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On the Map: Still Life with Lunch in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
By Mark McNease
We made another of our favorite getaway trips to Strasburg, PA, to visit friends. I’ve always told people we were going to Lancaster, but this was actually the first time we took a several-hour trip to that city just a short drive away. You can read about a previous trip HERE, complete with a slideshow, sites to see, and our recommendation for the wonderful Carriage House hotel. We always stay there, and it just seems to keep getting better. We book the large suite adjacent to the office, providing us a comfortable bedroom and a second room with a couch, second TV, and table perfect for my laptop.
This time we made sure to go to Lancaster proper, and I was nicely surprised. For some reason I’d always assumed it was a small-ish town like Strasburg, but it’s much bigger. It’s a historical city that has both a sense of history, and modernity, and an almost college-town vibe. I have to make special mention of the restaurant where we ate lunch, C’est La Vie. The food was outstanding, and our server, Ben, deserves stars of his own.
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The Weekly Readlines June 21 (Now Every Wednesday!)
The Weekly Readlines (rhymes with headlines!) is a Wednesday roundup of news you can use.
NEWS FLASH! I will now be providing The Weekly Readlines every Wednesday, and sending it to our email subscribers as a stand-alone supplement. All other content will arrive in their virtual mailboxes on Friday as usual. – Mark/the newsroom team
Quote for the Week: “Fear kills more dreams than failure ever will.” – Anonymous
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIESIn a bit of good news amidst the onslaught of hate, a Federal judge permanently blocked Arkansas’ ban on gender-affirming care for minors.
Hunter Biden reached a plea deal on tax-evasions charges and a gun violation, causing right-wing head explosions nationwide.
The most recent one-term president was raked over the coals in an interview with Bret Baier on Fox, essentially admitting to obstructing justice. But will he soon have a jumpsuit to match the spray tan?
LGBTQ NEWS’Just Us’ Documentary Explores The Lives Of LGBTQ People
Colorado Public RadioBuilding Support, Celebrating Contributions Are Key to LGBTQ+ Pharmacists
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Mark McNease Mysteries Podcast #64: Kill Switch: A Kyle Callahan Mystery (Chapters 28-30)
Fasten your headphones for another three chapters of Kill Switch: A Kyle Callahan Mystery. This was perhaps the darkest book in the series, in terms of its psychology. We have Kyle traumatized and seeing a therapist. We have a cold case involving the brutal, seemingly random murder of a teenage girl. But was it random? Follow along as Kyle and his friend, retired detective Linda Sikorsky, try to solve the case, for Kyle’s own well-being, and to provide answers to a grieving father. The shock waves from what they discover will reverberate all the way to the New York City District Attorney’s office and beyond.
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Mark McNease Mysteries Podcast #63: Kill Switch: A Kyle Callahan Mystery (Chapters 25-27)
Fasten your headphones for another three chapters of Kill Switch: A Kyle Callahan Mystery. This was perhaps the darkest book in the series, in terms of its psychology. We have Kyle traumatized and seeing a therapist. We have a cold case involving the brutal, seemingly random murder of a teenage girl. But was it random? Follow along as Kyle and his friend, retired detective Linda Sikorsky, try to solve the case, for Kyle’s own well-being, and to provide answers to a grieving father. The shock waves from what they discover will reverberate all the way to the New York City District Attorney’s office and beyond.
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Mark McNease Mysteries Podcast #62: Kill Switch: A Kyle Callahan Mystery (Chapters 22 – 24)
Fasten your headphones for another three chapters of Kill Switch: A Kyle Callahan Mystery. This was perhaps the darkest book in the series, in terms of its psychology. We have Kyle traumatized and seeing a therapist. We have a cold case involving the brutal, seemingly random murder of a teenage girl. But was it random? Follow along as Kyle and his friend, retired detective Linda Sikorsky, try to solve the case, for Kyle’s own well-being, and to provide answers to a grieving father. The shock waves from what they discover will reverberate all the way to the New York City District Attorney’s office and beyond.
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The Twist Podcast #229: Back from Spring Break! Indictments, Rainbow Rage, And a New Guest Interview
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose, back in the booth after a short spring break. Listen in as we talk indictments, rainbow rage, the perils of Pride merch, ongoing heinous headlines, and an interview with Rev. Isaiah Shaneequa Brokenleg. Fasten your headphones!
Enjoy The Twist on Libsyn, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, and TheTwistPodcast.com.
If you enjoy what you find here, SUBSCRIBE for regular updates.
