Posted in N&V

Well, Well, Well

by Bob Buddemeier

A few weeks ago, The Complement was privileged to participate in the Crafts and Hobbies Opportunities Fair organized by Gary and Meryl Hanagami, co-chairs of the Wellness Advisory Committee (WAC).  Exercise of the journalistic skills of writing and photography can be considered both as crafts and hobbies; I say “privileged” because we are not part of the group of activities and organizations for which the WAC is assigned responsibility.  [For a photocollage of the Hobbies, Crafts, and Wellness Fair, see Views of Opportunity.]

Following the Fair, Gary produced an informative report on its outcomes – an achievement not nearly as common at RVM as I think it should be.  This led me to ask him for an interview with the idea of writing more about the Fair.  What I learned convinced me that the real story was not the Fair, but the recent development of the Committee and its mission.

Gary and Meryl had been here less than a year when they were recruited to head the committee by Saul Krimsly and Dolores Fisette, whose term was expiring at the end of the fiscal year.  Saul was to assume the role as Secretary of the Executive Council and as fate would have it, ended up in a more functional position as Chair of the Dining Services Advisory Committee. The Hanagamis accepted the assignment because of their interests in wellness and fitness, and Gary’s experience with organizational management.

Their initial formative decision about the direction of the committee was that it would not simply be a channel for transmitting information based on residents’ or the department’s input, but that it would function proactively to connect residents with wellness activities and their benefits. This decision reached into every aspect of committee membership and function.

Before taking over the committee, Gary and Meryl had made a point of trying out all the Wellness Department class offerings and talking to other resident participants. Early actions included revising class descriptions to provide an informative summary scale of effort required, and developing a communication plan that included periodic articles in hillTopics.  Gary secured new committee members for this project; Nan Trujillo took the lead, with other resident volunteers to follow.  Concerning his recruiting efforts, Gary said “I only wanted people who were willing to do real work and were invested in their own wellness activities,” making it clear that his job was to provide conceptual and operational leadership, and not to do every task.

One task that was undertaken prior to the Hanagamis assuming the Chair of the WAC was their organization of RVM’s first Pickleball Friendly tournament between residents and staff.  That involved not only the games themselves, but also the effort to inform and recruit staff members to play, and a program to coach them, originally provided by Tim Miller and now by WAC teammate Doug Godwin.  The original event was a success, and is now in its second iteration for 2025.  The process encompasses eight training classes put on by the residents for the staff, and will culminate in a round-robin tournament taking place in June with a second tournament planned for later in the Fall.

An ongoing effort that the committee is committed to is the expansion of the Summer Games to include events suitable for participation by those with ability limitations. Committee member Anne Irons is spearheading this effort. The pilot will target two events that have been designed for play by those with mobility limitations: corn bag toss, and snakes & ladders.  A handicap system will allow fully abled players to compete on similar terms to those with limitations.  We can expect these modifications to appear in the next round of the Games.

The Wellness Orientation Tour is a cooperative activity created and led by Diahana Barnes, Fitness Assistant, and supported by WAC volunteer Nancy Maxwell.  Tours take place on the second Wednesday of each month; the team has conducted four so far.  The tour is designed to provide newer residents an opportunity to experience many of the activities provided by the Wellness Department.  On the tour you’ll interact with our hobbies and crafts groups, view our swimming pool, sauna and steam rooms, observe our still-being-constructed Personal Training Center, and conclude with a presentation at our HyrdoWorx therapy pool.  During the beta test in December, members who attended commented, “I wish this was available when I was a new resident.”  Ironically, in the first three tours of the year, most of our attendees were longer-term residents rather than our newer clientele.  Interested in taking this tour?  Sign up at the Manor’s front desk.

What else can we look forward to?  Probably quite a lot.  One of the Hanagamis’ first ideas was to establish “Wellness Advisory Captains” positioned in each of the major living venues (Manor, Terrace, Plaza, and Cottages) who would be a resource for those residents and champion wellness activities in those locations.  However, as Gary ruminates, “…we’ve been so busy getting the major projects going, we’re missing the boat on creating this vehicle to enable better execution of those concepts.  We’ll get this done sooner than later.”

Optimistic, but don’t count it out; under the leadership of the Hanagamis, the Wellness Advisory Committee is rapidly setting and achieving new goals.  So don’t be surprised if one of their Captains appears at a community meeting espousing the Way to Wellness!

