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Savvy Senior: How to Write a Loved Ones Obituary
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
I would like to get my personal, legal and financial information organized so my kids will know what’s going on when I’m no longer around. Can you offer any tips on the best way to do this?
Unorganized Emma
Dear Emma,
Organizing your important papers and getting your personal and financial affairs in order is a smart idea and wonderful gift to your loved ones. Here are some tips to get you started.
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The Weekly Readlines January 5
The Weekly Readlines (rhymes with headlines!) offers news you can use every Wednesday morning. Subscribe for delivery.
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIESFirst the good news: 2022 will see a record number of minimum wage increases across the country. Wall Street started the new year with more record highs, and partisan gerrymandering was not the disaster Democrats had feared.
The once ubiquitous BlackBerry, seen occupying thumbs across the globe, is no more. The nation prepares to mark the one year anniversary of the January 6 attempted coup. And the late Senator Harry Reid will lie in state at the Capitol Rotunda. So long, Harry, those were the days.
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Ronni Sanlo’s This Day in Lesbian Herstory (Dec. 29 – Jan. 3)
Ronni Sanlo’s This Day in LGBTQ History makes the past ever-present with daily rundowns of historic events and people.
Ronni Sanlo
THIS DAY in LESBIAN HERSTORY -
One Thing or Another: Out With the New
By Mark McNease
It’s always One Thing or Another… a lighthearted look at aging, life, and the absurdities of it all.
As another year begins and we make promises to ourselves, if not outright resolutions, why not stop and consider the changes we don’t want to make? The things about our lives that we’re pleased to have in them: events, people, situations, even qualities about ourselves we would not change. I quite like most of my life, and while I want to lose some serious poundage for health and vanity, I can’t say there are many other things I would change about it.
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Book Review: Dead Lines: Slices of Life from the Obit Beat, by George Hesselberg
By Terri Shlichenmeyer
The Bookworm Sez
“Dead Lines: Slices of Life from the Obit Beat” by George Hesselberg
c.2021, Wisconsin Historical Society Press
$20.00 / higher in Canada 200 pagesAnd that’s the final word.
Just a few lines, a handful of dates and names, an accomplishment or two, and then that’s it. You’ll be done, dead, end of story – or is it? Will you be remembered only by a few lines in a newspaper or online? Or as in the new book “Dead Lines” by George Hesselberg, have you left small footprints on a lot of hearts?
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From the Podcast Archives: Cat Behaviorist Molly DeVoss Joins the Show
We’ve had out beloved cats, Wilma and Peanut, for over three years now. Entering a new year seemed like a good time to offer up this interview with someone who helped us a great deal when we first brought these adorable adult cats into our home. – Mark
This week’s interview sheds light on an animal many of us share our lives with and many others consider mysterious: the cat. Having recently adopted a new one named Wilma who came from a hoarder situation, I found myself in need of help and was fortunate enough to be put in touch with Molly DeVoss. The results have been amazing.
Molly DeVoss, Cat Behaviorist After speaking and emailing with Molly about our new cat’s issues and how to resolve them, I had the pleasure of interviewing her. She’s as knowledgeable and generous with her time and expertise as she is kind and outgoing, and I know listeners will get as much from this chat with Molly as I did.
Be sure to check out her organization, Cat Behavior Solutions (catbehaviorsolutions.org), and consider making a donation when you stop by.
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Ronni Sanlo’s This Day in LGBTQ HERstory for 2022!
Note: I’ve been delighted to share Ronni’s Sanlo’s ‘This Day in LGBTQ History‘ posts from her Facebook page. Starting this year, she’ll be focusing on LGBTQ HERstory! Here’s why …
I’ve been thinking about my LGBTQ history posts for 2022. While our history as LGBTQ people has been hidden for so long, the herstory of lesbians has been even more buried. And in this new day, even the word “lesbian” is being erased by a younger generation of brave, fluid, gender-bending, queer, non-binary, pansexual people…perhaps just as we lesbian and gay people did decades ago. So, beginning on January 1, 2022, to honor our lesbian foremothers, my 2022 posts will be “herstorically” shared.
All of the LGBTQ history I’ve posted thus far – and so much more – may be found in the four volumes of This Day in LGBTQ History, available on Amazon.
