Richard Blanco Reads for WMSC

On the evening of January 12 forty WMSC members had the wonderful opportunity to hear Richard Blanco read his poetry in the intimate setting of the Mill Hill Inn. It was not unlike hearing a music recital in your own living room – chamber poetry, if you will. Richard presented us with a rich mix of poems, some of our old favorites and some new ones we'd never heard him read before. We laughed, pondered, and blinked away a tear or two. Toward the end Richard took requests for poems and answered some of our questions. Afterward he signed books and spoke with those of us who had more specific questions to ask. How fortunate we are to have such a talented and generous person as one of our neighbors!

Richard Blanco, in conversation with those at his table while waiting for dinner.     photo by Elise Caswell

For more information about Western Mountains Senior College visit our website at http://sad44.maineadulted.org/western_mountains_senior_college

Opera Talk – The Tales of Hoffman

On Saturday, January 31, the Metropolitan Opera will broadcast The Tales of Hoffmann (Les Contes d’Hoffmann) by Jacques Offenbach live in HD. This is one of the most famous and most popular of operas, full of delightful arias, and is a wonderful introduction to this form of musical theater. Jackie Cressy is offering a one-and-a-half hour program about this opera on Monday, January 26, at her house at 16 Park St. in Bethel from 2:00-3:30 pm. You will listen to excerpts from the opera, become acquainted with the story, and learn some interesting details about the composer and the history of the opera itself. Note: Jackie is not a musical expert, but happens to love this opera and would love to share her enthusiasm for it with you.

Tickets for the live HD broadcast (Leura Hill Eastman Performing Arts Center, Fryeburg Academy, January 31 at 1:00 pm) can be purchased in advance (boxoffice@fryeburgacademy.org). For those concerned about the possibility of winter weather tickets are also available at the box office the day of the performance.

 

For more information about Western Mountains Senior College visit our website at http://sad44.maineadulted.org/western_mountains_senior_college

I Can't Remember

(Ruth Barrett read this poem written by her sister, Marion Wisner, at the WMSC Holiday Party in December. We liked it so much we thought we'd share it with those of you who were unable to be there.

 

I CAN'T REMEMBER

Just a line to say I'm living,
that I'm not among the dead.
 
Though I'm getting more forgetful
and mixed up in the head.

I got used to my arthritis,
to my dentures I'm resigned.

I can manage my bifocals
but, God, I miss my mind!

For sometimes I can't remember
when I stand at the foot of the stairs

If I must go up for something
or have I just come down from there?

And before the fridge so often
my poor mind is filled with doubt --

Have I just put food away, or
have I come to take some out?

And there's times when it is dark
with my nightcap on my head.

I don't know if I'm retiring, or
just getting out of bed.

So, if it's my turn to write you,
there's no need for getting sore.

I may think that I have written
and don't want to be a bore.

So remember that I love you
and wish that you were near.

But now it's nearly mail time,
so I must say "Good-bye dear.”

There I stand before the mailbox
with a face so very red --

Instead of mailing you my letter,
I had opened it instead!!!!

Marion Wisner

For more information about Western Mountains Senior College visit our website at http://sad44.maineadulted.org/western_mountains_senior_college

Welcome to WMSC's Newest Board Member, Steve Smith

A special meeting of the WMSC membership was held last Tuesday, November 18 to elect Steven Smith to the WMSC Board.

Steve says that in 1988, after skiing Sunday River in the era of “T2,” he, his wife Lee, and their two daughters began constructing their vacation/retirement home on the shores of Songo Pond. They retired to their Songo Pond home in 2012.

Steve retired in 1995 from 30+ years working in independent and public schools, including a high school principalship in Topsfied, MA. He then began consulting with an international educational firm, which he continues to do on a VERY limited basis, allowing more time for skiing, biking, and sailing! Steve holds an A.B in Biology from Franklin and Marshall College and an M.Ed in Educational Administration and Biology from Tufts University. He is a member of the Bethel Rotary Club, serves on the board of the Mahoosuc Land Trust, and is a member of the WMSC Program Committee. Thank you, Steve, for joining the WMSC board.

