Tuesday, March 27, 2018

The Mesquite Senior Center

This year we’re volunteering as tax preparers for AARP Tax Aide.  Tax Aide uses the same IRS-sponsored certification tests, the same process, and the same tax software as the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program that we’ve supported for so long.  And since it’s a program to help seniors, what better place to meet than the Senior Center? 

When I started this blog by researching fun things to do in retirement, visiting a Senior Center didn’t make the cut.  Somehow I had it in my brain that I would never be old enough to go to the Senior Center. 

Turns out I am.  According to the Mesquite Senior Center newsletter, patrons 60 and older qualify for the reduced lunch price of $3.50, and are welcome at all events.  Who knew?  So I read through the newsletter.  In January they had a line dancing party; they had a Valentine’s dinner in February, and a murder mystery dinner in March.  They offer several crafts each month for a minimal charge, and several exercise classes including low-impact Zumba.

We were told by our Tax Aide colleagues that they usually eat lunch on the days they work.  We tried it on training day, and it was actually very good.  Coffee, lemonade, and punch are available at no charge all day long.  I am absolutely amazed at the efficiency of the center.  They cook the lunches on site and package them for the Meals on Wheels program.  When lunch hour starts, all you have to do is sign in, pay your $3.50 and sit down.  The staff serves you with a smile.  Of course, we’ve eaten lunch there every time we’ve worked.

The center is open 5 days a week from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.  Classes are available during these times, as are tables to play cards and do puzzles, or just have coffee and visit with friends.  They also schedule field trips to exotic places such as Las Vegas. 

So, while I’m still not old enough to spend my days at the Senior Center, I’m pleased to know about the services offered, and count me in for lunch.

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Does Anybody Really Know What Time it is?

Does anybody really care?

Beaver Dam is in the northwest corner of Arizona.  If you go eight miles west you cross into Nevada, which is in the Pacific Time Zone.  If you go twenty-three miles east, you cross into Utah, which is in the Mountain Time Zone.

And Arizona?  It’s in the Mountain Standard Time Zone.  Always.  Arizona is one of two states in the U.S. that does not observe Daylight Savings Time.  Half the year, Arizona is on the same time as Utah.  The other half, it’s on the same time as Nevada.

This can make life interesting.  Since there’s almost nothing in Beaver Dam, if we want to do anything, we’re either driving to Utah or driving to Nevada.  And what time it is where we’re going is almost more important than what time it is where we are.  If we were going to Utah, we plan to leave normally.  If we were going to Nevada, we’d leave 45 minutes later than the time we were scheduled to arrive.  Weird, I know, but we got used to it.

Just as we had pretty much figured out our regular routine, Daylight Savings Time hit.  Utah and Nevada dutifully changed.  Arizona dutifully stayed the same.  And now, instead of being on the same time as Utah and an hour ahead of Nevada, we were on the same time as Nevada and an hour behind Utah.

This hit us pretty hard last weekend when we commuted to Hurricane for the Tri-State ATV Jamboree.  We had to be at the Jamboree Headquarters each morning at 6:30 AM – challenging even when you don’t have to adjust for time zones.  We had to leave the trailer at 4:30 AM to make it on time.

Then there’s the TV schedule.   Our trailer antenna picks up one station from Phoenix.  Everything else is from Utah.  So the Channel 4 news at 5 is on at 4 here.  And clocks?  The trailer clocks are set to Arizona time, which is effectively Pacific Time.  The car clocks are set to Utah time.  My watch is set to Utah time.  Thankfully the cell phones change with the location, so if I ever get confused, I have an authoritative source.  Verizon really knows what time it is, and apparently, they really care.