The Big Search

from Jan:

The damndest thing here at the Inn. Someone with nibble fingers has been stealing some of the decor items from Xmas out of the lobby ,plus pillows off the sofas, things out of the activity director's office. So a letter went out to all of us asking whomever stole the stuff to return it and no questions would be asked. Well nothing was returned so today we all got a letter saying that each apartment will be searched next Wed. between 11 and 1:00. Of all the dumb things. There isn't room in my apartment for an extra box of Kleenex let alone some Xmas decor.
And by telling the thief or thieves when the search will be couldn't they just put the stolen things in a garbage bag and go put it in their car until after the search?

I'm Cooking on Lulu

From Jan:

Molly Cook left me a wonderful review on Lulu.

You'll laugh! You'll cry! You'll recognize human nature no matter how old you are, but if you're over 65, you'll probably recognize yourself and one or more of your friends. Jan is a wonderful writer who can make you laugh and shed tears in the same paragraph. Her personal account of life at "the Inn" and her courage in the face of mounting challenges show us she is the Energizer Bunny of writers. You'll be glad you met Jan Curran!

Thank you, Molly!

Another Lovely Review from a Reader

From Jan:

Another great reader review, this one from Dave in Bloomington:

“Active Senior Living," a shopworn marketing phrase, is also the title of a new book by Jan Curran, a resident of a California senior apartment complex and a former reporter and columnist for the Contra Costa Times and The Desert Sun in Palm Springs where she hobnobbed with retired movie stars and politicians.
In this ‘fictionalized memoir” Curran describes realistic dilemmas facing seniors who courageously try to live independently and avoid moving into “assisted living,” which may be the new name for nursing homes. In the independent living building, a nurse regularly evaluates present and prospective resident to determine if they are healthy enough to live independently and if they aren’t they need to make other arrangements. The corporation that owns the independent living building also operates a nearby assisted living facility, but assisted living expenses are out of the reach for some seniors trying to live independently.
Rather than being overwhelmed by these momentous decisions, residents band together to offer emotional support to each other -- a shoulder to lean on in tough times. “Life at the Inn is full to the brim with bountiful friends who just happened to be priceless octogenarians,” said Curran who was a 60 something “youngster” when she moved there from the desert.
Rather than an expose or sob stories about senior citizens being exploited, “Active Senior Living” is a testament that people like Curran with low expectations about senior living arrangements can open themselves to new friendships, share memories and experience life with renewed vigor. “Ages blur and friends become family,” she writes.
Curran’s innate reporting skills and her empathy for others come through as she she gently probes and intervenes to help others who face overwhelming mental and physical challenges.
The book is somewhat reminiscent of the Betty Macdonald novels of the 1940s -- “The Egg and I” and “The Plague and I,” where humor is found in living on an island chicken farm and recovering from tuberculosis. Rather than “Ma and Pa Kettle,” Curran encounters 90-something would-be Romeos (with or without Viagra) aggressively seeking her companionship. Compassionate rather than mean-spirited is her approach to the 300-pound matron in the shocking pink K-Mart sweat suit and the 90-year-old widow with extensive cosmetic surgery who looks 55.

Thanks, Dave!

Another Great Reader Review

Jan writes:

I got this marvelous review from Ann Shields today.

"Great read, Jan. Kept me up at 5 a.m. two mornings in a row. You took us from frustrations at coping with new surroundings in a new town, smaller living space, geriatric central as your Inn-mates. But you did more than cope, you made it your own world, open to the challenges, accepting your situation with grace and humor. The people who shared this life with you were endearing, quirky, domatic and sweet. What a great place to be through the ups and downs of your cancer nemesis, with love and comfort from all these fellow Inn-mates who nurtured you. Cheers to the foursome who adopted you. The Special fondness for Ed. Seems that the Inn changed you and you managed to change the place. Serendipity in action. Wish my mom were alive so I could buy your book for her. She would have loved it."

Thanks, Ann!

Save on my Book

If you order ACTIVE SENIOR LIVING at Lulu.com today or tomorrow & enter coupon code SHADOW, you'll save 15%!

What the Readers Are Saying

From Jan:

I am so thrilled by the Amazon reader reviews. Here's one from Lesley Suddard:

"Active Senior Living is a delightful read. The quality of the writing and the editing is very good, which is sometimes lacking in Kindle edition books. I found myself laughing and crying with Jan, reliving her experiences moving in and settling into life at an "Active Senior Living Community", her encounters with the other "inmates", and the sweetness of the interactions with the residents there as they developed bonding friendships. Not only is this an entertaining read, but it is also an enlightening one. With my parents approaching the age where either an independent senior living facility or an assisted one may soon be required, the insights into the advantages and the pitfalls of these facilities provide kind of a guidepost for what to look for when evaluating various alternatives."

Thank you, Lesley!

Do You Kindle?

From Jan:
..

Do you Kindle? Do you have one of those? I don't and only know one person who has one. My friends here at Senior Living aren't in to tech stuff, most don't have computers or know how to use them, so a Kindle would be beyond their knowledge.

But someone has a Kindle and those folks have spiked my sales on Amazon's Kindle page. If you have a Kindle go order my book there. Downloads in seconds and according to my one pal with a Kindle, it looks great. But, best of all, readers of my book on Kindle have been leaving rave reviews of the book and that makes me very happy -- and surprised. Didn't expect that.

If you are still of the age and mindset that you want a "real" book here's how you get a print copy of my book..

You can order my new book ACTIVE SENIOR LIVING here.

Other news? Those of you who have been reading my blog since 2003 have followed , and supported me,through a zillion Pet scans and doctor appointments and battles with cancer. I have had cancer 6 times, and gone through 4 years of chemo and two years of radiation. This new cancer is a tumor in my liver. My recent scans showed it is growing.

Treatment? Doctor says I have been through chemo so many times that my body can't handle it again and radiation , I assume, is out of the question.

There is a clincial trial being conducted by a Doctor in Santa Monica but that would mean a long haul to get there and back and my doctor said that the pill makes you sick. Oh, great. On the good side, if it works then the cancer is gone but it is a big risk to take. Will think about it.

In the meantime, a visiting nurse is coming here twice a week to check on this darn infection around the feeding tube. Seems to be getting better but the site sure hurts. Which reminds me I have a new pain pill and it works pretty well. Tramadol. Have you heard of it or taken it?

I also had a crazy thing happen. I had some really bad pains in my lower back, was taking Tylenol every 4 hours and it was just taking the edge off. Finally, off to the doctor and bottom line is I have a compression fracture in the spine. Just what I needed ,right?
It all gets to be a joke after awhile.

Book talk? I shared son Lee's "Mr. Monk In Trouble" with a few people in here and they loved it. I did, too. I think it is his best MONK book. It's really two stories in one and lots of neat stuff about the old west. Do yourself a favor and go to Amazon.com and order that book.. or go into a Barnes and Noble to buy it.

What really tickled me is he had a character move into an Active senior Living place that surely did resemble where I live. Our family does that, puts in inside jokes or names characters or places after family or friends. Coming up with names for characters is one of the tough parts of writing a novel. I used high school friends' names, people from Palm Springs, people from Washington, DC. and a girl friend I have known about 40 years.

Yes, the rain here in Southern CA was pretty bad but yesterday we had blue skies and sunshine and today looks nice out, too. Chilly, but nice. More rain due on Wednesday. Natch , cus I have a doctor appointment that day.

My caregiver called in sick today with a cold so I am on my own, so time to log off here and try not to make a big mess giving my self that formula in the feeding tube.

Thanks for stopping here for a read.