 

 

 

The Virtue of Volunteering for Pets – a report from the field

Submitted by our correspondent,
Bob Berger

 

Like many residents, Margie and I arrived at RVM “between pets”, so we explored how to remedy this lack of a close relationship with an animal friend.  In the end, we decided not to adopt or foster, though these seemed to be our only options.  Instead, we discovered a third option – becoming a volunteer in an animal support organization,

I chose FOTAS (Friends of the Animals), a group of volunteers supporting the Jackson County Animal Shelter in nearby Talent because of its stated purpose “to improve the quality of life for animals in Southern Oregon by facilitating adoptions, medical care, education, and resources to our community.”

 

I’m a dog walker for FOTAS.

On any day I interact with 6-8  pets with a wide variety of breeds, personality traits, and socialization needs. Think of it as “speed dating” with furry friends. The objective is to find a forever home for deserving dogs. And while I don’t wake up with any of them, I get immense satisfaction from contributing to the adoption of animals that may not have had the easiest of lives, and appreciating their progress in becoming adoptable during their stays at the Shelter.

 

Yes, felines can also become your voluntary pets if you prefer. There are also many other positions that are less physically demanding, including helping with spay/neutering clinics, vaccination/chip clinics and public adoption events.

 

To learn more about volunteer opportunities, give me a call or talk to other RVM residents that volunteer, including Paul Schettler and Kiki Nowak , or call FOTAS at  (541) 613-6099 .

A reminder — Contribute to a special “Pet” issue of The Complement

Yes, you still have time to submit your contribution to the upcoming Complement issue devoted to Pets at RVM, the first in a quarterly series of themed issues. That wet nose among your friends wants to be a part!

We welcome…

— thoughtful essays on how pets contribute to life and community at RVM.

— first- or second-hand stories about how our remarkable pets have changed our lives

— creative first person work: drawings, poems, humorous anecdotes, photos and what-have-you on pets you know and love

— video snippets (like GIFs) of your pet for inclusion in The Complements production of …. Pets of RVM – Naked.

We are targeting the issue for July, allowing time for submissions and pre-production. All contributions are requested by May 15, 2025, but we probably won’t be able to say no to a pet lover submitting after that date.

E-mail submissions to openinforvm@gmail.com. We prefer Word and jpg files.

 

Views of Opportunity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contribute to a special “Pet” issue of The Complement

The Complement editorial team is pleased to announce an upcoming Complement issue devoted to Pets at RVM, the first in a quarterly series of themed issues.

You are welcome to contribute with…

— thoughtful essays on how pets contribute to life and community at RVM.

— first- or second-hand stories about how our remarkable pets have changed our lives

— creative first person work: drawings, poems, and what-have-you on pets you know and love

— video snippets (like GIFs) of your pet for inclusion in The Complements production of …. Pets of RVM – Naked. — other thoughts?………….

We are targeting the issue for July, allowing time for submissions and pre-production. All contributions are requested by May 15, 2025.

If you wish to submit work requiring a significant effort on your part, please communicate with a member of the Editorial Team for feedback on whether there will be room for your work in the final layout.

All contributions will be archived for browsing, but there will not be room to feature all contributions on the front page index. Please accept our humble apologies for our inability to accept without limits.

E-mail submissions to openinforvm@gmail.com. Attachments intended for publication should be in MS Word (docx) format; images should be in jpg format and submitted separately from the text (which may have included images to show intended layout).

 

Managing Life’s End

By Bob Buddemeier

Let me put this as delicately as possible.  You are going to die.  If you are like most people you don’t know when, where, or how, BUT you have some definite positive or negative preferences about the answers to those questions.

A recent presentation by Jan Rowe, RN (ret) and Athera Brockbank, Clinical Manager for Providence Hospital hospice, laid out the choices to be made and actions taken in anticipation of life’s end – both well in advance and when the end draws near.  Their presentation addressed primarily medical issues, with an admonition to also take care of the paperwork and other advance arrangements: will, trust, designating a health care representative, powers of attorney, mortuary arrangements, etc.

This article is a summary of the key points of the presentation, including guidance on where to find further information. A video of the presentation is available for viewing on MyRVM (Go to MyRVM>Staff Departments & Services>Health Services>Educational Resources>End of Life Presentation 2025.

Record of Preferences:  The do-it-in-advance items are preparation of an Advance Directive (AD) and a POLST (Portable Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment) form – and discussion of the contents with your medical provider and your Health Care Representative, who should be willing to support your choices. These are the places to record preferences such as “do not resuscitate” or “do not intubate,” for example.

