September Active Living

Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012

www.messengernews.net

www.freemanjournal.net

Jennifer Bernard, of Webster City,

poses with some of her prize winning

quilted jackets and a large patterned quilt.

Bernard is getting ready for the upcoming

Fort Dodge Quilt Show.

ndshipaven


Bernard competes at

nationallevel

Story and photos by ANNE BLANKENSHIPStory and photos by ANNE BLANKENSHIP

of quilting

The art

WEBSTER CITY — For Jennifer Bernard,the art of quilting is just that — art. Theseamstress and quilter has long competedin area quilting contests, but in recentyears, has stepped up to the national level.And she’s bringing home top honors andprize money.

Bernard said she has always enjoyedsewing and made many garments for hertwo daughters when they were small. Sheinitially began competing at the HamiltonCounty Fair.

“My daughter was in 4-H and I didn’tknow too much about that,” she said. “Butshe competed at the fair and she got rib-bons, and I discovered there was a quiltcompetition, too.”

Bernard started entering some of theclothes she had made for her children. Shesaid she was thrilled when she got her firstblue ribbon at the fair.

She began quilting and eventually shetaught her dad how to quilt, too. He alsobegan to compete in fairs, including theIowa State Fair.

“So, then I began competing at the IowaState Fair with him,” she said, and alsostarted competing with the Iowa Quilter’sGuild.

“I started winning ribbons there, too,” shesaid. “I don’t know what it is about my fam-ily — they all like to compete.” In additionto her father, Bernard’s daughter, Danielle,competes in horse events, and her otherdaughter, Nora, trains dogs and competesin dog shows.

While she still makes quilts for familymembers and friends, she’s moved on toexplore creative garment designs.

“I find I really enjoy the design and I’vereally gone on to being a quilt artist now,”she said.

She keeps ribbons and records of the con-tests, notes and comments from judges. She


page 3

ABOVE: While she’s competing now on the national level, Jennifer Bernard still enjoys mak-

ing garments and quilts for her granddaughter like the pink, green and yellow set in this

picture.

LEFT: Jennifer Bernard operates her long-arm quilting machine set up in her

basement. She uses the machine on her own creations, but also quilts for customers on a

limited basis. She wears one of the jackets she designed and quilted.

keeps her contest entries listed on spreadsheets along with the prizes awarded to each. Most con-tests have rules that items can only be entered once, so detailed records must be kept of

which garment was entered in which show, Bernard said.“I don’t know what there is about wanting to win these competitions, except thatits a goal that makes you get better. Because if you want to win at quilting, you

have to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses, not just say ‘Oh that judge did-n’t like me, they’re not fair,’” she said. “It takes skill and you have to improve.”

When she retired from teaching in 2006, Bernard purchased a long-armquilting machine and opened a quilting business, Heart’s Desire Quilting.

It was then that she got involved with the Machine Quilters Showcase “I went to that show and I won the very first year I was there. I won

for a jacket that I had worn to school for a year.”“That’s kind of the way my sewing has been. I made a little dress for

my daughter and it won first prize at the county fair and the state fair.It was just kind of the normal sewing I do and I have a talent for. Itmakes me happy, so I just kind of developed it more and more,” shesaid.

She’s been competing on the national level for about two yearsand at just about every show, she’s placed among the top prizewinners.

One of the garments she is most proud of is a brilliant red andblack, heavily beaded and jeweled jacket she calls “Fierce

210 South 25th St. Ft. Dodge, IA 50501 (515) 955-8200 (888) 293-3761

Mon. - Thur. 9 am - 7 pm Fri. 9 am - 6pm

Saturday 9 am - 5 pm Sunday 12 pm - 5 pm

C e l e b r a t i n g o u r 1 0 1 s t A n n i v e r s a r y

1911

20

12

Come check out the new styles for fall!

$ 10 OFF Any item regularly

priced $ 50 - $ 100

COUPON

Danskos and UGG excluded, other exclusions may apply.

Not valid with any other offer. Good through September 30, 2012

$ 15 OFF Any item regularly

priced more than $ 100

COUPON

Danskos and UGG excluded, other exclusions may apply.

Not valid with any other offer. Good through September 30, 2012

“Even in a restaurant, now I can hear our conversations.”

