A TIME TO MOURN

When my father-in-law died soon after our marriage, I was introduced to the Jewish custom of a family’s “sitting shiva,” or staying home for seven days of mourning. Like most Jewish rituals, it can be quite elaborate, with a widow sitting on a low stool and with other traditions. My mother-in-law was too rational to wear herself down unnecessarily, but she did stay home to mourn and to welcome many visitors. They brought tons of comfort foods—lox and bagels, kugels, candy, and so on. Though the atmosphere was sad, it was also supportive and hopeful. Some of them brought children, which surprised me at first.

My father-in-law’s funeral itself was very sad. For the first time I heard the long Jewish prayers that years later would be used for my husband and other Jews. There was the Mourner’s Kaddish, a eulogy, and psalms; some were in Hebrew, others in English. It was very simple, with no flowers or music. Having grown up as a small-town Protestant, I found the austere Jewish ceremony a stark contrast to the funerals I attended as a child, with screechy sopranos singing along with poorly played organs, and with the sickly sweet odor of carnations overpowering everything. Sad as this funeral was, it seemed more comforting and appropriate.

In recent years I have attended all too many ceremonies I think of as “happy funerals.” Yes, they are called “celebrations of life,” with an emphasis on the dead person’s achievements and on the mourners’ love for them. Most people today seem to prefer these rituals. Too often, however, they seem to become performances.  Mourners arrive ready to read long eulogies, and to gather with other mourners, almost in a party atmosphere. There seems to be little grieving, as if people are obliged to be happy.

I don’t always object to these rituals, of course. When my friend Joani Blank learned that she would die soon of pancreatic cancer, she sprang into action and scheduled her own celebration of life, to occur before her death. And so one day in July, hundreds of people who loved Joani and had benefited from her generosity gathered at the First Unitarian Church of Oakland to thank her and to say farewell. I was unable to attend, but saw a video that make it look like a truly joyous occasion, for Joani and everyone else, though surely some tears were shed.

 

Still, in general when I attend one of these modern funerals, I find myself feeling resentful and wishing to hear the Kaddish.  I think how much better it would be to weep openly, to feel the pain of losing a beloved family member or friend. First there must be a time to mourn. There is much time later to heal the emotional wounds and return to an ordinary life, even to joyous rebeginnings. (Another Jewish tradition is to name the next baby born in the family for the person who died.  L’chaim!)

 

 

POSSESSED!

The younger generation—Millennials, Gen X, or whatever they are currently calling themselves—may have it right. They rent homes instead of buying them, move around the world as needed for their work, travel widely as students and volunteer workers. They concentrate more on having experiences than on buying possessions, and so they avoid accumulating a lot of heavy furniture and other stuff.

Most of us older people did just the opposite. We bought homes at the first opportunity, happily inherited things from our parents, maxed out credit cards to buy cars and electronics that sometimes lasted only a few years. As a result, at some post-retirement point we are likely to find ourselves burdened with too many belongings, such as large homes that no longer suit our needs. They are hard to clean (or expensive to have cleaned by someone else), have too many steps, require too much outdoor work, and so on. Instead of enjoying retirement, we may spend our days simply taking care of our possessions.  This is hardly “the last of life, for which the first is made”[i]!

Several years ago I downsized from a large home that had an in-law apartment. I loved the house, but couldn’t manage it physically or financially after being widowed. It took a couple of years (when I could have been traveling or otherwise enjoying myself), holding several sales, and becoming an eBay seller, but I finally got rid of a thousand books, my late husband’s various collections, much heavy furniture, and much more. What a relief! My current home is tiny, but has the basic paraphernalia I need, along with some pictures and other things I am saving for sentimental reasons. I am no longer owned by goods. I must confess, though, that I still have a lot of books. There are limits.

When we travel in the RV, life is even simpler, because everything on board must be a much-needed item. Occasionally I miss some of the comforts of home, such as the bathtub. I don’t miss having to clean the tub.