The POLST is primarily oriented toward emergency personnel and first responders; it needs to be signed by your Principal Care Provider, and should be posted on your refrigerator door.  The AD is also known as a living will but it does not need to be drawn up by a lawyer or notarized; it must be witnessed by two people. It is a flexible document – although standard forms are available, this can be drawn up in any way you want.  Copies should be given to your medical providers and family or friends who may be looking after you or your interests.

Treatment Options: There are two treatment options to be considered in case of serious or terminal illness, palliative care and hospice.  Both require referral by a doctor. Palliative care is for those who are seriously ill and need special care (e.g., for pain management).  The Providence Hospital palliative care operates though their home health care program, for people who can’t conveniently get to a hospital or provider’s office. It can be combined with a medical treatment program.

Hospice is for those with a prognosis of death within six months. It cannot be combined with medical disease treatment, but it does not need to meet home health care requirements. It is focused on the relief of distress and symptoms and attends to the individual’s emotional as well as physical needs during the final stages of life.

Death Management:  In Oregon, the terminally ill patient who wishes to control the circumstances of their death has two recognized options:  Voluntarily stopping eating and drinking (VSED), and Medical Aid in Dying (MAID), enabled by Oregon’s Death with Dignity (DWD) Act.

VSED results in a natural death, is usually painless, and requires no permission or authorization.  However, one’s doctor should be notified, and the process does require determination and may require 24-hour care.  The official cause of death is recorded as either the underlying disease or dehydration.

MAID is described as follows – Oregon’s Death With Dignity Act provides an end-of-life option that allows a terminally ill, qualified person to legally request and obtain a medication from their physician to hasten their inevitable death in a peaceful, humane and dignified manner at a time and place of their choosing.  To be “qualified,” people must be over 18, competent to make decisions, and able to administer the medication themselves.  They must make two separate oral requests and one written request to the  MD or DO who will write the prescription, and have a second doctor confirm that life expectancy is six months or less.  Death is recorded as caused by the underlying condition.

Information and advice: Jan Rowe and Prathiba Eastwood are End of Life Choices Oregon (EOLCOR) volunteers at RVM.  EOLCOR is a 501(C)(3) non-profit that performs the following services free of charge,

  • Make home visits to educate clients and loved ones about all of their choices
  • Offer emotional support, especially to those without family or caregivers who agree with their choice
  • Work closely with hospice personnel
  • Help find supportive doctors and pharmacies
  • Offer guidance through the MAID process and info about VSED
  • Assistance and presence at planned deaths, if requested

RVM permits MAID and VSED in all living situations except the Memory Support Center.  For information on RVM policy and potential support, see Melissa Preston, Aaron Williams, Fr. Joel, or Linda Bellinson.

The RVM library has an information binder entitled “Resources in the RVM Library and Beyond on Death and Preparing for It.”

Offsite Organizations

END OF LIFE CHOICES OREGON                       503-922-1132
www.eolcoregon.org

VSED Resources Northwest                                   360-919-6363
VSEDresources.com

Oregon Health Authority
Oregon.gov/oha
Search “Death with Dignity Act”

Death with Dignity National Center                    503-228-4415
Deathwithdignity.org

Compassion and Choices                                        800-247-7421
compassionandchoices.org

 

 

 

 

 

So Many Choices, So Little Time

By Joni Johnson

RVM will host a Hobbies, Crafts & Volunteers Opportunities Fair on April 11 from Noon to 3 PM in the Auditorium.  It will be a chance for everyone to find out about the many activities available to residents of Rogue Valley Manor.

As most of you know, we have a multitude of activities to choose from to keep our bodies and minds engaged. Our April Fair is focused on the Hobbies, Crafts and Volunteer Opportunities that many of us have heard about or seen people participating in throughout the campus.  Have you ever wondered how we’ve managed to have a beautiful bonsai display within our swimming pool area or how our community gardens grow?  Our April Fair is designed to provide you with answers to these questions, and with others you may not have even thought about.

There will be approximately two dozen teams of people to answer your questions about what they do and where and when they do it.  And who knows, you might connect with like-minded people with one or several of these groups and become an active member!

Mary Ann & Wayne Hager, Co-Chairs of RVM’s Volunteer Committee, along with Meryl & Gary Hanagami, Co-Chairs of the Wellness Advisory Committee, supported by Bill Tout, Recreations Committee Chair, are spearheading the orchestration of our April Fair.  Our Community Engagement Team, led by Director Sarah Karnatz, is sponsoring the event, and is planning a host of resident enticements to satisfy your body while the myriad of groups should help build your spirit and strengthen your mind.

