Big help from Big John’s

I am a volunteer in Marianne’s Boutique at Valley View Hospital and was looking for a way to store spools of ribbon that was easily visible and accessible. I looked all over town and even online to no avail. Then I went to Big John’s Ace Hardware, explained what I was looking for and voila. They didn’t have any cutesy imported ready-made item. But they did have someone who was helpful and willing to help me solve a problem. Using simple components, the gentleman put together a “spool rack” for me that is absolutely perfect. Thank you, Big John’s. You made my day, maybe even my year. It is great to have such a friendly, helpful resource available.

Sharon Andersen

Glenwood Springs

Some seniors are indoor adventurers

Thank you, Post Independent, for profiling our Super Seniors from the Longevity Project. Their outdoor adventures and selfless generosity make them real-life Super Heroes in my book.

I am an urban refugee. Seventy-five years of working and playing in big cities gave me a different set of skills and experiences, so I discovered when I escaped to beautiful Glenwood Springs. That’s why those hardy heroes’ lifestyles awe and inspire me. I want to be out there with them.

Happily, there are other wholesome pleasures that GarCo and partners offer to get us borderline sofa spuds off our rockers. Lucky for me, we needn’t be rugged to enjoy them. My favorite is Chat ’n’ Chew.

“Chat ’n’ Chew” (C&C) is the lunches offered especially for seniors twice weekly, Tuesdays and Fridays, at noon at CMC 1402 Blake Ave. campus. They are a deal, folks. Good food and good company, in one convenient place.

C&C food is tasty, nutritious, varied and plentiful. The service is great, and the cost is unbelievable: a donation of $3 — if you’re 60 or older. Others pay more or arrange in advance to help serve.

Everyone is welcome. Just call 970/665 to get your name on the lunch reservation list by noon the day before you want to come.

The best thing Chat ’n’ Chew offers seniors isn’t on the menu. It’s the human connection, the chance to rebuild our dwindling circle of confidantes. The laughter, the banter, the self-disclosure are the stuff of budding friendships. And having a supply of close, like-minded friends actually strengthens physical health as well as mental, according to current scientific research.

So if getting yourself out the door is a triumph of raw determination, be bold. Resist that recliner. Take a break from those clean-out-the-fridge lunches and give Chat ‘n Chew a try — a generous try. Go once or twice a week for, say, four weeks. Be courageous: Be yourself!

Garfield County, Glenwood Springs, Valley View Hospital, et al., you’re wise to support Chat ’n’ Chew. It’s like a trailhead for another pack of stalwart senior explorers who want less drugs and doctoring: Glenwood’s Indoor Adventurers.

Judy Fester

Glenwood Springs