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Ronni Sanlo’s This Day in Lesbian Herstory (April 30 – May 6)
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 -
Cover Reveal: Open Secrets: A Maggie Dahl Mystery
I hope to be finished soon with the loooooong awaited sequel to Black Cat White Paws: A Maggie Dahl Mystery.
In the upcoming Open Secrets, local author Shanna Delaney, who first appeared briefly in Black Cat White Paws, becomes the center of a murder mystery. Shanna has written a follow up to her successful first collection of essays about life in a Delaware River town, and this time she’s rumored to be naming names. Not everyone whose secrets she could reveal wants them made public, and someone may be willing to kill to stop her.
Meanwhile, a year after her husband’s sudden death, Maggie finds herself on a date with a man who just may be the one to lead her back to a life away from the grief she’s known. Can she love again? And more importantly, will she?
Find out in Open Secrets, releasing fall, 2022.
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Savvy Senior: How to Choose a Medicare Advantage Plan
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
I will be 65 and eligible for Medicare in a few months and am interested in getting a Medicare Advantage plan to cover my health care and medications. What tips can you provide to help me pick a plan?
Ready to Retire
Dear Ready,
Medicare Advantage plans have become very popular among retirees over the past 15 years, as nearly half of all new Medicare enrollees are signing up for Advantage plans, which accounts for about 42 percent of the entire Medicare market. Here are some tips and tools to help you pick a plan that fits your needs.
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Being Well: Let’s Talk About Diverticulitis
Being Well is a regular feature at LGBTSr highlighting health and wellness.
It started with sharp recurring pain in my abdomen and ended with a three-hour visit to the emergency room at 2:00 a.m. I waited four days for it to go away, thinking it was related to the acid reflux (GERD) I’ve been treating with medication the past three years. I’d had a virtual visit with my gastroenterologist on Monday to set up my next colonoscopy. He asked how my acid problem was doing and I said fine, because I hadn’t yet experienced any problems. Then, because life works this way, it hit me on Tuesday. Bloating, pain, and the bowel problems usually associated with those symptoms. Was it food poisoning? I wondered. I kept thinking back on what I’d eaten the past couple days. And then it went away … only to return every few hours.
Finally, on Saturday morning just after midnight, I woke up in excruciating pain. Was my esophagus rupturing? Was I having a heart attack? I called the 24-hour nurse line provided by my insurance company, spoke to a very helpful nurse, and it was decided I should go to the emergency room.
Three hours after arriving, and an hour after a CT scan, I was diagnosed with acute diverticulitis. Course of treatment: antibiotics, clear liquids only for two days, and a list of mitigating measures provided in the paperwork they gave me when I left. As it turned out, the doctor was the daughter of our forester, who takes care of our annual filing to keep our property designated as a tree farm. It’s a small world.
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Being Well: Let’s Talk About Diverticulitis
Being Well is a regular feature at LGBTSr highlighting health and wellness.
It started with sharp recurring pain in my abdomen and ended with a three-hour visit to the emergency room at 2:00 a.m. I waited four days for it to go away, thinking it was related to the acid reflux (GERD) I’ve been treating with medication the past three years. I’d had a virtual visit with my gastroenterologist on Monday to set up my next colonoscopy. He asked how my acid problem was doing and I said fine, because I hadn’t yet experienced any problems. Then, because life works this way, it hit me on Tuesday. Bloating, pain, and the bowel problems usually associated with those symptoms. Was it food poisoning? I wondered. I kept thinking back on what I’d eaten the past couple days. And then it went away … only to return every few hours.
Finally, on Saturday morning just after midnight, I woke up in excruciating pain. Was my esophagus rupturing? Was I having a heart attack? I called the 24-hour nurse line provided by my insurance company, spoke to a very helpful nurse, and it was decided I should go to the emergency room.
Three hours after arriving, and an hour after a CT scan, I was diagnosed with acute diverticulitis. Course of treatment: antibiotics, clear liquids only for two days, and a list of mitigating measures provided in the paperwork they gave me when I left. As it turned out, the doctor was the daughter of our forester, who takes care of our annual filing to keep our property designated as a tree farm. It’s a small world.
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Savvy Senior: How to Choose a Medicare Advantage Plan
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
I will be 65 and eligible for Medicare in a few months and am interested in getting a Medicare Advantage plan to cover my health care and medications. What tips can you provide to help me pick a plan?