If you’re looking for a place to exercise your writing skills, how about talking to Bob Buddemeier of The Complement to see what they have to offer.  Feeling a bit stressed out lately?  Seek out Nancy Ottis whose Meditation Group will offer a place to calm your mind, or how about asking Arlene Ching about the benefits of Rooftop Gardening?  Curious about the origins of your family tree?  Rita Derbas and her Genealogy group could Sherlock your way down the right path.  And who would have thought Paul Ackerman’s Rogue Rover’s RV group existed?  But he’s there as well.  Feeling ambitious?  How about starting or reactivating a group that is in need leadership?  We have those too!

RVM is known for its resident volunteers, and we’ll have several of those groups as well.  If you want to exercise your legal chops, talk to Marilyn Perrin about CASA and helping those too young to help themselves.  Curious about supporting high school girls navigating their way to and through college?  Seek out Julie Crites and learn about our Fairy Godmothers program. Or would you like to provide the homeless with a bit of comfort? Ruth Draper with Sleeping Mats for the Homeless may be right up your alley!

Remember how it was for you, uprooting your comfortable life to adopt a new one at RVM?  Talk about the choices we must make here, or about finding out how to go about making them?  You  can help new residents assimilate and navigate life at RVM — simply talk to Suzana Gal about joining the Ambassadors Group.  Still not enough?  Seek out Mary Ann and Wayne Hager or Bill Tout. They’ll help you find a crafting group to your liking.

Living here really can be the start of something wonderful!  So, join us at the Hobbies, Crafts & Volunteer Opportunities Fair on Friday, April 11 from 12-3 pm. in the Auditorium.

 

DIRECTV- What is it and why do we want it?

 

by Joni Johnson

As a person who spends many hours watching TV, I was very interested to see what DIRECTV – Streaming would bring us and how it would compare to our current supplier Spectrum.  I actually went and saw it in action with someone already using it on campus.  I was highly impressed.  It is different from the DIRECTV that uses a satellite dish.  Because it is a streaming service, it offers more flexibility than the satellite dish.  And it provides everything we got from Spectrum plus so much more.  Also, unlike Spectrum, it requires no additional equipment other than the cute little Gemini Air Dongle which is about the size of a very small smart phone and is attached by HDMI directly to your TV.

The dongle, which replaces a traditional cable box, supports wifi and internet.  It offers a user-friendly interface with a programmable remote, voice control and access to Netflix and Prime Video and all the rest of the apps that you choose.  The system includes 20 hours of cloud-based recording with an option for unlimited recording for $10 extra per month.

The remotes side by side

WATCHING TV

If you are someone who only watches TV and never records, I think DIRECTV will provide an easier way to access your shows.  Here’s a picture of the remote next to the old Spectrum remote.  As you can see there is only one one and off Button rather than the Spectrum remote that had two power buttons, one for the cable and one for the TV.  The guide is the same.  And now you can actually record a show by using the red dot, which will make recording a real option for those who have never done so before.  When I set up my TV, I had to pay a monthly fee for my recording box.  That fee does not exist in the new system. You get 20 hours of free recording storage.  If you do record, the list is really useful because it is one button to reach the list of already recorded shows and future shows waiting to be recorded rather than toggling through the menu. And when you remove what you have recorded, it gives you space for future recordings

And a truly wonderful addition on the remote is the microphone that enables you to move immediately from one show to another by just mentioning the channel or the app. Here is a a mini video showing how easy it is to use the microphone.  And you can access channels also by just putting in the numbers on the remote.

Using voice control

STREAMING:

For those of you that don’t stream and don’t want to- DIRECTV provides the same channel experience as Spectrum with recording for everyone, so do not worry.  But it does provide an option of streaming some other internet apps when you decide you want to explore it. More information on streaming will be available in May/June after you have played with your tv for a while.

For those of you who stream now, the dongle offers lots of options.  I currently use ROKU to stream and I really like it.  But the negative to using ROKU is that you have to go from the streaming platform to the TV, which requires jumping from Cable to another HDMI port.  I could still do that with DIRECTV.  But I don’t think I will need to do that because all of my streaming Apps (Netflix, Prime, Apple TV, Hulu, Acorn, Peacock, Paramount, PBS plus many more) are visible and programable right on the TV.  So most probably, I can get everything I have streaming with ROKU and also move to watch something being broadcast on TV with one little button choice.

