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\ Past 65 R«tir«d railroader wants to ba a wrltor Write to Carl Riblet, Jr. at Box 40757, Tucson, Ariz., 85717 for information and advice on questions you may have as an elder citizen, with self-addressed, stamped envelope. All questions will be answered, either direct or in this column. by Carl Riblet Jr. Q. - "Since my retirement as a railroad agent two years ago I have been writing a book and short articles that include a history of the old Chicago Great Western railroad. I also have a railroad picture business with a bank of nearly 1,000 negatives. I have 101 pages of the book done, plus two short articles. Can I get my articles and the book published? I find writing a great source of enjoyment." - W.F. A. - WF may need a literary agent. He can get a list of agents from the Writer's Market annual, available at any good book store. He can then write any or all of the agents, asking if they would be interested in looking at his writing. The market guide also will suggest 'publishers and publications for special stories. He should be sure to tell the agents and-or publishers abotot his railroad pictures. W.F. should select an agent who will want no more than a nominal reading fee. Good luck! Q. - "Seniors need hob­ bies. I suggest a low-cost, happy and fulfilling hobby that requires little space. Raise quail and chukars (partridge.) They are sweet birds and very healthy. A pair in a cage in a nursing home window will light up sad eyes. The birds at maturity can be released, as they will have nested and left at least six young each who will need ongoing attention. Also, the birds are fine eating. They make no noise, so chukars and quail won't bring complaints from neighbors. For any who want to start such a hobby, con­ tact your state's wild life commission. They will happily help you. You can do all this from a wheel chair. I do." - C.W.P. A. - It could indeed be a hobby that would bring happiness, and so easy to pursue. Q. -- "I am a widow of 75. My Social Security check is $240. My health is good. I painted my house inside and out, have a large garden, do all my own canning, mow the lawn, shovel snow and drive my car for groceries, etc. I have the interest on $20,000 savings which brings my total income to $340 a month. "Yet, I have less to live on than those who get sup­ plementary security income. They have no health in­ surance or doctor bills to pay because they get it free, and they get free house care if they need it, and snow shoveling. "I see the bums who never worked very much getting all the benefits while those of us who saved and labored get the crumbs. Should I spend my savings and join the S.S.I, group and be that much more expense to my country, or should I keep struggling, living in a cold house because I can't afford heat at night? "I feel that I am being penalized by our system for trying to keep off welfare. I see my neighbors' homes are warm from fuel sent by welfare. I hate our system for what they are doing to cause friction among us. Why can't the government equalize things and at least give us old widows who can't afford it those free health benefits and keep us off the S.S.I, rolls without suf­ fering?" - Blanche D. A. - Spending the $20,000 might be a thrill and desirable for a time - until the $20,000 is gone and Blanche comes up against the bureaucracy of S.S.I. And, worst of all, Blanche would be giving up. That MCHENRY HEARING AID SALES t WARS ALL MAKES LOW PRICES! Vi WED. OHY10 TO 5 £37 MAM STREET ILLINOIS 25Y< . MAY RENTAL PLAN 385-7661 LKCmu. would be sad for someone of her strong character. In­ stead of spending her savings, a momentarily attractive, as the idea may be, she might get twice her income from the savings if she put them in Money Market funds. She should go to two or three different banks for advice on how to thus iftcrease hfcr interest income. She should not be satisfied with the advice of just one banker, however. She should think about what to do only after getting , a second banker's advice. Another way to increase income, of course, would be to take in a roomer and-or boarder, if there is room in her home. Blanche should not despair. Her strong desire to live more comfortably on her own resources may come to pass if she gets good banking advice. Shoe Exchange for Am­ putees Mrs. Charles Berger reports that the shoe ex­ change system she has worked out, is doing very well, thank you. Her correct address is 360 W. Clackamas Blvd., Gladstone, Ore., 97027. Don't send shoes, but send all information on the shoes needed or the shoes offered, with a self- addressed, stamped en­ velope. Mrs. Berger will use the SASE to match requests and offerings. No charge. Q. - "I have always had poor vision, and it is getting worse. My eye glasses don't help very much. My doctor says I probably will retain some vision as the years go by. I don't consider myself blind, anyway. Is there any way or anywhere I can get help to make the most of what vision I do have?" - Patrick B. A. - Yes, probably a great deal. There are several centers in Canada and the U.S. that are operated especially to help the par­ tially sighted. If Patrick's opthamalogist