One group of Rvers, the Escapees (SKPs), is composed largely of middle-aged and older members who have gotten away from being held in thrall by their belongings. Many are full-timers who live in their RVs much or all of the time. (I suspect most of them have some things stored in their children’s garages or in storage sheds, though.) The Escapees can be nearly free within our consumer-oriented society.

 

Copyright 2016 by Carol Leth Stone 

 

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[i] From “Rabbi Ben Ezra,” by Robert Browning.

WATCHING FOR METEORS

We lay back lazily on our chaise lounges and gazed at the northeastern sky, enjoying one of the many perks of the RV life: When the Perseid meteor showers are at their peak each summer, we can drive forty miles to a campground and view the meteors in comfort, little hindered by tall trees or air pollution. In 2016 astronomers had forecast an especially spectacular meteor shower.



The Silver Lake sharks are always friendly.

The campground is at Silver Lake, a reservoir at 7300’ in the Sierra Nevadas. We go there often for quick getaways, where we can walk, kayak, or rent a canoe. (I do fewer of these activities now, but still enjoy easy walks and campground life.) At one spot along the lake where the view to the northeast is completely unobstructed, there is plenty of room to set up a camera on a tripod and arrange our chaises.

Around midnight, we began to see the occasional meteor streak across the sky. One huge fireball was more spectacular and rewarding than anything we had expected. We continued watching until about 2:00 A.M, when we grew tired and returned to our RV. More persistent or younger stargazers no doubt saw many more--the display was greatest in the hours just before dawn, when we were fast asleep.

The annual meteor showers appear from Earth to emanate from the Perseus constellation, named for the mythical Greek hero Perseus. As his main claim to fame, Perseus severed the head of Medusa, an especially fearsome Gorgon whose hair had been turned to snakes by the goddess Athena. Perseus rescued and married the princess Andromeda, daughter of Cassiopeia and Cepheus,  who had left their daughter to die in order to mollify a sea monster. (I'm not making this up!) The ancient Greeks named some neighboring constellations in the northeast sky Perseus, Andromeda, Cassiopeia, and Cepheus. It’s easy to imagine someone pointing out the figures and telling a child the gruesome story they represent.

The Perseid meteor showers are actually displays of comet dust entering Earth’s atmosphere. From late July to the middle of every August, and peaking around August 11, Earth is in just the right position to be showered with the remnants of the Comet Swift–Tuttle. The comet gives off a cloud of debris, made of particles (meteors) that burn up as they streak through the atmosphere and provide natural fireworks.

Though the Perseus myth and the scientific aspects of the meteor showers are absorbing, to me the best part of watching the showers is their awe-inspiring beauty. Walt Whitman said it far better than I can long ago, in his “When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer”:

When I heard the learn’d astronomer,

When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me,

When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide,

   and measure them,

When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with

   much applause in the lecture-room,

How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick,

Till rising and gliding out I wander’d off by myself,

In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,

Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars.

Text copyright 2016 by Carol Stone, photo copyright 2016 by Thane Puissegur

RV LINGO

Almost ten years ago, we bought a Winnebago View and have made it our home for weeks or months at a time. Though my partner was familiar with the RV (recreational vehicle) life, it was all new to me. By talking with other RVers, and reading magazines and online forums on the subject, I’ve picked up a lot of information and learned much of the language.

The special RV lingo mystified me for a long time. Why would anyone pull a “toad” behind an RV? Isn’t that animal cruelty? Is a “genset” a person’s gender at birth? And so on. I had a lot to learn.

Towed

Now at least I know some basics: a “back-in site” is a campground site that has to be backed into. Carefully.  In contrast, a “pull-through site” can be driven into at one end, exited at another. Pull-throughs are more desirable because of their convenience, but campground managers tend to reserve them for the large RVs that need them more than we do. Luckily, the View is very maneuverable.

As on a boat, the kitchen in an RV is called a “galley.” Thank heavens, the bathroom is called the bathroom rather than the head.

Hookups are not what may first come to mind. They are connections for electricity and water in campground sites. Some campgrounds also have hookups for cable TV.

