Visit: https://www.tealridge.com/

Dear Savvy Senior, A while back I saw an article on different ways to scatter a person’s ashes after they’re cremated, but I’ve misplaced it. Can you help me with this? I’m preplanning my funeral and would like to include instructions on what to do with my remains that my family will appreciate. Planning Ahead

Dear Planning,
There’s no shortage of options when it comes to handling or disposing of your cremated remains after you’re gone. Your family can keep, bury or scatter them in a variety of imaginative ways that reflect your life and personality. Here are some different options to consider.
Scatter them: The most popular option is to have your ashes scattered at a location you loved to be i.e., a favorite fishing spot, camping area, golf course, beach, park or at home. If you choose this route, keep in mind that some places, such as national parks, require a permit. And many public areas, like parks or sports stadiums may prohibit scattering.
Store them at home: Many families choose to keep their loved ones close, by storing them at home. If you and your family choses this option, you can purchase a decorative urn through your funeral provider or online at Amazon.com. Or you may want to use an old cookie jar or favorite container that reminds your family of you.
Bury/inter them: The burial option is good if you wish to have a special place for your family to visit. This is also the only option for cremated ashes sanctioned by the Catholic Church, which specifies that ashes of the dead should be kept in sacred places like a cemetery or a columbarium and not kept at home or scattered.
Plant them: If you’re the environmental type, you can have your ashes planted with a tree. There are companies that offer living urns – like TheLivingUrn.com or UrnaBios.com – that mix your ashes with other nutrients that can be used to grow a plant or tree in your yard or a place of your choosing.
Scatter them at sea: If you love the water, there are many businesses that offer ash scattering services at sea, especially close to coastal areas, or your family could rent a boat and do it themselves. There are also companies like EternalReefs.com that offer reef memorials so your ashes can rest on the ocean floor.
Scatter them by air: This option will scatter your ashes into the sky so the particles can be taken by the wind. To do this, they could hire a private plane, helicopter or hot air balloon service, or use a balloon scattering service like Mesoloft.com. Or they could even send your ashes into outer space with Celestis.com.
Turn them into a record: If you love music, a UK company called Vinlyly (Andvinyly.com) will turn your ashes into a vinyl record. You supply the music (or voice recording) and cover image, and the company creates a memorial that your family can listen to for years to come.
Turn them into jewelry or glass: If you love jewelry or glass trinkets, there are companies – like CloseByMeJewelry.com, SpiritPieces.com and ArtFromAshes.com – that will turn your ashes into wearable jewelry or glass art memorials.
Go out with a bang: If you’re a hunter or a gun lover, a company called Holy Smoke (MyHolySmoke.com) will create loaded ammunition out of cremated remains. Your family could store the ammo in the engraved wooden box it comes in, or they can send you off in a gun salute.
Turn them into art: If you love art, arrange for an artists or family member to paint your portrait, or a picture, with some of your ashes mixed into the paint. Or, if your family is into tattoos, many tattoo artists will mix some ashes with ink to create a memorial tattoo.
Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