doesn't know of such a center he can write to the Center for the Par­ tially Sighted, 1250 16th Street, Santa Monica, Calif., 90404. The head man there, Dr. Samuel Genensky, himself partially sighted, has developed techniques and devices to aid those with limited vision. He is said to have achieved excellent results for the elderly. He may also be able to tell Patrick and others of similar centers for the partially sighted that may be closer to home to Canadians and easterners. Q. - "I have a grandfather of 80 in county hospital with serious vascular problems. The thing that bothers me is that the doctors there are just out of medical school - except for one who is their boss-and they don't act as though they give a hoot about my grandfather. They keep saying he's old. As though they can't help him because he's old." - Bernice K. A - Studies at the University of Minnesota show that some medical students develop negative attitudes toward the elderly. That may be because the students see only the aged Who are poor, those who have lost hope and those who are not healthy and active. They see the elderly in the free clinics as people who can't talk, can't hear and can't understand. The fact is, of course, that old people who are taken to medical school clinics are not anywhere near being representative of all who are old. I cannot believe that medical schools do not teach respect for the elderly. If there are any that fail to do so, then some of those councils for the aging that operate in part on federal grants - there are more than 500 in the U.S. - could do something about it. I hope Bernice's case is an isolated case. Q. - "I think your choice of large dogs for the elderly is unwise. It is physically impossible for an older person to struggle with a large dog on a leash. A small breed, not any of the terriers, would be best as a watch dog, inexpensive to feed or to board out on oc­ casion, and certainly easier to control." - lone C. A. -- Large or small depends on past experience. I think lone may be mistaken about the terrier breeds. Way back when, I had a wire-hair terrier, one- eyed in old age but happy. She was gentle enough for my then little daughter to handle on a leash. Q. - "My son wishes to declare me as a dependent on his income tax return. I am 83. That is okay with me, but I wish to know the minimum amount of income for me to be declared a dependent." Flossie G. A. - He must contribute to more than 50 percent of Flossie's support and she must have a gross income that is taxable that is 1«BS than $1,000 a year. Q. - "I am a man of 70 and I have lost my sex drive completely Can you recommend anything to regain it?" - Charles N. A. - All the books on the subject of sex, and many doctors, say that an elderly man can participate in sex way into his late years if he is normal in all other respects. Charles should see a doctor who is un­ derstanding. If he cannot locate a sympathetic doctor he should phone the local office of the county medical association and ask for help Q. - "When you said that Internal Revenue was wrong in not accepting cash from Jacob, it was you who were wrong. Jacob was being protected against fraud that could occur even in IRS. By giving a check or money order he would have a permanent record that he had paid." - Dollars and Sense. A. - Dollars and Sense didn't get the point, which is that IRS, like all of us, is required by law to take cash and the agent, in refusing, acted against the laws of the government that employs him. It is silly to mention fraud as a possibility because all Jacob had to do when handing over the cash, was to demand and get a receipt. That would be the p e r m a n e n t r e c o r d . Bureaucrats should obey the law and not make their own laws. Again, bills in any denomination are "legal tender for all debts, public and private." Q. - "Please send in­ formation about places to address problems of the aged." - Verna H. A. - such information may be best obtained at Area VIII Agency on Aging at 469 EmmettSt., Dubuque, phone 583-3547. Write to Carl Riblet, Jr., at box 40757, Tucson, Ariz., 85717 for information and advice on questions you may have as an elder citizen, with self-addressed, stamped envelope. All questions will be answered, either direct or in this column. PAGE 5 - PLAINDEALER -FRIDAY, MARCH 7, ltM Prepare For Red Cross Month MCC Is Accessible To The Handicapped McHenry County college has a campus that is very accessible to the han­ dicapped, according to Michael Lawrence, MCC's associate dean of planning and development. Lawrence said that the college recently received a report on a survey of MCC facilities which was com­ piled by employees of the state department of rehabilitation services. The college lacks only one item, laboratory tables which are low enough and accessible to people in wheelchairs, to have a totally barrier free campus, the department said. Federal funding to help correct that one omission is on the horizon, Lawrence said. He noted that the college's compliance with both state and federal ac­ cessibility guidelines was termed remarkable by the state team since MCC's campus was built before many of the guidelines were in effect. The state survey