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The Twist Podcast #196: Covid Diaries, Gays with Guns, Savoring Soap Operas, and More!
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we check in post-Covid, shout out to the armed and fabulous, savor the best of soaps, and scan the week in headlines.
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Book Reviews: LGBTQ Memoirs by Various Authors
By Terri Schlicheneyer
The Bookworm SezLGBTQ Memoirs by various authors
c.2022, various publishers $14.99 – $27.99
Various page countsAnother Pride Month is in the can.
All that planning, preparation and execution of events is done, and now you find yourself with lots of time on your hands. So why not reach for one of these great memoirs to read….?
A little bit of memoir, a little bit of sympathy, advice, and several biographies are at the heart of “Here and Queer: A Queer Girl’s Guide to Life” by Rowan Ellis, illustrated by Jacky Sheridan (Quarto, $14.99). This book leans mostly on the serious-but-lighter side, with plenty of colorful artwork and suggestions for teen girls on figuring out who they are and what it means. There are fun activities, quizzes, essays, and tips inside; readers will find plenty of one-liners to take away, a comprehensive timeline of LGBTQ history, and biographies that reflect women of many ages and races. That all makes this a book that even adult women and, perhaps, some questioning boys will appreciate.
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Cat Talk Radio with Molly DeVoss and Co-Host Dewey: Adopting Hoarding Cats
This episode of Cat Talk Radio hits close to home: I met certified cat behaviorist Molly DeVoss when we adopted our cat Wilma, who came from a hoarder home. Three years old at the time, Wilma had some behavioral issues, and a friend suggested I reach out to Molly in Dallas. I did, and her advice was spot on. Wilma was soon a vital part of our home, and I couldn’t thank Molly enough for helping us ease out little cat into a new, loving, non-hoarder world. CLICK TO LISTEN TO THE EPISODE.
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Savvy Senior: Electric Trikes Provide Older Riders Fun, Fitness and Safety
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
What can you tell me about electric trikes for semi-seniors? I used to cycle a lot in my younger years but have some balance problems and don’t trust myself on a two-wheeler anymore. I’ve read that electric powered trikes are a good option for older riders but could use some help choosing one.
Unsteady Eddie
Dear Eddie,
Electric powered adult tricycles – also known as e-trikes – are a great cycling option for older adults with balance or stamina issues because they’re safe and super fun to ride, and easy on an aging body. Here’s what you should know, along with some tips to help you shop for one.
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At last! ‘One thing or Another: Life, Aging, and the Absurdities of It All’ Arrives As a Collection
At last … my One Thing or Another columns in a short, entertaining collection. You can download the eBook for free at BookFunnel, or get it on Amazon for less than a gallon of gas!
BookFunnel: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/p46rvvlaeo
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/34zmbdtn
One Thing or Another is a collection of humor columns that take a look at life, aging, and the absurdities of it all. From our culture’s refusal to use the word ‘old,’ to the sometimes comical consequences of aging in body and mind, if not always in spirit. Collected from the author’s personal columns, these short essays will make you chuckle, recognize yourself, and sometimes grimace at the not-always-funny price we pay for simply staying alive.
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Book Review: In the Houses of Their Dead, by Terry Alford
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm Sez
In the Houses of Their Dead” by Terry Alford
c.2022, Liveright
$27.95 320 pagesYou’re talking to yourself again.
That’s okay: it helps sort your thoughts, calm your brain, and settle your mind. But you’re not just talking to yourself: it may sound funny but it’s comforting to have one-sided conversations with people who would’ve shared their valuable wisdom, if they were still alive. You talk to those who gone sometimes, and in “In the Houses of Their Dead” by Terry Alford, you’ll see how that’s a habit that’s been around awhile.
Even for the early 1800s, Edwin Booth grew up in an unconventional household.
His father was an alcoholic actor who was prone to eccentricity, and he forced young Edwin to become his traveling companion and handler when the boy was just twelve years old. Edwin’s mother had lost a number of her children to nineteenth-century diseases. His younger siblings – especially Asia and John Wilkes – were as melodramatic as their father. As you might expect, the family was drawn toward the new mania for spiritualism.
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Savvy Senior: Is Skin Cancer Hereditary?
You can listen to my interview with Savvy Senior’s Jim Miller here.
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
Is skin cancer hereditary? My 63-year-old brother died of melanoma last year, and I’m wondering if I’m at higher risk.
Younger Sister
Dear Younger,
While long-term sun exposure and sunburns are the biggest risk factors for melanoma – the deadliest form of skin cancer – having a sibling or parent with melanoma does indeed increase your risk, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
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Book Review: LBGTQ Books for Kids
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm SezLBGTQ Books for Kids
c.2022, various publishers
$14.99 – $17.99 various page counts
Like every kid in the world, the one you love has a zillion questions.
“Why” begins with ants and runs through zebras. “When” goes from astronauts to zoos. “Who” from Aunties to, well, you. So why not keep a few books around for the kiddoes, books that entertain and gently inform…
Life is better when you have a friend, and in “Strong” by Rob Kearney & Eric Rosswood, illustrated by Nidhi Chanani (Little, Brown, $17.99) a guy named Rob has always been one of the strongest guys around. When he decides he wants to compete, he finds someone to work out with him and they fall in love – but when Rob goes to the competition, everybody whispers about him. Why does he look so strange? Four-to-six-year-olds will be glad to see that when the right kind of cheerleader arrives, looks don’t matter at all.
