palouse seniors winter 2011-12

PalouseSeniors

winter 2011winter 2011

Taking off travelingLearn about today’s biggest trendsPage 2‘Living in sin’It’s a dilemma easily solvedPage 3

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variety of jobs, from switch-board operator to bookkeeper to butcher.

“I can’t remember not work-ing and not enjoying it,” she said.

During the 1960s, her hus-band’s job as a drilling super-intendent for an oil company took them to Iraq, Kuwait, Mozambique, Tunisia, Libya and Singapore.

At most stops, she found jobs as well. When he died of a heart attack in Saudi Arabia in 1973, at age 54, “life as I had known it ended,” she said.

Returning to Texas after 13 years overseas, she found a purpose when her son, Scotty, came up with an idea: buy Native American jewelry and sell it overseas.

That didn’t exactly take off, but from that a business was born. By the mid-1970s, the Bennetts opened Castle Gap Jewelry in Dallas.

Maxine Bennett says she knows many people who retire are “as happy as they can be.” But for her, “When you find something that you enjoy and you don’t have to do it — I guess that it makes it all the more interesting.”

John Adams, 79, who took over his father’s Dallas paint store in 1977, said his work is fulfilling because he’s able to help people.

“Somebody comes in with a problem, you help them with it,” said Adams, who sells paint and frames pictures at Adams Paint Center.

“They’re not just my cus-tomers, they’re my friends,” he said. Adams’ previous jobs included supervisor at a bak-ing company and running a restaurant.

The Rev. John Naus, the 87-year-old chaplain of Marquette University’s Alumni Memorial Union, said he advises stu-dents to find a career that lets them make a difference in people’s lives.

Ordained as a priest in 1955, Naus has a doctorate in philosophy, taught high school, and was a philosophy profes-sor at St. Louis University before going to Marquette in the early 1960s, where he has held posts including director of spiritual welfare and assis-tant to the university presi-dent.

“I would not be alive and I would not be doing what I’m doing without the friends that I have,” said Naus, who used a cane after contracting polio as a young adult and has used a wheelchair since a

By Susan GallagherAssociated Press

POWELL, Idaho — After a day on cross-country skis in the Bitterroot Range along the Idaho-Montana border, the dinner of spaghetti with elk meat was just the thing.

We had driven the 58 miles from Missoula, Mont., to northern Idaho’s Lochsa River corridor for a long week-end of Nordic skiing, the scenery a dazzling composite of mountains, snow-robed cedar trees and the rippling Lochsa, part of the congressionally-designated National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

Jerry Johnson Hot Springs, three thermal pools in the Clearwater National Forest, beckoned with the prospect of a good soak.

We used Lochsa Lodge in Powell, Idaho, as a base for our adventures. From there it was just a couple of miles to a day of Nordic skiing across virgin snow blanketing the forest, and 12 miles to the U.S. Forest Service trails at Lolo Pass, where Idaho and Montana meet and the Lewis and Clark Expedition crossed the Bitterroot peaks in 1805.

The Lochsa River is an easy walk from the lodge dining room, which served the spaghetti one evening, and the next morning enough eggs, bacon and pancakes to carry us through a ski day with just trail snacks for lunch.

The log inn that opened in 2002, to replace a historic lodge destroyed by fire, faces about a dozen cabins and a build-ing with four guest rooms. Cordwood for stove heat occupies the porches. Snowmobilers park their machines by

some of the cabins and at others, Nordic enthusiasts stand skis on end in the white mounds shoveled high among the buildings.

Parking our car in a turnout on U.S. 12, we skied on national forest roads and then branched off to places tucked away. For the more adventur-ous who are properly prepared, there’s the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Area. At Lolo Pass, the Forest Service offers seven miles of trails exclusively for ski-ers and another 27 miles for both skiers and snowmobiles. The trails are not patrolled, and not all are groomed. The visitor center has a helpful staff, sells parking passes and houses interpretive displays.

Reaching the first of the Jerry Johnson pools took us on a one-mile hike through old-growth forest, the trail

easy for walking because visitors pre-ceding us had compacted the snow. The second and third pools are within about half a mile of the first. The easy walk from U.S. 12 after crossing a foot bridge is one reason for the popularity of the natural pools. We managed to miss the crowds, but people expecting to soak in solitude might be disappointed.

The spectacular setting along Warm Springs Creek nourishes a convivial experience, though, and when the pools are busy, conversation tends to flow about as freely as the stream. Clothing is optional.