RV resorts are campgrounds with an attitude. They are likely to have a lot of expensive extras that seem antithetical to the informal RV life.

Boondocking, which we do often, is camping where there are no hookups. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management campgrounds, for instance, are usually in the boondocks, though some of them have water available.  RVers often refer to staying at Camp Walmart, a specialized type of boondocking.

Like a truck, an RV is often called a “rig.” It may be a “puller” (a trailer that is pulled by a truck or other vehicle) or a “pusher” (rear-engine diesel rig that doesn’t have to be pulled, as opposed to a front-engine rig). “Duallies” (the spelling varies) are those pairs of tires at the rear of an RV. They have valves that are hard to reach and cause a lot of the cussing you hear in campgrounds.

There are tons of other terms used in manuals and conversations. Googling for RV lingo will bring up many I have not mentioned.

And finally, a “toad” is not an amphibian; that’s a pun on “towed,” and can refer to a trailer, small car, or other towed object. A “genset” is a combination of a diesel engine and an electric generator.

Language can unite groups or divide them. In some cases those who have a common language feel superior to others, or to feel alienated from them. That doesn’t seem true for RVers, though. Even those who don’t know much terminology can be quickly included in the fraternity. Some aspects of RVing will always be out of my reach, and I don’t care to know about some others. I do feel comfortable with the lingo, though.

BRING BACK THE NEW DEAL!

A poster created by WPA artists

In our travels, especially those taking us through the national parks, we often see buildings and roads dating from the thirties, when FDR’s administration  established many conservation projects as part of the New Deal. Always interested in conservation of natural resources, FDR cared deeply about human conservation as well.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC ) provided work for more than 300,000 young men who were unemployed during the Depression. Those were the Dust Bowl years, when soil blew away from farms, and families lost their livelihood. In addition, the stock market crash of 1929 had led to massive unemployment in rural and urban areas as well.

The CCC jobs were tough; the men were not given much training, and performed manual labor. They stocked streams with fish, fought wildfires, built highways, and did other difficult, important work. Sadly, after beginning as integrated programs, CCC programs soon became segregated, and blacks were prevented from moving into supervisory positions. [i] It was also limited to men, who at that time were considered the breadwinners of their families.

When World War II began, many young men were drafted or joined the military services voluntarily, which provide employment for them and reduced the pool available for the CCC. Within a few years the CCC had largely disappeared, though even today many states have smaller programs based on it.

Another popular New Deal program, the Works Progress Administration (WPA), provided needed income for many writers and artists.  Artists supported by the WPA’S Federal Art Project (including Jackson Pollock[ii] and Thomas Hart Benton[iii]) collectively created more than 100,000 paintings and murals and over 18,000 sculptures.[iv]  Many can still be seen in places such as Coit Tower in San Francisco.

Perhaps it is time to bring back these New Deal programs. Many people who lack computer and other specialized skills are unemployed. Most writers and artists receive notoriously low compensation for their work.  If unemployed or underpaid men and women were able to make a little money while contributing to the infrastructure, they would be paying taxes instead of collecting welfare. The heavy physical labor of the CCC workers would not be possible for everyone, but most people could work in some capacity. We can, in the words of a prominent politician, “make America great again.” Not by building a wall along our border or deporting Muslims, but by investing in all our people and in projects that benefit the environment.


Text copyright 2016 by Carol Leth Stone

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[i] African Americans in the CCC - New Deal Network

newdeal.feri.org/aaccc/ (July 23, 2016)

[ii] Jackson Pollock Biography

www.jackson-pollock.org/biography.jsp (July 21, 2016)

[iii] The Art Story: Works Progress Administration (WPA)

www.theartstory.org/org-wpa.htm (July 21, 2016)

[iv] The Art Story: Works Progress Administration (WPA)

www.theartstory.org/org-wpa.htm (July 21, 2016)

 

TRAVELING WITH DOGS AND CATS

When I began traveling about the country in an RV, I was surprised to see how many RV owners had pets, especially dogs, with them. On second thought, it made sense. If you are traveling for more than a week or so, boarding a beloved animal companion seems heartless, and most campgrounds are pet-friendly. Why not take Fido or Fluffy along? Besides the other advantages, having a dog along can easily lead to meeting other RV owners. A friendly dog is almost as useful as a cute toddler in that respect.

