Down the Shore

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By Eleanor Lippman

Two things always governed what my family did: financial and lack of imagination.

So, when it came to vacations, the only out of town location my family ever considered was Atlantic City, New Jersey, or as we in Philadelphia called it, “Down the shore”.

The financial part determined whether we even saw Atlantic City during the summer or whether we actually vacationed in Atlantic City and how long we stayed.

Preparing for a down the shore vacation, my father would empty out his delivery truck, moving its contents to the basement of our house, and we would pile in, three and eventually four children, two adults, and all of the paraphernalia needed for a beach stay. After unloading and settling us in at our temporary vacation house, he would return to Philadelphia to work. If our stay included a full weekend or two, he would join us late Saturday morning and on Sunday afternoon, he’d leave to go back home. He’d spend the two half days bravely sitting with us on the beach under an umbrella with several towels covering his legs completely. You see, my father, with his corn flower blue eyes, had skin the color of milk, skin that was so sensitive to the sun, any exposure would lead to misery. With one exception. My father drove his delivery truck with the driver’s side window down and his left arm resting half outside and half inside ready to signal his turning directions at all times. By the end of summer, the skin on his left arm was nut brown from his fingers to where his sleeve ended with a white band permanently there under his wrist watch. That arm never feared the rays of the sun. His right arm was always milky white.

During one of our beach summers, when we probably rented a place for two or three weeks, my father showed up briefly during the weekends as usual and on the day of our departure with the truck emptied out, he was ready to haul us back to Philadelphia. When he arrived to take us home, he had a big surprise, but, we had to guess what it was. No clues other than “something new”. All during the packing and loading the truck we pestered him with guesses. All during the ride home there were more, millions of ideas of ‘what was new’. We’d yell out a new guess and watch him grin and shake his head no.

We reached home and still hadn’t figured it out. After unloading our beach things and loading up the truck with my dad’s merchandise and still flinging guesses at him, my mother called us into the kitchen for dinner. I was probably about eight years old at the time and I remember my very last idea for what was new. As I stood in the doorway to the kitchen, I was certain the answer was “a new toaster”. Who knows what prompted that thought, but it was the best I could do.

I’ll never forget his big reveal. As his four children gathered around him, he was ready to tell. The answer: he had shaved off his bushy mustache. To this day, I still don’t know if my mother had guessed correctly.

Pain Management

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By Liz Argall, contemporary cartoonist

Our Holiday Poem to You

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Surviving Winter: Driving on Ice and Snow

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By Joni Johnson

Even though we don’t experience much snow in winter, we still get days of snow and ice. It is wise to review the important dos and don’ts about driving in winter conditions. This is certainly true for anyone new to this area, but also a good reminder for those of you who have been around a while.

We’ve come up with some important tips for driving in winter conditions and then have found various you-tube videos that will explain more thoroughly how various conditions affect your braking capabilities, how a 4-wheel drive affects driving in difficult conditions and most importantly, how to deal with skids on icy and snowy roads.

The five most important tips in driving in the winter are:

  1. Plan Ahead- know what the weather conditions might be- even if you are just going to Ashland or Jacksonville. What is the predicted temperature? Is snow or rain expected?
  2. Accelerate and decelerate slowly. Otherwise, the tires will spin, even if it is a 4-wheel drive vehicle.
  3. Slow down. If the speed limit is 55 or 65 mph, you may only want to be going 30 and certainly no more than 45 mph.
  4. Increase your following distance to double or even triple the distance you usually allow so that you can decelerate slowly and not have to brake abruptly, which will quite probably send you into a spin or into the vehicle in front of you.
  5. Try to avoid coming to a complete stop on a hill, and if you have to, leave lots of room around you. However, it is better to continue moving slowly rather than coming to a complete stop if that is possible.

 

Here is a video that explains how various weather conditions affect the grip of your tires to the road and therefore how fast you can stop.  It is very interesting.

 

 

The next video explains how a 4-wheel drive can affect your driving in wet and snowy conditions.

 

 

Certainly, while going over the passes would be better in a 4 wheel drive, the most important thing would be using snow tires and /or chains.  In difficult conditions, one or the other is required in order to avoid a ticket or a fine.

In typical winter conditions, vehicles rated at 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight (GVW) or less, and not towing or being towed, are allowed to use traction tires in place of chains. However in very bad winter road conditions all vehicles may be required to use chains regardless of the type of vehicle or type of tire being used. This is known as a conditional road closure. A conditional road closure may occur on any of Oregon’s highways and is frequent in the winter on Interstate 5 through the Siskiyou Pass south of Ashland.