By Nick Thomas

Not even a youthful warning from her grandfather, a powerful entertainment attorney during the Golden Age of film, could prevent Sharon Gless from attempting the journey to Hollywood.
Neil S. McCarthy, who counted Cecil B. DeMille, Katharine Hepburn, and Lana Turner among his clients, cautioned his young granddaughter that the movie industry could be a “filthy business.” Aided by loyal friends and associates, however, as well as possessing a fierce determination to succeed, Sharon beat the odds to find stardom as recounted in her December autobiography “Apparently There Were Complaints” (see www.sharongless.com).
Appearing in just a half-dozen feature films, Gless focused her career on television. Since 1970, she guest-starred in numerous TV movies and series and received wide acclaim for starring roles in several popular shows including the 80s CBS crime drama “Cagney & Lacey.”
“It changed the history of television for women,” said Gless from her home on private Fisher Island, a short ferry ride from the coast of Miami. Gless portrayed New York detective Christine Cagney alongside Tyne Daly (detective Mary Beth Lacey). The tough but flawed duo regularly dealt with serious social issues.
During the show’s run, Gless and Daly dominated the Emmy season, winning for Best Lead Actress in a Drama each year (four for Daly and two for Gless). Of her co-star of six years, Gless has only praise.
“You might think we’d be competitive on the set, but not at all,” she said of Daly. “When you’re working, any sort of competitiveness is good for no one. She was a real pro and we were totally there for each other throughout the series. Since COVID, we talk on the phone almost every day.”
Gless credits others for guiding her journey including Monique James, head of the talent department at Universal Studios where Gless was under a seven-year contract. “She was so tough I always felt she would protect me, and she did. When I left the studio, she came with me as my manager for many years.”
Barney Rosenzweig was the executive producer of “Cagney & Lacey” and with whom Gless began an affair towards the end of the show’s run. Despite their on-and-off-again personal relationship, Rozenzweig remained a loyal supporter of Gless’s career. The couple would eventually marry and remain together today. “We have an interesting history together that’s outlined in the book, but love and respect each other enormously.”
Gless followed the hit crime show with other successful series such as “The Trials of Rosie O’Neill,” “Queer as Folk,” and “Burn Notice,” receiving multiple award nominations or wins including a Golden Globe for Rosie O’Neill. And although she stumbled along the way (leading to the title of her book) with alcohol problems, weight issues, recurring pancreatitis, and complicated relationships, she never found Hollywood to be the “filthy business” her grandfather labeled it.
“It hasn’t always been an easy road, but I made my own way helped by people who believed in me,” she says. “Television is an amazing medium and I’ve been fortunate to be part of it.”
Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, in Alabama, and has written features, columns, and interviews for numerous magazines and newspapers. See www.tinseltowntalks.com.

Scholarship applications are being sought for the 2022 Oklahoma Chapter Hearing Loss Association scholarships. Oklahomans with hearing loss who plan to attend higher education in the fall of 2022 are encouraged to apply. The application deadline is April 4, 2022. This will be the 7th year scholarships have been offered. The local chapter has given away $16,000 to Oklahoma students and this year there will be 3 awards of $1,500 each. The Scholarship Application and Rules are available on our website: oklahomahearingloss.org
The Hearing Loss Association of America Central Oklahoma Chapter is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization. Our chapter is run entirely by volunteers. There are no paid positions. [HLAA hopes to open the world of communication to people who have a hearing loss by providing information, education, support, and advocacy.]

Photography and Text by Terry “Travels with Terry” Zinn t4z@aol.com

If you have been following my travel and entertainment articles for a while, you will recognize my affinity for New Orleans especially during their Tennessee Williams Literary Festival. This year it’s returning to the French Quarter slated for March 23 – 27. I enjoy the ambiance of the French Quarter and no more than when a festival is on tap. Again this year the TWF is filled with drama, workshops, food and libations. Special guests often are invited to speak and it’s a chance to be up close and personal with celebrities you might never get a chance to meet. In past years I have had the pleasure of meeting, Bob Schieffer, Richard Thomas, Tab Hunter. Cokie Roberts, Rex Read and Tennessee Williams brother, among others.
While the organized festival offers a lot to take in, its main attraction might just be the atmosphere, history and romance of the French Quarter itself, where in its lanes you can discover shops, eateries and museums for your personal exploration.
The festival press release offers a plethora of information for your consideration and in purchasing tickets to the offerings.
“After a canceled Festival in 2020 and a Virtual Festival last year, we are so happy to be returning to our home at the Hotel Monteleone once again for our five-day Festival,” said Paul J. Willis, Executive Director. “Our speakers and patrons are excited about our return, and we can’t wait to celebrate the 75th anniversary of ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ with everyone. Several of our special events focus on this beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning play, including our opening night, tribute reading, and breakfast book club. We are working with city officials to create the safest environment possible so everyone can enjoy the Festival once again.”
The 2022 program includes writer’s craft sessions, literary discussions, theatre, food and music events, a scholars conference, several walking tours, a book fair, writing marathons, and special evening events and social gatherings.
Opening Night of the Festival kicks off March 23, co-hosted by two-time Tony Award winner, Michael Cerveris, and New Orleans singer-songwriter, Arséne DeLay. The evening will toast “A Streetcar Named Desire” with musical performances, scenes from the play, Harry Mayronne’s Marionnettes, drag queens, and more.
The annual Tennessee Williams Tribute Reading returns with Williams’ poetry, prose, and letters, as well as some surprising reviews, critical responses, adaptations, draft material, and playful insights into the enduring cultural reception of “A Streetcar Named Desire.” Readers include Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Jericho Brown, Michael Cerveris, Brenda Currin, Jewelle Gomez, among others.
TWFest is hosting “Cocktails with Tennessee: Making Magic Happen With 4 Drinks Inspired by His Characters.” Bakery Bar’s Joe Witkowski, will meld his bartending and theatrical skills to create one-of-a-kind cocktails. Sue Strachan, author of “The Café Brûlot,” will join him at New Orleans’ classic restaurant, Antoine’s.