Included on Most Hearing Aid Purchases

• 3 year loss coverage • 3 year repair warranty • 3 year Free batteries

Laura Kersten Eimers MA, CCC Audiologist/Hearing Aid Specialist

KKEERRSSTTEENN HHEEAARRIINNGG SSEERRVVIICCEESS KKEERRSSTTEENN HHEEAARRIINNGG SSEERRVVIICCEESS KERSTEN HEARING SERVICES Comprehensive Audiology & Hearing Aid Services

515-573-8081 Physicians Office Building, West Dr. Delucca’s Office- 2nd Floor, Suite 200

Come to a professional

you can trust with

your hearing.


SGRAM

sisisieeRR..

DD

ng Ce HeariTh

ornerng C ougbr

to you byhtoug eaH

oIf es orvicSering ea

wao

CHEC

p

0#2

NOUTOUSKCHEC.KOBOCEFA

daero Tylsuvioer deshilbup

-G

s esLginPay waylANotetfos tnieatpew N n

feenbe htathtver oiscd

DIO

AUGRA

-

ueValtesBe s thwayas idag rineahtahtl eefntobnie, cienerexpey htit

hT. tenmvestniig ba reaionstlaredanlives eirhtht

nsooey hrafs, iphions

SSrreebbmmeettpeepeppepSS12-MON

He

llaiaiaicceepSSpSpSpTH MON

SMGRAOIUDA ,dnFi tas u

/mcok.oobFaceawoIfsoevicrSegniraHe

rfruoyeludehsco tllCauot uobask atoersuBe

Un. stoce htseighwtuo

nioactfissatmerostuc snlape servic athtresune

iVis tibst our we

arstonmedogylontecheeedartdiagniraehru - orpni

lepoepenhwely, atnurtofUnehter sidnocruOsale. e hter tafervice s

e hteivecres teniatpr uoat

Haow.Iwwwe at wt

.ontia.margo

576-72

le pohsrice p otg nipoh, mpoctantroimpstmoe

r risk- eref 75- rialtayd danrupr eihtm orfitfeenbll uf

lloT - 00 8free - 77

.comearsH

278

ehtdinfotenno in

d eimetlifase.hcr

9- 4358

12-MONRESTINTE

FINANCINHEARINYOUR

ASE.RCHPU

AdeialifQuFor *

nh Jo.DroiduA

Offisnaicis Phy.Wr Fo, te CiuS

TH MONREST- EE FR

ON GFINANCINAID GHEARIN

ASE.*

tsanlicp Ap

sie Rntsiisgolo

ec Offi B .gdlegdDot r


Intentions.” She made jacket for her daughter Danielle to wearat national quarter horse competitions. Danielle took seventhplace out of 120 competitors at the All-American Quarter HorseCongress in Columbus, Ohio. The jacket has won three firstplace honors and a second place at national quilt shows in2012. And Bernard still has a couple more shows to enter yetthis year.

She’s also won three Best Machine Quilting honors fromNational Quilting Association-certified judges at the IowaQuilters Guild, Omaha Quilters and Des Moines Area Quiltersshows. So far in 2012, she’s won more than $2,100 in prizemoney.

“There are many, many people who enter those shows and gohome with no ribbons. If I get a first, second or third place,that’s something that I really, really appreciate. There are 200people who walked away from that show with nothing,” shesaid.

Bernard, who now teaches classes and is a regular speaker forvarious quilting organizations, urges beginning quilters to takesome classes from good teachers.

“You need to learn from good teachers and pay attention to

the details of quilting — from choosing fabrics to making surethe points are precise. There are some good teachers aroundhere and some good quilt clubs,” she said. Bernard recom-mended that local quilters attend the upcoming Webster CityQuilt Show on Sept. 16. The show, sponsored by TheGingerbread House and the Webster City Medical Clinic, is heldat the medical clinic from noon to 4 p.m. Bernard said the showwas an opportunity for local residents to see some wonderfulquilts and quilted items.

She also mentioned the Fort Dodge Area Quilters 21st BiennialShow on Sept. 29 and 30 at Iowa Central Community College.Bernard will have items entered in that contest. She admits thatthe shows are also great places to get ideas for future projects.