For more information about Western Mountains Senior College visit our website at http://sad44.maineadulted.org/western_mountains_senior_college

The Basics of Alzheimer's Disease

by Roberta Taylor

On November 6, William J. Kirkpatrick, Licensed Social Worker and Program Director for the Maine Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, presented a follow-up session on Alzheimer’s Disease at the West Parish Congregational Church. (For a review of the first session see Large Group Attends Session on Alzheimer's Disease.) This was a very informative and valuable presentation, with audience members asking numerous questions.

Linda Mc Donough and William Kirkpatrick      photo Rosabelle Tifft

Mr. Kirkpatrick stated that at least 5,000,000 people in the United States are at some stage of the disease - early, middle, or late. Explaining that Alzheimer’s Disease is the sixth leading cause of death in our country, he presented a number of facts concerning the disease, with the above being most surprising to many.

Mr. Kirkpatrick spoke of the four major risk factors for the disease, the highest being age: 90% of those people with the disease are over 60. Three additional risk factors are health status, environment, and genetics. The focus of future research, he said, will be on drugs and early detection.

Along with detailed information concerning the disease, Mr. Kirkpatrick encouraged us to learn even more by contacting www.alz.org/maine and other resources. He alerted the audience to a 24/7 Helpline (800-272-3900), which offers information and referral services, support groups, safety services, advocacy, and education programs.

This is a very important topic, as evidenced by the high number of people who attended both sessions. People with Alzheimer’s Disease, care-givers, family, and the general population should pay close attention to helping combat this disease.


For more information about Western Mountains Senior College visit our website at http://sad44.maineadulted.org/western_mountains_senior_college

Senior College Players to Present “Out the Window”

by Rosabelle Tifft

Be prepared for an evening of fun and laughter as the Senior College Players present their annual performance, ”We Hope We Passed the Audition,” on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 21 and 22, at the Gould Academy Trustees Auditorium. Three comedy plays to be performed include: “Identity Crisis,” “Out the Window,” and “The Mad Breakfast.”

What do you get when you put a boring, lazy husband in the proximity of a strong-minded wife and an overly wishful mother? Reality! Watch how Lorrie Hoeh, Barbara Dion, and Ross Timberlake deal with this classic brow-beating ritual in the comedy, “Out the Window.”

Lorrie Hoeh, Ross Timberlake and Barbara Dion                photo Lorrie Hoeh

 The cast and antics of the final comedy, “The Mad Breakfast,” will be included in the next issue of the blog.

For more information about Western Mountains Senior College visit our website at http://sad44.maineadulted.org/western_mountains_senior_college

Senior College Players Update

by Rosabelle Tifft

Senior College Players are gearing up for their annual performances to take place on Friday and Saturday, November 21 and 22, at the Gould Academy Trustees Auditorium beginning at 7 pm. This year’s performance is entitled: “We Hope We Passed The Audition!”

One of three comic plays to be performed is entitled, “Identity Crisis.” This play involves a tabloid reporter who stages an elaborate scam so she can write the story of the century, but her plan backfires when employees at the airline’s Lost and Found unravel her scheme. The cast includes Tineke Ouwinga as the reporter; Norman Milliard, Carole Timberlake, and Jack Kuchta as airline personnel. Jim McLean and Rosabelle Tifft also check in and out looking for their lost luggage.

Watch for summaries of the remaining plays, “Out the Window” and “A Mad Breakfast” in future editions of the blog.