Also for the thermally inclined, there’s the privately operated Lolo Hot Springs seven miles inside the Montana border. Amenities include a concrete, outdoor pool fed by hot water; an indoor soaking pool; lodging; and a restaurant.

Rejectfrom Page 10

Cross-country skiing, hot spring soak in IdahoMoscow-PullMan Daily news | Weekend, December 24 & 25, 2011 | 11

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Jamie StengleAssociated Press

DALLAS — At 91, Maxine Bennett still works six days a week at her jewelry store: keeping the books, helping cus-tomers and occasionally going on buying trips.

Retirement’s not for her. “At 65 I was just really getting started,” Bennett said.

She is part of a growing number of people who continue working way past the usual retirement age.

The rea-sons are as unique as the individuals themselves. There are those who can’t afford to retire, but there also are those who made mid-life career switches and want to see their new voca-tion through, and others, like Bennett, who simply enjoy going into work each day.

“Mother lives because she works. If she went home, didn’t do anything, there’s not enough crosswords for her to keep busy all day long,” said her daughter, Beverly Bennett. “Basically, this may be work-ing, but this is really Mother’s living.”

The idea of a set retire-ment age at 65 is changing as companies drop pensions, and people are living longer and staying healthier, said Jean Setzfand, AARP’s vice presi-dent of financial security. “Our belief here is we want people to work as long as they desire to do so,” Setzfand said.

U.S. Department of Labor statistics show that the num-ber of people 75 and older who work full or part-time has risen from about 487,000, or 4.2 per-cent, in 1990, to 1.2 million, or 6.9 percent, last year.

Beverly Bennett, herself 70, also has no plans to retire from the family store, where she, too, works six days a week.

“When you’re at work and you have your head down and you’re working very, very hard, you don’t know you’re 70 years old,” Beverly Bennett said. “If you don’t have great outside interests, if you’re not busy with other people, you need to be busy at work.”

What’s important is staying involved, whether that means working or something else, said Jay Magaziner, a gerontologist who chairs the department of epidemiology and public

health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

“For some people, stay-ing engaged and doing m e a n i n g -ful activi-ties can be accomplished through lei-sure and ret irement

activities,” Magaziner said.For those who want to

work, being self-employed or having knowledge valued by an employer can help ensure that happens, said Sara Rix, senior strategic policy adviser in the AARP’s Public Policy Institute.

Like the Bennetts, 82-year-old Darrell Reneker can’t imagine life without work-ing. The distinguished profes-sor of polymer science at The University of Akron still works full time teaching and conduct-ing research.

“I get paid, but my life-style isn’t so dependent on that. What else would I do that’s more interesting? And the answer is I can’t think of anything,” said Reneker, who starts every day with an early morning run.

Raised in the small West Texas town of Rankin, Maxine Bennett left business college after getting hired as a book-keeper. While her two chil-dren grew up, she worked a

Associated PressMaxine Bennett, 91, smiles at a counter at her jewelry store in Dallas.

“What else would I do

that’s more interesting? And the answer is I can’t

think of anything.”Darrell Reneker

Professor, University of Akron

See rEJECT, Page 11

10 | Weekend, December 24 & 25, 2011 | Moscow-PullMan Daily news

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returning to Europe to visit the places where he was sta-tioned during World War II, but was never able to get there.

“I never had enough money to make a trip like that,” said Young, a retired auto body repairman. “I just didn’t imag-ine I would ever be able to do anything like that.”

Then he met Diane Hight, founder and president of Forever Young Senior Wish Organization, in Collierville, Tenn. Hight routinely takes veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit the World War II Memorial. She also organizes trips to European battlefields.

“You and I are free today because of these men,” she said. “I really want to do something for them.”

Young, who first arrived in Normandy, France, after D-Day, said going back in October was exciting and emotional. “It brought back a lot of memories — some pleasant and some other types,” he said.

He met with officials and residents in small towns in France, Luxembourg and Belgium. “To try and describe my emotions — it is really beyond me to say how much it means to me,” he said. “It was just a trip of a lifetime.”

The trips often give veter-ans a sense of closure, Hight said. “These are trips of heal-ing for people,” she said.

Although Hight focuses on veterans, she also grants other types of wishes, and is often surprised by what people request.

“Some are just so simple.

