Mountain Views News          Saturday, July 11, 2015

Mountain Views News Saturday, July 11, 2015 
13THE GOOD LIFE Mountain Views News Saturday, July 11, 2015 
13THE GOOD LIFE 
HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST PLACE TO RETIRE 


Dear Savvy Senior, 

My wife and I will both be retiring in a year or two andare interested in moving to a smaller house in a betterclimate but could use some help. What resources canyou recommend for locating and researching goodplaces to retire in the U.S.? 

Looking To Relocate

 Dear Looking, 

If you’re interested in relocating when you retire,
like millions of other baby boomers, there are a widevariety of free Web-based resources that can helpyou find and research a new location that meet yourwants, needs and budget. Here are several to helpyou get started. 

Where to Retire? 
If you aren’t sure where you want to retire, a goodplace to begin is by taking a retirement test at siteslike Sperling’s Best Places (bestplaces.net/fybp)
or Find Your Spot (findyourspot.com). These are 
free quizzes that ask dozens of questions on yourpreferences such as climate, recreation, communitysize and more, and suggest possible destinations thatbest match your answers.

There are also various media sources and websites, 
like U.S. News and World Report, Kiplinger’s,
Forbes, Money magazine, Reuters, Bankrate.com,
TopRetirements.com, the Milken Institute and 
AARP that publish top retirement location lists youmay find helpful too. To find them, go to any searchengine and type in “best places to retire” along withthe name of the media source. 

You should also consider getting a subscriptionto “Where to Retire” magazine (wheretoretire.com,
713-974-6903), which is designed to help you findideal retirement settings. A yearly subscription runs$18 for six issues. 

Once you find a few areas that interest you, yournext step is research them. Here are some importantareas you need to investigate.

Cost of living: Can you afford to live comfortablyin the location you want to retire to? BestPlaces.netand Numbeo.com offer tools to compare the costof living from your current location to where youwould like to move. They compare housing costs,
food, utilities, transportation and more.

Taxes: Some states are more tax friendly to 


retirees than others. If you’re planning to move toanother state, Kiplinger’s has a tax guide for retireesat Kiplinger.com/links/retireetaxmap that lets youfind and compare taxes state-by-state. It coversincome taxes, sales tax, taxes on retirement income, 
Social Security benefits taxes, property taxes, andinheritance and estate taxes. 

Crime rate: To evaluate how safe a communityor area is, NeighborhoodScout.com is a top toolthat provides property and violent crime rates, andcrimes per square mile.

Healthcare: Does the area you want to relocateto have easy access to good healthcare? Tolocate and research hospitals in a new area, useHospitalCompare.hhs.gov and QualityCheck.
org. To search for new doctors that accept yourinsurance, contact your plan, or, if you’re 65 orolder use Medicare.gov/physiciancompare. It’s alsoimportant to know that healthcare costs can vary byregion, so you should contact your insurer to checkout possible cost variables.
Transportation: If you plan to travel much, orexpect frequent visits from your kids or grandkids,
convenient access to an airport or train station 
is a nice advantage. You should also investigatealternative transportation options, since most 
retirees give up driving in there eighties. To do thiscontact Rides in Sight (ridesinsight.org, 855-6074337), 
a free transportation referral service, and theArea Aging Agency – call the Eldercare Locator at800-677-1116 to get the local number.

 Other Resources 
To learn more about specific communities across theU.S., AARP’s new livability index (livabilityindex.
aarp.org) along with Epodunk.com and GangsAway.
com are three excellent resources, as well as the city’schamber of commerce office. To locate it, go to anysearch engine and type in the name of the city andstate followed by “chamber of commerce.”

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O.
Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.
org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Todayshow and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. 

KATIE Tse..........This and That 



DROP KICK 

Working at a public school,
I’m blessed and thankful to 
have the summers off! While 
I do relish summer vacation, 
the lack of interaction with 
the kids and my coworkers

sometimes makes it more difficult to find thingsto write about. I’ve never been one to stay on thecutting edge of current events, and in the summerI’m doubly out of the loop. So it’s times like this 
that I can always fall back on my mom’s friend,
Florence, for a good story or two!

I’ve chronicled Florence’s stories in the paperbefore, but forgot which alias I gave her. So if 
her character seems 

familiar, that’s why.

call him Styx). Styx 

In a word --Florence 

was one of those 

is a riot! It’s not 

dogs who, no matter 

just that she can 

how often you visit

make stories sound 

or give treats, never

funny; she, herself, 

remembers you, and

attracts humorous 

therefore barks its 

situations. When 

head off whenever it 

my mom relays her

sees you. After a few 

friends’ stories to 

years of trying to form

me, by the middle 

a friendship with Styx,

of it I can usually

the family gave up and

tell if Florence is 

resigned themselves to

the source. After 

his incessant yapping

their most recent get

whenever his owner 

together, my mom

came over.

thanked Florence 

 It was one of these 

for the laughs and

family gatherings at

said that now I’d 

Florence’s house that 

have material for 

Styx met his match. 

