SENIOR WISE © Berthoud Weekly Surveyor November 7, 2013

Page B2 November 7, 2013 Berthoud Weekly Surveyor

By Bob McDonnellThe Surveyor

Irene Long started writing many years ago.

Long moved to Berthoud only about one and a half years ago. Her middle daughter, Sue Laser, lives here.

Born in St. Louis, Long lived there until she was 8 years old. She moved to Colorado in 1966. First, it was Longmont, then Platteville before the transfer to Berthoud.

She says she’s “in love with Colorado.” She particularly likes Berthoud, calling it “completely different from Platteville.”

There are more arts here, and she feels “more of a brotherhood,” she said. She noted that Berthoud is “more civic-mind-ed” and has more of a sense of history about itself.

In her youth, as a seventh-grader, Long wrote a novelette. She remem-bers a model of a clipper ship at the Young Women’s Christian Association (Y.W.C.A.). Researching the ship formed the basis for the story.

In the eighth and ninth grades, Long wrote short plays. During the same time, a historical novel’s roots were established.

A high school teacher encouraged Long, telling her that she could be a nov-elist. Encouraged to read, Long tackled “Wuthering Heights” while in the ninth grade.

After her children were born, she started doing serious writing. One book

focused on personal growth. After being unsuccessful for four years trying to get it published, she said, “That ended that.”

This did not deter the writer in Long. She can’t remember when she started journaling, but the habit continues to this day. She even teaches journaling on occasion.

This journaling and listening to family stories led Long to write a piece called “Reflections.” She calls it “My book about my siblings.” Many of her relatives read this family history, and they were pleased, according to Long.

Retiring in 2005, Long felt the “need to do something,” she said. She redecorated her house, making room for an office. Then she just started writing.

A well-organized room in Long’s cur-rent home allows her to continue writing.

This commitment to writing led to the production of three books. The first of the trilogy she calls “Barnett.” The first novel of a trilogy, it is about the people who live in Barnett Manor, their legacy and their progeny.

Long, calling herself a “young 81,” enjoys wildlife and scenic photography and keeping active when not in front of a computer.

In days gone by, her physical activities included high school cheerleading and acrobatic tumbling.

Long still keeps active when not writ-ing. A treadmill and exercise bike occupy a room in her Berthoud home. Maybe part of this need to move around comes from

her paternal grandmother saying it is a sin to sit down.

Balancing the exercise routine, Long likes to work her brain too. She takes college courses on CDs or sits in on col-lege classes. Learning about philosophy, ancient history and religion interest her.

“I look at myself as a perpetual stu-dent,” she said.

As much as she likes to learn, writing

is the priority, Long said.She summed up her life’s view by say-

ing she wants to have fun with life.“Find one thing to laugh about every

day,” she said. Long’s book, “Barnett,” is available at

Buy Books on the Web (www.bbotw.com,), Barnes and Noble (www.bn.com) and at Nonna Bella Country Italian Restaurant in Berthoud.

It’s a Long story

Photo by Bob McDonnellLong-time author Irene Long holds up her book.

Berthoud Weekly Surveyor November 7, 2013 Page B3

My dad turned 58 last month and my present to him was a Star Trek lunchbox.

He loved it.It’s my dad’s love of science fic-

tion that instilled a love of the genre in me. While he grew up with the original “Star Trek,” I grew up with

“Star Trek the Next Genera-tion.” We never missed an episode in my house.

This fond-ness for science fiction means that I am always super excited when a new wave of sci-fi films hits theaters and, thankfully, that’s what’s happening this

fall. However, it’s not like this every year. In the 2000s, there seemed to be a serious drought when it came to science fiction films on the big screen.

According to movie experts, the science fiction movie that put an end to the drought was James Cameron’s “Avatar.” Premiering to critical ac-

claim in 2010, this marked the begin-ning of a new era in science fiction films, but when did the last era take place?

The last good-times period for sci-ence fiction lovers was the late 1990s. A slew of science fiction movies were released, including “Independence Day,” “The Fifth Element,” “Starship Troopers,” “Men in Black,” and two of my all-time favorites, “Gattaca” and “Contact.” These films were released during the run up to the first release of the new “Star Wars” movies, some-thing that is happening again today, as the “Star Wars” returns in 2015.

