the health benefit experience will present them and others with a variety of choices and complexities to consider. Those choices will be difficult if they don’t have an understanding of what’s being said or written and they’re making those choices for the first time.
Presently, consumers are overwhelmed by the flood of information and decisions that need to be made. Health Literacy can play a huge role in providing understandable communications between the consumer and their healthcare provider.
The growing pressure on health systems is to reduce, ration and delay health services to contain health costs.  But people are living longer creating more time for minor dysfunctions to develop into disabling chronic diseases. Health literacy or people’s ability to obtain, process, communicate and understand basic health information and services is essential to those actions. Yet, few American are proficient in understanding available health information.
The Health Literate Care Model article cited: Health Education Behavior, December 2013, 40:6635-639.  “The Public Health Journey: The Meaning and the Moment” by Howard Koh, Cindy Brach, Linda Harris, Michael Pearlman, calls for health professionals to approach all patients with the assumption that they are at risk of not understanding their health conditions or how to deal with them.  Health Literacy would then become a value that is used in all aspects of planning and clinical information systems.
Howard Koh, MD, MPH, wrote when he was Assistant Secretary for Health , “As a result, I’ve observed the difficulties many people face as they attempt to use our health care systems. When people receive accurate, easy to use information about a health issue, they are better able to take action to protect and promote their health and wellness.  
Improving health literacy, that is, the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions is critical to achieving the objectives set forth in Healthy People 2020, 2021, and 2022.   
​ 
The National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy envisions a restructuring of the ways we create and disseminate all types of health information in this country.  The Plan also calls us to ensure that all children graduate with health literacy skills that will help them live healthier throughout their lifespan. It seeks to engage organizations, professionals, policymakers, communities, individuals and families in a linked effort to improve health literacy. Its plan is to provide everyone with access to accurate and actionable health information and supports lifelong learning and skills to promote good health.
It has been my experience as a RN Community Health Educator that  Prediabetics and Diabetics who were diagnosed in the past still have basic questions that should have been dealt with for the successful at home self-management of their disease.  It was my good luck and search to find the Florida Literacy Coalition to join those who have wisdom, insight, research, technicians and practices within the world of family and adult health literacy. 
The Florida Literacy Coalition has knowledge of the problem as the health delivery system continues to drastically change, the education of health professionals continues to change, as new medications are discovered and the cost of care continues to soar.  Tomorrow’s health care systems are destined to change. 
Mary Gynn, RN

By Audra Christian 
​
In response to the tragedy of  the Champlain Towers South collapsing that  caused the death of 98 people the Florida Senate and legislators had an emergency session in May of 2022 and passed Senate bill 4-D, we refer to it as SB 4D for short. This senate bill has caused quite the stir in the free state of Florida because it inadvertently created a few unintended consequences. 

I have attached what the stellar management company for On Top of The World has posted on their website, which is definitely the easiest explanation of the bill. 

“Florida’s Senate Bill 4D, which was passed in May 2022, made it mandatory for all Florida condominium and cooperative buildings, three stories or higher, to undergo milestone inspections, structural inspections, and submit specific information to the DBPR.

In addition, regarding the funding of reserves for the continued maintenance and repair of condominium and cooperative buildings, among other things, the bill prohibits waiver of reserves by associations for certain structural components.

Your Association needs your support in making legislators aware of what impact this law would have on residents of On Top of the World Condominium Community here in Clearwater.”
-On Top Of The World HOA management company

This emergency “fix” has many residents and potential buyers worried about possible looming assessments creating an unlivable and unsustainable reality for retirees in Florida. With many retirees on a very fixed income any sort of normal assessment can create a problem let alone a massive assessment to obtain the sort of reserves this bill can allow. Many people think this bill was a knee-jerk protection for insurance companies not homeowners. Some people believe this bill to be a land grab by developers since land is at a premium in Florida. Some people believe that the assessments being required should be covered by insurance companies that the condo owners have been paying insurance payments to for so many years. I guess we will see how this issue resolves. 

