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GOLDEN NUGGETS
It is time to get the soil ready for planting your Spring garden. Although it will take weeks to see any visible signs of growth, we know that when we till the ground, plant seeds and add water to the ground along with the warmth of the sunshine, we should see results for our labor. Soon tender stems will sprout and mature into healthy plants that might bear fruit or lovely flowers. Each day will bring more growth with the hope of a bountiful harvest. This Springtime of budding plants happens all over the world. We have no control over it, but we happily reap the rewards. God does this for us and more. In His word it says, “For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as the garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all nations.” (Isaiah 61:11). Everyone will know His goodness, virtue and justice. Just like the young, new plants that spring up each year, this season is when people everywhere will be made aware of the Creator of the universe. What a beautiful time of year to enjoy the world in which we live!
Brain Teaser (Answer at end of newsletter)
The Reds, the Grays, the Blues, and the Blacks have a round-robin tournament. Each team plays each other team once, for a total of six games.
· The Blacks won more games than the Blues.
· The Grays lost more games than the Blues.
· The Reds tied the Blacks. (This was the only tie in the tournament.)
Who won the game between the Reds and the Blues?
Remember When
The material making up the Super Ball was invented by chemist Norman Stringley in 1964. His intention was to sell it to his employer, the Bettis Rubber Company, but they rejected the idea. Eventually he made his way to toy company Wham-O and two years later they’d perfected the material to prevent it from falling apart (a previous problem) and introduced the Super Ball. Now here’s the thing: when bounced with enough force, it would really take off to the point where it could fly over a three-story building. The Super Ball is still available, but in the ’60s it was a huge sensation.
SENIOR-FRIENDLY HALL OF FAME
If you know an individual, a business, a group, an organization, or a municipality that is “senior-friendly”, you may nominate them for the “Senior-Friendly” Hall of Fame. Submit their name, contact information and why you think they should be considered.
WORDS OF WISDOM
“Live in such a way that you wouldn’t be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip.” Will Rogers
Grandma’s Cooking Corner:
Johnny Cash’s Mother’s Pineapple Pie
Ingredients:
· 1 1⁄2 cups sugar
· 1⁄2 cup butter
· 1 cup crushed pineapple
· 3 tablespoons flour
· 1 teaspoon vanilla
· 2 eggs
· 1 unbaked pie shell
Directions:
· Beat together all ingredients.
· Pour into unbaked pie shell and bake 50 minutes in 350-degree oven or until it sets and is brown.
MILITARY SALUTE
1st Class John Levitow was serving as a loadmaster on an AC-47 gunship as it fired ammunition and dropped flares on Long Binh Post in Vietnam. Five hours into his mission, a mortar blasted through the plane and hit him and four others with shrapnel. One of the wounded men dropped a 27-pound lit flare inside the plane, dangerously close to explosive ammunition.
Levitow managed to grab it while wounded and throw it out of the plane with seconds to spare. He is one of only two Air Force-enlisted men to receive the Medal of Honor in Vietnam (the other is Airman 1st Class William Pitsenbarger of Piqua, Ohio). In 1998, the Air Force named a C-17 Globemaster plane for Levitow.
Who’d A Thunk
Julia Child changed American dining habits in the 1960s, and Beef Bourguignon was the poster child for her effect on home kitchens throughout the US. Child’s groundbreaking book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking was published in 1961 and became a huge bestseller, which led to Child becoming the original famous TV cook that we’ve come to love in households across the globe. Dishes with French names were very popular. An example is Beef Bourguignon which is hard to spell, but easy to make, combining stewed meat from cheap cuts of beef with red wine, stock, farmhouse vegetables, and bacon. It looked and tasted delicious, a batch was good for many meals, and it became a weekly essential for dinner tables everywhere.
