WWURA Newsletter
Western Washington University Retirement Association
Retired WWU Faculty, Staff and Others
November 2022
. .INSIDE: . Notes from the President
. . . . . . . . . .Events
. . . . . . . . . .Interest Groups
. . . . . . . . . .Health Notes
. . . . . . . . . .Book Review
. . . . . . . . . .Cooking for One (or Two)
. . . . . . . . . .Excursions
. . . . . . . . . .Meet our Members
The President's Notes
With Halloween behind us we can check off the first of the fall/winter holiday season quintet. Up next Veterans Day…I wish that this holiday was not necessary but history provided us with too many examples of the need to maintain and support a military and today the world once again appears to be on the brink of expanded armed conflict in too many places…from Ukraine to the Middle East to the Korean Peninsula. I’ve been slowly reading through our own Burl Hamon’s memoir Combat Missions. Burl credits his involvement in the WWURA Writer’s Group with helping move him to publish these tales of a 19-year-old boy from Iowa thrown into a world conflict in a foreign land. Perhaps “Thank you for your service” should be on our lips during this holiday combined with thoughts of our family and friends who served and have passed.
Thanksgiving Day provides the opportunity to gather with friends and family sharing time and food in support of each other. In that time of joy, it is also time to reflect upon those who do not have “enough” which could be food, housing, safety, family…those who may not have what we do. And to reflect upon our shared national history which we continue to relearn through the historian among us. On our local level, I encourage you to reach out to WWURA members and others you know who might not have a place to share this holiday and invite them to attend your celebration. “Friend-giving” expands our celebration and who we call family.
Christmas might be the most challenging holiday, it is a critical religious event for many, a time for family gatherings, the exchange of presents, consumerism…many understandings and gifts but there are still people who are left out. There are many opportunities to be respectful of all viewpoints, reach out to those who are grieving a loss and share our bounty. At the WWURA Board yesterday we decided it is time to try to organize a face-to-face event probably a pot-luck…the Zoom meetings the past 2 years were inventive in a difficult situation but feedback from the summer picnic/meeting pointed out how gathering together is one main function for our group…so we are beginning to take steps bringing us back together. We are currently searching for a safe space for a gathering…stay tuned for more information in the upcoming weeks.
New Year’s Eve…enough said!
As I’m typing…the stereo is playing a new re-release of the Beatles' 1963 album Revolver…Taxman, Eleanor Rigby, Yellow Submarine, Here, There, and Everywhere…the music keeps rolling out and still make me get this tired old body up to dance.
Enjoy the day and stay safe!
Kevin
* For your Calendar *
November 16th TRAVELOGUE
"Smitten by Britain” is the title of our November Travelogue.
Tune in at 4:00 PM, Wednesday, November 16th
Tamara Belts takes us on a tour of London.
Her special focus is on the London Rare Book School!
Lina Zeine will send you the Zoom link one or two days before.
* If you can’t make it on the 16th but don’t want to miss it, the program will be recorded and available within two days from Lina Zeine at lzeine@comcast.net
She can also provide links to these previous travelogues;
The Canning: Canoe trip on the Canning in Alaska - Veronica and Edoh AmiranBasque Country: Evelyn Ames and Lynne Masland
WWURA Around the World
Canoeing down the Yukon with Veronica and Edoh.
December 10th JINGLE BELL RUN/WALK
Register now for the WWURA Team:
https://events.arthritis.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.search&filter=participant&searchTerm=WWURA
INTEREST GROUPS
BOOK GROUP
Donna Moore, 360-733-5769 dfmoore12@gmail.com
We will meet at 2 PM on Tuesday, Nov 15th by ZOOM - Lina will send the link.
Book: The History of Love by Nicole Krauss - led by Claire Bowden
INFORMAL DINING
OPERA GROUP
Evelyn Ames, 360-734-3184, eames@comcast.net
2022-23 Opera season: King FM and CBC Radio 2 broadcast Metropolitan operas starting 3 hours earlier at Pacific Std. time.