The science fiction genre has ex-isted almost as long as movies have existed. George Melies’ “A Trip to the Moon,” was a science fiction silent film released in 1902. The first full-length science fiction movie, “Metrop-olis,” was released in 1927. In those early days, the genre was mostly comprised of low-budget films, unlike today when science fiction movies have some of the biggest budgets in Hollywood. A few current examples are “Ender’s Game” ($110 million) and “Gravity” ($80 million).

It was Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” that proved the genre could be serious. This dramatic and cult-classic 1968 film was a huge

part of my childhood, as it was one of my dad’s favorites. I’ll never forget HAL 9000 singing “A Bicycle Built for Two.”

This fall and winter will be a grand season for science-fiction lovers. I wasn’t a real fan of “Avatar” and thought the real renaissance of sci-fi films started with “Star Trek” (2009) and “Prometheus” (2012). These two movies have everything I want in a good science-fiction film; “Star Trek” has the humor, while “Prometheus”

stirs the mind to deeper thought. While “Gravity” and “Ender’s

Game” are in theaters now, there are plenty of brand new science-fiction films on the horizon, as well as many comic-book-based movies that often get lumped into the science-fiction genre.

The next several years will be very good for science fiction film lovers, and we’d better appreciate it while it lasts, because if history is any indica-tor, a long sci-fi drought may follow.

Surveyor Columnist

HeidiKerr-Schlaefer

What goes around and around: Science fiction on the big screen

Did you know?

Laughter and music just may be good for the heart. Millions of people routinely take prescrip-tion medications or make dietary changes, such as eliminating salt from their diets, in an effort to lower blood pressure.

However, for those who are in-terested in making some easy lifestyle changes that can result in modest reductions in blood pressure, listening to music or laughing more may do the trick.

In a Japanese study presented in

May at an American Heart Associa-tion meeting, researchers explained that people who took part in bi-monthly group sessions built around music or laughter lowered their sys-tolic blood pressure (the top number in the reading, which measures the pressure in the arteries when

the heart beats) by an average of five to six points after three months.

In contrast, the average blood-pressure reading in a control group that received neither therapy didn’t move. According

to experts, this decline in pressure is the equivalent of what someone could expect from adopt-ing a low-salt diet or losing 10 pounds.

The American Heart Association recommends that

healthy blood pres-sure should be less than 120 for sys-tolic and less than 80 for diastolic.

Page B4 November 7, 2013 Berthoud Weekly Surveyor

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Special to the Surveyor

Memories of childhood days when every visit to the pediatrician seemed to culminate in a needle in the arm may drum up an ac-celerated heartbeat each time you walk into the doctor’s office as an adult. But the chances you’ll be given a shot are slim, right? Not necessarily. Despite what many think, im-munizations do not always cease once you’ve reached a certain age. There are certain recommended in-oculations that adults can receive to protect themselves from illness.

Although many people receive the brunt of their vaccines early on in life, you’re never too old to give up on immunizations entirely. The Immunization Action Coalition, in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, list certain vaccines that are recom-mended for adults. If you are plan-

ning on traveling overseas, there may be more vaccines you need to prevent illness or injury.

By the time you reach 65 years of age, it is adviseable to have checked

off this list of immunizations and work with your doctor

to create a vacci-nation schedule.

• Influenza: This vaccine is recommended an-nually in the fall or winter.

• Pneumococ-cal polysaccharide

(PPSV): Individuals between the ages of 19

to 64 should check with their health care provider

to see if they require this vaccine. Smokers may need one to two doses. Individuals 65 and older are recom-mended to get this vaccine if they have never before been vaccinated.

• Tetanus, diphtheria, pertus-sis (Tdap): This is an adult version of the combined whooping cough vaccine. If you are an adult and frequently come into contact with in-fants, it is adviseable for the infants’ safety to have received a whooping

cough vaccine. Tetanus is required every 10 years.

• Hepatitis B: If you have a spe-cific risk for Hep B, you may need to take this vaccine. It is given in three doses.

• Hepatitis A: Again, risk factors will signify if you need this immu-nization. This is a two-dose vaccine.

• Human papil-lomavirus (HPV): HPV is responsi-ble for many cases of cervical cancer. It is adviseable for women age 26 or younger or men age 21 or younger to receive the HPV vaccine. This vac-cine is given in three doses over six months.

• Measles, mumps, rubella: Measles has slowly been making a comeback despite have nearly been eliminated in the United States. Adults should have at least one dose of MMR in their lifetime. Check with a doctor if you require a second dose.