The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company of New Orleans, in collaboration with TWFest, will perform a night of Tennessee Williams spoofs that showcase the playwright’s most iconic characters and plots in a completely different style.
Most Festival events take place in New Orleans’ historic French Quarter. Sites providing generous support include Hotel Monteleone, the Festival’s host hotel; The Historic New Orleans Collection; Williams Research Center; the New Orleans Jazz Museum; Beauregard-Keyes House; Muriel’s Jackson Square; and Palm Court Jazz Cafe; among others.
Festival Tickets are on sale now. Prices for most individual events range from $10 to $45. For more information and a full listing of events visit tennesseewilliams.net. Find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @TWFestNOLA.

Mr. Terry Zinn – Travel Editor
Past President: International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association
3110 N.W. 15 Street – Oklahoma City, OK 73107
https://realtraveladventures.com/?s=terry+zinn
https://realtraveladventures.com/?s=zinn
http://new.okveterannews.com/?s=TERRY+ZINN
www.martinitravels.com

HarborChase of South Oklahoma City

INTEGRIS Hospice and Palliative Care Services is hosting a free Grief Support Group facilitated by Chaplain Kelly Russell.
The next series will be on Thursdays from 6:30 – 8 p.m., from March 3 through April 7, 2022. The meetings will be held in the INTEGRIS Health Hospice Administration Building, located at 5710 N.W. 130th Street in Oklahoma City.
If you have lost a loved one, grief is a normal and natural response. Sharing your grief with others and listening to the experiences of others can help you to be heard and know you are not alone in your grief. The program is free of charge, but space is limited. To enroll, please call 405-609-4578 or register online.
To register online, click here: Grief Support Group | INTEGRIS Health (coursestorm.com)
To learn more about our grief support program, click here: https://integrisok.com/locations/hospice-and-home-care/integris-hospice-in-okc/grief-recovery-resources

