LGBTSr

31/07/2024

Health Beat: Juicing, Zepbound, and the Importance of Lifestyle Changes

As readers know from my post last month, I’m taking Zepbound for weight loss. I just completed the first four weeks, with two more months to go. This is not something I intend to do for more than three months. For one thing, my insurance won’t cover it. I’m on Medicare, and unless it’s for some underlying health issue, such as diabetes or heart disease, this is coming out of pocket.

As readers know from my post last month, I’m taking Zepbound for weight loss. I just completed the first four weeks, with two more months to go. This is not something I intend to do for more than three months. For one thing, my insurance won’t cover it. I’m on Medicare, and unless it’s for s...

30/07/2024

The Savvy Senior: How Extreme Heat Affects Seniors

By Jim Miller

Dear Savvy Senior,

I work for a county health department and every summer we’re seeing more and more seniors get sick and even die from heat-related illiness. Can you write an awarness piece on the affects extreme heat has on older adults, and what they can do to guard against this summertime risk. Thanks for helping keep seniors safe!
Health Advocate

By Jim Miller Dear Savvy Senior, I work for a county health department and every summer we’re seeing more and more seniors get sick and even die from heat-related illiness. Can you write an awarness piece on the affects extreme heat has on older adults, and what they can do to guard against this s...

24/07/2024

Savvy Senior: Kitchen Ideas for Aging-in-Place

By Jim Miller

Dear Savvy Senior,

My 77-year-old mother, who loves to cook has had several kitchen-related accidents over the past year. What tips can you recommend for making a kitchen safer and more practical for seniors, without doing a big expensive remodel.

Inquiring Daughter

By Jim Miller Dear Savvy Senior, My 77-year-old mother, who loves to cook has had several kitchen-related accidents over the past year. What tips can you recommend for making a kitchen safer and more practical for seniors, without doing a big expensive remodel. Inquiring Daughter Dear Inquiring, The...

15/07/2024

CHOOSE ME is a song about the feeling we all have about wanting to fit in. It took me decades to discover the truth that "As a grown man now, I'm no more like a bough blown in the breeze. No more do I bleed from a painful need to constantly please. I am now at peace. I've made my mind cease to want to fit it. I feel confident to simply choose me." Also, you'll see me wearing a blue kilt. My sixth great grandfather was born in Scotland in 1720. I wear kilts to honor my Scot heritage.

Provided to YouTube by DistroKidChoose Me · Steven SkelleyChoose Me℗ 7324082 Records DKReleased on: 2024-06-18Auto-generated by YouTube.

13/07/2024

Today, I learned that Moms Mabley was an OUT woman in the 1920's. Bravo!

07/07/2024

My Aunt Kathryn wrote this book. This is an excellent resource for anyone considering international relocation. The author shares from personal experience all that is required to accomplish such a large task. She does not make it sound overly simple romantic. She does emphasize all that must be considered and accomplished for such a relocation to be successful. I highly recommend this book for anyone considering international relocation. https://www.amazon.com/Retire-Abroad-Think-Real-Hard/dp/B0D5VGBHWK

06/07/2024

I've added two free Guided Autobiography Introductory workshops in August (2 hours, online). Check them out and RSVP for one of them! August 12, 10 am eastern, August 14, 2 pm eastern. Limited to 6 participants each.

https://yourwritepath.com/2024/06/24/two-online-guided-biography-introductory-workshops-added-for-august/

What they're saying:

“While my expectation was to learn something about the process of telling one’s own story from the POV of a late in life boomer, it became for me an example of & exercise in group trust. Each attendee willingly shared often intimate personal experiences & stories intended, I think, to demonstrate how to fuel a journal, memoir or some sort of leave behind writing project for one’s family. I NEVER saw this coming & consider it a gift and the best aspect of the workshop!

You created a safe space for us all to mine & share our memories & guided us thru the pair of exercises that were, in different respects, all about self reflection and vulnerability.“ Richard W.