“Going to a quilt show, you look at everybody’s work,” shesaid. “Everybody uses stuff in creative and different ways.Sometimes, I keep a sketchbook and jot down ideas.”

“Everybody’s work has value,” she said. “My work has nomore value than anybody else’s just because it’s won ribbons.Because that little kid will always love the quilt that Grandmamade.”

AAccttiivvee LLiivviinngg AAccttiivvee LLiivviinngg Active Living DDiirreeccttoorryy DDiirreeccttoorryy Directory

ENTERTAINMENT

ENHANCE YOUR BEST YEARS WITH THESE FINE BUSINESSES

PRE-PLANNING

SHOPPING HEALTH SERVICES

Life Life HOME IMPROVEMENT

Enjoying

HOME CARE SERVICE

AAccttiivvee LLiivviinngg AAccttiivvee LLiivviinngg Active Living DDiirreeccttoorryy DDiirreeccttoorryy Directory LIVING SERVICES

SeptemberThursday — 13

500, 9:30 a.m., Webster CitySenior Center.

n

Webster County Museum,Otho, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

n

Webster County GenealogicalSociety, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Fort

Dodge Public Library, 424Central Ave., Room 134

n

Blood pressure check, 11 a.m.to noon, RSVP, Webster City.

n

Bingo, 1 to 3 p.m., CitizensCentral.

n

SHIIP counselors, by appoint-ment, Van Diest Medical Center.

n

Hamilton County PHS footclinic.

Friday — 14Bingo, 10 a.m., Algona Senior

Center.n

Community Bingo, 2 p.m.,Fort Dodge Rehabilitation andHealth Care (formerly Careage

of Fort Dodge).n

Birthday party, 2 p.m., EagleGrove Senior Center.

n

Rabiner Bingo early birds 6:30p.m., regular sessions 7:15 p.m.,

2253 Second Ave. N. n

Cards, 7 p.m., EmmetsburgSenior Center.

Saturday — 15Boone River Valley

Woodcarvers, 9 a.m. to noon,RSVP building, Webster City.

n


n


2253 Second Ave. N.

Sunday — 16

Monday — 17Cribbage, 9:30 a.m., CrestviewSenior Living Apartments.

n

Bingo, 10 a.m., Algona SeniorCenter.

n

Penny bingo, 1 p.m., CrestviewSenior Living Apartments.

n

Bingo, Eagle Grove SeniorCitizen Center, 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday — 18Webster City Diamond K

Kiwanis, 8:30 a.m. breakfast, 9a.m. meet.

n

River Valley Woodcarvers, 9a.m., Citizens Central.

n



n


n

Senior Bowl, 1 p.m., WebsterCity Bowl.

n

Bridge, 1 p.m., Webster CitySenior Center.

Wednesday — 19RSVP Workday, 9 a.m. Senior

Center, Webster City. n

Golden K Kiwanis, 9:30 a.m.,Citizens Central.

n



n

500 cards, 1 p.m., AlgonaSenior Center.

n

Senior Citizens 500, 1 p.m.,Webster City.

Thursday — 20500, 9:30 a.m., Webster City

Senior Center. n


n



n


n


n

SHIIP counselors, by appoint-ment, Van Diest Medical Center.

n

Hamilton County PHS footclinic.


Center.n


2253 Second Ave. N. n


Saturday — 22Webster County Museum,

Otho, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.n


2253 Second Ave. N.

Sunday — 23

Monday — 24Cribbage, 9:30 a.m., Crestview

Senior Living Apartments. n


n

500, 1 p.m., Crestview SeniorLiving Apartments.

n



Kiwanis, 8:30 a.m. breakfast, 9

a.m.meet.

n

RiverValley

Woodcarvers, 9a.m., Citizens

Central.n



n


n


n




Golden K Kiwanis, 9 a.m.,meet at Bob Heun Shelter

House John F. KennedyMemorial Park. Brunch andoffi-

cer/board installation. n



n


n


Thursday— 27

500, 9:30a.m.,

Webster CitySenior Center.

n

Webster CountyMuseum, Otho, 10 a.m. to 4

p.m.n

Webster CountyGenealogical Society, 11 a.m. to

4 p.m., Fort Dodge PublicLibrary, 424 Central Ave., Room

134n


n


n

SHIIP counselors, byappointment, Van Diest Medical

Center.


