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An App for That: Spending Tracker (Apple App Store)
An App for That is a regular feature at LGBTSr highlighting useful apps and technology tips for our readers. Have an app to recommend? Email me at: Editor @ LGBTSr.com
If you’re like me, you wonder from time to time just how much you’re spending at Starbucks, what you’re laying out for lunches every week – in my case at work – how cost-effective your spending habits are, and, very importantly, how much you’re spending versus your income every month.I’ve been using a simple, free, very user-friendly little app on my iPhone called Spending Tracker, by MH Riley Ltd. It has the option to upgrade for the pro version at $2.99. I use the free version because all I really do with it is add expenses and income. That suits my needs. It also supports family sharing, which is a big plus if you want that. It requires iOS 9.0 or later, and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. I’m sure there are comparable apps for non-Apple users, but I’m an all-Apple guy and this is my recommendation for those who like to keep it simple and at no cost.
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The Savvy Senior: How to Get Help from Social Security During the Coronavirus Pandemic
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
I’ve heard that the Social Security Administration has closed all their offices because of the coronavirus pandemic. How are they accommodating people while they’re closed down?
Recently Retired
Dear Recently,
Yes, that’s correct. The Social Security Administration has closed its 1,200 field offices throughout the country to protect benefit recipients and workers from the coronavirus pandemic. Their offices have been closed since March 17. How long they will be closed is unclear. It will depend on the course of the pandemic.
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From the Archives: 6 Questions for Author Paula Martinac
By Mark McNeaseEight years of LGBTSr have given me a rich archive of interviews, reviews, podcasts and content. Here’s a ‘6 Questions’ interview from 2018 with author Paula Martinac. Her most recent novel, Clio Rising, was released by Bywater Books in April, 2019.
Paula Martinac I recently had the pleasure of interviewing author Paula Martinac. Her latest novel, The Ada Decades, tells the story of Ada Shook, a librarian who begins the book as a child discovering a shocking postcard image in her father’s possession, and ends seven decades later as a reluctant witness to history. Told in eleven interconnected stories, the novel examines issues of race, class, and the slow climb toward LGBT equality in a pre-Stonewall world.
See Paula’s in-depth answers to ‘6 Questions’ below, and mark your calendars: I’ll be chatting with Paula on a podcast sometime in the next month or two. I’m excited to continue our conversation. For now …
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The Savvy Senior: How to Protect Your Elderly Parents from Coronavirus
By Jim MillerDear Savvy Senior,
I’m concerned about my 80-year-old mother who’s at high risk for coronavirus. She lives on her own about 100 miles from me, and I’ve been keeping close tabs on her since this whole pandemic started. What tips can you offer long-distance family members?
Concerned Daughter
Dear Concerned,
Because the elderly and people with chronic medical conditions are the most vulnerable to the new coronavirus, following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guideline of social distancing and staying home is critically important.
Here are some additional tips and recommendations from the CDC and public health specialists that can help keep your elderly mother safe and healthy while she’s hunkering down at home until the pandemic passes.
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How to Cut Your Own Hair: A Quarantine Special (Video for Women)
We all have time on our hands and the longer this self-quarantining goes on, the more likely we’ll need or want hair cuts. You can see the video for men HERE.
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How to Cut Your Own Hair: A Quarantine Special (Video for Men)
I just trimmed my husband Frank’s hair yesterday, but not before denying any responsibility for the results. A wise disclaimer, considering how it looks now. Never worry, a professional will repair the damage in a few weeks. – Mark/Editor
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From the Archives: Author Lee Lynch Joins the One Thing or Another Podcast
This one’s from way back in 2014. I was living in New York City then and had just co-edited and published an anthology of LGBT writers over 50, Outer Voices Inner Lives. Lee Lynch was among the contributors, and we subsequently developed an enduring friendship. Her Amazon Trail columns are a monthly regular at LGBTSr, and I’m about a big a fan of Lee’s as she can get. Listen in as we chat about our lives at the time, writing, aging, and embracing life.
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An App for That: Cozi Family Calendar
An App for That is a regular feature at LGBTSr highlighting useful apps and technology tips for our readers.
A few years ago I was looking for an easy-to-use family calendar for myself and my husband. I knew all about Outlook and about sharing calendars on our phones, but I wanted something very simple, and very effective.
We’ve been using Cozi.com ever since, and we love it. It’s a single log-in for both of us, and we have it on our phones. I often log in from my desktop but I don’t need to, it’s all there on my iPhone app.
It’s a great way to see what’s on the calendar, by day, week or month, and it keeps your history as well, so you can look and see what you were doing a year ago, if you want to. Cozi also offers a lot of other options, like “Shopping,” “Meals,” contacts, birthday reminders, and a journal. I’m happy just to use it as a calendar. I pay $39 a year for the gold level membership, but you can use a free version.
