Encore Life, Vol 2, Summer

Change Your Beliefs About Uncertainy and Difficult Times

Legacy Letters A Road-map For Those Who Follow

Day TripAntique Motorcycle Museum

Aubreyrsquos Kitchen

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Savory Cookies and Cookies For Grown-ups

Celebrate Your Life

2 | Encore Life copy | Summer 2013 | encorelifemagcom

Tune In To Our New Radio ShowEncore Living - A radio show that talks about Better Living In The Second Stage of Life

Hosted by Joyce Joneschiet (Encore Living InteriorsEncore Life Magazine) with Aaron Murphy (ADM Architecture LLCEmpowering the Mature Mind)

Listen in every Tuesday at 900 AM (PST) on Blog Talk Radio You can also chat live with us during the show call in to win our giveaways amp talk to our guestsJust go to httpblogtalkradiocomencoreliving

Sponsor Packages start at $50 Call Joyce for more info at 253-221-3592 or email

joyceencorelivinginteriorscom

Special features includebull Interior design tipsbull How interior design amp architecture can help you

age in placebull The newest products for your homebull Best travel destinations for baby boomersbull What is a referral agency and how can they help

you with your optionsbull Nutrition for Adults Onlybull How in-home care is not a luxurybull Easy no-cook mealsbull Encore careersbull Inspirational baby boomersbull And so much more

Wersquore now available on iTunes as a podcast Find us in the ArtsDesign category and Subscribe Today

CONTENTS volume two

features55 Caregiving Hurts - And It Heals53 Hi Irsquom A Fraud Victim But Irsquom Not Going To Tell You

transitions amp aging in place12 A Moving Story (Part 5) Jane amp Tom Pack For Their Move31 ldquoForever Homerdquo On A Budget Starts With Common Sense22 Downsizing Your Life Should Not Require Garage Sale-ing Your Mind

travel amp career14 The Drsquos That Lead To Business Failure17 Antique Motorcycle Museum24 Lox and Leeks With A Beer Chaser In Edmonds46 The Importance Of Buying Local

spirituality amp legacy48 Itrsquos Always Time To Be Happy42 Change Your Beliefs About Uncertainy and Difficult Times 8 Legacy Letters A Roadmap For Those Who Follow

health amp nutrition50 Your Personal Wellness ROI34 Aubreyrsquos Kitchen Cauliflower Crust Pizza38 Savory Cookies and Cookies For Grownups59 Is Long Term Care Insurance Right For Me

in every issueContributors 4

Editorrsquos LettermdashFrom Me For You 6Online Glimpses 3

Nutrition For Adults Only 50Encore Careers 14Murphrsquos Mind 31 Encore Travel 24

From You To Us 5 On Our Bookshelf 7

Subscription Info 64Advertising Info 6

In The Next Issue 64

ldquoIt gave me strength and confidence to look back at lifersquos challenges to learn that I can face anything in the futurerdquo

SUMMER 2013

Encore Life copy | Summer 2013 | encorelifemagcom | 3

Encore Life

12 34


CONTRIBUTORS Encore Life

423114

22 55 8

50 172438 48

59 46 53


From You To Us

L etters from our readers are always appreciated and welcomed We hope to hear from you about this issue and want to get your feedback on what you would like to see in future issues This helps us tailor this magazine to your needs so we can provide the content that yoursquore looking for

If yoursquove received a benefit from a particular article or video tell us about it We will be using this page to mention your letters and emails and we are looking forward to hearing from you

Please send all your letters toEncore Life Magazine1911 SW Campus Dr Ste 487Federal Way WA 98023

Please send your emails toCustomerServiceencorelifemagcom

From Me To You Just A Note

from JOYCE JONESCHIET

Ahhhh The long lazy days of summer are here I canrsquot wait for icy cold lemonade and fresh strawber-ries right out of the garden Those heirloom toma-toes are also ripe for the picking perfect with a dash of olive oil amp a grind of saltI know yoursquoll also enjoy the yummy recipes we have in this issue and our books on our bookshelf to lin-ger over as you plan your summer patio partiesWe also have some great ideas to take a short day trip amp enjoy local sitesA special treat is an article by Kristine Smith of her caretaking days with DeForest Kelley (of Star Trek)before he passedMake sure to have your friends and family sign up for a FREE subscription today so you can each have access to all the good stuff that is coming your way Click here to sign up

Herersquos to your Encore Life

JoyceJoyce Joneschiet (Jonah-shite)Publisher amp Editor in Chief



Click on the book images for more infoOn Our Bookshelf

The Tuscan Sun Cookbook Recipes from Our Italian KitchenBy Frances Mayes Edward Mayes

ldquoTuscan food tastes like itself In-gredients are left to shine So if on your visit I hand you an apron your work will be easy Wersquoll start with primo ingredients a little flurry of activity perhaps a glass of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and soon wersquoll be carrying platters out the door Wersquoll have as much fun setting the table as we have in the kitchen Four double doors along the front of the house open to the outsidemdashso handy for serv-ing at a long table under the stars (or for cooling a scorched pan on the stone wall) Italian Philosophy 101 la casa aperta the open houserdquomdashfrom the Introduction In all of Frances Mayesrsquos bestsell-ing memoirs about Tuscany food plays a starring role This cuisine transports comforts entices and speaks to the friendly genuine and improvisational spirit of Tuscan life

Williams-Sonoma On the Grill Adventures in Fire and SmokeBy William Cooper

Whether yoursquore an enthusiastic novice or a seasoned aficionado this new cookbook from grill mas-ter Willie Cooper offers a fun and novel approach to outdoor cooking With lush full-color photography On the Grill delivers inspiration and sound advice each step of the way on everything from buying a pair of tongs to spit-roasting a pig Chef Willie invites you to come along on several action-packed grill-ing adventures showing you how to plan and pull off a memorable lake-side feast a perfect summer picnic a sun-splashed beach bash a spit-roasting extravaganza a spirited tail-gate party a Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings and more

Home Made SummerBy Yvette van Boven

Inspired by her childhood in Ire-land and her frequent sojourns in France van Boven has created a collection of recipes that will truly inspire you to step into the kitchen Using seasonal ingredients such as freshly picked apples and ber-ries delicate summer lettuces and fresh herbs she presents recipes for Breakfast Brunch amp Lunch Snacks Beverages Appetizers and Dessert

Flipping through the pages feels a bit like stepping into a fantasy land one with jars and jars of citrusy-tomato mayon-naise awaiting crab cakes and stacks of powdered sugar-dusted ultimate puffy pancakesrsquo (topped with cregraveme fraicircche and berries inlieu of syrup)rdquo LA Weekly

LEGACY LETTERS

8| Encore Life copy | Summer 2013 | encorelifemagcom

A Roadmap for Those Who Followby KAREN LYNN MAHER


LEGACY LETTERS A Roadmap for Those Who Follow

by KAREN LYNN MAHER

ldquoI donrsquot feel gripped by sorrow anymore about the death of my two children because I got it out of me by writing the letter It gave me strength and confidence to look back at lifersquos challenges to learn that I can face anything in the futurerdquo

KAREN LYNN MAHER What will I pass on to the next generation How will I make my unique contribution to my fam-ily and community What is the one thing I want my loved ones to remember about me Legacy letters help us answer these and other big questions of life and serve as a ve-hicle to express love offer advice and preserve family history at risk of being lost Preserv-ing and passing on our sense of lifersquos mean-ing is as important as giving away our mate-rial wealth through a Last Will and Testament A legacy letter is a simple yet profound process that (1) gives voice to our life journey (2) illuminates how our life matters and (3) captures and preserves the meaning of our life in print It is the ultimate gift to our loved ones as it gives them a head start in their own search for significance and belongingThe products of legacy planning take several forms from sharing stories around the din-ner table to writing a full-blown memoir A common form is a legacy interview which

results in a 3-5 page legacy letter to loved ones (also called an ethical will) and an au-dio recording of the interview conversation The interview preserves our words and our voice and ensures that future generations have access to family values and traditions as well as our hopes and dreams for them Every interview and letter is as unique as its author and invites a conversation with the people closest to us to share about our emotional and spiritual legacies often the source of lifersquos greatest lessons and insights Recently a client who witnessed the death of two of her five children shared with me how her life changed as a result of her legacy inter-view and letter we crafted together ldquoMy kids now understand my relationship with their dad a marriage that ended in divorce I was surprised that my grandchildren took an in-terest in reading the letter They wished Irsquod shared more about my life And I donrsquot feel gripped by sorrow anymore about the death of my two children because I got it out of me by writing the letter It gave me strength and


confidence to look back at lifersquos challenges to learn that I can face anything in the futurerdquo I began my career as a writing mentor in 2001 helping people write memoir and their life stories Every day I am blessed with the opportunity to listen to authors share about their lives and then help them capture the es-sence in print Here are some of the comments about ldquolegacy lettersrdquo I recall vividly ldquoOh I wish my mother had done thisrdquo ldquoI wish Irsquod know about this service before my grandmother diedrdquo ldquoMy uncle served in World War II and he had such fabulous stories that are now lostrdquo Writing a legacy letter is a mode of self-inquiry and a way to pass on the meaning of our lives to those who follow Our memo-ries and our stories create the imprint of our livesmdashour immortality I encourage you to take the time to pass on an inheritance that will be treasured for many generations

Karen Lynn Maher owns LegacyONE Authors LLC a self-publishing consulting company in Kirkland Washington Since 2001 she has been helping authors write legacy letters and other engaging manuscripts to reflect their personal stories and professional knowledge and expertise She is author and creator of the ExpertBooktrade Made Simple series de-signed to help aspiring authors successfully plan write self-publish and promote their books

WRITING YOUR OWN LEGACY LETTER Plan to take as much time as necessary to com-plete your letter Reflect on the questions below and write down your thoughts and ideas Out-line how you want to organize your words When yoursquore ready write a rough draft Let it sit for a few days Then go back and edit You may want to re-cord your thoughts on tape and then transcribe and edit your notes There is no absolute or ldquorightrdquo way to approach this meaning piece of writing

What were the major turning points in your life

What were the most important deci-sions you have made

Who were the people who have helped you most on your life journey

What did you learn from these people

What has been your most consistent challenge during your life

What do you value the most

What do you believe in

What are your hopes and dreams for your children and grandchildren

What is the one thing you want your family to know and remember about you

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER



A MOVING STORY Article Five Jane and Tom Pack for their Move

by SUE MCGUIRE

With their floor plan prepared and sort-ing well in hand Jane and Tom turned to the next phase of their move packing their be-longings Cheryl the move management com-pany project manager worked with them to identify how many and what kind of boxes would be needed to pack those belongings Jane and Tom were tempted to use free boxes such as open topped liquor boxes But Cheryl explained that standard moving boxes that can be closed and uniformly stacked have two advantages First items could be packed more safely Second uniform boxes utilized every inch of a moving van Also when stacking boxes of the same size there was little chance the box would collapse because the strongest part of the boxmdashthe cornersmdashlined up Large variety stores stor-age unit offices and professional movers stock a variety of standard moving box sizes and shapes Moving companies use the rule that the heavier the item to be packed the smaller the box Heavy items packed in a large box were difficult to move and tested the boxrsquos integrity So the profes-sional move managers packed all of Jane and Tomrsquos books canned goods garage tools and paper-work into small boxes 15 cubic feet in capacity The move management company packed Jane and Tomrsquos kitchen appliances pots and pans shoes VCRrsquos small lamps and small pictures into medium-sized boxes about 30 cubic feet in size The moving crew reserved the large boxes 45 cubic feet for lightweight or bulky items such as bedding hats and purses towels and paper products

