ROSES IN JANUARY, THE AGING ADVENTURE

LYRICS:  I’m looking over a four leaf clover/ that I overlooked before/ One leaf is sunshine, the second is rain/ Third is the roses that bloom in the lane.

This blog started in 2012 with the title, Roses in January, The Aging Adventure.  Somewhere along the line, I started titling each posting with reference to the subject matter of that particular post.  This posting is a follow up to past topics and I revert back to the original title; something like a Fall Homecoming.

I’ve made many references to Sage-ing International in the past.  I attended their conference in 2014 and it was fabulous.  Since then I have been attending a monthly Wisdom Circle which is an outgrowth of Sage-ing.  So, for those of you who might be interested, the next Conference will be held October 20-23, 2016 at the Sunrise Ranch in Loveland, Colorado.  Check http://www.sage-ing.org for details.  Loveland is about 1 and 1/2 hours north of Denver and transportation will be available from the airport.  A good time to see the beautiful Aspens.

Last posting (October 1st) I wrote about plans to withdraw funding from Seattle’s Senior Centers. prompting me to send off an email to the Mayor.  It took almost a month but I finally received a response from the Human Services Department.  While waiting, I spoke with staff at two different centers  They didn’t know what was going on and encouraged me to keep pushing for answers.  I also exchanged a few emails with one of the columnists with the Seattle Times.  According to the city’s response, funding for senior centers will continue.  United Way is redirecting their funding from Seniors to Youth.

I’m now going into my third week tutoring a third grade boy.  (September 29th post)  Quite a learning curve.  We’re building a relationship — at least I’m trying.  It’s believed that a good relationship is more important than what we can teach.  I attended a workshop for Tutors and that was helpful.  When in a game with other students and staff and asked for the answer to 9X8, I froze.  Where’s the calculator?  I’m definitely out of my comfort zone.  Fortunately the correct answer surfaced before I turned purple.  So the tutor in learning.

SCAMS (December 8, 2014).  Scams are ever present.  You may be alert to phone/email scams but perhaps a family member or friend isn’t as was my case when a friend was taken in by the IRS scam and lost $20,000.  The scammers tapped into her fear.  Other scams prey on our desire for riches.  If you are getting the AARP monthly bulletin look for the Scam Alert page or go to http://www.aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.  You will find some eye-opening articles there.  Want to know why drugs are so expensive?  Read the article, The Truth About the Rockefeller Drug Empire.

The roses are hanging on but winds and rain have taken their toll.  Wonder if there will be any roses in January?

Lyrics: I’m looking over a four leaf clover/ I overlooked before/ One leaf is sunshine/ The second is rain/ Third is the roses that bloom in the lane.  (Lyrics by Emmy Rossum.  Original by Art Mooney)