• Varicella: If you’ve never expe-rienced chickenpox, or only received one dose of this vaccine when young-

er, you may require another dose. Chickenpox outbreaks can be more severe in adults.

• Meningococcal: This vaccine is recommended for individuals ages 19 to 21 who live in a residence hall or close contact with others. Meningococcal is best known as a cause of meningi-tis and sepsis. It can be transmitted through saliva and

occasionally through close, prolonged general contact with an infected person.

• Shingles: The zoster vaccine is administered to keep shingles at bay. Shingles comes from the same virus that causes chickenpox, and in-dividuals who have had chickenpox are at a higher risk for experiencing shingles, which can be very painful, later in life. The vaccine is recom-mended for those ages 65 and up.

Vaccines are not only for the young. Certain immunizations can keep you healthy and are recom-mended throughout life.

Recommended immunizations for adults

Regular and high-dose flu shots are available at Berthoud Drug and are for the strains H1N1 and H3N2 and B.

Flu Mist, shingles, pneumo-nia, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B and Tetanus (Tdap) are also avail-able. No appointment is necessary. For information call 970-532-2034

Berthoud Weekly Surveyor November 7, 2013 Page B5

There have been many comic strip cartoonists over the years, but few of them could

match Elzie Crisler Segar (1894 - 1938) for the sheer volume of work

produced. He filled his Sun-day pages with two strips; the popular “Thim-ble Theatre,” along with a topper strip titled “Sappo.”

“Sappo” is a comic strip which began in 1920 under the original title “The Five Fifteen.”

The strip re-volved around

the daily adventures — and misad-ventures — of lead character John Sappo in his struggles to catch the 5:15 train (hence the original title) or in dealing with Myrtle, his formi-dable wife. In early 1923 the name of the strip was formally changed to “Sappo.” The strip later became the topper or complimentary strip to Segar’s more popular and better known “Thimble The-atre” in the full-page, full-color Sunday editions of the strip.

It was in the “Thimble Theatre” that Popeye made his debut. “Thimble Theatre” itself began publication in Dec. 1919 in the “New York Journal.” It was created by Segar, who worked for William Ran-dolph Hearst’s King Features Syndicate. The original characters were the spindly, spinsterish Olive Oyl, her brother Castor Oyl and Olive’s boyfriend Harold Hamgravy (later simply “Ham Gravy.”) Olive’s parents Cole and Nana Oyl also ap-peared regularly.

The strip eventually settled into a comedy-adventure type format with the main characters listed above. The characters acted out various stories

and situations in a theatrical style, which gave rise to the strip’s name.

Though the “Thimble Theatre” had been in publication for a full decade when Popeye made his first appear-ance as a minor supporting character during January 1929, he soon became the central focus of the strip. The result was that “Thimble Theatre” became one of the most popular strips owned by King Features during the 1930s.

Popeye’s entrance into the strip was innocuous enough. It seems Cas-tor Oyl had developed a scheme to sail to Dice Island, on which a casino owned by the treacherous and unscru-pulous gambler Fadewell was located. Castor’s plan was to “break the bank” at the casino by using the unbeatable good fortune bestowed upon anyone stroking the hairs on the head of a Whiffle Hen named Bernice.

With his plan in place, Castor needed a partner to assist him in the subterfuge. Enter Ham Gravy. The two next went to the docks to recruit a sailor and arrange transportation to Dice Island. Castor spotted a one-

eyed man dressed in a sailor’s outfit, a rather rumpled captain’s cap and sporting an anchor tattoo on his forearm.

“Hey there! Are you a sailor?” shouted Castor.

“‘Ja think I’m a Cowboy?” Pop-eye’s replied.

From that instant Popeye became an inte-gral part of the cast of characters of “Thimble The-atre.”

Popeye was hired on the spot to crew a ship for the voyage to Dice Island. A few weeks later, while on the trip home, Popeye was shot several times

by Jack Snork, an accomplice of the crook Fadewell. Popeye only survived because he was able to stroke the hairs on the Whiffle Hen’s head.

Segar wrote Popeye out of the strip following this adventure, but due to popular demand the character was hastily brought back.

Popeye became so popular that he was given a much larger presence in the strip and, as a result, the strip

was picked up by many more newspapers.

At first Olive was not at all enamored with the sailor, but she eventu-ally dropped Ham Gravy and became Popeye’s girl. However, over the years she would often display a fickle attitude toward him.

