• Savvy Senior

    Savvy Senior: Specialized Moving Services That Help Seniors Downsize and Relocate

    May 2, 2022 /

    By Jim Miller

    Dear Savvy Senior,

    Can you recommend any businesses or services that specialize in helping seniors downsize and relocate? I need to find some help moving my mother from her four-bedroom home – where she’s lived for nearly 50 years – to an apartment near me.

    Overwhelmed Daughter

    Dear Overwhelmed,

    The process of downsizing and moving to a new home is a big job for anyone, but it can be especially overwhelming for seniors who are moving from a long-time residence filled with decade’s worth of stuff and a lifetime of memories. Fortunately, there’s a specialized service available today that can help make your mom’s move a lot easier for her, and for you. 

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  • The Weekly Readlines

    The Weekly Readlines April 30

    April 30, 2022 /

    The Weekly Readlines (rhymes with headlines!) offers news you can use every week. You can view the archives here. 

      BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES 

    First the good news: Michigan state senator Mallory McMorrow showed how to fight back in a stunning speech on the Michigan senate floor. Take that, haters! Also in great news, I retired! Happy trails to me. If you’d like to treat me to a ‘happy retirement’ cup of coffee, just CLICK HERE. Cream no sugar, please.

    North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn was caught once again with a loaded gun at an airport. The boy just can’t quit his toys. Meanwhile, the Republicans’ gun fetish prompted House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer to call for a gun ban at the Capitol. Shades of John Wilkes Booth?

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  • Savvy Senior

    Savvy Senior: How to Find Educational Trips for Retirees Who Love to Learn

    April 29, 2022 /


    By Jim Miller

    Dear Savvy Senior,

    My wife and I planning to travel much more frequently in retirement and are very interested in educational trips and adventures. Can you recommend any groups or firms that specialize in this type of travel geared towards retirees?

    Love to Learn

    Dear Love,

    Educational travel, which combines travel with in-depth learning opportunities has become a very popular way of travel among retirees. Here are a few good places to turn to find these types of trips in the U.S. and abroad.

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  • DIY Day

    DIY Day: Changing a Home Light Switch

    April 27, 2022 /

    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

    The Weekly Readlines April 23

    April 23, 2022 /

    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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  • Being Well,  LGBTSR

    Being Well: Let’s Talk About Diverticulitis

    April 10, 2022 /

    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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  • LGBTSR

    Savvy Senior: How to Choose a Medicare Advantage Plan

    April 8, 2022 /

    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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  • LGBTSR

    Mark McNease Mysteries Podcast #36: Paper Hearts: A Marshall James Thriller Short Story

    April 1, 2022 /

    CLICK TO LISTEN

    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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