April 20, 2018
T he C olumbia P ress
Senior Moments
This Week in Aboriginal History
by Carl A. Ellis
with Emma Edwards
Why is everyone so tired?
I’m so tired, my tired is
tired. Ever feel that way?
Or, “No one is going to ac-
cuse me of being over the hill;
I’m too tired to climb it.”
Tiredness is something that
plagues many of us. I imagine
the average doctor hears that
complaint umpteen times a
day. And so, maybe we need
to look at what’s behind these
feelings.
At senior lunch the other
day, one lady told me she had
missed the last lunch simply
because she was too tired.
What are we tired about?
“Never, never, never give
up,” Winston Churchill said
in 1941.
This can be applied to all
walks of life, but I feel it’s
very important for us senior
citizens. As seniors, we often
see folks who feel enslaved by
the situation they find them-
selves in at this time of their
lives.
Do you find yourself saying
or thinking “I feel I’m already
tired tomorrow. I already
want to take a nap tomorrow.”
Well, stop yawning and
read on.
Recently I asked one of my
senior friends how she was
doing. She sighed and said,
“We all have crosses to bear,
but some are heavier than
others,” and then she sighed
again. And then she added
that all she wanted to do was
sleep. With another sigh she
said, “I am just so tired all the
time. Is tiredness one of those
crosses?”
Personally, I find if I take a
walk when I feel like that, it pass-
es and I start humming again.
About a week ago, I went
to my first yard sale of the
season. There was a beauti-
ful iron for only $3. Those
around me chorused the lack
of need for even one iron.
Put your thinking cap on
and reminisce about all the
time we used to spend at our
ironing boards. Those days,
we didn’t have time for tired-
ness. To this day, I have a
long ironing board as well as
a short one.
We solved many a prob-
lem (not having the luxury of
tiredness) while ironing.
I was ironing when I heard
on the radio that President
Kennedy was dead. I broke
out in tears but kept iron-
ing. Now we would have the
luxury of crawling up in a
ball (bawl) and being so very
tired.
Choices of foods and de-
termination are big consid-
erations in combating tired-
ness, along with purposeful
activity or accomplishment.
Recently, I was reminded
of the high amount of pro-
tein, carbohydrates and “gut-
healthy” probiotics in yogurt,
which can be a big help in
fighting symptoms of fatigue.
“In fact, the body process-
es yogurt more quickly than
any solid food, so it works
as a great source for a quick
energy boost when needed,”
according to the ads.
Or, get out that ironing
board. Or, just plain get out
of the house.
Oh, and I also had a man-
gle, or wringer, for flat iron-
ing. Wonder how many re-
member those clever space
consumers?
Remember, “We don’t stop
playing because we grow
old; we grow old because we
stop playing,” George Ber-
nard Shaw.
And with that, I am off to
an afternoon of Pinochle.
9
De Soto gets royal commission to conquer East Coast
April 20, 1537: Hernado
de Soto receives royal permis-
sion to “conquer, pacify and
people” the land from Rio de
las Palmas to Cape Fear, Fla.,
on the Atlantic.
April 21, 1782: The Pre-
sidio, which overlooks San
Francisco, is erected by the
Spanish to subdue Indians
interfering with mail trans-
missions along the El Camino
Real.
April 22, 1889: An esti-
mated 50,000 land-hungry
people gather at high noon to
race across a starting line to
lay claims on 2 million acres
of “unassigned” land in Indi-
an Territory in present-day
Oklahoma. The land rush
opened additional Indian
lands to non-Indian settle-
ment.
April 23, 1637: Chief Se-
quin of the Wongunk tribe,
gives settlers land to establish
the village of Wetherfield on
the Connecticut River. The
settlers, who promised to
live there under his protec-
tion, eventually order him to
move. Sequin leads his forc-
es and 200 Pequot warriors
in an attack on Weatherfield,
killing nine settlers and tak-
ing two hostages.
April 24, 1802: The state
of Georgia cedes its western
lands to the United States,
with the proviso that the fed-
eral government obtain title
to Indian lands as soon as
“can be peaceably obtained
on reasonable terms.”
April 25, 1645: Settlers in
New Amsterdam gained peace
with the Indians after talks
with the Mohawks.
April 26, 1906: Difficulty
in completing tribal rolls and
resistance to the allotment
process prevent the anticipat-
ed demise of the Cherokee,
Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek
and Seminole tribes in Okla-
homa, so Congress passes an
act that extends indefinitely
the existence and govern-
ments of the five tribes. A law
is passed granting the U.S.
president power to pick the
Cherokee chief.
Senior lunch menu
Monday, April 23: Hamburger stroganoff, noodles, carrots,
broccoli soup, bread pudding.
Thursday, April 26: Roasted turkey, cornbread stuffing and
gravy, green bean casserole, coleslaw, pumpkin cake.
The Warrenton senior lunch program is at noon (doors
open at 10:30 a.m.) Mondays and Thursdays at Warrenton
Community Center, 170 SW Third St. Suggested donation is
$5 for ages 55 and older; $7 for those younger. For more
information, call 503-861-3502.