Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, February 11, 2023

12 Mountain View News Saturday, February 11, 2023 12 Mountain View News Saturday, February 11, 2023 
ASSISTED LIVING OR NURSING HOME? 

There are many myths about Assisted Living being like 
Nursing Homes. This is not true at all. Nursing facilities 
are for those with chronic health issues who require care 
around the clock from medical professionals. 

In Assisted Living, one will get the support as needed, 
such as getting help with showering, grooming, and 
dressing. Again, these services are based on the seniors 
needs. 

There are many reasons in working with us. At Safe Path 
for Seniors, we will assess the senior and depending on their care needs and budget, make recommendations. 
For example, we may suggest that the right fit is a Board and Care Home (normally a 6-bedroom house) as 
opposed to an Assisted Living Community or a Memory Support Facility. You will work with an experienced 
agent who 
knows the industry well and will give you recommendations. The good news is that there is no cost for this 
service. 


If you have any questions about placing a loved one, visit www.safepathforseniors.com or call Steve at 
626-999-6913 

RETIRING ABROAD? TIPS AND TOOLS TO HELP YOU MAKE AN 


INFORMED DECISION 

Dear Savvy Senior:
What are the key factors to consider when contemplating 
retiring abroad? My husband and I will soon 
be retiring and are interested in moving abroad to 
a country that’s cheaper and warmer than the U.S. 
Looking Ahead 

Dear Looking:
Whatever your reasons for aspiring to retire 
abroad – a lower cost of living, a better climate 
or a desire for adventure – you need to do your 
homework and learn everything you can about 
the country you’re interested in because it’s not an 
easy move. Here are some different tips and tools 
to help you make an informed decision. 

Researching ToolsIf you’re in the decision-making process of where 
to retire, InternationalLiving.com and LiveAndInvestOverseas.
com are two excellent websites 
that provide articles, information and lists of the 
top retirement destinations abroad based on cost 
of living, climate, health care, housing, visas, infrastructure 
and more. 

Once you pick a country or two that interest you, a 
smart move is to talk or network with some expats 
who have already made the move you’re thinking 
about making. They can give you tips and suggestions 
on many issues, as well as the advantages and 
disadvantages and day-to-day reality of living in a 
particular country. Facebook is a good resource 
for locating expat groups. 

But before committing, experts recommend visiting 
multiple times during different seasons to 
see whether you can envision yourself living there 
and not just exploring the place as a tourist. Here 
are some other factors you need to look into. 

Cost of living: Retiring abroad used to be seen as 
a surefire way to live beyond your means, and for 
many countries it still is. But depending on where 
you move, the U.S. dollar may not stretch as far as 
you think. To compare the cost of living in hundreds 
of cities and countries use Numbeo.com. 

Visa requirements: If you want to spend just part 
of the year living abroad or are willing to move 
from country to country, most countries offer a 
three or six-month tourist visa, which is easy to 
get. But if you want to set up permanent residence 
abroad you might have to jump over a few more 
hurdles depending on where you want to retire. To 

research visa requirements in the countries that 
interest you, visit VisaGuide.World. 

Health care: Most U.S. health insurance companies 
do not provide coverage outside the U.S., and 
neither does Medicare. Check with the embassy 
(see USembassy.gov) of your destination country 
to see how you can be covered as a foreign resident. 

Many countries provide government-sponsored 
health care that’s inexpensive, accessible and just 
as good as what you get in the states, or you may 
want to buy a policy through Medibroker.com or 
BupaGlobal.com. 

Also know that most people who retire abroad 
eventually return to the U.S., so experts recommend 
paying your Medicare Part B premiums. If 
you drop and resume Part B, or delay initial enrollment, 
you’ll pay a 10 percent premium penalty 
for every 12-month period you weren’t enrolled. 

Housing: Buying a home in a foreign country can 
be complicated, so it’s almost always better to rent 
first until you’re sure you want to permanently reside 
there. 

