Check out our August newsletter!
LYN’S LEDGER
Lyndon Thomas Insurance Agency
We Help You With Medicare Plans.
August 2024
IT’S AUGUST, AND I’VE GOT WRITER’S BLOCK!
Regifting a birthday present to your wife would be incredibly bad form. My birthday is 20 days before Kathy’s. She brought balloons to the office this week, including one that says, “You don’t look a day over FABULOUS!” That’s the balloon I should get for her! I’ve got my work cut out for me to find one with a message that gets it right for her! She looks better than fabulous! We’ve welcomed Kelley Rasmussen to our sales team this month. She’s a local insurance agent who loves people, loves her community, and already in the first week is helping LTIA run more effectively. Anyone who has run a small business knows how scary it is to hire the right people. When you do, it’s wonderful! You’ll be getting to know Kelley better in the office and in the coming editions of Lyn’s Ledger. Looking back, it seems that Kathy and I go on a cruise about every five years. It’s just worked out that way. We just returned from the seven-day Alaska inland waterway cruise. We flew to and then sailed out and back from Vancouver, BC. Alaska ports of call included Sitka, Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan. I took nearly 500 pictures. The scenery — mountains, glaciers, and water — is amazing. For us in the lower 48, seeing a bald eagle is an event. Around Juneau, there are so many bald eagles that the locals call them pigeons. Snow is white because it reflects the entire visible light spectrum. Glacial ice is blue because the snow is so compressed it does not reflect the red end of the light spectrum. Glacial ice the size in the picture above is called a “growler.” A cruise is simply a very sophisticated way of getting money out of your pocket and into the cruise line’s bank account. But it’s fun anyway! California has many fault lines. The earth beneath our feet is shifting all the time. Southern California earthquake reports include several small quakes every day, 1–3 on the Richter Scale, small enough to not be noticed. It takes about a 4 on the Richter
Scale to be something noticed and talked about. We’ve had a few 4s and a 5 or two in the region this week. Hmmm … are we getting ready for a bigger one? After so many years of talking to other people about Medicare, it’s a bit surreal to see MY name on that Medicare card! Medicare plus an insurance plan (Medicare Advantage or Medicare Supplement) continues to be — for most people — the best health care coverage they’ve ever had at the lowest price they’ve ever paid. We’ve been an independent agency for 10 years now and are delighted with the continuing opportunity to assist you with your Medicare plan needs.
We here on the LTIA team are grateful!
–Lyn Thomas
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Lyndon Thomas Insurance
EXTEND YOUR GROWING SEASON
EXPERT STRATEGIES FOR FALL GARDENERS
Fall is one of the best times of the year for gardening, and now that summer is almost behind us, it’s time to prepare your fall gardens. Clean up leftovers from your spring and summer gardens, plant new seeds, and nurture your fruits, veggies, and flowers until they’re ready for harvest. If you’ve ever tried to grow fall produce, you know it’s not as easy as planting and waiting. Gardens can be a lot of work! Thankfully, you have many strategies for keeping your garden in top shape. Here are three ideas you can implement this year to ensure a bountiful harvest. Timing Counts As fall progresses, temperatures will drop, making growing certain fruits and vegetables more difficult. Inspect your seed packets to see how long each item takes to develop and ensure you give your produce enough time to reach maturity. Additionally, some things will take more from the soil than others. Potatoes and onions pull many nutrients from the soil, so you should plant nutrient-rich options like beans or peas to preserve the soil quality. Use Covers Pests are a constant problem for any gardener, especially when the plants you’re growing need to be pollinated. Thankfully, most fall vegetables don’t require pollination, so you can use garden mesh
netting to keep those pesky pests at bay. These covers are relatively inexpensive and available at any home improvement store or nursery.
It’s Never Too Late You might think you missed your opportunity to garden once September ends, but that’s not always the case. Some plants like cilantro, kale, and radishes have a short growing season, so they’ll be ready to eat before you know it! You can also use plant covers designed for frost protection to extend your growing season by a few weeks.