Tineke Ouwinga, Carole Timberlake, Norman Milliard and Jack Kuchta    photo Lorrie Hoeh

Jim McLean, Rosabelle Tifft and Carole Timberlake  photo Lorrie Hoeh

For more information about Western Mountains Senior College visit our website at http://sad44.maineadulted.org/western_mountains_senior_college

Opera Talk: "Carmen" Wednesday, October 29

Photo: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera

On Saturday, November 1, the Metropolitan Opera will broadcast Bizet's Carmen live in HD. Patricia Boyle-Wight will introduce us to this favorite opera on Wednesday, October 29, 10:30 am at the West Parish Congregational Church. Patricia will lead us to a fuller appreciation of the historical and musical elements of this great opera, which features one beloved and instantly recognizable melody after another. Come even if you can't attend the opera on November 1. If attending, please RSVP to Patricia at pboylewight@ants.edu or 824-8453. The opera talk is free and open to the public, so bring a friend!

For tickets to the November 1 Metropolitan Opera HD broadcast contact boxoffice@fryeburgacademy.org or call the box office at 207-935-9232 (Mon-Fri, 9:00-1:00). Opera goers may choose to “ride-share.”

For more information about Western Mountains Senior College visit our website at http://sad44.maineadulted.org/western_mountains_senior_college

Large Group Attends Session on Alzheimer's Disease

Jan Stowell and Mark Pechenik   photo Rosabelle Tifft

by Kathleen DeVore

Fifty-four people attended last week's To Your Health presentation, “Know the Ten Signs of Alzheimer's.” Mark Pechenik from the Maine Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association spoke of the following ten signs which suggest dementia.

1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life: forgetting recently learned information; asking for the same information over and over; increasingly needing to rely on memory aids or family members for things formerly handled independently.

2. Challenges in planning or solving problems: changes in ability to develop and follow a plan; keeping track of monthly bills; following a familiar recipe.

3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work or at leisure: trouble driving to a familiar location; managing a budget; remembering the rules of a favorite game.

4. Confusion with time or place: losing track of dates, seasons; forgetting where one is or how they got there.

5. Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships: difficulty reading, judging distance, determining color or contrast.

6. New problems with words in speaking or writing: difficulty following or joining a conversation; finding the right word; calling things by the wrong name.

7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps: putting things in unusual places; losing things and being unable to find them again.

8. Decreased or poor judgment: difficulty dealing with money; decreased attention to grooming.

9. Withdrawal from work or social activities: difficulty remembering how to complete a favorite hobby; avoiding being social because of these changes.

10. Changes in mood and personality: becoming confused, suspicious, fearful or anxious, especially when out of one's comfort zone.

If you notice these signs in yourself or a loved one, see a doctor. The dementia could be due to coronary disease or another life-threatening problem with blood flow. If it is Alzheimer's, while there is not yet a cure, there are medications which can slow the progression. The Alzheimer's Association offers many types of support to the person living with Alzheimer's and to their friends and family.

A follow-up program, “The Basics: Memory Loss, Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease,” will be held on Thursday, November 6, from 4:30 to 6:30 pm at the West Parish Congregational Church. For more information, contact Rosabelle Tifft at 824-2053. 

For more information about Western Mountains Senior College visit our website at http://sad44.maineadulted.org/western_mountains_senior_college

WMSC Drawing and Painting Class Takes a Field Trip to Andover

On Thursday, October 2, WMSC's art class met at Pam Berry's house in Andover.  Everyone had a wonderful time drawing and painting from nature.  Here are a few photos that Wendy Hutchins sent to us.

Elly Dufault, painting a scene in Pam Berry's back yard.

Denise Hurd and Suzanne Taylor enjoy the front yard.

Bonnie Pooley and Pam Berry

Sisters Freda Davis and Roma Wilson, painting in Pam's studio.

Geri Kelley, Lee Smith and Bonnie Pooley. The whole group
 shared a "potluck" lunch before returning home.
 photos by Wendy Hutchins

For more information about Western Mountains Senior College visit our website at http://sad44.maineadulted.org/western_mountains_senior_college