Certain breeds are better than others for RV travel. A terrier or Chihuahua doesn’t need the space that a larger dog does, eats less, poops less. Gentle, friendly breeds are also indicated—hopefully, you’re not using the dog as a watchdog!

Some traits can make a pet less suitable for the RV life. I have seen cat owners spend hours vacuuming cat hair out of the upholstery. Cats need to have a litter box, too; and they can escape from a vehicle in an instant.

Campgrounds often are crowded, and so having a dog that barks often or is aggressive is out. (Here I must add  that I would never own a pit bull or other notoriously aggressive breed, whether at home or on the road. I had a terrible experience with pit bulls years ago, so I’m more frightened of them than most people are, but it’s not just me. The web site www.dogsbite.org gives many stats on the subject.) Some campgrounds even refuse to allow certain breeds.

Lest I sound like a dog-hating grouch, let me say that I do like dogs in general. In fact, for 32 years I helped raise a series of wonderful Scottish terriers. Though in principle I think it’s preferable to adopt a mutt from a shelter, in practice my late husband and I bought pedigreed puppies because we knew exactly what to expect. We never had an RV, but Scotties would have been ideal for the RV life I have today. They are small enough to adapt to the limited space, but big enough not to disappear easily into a moving slide. Loyal and protective, they always made me feel safe when alone at home or walking them at night. They are cute! (Older people who remembered FDR’s Fala were especially attracted to our dogs.) All these traits would make them ideal for RV campgrounds.

Much as I loved our dogs, today I prefer not to have one. Thirty-two years of feeding, walking, and cleaning up after them was enough! Also, many of the places we go in the RV—museums, many hiking trails, visitors’ centers—don’t allow dogs for good reasons. We would have to miss out on those places altogether or take turns with dog sitting. Leaving a dog unattended for more than a short time is usually a bad idea, and in hot weather it is simply impossible.

If I were a solo RV traveler, I’d take a dog with me in spite of these disadvantages. (Perhaps I’ve read too many of Sue Henry's mysteries about Maxie McNabb and her miniature dachshund, Stretch, who travel in a Minnie Winnie. Invariably in those books, some evildoer tries to break into their RV.) In addition to making me feel safer, a dog would be a fine substitute for a human traveling companion. Scotties can be stubborn, but I’d win any arguments!

KALAMAZOO COLLEGE

The tower of Stetson Chapel.
(Photo provided by Kalamazoo College.)

Last week I returned to the small liberal arts college in Michigan where I spent four of the finest years of my life. Happily, the main quadrangle looks much the same as when I was in school, with a picturesque chapel at the top of a hill.  I felt at home immediately.

Launched in the early nineteenth century as the Michigan and Huron Institute, Kalamazoo’s fledgling college was officially a secular school, but with its first trustees and many faculty members being staunch Baptists, the denomination’s  influence was unambiguous, and remained so for a long time. [i] Kalamazoo College (“K”) has steadily produced Baptist ministers and teachers for many years.

During the years leading up to the Civil War, “K” acquired a heroic couple, President James Stone and his wife, Lucinda Hinsdale Stone (who ably taught women students for twenty years with no salary). Abolitionists and supporters of women’s rights as well as being good liberal Baptists, the Stones were admired and beloved by their students, but had many enemies on and off campus. They were thought to be far too liberal—Lucinda read The Atlantic and expected her students to read Byron’s poetry!—in a town that even today is very conservative. Finally, faced with financial difficulties related to a national depression and with accusations of personal immorality (which were  fabricated by their enemies), the Stones resigned.

A long, dark period in the college’s history followed. Along with the rest of the country, the school suffered through the Civil War. Though Baptist churches and benefactors continued to support it, there never was enough money for the expansion that was occurring in many colleges. “K” seems to have slogged valiantly through the end of the nineteenth century, steadily providing a classic education to a small number of loyal students.

