BOOK CLUB ESCAPE

After moving to El Dorado County I wanted to meet some people with similar interests, as I had done in previous places. This turned out to be harder than I expected, partly because I don’t really fit in here. I am a San Francisco Bay liberal; the majority of people here are conservative Republicans, Tea Party members, NRA supporters. I am a Unitarian; the closest Unitarian church is an hour’s drive away. Though that might be all right on Sunday mornings, it is in the evenings that conspiracies are hatched and friendships are formed. (I can no longer drive after dark.) Most Sierra Club hikes are too strenuous for me. Having worked for fifty years, I had no intention of looking for a job! The closest library branch needed volunteers; I tried that for a while and enjoyed it, but our travels make it hard for me to commit to any schedule. That also eliminated many other possibilities for volunteer work.

We spend much time in the library anyway when we are not traveling, and one day I noticed that the county library has a book club that meets once a month in the morning. That made me hesitate. My picture of book clubs has always been of uneducated readers reading lightweight books and making inane comments, or of members using the club as an excuse for gossiping about local events and drinking a lot of wine. However, I was getting desperate for intelligent companionship. (My partner provides a lot of it, but I was eager to meet other women.) So, I attended the next book club meeting to see just how bad it was.

It was a pleasant surprise. About a dozen intelligent people gathered to discuss that month’s selection. One of the librarians, Tamela Entrikin, was the leader. She had thought carefully about the book and, like a skilled teacher, encouraged us to comment without dominating the discussion herself or letting us wander too far onto other subjects. Tamela gave me a list of the books to be read in coming months. While I had read a couple of them, the rest were unfamiliar titles or books I wanted to read. Traveling would not be a problem, as members often cannot attend for various reasons. Thanks to my Nook, I could even download books on the club’s list and read them while traveling.

That was three years ago. Since then I have enjoyed getting to know the other members and reading many of the books. Though of course some have been on topics that did not interest me, in general I have liked rediscovering old favorites or being introduced to unfamiliar authors. If not for the book club, for instance, I probably would have not read Marja Mills’ The Mockingbird Next Door, which led to my interest in the Harper Lee mystery. (My last post gave the details.) Our reading Olive Kitteridge introduced me to Elizabeth Stroud. Being a retired science writer, I have been disappointed that we read too few science-related books, but you can’t have everything. I can find those books on my own.

Perhaps the greatest benefit, though, has been meeting compatible people. El Dorado County, though a cultural backwater in some respects, does have a friendly, knowledgeable community within it. I am grateful to have found it.

THE MYSTERY OF HARPER LEE

For me, the quest began with my book club. Someone in the group suggested that we read Marja Mills’ The Mockingbird Next Door, the story of Mills’ living next door to Harper and Alice Lee in Monroeville, Alabama, as she gathered material to write about Harper for a Chicago Tribune article.

Harper, of course, is the reclusive author of To Kill a Mockingbird, the Pulitzer Prize winning novel about racial prejudice and social classes in small-town Alabama in the thirties. Until going into assisted living several years ago, Harper divided her life between a New York apartment and the house in Alabama that she shared with her older sister, Alice. (Alice died late in 2014, at the age of 103; Harper is 88.) Alice, a practicing lawyer into her nineties, was the first sister to meet Mills, and they rapidly became friendly. According to Mills, both granted her extensive interviews, told her many things off the record, and knew she would be writing a book. She went to local restaurants with them and met their friends.

Mills’ book captivated me and made me curious about Harper herself as well as about To Kill a Mockingbird. For some reason I had never read the book, though I had seen the fine movie with Gregory Peck starring as Atticus Finch, a courageous lawyer who defied the restrictive customs and bigotry of his town by defending a black man who was accused of raping a white girl.  (Finch is based on Harper and Alice’s own father.) So, I got the book from the library and read it along with The Mockingbird Next Door. Better late than never—it is wonderful.

For about fifty years readers have wondered why Harper never wrote another book. She has been somewhat vague about her reasons, alluding to her abhorrence for publicity and her feeling that she had said what she had to say in Mockingbird. Those reasons make perfect sense to me, but few others (including Mills) are satisfied. There have been many questions about her, many intrusions into her privacy.

