In my childhood, maybe at age 5, my Grama said a friend “had taken her last breath.” Somehow in my mind I decided we were allotted a specific number of breaths for our lifetime. I determined I’d better pace myself.

I knew I wanted to live a long life, like my Grama (who I thought was ancient at age 66). If I wasted all my breaths as a child, would I run out? I remember a few weeks of slowing my breathing, concentrating on bringing air fully into my lungs and exhaling with intention.

We all seek ways to stretch time and hope to live a long and healthy life. It is not something we can control with breath, diet or exercise alone. Accidents, illness and so many other factors take a toll on our health both physically and mentally.

Rather than thinking of a finite limitation perhaps we should consider life as an investment. Our mind and body are the bank into which we can deposit experiences and knowledge. That creates the reserve we must draw on when needed.

When illness or stress comes, what resources do you have? Friends to rely on, memories to walk through, skills to share with others? Is your body ready for the stressors that come with aging?

The Senior Center aims to be a place to gather up your reserves – make some memories, new friends, exercise your brain and your body. In the coming months we hope to continue to increase the number and types of programming we offer. Energized, creative members have been telling us what they would like to experience, and YSSC staff and volunteers are gearing up for these opportunities.

We know that changes, like our aging bodies, are inevitable. We can’t hold our breath and expect to control the situation. Instead, let’s continue to envision the ways we make the best investment in ourselves and our community.

 – Caroline Mullin, Executive Director

937-767-5751 x 101, cmullin@ysseniors.org

The Ohio Department of Health has provided YSSC with the ability to test staff, key volunteers, and class instructors routinely for Covid.

The federal government has a website to order free Covid-19 tests, allowing people to order four tests per household, shipped directly to their address. To order tests click the button below.

Use the buttons below to visit our website for the most up-to-date information about our classes and groups.

–From To Winter, Claude McKay, 1890–1948,

a central figure in the Harlem Renaissance

 

Spring is upon us. What better time to go to a class or program offered by the Senior Center? For information about regular classes and activities, click the buttons above. For coming workshops and events, see just below. Or look over the calendars for March and April on the website or in the print version of this newsletter!

937-767-5751 x 105, cpelzl@ysseniors.org

The YS Winters Farmers Market will continue indoors to the Senior Center Great Room through the end of March. Open 9–11 am, with a half hour for seniors and high-risk individuals from 8:30–9 am. Masks are required. 

The outdoor YS Farmers Market, held in the Bryan Center parking lot, is also open from 9–11 am Saturday through March. EBT is accepted at both; new tokens are available at the indoor market.

Artie Isaac will present information on Ethical Wills on Monday, March 14 from 6:30–7:30 pm and Friday, April 22 from 2:30-3:30 pm in the Great Room. Ethical wills are not a legal document or about material items, they are a way to convey your values, stories, and important information to loved ones. 

Artie’s presentation will help you start crafting your own way to express your ideas. Registration is required, call 937-767-5751 or send an email to info@ysseniors.org, limited to 15 participants. Both sessions will cover the same material so it’s not necessary to attend both.

To celebrate the return of Spring, come out for refreshments on the outside “patio” (aka the carport, so dress for the weather). Everyone is welcome but please call ahead at 937-767-5751 to reserve a spot.

Bob Riordan, archaeologist and Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at Wright State University, will be the first speaker for a new lecture series. Bob will present “An Archaeological View of Southwest Ohio’s Ancient Mounds and Earthworks.” The event will happen in person in the Great Room and also be on Zoom.

He will discuss the peoples of the Adena and Hopewell cultures (c. 400 BC–AD 400) who constructed hundreds of mounds and earthwork enclosures in southern Ohio. This brief review will highlight a few located in the southwest part of the state, with a focus on two – the Pollock Works and Fort Ancient – that were subjects of Bob’s archaeological investigations since the 1980s.

There is a $10 suggested donation for the lecture.

Three mound and earthwork tours, to locations that Bob will discuss, are planned for later in the spring and summer.

In this time of community separation, many of us long for person-to-person connections. To that end, we are having a social gathering via Zoom, of folks who would like to talk together about various topics. For example, we might want to reminisce about people, places, and events from the past, or discuss local happenings.

We will “gather” on the second and fourth Friday of each month at 4 pm, for about an hour (or longer perhaps) on Zoom initially. As the Covid conditions change some of the group might gather in the Great Room while Zooming with the rest. Even those who are out of town could enjoy being a part of these conversations. The Zoom link is in the calendar at: ysseniors.org/calendar. To register, call 937-767-5751 or send an email to info@ysseniors.org. 