In spite of many difficulties, over the years a dedicated faculty became extremely successful in producing graduates with strong liberal arts backgrounds. Many of them went on to become scientists; in the 1952 book The Origins of American Scientists[ii], the authors stated that “K” was third among the 50 top-ranking schools whose graduates went on to earn Ph.D.s in the sciences.

Like most colleges and universities, “K” has had both excellent and poor leaders. One of the outstanding ones was President Allen Hoben, who originated the phrase “a fellowship in learning” during the twenties to describe “K"'s collegial spirit, in which faculty and students thrived by a sort of symbiosis. Hoben and most of the faculty actually lived on campus, creating a familial atmosphere.

When I matriculated in 1954, the Baptist relationship was still obvious; many of the students I knew came from Baptist families. We even were required to attend chapel services three times a week. My first job on campus was counting  chapel-attendance slips, under the hawk-eyed supervision of the dean of women.

Following a temporary influx of students on the G.I. Bill just after World War II, the school had shrunk somewhat in size and reputation, but that would soon change. We had a brand new president, Weimer K. Hicks (covertly but universally known as “Beaver,” because of his intensity), who was determined to build the school up in every way, and he succeeded. I first realized his determination early in my freshman year, when he literally backed me into a corner and suggested that I join the marching band that would be needed for Homecoming. He had checked every student’s records to find out which of us had played in high school bands, and of course he knew all our names and Achilles’ heels. There was no escaping Dr. Hicks, especially for those of us who depended on scholarships. I joined the band.

Majoring in biology, I was greatly influenced by two great teachers, H. Lewis Batts and Frances Diebold. Batts taught an excellent freshman class as well as advanced classes in ornithology and ecology. In later years he would found the Kalamazoo Nature Center. “Dieb” was already an institution herself, having taught at the school since the early twenties.  She tried to keep abreast of the latest scientific findings (Watson and Crick had just published their seminal paper on the DNA helix) and to impart them to us, but what I remember most from her classes is her emphasis on the history and philosophy of biology. That has stayed with me through the years, while I studied and forgot many of the more specialized aspects of biology in my graduate work. Batts, “Dieb,” and many other teachers gave me a fine education.

Under Hicks’s aegis, during the sixties a foreign study program was inaugurated—how I wish it had been in place when I was a student!—that has led to a year abroad for most “K” students. Foreign study was a third of what was dubbed the “K Plan.”  All students were expected to spend time abroad, to become interns in fields where they might want to pursue careers, and to plan and carry out a Senior Individualized Project. The K Plan, now renowned and imitated nationally, has resulted in students’ greater self reliance and readiness to begin years of work and service. As one example, “K” produces more Peace Corps volunteers per capita than any other institution.  Even today, there are some trustees and other Baptists involved with “K,” although officially it is not affiliated with any religion.

Though the original campus still looks very familiar to me, it is obvious from alumni publications that much about the school has changed, and mostly for the better. For the past ten years President Eileen Wilson-Oyelaran, a dynamic African-American woman, has led the school. The student body now comprises a wide variety of races, religions, and nationalities, in great contrast to the nearly all-white Christian group I knew in the fifties. The Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership was opened to great fanfare a few years ago; in keeping with James and Lucinda Stones’ heritage, some townspeople have judged the architecture too modern, the philosophy too liberal. Today “K” is known as one of the most outstanding small colleges in the United States.

When I left to return to California, it was with great pride in my alma mater. I may never be on the campus again, but will always stay in touch with my old friends and read alumni publications. “K” was a good school in the fifties, is even better today, and no doubt will continue to grow in excellence in the future.

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[i] Much of this historical information is based on A Fellowship in Learning: Kalamazoo College, 1833–2008, by Marlene Crandell Francis. Kalamazoo: Kalamazoo College, 2008. Any snarky comments, mistakes, and misinterpretations are my own.

[ii] Knapp, R.H. and H.B. Goodrich. The Origins of American Scientists. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1952.