HUMOR ME
A butcher is in his shop busily serving customers when all of a sudden he notices a dog. He shoos him away, but later he notices the dog is back again. So he goes over to the dog and notices he has a note in his mouth He takes the note and it reads: “I need 12 sausages and a leg of lamb, please The dog has money in his mouth as well.” The butcher looks inside and, lo and behold, he finds the money for the order there So he takes the money, and puts the sausages and lamb in a bag, placing it in the dog's mouth The butcher is very impressed,
and since it's close to closing time, he decides to shut up shop and follow the dog. So off he goes. The dog is walking down the street, when he comes to an intersection. The dog puts down the bag, jumps up and presses the button for the walk signal. Then he waits patiently, bag in mouth, for the lights to turn. They do; and he walks across the road, with the butcher following him all the way. The dog then comes to a bus stop and starts looking at the timetable. The butcher is in awe at this stage. The dog checks out the times and then sits on one of the seats provided. Along comes a bus. The dog walks around the front, looks at the number, and goes back to his seat. Another bus comes; again the dog goes and looks at the number, notices it's the right bus and climbs on. The butcher, now open-mouthed in shock, follows him onto the bus. The bus travels through the town and out into the suburbs, the dog looking at the scenery. Eventually he gets up, and moves to the front of the bus. He stands on two back paws and pushes the button to stop the bus.Then he gets off, his groceries still in his mouth. Well, dog and butcher are walking along the road, and then the dog turns into a house. He walks up the path, and drops the groceries on the step. Then he walks back down the path, takes a big run, and throws himself against the door. He goes back down the path, runs up to the door and
throws himself against it again. There's no answer at the house, so the dog goes back down the path, jumps up on a narrow wall, and walks along the perimeter of the garden He gets to an open window, barks several times, walks back, jumps off, and waits at the door. A guy comes out screaming at the dog. The butcher runs up “ What in the world are you doing? The dog is a genius He could be on TV, for heaven’s sake!” To which the guy responds: “Genius?! This is the second time this week that he's forgotten his key.”
Non-profit of the Month
“Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God." Bob Pierce wrote these now-famous words in his Bible after visiting suffering children on the Korean island of Koje-do. This impassioned prayer is what guided him as he founded and led the ministry of Samaritan's Purse in 1970. His mission for this organization was "to meet emergency needs in crisis areas through existing evangelical mission agencies and national churches." After World War II, Bob Pierce had traveled throughout Asia as an evangelist and journalist with Youth For Christ. While on a university lecturing circuit in China, he stumbled across some very courageous women who were living among lepers and orphans, sacrificing everything to share the love of Jesus Christ. Through their selfless love, God gave Pierce a vision for ministry. He dedicated himself to finding and supporting other such Christians who were caring for the poor and suffering in the distant corners of the world. After Bob Pierce died, Franklin Graham became the President and Chairman of the Board of Samaritan's Purse. Through over 40 years of earthquakes, hurricanes, wars, and famine, Franklin has led the ministry in following the Biblical example of the Good Samaritan all across the globe. God has blessed the organization under Franklin's leadership, and the ministry has seen explosive growth. “Go and do likewise,” Christ commanded after explaining the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. So they do. Samaritan's Purse travels the world's highways looking for victims along the way. They were quick to bandage the visible wounds but like the Samaritan, they didn't stop there. In addition to meeting immediate, emergency needs, they help these victims recover and get back on their feet. No matter where they go or what they do, Samaritan’s Purse offers more than help. They offer hope to suffering people in a broken world. They share the news of the only One who can bring true peace – Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.
Grandpa’s Sports Stories
The 1954 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament was the culmination of the 1953–54 NCAA men's ice hockey season, the 7th such tournament in NCAA history. It was held between March 11 and 13, 1954, and concluded with Rensselaer defeating Minnesota 5-4 in over- time. All games were played at the Broadmoor Ice Palace in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This was the first championship game to go into overtime. Rensselaer's title was the only championship won by a team from the Tri-State League. Despite its low membership the Tri-State League would send at least one representative to the tournament every year (from 1952 through 1964) before being dissolved in 1972
Do you drink coffee? Did you know it could be good for you? Packed chock-full of incredibly healthy nutrients, coffee also provides your body with a boatload of good-for-you vitamins and minerals including zinc, potassium, magnesium, folate, protein calcium, vitamin B6 and iron. And the buzz about coffee’s health benefits doesn’t even stop there.
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Although based in northern Wake County, North Carolina, we are receiving numerous requests from around the country and are now partnering with churches and other organizations in many states to fulfill needs of seniors. If you need a ride to the doctor, or dentist, or grocery store, contact us. If you need a meal brought to you after surgery, contact us. If you are lonely and need ro talk to someone, contact us. We do not charge for our services. If we cannot fulfill your need or wish, we will refer you to someone who can help.
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SENIOR OF THE MONTH -
March 2025
VICTORIA VOIGHT
Victoria is a native of Raleigh, North Carolina. She has a law degree from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem. She was married for thirty-nine years and has twin daughters who are now grown. One lives in the Raleigh area as Victoria does and the other daughter lives in Knoxville, Tennessee where she is a professor at the University of Tennessee.
Victoria was an attorney for many years for the State of North Carolina. She still works part-time but now is doing a little traveling and enjoying life. She recently returned from a memorable trip to London.
Victoria loves to sing and often performs with Dave Fouts from her church. She enjoys cooking, baking, walking, hiking, live music and when her children were younger was known as the ”Craft Mom”.
