Columbia Gorge News
www.columbiagorgenews.com
Wednesday, March 3, 2021
B3
Being human, we are meant to create
Senior
Living
Scott
McKay
W
HETHER IT IS PAINTING
a sunset illuminating the
Columbia Gorge, writing
a poem expressing the indescrib-
able joys of grandchildren, or cre-
ating a walking stick out of a hand
carved handle attached to a dis-
carded pole, these are all creative
acts: Fashioning something unique
and personal out of the ordinary.
As part of the human race, we
are meant to create — evident by
young children building forts out of
discarded boxes or our prehistoric
ancestors drawing on cave walls. It
is who we are. But many of us have
been told verbally and silently —
we aren’t good enough. And we
got the message. We lost interest
in the creative arts and the creative
process and spent our time pur-
suing careers, raising families and
rooting for our favorite basketball
teams — Go Blazers!
But as older adults, we are finally
able to free ourselves from those
internalized constraints learned
over so many years and start
exploring new forms of self-expres-
sion. We can start enjoying what
we once lost, stumbling toward
new personal discoveries by trying,
testing and trying again. It can start
today or next week in art classes, at
home or in the workshop — wheth-
er you are 65 or 95.
And just maybe, as an added
benefit, while absorbed in these
creative pursuits, the aches and
pains and daily challenges we all
face might just be forgotten — at
least for a while.
In this month’s “Through the
Eyes of an Elder,” page 15, Antonia
Rojas shares her story of how she
found her creative spark as a young
child and nurtured it, turning that
small spark into an enduring flame.
She writes about how she now
sees that “life is art,” how “dreams
are the stuff real life is made of”
and that you can express yourself
“where no one sees.” If you haven’t
already, I encourage you to read
Antonia’s beautiful story of how she
found her passion and still pursues
it to this day.
•••
I know Amy Mallett at the Hood
River Valley Adult Center and
myself in The Dalles have been
receiving a tremendous number
of calls regarding AARP Tax Aide
Program.
They have been working hard
but are very limited in number of
volunteers and resources, so please
be patient. (Patience seems to be
a theme during this pandemic!)
Next week, I will share the latest
information, or you can skip the
middleman and email Tax Aide at
gorgetaxaide@gmail.com.
•••
Some advice from the “all know-
ing” Internet:
1. You do not need a parachute
to skydive. You only need a para-
chute to skydive twice. 2. To be sure
of hitting the target, shoot first and
call whatever you hit the target.
And my favorite, 3. You’re never too
old to learn something stupid.
•••
The female singer who recorded
“I Fall to Pieces”, “She’s Got You,”
and “Crazy” before her untimely
death in a 1963 plane crash was
Patsy Cline. And there are plenty of
Patsy Cline fans out there because I
received correct answers from John
McEwen, Anna O’Donnell, Steven
Wolpert, Barbara Cadwell, Candy
Armstrong, Tina Castañares, Jim
Ayers, Lana Tepfer, Anne Saxby,
Sandra Fritz, Diana Weston, Sandy
Haechrel, Dave Lutgens, Vern
Johnson, Margo Dameier, Kim
Birge, Keith Clymer, Verna Browne,
Pat Evenson-Brady, Lou Gehrig,
Gene Uczen, Nona Moore and
this week’s winner of a quilt raffle
ticket, Sandra Fritz, who believes
Patsy may still be “Out Walk‘n After
Midnight.” And last week I missed
Jim Ayers.
This book is often referenced
in political discussions because
of its themes of nationalism,
surveillance, and censorship. For
this week’s “Remember When”
question, what is the title of this
classic literary example of political
fiction published in 1949 that pop-
ularized commonly use terms such
as “Big Brother,” “doublethink”
and “Thought Police”? Email your
answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.
com, leave a message at 541-296-
4788 or send it with a poster of the
Party’s three slogans.
•••
Well, it has been another week,
wondering “Why?” Until we meet
again, there are many older adults
who could learn the new technolo-
gies but just refuse to — and there
are days when I think they made
the right decision.
•••
“In retrospect it becomes clear
that hindsight is definitely overrat-
ed!” Quote from Alfred E Neuman,
the “What, me worry?” kid.