“Traction Tires” are studded tires, retractable studded tires, or other tires that meet the tire industry definition as suitable for use in severe snow conditions.

And finally, one of the most important things to know when driving in bad weather is how to avoid sliding on slippery roads, and if you are caught in a skid, how to correct  one without damaging yourself, your ego or your car.

 

 

I hope these tips and videos have helped.  If you need any more suggestions, there are many YouTube videos out there just for you. Put in “driving in icy or snowy conditions” and take your pick.

December Library Display

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by Anne Newins

The library volunteers have identified an eclectic group of nearly eighty books for your holiday reading.  Spanning a variety of genres, one common feature in the collection seems to be snow.  Below is a sampling of some of the books on display.

Cindy Bollens and Julie Mahoney

Romance:

The Snow Bride, by Debbie Macomber

Nantucket White Christmas, by Pamela Kelley

The Wish, by Nicolas Sparks

 Historical:

Log Cabin Christmas Collection, various authors

Snow Falling on Cedars, by David Guterson

The Winter Soldier, by Daniel Mason
Mystery:

A Fine and Bitter Snow, by Dana Stabenow

Blood on Snow, by Jo Nesbo

Arctic Chill, by Arnaldur Indridason

Books about polar exploration, poetry, and short stories are also included. The display is located in front of the fireplace near the main entrance to the library.

RVM Campus Snow Routes

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In mid-November, drivers at RVM encountered barricades and detour signs on some of the campus roads  The reason — a dress rehearsal for snow-and-ice season, with the  employees practicing getting onto campus via the “Snow Route.” The Snow Route (shown in the map below) is designed to keep traffic off of the steepest streets, which experience has shown are difficult or impossible to negotiate under slippery conditions.

Traffic control is set up and manned by the Security Department, while road clearing is handled by the grounds team of Facilities Services. Jens Larsen, Director of Security, explained that Transportation is also involved in shuttling staff up or down the hill when RVM Drive is closed.

When asked about the decision and set-up process, Jens said “We sometimes pre-stage road barricades that direct this route if we know bad weather is coming, but the timing always depends on the time of day and what staff is on the hill when the weather hits.”

The plan is to divert all employee traffic in and out through Mira Mar and the South Village. Conditions may dictate closing parking lots and additional roads depending on the nature of the event. Ice is typically a bigger challenge than snow, because it just hits without any visual clue that it has arrived.

RVM has a snow hotline (extension SNOW-857-7669), primarily for staff to call before driving to work.  However, residents can also use it to determine current conditions. The road controls help ensure the safety of residents as well as staff. When conditions are poor, One Call Now is used to try and warn staff and residents to NOT venture out unless it is an emergency, and notices are also programmed on Channel 900.

The Grounds team is well equipped for plowing, scraping and salting, but the time required to restore normal safe travel conditions will depend heavily on the nature of the event and the staff available to work on it. When roads and walks are treacherous, residents are urged to stay home if at all possible, and to use Manor Transport if they must go out.

 

If you would like to download a PDF of the map, CLICK HERE

COVID UPDATE

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What to do:  if you haven’t already, GET A BOOSTER.  It significantly increases immunity and decreases disease severity.

For information, contact  Aaron Williams, RVM Infection Preventionist, x7409, awilliams@retirement.org

 

What to wear: a well-fitted high-quality mask.  In order of effectiveness, N95, approved KN95, layered surgical and cloth masks, surgical mask, and do NOT rely on a cloth mask only.

For more information, see:  https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/24/health/cloth-mask-omicron-variant-wellness/index.html

 

What to know:  Current data and statistics on the local COVID situation.

For information, see:  https://jcgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/324ac6f9a39e4121a2ee4f04156856ca

MEDFORD TO PARIS —BY RAIL?

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NIT WIT NEWZ

(Nit Wit Newz is an unauthorized, often unreliable, on-line news source designed to keep Manor residents abreast of the inconsequential, trifling, and superficial events that dramatically shape and inform our everyday lives here at Rogue Valley Manor.)

   MEDFORD TO PARIS —BY RAIL?

Scene: International Olympic Headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Date: The Present

Under Discussion:  The possible addition of new events to the 2024 Summer Games of the XXXIII Olympiad in Paris, France.