I’ve added two Guided Autobiography 2-Hour Introductory Workshops in August. These are free and online. DATE: Monday, August 12 Time: 10:00 AM Eastern via Zoom RSVP HERE (limited to 6) DATE: Wednesday, August 14 Time: 2:00 PM Eastern via Zoom RSVP HERE (limited to 6)

26/06/2024

I hope that you'll listen to and LIKE the new video of my new song I START TO SMILE. It's a reminder that even if I have lost loved ones or if friends have moved away, I can close our eyes and picture them "ageless in my heart." I hope that you enjoy my song. Hugs, Steven

I START TO SMILE by Steven Skeley. I START TO SMILE composed and performed by Steven Skeley.

24/06/2024

Please help me boost my ratings by watching my song THINKING OF YOU SLOW DANCE on Youtube. Hugs, Steven https://youtu.be/I9aO0OYuHGQ

20/06/2024

To celebrate Juneteenth, here's my song EDUCATION RUINS A SLAVE about the heroic American Frederick Douglass. Hugs, Steven

Provided to YouTube by DistroKidEducation Ruins A Slave · Steven SkelleyEducation Ruins A Slave℗ 7324082 Records DKReleased on: 2024-06-18Auto-generated by Y...

19/06/2024

Woohoo! My song CHOOSE ME is on Youtube at https://youtu.be/85xZcgke4M8

As a grown man now
I'm no more like a bough
Blown in the breeze
No more do I bleed
From a painful need
To constantly please
I am now at peace I've made my mind cease
To want to fit in
I feel confident to simply choose me

Choose Me with lyrics by Steven Skelley. ©2024 Steven Skelley. Choose Me composed and performed by Steven Skelley.

19/06/2024

Health Beat: Coping with the Summer Heat

By Mark McNease

Tomorrow is the official first day of summer, and the temperatures here in New Jersey are proof of it. After some very comfortable months, the heat and humidity are increasing steadily, and we’re headed for our first heat wave of the summer (defined as three days or more of above-90 degree temps).

It’s been okay so far here in the countryside where we live, but this morning I had to pull out the bandanna I wrap around my head when the humidity gets drippy. And I watered the vegetable garden early this morning before a trip out of town.

And now … some tips and reflections on the dog days of summer.

By Mark McNease Tomorrow is the official first day of summer, and the temperatures here in New Jersey are proof of it. After some very comfortable months, the heat and humidity are increasing steadily, and we’re headed for our first heat wave of the summer (defined as three days or more of above-9...

15/06/2024

I just released this video on Youtube. SEE YOU LATER will soon be available on iTunes, Amazon, and more. I'm attempting to record my songs to leave as a legacy for when I am gone. I hope it touches your heart. Hugs, Steven -

See You Later by Steven SkelleySee You Later composed and performed by Steven [email protected]

12/06/2024

One Thing or Another Podcast #71: Author Dave Hughes on Finding His Way Into Fiction

DIRECT DOWNLOAD:

https://traffic.libsyn.com/onethingoranotherpodcast/FINAL_71_Dave_Hughes_MIX.mp3

What goes around comes around … and it’s another great interview with author, columnist, and renaissance man Dave Hughes. We’ve been friends for nearly a decade, and I’ve taken a lot of inspiration from Dave’s post-corporate-job life (I try not to use the word ‘retirement,’ since it needs to be retired!). Join me in a chat with Dave about two of his big ventures: RetireFabulously.com, and his more recent headlong dive into fiction with his ‘Gay Tales for the New Millennium‘ series, with its fifth book, Karma Train from Kansas, having just pulled into the station.

What goes around comes around … and it’s another great interview with author, columnist, and renaissance man Dave Hughes. We’ve been friends for nearly a decade, and I’ve ta…

11/06/2024

PRIDE poem: The Ode of the Sacred Band by Steven Skelley (please share)

11/06/2024

PRIDE poem: Hunting Season by Steven Skelley

10/06/2024

PLEASE LIKE & SHARE the new music video of my song
https://youtu.be/Xfxo2iOcvHQ
Thinking Of You Slow Dance
By Steven Skelley
Woke up this morning thinking of you
Thinking of you, my love
Thoughts of your smile and the sweet things you do
Make me want you more my love
We drift through our days in our own separate worlds
Feeling so far apart
But then I take your hand and we feel it again
Destiny's joined our hearts
Laid down this evening thinking of you
Thinking of you, my love
Thoughts of your smile and the sweet things you do
Make me want you more my love
We've been through the fire and withstood the rain
Always hand in hand
I'll never regret saying I do
I'll always be your man
I will wake up tomorrow thinking of you
Thinking of you, my love
Thoughts of your smile and the sweet things you do
Make me want you more my love
Copyright 2024 Steven Skelley

Thinking Of You Slow DanceBy Steven SkelleyWoke up this morning thinking of youThinking of you, my loveThoughts of your smile and the sweet things you doMake...