 

ANTICIPATING AGING

Some time in her eighties, my mother lost the ability to walk easily. She shuffled along, bent over and staring at her feet. When we suggested getting a cane or walker, she replied indignantly that it would “make her look old”! She was driving us crazy. Finally we insisted that she get a walker, and overnight everything changed. She stood up straighter, picked up her feet, and looked ahead. She even started walking around the block alone. I don’t remember if she ever admitted how silly she had been, but it taught me a good lesson. Nothing makes you look old like refusing to admit you are aging and need help.

Today, having osteoarthritis, I am having my own problems with walking. For a while I walked much less, which is clearly a bad idea. My cholesterol level rose, and so did my level of irritation. Finally I gave in and ordered a cane from CVS.com. Like my mother, I am a bit vain, so I found an attractive cane in blue. It has a gel handle with a loop for my wrist, and it folds for travel. The color even matches my luggage. I feel quite stylish when carrying it, and probably look younger than I would without it. When we are on the road, I sometimes use my hiking stick instead, because even paved paths tend to have rough spots and steps.

A cane is only one example of the simple aids that can make life easier as we age. Years ago, psychologist B.F. Skinner wrote a helpful book (Enjoy Old Age: A Practical Guide) based on his own experiences. As one would expect from Skinner, it was a sort of environmental engineering approach to aging. The general idea was to think about strategies to make life easier, and to acquire the right tools.

A few  years ago I sold my home and bought another one. It was emotionally wrenching for many reasons, and the house itself was a nice old Craftsman (my favorite architectural style) in the San Francisco Bay area. It was obvious, though, that I could not live there for more than a few years. There were many too many stairs to climb, too much housework and gardening to do, too little money to hire help. Finally I accepted reality. I sold the heavy, dust-catching furniture and a thousand books that I will probably never read again, sold my late husband’s collections of magic apparatus and majolica tobacco jars.

Luckily, I’ve recently found a home that is more suitable for the old lady I’m becoming. It is very small, despite the fact that it has everything I need. (Including space for the many books that are magically appearing.) I can do the housework easily and quickly, and I’ve found local handymen who make any repairs at reasonable prices. My new home in the Sierra Nevada mountains cost less than anything comparable in the Bay Area would cost, so this move also gave me some needed income. It even has a separate driveway and space for the RV.

As RVers age, many of us must give up the RV life. That can be postponed for as long as possible, though. RVs themselves are wonderful for us—there is always a bathroom available! A little planning can lead to modifications or arrangements for the elderly. For instance, using some RV pantries can be hard for an elderly person, because it’s hard to reach to the back of each shelf. We had wire baskets (ordered from Winnebago by our dealer) installed in the pantry. These can be pulled out for easy access. We also have a strong folding stepstool that I use for reaching ceiling vents and as a footstool or coffee table.

Tools in the RV should be easy to use and multipurpose. The OXO Good Grips tools are great for anyone, but essential for people with arthritis.

Safety is another especially important concern for elderly RVers. Just as we do at home, we take every possible precaution with smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. In the event of an emergency, escaping from an RV is much harder for older people than younger ones. 

Perhaps the most important preparation for aging (whether in an RV or not) is maintaining our health. Nutrition, exercise, and sleep can accomplish much to keep us healthy enough to continue our activities. Most of us are a bit overweight. Climbing the few steps into an RV or a cabover bed is easier for someone at a normal weight. Losing even a few pounds can make us surprisingly more comfortable, which also leads to exercising more.

Over the past ten or twenty years, the obesity epidemic has been blamed on fast-food restaurants, overreliance on cars rather than public transportation, suburban lifestyles, and other things. They all contribute to the problem. It’s important to take the responsibility for our own weight, though. My workbook Take Charge was written for middle-school students, but the suggestions in it (which I have used successfully for many years) can be useful at any age.

