Blog

By Jane Bokun

I’ll admit it. I’m scared to take the Covid-19 vaccine and so I thought I’d discuss it with you.

Here’s my problem, although I never thought I’d get to the age I am, I want to see how this all plays out. Maybe, like my father, I’ll never be ready to die. I try. I read books on death and what happens in the end (smile on the face). Even though I have an upcoming appointment to take the vaccine (April 1), I don’t want to be one of the several thousand people who have died of one of the Covid vaccines by the end of the week they took it.

I’m pretty sure they didn’t want that either.

As a Christian, I should be ready to die, but I can’t wrap my head around what heaven is like. Is it like your first kiss, all warm and fuzzy, heady with the anticipation of more? Is it like when your mop-headed son forgets his lunch and when you drop it off at his grade school, you see he’s heading up his own little newscast and he’ll be following in your footsteps? Is it like when you know for sure someone loves and needs you and you don’t have to be all alone anymore?

I’ll bet it’s all that and more – and a bag of chips. But my incrementally small mind can’t conceive of it. One thing is for sure, my dad walked bravely to get his Moderna Covid 19 vaccine shot. Characteristically, he even joked about it. Afterwards, I sent my brother a note that said, Dad successfully got his shot, he’s a zombie now though.

Ha! There are many conspiracy theories out there about the shot. The vaccine is taking over your RNA/DNA, the disease isn’t real (no matter how many people die), and it will form millions of bots that will give away your information. I hope I don’t die from the shot AND it gives away my information. I’m kind of embarrassed about some of my information.

Anyway, I’m taking the shot on April 1 and that’s no joke. Let me know when you’re taking the Covid shot and how you faired. Maybe we can get together and take a shot of something less dangerous, but more liquidy and fun.

By Jane Bokun

I may love pie more than anything. Especially now, when there are no parties, movies, big gatherings or anything, really.

My true love is cherry pie and I’m sharing that truly bit of personal info because it’s National Pie Day, yay!

Who started this sublime holiday, you ask? A guy named Charlie Papazian, an engineer, teacher and home-brewing expert who loved pie so much he declared his own birthday to be National Pie Day. Since 1986, National Pie Day has taken place every year and is sponsored by the American Pie Council.

That said, these are the restaurants that are celebrating this auspicious day. They include Baker’s Square, Red Robin, where you can get a free slice and more. Shari’s Pies and Village Inn also offer pie for the holiday.

In honor of National Pie Day, I am making a cherry pie. I seem to have trouble making crust though. In fact, I would love to be able to make a nice, flaky, yummy crust. But, even though I follow each recipe, my crusts taste like old, left out in the rain, cardboard.

Help me dear readers, do you make your own pie crust? I would love to know the secret. Please share it with me on this blog page at http://www.bpeeled.com. Hit blog on the menu and thanks for sharing your secret!

By Jane Bokun

This week I tried Hatha yoga, which is the yoga I should have tried first instead of taking the advanced class.

It was slightly less painful than the advanced, but with a few more farts. I am mortified when they slip out during some of the more compromising yoga moves like the one where you sit on your back legs, or Vajrasana, to us who google . Who would have thought that pose would hurt so much? And, make you fart so much? I am going to continue yoga, but rate the classes with fart count. Advanced? 10 farts. Regular Hatha? Maybe two.

“I’ll try the one where I sit on my legs at home later on my bed,” I assured Rey Candelaria, owner of Shanti Wellness Center in Munster, Indiana, who led the class.

He, who I have known for a long time, wouldn’t hear of it. Rey posed my body in the required move.

“I hope he didn’t hear that fart,” I thought. The yoga farts don’t seem to smell, so that’s good.

I love the beginning of the Hatha Yoga class at Shanti Wellness Center. It’s lie down flat on your back, raise your arms and sssstretch. It’s very relaxing and helps to center your thoughts. The deep breathing is also good for stress. I broke my back recently and initially broke it three times in the mountains of Arizona. I find I can still do many of the poses such as Downward-Facing Dog. Extended Triangle. Sphinx Pose. Cobra Pose. Locust Pose. and Bridge Pose. I’m lying, of course, but I seem to be pretty good at downward facing dog.

What you’ll find out if you’re contemplating yoga for the first time is that many in your class will have the same ailments you do and collectively will applaud your progress. It also doesn’t matter if you have a proper matt, many yoga studios supply them, or the latest workout wear. I NEVER purchase good workout wear it’s a credo I live by. I get a lot of hand-me-downs from my niece.