For Jane and Tomrsquos china crystal kitch-en dishes glassware figurines vases and break-

able lamps the move management company used dish packsmdashsturdy tall double-walled boxes constructed with two layers of cardboard Some-times the packers used ldquocellsrdquo for dish packsmdashdi-viders that separate one item from another Even with these dividers the packers still wrapped each breakable item before settling it into a cell For Tom and Janersquos computer and lamps the packers used specialty boxes avail-able through professional movers For bulky clothing movers provided wardrobesmdashlarge boxes with rods used for hanging clothes The other half of the packing process

Article Five Jane and Tom Pack for their Moveby SUE MCGUIRE


SUE MCGUIRE heads up the South Sound of-

fice of Segue She has lived and worked in the

Tacoma area for 35 years She has a Masters

degree in planning and over 30 years experience

providing business management marketing

and project management services to private and

public clients Sue has run her own consulting

business managed a private-non-profit social

service agency and was marketing director for

the Tacoma office of a national engineering

firm Click on the website icon for more infor-

mation

was wrapping The move management com-pany wrapped all of Jane and Tomrsquos belong-ings with plain blank newsprint bubble wrap or popcorn The crew never skimped on paper Their goal was to ensure the items were well wrapped secure and not touch-ing each other so that even if a box were dropped or turned upside down the items would be safe The packers never put heavy items and delicate breakables in the same box Cheryl made sure that all box-es were completely full adding a pillow rug or crumpled newsprint to top off the box Having completely full boxes guard-ed against a box collapsing when stacked After sealing boxes the move manage-ment company affixed labels that identified the contents This would speed and make more efficient the unpacking process Reading the labels the movers could set the boxes with towels beside the linen closet the heavy dish packs full of china beside the china cabinet and the heavy book boxes beside the bookcases With everything packed and ready Jane and Tom were ready at last for their Mov-ing Daymdashcovered in next monthrsquos article

The Drsquos That Lead To Business Failure

by MEL WEST


A couple weeks ago I was sitting in a meeting to help credit unions better identify and reach the underserved in New Orleans when someone reminded us of a quote Gloria Steinem made several years ago ldquoRich people plan for gen-erations forward and poor people plan for Satur-day nightrdquo It was a profound quote and I found myself reflecting on the context of Ms Steinemrsquos quote during the long airplane ride back to Seattle For those like me who wondered Ms Steinem became nationally recognized as a leader of and media spokesperson for the womenrsquos lib-eration movement in the late 1960s and 1970s In the aforementioned quote she was discussing how women essentially had been a lower class and was less likely to plan ahead and more likely to think about who they were going to marry and about their children all of whom would dic-tate the womanrsquos plans instead of having the con-fidence to be able to stand up and support them-selves As it pertains to the womanrsquos movement it is very strong but I believe it could be equally fit-ting for business owners and their succession plan When starting a business the best thing to do is to begin with an end in mind Neverthe-less letrsquos be realistic most business owners donrsquot Many are challenged to create a written plan and follow it while going into and continuing to run their business The lack of proper planning can be a fatal mistake as a company without a prop-er leadership team in place is always going to fail The trick is to have a successful succession strat-egy in place and plan for the Drsquos of business fail-ure and build it into the plan before itrsquos too late The key is to check the ego at the door and look at the situation in a logical way to identify how each ldquoDrdquo will affect your family your business your employees your customers and yourself

DEATH Several methods exist to prepare the business its employees and the families of those involved for the unexpected or untimely death of the owner to ensure the business will continue to operate in

the event of the ownerrsquos death Irsquoll share a couple As a single business owner and no fam-ily members to takeover the business owner and one or more key employees may enter into an agreement which sets up the own-errsquos estate to sell the business to the key em-ployee at death The key employee provides a lump sum payment and relieves the ownerrsquos family of the responsibility of the business If there are partners a ldquocross purchaserdquo plan could be established where each owner owns a policy for the other owner Depend-ing on the strategies used there could be some tax implications and it is best to check with your CPA andor financial planner

DISABILITY This generally occurs when its least ex-pected and is more likely to end a business than death If the person is important to the business and the disability will likely cause a financial or leadership strain how do you protect the business If you are a solopreneur or the rainmaker for the business who pro-tects your family along with the business I can guarantee the expenses will keep coming

DIVORCE There are a couple types of divorce There is the common divorce and then the business owner divorce Itrsquos not uncommon for business partners spend more time with their business partners than their spouses

As a business owner if you get divorced you donrsquot want your ex-spouse running around with stock in the company However many times this becomes a reality What happens if you have a partner and cannot get along or they are no longer working in the busi-ness How do you split the partnership up without ruining each other financially

DEPARTUREThe business may be running great and then


the other partner decides the business is no longer his or her passion and leaves for anoth-er opportunity First who does the work and then how and when is the other one paid out If there are shares how will they be valued A departure might be a blessing but most likely you have a partner for a reason

Buy-Sell Agreement A buy-sell agreement is one of the most important arrangements any business includ-ing a sole proprietorship can have This agree-ment structures how the business will continue in the event of death of a business owner or other key events like those that we discussed above If you have a partner or investors an exit plan is even more important and a buy-sell agreement is critical If there are partners spouses or children it is oftentimes easier to work out while everyone is happy and working together versus negotiating an arrangement later Itrsquos a good idea to talk through these is-sues and then engage an attorney and CPA who will most likely bring up other items to consider that may affect your personal situa-tion The more you plan the more you will be able to control the outcome Not everyone can be around forever and often a company can benefit from having a fresh injection of talent and ideas Instead of planning for Saturday night itrsquos time to plan for generations forward

Mel West MBA Mel West is President of West Business Concepts Inc a performance-consulting firm in Tacoma WA He has a passion for helping people succeed both in their personal and professional lives He relates his work to being in the logistics business where he helps his clients identify and achieve success so they can go from where they are to where they want to be Mel brings over 20 years of management experience with leadership roles in the financial services industry manufacturing and the military that includes opera-tions marketing sales finance human resources com-pliance and quality management His insight provides a unique perspective and expertise to help companies increase their revenues improve their profitability and strategically lead their organizations more effectively through his hand on approach to coaching and con-sulting Mel was the co-host of the BizTech Talk ra-dio show focusing on business and technology trends


Antique Motorcycle Museumby DON amp PEG DOMAN

The Vintage Antique Motorcycle Mu-seum is located upstairs in the Historic Hotel Washington in downtown Chehalis Washington The Vintage Antique Motor-cycle Museum is home to original and fully restored pre-1916 Indian Harley David-son Yale Excelsior Pierce Emblem Sears Thor Henderson Reading Standard and Flanders In addition you find a Nera Car an Imp Car an Amphi Car a Knucklehead an Indian 4 an Indian Chief and an as-sortment of antique bicycles including an American-made bicycle from the 1800sThe showcases are filled with memo-rabilia Photographs and posters cov-er the walls Most bikes have a copy of the original literature displayed If you like the open road you will ap-preciate seeing and experiencing this col-lection of fabulous motorcycles that most people have only heard or dreamed about





The museum has much more to offer than what is simply show-ing here plus they have antique bicy-cles (including the unusual Bowden Spacelander from 1960) as well has a cute little antique Pierce tricycle



Downsizing your lifeshould not require garage sale-ing your mind

by PAUL ZOHAV When the day arrives that you have to leave your home to take up residence in a much smaller dwelling within a retirement community or other care facility there will be the challenge of how you manage a lifetime of mementos knickknacks and other personal belongings The difficulty is that each memento or other much-loved object carries with it some of your most favorite memories The predica-ment is that in the process of downsizing your life as you cull through a lifetime of remem-brance-laden objects you may very well lose a connection to the memories they represent Before your move whenever you looked at the objects around you ndash you were able to re-call when and where you acquired it even with whom you bought it Touching that object or sitting on that old comfortable chair you recall the lunch hour shared with a spouse or good friend who is now gone from your life or who is now far away you can still remember the clothing you wore and what was talked about over lunch that day forty or more years ago It might be the case that that serving plat-ter or set of dishes was a wedding gift from a beloved relative that you have used every fam-ily Thanksgiving since Every time you use those

dishes you fondly remember every family gather-ing and each turkey served Looking back in time you remember young children sisters and brothers aunts and uncles and though you have not served from that platter or used those special dishes in years you can still recall that and more With that serving platter in sight you are able to recall an ear-lier time of your life when you were much younger slimmer and had your whole future ahead of you Downsizing is often inevitable and unless and until you take measures to process important memories and reorient yourself in a new manner when you wake up in your next residence you can expect to feel literally dislocated from your own memories And when the day arrives that your capacity to recall your memories becomes even more problematical they will be effectively lost They donrsquot have to be It was for that reason I wrote the Down-sizing Your Life section of my Living Legacy LifeBook designed to allow you to preserve your sense of self even as you move to smaller quarters

PAUL ZOHAV-Certified Professional Counselor at Relationship Literacy LLC -Ordained Chaplain-Domestic Violence counselor-Relationship and self management Coach-Author of the Living Legacy LifeBook (livinglegacy-lifebookcom) designed to support elders process a lifetime of memories gain respect and honor for the life they have lived and leave a Living Legacy that for future genera-tions -Story teller and folk musician-Masters degree in Counseling from the Univ of Virginia and Religious studies from Gratz College in Philadelphia

should not require garage sale-ing your mind by PAUL ZOHAV


Spending less than an hour a day you can easily create your personal Living Legacy LifeBook that will-Help you process and harvest a lifetime of memories-Serve you as a memory aid when memory be-comes problematical-Become a living Legacy and posterity for your family and scholars for generations to come-Offer you many hours of enjoyment with family and children as they listen to you tell and retell life and stories

You will have-An answer to what you talk about after ldquoFinerdquo (How are the kids fine work fine your health finehellip)

Making Every Life a Living LegacyWHAT DO YOU WANT TO REMEMBER BEFORE YOU FORGET

-Spent hours upon hours with your spouse chil-dren and your friends listening to you as you tell and retell your family life and times-An enhanced sense of self and of your own achievements-A memory aid for when your memory becomes problematical

A Living Legacy that will last for generations to come Oral History a true immortality So that is it and much more A flexible structured document of documents an easy enjoy-able satisfying step by step do it at your own pace Living Legacy LifeBook Your life is worth far far more than a 100 word obit in the local paperhellip Give the gift of a Living Legacy LifeBook to yourself your spouse your children your best friends ndash then work it with them A gift that never ceases giving

The Living Legacy LifeBook

O R D E R Y O U R S T O D A Y

Lox and Leeks with a Beer Chaser in Edmondsby DON amp PEG DOMAN

You start an adventure with some ideas in place and sometimes they happen and some-times they dont Mostly they dont We originally planned the trip to Edmonds to reflect Pegs annual calligraphy event Let-ters of Joy Peg usually goes with a friend but last year the two of us drove to Edmonds and I read and relaxed while Peg participat-ed in classes and workshops This year her friend decided not to go at all With other things going on we didnt think Peg would partici-pate at all but we still wanted to go and have fun At the last min-ute she decided to attend the wel-coming ceremony while I stayed at the lovely Harbor Inn with their unlimited chocolate chip cookies my diet sodas and two bags of Ruffles BBQ potato chips When Peg arrived back in the room after nine she de-clared she was hungry so we or-dered an Italian sausage pizza from room service To remain sociable I ate my share when the deliv-ery was made forty minutes later


as a natural habitat It was nice walking the wooden boardwalk and looking down at naturersquos handiwork From the salt water marsh we drove over the railroad tracks to the shoreline We looked at the marinas and then turned around just as a long freight train came through Since we couldnt cross the tracks we continued parallel going north We passed the ferry landing and then found ourselves in a tight little parking lot We drove in as far as we could and then parked to watch the people It looked like the entire SCUBA world was at the waterfront Ev-ery car seemed to have its trunk open and there were air tanks everywhere This was the hottest day of the year so far and people were out enjoying the weather and the views which seemed to stretch out for miles and miles It seemed like August with people sitting on the sand and laughing It was hard to see if the