My favorite exercise is walking, but now I cannot walk far enough for aerobic benefit. At home, I have a Schwinn exercise bike that helps with cardiac fitness and weight control. I much prefer exercising in private to going to a gym! Another favorite exercise that can help in preparing for aging is tai chi chih. This mild, meditative form of tai chi helps tone muscles, increases balance and flexibility, and brings down my blood pressure. When I began it in 2003, my rheumatologist said I could continue it for the rest of my life, which is more than you can say for most exercise. On the road, I usually do it outdoors and combine it with meditation.

Most of the elderly become less tolerant of cold than when they were young. I am already chilly much of the time, and will surely need to dress very warmly as I get older. This is somewhat of a problem in an RV when we are traveling and I must limit my wardrobe. I’ve found that dressing lightly, but adding Cuddl Duds or other long underwear as needed, helps greatly.

Forgetfulness has always dogged me, and of course it will increase in time. I am trying now to be obsessive about making checklists, putting up reminder notes, and doing anything else to compensate for my forgetfulness. Along the same lines, I am basically messy and disorganized. This already is a handicap, but will be a great problem or even a danger in a few years. So, I tell myself often to “have a place for everything, and everything in its place.” Helpful as decluttering and simplifying  are now, they may save my life some day.

Reading is an important part of my life. At home I use a bright light for reading, but that can be difficult in an RV. My Nook’s variable light for reading e-books is amazingly useful.

We all worry about mental deterioration with age. In recent years it has become trendy to play “brain games” to sharpen our mental skills, but according to a few studies, the effects are not long-lasting or transferrable to other tasks. It seems more important to continue reading and writing as we age, especially when the topics are new and stimulating.

Social contact in middle age is important in itself, and helps to avoid isolation later.

These suggestions can go on and on. You get the idea, though—think ahead about possible problems you will have in the years ahead, and work on them before you need to. Establishing good habits early can make old age easier.

 

THE CALIFORNIA ZEPHYR

Text copyright © 2016 by Carol Stone.  Photos © 2016 by Thane Puissegur and Carol Stone.

 

My photo of the Feather River in 1968. All four of the Vista Dome cars can be seen at the end of the train.

Some time this year we hope to ride Amtrak from Sacramento to Chicago, on the train that’s called the California Zephyr. My partner the train nut has always wanted to ride on the Zephyr, which bears the name of one of the most famous trains in US history. (If you ever saw Gene Wilder in Silver Streak, you saw the Zephyr.) The original train was discontinued in 1970, when Amtrak took over the Union Pacific railway.

I can boast that I actually rode the original Zephyr on one of its final runs, in 1968. At that time I was dating another train nut, and when he heard that I would be traveling to California on an expense account, he insisted that I ride the Zephyr before it was “ruined” by the coming Amtrak acquisition. (Thank you, Bert!) I knew little about trains, except that they were a pleasant way to travel, but it sounded like a good idea, and I was able to persuade my employer to let me travel by train instead of airplane. (I was limited to a one-way ticket, though.)

In its glory days the Zephyr featured truly luxurious accommodations for passengers. Elaborate meals at reasonable prices  were served by attentive stewards in the dining car; there were flowers on each of the linen-tablecloth-covered tables. Murals covered the few windowless walls, and of course the windows framed spectacular views. For those who could pay a little more, there were roomettes, bedrooms, and compartments. Even the coach seats were reasonably comfortable.

One of the features passengers remembered was the Zephyrettes. These attractive, friendly young women made sure passengers were enjoying the ride and getting anything they needed on board. One of them, Nellie O’Grady, co-wrote a fascinating story in the 1955 Saturday Evening Post describing her seven years as a Zepherette—years in which she met hundreds of people including Dwight Eisenhower, fended off the wolves who misunderstood her role, and worked very hard. (Most Zepherettes only lasted a couple of years.) Apparently she loved nearly every moment.

The Zephyrettes were gone by 1968, and I have to admit that I don’t remember whether the murals were still gracing the walls of the train I rode. But, the trip was wonderful. I spent a good deal of time in the dome car, especially during the Far West portion of it. At night I had a comfortable roomette with a small private bathroom. The meals were delicious and served elegantly. Though I had taken along some paperback books to read, for once I read nothing. It was much more appealing to sip a glass of wine while talking with other passengers, or simply to gaze out the huge windows as we passed through the Rockies and the Sierra Nevada Mountains, then down the Feather River Canyon into California. The two days and nights passed all too quickly.

