Columbia Gorge News
www.columbiagorgenews.com
Wednesday, May 12, 2021
B3
Time to brush up your ‘small talk’ skills
Senior
Living
Scott
McKay
M
Y DAUGHTER, AN IN-
trovert, finds living in
our extrovert world
uncomfortable: Social gatherings,
networking, meet and greets. But
during these months of social lim-
itations, she’s told me, with a smirk
on her face, “Now the extroverts
have to live in my introvert world!”
For more than 15 months, we
have been living as introverts. But
now that we have been vaccinated,
we can put aside the puzzles, books
and DVDs of our favorite movies
and go out, see friends we haven’t
seen for months, and ask, “Now,
what is your name?”
Most of us long for moments of
spontaneous conversation: The
small talk between friends and
new acquaintances. But as with
any skill, we may have lost the
ability to make small talk: Feeling
awkward and out of practice. (Or
you may be jabbering to anyone
about anything, thankful someone
is listening besides your faithful
canine companion!)
But as with most skills, you don’t
really lose it. And whether you are
an extrovert or an introvert, now
that you are socializing — safely!
— you might want to brush up on
your conversational skills.
Janet Siroto in her April article
for Next Avenue, a web-based news
site for older adults, shares ways
you can get back in the habit of
small conversations with old and
new friends.
1. Don’t lose your confidence
because small talk doesn’t come as
easy. It will take time and practice.
2. Avoid focusing on the dark
cloud in the room. The pandem-
ic has been difficult but try to
focus on the future. It will make a
more pleasant and less stressful
conversation.
3. Avoid the “can you top this”
competition, whether it is about
the pandemic or how early your
grandchild spoke his first word:
“No!”
4. Anticipate the most common
greeting, “How are you doing?”
Instead of the typical response,
you could answer, “It’s been tough,
but I’ve learned a few things.” This
opens up the conversation for the
person to ask about what you’ve
learned.
And I’ll add one more that’s a
personal weakness of mine. Don’t
do all the talking! Take a breath and
let someone else add a few words.
If you keep practicing, you may
reach the gold standard of small
talk: Talking with someone who
knows you, but you don’t remem-
ber them and must chit-chat as if
you do!
As we begin to exit these chal-
lenging times, small talk can be a
valuable skill helping us reconnect
and build the foundation for deep-
er relationships as we move back
into the extrovert’s world.
•••
Try this on for size. I hope it
brings a smile.
A property manager of a sin-
gle-family residence was show-
ing a unit to prospective tenants
and asking the usual questions.
“Professionally employed?” he
asked. “We’re a military family,” the
wife answered. “Children?” “Oh,
yes, ages 9 and 12,” she answered
proudly. “Animals?” “Oh, no,” she
said earnestly. “They’re very well
behaved.”
•••
In the 1961, Walt Disney pro-
duced film The Absent-Minded
Professor starring Fred MacMurray,
Professor Ned Brainard discovered
a new substance he called Flubber
(a blending of flying and rub-
ber). I received correct answers
from Susan Ellis, Gene Uczen,
Barbara Cadwell, Tina Castañares,
Rhonda Spies, Mike McFarlane,
Jess Birge, Lana Tepfer, Russ Noe,
Dave Lutgens, Rose Schulz, Doug
Nelson, Jack Bissett, and Eileen
Utroske, this week’s winner of a
quilt raffle ticket. And last week I
missed Doug Nelson, Judy Hanson,
Joan Chantler, Mike Yarnell, and
Mary Zenorini.
While sitting on our front porch
in The Dalles, my wife and I can
watch the planes, trains and auto-
mobiles, and the occasional barge,
traveling up and down the Gorge.
Every time I see a plane, I yell out
to my wife’s consternation, “Ze
plane! Ze plane!” For this week’s
“Remember When” question, what
was the television series aired from
1977 to 1984 where Mr. Roarke’s
assistant Tattoo would yell those
words after running up the tower
and ringing the bell? E-mail your
answers to mcseniorcenter@gmail.
com, call 541-296-4788 or send it
with a scale model of a Grumman
Widgeon amphibious aircraft.
•••
Well, it’s been another week, lis-
tening for the train coming around
the mountain when she comes.
Until we meet again, don’t always
believe everything you think.
•••
“If you have the choice between
humble and cocky, go with cocky.
There’s always time to be humble
later, once you’ve been proven hor-
rendously, irrevocably wrong.”
— Kinky Friedman
•••
Nutritious home-delivered
meals and pick-ups are available
for anyone over 60. For more infor-
mation, you can call the meal site
in your area.
Meal sites
Hood River Valley Adult Center
at 541-386-2060;
The Dalles Meals-on-Wheels at
541-298-8333;
Sherman County Senior
and Community Center at
541-565-3191;
Klickitat County Senior Services
— Goldendale office at 509-773-
3757 or the White Salmon office at
509-493-3068;
Skamania County Senior
Services at 509-427-3990;
Seniors of Mosier Valley at 541-
503-5660 or 541-980-1157.
‘Powerful Tools for Caregivers’
offered starting May 21
Providence Hood River Memorial
Hospital’s Volunteer in Action program is
offering the Zoom series “Powerful Tools
for Caregivers” Fridays, May 21 through
June 25, from 10 a.m. to noon. This is an
educational program designed to help
caregivers take care of themselves while
caring for a spouse, family member or
friend, said a press release. Cost is $30, with
scholarships available.
The course is intended for family care-
givers, long-distance caregivers and care-
givers of adult children with disabilities.
“Like many people, you may not realize
you’re a caregiver,” said a press release.
“You might think what you do as simply
helping someone important to you.”