This brings up one major question for Florida residents. “Do you know who your legislators, senators, county commissioners and school board members are for your area?” You should. These are the people who are making these decision. Whether their decisions are good or bad you still need to know who they are. They need to know who you are. The new normal since the covid lockdowns is to know these people…because that is what they are, people. Not only am I a very successful real estate professional I am a person who thoroughly enjoys helping homeowners meet and work with their local office holders. They need our direction to make the best decisions they can as they work for us. We must be actively involved not just for our sakes but the next generation of Americans. Set the standard now of being involved. If you would like to have more information feel free to reach out to me.
For Real estate help audra.christian.ef@gmail.com
For getting involved TownHallAmerica@gmail.com

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  By PatZi (with a Z!)
The other day I was interviewing a writer about her book. It’s about gratitude, and I told her a story about that happened to me when I was a child. Since she liked the story I thought I would share it with you. 
Recently for some reason I had a craving for an orange. I don’t actually eat oranges very often and I don’t think I had eaten one for several years. Definitely it was before the pandemic when I would go to Yellow Bank Groves a seasonal store open from October to May. I don’t know if they were open during the pandemic, but then I didn’t get out during those bleak and blurry years.

Anyway, I decided I wanted an orange. You can imagine my surprise when I discovered that my local supermarket wanted $1.69 for one orange. It was outrageous! As much as I wanted an orange, I just couldn’t spend that kind of money. It’s as bad as spending $5.50 for a dozen eggs.
 
At the time here in Clearwater, Florida we were going through a bitter cold spell. There was even sleeting rain and wind that I felt certain my brother was sending down from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula just to tease me. He thinks it’s funny that for a Yooper, I don’t like the cold. He loves it and every year he hopes that they will break the snow record of 342 inches. 

The next day I decided to brave the bad weather. I was determined to have an orange. So I bundled up and realized that I didn’t have a pair of gloves. I don’t think I’ve had a pair in thirty years. With my hands stuffed in my pockets I headed for the vegetable market. 

Surely the price for oranges would be more reasonable, I assured myself as the wind ripped through my thin jacket. Not by much I discovered. Two for $3.00. Saved myself a whole 18 cents. When I got home with my two precious Navel oranges, I sat down at the kitchen table and admired them. They really were beautiful. When I was a kid, we didn’t shop in supermarkets.

Mostly everything came from my grandfather’s farm. In the summer my aunts bottled fruits in Mason jars. So, all winter long we ate apples, peaches, pears, and plum but no oranges. Except in December when my Uncle Waino, who was a wrestler and lived in Port Richey, sent us a wooden crate of them. They would arrive on a train from Chicago and the station master would 
call us to pick them up. 

We were so proud; No one else in our little town got a crate of oranges. And I did love those wooden crates. For years they were my only bookcases. 
As I sat admiring the sheer beauty of a perfect orange, I remembered how my sister, Natalie, and I would sit by the window to peel them in the sunshine. Outside the snow would be up the edge of the window sill, but inside we were snug and warm. We liked to pretend we were in Florida. As we slowly peel the orange, because we had to save the rind for my mother to candy, we would marvel at the mist that would escape when we opened a section. We could see it in the rays of the sun. It was almost like magic as we breathed in the scent that was so exotic to us.

We would talk about a trip we hoped our parents would one day to Florida where we could see Uncle Waino wrestle and alligator. He had sent us a photo one year of him doing it. He was called the Fighting Finn. Or sometimes the Mad Viking. Florida sounded so heavenly. You never had to wear a snowsuit or galoshes and you could pick an orange off a tree whenever you felt like it. 

I am grateful for that memory. I am grateful to my Uncle Waino. He was a big tough guy, a wrestler with a heart of gold. And I am grateful for so much, especially for my sister Natalie and my baby brother, Thom. I am grateful to my mother who would make orange cake in the middle of winter. And for all the neighbors who just happened to drop by because the knew she would have cupcakes that she would give them to take home.