Center.n

Community Bingo, 2 p.m.,Fort Dodge Rehabilitation andHealth Care (formerly Careage

of Fort Dodge).n

Rabiner Bingo early birds6:30 p.m., regular sessions 7:15

p.m., 2253 Second Ave. N. n





p.m., 2253 Second Ave. N.

Sunday — 30

OctoberMonday — 1

Cribbage, 9:30 a.m., CrestviewSenior Living Apartments.

n


n

Penny bingo, 1 p.m., CrestviewSenior Living Apartments.

n




n


n



n


n


n





n



134n


n


Thursday — 4500, 9:30 a.m., Webster City

Senior Center. n


n



134n


n


n

SHIIP counselors, byappointment, Van Diest Medical

Center.


Center.n


p.m., 2253 Second Ave. N. n




Senior potluck, noon, Webster City Senior

Centern


p.m., 2253 Second Ave. N.

Sunday — 7

Monday — 8Cribbage, 9:30 a.m.,

Crestview Senior LivingApartments.

n


n

500, 1 p.m., Crestview SeniorLiving Apartments.

n




n


n



n


n


n





n



134n


n


page 9

• Respiratory Equipment • Sleep Disorder Therapeutics • Mastectomy Supplies • Ostomy Supplies • Urological Supplies • Diabetic Supplies

• Wound Care Supplies • Enteral Feeding Supplies • Commodes • Bath Benches • Hospital Beds • Seat Lift Chairs • Bath Aids

• Oxygen Therapy • Crutches • Canes • Wheelchairs • Walkers • Incontinent Supplies • Uniforms

118 South 25th Street, Fort Dodge, IA (across from the mall) Mon.-Fri. 9-5:30 • Sat. 9-1

515-955-8500 800-383-8500 JCAHO Accredited

Locally Owned Since 1979


page 8

CalendarSeptember


page 10

Call now for a tour: 515-832-2727 2401 Des Moines St., Webster City, IA 50595

Crestview Nursing and Rehabilitation, Apartments & Home Care

• Rehabilitation • Skilled Care • Caring, Professional Staff

• Independent Apartments • Emergency Assistance • Solarium & Beauty Shop

2350 Hospital Drive | Webster City, IA 50595 | 5 1 5 - 8 3 2 - 7 7 8 5

• 24 hour oxygen delivery • Oxygen concentrators and accessories • Lift chairs • Wheelchairs • Ostomy supplies • Hospital beds, rails and accessories • Nebulizers • Bathroom safety aids • Ambulatory aids

• Urinary incontinence management supplies • Compression hosiery • Breast pumps and supplies • Urologicals • Daily living aids • Orthotics and braces • CPAP/BiPAP machines and supplies

S UPPLIES & S ERVICES

Call today: 515-576-6755

927 Central Ave Fort Dodge, IA 50501

NEWS FLASH... Willy Says Utilities Are Included At The Wahkonsa Apartments!Webster and Hamilton County

Veteran Affairs offer assistance for vet-erans, service members and their fami-lies. This includes federal and statebenefits as well as temporary countybenefits to qualifying indigent veteransand their families. County benefitsinclude rent, utilities, transportationfor medical care, medictions and burialexpenses.

Eligibility for county benefits:∫ The individiual must be a legal res-

ident of the county in which theyapply

∫ Have been discharged from the US

Armed Forces under “HonorableConditions”

∫ Served during a “War Time Period”Application must be made in person.Webster County:723 First Avenue South, Fort DodgeHours: Monday and Wednesday, 11

a.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday,8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Hamilton County:500 Fairmeadow Drive, Webster CityHours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday and

Thursday; 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.Wednesday.

Veteran Affairs offices offer services

www.messengernews.net

I’m still a little ways from retirementage, but I’m starting to grow concernedabout my finances. I thought I’d beensaving enough (or close to enough) butnow I’m not so sure. Can you offer meany tips?

Candace, Phoenix, AZ

There has been a lot of discussion aboutthe crisis many of us will face as we reachretirement age. How will we continue tofund our lifestyle, without an income?Even for people who think they haveplanned adequately, there may be surpriseexpenses around the corner. Here aresome ways to fund retirement, as well assome ways to cut expenses.