In 2011 Harper denied authorizing the Mills book, saying Mills had befriended her elder sister and then taken advantage of Alice’s kindness. The story grows murky at that point. Harper had a stroke in 2007; did her personality or memory change, making her turn against Mills after encouraging her to write the book? Some acquaintances have said that she is greatly changed since the stroke; others,  that she is as sharp as a tack.  Was Harper so weary of publicity that she reneged on an agreement at the last minute? Or, did Mills actually write far more about the Lees than they intended?

Last week another surprising twist in the story appeared. Go Set a Watchman, a manuscript that Harper wrote before Mockingbird, has been discovered. It is similar to Mockingbird, but written from the adult viewpoint of Scout (Atticus Finch’s daughter).  Her editor at Lippincott, Tay Hohoff,  persuaded her to revise the manuscript so that it is told from Scout’s point of view as a child. Some massive changes must have been needed! Harper has issued a statement (through her current publisher, HarperCollins, which is rushing the book into print) expressing her delight that it still exists.

Tonja B. Carter, Harper’s attorney, says the manuscript came to light as she was going through papers in her office—the office where Alice had formerly practiced. According to Mills, Alice was organized and disciplined, but Harper was not. Alice handled Harper’s legal and financial affairs for many years, and no doubt dealt with Lippincott. If Hohoff had returned the Go Set a Watchman manuscript to Harper, Alice would likely have ended up with it. Thinking Harper might one day regret not writing another novel, Alice might have prudently set it aside in a file to be opened only after her death. The timing seems suspect to me: Alice died in late 2014, and the manuscript had turned up earlier that year. Someone may have assumed Alice was going to die soon and opened the file a bit early.


All of this is my speculation as a veteran mystery reader, of course. I have no connection to the Lee family, and no inside knowledge of the situation. (I did live in the Yorkville area of New York in 1970, when Harper was living there also.) But, what a mystery story! We may never know why Harper chose not to write another book. I rather hope that she has confided her reasons (assuming they amount to more than what she has claimed) to a friend or to a secret journal that can be opened after her own death.

LAUNDRY: A MUNDANE MOTORHOME MATTER

If any part of traveling in a motorhome requires some creativity, it is the laundry problem. Some people try to avoid going to Laundromats, which surprises me. Googling for “RV laundry” brings up millions of sites, mostly ads for washing machines and dryers that can be installed in RVs.

Are they serious? In our Class C Winnebago View, every cubic inch must be carefully used. I cannot imagine spending hundreds of dollars on appliances we (an older couple with no children) need no more than once a week when we are traveling. Even for families with children, having a washer and dryer on board seems like a bad idea.

Some of the ideas for frugal washing en route are quite amusing, if not very practical sounding. Some RVers put their dirty clothes in tightly sealed containers of water and detergent, then let the motorhome’s movement slosh the laundry around. After rinsing, the laundry must be wrung out by hand, then hung on a clothesline (providing the campground allows it, and if the travelers are not spending the night at Walmart). Is this a good way to spend part of a vacation?

Some items are too fragile to be washed safely in many machines; others are made of wool or other fabrics that must be washed in cold water and dried flat. Must even the spoiled RVers in Class A behemoths travel with clothes that need special care?

Altogether, my reaction is, Suck it up, people! Think like a European: Don’t wear white or pastels. Take a few sturdy, washable clothes that can go anywhere, and keep them as clean as possible. (This works best with well-made clothes from L.L. Bean and other reliable sources. Cheap clothes will usually let you down.) Take lots of underwear, though. It takes up little space, and always having clean undies will make you feel good.

When you need to do some laundry, find a Laundromat or campground laundry. Have your own supplies of detergent and fabric softener to keep down the cost, and a paperback book or e-reader for entertainment. You can often use two or three machines at once, shortening the waiting time.

