BOOM! COVER PROFILE: Steve Straughn
Steve Straughn isn’t spending 71 watching life from the sidelines. He’s playing music, serving his community, exploring Alabama backroads, spending time with family, and still looking for what might be around the next corner. He carries with him a deep appreciation for how precious life…
Southern Hospitality and Tail of the Dragon’s Sister
Cindy’s in Highlands, North Carolina, enjoying the company of friends. I’m on my way to get her. Along the way, I’m looking for something, or someone, interesting to write about. It’s been years since my last stay at Dillard House Resort in Dillard, Georgia. I’m...
The Johnny Carson Retirement Plan
I finally did it. I’m retired! Sort of. I have some splainin’ to do here, Lucy, so please permit. For my entire adult life, I’ve been waking up at 3:30 AM (or thereabouts) to do a morning radio show. On weekends, I sleep in ‘til...
Winter Safety for Aging Adults
Winter can be a wonderful transition from warmer to cooler temperatures, but these changes can bring icy surfaces and shorter days that can create some anxious moments in aging adults. As we age, our bodies cannot regulate our temperatures as well; our balance may change,...
Pottery Class in the Gardens A Family Affair
The Montgomery Botanical Gardens began its Fall schedule of classes in the Gardens with the delightful “Pottery in the Gardens” class by Margaret Barber. With the threat of rainy weather gone for the morning, a full class arrived at Montgomery Botanical Gardens at Oak Park...
The Leaf Blower Arms Race
You can always tell when fall arrives in the River Region because every man on the street suddenly believes he’s been called up for a special ops mission involving a leaf blower. One Saturday it’s quiet. The next Saturday it sounds like a helicopter landing...
What the Leaves Know
There’s a reason we stop and notice the trees this time of year. They’re changing. The green that seemed permanent all summer gives way to reds, oranges and golds, and somehow the change makes them more beautiful, not less. I’ve been thinking about that lately....
Still Here: Finding Your Place When Aging Makes You Feel Invisible
There is a strange thing that can happen as we get older. We walk into a room and no one looks up quite as quickly. We offer an opinion and sometimes feel as though it carries less weight than it once did. A younger person...
When Mom and Dad Need Help: How Siblings Can Share The Care
It often begins gradually. Mom needs someone to drive her to a doctor’s appointment. Dad needs help getting his prescriptions straight. Someone notices the refrigerator is nearly empty or that a bill has been missed. Then there is a fall, a surgery, a hospital stay...
STOP the Medicare Panic: Own Open Enrollment Before It Owns You
Your mailbox is staging a takeover. Plan books thick as catalogs. Postcards shouting DEADLINE. Callers who somehow know you are “due for a review” and need your Medicare number before lunch!October in the River Region smells like leaf piles and Friday night lights—and also like...