Payson Roundup

How things have changed over the years.  When I was a child, seeing an airplane in the sky was a big event. Now humans are living in space. Our home entertainment, if we were lucky, consisted of a radio, usually complete with static.

In February of 2009, we will convert to digital television. We can see events as they are happening around the world, and even in space, instead of waiting for them to appear on the movie screen news.

There was one telephone to a household. It seems younger people today cannot function without a cell phone, capable of taking and transmitting pictures and text messaging. (I still don’t understand why you would want to write a message on a telephone!)

We warm or cook our food in a microwave instead of on a wood stove. Pizza — what was that? A toasted cheese sandwich was our food of choice. Laundry was dried on a clothesline, not put in a machine.

Let’s hope 2009 brings about a more peaceful world. So much has changed over the years, but peace remains an unattainable goal.

Payson Regional Senior Circle

Exercise is always high on the list of New Year’s resolutions. If you are seeking somewhere to exercise, consider joining the Senior Circle’s Feeling Fit Club. The group meets from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Wednesdays in the Circle building, 215 N. Beeline Highway. This program provides exercises that can be done standing up or sitting in a chair and is geared for all capabilities.

Tai Chi is offered from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Thursdays at the Circle. Tai Chi may improve your balance and lower blood pressure.

Yoga can relieve aches and pains, restore balance and flexibility and promote a feeling of well being. This class meets from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Mondays at the Circle.

For information about any of the above programs, call (928) 472-9290 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. weekdays.

An AARP Driver Safety class will be held at the Circle from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17 for motorists aged 50 and older. There is a $12 fee for AARP members, $14 for nonmembers. Enrollment is limited and pre-registration is required. Call (928) 472-9290 to register. Participation may qualify you for an auto insurance discount.

William Backes, estate planner, will speak on wills and trusts at 10 a.m., Monday, Jan. 19 at the Circle. Coffee and refreshments will be served.

New services to be offered at Senior Circle include grief support for spousal loss, an herb class offered by Sharon Bowes from Chakra Botanika and a pen pal group. Contact the Circle office for more information.

Payson Senior Center and Thrift Store

What a dismaying sight met my eyes Monday, Dec. 29 upon seeing the damage to the Senior Center dining room and kitchen due to a water pipe break! In recent months, much has been done to make the Center brighter and more attractive for members and guests. How heartbreaking to see it flooded with water and filled with debris from the resultant collapse of parts of the ceiling. With extraordinary work and effort on the part of Senior Center management and staff, Payson Fire Department, board members, professional cleaning service and volunteers, the cleanup is well under way. Special thanks to Community Presbyterian Church for use of their facility the week following the break so Meals on Wheels could continue uninterrupted.

It will be several weeks before repairs are completed but, in the meantime, tram service remains in operation; in-house lunches will be served at noon in the Masonic Lodge, 200 E. Rancho Road, Monday through Friday and the Thrift Store, next to the Center at 512 W. Main Street, remains open for business as usual. Extra-curricular activities are limited for the time being, but to learn which are being offered, call the Center at (928) 474-4876.

Have you tried the new soup for seniors? It’s called large type alphabet soup.