Funding: - Social Security: You should be eligible

to receive monthly payments, onceyou’ve reached the age of 62. Rememberthough that if you sign up right away,you won’t receive your full benefits. Ifpossible, delay signing up until you’vereached the “full retirement age” (variesdepending on the year you were born).

- Retirement accounts: If you saved dur-ing your working years, through 401(k)sor IRAs, you can use the money now, but

you will have to pay taxes on it.Remember to take the required minimal withdrawals to avoid a tax penalty.

- Roth accounts: These have the benefitof tax-free withdrawals, because youalready paid taxes on the contributions.

- Home equity: If your home is paid off,you may be able to use a loan or reversemortgage, should you need to.

- Insurance: Make sure you sign up forMedicare on time, to avoid a rise in pre-miums. Look into purchasing Long TermCare insurance to avoid having to dipheavily into your savings for unforesee-able health needs.

Ways to save:-Downsize your home: If it makes sense

for you, consider moving into a smallerplace, like an apartment or condo, anduse the extra money to pad your savingsaccount.

- Sell your car: Now that you don’t haveto drive to work everyday, do you stillneed a car? Especially if you are in a 2-carhousehold, consider selling one car, andtaking advantage of public transportationwhenever possible.

- Use senior discounts: While some busi-nesses advertise their senior discounts(movie theaters, hotels, restaurants), oth-ers do not. Don’t be afraid to ask!

- Travel during the off-season: Withoutthe constraints of work, you can travelduring non-peak times for a tremendoussavings.

- Cook at home: After a long day ofwork, coming home and cooking a mealcan be tiring. But now, you can devote

more time to grocery shopping and cook-ing. This is a great way to save money.

- Seek out free (or cheap) entertainment:Chances are, you will be faced with more leisure time than ever before. Lookfor free concerts, free museum days, andany other options your city has to offer. Ifyou feel the need to buy a new book ormovie, shop used stores or neighborhoodyard sales instead.


page 11

Saturday, October 6, 2012 • 11:30 a.m. Short informational seminar and tour

of Gunderson’s on-site crematory facility.

Curious About Cremation?

Get The Facts... Seminar Designed To

Answer All Your Questions

Ask Dr. Marion


page 12

Actions speak louder thanwords. The men and womenwho serve as FosterGrandparents know that serv-ing as positive role models forthe children they work with isan important responsibility;and they take the responsibili-ty seriously. Our Grandparentsknow that even whenthey are silent, thechildren theywork with arewatchingthem. Thosechildren learnhow to listento their teacherwhen Grandmaor Grandpa is also agood listener. They learnhow to wait their turn whentheir Grandparent remindsthem to be patient. Theybecome better students as theywork one to one on reading ormath skills with Grandma orGrandpa. They learn what it islike to receive praise or a gen-tle reminder when accomplish-ing tasks. A hug or high fivefrom a foster grandparent is anaction that most every childlooks forward to.

Our office was pleased tohear of a story this month ofstudents who took time to lettheir actions speak louder thanwords in helping one of our

Grandparents. MonsignorKevin McCoy at St. Edmondrecently shared that one of theGrandmas at their school hada flat tire while serving hershift. He was pleased to notethat two high school studentsoffered to change her tire forher. Both of these young men

deserve a high five fromGrandma for sharing this

act of kindness!This fall there are 45

people either servingin our program ortraining for place-ment as a new foster

grandparent. Our newtrainees benefit from

the experience of our vet-eran grandparents who serveas mentors. These mentorsallow the trainees to job shad-ow them in their assignmentat school. The mentors alsotake the time to help the“newbies” get acquainted andfeel comfortable joining ourprogram because they realizethat it’s never easy to be thenew kid, no matter what yourage.

In addition to schools in FortDodge, we have Grandparentsin Dayton and Barnum; andwe will soon be placing a newgrandparent at Prairie Valley.We are excited to help our vol-unteers make a difference to

children in all of theseschool districts! As we workto place the current group oftrainees, we are also accept-ing applications for our nextclass which will take place inJanuary. While that seemslike a long way down theroad, we know that it will behere before we know it, andthe children of our commu-nity will still need help evenwhen winter is upon us.