We have actually enjoyed most of our Laundromat visits. Often there is a coffee shop or library near by, sometimes with Wi-Fi. Chatting with locals can be a way of finding out about an area. Once we took turns shopping in an antique shop next door. If nothing else, laundry time is a break from driving, and a chance to walk for a while. With a little creativity, you can make wash day part of your explorations on the road.

 

 

THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET

When I visited Spain in 1971, among the many things I enjoyed was the food. Gazpacho, paella, flan, huge salads, fresh fruits, sherry, sangria—they were all wonderful. Some were new to me then; others were familiar. Pastries were tempting, too, but having recently lost weight with the Weight Watchers program, I stayed away from them.  I was less sensible when it came to wine, and drank too much of the cheap Rioja that was served everywhere. It did not agree with me.

A few years later, biologists Ancel and Margaret Keys wrote about the health benefits of what is now called the Mediterranean diet. The Keyses based their research on observations of people in Mediterranean countries who were healthy in spite of eating high levels of fats as oils. Physical exercise is also considered an important part of the traditional Mediterranean way of life. The diet lowered a person’s blood level of cholesterol and blood pressure, leading to less heart disease. Ancel Keys died in 2004, a few months before his 101st birthday. Margaret died a few years later, at age 97. It appears that their personal diet contributed to a long life span.

The diet’s popularity grew slowly, with opposition from various sources, but by the 1990s it had become widespread as a way of losing weight and lowering the risk of heart disease.

• It is high in olive oil, nuts, herbs, spices, fish and poultry, legumes, fruits, vegetables, and unrefined cereals.
• Moderate amounts of low-fat dairy foods (mostly cheese and yogurt) are allowed, along with eggs and wine. (Keys himself enjoyed espresso as well.)
• Little red meat can be eaten as part of the diet.

All of this seemed very familiar to a former Weight Watcher. I was already used to eating lots of fish and poultry, drinking two cups of skim milk a day, and eating lots of fruits and vegetables. The diet is no trouble to follow in general, as the foods are appealing and satisfying. I occasionally fall off the wagon and have some Moose Tracks ice cream or chocolate candy, but climb right back on. Chocolate is good for the soul!

The Mediterranean diet can be easily followed by RVers on the road, too. Farmer’s markets, even supermarkets, now provide an abundance of delicious produce, local wines, and other heart-healthy foods that can be prepared in a galley. It is much harder in restaurants because of all the desserts, dinner rolls, and other refined foods that are part of nearly every meal. The only real problems I have are my partner, who is a vegetarian (I usually eat meat or fish only in restaurants, as cooking separate meals in an RV can be difficult); and staying away from wine, which I love but which conflicts with some of my medicines. Fortunately, wine is an optional part of the diet.

 

THE UPSIDE OF GROWING OLD

Everyone is aware of the downsides of growing older—the physical deterioration, the loss of short-term memory, medical and other financial issues, and so forth. But researchers are beginning to find that there are advantages to aging, too. Articles on the Web refer to improvements in the “middle-aged brain” over the teen-aged brain, for instance. (They often ignore what happens as the “middle-aged brain” becomes the old brain, though.) Even for the elderly, improvements are demonstrated in calmness, happiness, and finding multidimensional answers to questions.

I hope the research is right. Heaven knows, we aging people need all the encouragement we can get. For myself, I take these results with a grain of salt and a sense of humor. Here is my own list of advantages of growing older:

• I can take an afternoon—or morning or evening—nap without apologizing.
• No one expects me to do anything more athletic than walking.
• When I forget a name, I can simply shrug and say, “Senior moment!”
• I stopped dyeing my hair a few years ago. Whom was I trying to kid?
• I can add a column of figures without using a calculator.
• I will never again cook dinner for more than six people.
• If I take a class, it will be for my enjoyment. There will be no grade or report card.
• Driving my RV does not make me feel ridiculous.
• Having seen some of the alternatives, I no longer fear sudden death.
• Flat, comfy shoes.
• I can parallel park, and can drive a car with a manual gearshift.
• Social Security and Medicare may last through my lifetime.
• I can flirt shamelessly with young men without seeming like a cougar.
• Alumni events no longer seem like competitive sports.
• In restaurants, I can choose simple foods I enjoy rather than overspiced, overpriced “fusion foods” or other trendy items.
• I remember when TV was worth watching, with Ernie Kovacs, Alistair Cooke, and Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca. And the old radio programs, such as Fred Allen, Jack Benny, and the Inner Sanctum.
• Senior discounts, especially the National Parks Golden Age pass.
• People hold doors open for me.
• When the newest word-processing program comes out, I do not have to learn how to use it. I learned each one, starting with WordStar in the eighties. Enough, already!
• When I play my old vinyl records, I can feel part of the current retro trend.
• There is no pressure to go upscale; I can happily continue to downsize.
• I enjoy the AARP magazine.

Being young had its moments, but so does being elderly. For everything there is a season.

 

Advantages of aging, aging brain,

RURAL LIFE, AGING, AND THE WEB

About fifteen years ago I wrote Recollecting the Forties, a small book about my childhood in rural Michigan in the 1940s. Looking back in 2000, I judged rural life rather harshly. I had never been able to romanticize country life as some writers do, and felt in general that urban life was preferable. As soon as I graduated from college, I happily moved on to a city. For the next fifty years, living in Chicago, New York, and San Francisco, I took advantage of urban delights.

Today my attitude has changed. It has been several years since I moved away from the San Francisco Bay area, and there are few things I miss. Living in the Sierra Nevada Mountains seems exciting enough at this time of my life (and in fact, the Wild West atmosphere here sometimes is more exciting than I care for). The ethnic restaurants that once charmed me in San Francisco appeal to me less now than ordinary Midwestern foods from years ago. I still love the museums that can be found only in cities, but frequent travel in a motorhome makes it possible to visit them without being limited to those in one area. Many years of concerts and theaters were enough; now I am content to watch Netflix movies or DVDs from the library (which are also considerably cheaper than live entertainment!), and to listen to recorded music.  Books—hardbound, audiobooks, e-books—are all easily available from the local library or through interlibrary loan. I can write or edit more easily than I would have dreamed possible in the pre-computer years..

Much of what I can enjoy today is made possible by my computer and e-book reader. Luckily, the World Wide Web is available almost everywhere. When traveling in our motorhome, I can access it in libraries or coffee shops. Some campgrounds have Wi-Fi also.

Older adults like me are statistically less likely to use the Web than younger people who have grown up with modern technology, but our use is growing rapidly. When the population ages further, we will change the statistics. As with any unfamiliar skill, training is essential. For those of us who have no grandchildren, many senior centers and libraries offer classes that help new users learn to navigate the Web. Though education and affluence are important factors in computer use, as prices continue to drop, most people of all ages will become more likely to go online.

The Web can’t do everything for us. I miss the Unitarian churches that seem to be found only in cities, and e-books are not as satisfactory as real books in many ways. Convenient as email is, it does not have the permanence and appeal of stationery and handwriting.

There is also a down side to the Web, of course. It can be a tremendous time-waster, but so can television or trashy reading. Novice users can quickly stray onto sites where they may be scammed, and training needs to include cautions about that danger. All in all, though, the Web can make life for older adults much richer than it was in the 1940s.

INSOMNIA

One of the best things about retirement is being able to sleep late at least some of the time. For many years when I was in school or working, I had to get up very early even if I had gone to bed late.  As a result of being sleepy I often tended to eat or drink too much, and found it hard to concentrate. I would have been healthier and happier if I could have slept more. Like most students and office workers, though, I had no choice. Now that I am retired, I often choose to stay in bed!

The joy of sleeping is occasionally interrupted by insomnia—typically for me at three o’ clock in the morning. I may toss and turn for an hour or more before going back to sleep. Surprisingly, I have insomnia more often at home than when traveling in our motorhome. This may be because I am more relaxed when away from the annoyances that go along with home ownership.

