Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, September 28, 2019

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Mountain Views-News Saturday, September 28, 2019 


SENIOR HAPPENINGS


HAPPY BIRTHDAY! …. October Birthdays

 * 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. Will Resume in September 2019

Free Legal Consultation: Wednesday, August 14th 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.


OCTOBER EXCURSION 

THE NETHERCUTT COLLECTION (SYLMAR) 


October 17, 2019 $15.00 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

 Level of Walking: High Money for lunch and souvenirs is optional. 

 Lunch will be at Pit BBQ. Wear comfortable shoes and bring water

 The Nethercutt Collection features rare collectibles ranging from mechanical musical instruments 
and antique furniture to the true heart of the collection: over 250 American and European automobiles 
from 1898 to 1997. 

 Founder J.B. Nethercutt spent a lifetime establishing this collection of historic importance. Unique 
to automobile museums, each car on display is attentively serviced and maintained to remain as drivable 
as when the vehicle originally rolled off the showroom floor. On view are various Pebble Beach 
Concours d’ Elegance winners and cars once owned by movie stars, royalty and other personalities. 
Following a tour of the Collection enjoy an opportunity for a self-guided tour of the museum and steam 
locomotive. 

**Register Now** (626) 355-5278

Final Registration Date Tuesday, October 15, 2019


FLU VACCINES FOR 
SENIORS THAT PROVIDE 
BETTER PROTECTION

Dear Savvy Senior:

What can you tell me about the flu shots designed for older adults? I got sick last winter after getting 
a standard flu shot and would like to find out if the senior-specific flu vaccine is worth getting.

Approaching 80

Dear Approaching:

There are actually two different types of flu shots available to people age 65 and older. These 
FDA-approved vaccines are designed to offer extra protection beyond what a standard flu shot 
provides, which is important for older adults who have weaker immune defenses and have a 
great risk of developing dangerous flu complications.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that during the 2018-2019 
flu season, up to 647,000 people were hospitalized and 61,200 died because of the flu – most of 
whom were seniors.

You also need to be aware that these senior-specific flu shots cannot guarantee that you won’t get 
the flu this season, but they will lower your risk. And if you do happen to get sick, you probably 
won’t get as sick as you would without it. Here’s more information on the two vaccines:

Fluzone High-Dose: Approved for U.S. use in 2009, the Fluzone High-Dose is a high-potency 
vaccine that contains four times the amount of antigen as a regular flu shot does, which creates a 
stronger immune response for better protection. This vaccine, according to a 2013 clinical trial, 
was 24 percent more effective than the regular-dose shot at preventing flu in seniors.

FLUAD: Available in the U.S. since 2016, the FLUAD vaccine contains an added ingredient 
called adjuvant MF59 that also helps create a stronger immune response. In a 2012 Canadian 
observational study, FLUAD was 63 percent more effective than a regular flu shot. The CDC does 
not recommend one vaccination over the other, and to date, there have been no studies comparing 
the two vaccines.

You should also know that both the Fluzone High-Dose and FLUAD can cause more of the mild 
side effects that can occur with a standard-dose flu shot, like pain or tenderness where you got 
the shot, muscle aches, headache or fatigue. And neither vaccine is recommended for seniors 
who are allergic to chicken eggs, or those who have had a severe reaction to a flu vaccine in the 
past.

If you are allergic to eggs you can ask for a Flucelvax or FluBlok shot. Neither of these vaccines 
uses chicken eggs in their manufacturing process.

 

All of these vaccines are covered 100 percent by Medicare Part B as long as your doctor, health 
clinic or pharmacy agrees not to charge you more than Medicare pays.

 

PNEUMONIA VACCINES

Two other important vaccinations the CDC recommends to seniors, especially this time of year, 
are the pneumococcal vaccines for pneumonia. Around 1 million Americans are hospitalized 
with pneumonia each year, and about 50,000 people die from it.

The CDC recommends that all seniors, 65 or older, get two vaccinations –Prevnar 13 and Pneumovax 
23. Both vaccines, which are administered just once at different times, protect against 
different strains of the bacteria to provide maximum protection.

If you haven’t yet received any pneumococcal vaccine you should get the Prevnar 13 first, followed 
by Pneumovax 23 at least one year later. But if you’ve already been vaccinated with Pneumovax 
23, wait at least one year before getting the Prevnar 13.

Medicare Part B covers both shots, if they are taken at least one year apart.

To locate a vaccination site that offers any of these shots, visit VaccineFinder.org and type in your 
location.

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.

SENIOR CINEMA - 1st & 3rd Wednesday 1:00 pm

ALADDIN - OCTOBER 2nd

A kind-hearted street urchin Aladdin vies for the love of the beautiful princess 
Jasmine, the princess of Agrabah when he finds a magic lamp, he uses 
a genie’s magic power to make himself into a prince in order to marry her.

OCTOBER 16TH “DUMBO” 

A young elephant, whose oversized ears enable him to fly, 
helps save a struggling circus until it plans a new venture. Dumbo and his 
friends discover dark secrets through its shiny veneer. 