Money matters: Opening or maintaining a bank 
account abroad can also be difficult. You may 
have to establish a checking account with an institution 
that has international reach like Citibank 
or maintain a U.S. bank account that you can access 
online. Claiming your Social Security benefits, 
however, should not be a problem as they 
offer direct deposit to almost every country in the 
world. See SSA.gov/international/payments.html. 

Taxes: You also need to research tax rules in your 
prospective countries and be aware that even if 
you’re living in another country, as a U.S. citizen 
you’ll still most likely need to file an annual U.S. 
tax return – see IRS.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p54.pdf. 

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. 


Join us for a 

Month of 

Programs and 

Events! 

The Sierra Madre 
Public Library has 
announced the 2023 
selection of One Book 
One City; Flying Free: 
my victory over fear 
to become the first 
Latina pilot on the US 
Aerobatic Team by 
Cecilia Aragon. 

One Book One City is 
a community reading 
program that invites 

everyone in Sierra Madre to read and discuss the same book during February 
2023 and participate in exciting programs and events. 

This fabulous community program includes an Author Talk with Cecilia Aragon, 
a tour of the San Gabriel Valley Airport, a kids STEAM Dream Workshop 
with local teacher Dany Richey, a kids paper airplane competition, a movie 
night with the documentary Fly Like a Girl through our new streaming service 
Kanopy, and inspirational presentations on women in flight. 

Aragon’s memoir, Flying Free, shares her own journey of breaking past her own 
fears to become a champion aerobatic pilot. Aragon was a timid child, painfully 
shy and afraid of everything from heights to people. How did she become 
a death-defying daredevil and aerobatic pilot? In her memoir, she bares her life 
even though writing it “scared me more than pointing my single-seat experimental 
plane at the ground and opening the throttle until I was roaring earthward 
at 250 mph”. 

Connect all month long through engaging themed programs that are free and 
fun for the whole family. Call the Library at (626) 355-7186 for more information. 

SENIOR HAPPENINGS 


HAPPY BIRTHDAY! …FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS* 

Tracy Verhoeven, Beatrice DaRe, Catherine Adde, Hilda Pittman, Anne-
Marie Stockdale, Susan Henderson, Allie Attay, Ursula El-Tawansy, 
Gladys Moser, Sylvia Lorhan, Ana Ptanski, Winifred Swanson , Janet 
Gillespie, Marian DeMars, Vickie Vernon, Mary Beth Knox, Sharon 
Lefler. 

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

1st & 3rd Wednesdays 11:00 am— 12:30 pm Hart Park House 

The object of the game is for a player to play all the tiles from their hand onto one or 
more trains, emanating from a central hub or “station”. Call Lawren with questions that 
you may have. 

TEA AND TALK BOOK CLUB 

Wednesday, 2/15 9:00 am Hart Park House 

Staff has launched a new book club series, Tea and Talk, which meets twice a month 
to discuss the fun, suspense, intrigue, love and so much more that each selection will 
have in store! 

FIBER FRIENDs 

Tuesday, 1/17 10:00 am Hart Park House 

If you enjoy knitting, crocheting, embroidery, needlepoint, bunka, huck, tatting or 
cross stitch then we have a group for you! Bring your current project, sit and chat 
with like-minded fiber friends. 

HULA AND POLYNESIAN DANCE 

Every Friday 10-10:45 am 

Bring a lei, your flower skirt or just your desire to dance! Hula in the Park is back 
and waiting for you to join in on all the fun! Memorial Park Pavilion. 

CHAIR YOGA 

Every Monday and Wednesday 10-10:45 am 

Please join us for some gentle stretching, yoga, balance exercise and overall relaxation 
with Paul. Classes are ongoing and held in the Memorial Park Covered Pavilion 
or the Hart Park House. 

BINGO 

Thursday, 1/19 Hart Park House 1:00 pm-2:00 pm

Please join in a fun and lively game of BINGO. Several rounds fun will be had with 
prizes for each rounds winner. 


OUT TO PASTOR 

A Weekly Religion Column by Rev. James Snyder 

ANOTHER CELEBRATION IN THE BANK 

This month The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and I celebrate 

the 52nd anniversary of our engagement. In August, it’ll be the 52nd 

anniversary of our wedding. I can’t believe we have been together for 
52 years. But, alas, here it is. 