Planning has begun for the annual Garden Dinner Party. The committee is considering moving the date to the end of June. More details to come.

If you are interested in playing Scrabble, please contact Michael Kraus at 937-319-6003 to learn when and where groups are gathering. 

Resilient people are aware of situations, their emotions, and reactions. They take heed of their behavior and that of the people around them. They have the ability to recover and rebound from a myriad of challenges and setbacks.

Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic our nation as a whole has shown resiliency. A new “normal” has been discussed for two years and there is no clear evidence that we are closing in on a steady state that we can call “normal.”

I am amazed by the seniors in this village. Resilient does not begin to describe them. Seniors have shown strength, patience, and courage, and have not only held on, but have moved forward.

Spring is on the horizon and will emerge regardless of new obstacles or new variants of the virus. The Senior Center will continue as a beacon of light allowing seniors to lead and participate in all kinds of activities. We continue to offer help in the homes of seniors and transportation for those who need it. Please join us for activities and contact us for help.

937-767-5751 x107, tbondurant@ysseniors.org

Spring is just around the corner which means it is tax season. There are instructions and forms for Federal Tax 1040 and Ohio State taxes at the Yellow Springs Library. You can also go online to www.irs.gov for Federal forms and info and to tax.ohio.gov/individual/filing-season-central for state forms and info. The AARP website has information on taxes and can help prepare taxes online at taxaide.aarpfoundation.org.

If you would like in-person help with your taxes, VITA, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, has programs at the Xenia and Cedarville Libraries for free tax help for adults of low- to moderate-income by appointment only. For information about the Xenia library help go to greenelibrary.info/taxes or call 937-352-4000 (option 3).

For the Cedarville library, help is available on Tuesdays through April 5, from 10 am–3 pm. For an appointment call 937-352-4006 (option 3). You will need to bring a photo ID and social security cards for everyone listed on the return. VITA can’t prepare returns with rental income.

(937) 767-5751, ext. 108, slawson@ysseniors.org

–Elizabeth Bishop, One Art

I sit looking out on the February storm, just a day after the groundhog foretold an additional six weeks of winter. (And we know, groundhogs are rarely mistaken – at least 60% of the time). By the time you read this you will be able to judge how accurate the groundhog’s prediction was.

Very few vehicles on the road today. Their absence caused me to think about how much less we all have been driving since the beast, Covid, arrived two years ago. And, that, in turn, made me curious as to the impact so little driving has on our individual talents behind the wheel.

So, I did a little digging. I found a September, 2021 poll by Hankook Tire that found “drivers who don’t get behind the wheel at all increased by 400%” over their 2020 survey. Of course, most of the increase was easily attributed to the increase in virtual connections made in the fields of education, work and, yes, even travel.

I’m sure you’ve heard the maxim, “use it or lose it!” What consequences might we anticipate, or prepare for, from such a decrease in our driving time? I found a few at different websites, e.g.:

• Struggling to parallel park.

• Forgetting to use turn signals.

• Scraping the curb.

• Not checking mirrors.

• Driving too fast.

• More impatience.

The salt truck driving by my house prompts me to remind you it takes more than a handful of salt thrown over your shoulder to be a safe and courteous driver. It’s nearly Spring so roll down your car windows and spin up your attentiveness when taking back to the road.

– Robert Libecap, Transportation Manager

937-767-5751 x104, rlibecap@ysseniors.org

Thank You for your survey responses! There is interesting information in them which will be compiled and shared in the May newsletter.

Ripples 2022

Ripples is an annual literary magazine featuring poems and articles by or about older adults in the community. Submit your stories, poems and photos featuring residents of Yellow Springs and Miami Township who are age 55 and over.

The deadline is March 28. Submission guidelines are available at the Senior Center and on the website at ysseniors.org/Ripples.  

Send your typed, ready to print submissions along with a submission form to: YSSC – Ripples, 227 Xenia Ave., Yellow Springs, OH 45387 

Or email to pgeisel@ysseniors.org.

The art committee has hung the the first art show in the Fireplace Room since March 2020 (read more about this show below). Future shows include a retrospective of Sue Brezine’s watercolors in April–June, ceramics by Bruce Grimes in July–September, and artwork by David Battle in October–December. The exact dates are still being worked out and will be announced once they are finalized.

The committee is looking for artists who would like to be considered for a show in 2023. Interested artists should email pgeisel@ysseniors.org.