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Book Review: LBGTQ Books for Kids
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm SezLBGTQ Books for Kids
c.2022, various publishers
$14.99 – $17.99 various page countsLike every kid in the world, the one you love has a zillion questions.
“Why” begins with ants and runs through zebras. “When” goes from astronauts to zoos. “Who” from Aunties to, well, you. So why not keep a few books around for the kiddoes, books that entertain and gently inform…
Life is better when you have a friend, and in “Strong” by Rob Kearney & Eric Rosswood, illustrated by Nidhi Chanani (Little, Brown, $17.99) a guy named Rob has always been one of the strongest guys around. When he decides he wants to compete, he finds someone to work out with him and they fall in love – but when Rob goes to the competition, everybody whispers about him. Why does he look so strange? Four-to-six-year-olds will be glad to see that when the right kind of cheerleader arrives, looks don’t matter at all.
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Book Review: In the Houses of Their Dead, by Terry Alford
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm SezIn the Houses of Their Dead” by Terry Alford
c.2022, Liveright
$27.95 320 pagesYou’re talking to yourself again.
That’s okay: it helps sort your thoughts, calm your brain, and settle your mind. But you’re not just talking to yourself: it may sound funny but it’s comforting to have one-sided conversations with people who would’ve shared their valuable wisdom, if they were still alive. You talk to those who gone sometimes, and in “In the Houses of Their Dead” by Terry Alford, you’ll see how that’s a habit that’s been around awhile.
Even for the early 1800s, Edwin Booth grew up in an unconventional household.
His father was an alcoholic actor who was prone to eccentricity, and he forced young Edwin to become his traveling companion and handler when the boy was just twelve years old. Edwin’s mother had lost a number of her children to nineteenth-century diseases. His younger siblings – especially Asia and John Wilkes – were as melodramatic as their father. As you might expect, the family was drawn toward the new mania for spiritualism.
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Back to Real Life … An Update
Our 10-night cruise was wonderful. I highly recommend Newport, Rhode Island. Then we sailed to Bermuda – been there, done that – and finally to Charleston on the way home. And now it’s back to the grind of retirement, or semi-retirement, or “I just need to make some money and get out of the house” retirement.
My husband Frank and I are as active as ever. He has been job-free for a number of years now and stays amazingly busy all the time. Me? Not so much. I write murder mysteries, publish websites, and do podcasts in the mornings, and then I often find myself with empty afternoons. SO … I will be returning to my old job, but only part-time. Three days a week, six hours a day. It will help pay for my COBRA insurance for the next year-and-a-half until I’m on Medicare. And it’s great insurance! It wasn’t as expensive as I’d worried it would be, and it’s very good coverage.
I enjoy the people I worked with in the Giant deli, and they’re excited to have me coming back. That was always the plan.
I’ll be back with the weekly LGBTSr.com emails starting next Saturday: The Weekly Readlines, Savvy Senior, columns, reviews, DIY suggestions, and more new things as the year progresses.
I have also finally (finally!) finished the second book in the Maggie Dahl Mystery series. The first was Black Cat White Paws, and now, coming soon … Open Secrets. A local writer who is mentioned in the first book takes center stage in book #2, as someone decides they don’t want her finishing the follow up to her successful collection of essays. Maggie finds herself involved and unable to stop searching for another killer in Lambertville, New Jersey, that never seemed to have much in the way of murder until she moved to town. Arriving this summer!
All subscribers will receive a complimentary 6 chapter excerpt!
See you soon.
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On the Map: Philadelphia’s Murals and The Magic Gardens
By Mark McNease
On the Map is a travelogue of places, restaurants and landscapes for your travel considerations. Sometimes near, sometimes far, always interesting.
I’ve recently been able to join my husband Frank and his hiking club for their regular Thursday hikes. Every now and then, one of the members, Doris, leads a group to Philadelphia for a walking tour to view their amazing murals, followed by a trip to the Magic Gardens. We drove to a park-and-ride in Yardley, PA, and took a train from there. If you’re 65 or older you ride for free (providing you’re from PA, NJ, or DE – New Yorkers have to pay, as we discovered when two visiting friends went with us).
The walking tour is delightful, especially if you’re already a fan of Philly, as we are. The murals are a community effort providing cohesion for the city’s residents as well as the immersive experience of art created by and for the people – whether you’re a city dweller or a tourist. There are lots of walking tours in every major city, and this one should be at the top of your list.
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One Thing or Another: Brave New Retirement
By Mark McNease
It’s always One Thing or Another… a lighthearted look at aging, life, and the absurdities of it all.
“What day is it?”
It took me very little time after retiring from full-time work to ask this question, common among the post-job legions. After spending years with a life organized around a work schedule, one of the first things you may notice when the schedule is gone is that you’re uncertain if it’s Monday, Sunday, or some other day of the week you used to spend punching a time clock of one kind or another. For myself, I’d invested the previous five years staffing a deli counter at a grocery story, Thursday through Sunday. I’d called it my semi-retirement job, since I only had to put in thirty-two hours a week in exchange for benefits. The main reason was to provide health insurance for myself and my husband, and I’d promised myself that as soon as he was on Medicare, I was out of there. And I was!
It’s early days for me in this less restricted life. I can go to weekend festivals again. When we take our two-night getaways, they don’t have to be early in the week, when the hotel rates are cheaper but most of the restaurants are closed. I’d enjoyed that for a long time, but now we can book a room somewhere for whatever nights we want to be there, and it’s almost an overdose of freedom.