To Tell the Truth Challenge — Episode 2

 

Welcome back to Week 2 of the OLLI Connects To Tell the Truth Contest. This time your challenge involves two entries by female writers. Strikingly different, yet uniquely emotional and evocative, these stories should hopefully provoke some head scratching. Please enjoy the ride and let us know your vote (True or False) in the comments section below the authors’ biographies. If you happen to be a little late for the party and missed the first installment, never fear! Just scroll back one week to cast your vote on Bob Strozier’s and Pete Terzian’s November 7th edition.

Click here to read My Champion by Patricia R. Antolino and Coloring Santa by Bobbie Muir. Enjoy! — Editor   Read more

 

For the Love of Henrikson

Diane Henrikson Russell

Like many girls raised in the 1960s, I dreamed that I would marry and adopt my husband’s last name. I even practiced writing my first name followed by the last name of my latest crush in beautiful cursive handwriting.

It’s not that I didn’t like my name. My parents named me Diane Elizabeth Henrikson. I am the fifth generation of women named Elizabeth on my mom’s side of the family.

I am also proud of my Scandinavian heritage. Bernhardt Henriksen, my Norwegian great-grandfather…   Read more

We have a challenge and an opportunity for you. We want you to tell us a brief story about something you did--or experienced—in the past.  You can tell a true story, or you can make the entire thing up. If your story fools our readers, you'll win a fabulous prize. You will discover further details at the bottom of Diane’s story as well as a link to the official OLLI Connects contest page.

The IPCC Report on Climate Change

Story by Al Carlson
Video and Abstracts by
Theresa D’Aiuto Sokol

We now know that Climate Change (aka Global Warming) is happening. But who’s keeping track of it? And what have they learned? And who will it affect? And in what ways? And how soon?

Helping you find answers to those questions is what this issue of OLLI Connects is about. We didn’t say “giving you the answers”. We don’t have the answers. And if we did, they sure wouldn’t fit in our standard weekly issue. But we can give you an overview in what we hope is clear English and provide you with links to more information.
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The Hurricane

Mary Bowers

My job as a medical equipment sales representative took me to a new hospital in Port Charlotte, Florida.  It was late August, and the moment I stepped off the plane I was met with the smothering effects of the humid heat and tropical vegetation.  Before I had left home in Atlanta there had been a report of an impending hurricane in Florida, but no one had mentioned it, so I assumed it had moved on to another target, as hurricanes will do.

I planned to take advantage of the trip to southwestern Florida to visit my friend Amelia who had recently lost her husband.  She and he had retired to this area to raise horses, and it had been ages since I had seen her.  We planned to get in a good visit over the weekend before I returned to Atlanta on Sunday evening.   Read more

The Honeymoon

Linda Ho

Eva excitedly tore into the long awaited package that held the most innovative, must have, technologically advanced travel brochures. They were very expensive but considering the cost of the wedding it was a small price to pay and was definitely worth it.

In less than six months she would be married to her childhood sweetheart Leland, and all the details of the wedding had been carefully planned for months and arrangements completed except for the honeymoon. This was a matter of considerable concern, as they had very different ideas on where to spend their precious two weeks.

Most travel brochures and videos were old-fashioned, limited to sight and sound and lacked the ability to…

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National Poetry Month – Part 3


The celebration of National Poetry Month wraps up this week with an edition featuring three poems by Margaret Ryan followed by another special Thursday poetry reading issue. We at OLLI Connects wish to  congratulate all the poets who contributed to this month’s series of articles recognizing the exquisite talents of wordsmiths. In the words of Amanda Gorman, “There’s a poem in this place.”

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The Innkeeper

Mary Bowers

Jacob put down the pen, pushed back the stool, and stretched out his long, lean arms. His stiff back resisted painfully as he struggled to his feet. His feet – how they throbbed in their sandals!

It had been a busy day, reflected Jacob, stroking his long, graying beard. The profits were worth it, though. His sharp black eyes again scanned the figures of the inn’s assets. Yes, he had finally made it. He and Sarah could retire to that little farm in the country, and his son Ben could take over the inn.

Twenty years ago, when he had first bought this run-down inn, he had dreamed of this day. He had worked hard to enlarge the inn and the stables and to keep them in good condition. In a town like this, where the census was taken every ten years, a good innkeeper needed only two good chances to make his fortune. True, the years in between (more…)

Remembering the Kennedy Assassination

On November 22, 1963, nearly 60 years ago, John F. Kennedy, the President of the United States, was assassinated in Dallas.

Where were you on that day?  What were you doing when you heard the news of the President’s assassination? And what do you remember of the days that followed?

George Hyde remembers.  And he has some questions for you.  (More…)

Our Start In America

 

Fred Barthmus

My family arrived from Austria in New York’s Idlewild Airport (now Kennedy) on a very cold January 17th, 1957. The family included my parents (Johann and Herta Barthmus), aged 46 and 48, sisters Brigitte, and Sieglinde (aged 14 and 16 years respectively), and my 12 year old brother Hans-Jürgen. I was just over 20 years old. We landed after a harrowing 28-hour flight in a Flying Tiger Airlines prop plane.  Because of two major storms over the North Atlantic we had to land on the Azores, and at Gander Airport (Newfoundland, Canada). As we were landing in New York we saw the impressive skyscrapers of Manhattan in the distance. After going through customs (each with one suitcase) we were welcomed by a representative of the Lutheran World Federation, and taken by bus to the Pennsylvania Station. It had snowed that day in New York City, but the snow had started to melt, and was mostly gray and dirty. A shocking first impression was   (more…)

Beautiful Sunrise or a Threat Lurking?

Mystica Green

When you first look at this photo, I’m sure you’re thinking to yourself, “What a beautiful sunrise.” But if you look closely, you will see a threat lurking on the sand. The remains of a sandcastle built the day before and half washed down by the ocean is more than troublesome to sea turtles.

From the time hatchlings emerge from their nest buried in the sand, they’ve already had the odds stacked against them. A very daunting fact is that only one in 1,000 sea turtle hatchlings born will ever make it to adulthood. Humans have sadly contributed to this fact. With six out of the seven species of sea turtles on the endangered species list, it is (More…)

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