Page 56 - Sonoma County Gazette July 2018

Standing on tippy-toes in warm summer sand...
By Date
Jul 3 ~ Senior Saunters - Stroll accessible paved trails, and explore seasonal signs of wildlife. Cloverdale River Park, 31820 McCray Rd., FREE, $7 Parking, 10-11:30a, parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov
Jul 6 ~ Senior Membership Drive - Learn about the senior center. FREE, 8:30- 10:30a, Finley Community Center, Person Senior Wing, 2060 West College Ave., Santa Rosa, 707-543-3745, activityguide@ srcity.org
Jul 11 ~ FREE Advance Care Planning Workshop - 2-4p, Redwood Credit Union Community Room, 3033 Cleveland Ave., Santa Rosa. 2-4p, 707-565-5950, mycaremyplansonoma.org
Jul 18 ~ Legal Consultations for Seniors and Family Members - Covers advance health care directives, conservatorships, estate planning, wills and trusts, probate, Medi-Cal and veterans’ benefits. FREE, 10-11:30a, Jewish Family and Children's Services, 1360 N. Dutton Ave., Suite C, Santa Rosa, 707-303-1530, jfcs.org
Jul 20 ~ Senior Driving - Senior Volunteers of the CHP - Discuss when it may be time to limit or stop driving. Petaluma Senior Center, 211 Novak Dr, Petaluma, 707-778-4399, FREE, Petaluma Senior Center, 211 Novak Dr., Petaluma
Rides To Appointments
Sebastopol ~ Need help getting to medical and social service appointments? 707- 829-2440, dean@sebastopolseniorcenter. org. $5, FREE for Wisdom Counts members, Sebastopol Senior Center, 167 N. High St., sebastopolseniorcenter.org
Cloverdale ~ Cloverdale Senior Community Center, 311 North Main St., 707-894-4826, cloverdaleseniorcenter. com
Senior Social Clubs
Contact Laurel Anderson at 707-525-0143 ext. 103, atlanderson@councilonaging.com.
Santa Rosa Senior Social Club at First United Methodist Church, 2150 Giffen, Santa Rosa, Mon., Wed., and Fri. 9:30-2p.
Sonoma Senior Social Club at Vintage House, 264 First St. E., Sonoma - Tues. and Thur. from 9:30-2p.
Healdsburg Senior Social Club at St. Paul’s Church, 209 Matheson St., Healdsburg, Mon., Tues., and Wed., 9:30- 2, Contact Roxanne Lemereis at 707-433- 6161.
Sebastopol Senior Social Club at Sebastopol Senior Cntr, 167 No. High St., Sebastopol, Mon., Wed. and Fri. 9:30-2p.
Senior Dining Sites
Council on Aging 30 Kawana Springs Road, Santa Rosa, 707-525-0143
Bethlehem Tower ~ 801 Tupper, SR, 707- 525-0143, M.,W., 12p
Cloverdale ~ Multipurpose Senior Center 311 North Main St., 707-525-0143 Mon.- Fri., 12p
First United Methodist Church ~ Senior Social Club ~ 2150 Giffen Ave., SR., 707- 525-0143, Mon.-Fri., 12p
Healdsburg Senior Center ~ 133 Matheson St., 707-525-0143 M.,T.,W., 12p
Healdsburg Senior Center ~ St. Paul’s Church, 209 Matheson St., Healdsburg, 707-525-0143, Mon., thru Fri., 12p
Rohnert Park Senior Center ~ 6800 Hunter Dr., Ste. A, 707-525-0143 Mon. - Fri., 12p
Sebastopol Senior Center ~ 167 High St., 707-525-0143, M.,W., F., 12p
Silvercrest Senior Housing ~ 1050 3rd St., SR, Margaret DeMaria, 707-525-0143, 11a
The lure is upon us! The Ocean beckons, that Island get-away inches closer and the magic of a dreamy “Vacation” sucks us into the flow! It’s like a lovely form of quicksand, the seasonal shiny object coaxing: c’mon! It’s time to let “time out” caress away those Winter chills; time to put causes aside. I know all that, so why is it so difficult to just turn off the news and get outta Dodge?
I used to be a pushover when it came to vacation travel! There was always tomorrow and the serious stuff could wait! Not to be maudlin, I could rationalize almost anything back then, and just catapult it into later. The lure of Cape Cod, canoeing on the Black River in New Hampshire, following the traveling Carnivals around the New England countryside, dancing all night at local dance halls or south to Florida - any one of them was an easy coax!