PREPARING FOR THE ANNUAL ENROLLMENT PERIOD
August, for us here at LTIA, is just a slip ‘n slide toward September. In a few days, LTIA will send you a Prescription Drug Update form. Late September is when you will receive your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) in the mail unless you have opted to receive plan materials via email. Your September ANOC informs you of the changes in your plan for next year. September is when we finalize our sales meeting schedule and Annual Enrollment Period client service and marketing strategies. Oct. 1 is when we are permitted by Medicare to begin discussing 2025 plan benefits. The Annual Enrollment Period begins on Oct. 15, when we are permitted to begin conducting plan change enrollments for Jan. 1.
The Annual Enrollment Period is Oct. 15 to Dec. 7.
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2 1211 Maricopa Hwy, Ste 222, Ojai, CA 93023
CA# 0D96309
We Help You With Medicare.
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The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 has provisions going into effect in January 2025 that bring significant changes to everyone’s Part D Prescription Drug Program. Your ANOC will list changes in your plan for next year. Please review these carefully. While you will be receiving emails and mail from us regarding your plan changes, we invite you to reach out to us. Please email us at Service@LT-ins.com or call 805-646-6409.
MONTH-BY-MONTH CHECKLIST:
August: Receive and return your LTIA Prescription Drug Update form. September: Receive and review your plan’s Annual Notice of Change. October: If desired, gather information on other plans and decide if a plan change is needed. Contact LTIA for more information. Consider attending a sales seminar at LTIA.
LEGENDARY STUFFED PEPPERS
Ingredients
•
4 bell peppers (any color), halved and seeded
• • • • •
1 tsp cumin
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes
• • • •
1 lb ground beef 1 onion, diced
1 cup cooked rice
November: Same as October
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tsp chili powder
December 1–7: Yikes! Make that call!
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 F. 2. Line a baking dish or baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the bell pepper halves in the baking dish. 3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef, onion, and garlic until the beef is browned, then drain excess fat. 4. Stir in chili powder, cumin, diced tomatoes, rice, salt, and pepper. 5. Fill the 8 bell pepper halves with the beef mixture, then top with the shredded cheddar cheese. 6. Bake for 25–30 minutes or until the peppers are tender and the cheese is melted.
December 8: Dial tone. AEP is over.
WE ARE HERE FOR YOU.
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Lyndon Thomas Insurance Agency
P.O. Box 207 Ojai, CA 93024
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
We Help You With Medicare Plans.
INSIDE
CA# 0D96309 | www.LT-ins.com | 805-646-6409
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It’s August, and I’ve Got Writer’s Block!
Insider Secrets for Thriving Fall Gardens
Preparing for the Annual Enrollment Period
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Legendary Stuffed Peppers
Launch a Successful Book Club
We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.
THE KEYS TO A THRIVING BOOK CLUB Take a Literary Adventure
People of all ages crave human connection, and book clubs are an increasingly popular path to that common ground. Book clubs bring together people with common interests and offer opportunities to build friendships through discussion. If you want to be in a book club, one of the best ways is to start one yourself. Setting guidelines for how your club will work can take time and discussion with prospective members. Some groups focus on the month’s bestseller, while others select from lists published by groups, like PBS Books Readers Club or the Seattle Public Library’s “Staff Picks for Adults 50+.” Others focus on a specific author, such as Jane Austen, and some clubs focus on a genre, such as mysteries or memoirs.
If starting your own isn’t realistic, many public libraries host book clubs for seniors, and you can join at little to no cost (outside of finding a copy of the book, obviously). Check with your community library for groups in your area. Also, the AARP retiree organization sponsors a virtual book club called Senior Planet. The potential rewards are worth the effort. Reading opens the mind to new ideas and improves memory. Staying connected and socially active can enrich your life in numerous ways, from improving your cognitive health to easing the negative effects of loneliness. Many book clubs take on a character all their own, such as a monthly wine-and- cheese party with a little casual reading
on the side. Social media influencer Katie Iwanski illustrated this option in a hilarious TikTok video. Among the 11 guidelines she posted for her book club, she included the following: Everybody brings a bottle of wine; guests choose a food theme, such as “crostini night”; and discussion devolves from discussing the book and making cast picks for the movie version to opening more wine and letting the night end in chaos. And a good time was had by all!
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