Saturday morning I was up at my normal time - 430 am I took a shower and went to the business cen-ter where I accessed my email and came up with a few marketing ploys for my clients At 630 the din-ing room opened I grabbed the Edmonds Herald and the Seattle Times along with some coffee and snooped over the breakfast offerings I had a bowl of cantaloupe pieces a bran muffin two glasses of tomato juice and a cup of coffee and hot chocolate mixed together along with some of those little containers of half-and-half After reviewing my notes and looking over both news-papers I was almost ready to return to the room See-

ing my camera on the table the dining room atten-dant asked ldquoAre you here to shoot the birdsrdquo ldquoWhat birdsrdquo I asked ldquoHeron geese and all kinds of themrdquo she replied I thought she was talking about the waterfront but from her description it sounded a little closer than that I decided to walk around the grounds of the hotel before returning to my room There really arent many grounds Mostly there is a parking lot In the front park-ing lot however I looked at the traffic collecting for the next ferry to Kingston I took a photograph and remarked to myself it looks like this entire area was once a wet-land When I met up with Peg we found the Salt Water Marsh that Sue the dining room attendant was talking about It was just around the other side of the parking lot There is a boardwalk that skirts the northern side of the marsh The Edmonds Marsh is one of last urban salt-water estuaries remaining around Puget Sound Before

settlement this salt marsh was around 40 acres in size Now itrsquos just almost half of that The parking lot roads and business developments probably take up the rest Over the year 225 species of birds can be found in and around the Edmonds Marsh The nearby railroad and man-made barriers blocked the tidewater flow cre-ating a fresh water marsh but in 1988 the tidewater flow was re-established The marsh now has both fresh and saltwater vegetation and has regained its standing

SCUBA people were laughing but Irsquom guess-ing they were getting ready to have a good time The divers were making their way to the water just north of the Kingston Ferry Normally when I see something black bobbing in the waves of Puget Sound itrsquos usually a harbor seal On this day it was divers Tall divers short divers and they could have been from many ethnic back-grounds but all geared up they were simply black wetsuits Soon we were able to drive the four or five blocks to the center of town We turned left at the fountain and then left again Peg wanted to drive on the road that overlooked the train tracks and the shoreline Actually I think Peg was fol-lowing the ldquoPlant Salerdquo signs Soon we found the source

I parked and stayed in the car while Peg crossed the street and looked over the plants I looked out over the water and watched as joggers ran by my wind-shield and tourists stopped in front of my car to take their own pictures of our gorgeous surroundings

I saw people coming and going to and from the plant sale and as I watched I started putting two and two together I finally figured out what the divers were doing and why they were flocking to the water The waters of Puget Sound are great grounds for exploring the undersea world but there was more than just that Peg returned with two prizes She had a basket planted with succulents and a tiny violet Succulents do best around our house they exist in spite of our care Our Christmas cactus which welcomes visitors to our home blooms at the appropriate times of year though very little thanks to our care We water when we think about it and when we do we sometimes we water too much One way or another we kill a lot of plants

Succulents can count on a minimum of attention from us The varieties in the basket all looked healthy I think they were well worth the $4 Peg paid for them She also got a tiny violet that she called a Johnny Jump Up for another buck Before we drove away I told Peg to take a clos-er look at the area where the divers were going There were a number of buoys and markers floating all over I was just reading about an undersea park I bet this is it I was correct Its the Edmonds Underwater Park Its the most popular underwater park in the state Each year about 25000 divers come to visit This excel-lent spring day was ideal for an underwater adventure


The Underwater Park itself is a series of man-made reef structures interspersed with sunken vessels in vari-ous states of decay which together create an extensive artificial habitat for a wide variety of marine life These features are connected by an extensive network of fixed guide ropes anchored to the bottom which make it easy for divers to get around the Park The man-made reefs are made from concrete blocks tractor tires PVC pipes of various sizes sunken navigation buoys an old tree trunk sunken boats amp ships old pieces of the 520 floating bridge and much much more There is even a cash register and the bed of a pickup truck

Happy to understand better what was going on we next began following yard sale signs We ended up on a one-way road between several houses This was on the nice side of town but then I dont know if there is a bad side of town I dropped Peg off at the sale and drove forward look-ing for a place to park By the time I made it back to the sale Peg already had a pile of purchases This little side-trip cost us $59 but we ended up with many new treasures including a Hannah-Barbera limited edition print of Tom and Jerry It only cost $20 Once I got back to the hotel I looked it up online and found one selling on Ebay for $175 Woo hoo We made money Not for the whole trip perhaps but profit is profit After our hard work shopping it was time for lunch Peg had dined years before at a tapas bar in Edmonds She had pointed it out several times but I still didnrsquot know where it was The pointing seemed to change each time we drove through town ldquoNo its a little further that must be it back thererdquo

Books come first with Peg however I dropped her off by the local book store and then went looking for a park-ing spot Looking and finding are two different things Besides the constant ferry traffic a local farmers market was going on somewhere in town I parked outside city hall and walked back to what I thought was the tapas bar It wasnt open yet and the menu posted had noth-ing to do with Spain I looked down the street and saw a bench near the fountain I sat down and called Peg She answered Its rare when we even have our phones on so this was unusual She didnt know where she was but it wasnt near the bookstore which was south of my bench I looked north and saw Peg as she came into view

We looked in the Edmonds Bakery but thought we could probably find a full restaurant and then we looked across the street at the Chanterelle I love places where you have no expectations and each one is exceeded This so much better than having high ex-pectations and taking a one-two punch and end up tak-


I think our favorite was the seafood passion salad with lox capers prawns and apple-horseradish dress-ing There were three slices of perfectly buttered toast-ed crostini for the lox I would have traded all three prawns for one more piece of bread and lox Peg was surprised when I told her about the horseradish There was no bite Peg likes capers she finds them a tiny salty nugget Everything worked well together We took three-quarters of the pastry back to the room along with half of the meatloaf sandwich We also took a couple desserts for a late night snack Our waiter Troy was excellent He saw to our every need If I could re-do lunch I would skip the sandwich (it was excellent) and the pastry (AND it was better than the sandwich) I would order the same salad and not share it I would recommend Peg get her own salad which I might have to help her finish That would be perfect I left Peg and walked back to the car so I could pick her up As I walked back I found the farmers market on the other side of city hall I stopped in my tracks when I saw the leeks I love leeks They are like really big green onions but milder They are part of the same oniongarlic family but I like them because they add color and crunch to salads and soups These

leeks were really cute They werenrsquot huge and they werenrsquot small they looked like they would be just right for anything I wanted to cook just like in Goldilocks and the Three Bears They were perfect

I paid for the leeks looked at some leather belts and hurried back to the car With my leeks in hand I felt very Welsh The leek is their national emblem along with the daffodil Locally we have lots of daffodils and leeks I think a Leek Parade in the Puyallup Val-ley would be a wonderful thing to behold According to legend Saint David ordered his Welsh soldiers to identify themselves by wearing the vegetable on their helmets in a battle against the Saxons In Wales the leek is still worn on St Davids Day each March first Driving back to the Chanterelle I passed the Rusty Pelican a recommended restaurant for breakfast A few more days in town and I would be able to find my way around I picked up Peg We had one more stop before calling it a day


ing high expectations and taking a one-two punch and end up taking a ten count and still paying a 20 tip From the lemonade to the tomato bisque and the dishes in-between the Chanterelle was an outstanding restaurant We ordered a goat cheese and chicken pastry a meatloaf sandwich and a seafood passion salad to share between us

After we had left the salt marsh we had driven by a beer joint Gallaghers - Where You Brew It wasnt a pub we werent sure what it was but since it was only about a hun-dred yards from the hotel we thought we should investigate Gallagherrsquos is a brewing establishment There must have been forty people inside happily brewing their own con-coctions and sipping others The handle puller was happy to keep a tab for us and some names on the white board had more hashes by their name than a chief petty officer Peg and I shared a brew It was good but I wish I had cho-sen the one labeled floor sweepings Doesnt that sound like a beer you would want to try perhaps after last call At Gallaghers you can join their Mug Club and have your own beer mug They adorn the wall and the window decor

As we sat a little mini-bar we read from a joke book A Man Walks Into a Bar Several made me laugh 1 A cowboy walks into a bar wearing an outfit made out of paper After a few drinks he was arrested for rustling 2 A seal walks into the bar The bartender says Whatll you have The seal says Anything but Canadian Club 3 A man walks into a bar with a giraffe After a few drinks the giraffe passes out on the floor and the man starts to leave

The bartender says You cant leave that lyin around hererdquo The man says ldquoThats not a lion its a girafferdquo After a little wine with lunch and a beer chas-er we called it a day It was two in the after-noon It gets late early in Edmonds for us

Later in the evening we ate our leftovers from the Chanterelle As I opened the box and began nibbling I asked Peg Do you want to No she said and stop eating my pastry I finished off the meatloaf sand-wich and Peg ate her pastry without offering me a bite I offered her a bite of my sandwich however Then we fin-ished off the pastry desserts We were a little disappoint-ed Next time well let the main dishes be dessert as well Sunday morning I was up early I wanted to find a viewpoint higher than sea level I had seen some condos on the south side of town that were built on a ridge overlooking the salt water marsh and the waterfront Wow am I glad I took the time After-wards I drove to the Rusty Pelican for breakfast


Established in 2012 the Rusty Pelican has a lot going for it but still has a long way to go I was dis-mayed that they didnt have hash browns when I placed my order They also didnt have onions in their fried potatoes However when my coffee arrived with a little pitcher of real cream all was forgiven I never expect biscuits to be homemade no matter what the menu says but the Rusty Pelican has homemade bis-cuits This was good The problem was with the gravy It was beyond bland There was a little sausage (very little) flour and very little else Perhaps the cook has some-thing against onions Maybe he should try leeks I broke the biscuit in half The gravy barely covered the half bis-cuit I would have loved eating the other half without gravy but it was served with no butter I had to ask for butter and jam By the time I had butter and jam the biscuit was cold I dont mind Pegs biscuits being served cold the next day but in a restaurant I shouldnt have had to ask The bacon however was cooked perfectly

Peg and I drove home and unpacked Two hours later I be-gan cutting up one leek some celery and disassembling a baked chicken for a dinner of cockaleeky soup Peg made biscuits from scratch and we ate dinner looking up Puget Sound at Mount Baker enjoying our soup and talk-ing about our favorite memories of the trip to Edmonds

DON AND PEGGY DOMAN are published authors professional industrial video producers and marketing experts They write stories of their adventures and travels in the Pacific Northwest with play reviews as well as food and restaurant reviews (httpnwadventuresus) In August 2012 they launched a website featuring articles about nutrition (httplive2agewellcom) based on scientific studies from the Oregon State Universityrsquos Linus Pauling Institute (httplpioregonstateedu) in Corvallis Or-egon The site is sponsored by the Roman Meal Company (httpromanmealcom) makers of Natural Whole Grain Goodness reg


ldquoFOREVER HOMErdquo ON A BUDGETStarts with Common Sense

By AARON MURPHY


A LOW (OR NO) COST AND COMMON SENSE REVIEW OF YOUR HOME

1) Furniture Layout Is the path in your home un-necessarily circuitous to get through and around the pieces of furniture Are there furniture legs and arms that stick out into the easiest route of travel through the home Fix it Make moving around in your home a clear wide and intuitive path

