Adjusting to Shorter Days, New Clues to Alzheimer’s Prevention, and How Roth Conversions May Reduce Medicare Costs

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Fiction: The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory – Two ambitious sisters compete for the attention of King Henry VIII, becoming entangled in the dangerous politics, rivalries, and betrayals of the Tudor court.

History (Non-Fiction): Squadron: Ending the African Slave Trade by John Broich – This gripping history follows Royal Navy officers who fought to suppress the East African slave trade, confronting dangerous conditions, political resistance, and powerful commercial interests.

Memoir: The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante – This compelling novel follows two childhood friends navigating marriage, ambition, jealousy, and changing identities in 1960s Naples as their complicated bond continues to evolve.

Self-Help: The Everyday Hero Manifesto by Robin Sharma – This motivational guide offers strategies for building positive habits, improving productivity, strengthening resilience, and finding greater purpose in everyday life.

Romance: The Plus One by Mazey Eddings – Two childhood rivals agree to fake a relationship for a wedding, but their arrangement becomes increasingly complicated as old tensions give way to genuine attraction.

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There comes a point every autumn when you suddenly notice it. You finish dinner and it's almost dark. An afternoon errand that once happened in bright sunshine now ends with headlights on. By early evening, the house feels as though it's settled in for the night—even though there's still plenty of evening left.

The clocks may change by only an hour, but the rhythm of an entire day can feel different—and you can feel different as well.

Long summer evenings naturally encourage us to stretch out the day. We sit outside till eight, take a walk after dinner, work in the garden after work, or decide there's still time to go somewhere after the hubbub of people returning home has ended.

Night coming earlier, on the other hand, often has the opposite effect. A month ago you may have glanced outside and felt invited on an evening stroll. Now, even an hour earlier, you may wish for nothing more than to grab a blanket and curl up on the couch

Rather than resisting that shift that comes with changing time, adjust a few routines around it. Take your walk earlier in the afternoon. Run errands before dinner. Save a favorite indoor activity for the time when you'd once have been outside.

The season has changed, but that doesn’t mean what you do has to change too. Instead of missing out, simply adjust your schedule.

An early sunset feels very different when there's something pleasant waiting on the other side of it.

Choose a book specifically for autumn evenings. Start a jigsaw puzzle on a table where it can remain for several days. Plan a weekly movie night. Cook something that takes a little longer to prepare than your summer meals. Invite someone over for cards and dessert.

Rather than making them feel like shortened versions of summer nights, small rituals give darker evenings their own character.

When daylight becomes scarce, it's easy for evenings at home to become the default. But constant nights in can quickly leave you feeling like you’re in a rut.

Give yourself occasional reasons to head out anyway: dinner with friends, a local theater performance, a community lecture, a concert, or a regular gathering.

The contrast—heading out into the crisp evening and then returning to a warm, welcoming home—can be part of the pleasure.

Shorter days change more than the amount of daylight available. They change the pace and atmosphere of everyday life.

Instead of expecting autumn and winter to feel like summer with less sunlight, it can be more satisfying to let days in these seasons develop rhythms of their own.

We're looking for seniors who are embracing life with enthusiasm, purpose, and adventure. Whether you're traveling the world, starting a business, volunteering, pursuing a passion, learning new skills, or simply making the most of every day, we'd love to hear your story.

Think that might be you?

Email [email protected] with a photo and a short bio. We may feature you in an upcoming edition of Seniors Magazine.

You can enjoy a quiet day without having to explain what you did with it.

The discount: Brookshire's

What it gives you: Participating stores offer senior discounts on eligible grocery purchases

How to claim it: Ask about the local senior discount policy and present identification if required

“A Letter from an Old Friend”
From the life overview of Edward C., 82, Albany, New York. Shared with permission.

In 2008, I received a letter from my friend Peter. I hadn’t seen him in forty-six years. We had served together in the Navy in the early 1960s and were stationed aboard the same ship for nearly two years. After we were discharged, we exchanged a few letters before losing touch.

The envelope arrived on a Tuesday. I recognized the handwriting before I saw his name on the return address. Inside was a three-page letter written on yellow lined paper. Peter explained that he had found my name in a veterans’ newsletter and decided to try his luck.

He reminded me of things I had almost forgotten: a storm in the Pacific that made dishes slide across the mess hall, a chief petty officer who could fall asleep standing up, and a night we spent in Japan after we missed the last bus back to the ship and couldn’t find our way to the harbor.

I laughed so loudly that my wife heard me from the other room. She asked what was so funny, and I began sharing the stories with her. By the time I finished, we had been sitting at the kitchen table for nearly an hour.