 As people age, we tend to go to bed earlier and rise earlier than when we were younger. However, insomnia interferes with sleep for many of us. Some of us wake up extremely early and are unable to go back to sleep. Worrying about problems may cause sleeplessness. In addition, age affects the type of sleep people have. The deepest, most restful sleep is called non-REM (rapid eye movement). The elderly tend to spend less time in non-REM sleep and more time in REM sleep, when there is more dreaming.

However insomnia affects people, it can leave them tired and irritable. They may find it hard to think clearly, may feel depressed, and even may be more likely to have falls and accidents if they are not well rested.

Over-the-counter or prescription sleep medicines may help, but they are a temporary aid for insomnia. Developing good sleep habits and treating physical or emotional problems that may affect sleep can lead to a permanent improvement. Sleep habits that can help include:

•  Provide a safe, restful environment for sleeping. Lock the doors and windows of the home, have a telephone and lamp within easy reach of the bed, and turn on nightlights in the hallways and bathroom. Don’t watch television there or read thrillers in bed. Have a pillow that supports your head and neck properly and enough blankets in cold weather.

•  Never smoke in bed. If a heating pad is used, be sure it is turned off before you fall asleep.

• Do not eat large meals or drink coffee or alcohol in the evening. Drink less liquid of any type during the evening if it makes you get up to use the bathroom at night.
•  Exercise during the day, not within three hours of bedtime. Try not to nap during the day if you have trouble sleeping at night.

•  In daytime, get out in the sunlight.

•  At bedtime, do anything nontoxic that you know will help you sleep: Drink a little milk, make a to-do list for the next day so that you will not lie awake thinking about things you need to do, or do whatever else you find effective.

For many people, these habits will help greatly. Some conditions, though, call for more extreme measures. If a medicine is causing insomnia, it may be possible to substitute another drug for it. Some disorders that interfere with sleep can be cured or alleviated. Anti-anxiety drugs are useful for some people.

One sleep-disturbing condition is apnea. The apnea sufferer stops breathing periodically during sleep, gasping for air and snoring loudly. During the day, apnea causes sleepiness. Left untreated, it can even cause hypertension, stroke, or loss of memory. Specialists in sleep problems can diagnose sleep apnea and treat it. The standard treatment includes a device that delivers what is called continuous positive air pressure (CPAP), which pushes air into the lungs during the sleep. Other treatments may use dental devices or surgery.

Other conditions that can cause sleep disorders are restless legs syndrome and periodic limb movement disorder. With restless legs syndrome, which tends to be worse at night, people feel sensations in their legs such as tingling, pins and needles, or crawling. Periodic limb movement disorder makes people jerk and kick their legs often during sleep. Medications for both conditions can be prescribed.

Anything that interferes with sleep should not be ignored. As Macbeth said in despair, "sleep knits up the raveled sleave of care," restoring us every morning.

(Much of this post is based on my reference book Geriatrics [Greenwood Press, 2011].)

HAVING SECOND THOUGHTS

Enjoying Yosemite's Bridalview Falls

A couple of months ago I had really intended to end this blog, and to begin another that would focus on aging. But then I thought it over, and realized that many of my Rovin' Crone ponderings are about my own aging and how I deal with it.
I hope to go on living in both a more positive and more leisurely way than when I was younger. To quote Studs Terkel, “Take it easy, but take it!” So, the Rovin' Crone is back.

Slowing down isn't always easy. In middle age we are under constant pressure to produce, to contribute, to achieve. Trying to live up to our own and others' expectations becomes a habit.


We owe ourselves some "harvest years," though. After a professional lifetime of writing and editing books for others to read, I am luxuriating in reading for my own pleasure and knowledge. Though I will always prefer "real" books, I have an e-reader that is very helpful when we are traveling or when the lighting conditions are poor. (Like many elderly people, I need bright light to read easily.)


Another way I am enjoying these years is traveling, especially to the national parks. For various reasons I saw only a few of the parks when I was younger, and now I am making up for lost time. Having a motorhome helps greatly; I always have a bathroom and kitchen near by!

TO EXPLORE OR TO SETTLE?

