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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!
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Spring Cleaning and Decluttering Tips
I don’t limit my spring cleaning to spring, but it’s always a good time to clean and declutter, especially now that we can open the doors and windows! Below are some tips from Nationwide. You can read all 22 of them at their site. Some you’ve probably heard before, some were new to me (socks as dusting mitts?).
Spring has arrived – which means it’s time to get your home in tip-top shape. A good, deep spring clean-up is a tradition that not only promotes wellness by keeping your environment clean and organized, it also helps carry the fresh-start feeling brought on by a new year well into the summer.
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May is Mental Health Awareness Month
From the National Alliance on Mental Illness
“Each year millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental illness. During May, NAMI joins the national movement to raise awareness about mental health. Each year we fight stigma, provide support, educate the public and advocate for policies that support people with mental illness and their families.
You Are Not Alone
For 2021’s Mental Health Awareness Month NAMI will continue to amplify the message of “You Are Not Alone.” We will use this time to focus on the healing value of connecting in safe ways, prioritizing mental health and acknowledging that it’s okay to not be okay through NAMI’s blog, personal stories, videos, digital toolkits, social media engagements and national events.
Together, we can realize our shared vision of a nation where anyone affected by mental illness can get the appropriate support and quality of care to live healthy, fulfilling lives — a nation where no one feels alone in their struggle.
Help us spread the word through awareness, support and advocacy activities. Share awareness information, images and graphics for #MHAM throughout May.”
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On Dreamshaping: Nowhere to Hide
Mark McNease
Wherever I go, there I am!
It’s an old adage, meant to be humorous but with a grain of truth to it. The one thing I cannot escape is also the one thing I spend so much time attempting to flee: myself. My repetitive thoughts, my obsessions, my fixations, all playing out in loops that sometimes remind me of spools of yarn that have become entangled. Do I do this today? Do I do that? If I don’t to this, will I feel freer? What will bring me the simple relief I crave?
Another common analogy is that nearly all of us possess – or are possessed by – a monkey mind. This one is self-explanatory: what is something monkeys are known for? Jumping! Limb to limb, restless, never ceasing to move. That is a good description of our minds. It certainly captures what I experience almost every day. And the more I attempt to stop jumping, to settle on one fragile limb and stay there, the more another limb grabs my attention and within an instant I’ve jumped to that one. On and on, hour after hour, day after day.