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Lee Lynch’s Amazon Trail: Notes from a Homebody
Photo by Sue Hardesty By Lee Lynch
The Amazon Trail: Notes from a HomebodyIt’s finally here. The end of total lockdown. Am I ready? Absolutely not. I like my burrow. I don’t wanna play with others.
We’ve fashioned a comfortable little routine. Week days, work. Evenings, spend time alone together. Weekends, yard and house work and, sometimes, an adventure.
The adventures are mostly food and view related. They require us to travel along Highway 101 thirty to forty-five minutes south. Which is a mini-vacation in itself. People come here from all over the developed world to drive this highway. My sweetheart and I, we just buckle up and go, the little dog in her back seat safety perch and the cat at home, guarding the house from whatever intrusions he fears. Probably a bug. Talk about privileged lives. We ain’t got much but we’ve got it all.
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Savvy Senior: How Much Will You Need to Save for Retirement?
Listen to my podcast interview with Savvy Senior columnist Jim Miller HERE.
By Jim Miller
Savvy SeniorDear Savvy Senior,
Is there an easy way to figure out how much I will need to save for retirement? My wife and I are both in our late fifties and want to figure out about how much we’ll need in order to retire comfortably.
Ready to Retire
Dear Ready,
How much money you need to retire comfortably is a great question that all working adults should ask themselves. Unfortunately, far too few ever bother thinking about it.
But calculating an approximate number of how much you’ll need to have saved for retirement is actually pretty easy and doesn’t take long to do. It’s a simple, three-step process that includes estimating your future living expenses, tallying up your retirement income and calculating the difference.
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Some LGBT Centers Offer Spring Awakening to Seniors
Photo from LGBTNewsNow Live music filled the courtyard of the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Anita May Rosenstein Campus on Thursday as pleasantly surprised senior clients lined up to pick up a free hot lunch.
The musical duo Chris & Drew performed for a full hour, including such classic songs as Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Happy Days Are Here Again, and Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered.
“I think it’s great,” said Stewart Prosise, 73. “All kinds of musical numbers that bring back a lot of memories from many shows over the years. I’ve really been missing live theater.”
The special Lunch Box Serenade was part of an early celebration of National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day (May 16) and Older Americans Month. The outdoor lunchtime concert was an especially welcome surprise since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Center’s Senior Services department to host all of its classes and programs online for more than a year.
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On Dreamshaping: Name Your Poison
Mark McNease
Observing the current cultural and political climate, I’m reminded of a scene from the westerns once so popular with American moviegoers. A bartender in a grimy, dusty saloon, says to a weary customer, “Name your poison.” The customer asks for whisky—they all drank whisky in the movies, with names like Rot Gut and Dead Eye—and the bartender serves him from a bottle on the shelf. The customer throws back a mouthful from a greasy shot glass, grimaces as it burns its way down his throat, then smiles, slaps the glass on the counter and orders another one. That sure felt good.
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The Twist Podcast #160: Liz Cheney Unchained, Some Kind of Normal, Twisted Listicles, and the Week in Headlines
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we take a look at the ongoing GOP fireworks, a slow return to some kind of post-pandemic normal, and this week’s listicles and headlines.
Enjoy The Twist on Libsyn, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeart Radio, SoundCloud, Amazon Music, and TheTwistPodcast.com.
Copyright 2021 MadeMark Publishing
Join Mark’s email list for updates, podcasts, giveaways, and his monthly newsletter!
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Featured Book: Accidental Desperados, by Lee Lynch (Bold Strokes Books)
Regular readers of LGBTSr will be familiar with Lee Lynch’s monthly Amazon Trail column. Lee is an icon in lesbian literature, an inspiration and a friend. I’m delighted to share her newest book, Accidental Desperados, as our current Featured Book. If you’re new to Lee’s writing, you’re in for a treat. Sit back, get your bookmark ready, and dive in.
Accidental Desperados
By Lee Lynch
Release date: April 1, 2021
Publisher: Bold Strokes BooksMJ Beaudry, an angry, brilliant, abused runaway, is dumped in Rainbow Gap, Florida, and almost immediately discovers an aptitude for crime. The lesbian cop who catches her expects good-hearted lovers Jaudon Vicker and Berry Garland to save the kid. Although Jaudon’s business has suffered a killing blow and she’s frantic to make it right, she was once a besieged gay kid herself and reaches out, only to find herself in cahoots with MJ.