I shared this story with Kristine Newell, the author of a wonderful book called: The Habit of Grateful: A Handbook for Gratitude. She tells the amazing story of her own life and about the lessons she learned along the way about the importance of gratitude. A great read and wonderful book to get you thinking about how you can express your gratitude for the blessings in your life. Her book is available online or go to her website: www.guidetogratitude.com
And I am grateful to all of you. 

​ABOUT: PatZi Gil hosts “Joy on Paper” (radio-joyonpaper.com) a nationally syndicated program for writers and those who dream of writing. The program can be heard in the Bay area

By Olga R. Rodriguez
 
​The population of western monarch butterflies wintering along the California coast has rebounded for a second year in a row after a precipitous drop in 2020, but the population of orange-and-black insects is still well below what it used to be, researchers announced Tuesday.
Volunteers who visited sites in California and Arizona around Thanksgiving tallied more than 330,000 butterflies, the highest number of these insects counted in the last six years. It was a promising rebound after the annual winter count in 2020 recorded fewer than 2,000 butterflies. In 2021, the number recorded was 247,000.
“I think we can all celebrate and this is really exciting,” said Emma Pelton, a conservation biologist at the Xerces Society, a nonprofit environmental organization that focuses on the conservation of invertebrates. “We were all so relieved last year when we had about 250,000 butterflies, and to see that number tick up even modestly this year it's really a good sign that we've got a second chance.”
Pelton said it’s not clear why the population has rebounded but one explanation could be that eastern monarch butterflies, which tend to spend the winter in Mexico, could be mixing with their western counterparts.
“Some of that kind of leakage could be occurring and I don’t think we fully understand the system enough to say what it is," she said. “But I think one thing it’s not is that all is well or that we all made human actions that magically made it all better.”
The population is still far below what it was in the 1980s, when monarchs numbered in the millions.
Scientists say the butterflies are at critically low levels in western states because of destruction to their milkweed habitat along their migratory route as housing expands into their territory and use of pesticides and herbicides increases.
Along with farming, climate change is one of the main drivers of the monarch’s threatened extinction, disrupting an annual 3,000-mile (4,828-kilometer) migration synched to springtime and the blossoming of wildflowers.
Western monarch butterflies head south from the Pacific Northwest to California each winter, returning to the same places and even the same trees, where they cluster to keep warm. The monarchs breed multiple generations along the way for thousands of miles before reaching California where they generally arrive at the beginning of November. Once warmer weather arrives in March, they spread east of California.
On the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains, another monarch population travels from southern Canada and the northeastern United States across thousands of miles to spend the winter in central Mexico. Scientists estimate the monarch population in the eastern U.S. has fallen about 80% since the mid-1990s, but the drop-off in the western U.S. has been even steeper.
The western monarch count is conducted by trained volunteers over several weeks around the Thanksgiving holiday. It dates back to 1997 and has observed a loss of more than 95% of a population that according to earlier studies once numbered in the low millions.
This year the insects' wintering habitat along California's central coast was also battered by heavy rains and volunteers reported more monarchs blown from their clusters and vulnerable to the cold, wet conditions and predation, the Xerces Society said in a statement.
The group normally also conducts a second count after the New Year. This year's results will be announced in February and shed light on how much winter storms impacted the butterflies, said Isis Howard, an endangered species conservation biologist with the Xerces Society.
Howard said the follow-up New Year’s counts usually show a 30% to 50% decline in butterflies from the Thanksgiving count.
“Because the storms were so intense and so back-to-back this year, it seems reasonable to assume that there might be increased mortality this winter, leading to a smaller population that’ll kick off the breeding season this next spring and summer," she said.

