January 24, 2020
T he C olumbia P ress
Senior Moments
with Emma Edwards
Vacationing from retirement
I’m a happy camper for an-
other year. I got to play in the
snow at the rest area off High-
way 26 on the way home from
10 days with my Cornelius
“kids.”
My only disappointment
was that my family wasn’t
able to catch a picture of the
many snowballs I threw while
they were yet in the air. I think
that takes a special camera,
perhaps.
A friend asked what was the
occasion for my visit. I told
him that I took a week’s vaca-
tion. He laughed!
And that brought up another
question. Do we seniors need
vacations? The definition of
vacation is “an extended pe-
riod of leisure and recreation,
especially one spent away
from home or in traveling,
such as ‘he took a vacation in
the south of France.’ ”
The definition of vacation
that I like best is “the action of
leaving something one previ-
ously occupied.”
Synonyms for vacation in-
clude adjournment, recess,
furlough, respite, leave of
absence, minibreak and so-
journ.
My respite consisted of
many board games and, of
course, playing cards and go-
ing to many of my favorite
thrift stores.
It was also fun being served,
affirming what my daughter
has often said, “mother loves
to be waited on.” She and her
husband are the accommo-
dating ones, I tell her, so it is
not my fault. But, of course, I
do love it.
Some of you may know that
I have the disease called bib-
liophilia, or excessive love
of books. My late hubby had
the same disease, so over the
years we have gone through
many books.
While on “vacation,” I ran
into a book written in 1988 by
David Feldman called “Why
Do Clocks Run Clockwise and
other Imponderables.”
Why do clocks run clock-
wise? “Before the advent
of clocks, we used sundi-
als,” Feldman writes. “In the
Northern Hemisphere, the
shadows rotated in the direc-
tion we now call ‘clockwise.’
The clock hands were built to
mimic the natural movements
of the sun.”
He further speculates that
had clocks been invented in
the Southern Hemisphere,
“clockwise” would be in the
opposite direction.
A few of my favorite impon-
derables include “Where do
flies go in the winter?” and
“Why are there 18 holes on a
golf course?”
Maybe we can cover those
and a few others as space
permits, especially if you
want to learn why dogs walk
around in circles before ly-
ing down?
Back to the subject of vaca-
tions.
It has been suggested that
vacations, especially those
requiring travel, can increase
confidence and help over-
come fears. Additionally,
we’re forced to get out of our
comfort zone.
We seniors tend to allow
stress to enter our lives and a
change of scenery (vacation)
can result in more happiness
and better mental health.
Another salient point is that
stress relief can last for up to
three weeks following a va-
cation, according to a recent
study.
I recently read a meaning-
ful admonition to fill our lives
with experiences, not things;
to have stories to tell not stuff
to show.
Oh, and how long does it
take to eat a clock? No one
knows, but it sure is time-con-
suming.
7
Group receives award, recognizes business owner
The Reser Family Foun-
dation recently awarded a
$5,000 grant to local nonprof-
it Spruce Up Warrenton, with
an additional $5,000 offered
as a one-to-one match for any
community donations.
The funding renews annu-
ally for four years, for a total
of $40,000 over the duration
of the grant. Spruce Up War-
renton was one of 111 groups
that applied for the new grant
opportunity and was the first
and only recipient named last
year.
Lacey Sortman, grant and
program coordinator for The
Reser Family Foundation,
presented the check to the
group at its Jan. 16 meeting.
“Spruce Up Warrenton’s
results are visible, tangible
and ongoing improvements,”
Sortman said. “They have an
impressive list of achieve-
ments. The Reser Family
Foundation is proud to be a
part of this fundraising cam-
paign to help meet their goals
and support their ambitious
list of future projects.”
Donations for the match
program should be sent to
Spruce Up Warrenton, PO
Box 97, Warrenton OR 97146.
Also at its meeting, the
group presented its first-ever
certificate of appreciation to
Cindy Yingst, owner of The
Columbia Press and The UPS
Store.
She was recognized for her
longtime support of the War-
renton business community
and her dedication to improv-
ing the downtown corridor.
Yingst served on the War-
renton Business Association
for four years and was coordi-
nator of Warrenton’s Fourth
of July activities for nine
years. She and her husband
Above: Members of Spruce Up Warrenton accept a $5,000 check
from the Reser Family Foundation. Below: Brenda Hoxsey, right,
chair of Spruce Up Warrenton, presents a certificate of Apprecia-
tion to Cindy Yingst.
have donated to Spruce Up
Warrenton, Warrenton Com-
munity Library, American
Red Cross, local ham radio
clubs, and Warrenton CERT,
and facilitated the purchase
of 400 new books for Warren-
ton’s Start Making a Reader
Today program.
Senior lunch menu
Monday, Jan. 27: Shpherd’s pie, cheesy mashed potatoes,
mixed vegetables, clam chowder, chocolate cake.
Thursday, Jan. 30: Baked chicken breast, cornbread stuffing
and gravy, green beans, coleslaw, pumpkin pie.
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 $6 for ages 55 and older; $7 for those younger. For more
information, call 503-861-3502.