Across
1 Concern when merging
10 Texas river diverted into the Red Bluff Reservoir
15 Museum download
16 Dippy
17 Stranger in many a family holiday photo
18 Cake made from ground nuts
19 “While I Was Gone” novelist Miller
20 Becomes, finally
22 “High Anxiety” actress
23 Say further
24 Corps member
26 Metered fleet
29 Treatment plant input
32 “The Cube” network
34 Delighted toddler’s demand
36 “Jinkies!”
37 Time worth studying
38 Gruff prescription for a minor injury
41 “Glad to hear it!”
42 Aspect
43 Branch of Islam
44 Org. whose members take hikes?
45 Mets slugger Pete who holds the record for most home runs by a rookie
47 Benefit
48 Irredeemable
50 Word of invitation
52 Cheese paired with kalamata olives
53 Do more than listen
56 __ diavolo sauce
59 #LiveUplifted sneakers brand
61 Arthroscopic procedure that may follow an MRI of the knee
63 McNairy of “Halt and Catch Fire”
64 Ride between runs
65 Buttonlike flower
66 Setting for some unboxing videos

Down
1 Some carpentry noises
2 Party with poke
3 Between jobs
4 Bupkis
5 Gave a shot, say
6 Efforts at resistance
7 Spot for a koi or a decoy
8 Ballpark figure
9 Emergency gear
10 Depression
11 Miso soup mushroom
12 Road show necessity?
13 Flirting with
14 Camille Pag n’s “Woman Last __ in Her Thirties”
21 “Your table’s ready” device
23 Warts and all
25 Relies (on)
26 Whoopi’s birth name
27 Drink often flavored with hibiscus
28 Aveeno product
30 Peer-to-peer sharing?
31 Add capacity to, in a way
33 French composer who influenced Ravel
35 Diet food choice
39 Some mechanical connectors
40 Dethrone
46 Egyptian god invoked in “The Magic Flute”
49 __ al pastor
51 Disinclined to form compounds
52 Media __: unplugged period
54 Sign of hollowness
55 “Proof” or “Doubt”
56 “Point taken”
57 Abounding (with)
58 Review-heavy newspaper section
60 Trough spot
62 Gp. central to the 1993 Oslo Accords

Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Director J.D. Strong resigned effective immediately. The decision was accepted unanimously by the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission, the agency’s advisory, administrative and policy-making body.
Strong was the Department’s 18th Director and had served as Director since 2016. ODWC Assistant Director Wade Free was named Interim Director by the Commission.
We greatly appreciate the past seven years of leadership and service that J.D. has provided during his tenure with the Department of Wildlife Conservation, and we wish he and his family all of the very best in their future endeavors.
“After much prayer, and after more than 31 years of state service, I have decided to step down as Director of the ODWC, effective immediately.
This decision is bittersweet. I have loved every minute of working alongside the wonderful people that comprise the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, watching them passionately and skillfully nurture a better environment for our fish and wildlife, and for the Oklahomans who get to enjoy them. Our state is unquestionably better because of ODWC’s dedicated team of professionals, and I thank them for the privilege of working alongside them for these past seven years.
Having been ODWC Director for the past seven years, I’m extremely proud of what we have accomplished together. As with previous exits, I’ve always tried to leave with no regrets, as well as to leave the woodpile higher than I found it. My hope and belief are this is the case here.
I have no doubt that ODWC’s future is bright, and I will be cheering for the continued success of the Department every step of the way.”– J.D. Strong, Former Director of ODWC

Don’t Give Up

This is not the world we grew up in, or even the world we knew for much of our lives. If my informal poll of friends and acquaintances is correct, we don’t like it much. The current state of the world has taken an emotional, physical and social toll on us. This isn’t the retirement we planned.
I hear:
We’re too trusting and it gets us into trouble when we fall for scams coming to us via phone, email and the internet, and resulting in identity theft and loss of money.
The pandemic locked many of us away, and we haven’t surfaced yet because COVID is still out there, as well as the annual flu and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) this winter. Staying home seems to be the safest way to avoid it all.
And there’s the television news. Some of us have started only watching the first five minutes to catch the weather and then turn to a different channel to avoid the political scene and crime reporting, some of which unfortunately is happening in our own areas. Channels showing reruns of retro programs are getting a lot of our attention now.
No, we don’t like it much, and some of us wonder if we’re sliding into depression.
But there are ways to regain some of what we’ve lost, and a trip to our physician might be the best first step. Go, and tell him or her what’s going on with you. A simple blood test might point to a change in diet that could help how you feel.
At the same time, he might know of some community resources, even if it’s having meals delivered.
Reconnect with friendships that matter (even if it’s on the phone), ask if the library delivers books, become a pet foster parent, look for senior exercise videos on YouTube, etc.
Don’t Give Up.