2) Rugs Loose rugs are one of the top cul-prits to elder falls They love to decorate and they love their small memory and collection items we know that But that little 24rdquox42rdquo rug that she got on a trip to Maine in the 70rsquos that lays in front of the kitchen sink or just inside the entry door can be the end of liv-ing at home if we arenrsquot careful and aware ldquoYour favorite THROW has GOT TO GOrdquo

So if 89 of those polled by AARP favor ldquoAging-In-Placerdquo as a first priority and prefer-ence but we are still near the bottom of a long and slow recovery in the real estate market that in some areas depreciated homes upwards of 30 in value 4-5 years ago what are the best ways we can still think about safely staying in our own homes longer as we get up in age Each year thousands of older Americans fall at home Many of them are seriously injured and some are disabled In 2002 more than 12800 people over age 65 died and 16 million were treated in emergency departments because of falls 13 of people over 65 years old fall each year 12 of those falls are recurrent 1 in 10 falls result in serious injury or death 87 of elder fractures are due to falls (More on fall statistics in the 65+ year old sector can be found here) Falls are often due to hazards that are easy to overlook but easy to fix We all get busy with our own lives and we go about our daily routine without ever tak-ing a moment to look down from the 50000 foot level We are busy staring at the one tree in front of us in that ldquoto do list prioritiesrdquo for-est that is today tomorrow and the next day after that So letrsquos zoom out back up take a deep breath and LOOK AROUND in our own home But first please put on your COM-MON SENSE glasses on the onersquos with the tint of ldquoOh well THATrsquos OBVIOUSrdquo in the lenses



3) Drop Zones Ask my wife about where she finds things of mine when Irsquom on a deadline or otherwise ldquohead downrdquo and distracted I leave a trail of ldquoset downsrdquo shoes on the stairs planner on the dining room table keys and wallet on the window sill by the front doorhellip you get the idea We all do it and so do our parents The difference is that if they leave the pile of read sections of the newspaper on the 3rd step of the stairs for the next time they go down to the garage it could be forgotten and send them directly from the 3rd step to the bottom step That minor oversight could turn a trip to the recycling bin into a trip to the ER and surgery room Pick up and put up your things so they arenrsquot in your walking spaces and routes of travel

4) Stairs amp Thresholds Since we are talking ldquoBetter on a Budgetrdquo I wonrsquot go into it here about how much cheaper a stair chair or even an elevator in your home is vs a slipfall and cost of moving into assisted living or a nurs-ing home for the monthsyears ahead (Just know that ITrsquoS TRUE) Here I want to think maintenance and upkeep Stairs with carpets are notorious for coming loose over time The angle and speed the installers staple into the tread and riser corners (especially the back in-terior corner) lead to attachments that arenrsquot fully sunken in and secure A loosening carpet can cause your next step to miss a stair tread and yoursquod be at the bottom sooner than you intended Wood stairs are slippery to many of the warm socks and slippers older folks like to wear for warmth and that can be a safety issue as well Keep your stair carpet tightly affixed

5) Floors amp Moisture Overly-smooth floor finishes (hardwoods tile) and ldquowet roomsrdquo are also regular culprits to serious injury falls in older Americans This can be not just due to the occupant but sometime also the caregiver thatrsquos trying to help the older person with their

ADLrsquos (Activities of Daily Living) Keeping your floor areas clear and applications to the floor surfaces that help create some ldquogritrdquo for traction where floor areas get wet are crucial to keep us safe in our home as we bathe and get ready in the bathroom and laundry areas

6) Reaching amp Stability Are you using things in your upper kitchen cabinets that you need daily or weekly MOVE THEM DOWN There is a ldquocostrdquo alternative which is equipment to retrofit your upper cabinets to come out and down to the user but you can find more on that in our winter newsletter) Getting someone to help you re-organize your kitchen based on what you use most so you arenrsquot reaching above your head or using a step stool as often can go a long way to a longer and safer life at home

Aaron Murphy CAPS is a li-censed architect with over 15 years of experience and has worked on both commercial and residential projects He is a part of many asso-ciations and civic groups in Kitsap County WA He speaks widely on the subjects of ldquoAging in Placerdquo and ldquoEmpowering the Mature Marketrdquo



AUBREY MORTENSEN

NO SUGAR NO GLUTEN

AUBREYrsquoS KITCHEN ldquoIt tastes better than any pizza Irsquove ever

had plus I donrsquot feel sluggish or greasy after eating itrdquo

Growing up my family was always in-terested in health and nutrition I grew up with my mom making recipes using honey instead of sugar and applesauce instead of oils for her baking When my mom was di-agnosed with a brain tumor this last winter my family began researching what we need-ed to do to stop the growth of the tumor Of course there are surgeries and treatments she is going through but we wondered if there was anything else we could do One of the things we looked to first was the food she was eating and if that played a role in her cancer It turns out what you put in your body playrsquos a huge role in your overall health and well- being After doing a large amount of research my family found what foods my mom should stay away from and what foods will help her She needs to stay away from any type of grain and sugar At first it was hard to come up with meals to make my mom she would have the same meals over and over and I could tell she was getting bored of having salads every day for lunch and salmon for dinner every night She didnrsquot like eating something different at the dinner table while the rest of my family was scarfing down tacos or some other meal she couldnrsquot have Thatrsquos when I decided to take the time to do some more research I know there are plenty of people out there trying to stay away from gluten and sugar as well and that is when I came across the Cauliflower Crust Pizza It sounds weird and you would think ldquoHow on earth can you make pizza out of cauliflowerrdquo I tried a recipe I found online and it was


extraLOW CARB


Step 1

Step 2 Step 3

Step 4 Step 5

Ingredients4 cups raw cauliflower rice1 egg beaten13 cup soft goat cheese 12 teaspoon dried oregano flakes14 teaspoon dried oregano powder12 teaspoon garlic powderpinch of saltpinch of crushed red pepper(Have some fun and add any other spices to satisfy your taste buds)

DirectionsPreheat your oven to 400F

Step 1 Begin by making your cauliflower ldquoricerdquoSimply pulse batches of raw cauliflower florets in a food processor until a rice-like texture is achieved

Step 2 Cook amp Strain the riceFill a large pot with about an inch of water and bring it to a boil Add the ldquoricerdquo and cover let it cook for about 4-5 minutes Drain into a fine-mesh strainer

Step 3 Make amp Shape the doughIn a large bowl mix up your strained ldquoricerdquo beaten egg goat cheese and spicesDonrsquot be afraid to use your hands You want it very well mixedIt wonrsquot be like any pizza dough yoursquove ever worked with but donrsquot worryndash itrsquoll hold togetherPress the dough out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (Itrsquos important that itrsquos lined with parchment paper)Keep the dough about 13rdquo thick and make the edges a little higher for a ldquocrustrdquo effect if you like

Step 4 Bake for 35-40 minutes at 400FThe crust should be firm and golden brown when finished

Step 5 Load on the ToppingsNowrsquos the time to add all your favoritesndash sauce cheese and any other toppings you like Return the pizza to the 400F oven and bake an additional 5-10 minutes just until the cheese is hot and bubblyThen slice and serve immediately

pretty good I could tell my mom enjoyed be-ing able to eat pizza with the rest of the family The next time I made the recipe I added a few more spices and tweaked it just a bit to make it even better This time my family told me it was the best pizza they had ever had they would take it over regular pizza any day There are so many ways to enjoy this pizza and toppings are aplenty If you want to get creative you can make your own homemade green or white sauce Being healthy doesnrsquot have to be costly and despite what many people think it can be a lot of fun too Eating healthy can give you the abil-ity to enjoy life more fully When you cook you

are in control Not only do you get to choose what you eat but you get to choose the type of nutrients that go into your body The Cauli-flower Crust Pizza is just one example of many healthy foods that look good and taste great Pick a day each week to purchase fresh produce from your local grocer or farmers market Experi-ment with new recipes and put your own twist on them to accommodate your needs One important lesson I learned is that when mom is happy the fam-ily is happy With providing her with a larger vari-ety of healthy meals that I can cook for my whole family the home has been a more pleasant place HappyCooking

Cauliflower Pizza CrustYield One medium crust pizza approximately 6-8 servings


Savory Cookies and Cookies for Grown-UpsA BAKING ADVENTURE By DON amp PEG DOMAN

I was a latch-key kid as a youngster in elementary school A neighbor lady kept an eye out for me I played with her children but basically I was by myself Left to my own devices I tend to do exactly what I want to do then and now I made myself bacon sandwiches even after the great secret grease fire incident (My mom didnrsquot miss the kitchen curtains until I told her years af-ter Peg and I got married)I also bear the scar of an early butcher knife episode I could usually figure things out or at least clean up well after any missteps Usually there were successes however oatmeal cookies eluded me In first grade I tried repeatedly to make oatmeal cookies Each batch turned out runny Even though I fol-lowed the recipe I ended in disaster It wasnt until my grandmother visited from Missouri that I realized that the butter was not supposed to be melted My mind is almost always racing on ahead But it was a revelation to under-stand that in baking and life there are just little things you should know that make all the difference in the world Top Chef is one of my favorite cable television shows A few weeks ago I was flipping channels and came across The Chew which features a trio of cooking celebri-ties and other hosts One of the chefs is Carla Hall


at Safeway until I found the more un-usual offerings which contained Mc-Cormicks Chipotle Chile Pepper I returned home and was ready to start An hour earlier I had taken two sticks of butter out of the re-frigerator to soften I soon realized why I dont bake more You have to follow instructions In cook-ing youre constantly tasting not so much in baking I should have taken the butter out a few hours earlier I should have also bought a tin of unsweetened cocoa Peg said we had some and we prob-

who lost out in the Top Chef competition because she gave into another chefs suggestion instead of fol-lowing her own instincts and cooking style I did a search on Google for Carla and found a mention that she liked savory cookies The term intrigued me My mind raced ahead and I knew exactly what savory cookies were I remembered from the book Fellowship

of the Ring the elves made a nutritious food The bis-cuits were called lembas and would sustain people on long journeys My mind also jumped to the bookmovie True Grit where Marshal Rooster Cogburn took a bag-ful of corn dodgers on his pursuit of a killer As part of their rations Roman legionnaires were issued biscuits in addition to bags of grain The biscuits could be eaten during a march without preparation Cookies usually have a sweet connotation but I have an open mind My mind and the internet brought me full circle Peg and I are currently writing articles on nutrition for the website we created Live2AgeWell We rely on studies by the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University in Corvallis Oregon Roman Meal Bread helps fund the good works at LPI We look for ways to improve diets by giving people interesting articles that contain scientific information in everyday easy-to-understand language A Google search for ldquosavory cookiesrdquo brought me to Kelly Cooperrsquos website and her book Cookies for Grown-Ups I fell in love I made the purchase Kellyrsquos book is a treat (Buy it from her website and it will cost you a couple of dollars more but she will autograph it for you - great gift idea) ldquoCookies for Grown-upsrdquo are savory and sweet recipes in a cookbook created to intrigue and satisfy the adult palette Over 90 recipes with fun and unique flavor combinations as well as drink pairings encourage great conversations with friends and familyrdquo Every recipe starts a culinary journey My mind

races with each turn of a page The cook-ies vary and some are sweet and some are savory but most of them read as just plain yummy She pairs each cookie with an accompanying liquid wine beer tea cof-fee or cola I want to try all the recipes but

thought I would start with a single step I chose the Cha-cha The Cha-cha contains dried cherries chocolate chips cocoa and chipotle Peg assured me that we had everything we needed except for the cherries and chipotle powder She went to lunch and the UW book store in downtown Tacoma with our daughter Andi while I went shop-ping to start baking I had to inspect each row of spices


sticks of butter out of the refrigerator to soften I soon realized why I dont bake more You have to follow instructions In cooking youre constantly tasting not so much in baking I should have taken the butter out a few hours earlier I should have also bought a tin of unsweetened cocoa Peg said we had some and we probably do but I couldnrsquot find any In the recipe I saw that vodka could be substituted for water I chose Disaronno instead I may have had a sip or two in the creation of the cookies I made a couple of other changes as well which Kelly suggests I used dark chocolate for the chips since they are more nutritious and for the same reason I chose to use three cups of a Roman Meal cookingbaking mix (Origi-nal with Oats) that contained oats rye and flax You should always read all of the information in a recipe As I prepared the baking sheets I noted how much bat-ter I had and then saw that I had made enough for six dozen cookies One batch was enough for me Time is always an issue