Following his rejection by Olive, Ham was writ-ten out of the strip as a regular.

Castor resumed his get-rich-quick schemes, enlisting Popeye in many of them. Over time he “reformed,” became a detective, later acquired a ranch out west and, af-ter moving to the ranch, ceased to be a regular cast member.

As the original char-acters left the cast new ones were added.

In 1932 J. Wellington Wimpy, a mooching hamburger-phile who promised to “gladly pay you Tues-day for a hamburger today,” became a permanent cast member. Wimpy was portrayed as being a soft spo-ken coward. (During WWII, Vickers Wellington bombers were nicknamed “Wimpys.”)

George W. Geezil, a cobbler who spoke with a heavy accent. Geezil often attempted to murder Wimpy, and always wished harm would come to him.

In 1933 a foundling baby was delivered to Popeye through the mail (I know, it sounds strange to me, too). He adopted the child and named it “Swee’Pea.” The exact gender of the baby was never determined.

Eugene the Jeep, a yellow animal of indeterminate species, but resem-bling a dog. Eugene haled from Africa and possessed magical powers.

The Sea Hag, a chief enemy of Pop-eye and a terrible, vengeful pirate.

Alice the Goon, a nasty witch-like creature who began as the Sea Hag’s minion, but later reformed and be-came a babysitter for Swee’Pea.

Two favorite Popeye expressions are “Blow me down” and “I yam what I yam.”

The strip Segar drew differed con-siderably from the Popeye cartoons that came later. “Thimble Theatre” strips were more complex and filled with many characters which did not appear in the cartoons, the use of spinach to build strength was rare, and Bluto appeared in only one epi-

sode of the strips authored by Segar. As most of you already know spinach is a Popeye staple in the cartoons and Bluto is a regular there. On the other hand the Sea Hag is seen much more often in the strip.

Segar would occasionally sign the early Popeye strips with a cigar be-cause his last name was a homonym of the word “cigar” when pronounced as SEE-gar.

Following Segar’s death in 1938 many different artists and writers were assigned the task of handling the “Thimble Theatre” strip until 1959 when the task was assigned to Bud Segandorf, who had been an assistant to Segar. He took over the daily and Sunday strips until 1986, when he relinquished control of the dailies. Segandorf continued to work on the Sunday editions until his death in 1994.

However, London’s strips put Pop-eye and his friends in updated situ-ations, but kept the spirit of Segar’s original. One classic London storyline, titled “The Return of Bluto”, showed the sailor battling every version of the bearded bully from the comic strip, comic books, and animated films.

From 1986 to 1992 the daily strips were written and drawn by Bobby London. London was fired in 1992 and daily strips drawn by Segandorf were used to fill the void. After the passing of Segandorf the Sunday strips were written and drawn by Hy Eisman, who continues in that role today.

I’ll see you in the funny papers!

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See you in the funny papers ... Popeye

Surveyor Columnist

RudyHemmann

Berthoud Weekly Surveyor November 7, 2013 Page B7

Nov. 7: Scalloped Chicken, Broccoli, Cinnamon Apples, Bread, Milk, Copper Penny Salad.

Nov. 8: Roast Pork, Apple Chutney, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts, Bread, MilkBanana.

Nov. 11: Cheeseburger Pie, Squash Medley, Hot Fruit Compote, Bread, Milk, Carrot Pineapple Salad w/Cranberries.

Nov. 12: Oven Fried Fish, Lemon Wedge, Tarter Sc., Corn Casserole, Green Beans & Onions, Milk, Pears, Creamy Coleslaw.

Nov. 13: BBQ Pork, Cheesy Mashed Potatoes, Mixed Vegetables, Bun, Milk, Plums, Tossed Salad, Ranch Dressing.

Nov. 14: Country Captain Chicken, Rice Pilaf, California Vegetables, Bread, Milk, Peaches.

Nov. 15: Beef Stew, Biscuit, Butter, But-tered Cabbage, Milk, Frozen Strawberry Yogurt, Applesauce.

Nov. 18: Hamburger Stroganoff over NoodlesBroccoli, Hot Fruit Compote, Bread, Milk,Pickled Beets.

Nov. 19: Oven Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Buttered Peas, Bread,

Milk, Mandarin Oranges, Peaches & Pineapple.

Nov. 20: Beef Pot Roast, Carrots, Celery & Onions, Steamed Po-

tatoes, Bread, Milk, Tropical Fruit Salad.