Caregivers are those who help someone
with medication, grocery shop for or with
someone, take someone to doctor’s visits
and interpret medical instructions, check
on dietary needs, manage cleaning, laun-
dry and other household services, care for
someone who doesn’t live near you, and/
or provide care or support for someone in
your home, in theirs, or in a facility, said
the press release.
Participants will learn to reduce stress,
improve self-confidence, better communi-
cate feelings, increase their ability to make
tough decisions and locate resources.
“Family caregiving can be stressful as
you try to balance your priorities with the
needs of your loved one,” reads a press
release. “Whether the person you care for
lives with you, down the street or across
the country, caregiving is a challenging and
rewarding role that affects your health and
well-being.”
To register, contact Britta Willson at 541-
387-6404 or brittany.willson@providence.
org.
White Salmon Rotary, Mt Adams Chamber
prepare for community cleanup event
Columbia Gorge Orchestra Association’s trombone trio members Bob Smith, Ed Price and Hugh Amick
perform live at Hawks Ridge for the first time since last fall.
Contributed photo
CGOA musicians
perform at Hawks Ridge
Friday, April 23 marked
the first live music in more
than a year performed at the
Hawks Ridge Assisted Living
Center in Hood River. It was
also a milestone for the mu-
sicians, the Columbia Gorge
Orchestra Association’s
(CGOA) trombone trio
composed of Bob Smith,
Ed Price and Hugh Amick,
who haven’t been together
since they played outside of
Providence Brookside man-
or with their instruments
late last fall.
These musicians love to
entertain, and have giv-
en free performances to
Gorge residents on many
pre-COVID occasions, such
as a flashmob at Rosauers,
downtown for First Friday
and at events for the various
other non-profits in town,
including Columbia Center
for the Arts, according to a
press release.
Rosie Aripes, activities
director at Hawks Ridge,
said she was excited to bring
live music to the residents
after sequestering for the
pandemic. Several residents
gave their appreciation
post-performance.
Hugh Amick, president
of CGOA, said, “It was ex-
tremely fulfilling to play for a
live audience after so many
PRINT
WEB
SOCIAL
months of confinement.”
The performance sched-
ule is continuing, with Erica
Roulier and Jill Foley of
CGOA scheduled to enter-
tain Hawks Ridge residents
with their string duets on
May 14.
CGOA is in the midst of
planning for a return to their
regular season, and hopes
to have the full orchestra
together, which of course
will include those intrepid
trombone players, for a
performance in the fall, said
a press release.
Visit the website for de-
tails at gorgeorchestra.org.
Report
■ Staff
Columbia Gorge News
The 25th Annual Community Cleanup
for Bingen and White Salmon residents is
back and will be held Friday, May 21, and
Saturday, May 22, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at
the Bingen Recycling Center.
Reuse, repurpose and recycle items from
your home and yard, and help keep waste
from going into the landfill.
Brought to you by the Rotary Club
of White Salmon-Bingen, Mt. Adams
Chamber of Commerce, and numerous
community partners, a $10 suggested do-
nation supports future cleanups and other
important Rotary projects.
Community Cleanup of Bingen and
White Salmon is a major hands-on project
of the local Rotary Club and focuses on
keeping as much material out of the landfill
as possible by providing residents a place
to take yard debris, electronics, used items
such as clothing, building materials, scrap
metal, appliances, household goods, furni-
ture, bicycles and more, said local Rotarian
Lora Helmer.
“A big part of the focus is on waste reduc-
tion and alternatives to landfilling,” Helmer
said.
The Klickitat County Recycling
Coordinator Michelle Mulrony will also
be on hand to answer recycling questions,
help with waste reduction solutions, and
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HOOD RIVER | THE DALLES | WHITE SALMON
Columbia Gorge News
541-386-1234
ColumbiaGorgeNews.com
will be selling home composting bins to
help reduce food waste.
In 2019, 115 volunteers provided over
600 hours of their time to make the annual
event run smoothly. New volunteers are al-
ways welcome and lunch is provided to all
who participate. Please call 509-493-3630 to
sign up for a 2-hour shift as a sorter, greeter,
driver or loading assistant. Local groups are
encouraged to volunteer together and wear
your organization’s t-shirt and be featured
on the Community Cleanup Facebook
page.
Tammara Tippel, Mt. Adams Chamber
of Commerce Executive Director and
boardmember of the Community Cleanup
planning committee, said one thing that
keeps her dedicated to the event is taking
the phone calls from elderly residents who
require assistance to get their home items
or yard debris picked up.
“They are so appreciative of knowing
that someone cares enough to come and
help them,” Tippel said. “It is a big deal
when you have had a broken appliance in
your home that you could not dispose of
alone. This is about the community coming
together to assist one another in creating a
more pleasant environment for us all. We
are making a difference.”
For details visit Facebook at
WACommunityCleanup or call the
Chamber at 509-493-3630.
Mt Hood Forest Products LLC is an
Equal Opportunity Employer
Mt Hood Forest Products lumber facility in Hood River,
Oregon is expanding additional shift production. We are
looking to fill multiple positions in our fast paced lumber
mill for both day and night shifts. If interested in any of
these positions please apply:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
DLI Operator
Twin Horizontal Gang
Gang Edger Operator
Single Resaw
Single Resaw Helper
Tipple Operator
Tipple Helper
Hula Saw
Planerman
• Planer lnfeed Helper
• Sorter Bin Chaser
• Stacker
• Strapper
• Forklift Driver
• Log Yard Operator/
Equipment Operator
• Millwright/Mechanic
• Chain Puller
Full job descriptions and required application
can be obtained at the main office located at
4865 Hwy 35 Hood River, OR 97031.
Job postings can also be found on Indeed.com