With his fit physique and full head of hair, he sent a reported 4 million-plus women aged 60 and up, but also younger, into a collective swoon when he first appeared on ABC’s “The Golden Bachelor” on Sept. 28.

A spinoff of the ubiquitous TV series featuring young hot chicks and hunky bachelors, the new show has expanded the genre’s horizons by coming up with Gerry (pronounced Gary) Turner, a widower looking for love, and 22 women, aged 60 to 72, who are using their charm, wits and wiles to win his affection.

The show has caught on like pickleball in a retirement community. Older adults and senior centers across the country have been hosting weekly “Golden Bachelor” watch parties, and Laguna Woods is no exception.

Members of the Boomers Club, all women, of course, have been gathering for viewing parties at each other’s homes since the show’s inception. Last Thursday, a dozen women ensconced themselves with pizza and adult beverages in a dining room at the 19 Restaurant and, with giggles, guffaws, moans and groans, watched episode 4, which featured – surprise – a pickleball tournament.

Turner, apparently “passionate” about pickleball, is a retired restaurateur from Indiana, a father and grandfather, who lost his wife in 2017. Watching him get teary-eyed at her mention, one figures he still mourns her, but he’s seemingly game to take another look at love and commitment.

Boomer Monica Berg called Turner an interesting fellow but a bit naive.

“I don’t think many men would be as emotional on TV,” she said. “Some of the ladies are clearly playing him. He is a good ol’ boy from the Midwest, and some of the ladies there are big-city girls schooled in how to snag a man.”

Susan Schneider, an organizer of last week’s party and a fan of the “Bachelor” series, respectfully disagreed.

“I find Gerry amazing. I don’t think they could have picked a better guy – he’s sweet,” she said.

Schneider also praised the women vying for his attention.

“What you see in these women is so much kindness and respect for each other. The younger ones in the other ‘Bachelor’ shows are so catty and nasty to each other.”

Those older women come across as intelligent and appear as beautiful as their age allows, wrinkled faces and dimpled arms notwithstanding, with plenty of long tresses and slinky dresses, perhaps a little nip and tuck here and there. Their resumes show full lives that saw marriage, motherhood, grandmotherhood, widowhood, along with various degrees of professional success.

While a common cliche holds that women in that age group become invisible, it was clear that this lot intended to be anything but.

“The show mirrors our lives here in Laguna Woods,” Schneider said. “Women (here) are single, divorced, widowed. They have experienced separations and grief and are looking for that significant other for the rest of their lives.”

Schneider admitted that she applied to be a contestant on “The Golden Bachelor” four years ago, before the pandemic broke out, when she was living in Long Beach, but she never heard back.

On the show, Turner and the women go on single dates and group dates. Last week, one lucky lady went on a romantic ATV ride in the desert, complete with a pop-up hot tub.

All the while, the bachelor hands out roses, starting with “first impression” roses, more roses for those lucky enough to stay in his eye: Get a rose, you’re still in; no rose, you’re out.

The Boomers held a contest trying to predict which woman would get a rose – and which would be booted out of the mansion. And they played “Golden Bachelor Bingo,” crossing out squares each time Turner turned teary-eyed or when “Gerry talks about kids/grandkids” or “Someone puts on reading glasses.”

They gasped when contestant Sandra confessed that she had skipped her daughter’s wedding to play in the pickleball match. When asked to raise their hands if they condoned Sandra’s actions, none went up.

“It’s the rudest thing, skipping her daughter’s wedding to play pickleball. Daughters are forever; men, they come and they go,” said Berg, with others voicing agreement.

Some questioned whether a couple could really find lasting love in the span of the show’s run.

“I wonder how women could profess real love after such a short time,” said Sharon Campbell. “What’s also interesting is to figure out who wants to win him and who just wants to win the game.”

Still, “I think it’s possible to find a permanent relationship at our age,” she said, calling the show a little fun for the voyeur in all of us.