Many of the apps I use cost money, but there are many more free apps available to show you movies and other TV programs.  The benefit of using an app instead of watching something on TV is that they are all available on demand.  For example,  I don’t have to wait for a show to appear on PBS.  I can actually access it on the app whenever I want.  All You need is a Passport account which is free with any charitable contribution to PBS. So if you support PBS, then all you need is that app. Another benefit is that we will be able to access anything we are watching on TV on our phone or tablet as well.  So let’s say that you start watching a TV program on your TV but have to pause because you are going to a doctor’s appointment.  And then you find yourself in the waiting room for some time before you get called.  You can actually access the same program you were watching at home on your smart phone and it will start at exactly where you paused it.

CHANNEL 900

Channel 900 will still be available, but now it will be a channel 900 app with a name like Rogue Valley Manor.  The benefit of it being an app rather than a channel is that you will be able to choose the information you want from a menu rather than having to wait till it scrolls through all of its slides.

Here’s a video that gives you a little idea of everything you get.  It does tell you how to connect your TV to the direct tv dongle.  But don’t worry.  All that will be done for you when they install it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnBXNY4OL_8

LEARNING THE PROGRAM:

As previously mentioned, DIRECTV will be put onto your TV by support personnel.  So all you need to do is learn how to use it once it is on.

Our fearless leaders are putting together lots of ways to learn how to use the remote. First of all, there will be a list of questions and answers (FAQs) on MyRVM.org.  It is being developed and should be available in mid-March.  The Direct TV roll out will begin in April. In addition, they are gathering together several videos on how to use the program.  From people’s experience, DIRECTV personnel are extremely helpful if you call them for support.  And I am sure that there will be help from both residents and support personnel when we first start using it.

For some, the transition will be very easy.  For others, it might take a little bit to learn what is different.  But I truly believe that once you have mastered the remote you will be thrilled with DIRECTV.  I can hardly wait until it is installed.

 

A Poetic Invitation

Introductions:  The Complement has a new contributor/staff member, Milt Friedman.  Milt brings to us a wide range of skills and ideas. One is a commitment to publication of resident contributions, and another is his love of poetry.  We hope that the present and potential poets at RVM will respond to Milt’s appeal and allow us to introduce poetry contributions into our regularly published features.

 

An invitation to write a poem

by Milt Friedman

Before Rap, poems sprang from the quiet solitude of the soul. Whether in nature, the past, or the wistful being of the moment, poems carried a certain strain of thought, sometimes ecstatic, sometimes blue. Before Rap, people wrote poems to express their inner perplexity, their multiplicity, their paradox of joy.

Jazz is improvised and springs from this same poetic being, and jazz, combined with social rage, brought us to Rap. Us, those of us, who feel that rage, in this time of perplexity and paradox.

Poems have the potential to free our words, to free our worlds, to free us. And so, I am moved to invite you to express the ecstatic, the blue, the perplexity, the rage, and any of the multitude of moods that rise to being in you.

I invited a couple of friends to write a poem to share, and they shied away, thinking that they did not know how, or just couldn’t. And so, I began to consider how many people do not think they can write poetry, not like Walt Whitman or Mary Oliver. Yet writing a poem may not be that hard if we keep in mind that we don’t have to be Whitman or Oliver, and in fact, we are not. We are, simply us, and we, each of us, can write from the quiet solitude of our soul.

Imagine letting your mind drain of words and images, close your eyes, try to hear your heart, or your breath. And notice whether an object appears in your mind. Perhaps from your present life, perhaps from the past. Let that object dwell in your consciousness, accreting memories, feelings, perhaps regrets or joys. See which feeling is strongest. Use the object as your first line, the feeling as the second, the story that comes next, made up or remembered, the story is the dream that will travel through the poem until it ends. We may, along the way, be joined by others, or other objects, trees, sky, breezes, or rooms. Wherever the dream takes us until it ends. This is only the first draft. It may be enough to show to a trusted friend.

And this is only one way to compose a poem. There are endless other ways too, but this is one that you can try out if you want. Because I assure you that this will work. An object will appear. Memories and feelings will arise, poignant and, rarely, comforting. And the poem, the dream, will take us, if we are willing to let go of the moment’s obsessions and attachments. There is after all, only you, but the you that writes the poem will always reach out to the world, to request or demand more. This is the poem that our minds write, that we can use to reach out.

And so, I am moved to invite you to express your dream.

This is the poem that I wrote as I explored this way to write a poem:

 

The horseshoes on the horses ahead of me clacked on the rocky trail.

