Breaking News

Columns

Paperweights, Inexpensive Treasure to Enjoy

I've always liked paperweights. The cool, smooth feel of colorful glass is as delightful to look at as to hold. Plus, paperweights are an inexpensive and practical collectible that you can use and display on your desk or hall table. Paperweights have been around since ancient times and experts credit the Egyptians with a version of the paperweight to hold down their hieroglyphics. Today, collectors seek all kinds of paperweights including advertising examples, millefiori beauties and antique French, Scottish and English examples. My favorite is the colorful millefiori ...

Sign Up for Medicare Part B Online

For many people, signing up for Medicare Part B doesn’t require you to leave the comfort of home. Please visit our Medicare Part B webpage atsecure.ssa.gov/acu/ophandler/loginSuccess if: ∫ You’re enrolled in Medicare Part A. ∫ You would like to enroll in Part B during the Special Enrollment Period. You can complete form CMS-40B (Application for Enrollment in Medicare – Part B [Medical Insurance]) at www.cms.gov/Medicare/CMS-Forms/CMS-Forms/CMS-Forms-Items/CMS017339 and CMS-L564 at www.cms.gov/Medicare/CMS-Forms/CMS-Forms/Downloads/CMS-L564E.pdf (Request for Employment ...

Simple as Pie, Collectible Parers Are a Slice of Americana

Fall always includes apples and what better collectible than an apple peeler from yesteryear. Apple pie, apple dumplings and applesauce are comfort foods that most of us like and antique enthusiasts enjoy the simple machines that made food preparation easier like fruit peelers. There is even an International Society of Apple Parer Enthusiasts that takes collecting these gadgets to a whole new level. These fans of apple peeling machines have studied, inventoried, classified and collected a wide variety of machines that peel fruit. There is even a webpage for a virtual Apple Parer ...

Finding Clarity In The Stars

The day after Election Day, I paused my computer and walked from my home office into the living room. I stood at the window, soaking the warmth of the sunlight streaming through the glass. It felt good, even comforting after a long night of up and down election results. This walk to the window is one of the advantages of working from home after decades of toiling in a windowless newsroom. I stood and watched a collection of birds that had gathered in the yard. A few turkeys were scratching in the lawn along the tree line. They had already made a mess under the bird feeders ...

Treatments Beyond CPAP For Obstructive Sleep Apnea

DEAR DR. ROACH: Can you share as much information as you know about a procedure called Inspire that supposedly helps reduce the serious issues of sleep apnea? What are the benefits, and how does it work? What are the risks, since the procedure does involve surgically installing a tiny motor and wiring in the chest with the wiring connected to the throat and the device operated by a remote? Inspire has been recommended for me at age 77 because I have tried CPAP machines twice without success. A home test and sleep lab test revealed that my brain awoke 56 times in an hour. That’s ...

New Retiree Encourages Others To Fund Hobbies And Save Money

DEAR ABBY: I retired a year ago from a stressful job because I couldn’t take what it was doing to my health. Despite a divorce after a 35-year marriage 10 years ago, I had recovered financially. I was lucky to have landed a job in my early 30s that had an employer-sponsored 401(k) plan, and I contributed to it for 34 years, putting in as much as I could. I am able to collect enough Social Security and withdraw a small amount from the 401(k) to live as I did when I worked. I always had hobbies, interests and things I wanted to do but never had time for. I have been very happy and ...