•••
Nutritious Home delivered
meals and pick-ups for anyone
over 60:
Hood River Valley Adult Center
— Call 541-386-2060.
The Dalles Meals-on-Wheels —
Call 541-298-8333.
The Sherman County Senior and
Community Center — Call 541-
565-3191 by 10:30 a.m. and leave a
message with the number of meals
needed and names of each person.
Klickitat County Senior Services
— Goldendale office call 509-773-
3757 or the White Salmon office
call 509-493-3068.
Skamania County Senior
Services — Call 509-427-3990.
Seniors of Mosier Valley — Call
541-503-5660 or 541-980-1157 at
least one day in advance to order
a Grab-N-Go meal. Monday and
Wednesdays from 11-11:30 a.m.
Hood River County Reads kicks off 2021 season
Trisha Walker
■ By Columbia
Gorge News
Hood River County Reads
is getting ready to kick off
its 2021 season with its 2020
title, “The Highest Tide” by
Jim Lynch, beginning in
March.
Friends of the Hood River
County library had given
away 500 books at Hood
River, Parkdale and Cas-
cade Locks events and had a
variety of activities planned
to celebrate the annual com-
munity-wide event in 2020.
And then COVID-19
happened. The program, like
so many others in the Gorge,
was put on hold, and finally
canceled.
Now, a year later, Hood
River Reads is back — with
a full schedule of online
and socially distanced
events throughout March
and April, cumulating in a
virtual writing workshop and
webinar with Lynch Saturday
and Sunday, April 17-18 (full
schedule is below; events
are also listed in What’s
Happening, printed weekly
in Columbia Gorge News).
Free books will again be
distributed, this time outside
the Hood River Library,
from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on
Saturday, March 6; free cop-
ies will also be available at
Parkdale and Cascade Locks
SUDOKU
branches.
“Hood River County Reads
is a county-wide project
sponsored by the Friends of
the Library,” reads a press
release. “Our goal is to en-
courage readers of all ages to
read and discuss books. We
choose books and authors
that reflect the diversity of
our community and that
will be shared widely with
our county’s individuals and
families.”
Hood River County
Reads events
Events are as follows;
all Zoom events can be
accessed at us02web.zoom.
us/j/88692198217 (Meeting
ID: 886 9219 8217) or by
phone (+1 253 215 8782;
Meeting ID: 886 9219 8217).
■ March 6 — Kickoff at all
Hood River County Library
branches, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
■ March 25 — Zoom
presentation, “Powered
by Science: from Rachel
Carson to Greta Thunberg,”
6:30 p.m., presented by
Dr. Antonio Baptista.
Participants are invited
to watch the film prior to
the program on Kanopy
(hoodriverlibrary.org):
“Rachel Carson: The Woman
Who Launched the Modern
Environmental Movement.”
■ March 27 — Tree
Planting with Bill Weiler, 10
a.m. to noon at Barrett Park.
For all ages. Parking is avail-
able; bring a shovel, gloves
and mask. Email info@
hoodriverlibrary.org or call
541-386-2535 to register.
■ April 3 — Zoom pre-
sentation, “Warming of the
Gorge and the Impact on
Mountains, Mammals, and
Humans,” 2 p.m., presented
by Bill Weiler.
■ April 7 — Virtual Hood
River Library Book Club:
“Migrations” by Charlotte
McConaghy, 6:30-8 p.m.
■ April 17 — Zoom Writing
Workshop with Author Jim
Lynch, 10:30 a.m. to noon
(beginners) and 2-3:30
p.m. (intermediate or ad-
vanced); registration starts
March 6. For information
or to register, email nfo@
hoodriverlibrary.org or call
541-386-2535.
■ April 18 — Zoom
Presentation by Author
Jim Lynch, 2 p.m. All are
welcome.
Other highlights of this
year’s Hood River County
Reads event are posters,
created by middle and high
school students, on display
at Columbia Center for the
Arts, 215 Cascade Ave.,
Hood River; the poetry post
in the Hood River Library
lobby; and Zoom discus-
sions with students by the
author.
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