Peg and Andi returned just before the cookies came out of the oven We all sat down at the kitchen table as the cookies cooled The girls had a nice visit and both had purchased the same childrens book for the illus-trations Im not sure if it was for them individually or for future events I brought the cookies over to the table Peg began choking and blamed the chipotle She refused any more Andi watching Pegrsquos efforts to breathe decided not to chance a taste I munched on several I thought

they suffered from too much sugar (the sweetened co-coa being the offender) but they didnrsquot seem to be that spicy There was a little tingle in the back of my throat but overall they worked for me Seeing that time was fleeting Peg and I ushered Andi out the door bagged up some cookies and headed off to see Hitchcock at The Grand Cinema our favorite movie theater in Tacoma We had picked up Pegrsquos sister Pat on the way and met with our friends Donn Debbie and Jan for the late afternoon showing The movie was excellent and will probably see us buy tickets a second time Afterwards we went looking for dinner The third stop brought us to La Fondita in the Proctor District of Tacomarsquos North End They had room at the inn We ordered dinner and as we waited I passed out cookies to three of our friends and the owner of the restaurant After dinner both Peg and her sister had one Pat who doesnrsquot like spicy food nibbled at first and then ate the cookie while suffering no ill-effects After that Peg ate one No choking I had to listen to advice about mixing all of the ingredients well I kept repeating ldquoI whisked all the dry ingredients wellrdquo There are none so bland as those who will not see or listenWe discussed the cookies Everyone loved the com-bination and the taste Nobody thought they were too spicy Someone remarked ldquoTwenty-one year olds would love theserdquo I agree A second batch will include the continued use of Disaronno as well as some sliced almonds Irsquoll also use un-sweetened cocoa I thought


the exchange of old fashioned oats for the Ro-man Meal package worked extremely wellSunday morning I had three or four cookies for first breakfast (Check the hobbits habits in J R R Tolk-ienrsquos ldquoThe Hobbitrdquo I paired them with black tea

The cookies were excellent and dunked well be-sides I recommend Kellyrsquos book The price is right The photographs make me drool and her descrip-tions have us planning more savory cookie trials

DON AND PEGGY DOMAN are published authors professional industrial video producers and marketing experts They write stories of their adventures and travels in the Pacific Northwest with play reviews as well as food and restau-rant reviews (httpnwadventuresus) In August 2012 they launched a website featuring articles about nutrition (httplive2agewellcom) based on scientific studies from the Oregon State Universityrsquos Linus Pauling Institute (lpioregonstateedu) in Corvallis Oregon The site is sponsored by the Roman Meal Company (httpromanmealcom) makers of Natural Whole Grain Goodness regEditorrsquos Note Stay tuned to Encore Living Radio where wersquoll have Kelly Cooper on our show on July the 23rd Tuesdays at 900 AM (PST) on httpblogtalkradiocomencoreliving



Change Your Beliefs About Uncertainty And Difficult Times

With The 5 Lessons Of The Lotus Metaphor

by STEPHANIE OWENS

Very often itrsquos not what happening to us that causes pain resistance grief or fear These growing pains of life emerge from what we believe about the situation and meaning we assign to it As Wayne Dyer says ldquoIf you change the way you look at things the things you look at changerdquo One way to change how yoursquore look-ing at things is to take examples from na-ture For example the lotus offers great tools and lessons to change your beliefs about how to look at life when dealing with obstacles and challenges The lotus is a beautiful flower that grows wild in swamps and marshlands Its vibrant color stands as a striking contrast of elegant beauty against its unpleasant sur-roundings This along with many other properties makes the lotus a great meta-phor for how not only survive but thrive in less than desirable conditions There are 5 lessons we can learn from this lovely flower

1 Turn Obstacles Into Springboards The lotus lives in swamps amongst the muck slime and decomposition Rather than be bogged down by the sludge it feeds on it using it for its own benefit In fact it uses the foul goo around it to grow and nourish itself In this way the lotus teaches us to reframe the yucky experiences that show up When it feels like the world is lob-bing slime in your direction look for ways to use the smelly experiences that threaten to stink up your life as fertilizer to create a more abundant beautiful crop of blessings in the future Find the lesson and use it for your benefit instead of getting bogged down in the mess


2 Every New Dayrsquos A New Day The lotus comes up with the sun and rests at nighthellipmaking every day a fresh start Remember you can always begin again in the morning What difference would it make if you chose to see each day as a new start

3 Rise Above It The lotus rises above the slimy sur-face to bloom and bring beauty to an oth-erwise ugly place By growing just inches above the water it manages to go untouched by the gunk around it Consider the differ-ence those couple inches makehelliprather than be contaminated the lotus is able to avoid contact with yucky elements It doesnrsquot take that much more effort and energy to go just an inch or two morehellipto rise a little bit above the fray Its stalk grows from deep under the swamp and rises above the water unscathed and untarnished Stretch just a couple inches more to detangle and disen-gage from the stuff that bogs you down

4 Let It Roll Off Your Back Finally the lotus is impervious to the unpleasantness of its surroundings In fact it excretes an oily substance that coats its surface This coating makes rain and dirt bead up and roll right off This trait of the lotus offers another lessonhellipdonrsquot sweat the small stuff It can be tempting to get snared in pettiness judgment or criticism Instead of soaking up the dirt and debris other people (or your inner critic) pour on you let it bead up and roll right off

5 Plant The Seeds Of Your Legacy Finally at the end of its life cycle the lotus drops seeds into the swamp creating the genesis of a new crop of beautiful flow-ers The lotus leaves its legacy and passes along its resilient ways to the next gen-eration Look for ways you can pass your beauty and wisdom along Pay it forward Take the lessons of the lotus to benefit not only yourself but to share with other people you meet along the journey

Let the lessons of the Lotus carry you through the

difficulties of life

STEPHANIE OWENS is a coach speaker and trainer She teaches her clients how to bridge the gap between where they are and where they want to be to create a life they fall in love with She coaches purpose-driven high-performance people to achieve not only success but deep personal satisfaction A small business owner for over a decade Stephanie blends her experience in the business world with a Masters in Counseling Whether coaching privately with clients or speaking to groups Stephanie teaches participants how to stop fear from sabotag-ing success and unlock their full potential Stephanie is a recurring guest host on the radio show Chat With Women and author of a book entitled Be A No Pro How to Say No Set Better Boundaries and Reclaim Your Joy Stephanie lives a peaceful happy life with her husband and two wonderful children


Did you know every 3 seconds someone is a victim of Identity theft

If you shop on-line If you have a driverrsquos license If you have a credit card If you have a medical record If you have a social security number If you have a heart beathellip you can fall prey to identity thieves

Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in America The use of our personal information on-line and through the mail service is making it easier for criminals to take our information and use it

Imagine being pulled over for a routine traffic ticket only to find out you have warrants out for your arrest ndash because someone using your driverrsquos license information did criminal activity What would you do

Imagine going to the doctor for routine physical only to find out that some-one has been using your profile to receive treatment for ailments you do not havehellip they can change your blood type medicines you are allergic to and more which could result in complications or even death What would you do

Imagine receiving your credit card statement with charges you did not make on merchandise you never received What would you do

The identity theft protection service offered through LegalShield can help gain you peace of mind because Kroll will monitor every aspect of identity theft and alert you to any problems They monitor all three credit bureaus have web-watcher to monitor all on-line activity and more to have you protected around the clock even when you donrsquot know there is a problem ndash they are there to protect and watch your back If a situation does arise they are there on the front line restoring the situation back to pre-fraud status

Imagine your life with total peace of mind ~ Sara Cerda

Saracerdalegalshieldassociatecom ~ 253-278-1111

ADVERTISEMENT



The Importance of Buying LOCALby CAROLYN OSBORNE

I grew up with the importance of supporting local It is something that has definitely come to the forefront these days Whether it is the local corner grocer gift shop hair salon etc those are people of your com-munity They are what make your community unique from any other You are literally investing in your own community when you buy lo-cally keeping tax dollars around you for the good It helps local people keep their local jobs and keeps the local businesses flourishing And if you think about it the more success a local business has the more likely they are to give back to their local community You are also creating a smaller environmental footprint when you support your local businesses Encourage local prosperity and promote the unique-ness of your community by the simple act of buying locally I bet you will find better service from local businesses than from the ldquobig guysrdquo As a local business we care about our community


Carolyn OsborneCreative Forces Gifts amp Sundries ~Home of 28 Local Artistslocated in Hotel Murano 2532278871wwwcreativeforcesgallerycom


ITrsquoS ALWAYS TIME TO BE HAPPYby DARVI MACK

Whether or not you are happy is your choice I know it doesnrsquot feel that way when we are bom-barded with so much tragedy in our personal lives and in the world day in and day out One of the ways I find helpful in continuing to choose to be happy regardless of the circumstances all around me is to keep life in the proper perspective I gain that perspective from the book of wisdom that says to everything there is a season and a time

for every purpose under the heaven 2 A time to be born and a time to die a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted 3 A time to kill and a time to heal a time to break down and a time to build up 4 A time to weep and a time to laugh a time to mourn and a time to dance 5 A time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing6 A time to get and a time to lose a time to keep and a time to cast away


7 A time to rend and a time to sew a time to keep si-lence and a time to speak8 A time to love and a time to hate a time of war and a time of peace (Ecclesias-tes 31-8) Itrsquos all there the good the bad and the ugly You see when the difficult times in life roll in I remember this is how life is these seasons come and go like the tides I am no longer surprised when the challenges show up or craziness shows up in the world they are simply part of life I remember I have the power to choose how I will face each sea-son I have the power to choose how I will ldquoberdquo in this world I choose to be happy how about you You see happiness is something that we all want Whatever we do we do so because we believe we will feel better as a result of having or doing it Our happiness is a state of mind that comes from within regardless of the circumstances we are experiencing It is only when we are happy can we spread happiness to others Being happy is our real nature Apostle Paul said it like this ldquorejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoicerdquo (Philippians 44) Paul wrote that directive while he was in prison So anything other than being happy means we are not completely within our true self When we feel joy we are in harmony with the Cre-ator and the universe designed to support us and we open the gates to unlimited abundance Every day of our lives should be nothing short of

cheer Not the ones we often see at drunken par-ties but something that goes deeper a merry mak-ing that comes from within Merry making that is felt within and radiates outwardly So why not make it your choice - have it as a life intention to ldquobe hap-pyrdquo every day to rejoice always to find something in each day to feel happy In support of your choice to make merry here are some daily actions that im-mediately lead to feeling good These are 6 simple actions that when you do them regularly will have a profoundly positive impact in your life Do them for 10 days and check your happy meter Here goes

