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My Mother, Valentina, will be 102 years old next Valentine's Day. Her short-term memory is pretty well shot but her sense of humor remains and she still has a treasure chest full of stories. Recently, she told me of this Thanksgiving we celebrated when I was about 5 years old.

It was the very depth of the depression, the mid-1930s, and there was simply no money. On top of this, my father had failed, in his usual hunting ventures, to get a 'bird' for our Thanksgiving dinner. Although my father had failed to 'bag a bird' he did return with several very plump rabbits. We raised chickens on our several acres near the town limits and also had some pork and beef on occasion from my great uncle's vast farm. But my mother wanted something besides chicken or squirrels (always a staple in season thanks to my father's expert shooting) so my parents decided on rabbit for our feast. When I heard of this they had one hysterical kid on their hands. This because to me a rabbit was the Easter Bunny and no way were we going to eat him for dinner. It took some desperate explaining from my parents to convince me that rabbits were rabbits and the Easter Bunny was an entirely different species - not even a distant cousin. They led me to understand that the Easter Bunny and his wife and assistants were already busy with dyes and maps for coloring and hiding the eggs for next spring. And so for me not to fret about our eating rabbit.

Thus consoled, and greatly relieved, I joined my folks in enjoying a delicious Thanksgiving Day dinner. We grew all kinds of vegetables and gathered nuts and berries in season and my mother canned everything so she prepared mashed potatoes and gravy, candied yams, green beans cooked with onions and walnuts, corn pudding and of course we had blueberry and pumpkin pies for dessert. The one extravagance, and my mother laughed heartily when she mentioned this, was to invest about 15 cents in fresh oysters. These she removed from their shells, washed and diced and cooked up our favorite dressing stuffed into the roasted rabbit.

Mother said it was a Thanksgiving that stood out in her memory. We had finished building our little bungalow on Harpertown Road and were not in debt. My father was working at the local pool room and being paid 50 cents an hour (he would eventually buy the business) and we were all in good health. In short, we were faring so much better than so many folks at that very scary time. She finished the reverie by saying that, really, it was probably the very best Thanksgiving in her memory.

So, everyone - whatever your main dish, even vegetables, if you happen to be a vegetarian, have a wonderful feast, a happy, grateful celebration on this special day, Thanksgiving. And, yes, the Easter Bunny will be here in the spring. I promise!

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Colors, in military terms, are the various flags of an army, division, regiment, battalion or company.

Early March of 1954, I was approaching rotation from Korea after serving my tour of duty. To my great surprise, I was notified that I would be temporarily assigned to the 45th Division - the first division, to my knowledge, to be retired from active duty after the end of the Korean War. The division would have a full assignment of men, albeit temporary, and we would 'return the colors' to the United States. This was to be a 'good will' tour as we dropped off soldiers being discharged from service and picking up new recruits.

We sailed from Inchon, the same port where I had debarked some ten months earlier. We sailed on the General J.H. McRae, first to Yokohama, Japan to take on supplies and then on to Hawaii. Most of us received a 36 hour pass and I enjoyed a steak dinner preceded by an 'up' Martini (the first in over a year) and then toured Honolulu and Pearl Harbor. We sailed on to the Panama Canal and again received a day's pass and I had the opportunity to view Panama City.

Our final leg of the tour was up the East Coast after stopping at San Juan, Puerto Rico, again dropping off and picking up men. We sailed into New York harbor the Friday before Easter - the Army was doing its best to get us to our respective homes on leave by Easter Sunday. We were up at 5 A.M., and dressed in full (winter) uniform and with our packed duffel bags beside us, all 2,000 men were called to attention as we sailed past that grand old lady, The Statue of Liberty. I was not the only soldier to view her welcoming torch through a blur of tears. We were indeed 'Bringing Home The Colors.'

Men who had families living within a 100 mile radius of New York City had been notified and many were on the dock to welcome their 'boys' home. There was an army band playing 'Yankee Doodle', and 'The Cassions Go Rolling Along' and then a joyous burst into Cole Porter music - all this, and the return was duly celebrated in the pages of Life Magazine.

November 11 is Veterans Day - or, called in the old days after WW I, Armistice Day. I will celebrate it by marching in the parade and remembering my tour of duty, my glorious sailing into New York Harbor as well as the friends who didn't make it home with me. So fly an American flag, march, if you can, or just be grateful for all the veterans who are celebrated on this special day.

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In 1958 I had the great good fortune to be cast in a pre-Broadway, summer tryout of Shaw's "Caesar and Cleopatra" starring Susan Strasberg and Franchot Tone. Susan had made her movie debut in "Picnic" in 1955 and in 1956 she rendered her brilliant portrayal of Anne Frank on Broadway. And many consider Franchot Tone the finest screen actor in the early Hollywood years. It was quite a cast that also included the acclaimed black actress, Vinette Carroll, playing the role of Ftatateeta, servant to Cleopatra. Vinette went on to be the founder of the Urban Arts Corps and the first African American woman to direct on Broadway.

