Happy New Year!

Wow, has it been cold this last week! I can’t remember the last time we had so many negative temperatures once the wind chill was factored into it! I hope the rest of the winter isn’t like this but just in case, I looked up some good tips on the National Weather Service website: www.weather.gov. Their suggestions for extreme cold safety were to minimize travel and stay indoors. If you have to travel make sure your car has the appropriate tire pressure and antifreeze levels. Wear layers of loose fitting, warm clothing and a hat. Be sure to have mittens or gloves and a scarf or something to cover your mouth to protect your lungs from the extreme cold. If you have family, friends or neighbors that are older or disabled, be sure to check on them during inclement weather.

When I was a kid it seemed that the cold wasn’t as hard for me to handle as it is now. Perhaps it is my age but I also think it is, “Arthur being a pain in the Itis (Arthritis).”

I remember spending what seemed like hours outside building snowmen, forts for protection for snowball fights and of course we still had to do our barn work.

I loved it when there would be a big snowfall. Daddy would load up my toboggan sled, pick up my friends and we would go sledding at the Moose Country Club. It was a ton of fun flying down those hills, especially the one we called “suicide hill.” It has a drop off and it was always fun to see who could stay on their sled and who would fall off! Climbing back up the hill was tough but we always had fun doing it, even if we ended up sliding half way back down on our back sides! Afterwards, we would go to the Spot for some veggie soup and even though it was cold I would get a chocolate malt.

My grandson is only 10 months old, so this winter he won’t be sledding, but I am looking forward to next year! I will sit in the vehicle, nice and warm like Daddy did and watch him and his dad slide down the hills. Perhaps I will continue the tradition of lunch at the Spot with him and listen to him tell me all about the fun he had.

The New Year is a time of reflection for me. I look back at the year past and count my blessings. I am excited about 2023 and looking at it as a year to focus on good health.

The Senior Center of Sidney-Shelby County is partnering with Wilson Health for a new program: Live Healthy, Get Active. It is an incentive based program, encouraging our members to get more active and take control of their health in ways they might not have thought of before. Please stop down to the center at 304 S. West Ave. to find out more details. It is a free program and includes exercise, health luncheons, lunch and learns and awards! The only requirements are: you must be 50 years of age or better and be a member of the Senior Center. Memberships are $35 for Shelby County residents and $40 for out of the county. We offer two free visits before you join. So I hope to see you come down, check us out, sign up for the Live Healthy, Get Active program and start having fun while getting healthier!

Until I see you at the Center,

Have a Blessed Day!