By Matilda Charles
Lending a Helping Hand

I've been looking at 2022, hoping to find some value in my time and money in this chaotic world we find ourselves in, a chaos that doesn't show any sign of ending soon. Two new activities have found their way to my to-do list. For several months I've been buying a food donation card each time I shop at a certain grocery store. It's not much, but I believe I can continue to do this. My goal is to make it through the year without missing one time. These cards are given to the local food bank, which can then use that money to buy food at a discounted rate. This has more financial benefit than if I purchased food at the regular store rate and delivered it to them. I know the food banks around here have been scrambling to keep supplies available, especially since they're serving more families than ever before. Maybe my humble donation will help just a little bit.
The other item on my new to-do list is probably the more valuable. I'll be collecting groceries weekly for three very elderly people in the neighborhood. I learned that two of them had been ordering groceries for curbside pickup -- and taking taxis to go get them because they don't drive. The third ordered her groceries for curbside, but has had them delivered.
So, instead of the extra expense of taxi or delivery, I'll pick up their orders myself. I did a test run with one to be certain there was no problem with me using someone else's credit card to pay for the curbside pickup. The bonus is that these three neighbors, who had never met, now know each other and talk frequently. I understand that there has already been a bit of coupon swapping and recipe sharing.

​ by Cathi Chamberlain, November 18, 2022
You’d think after such a victory with Florida’s elections, the Republican Party would be more united than ever. Nothing could be further from the truth. We lost big-time nationwide and if we don’t change the way we do politics, 2024 will be a disaster. Republican Executive Committees (RECs) in Florida comprise top Party leader-ship in every county of our state. They set the tone for politics on a local level. And while our RECs deserve some credit for recent victories, we can mostly thank new arrivals from failed blue states increasing Republican voter registrations, recent passage of stricter election laws, and Governor Ron DeSantis. Is enough being done?
As an author, speaker and investigative journalist who’s traveled throughout Flori-da for years warning of dangers ahead, I’m extremely concerned about the return to “politics-as-usual,” especially putting our election problems of 2020, and now 2022, behind us.It’s why I spent 2021 researching the condition of our voter rolls as Florida State Ambassador for Defend Florida (DF), a grassroots organization for election integrity. I helped create DF and expand the all-volunteer group to 34 counties. Together we were instrumental in getting stricter election laws like SB-90 passed. Unfortunately, weak Republican legislators still managed to water them down. As a 27-year resident of Pinellas, I grew an 80-volunteer team of local can-vassers who produced over 500 affidavits that uncovered significant problems. We determined about 20% of our rolls have serious anomalies. All counties involved statewide produced similar results. So we began an earnest effort to alert our local REC leaders, certain they’d take action. Instead, an intense, coordinated effort was launched against us. We got more pushback from them than we did from Democrats! And, there’s a reason why.
There are two factions dividing the Republican Party today. One consists of 
“The Establishment.” They’ve very successfully hijacked the Grand Old Party (GOP) 
over years to create a watered-down version of the conservative, Constitutionally-based version of its former self. This faction has formed a “Uni-Party” compact with Democrats, fertilizing the conditions that have led to policies antithetical to our core principles, like red flag laws that threaten our 2nd Amendment rights. Just think “Mitch McConnell” and you’ll get the picture.
The other faction includes those who, like me, made up the Tea Party movement that morphed into the MAGA movement waiting for a strong leader to galvanize us. That person came in the name of Donald J. Trump. It was not the man who created the movement. It was the movement waiting for the man to unite it. “The Establishment” hates the movement more than they hate the man. He’s just in the way. MAGA Patriots, often called America Firsters (AFs), are being portrayed by “The Establishment” (which is in control of many local RECs), as “conspiracy nuts” and “radicals” because we’re pushing back. As AFs grow disenchanted with “The Establishment” that colludes too often with Democrats, their first inclination is to leave the Republican Party. But, why should WE leave? It’s been stolen from US.

That’s why I’m running for the Pinellas GOP Chair in the coming election on December 12th.         
To bring all disenfranchised AFs back to our local  REC and return it to its original form.
To the Party  created by Abraham Lincoln himself. Only then can we begin to reverse the damage “The Establishment” has done. Only then can our Party begin saving our country, one county at a time America Firsters are challenging county RECs Florida-wide. We are refusing “politics-as-usu al”anymore. Because we simply do not have that luxury of time left. It’s now up to Republicans everywhere to take a stand on which faction of our Party you want in control to confront the  dangerous times ahead.