Good news: This year’s flu vaccine appears to be particularly effective at preventing severe cases.
Bad news: Only about 40% of Americans eligible for flu shots have received one.
More good news: There’s still time to get protected before the virus peaks in Oklahoma, said Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation physician-scientist Hal Scofield, M.D.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, influenza affects, on average, about 8% of the U.S. population each year. The virus annually kills about 35,000 Americans and sends another 450,000 to the hospital. Young children, people 65 years and older, and those with chronic medical conditions such as congestive heart failure, asthma, or diabetes are at greatest risk of severe disease.
“In the Southern Hemisphere, flu season runs about six months ahead of ours, which provides us with a window into the severity and most common strain as well as the effectiveness of the vaccine,” said Scofield, who also is associate chief of staff for research at the Oklahoma City VA Medical Center.
“This year, the vaccine appears to be a great match for the virus,” Scofield said. “Although complete data isn’t available yet, Australian health authorities reported that this year’s vaccine significantly reduced the risk of ending up in the doctor’s office from the flu.”
According to the CDC, pharmacies and doctor’s offices had administered about 51 million doses of adult vaccine as of Nov. 25 – 13% below the same time last year. Similarly, the percentage of U.S. children who had received flu shots through early December was lower than at the same time for the past four years.
A survey conducted in August by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases found 65% agreement among American adults that an annual flu shot is the best prevention, yet 43% didn’t plan to get one or were unsure if they would get one this year. Among those in the latter group, 32% cited concern about side effects.
The most common flu vaccine side effects are soreness, redness or swelling at the injection site, and sometimes, low-grade fever. But, according to OMRF Executive Vice President & Chief Medical Officer Judith James, M.D., Ph.D., none of this is cause for alarm. “It’s your body developing protective immunity, and compared to contracting the flu, it’s nothing.”
James added that many fear getting a flu shot can cause the flu.
“The vaccine is made from proteins, not the virus,” said James, a member of the National Academy of Medicine and chair of OMRF’s Arthritis and Clinical Immunology Research Program. “It isn’t possible to get the flu from the vaccine.”
She noted that the flu vaccine typically reaches full effectiveness in two weeks. As of the first week of December, Oklahoma flu activity is low, but increasing. According to the CDC, flu rates are high in neighboring states of Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado, and rising in Arkansas.
“Vaccination is your best defense, along with practicing smart health hygiene,” James said. “Stay home if you feel ill, wash your hands frequently and cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze or cough.”

Across
1 Concern when merging
10 Texas river diverted into the Red Bluff Reservoir
15 Museum download
16 Dippy
17 Stranger in many a family holiday photo
18 Cake made from ground nuts
19 “While I Was Gone” novelist Miller
20 Becomes, finally
22 “High Anxiety” actress
23 Say further
24 Corps member
26 Metered fleet
29 Treatment plant input
32 “The Cube” network
34 Delighted toddler’s demand
36 “Jinkies!”
37 Time worth studying
38 Gruff prescription for a minor injury
41 “Glad to hear it!”
42 Aspect
43 Branch of Islam
44 Org. whose members take hikes?
45 Mets slugger Pete who holds the record for most home runs by a rookie
47 Benefit
48 Irredeemable
50 Word of invitation
52 Cheese paired with kalamata olives
53 Do more than listen
56 __ diavolo sauce
59 #LiveUplifted sneakers brand
61 Arthroscopic procedure that may follow an MRI of the knee
63 McNairy of “Halt and Catch Fire”
64 Ride between runs
65 Buttonlike flower
66 Setting for some unboxing videos