Broadcasts air starting December 10.
MET HD at Regal Theater:
Traviata (Nov.5);
The Hours (Dec. 10);
Fedora (Jan 14);
Lohengrin (Mar 18);
Falstaff (Apr 1);
Der Rosenkavalier (April 15);
Champion (Apr 29);
Don Giovanni (May 20);
Die Zauberflote (June 3).
For your listening on YouTube:
The drinking song from the first act of Traviata: Sutherland and Pavarotti (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeQ7BViHBEU)
WRITING GROUPS
- The original group is all female. We meet on second and fourth Thursdays from 2 p.m till about 4 p.m. If you would like to be part of a supportive group where your writing can be heard and receive feedback, as you wish, at every meeting, we welcome hearing from you.
Contact: Lynne Masland: Lynne.Masland12@gmail.com (360 676-9821)
- The second writing group welcomes any gender.
Usually meets every two to three weeks.
Contact: Bill Smith 360-920-5390, billsmith1545@yahoo.com if interested.
Health Notes by Evelyn Ames
Preventing Falls: Tips to Keep You on Your Feet
Each year millions of Americans, especially older adults, go to the emergency department after an injury from a fall. Falls can cause serious injuries (e.g., back fractures, hip fractures, head trauma). Some people are never able to return to their way of life before an injury. The first step is talking with your healthcare provider about your potential for falling. Prevention plans can be developed for your safety.
The National Institute on Aging reports the following current information about falls and balance:
• The biggest risk factor for being injured from a fall is being age 65 or older. People younger than that may be at increased risk of falling when they engage in certain activities, like sports, or because of certain health conditions. But children and young adults typically fall without being seriously injured.
• People with weak bones are more likely to break a bone during a fall. As one ages, bones become less dense and get thinner and spongier.
• Problems with foot pain or wearing unsafe shoes such as flip flops and slippers with little or no support are hazards that can be prevented.
• Risk factors include medications that cause dizziness or decrease in balance. Some people have a drop in blood pressure when they stand up, making them feel unsteady on their feet.
• Quick summation: With aging, eyesight, hearing, and reflexes may not be as sharp as they once were. Those changes can make it more likely to stumble and fall. For older adults who have already fallen, the risk of falling again is much greater. Hips and legs can become weaker making it harder to walk. People can develop poor posture or have spinal degeneration making it harder to stand erect. Our ability to lift our feet decreases and we can stumble. It takes longer to react when something is in our way causing us to fall.
What can you do? Involve yourself in these Wise Choices of the National Institute on Aging!
• Talk openly with your healthcare provider about falls. Your doctor can help you make a personalized plan for preventing falls and may encourage you to work with a physical therapist to increase strength and improve balance. They can also prescribe devices like special footwear or a walking cane.
• Find out about the side effects of any medicine you take.
• Stay physically active to improve your balance and strength. Check web sites listed below for suggestions about exercising to prevent falls.
• Have your eyes and hearing checked regularly.
• See your healthcare provider about any foot problems. Make sure to discuss proper footwear.
• Make your home safer. Remove things you can trip over from stairs and walkways. Have grab bars and non-slip mats in bathrooms.
• Hold on to handrails when using stairs.
National Institute on Aging web sites: https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2019/09/preventing-falls
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/infographics/benefits-4-types-exercise
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/how-older-adults-can-get-started-exercise#started https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/preventing-falls-home-room-room
https://www.ncoa.org/article/exercise-programs-that-promote-senior-fitness
12 Best Elderly Balance Exercises For Seniors to Help Prevent Falls – ELDERGYM®
BOOK REVIEW by Minda Rae Amiran
Profiles in Ignorance: How America's Politicians Got Dumb and Dumber by Andy Borowitz (Avid Reader Press (Simon & Schuster))
Andy Borowitz is a political humorist in the great American tradition of Artemus Ward, Finley Peter Dunne, and Jon Stewart and company. Profiles in Ignorance is a seriously funny book, tracing our descent from ridiculing ignorance in our politicians to accepting it and finally to celebrating it. Of course, there has been a current of anti-intellectualism in American culture for several centuries. As Borowitz puts it, "ignorance in America has had kind of a running start." But our present situation is qualitatively different.