 
In a long-ago class in animal behavior, I learned that some animals—probably mice—have alternative alleles in their genome, variations that affect a facet of their behavior. Individuals that inherit one of the variations (“settlers”) tend to settle down and exploit their home environment; individuals that inherit the other (“explorers”) tend to move on and explore new territories. There are obvious advantages for the species as a whole: The settlers can make maximum use of their current environment; the explorers can extend the group’s range if they have the right adaptations for it. It is a good example of Darwinian selection.

Humans, too, seem to fall into these two broad categories. In U.S. history, some immigrants from Europe settled down on the east coast while others moved on to the Midwest. Later, some of the more adventurous went farther west. Eventually, some reached California, with the Pacific Ocean being a natural boundary. Today immigrants from Asia and Central America are repeating the pattern in the opposite direction.

I may be more the explorer type. After growing up in the Midwest, then trying but rejecting life in New York, I moved to California. I love this state, and actually settled for 25 years in the San Francisco Bay area before moving to the Sierras, but now it may be time to move on. El Dorado County has only limited charms, and there is still so much to explore.

When I go back to school reunions in Michigan, I am struck by the difference between myself and some of my old classmates. Some of them have stayed on family farms that were prosperous in the past, where their ancestors were important community members. Today large agribusinesses are taking over, and the family farms are disappearing. The “settlers” now find themselves struggling for survival in a much-changed environment.

Other “settlers” have been more fortunate. Not being tied to the land, they have thrived in their professions, established families, and been good citizens. Their lives have been more stable than mine, and possibly more rewarding. I sometimes envy them and wonder if my drifting lifestyle has been a mistake, but I don’t think so. Each place where I have lived has brought new adventures and new opportunities. My RV life has been the latest episode in a life that has sometimes been difficult, but has never been boring.

So, whether I stay in El Dorado County or not, I am going to move on in one respect. For the past two years, I have blogged as the rovin’ crone. Blogging has been a new and pleasant experience, but I feel I have little more to say about RVing. Probably I will begin a new blog soon, on other subjects and under a new name. When I do, a final post here will give the details.

Many thanks to those who have commented here or in emails! You have helped make blogging a rewarding pastime.

 

 

QUIET PEOPLE AND THE RV LIFE

Susan Cain’s excellent book Quiet appears at first to be a shallow, pop-psych sort of book designed to comfort shy people. I read it mostly because it popped up on a site for e-books and it looked like a book people might be talking about. She presents some fascinating information, though. One item that especially stood out for me is that introversion does not equal shyness. Someone who is gregarious can also treasure time alone, and a shy person can be friendly and talkative in the right circumstances. In addition, Cain cites research showing that introverts are very sensitive to stimulation; too many people or too much noise can overwhelm them. Extroverts, on the other hand, seem to need more stimulation than average.

RV life may seem best suited to extroverts. In any campground, the RVs seem to huddle around one rather noisy area, even when many empty campsites are available. The campers sit out under their awnings, hang up welcoming lights, invite passersby to have some beer or wine and enjoy a campfire. Meeting other campers in this way can be very pleasant, though it is unlikely to lead to lasting friendships.

Luckily for some of us introverts, it is easy to get away from this sort of enforced conviviality. In most campgrounds, there are some quiet campsites that encourage contemplation rather than sociability. Being both shy and introverted, I prefer these sites. It is always possible to stroll around the campground and meet other people if I am in the mood.

For all of us, the Winnebago View and similar small motorhomes can provide just the right balance of friendliness and solitude. There is room inside for a few extroverts to chat and have a meal, even in weather that can make the ubiquitous picnic table unusable. The small dimensions of the View’s exterior, on the other hand, enable squeezing into small sites that cannot be used by those huge, annoying motorhomes that always seem to have generators running, and whose owners are far too stimulating for introverts to cope with.

As Cain points out, understanding ourselves and those around us in terms of introversion and extroversion makes life easier. Knowing that a noisy RV neighbor actually needs more stimulation than I do makes me a bit more tolerant, and knowing that frequent aloneness is essential for me gives me the freedom to retreat to the View without feeling any shame.