1 Give someone you care about a tight hug at least 3 times a day Displays of affection and touch raises your vibration

2 Make a point to smile and greet at least 5 people including strangers

3 Consciously be aware of any negative emotion (an-ger hatred worry despair tension stress etc) that rises within you And as soon as they appear make an effort to immediately stop them Think and say ldquoIrsquom happyrdquo or ldquorejoice merdquo

4 Sincerely compliment at least 5 people today

5 Sincerely pray for the success and good health of 3 people

6 Count your blessings- those good things all around you like the oxygen you are breathing in water stop lightshellip

I would love to hear from you how itrsquos working Feel free to drop me an email and let me know your results Herersquos to choosing to be happy Want to explore one on one private or group coaching support with Darvi Send an email to infodarvimackcom or call us at 253-946-1757 DARVI MACK Speaker Success Achievement Mentor Breakthrough Coach Minister and Author earned MA BS Certified NLP Dream Coach Spiritual Coach and Trainer takes your inspiration and turns it into practical results so you achieve success and make the positive impact you were uniquely designed to make


Your Personal WELLNESS ROIby JENNIFER BECK

ROI or Return On Investment is a term that is thrown around quite a bit in the business world but you may not think about the role it is playing in your health There is one and it can be life changing Letrsquos look at a few scenarios But first I want to paint a picture for you Why Because maybe you like so many other Americans have bought into the statement ldquoIf it ainrsquot broke donrsquot fix itrdquo Thus we wait until we have a symptom to do anything in relation to taking care of our health Unfortunately by then it is too late in some cases The first sign of cardiovascular

disease in over 30 of all cases is a fatal heart attack Think about it There are people that live into their 80rsquos 90rsquos and longer with ZERO major health issues yet 2 out of 3 Americans have heart disease cancer or diabetes There are in fact 35 of us are walk-ing around with some type of undiagnosed disease Think about this from a childrsquos perspective (young or old) They are going through life as a toddler get-ting to middle school junior high high school or even adulthood (this is more and more rare today


due to our lifestyle but letrsquos imagine) Then one day they get a call out of the blue and the person on the other line is telling them that you have had a heart attack You are stable but are in the hospital They need to perform surgery to keep your heart work-ing You come out of surgery but have a greatly di-minished energy level and cannot do many of the things that you were able to before You canrsquot toss the football with them or walk the mall with them Think about the impact on your life but more im-portantly on theirs It may not be a heart attack for you maybe it is cancer or some other life altering disease So here are a few things you can do today that can provide a HUGE return on investment for you and your family

1 Drink more water It sounds so simple and trivial yet it is crucial Water is the key to health Wa-ter flushes out the toxins that build up in our sys-tems which eventually cause cancer if not removed It lubricates our joints so you can play and enjoy life pain free Water helps to keep you clear head-ed so you can make better decisions and be present Focus on drinking frac12 of your body weight in ounces of water minimum on a daily basis

2 Eat whole foods in balance Eliminate junk food Your body requires proper nutrients as building blocks for a healthy body Eating whole foods in balance al-lows you to maintain your blood sugar increase your energy and your ideal weight much much easier

3 Move your body Get active doing something Go for a walk Pull out the Wii Fit golf ten-nis or bowling game Turn on the radio and dance like a fool Laugh yourself silly Go to a driv-ing range and hit a few balls Enjoy gardening You do not have to go to the gym to get exercise or move-ment into your day Simply find ways to move your body It is important to incorporate some weight bearing ex-ercise throughout your week so you create strong bones

4 Relax Feeling overwhelmed worrying constantly or working too much turns you into a walking stress ball It shortens your patience and temper Unfor-tunately it is taken out on those closest to you typi-cally your spouse and kids Spend time taking a

walk listening to music or playing a game together What could you do to unwind yet still engage with your loved ones I promise those few minutes wheth-er it is 5 or 55 will be cherished times for themhellipespecially if you make it about spending time with them You must make choices big and small on a daily basis about so many things in life Do not let your health be one that you ignore There is more at stake than you will ever imagine until you are faced with losing it We always say ldquoYou donrsquot know what yoursquove got until it is gonerdquo Right It is so true in our health So I will leave you with one final thoughthellipIf you ignore your health IT WILL GO AWAY Take some sort of action to protect your health TODAY for you and your family Be well

JENNIFER BECK is a Registered Nutrition Consultant corporate health coach speaker and author She is pas-sionate about helping individuals optimize their health shed unwanted pounds and live a long life of vibrant great health medication free She helps indi-

viduals break through the confusion around ldquoeating healthyrdquo discover and eat for their personal Metabolic Design and supports individuals in crafting a plan to incorporate healthy eating into a busy lifestyle allow-ing them to create a true sustainable lifestyle change She is the owner of Advanced Wellness Coaching and offers wonderful tools resources and practical advice to create Simple Wellness for Life Donrsquot forget to grab your Free gift10 Simple Things You Can Do to Maximize Your Health Now

Hi Irsquom a Fraud Victim but Irsquom Not Going to Tell You

Irsquove been working with older adults for a couple years now specifically focusing on those that have been fraud victims or are likely to become fraud vic-tims Many are truly vulnerable adults due to demen-tia or physical limitations But often victims are far from vulnerable They may be highly educated some are doctors or dentists Others have built a successful highly-profitable business These are just the sorts of people you think would never be victimized which is why they often go unnoticed Reasons behind the ano-nymity are somewhat complex and Irsquom not a psycholo-gist but Irsquoll do my best to explain and maybe just may-be help us be more aware of these unnoticed victims As you read this put yourself in the victimrsquos shoes and consider how you would feel if you were victim-ized Think about how you would act and what you would do Now that yoursquore thinking like a victimhellip Yoursquove done well in life You have a successful busi-ness a successful career heck you have a doctoral degree Now you find yourself falling for a scam It could be a relative in distress (grandparent) scheme It could be a lottery or sweepstakes It could be purchas-ing something for hundreds of times what it is worth Maybe someone sold you a phony investment For this article the scam does not really matter The fact is you are a victim of fraud Yoursquove been taken How can this be Yoursquore smart Yoursquod never fall for such a thing yet you essentially just handed money over to a criminal They didnrsquot point a gun at you They just lied to you and you believed them Sure they had a good story Yes there really is a Publisherrsquos Clearing House Sweepstakes It did sound like your grandson on the phone But how could you someone so smart and a pillar of the community fall for something like this You just sent some criminal thousands of dollars In hindsight you think to yourself ldquoHow could I have been so blind I should have knownrdquo You are embar-rassed and certainly donrsquot want to yell from the rooftops ldquoIrsquom a fraud victimrdquo And guess what Yoursquore not going to yell Yoursquore not even going to whisper If you can help it no one will ever know ndash not your children not your friends no one Pride is a difficult thing to swallow Interestingly enough others feel the same way you do They donrsquot know about what you did but they

would never consider you as a potential victim Yoursquore much too smart for such a thing They are looking at you based on what they know and what they see Unfortunately these two things contribute to why these victims do not report or even talk about the frauds On one-hand you have a victim who is too proud and too embarrassed to talk about what happened to them After all what would people think On the other hand friends and family donrsquot think you could ever be a victim The end result is you the victim internal-izes what occurred and goes on with life hoping that no one ever finds out your secret This is a stress no one needs and certainly is not a healthy burden to bear This same stress is what will cause you to act a little differently You likely will not have the drastic change that someone with dementia may suffer from such as not showering not cleaning your home or hoard-ing However you may have an increase in appetite


or conversely a decrease in appetite You may gain or lose weight as a result You may withdraw from so-cial outings you typically would have attended You may not make eye contact like you used to or call your kids or grandkids You may make the call but not really talk about anything Different people will handle the stress in different ways The point here is that you the victim may not overtly say that you are a victim but you will unconscientiously ldquotellrdquo someone that something is wrong even if it is subtle The key now is for others to recognize these subtle changes in behavior and discuss it with you in a compassionate tactful manner

AARP ndash Fraud Fighter Call CenterPhone 1-800-646-2283

It is not our position to judge and think ldquoHow could you have fallen for thatrdquo or ldquoWhy did you keep falling for itrdquo Our position and objective is to help the victim even if it is simply to lend an ear and allow them to get it off their chest Remember as a friend or relative you did not take the call You do not know the position the victim was in or how good of a ldquosalespersonrdquo the scammer was Think about the last time you made a purchase and paid too much or even bought something you know you didnrsquot need Itrsquos the same thing It hap-pens and it happens to everyone ndash no matter what age no matter how smart or successful or well-educated

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)Phone 1-877-382-4357Website wwwftcgov

Adult Protective Service (APS) Phone 1-866-ENDHARM (1-866-363-4276)

Note None of the above agencies in any way endorse Mr Geertz or BG amp Company LLC These are provid-ed for informational purposes only

WA State Attorney Generalrsquos Office Phone 1-800-551-4636Website wwwatgwagov

If you are a fraud victim and would like assistance or have questions about fraud fraud victims andor victim assistance the following are some resources

STEVE GEERTZ CPA CFEBG amp Company LLCwwwbgco-llccom


Care-Giving Hurtsmdashand It Healsby KRISTINE M SMITH


CARE-GIVING my definition the stressful exhausting anxiety-provoking delightful and reward-ing act of serving someone who depends on you Care-giving is the scariest thing Untrained unpre-pared my first exposure to the art and science of ldquobeing thererdquo for another human being came when my fabu-lous funny magnificent mother was diagnosed with the same kind of brain tumor that took Senator Edward Kennedyrsquos life Although I wasnrsquot Momrsquos primary caregiver during most of the two years she lived following her diagno-sismdashthat responsibility fell to my sister Jackie since she lived in the same statemdashI flew in on many weekends and every week-long vacation to give Jackie breaks and to be with Mom as much as I could before the disease took her When Jackiersquos Family Leave time ran out I took an unpaid leave of absence from Warner Bros for the last few weeks of Momrsquos life to serve as her round-the-clock caregiver at Jackiersquos home Visiting Hospice workers kept telling me I was doing a fantastic job keeping her spirits up keeping her safe and comfortable as her bal-ance deteriorated getting her to and from the bathroom and bedroom The delight in Momrsquos eyes whenever I was there made it worth the stress sadness and fear In-stinct kicked in Love trumped fear and trepidation Eight months after Mom passed away my mentor actor DeForest Kelley called with equally-devastating news he was in a hospital and wondered if I could stop by get his car and house keys and watch over things until he could return home It soon became apparent to all concerned that Dersquos wish to return home under his own steam would nev-er happen He was terminally ill with cancer and very weak Carolynmdashhis beloved wife of 54 yearsmdashwas con-fined to another hospital with a broken leg The Kelleys had no children or nearby relatives who could pinch hit and their closest friends were in their late 70rsquos and early 80rsquos So this time the care-giving was all mine for the last three months of Dersquos life and the following six months of Carolynrsquos But by the time this happened I had some actual experience as a caregiver and the reverberating remembrance (offered by Momrsquos wonderful Hospice workers and later by the nurses in the Kelleyrsquos hospitals) that I was ldquoa naturalrdquo Hearing that helpedmdasha lot

