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Cover Reveal: Open Secrets: A Maggie Dahl Mystery
I hope to be finished soon with the loooooong awaited sequel to Black Cat White Paws: A Maggie Dahl Mystery.
In the upcoming Open Secrets, local author Shanna Delaney, who first appeared briefly in Black Cat White Paws, becomes the center of a murder mystery. Shanna has written a follow up to her successful first collection of essays about life in a Delaware River town, and this time she’s rumored to be naming names. Not everyone whose secrets she could reveal wants them made public, and someone may be willing to kill to stop her.
Meanwhile, a year after her husband’s sudden death, Maggie finds herself on a date with a man who just may be the one to lead her back to a life away from the grief she’s known. Can she love again? And more importantly, will she?
Find out in Open Secrets, releasing fall, 2022.
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An App for That: Easy Anytime Parking with ‘Park Mobile’
An App for That is a regular feature at LGBTSr highlighting useful apps and technology tips for our readers.
We were walking down the street recently and my husband, who only pays for parking if there is no other option, noticed how many parking meters had no time on them, yet cars were parked beside them. Lots of cars, up and down both sides of the street. We checked the posted signs, and sure enough, they were all supposed to pay. Yet we had walked several blocks to evade the meters. What was going on?
We asked a server at the restaurant we went to, and she said, “Oh, they’re probably using Park Mobile. It’s a parking app.”
I don’t know why it had never occurred to me to get a parking app, but considering how many times I’ve wanted to park closer to our destination but had no quarters for a meter (the town in question still uses coin-fed meters), you’d think I would have gotten a clue much sooner. Which brings us to Park Mobile, one of the most popular parking apps available. Check out the features and see if it’s for you. It makes parking a breeze, and it’s as available as your nearest smartphone.
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The Twist Podcast #192: Decomposing Democracy, Praise for Retirement, and Our Favorite American Carnage Memes
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we process the leaked Supreme Court decision clarifying the majority’s radical plans, offer some thoughts on the joys of retirement, and consider our decomposing democracy.
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Ask Your Uncle: Do 10,000 Steps a Day Really Make a Difference for Your Health?
Welcome to Ask Your Uncle, a regular feature at LGBTSr.com answering questions big and small. Have something to ask your uncle? Email us at Uncle@LGBTSr.com.
Q: Everyone seems to be counting their steps these days, with the general consensus being a minimum of 10,000 per day to maintain basic step-health. Where does that come from, and is 10,000 steps really a magic number?
A: Uncle sees step counters everywhere and wonders the same thing. Why do so many people consider 10,000 steps to be a basic daily requirement? What are they basing this belief on?
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Savvy Senior: Specialized Moving Services That Help Seniors Downsize and Relocate
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 April 30
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: How to Find Educational Trips for Retirees Who Love to Learn
By Jim MillerDear 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: 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.