The book's major argument starts by puncturing the hot air balloon around Ronald Reagan and ends by tracing the rise of Donald Trump, providing hilarious quotations along the way from Dan Quayle, Sarah Palin, and many more. Borowitz's own comments add to the fun. For example, he writes, "When Quayle didn't know something, we knew he didn't know …….He kept riffing, nonsensically, believing he was circling the facts when he was only circling the drain." Or of Bush Jr. who, when asked about his favorite childhood book, couldn't remember any but later managed to name The Very Hungry Caterpillar. "Though that book might have been his favorite, it was published a year after he graduated from Yale." Or "Trump steamrolled his fellow reality show contestants in the Republican primary, including the Tea Party gasbag Ted Cruz and Jeb 'Please Clap' Bush (whose candidacy failed to capitalize on America's nostalgia for the Iraq War and Hurricane Katrina)."
Even if you voted for Trump, you would have to laugh at some of this. Every single quotation is documented; there are hundreds of notes and even an index in the book. But Borowitz's message is also serious if you value intelligence and knowledge in our elected representatives. He ends the book with a plea for us to stop being political hobbyists who follow all the news on various media without doing anything about what's happening. He urges us to work on our local level, to register voters, to get out the vote, to go to town meetings, and to move people away from false news and ignorant beliefs by talking with them patiently one at a time.
COOKING FOR ONE (or two) by Suzanne Krogh
It was a dark and stormy night. No kidding. It really was.
It was also my birthday. I had just returned from a lovely dinner out with family but felt that something was missing. Although the restaurant was quite wonderful, it didn’t serve dessert. I was especially in need of a piece of birthday cake. Preferably chocolate.
Then, I remembered a quite unusual recipe from several years before. Hoping it hadn’t disappeared, I began rummaging through my collection of food articles ripped from magazines and newspapers. And there it was. In no more than five minutes I was eating a piece of dark chocolate cake and my birthday was complete.
I have no idea how its basic chemistry works, but with just three ingredients and hardly any time at all, you can have your cake and eat…no. I shouldn’t. I started all this with a cliché and shouldn’t inflict another on you. So, here’s the recipe. So easy. It’s a piece of cake.
So Sorry.
ONE SERVING CHOCOLATE CAKE
Ingredients
1 egg
¼ cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon chocolate chips &/or a small scoop of vanilla ice cream
Directions
1. Crack the egg in a micro-safe mug and whisk it thoroughly with a fork.
2. Add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is completely smooth.
3. Cook in the microwave 55 seconds on high for a strong oven, 65 seconds for a smaller or less powerful one.
4. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top and let them melt a little before eating, and/or add a mini-scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Tip:
For a Mexican twist, add a few drops of vanilla and a pinch of cinnamon before microwaving.
`````````````````
Note: The skeptical editor thought this recipe would be more custard than cake. So, the 3 ingredients were whipped together in a large mug and zapped in an old 900W microwave for one minute. What a yummy cake! Devoured immediately.
Join a Four Day Excursion ? ? ?
The Academy for Lifelong Learning is making tentative plans for a four-day excursion to the area around Clarkston, WA, and Lewiston, ID. The focus of the excursion will be multi-faceted to include the geology of eastern Washington, Lewis and Clark history, a jet boat ride up the Snake River and a stop at a wine tasting center. Plans are to use the jet boat operated by Nez Perce Tourism where their member will share with us the Snake River's importance to the Nez Perce throughout history. A geologist in our group will also describe what we see throughout the excursion, to include the boat ride. After the boat ride we plan to have a Nez Perce dinner at their Nation's casino as well as a presentation by several of their members.