Participants: Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee; nine committee members; a committee assistant; Jordan Mo, de facto manager of a delegation from the U.S.A; several U.S.A delegate members.

(The sound of a gavel.)

Thomas Bach: This meeting will come to order. Who is our first applicant?

Committee Assistant: Ms. Jordan Mo from the United States.

TB: Welcome, Ms. Mo, please introduce yourself to the committee.

JM: My name is Jordan Mo, and I’m from Medford, Oregon.

TB: Medford?

JM: That’s right, Medford—the fruit basket of the Pacific Northwest. It’s where Harry met David.

TB: I’m not sure we’re acquainted with Harry and…

JM: In fact, we have for you, Mr. President, a Harry and David Holiday Gift Pack of their sumptuous pears. You may wish to share them with the committee.

TB: Thank you Ms. Mo, but it is our policy not to accept gifts from those who are petitioning us. Please proceed with your proposal.

JM: I shall. We would like the game, Mexican Train, to be added to the events in the upcoming 2024 Olympics in Paris.

TB: I’m afraid this committee is not familiar with that event; can you give us a few details?

JM: Mexican Train is a board game that can be played by…

TB: Let me interrupt you, Ms. Mo. The Olympic Games have never included board games in our competitions.

JM: We are fully aware of that, Mr. President. That is why we came here today to make our case. We are almost a quarter of the way through the twenty-first century and it is well past time that the most important and prestigious sporting event on our planet, the Olympic Games, begin nurturing and promoting mental acuity as well as physical agility.

TB: Whoa, Ms. Mo. What exactly are you proposing?

JM: Healthy minds, Mr.President, healthy minds. I needn’t remind you that they are just as important as healthy bodies. Mexican Train, like most board games, requires the disciplined application of a person’s mental powers. But that’s not all, there’s another equally important argument to add board games to the roster of Olympic events.

TB: Really? And what might that be?

JM: Adding Mexican Train to your menu of events would eliminate the specter that the Olympics discriminates against one of the world’s sizeable demographic groups that heretofore has been disinvited to participate in the games.

TB: Ms. Mo, the Olympics have made a conscious effort through the years to include all nations, genders, ethnic and racial groups. We are an all-inclusive organization.

JM: Not quite, Mr. President. The Olympics have ignored the mature among us. I’m talking about seniors, yes, seniors like you and me. Age-ism is a terrible thing.  Certainly the Olympic Committee does not want to appear to discriminate against this large and influential group—the world’s seniors.

TB: Well, no, of course not, but…

JM: Seniors can, and do, play board games.  And they play them well, very well—I might add. Ignore us no longer. Mr. President, GRAY MINDS MATTER!

TB: Well, I did notice that message on the T-shirts your delegation is wearing.

JM: So you see, the inclusion in the Olympics of the Mexican Train board game not only promotes the importance of brain power, it provides the Olympics with a full spectrum of worldwide participation among all age groups, not just the young and restless. No longer would you be vulnerable to age discrimination allegations.

TB: Hmm.

JM: Moreover, you might consider this. I’m sure it has not escaped your attention, Mr. President, that there has been a steady erosion of television viewership of the games in recent Olympiads. That trend accelerated at the Tokyo events last summer. If I’m not mistaken, the sale of television rights is the largest source of the committee’s income. The addition of events that include older participants would certainly increase viewership among that large and significant cohort. Put simply: more viewers mean higher future television rights. Merely a reminder, sir.

TB: We’ll take that point under advisement. I must ask you: do you or any of your delegation have a financial interest in Mexican Train?

JM:  Oh no, no. I live at a senior community in Medford and introduced the game to a number of my fellow residents. We are all merely amateurs and have no connection to the Mexican Train Company. The game has not only taken off in interest among my community, but their level of skill has raised our players to world class status. Frankly, our team is ready to display their talents on the world stage. As an aside, I like to think that should you accept our proposal, our team stands a good chance of bringing home gold to Medford in 2024.

TB: Well, I suppose…

JM: Just imagine, Mr. President. If Mexican Train proves to be a success in Paris, you can look forward to adding chess, cribbage, Monopoly—all sorts of games to future Olympics. You now have the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics, why not an Autumn Olympics devoted exclusively to board games?

TB: Now, now, Ms Mo, as we say in the Alps—let’s not get too far over our bob-sleds. Your proposal represents a seismic change in the Olympics as we know it. And, in fact, it would present us with massive logistical headaches should it be implemented. Off hand, I’d say your chances are not that good. But, in fairness, you can be assured that the committee will give your proposal all due consideration.

