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About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (July 31, 2020)
The Columbia Press July 31, 2020 Senior Moments with Emma Edwards Could you be a hypochondriac? Some seniors – not our- selves, of course -- might be considered hypochondriacs. Several years ago, I was given a copy of the Senior’s Star, a column from the Palm Springs area. It contained an article, “You are a hypochon- dria if … “ • Every birthday you treat yourself to a spa, massage, and an MRI. • Your favorite reference site on the Internet is Sicki- pedia. • You have more doctors than friends • You wear a hospital gown to bed. • You swear you heard the doctor whisper to the nurse, “We’ll know more after the autopsy.” • You dread going to the su- permarket in case a cashier asks if you’re ready to check out. That reminds me of a friend who recently broke her wrist. To better understand her dire situation, I looked up some information on the wrist. Did you know there are 27 bones in a human hand? That includes 14 phalanges, 5 metacarpals and 8 carpals. Actually, I learned that one- fourth of all your bones are in your hands. And half of all your bones are in your hands and feet, since the feet have another 52 bones in them. It does give one a greater appreciation for orthopedic doctors whose medical spe- cialty concerns the skeletal system, especially the ex- tremities and the spine and associated structures, mus- cles and ligaments. Here is a quote from El- eanor Roosevelt I hope will cheer you: “The future be- longs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” And yes, I am a dreamer, too. With our pandemic restric- tions, we seem to have more time for all kinds of discus- sions, especially with our se- nior friends. Recently, I was involved in a discussion about cursing and foul language. Coinci- dentally, I had just read that such language is regular vo- cabulary for many athletes, celebrities, politicians, fellow workers, friends, neighbors, educators and even family members. It seems, unfortunately, that it’s part of life all the way down to even the youngest of our grade school children. I hear it in my own little neigh- borhood! One lady said that, when she was a little girl, her Mom had a system that if such words came out of her mouth, not only was the bar of soap ap- plied, but the following exer- cise. Her mother took out the Reader’s Digest and gave her or her siblings a choice of five words from the vocabulary section since “they obviously needed more words in their vocabulary.” They had to learn to spell the words and memorize the correct definition. I wish I had read about the word exercise 50 years ago! “Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be, the last of life, for which the first was made. Our times are in His hand who saith, ‘A whole I planned, youth shows but half.’ Trust God: See all, nor be afraid!” -- Robert Brown- ing 7 Social Security premiers new web portal Social Security Adminis- tration announced the first of several steps the agency is taking to improve the public’s experience on its website. The newly redesigned re- tirement benefits portal, so- cialsecurity.gov/benefits/re- tirement, is designed to help millions of people prepare for and apply for retirement. “We are working hard to continue improving our web- site to provide people with clear, helpful information and easy access to our online services,” said Andrew Saul, commissioner of Social Secu- rity. “Our new retirement por- tal is more user-friendly and easier to navigate, whether someone is ready to learn about, apply for, or manage their retirement benefits,” he said. The redesigned portal will make it easier for people to find and read about Social Security retirement benefits, with fewer pages and con- densed, clearer information. The portal also is optimized for mobile devices so people can learn and do what they want from wherever they want. The portal includes the ability to subscribe to receive retirement information and updates. More improvements to So- cial Security’s website are planned for later in 2020 as the agency attempts to improve the public’s experi- ence. Mayor’s Message by Henry Balensifer III Some of July’s changes were good. Very good. July was an interesting month. A very different month. Yet there are two things I’m happy to an- nounce. The first is that Spruce Up Warrenton is still moving forward on downtown im- provements. The second is that we continue to see great- er efficiency with our fire de- partment and burn permits will now be annual. Spruce Up Warrenton is our Main Street Program. Their work has improved our town greatly and I hear pos- itive feedback from folks ev- ery week. They just finished some planter boxes down- town, and pressure-washed the lighthouse at the four- way intersection. They also will be improv- ing the electrical systems at Quincy Robinson Park in an- ticipation of future events. They are dedicated volun- teers who haven’t stopped improving the town despite all that’s going on. Fire Chief Brian Alsbury has been working tirelessly to fig- ure out how to do more with less and he’s come up with a new process that melds safe- ty with constituent feedback. We’ve been told many times that people are tired of call- ing in their burn permits ev- ery time they light up, and having to get a permit every month. Due to staffing and technol- ogy, even calling in a permit didn’t accomplish what we’d wanted after 5 p.m. or on weekends. People wanted to get a one-and-done permit on an annual basis. So now, when you get a burn permit, you apply and the fire department will inspect your burn location to provide safe- ty suggestions and ensure it meets the national fire code. Once the inspection passes (they’re pretty simple) you will have a burn permit for one year. Additionally, all you have to do is call to see what burn re- strictions are in effect — you don’t have to give out your permit number and address like before. We’re working on seeing if we can put that in- formation online as well, so you don’t have to call in too, but that’s not yet in effect. Times are stressful, that’s for sure. But let’s commit as a city to ensuring we be kind to each other, patient with our friends and family, and vote our consciences in this up- coming election. Special columns in The Columbia Press Every week: Senior Moments with Emma Edwards Week 1: History in the Making Week 2: Financial Focus with Adam Miller Week 3: Off the Shelf by Kelly Knudsen Final week: Mayor’s Message by Henry Balensifer