This Day in LGBTQ History, Vol. 1 January-March – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08SB3C75VThis Day in LGBTQ History, Vol. 2 – April-June.This Day in LGBTQ History, Vol. 3 – July-SeptemberThis Day in LGBTQ History, Vol. 4 – October-December
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Savvy Senior: Deciphering Senior Housing Options
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
Can you decipher the different types of housing options available to seniors, and recommend some good resources for locating them? I need to find a place for my elderly mother and could use some help.
Overwhelmed Daughter
Dear Overwhelmed,
There’s a wide array of housing options available to seniors, but what’s appropriate for your mom will depend on her needs and financial situation. Here’s a rundown of the different levels of senior housing and some resources to help you choose one.
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One Thing or Another Podcast: From the Archives – Author Fay Jacobs Talks Humor, Activism, and ‘Sit-Down’ Comedy
As we end our second year of the pandemic, I thought it would be good to close out 2021 with some humor. Who better to help with that than author, humorist and comedian Fay Jacobs? Enjoy this podcast from the archives, and let’s make 2022 a good one.
Fasten your headphones for a conversation with author, humorist, activist, and sit-down comedian Fay Jacobs. We talk about her life and career, her writing, and what’s in store for the tireless writer.
Fay, a native New Yorker, has had a 35-year career in journalism, public relations & theater. As an author, Fay has five published books of humorous and activist essays. All were originally published by A&M Books, a successor to Naiad Press and are now published by Bywater Books. Fay’s first book, As I Lay Frying is in its 4th printing. A second, Fried & True won the 2008 National Federation of Press Women Book of the Year for humor.
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Being Well: Living with Sleep Apnea (and that CPAP Machine)
Being Well is a regular feature at LGBTSr highlighting health and wellness.
Editor’s note: This first appeared here at LGBTSr in March, 2020. I’ve been using a CPAP machine for almost four years now and thought it was a good time to revisit that topic. Many people benefit from them and lives can be saved. – Mark
A few years ago I began regularly waking up with headaches. I’m also a loud snorer, as my husband reminded me several times a night with nudges to turn on my side or just wake up long enough to stop. Headaches and snoring … something was probably going on. I made an appointment with a sleep specialist and did a home test for sleep apnea. It recorded 25+ “events” per hour. An event is when the person stops breathing due to sleep apnea. It can lead to multiple health issues, with headaches and snoring being two of the most obvious.
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EVENTS: Authors Mark McNease and Philip William Stover in Conversation at the Frenchtown Bookshop (February 4)
Save the date! I’ll be joining fellow author Philip William Stover for a reading and conversation about our books at the Frenchtown Bookshop on Friday, February 4. I’ll be talking about my newest release, Reservation for Murder: A Kyle Callahan Mystery, as well as the series and creating gay central characters.
Philip will be reading and discussing his romances The Hideaway Inn and The Beautiful Things Shop, set in New Hope, PA, just across the river from Lambertville, NJ, where most of my characters mysteriously moved when Frank and I relocated to nearby Kingwood.
Place: The Frenchtown Bookshop
Date: Friday, February 4
Time: 6:00 – 7:30 pm
Address: 28 Bridge Street, Frenchtown NJ
Phone: 908-628-9297 -
The Weekly Readlines December 29
The Weekly Readlines (rhymes with headlines!) is a feature at LGBTSr.com, offering news you can use every Wednesday morning. Subscribe here for virtual delivery.
BIG CUP: THE YEAR’S TOP STORIESIn keeping with the spirit of renewal and hope for the new year, I’ll only be mentioning the good news of the past year in this introduction. There will be plenty of time for the pulling of hair and gnashing of teeth in 2022.
If you tuned into the mainstream media this past year, you may think all is doom and gloom, that the Biden presidency has failed, that Covid is a permanent state of being, and a dozen other reasons to end your life. Hogwash! Here are some of the great things that happened this year.
Holiday sales rose 8.5 percent despite the naysayers. Americans’ wages rose, too, with the biggest increase in 20 years. More than 200 million Americans are now vaccinated, with the pandemic transitioning to an endemic stage on its way to ending. Supply chains are easing and gas prices are falling.
Meanwhile, the FDA approved the first injectable drug for HIV prevention. Utah billionaire Jeff Green resigned from the Mormon Church and donated $600,000 to an LGBT group. And Channing Tatum announced a third and final installment of the Magic Mike franchise. Line starts here! Let’s make 2022 a great year. It’s our choice.