of the college campus was a follow- up to an awareness to the needs of the handicapped which MCC began in 1978 with a task force which studied the college facilities and sponsored a special day of films and activities designed to focus attention on the problems of the handicapped. The college invites han­ dicapped individuals to visit MCC to find out more about the programs and courses the college offers. Thomas Jefferson sold his 10,000 books to the U.S. government to replace the collection burned by the British. The books be­ came the nucleus of to­ day's of Congress. m © o OIO winners »$ GIFT CERTIFICATE (To Any McHenry Store) GALLONS OF GASOLINE POUNDS OF BEEF 'SUSAN B. ANTHONY DOLLARS Congradulations to.... Mary O'Malley of McHenry- 29 Susan B. Anthony Dollars Leonard Gravel of McHenry- s29 Gift Certificate Charles Christensen of Wonder Lake- 29 Lbs. of Beef Leroy Liotta of Ringwood- 29 Gallons of Gasoline McHenry State Bank 3510 West Elm Street Crystal Lake Road at Lillian Street Riehmond Road at Pearl Street McHenry Phone 385-1040 The month of March has been designated Red Cross month by President Carter and a variety of activities are in progress for the McHenry county chapter. Plans are currently being finalized for two Red Cross workshops to be given in April. The first, "First Aid for Little People", will be offered for some 40 Brownie Scout leaders April 8 at the Shabbona Girl Scout center near Harvard. Also offered will be a "Disaster Workshop for Nurses", a program scheduled for April 19 at McHenry County college. Further information is available on either of these programs by telephoning the Red Cross office at 338-1050. The county-wide mem^ bership drive is also set to coincide with the celebration of Red Cross month and thousands of letters will be mailed this week to Red Cross members across McHenry county. Officials here hope to raise about $20,000 in contributions this year to supplement their allocation from the United Way. * Red Cross was brought to America in 1881 by Clara Barton and has been aiding victims of disasters and near-disasters from the Michigan forest fires of 1881 to the recent accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear- power plant in Penn­ sylvania; 777 With 1.4 million volunteers nation-wide, it is this country's largest voluntary agency, and one of its most wide-spread grass-roots organizations. Betty Kegan, executive director of the McHenry county chapter, summed up the Red Cross mission in the words of a former national civil defense official: "Virtually every town in the United States has a Red Cross chapter that can move as fast as bad news." The county Red Cross headquarters are located at 216 South Throop street in Woodstock. 1232 N. Green TOP DECK 385-9836 Fresh Fish Special WALLEYED PIKE RED SNAPPER $4*5 WHITE FISH e dinner Choice of 4 Homemade soups LUNCHEON SPECIALS DAILY SATURDAY NIGHT $ 7 5 0 Prime Rib We Accept Diners Club from HISTORY'S SCRAPBOOK OATES AND EVENTS FROM YESTERYEARS March 6, 1475 -- Birthday of Michelangelo Buonarroti, the great Italian painter, sculptor and architect. March 7, 1876 -- Alexander Graham Bell receives a patent for his invention of the telephone. March 8, 1917 -- Riots and strikes in St. Petersburg mark the beginning of the Russian Revolution. , .-- March 9; 1822 -- Charles Graham of New York City receives the patent for artificial teeth. The McHenry Plaindealer (USPS 335 2001 Establ ished 1875 3817 Woil Elm Street Phone 385 0170 McHenry III.nor* 600S0 Published Every Wednesdoy C Frirfoy of McHenry Illinois Second Clos* Postage Poid ot McHenry III,noes By McHINRY PUBLISHING COMPANY Subscribers or* requested to provide immediate notice ol change ot addrett io The McHenry Plaindealer Mil W €lm St McHenry III 600S0 A deduction ot one month Iron the expiration o» o tubscription will be made where a chonqe ot ad dress is provided through the Post OHiro department tarry E. Lund-Publ isher .itpwg \ NEWSPAPER Adele Frophl ich Edi tor NATIONAL NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION I Yeor In McHenry County SUBSCRIPTION RATES $13.50 I Year $19.00 Outside McHenry County spurgeon's Savings A-fbot at Our Spring HOSIERY SALE Now 'til March 16 -- save on every pair of hosiery in stock! Pantyhose -- sheer, control top and support. All women's and girls' anklets and knee hi's. Men's and boys' dress, work and sport hose. The more you buy the more you save. See our chart! 1 Pair Price CHECK YOUR FAMILY NEEDS AND SAVE: 1 Pair Price 3 Pair Price 6 Pair Price 12 Pair Price 500 1.45 2.85 5.65 Reg. 590 to 750 500 1.45 2.85 5.65 Reg. 790 to 890 700 2.00 3.90 7.50 Reg. 990 to $1.19 850 2.50 4.90 9.50 Reg. $1.25 to $1.35 1.10 3.25 6.30 12.25 Reg. $1.39 to $1.50 1.20 3.50 6.75 13.00 Reg. $1.59 to $1.75 1.40 4.00 7.75 15.00 . Reg. $1.95 to $2 1.60 4.50 8.90 17.50 Reg. $2.19 to $2.29 1.95 5.75 11.00 21.00 Reg. $2.50 to $2.75 2.25 6.50 12.50 24.00 Reg. $2.95 to $3 2.55 7.50 14.75 29.00 Reg. $3.25 to $3.59 2.90 8.50 16.75 33.00 Reg. $3.75 to $4 3.25 9.50 18.50 35.00 Reg. $4.50 3.90 11.00 21.00 40.00 > J j - McHENRY MARKET PLACE 4400 W. RTE. 120 McHENRY, ILLINOIS DAILY 9-9. SAT. 9-4, SUN. 10-5 305-4100 FAMILY HAIRSTYLING CENTER 305-4520 IS* 1656 *