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One Thing or Another Podcast: Savvy Senior Columnist Jim Miller Joins the Show
I’ve had the pleasure of including Jim Miller’s syndicated column, Savvy Senior, for several years now at LGBTSr. It was a delight to finally get him on the podcast and talk about his life, his commitment to helping older Americans stay informed, and his experience as one of the country’s most widely read columnists. Fasten your headphones for our conversation about this vital audience and how best to serve them.
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The Savvy Senior: Medicare Coverage Options for Retirees Eager to Travel
By Jim Miller
The Savvy SeniorDear Savvy Senior,
What are the best Medicare coverage options for COVID-vaccinated retirees who are eager to travel? My wife and I will both turn 65 over the next few months and would like to know which Medicare plans are best for extensive travelers.
Almost 65
Dear Almost,
The best Medicare plans for retirees who plan to travel will vary depending on your destinations. But, before you book a trip make sure you know the current CDC COVID-19 travel recommendations (see CDC.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers), and research your destinations too so you can know if restrictions apply wherever you’re going.
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Dave Hughes of Retire Fabulously: Is Your Retirement Fulfilling … or Just Busy?
Dave Hughes This article first appeared at RetireFabulously.com. Reprinted with permission.
By Dave Hughes
RetireFabulously.com
If you ask many retired people what their life is like, they will probably tell you that they are as busy as ever. Every day is full of errands, shopping, household chores, yard work, TV and movies, club meetings, and all sorts of other things. Their calendars are filled with events, appointments, and get-togethers.
After you retire and you no longer have to go into work every day, it seems like everything else expands, multiplies, and rushes in to consume the time you used to work. You may wonder how you ever had time to work and still get everything else done.
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Podcast Pick: Fearless Aging, with Rico Caveglia
Note: This is not an endorsement of the Rico Caveglia’s podcast, books or projects. I just enjoy listening to him!
I happened upon this podcast – maybe it was ‘recommended’ to me the way algorithms recommend everything to us these days, or maybe it was the universe seeking my attention – and I’ve been listening to episodes on my way to work. I like this guy! There’s something engaging in the way he talks about aging issues, keeping a positive and healthy state of mind, and generally living the best life we can. It doesn’t mean I agree with everything he says. For me it’s more about enjoying his voice and his opinions … some I take, some I leave. Give it a listen sometime.
Fearless Aging is about why and how to live a long healthy, fit, energetic and vital life and never be OLD at any age! My guests and I will offer you mind/body/spiritual proven tips and strategies that we guarantee will help you resolve most health challenges and age fearlessly and never be old.
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Video Select: 10 Things I Wish I’d Known Before Starting a New Vegetable Garden (GrowVeg/YouTube)
Video Select is a regular feature suggesting videos of interest for the LGBTSr reader.
One thing I wish I’d known was that rabbits can make their baby nests in gardens that have not been cleared for spring planting! This happened to me just yesterday when I finally got around to clearing out the wild growth in our raised beds. To my dismay, I came upon a nest of baby rabbits. After searching online for what to do, I read that leaving it alone is the best approach. So I covered the babies back up as best I could and sent a human-to-rabbit telepathic call out to Mama, hoping she will relocate them or that they’ll survive long enough to hop away.
Watch this video from GrowVeg for less alarming tips on what to consider before starting a new vegetable garden. – Mark McNease/Editor
See the Grow Veg book here: https://www.growveg.com/growveg-the-b….
Growing a garden is equal parts challenging, rewarding, mystifying and uplifting. There’s a lot to learn, but we’re here to help. Don’t make the same mistakes we did!
In this short video we’ll share our top 10 tips to help you grow a successful garden. If you love growing your own food, why not take a look at our online Garden Planner which is available from several major websites and seed suppliers: http://www.GrowVeg.com http://gardenplanner.almanac.com http://gardenplanner.motherearthnews.com and many more… To receive more gardening videos subscribe to our channel here: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_c…
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The Twist Podcast #159: Back from Break, Maricopa Madness, For Cryin’ Out Colton, and the Week in Headlines
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we return from our April break with new takes on the news, listicles, the ongoing GOP insanity, and Bachelor Colton Underwood’s shameless shenanigans.
Enjoy The Twist on Libsyn, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeart Radio, SoundCloud, Amazon Music, and TheTwistPodcast.com.
Copyright 2021 MadeMark Publishing
Join Mark’s email list for updates, podcasts, giveaways, and his monthly newsletter!