by Greg Schwem

Sorry, New Zealand Parliament. While I support mask mandates, my allegiance is also to Barry Manilow.
Last week, while attempting to disperse anti-mask protesters who gathered outside the government’s headquarters in Wellington, New Zealand, Parliament officials resorted to a rather, um, unique tactic: blasting the songs of Barry Manilow, the guy who writes the songs.
Had I been part of the protest, I would have politely tapped a Parliament member on the shoulder and said, “Please turn up the volume. And don’t just limit it to the hits. Dig deeper into the Manilow catalogue. Get my blood flowing with a little ‘Riders to the Stars’ and then tug at my heartstrings with ‘Lonely Together.’”
Admit it, we all have that one artist we’re secretly embarrassed to admit we admire. For me, it’s Barry. Yes, I am on a first name basis with him. Deal with it, haters! You have your Kanye; I have my Barry.
I’ve been a Barry fan since winning tickets, via a radio station giveaway, to a Manilow — sorry, a Barry — concert at Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre in January 1977. Snippets from that tour can be found on “Barry Manilow Live,” the album cover featuring Barry in a royal blue, sequin-studded outfit that he probably was lowered into via hydraulics.
Not only did Barry deliver the hits but he also entertained his fans by singing his “VSM” (Very Strange Medley), a series of well-known commercial jingles that Barry either wrote or sang before the big bucks came his way with “Mandy” and “It’s a Miracle.” Seriously, how many artists can have an entire audience singing, “Get a bucket of chicken, finger lickin’ good, have a barrel of fun, goodbye ho-hum”?
Who knows? Parliament may have waved the white surrender flag and allowed the entire country to discard their masks had protesters begun crooning those lyrics.
If your goal is to annoy an audience, you can’t play the music of somebody who, at 78, is still packing them in, either on the road or at his Las Vegas residency, despite a raspy voice and far too much plastic surgery. Similar stars approaching octogenarian status don’t receive that kind of treatment. I’m sure it never entered Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s mind to remove Ottawa truckers from blocking the Canada-U.S. border by blasting Elton John. Or the Rolling Stones.
So, why single out Barry? His songs too are ingrained in our mental jukeboxes, even if we’re afraid to say it. Several years ago, I saw one of those pedal bar tours — basically a keg party on wheels — making its way through downtown Chicago. Its passengers, all half of Barry’s age and in various stages of inebriation, were singing, “Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl…” in whatever key was comfortable.
Nobody asked them to disperse.
In Parliament’s defense, officials did choose other tunes besides Barry’s. “Macarena,” the Los Del Rio song that spawned a dance craze in 1996, got numerous spins and, yes, that would have had the desired effect on me. I probably would have offered to not only wear a mask but distribute masks if it meant never having to hear it again.
Barry songs are played often but not ad nauseum, making them unlikely “nails on a chalkboard” candidates. Next time Parliament, consider the following:
“Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen.
“Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke.
“All I Want for Christmas” by Mariah Carey.
Anything by the Spice Girls.
Just leave Barry alone to do his thing while he still can. His concerts are bucket list candidates for fans of a certain age, and even younger audience members who get dragged to see him usually end up singing along at some point. I have hopes that my daughters, ages 19 and 25, might accompany me to a Barry concert someday.
OK, that would be a miracle. A true-blue spectacle miracle.
(Greg Schwem is a corporate stand-up comedian and author of two books: “Text Me If You’re Breathing: Observations, Frustrations and Life Lessons From a Low-Tech Dad” and the recently released “The Road To Success Goes Through the Salad Bar: A Pile of BS From a Corporate Comedian,” available at Amazon.com. Visit Greg on the web at www.gregschwem.com.
You’ve enjoyed reading, and laughing at, Greg Schwem’s monthly humor columns in Senior Living News. But did you know Greg is also a nationally touring stand-up comedian? And he loves to make audiences laugh about the joys, and frustrations, of growing older. Watch the clip and, if you’d like Greg to perform at your senior center or senior event, contact him through his website at www.gregschwem.com)

The Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of Central Oklahoma announces new members to its board of directors, Maria Fernanda, and to its advisory council, Jamie Jeter.
Fernanda is the Community Outreach Specialist with Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Oklahoma. She holds a bachelor’s degree in family studies from Southern Nazarene University. She serves on the board of Possibilities Inc.; Calm Waters, serving on the fundraising committee; and the United Way of Central Oklahoma, serving on the allocation committee. She has served as a member of the Calle Dos Cinco civic group and served on the Citizens Advisory Board for the City of Oklahoma City. In addition, she has volunteered with Hilltop Pediatrics and the Integris Mobile Clinic.
RSVP of Central Oklahoma welcomes back seasoned advisory council member Jamie Jeter, who previously served a three-year term on the advisory council. Jeter retired from working in contracting and finance at Tinker Air Force Base after 37 years, serving in management the last eight years of her career. She is an avid volunteer, serving at Alliance Health, Midwest City, as auxiliary treasurer and office manager and a strong supporter of RSVP’s mission.
Since 1973, RSVP of Central Oklahoma has helped older adults continue to live with purpose and meaning by connecting them with rewarding community volunteer opportunities, including RSVP’s Provide-A-Ride Senior Transportation Program. RSVP is a partner of AmeriCorps Seniors and the United Way of Central Oklahoma. To learn more about RSVP of Central Oklahoma, call 405-605-3110 or visit rsvpokc.org. You can also follow RSVP on Facebook at facebook.com/RSVPokc.

