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LYN’S LEDGER
Lyndon Thomas Insurance
May 2018
We Help You With Medicare.
A Tribute to Lolly and Kathy
THE GREATESTMOTHERS I KNOW
W ith Mother’s Day upon us, I want to share a few thoughts of my mother, Luella, or “Lolly” as everyone knows her, and my wife, Kathy. These are the two favorite women in my life. Both are remarkable individuals who inspire me. My words will fall short, but here goes! After a terribly difficult pregnancy, I arrived 4 years after my brother. One of my early childhood memories of my mother is somewhat traumatic. In our front yard in South Dakota stood a massive five-trunked cottonwood tree nearly 100 feet tall. The summer I was 4 years old, Dad built a treehouse in the lower reaches of the tree. As my brother, cousins, and I waited for him to put the finishing touches on the ladder so we could start playing in our new domain, Mom arrived on scene and preempted our fun. Up the ladder to the tree house and far beyond she climbed. To my 4-year-old fright and horror, Mom reached, levered, and pulled herself higher and higher. The higher she climbed, the louder I screamed. Scared the wits out of me she did! I was terrified! To my little mind, my mother was going to fall and die ! I’m sure I screamed some things at her that a few years later she screamed back at me! At about 80 feet up the tree, her urge for adventure seemed to be satisfied and down she came. Back on solid ground, she said to no one in particular, “There, I always wanted to do that,” and went back in the house. She never touched that tree again or climbed another tree since.
capable and experienced in making terrific messes. One afternoon, I came home and went into the bathroom. Smeared on the toilet seat was a mass of nasty brownness. I started to holler about the matter, demanding to know which of the youngsters was responsible. I stomped to the kitchen for an accounting and there was Kathy doubled over in laughter. She sure got me good! She had discovered some old refried beans in the back of the refrigerator and put them to good use! As Parkinson’s Disease works its inexorable devastation, these and so many other memories of my mother sustain me. With her gentle tenacity and laughter in the highs and lows of life, generous grace to everyone she meets, immense faith in God, and a vital life of prayer, Mom has gifted her family a precious legacy. My wife, Kathy, shares the qualities of my mother. Her investment in the lives of everyone she knows enriches each one. A favorite memory I have if her is of the boys on the couch snuggled close and draped over their mother as she read books on so many topics to them, enlarging their world and broadening their horizons. It was quality time and quantity time. Every day of the year is the right time to express gratitude to anyone who enriches your life. We will never regret saying “thank you” too many times.
I am tremendously blessed by the mothers in my life.
–Lyn Thomas
Fast forward about 35 years to when there were three partially potty trained little boys in our house, each very
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Lyndon Thomas Insurance
HAND-WASHING VS. DISHWASHER Are YouWasting Water, Time, and Money?
We’ve all walked into our kitchens, looked at the dishes stacked high in the sink, and asked, “Is it better to throw those in the dishwasher or wash them by hand?” The dishwasher would certainly save you some time, but many people believe that washing dishes by hand uses less water and electricity. In reality, however, washing your dishes by hand is one of the worst things you can do for both the planet and your wallet. Dishwashers use less water than washing by hand. A study conducted in Europe found that individuals who wash dishes by hand tend to use 27 gallons of water to clean just 12 place settings. Meanwhile, modern dishwashers only use 6 gallons of water, and Energy Star appliances use as little as 4 gallons during their wash cycle. The Environmental Protection Agency determined that using a dishwasher instead of washing by hand can save 5,000 gallons of water and $40 in utility costs a year. It’s not just about water! Unless you have incredibly thick dishwashing gloves, you can’t properly clean your dishes by hand. Dishwashers heat water to around 145 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure your dishes are disinfected. Even if the water from your sink could get that hot, you wouldn’t want to stick your hand in it. Which brings us to the science experiment that is your kitchen sponge. Dr. Philip Tierno, a clinical professor in the microbiology and pathology departments at NYU Langone, determined that your kitchen sponge is the single dirtiest item in your house. Soap and water aren’t enough to sanitize your sponge, which is left damp next to your sink after each use. Have you ever noticed that stagnant sponge smell? That’s bacteria growing. And when you wash your dishes by hand, you rub that bacteria all over your plates and silverware. Yum. If you have just a single plate or cup, you obviously don’t want to run them through the dishwasher alone; that would be incredibly wasteful. But the drawbacks of washing by hand are too great to ignore. The best option is to wait until your dishwasher is full, then start up the washing cycle. All your dishes will be clean and disinfected, and you’ll use less water in the process.
While this topic does not have to do with Medicare, I hope to spread the word and save my clients in the 805 area code some frustration if you haven’t caught this yet. Beginning June 2, all customers with an 805 area code must include 805 with the rest of the phone number to complete a call within the 805 area code. The phone New Area Code Overlay Added to the 805
company is running out of phone numbers in our area code and is
adding an area code “overlay” in the same area. What this means is that NEW phone numbers within the entire 805 area code will have an area code of 820. All CURRENT 805 numbers will remain the same. While we may not like having to dial 10 digits to call next door, it is certainly preferable to being forced to learn and reprogram a new
area code into every device for existing numbers. It may be a good idea to check your
contacts and make sure you have Area Codes included in your local numbers.