​Cathi is the author of the best-selling book, Rules for Deplorables: A Primer for Fighting Radical So-cialism that counters father of community-organizing Saul Alinsky’s 70’s blockbuster bible of the left, Rules for Radicals.His thirteen tactics have been used for decades by the left to transform American values and culture to Communism.
A four-time start-up business owner, including the nation’s first all-female construction company as a Florida Licensed State Building Contractor, Cathi is also a sought-after speaker, activist, State Ambassador to Defend Florida, Leader of the Pinellas Defend Florida team and former Campaign Manager for Jeremy Brown for FLHouse. Cathi is currently running for the position of Chairperson for the Pinellas County GOP/Republican Executive Committee. 
Contact Cathi at: Chamberlain4PCGOPChair@gmail.com

Oakside Cemetery Announces it will Become an Official Location for the 2022 National
Wreaths Across America Day
 
The cemetery will join the more than 3,100 participating locations across the country to Remember, Honor and Teach on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2022


Columbia Falls, MAINE, and Zephyrhills, FL — October 28, 2022 -- National nonprofit Wreaths Across America (WAA) announced today that Oakside Cemetery in Zephyrhills, FL will be joining in the mission to Remember, Honor, Teach, as an official location for 2022. This is the FIRST year that the cemetery will participate in this national program
 
Wreaths Across America started as a simple gesture of thanks that has grown into a national movement of dedicated volunteers and communities coming together to not only remember the nation’s fallen and honor their service, but to teach the next generation about the sacrifices made for us to live freely. This year, there will be more than 3,100 participating locations placing veterans’ wreaths on National Wreaths Across America Day – Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022 – with more than two million volunteers coming together.
 
The goal for Oakside Cemetery is to raise enough funds to place 320 sponsored veterans’ wreaths on the headstones of all the local heroes laid to rest there, to ensure that the individuals who served to protect the freedoms of our country never be forgotten and to bring the community together in patriotic commemoration.
 
“We are forever grateful for the thousands of supporters who dedicate their time and effort to fulfilling our mission all year long,” said Karen Worcester, executive director, Wreaths Across America. “These individuals and their communities know the value of remembering the fallen, honoring those who currently serve and teaching the next generation about the sacrifices made for our freedom every day, and without their continued support, Wreaths Across America would not exist.”
 
Those interested in volunteering for Wreaths Across America or sponsoring a wreath for Oakside Cemetery are invited to visit Www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/FL0498P to learn more (you may sponsor for Oakside cemetery or for Florida National through this link) . National Wreaths Across America Day is a free community event open to all people.
 
# # #
 
About Wreaths Across America
Wreaths Across America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery begun by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester in 1992. The organization’s mission – Remember, Honor, Teach – is carried out in part each year by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies in December at Arlington, as well as at thousands of veterans’ cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states and beyond.
 
All Wreaths Across America Day events are, non-political/religious events, open to all people. For more information, to donate or to sign up to volunteer, please visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/FL0498P
 
 
Press Contacts:
Meagan Sammons                                                                                                                  
zephyrtroop117@hotmail.com  
(813) 838-3822
*This is the local coordinator info for people to contact
                                                                  
