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DIY Day: Changing a Home Light Switch
Welcome to DIY Day at LGBTSr, a weekly feature about doing things ourselves – in the home, outside, wherever a project needs completing. My husband Frank and I moved to our rural home in New Jersey five years ago, after commuting back and forth to our apartment in New York City for ten years. The apartment is gone, and I’ve had to learn to take care of a home without the help of a building super! We call experts when it’s needed (plumber, electrician, landscaper), but there are a lot of little things a house demands of you that you can do yourself.
I’ll also be including other DIY projects in the coming weeks and months: crafts, gardening, starting microbusinesses (eBay here I come!), as I embrace my own retirement from full-time work and dive into life with a lot more free time. I recently had to replace a switch in our bathroom, so this was my first choice for DIY Day. Be sure the electricity to any switch or circuit is off before you try fixing it! And if you’re not confident, ask for help.
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The Weekly Readlines April 23
The Weekly Readlines (rhymes with headlines!) offers news you can use every week. You can view the archives here.
Quote for the Week: “To truly cherish the things that are important to you, you must first discard those that have outlived their purpose.” – Marie Kondo 
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES First the good news: Adult-use cannabis is now available in New Jersey! The federal mask mandate for travel has been lifted – which could be good news or bad. And the Brooklyn Library is making 350,000 eBooks available free to teens nationwide, in a pushback against the book banning bacchanal sweeping red-state America.
Putin sent a letter warning the U.S. to stop arming Ukraine. No one opened it. A gay couple and their children were harrassed on an Amtrak train as pedophiles (the right’s newest buzzword) by an unhinged passenger just back from his QAnon fever dream. And Ron DeSantis escalated his attack on Disney, cementing Republicans’ images as the anti-business party.
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The Twist Podcast #191: Legal in Jersey, Budget Shopping Pleasures, Twist Tops and Headlines
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we catch up on the latest headlines, clap for legal weed in Jersey, wag some fingers and offer some Twist Top recommendations for the frugal listener.
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The Twist Podcast #190: Emergency Room Bloopers, Asian Movie Musts, and the Week in Headlines
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as catch up on the latest diverticulitis surprise, offer up our Twist Top recommendations, and scan the week in headlines.
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Being Well: Let’s Talk About Diverticulitis
Being Well is a regular feature at LGBTSr highlighting health and wellness.
It started with sharp recurring pain in my abdomen and ended with a three-hour visit to the emergency room at 2:00 a.m. I waited four days for it to go away, thinking it was related to the acid reflux (GERD) I’ve been treating with medication the past three years. I’d had a virtual visit with my gastroenterologist on Monday to set up my next colonoscopy. He asked how my acid problem was doing and I said fine, because I hadn’t yet experienced any problems. Then, because life works this way, it hit me on Tuesday. Bloating, pain, and the bowel problems usually associated with those symptoms. Was it food poisoning? I wondered. I kept thinking back on what I’d eaten the past couple days. And then it went away … only to return every few hours.
Finally, on Saturday morning just after midnight, I woke up in excruciating pain. Was my esophagus rupturing? Was I having a heart attack? I called the 24-hour nurse line provided by my insurance company, spoke to a very helpful nurse, and it was decided I should go to the emergency room.
Three hours after arriving, and an hour after a CT scan, I was diagnosed with acute diverticulitis. Course of treatment: antibiotics, clear liquids only for two days, and a list of mitigating measures provided in the paperwork they gave me when I left. As it turned out, the doctor was the daughter of our forester, who takes care of our annual filing to keep our property designated as a tree farm. It’s a small world.
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Savvy Senior: How to Choose a Medicare Advantage Plan
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
I will be 65 and eligible for Medicare in a few months and am interested in getting a Medicare Advantage plan to cover my health care and medications. What tips can you provide to help me pick a plan?
Ready to Retire
Dear Ready,
Medicare Advantage plans have become very popular among retirees over the past 15 years, as nearly half of all new Medicare enrollees are signing up for Advantage plans, which accounts for about 42 percent of the entire Medicare market. Here are some tips and tools to help you pick a plan that fits your needs.
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The Twist Podcast #189: Disney Smells a Rat, Ethnic Foods Near You, and the Week in Headlines
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we applaud Disney’s opposition to the Don’t Say Gay hate-steria sweeping MAGA land, recommend taste testing new foods near you, comment on recent awards shows, and scan the week in headlines. Twist Tops and listicles, too!
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Listen Up! My Interview on the Queer Writers of Crime Podcast with Host Brad Shreve
Hear ye, hear ye! Podcaster and mystery author Brad Shreve released our interview this morning. It was a pleasure talking with him about my books, characters, writing, and a bit of life in general. Fasten your headphones!
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Mark McNease Mysteries Podcast #36: Paper Hearts: A Marshall James Thriller Short Story
It’s another Mark McNease Mysteries podcast, and this time I’m back at the mic, too! My short story, ‘Paper Hearts: A Marshall James Thriller,’ was released in February as part of the anthology Cupid Shot Me: Valentine Tales of Love, Mystery & Suspense.’ I subsequently released it as a standalone short story, and now … the audiobook. Fasten your headphones and enjoy this story on your phone, in your car, at your desk, anywhere you can just click and listen. And stay tuned for the third full book in the Marshall James series, ‘Final Audition,’ coming this fall.
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Savvy Senior: How to Get Help as an Elder Orphan
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
I need to find someone honest and reliable to look after my estate, health and long-term care when I’m no longer able to do it myself. I’m a 67-year-old recent widow with no children and one sibling I rarely talk to. Any suggestions?
Solo Ager
Dear Solo,
This is big concern for millions of older Americans who don’t have a spouse, children or other family they can depend on to watch out for their well-being. While there’s no one solution to this issue, here are some tips and resources that can help you plan ahead.
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Ronni Sanlo’s This Day in Lesbian Herstory (March 24 – 30)
Ronni Sanlo’s This Day in Lesbian Herstory makes the past ever-present with daily rundowns of historic events and people.
Ronni Sanlo
THIS DAY in LESBIAN HERSTORY -
The Weekly Readlines March 30
The Weekly Readlines (rhymes with headlines!) offers news you can use every week. You can view the archives here.
Quote for the Week: “The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in the insidious encroachments by men of zeal, well meaning but without understanding.” – Judge Louis Brandeis BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES First the good news: the FDA approved a second COVID booster shot for people over 50. Count me in. Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson appears headed for confirmation, with a vote from the Senate Judiciary Committee set for April 4.
Will Smith made entertainment history in the worst way with a slap across Chris Rock’s face. Media frenzy and Facebook pontificating followed. Meanwhile, Ginni Thomas, the wife of a sitting Supreme Court Justice, was revealed to have enthusiastically pursued the overturning of an American election. Not only can you not make these things up, you wouldn’t want to.