Down
1 Some carpentry noises
2 Party with poke
3 Between jobs
4 Bupkis
5 Gave a shot, say
6 Efforts at resistance
7 Spot for a koi or a decoy
8 Ballpark figure
9 Emergency gear
10 Depression
11 Miso soup mushroom
12 Road show necessity?
13 Flirting with
14 Camille Pag n’s “Woman Last __ in Her Thirties”
21 “Your table’s ready” device
23 Warts and all
25 Relies (on)
26 Whoopi’s birth name
27 Drink often flavored with hibiscus
28 Aveeno product
30 Peer-to-peer sharing?
31 Add capacity to, in a way
33 French composer who influenced Ravel
35 Diet food choice
39 Some mechanical connectors
40 Dethrone
46 Egyptian god invoked in “The Magic Flute”
49 __ al pastor
51 Disinclined to form compounds
52 Media __: unplugged period
54 Sign of hollowness
55 “Proof” or “Doubt”
56 “Point taken”
57 Abounding (with)
58 Review-heavy newspaper section
60 Trough spot
62 Gp. central to the 1993 Oslo Accords

By Theresa Green

It’s the season when we talk a lot about miracles, and one Oklahoma woman will tell you she is living proof they exist.
Vickey McDonald, 62, spent more than half a year hospitalized.
“I had two heart attacks, seven surgeries, spent almost seven full months in the hospital,” she said.
Her prognosis was grim. McDonald says she was told by doctors at the hospital in February that it was unlikely she’d survive.
“It was very grave, yes. She was given really no chance of survival at all. Pretty grim,” said Tracy Bates, a nurse practitioner with Valir PACE.
Doctors at the hospital planned to send her home on hospice care, but McDonald chose a different path, enrolling instead in an all-inclusive care program called Valir PACE. It is a holistic program of care that offered help with her medical, therapy, dental, transportation, home care and other needs. It all sounded too good to be true.
“At first, I was like, this is not for real. You got to be kidding me,” she said. “But then I realized they really do everything that lady said they would do. They really do.”
Now, several days a week, you will find McDonald hard at work in the physical and occupational therapy clinic at PACE in downtown Oklahoma City.
“She’s one of the hardest workers I know in therapy,” said Kirsten Paschal-Wilson, Valir PACE Therapy Manager. “She wants to be there. She shows up. She puts in the work, and it doesn’t stop at therapy. When she gets home, she keeps putting in the work because she loves her life. She loves to live it and she’s going to do it independently.”
It’s more than just therapy, though. McDonald is seen regularly by the team of health professionals in the PACE clinic too.
“Just seeing her be able to walk out the door and walk back in on a regular basis. A year ago, for sure, I don’t know that would have happened,” Bates said. “She’s very determined to do the very best she can do as long as she possibly can. She’s a fighter – 100 percent a fighter.”
McDonald’s is a story of sheer grit, determination and what many, including her health team at Valir PACE, might call a medical miracle too.
“It’s hard not to get emotional,” said Bates, her eyes welling with tears, “because it shows that I am where I need to be.”
And McDonald says clearly so is she.
“Went to my doctor in August for my six-month check-up. He said, ‘Let me explain it to you. When you left the hospital in February, you had a zero percent chance of survival. So whatever you are doing, you need to keep doing it.’”
The grandmother of 10 is determined to keep doing just that, working hard to get healthier, to continue to live life independently and to prove wrong those doctors who gave her no chance of survival just ten months ago.
“She swears up and down that she wouldn’t have doe it without PACE,” said Paschal-Wilson, “But I don’t think she would have done it without herself either.”
“Life is a gift. My family is so precious to me and I’m thankful that I am able to spend more time with them. I thank God every day for Valir PACE. I’d sing it from the rooftop if I could sing,” McDonald said, adding with a chuckle, “When I get my voice back, I might do that.”

History Alive! on the Cherokee Strip, a living history program at the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center in Enid, will return for another year.
It takes place throughout the year on the first and third Saturday of each month from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. The four historic buildings in the Humphrey Heritage Village, which are from the territorial days, come to life with reenactors dressed in period clothing from the late 1800s.
Attendees can sit at school desks in the Turkey Creek one-room schoolhouse from 1896 while lessons are taught, hear a pioneer tale from those tending their shops and watch as craftsmen and women work their trades. Visitors can go inside the 1905 Glidewell house or stop at the church from 1902. Guests can watch and participate in the different skills and trades of the time or file their own land claim at the historic 1893 U.S. Land Office.
History Alive! started at the CSRHC in the winter of 2019 and happened once a month. It has grown into a biweekly event. Volunteers are always needed.
The History Alive! programs are included with paid admission. For more information about the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, please call 580-237-1907 or visit https://csrhc.org/.
The Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit https://www.okhistory.org/.