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About Columbia Gorge news. (The Dalles, OR) 2020-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 6, 2021)
Columbia Gorge News www.columbiagorgenews.com Wednesday, October 6, 2021 B5 SENIOR LIVING Fall is the season for Medicare insurance plans Senior Living Scott McKay H OW DO YOU KNOW it’s autumn? The leaves falling? The cooler mornings? The football hysteria? No, it’s a mailbox full of solicitations from Medicare insurance plans. And why? Because Oct. 15 is the start of the annual Medicare Open Enrollment period. Since each year the insurance companies can adjust their Medicare plans, the Open Enrollment period gives you a chance to decide if your Medicare plan is still the best option for you. To help decide, you should have received your plan’s “Annual Notice of Change,” which describes any changes for next year. Review the changes and then ask yourself the big three Medicare questions. Does your plan allow you to go to the providers you want including your pharmacy? Are your prescription drugs covered? And how much does the plan cost? Even if you’re satisfied with your current plan, you still may want to look around to see if there is a better deal, especially if you have avoid- ed the hassle and just opted to automatically renew your current plan each year. But choosing the right Medicare plan can be frustrating, perplexing, and downright confusing. (Most adults can’t identify what Medicare Parts A, B, C, and D cover. I always confuse Part A with Part B and it is not just my memory!) But all health insurance is compli- cated. Before I was enrolled in Medicare, I relied upon my employer or insurance agent — insulating me from the complexity of choosing a health insurance plan. But now it’s our respon- sibility to wade through the information and compare plans to make the best choice which many of you know is not easy. It is no wonder 62% of people have not changed plans! But there is help. You can go online to Medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1- 800-633-4227). Also you can study your “Medicare & You” handbook that you should have received in the mail. There are also local options. There are private insurance brokers who spe- cialize in Medicare. Or you can make an appointment with a trained volunteer SHIBA counselor who will help guide you through the process. It is free, confiden- tial and they aren’t selling you any plan. In Oregon call 541-288-8341 and in Washington call 800-562- 6900 for assistance with your Medicare questions. Most importantly, during Medicare open enrollment from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, take time to understand your Medicare options so you can make the most informed de- cision — both for your health and your pocketbook. ••• this week’s winner of a quilt raffle ticket. I remember back in the ‘50s listening to the Sunday comics being read on the radio which would have included this pop- ular comic strip. For this week’s “Remember When” question, what was the name of the comic strip for children and adults — with a bite of political satire — first published in 1948, created by cartoonist Walt Kelley and included various animal characters: Possums, alligators, owls living in the Okefenokee Swamp? Email your answer to www. mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296- 4788, or mail it on a t-shirt with the quote “We have met the enemy and he is us.” ••• Well, it’s been another week turning over another leaf. Until we meet again, the best accessory you can wear is a smile. ••• “Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you some- thing to do, but it gets you In this month’s column “Through the Eyes of An Elder” contributed by the Aging in the Gorge Alliance, Dan Farbach interviews Judy Merrill, a registered nurse discussing the importance of foot care for older adults and her participation in the first Community Conversations on Aging in The Dalles. Another must read! (See page B12.) ••• The name for a bruise created by someone sucking on your skin so hard that it becomes discolored was a hickey. I received correct answers from Mike Yarnell, Jeannie Pesicka, Emmett Sampson, Billie Maxwell, Sam Bilyeu, Susan Ellis, Louise Wooderson, Stephen Woolpert, Barbara Cadwell, Jay Waterbury, Rose Schulz, Gene Uczen, Doug Nelson, Keith Clymer (who men- tioned you might get one of those during halftime at a football game under the bleachers. I don’t know how he would know!) and Dorthy Winterfield, formerly from The Dalles class of 1965 and nowhere.” — Erma Bombeck ••• Nutritious home-deliv- ered meals and pick-ups are available for anyone over sixty. For more information, you can call the meal site in your area. Hood River Valley Adult Center at 541-386-2060 — now open for in-person dining; Sherman County Senior and Community Center at 541-565-3191 — now open for in-person dining; The Dalles Meals-on- Wheels at 541-298-8333; Klickitat County Senior Services — Goldendale at 509-773-3757 or White Salmon at 509-493-3068; Skamania County Senior Services at 509-427-3990.; Seniors of Mosier Valley — call 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. LYLE NEWS Construction projects limit access between Oregon and Washington ■ By Mildred E. Lykens The Lyle Community Council’s focus is to promote the interest and welfare of Lyle citizens by promoting community involvement, providing updates on issues affecting the community, organizing a collective voice to decision makers, and pro- viding a forum for individ- ual citizens to express their concerns and opinions. They need to hear from you. The family of Tom Amery, one of our High Prairie neighbors, wish