08/06/2024

See you tomorrow!!!! 🌈⭐️💕⭐️🌈

06/06/2024

My Mom passed away at age 45. I recently realized that I still see her in my mind at the age of 45. Now that I am 61 years old, I imagined speaking with her face to face. I would see her at age 45 and she would see me at age 61. We walk hand in hand, Or sometimes just stand, Then lock eyes and smile at each other. How can it be. My Mom is now smaller than me. And I am much older than my Mother? I hope my rhyme speaks to you and touches your heart. Hugs, Steven

OLDER THAN MY MOTHER
by Steven Skelley

I was born one day
The natural way
The third of four children she bore
She was still young and strong
Singing magical songs
Her soft touch warmed my soul to the core

At first it was all fun
Sharing melting popsicles in the sun
Giggling at the mess on my face
We kids tried to run
When she’d lick her thumb
No spit bath we’d scream - she gave chase

But the years weren’t kind
And she struggled to find
Money for our food and our rent
I hugged her when she cried
And something broke inside
Her magic spark shockingly spent

They turned off our water, electric and heat
When there is no end you can’t make ends meet
She’d smile but it no longer reached her eyes
She pretended to be strong
As if nothing was wrong
But her child saw through her disguise

There were tremors in her hand
Whenever she’d stand
Handing food stamps to the grocery cashier
Embarrassed there might be
Someone who would see
Her eyes barely holding back tears

She deserved a better life
Not this constant bloody knife
Deflating her every hope
The weight became too much
Snapping every crutch
And no one ever threw her a rope

At age forty five
She stopped being alive
Death left us just her empty shell
How could she be gone
She was our night’s dawn
We pleaded with heaven and hell

It has been forty years
Since my funeral tears
I’m much older than she got to be
As I close my eyes
I see her arise
And I say hi Mom it’s me

She cups my face in her hands
On her tiptoes she stands
To kiss me just like years before
She appears forty five
Like when I’d last seen her alive
But her eyes don’t show pain anymore

We walk hand in hand
Or sometimes just stand
Then lock eyes and smile at each other
How can it be
My Mom is now smaller than me
And I am much older than my Mother?

06/06/2024

The Pleasures of Those Cash Back Rewards: Credit Cards that Give Back

I didn’t need another credit card, and I haven’t carried debt in at least 15 years. I pay my statements every month, having been strongly encouraged to do that when I met my now-husband Frank in 2006. After many years of paying interest, it was a jolt to the system, but it’s a habit I’m very happy I got into. I don’t necessarily spend less, but I never pay interest, and that makes those cash back dollars and rewards points worth the occasional new card.

By Mark McNease I like earning the extra income on money I’m spending anyway. If you’re like me and you never carry debt, it’s a win-win. I didn’t need another credit card, …

26/04/2024

One Thing or Another Podcast #68: A Conversation with Steve Dolainski, Guided Autobiography Instructor

DIRECT DOWNLOAD:

https://traffic.libsyn.com/onethingoranotherpodcast/REV_S_DOLAINSKI_FINAL_MIX.mp3

It’s a real treat to talk to Steve Dolainski, my friend of many years now, who introduced me to my new path as a workshop and class facilitator! I met Steve over a decade ago. We co-edited and published an anthology of LGBTQ writers over 50, including several who have become my friends. Outer Voices Inner Lives was a Lambda Literary Award finalist for anthology, and includes a foreword by the late, great, Patricia Nell Warren.