Plans are to leave Bellingham on Friday, May 19, at 7:30 AM with some geologic stops along the way to our hotel in Lewiston, ID.
The next day we will visit the WSU Bear Research Center and the Appaloosa Horse Museum in the morning and the Lewis and Clark Discovery Center in the afternoon where we will have a re-enactor tell us about the exploits of the Corps of Discovery.
Third day is outlined above, and the fourth day (May 22) is our return trip with a stop
at Walter Clore Wine & Culinary Center where you can sample and purchase wine, and we'll have lunch there. Should be back in Bellingham around 7:00 PM.
Right now we are simply conducting a survey to determine if there is enough interest in such an excursion. Sadly, we cannot give you a price yet because we are still awaiting replies from several vendors, the largest one being the bus company. A rough estimate of the required number of participants is 35 in order for ALL not to go "in the red" for the excursion.
If you and/or friends are interested, please email soon:
The Academy for Lifelong Learning (ALL)
Anyone can enjoy these great "classes" - check out the current programs: https://oce.wwu.edu/academy-lifelong-learning
Getting to Know our Members
This Month: Evelyn Ames, Professor of Health Education interviewed by Lynne Masland
Where did you grow up? I was born in Elko, Nevada. My family lived in nearby Lamoille,
at foot of the Ruby Mts, ‘til I was seven when we moved to Reno. After I graduated from
the University of Nevada, I left Reno to teach girls physical education at Tahoe-Truckee High School for two years. My first year was during the 1960 winter Olympics at Squaw Valley, and we had the month of February off. Fantastic chance to watch figure skating, distance skating, downhill, and jumping. Two years teaching and then off to begin a master’s degree at Washington State University. Finished one year and the Dean of the College of HPE recommended me for a teaching job at the University of Portland. My degree completed and during the next year, while looking for other opportunities, I accepted a one-year opportunity at Western Washington State College!
What was your job at Western? I came to Western in 1964 as a one-year replacement for two
faculty on leave at different times. In December the chair of the Department of Physical
Education for Women, Health, Recreation, and Dance said they had a new tenure track position and would I like to stay. Of course! I coached women’s basketball for four years, taught a variety of department courses, and started three courses in Health Education: Society and Drugs, Society and Sex, and Consumer Health. The next six years involved going to graduate school in summer at the University of Oregon and on leave to the University of Maryland where I completed my Ph.D. in Health Education in 1972. Developed the B.S. degree in Community Health in 1975 and later the B.A. in School Health. I was off and running, so to speak, with health education at Western.
What did you like best about Western? Besides getting to do “my own thing” with health education program development, I had support from my department, colleagues and working with others on and off campus to mature in my profession. This allowed me to write grants, especially one for enhancing Bellingham elementary teachers’ curricula in comprehensive school health education. My department encouraged me to apply for a sabbatical to Greece in 1995. Fantastic! As one might say, the good ole days were wonderful. Faculty from many departments and programs would gather at various social events such as the bygone faculty club. (Friday late afternoons were fun times.) Despite its perennial parking problem, the campus is beautiful, a wonderful place to work and form friendships.
After retirement? Following retirement in 2003, I went with friends for five and a half weeks, driving part of the time, to Spain. Various opportunities for travel with WWURA members have occurred and continue to do so. Involvement in community: St. Joe’s Community Council for several years, Arthritis Foundation, and Bellingham Music Club’s high school vocal auditions. I have been involved with WWURA, even before retiring. I participated on the health committee regarding retiree benefits. This evolved into writing a health column! Seems to have continued!
Interests: Attending music events (mostly classical) is on my radar. For many years I organized a small group of friends to attend the Vancouver Opera. We had season tickets until a year or two before Covid hit. Saturday at the Regal with MET HD is usually on my calendar. I participate in WWURA’s book club and social events, attend various music events (BMC, BSO, and BFM). As one of my former majors said the other day when I saw her at the YMCA, “walk the talk!” Keep on walking, exercising, socializing, and listening to music!