Some are very complex,” she said. “When you’re dealing with people and their hearts and something they’ve always wanted, you never know what you’re going to get.”

Libby Magness, 84, of Cherry Hill, N.J., always dreamed of riding on a float in a parade.

“Anytime there’s a parade, she’s there,” said her daugh-ter Ruth Weisberg, who has fond memories of attending the Miss America Pageant parade in Atlantic City, N.J., and the Philadelphia Mummers Parade with her mother.

Weisberg contacted Twilight Wish to see if the group could put her mother in a parade. The foundation arranged for Magness to appear in the Thanksgiving Parade in Philadelphia.

“I was thrilled,” said Magness. “It was one of the highlights of my life.”

Weisberg, of Philadelphia, loved watching her mother fulfill one of her dreams. “My mom has a definite joie de vivre,” she said. “She has a long list of things she’d like to try. She’s always wanted to ride in a motorcycle side car. She’d like to go for a ride on fire truck.”

Foltz hopes her organiza-tion can help younger peo-ple see their elders in a new light.

“Just because you’re 83 doesn’t mean you don’t have dreams and life left to live,” she said. “Our vision is to change how the world views aging one wish at a time.”

Online:n Forever Young Senior

Wish Organization: www.foreveryoungseniorwish.org

Palouse Seniors

By Dean FosdickAssociated Press

If you’re gardening more but enjoying it less, maybe it’s time to add some labor-saving ideas to those resolutions.

Those can range from down-sizing to mulching, from using native plants to switching to raised beds.

“There’s no such thing as ‘no maintenance’ gardening. All gardens require some effort,” said Christopher Starbuck, an associate professor with the University of Missouri’s Division of Plant Sciences at Columbia. “But one good way to reduce the workload is consoli-dation, and you can do that by going with raised beds.”

More crops can be grown — and grown more easily — when concentrated in small areas, he said. That simplifies add-ing organic matter to the soil, and it also makes plants more

accessible. “Start in one corner and put

in a few raised beds per year. Just peck away at it,” Starbuck said. “You’ll find it takes a lot less energy and produces high-er yields in the end.”

Other low-maintenance gar-dening suggestions include:

n Using less fertilizer. Recycle as many nutrients as possible by leaving grass clip-pings on the lawn or foliage over plant beds. Base fertil-izer use on soil tests, Starbuck said. “Over-fertilization leads to excessive growth that needs frequent pruning or mowing.”

n Mulching. “Mulch is the ultimate low-tech, high-impact gardening tool,” said Doug Welsh, a professor and exten-sion horticulturist with Texas AgriLife Extension Service at College Station. “It conserves water, cools temperatures in summer and warms them in winter. It also keeps the weeds

down.” n Native plants. “Choose

plants adapted to your envi-ronment,” Welsh said. “Don’t try to grow Bluegrass in Texas or rhubarb in the South. You can always be a pioneer, but it takes more effort to grow plants not native to your envi-ronment.”

n Containers. You can manage water and fertilizer use more easily in containers, Welsh said. “The biggest mis-take people make with contain-ers is getting them too small,” he said. “Start almost at the whiskey barrel size and then scale down to what your plants really need.”

n Easing Up. If all else fails, simply relax your attitude about gardening, Missouri’s Starbuck said. “Training yourself to enjoy a more chaotic look is the single most important thing you can do to reduce the amount of time you spend in the garden.”

Simplify to ease workload in the garden

We want to know

YOUR VIEWSpeak out at dnews.com

Wishesfrom Page 8

Moscow-PullMan Daily news | Weekend, December 24 & 25, 2011 | 9

May your Christmas season be filled with the

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Palouse Seniors

Melissa Kossler DuttonAssociated Press

Margarette Kirsch always wondered what it would be like to roll across America in an 18-wheeler. With the help of the Twilight Wish Foundation, the 82-year-old found out.

She spent more than two weeks this summer touring the country in the cab of a semi.

“I enjoyed every minute of it,” she said from her home in Merritt Island, Fla. “Would I do it again? Come down and get me.”

Twilight Wish is one of sev-eral organizations dedicated to granting wishes to seniors. The foundation started eight years ago in Doylestown, Pa., as a way to enrich the lives of senior citizens, said organization pres-ident Elinor Foltz.

“They have so much wisdom to impart,” she said.

Helping seniors achieve life-

long dreams is a way to thank them for their contributions to society, added Jeremy Bloom, a former NFL player who founded Jeremy Bloom’s Wish of a Lifetime in 2008.