Grief overwhelmed me as I remembered my father’s touch

On my shoulder.

He died.

 

Leaving me to manage the farm, too young by far.

The sun was just shuttling through the leaves turning to autumn.

In the morning we rose early for this ride.

 

If you like, try it out, and perhaps, if you are willing, send it to us or enter it in the comments section, to connect.

A Winter What-If

by Bob Buddemeier

Offering advice on surviving a winter storm a month after the major storm of the season may seem a little like locking the barn after the horse is stolen.  However, the approach has the advantage of raising the subject while the experience is still fresh in people’s memories, which may improve the chances of attention, or even action.

The February storm dropped over a foot of snow, and resulted in RVM appeals for cottage residents to stay in place and not venture out.  It also resulted in cancellation of two dinners and replacement with take-out and deliveries.  It could have been worse – snow tapered off on the second day, daytime temperatures were consistently above freezing, and enough RVM employees made it into work so that food could be prepared and road clearing undertaken.

What if?  More snow, colder temperatures, fewer employees at work, and a storm-related power outage.  All possibilities.  We don’t even have to call on the Cascadia earthquake to envision things being pretty bad. The first step in recognizing how bad is to realize that without power most communication is down. An overloaded phone system and word of mouth would be about the only ways to get information about conditions and local plans. Residents, especially those in the cottages, would have to be truly self-reliant — and do so without heat.

Basic advice: pay attention to RVM and the READY Team guidance on emergency equipment and supplies to have on hand.  On MyRVM –> Staff Departments & Services, and then –> Security & Emergency Preparedness.  However, the winter storm prospect creates some emphasis or issues that go beyond the basic lists.

The “don’t go out in the snow and ice” issue: Maybe you need to check on or help a neighbor.  Maybe you don’t have an indoor puppy potty.  Maybe you’re a radio-equipped READY coordinator and a vital link in the face-to-face communication network. Maybe your home is too cold or out of basic supplies and you need to get to the more liveable conditions in a high-rise (and your car is snowed in and the streets uncleared).  It can all be possible if you know the magic word – YAKTRAX.

Yaktrax is the name of a brand of wear-them-on-your-feet traction devices, but like Kleenex and Xerox the brand name has been generalized to refer to the whole class of such items, some of which are at least as good as the named brand. The picture illustrates one of many styles.  What should you get and how do you get some? [Editorial Opinion] (1) Go to the online Amazon catalog, type Yaktrax into the search field and look until you find some that say they are for walking on snow and ice AND have a cumulative user rating greater than 4.5. Prices range from <$20 to the sky’s the limit. Search for “Yaktrax size chart” to relate your shoe/boot size to the S-M-L choices — but adjust your ordinary shoe size to account for the difference in outside dimensions between the shoe and you winter boot. (2) Not an online shopper? Take the boot that you would wear them on, go to REI and tell the salesperson what you want.  And expect to pay a little more.  Remember, concrete or tile surfaces may damage the Yaktrax, which in turn may damage wood or composition flooring.

I also recommend an entrenching tool or similar small sturdy shovel – it’s not a snow shovel, but you can use it to clear a foot-wide footpath, or enough of an area so that puppy can get his butt close to the ground without being totally submerged.  And if you have a snowy driving mishap, it’s a lot better than using your fingernails to get the snow out from around your tires.

Speaking of cars, winter gear belongs both there and in the dwelling.  If your car is in an attached garage, store the gear there, but if you park down the street, it’s best to keep the emergency supplies in the house and move them to the car for trips.

What else what if?  Clothing and bedding that can keep you safely warm, if not comfortable, in sub-freezing weather.  In the cottages, no power means no heat. Don’t forget the peripherals – warm gloves, socks, cap, long johns.  Emergency light sources, food and water for several days, and maybe an emergency radio.  And if you self-evacuate, don’t forget your medicines.

Talk to your neighborhood or floor coordinator for the READY Team — they are there to help with emergency preparation as well as response.  How do you find your coordinator? Glad you asked.  The relatively easy way is to open MyRVM and enter https://files.mwapp.net/files/ff/-coordlookupsept4[155910591].TXT into the address bar (or click the link here). Alternatively, MyRVM –> Staff Departments & Services, and then –> Security & Emergency Preparedness, scroll down a half page and click the left-hand READY icon, then scroll down and click the “coordinator and neighborhood finder” link below the text.  Trust me, it will be worth it.

Beyond that, it’s forethought, caution, and cooperation with other people in the same situation.  There’s no excuse for losing more than one horse.