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Savvy Senior: How to Get Help as an Elder Orphan
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
I need to find someone honest and reliable to look after my estate, health and long-term care when I’m no longer able to do it myself. I’m a 67-year-old recent widow with no children and one sibling I rarely talk to. Any suggestions?
Solo Ager
Dear Solo,
This is big concern for millions of older Americans who don’t have a spouse, children or other family they can depend on to watch out for their well-being. While there’s no one solution to this issue, here are some tips and resources that can help you plan ahead.
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Featured Book: Unexpected Bravery: Women and Children of the Civil War, by A.J. Schenkman
Shared from LGBTSr.com.
This week’s Featured Book is a fascinating look into lives most of us don’t know anything about: women and children who enlisted to fight in the Civil War. Among them was Albert Cashier, a man we would now call transgender. Born female, Albert spent almost his entire life as a man, beginning in boyhood. His military bravery was so highly thought of that the people around him protected his secret even after many of them knew about it. And this is just one of over a dozen stories told through archival material, letters, and first-hand accounts, of people who may otherwise be forgotten. A completely satisfying read. You can listen to my recent One Thing or Another podcast with the author HERE.
About Women and Children of the Civil War
The American Civil War divided the United States from 1861-1865. During those years, over two million soldiers served in both the Union and Confederate Armies. What is little known is that not only the numerous children, some as young 12, enlisted on both sides, but also women who disguised themselves as men in an attempt to make a difference in the epic struggle to determine the future of the United States of America.
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Ronni Sanlo’s This Day in Lesbian Herstory (March 24 – 30)
Ronni Sanlo’s This Day in Lesbian Herstory makes the past ever-present with daily rundowns of historic events and people.
Ronni Sanlo
THIS DAY in LESBIAN HERSTORY -
Featured Book: Unexpected Bravery: Women and Children of the Civil War, by A.J. Schenkman
This week’s Featured Book is a fascinating look into lives most of us don’t know anything about: women and children who enlisted to fight in the Civil War. Among them was Albert Cashier, a man we would now call transgender. Born female, Albert spent almost his entire life as a man, beginning in boyhood. His military bravery was so highly thought of that the people around him protected his secret even after many of them knew about it. And this is just one of over a dozen stories told through archival material, letters, and first-hand accounts, of people who may otherwise be forgotten. A completely satisfying read. You can listen to my recent One Thing or Another podcast with the author HERE.
About Women and Children of the Civil War
The American Civil War divided the United States from 1861-1865. During those years, over two million soldiers served in both the Union and Confederate Armies. What is little known is that not only the numerous children, some as young 12, enlisted on both sides, but also women who disguised themselves as men in an attempt to make a difference in the epic struggle to determine the future of the United States of America.
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One Thing or Another: Reunited And It Feels So Old
By Mark McNease
Shared from LGBTSr.com.
It’s always One Thing or Another… a lighthearted look at aging, life, and the absurdities of it all.
If you’re reading this you’re probably old enough to remember the 1978 hit, Reunited, by Peaches and Herb. That song came out a year after my high school graduation, and it seems an appropriate choice now that I’ve been invited to our 45th reunion. I can’t make it this year because we’re going on our annual vacation to Provincetown. Had I been able to attend, it would have been a first: I have not gone to any reunion since leaving Indiana three days after snatching my diploma and packing up my orange Gremlin to head to California. It was a stick shift with no spare tire, but I made it across the continent, and only went back every year to see my parents until they passed away. After that, Indiana became a place to store memories, some of them great, many of them deservedly faded.
I’m not someone who insists that age is a number—tell that to my bones. Age is real. Days pass, weeks pass, years pass, and every living thing ages in the march of time. I’ve also given instructions to euthanize me on the spot if I ever say that anyone is so-many-years young. I would be mortified as well as humiliated if, should I live that long, anyone calls me ninety years young. It’s patronizing and patently false.
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Podcast Pick: Queer Writers of Crime, with Host Brad Shreve
Recently named by BuzzFeed as one of the 20 best LGBTQ podcasts to listen to, Brad Shreve’s Queer Writers of Crime has returned better than ever. After a brief hiatus following his first 100 episodes, host Shreve has brought this essential podcast back for fans of LGBTQ+ mysteries, thrillers and suspense fiction and the authors who write them. Full disclosure: I’m on soon for a second go-round, with a thoroughly enjoyable conversation about books, characters, and point of view.
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Kapok Aging and Caregiver Resources: What to Expect from Your Medicare Annual Wellness Visit
By Angelica Herrera Venson, DrPH, MPH
The following excerpt is reprinted with permission from Kapok Aging and Caregiver Resources.
As you get older, it’s important to take control of your health through routine and preventative care. One way to do this is through a Medicare Annual Wellness Visit (AWV). This is free to all individuals on Medicare, with or without an advantage care plan or ‘supplement.’ Some seniors get confused about how it differs from a physical and what’s covered. We’ll try to clear this up in this brief post.
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Podcast Pick: Queer Writers of Crime, with Host Brad Shreve
Recently named by BuzzFeed as one of the 20 best LGBTQ podcasts to listen to, Brad Shreve’s Queer Writers of Crime has returned better than ever. After a brief hiatus following his first 100 episodes, host Shreve has brought this essential podcast back for fans of LGBTQ+ mysteries, thrillers and suspense fiction and the authors who write them. Full disclosure: I’m on soon for a second go-round, with a thoroughly enjoyable conversation about books, characters, and point of view.
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Book Review: Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff, by Matt Paxton with Jordan Michael Smith
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm SezKeep the Memories, Lose the Stuff” by Matt Paxton with Jordan Michael Smith
c.2022, Penguin Portfolio $24.00 310 pagesThe carpet in your living room is brown.
At least that’s the way you remember it. You haven’t actually seen it in a few years because you’ve got stuff from corner to corner, held down by furniture you don’t sit on, anchored by things you don’t use. Time for a major clean-up, and it can start with “Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff” by Matt Paxton with Jordan Michael Smith.
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Complimentary eBook for All Current and New Subscriber! ‘Paper Hearts: A Marshall James Thriller Short Story’
I’ve just sent out a complimentary copy of ‘Paper Hearts: A Marshall James Thriller Short Story’ to all current subscribers, and made it available to all new ones in their ‘thank you’ confirmation email. JUST SUBSCRIBE HERE and get yours!
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‘Paper Hearts: A Marshall James Thriller Short Story’ Now Available as an eBook!
In case you can’t wait for the audiobook version I’m recording, you can get the eBook edition of Paper Hearts: A Marshall James Thriller short story at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, or half-price direct at my storefront!
This story first appeared in the anthology Cupid Shot Me: Valentine Tales of Love, Mystery & Suspense (A Queer Mystery Anthology Book 1).
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The Twist Podcast #188: Cooking with Ketanji, Victorian Lowlifes, ‘Elite’ Makes the Grade, and the Week in Headlines
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we fan crush Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, poo-pooh the dastardly deeds of vulgar Victorians, sing the praises of Spain’s ‘Elite’ teen soap opera, and review the week in headlines.
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Savvy Senior: What to Do with Cremated Ashes
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
A while back I saw an article on different ways to scatter a person’s ashes after they’re cremated, but I’ve misplaced it. Can you help me with this? I’m preplanning my funeral and would like to include instructions on what to do with my remains that my family will appreciate.
Planning AheadÂ
Dear Planning,
There’s no shortage of options when it comes to handling or disposing of your cremated remains after you’re gone. Your family can keep, bury or scatter them in a variety of imaginative ways that reflect your life and personality. Here are some different options to consider.