The actions of our fostergrandparents wouldn’t be pos-sible without the help of manypeople who help in our pro-gram. We appreciate the DARTdrivers who transport many ofour Grandparents each day.Webster County Public Healthhelps to ensure that ourGrandparents are healthyenough to serve a schedule ofat least fifteen hours everyweek; and the teachers wework with do a great job ofcompleting all of the necessarypaperwork needed for the pro-

gram reports. We are alsograteful that we have the sup-port of local funding partnersincluding the CommunityFoundation and United Way aswell as Target.

The actions of FosterGrandparents speak loud andclear and those actions are say-ing that it is never too late tomake a difference in the com-munity. Accepting a positionas a Foster Grandparent afterretiring from the regular work-force is a great way to stayinvolved in the community,earn a little extra money (tax-

free), and make ahuge difference forthe children of ourarea. For an appli-cation to become aFoster Grandparent,please contact ouroffice at 576-5401.

Jeanine Nemitz,CoordinatorFort Dodge 55+VolunteerInitiativesThe FosterGrandparentProgram617 Central Ave.Fort Dodge, IA 576-5401

Actions speak louder than words

Have you ever been in anenvironment with so muchnoise, movement, visual stim-ulation, people and conversa-tions going on that you feltdisoriented and confused?One of two examples areUniversity of Iowa FootballSaturdays at Kinnick Stadium.After driving across a goodportion of Iowa on Interstate80 bumper to bumper at break-neck speed, finding an elusiveparking spot and walking a

mile up hill,the realstimulationb e g i n s .Hoards offootball fanspacked intoa very smallgeographi-cal areaw a l k i n gtoward you,around you,across yourpath andsome peoplestopped andstanding ina group for

some unknown reason.Everyone is way to close forcomfort. Add bright coloredclothing, yelling, cheering,conversations going on allaround you, the PA announc-er, the band, the music andannouncements duringpregame outside the stadium,and the smells of tail-gatersculinary adventures, popcorn,hotdogs being sold by ven-dors. It starts out as exhilarat-ing but soon can become sen-

sory overload. Aclose second isChristmas shop-ping at a metro areamall with too manypeople too muchcolorful stuff,noise, commotion,happy people,angry people, littlekids crying, theeternal holidaymusic, aching feet,arms hurting fromcarrying packages, you oftenbecome mentally and physi-cally exhausted.

If you’ve experienced over-stimulation or mental andphysical exhaustion you’vehad some moments of whatpeople with the “three D’s” ofconfusion and memory lossexperience. Imagine havingdementia where experienceslike these occur throughoutyour day every day with littleor fleeting relief multiplied bythe loss of insight and reason-ing of dementia diagnoses.

The first “D” is for dementia,a large group of diagnosesincluding Alzheimer ’s disease,Vascular Dementia and LewyBody Dementia and as manyas 70 other forms. Because ofthe number of forms the pro-gression can be quite varied.Alzheimer’s disease is the mostprevalent form and its progres-sion is usually slow and insidi-ous, sometimes people canskillfully hide or compensatefor their losses for an extended

period of time. Alzheimer’sdoes not happen quickly, andif memory loss and confusionhappen quickly it is importantto see your medical provider torule out an infection, druginteraction or another physi-cal cause of rapid onset.

The second “D,” delirium, isdefined as a temporary,suddenstate of severe confusion andrapid changes in brain func-tion. Delirium can be due to anumber of conditions, includ-ing infection, drug toxicity orwithdrawal, seizures, braintumor, poisoning, head injury,and metabolic disturbances.Delirium is an acute disorderof attention and cognition(memory and perception) andis treatable. The diagnosis ismissed in more than 50 per-cent of cases.

Elders with dementia are atincreased risk of delirium andmay have both. Prevention ofdelirium for persons withdementia includes avoiding


page 13 Wellmark Medicare supplement insurance plans are not affiliated with any government agency. Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa is an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Assocation. © Wellmark, Inc., Des Moines, IA. 23P003-2012-IA

Doreen Coppinger Katie Nekvinda

130 N 25th St., Fort Dodge, IA 50501 www.khisolutions.com

515-576-1800 800-657-8033

We can make understanding your Medicare Supplement options easier. Call us today about plans from The Blues ® .