De was soon moved to the same hospital his wife oc-cupied They were in separate rooms in differ-ent hallways but close enough to visit each other often The three months I spent

helping De and keeping both Kelleys as uplifted and positive as I could with my naturally nutty way of doing things (Irsquom a comic at heart) is a memory that lingers and often makes me smile As hard as care-giving is on the heart mind and nerves when itrsquos over and has been done with every fiber of your being there is nothing else like it in the world I canrsquot imagine a more gratifying career or calling Care-giving is a gift of the heart mind and spirit It takes its tollmdashbut its rewards resonate forever after De wasnrsquot able to return home except for occasional one to two-hour visits In the hospital he remained the same sweet funny guy Irsquod known for decades but there were times when he wanted to talk about what was hap-pening to him as a steadily-declining patient None of his visitors he said would talk with him about dying they

ABOVE De and Kris with their new carTOP OF PAGE RIGHT De and Kris at Shambala



UNTITLED

For so many yearsIt all went my wayKnowing there would alwaysBe another day

Then all of a suddenI was seventy threeSo I took another look at me

Where was the young man I used to beSo full of hope and crsquoest la vie

How did those yearsJust slip right byHow could that happenWhere was I

UNTITLED

The sun is brightThe air is clearJust when you feelYour time is near

The days go by so terribly fastI feel each one will be my last

Is this the wayThe older we growWho can sayHow do we know

Maybe thatrsquos the wayWith we who waitmdashWe see the beauty Much too late

all wanted to talk about anything elsemdashjust not that I understood Dersquos need to talking about it and othersrsquo needs to avoid talking about it (His visitors didnrsquot want to fall apart in front of him They could do that latermdashand they would) When he and I did speak of it he said (more than once) that it was hard to believe ldquoWhen I hear the words lsquoterminally illrsquo I just canrsquot believe theyrsquore talkinrsquo about merdquo I would nod and say ldquoI know So forget theyrsquore talkinrsquo about you and keep on livingrdquo Then Irsquod joke (in Dr Mc-Coyrsquos own Encounter at Farpoint vernacular) ldquoI donrsquot see no expiration date on you boyrdquo The nurses cautioned me about giving De false hope but I told them ldquoTherersquos nothing false about hope itrsquos how people cope Dersquos affairs are squared away so therersquos no reason to focus on the fact that hersquos going to dierdquo We spent our time (until De became too weak) chat-ting joking laughing talking about life his career my career hellip agonizing over how Carolyn would feel when he was gone hellip then crying His emotions were on the surface he was living as he had never lived before Each passing day was precious because he knew there would be so few of them The last six years of Dersquos life his poetry was raw sad and introspective Up until then his poetry was usually funny with just brief moments of poignancy as anyone who has ever heard him read The Big Birdrsquos Dream The Dream Goes On The Dream Goes On and On and On at Star Trek conventions will attest Here are a couple of Dersquos later poems I think all se-niors can relate I certainly canhellip

LEFT De and Kris CU by Bill Dow

Caring for a Terminally Ill Loved OnemdashWhat I Learned bull Let your loved ones express themselves fully Listen Respond as you feel the needhellip but some-times there will be nothing you can say the lump in your throat will be too large Be there to hold their hand nod keep them as comfortable as possible and truly invest in them bull Itrsquos okay to cry with them Whatrsquos happening to your loved one is real Donrsquot pretend it isnrsquot happen-ing Follow their lead bull Itrsquos okay to laugh with them Really it is Gal-lows humor will happen too Roll with it bull Take notes (every day) Your loved one will be talking about things you may never hear again What they convey is often riveting

KRISTINE M SMITH is the author of seven books one of which (De-Forest Kelley Up Close and Personal A Harvest of Memories an en-hanced version of her 2001 edition of DeForest Kelley A Harvest of Memories) details decades of her experiences with STAR TREKrsquos Dr McCoy her mentor and chief cheerleader for thirty-plus years UP CLOSE is scheduled to debut in June 2013 (Futureword Publishing)



Is Long Term Care Insurance Right For Meby KATHERYN EVANS

Why Long-Term Care

With nursing home costs skyrocketing and the likelihood of 6 or 7 out of every 10 people over the age of 65 today eventually needing extended care there is a need to address the issue of long-term care Long-term care insurance protects our assets and helps us not to be a burden on our family mem-bers when we can no longer care for ourselves Ev-erything wersquove planned for in retirement could be at risk if down the road we need long-term care Long-term care insurance provides protection if an individual becomes disabled or can no longer care for themselves Many individuals who purchase long-

term care insurance want to maintain their indepen-dence as they age The coverage a long-term care pol-icy provides allows the insured to have more options on the type(s) of care they receive when they no longer are able to completely care for themselves Long-term care does not automatically mean nursing home care Long-term care is defined as a range of medi-cal andor social services designed to help people who have disabilities or chronic care needs Ac-cording to the US Department of Health and Human Services services may be short or long-term and may be provided in a personrsquos home in

the community or in residential facilities such as nursing homes or assisted living facilities Residen-tial care is obviously the most expensive optionLong-term care insurance protects savings against the high cost of care at a nursing home or assisted-living facility or help from a home health worker etc Recently the results of two annual surveys were released regarding the cost of long-term care ldquoThe 2012 MetLife Market Survey of Nurs-ing Home Assisted Living Adult Day Servic-es and Home Care Costs - November 2012rdquo Genworth Financialrsquos ldquo2012 Cost of Long Term Care Across the Nationrdquo The MetLife Market survey was published by the Mature Market Institute (MMI) MetLifersquos research organization The study shows thatbull The national average daily rate for a private room in a nursing home is $248 while a semi-private room is $222 up from $239 and $214 respectively in 2011 An-nually this comes to $90520 and $81030 respectivelybull The national average monthly rate in an as-sisted living community rose from $3477 in 2011 to $3650 in 2012 Annually this is $43800 bull The national average daily rate for adult day services remained unchanged from 2011 at $70 in 2012 Annually this is $25550bull The national average hourly rates for home health aides ($21) remained unchanged while the homemaker hourly rate increased by 53 from $19 in 2011 to $20 in 2012 Itrsquos difficult to fig-ure the annual cost because each situation is so dif-ferent in the number of hours required each day The median stay in a long-term care facility is 463 days according to the Centers for Disease Con-trol and Prevention and 56 percent of new claims under long-term care policies are for home care ac-cording to the American Association for Long Term Care Insurance These statistics contribute to the fact according to the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College more than 54 percent of middle-income adults and 44 percent of high-income adults are at risk for a lower standard of living in retirement Without a policy yoursquoll pay out of pocket until yoursquove nearly exhausted your assets and can qualify for Medicaid So if you have assets you want to protect for a spouse or heirs the insurance may make good sense

It is a general misconception that Medicare covers long-term care If the care needed can be classified as ldquoskilledrdquo cov-erage under Medicare Tricare and a Medicare Supple-ment then only the first 100 days will be covered (20 days of full coverage 80 days with a co-pay)mdashnoth-ing for custodial or intermediate care which is what the majority of the residents need Also a person has to meet the conditions to be eligible for Medicare ei-ther by virtue of age or as a result of disability Also with original Medicare as their primary insured they must have a three night stay in the hospital before ad-mission to a nursing home for benefits to be paid Medicaid will pay the bill for those who are quali-fied basically meaning those who have no assets and only a limited income However Medicaid planning involves spending down your assets until you have about $2000 left Recently many states have ratified the partnership bill which actually allows one to qual-ify for Medicaid if necessary while protecting all or a portion of the assets This underlines the necessity of planning properly for the senior years Planning for the senior years needs to begin while still employed and preferably long before reaching middle age The four major considerations for your planning are your retirement health insurance final expenseestate planning and long-term care planning Only about 8 percent of retired seniors own long-term care insurance However a huge segment of the population stands to lose billions of dollars in remain-ing retirement assets not to mention impact on fam-ily when extended care becomes necessary People continue to put off the purchase of long-term care insurance however partly because the average person doesnrsquot expect to actually need it or if they do end up needing it they will be lsquooldrsquo They think they can wait until they are a little older a little closer to the pos-sibility of needing care Such thinking is a mistake The statistics show that 25 of the people who need extended care are under the age of 50 often in their 20rsquos and 30rsquos They may be victims of accidents or tragic illnesses that leave them debilitated for life Then if a person waits until they think they may need it health issues may keep them from qualifying thus ensuring that the burden of their care will be put on



Then if a person waits until they think they may need it health issues may keep them from qualifying thus ensuring that the burden of their care will be put on their family The fact is that more than half (some data indicates about 70) of todayrsquos 65 year olds will at some point need either home care assisted living care or nursing home care This might have something to do with the fact that some long-term care policies are tax qualified which means that they can be deducted from income for tax reporting This makes the cost of premiums a bit lower For information regarding the tax ramifica-tions please consult your CPA If you told a room full of 1000 people that half of them were destined to lose their homes in a fire within the next 20 years nearly everyone in the room would go home pull out their home ownersrsquo policies and take a second look at exactly what would be covered The likelihood of needing long-term care insurance is much greater than the likelihood of fire but the aver-age middle class retiree---the person who needs it the mostnotnotnot continues to put off the purchase If you are one of these the health finances and emotional well-being of your family along with the security of your own estate are all at risk If you are a middle or upper middle class retiree with property retirement assets and a desire for choice and dignity in your senior years it might be wise to con-sider a long-term care insurance policy in your senior planning It is important to consider though that the underwriting is often tougher than even that for life insurance approximately 35 of those who apply are declined Relatively healthy people shouldnrsquot delay purchasing the insurance until their health declines because if they do their premiums will be higher and they might not be able to buy long-term care insur-ance at all The longer you wait the more likely you are to put your own assets at risk assets that might be needed by your spouse or that you want to leave to your heirs

What is Long-Term Care Long-term care policies are structured to pay for the care and assistance you need in your daily life as you get older You are eligible for the benefits of a long-

term care policy when you qualify under the lsquoBenefit Triggersrsquo which are generally unable to perform two or three out of six Activities of Daily Living (or ADLrsquos) or are cognitively impaired These ADLrsquos are usually bathing continence dressing eating toileting and transferring The language andor benefits of long-term care policies are not standardized from one company to an-other so itrsquos important to discuss your individual situ-ation with an agent The following will help you understand the differ-ent components of a long-term care policy and will help you prioritize your needs and formulate your questions

Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) Activities identi-fied by CMS as the criteria for initiating use of your policy These are eating bathing dressing toileting continence and transferring (getting from your bed to wheel chair and back) Note the ability to walk independently is not an ADL

Bed reservation guarantee If you are in a nursing home and suddenly need to go to a hospital or if you are able to take a trip with family you will not lose your bed

Benefit multiplier A term that varies from company to company it refers simply to the number of yearsndashcalculated as daysndashthat your policy will last

Cognitive Impairment The onset of a disease such as dementia Alzheimerrsquos Parkinsonrsquos etc Cognitive diseases allow you to activate your policy regardless of your physical health

Custodial Care Care provided in a nursing home or assisted living facility that involves room board food and assistance with the ADLs Medicare does not pay for custodial care but nearly 75 of the patients in the nursing home need only this type of care

Daily benefit The maximum amount of money that can be spent on your care per day

Elimination period A period of time during which you must pay the bill before your policy kicks in

FEATURES AND SPECIAL CLAUSES

Ask about the following

Guaranteed renewability Your policy cannot be cancelled so long as you pay the premium

Home care Good policies will offer you the option of using your policy at home or in an assisted living facility

Home modification If the doctor prescribes home care the company will pay for modification of your homendashsuch as ramps rails etcndashup to a percentage of your maximum yearly or monthly benefit The lan-guage and terms vary (Contact Joyce at Encore Living Interiors for help with this 253-221-3592)