The following week, I wrote Peter a letter of my own. He and I began exchanging letters every month or so. We discussed our families, our health, the indignities of getting older, and even what the weather was like. He sent me photographs of his grandchildren, so I sent him one of my garden. He said mine looked better than his.

We finally spoke on the telephone that Christmas. Of course, his voice sounded older and raspier than I remembered. But when he laughed, I could still hear that young sailor I had known almost half a century earlier.

Peter passed away in 2014. However, I keep his letters saved in a shoebox in my study. Every now and then, I take one out and read it again.

***

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Instrument Playground – Google Arts & Culture
Experiment with the sounds of more than 100 musical instruments from around the world, including familiar favorites and instruments you may never have heard before. Choose an instrument, describe the mood you'd like to create, and use the resulting sounds to build your own short musical composition. It's an imaginative way to explore different musical traditions while making something entirely your own.

Templio – Online Riddle Adventures
These interactive riddles challenge you to think carefully, investigate clues, and uncover hidden answers. Some puzzles encourage you to search the internet for information, while a special two-player mode gives each person different clues that must be combined to find the solution. The first three riddles in each series are free, making it easy to try an adventure before deciding whether to continue.

Warning issued to millions with older iPhone and Android smartphones

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Every culture has musical traditions that tell stories about everyday life, celebrations, history, and community. Exploring folk music from around the world is a fascinating way to discover unfamiliar instruments, distinctive rhythms, and songs that have traveled through generations.

You don't need to understand the lyrics to appreciate the music. Sometimes a melody, a particular instrument, or an unexpected rhythm is enough to spark your curiosity.

Choose one region and spend some time exploring its characteristic sounds.

Irish traditional music features fiddles, flutes, tin whistles, and lively dance tunes. West African music encompasses diverse traditions, including storytelling songs accompanied by the kora, a plucked string instrument. Andean folk music often features panpipes, charangos, and traditional flutes.

You might also explore Cajun music from Louisiana, flamenco from southern Spain, or the distinctive sound of the khene, a bamboo mouth organ associated with Laos and northeastern Thailand.

The Smithsonian Folkways catalog is an excellent place to discover recordings from different cultures, along with background information about the musicians and their traditions.

Instead of relying entirely on streaming recommendations, try exploring curated collections.

Smithsonian Folkways' global music collections offer a starting point for discovering artists and recordings from different regions.

Radio Garden lets you explore live radio stations around the world through an interactive globe. While not every station plays folk music, it's an enjoyable way to discover regional sounds.

For additional musical discoveries, explore World Music Network, which features recordings and information about traditional and contemporary global music.

Folk music becomes even more interesting when you understand its cultural background.

Look up the instruments used in a recording, the occasions when particular songs are performed, or how a musical style developed.

For example, you might investigate how Appalachian fiddle traditions connect with music from the British Isles, or how different communities preserve history through sung storytelling.

Choose a different country or region each week and listen to several recordings.

Keep a playlist of favorite discoveries, noting the instruments, rhythms, and artists that catch your attention.

You could also look for cultural festivals, folk concerts, or community performances featuring traditional musicians.

Over time, your listening collection may become a musical map of the world—one filled with unexpected connections and wonderful new sounds.

Researching your family history no longer requires traveling to distant courthouses or sorting through boxes of old records. Many historical documents are now searchable online, including census records, marriage certificates, immigration records, and newspaper archives.

Write down the names, birthplaces, and approximate dates of birth for your parents, grandparents, and other relatives. Include maiden names, alternate spellings, and places where family members lived.

Then visit FamilySearch, a free genealogy website with billions of historical records. Create an account and search for a relative using their name, location, and approximate birth year.

Ancestry offers additional records and family tree tools, although many features require a subscription.

Online family trees can contain mistakes, especially when information has been copied from other users without verification.

Whenever possible, confirm details using original records such as census documents, birth certificates, marriage records, or obituaries.

The National Archives also provides access to valuable U.S. genealogical resources.

Save copies of important records and note where you found them. This makes it easier to revisit discoveries, correct mistakes, and share reliable family history with future generations.

Today: Finger Lakes, New York

The Finger Lakes combine peaceful lakes, wineries, waterfalls, small towns, and scenic country roads in an easygoing setting. It’s a lovely choice for a road trip where the goal is to enjoy the journey rather than race between attractions.

Ingrid’s Tip: Choose one or two lakes to focus on instead of trying to see the entire region. A slower itinerary leaves time for an unexpected winery, farm stand, or lakeside lunch—and those spontaneous stops are often the best ones.

Unscramble the letters to find a famous person, event, or object. Think you know it? Reply with your answer and show off your brainpower.

Today’s clue: Popular 1970s party centerpiece used for dipping bread into melted cheese.

ONEFDU TOP

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