Fast forward ten years, and I finally had the pleasure of meeting Steve in person on a trip to California. He told me he’d become a certified Guided Autobiography instructor and was conducting classes with the LGBTQ Center in L.A. I was hooked! I’m certified myself now too, and looking forward to my third act (as Jane Fonda calls life after 65), offering workshops and classes in Guided Autobiography and fiction writing (YourWritePath.com). Listen to this short interview with Steve where he talks about GAB (as we call it), making new roads to travel, and contemplating the ones we’ve already come on!

24/04/2024

THE MIRROR ME by Steven Skelley
https://youtu.be/J-zDJfvX9iw
The Mirror-Me means the me that I’ve seen in the mirror staring back since my childhood. The Mirror-Me was the real me on the inside looking back at me in the masquerade costume I had created to fit in with society. When I looked into the sorrowful eyes of the Mirror-Me, I saw the real me wanting to be released – decade after decade. I originally composed this in the late 1980’s as a religious rock song. The repeating stanza had a different message, of course. Looking at it almost forty years later, I still felt the truth of the freedom similes. Now, though, at almost sixty years old, I treasure the freedom of self awareness and self acceptance. I’m finally free to be the Mirror-Me.

STEVEN SKELLEY POETRYPoetry to touch your heart or make you laughTHE MIRROR ME by Steven Skelley

29/03/2024

One Thing or Another: Cats, Kittens And Chaos

https://lgbtsr.com/2024/03/29/one-thing-or-another-cats-kittens-and-chaos/

"... Enter the 10-month-old James, a yellow/orange tabby, our first male, and the first kitten we’ve had—technically until he turns one year old, at which point he becomes a cat. We’d hoped for an affectionate feline who would at least hop up in the bed when the mood hit them. I’m reminded of the expression, “Be careful what you wish for.” After three weeks, we wouldn’t have it any other way, and he has been a loving, attention-seeing, disaster-averting ball of wish fulfillment."

02/03/2024

Savvy Senior: How to Divide Your Personal Possessions Without Dividing the Family

By Jim Miller

Dear Savvy Senior,

Do you have any suggestions on divvying up my personal possessions to my kids after I’m gone without causing hard feelings or conflict? I have a lot of jewelry, art, family heirlooms and antique furniture, and four grown kids that don’t always see eye-to-eye on things.

Conflicted Parent

Dear Conflicted,

Divvying up personal possessions among adult children or other loved ones can often be a tricky task. Deciding who should get what without showing favoritism, hurting someone’s feelings or causing a feud can be difficult, even for close-knit families who enter the process with the best of intentions. Here are a few tips to consider that ca help you divide your stuff with minimal conflict.

By Jim Miller Dear Savvy Senior, Do you have any suggestions on divvying up my personal possessions to my kids after I’m gone without causing hard feelings or conflict? I have a lot of jewelry, art…

02/03/2024

Steven and Tom Visit Olympia, Greece
https://youtu.be/oT__uSSx0OY
Olympia Greece is the original site of the Olympics and of the Temple of Zeus. It is one of the most amazing places we have ever visited.

Olympia Greece is the original site of the Olympics and of the Temple of Zeus. It is one of the most amazing places we have ever visited. Photography by Stev...

02/03/2024

Steven and Tom Visit Ayo Rock Formations Aruba.
The Ayo Rock Formations are on the island of Aruba. We love the paths and stairs that wind around, through and to the top of these huge boulders.

Steven and Tom Visit Ayo Rock Formations Aruba.The Ayo Rock Formations are on the island of Aruba. We love the paths and stairs that wind around, through and...

02/03/2024

DETOURS Travel
Laid Back Gay Adventure Travel
By Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong
DETOURS travel is called “a laid-back, no-strings-attached approach to gay group travel that feels more like exploring the world with old friends than anything else.” We interviewed Miles Mitchinson, the Adventure Director at Detours Travel.

With over 50 gay group trips per year across 6 continents, Detours is the leader in less-structured gay group travel. 8 to 15-day adventures through Greece, New Zealand, South Africa, Peru, Costa Rica, Spain, Croatia, Thailand, Cambodia, Israel, Jordan, Hungary, Czech Republic, Germany...

01/03/2024