Valkeries). Check out photos of these beasts if youhaven’t already. Their heads are larger than thoseof the men holding them. They’re in the same 
league as other abnormally sized things you’dfind at a county fair. “Here’s a cabbage as big as awrecking ball, a five yard long radish, and FarmerSven’s 18 pound rabbit.” The pictures in whichpeople are hoisting them up seem to have beentaken quickly. They look strained, with flushed 
faces. “Take the picture already, Carl! I can’t holdher up much longer!”

Needless to say, the rabbit (we’ll call him Zeus)
was an instant family favorite. His notoriety wasrivaled only by the infamy of one of the cousins’

yappy Chihahas (we’ll

my articles. So, youmay be reading about Florence for a couple ofweeks unless I become otherwise inspired. I can’t 
promise to make the stories as funny as if Florencewere telling them, but I’ll try. This week, it’s about 
a rabbit --a subject dear to my heart.

Florence comes from a big family and hasseveral siblings. She grew up rural Montebello(yes, Montebello was fairly rural at one time).
Living close to nature gave her family a greaterconnection with native animals. One time her 
sister got a baby rabbit, a tiny thing about the sizeof chicken nugget. I assumed, as is the case in 
many of Florence’s stories, that they had rescued itin the wild. But my mom corrected me that it was,
in fact, from a local fair. Fairs being what theyare, the man who sold it to them didn’t providea detailed lineage of the rabbit. You can imaginetheir surprise when their nugget-sized bunny grewinto a big, honking Flemish Giant!

No, I’m not talking about Norse mythology(although judging by its appearance, this breed’sname was probably inspired by Thor or the 

Zeus didn’t move 
around a lot due to his massive size, but he was 
very observant, and waited until Styx was closeenough to come in contact with Zeus’s powerfulhind legs. “When an irresistible force meets and 
old immovable object... something’s gotta give!”
We all know about flying pigs, but I bet you hadn’theard of air borne Chiwawas! 

The flight only temporarily jolted Styx, and hesustained no injuries. However, being the slowlearner that Styx was, the Zeus-and-Styx-flyingroutine played out many more times at holidaysand other get-togethers. I can imagine Florencetelling her childhood friends to come and see thegiant rabbit and the flying dog --and their surprisewhen they did see it!

* Using spell check sometimes “blocks the flow”
when I’m writing, therefore I save it until the finaldraft. This time my proofreaders (a.k.a parents)
laughed so hard at my horrible mispellings Idecided to leave them in! 
SENIOR HAPPENINGS 



HAPPY BIRTHDAY! … July Birthdays* 

Nina Bartolai, Mary Lou Caldwell, Louise Neiby, Eunice Banis, Betty Hansen, Christine 
Durfort, Shahrzad Azrani, Jeanne Borgedahl, Janet Cox, Dorothy Montgomery, Bess 
Pancoska, Janet Swanson, Linda Thunes, Barbara Watson, Pat Alcorn, Karma Bell, Alice 

Clark, Dorothy Jerneycic, and Betty Dos Remedios. 
*To add your name to this distinguished list, please call the paper at 626.355.2737. YEAR of birth 
not required. 
.................................................................. 

Quote of the Week: Seize the moment. Remember all the women on the Titanic who 
waved off the dessert cart. - Erma Bombeck 


................................................... 



ACTIVITIES: Unless listed differently, all activities are at the Hart Park 
House (Senior Center) 222 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre

 YMCA San Gabriel Valley Intervale Senior Café: Monday-Friday at 12:00 Noon 
(Participants are urged to arrive no later than 11:45 A.M.)
All seniors 60 and up can take part in the lunch program. There is a suggested donation of $2.00 
for those 60 and over and $3.75 for non-senior guests. Daily reservations are necessary as space is 
limited. Please call 24 hours in advance...626.355.0256 

HAWAIIAN AND POLYNESIAN DANCE CLASS: Every Tuesday morning from 10am to 11am. 
Join instructor Barbara Dempsey as she instructs you in the art of hula. 
BINGO: Every Tuesday beginning at 1:00pm. Cards are only $0.25 each! Everyone is welcome to 
join. May be canceled if less than 5 people. 


FREE BLOOD PRESSURE TESTING: 2nd Tuesday of the month from 11am to 12pm. No appt. 


is necessary. 
CASE MANAGEMENT: Meets the 2nd Thursday of the month. Case Management services are 
provided by the YWCA and provide assistance in a variety of areas. Appointments are required and 
can be scheduled by calling the HPH Office at 626-355-7394. 


BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS: Every second Thursday of the month the Hart Park House Senior 
Center celebrates birthdays of our patrons. The free birthday cake is provided by the Sierra Madre 
Civic Club. 