Copyright 2023 MadeMark Publishing
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CSA, You Say? Healthy Summer Eating with Local Food Co-Ops
We’ve belonged to a local CSA for several years now, and from late-May through October we enjoy a bountiful harvest of fresh vegetables we choose ourselves on bi-weekly trips to the location just across the river in Pennsylvania. The one we joined is called Tinicum CSA, and everything they offer is grown by the owners. The way our CSA works is that you can by shares – a small share or a big share – and when you go to pick them up you are allowed an assortment of vegetables based on which share you paid for. We get the big share … and it’s a lot! Today we brought home two kinds of cabbage, a bunch of turnips, green onions, chard, arugula, and lettuce. The types of vegetables available depend on what is coming to harvest at that time of year. Later in the summer there will be more tomatoes that you could eat, potatoes, beets, parsnips, okra, you name it. We get so much, in fact, that we give some away to our neighbors. (One of those neighbors trades us eggs from her truly free-range chickens, and when we buy them off-season we pay $3 a dozen! We love getting eggs from chickens whose lives are spent outside who are given love along with their chicken feed).
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The Weekly Readlines June 16
The Weekly Readlines (rhymes with headlines!) is a roundup of news you can use every Friday.
Quote for the Week: “Our thing is this: If you come into this house, love one another. If you’re an a–hole, there are plenty of other places on Lower Broadway to go.” Garth Brooks, on continuing to serve Bud Light at his Nashville bar BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIESDozens of supporters showed up to protest the former president’s arraignment in Miami, in a show of force unequaled since Attila the Hun led his horsemen down the steppes.
A Starbucks union reported that Starbucks pulled its Pride merch nationwide, before a corporate denial the same day. Avoid the controversy, support your local coffee shops!
President Biden showed he had the spine lacking in corporate America to stand up for LGBTQ people by flying the Pride flag at the White House, much to the dismay of the rightwing hate machine.
And the great Glenda Jackson, whose breathtaking portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I on PBS so many years ago, has left this mortal coil.
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Cat Talk Radio with Molly DeVoss and Co-Host Dewey: Do You Love Your Cat More Than Your Children?
A recent study showed that 55.5% of American pet owners felt that their pet is just as important as their children – and one in ten stated that their pets are MORE important than their children.
Cat Talk Radio is all about cats, what makes them do what they do, why they occasionally misbehave and what cat guardians can do to fix it. We educate you on how to modify unwanted cat behavior by providing the proper environment and stimulation, enabling cats to express their natural behaviors in ways that are preferable for both the humans and cats. You will learn how to have fun with your cat, fascinating cat facts and be inspired to try new things, which will lead to a happier relationship and closer bond with your cat. We’ll also call attention to the plight of cats in our country, feel compassion for their challenges and share the message.
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Savvy Senior: Health Insurance Options After a Spouse Retires
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
My 63-year-old wife, who’s doesn’t work, is on my health insurance plan through my employer. When I retire next month and go on Medicare, what are our options for getting her health coverage until she turns 65? Is there some kind of Medicare coverage for dependent spouses?
Need Insurance
Dear Need,
Unfortunately, Medicare does not provide family coverage to younger spouses or dependent children when you qualify for Medicare. Nobody can obtain Medicare benefits before age 65, unless eligible at a younger age because of disability. With that said, here are your best options for covering your wife.
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Rick’s Latest Listicle: The Top Strangest Talents at Miss America
By Rick Rose
The Miss America pageant is known for its beauty, poise, and talent. But sometimes, the talents that contestants showcase can be a little bit strange or at least very memorable. While I am friends with 6 Miss America’s, their talents weren’t nearly as fun as these. Here are 10 of the strangest talents that have ever been performed at Miss America. I wonder what this year’s contestants are rehearsing over the next couple months leading up to the crowning of Miss America 2024.
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Health Beat: Now That You Have Your Medicare Card
By Mark McNease
It finally happened: the great reward for living almost 65 years! I’ll be passing that milestone in October, and I just got my Medicare card in the mail. It was like Christmas in June. The good news is I made it this long, the not-so-good news is … I made it this long. While that means I have fewer days ahead of me than behind me, it also means I’ll soon be able to enjoy healthcare as a Medicare recipient. No more ‘paycheck jobs’ for the sake of having medical coverage. And let’s face it – that’s why I worked for most of the last ten years.
The instructions for what to do once your card arrives can be confusing. There’s Original Medicare (Parts A & B), Part D (prescriptions), and what is called Part C, Medicare Advantage – more on that in a moment. I am opposed to Medicare Advantage because it is not Medicare. It is private insurance that is allowed to bill Medicare for its costs, with the ultimate goal of privatizing Medicare and eventually bankrupting it as a government program. I know, I know … millions of older Americans love their Advantage plans! So much so that half of all Medicare enrollees now have them. But I will not be one of them. I want to make sure Medicare is around for the generations after me, and I trust privatized health insurance as far as I can through the nearest Social Security office. I will be buying a supplemental plan instead, which covers the percentage original Medicare does not. And I’ll be getting prescription drug coverage individually as well. You will need to consider all your options, preferably with someone who can walk you through them and who does not have a vested interest in you taking an Advantage plan. Be aware that your premiums will be deducted from you Social Security if you’re receiving it (I took it at 62). If not, you’ll have to pay them separately.