Brenda Lastine

Diane Rollins, a social worker, dementia care practitioner, and Nursing Home Administratorat Stratford Nursing andRehabilitation Center. She can be reached at 955-8919.

See ROLLINS, Page 15

The ‘three Ds’ of memory loss


page 14

It was harvest time, 2011. Irode along with my daughter tobring lunch to those working inthe field. It was a nice day andwe had a couple of the younggrandkids with us. It has beenawhile since I have watched har-vesting this close up and wassurprised at the size of themachinery.

The scope and speed of theharvesting process was amazing.This giant combine filled withthe already shelled corn pullingup to unload the crop into ahuge semi that would deliverthe grain to the elevator. Thesetrucks are so different from thetractors that used to pull one ortwo farm wagons to town. Theamount of grain on the semishas to be measured carefully inorder to adhere to the law reweight for vehicles using theroads. Amazing contrast to mydays on the farm.

I noticed the lack of fences,gone now in order to accommo-date the size of the machinery. Ifound myself thinking back tohow it was on our farm back inthe ‘50s and ‘60s. I wonder whatGrandpa Feldman would thinkif he were here today. He was aman set in his ways of doingthings and was not one toaccept new ideas easily. I bet heis turning over in his grave.

We had three tractors, allFarmalls. The “H”, the “M” andthe 450. Like the three bears,The H was the smallest. The Mthe middle sized and the 450was the papa.

My son recalls coming homeon the school bus and seeingthe 450 Farmall there in theyard: big, bright red and brandnew.

“It was around Spencer fairtime.” he said, “I’d guess thiswas in the 1960s. I was prettylittle, in kindergarten or maybefirst grade at the time.

“As we got older, it was on the‘H’ that my brothers and Ilearned to drive the tractors andit was the ‘H’ that I started culti-vating on with a two-row frontmount cultivator. Eventually wemoved up to the 450 with a 3bottom plow.

“The ‘M’ could pull a two-bot-tom whereas the 450 could pull

the three-bottom plow. Ourcorn picker had only two headsand was mounted on the ‘M.’ Ittook ear corn only and the cornwas shelled later, a little at atime as needed. Our combinewas a Minneapolis Moline andwas pulled behind the M or the450.

“We had a flat board, called astone boat with the iron skidson the bottom, almost like asled. It was handy and used forhauling water and food to dis-tant hog lots. When fixingfence. we road on it behind thetractor with the tools we needed

for the job. Our lane was notexceptionally long, but oftenafter rains or winter weather, itdeveloped deep ruts and wouldget pretty muddy. We used thestone boat to smooth out thelane and the yard, around theout buildings and going to thevarious fields and pastures.”

I know many retired farmers. Iknow their sons and daughterswho still work the family farm.The younger generations tell meit is very different from what itwas back when they were chil-dren. Some tell me that it ishard to start up a farming oper-

220 acres and a FarmallSixTy &Then

Some

maryFeldmanis a freelancewriter living inemmetsburg


ation these days. The expense ofit all, from the land to themachinery to the cost of seedand harvesting. Everything isagainst success. I rememberGrandpa saying if you weregoing to be a farmer, you betterknow business. That is evenmore true today.

What a difference . Today myson-in-law farms many timesthe 220 acres we worked. He hasthree John Deere tractors, a9520 T. 8410 T. and an 8400.Also a 4 wheel drive 9520 withwheels, A 24 row corn planterwith a 40 foot drill for plantingbeans . A9760 Deere combinewith a 30 foot bean platformand an 8 row corn head.

I am not familiar with theircapabilities but I see their sizecompared to the H and the Mand the 450 that I remember.

Check rowing was a methodof planting where each hill of

two to four seeds was exactlythe same distance from eachadjoining hill. That made it pos-sible to cultivate the rows in sev-eral directions, making it easierto keep the weeds down. Thencame the chemicals in the ‘40sand ‘50s for weed control andthe check row method of plant-ing became less popular. It wastime consuming and took a lotof work to set up and with theweeds chemically controlled, itwas no longer necessary.

I remember that, for a longtime, Grandpa Feldman refusedto give it up and it was quiteawhile before he finally gave into trying another way. He wassitting on the porch with hisson looking at the first year cropof corn planted the “modern”way.