He created the Denver-based founda-tion as a way of honoring his grandmother, Donna Wheeler, who helped raise him. Now 86, she lives in Colorado and continues to inspire him, he said.

Organizations like Bloom’s and Foltz’s grant a wide variety of wishes, from visits to World War II battlefields and hot-air balloon rides to family reunions. They also help seniors with

household and health needs, providing appliances, wheel-chair ramps, hearing aids and

dentures.The organi-

zations solicit donations from individuals and corporations. The seniors do not have to be sick or dying as is often the case with groups that grant wishes to children. Most of the organi-zations require the recipients to fill out appli-

cations and demonstrate finan-cial need.

Jim Young, 85, of Memphis, Tenn., often talked about

Charitable groups grant seniors’ long-held wishes

Looking Glass Photography/Associated PressMargarette Kirsch, 82, of Merritt Island, Fla., stands next to an 18-wheeler.

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“When you’re dealing with people and their hearts ... you never know what you’re

going to get.”Diane Hight

Forever Young Senior Wish

See WISHES, Page 9


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And yet, during my brief stay, Batopilas was peaceful to the point of being comatose.

As I wandered through the narrow streets, men tipped their cowboy hats in deference, young couples and children posed amiably for photographs, and museum guides and hotel owners alike were eager to educate me on the town’s mining and Indian cultural history.

Frankly, the scariest part of my trip was getting there, in a small van that for much of the 4 1/2-hour trip swerved, bounced and braked as it made a pre-cipitous descent from nearly 7,900 feet to 1,840 feet on unpaved, switchback roads with no guardrails.

Then there was a different type of scare, one that I chose: I ziplined at heights of up to nearly 1,500 feet over the Copper Canyon and tap-danced across two wobbly hanging bridges, albeit while wearing a helmet and being firmly attached to a steel cable that would prevent me from catapulting over the edge and into the depths below.

The scenery was thrilling too: The cliffs of the 5,900-foot-deep Batopilas

Canyon glowed red in the sun, sharp-edged mountain peaks repeated them-selves in a visual bluish echo far into the distance, and a brown river that from above looked to be the width of a thread twisted its way across the canyon floor.

During my one-night stay, a full white, button-size moon rose above cliffs darkening into silhouettes of themselves as a dying sun infused horizontal cloud strips with pink and orange blush.

The Posada Barrancas Mirador hotel is literally built on the rim of the can-yon. In the past, it was jammed with tourists, but I was one of only 17 guests on a night in early November.

To those who stay away out of fear, I would simply say: Don’t. I met people from all over the world who agreed: The trip is worth it.

If You Go...

n Copper Canyon: www.visitmexico.com/en-us/copper-canyon

n El Chepe: www.chepe.com.mx/english/index.html TouR GRouPS:

n The 3 Amigos: http://www.amigos3.com/ n Balderrama Hotels & Tours: http://www.

mexicoscoppercanyon.com/index.html

HoTelS Include:

n Torres del Fuerte in El Fuerte, www.hotelestorres.com/ing/index.php

n Posada Barrancas Mirador in Posada Barrancas, hotelesbalderrama.com/mirador.htm

n Casa Real de Minas in Batopilas: http://www.sierramadrelodges.com/Real-de-Minas-Hotel.html

n Best Western The Lodge at Creel http://www.thelodgeatcreel.com/

n Quality Inn San Francisco in Chihuahua: http://www.qualityinnchihuahua.com/

Associated PressA full moon rises over the Copper Canyon in Divisadero, Mexico.

By David RunkAssociated Press

DEARBORN, Mich. — The suburban Detroit museum founded by auto pioneer Henry Ford is revamping its automo-tive displays, offering a fresh look at its rich collection and showcasing the enormous influ-ence of the automobile on cul-ture and daily life in the U.S.

“Driving America” opens to the public Jan. 29 following a year of construction at Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn. It features some of the most signif-icant cars ever built, from early production vehicles to modern rides, and examines how auto-mobiles shape the nation.

“It is an exhibition that reso-nates with us all and will chal-lenge us to think differently about what we drive,” Patricia Mooradian, president of The Henry Ford Museum, said.

The 80,000-square-foot per-manent exhibit includes 130

vehicles and more than 60 cases of artifacts. Touchscreen dis-plays will offer access to imag-es, videos and oral histories, as well as allow visitors to explore parts of the museum’s collec-tion that aren’t on display.