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In the Spotlight: Artist Jean Ryan
I’ve known Jean Ryan for several years now, going back to her inclusion in an anthology of LGBT writers that I edited and published in 2014. Her writing remains among the best I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading, and we’ve remained friends since then. She made the transition into retirement and has become an artist .. or, more accurately, always was one, and has found a new means of expressing it through painting. Her thoughts on retirement and how it provided her with these opportunities are captured beautifully in her blog post, On Being Retired, she kindly allowed me to reprint here at LGBTSr.
Jean and her wife Cindy have set up shop at Etsy as 4 Hands Art, and you can view her work there. I’ve just purchased two myself, and find Jean’s work detailed, delightful, and whimsical in some pictures (I purchased a reclining kitten, and sent my sister in California a mesmerizing portrait of a black lab that looks just like one of her beloved dogs).
One of the things I like most about Jean is her ability to inspire. I’m not a painter and never will be, but I know what it’s like to wonder, as I often do these days, what else might I want to do as someone who’s compelled to create? Another novel? Another mystery? Or not write fiction at all. But then what? Jean lets me know I don’t have to have an answer to pose the question, or to just relax and see what happens. – Mark McNease/Editor
About Jean Ryan
Jean Ryan Jean Ryan, a native Vermonter, lives in Lillian, Alabama. Her stories and essays have appeared in a variety of journals and anthologies. She has also published a novel, LOST SISTER. Her short story collections, SURVIVAL SKILLS and LOVERS AND LONERS, are available online. STRANGE COMPANY, a collection of short nature essays, is available in paperback as well as digital and audio editions.View all blog posts by Jean Ryan
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Jean Ryan: On Being Retired
On Being Retired
Jean RyanThe following is reprinted with permission from Jean Ryan’s blog. See our ‘In the Spotlight’ piece featuring her artwork.
Jean Ryan My top three blessings, in order of appearance, are my sisters, my spouse, and retirement. I can’t imagine the hollowness of a life without loved ones; as for retirement, I am still marveling over the perks.
Who knew that a clear calendar could have such salubrious effects? Free to be no one but yourself, you become intrigued: Who are you? What do you want? What do you shun, and why? You glimpse your infinite layers and begin to peer inside. What will you reach for? What might be out there, beckoning?
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One Thing or Another: An Economy to Die For
By Mark McNeaseIt’s always One Thing or Another… a lighthearted look at aging, life, and the absurdities of it all.
Have a grandparent to spare? Now’s your chance to volunteer one in sacrifice to the economy. All positions available!
Who needs old people, really? What do they do besides eat, talk about how hard it is to get old, drive RVs across the country, and bother people with questions about the simplest techie things? Think of all the good use they could be put to as frontline workers in the apocalypse.
That’s the thinking in certain conservative circles these days. The Lieutenant Governor of Texas, Dan Patrick, started the doomsday ball rolling when he said he’d be willing to work to save the economy for his grandchildren. I wasn’t aware he hadn’t worked before, or that he wasn’t getting paid while he sat around saying these things, but that’s another matter. The idea caught fire, especially among wealthy pundits and Republicans who have never been, and will never be, essential workers … like grocery store clerks, nurses, police officers, and baristas. Something tells me they know they won’t actually have to risk their lives for their grandchildren, but it sounds heroic. Things that sound heroic but have no chance of happening are favorites with men who fancy themselves soldiers, having avoided any real wars. It’s cool to say you’ll take a bullet, especially for future generations, when the gun’s empty.
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What’s Cooking: Cathy’s Simple Veggie Soup for Complicated Times
What’s Cooking is a feature at LGBTSr highlighting readers’ favorite recipes.
We’re keeping it simple during these complicated, stressful times. Here’s a recipe from herbalist Cathy McNease that only takes about 15 minutes and is a great addition to something more substantial, or as a stand-alone.
“This is my go to when I am tired and want a healthy meal quickly. Start to finish is about 10-15 minutes.”
- Vegetables of your choice – brocolli, potato, zucchini, onion – all work well, singly or together.
- (if potato is included it will make the soup more creamy)
- Steam the vegetables til soft.
- Then, put vegies and the steam water in the blender along with 1 can of coconut milk, 1-3 Tbsp of miso paste (depending on how salty you like it) and seasonings you like – I use cumin powder, oregano and basil.
- Blend all together and warm briefly.
- Top with chopped cilantro. Serve with crackers, chips or buttered toast. Mmmm!
Have a favorite recipe? Send it to: recipes @ lgbtsr.com and share it with readers. Include something about yourself and a photo or two if you’d like.