Will our ride on today’s Amtrak Zephyr be that good? Probably not. Few things are as enjoyable at my age as they were when I was young. The pictures on the Amtrak site do look very appealing, though, and traveling with my partner (who makes the most of every travel opportunity) should help.

I know this: Riding the Zephyr will be an order of magnitude better than riding any airplane today. Back in the sixties, airplane travel was glamorous. People checked their large bags instead of jostling each other while fitting the bags into crowded overhead bins. Meals (not usually gourmet, but not bad, either) were served on most flights. Seats were wider than they are today, and passengers were a bit narrower. Riding on airplanes at that time was such a pleasant, supermodern experience that in 1968 the Zephyr may have even seemed a little quaint, in spite of the wonderful scenery.

Now, even if the Zephyr is less than it was years ago, it will certainly be better than an airplane. I am looking forward to it eagerly.

 

RV COFFEE

Text copyright © 2016 by Carol Stone.  Photos © 2016 by Thane Puissegur and Carol Stone.



Drinking coffee in magnificent surroundings

Once a coffee addict, always a coffee addict. What was good enough for Voltaire and Balzac is certainly good enough for a hack writer like me. I need three cups of coffee a day wherever I am, including wherever the RV is. This is a common problem, as evidenced by the many comments online about making coffee while traveling.

Some RV manufacturers have tried to respond by installing electric coffeepots under the galley cupboard, but apparently that has been a failure. The appliances use too much precious counter space, and are no better than any electric coffeepots, and so some RV owners have had the pots removed at their own expense. In my opinion most shore-power electricity is a silly luxury for big rigs, anyway. For most of us at least part of the time, propane or campfire pots are needed.

What other solutions are there? Of course, there are always old-fashioned metal percolators that have the advantage of using propane rather than electricity. These are also inexpensive and easy to use, but they can add a metallic taste to the brew. I haven’t used one in decades.

At home, I prefer using a Melitta eight-cup cone with a glass carafe, having some in the morning and reheating the rest as needed in the microwave; on the road I use a space-saving small cone and matching ceramic mug. This is only good for a cup or two at a time, though. The Melitta cone and travel mug combo shown online looks appealing: https://shoponline.melitta.com/product/pour-over-travel-mug-set-red/pour-over-coffee-makers. Again, however, this probably makes only a small amount at a time. What I really want is to make at least three or four cups in the morning, and to save some for later. A Thermos bottle will keep it hot without the need for a microwave.

French presses  make excellent coffee and are popular with many people. I had one for a while but quickly broke two of the very fragile carafes and realized they were impractical for RV use. I like the lack of paper filters, though, and may buy a shatterproof type some time. One online model has a stainless steel carafe. Another one has a plastic one that has received bad reviews.

The brand of coffee can make all the difference in quality. Much as I like the ambiance of Starbucks coffee shops, I don’t think much of their coffee, and Peet’s coffee is too powerful even for me. Years ago I visited New Orleans and learned to use French Market coffee, which is part chicory. Though the delicious black brew is strong, it has less caffeine than pure coffee; I mix it with milk for a smooth but robust drink. At home I often first heat the milk, as they do in New Orleans; on the road I make do with cold milk. Incidentally, it is hard to find the brand in many places. Raley’s supermarket sells it in my home area, so I stock up on it before traveling.

Coffee grounds are  a messy part of RV life, just as they are at home.  They should never be put down the drain! That’s a good way to clog the delicate plumbing in an RV or to overload a campground septic tank. Even in an urban situation, they can build up in a drain and lead to plumber’s bills. At home, I put the grounds and filters in a compost bin, or put the grounds near plants in the garden. Sadly, I’ve never seen a compost bin in a campground (regular or Wal-Mart), and must put the grounds and filters in the trash. If I’m far out in a forest where the plants can benefit, I put the grounds out of sight somewhere far from where anyone will camp or walk.