GAME DAY: Every Thursday starting at 12:45pm. A regular group of seniors play poker. Other 


games available for use. 
TAX ASSISTANCE: Every Thursday February 5th through April 9th from 1:00pm-2:00pm. Don 
Brunner is available for income tax consultation. Appointments are required, call 626-355-7394. 


FREE STRENGTH TRAINING CLASS: Every Friday from 12:45pm to 1:30pm with Lisa 
Brandley. The class utilizes light weights for low impact resistance training. All materials for the 
class are provided. 


SENIOR CLUB: Every Saturday at the Hart Park House Senior Center. Brown bag lunch at 11:30am. 
Club meeting at noon. Bingo 12:30-3:30pm. Annual Membership is only $10.00. 



UPCOMING EXCURSIONS: 

Ganna Walska Lotusland (Santa Barbara) Date: July 17, 2015 

Time: 7:30am to 5:00pm 
Meeting Location: Hart Park House Senior Center Cost: $45.00 (Does not include lunch)
Description: Lotusland features an enormous diversity of exotic plants from around the globe 
arranged in nearly 20 gardens, each distinctive in design. The garden now covering the estate 
were created by Ganna Walska, a well known Polish opera singer and socialite, who owned the 
property from 1941 until her death in 1984. She spent 43 years of her life designing unusual 
display gardens with exotic plants. We will take a two hour docent guided walking tour. The tour 
includes both horticultural and historical information. There will be time to visit the Garden 
Shop at the end of the tour. Lunch will be on your own at nearby restaurants. Participants 
should bring money for lunch and souvenirs. Last day to register is Wednesday, July 2nd. Level 
of Walking: Medium to High 

California Science Center (Los Angeles) Date: August 12, 2015 
Time: 9:30am to 5:00pm
Meeting Location: Hart Park House Senior Center Cost: $28.00 (Does not include lunch) 


Description: The California Science Center in cooperation with the Israel Antiquities Authority 
is Proud to present the largest Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition ever mounted outside of Israel, 
featuring over 600 ancient artifact on display. We will also see Jerusalem in the IMAX Theater. 
Through breathtaking aerial footage, eye-opening personal stories and remarkable historical 
perspective, Jerusalem takes views inside the heart of the ancient city in ways never seen before. 
Lunch will be on your own. There is Trimana-Grill, or Market and Coffee Bar at the Science 
Center for you to enjoy a meal or light snack during your visit. Participants should bring money 
for lunch and souvenirs. Last day to register is Wednesday, August 5th. Level of Walking: High 

EXCURSION REFUND POLICY 

Notification of the cancellation must be made at least 3 business days before the excursion. 
A refund will only be issued 1) for a medical excuse or 2) if the Department is able to fill the 
patrons spot from a waiting list. This refund will be issued in the form of a credit which will be 

applied to the patron’s account with the City, less a $11 cancellation fee. The credit will remain 
on your account for one year from the date issued and the credit may be used for any program 
or service offered by the Community Services Dept. 

SEASONAL FUN AT THE SENIOR CENTER 

Need a way to keep cool during the warmer months? Paper fans are a breeze to make and a greatsummer craft project. Come and join us on Thursday, July 16th, in making paper fans and stay cool!
Craft making will begin at 11:00am. All supplies will be provided. 

Increased Fees for Senior Meals 
After several meetings of the YWCA Senior Services Advisory Council, the Council Members votedto increase the suggested donation for both group-dining meals and home delivered meals from

$2.00 to $3.00 per meal and non-senior meals from $3.75 to $5.00 per meal beginning July 1, 2015.
This was not an easy decision for the Council Members to make but unfortunately both generaloperating costs and the cost of purchasing meals from various caterers have increased significantlyover the past years. However, it is very important for you to know that we want you to continue toparticipate in our meal programs and that we want to emphasize that the suggested donation is andwill remain a voluntary and confidential donation. Anyone having questions about the suggesteddonation policy and the donation procedures may call the YWCA Senior Services Director at626-214-9466. 

Ex-covert operative Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) and his ex-wife, Lenore (Franke Janssen), are 

SENIOR CINEMA SHOWN AT THE HART PARK 
HOUSE SENIOR CENTER 


July 15th– TAKEN 3 (2014) 

enjoying a reconciliation with his ex-wife when she is brutally murdered.
Consumed with rage and framed for the crime and flees, Bryan goes on therun to evade the relentless pursuit of the CIA, FBI and police. For the lasttime, he channels his rage and particular set of skills into hunting downLenore’s real killers, taking his revenge and protecting the one importantthing left in his life: his daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace). Start time: 1:00pm(run time 89 minutes) 

YOUR AD COULD BE HERE!
Call Patricia at 626-818-2698 Today!
Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com