I first met her in September of 1970 when I went to Bible college. Knowing that God 
was calling me to be a pastor, I understood that I would need a wife to help me in 
this ministry. Not being woman-wise, and no dating experience: I thought a date was 
simply a dried-up prune. 

Not knowing what to do, I simply put it in God’s hands. Before I went to this Bible 
college, my prayer was, “Heavenly Father, make the first young lady I meet when I 
go to school be the wife you have chosen for me.” It sounds ridiculous, but not being 
woman-wise, it was my best choice. 

My parents took me up to New York, where the college was, as we drove into the men’s 
dorm driveway a young lady was coming out. This young lady had her hair rolled 
up in tomato cans which was rather usual at that time. When I saw her walk out, I 
quickly prayed, “Not yet, Father. My feet have not touched the ground.” 

I think God was chuckling. For some reason, I was never able to get away from her because 
it was a very small college, and everybody knew everybody. Not being woman-
wise, I did not know how to conduct myself in such a situation. 

In December, we were on some date, and she happened to say, or so I thought she 
happened to say it, “Wouldn’t it be nice to get married?” Again, my not being woman-
wise did not allow me to understand what was going on. I simply re-plied to her, “I 
think it would be great to get married.” Foolish me, I thought that was the end of the 
conversation. 

The next day in school, as I walked down the hallway, everybody looked at me, smiled, 
and said, “Congratulations.” So I smiled back and thanked them. I had no idea what I 
was being congratulated on, I thought perhaps I finally passed a test in school.
After a while, I stopped somebody congratulating me and asked what he was congratulating 
me for. Laughing, he said, “Oh, you silly boy. I’m congratulating you on 
your upcoming wedding.” Then he walked away. 

I stood in the hallway for a moment, trying to process what he had just told me.
What wedding was he talking about? Who did they think I was marrying? Later that 
afternoon, I met her in the cafeteria, she looked at me, smiled, and said, “I’ve told 
every-body, and everybody is happy for us. Isn’t it wonderful?” I then realized I was 
the last one in the college that knew I was getting married. 

God was the first one to know whom I was going to marry, and I was the last one to 
know. That is chapter 1 in woman-wise psychology. Although it’s been 52 years, I still 
have not progressed to chapter 2. Perhaps chapter 2 would begin with, “Do you want 
to be right or happy?” I am here to tell you that during those 52 years, I have been 
happy. 

According to tradition back then, the next step was to get permission from her father 
to marry his daughter. So you understand I was rather nervous along this line because 
I had never met her father or mother. Before the engagement, we traveled back to visit 
her family. It was then that I met her father. I took him aside and said, “Sir, I would 
like to ask your permission for your daughter’s hand in marriage.”
He looked at me with a rather strange look and said, “No.” 

At this point, my flabber just got gasted, and I didn’t know what to say. He looked at 
me strangely and said, “Young man, you take my entire daughter or none of her. Not 
just her hand.” At this point, I realized I was also not father-in-law-wise. That was 
well beyond my pay scale. My heart sank, and I did not know the next step.
Looking at me, her father finally broke down laughing. I had no idea what he was 
laughing about. “Of course, you can have my daughter’s hand in marriage as long as 
you take the rest of her.” 

I tried to laugh as best I could but had no idea what was happening in the world. If this 
is what I was marrying into, it will be a long voyage. 

As we were driving back to school, the future Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage 
looked at me and said, “Well, what do you think of my family?” I just smiled back at 
her and she said, “Welcome to my family.” I smiled and thought about my favorite life 
verse from the Bible. 

Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own 
understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
This verse has guided me throughout my entire life, especially in the area of marriage. 
Either I can lean on my own understanding, or, I can trust in the Lord with all my 
heart. If I’m going to go down the right path only God can lead me. 

Dr. James L. Snyder lives in Ocala, FL with the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. 
Telephone 1-352-216-3025, e-mail jamessnyder51@gmail.com, website www.jamessnyderministries.
com. 


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