We rehearsed first in New York City and then moved to the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago where we would open for a a two week run before our tour. This was after the Supreme Court decision regarding desegregation of 1954. However, private entities could still discriminate by charging fees and setting up restrictive entrance requirements. One such was the swimming pool at the Edgewater Beach Hotel. Not knowing this, Vinette had joined several cast members for a quick dip only to be refused permission to use the pool. It was the talk of the cast at the afternoon rehearsal and upon hearing of the incident, Franchot said, "Let me see about this."

Well, his "seeing about it" led to his joining the 'private club' at the pool cabana the very next day. Then he proceeded to host a pool party for the entire cast. Vinette did a graceful dive into the pool, swam its length and then, without exception, we all headed to Lake Michigan for a proper swim - Franchot included. He was suffering dreadfully from arthritis at this time, so we fetched a golf cart to get him back to the hotel for rehearsal. We opened, toured and closed without much fanfare at the Westport, Connecticut playhouse later in the summer. The show didn't make it to Broadway but it was a memorable experience working with some brilliantly talented folks. And it was another example of breaking the back of segregation in America. Franchot was a great actor but to me he is a greater American hero for his action in getting Vinette into the pool of the Edgewater Beach Hotel.

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I’m having one of those days when I feel just great about technology, so I thought I’d share before my phone or computer goes on the glitch and my goodwill evaporates!

The first reason it’s “Technology Appreciation Day” for me has to do with my recently ended vacation, which I spent sailing my creaky thirty-year-old sailboat around Long Island Sound. I typically sail alone, and am not a particularly experienced or talented sailor, but the trip was lovely, largely due to several extremely useful technology devices that made things safer, more fun, and less stressful.

I use a cheap Garmin GPS for navigation, depth readings, tides and currents, and even as a fish-finder that tells me when to drop a hook in the water for dinner. I get weather and news on my iPhone, including real-time radar maps that show the movement of thunderstorms in my area. I have a VHF radio for emergencies, and of course use the cell phone as a back-up. When my wife and kids came to spend a few days on the boat, we watched movies on my laptop before bedtime.

All of these devices have limitations and occasional glitches, but together they enable me to spend weeks at a time out on the water, with a much higher level of safety and comfort than would have been possible even ten years ago. They’re not luxury items (my boat is a lot closer to a vintage floating RV than a racing yacht), and for less than the cost of a plane ticket to Florida I can feel reasonable well equipped for cruising around Long Island waters.

Incidentally, I’m meeting quite a lot of older sailors out on the water, and it occurs to me that emerging technologies are making sailing much more accessible for older individuals than it used to be. With all the mechanical winches, electronics, and automated furling systems that come on most boats today, it’s a hobby that is increasingly an option for people with limited strength and agility. And if you use the Internet to search for used boats, you can get some pretty good deals out there!

Secondly, I just found this excellent video of Brooklyn-based author Clay Shirky explaining how many people who used to be couch-potato television addicts are now putting their time into more cognitively stimulating Web-based activities, like editing Wikipedia pages.

I’m already reading Shirky’s book, Here Comes Everybody, and I haven’t had a TV in my house for many years, so maybe he’s preaching to the converted in my case. But I suspect he’s right that the Web is more engaging and interactive than traditional TV, and I have read some research that suggests cognitive stimulation can help older individuals keep their minds sharp and reduce late-life memory loss.

If Shirky is right, then the Web might be a tremendous boon to older computer users, especially if it leads to less TV watching and more engagement with online collaborations like Wikipedia and blogs.

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Hello everyone, over the next few days we will be taking SeniorPlanet on tour; hosting seminars in different senior centers and community labs across NYC. We hope you can attend at least one of the seminars which will focus on signing up for an account, creating a blog and commenting on other senior blogs. Keep checking the Events Calendar for more information on times and locations. Hope to see you all there.

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What a joy this past week has been viewing the Olympic Games every single evening - and even some early mornings at 5 a.m. when I couldn't sleep. So, instead of pacing around my apartment until my leg cramps were gone, I simply punched in the Olympic Games from that exotic sounding place called Beijing. It didn't matter whether it was wrestling, baseball, track and field or a wonderful game of volleyball being slammed out on a wet, sandy court in a pouring rain by those astounding ladies from the USA (they won!) - it was exhilarating entertainment and I have loved every single minute of it.

And how can I write about the 2008 Olympics and not speak of Michael Phelps? By winning eight gold medals, this astonishing young man has become not only the champion Olympian of all the ages but the sweetheart/hero of the world which is greatly in need of Olympians in all shapes, sizes and ages. And Sasha Artemev - who? you are asking. Sasha was the second alternate on the injury-plagued USA men's gymnastic squad and it was his sizzling, leg-scissoring performance on the pommel horse that boosted the United States into a Bronze Medal - this, when the US team was not even expected to reach the finals. His performance took my breath away. And then we have those young, young USA lady gymnasts waltzing away with the gold and the silver. How proud I am of them. And then the icing on the cake: Nastia Liukin won the gold all-around and the silver on the balance beam with Shawn Johnson winning the gold on this event. WOW!