Victoria is a very caring person and sends GIFs for no reason at all. She bought valentines for people (some whom she barely knew) thinking that perhaps they were feeling lonely and this might be the only valentine they would receive. She likes to make gifts rather than buy them as this is a real “labor of love”.
Be sure to read Victoria’s story of how she coped with a difficult situation. It can be found in the blog section of our website, theseniornetwork.org.
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A new groundbreaking study highlights the importance of maintaining a specific temperature range in homes to protect the cognitive ability of older adults. Researchers found that seniors had the least attention difficulties when home temperatures were kept between 68- and 75-degrees Fahrenheit.
TIDBITS FROM OUR PARTNERS, MEMBERS, & FRIENDS
Home Care can be a life changing experience, not only for the care recipient, but also their caretakers. For obvious reasons, people generally don’t want to think of themselves or someone they love aging. To make sure our loved ones get the attention they deserve in a timely manner, we recommend families to be proactive in creating a plan for arranging care. Signs that could indicate it is time to start planning include the following: forgetfulness, decreased mobility, medication mis- management, behavioral changes, increased confusion, poor hygiene, social withdrawal, and poor eating habits.
Caretakers who can spot these indicators are able to save time for the care recipient and can allow for better communication with surrounding decision makers.”
Weston Moore
GRISWOLD HOME CARE
: Arthur Blessitt – (1940 – 2025) Arthur passed away on January 14, 2025 after traveling all over the world, which started in Hollywood California in 1968. He traveled for 56 years and went to 324 countries (54 which were experiencing war) on 7 continents, but what makes this even more amazing is he traveled by foot, walking over 43,340 miles. Not only that, he took a 12 foot long wooden cross with him.
He was met with lots of opposition (The worst in Hollywood, Ca. and Amsterdam, Holland) and was arrested 24 times. He faced a firing squad in Nicaragua, stoning in Morocco, attacked by Civil Guardia in Spain, a bomb blast in Northern Ireland and an attempt to burn the cross in Indiana. The friendliest armies were in Israel and in Palestine. The most modern city was Hiroshima, Japan and the most beautiful was Jerusalem. He was frightened by a Green Mamba Snake in Ghana, attacked by baboons in Kenya and a crocodile in Zimbabwe and chased by elephants in Tanzania. Traveling between contestants by air, the cross has been up to 60,000 feet high and traveled at 1,240 mph. A small piece of the cross orbited the earth in SpaceX in 2012.
These are a few notable stops: Coliseum in Rome, pyramids in Egypt, Great wall of China, Red Square, Moscow, North Korea, Yankee Stadium and Pakistan-Afghanistan border, Dead Sea, Antarctica and the Amazon River.
Why? He, being a preacher, felt the call to do so and was able to share what the cross means to thousands of people including 500,000 at an Atlanta Rock Festival and 65,000 at L.A. Memorial Coliseum. Many more interesting details are available on line.
Submitted by Larry Barnhill
Cary, North Carolina
TIME FLIES
On March 9th at 2AM we will move the clocks forward. I always hate to do this because it just seems to speed up time and I end up losing an hour of sleep in the process.
I can remember when I turned 13 years old, I couldn’t wait for the next milestone at age 16 when I could learn to drive. Then, I could hardly wait until I reached the age of 18 when I would be old enough to vote and start my own journey into adulthood and in my case enter the US Navy.
It’s funny, when we are younger, we can hardly wait to get older. We excitedly await and look forward to hitting those milestones that have a special meaning and bring new adventures.
Now, as I am older, when I am ready to start slowing down, life has a funny way of speeding up. My mother used to say how time just flies by. I never quite understood that until I reached the age of 50. Now that I reached a few years beyond the age of Medicare, I know exactly what she meant. My best friend and I have held steadfast for 42 years and I can honestly say, “I don’t know where the time went!”
So, when we set our clocks forward an hour on March 9 th , it feels like we are speeding up life even more. But in this case, we will actually for once get an hour back on Sunday, November 2 nd when we turn that clock back an hour. Not only will I get an extra hour of sleep but for just that instant I will be grateful for the feeling that time has slowed down just a bit.
Sue Johnson
CLEAR CAPTIONS
With the price of eggs today, you certainly do not want to throw any away. When you buy eggs, you should store them at 40 degrees Fahrenheit. They should be safe to eat for three to five weeks after purchase. For maximin safety and quality, I also always follow the “best buy” date on the package.
Jayne Colson, Vero Beach, Fl
A friend of mine was scammed as the email she received had a logo on it which appeared to be her financial institution. She answered the email giving out a lot of personal information. DON’T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE!
Scammers can spoof almost anything to make you think the call or email is legitimate.
BE WARE!
Clara
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Tips – Suggestions - Something you would like to share
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Answer to Brain Teaser:
The Reds
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