Inflation rider A rider that increases the value of your policy each including daily amount and total pot of money Your policy value could increase 3 4 or 5 per-cent compounded or could have a flat 5 increase depending on the company This allows the cost of care to keep up with inflation without an increase in premium later It does add significantly to the initial premium

Intermediate Care Care in a nursing home assisted living facility or physical therapy unit that involves a combination of custodial care and some skilled or ther-apeutic services A person who is admitted temporarily for physical therapyndashfor example following a broken hipndashwould be receiving intermediate care

Medically Necessary A criteria used for non-tax qualified policies Instead of having to certify that you are unable to perform the ADLs the doctor can simply say that the care is ldquomedically necessaryrdquo

Premium Your monthly payment

Respite care A feature that provides for your care so a family caregiver can take a vacation

Restoration of benefit Allows you to use your policy more than once For example if you broke a hip and needed care for 6 months or so you could use your policy When you get well and no longer needed care your benefit would be restored as if you had never used it

Return of Premium Rider A rider that returns your money if you never use the benefit If you die without using the benefit the money is returned to a beneficia-ry Be aware however that you usually get the money back over a period of years the same way it is paid in Neither you nor your beneficiary will get a large lump sum

Rider An attachment to the original policy giving you additional benefits and increasing your premium

Shared Benefit Rider A rider that gives you a third pot of money from which either you or your spouse can draw if your initial benefit is exhausted The shared benefit rider is not restored if you are able to stop using the care

Spouse Survivor Rider Arguably one of the most val-ued of all available riders this rider gives the spouse a complete waiver of premium whenever the first spouse dies subject to having owned the policy for a specified period of time

Stand-by Help Contrary to common belief you do not have to be completely helpless in order to activate a LTC policy You simply have to be impaired so that you need someone within armsrsquo length to assist you

Tax-qualified vs Non-Tax Qualified A tax qualified policy is one that allows you to deduct the premium from your taxable income providing you have medi-cal expenses in excess of 7 frac12 percent of your gross or are self-employed A tax qualified policy can also be a deduction for an employer who pays the premium for his employees To activate a tax qualified policy you must be unable to perform any two of the ADLs with-out hands-on or stand-by help or must be cognitively impaired such that you would be a danger to yourself if left alone

Waiver of premium When you have to go on care your premium is waived

Companies compete at least partially on the basis of price Riders increase your premium but you will most likely want certain ones Dont settle for a lower price without knowing whether a more expensive policy has



simply included some of these riders Ask about such things as shared benefits spouse survivorship rider return of premium and guaranteed non-forfeiture as well as inflation riders

To recap if you would like to

bull Avoid being a burden to your familybull Conserve assets for spouse andor heirsbull Be able to get into the nursing home of you choicebull Be cared for at home as long as possiblebull Avoid Medicaidbull Have peace of mind

then it would be wise to contact an agent and in-vestigate the option of obtaining a longnot-term care policy

Katheryn is President of Strategic Sound Solu-

tions Inc She has 20 years experience in the in-

surance and financial industry and has served in

Management for a Fortune 500 insurance com-

pany responsible for training field staff and man-

agers on a national level Those she trained were

in the top 1 in the nation Katheryn has served

in clinics and doctorrsquos offices as a Medicare and

Senior Advocate with the utmost professionalism

providing assistance to patients as well as staff with

their senior insurance questions This experience

and the over 6000 clients she has served have

given her ample experience and knowledge to

work together with clients to determine the most

appropriate solutions to meet their needs

Keep in mind that it does not cost clients any-

thing to utilize a brokerrsquos services brokers are

compensated by the insurance company It

costs the clients the same amount whether they

call a company directly or have a broker go

through the options that are available It could

cost money if one does not utilize the service of a

qualified knowledgeable broker if you chose the

wrong plan

You are invited to contact Katheryn with any

questions She can be reached by email at

KevansStrategicSoundSolutionscom or by

calling 2538612959 or 2062293999

By Katheryn Evans

Donrsquot Miss Our Next IssuemdashFall2013

In The Next Issuehellipbull Cozy Suppersbull Should I Start My

Own Businessbull Nutrition For Adults

Onlybull And Much More

Get Your Free Subscription Today Go to Httpencorelifemagcom for more info

video button


Tune In To Our New Radio ShowEncore Living - A radio show that talks about Better Living In The Second Stage of Life

Hosted by Joyce Joneschiet (Encore Living InteriorsEncore Life Magazine) with Aaron Murphy (ADM Architecture LLCEmpowering the Mature Mind)

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CONTENTS volume two













SUMMER 2013


Encore Life

12 34



423114

22 55 8

50 172438 48

59 46 53


From You To Us




















LEGACY LETTERS





by KAREN LYNN MAHER





















by SUE MCGUIRE

















mation



by MEL WEST





































































By AARON MURPHY
















AUBREY MORTENSEN

NO SUGAR NO GLUTEN





extraLOW CARB


Step 1

Step 2 Step 3

Step 4 Step 5
































by STEPHANIE OWENS





















ADVERTISEMENT
























































UNTITLED





UNTITLED












Why Long-Term Care

































































wrong plan




calling 2538612959 or 2062293999

By Katheryn Evans






video button

CONTENTS volume two













SUMMER 2013


Encore Life

12 34



423114

22 55 8

50 172438 48

59 46 53


From You To Us




















LEGACY LETTERS





by KAREN LYNN MAHER





















by SUE MCGUIRE

















mation



by MEL WEST





































































By AARON MURPHY
















AUBREY MORTENSEN

NO SUGAR NO GLUTEN





extraLOW CARB


Step 1

Step 2 Step 3

Step 4 Step 5
































by STEPHANIE OWENS





















ADVERTISEMENT
























































UNTITLED





UNTITLED












Why Long-Term Care

































































wrong plan




calling 2538612959 or 2062293999

By Katheryn Evans






video button



423114

22 55 8

50 172438 48

59 46 53


From You To Us




















LEGACY LETTERS





by KAREN LYNN MAHER





















by SUE MCGUIRE

















mation



by MEL WEST





































































By AARON MURPHY
















AUBREY MORTENSEN

NO SUGAR NO GLUTEN





extraLOW CARB


Step 1

Step 2 Step 3

Step 4 Step 5
































by STEPHANIE OWENS





















ADVERTISEMENT
























































UNTITLED





UNTITLED












Why Long-Term Care

































































wrong plan




calling 2538612959 or 2062293999

By Katheryn Evans






video button


From You To Us




















LEGACY LETTERS





by KAREN LYNN MAHER





















by SUE MCGUIRE

















mation



by MEL WEST





































































By AARON MURPHY
















AUBREY MORTENSEN

NO SUGAR NO GLUTEN





extraLOW CARB


Step 1

Step 2 Step 3

Step 4 Step 5
































by STEPHANIE OWENS





















ADVERTISEMENT
























































UNTITLED





UNTITLED












Why Long-Term Care

































































wrong plan




calling 2538612959 or 2062293999

By Katheryn Evans






video button
















LEGACY LETTERS





by KAREN LYNN MAHER





















by SUE MCGUIRE

















mation



by MEL WEST





































































By AARON MURPHY
















AUBREY MORTENSEN

NO SUGAR NO GLUTEN





extraLOW CARB


Step 1

Step 2 Step 3

Step 4 Step 5
































by STEPHANIE OWENS





















ADVERTISEMENT
























































UNTITLED





UNTITLED












Why Long-Term Care

































































wrong plan




calling 2538612959 or 2062293999

By Katheryn Evans






video button




by KAREN LYNN MAHER





















by SUE MCGUIRE

















mation



by MEL WEST





































































By AARON MURPHY
















AUBREY MORTENSEN

NO SUGAR NO GLUTEN





extraLOW CARB


Step 1

Step 2 Step 3

Step 4 Step 5
































by STEPHANIE OWENS





















ADVERTISEMENT
























































UNTITLED





UNTITLED












Why Long-Term Care

































































wrong plan




calling 2538612959 or 2062293999

By Katheryn Evans






video button

















by SUE MCGUIRE

















mation



by MEL WEST





































































By AARON MURPHY
















AUBREY MORTENSEN

NO SUGAR NO GLUTEN





extraLOW CARB


Step 1

Step 2 Step 3

Step 4 Step 5
































by STEPHANIE OWENS





















ADVERTISEMENT
























































UNTITLED





UNTITLED












Why Long-Term Care

































































wrong plan




calling 2538612959 or 2062293999

By Katheryn Evans






video button














mation



by MEL WEST





































































By AARON MURPHY
















AUBREY MORTENSEN

NO SUGAR NO GLUTEN





extraLOW CARB


Step 1

Step 2 Step 3

Step 4 Step 5
































by STEPHANIE OWENS





















ADVERTISEMENT
























































UNTITLED





UNTITLED












Why Long-Term Care

































































wrong plan




calling 2538612959 or 2062293999

By Katheryn Evans






video button


by MEL WEST





































































By AARON MURPHY
















AUBREY MORTENSEN

NO SUGAR NO GLUTEN





extraLOW CARB


Step 1

Step 2 Step 3

Step 4 Step 5
































by STEPHANIE OWENS





















ADVERTISEMENT
























































UNTITLED





UNTITLED












Why Long-Term Care

































































wrong plan




calling 2538612959 or 2062293999

By Katheryn Evans






video button




































































By AARON MURPHY
















AUBREY MORTENSEN

NO SUGAR NO GLUTEN





extraLOW CARB


Step 1

Step 2 Step 3

Step 4 Step 5
































by STEPHANIE OWENS





















ADVERTISEMENT
























































UNTITLED





UNTITLED












Why Long-Term Care

































































wrong plan




calling 2538612959 or 2062293999

By Katheryn Evans






video button















AUBREY MORTENSEN

NO SUGAR NO GLUTEN





extraLOW CARB


Step 1

Step 2 Step 3

Step 4 Step 5
































by STEPHANIE OWENS





















ADVERTISEMENT
























































UNTITLED





UNTITLED












Why Long-Term Care

































































wrong plan




calling 2538612959 or 2062293999

By Katheryn Evans






video button


extraLOW CARB


Step 1

Step 2 Step 3

Step 4 Step 5
































by STEPHANIE OWENS





















ADVERTISEMENT
























































UNTITLED





UNTITLED












Why Long-Term Care

































































wrong plan




calling 2538612959 or 2062293999

By Katheryn Evans






video button


Step 1

Step 2 Step 3

Step 4 Step 5
































by STEPHANIE OWENS





















ADVERTISEMENT
























































UNTITLED





UNTITLED












Why Long-Term Care

































































wrong plan




calling 2538612959 or 2062293999

By Katheryn Evans






video button
































by STEPHANIE OWENS





















ADVERTISEMENT
























































UNTITLED





UNTITLED












Why Long-Term Care

































































wrong plan




calling 2538612959 or 2062293999

By Katheryn Evans






video button





















ADVERTISEMENT
























































UNTITLED





UNTITLED












Why Long-Term Care

































































wrong plan




calling 2538612959 or 2062293999

By Katheryn Evans






video button























































UNTITLED





UNTITLED












Why Long-Term Care

































































wrong plan




calling 2538612959 or 2062293999

By Katheryn Evans






video button






Why Long-Term Care

































































wrong plan




calling 2538612959 or 2062293999

By Katheryn Evans






video button































































wrong plan




calling 2538612959 or 2062293999

By Katheryn Evans






video button






video button

Encore Life, Vol 2, Summer

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Transcript of Encore Life, Vol 2, Summer