I could go on - there are countless stories of wins and heartbreaks - I found myself deeply involved no matter the country. These (mostly) young folks had trained for years and this was their moment on the world stage and I applauded every single one of them. As I said before, for me, it has been a joyous week and I don't care a wit that I have let some things slide as I indulged in viewing the wondrous events in far off Beijing.

In closing, I would like to remind all those seniors who have trained with OATS and whose lives have been changed for the better by the Internet, that they are also Olympians. One of the definitions of an Olympian given by Webster's is having "superior attainments" and you all have those just by being a contributing senior member of society. You also qualify because you have braved the Internet with OATS and finished a winner. So congratulations, shake out those legs, polish those canes, oil up the wheel chairs and start preparing for the 2012 Olympics to be held in London. See you there.

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This site is wonderful. I wish we had a similar program down here in sunny Florida with all the seniors complaining that aside from Mah Jongg , Canasta and golf, there's nothing to do to stimulate their brains. How about opening a branch of OATS in Southern Florida? I know there are lots of museums, art galleries and local theater productions that seniors would love to go to (especially the free or low cost ones). Most are unaware of them. Another thing that would interest many of them is learning to use a computer. The libraries offer free access but they lack classes.

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I was fortunate to be awarded an academic, four year scholarship to West Virginian University way back in 1947. The scholarships, entitled Board of Governors Scholarships, also carried with them first dibs on campus jobs. My Father, practical man that he was, told me to apply to the University Cafeteria, that way I wouldn't go hungry. He was so right, as always, in his usual good advice.

I began as a dish washer but by my sophomore year I was one of the cashiers and in my senior year I also was working as a clerk in the cafeteria office which carried a weekly stipend as well - a tremendous help to me. The student staff, kitchen help, bus boys, cashiers, etc. always were the last to eat at any meal, followed by the dietician, Blanche Price. Miss Price was just that - priceless. A graduate of West Virginia University (as were her father and sister) she was a formidable presence in her lacy, black dresses and endless strand of pearls.

Schools, including many colleges and universities, were still segregated at that time. West Virginia University allowed enrolled black students who were residents of the state and were in graduate and professional programs not offered at the two black colleges, WV State and Bluefield State. Factual data has been difficult to find for this particular time period but I have been told that it was not unusual for black students who attended classes to be denied the use of any other facility like restrooms.

On the first full day of classes in the fall of 1950, my senior year, about five or six black students appeared to dine at the very last moment for their evening meal. I have always thought on that first venture into a segregated dining room, they were watching to time their entrance to be the very last - not knowing what kind of greeting they might receive. The black students were served, paid their tabs and moved together to the very back of the cafeteria. Miss Price, observing this, got her meal and approached several of us student workers and said, "Won't some of you join me in helping make these folks welcome?" Several of us quickly picked up our trays and followed Miss Price to greet the black students. She paused when she reached their table and said, "May we join you?" The black students, somewhat taken aback at the request, invited us to their table. We pushed two of the long dining tables together and that was the end of segregation in the West Virginia University cafeteria. The very next day, to the best of my memory, at whatever meal and for the remainder of my senior year, the black students, who had made friends in their respective classes, dined with them and sat anywhere they chose in the dining room. To those of you who don't remember, the Supreme Court did not end segregation until 1954 with the Brown decision.

The kind, Christian act of that gracious lady, Blanche Price, remains strongly in my memory as we face a national election which is offering, as one choice, an extremely gifted black man as a candidate for President of the United States of America.

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SeniorPlanet is pleased to host an on-camera discussion with New York City Department for the Aging Commissioner Edwin Mendez-Santiago. DFTA is leading an effort to modernize services for older adults throughout New York City. A large part of this effort will be the revamping of senior centers. The discussion, hosted by OATS Executive Director Tom Kamber, will feature Commissioner Mendez-Santiago and several SeniorPlanet members discussing the specific needs of older adults with regard to senior centers in New York City.

You can get involved with the discussion by submitting your own question here! What do you want to ask Commissioner Mendez-Santiago? What do you want to see happening at your local senior center? Add your comments below. The show will take place on Wednesday, July 23rd and the video will be posted here on SeniorPlanet.

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We're hoping to start a senior co-op community on our SC homestead. There are 100 + yr. old flowers and shrubs. Our 145+ yr. old home is the original farm house for this area. As the 4,000acres around us is heir property, there's no problem with any developing it. We offer , to be built for you, 6 cottages and 4 lovely new rooms w/ activity room onto the farm house. All of our "farming " is organic with vegetables, herbs, eatable flowers, meat rabbits, chickens, deer in season. There's fishing, hunting in the area. Bird watchers paradise! Miles of walking, riding bikes, 4 wheelers, horses, etc... Peace, quiet, clean air. Go to our web site www.countryhavenco-op.com for pictures and more info and send for brochure. We have a lovely recycled, country victorian guest room for your visit. Trisher and JIm myzarahemla@msn.com

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