PDF files of the bimonthly Newsletter, going back to 2019, are available on ysseniors.org/enewsletter. An eNewsletter is also sent to everyone who gets the weekly email blasts. If you would like to get these emails, email info@ysseniors.org or go to the website to sign up using the link on the home page.

The Foodbank, Inc., has a Mobile Farmers Market in the Yellow Springs area. Their Mobile Farmers Market program is a free food distribution with a focus on fresh fruits and vegetables. It is held every third Thursday of the month from 1–3 pm at First Baptist Church, 600 Dayton Street. This is a walk-up mobile market. Please bring bags or a cart for transporting items to your car. 

The Senior Center continues to shop for groceries weekly from Tom’s Market for anyone who is homebound due to transportation, mobility, or health issues. Deliveries are on Fridays and orders are due by noon on Thursdays. Orders are accepted one of three ways:

Credit Card/Debit Card/EBT cards are accepted, and a representative of the Senior Center will call on Thursday to get card information. This is a free service. Donations are gratefully accepted.

General Policy: As Covid policies continue to adjust, the Center is monitoring the recommendations of the CDC, local and state health and the Ohio Department of Aging, including masking requirements. Current information is available on our website, ysseniors.org, or by calling the Center at 937-767-5751.

Transportation Department: Unvaccinated potential riders please call for more information.

Age is not a factor for artists, which is evident in the Greene County Senior Artisan Show. This event showcases the amazing work of senior citizens, from 60 to 90-something, who work in a variety of mediums: oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, charcoal, pencil, pen & ink, woodcarvings, hand-thrown pottery and ceramics, and photography. Active participation in creative activities has been shown to improve both their physical and mental health as they age. 

The Greene County Senior Artisan Show can be viewed on Sunday, March 13 from 1–3:30 pm, Sunday, March 20 from 1–3:30 pm, and Wednesday, March 23 from 11 am–2 pm at the Fairborn Art Association, 221 N. Central Ave. in Fairborn (at the rear of the building). 

A virtual viewing of the show will be available March 14–25 at gccoa.org/art.

For information about the show, contact the Council by calling 937-376-5486 or by emailing YourFriends@gccoa.org. 

The Greene County Council on Aging will hold their Spring Shredding Event on Saturday, April 30 from 9 am–12 noon in the parking lot of the Xenia Community Center next to the Council’s office.

It's My Money, My Stuff, and My Life! 

This popular 4 week program starts on Tuesday, March 8 from 6–8:30 pm and is hosted by the Greene County Council on Aging. The sessions, presented by local professionals, will be held in the Xenia Community Center. The cost is $40 per household and includes a binder with all program materials and box suppers. 

Space is limited and reservations are required. For information or a registration form, please contact the Council by calling 937-376-5486 or by emailing YourFriends@gccoa.org. 

Grief & Loss Group: Mondays, March 14 and April 11 (the second Monday) from 10 am–noon at Peace Lutheran Church in Beavercreek.

Memory Loss, Dementia & Alzheimer’s Disease: Wednesday, March 16 from 2:30– 4:30 pm at the Xenia Community Center (XCC) next door to the GCCOA Office.

Medicare 101: Wednesday, April 13, 3–4:30 pm at the Xenia Community Center (XCC) next door to the GCCOA Office.

Contact GCCOA with questions or to register for these events at 937-376-5486 or by emailing YourFriends@gccoa.org.

Thanks to everyone who came out to enjoy cocoa, cookies, and carols at the winter social. And a big thanks to Becky Baker from Friends Care Community who provided the festive food. The weather cooperated and we were able to partake on the “patio” (aka the carport).

Use the button below to visit the calendar our website for the most up-to-date information about our classes and events. Virtual classes and events will also have the links to these events.

Welcome NEW Members!

Jerry & Kathy Buck

Molly & Keith GunderKline

Sandy & Neil Kalfas

Neil Silvert

Patricia Silvert

The YSSC has restarted having art shows in the Fireplace Room. The first show features artwork by the members of the Art Committee: Fran La Salle, Pat Robinow, Libby Rudolf, and Pam Geisel. The show will be up through March 29 with a closing reception on Friday, March 25 from 6–8 pm. The artwork includes art quilts, watercolor and acrylic paintings, and mixed media. For a virtual exhibit or more information, visit ysseniors.org/art. See above for a peek at the shows planned for the rest of the year.

​The Yellow Springs Senior Center newsletter is published every other month, coming out at the end of the even numbered months. Copy deadline is the 1st of even numbered months. PDF versions of this and past issues can be found on the website.

Email updates are sent weekly and the eNewsletter is sent every other month.