“Hmph,” he snorted. “You’vegot the corn planted so thickthat a jack rabbit has to run to

the end rows to find his wayout.”

My children looked forward toshelling corn and bailing hay asthe neighbors would come tohelp and the lunches werealways good. The women spentmost of the day in the kitchen.There was morning break to fix,then a big noon meal.Afternoon sandwiches andsometimes a light evening mealif the men were still working.Though it was a lot of work andthe weather often very hot, itdid have a festive feel about it asthere was a lot of social interac-tion as well.

“We didn’t like bean walkingand picking up rock, though,”says son number two.

My kids all made summermoney walking beans for theneighbors. They always did agood job and I never heard anycomplaints about their work.

However, I have memories ofwhen we walked our own fields.The whole family went outtogether and mostly I kept busyrefereeing, as the kids did a lotof fussing and throwing dirtclods at each other. Still, we gotthe job done, pulling thistlesand sunflowers and rogue cornfrom the bean fields. Bean walk-ing is pretty much a thing of thepast as the seed today is Round-Up ready. I suspect that pickingup rock continues to be an ongoing farm chore.

The farming life today is good,just as it was to us who lived onthe 220 acres those years ago.True, it is different, but it is alsothe same in many ways, here inthe breadbasket of the world.Happy Harvest!

God Bless America and GodBless You!

Rollins Continued from Page 13

psychoactive drugs, a quiet environment,and daytime activity, dark and quiet atnight, use of visual and hearing assistivedevices. Diagnosis of delirium is based onclinical observations which include: Acuteonset (hours/days) and a fluctuatingcourse, inattention or distraction, disor-ganized thinking or an altered level ofconsciousness

The third “D” is depression, a mentalhealth issue that affects mind and body. Itcan involve feelings of sadness, irritability,decreased pleasure in formerly enjoyableactivities, feelings of hopelessness andguilt. They may have loss of energy and

change in appetite, change in sleepingpatterns, difficulty sleeping or sleepingtoo much.

Depression can resemble dementiabecause depressed people have troubleconcentrating, and sometimes suffermemory lapses and may speak slowly.

The 3 D’s of confusion and memory lossshow the importance of contacting healthcare professionals over concerns aboutmemory loss and confusion for yourself ormembers of your family. A great localresource for information in Fort Dodge isthe Greater Iowa Chapter of TheAlzheimer’s Association. A wonderful

speaker and nationally known Alzheimer’sCare Specialist, Teepa Snow, will be speak-ing in Fort Dodge on Oct. 16 at 8:30 a.m.at Iowa Central Community College.Contact Iowa Central Community Collegeor the Fort Dodge Branch Office of TheAlzheimer’s Association at (515) 576-4884for details. The Walk to End Alzheimer’swill be held at Iowa Central CommunityCollege on Oct. 6 at 10 a.m., with registra-tion at 9 a.m. Please consider attendingand supporting these two events in FortDodge this fall for an important cause.

page 15

��

�� !��#��"��

��!�� #

BERRY HEARING AID& AUDIOLOGY CENTERS

Coral Jud, Au.D.Doctor of Audiology

Board Certified Hearing Aid Specialist with additional offices in Manson, Pocahontas, Humboldt & Lake City

9 N 18th St. Fort Dodge

Celebrating 63 Years of Better Hearing Care

573-78211-800-728-7821

��

��

��

��

��

��) %+"�� $�"��)�$ ��$��"�� ##��$��$��'�)� �� )��) %"��& "�$��$�&�$��#��$�� "#�$' ��$�� #$�� &�$�&��# �%$� �#� ��$��"��$�$ ��)�� #��$��&�#��$��$+#�� "�) %"��%#)��"� !$� � "� $��%�$"�� #�� $�� "��(��!$� ��)��!�"� "�� $��!�) %��"��$��$�# %��#��$$�"��"�� "��$%"��)�� ) %+"��"��$ �� )��$��$��#�$ � ��"�

�"")� ��"��%�� )��$�"#��#�� $�� "��&�")��$�� "��"��#�� "��!$��"��$ ��"�$ �$��%#�� "�$��%"�* � '��$ ��)�� "�) %"��!! ��$��$�

September Active Living

Documents

Transcript of September Active Living