Sean Sullivan
ssullivan@wreathsacrossamerica.org
(207) 230-4599
 
 
MEDIA RESOURCES
 
WAA Media Resource Page
https://learn.wreathsacrossamerica.org/mediaresources
 
https://www.seniorvoiceamerica.org/featured
Kevin Leonard 813-693-5511

by William W Urban, Ph.D  
In the “Cold War” of the 1950’s - 1980’s, our enemy was the former Soviet Union. We Americans were united in a common purpose to defeat them.
However, today most Americans are ignorant of who is the “Enemy(s).” They don’t understand that we are simultaneously fighting against several enemies in two wars: 1) the “War to Transformation America”; and 2) the “War to Create of a New World Order” under Marxist control.  These two wars involve “Declarations of War” from six different enemies:
  Yes,  “Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is at War with America”;
Yes,  “The Great Reset is at War with
`America”;
Yes,  “George Soros and his ‘Dark Money’ Patrons are at War with America”;
Yes,  “The Blame America First Crowd is at War with America”;
Yes, “Islamic Supremacists are at War with America”; and
Yes,  “Iran is at War with America”.
The Great Reset is the “Organizational Structure” through which China and the WEF will implement; 1) their transformation of the America; and 2) the Take Over of the World.  China’s surrogates: UN; WHO; IMF; WTO; World Bank; and Settlements Bank.
“Know the Enemy”
In the 5th Century BC, Chinese General Sun Tzu wrote “The Art of War”.  He stated,
“In days of old, the ‘Wise Generals’ insured themselves against defeat and waited for the enemy to defeat themselves.” Likewise, General Sun Tzu has proclaimed;

“It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; If you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; If you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle.”
These two proclamations by General Sun Tzu reveal that: 1) the leaders of our enemies have a  much better understanding of what America is, and how they will proceed in “War” against us, than do our leaders about our enemies; and 2) the leaders in America have the propensity to put their self-interests first, rather than
“America First.”
The leaders of CCP; the leaders of Islamic Supremacy; and the leaders of “The Blame America First” crowd; each has their respective multi-decade strategic plans for world success.  In the case of China and the Islamic Supremacists, their plans are “100-year Plans” compared to the “4-year election cycle” which determines the focus of US officials.
The leaders of our six enemies don’t worry about world-wide public opinion because they have already incorporated these ant-America philosophies into their strategies. America’s leaders focus on their own gains.  They frequently “Re-think,” and even “Undo”, the decisions of their predecessors; Rather than making decisions consistent with America’s long-term goals and the best information.
The World Economic Forum
Recall, in the September issue of SVA newspaper, we stated that the principals of  
“The Great Reset” had their nexus in the early 1970’s with Dr. Karl Schwab, a professor at the University of Geneva, Switzerland.  Schwab, an engineer and an economist by training, published his first book, “Modern Enterprise ” Management in Mechanical Engineering”  in which he presented the concepts and policies of  “public-private partnerships.
In 1971, Schwab created of the European Management Forum (EMF).  He invited approximate 450 political, business, and financial leaders to his first conference.
In 1987, Schwab changed its name to World Economic Forum (WEF), so as … “to broaden its vision and to include a platform for defining opportunities for world-wide governance and for developing international compliance and control.”
At the 2014 annual meeting of the WEF, using Richard Florida’s book The Great Reset, Schwab declared, “What we want to do in
…  
Davos this year . . . is to push the reset button.”
  “Subsequently, the image of a reset button would appear on the WEF’s
website.”
NOTE: Recognition to Michael Rectenwald, Chief Academic Officer, American Scholars: What Is the Great Reset?, published December 2021 and in his talk delivered at Hillsdale College during the Center for Constructive Alternatives; November 7, 2021
 The Great Reset
Recall, in addition to The Great Reset being promoted as a response to COVID, it has also been promoted as a response to “climate change.”  In 2017, the WEF published a paper entitled:  We Need to Reset the Global Operating System to Achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.”  
On June 13, 2019, the WEF signed a
“Memorandum of Understanding” with the United Nations to form a partnership to advance the “UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”
Shortly after that, the WEF published the United Nations-World Economic Forum Strategic Partnership Framework for the 2030 Agenda, promising to help finance the UN’s climate change agenda and committing the WEF to help the UN … “meet the needs of the ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution,’ including providing assets and expertise for digital governance.”

In June 2020, at its 50th annual meeting, the WEF announced the official launch of The Great Reset.  A month later Karl Schwab and Thierry Malleret published their book COVID-19: The Great Reset. The book declared that: 1) COVID-19 represents an
“opportunity [which] can be seized”; 2) That “we should take advantage of this unprecedented opportunity to re-imagine our world”; 3) That “the moment must be seized to take advantage of this unique window of opportunity”; and 4) That “for those fortunate enough to find themselves in industries
‘naturally’ resilient to the pandemic” (ie. Big Tech companies like Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon), “the crisis will not only be more bearable, but even a source of profitable opportunities at a time of distress for the majority.”