“It’s like a community,” says avid yoga participant Mara Candelaria. Give it a try. Shanti Wellness employs excellent anti-Covid 19 practices and your temperature will be taken when you arrive. The website is at http://www.shantiwellnesscenter.com.

Try to come to a class that I’m not attending.

By Jane Bokun

I’d long forgotten the times when I relied on my wristwatch to tell the time.

Nowadays time is displayed everywhere, in smartphones, smartwatches, laptops and tablets, on the metro station, even on the dashboard of your car. In a world filled with high definition screens, time telling is pretty much easy at any time. That being said, who doesn’t like a beautiful timepiece that they can access just by picking up their hand?  I found an inexpensive award-winning watch out of London, England called Divestum. It looks a lot like a Movado watch and is really elegant, just in time for Christmas or Me Day, another new holiday (lol).

When I got the watch, I thought, why not? I’m going to try wearing a sleek, cool watch again. I found out I like it. In fact, I have a hard time taking it off and that’s not just because I never remember to take it off. I like the satisfying feeling of knowing I’ll never be late for things. It’s a tactile experience and in the Divestum watch it’s even tactilier.

There’s a band that feels like butter with a blackface and gold lettering. Even the little holes on the band are made square and not in circles to fit the square watch band holes better.

It’s more than time telling. It’s a statement.

I’m proud to wear them because they are really pretty minimal design watches. The watches can be found at https://divestum.com/?ref=pjgel7nsnxvc. I negotiated an even better price for you. Just put in this code for 20% off that can be shared online: JANEBO20

Thanks so much. I’m sure you’re going to love it.

By Art Koff, Banana Peel guest columnist and consulting aging expert

“Aargh,” what do you do when retirement is just around the corner and you have no idea what it will cost. You always figured you’d have this figured out by now. But you don’t…So, here’s a few ideas…

How much will you need to spend on healthcare after you retire?
What are the risks that could jeopardize your retirement plans?
What might you do now to help avoid these risks?

Fidelity Investments estimates that a 65-year old couple who retired in 2019 would spend an average of $285,000 on health care and medical expenses throughout the combined remainder of their lifetimes. The Employee Benefit Research Institute found that a 65-year-old couple could need nearly $400,000 to meet lifetime expenses in a worst-case scenario. These big dollar estimates are misleading because retirees won’t be spending this money all at once – that is, they don’t need to have it all on hand at the start of retirement; however, the totals are far more than most people planning their retirement expenses realize.

These estimates are total expenditures for healthcare that will be spread across 20 or more years of retirement. They cover the cost of Medicare deducted from your Social Security, your supplemental healthcare insurance, co-pays and drugs and other items not covered by insurance plus necessary over-the-counter healthcare needs.

Prescription drugs
Medicare Part D insurance covers most routine prescription drug costs however there are some prescriptions which are not covered and if you need one of these very expensive drugs your out of pocket costs can be huge. 

You also need to understand the next level of coverage the so-called coverage gap, or doughnut hole. After Medicare has paid their yearly maximum you must pay 100% of the cost of your drugs until your reach the next stage where once again you pay only copays for covered medications.

Traditional Medicare does not pay for most dental, hearing care or glasses. Medicare also does not pay for care in a skilled nursing facility after a patient is discharged from a hospital unless the patient was admitted to the hospital as an inpatient for at least 3 days. Observation days do not count as part of these 3 days.

Note: Do not let the emergency room administrator move you out of the ER until you are officially admitted. 

Make sure you sign up for Medicare at the right time to avoid late enrollment penalties and lengthy coverage gaps. Medicare requires enrollees to sign up during a seven-month Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) that includes the three months before, the month of, and the three months following your 65th birthday. The one exception to this is if you are actively employed at the time of your IEP, or you are on the health policy of a spouse who is actively employed. In other cases, missing the IEP triggers late-enrollment penalties that continue for life – and possibly expensive, long waits for coverage to start. 

After you enroll in Medicare there is often savings for you shop your Part D or Medicare Advantage plan coverage every year, or at least every couple years, during the annual fall enrollment season that runs from October 15th through December 7th. Even if you are satisfied with your current coverage it is a worthwhile investment of your time to look at other plans during open enrollment. Be aware that your prescription drug plan coverage can change annually and the Advantage plans can make changes to their networks of healthcare providers.

Your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) can assist you and provide free help with selecting the best health insurance for you. The Medicare Rights Center also offers free counseling by phone
1 800-333-4114.