Category: Features

In Passing – September 2024

Katherine Mary Friesen Katherine Mary (McCune) Friesen passed away on Friday, July 26, 2024, in her home in Tucson, Ariz., surrounded by her husband and daughter. Loving wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, and grandmother, she was 79 years old. Kate was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Sept. 19, 1944, to Mary Elizabeth (Meyers) and…

Can You Count to 4?

Kathy Sinnott What is your fave rock song where the lead singer shouts off a ‘4/4 beat count?’ Mine has got to be Springsteen’s Born To Run at 3:03 minutes into the song! Well, rockers, get ready to experience the Rockin’ 4 Heroes 4/4 beat count this year, which gives new meaning to the number…

Dollars and Sense: Guard Your Card!

Leah Kari, Retired Pharmaceutical Representative and Licensed Insurance Agent Your Medicare number is your passport to accessing vital healthcare services. It is required for enrollment into Medicare Supplement Insurance, Medicare Advantage plans, and stand-alone prescription drug plans. Your Medicare number is confidential. Criminals are on the prowl to exploit this information. Safeguard your Medicare number…

That Was Then, This Is Now

Mary Jo Bellner Swartzberg The year was 1934—90 years ago. The stock market crash of 1929 resulted in a downward spiraling of the economy, leading to the Great Depression. Jobs were in short supply, and food was hard to come by. The era of The Great Gatsby (published in 1925) was over, and the anthem…

Word of the Month: Equipoise

David Zapatka While attending the Theosophical Society Convention in Wheaton, Ill., this summer, I saw one of the presenters use the word “equipoise” in his presentation. The usage of the word described a relationship balance between two philosophical thoughts. Equipoise—equi·poise noun 1. A state of equilibrium 2. Counterbalance 3. Balance of forces or interests verb…

Family Circus

Linda Rosenkrans In a bustling three-ring circus, the family takes the stage, A menagerie of pets and kids, in a chaotic rage. The ex-wife on one side, the ex-husband on the other, With their families in tow, each one like no other. A lioness barks orders, fierce and unyielding, While a clown prince juggles, smiles…