JM: We ask no more than that. Thank you, Mr. President.

Committee Member #7:  Ms. Mo, excuse me. I wouldn’t mind having one of those Larry and Davis pears.

TB: Ignore that request please, Ms Mo.

Committee Member #7:  Sorry.

TB: Now, it appears that we just may have time for one more applicant proposal. Who would be next?

Committee Assistant: That would be a Ms.Jeanette Bournival. She’s from Oregon—Medford, Oregon. Her proposed event is a game called Rummikue—it’s a board game.

(A gavel raps three times)

TB: Meeting adjourned.

—A. Looney

The Herrons’ Peace Corps Adventure in Belize….. and The Gambia

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This is part of a series of articles on the experiences of RVM residents in the Peace Corps.  Also in this issue is the article on Russy and Anita Sumariwalla; the November issue featured Joni Johnson and Asifa Kanji and David Drury.  Stay tuned…

Another Peace Corps Adventure- So good that they signed up for # 2

by Joni Johnson

Jean Herron, a resident at RVM since Bastille Day, 2001, joined the Peace Corps with her husband John in 1985.  He had retired not long before and was not quite ready to settle down.  Jean, who had not yet retired, decided to join him in a new adventure, and so the Herrons were off to Orange Walk, Belize, for a two-year experience from 1985-1987.  Jean had been a high school English teacher in Eureka.  John had a varied career, first in forestry for ten years, then as a high school chemistry teacher, also in Eureka.

According to folk stories, Orange Walk got its name from the many orange groves that had hugged the banks of the New River, which flows through the town and was a major trading route centuries before for the Maya. The town is a cultural mix of Mestizos (Spanish-Maya), Maya, Chinese, East Indians and Creoles.

Jean and John’s assignment was to train elementary school teachers. To prepare, they did the second half of their three month Peace Corps training 53 miles south of Orange Walk, in Belize City, home of the only Teachers Training College in the country. In Orange Walk, because they made a substantial salary of $350, they were able to afford a house with running water and a toilet and even hot water, when the water heater for the bathroom was turned on and left to heat for a while.  Water was potable with a few drops of Clorox.

For the first year, both John and Jean taught elementary teachers how to teach. The Belizean teachers were there on provisional credentials and were required to attend classes and receive support.  Jean also taught an English class every day from 10 to 12, changing elementary schools each day. In addition, she and John did demonstration lessons for their teachers in each elementary school and then left the teachers assignments to complete. They did all of their traveling on a motorcycle, John driving and Jean in the back.  At one point, Jean, tired of always being in the rear, decided to do the driving.  Unfortunately, John was 6’4” and significantly heavier, and with the weight distribution having changed dramatically, a push on the accelerator caused John to fly off the seat.  Luckily, he was wearing a helmet.  From then on, he was the driver.

Jean continued her position as teacher trainer throughout their two years in Belize. However, John transferred to the Forestry department to help the Belizeans with their forestry efforts.  Belize has extensive forest and abundant mangroves.  Among the environmental issues facing Belize are deforestation and the management of forest resources. It is generally believed that the amount of deforestation that has occurred in Belize is much less than that which has occurred in other rain forest countries.  When Jean’s daughter, Kathleen, visited Belize in 2013 she noticed how proud the natives were of how they were managing their forest resources. This was one of the projects on which John had worked.

After their return to the United States in 1987, the Herrons were still not quite ready to settle down.  And so they reapplied to the Peace Corps. This time they were sent to The Gambia, which is the smallest country in mainland Africa and totally surrounded by Senegal except for its western coast along the Atlantic Ocean. It was a British Colony before achieving its independence. Senegal, on the other hand, had been a French colony.

This assignment proved more difficult for the Herrons for several reasons. In addition to English, they needed to learn a native language (Mandingo).  The culture proved more challenging because of the hardships they saw, not only in terms of poverty but also in terms of culture.  Women were definitely relegated to second class and were expected to handle everything except the raising of cash crops.  Because of the extreme poverty, there was a great deal of corruption. When financial aid came in from a variety of foreign organizations to pay for various projects, the money would often be embezzled and the projects would receive significantly less than what had been offered. The Gambian system of extended families put financial demands on the wage-earners, which contributed to the corruption.

