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On Oct. 24, Puyallup Area Aging in Community Committee sponsored a Volunteer Fair at the Fred Oldfield Western Heritage and Art Center, located at the Washington State Fairgrounds in Puyallup. The purpose of the event was to recruit volunteers for local programs and explain just what their volunteer work would involve.
The event went very well, said Linda Henry, president of the Aging in Community board.
“We had positive comments about the location, and 86 people attended,” she said.
Of those in attendance, 31 percent of folks who completed an evaluation said they found a spot where they would like to volunteer, and 41 percent indicated that maybe they found a volunteer opportunity.
“The goal was to match organizations who are looking for volunteers with people in the community who want to volunteer,” said Henry.
Fifteen organizations participated, including the Puyallup Police Department, Tahoma Audubon Society, Statewide Health Insurance Advisors, Communities in Schools of Puyallup, YMCA, Sunny Sky’s Animal Rescue, FISH Food Bank and Associated Ministries.
Puyallup Area Aging in Community is a non-profit, charitable educational advocacy group. Its “main purpose is educating the community and the city (of Puyallup) on aging issues, allowing the community to provide opportunities for people to stay in the community and how to be an age friendly community,” Henry said.
An age-friendly community enhances opportunities for people to volunteer and stay engaged in their community, she said.
Patsy Herzog volunteers at Sunny Sky’s Animal Rescue in Puyallup.
“I take care of animals that are waiting to go to their forever homes,” said Herzog, who helps them with socialization and takes them for walks. She also cleans kennels and works with clients looking for an animal to adopt.
“We make sure we fix clients up with an animal that would fit them best,” she said.
Herzog has been volunteering twice a week for the last five years.
“It is very fulfilling. When you look at these little dogs and cats in kennels and then take them out, even though it isn’t a home environment, when you cuddle and give them the love and affection, it is fulfilling to know you are helping them,” said Herzog, adding that her volunteer efforts get her out of the house and away from her chores.
“It makes you feel good when you are helping someone else,” she said.
Patty Moore-Hamilton would agree.
Moore-Hamilton, who retired in 2011, said her twice-a-week volunteer work at a FISH Food Bank near Puyallup keeps her busy.
She stopped one day at the food bank to drop off some donations for its clothing bank and asked the staff if they needed volunteers. That question brought a “heck yeah” response and an application form, and soon she was working every Monday and Wednesday.
“When I wake up, I say today I get to go to the food bank,” said Hamilton, who puts in about six hours on Mondays and nine on Wednesdays.
FISH had a table set up at the Volunteer Fair at the fairgrounds and gained three new volunteers that day.
“This is where I am supposed to be and doing what I’m supposed to do. I love it,” Hamilton said.
Henry said that 23 percent of older adults volunteer, and volunteering is rewarding because you make a difference in someone’s life. It also helps people find meaning and purpose at any age and brings improved health and well-being, she said.
Aging in Community addresses aging issues, including quality-of-life, independent housing and transportation concerns that will help to make the area livable for all ages.
“Research shows that people who volunteer are healthier because they get out of their homes and are involved in both civic and social engagement,” said Henry.

Linda Henry, president of the board of Puyallup Area Aging in Community Committee, accepted a City of Puyallup proclamation declaring the third week of October as Aging in Place Week. Joan Cronk/for Senior Scene)
Linda Henry, president of the board of Puyallup Area Aging in Community Committee, accepted a City of Puyallup proclamation declaring the third week of October as Aging in Place Week. Joan Cronk/for Senior Scene)
Joan Cronk by — December 22, 2015 in Lifestyles

Fantasy lights setupBefore the crowds in cars started streaming into Spanaway Park for Pierce County Parks and Recreation’s 21st annual Fantasy Lights holiday extravaganza, crews that included John Albrecht (right in the picture) and William Stewart spent weeks moving frames and thousands of multi-colored lights into position for the nearly 300 elaborate displays. Starting Nov. 26 and continuing through Jan. 1, the largest drive-through light show in the Northwest is open from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Visitors can take the two-mile slow drive through the park for an eyeful of displays – some of them animated – in a wide variety of holiday themes. Admission costs $14 per car.