Story and photos by Darl Devault, Feature Writer

After retiring, do you have to choose between being a serious artist or an art teacher? The answer is no if you are genuinely talented at both for Susan Cromer Yback, 64, as she now teaches youth and adults art after teaching elementary school art for a career.
She is now interrupting her retirement and a fulfilling second career as a full-time artist to teach art again. Yback first became retirement privileged after teaching elementary art in the Putnam City School District for 30 years.
She transitioned from teaching full time and began full-time production of her original works after retirement. Now teaching art on a much more personalized level, she sells her art at 2927 Paseo Drive. Yback’s classes and art have become a mainstay of Paseo Gallery One near the southern edge of the historic Paseo Arts District N.W. 27th & 30th Streets and Walker & Hudson in Oklahoma City.
She keeps busy as both a painter in acrylic and a clay artist. Her last decade of creating in the Paseo Arts District has led her to see art differently than during her decades in public school art education. She says she has learned to practice her authentic artistic process while integrating technical and conceptual skills to share a clear message with her students.
“I am excited to begin every class where I can express my creative energy in teaching—an art form in and of itself!” Yback said. “Although I love traditional art, I like to change things up, take a different approach to present an image.”
During her classroom years, Yback participated in many workshops for teachers at the Oklahoma Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain in southwest Oklahoma. There she learned or developed skills such as printmaking from master artists from all over the United States.
She also teaches a pottery class on Saturdays at the House of Clay at 1100 Northwest 30th Street. She teaches artists of all ages pottery hand building. Yback fires the pottery for the class of eight to 10 students each week.
While interviewing her at the Paseo Galley One, observing her teaching a class and talking about her work hanging in her studio/gallery there, it is difficult to determine where she lands on the artist/art teacher continuum.
“Now I find my creative spark as an artist is most important,” Yback said. “But I sure like sharing my love of art with my students.”
At the Paseo Gallery One location on Tuesdays and Thursdays, she instructs children through high school age in acrylic painting. “I am often pleasantly surprised by my young student’s wide scope of educational art experience,” Yback said. “I enjoy guiding students through the creative process, empowering them to create unique and meaningful artworks.”
As she has grown and developed as an artist, she is stretching her emphasis to embrace her husband’s influence, a member of the Great Sioux Nation. Her latest adventures include paintings of Native American themes in what has always been a career where collectors see varied techniques and styles in her paintings.
She often paints scenes with horses or bison in vibrant acrylic as the central theme while working in depictions of people. One of her latest is a realistic portrait of a bison embedded in an earthy abstract work. This masterful artistry is subdued, yet the bison stands out while looking at the viewer depicted in a unique background blend of abstract organic and brown acrylic colors.
She says she was heavily influenced by Henri Matisse and how Pablo Picasso tore things apart and then put them back together. Her painting mentioned above is all of that. In other Native American-themed art, she has channeled the way Joan Miro employed abstraction with extensive use of swaths of color lines in her paintings.
Yback credits Katherine Liontas-Warren, a former professor at Cameron University in Lawton, Okla. as a primary influence. “My art education classes, especially with Oklahoma Art Education Association, have always been a solid foundation, although my interest in expressing my artistic energy might shift from day to day, month to month, through the years,” Yback said. “I like to work quickly. I have learned more ways to do that since retirement.”
Western and Native American art themes run through her work. Yback points to her husband David for that influence. “He is a member of the Great Sioux Nation. Over the years, I have become really interested in his heritage,” Yback said. “He is a descendant of a Lakota Sioux Chief Many Horses. I have worked on researching David’s lineage and often portraying his heritage in my work.”
She is usually present at the studio during the First Friday Gallery Walk, with the next one 6-10 p.m. Friday, March 4, Yback says, “First Friday has become a wonderful tradition for all of us who work along the Paseo, and I love it.”
The Gallery Walk will have more than 20 galleries featuring more than 80 artists who will host opening receptions, promising something for everyone.
Accepting commissions in an accessible and engaging manner, Yback says her original works vary in price. Her more significant pieces fall within the range of serious collectors. She may be contacted at swbelle@cox.net or by phone/text at 405-662-6551.