2 216-B E. Matilija St., Ojai, CA 93023 www.LT-ins.com CA# 0D96309
We Help You With Medicare.
10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR NEWMEDICARE CARD
whenever you need care. And, if you have a Medicare drug plan, be sure to keep that card as well. Even if you use one of these other cards, you also may be asked to show your new Medicare card, so keep it with you. 8. Doctors, other health care providers, and facilities know it’s coming and will ask for your new Medicare card when you need care, so carry it with you. 9. Only give your new Medicare Number to doctors, pharmacists, other health care providers, your insurers, or people you trust to work with Medicare on your behalf. 10. If you forget your new card, you, your doctor, or another health care provider may be able to look up your Medicare number online. Watch out for scams. Medicare will never call you uninvited and ask you to give us personal or private information to get your new Medicare number and card. Scam artists may try to get personal information (like your current Medicare Number) by contacting you about your new card. If someone asks you for your information or money, or threatens to cancel your health benefits if you don’t share your personal information, hang up and call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
It’s finally here! Here at LTI, we have seen July and August “age-in” clients with the new cards. This from Medicare.gov:
1. Your new card will automatically come to you. You don’t need to do anything as long as your address is up to date. If you need to update your address, visit My Social Security at SSA.gov. 2. Your new card will have a new Medicare Number that’s unique to you, instead of your Social Security Number. This will help to protect your identity.
3. Your Medicare coverage and benefits will stay the same.
4. Mailing takes time. Your card may arrive at a different time than your friend’s or neighbor’s.
5. Your new card is paper, which is easier for many providers to use and copy.
6. Once you get your new Medicare card, destroy your old Medicare card and start using your new card right away.
7. If you’re in a Medicare Advantage Plan (HMO or PPO), your Medicare Advantage Plan ID card is your main card for Medicare — you should still keep and use it
SUDOKU
SAUTÉED ZUCCHINI AND SQUASHWITH FETA
Zucchini and summer squash are arriving on grocery store shelves. Here is a great way to take these humble, delicious vegetables to the next level. This easy dish is perfect for early summer.
Ingredients
• • •
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
• • • •
1 zucchini
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 summer squash
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 medium red onion
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
salt and pepper; cook 4–5 minutes until squash barely begins to caramelize. 4. Place in serving bowl and top with feta.
1. Cut zucchini into 1/4-inch-thick semicircles. Dice onion. 2. Heat a large skillet to medium high. Add olive oil, onion, and thyme. 3. Once onion is soft (about 2 minutes), add zucchini and squash. Season with
Inspired by thekitchn.com
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805-646-6409
Lyndon Thomas Insurance
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
PO Box 207 Ojai, CA 93024
INSIDE
CA# 0D96309 | www.LT-ins.com | 805-646-6409
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MomsWho Matter
Kitchen Cleaning Secrets NewArea Code OverlayAdded to the 805 10 Things to KnowAbout Your NewMedicare Card Sautéed Zucchini and Squash With Feta
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3 of the Most Formidable Moms in History
Moms make the world go round. After running the gauntlet of childbirth, they raise and guide us throughout our lives, shouldering the tremendous burden and responsibility of motherhood. Mothers are in turn formidable, kind, powerful, gentle, wise, fierce, patient, supportive, empathetic, driven, and full of love. In honor of Mother’s Day, here are three historic moms who never stopped fighting for what they believed in. Sojourner Truth (1797–1883) Before she escaped from New York slaveholder John Dumont, Sojourner Truth had at least three of her children sold away from her. When Dumont went back on his promise to emancipate Truth and her infant daughter in 1826, she took the girl and fled to an abolitionist Quaker family, but she was forced to leave her other daughter and her 5-year-old son, Peter, behind. Soon after, she learned that Peter had been illegally sold by Dumont to a slaveholder in Alabama, so she went to court and secured his safe return. It was the first successful case brought by a black woman against a white man in American history. Truth went on to become a prominent abolitionist and a speaker for women’s rights, delivering her famous impromptu speech, “Ain’t I a Woman?” in May of 1851. MOTHERS SHAPE THEWORLD 3 OF HISTORY’S BRAVEST MOMS
Irena Sendler (1910–2008) When the Nazis invaded Warsaw in September of 1939, Irena Sendler, a 29-year-old social worker and mother of two, hatched a scheme to rescue Jewish children from the brutal ghettos. Along with many friends and colleagues, she smuggled out nearly 2,500 Jewish orphans, hiding infants on trams and garbage wagons and guiding kids through a labyrinth of secret passageways beneath the city. Emmeline Pankhurst (1858–1928) Despite being a wife and the mother of five children— two of whom died tragically young —Emmeline Pankhurst became one of the fiercest advocates for women’s suffrage in the late 19th century. After founding the Women’s Social and Political Union in 1903, she and her cohorts adopted an aggressive strategy to raise awareness for the issue; they began by buttonholing politicians and staging rallies, then progressed to vandalism, window smashing, and arson. She was instrumental in the movement. Pankhurst lived to see women gain the right to vote in 1928.
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216-B E. Matilija St., Ojai, CA 93023
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