Mary Jo Bellner Swartzberg Ruminating. Pondering. It’s what we do when we want to make the world a better place. To wit … have you ever wondered why: • No one has ever come up with a better way to open an 8-ounce package of cream cheese? • Paper and plastic bags are not yet…
Category: Features
July 2025, Features
We’re Buddy Walkin’
Dick Hardy Side by side, in morning’s grace, Steppin’ in sync, a gentle pace. Hummin’ softly, hearts aglow, Through the dawn, together we go. We’re Buddy Walkin’ We’re Buddy Walkin’ We’re Buddy Walkin’ We’re Buddy Walkin’ Shoulders brush and our butts sway, Sunlight dances through our day. on a mission, and all can see…
July 2025, Features
I’m Not Too Old To …
Rhonda Murray When I moved to SaddleBrooke at 55, people kept asking me the same thing: “Are you even old enough to live here?” I’d laugh and reply, “Apparently just barely—but I made it!” What I didn’t expect was how right it would feel. Before we even unpacked a single box, I had been eyeing…
July 2025, Features
2 Your Health: Loneliness: How It Impacts Our Life
Dr. Rose Bricker The former Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murphy published an article with the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2023. In that article, he stated that we have an epidemic of loneliness, isolation, and lack of connection in the U.S. He goes on to say, “It is so prevalent…
July 2025, Features
Living Retired: Syncing Your Device
Gary Chalk I am alone in my car parked in our driveway. I am attempting to do what the computer geeks call ‘Syncing Your Device.’ I call it ‘#%$%#!’ When I finish ‘Syncing Your Device’ I will be able to listen to my personal playlist, place and receive phone calls, read my text messages, and…
July 2025, Features
Recovery
Dick Hardy Recovery time feels like hospital time— The tempo and flow, slow and strange, Where minutes stretch into hours, And a single day lingers for a week, A week, an aching month. The nights are long when sleep won’t arrive, The days even longer when pain won’t depart. Food no longer sings with…
July 2025, Features
Savor Retirement: Retirees and Anger: Understanding the Emotional Landscape of Retirement
Timothy Malone, Ph.D. Retirement is often envisioned as a time of leisure and relaxation, free from the demands of the workforce. However, this transition can be accompanied by unexpected emotional challenges for many retirees, including frustration, resentment, and even anger. These feelings may stem from financial concerns, health issues, changes in social roles, or feelings…
July 2025, Features
In Passing – July 2025
Nancy Lindquist Nancy Ellen Lindquist (née Gunderson), died peacefully at her home in SaddleBrooke, Arizona, on May 27, 2025, surrounded by loved ones. She was 91 years old. Nancy was born in Schroeder, Minn., on Dec. 30, 1933, the sixth and youngest child of Norwegian and Swedish immigrants, Fred and Elen Gunderson. She grew up…
July 2025, Features
A License to Laugh … Wieder!
Mary Jo Bellner Swartzberg It is time to hit the road for vacation time and/or family time. In the Summer of 2025, road trips are expected to outpace previous years. Flexibility, cost-saving, and the road trip experience are the factors that are sending people to travel on asphalt. If you will be out and about…
July 2025, Features
The Art of Not Caring
Suzanne Marlatt Stewart There’s a common belief that to be happy, you must constantly strive for more wealth, more status, and more possessions. At face value, it seems logical. More equals better, right? However, the truth is, as we age, happiness isn’t about attaining more; it’s about caring less. Less about external validation, societal expectations,…