People will be able to create a custom collection that can be accessed later online.

“Driving America” replaces the museum’s old “Automobile in American Life” exhibit, which closed in early 2011 to make way for construction.

It sits between Henry Ford Museum’s collection of trains and its “Heroes of the Sky” exhibit, documenting early years.

Walking through the “Driving America” displays, vis-itors will see muscle cars, race cars, trucks, sport utility vehi-cles and luxury cars. Sections look at auto repair, design, safety and marketing, as well as auto-related offshoots such as the road trip.

Henry Ford Museum revamps automobile displays

Palouse Seniors

Canyonfrom Page 6


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By Lisa J. AdamsAssociated Press

CHIHUAHUA, Mexico — I won’t lie: I had some qualms about traveling alone to the Copper Canyon, a series of awe-inspiring gorges bigger than the Grand Canyon that happen to be in the same northwestern region of Mexico consumed by drug-trafficking violence.

At the same time, I knew from being in the news business that tourists are seldom, if ever, the target of such violence. I also was aware of the tendency to paint an entire region with a bleak brush when only small pockets are actually affected.

I’m glad I shrugged off the doubts. My trip to Las Barrancas del Cobre, as they are known in Spanish, was a great adventure. And I can con-fidently say that traveling here is safe — especially if you stick to the route of el Chepe, the government-run train that this year celebrates its 50th anni-

versary depositing tourists and commuters along a 400-mile stretch from Los Mochis in the Pacific coast state of Sinaloa to Chihuahua city, capital of Chihuahua state. The canyons themselves are all located with-in Chihuahua state’s borders.

There were moments off the train that gave me pause, such as when a native in the old silver mining town of Batopilas remarked, “Here, we see noth-ing, we hear nothing and we say nothing if we want to wake up alive each morning.” In that same town, where the drug-fighting military keep a high profile, I took pictures of attrac-tive colonial-style building facades before realizing that at least two of them bore more than a dozen deep holes that could only have been rendered by the bullets of a high-powered weapon, the kind favored by Mexican drug traffickers.

Mexico’s Copper Canyon is gorgeous — and safe

Associated PressA tourist is seen crossing one of three hanging bridges at the Copper Canyon in Divisadero, Mexico. See CANYON, Page 7


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By Vera WhiteDaily News staff writer

Earlier this month, Idaho seniors received good news about the new health care law from the federal gov-ernment.

In 2011, seniors received a 50 per-cent discount on brand name drugs if they hit the “donut hole” coverage gap.

Idaho Medicare beneficiaries saved $5.95 million in the coverage gap, the government reported.

For 2012, Dec. 7 was the open enroll-ment deadline for checking up on or changing Medicare plans for 2012.

On Dec. 6, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that as of the end

of October, seniors and people with disabilities on Medicare had seen sig-nificantly lower costs for important health care — through both discounts on brand-name drugs in the Medicare Part D “donut hole” coverage gap and free preventive care.

“Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, millions of Americans are receiv-ing free preventive services and get-ting cheaper prescription drugs,” said Marilyn Tavernier, a spokeswoman for the Centers.

“People with Medicare should have reviewed their current plans before midnight Dec. 7 so they could have made sure that the plan they will have in 2012 is the best one for their health care needs,” Tavernier said.

Government data show that 2.65 million people with Medicare have saved more than $1.5 billion on their prescriptions — averaging about $569 per person. In Idaho, 10,705 people with Medicare have saved $5.95 million — averaging about $556 per person.

And as of the end of November, more than 24.2 million people with Medicare have taken advantage of at least one free preventive benefit — including the new Annual Wellness Visit— made possible by the Affordable Care Act, Tavernier said. In Idaho, 101,575 peo-ple with Medicare have taken advan-tage of the free preventive coverage.

Building on savings in 2011, Medicare also recently announced that the Part B deductible will be $22 lower in 2012 and average Medicare Advantage premiums are projected to drop 4 percent in 2012.

Part B premiums, which cover out-patient services, including doctor vis-its, are estimated to increase by only $3.50 per month for most beneficiaries in 2012, and some will see a decrease. These changes will be more than offset by the average Social Security cost of living increase, $43 per month for retired workers.