Schneider says watching the show with her friends is a bonding experience: “We have great conversations with each other afterwards. Women here respect each other.”

Berg finds the show a “fabulous” escape from reality.

“It is a great way to get away from all the terrible things happening today. We have an evening full of giggles, nothing political, nothing really disturbing. We can have an evening among us girls, a little harmless fun.”

Added Darlene Marvin: “Now we need a Golden Bachelorette. It can happen – it will happen.”

Laguna  Woods resident Barbara Wolk, a retired Spanish and English as a Second Language teacher, did just that. Under the pen name Diana Kingsley, she wrote “Mother in Name Only.”

Wolk will have a book signing Wednesday, Oct. 25, at 1 p.m. in the Florence Sylvester Senior Center in Laguna Hills. Call the senior center at 949-380-0155.

Written with emotional and intelligent clarity, the novel illuminates Wolk’s life growing up in New York as a “nice Jewish girl” saddled with all the constraints of coming of age in the 1950s and ’60s. That meant being taught to be obedient and chaste, to present the right appearances in manners and looks and, if need be, to be ready to forgive and forget transgressions – especially those committed by the opposite sex.

In the book, Wolk has become Myrna Kaye – Kramer after her marriage to Eli, a successful but icy lawyer – with a sister, Sandra, and their parents.

Wolk writes of the sisters’ upbringing by a mother who did not have the emotional and intellectual capability to raise the girls under anything but unyielding authority. It was their father who provided warmth, love and emotional support and a measure of stability. He held the family together until the mother ran off to pursue an artistic calling.

Her departure embodied the emotional absence of a woman who described herself to Myrna as “a mother in name only.”

The title also alludes to Myrna herself. After she was raped and impregnated by an old flame, her husband forced her to give the boy up for adoption.

“I had to make a difficult decision when I got pregnant – whether my husband would know – and decided that I had to do the right thing, to let him know that he was not the father of this child,” Wolk recalled in an interview in her home in the Towers. “I paid a heavy price. I felt like I, too, was a mother in name only.”

Over twists and turns, and with the help of a psychiatrist, she reconnected with her son, but in doing so, she lost connection to her eldest son and, for a time, her youngest.

“I had a reunion with … the son I was forced to give up 35 years later, but it did not turn out to be idyllic,” Wolk said.

Later, however, she wrote in an epilogue, the son she gave up now refers to her as “mom,” and she is in steady contact with her two grandchildren.

Born in 1939, Wolk captures the mores and overall tenor of times when women were, first and foremost, taught to protect their chastity against onslaughts by men who were under no such constraints. They were to be educated but not too smart, to present themselves attractively, to marry well and produce successful offspring.

Women of that generation will undoubtedly recognize shades of their own lives in “Mother in Name Only,” and it will be an emotionally difficult read at times. The fact that Wolk is Jewish is salient, but women brought up in other faiths will have no problem relating.

The instinct of self-preservation in the face of the desire to please and perhaps to succeed has prevailed across generations into the MeToo zeitgeist where women are fighting similar demons.

Wolk started to write “Mother in Name Only” in 2004. She finished it in 2005 but waited nearly 20 years to publish it. The characters are real and thinly disguised, and events are based on reality. Consequently, she was afraid that her former husband would sue her for libel before his death.

However, under the aegis of New York’s Adult Survivors Act and in line with California’s Sexual Abuse and Cover-Up Accountability Act, Wolk has initiated a lawsuit against her rapist.

“As a retired New York City high school teacher, my bandstand is to teach women and men to not only find their voice, but to use their voice to report either verbal abuse or sexual abuse to a best friend, family member or law enforcement immediately so that they can have a witness to make the culprit accountable,” Wolk wrote in an email.

“Mother in Name Only” was a finalist in the 2023 International Book Awards in the categories Inspirational Fiction, Women’s Fiction and General Fiction. Wolk has two book signings scheduled at local Barnes & Noble stores.

In the postscript she writes:

“Revealing this story to the world in its entirety is a catharsis for me. I have learned to better understand and accept in myself what has been diagnosed as a case of PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder. I have felt such pure relief by just getting this poison out, this trauma.

“I want to share who I really am; not just the facade, the shell of a person. By extension, I hope that others can learn to reveal their secrets, disappointments and pain. … Acceptance and forgiveness are the keys to living a better and healthier life with peace of mind.”

Laguna Woods Shalom Club co-President Paula Kruger’s sentiments was among the furious, exasperated and aggrieved reactions of the Village’s diverse residents upon learning that Hamas terrorists had invaded southern Israel from the Gaza Strip.

More than 3,000 people have been killed on both sides of the border, thousands more have been reported wounded, and around 150 people have been taken hostage by Hamas since the attack began Oct. 7.

Kruger has visited Israel 12 times. She lived with an Israeli citizen for 15 years and served as a volunteer in the Israeli army, so she knows the beleaguered country well, she says.

“I just spoke with someone I consider my Israeli sister and she said, ‘I don’t know anyone who is not going to a funeral.’”

Given the number of Jewish residents in Laguna Woods, some of whom have come from Israel, have family and friends there or who, like Kruger, have visited the Jewish homeland, the shock of the brutal attack reverberated through the community with blunt force.

Nearly 300 residents of varied religious and political persuasions gathered Oct. 9 on the back patio of Clubhouse 1 for a peace vigil organized by Rabbi Joe Mendelsohn of the Reform Temple of Laguna Woods.

“These are not just kids throwing stones … Hamas are terrorists,” Mendelsohn told the gathering. “Hamas murdered Jews across the spectrum – they did not care.”

Mendelsohn made a strong distinction between militants who fight for a political cause and Hamas, who are terrorists.

“Hamas has rejected negotiated settlements with Israel, and they are opposing the Palestinian Authority that would negotiate peace with Israel,” he said. “They are opposed to peace.”

He said this is not a religious war, not a war between Islam and Judaism, and not a war of moral equivalents.

“Yes, there will be noncombatants killed, but it’s not because Israel wants that to happen, but that Israel needs to defend itself,” he said, emphasizing that he did not aim to change anyone’s mind about how Israelis treat Palestinians but to voice a plea for peace.

Rebeca Gilad, founder of the Laguna Woods Community Bridge Builders, offered a prayer for peace and God’s compassion not only for Israel but throughout the world.

“May we see the day when war and bloodshed cease … when the human family will not know war,” she said, tears filling her voice. “Enough is enough. What is happening to the world?”

She told of a cousin who lives in Israel and had planned to attend a family wedding in her native Mexico. “He is now unaccounted for,” she said.

Ami Gilad, an Israeli by birth in 1948, the year of Israel’s founding, also spoke at the vigil.

“This is more a plea than a prayer,” he said. “Bless the land with peace.”

Shelley Rones was born in 1939, when Palestine was under British mandate, and came to the U.S. during World War II. Her younger sister married and moved to Israel and raised six children there.

“By now, 85 percent of my family lives in Israel – uncles, cousins, my sister-in-law, kids and grandkids. My parents are buried there,” she said. “The safety of my family and the land of Israel affects me a lot.

“I feel strongly about Israel’s existence not only because of the pervasive anti-Semitic hate around the world but also because I want our young ones to grow up there.”

Rones has three great-nephews in the Israeli army but is unsure of their whereabouts now.

“Two of my close friends in Israel lost their children – their funeral was today,” she said. “I can relate to the horror Jewish communities must have experienced when Germany invaded Poland and other countries during World War II.”

Born in Israel and with family in Tel Aviv, Nathan Kvetny expressed anger at the inhumanity of the attack.

“I really was shocked – lost for words. I knew how the people (the victims) would be treated – animals would fare better,” he said. “It is human nature, but I was hurt and upset, angry and confused.”

Born in 1935 and bar mitzvahed at age 13 when Israel was founded, Kvetny said: “I am here – we all have circumstances that bring us to other places, but my heart is there, in Israel.”

Daphne Davids says she has a cousin who was on Kibbutz Be’eri, near the Gaza Strip, when the tragic events unfolded. More than 100 bodies were found in the kibbutz after the Hamas attack, according to CNN.

“Our families are ‘friends’ on Facebook, and as these events were occurring, we received Facebook messages begging for help,” Davids said via email. “My cousin, her husband and three young children were hiding in the security room in Be’eri. She messaged us that the army was nowhere to be seen and they needed help badly.

“After 19 hours, they were taken by three soldiers to the Dead Sea. Their entire kibbutz had been destroyed. … She is now  recuperating and spending time with her family and friends.”

Shari Horne is a dual Israeli-American citizen. She and her husband have cousins in Israel. Though she says she hasn’t heard directly from them, her brother-in-law heard back and says the family is OK so far.

“This is horrible. It is hard to watch on TV, but impossible to look away,” Horne said in an email. “To know intimately the places being attacked, and to recognize beloved places destroyed is very hard. It is hard to breathe.

“My heart is with all those families whose loved ones were abducted and taken into Gaza. I can only imagine the fear and pain of the children.”

David Shichor and his wife lived in Israel for many years; he was on the faculty of Tel Aviv University. His son and three of his grandchildren live there now, north of Tel Aviv. Shichor has been in contact with them, he said, and they are safe. His youngest granddaughter is finishing her army service this month but is not in a combat unit.

“Our son volunteered to house refugees from the south, and right now he is organizing his home for receiving a family,” Shichor said via email.

Shichor last lived in Israel in 1970-75 and experienced the Yom Kippur War.

“Really, in many aspects, the situation (today) is similar to the 1973 war in which I served,” he said. “Like most of the Israelis, I am completely shocked by the scale of this attack. I can’t understand how Hamas could prepare such a complex attack without being discovered by Israeli intelligence.”

Marina Levitanus was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1978, but her daughter has been married to an Israeli emergency physician for seven years. Levitanus has four grandchildren living between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

“My daughter wants me to be calm, but I feel terrified. She can’t talk to me when the younger children are around,” she said.

Noemi Epstein has family in the Haifa area, where things have been calm, she said. She lived in Israel for three years in the late 1960s and early 70s, also during a time of conflict.

“Because we lived close to the hospital in Tel Hashomer, we saw the horrors of war firsthand with the wounded being transferred to Emergency in helicopters all day and night long,” she recalled. “We had at that time aside from our Israeli family and friends, Palestinian friends and can only imagine how they are feeling now as well.  In my opinion nobody wins.”

Marti Hack, president of the Reform Temple, summed up the community’s stance via email: “As a congregation with many friends and family in Israel, we are devastated by this act of hatred where innocent civilians including babies are massacred and are abducted. We stand by Israel and pray for a swift peace and a desire for peace in the heart of our enemies. Finally, we are sincerely indebted to those who reach out to us in solidarity.”

Rabbi Dennis Linson of Temple Judea in Laguna Woods expressed similar sentiments. The temple also held prayer vigils.

“We expressed our outrage at the brutality of the terrorist murderers killing innocent civilians: infants, children, parents and grandparents,” he said. “Our prayers were intended to provide comfort and strength in this dire moment in the history of the State of Israel and the people of Israel.

“As we read in Ecclesiastes during the holiday, ‘there is a time for war and a time for peace.’ We prayed that we will be delivered from this time of war, and enter a time of peace. Meanwhile, Israel we are with you.”

How to help

The Reform Temple of Laguna Woods sent to its congregants a list of Israeli charities:

israelrescue.org: A community-based volunteer emergency medical services organization committed to providing the fastest response to medical emergencies across Israel even prior to the arrival of ambulances and completely free of charge.

ZAKA: zakaworld.org: Israel’s dominant nongovernmental rescue and recovery organization, with over 3,000 volunteers deployed around the country, on call 24/7 to respond to any terror attack, disaster or accident immediately, professionally and with the necessary equipment.

FIDF: fidf.org: A nonpolitical, nonmilitary organization that works closely with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to provide for the well-being of its soldiers, veterans, and family members.

Hadassah: hadassah.org: Committed to advancing women’s health, supporting a strong Israel and instilling Jewish values in future generations. Hadassah helped to create the medical system in Israel providing new treatments and scientific breakthroughs which are saving lives around the world.

Jewish National Fund: jnf.org: Strategic vision has been and always will be to ensure a strong, secure and prosperous future for the land and people of Israel.

While the destructive forces rendered them unstable

Three thousand souls ascended the holy rubble

While a nation looked on in sorrow

Millions ’round the world stood stunned and shaken

As those who hijacked the Koran cheered on.

All Americans grieved and shared their losses

As flags unfurled across the land.

Celebrities and charities raised money for the relatives living

While Springsteen sang about the Rising.

Laguna Woods author and poet Charles Redner recently wrote this poem to honor the 22nd anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks and the thousands of lives lost.

Since it was an attack that drew the United States into a long war, Redner felt that presenting the poem on the International Day of Peace, Sept. 21, would be appropriate.

He also wrote “War No More,” a longer poem inspired by historic conflicts such as the Vietnam War.

“I think a poem could stop a bullet,” Redner says. “The arts and humanities are important for the moral well-being of humanity.”

Concerned Citizens of Laguna Woods celebrated Peace Day at Clubhouse 7 with a program called “Poems for Peace,” featuring readings of poems by residents and two guest poets. After the readings, guests enjoyed a wine and cheese party where they mingled with the poets.

Carol Glenn, president of the Old Pros theater group, organized this year’s program with Concerned Citizens member Latifah Taormina, an originator of the concept of deploying poetry for world peace.

“We put together an interesting mix of poems and music and concepts to make it festive,” Glenn said.

On tap were poems read by residents Barbara Goldstein, David Dearing, Lee MacMorris, Robbi Nestor, Sunita Saxena, Glenn and Taormina.

The two guests were award-winning Iranian poet Rooja Mohassessy (“When Your Sky Runs Into Mine”) and California performance poet Emmanuel Williams, who added a dramatic flair to his reading.

Goldstein, 94, read the opening poem written by her, titled “Peace! Peace! Peace!”

Dearing and Glenn teamed up to read award-winning Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish’s “Think of Others.”

“I play David’s conscience,” Glenn said. “David will read a line, and I will, as his conscience, tell him what he should be thinking.”

Glenn has her own unique take on Peace Day.

“Peace for me goes back thinking about each one of us as a beautiful soul that needs to connect,” she said. “When someone walks down the street, give them a smile. It could turn their life around.”

Glenn said she draws inspiration from Raggedy Ann books that she, her daughters and grand-daughters have read. So she included in the program Raggedy Ann creator Johnny Gruelle’s poem “Goodness, Kindness, Friendliness.”

“It’s all about how we want to be treated and should treat others,” she said.

Taormina has been a peace activist since the 1960s in San Francisco, she said. She did her college thesis on the poetry of William Butler Yeats – “especially his imagery of self and soul.”

She also credits her father’s recollections of fighting in the Pacific region during World War II for her activism. “What he could never forget has likely influenced my passion to work for peace,” she said.

Taormina got the idea for Poems for Peace during a 2012 Peace Day celebration in Austin, Texas, in collaboration with the city’s arts community and the Subud International Cultural Association (SICA), an organization she volunteered for, she said.

During that time, she became acquainted with British filmmaker Jeremy Gilley’s nonprofit Peace One Day.

“I tell people Poems for Peace began as an idea that just popped into my head when I was reading about how Jeremy Gilley started Peace One Day in the U.K.,” the Village resident said..

“‘What will you do for Peace Day?’ was his question. Poems for Peace popped into my head, so I put that down. The very next day, all kinds of marketing material arrived that would connect my efforts with Gilley’s – including a way that my audiences could connect with his big Elton John concert that would conclude his Peace Day celebrations that year.” (That concert took place in London in 2012.)

Through SICA, Poems for Peace spread around the world – which didn’t surprise Taormina.

“Our holy books, our love songs, our anthems, our nursery rhymes and riddles are all in verse. No matter the language. Even the heartbeat of the unborn child beats in an iambic rhythm,” she said.

Recently, Taormina discovered that UNICEF hosts a Poems for Peace website featuring the poems of children in Ukraine and other areas of conflict. Find it at unicef.org/children-under-attack/poems-for-peace.

Among the poems read at the celebration were Maya Angelou’s “Amazing Peace,” Walt Whitman’s “This Is What You Should Do,” Pablo Neruda’s “Prayers for the Earth,” Sara Teasdale’s “Peace” and Rolf Jacobsen’s “When They Sleep,” along with poems written by residents.

Called Nordic walking poles, these relatives of cross-country ski poles are touted for providing benefits that, according to Dr. Gerred Popejoy, a retired chiropractor and Laguna Woods resident, walking alone does not provide – or at least far more slowly.

The poles can improve walkers’ posture and balance, Popejoy says, and provide an upper body workout as the arms push the body forward with the poles. They also add leverage for those who might find hills difficult to conquer.

Popejoy calls the exercise beneficial for both body and mind.

“Pole walking will lead to increased heart rates and better circulation along with, in the long run, self-regulation for the brain to calm down and new brain cells through an increased production of dopamine – hence an added improvement of mood,” he said.

Recently, Popejoy introduced his brand of Nordic walking poles to an enthusiastic crowd at Laguna Woods’ Clubhouse 1.

“Nordic poles are more effective than riding a bicycle. Bike riding engages only 50 to 60 percent of body muscles. When I use my poles, I feel like I go into four-wheel drive,” he said while pushing himself forward across the room. “It is a full-body exercise.”

Popejoy demonstrated how to properly walk with the poles and how to position them so that their rubber feet don’t bounce. There are also attachments – tips and boots and such – that make them suitable for walking on surfaces from grass to sand, to, yes, snow.

He demonstrated how the poles can be incorporated into stretching and resistance exercises, with the audience eagerly participating with loaner poles. Sturdy and easy to adjust, the poles can support up to 500 pounds.

Part of the poles’ appeal to seniors is that they can be used outdoors and indoors on any surface, and walking sessions can be divided into short intervals, Popejoy said.

Laguna Woods residents Susan Campbell, 80, and Jules Anderson, 70, brought their own poles to the presentation.

Anderson owns three sets, including two custom made for her height.

“I have walked three to five miles a day for the last four years. I’ve lost 50 pounds,” she said. “The poles add to your ability. Better to use cheap poles at first than nothing – just get started.”

She added that the glove attachments on better poles take pressure off users’ wrists and recommends lightweight carbon poles.

The gathering at Clubhouse 1 was initiated by Leslie Carretti, who leads the Active Wellness Club and the Wellness in the Woods Club. She too cited the benefits of pole walking.

“Pole walking improves not only posture and balance but also memory function,” she said.

Popejoy hopes to form a Nordic pole walking club in Laguna Woods.

“We have so many beautiful trails and terrains, it’s only natural,” he said.

Zentangle is a) a slow meditative form of wrestling; b) a form of eroticism; c) a Gordian knot of spiritual movements; d) an artform allowing everyone and anyone to become an artist with minimal guidance and on their own terms and speed.

The answer, of course, is d.

Recently at the Florence Sylvester Senior Center in Laguna Hills, Nicole Steiman, a self-described “creativity coach,” introduced a curious audience of 18 participants to Zentangle.

It is a line-driven form of drawing, mostly black and white, and composed of geometric or flowing shapes.

For supplies, Zentangle requires little: small squares of thin, lightly textured cardboard called “tiles.” For drawing, a pencil and black Sharpie-type pens, one very fine and another a tad thicker. No erasers—ever.

“There is no such thing as a ‘mistake.’ Something that you think might not work at first, may very well later,” said Steiman, a Certified Zentangle Teacher, or CZT.

And while there’s no scientific evidence, practitioners say creating Zentangles induces calmness and relaxation, along with emotional self-satisfaction after finishing a project.

“You can Zentangle anywhere – at the doctor’s or dentist’s office, anywhere where you’d otherwise find outdated magazines and boring TV programs,” Steiman said.

To help students get started, Steiman distributed Zentangle warmup sheets illustrating basic shapes.

Then, standing before a whiteboard, she instructed the students to divide their small pieces of paper into random spaces – some larger, some smaller, some defined by wavy flowing lines, others more conventionally shaped like ovals and squares.

Steiman demonstrated drawing round orbs, a basic Zentangle shape, but stressed that she was only a guide in a process. Students were to engage with their own creative juices.

Hence, imagine a larger oval space filled with smaller orbs – some are filled completely with black ink, others with fine lines, and still others are left empty.

Another space might be filled with fine lines forming squares and rectangles or half-circles, and yet another with all of the above.

There is no up or down, Steiman said. Squares can be turned every which way, and several filled tiles can be assembled into larger mosaics.

Steiman’s only stylistic admonition is that lines are not to cross, so as not to alter the originally intended visual illusion.

“We take a lot of spaces for granted, but filling them makes us aware of them,” she said.

Awareness, after all, lies at the root of the exercise – Zen. It’s slow and meditative, carefully applied, but not overthought. Planning of spaces and careful selection and creation of shapes and auras set the technique apart from mindless doodling on napkins or notebook margins.

“Love your lines as they are,” Steiman advised. “Draw slowly. Meaningful things take time.”

Steiman has owned what she called an art bar in Santa Ana where she taught students to make art in a meditative form rather than following established rules for working in select mediums.

“My aim was to awaken students’ creativity, to express themselves, and also discover the healing aspects of art,” she said. “We all have a little artist inside of us.”

The pandemic ended that enterprise, but now Steiman puts teaching into practice again, using what she learned in Boston, where she received her certification in 2012 from the founders of the Zentangle Method, Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas.

“I was in the first group to get certified,” she noted.

Student Janani Theresa Tatch, who was clad in Indian-inspired attire and makeup, said she can meditate while creating Zentangles.

“I am usually free flowing, but this is a bit more intense,” she said.

Irma Weaver was just enjoying the class, she said.

“I took a sketching class for the first time, before Covid, so I wanted to try my hand at this,” she said.

Karen Koenigs appeared to put Zentangle’s calming effect to an unexpected test. While sketching lines, her fluffy white service dog, Zoe, sat calmly in her lap.

It was difficult to gauge what previous level of artistry students were. What was certain was that when making Zentangles, everyone was a beginner.

But, as the method principle implies—it doesn’t matter. Everyone is an artist.

To find out more about the Zentangle and how to become a Certified Zentangle Teacher, go to zentangle.com.

The Florence Sylvester Senior Center in Laguna Hills offers monthly Zentangle classes. The next one is Wednesday, Sept. 20, at 10 a.m. The fee is $5, and reservations are required. Call the center at 949-380-0155.

These are some of the hits of the ’60s whose melodies reverberate in countless memories.

For those who managed to snag tickets to the 5th Dimension’s sold-out concert Saturday, Sept. 9, in Laguna Woods, those memories became a reality as the group transported the audience with hits that defy the passage of time.

