T he C olumbia P ress
November 30, 2018
Senior Moments
with Emma Edwards
Ac-cent-u-ate the positive
It’s been said that nothing
you wear is more important
than your smile.
Recently, the Wall Street
Journal ran an interesting ar-
ticle about changing the way
we feel about aging. I was re-
minded that getting older is
really a mindset that encom-
passes our well-being.
We can change the way we
feel about aging and that
can result in healthier senior
years, the article’s author,
Anne Tergesen, points out.
Negativism results in de-
pression, which has become a
“public-health issue,” accord-
ing to the article.
I learned a new word from
the article: epidemiology,
which I had to look up, of
course. Epidemiology is the
study of the patterns, caus-
es and effects of health and
disease conditions in defined
populations.
I believe we seniors are, in-
deed, a “defined population.”
Someone once said, “We
are not senior citizens; we are
just recycled teenagers!”
In 1944, a popular song was
born that many will remem-
ber. Here are a few lyrics we
seniors could take to heart:
You’ve got to ac-cent-chu-
ate the positive
E-lim-i-nate the negative
And latch on to the affirma-
tive
Don’t mess with Mr. In-Be-
tween
I like to think that “I still
have a full deck; I just shuffle
slower now.” You and I know
that sometimes our own atti-
tude or the attitudes we proj-
ect to others can be debilitat-
ing.
Some say the secret to aging
is to simply gracefully accept
our own aging process.
Personally, I think if we
exercise our brains more
by working puzzles, playing
games, reading more and
going to meals or gather-
ings with other seniors it will
make us smile more.
Reaching out to those in
greater need than ourselves
and keeping our bodies mov-
ing will help our attitudes be-
come more positive.
There’s so much to say on
this subject!
“Just keep laughing,” I told
a burdened lady recently.
“Look in the mirror and study
your smile. Even home alone
it will make you laugh!”
Some may remember Char-
lie Chaplin, who was quoted
as saying, “You’ll find that life
is still worthwhile if you just
smile.”
Look for things that make
you smile.
This one, reported in “Coast
to Coast,” made me smile the
other day:
Whether intentional or not,
a design element in most
decks of playing cards was
noticed when a Twitter user
posted an image of the 8 of
diamonds showing the hid-
den element in its array of
diamonds.
Go get one right now and
stare at it until you see the
amazing large white number
eight shadowed through its
center.
Church is a good place to go
for a smile.
Remember God is like the
sun -- you can’t look directly
at Him, but without Him you
can see nothing.
An anonymous person re-
minds us that “You haven’t
lost your smile at all, it’s right
under your nose. You just for-
got it was there.”
7
Two county arts groups get state support grants
Creative minds at 121 Or-
egon arts organizations, in-
cluding two in Clatsop Coun-
ty, will receive $1.031 million
in grants next fiscal year.
The Oregon Arts Commis-
sion announced the 2019-20
Operating Support Grants
this week.
The grants range from
$3,000 to $ 29,750 and are
available to nonprofit orga-
nizations with arts at the core
of their mission and budgets
over $150,000.
“We often hear that these
are the most important
grants we award,” Arts Com-
mission Chair Christopher
Liberty Theatre
Acebo said. “They alleviate
some of the economic pres-
sure and allow Oregon arts
organizations to focus on
their missions.”
On the coast, support
grants were awarded to: As-
toria Music Festival, $5,914;
Liberty Restoration Inc.
in Astoria, $3,000; Artu-
la Institute for Art and En-
vironmental Education in
Bandon, $3,000; Coos Bay
Art Museum, $5,974; Lin-
coln City Cultural Center,
$4,257; Newport Symphony
Orchestra, $3,691; Oregon
Coast Council for the Arts in
Newport, $12,914; and Sitka
Center for Art and Ecology in
Otis, $7,856.
The Oregon Arts Commis-
sion provides leadership,
funding and arts programs
through its grants, special
initiatives and services.
It’s supported with state
general funds and federal
funds.
This Week in Aboriginal History
by Carl A. Ellis
Sand Creek Massacre occurs during peace talks
Nov. 30, 1864: More than
700 Colorado volunteers
attack Black Kettle and his
Cheyenne and Arapaho fol-
lowers using four cannons
at Sand Creek in southeast-
ern Colorado. The Indians
had been told to camp in the
area while awaiting a peace
conference with Colorado au-
thorities.
Fourteen soldiers die and
40 are wounded. The exact
number of Indians killed in
the Sand Creek Massacre is
widely disputed, with esti-
mates ranging from 70 to
500 men, women and chil-
dren. Leader White Antelope
is killed while attempting to
surrender.
Dec. 1, 1613: Colonists at
Jamestown kidnap Pocahon-
tas, holding her for ransom in
hopes of forcing her father to
free English hostages and re-
turn stolen tools.
Dec. 2, 1536: Jacques
Cartier sails for France from
Canada with kidnapped local
chief Donnacona, who later
died in France. Prior to his
death, Donnacona describes
a mythical kingdom with
great riches called Saguenay.
Dec. 3, 1837: Mikanopy
and 30 other Seminole lead-
ers arrive at Fort Mellon, near
present-day St. Augustine,
Fla. They’re accompanied
by Cherokee mediators and
come under a flag of truce to
discuss peace.
The mediators were there
with the approval of the U.S.
Secretary of War. Gen. Thom-
as Jesup takes the Seminoles
hostage, hoping to force the
tribe to surrender by holding
their leaders as prisoners.
Dec. 4, 2000: Secretary
of Energy Bill Richardson
signs an agreement returning
85,000 acres in Utah to the
Northern Utes. The land had
been appropriated by the U.S.
Congress 84 years earlier.
Dec. 5, 1787: An Indi-
an war party attacks several
settlements along Hacker’s
Creek in West Virginia. Four
settlers die in the fighting.
Dec. 6, 1831: President
Andrew Jackson, in his third
annual Message to Congress,
praises Indian removal from
certain lands as beneficial
for the states and union as a
whole, and “equally advanta-
geous to the Indians.”
Ellis is an author and his-
torian working on a book
about American Indians.
Senior lunch menu
Monday, Dec. 3: Ham, scalloped potatoes, red cabbage, pota-
to corn soup, key lime pie..
Thursday, Dec. 6: Beef stew, roasted potatoes, carrots, split
pea soup, 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.