October 2022
SeniorVoiceAmerica.org
https://www.seniorvoiceamerica.org/featured

Why do we celebrate grandparents day?
The History of Grandparents Day

Marian McQuade hoped to establish a national day that would honor grandparents, and in 1970 she be-gan a campaign to do so. McQuade raised awareness about senior citizens throughout the 1970s. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter declared the first Sunday after Labor Day to be National Grandparents Day. Each year, the president issues a proclamation to keep the tradition going. Grandparents Day has both an official flower and song. The official flower is the forget-me-not, and the song is Johnny Prill’s “A Song for Grandma and Grandpa.” Both were chosen by the National Grand-parents Day Council.
Grandparents day activities and gifts
Let’s appreciate all the joy and wisdom that grandparents bring to our lives!
Many schools celebrate Grandparents Day with special activities or assemblies. Students often invite their grandparents into the schools for a day, and the children find creative ways to celebrate their grand-parents. Some towns will also hold special events for Grandparents Day.

Most grandparents don’t care what activity they do they just want to spend time with their grand-children. Maybe ask your grandparents to show you one of their favorite hobbies. Many National Parks hold special Grandparents Day events, and it can be fun to spend time with your grandparents exploring nature. If your grandparent would prefer a calm day, ask them to show you their favorite movie. No mat-ter what, the best Grandparents Day activity involves you and your grandparents together, celebrating your family and each other.

SVATampabay.com
SeniorVoiceAmerica.org
​813-693-5511
 

Bright Idea: Lighten Up—Let the Sunshine In
By PatZi (with a Z!)

Florida has been known as “The Sunshine State” since 1970 when the 
legislature in Tallahassee voted to make that simple (yet effective) three-word phrase the official state nickname. 
Sadly, Louisiana State Legislature decreed "You Are My Sunshine" as
its state song. That would have been the perfect choice for Florida,
which in 1935 picked "Old Folks at Home," also known as “Swanee 
River.” 
“You Are my Sunshine” is a popular tune having been translated into at
least 30 languages and recorded by more 350 artists, including Gene 
Autry, Ray Charles, and Johnny Cash.  
The Beatles have their own bright ditty titled “Good Day Sunshine” that
includes the line, “I need to laugh and when the sun is out I’ve got something I can laugh about.”
If it ever drops “ Swanee River,” perhaps Florida can have the last laugh 
on Louisiana by switching to the Fab Four’s lively upbeat jingle.
Speaking of “Good Day Sunshine,” did you know that since 1910
St. Petersburg has been known as “The Sunshine City”? That’s when news-
paperman Lew Brown, editor of The Evening Independent, started a 
promotion in which he offered a free newspaper to “everybody every
day the sun does not shine on St Petersburg.”
That free paper promotion lasted 76 years—until The Evening
Independent closed down in 1986. During that time, the popular
afternoon newspaper made good on its offer 296 times.
One final tidbit: The Tampa Bay area used to have a newspaper called 
“The Clearwater Sun”—talk about a bright idea.
I am now happy to carry on the tradition of newspaper writing – and 
want to thank Kevin Leonard and CVA Tampa Bay for the
opportunity to share my column, AfterWords, with all of you. My goal is to 
amuse you, inspire you, and mostly to encourage you to find the JOY 
of living. 
With AfterWords I will be able to share lessons I have learned during 
the past seven years since Joy on Paper premiered on TanTalk Radio 
Network in Clearwater, Florida. In that time, I have had interviewed 
eleven Mystery Writer of America Grand Masters, over 250 New York 
Times bestselling authors – and even the US Poet Laureate.
They have inspired me – and I hope that AfterWords will inspire you to write your own story.
People always ask me how they can become better writers. My
suggestion is to read poetry. You learn how valuable each word is when 
you read – or better yet – write poetry. I would like to leave you with 
this poem from one of my favorite poets: