Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, May 11, 2019

10

THE GOOD LIFE

Mountain Views-News Saturday, May 11, 2019 

TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dills

thechefknows@yahoo.com

SENIOR HAPPENINGS


HAPPY BIRTHDAY! …May Birthdays*

Beth Copti, Marilyn Diaz, Anne Schryver, Jo Ann Williams, Paul Hagan, Lenore Crilly 
Joann Serrato-Chi, Harriett Lyle, Jean Coleman, Birgitta Gerlinger, Donna Mathieson, 
Luciana Rosenzweig, Linda Wochnik, Marian Woodford, Debbie Sheridan, Joanne 
Anthony, Carole Axline, Kika Downey, Shirley Hall, Annie Scalzo, Janet Ten Eyck, Jane 
Thomas, Ray Burley.

*To add your name to this distinguished list, please call the paper at 626.355.2737. YEAR of birth not required

HART PARK HOUSE MONTHLY PROGRAMS: 

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

Hawaiian & Polynesian Dance Class: Every Tuesday Morning from 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. 
Join the class with Instructor Barbara Dempsey as she leads you in the art of Hula!

Bingo Time: Every Tuesday beginning at 1:00 p.m. Cards are only $0.25 each! Everyone is welcome to play! Activity may 
be canceled if there are less than five people.

Free Blood Pressure Testing: 2nd Tuesdays Monthly from 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. No appointment is necessary.

Brain Games: Every third Thursday of the month at 12:45-1:45pm Join us for Scattergories, a creative thinking game by 
naming objects within a set of categories; or Jenga, a block-building challenge that keeps you stacking and bal-ancing your 
tower. Everyone is welcome, and no experience is needed. A great way to strengthen your mind and make new friends... 
Games are facilitated by Senior Volunteers.

Free Legal Consultation: Wednesday, May 15th from 10:30 a.m. - Noon. Attorney Lem Makupson is available for legal 
consultation. Specializing in Family Law, Wills, Trusts, Estates and Injury. Please call the Hart Park House for an 
appointment, 626-355-5278 ext. 704.

Senior Club: Meets Saturdays, Weekly at Hart Park House Brown Bag Lunch, great company and bingo at 11:30 a.m.

Chair Yoga: Mondays & Wednesdays 11:00 - 11:45 a.m. with Paul Hagen. Classes include Yoga and balance exercises. All 
ability levels are encouraged and welcomed!

Birthday Celebration: Every 2nd Thursday Monthly at the Hart Park House. Share free birthday cake and ice cream 
kindly provided by the Senior Community Commission!

Game Day: Every Thursday Monthly 12:00 Noon come into the Hart Park House and join a lively poker game with 
friends!

Free Strength Training Class: Fridays 12:45 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. with Lisa Brandley.light weights, low impact resistance 
training and body conditioning. Class equipment provided.

Gentle Yoga for Active Seniors: Every Monday & Wednesday from 8:15 - 9:45 a.m. with Andrea Walsh at the Hart Park 
House. Classes include complete floor relaxation, standing and floor postures, balancing, and 

featuring extended meditations on the fourth Wednesdays of the month! 

Call (626)-355-5278 for more information.

Art with Kt - Wednesday, May 15th 1:00 - 2:00p.m.Watercolor florals, realistic and abstract techniques will be 
demonstrated. Reserve your spot today by calling 626-355-5278 x 704.

COMING SOON—TBD Grandparent to Grandparents: Please join a group of grandparents for an afternoon 
of learning, sharing and building community led by Community Services Commissioner Rowinsky. Call 355-
5278 for information.

May 15th “Mary Poppins Returns” PG 2hr 10 min. 

Decades after her original visit, the magical nanny returns to help the Banks siblings and 
Michael’s children through a difficult time.

 SENIOR EXCURSION



California Strawberry Festival (Oxnard) 

Date: Saturday, May 18, 2019 Time: 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Cost: $20.00 

 Level of Walking: High **Lunch will be on your own **Bring money for lunch and souvenirs

The California Strawberry Festival is among the top festivals in the nation with over 50 food booths, 
contests, rides and attractions, over 200 arts & crafts vendors, concerts, celebrity chef demonstrations 
and family fun! Direct from the field to the festival, strawberries are the main ingredients for 
festival fun. A variety of lip-smacking favorites include: strawberry na ch os, strawberry pizza, 
straw-berry funnel cake, strawberry chimichangas, chocolate dipped strawberries, deep-fried 
strawberries, berry kabobs, strawberry tamales, strawberry shortcake, straw-berry beer, margaritas, 
smoothies and even strawberry popcorn. 

 Want to get your groove on? Hot jamz, cool tunes, or just plain rockin’. We’ve got them all in a 
spectacular music lineup form some fantastic groups including bands back by your demand. It’s all 
happening throughout our 36th anniversary week-end. This year, we have not one, not two but three 
stages! That’s because last year we expanded the festival grounds by 50%. So now you have more elbow 
room to bob your head, tap your feet or dance your heart out. Close to 200 artists and craft-ers from 
across the nation showcase their original works with a festive array of paintings, sculptures, ceramics, 
children’s toys, accessories, photography, textiles, outdoor furniture, jewelry and more.

Non-Resident Registration begins May 2nd and last day to register May 17th.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY

The phenomenon of Mother’s Day goes well back 
to ancient Greek times, and really only in the past 
100 years have we celebrated here in the United 
States (in Mexico it’s celebrated on Thursday May 
10th). I heard on a radio commercial “don’t get 
mom a card this year, get her something she really 
wants.” Okay, it didn’t say, “get her a bottle of wine”, 
but for the sake of this article let’s get her a bottle of wine. Here are three wines that I have enjoyed 
with my mom.

For sparkling wine fans, I really like the Domaine Carneros - affordable and easily found in your 
local supermarket aisles. This wine is as close to real champagne that I ever had!! Planning a 
backyard BBQ for mom? This sparkler is perfect..

I see the billboards all over town, “come Stellabrate”. Stella Rosa Prosecco is the perfect wine for 
the pre-meal toast. The wine is full of mousse (bubbles) and goes well with light appetizers such as 
cheese and crackers. I’ve lost count of how many Stella Rosa products are on the shelves, but they 
are all light on calories and alcohol content. The price point is about $15 so you could afford two.

Last but not least, a chardonnay. Moms love chardonnay - they can put a little ice in the glass or 
drink at room temperature. The Pouilly Fuisse, Louis Jardot’s white wine made with chardonnay 
grapes, is the pick here. It’s from Burgundy, France, but not bad on the wallet, and has a crispness 
that makes it an exceptional wine. It retails for about $25. There are white wines from the same 
region for a few dollars more, but hey - it’s mom we are talking here. Don’t be stingy! Whatever 
direction you take, have a great Mother’s Day!

My mom just recently passed, but I will hoist this glass in her honor and for that matter to you as 
well. 

Dining with Dills Radio Show Sunday at 5 PM AM 830 KLAA plus on Go Country 105 FM at 8 
AM. 


FAMILY MATTERS By Marc Garlett


The Real Cost To Your Family: 
Not Planning For Incapacity

When it comes to estate planning, most people 
automatically think about taking legal steps to ensure the 
right people inherit their stuff when they die. And these 
people aren’t wrong. 

Indeed, putting strategies in place to protect and pass on 
our wealth and other assets is a fundamental part of the 
planning equation. However, providing for the proper 
distribution of our assets upon death is just one part of 
the process. 
And it’s not even the most critical part. 
Planning that’s focused solely on who gets what when 
you die is ignoring the fact that death isn’t the only 
thing to be prepared for. You must also consider that 
at some point before your eventual death, you could be 
incapcitated by accident or illness.


Incapacity can be a temporary event from which you eventually recover, or it can be the start of a long and 
costly event that ultimately ends in your death. Indeed, incapacity can drag out over many years, leaving 
you and your family in agonizing limbo. This uncertainty is what makes incapacity planning so incredibly 
important.

In fact, incapacity can be a far greater burden for your loved ones than your death. This is true not only in 
terms of its potentially ruinous financial costs, but also for the emotional trauma, contentious court battles, 
and internal conflict your family may endure if you fail to address it in your plan. 
The goal of effective estate planning is to keep your family out of court and out of conflict no matter what 
happens. So if you only plan for your death, you’re leaving your family—and yourself—extremely vulnerable 
to potentially tragic consequences.


Where to start

Planning for incapacity requires a different mindset and different tools than planning for death. If you’re 
incapacitated by illness or injury, you’ll still be alive when these planning strategies take effect. What’s more, 
the legal authority you grant others to manage your incapacity is only viable while you remain alive and unable 
to make decisions about your own welfare. 


If you regain the cognitive ability to make your own decisions, for instance, the legal power you granted others 
is revoked. The same goes if you should eventually succumb to your condition—your death renders these 
powers null and void.


To this end, the first thing you should ask yourself is, “If I’m ever incapacitated and unable to care for myself, 
who would I want making decisions on my behalf?” Specifically, you’ll be selecting the person, or persons, 
you want making your healthcare, financial, and legal decisions for you until you either recover or pass away.
You must name someone

The most important thing to remember is that you must choose someone. If you don’t legally name someone 
to make these decisions during your incapacity, the court will choose someone for you. And this is where 
things can get extremely difficult – and costly – for your loved ones.

This potential turmoil and expense can be easily avoided through proper estate planning. An effective 
plan would give the individuals you’ve chosen immediate authority to make your medical, financial, and 
legal decisions, without the need for court intervention. What’s more, the plan can provide clear guidance 
about your wishes, so there’s no mistake or conflict about how these vital decisions should be made. 


What won’t work

Determining which planning tools you should use to grant and guide this decision-making authority depends 
entirely on your personal circumstances. There are several options available, but choosing what’s best is 
something you should ultimately decide after consulting with an experienced lawyer.

That said, we can tell you one planning tool that’s totally worthless when it comes to your incapacity: a will. A 
will only goes into effect upon your death, and then it merely governs how your assets should be divided, so 
having a will does nothing to keep your family out of court and out of conflict in the event of your incapacity. 


Don’t let a bad situation become much worse 

You may be powerless to prevent your potential incapacity, but proper estate planning can at least give you 
control over how your life and assets will be managed if it does occur. Moreover, such planning can prevent 
your family from enduring needless trauma, conflict, and expense during this already trying time. 

If you’ve yet to plan for incapacity, we can counsel you on the proper planning vehicles to put in place, and 
help you select the individuals best suited to make such critical decisions on your behalf. If you already have 
planning strategies in place, we can review your plan to make sure it’s been properly set up, maintained, and 
updated. Contact us today to get started.



Dedicated to empowering your family, building your wealth and defining your legacy,

A local attorney and father, Marc Garlett is on a mission to help 
parents protect what they love

most. His office is located at 55 Auburn Avenue, Sierra Madre, CA 
91024. Schedule an

appointment to sit down and talk about ensuring a legacy of love and financial security for your

family by calling 626.355.4000 or visit www.GarlettLaw.com for more information.


MARY 
POPPINS 
RETURNS


UNDERSTANDING MEDICARE’S 

ENROLLMENT PERIODS

Dear Savvy Senior:

What can you tell me about the different enrollment 
periods for Medicare? I’m planning to work past age 
65 and understand Medicare offers Initial, Special 
and General periods in which I can enroll. How 
does this work? Medicare Illiterate

Dear Medicare:

The rules for signing up for Medicare can be quite 
confusing, especially if you plan to work past age 
65.But it’s critical to understand the ins and outs
of enrolling because the consequences of missing 
a deadline can be costly and last a lifetime. Here’s 
what you should know about Medicare’s three different 
enrollment periods. 

Initial Enrollment Period

 At age 65, the Initial Enrollment Period is the first 
opportunity that most people are eligible to enroll 
in Medicare. If you’re already claiming Social Security 
benefits at least 4 months before age 65, you 
are automatically enrolled in Medicare, with coverage 
starting the first day of month you turn 65. If 
you’re not receiving Social Security benefits, it’s up 
to you to enroll in Medicare either online at SSA.
gov/Medicare, over the phone at 800-772-1213 or 
through your local Social Security office. 

 You can enroll any time during the Initial Enrollment 
Period, which is a seven-month period that 
includes the three months before, the month of, 
and the three months after your 65th birthday. 

It’s best to enroll three months before your birth 
month to ensure your coverage starts when you 
turn 65. 

 If, however, you plan to keep working and have 
health coverage from your employer, or from a 
spouse’s employer, you may want to delay Medicare 
Part B, which covers outpatient services, 
and Part D, which covers prescription drugs. But 
first check with the human resources department 
to see how your employer insurance works with 
Medicare. 

 Typically, if your employer has fewer than 20 
employees, Medicare will be your primary insurer 
and you should enroll. But if you work for 
a company that has 20 or more employees, your 
employer’s group health plan will be your primary 
insurer as long as you remain an active employee. 
If this is the case, you don’t need to enroll in Part B 
or Part D when you turn 65 if you’re satisfied with 
the coverage you are getting through your job. 
But in most cases, unless you’re contributing to a 
Health Savings Account, you should at least sign-
up for Medicare Part A, which is free and covers 
hospital services. 

Special Enrollment Period

 If you delay Part B and Part D past age 65, you 
can sign up for Medicare during the Special Enrollment 
Period. Once you (or your spouse) stop 
working and you no longer have group health 
coverage, you have eight months to enroll in Part 
B. But if you miss that deadline, you’ll pay a late-
enrollment penalty for the rest of your life. The 
penalty increases your premiums by 10 percent 
for each 12-month period that you don’t have 
coverage. 

 The window for Part D is shorter. You must sign 
up for Part D within two months of losing drug 
coverage. If you go 63 days or more without drug 
coverage, you’ll pay a lifetime late-enrollment 
penalty that equals 1 percent of the monthly base 
premium (about $33 in 2019) times the number of 
months you don’t have Part D of other creditable 
coverage. 

General Enrollment Period 

If you miss either of these first two enrollment periods, 
you’ll have to wait until the General Enrollment 
Period, which is January 1 through March 
31 of each year, but your Part B and Part D coverage 
will not begin until July 1. And you’ll be subject 
to late-enrollment penalties. 

 There is, however, no penalty for late enrollment 
for Part A. You can sign up anytime with coverage 
beginning the first day of the following month.

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 Today show and author of “The Savvy 
Senior” book.

HELPING FAMILIES COPE WITH ANTICIPATORY GRIEF

 A program aimed at helping families and other loved ones cope with anticipatory grief in cancer 
cases will be given at the Cancer Support Community-Pasadena on Tuesday June 4 2019 from 6.30 
p.m. to 8 p.m. The program is free of charge. 

 Jennifer R. Levin, a licensed therapist, will discuss how to identify anticipatory grief, and how to 
cope with the pain and losses associated with cancer. Location is the Cancer Support Community-
Pasadena, 76 East Del Mar Blvd, Suite 215, Pasadena, Ca 91105. Reservations at 626-796-1083. 
www/cscpasadena.org


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