Jean and John enjoyed their experience with a completely new culture in
spite of their frustration with the system, even learning to eat from communal bowls. This time, Jean helped students develop their school gardens. She had been a big gardener during her time in Eureka, California.  And so she helped the teachers and their students improve their garden projects. John worked again in forestry with the Gambian Forest Service, teaching lessons on forest conservation.

Unfortunately, the Herrons could not fulfill their two-year obligation in The Gambia. John fell seriously ill after the first year, and they had to return home. Luckily, he was able to recuperate over time. But they were sad to cut short their stay. Jean loved her Peace Corps experiences.  She and John appreciated the kindness and respect they received from their new friends in both Belize and The Gambia. Jean often told her children, “The Peace Corps gave us the chance to make a difference in the lives of many people, and we became better people because of it.”

Let Me (Try To) Entertain You

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RVM Programs and the Pandemic

by Bob Buddemeier 

Remember when?  Back in the (pre-COVID) day, almost every Thursday evening and some Tuesdays, there would be live entertainment in the Manor auditorium.  Mostly a wide variety of kinds of music, but also occasional dance, lectures, or other performances.  Programs are funded by the Residents Council, with occasional chip-ins from the RVM Foundation

All were booked and arranged by Mary Jane Morrison, chair of the Program committee.  Bert Chumbler handled the technical set up and advertising, and Ollie Sontag looked after seating and getting in the residents from the licensed facilities.  Jo Ann Basin and I helped out around the edges with programs, thank-yous, etc.  It was a comfortable routine, with auditorium-only shows – “live performers deserve a live audience” was Mary Jane’s position.

L to R: Mary Jane Morrison, Performer Marty Davis,  Bert Chumbler, Ollie Sontag

Then — the dreaded virus.  Suddenly, a whole new dimension was added to the “live” in live audience and live performers, and keeping them literally alive meant not having them present alive in person.

And yet, a locked down community needed entertainment and distraction more than ever.

As the saying goes, when the going got tough, the tough got going, and as soon as Mary Jane could get approval to have outsiders back in the auditorium, we started having Thursday evening programs broadcast on Channel 900. The process, over more than a year and a half of the pandemic, went through multiple stages as shown in the chart.   From the original regime, we went through the initial shut-down and then into the televised restart.

Restarting programs involved major booking problems – since people could not get together to rehearse, almost the only groups available were solo performers or husband and wife teams.  Until social distancing and lockdown controls relaxed, we could get no orchestras, choruses, dance studios, etc.  Fortunately, some of the local performers were ready to step in on short notice, and Sarah Karnatz graciously shared her list of Bistro performers, some of whom accepted auditorium gigs. Although artists are permitted to remove their masks while performing, all performers must be vaccinated in order to be booked.

An important contributor to the shift to Channel 900 presentations was Mike House, RVM staff AV technician.  He had always seen to the sound quality for the auditorium show, but now he took over the tasks of broadcast and recording quality control as well as on-stage sound.

When restrictions loosened up somewhat, more groups became available for booking, but the auditorium was pressed into use as a dining venue.  Both the shows and the dinners managed to get done, but it was sometimes an uneasy compromise.  While the auditorium was being used for dining, there were difficulty adjusting sound levels, and sometimes competing noise from the diners.  Some performers found dining sounds (dishes & chatter) bothersome and felt it lessened the quality of their performance.

As it sometimes will, progress happened, and RVM began to transition to new video equipment and software.  And as is almost always the case, progress was not smooth and simple – for a number of weeks it was necessary to record the performance on one Thursday, and play the recorded version on Channel 900 the next Thursday.  This arrangement was generally confusing and frustrating for all involved.

However, we are now back to relative normality – the broadcast system is working, the auditorium isn’t used for dining, and we are able to bring in medium-sized groups.  But set aside relative normality – will it ever be absolute?  Mary Jane says she hopes that we can go back to live audiences by September 2022 at latest – maybe Spring, with luck.  In the meantime, she says that “What is missed most is feedback from the viewing audience.  Performers often tell us how much harder it is to perform to no audience.”

As long as occupancy restrictions are in effect, we will stick with broadcast only rather than trying to ration a limited number of seats among the residents.  When restrictions are finally lifted, Mary Jane plans to try an experiment: “When we open up to a full audience (100-150) we’ll still broadcast over Ch 900 provided that there is still a respectable size audience in the auditorium – otherwise we’ll have to limit it to auditorium only.”

One of the other problems with broadcast-only is that we have no idea about the size or reaction of the audience.  If you are watching and enjoying the program, let one of the Committee members know.  It helps to ensure that the show goes on.