For more information about how the Affordable Care Act closes the “donut hole” over time, go to: http://www.medi-care.gov/Publications/Pubs/pdf/11493.pdf

For state-by-state information on use of free preventive services and the Annual Wellness Visit, go to: http://www.cms.gov/NewMedia/02_preven-tive.asp

Vera White can be reached at (208) 746-0646, or by email to [email protected]

Thousands of seniors save more than $550 in 2011

‘Donut hole’ discounts in health care costs

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as people of other faiths do care about what God thinks, about what is morally right, about what is a proper example to their children and grandchildren. So having a religious ceremony, blessing and celebration is important. Historically, the civil authority, the state, was very late get-ting into the practice of “licensing” mar-riages. And just as the state does not care about whether Grandma is “living in sin,” neither do the good folks at the Social Security office nor the bigwigs who manage her deceased husband’s pension fund. So why should it con-cern them if Grandma opts to ask the church for a religious celebration to get

rid of that “living in sin” problem?Most clergy won’t give such a bless-

ing in cases where there is any type of legal or moral hindrance. In the case of the Orthodox Church, such a blessing could not be given to divorced persons unless an annulment or blessing from the bishop had been granted. And cer-tainly it would not be given to a person still married to someone else! Again in the case of the Orthodox Church, both must be practicing members.

Let me give you an example of one such situation that recently occurred in the parish in which I serve. The facts are exactly true, but, for those of you old enough to remember the TV show Dragnet, “the names have been changed to protect the innocent.”

Margaret, a life-long member of the church, came to me and reported

that she was bringing her new friend David to church with her the next Sunday. Margaret had been widowed for several years as had David. In fact, I had officiated at the funeral of Margaret’s husband. David had been a “nominal” Christian but soon decided he, too, wished to be Orthodox. He and Margaret were very much in love and wanted to be together as husband and wife. They came to me numerous times for counseling and instruction.

If Margaret were to be “legally” mar-ried to David, she would lose almost the entirety of her income, her late hus-band’s Social Security and her widow’s benefits from his pension. But not to worry! Both families approved of the relationship. A wedding was planned. Friends, family, and fellow-parishio-ners gathered in the church for the Rite

of Holy Matrimony. A festive reception was held at a restaurant. What was missing? A license.

A few people might disagree, but this priest believes that in this case it was the proper thing to do.

That was two years ago. Margaret and David are supremely happy. Life is fuller and more meaningful for both of them. They are in church every Sunday worshipping together. And I didn’t mention that Margaret has a special needs adopted daughter in her mid-20s who now has a daddy again.

As for legal protections, there are many options provided by wills and by legal, financial and medical powers of attorney. And in Margaret and David’s case, they are fortunate to live in Washington, so they have also entered into a domestic partnership agreement.

Securityfrom Page 3

Most of the seniors or retirees who are look-ing for information

about senior centers are nor-mally thinking about activi-ties, classes, traveling and

social events. These are all offered at the

senior center. And one or more of these opportunities may get them to visit the center.

Most smaller senior centers

only can support a few paid staff. Therefore, those of us who are paid staff have to get cre-ative and find volunteers to help provide the necessary manpower to operate the center. Some volun-teers come from the col-leges and community.

But, here at the Pullman Senior Center the largest portion of these volunteers come directly from our own membership. Members who volunteer find out that it can be one of the better benefits, not only for them, but for the good of the whole center, as well. To be able to help others and work for a good cause is a rewarding experience.

After you retire, you are often looking for things to do,

because you now have a lot of time on your hands. Pullman Senior Center has many oppor-tunities to volunteer, such as:

serving food, decorating, singing, playing musi-cal instruments, teach-ing classes, helping with special events, and serving on the board, to name a few.

Getting involved as a volunteer offers you the opportunity to social-ize even more and also to use skills that you used at your job or in your hobbies for years. I encourage new retirees to come to our center,

not just for the fun and excite-ment, but also to get involved by volunteering to help us have the manpower for the important work that needs to be done.

The best benefit of volunteer-ing is to see the smiles on lonely members faces and to have a place to make friends and enjoy a friendly environment.

Please stop in and visit the Pullman Senior Center. You, too, can make a difference. Danny Thomas once said, “Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish yourself. It’s what you do for others that becomes your great-est achievement”.

Membership costs only $10. The center is in Pullman City Hall, 325 S.E. Paradise St. The monthly newsletter is available to view on the Pullman Parks & Recreation website at this web shortcut: http://goo.gl/I2B6v

Steve Bell, the Pullman senior coordinator, can be reached at 509-338-3307 or by email at [email protected]

What are the best benefits of an activities center?