MEALS - ON - WHEELS PROGRAM

The Home Delivered Meals Program provides healthy meals to homebound Seniors 60 and above. Seven 
frozen meals, milk, bread and fruit are included and delivered once a week. $3 Donation per meal is 
suggested but remains completely anonymous and voluntary. Clients must be eligible and we invite you 
to contact YWCA Intervale Senior Services at 626-214-9467. SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT 
NOTICE SUGGESTED DONATION $3.00 1% LOW FAT MILK INCLUDED

OUT TO PASTOR 

A Weekly Religion Column by Rev. James Snyder


TO GRIN OR NOT TO GRIN, IS MY DILEMMA 

Through the years, I have experienced 
one dilemma after another.

I remember my father once told me, 
“Son, when life delivers you a dilemma, 
make lemonade out of it.” To 
which I looked at him with a big grin and said, “Is there 
any dilemma I can make a root beer out of it?”

My father did not grin back.

This may have been the beginning of my career as a grinner. 
Rarely a day goes by that I do not find something to 
grin about. I have earned a Ph.D. in Grinology.

One problem I have discovered in this is that I do not 
know when not to grin. This has caused me a dilemma 
without any lemonade whatsoever or root beer.

On my wedding day, I grinned all day long and nobody 
ever had to ask me the question, “What are you grinning 
about?” Everybody knew.

I never had any problem with grinning and nobody ever 
challenged me about my grinning. I guess it is just my 
nature to grin about everything.

After my wedding, however, everything changed. Most 
of it for the good I must confess. I have no regrets or 
anything of that nature. While I am saying this, you 
can imagine I am grinning. Nothing has made me happier 
in life than marrying the Gracious Mistress of the 
Parsonage.

At the time she was not the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage, 
but as time went by and I became a pastor she 
took on the role. I’m not sure if she was born with the 
gifts and talents to take on this role, or if she learned 
step-by-step what it takes.

That being said, I can look back in my life and I can grin 
about everything.

Then things changed. By things, I mean me. It was a 
very simple thing that happened and could happen to 
anybody.

My wife and I were sitting in the living room having 
a cup of coffee and talking. As we were talk-ing unbeknownst 
to me, I was grinning. It is something that happens 
automatically to me.

“What are you,” my wife said in a very somber tone, 
“grinning about?”

I thought I was in trouble at first. I did not understand 
what she was talking about my grinning. I simply looked 
at her and stated, “Huh.”

“You’re grinning!”

“Oh,” I said, “I was just thinking about the first time we 
met.” Then I laughed heartily.

“What was so funny about that?”

That was the beginning of trying to explain why I 
grinned all the time. I explained to her how that day was 
the real beginning of my life. Then, she grinned. That 
began a wonderful conversation of those beginning days 
of our life.

So often, something happens and I find myself grinning.

I well remember the time my wife was walking around 
the house everywhere. I stopped her and said, “What are 
you doing?”

“I’m looking for my glasses.”

I thought I was being set up so I grinned very cheerfully.

“What are you grinning about?”

The way she said it made me take the situation rather 
seriously. I did not know what kind of trouble I was in 
for or if she was setting me up for something.

“Have you,” she snapped, “seen my glasses?”

I did not know what to say because I could see her glasses 
on the top of her head where she often puts them.

Then she discovered where her glasses were and just 
looked at me. I was still grinning.

Recently, she had some problems with her back and I 
called the ambulance to take her to the local ER. I took 
my two daughters with me because both were medically 
trained, one a registered nurse the other an EMT.

My wife was in awful pain and we could barely move her. 
The local ambulance crew took her to the ER and the 
doctors begin to work on her.

One of the medications they used was some form of 
morphine. I let my daughters oversee that be-cause that 
was completely above my pay scale.

Soon the medications were working and her pain was 
beginning to rescind. We all were relieved.

On the wall was a very nice picture of a landscape with 
trees and bushes and so forth. I noticed my wife looking 
at that picture and then she said, “Isn’t a very nice 
picture of a pickle?”

She then looked at me and said, “What are you grinning 
about?”

One of my daughters said, “I guess the medication is 
starting to kick in.”

It took us a day or two to explain that it was not a picture 
of a pickle, but rather a picture of grass and trees.

I have been enjoying my grinning ever since. Occasionally 
my wife will look at me and say, “You’re not still 
grinning about the pickle are you?”

“Why no,” I say, trying to hide a grin, “have you found 
your glasses yet?”

Trust me when I say, she did not grin back at me.

Thinking about this I was reminded of one of David’s 
Psalms. “Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and 
our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, 
The Lord hath done great things for them” (Psalm 
126:2).

My philosophy has been, find something every day to 
grin about and you will have a happy life along with 
fresh lemonade.

USC TROJAN AFFILIATES POP UP SALE

USC Trojan Affiliates invites the community to attend its second annual 
USC Merchandise Pop Up Sale on Saturday, October 5, 2019 at 929 Buena 
Vista Street, South Pasadena, from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. 

A wide assortment of merchandise will be available at very discounted prices. 
There will be clothing, items for the home and garden, and collectibles 
available. 

 For further information contact Aleta Blanc at 

aleta.blanc@gmail.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