Nov. 21: Ham & Bean Soup, Cornbread, ButterButtered Green Beans,

Peanut Butter/Celery Sticks, Orange Wedges.

Nov. 22: Lasagna, Italian Veg-etables, glazed Pineapple, Bread, Milk, Tossed Salad, Italian Dressing.

Nov. 25: Oven Baked Fish, Mediterranean Sauce, Parsley Lemon Potatoes, California Vegetables, Bread, Milk, Apricots.

Nov. 26: Chicken & Dumplings, Broccoli, Curried Peaches, Bread, Milk, Cucum-bers & Sour Cream.

Nov. 27: Roast Turkey, Stuffing & Gravy, Orange Sweet Potatoes, Green Bean/Al-mond Casserole, Roll, Butter, Cranberry Sauce, Pumpkin Dessert.

Nov. 28: Happy Thanksgiving

Nov. 29: Meat Loaf, Gravy, Mashed Pota-toes, Orange Beets, Bread, Milk, Tropical Fruit & Mandarin Oranges.

Meals on Wheels November Menu

Special to the Surveyor

The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) has se-lected six communities from around the U.S. to participate in a MetLife Foundation-funded Livable Commu-nities Collaborative.

The six communities selected to participate are: Bellevue, Wash.; Larimer County, Colo.; Miami Gardens, Fla.; Monroe County (Rochester area), N.Y.; Sedgwick County (Wichita), Kans.; and York, Pa.

According to n4a, a “Livable Com-munity” for all ages is one that has: affordable and appropriate housing, adequate transportation and mobility options, accessible health and human services, workforce, volunteer and community engagement opportuni-ties that enable citizens to thrive.

By the year 2030, more than 70 million Americans — twice the num-ber in 2000 — will be 65 and older, and AARP reports that nearly 90 percent of older adults wish to age-in-place, or remain in their existing

homes or communities as they age.Locally, the Livable Communities

Collaborative is led by the Founda-tion on Aging for Larimer County and the Larimer County Office on Aging, in collaboration with 12 other com-munity organizations.

In the next year, the organizing committee will

conduct work-shops, developing volunteer teams and planning a community-wide event to help advance the initiative. The end

result will be to create an environ-ment that supports and promotes age-friendly communities throughout Larimer County.

Livable Community amenities help to maximize individual personal independence and quality of life while adding to the economic, civic and social vitality of the community at large, according to the organization. N4a launched this innovative col-laboration to help make communities great places to grow up and grow old.

Larimer County selected as a livable communities collaborative

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Psychological benefits of giving Special to the Surveyor

Charities often benefit significant-ly from the generosity of donors and volunteers. But the person providing the philanthropy also takes away something from the ex-perience, and there actually may be mea-surable emo-tional advan-tages to being charitable.

Helping others not only makes a per-son feel good, but it may also increase physical and emotional well-being. Several studies have indicated that being generous has profound effects on how a person thinks and feels. One such study from research-ers at Cornell University uncovered that volunteering increases one’s en-ergy, sense of mastery over life and self-esteem. It also promotes feelings of positivity, which may strengthen and enhance the immune system.

In 2008, Dr. Ellen Langer, a professor of psychology at Harvard University, advocated for giving gifts and being generous — even in tough financial times.

“When you give a gift it makes you feel generous, it makes you feel in control, it’s good for your self-es-teem, and it’s good for the relation-

ship,” says Langer.According to psychologist Robert

Ornstein and physician David Sobel, authors of “Healthy Pleasures,” they talk about a “helper’s high.” This is a sense of euphoria that volunteers experience when helping others. It can be described as a sense of vital-ity and a warm glow. It has been compared to a runner’s high and may be attributed to a release of endorphins.

Various studies have found that donors and volunteers gain the most from a charitable encounter.

Here are a few more health ben-efits that may result from be-ing altruistic:

• an activa-tion of emotions that are key to good health,

• lower stress levels,

• longer periods of calm after the gener-ous act, • improved mood, and

• a poten-tially longer life span.

There are many ways to give back and experience

these physical and psychological benefits, including:

• sharing experiences at a school,• volunteering at a hospital,• volunteering at a national or

local park,• donating unused items, like

clothes or cars,• reading to children at a library,• helping to care for animals at

shelters,• volunteering at a hospice and

comforting those at the end of their lives,

• donating supplies to a new teacher and

• becoming a companion to a senior citizen.

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