Steve Bell

Pullman Senior Center

director


I would like to thank Steve Bell for his columns this past year on behalf of the Pullman Senior Center.

The manager of daily operations at the Center has kept Palouse Seniors’ readers aware of the myriad activities and events taking place there.

This was Steve’s last column.For the past several years,

our quarterly editions of Palouse Seniors have offered free column space to nonprofit groups on the Palouse to help them raise awareness of the good works they do on behalf of seniors. We also allow space for a photo or two.

We’re still looking for a group to take over for 2012.

The first edition is tentatively scheduled for February.

The series began three years ago with contributions from The Friends of Hospice and Family Home Care and Hospice. In 2010, Friendly Neighbors of Moscow was the featured organization.

Contact me at (208) 746-0646, or email to [email protected]

Tell us your local organization’s story


Help an abused or neglected child at WhitmanCountyCASA.org

or call (509) 397-5308

Palouse Seniors

Fr. Anthony (Robert) Creech is the semi-retired associate pastor of St. Gregorios Orthodox Church in Spokane.

He is also my brother.This topic is one we’ve dis-

cussed often in recent years, especially after I moved

into Juniper M e a d o w s A s s i s t e d Living facil-ity in Lewiston and met a lovely couple who quietly shared with me they were living together without “ben-efit of clergy.”

I also know several couples on the Palouse in the same situation, but they declined interviews because of the still perceived stigma of “living in sin” common among older folks.

It’s time such couples hold their heads up high and find a workable solution. Where there is a will there definitely is a way!

– Vera White

Oh, the horror! The shame of it all. Grandpa has been

dead several years, and now Grandma is “living in sin.” What an example she is to her impressionable teenage grandchildren!

And what are those nice folks going to think at the church she has attended so many years? Would she dare receive Communion?

It sounds as if Grandma and her family are facing quite a dilemma.

But this Grandma may also be facing a problem many widows face in our society today. If she remar-ries after her husband has died, she will lose his Social Security and perhaps her widow’s benefits from his pension as well.

Poor Grandma. The need

for love and companionship is basic to us human crea-tures. The desire for tender-ness and closeness does not diminish as a person grows older or is widowed. What fun is it to face endless days of cooking and eating meals alone? How much more delightful it is to watch TV or a movie with another per-son. How burdensome it is to have to contend with all the household chores alone? What fun is traveling alone? The need is great to have a loving and trusted compan-ion with whom to share all of life’s joys and struggles.

And don’t forget sex.That need and urge does

not always diminish with age the way some folks think it does. Talk to staff in assisted living facilities or nursing homes, and you will hear sto-ries about some rather frisky residents of both genders.

As a priest of more than 40 years, I have been approached numerous times by older people caught in such a predicament. Certainly the church should be able to mirror the justice, compassion and mercy of the God whose work we do in this world. So this priest has adopted the practice many other clergy of various and sundry Christian tradi-tions have been using. Give the senior couple caught in this financial dilemma the church’s sacrament of matri-mony – without having them obtain a marriage license from the state. The couple is married in the sight of God and the church even though the state does not recognize the legality of such a bond.

Is it illegal? Certainly not. The state doesn’t care if an elderly couple are “living in sin,” so it certainly has no concern about whether the church blesses this relation-ship.

But Christians as well

Social Security or marriage

Fr. Robert Creech

COMMENTARY

A dilemma that might be easily resolved

See SECURITY, Page 4

building ships that are ‘mini-cities’ and loaded with activi-ties, there are still some upscale cruise offerings available with Cunard, Holland America and Princess Cruise Lines that offer ‘kinder and gentler’ vacations.”

As for lead time, he wrote: “The old adage, ‘The early bird catches the worm,’ applies a lot to booking any kind of travel.”

Tour companies offer their products up to a year in advance and many offer ‘early bird’ book-ing discounts. Airlines take an almost daily look at their flight services and monitor the inven-tory on each and every plane.”

And for prices: “If a discount price is advertised, there are only a very limited number of seats offered at that price and there are quite a few terms and conditions.

Reading and listening to the ‘fine print’ of an ad is crucial, as sometimes terms and condi-tions of the promotion are very limiting.”