Ready to Retire
Dear Ready,
Medicare Advantage plans have become very popular among retirees over the past 15 years, as nearly half of all new Medicare enrollees are signing up for Advantage plans, which accounts for about 42 percent of the entire Medicare market. Here are some tips and tools to help you pick a plan that fits your needs.
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Listen Up! My Interview on the Queer Writers of Crime Podcast with Host Brad Shreve
Hear ye, hear ye! Podcaster and mystery author Brad Shreve released our interview this morning. It was a pleasure talking with him about my books, characters, writing, and a bit of life in general. Fasten your headphones!
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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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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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Author Dave Hughes Offers Complimentary Short Story ‘Cruise Virgins’ for New Subscribers
I’ve been both a friend and fan of Dave Hughes for quite a few years now. He’s the founder of RetireFabulously.com, a recurring guest on my One Thing or Another Podcast, and now a fiction author with an upcoming release, Maybe Next Year:
“Bryan and Chris are high school juniors who have been inseparable best friends for three years. Now, they are discovering that their feelings for each other run much deeper than mere friendship.
Chris, whose open-minded family is completely supportive, is ready and able to live his life out and proud. For Bryan, whose father is the pastor of a very conservative mega-church in a Kansas City suburb, being gay simply isn’t an option. Bryan hopes that maybe next year when they leave Kansas to go to college together, he will be able to live more openly. In the meantime, they must learn how to navigate their conflicting family dynamics and boundaries if they are to fulfill their dream of spending the rest of their lives together.
Everything changes when Bryan is outed. His father will stop at nothing to force Bryan to “leave the homosexual lifestyle,” requiring Bryan and Chris to make some very difficult choices.”
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Steve Hayes’ Tired Old Queen at the Movies: Classic Movie Review – Sidney Poitier in ‘Paris Blues’ (VIDEO)
CLASSIC MOVIE REVIEW : All of us at STEVE HAYES: Tired Old Queen at the Movies honor the work and memory of the great SIDNEY POITIER. He joins Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward and Diahann Carroll in 1960’s swinging Paris in Martin Ritt’s romantic PARIS BLUES. Shot on location with a terrific score by Duke Ellington and an amazing appearance by Louis Armstrong. It’s sexy, nostalgic, and romantic – just like Paris.
PARIS BLUES, DVD https://amzn.to/3pm5qbb
“Great Summit / PARIS BLUES Tracks”: Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington CD https://amzn.to/3JVyL3S
PARIS BLUES original 1961 27×41 one sheet movie poster PAUL NEWMAN/SIDNEY POITIER/LOUIS ARMSTRONG https://amzn.to/3hkmQ3D
“The Measure of a Man : A Memoir” by Sidney Poitier https://amzn.to/3584pg8 “This Life” by Sidney Poitier https://amzn.to/3HlR6FK -
Savvy Senior: Can COVID-19 Cause Shingles?
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
How effective is the shingles vaccine and what is the CDC recommendation for getting it? My older brother and sister, both in their fifties, got COVID a few months back followed by shingles. Do you know if there is a connection between these viruses, and would the shingles vaccine have protected them?
Scared of Shingles
Dear Scared,
Great question! Many healthcare professionals across the country have been urging their older patients to get the shingles vaccine (in addition to the COVID-19 vaccinations) during the pandemic because getting COVID-19 can increase your chances of developing shingles. And the more severe case of COVID you get, the greater your risk for shingles.
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On the Map: A Day Trip to Chester, NJ
By Mark McNease
On the Map is a travelogue of places, restaurants and landscapes for your travel considerations. Sometimes near, sometimes far, always interesting.
My husband Frank and I have been enjoying day trips for several years now, especially since we moved to our New Jersey house full-time almost five years ago. And while we also like to take short two night getaways, which have fit well into my three-day-off weekly schedule, there’s a lot to be said for just getting in the car—or on a bus or train—and exploring towns and destinations that have you back by dinner.
This past Wednesday we headed to a city just an hour’s drive away: Chester, NJ. We found a town that’s perfect for short-term exploring and meeting friendly locals. This isn’t always the case, by the way. Heading off into the unknown for an afternoon means risking that you may not be so thrilled with the place when you get there, but that’s part of the fun. A surprise is what you’re looking for when it’s somewhere you’ve never been.
Chester is a borough in Morris County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 1,649, not counting tourists and day trippers! Chester is completely surrounded by Chester Township, making it part of 21 pairs of “doughnut towns” in the state, where one municipality entirely surrounds another. The borough’s name is derived from the township, which was named for Chestershire in England. (Wikipedia)