It’s different now, and thankful for that! I still run as fast as I can but it’s nowhere near fast enough. While exciting, those years were also exhausting— you know what I mean! All that energy and all that knowing all the answers and being fearless and ambitious and then raising children, running my practice and the endless cycles of causes, the Women’s movement, and all the other ones, etc., etc.
Fast forward and glance back. Just as there would always be time (back then), there also would always be my recognizable United States of America —head held high, respected by Allies, yearned for and coveted by our Immigrants. We tried to acknowledge our mistakes back then and admit to most of our shortcomings—you know the ones I mean. That America was always, always striving to be better, knowing that “self-improvement” would continue to be our biggest challenge, with still so far to go.
Am I raining on my own parade? That seductive euphoria that used to lure
me away seems easy to resist right now because part of me is afraid to turn
my back on what is happening to our country. It is harder to get away these
days, because it’s impossible to leave “it” behind. Nevertheless, plan I will. The
planes still fly,—oblivious to my particular inner turmoil! “It” is everywhere,
so what’s the point of fighting location? I can obsess over all of it as easily over required, 1-2p, Finley Community
there as I can from over here. Seizing Immigrant children out of their parents’ arms? My mind flashed to my grandmother around 1912, a young Italian wife on a stinking ship, with her 5-year-old Zoe and baby Ferdinando, heading toward the promise.
Center, Person Senior Wing, 2060 West College Ave., Santa Rosa. 707-543-3745
(And out of the other side of his mouth he honors a murderous dictator—in the name of America? How did we let this happen? And that’s just from the very short list.) The view from any sunny beach is clouded, not from clouds. Each breaking wave seems to beg the question: What will it take to make enough voices scream: Enough!
Aug 2 ~ Singles Seniors Social - Mix & mingle. Make new friends. FREE; 5-6:30p, Aqus Cafe Foundry Wharf, 189 H St., Petaluma, 707-778-6060, info@ aquscafe.com
Senior Services
Blood Pressure and Glucose Testing - Glucose and blood pressure screening every third Thur. of the month by students from the Empire College medical training program. $3 Wisdom Counts Member; $4 Associate Members, 3-4p, Sebastopol Area Senior Center, 167 N. High St, Sebastopol, 707-829-2440, Dean Brittingham, sebastopolseniorcenter.org
Not far from Vancouver Washington on the Columbia River, there’s a particular, spectacular waterfall where - if you can get close enough -you simply become part of the magnificent roar and anything on your mind is wonderfully, momentarily displaced! I could sure use a dose of Multnomah these days...to silence my anger even briefly.
Yes, it’s that Summer vacation time of year, and it’s no one’s fault that I cant help feeling—what?—citizen guilt? patriot denial? buyers’ remorse? I just can’t help hearing the sound of bewildered, crying children lying on cots like rows of cordwood, wondering where Mama and Papa are, while I plan to fly off to some enchanted place for a breather...
Jul 26 ~ Ice Cream Social - Ice cream buffet including a variety of flavors, toppings and fun. FREE, Pre-registration
Sebastopol Area Senior Center 167 N. High St.Sebastopol, 707-829-2440, sebastopolseniorcenter.org, Most events are FREE for members
Jul 3, 17 ~ Legal Aid - $5, Jul 3, 9:30-1:30p, Jul 17, 10-12:30p
Jul 5 ~ TED Talks - Lively discussions, and big ideas. $5, FREE for members, 2-3:30p,
Jul 12 ~ My Care My Plan - Advance health care directives workshop. FREE, 1-3p
Jul 13 ~ Clearing Clutter Support Group - $12, $10 for members, 10:45-12
Jul 16,30 ~ Poetry and Discovering Yourself - Explore Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet with Dr. Jackson in a 10-class series, 4-5:30p
Jul 17~ Advance Care Planning Workshop - FREE, and open to the public, 1-3p,
Jul 19 ~ Exploring the 2016 Election with Dr. McCuan - 2-part series examining the
results of the 2016 Election and the aftermath affecting our politics today, 1-3p,
Jul 25 ~ Daily Money Management - Learn to manage your finances, Free, 2:30-4p
Jul 26 ~ Maximizing Your Memory - learn to tell the difference between normal memory loss and dementia, FREE, call 800-272-3900 to RSVP
Zoë Tummillo has been writing about senior wisdom for the Gazette for many years. If you want to read more of her insights, visit SonomaCountyGazette.com for all her archived articles.
Senior Ballroom Dancing
Finley Community Center, 2060 West College Ave. Santa Rosa, $8
Jul 6 ~ Carl Green
Jul 13 ~ Tom Shader Trio Jul 20 ~ Manny Gutierrez Jul 27 ~ Carlton Trio
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