Travelfrom Page 2


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Using a travel agent can be extremely advantageous when making your travel plans. They offer convenient one-stop shopping, can be a consumer advocate and offer expert guid-ance. An agent can also save you time, offer a choice of price quotes and travel suppliers.

“For you, the traveler, plan-ning a trip can be stressful,” wrote Greg Neely, owner of Neely’s Travel Service Inc. in Moscow.

“There are so many options and details to worry about. Travel agents do the work, resulting in less stress for you. They also offer updated infor-mation, customer service, trav-el documentation and travel expertise.”

Neely should know. In 1986,

when parents John and Rita Neely retired, their three sons, Greg, Curt and Brad gained ownership of the business.

In the mid-1990s, Curt and Brad left to pursue other inter-ests. Greg, as majority owner, continued to run it on his own. He now has two full-time employees, one part-time and one outside sales agent.

In a series of questions emailed to Neely, he respond-ed by giving an interesting history of the travel agency, started in 1949 by his par-ents.

“At that time, Empire Airlines, operating out of the Moscow-Pullman Airport, needed a place in town to sell airline tickets for the then fledging airline passen-

ger industry,” Neely wrote. “Since John operated Neely’s Taxi Service in Moscow throughout the 1940s, they approached him to sell their airline tickets.”

Neely’s Travel Service Inc. has always been located at the corner of Sixth and Main “in one form or another.”

“Over the years, the origi-nal ‘L’ shaped offices housed the travel service, an insur-ance agency, the driver’s license bureau and a barber shop fronted by a parking lot,” Neely recalled in his email. “In the late 1960s, John built the current structure over the parking lot and remodeled the offices in the original ‘L’ building.”

– Vera White

Palouse Seniors


The world of senior travel has lots of opportunities right now for small group and multi-generational adventures, says a veteran Moscow travel agent.

Greg Neely at Neely’s Travel Service in Moscow, who has been in the travel business for more than two decades, talked about what’s hot right now by email because of his busy schedule.

“Many tour companies cater to seniors only, but many tour compa-nies offer multi-generational options for families and grandparents trav-eling with grandchildren,” he wrote. “Their offerings span the world from Scandinavia to Italy to Australia and Africa.”

Small group touring is also very popular with senior travelers because the pace of the vacation is generally more relaxed than larger

guided vacation groups.“Each tour will offer a specific

activity level, from casual to moder-ate to active,” he continued. “Other tour options will be geared toward cultural aspects of a destination, historical points-of-interest, gastro-nomic touring, religious touring, eco-adventures and ‘voluntouring.’ ”

“Voluntouring” is arranged most-ly through church or school groups and is a trip to a destination where the traveler gets involved in a com-munity project, whether building a house, advising farmers, helping children or monitoring wildlife.

“The sky can be the limit,” Neely added. “This type of travel can enrich the traveler in many ways beyond ‘been there, done that,’ type of touring. Whatever you can think of doing, a travel agent can probably find a company to make your trip memorable.”

Another new trend in touring for seniors is river cruises in Europe or

America, the Moscow native said.“River cruising in Europe takes

you through the heart of countries with centuries’ old traditions, archi-tecture and culture,” he explained. “In America, the paddle wheeler is back along the Mississippi and many smaller cruise ships ply the waters of New England, the Columbia River and the Inside Passage in Alaska.”

Neely said he hasn’t experi-enced much local interest in river cruising, but the companies that cruise the rivers of Europe are always nearly 100 percent full.

“The river cruise is a leisurely way to see such a lot of country ‘up close and personal,’ so to speak,” he concluded.

But Neely believes cruises are still a fabulous option for seniors.

“Although many cruise lines are

Multi-generational, small group and ‘voluntouring’ among latest trends

Many options for senior travel

Travel agency grew from a taxi service

We want to know

YOUR VIEW Speak out at dnews.com

Dean Hare/Daily NewsGreg Neely, left, talks about the services he offers at Neely’s Travel Service on Monday in Moscow.See travel, Page 3


• 18-hour per day Licensed nursing staff

• Indoor Salt Water Swimming Pool, Spa and Fitness Center

• Physical Speech and Occupational Th erapists working hand in hand

• Social programs and group activities

• Restaurant-style meals

Do you worry about Mom, home alone?

Come see the difference that Bishop Place can make

for you both!

815 SE Klemgard, Pullman(509) 334-9488www.BishopPlace.net

Independent Living, Assisted Living, Enhanced Care, Memory Care

palouse seniors winter 2011-12

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