srmedia by — December 2, 2015 in Lifestyles

In his recent book “Blue Zones,” New York Times best-selling author Dan Buettner explores the dietary and cultural traditions of peoples around the world that have the largest number of centenarians. The dietary similarities in these groups can be summarized fairly simply: The groups with the highest longevity globally do two things. First, they eat meat as a condiment rather than as a dietary mainstay. Second, they eat beans daily.
Here are a few easy ways to increase the amount beans in your diet:
1. Buy some Red Lentils in the bulk section of your store.
Red Lentils cook into a lovely creamy soup in just 15 minutes. Add a bit of curry powder and throw in leftover vegetables as it simmers. You need one part lentils to 4 parts water/stock.
2. Keep canned beans on hand. Black, garbanzo, pinto, etc.
Rinse them and add to fairly small cut-up raw veggies of your choice and add a vinaigrette dressing or oil and vinegar. Add crumbled feta if you like or any dried herbs you like. Voila! You have a salad with protein that will keep in your refrigerator for the whole week.
Like chips and salsa? Add some rinsed black or pinto beans to your salsa before you dip your chip!
3. Frozen edamame/soy beans.
Add them to a salad or fried rice or just eat them alone. Yummy.
Don’t forget your favorite bean chili, baked beans and hummus count toward your consumption of beans. All beans in whatever form you enjoy them will add protein, soluble fiber and a host of vitamins and minerals, including iron.

Kathryn Reed, who wrote this article, is a certified nutritionist. She co-founded Sound Health Connects in Seattle and works with clients such as Microsoft, Teamsters Union Trust and Seattle Athletic Club to support wellness initiatives.

srmedia by — November 18, 2015 in Lifestyles

Don’t pack away that shovel and trowel. Fall is a great time to plant a few new additions in the landscape. Here are just a few ideas for adding immediate and long term beauty to your garden.
Add cool season annuals like pansies, snapdragons, ornamental kale and stocks to brighten the fall garden. Those in milder regions will enjoy them throughout the winter. Consider adding cold hardy pansies. They provide color in the fall garden, survive most winters, and are back blooming in the spring just as the snow melts.
Fall is also a good time to plant perennials, trees and shrubs. The soil is warm and the air cooler, so the plants are less stressed and establish more quickly. Select plants suited to the growing conditions and be sure to give them plenty of room to reach their mature size.
Plant trees so the root flare, the place where the roots curve away from the trunk, is even with the soil surface. Dig a hole, the same depth as the rootball, and two to five times wider. Roughen the sides of the hole and backfill with the existing soil. Water thoroughly and spread a two to three inch layer of mulch over the soil surface, keeping the mulch away from the tree trunk.
Follow a similar planting procedure for shrubs. Plant these so the crown, the place where the stems meet the roots, is even with the soil surface. And be sure to keep the mulch away from the stems.
Plant daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and other bulbs in fall for extra color next spring. Set the bulbs at a depth of two to three times their height deep. Then cover them with soil and sprinkle on a low nitrogen slow release fertilizer, like Milorganite (milorganite.com). This organic nitrogen fertilizer promotes rooting without stimulating fall growth subject to winter kill.
Start planting spring flowering bulbs after the nighttime temperatures hover between 40 and 50 degrees. Be patient – waiting until the soil cools reduces the risk of early sprouting that often occurs during a warm fall.
Those gardening in the far south and along the gulf coast can purchase pre-cooled bulbs to compensate for the warm winters. Or the chilling can be done at home by storing the bulbs in a 35 to 45 degree location for at least 14 weeks before planting.
Those tired of battling the animals may want to plant resistant bulbs such as daffodils, hyacinths, Fritillaria, alliums, Camassia, glory-of-the snow, snow drops, squills, and grape hyacinths. You may find it is easier to avoid the problem than battle the animals with repellents and scare tactics.
Plant a few short season vegetables in your garden for fresh-from-the garden flavor this fall. Simply count the days from planting to the average first fall frost to determine how many growing days are left in your area. Select vegetables that will mature and can be harvested in that amount of time. Leaf lettuce, spinach, mustard greens, radishes and carrots are fast growing, cool weather tolerant vegetables that make great additions to the fall garden and your dinner plate.
Get these vegetables off to a good start with a side dressing of low nitrogen fertilizer. Incorporate it into the soil prior to planting or sprinkle a narrow band along the row of plants. This organic nitrogen will provide needed nutrients without damaging the tender seedlings.
Extend the harvest season with the help of floating row covers. These fabrics allow air, light and water through while trapping the heat around the plants. No construction is needed; just loosely cover the plants with the fabric, secure the edges with pipes, boards or landscape staples and let the plants provide the support.
So be sure to get a jump on next spring’s garden season with a bit of fall planting now.

Melinda Myers, who wrote this article, is a gardening expert, TV/radio host, author and columnist. Her web site is at www.melindamyers.com

Plant daffodils and other spring flowering bulbs in the fall for extra color next spring. (Melinda Myers/courtesy photo)
Plant daffodils and other spring flowering bulbs in the fall for extra color next spring. (Melinda Myers/courtesy photo)

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srmedia by — October 27, 2015 in Lifestyles