to inform his friends and neighbors that he passed on Sept. 9, 2021. They also requests that in lieu of flowers any donations be sent to the charity of their choice or to the High Prairie Fire Department, Mildred E. PO Box 853, Lykens Lyle, WA 98635. Because of the con- cern of the virus at this time, they will have a small family service later in the month at their farm in his remem- brance. They will include sharing happy memories of him and his living here. They also want to send “a special thank you to those hardy souls who have continued to give time and expertise for the activities which will bless both the Fire Department and the Community Center.” The sky is falling! Paranoia is setting in. It’s a conspir- acy! We are being cut off from the outside world. Washingtonian’s Gorge residents will not be able to cross over to Oregon ever again! Three bridges in a row! And the road to Biggs Bridge even had road construction signs. This was recently posted: “The Bridge of the Gods will have a temporary 11 ton weight limit Sept. 27 through Oct. 31. The Oregon Department of Transportation recently issued new load ratings for the Bridge of The Gods that spans the Columbia River between Cascade Locks and Washington State Highway 14. The new posting will ... limit the maximum gross vehicle weight to 11 tons. The Bridge of the Gods will return to legal load limits following a sched- uled Strengthening Project expected to conclude by the end of October 2021. For more information, contact the Port of Cascade Locks Bridge Manager Jeremiah Blue via email to jblue@ portofcascadelocks.org.” Hmm, wait a minute, I wonder — how heavy is my car? News break: The construction along Highway 14 is coming along so quickly that they’ve changed the hold-up time from 45 minutes to only 20 minute delays. Sounds like they are working as getting it all cleared up more quickly than planned. Whew — good to hear. Forget the first sentence. For dog owners: Pepi Gerald from the Hood River Kiteboarders wants you to be aware there is a “Blue Algae” along the shores of our Columbia River (as close as Mosier) that is poisonous to dogs which can be fatal within 30 minutes. Also the dead salmon causing Salmonella can be almost as bad. Probably best to keep them away from that area for now. High Prairie neighbors wish to invite you all to make plans to visit their upcoming Christmas Bazaar scheduled for Dec. 2-4 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. I know, you’re asking, “Why tell us so far in ad- vance?” Well, it’s because if any vendors want to have a booth they have to schedule by Oct. 16 and that’s coming up pretty quick. Tami is in charge: 360-241-3537. And, yes, I’ll keep you posted! ••• Send news to Mildred E. Lykens, 509-365-2273 or lykensme41@gmail.com. GLENWOOD NEWS Youth groups, Kids Jam begin at Glenwood Community Church ■ By Mary Pierce Here is one more result from the Junior High School rodeo held in Glenwood recently. Emma Patterson placed third in the barrels on Saturday. That was in addition to her third place in poles on Friday, so she had a pretty great rodeo weekend here in front of the home crowd. She attended the High School/Junior High School Rodeo in Coulee City Sept. 24-26, where she placed sixth in Junior High goat tying and second in pole bending on Friday and 10th in the poles on Saturday. In other Coulee City Rodeo news, Mary Pierce Glenwood Junior High rodeo compet- itor Blaine Arnold placed sixth in goat tying both Friday and Saturday. In the High School Rodeo, Peyton Sanchey placed sec- ond in the poles on Saturday. Joslyn Arnold placed sixth in goat tying on Saturday and first on Sunday. I’d say our Glenwood members of the Goldendale Rodeo Club really represented their home town well over there in Coulee City. Way to go, Emma, Blaine, Peyton, and Joslyn. The Klickwood volleyball team is still doing great. They are 7-2 on the season as of this writing. The Glenwood middle school girls have had two games as of this writing, beating Klickitat on the Glenwood home court and losing a very close match in Trout Lake, winning the first game and losing the next two with very close scores. They played Centerville here in Glenwood on Sept. 30 and Trout Lake on Oct. 4, also on their home court. I’m pleased to share the news that Andrew McFall, son of Sara and Adam, was named to the President’s List at Neumont College of Computer Science for sum- mer quarter. Andy is having a great college experience and achieved another 4.0 for the quarter. He’s on a brief break here at home until his fall term starts soon. Meanwhile, he’s been making good use of his time here, refereeing volleyball games as needed. With this year’s shortage of referees, his help is greatly appre- ciated. Congratulations, Andrew, and thank you for just being you. Jennifer Hallenbeck reports that youth activ- ities are beginning again at Glenwood Community Church. Youth Group for kids in grades 6-12 is meet- ing every Sunday evening from 6-7:30 p.m. Kids Jam will begin on Hiring Hiring Adventure | Design | Food | Real Estate | Trends AVAILABLE LAST WEEKEND OF THE MONTH Columbia Gorge News HOME and GARDEN hg Oct. 8 for kids in kindergar- ten through fifth grade and will meet the second Friday of October, November and December from 6-8 p.m. Both youth group and Kids Jam include lots of fun and games as they study God’s Word together. Jennifer says, “Hope to see you there.” Call Pastor Butch or Jennifer at 364-3517 or facebook.com/ GlenwoodPMCC. ••• Please send any news items for next week’s paper to gmp- ierce09@gmail.com. Wilkins, Kaiser, Compeve wages Olsen Inc. 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