Such a passage is embodied in the persona of lead singer Florence LaRue, who, at age 81, is the only original member of the iconic band.

Despite the new members, she said, the group performs the songs as originally written.

“Our audiences want to hear songs the way they remember them. People come to hear our hits,” she said. “We use the same arrangements.”

But the group also tailors the performances to the audiences.

“We perform a lot for baby boomers, who often bring their children, and they too know our music,” LaRue said. “But we also add material that plays well geographically, like a country number in Nashville, for example.”

LaRue has hardly stood still since she harbored Hollywood ambitions as a young girl, though she did better as a singer, musician, educator and, most recently, author.

She spent her early years in Pennsylvania but moved to California more than 60 years ago and got a degree in elementary education from UCLA.

Still, she hoped to be in show business, especially movies. And music was always part of her life.

“I love classical music,” she said. “I played violin and in the school orchestra and also took ballet classes.”

Another of LaRue’s great loves was teaching.

“I had two ambitions, actually, to teach and to be in show business,” she said. “I still love to teach. Teaching is one of the most important occupations.”

LaRue values the arts along with a spirituality that teaches one to live in harmony with others. With three grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, her passion for education comes as no surprise.

While in college, LaRue entered beauty contests in hopes of being noticed by film professionals. It worked. She won the Miss Coppertone and Miss Bronze California contests among others.

And though she hoped that the beauty contests would lead to film roles, fate had other plans. It was during one such contest that a photographer friend approached her to fill in for a singer with a band called the Versatiles.

“I told him that I did not want to sing, I wanted to be in movies, but he kept persisting,” she recalled.

She ultimately gave in and joined the band. Soon, the Versatiles became the 5th Dimension.

“There were five of us and there was our dimension of sound,” LaRue said of the renaming of the group at the behest of members Ron Townson and his wife, Marilyn McCoo.

The 5th Dimension went on to achieve wide appeal with their pop music, 20 Top 40 hits and six Grammy Awards.

“I am proud of the fact that our music brought audiences of all races and backgrounds together,” LaRue said. “It is all very positive.”

LaRue has widened her artistic dimension by writing the book “Grace in Your Second Act: A Guide to Aging Gracefully.” In it she shares her insights into beauty, aging and self-improvement, much of it based on her own sense of spirituality. She leaves few stones unturned, from physical and mental maintenance, to finding a sense of style, proper dress and even clothes maintenance.

Most important, she said, she has found peace of mind and joy in helping others by volunteering and reaching out to women of her generation who might have been less fortunate. She praises the effects of mentoring the young on both the mentor and the mentee.

“Nowadays, one in three young people grow up without any sort of life coach—whether it’s an involved parent, grandparent or family friend,” LaRue writes. “All those young people are denied the wisdom of an older person who has their interests at heart.”

Of her own journey, which includes still taking voice lessons and trying to learn something new every day, she said: “At age 81, I feel blessed to still be able to sing those notes. A great part of that is taking care of your health.

“God has given me a destiny. This is what he has chosen for me to do.”

“I was not focusing and fell and could not get up until a man helped me,” recalled Cantine, who gives her age as “over 75.”

She suffered bruises and a hurt knee, but no broken bones — or so she thought. Two weeks later, while she was getting prepped for an unrelated surgery, she learned that her clavicle had been fractured.

“A lip on the cement path stood out,” she said.

Cantine also fell in the shower once, slipping while tossing a bathing suit into the sink.

“I did this pirouette and let go of the grab bar,” she said. “No more fancy business. With age you have to be smarter.”

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nationwide at least 1 out of 4 seniors over age 65 falls each year. About 36 million falls are reported among older adults each year, resulting in more than 32,000 deaths. About 3 million older adults are treated in emergency departments each year for a fall injury, and at least 300,000 older people are hospitalized for hip fractures. Women fall more often than men.

At MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, 1,842 patients were admitted to the emergency room in 2022 due to falls, according to emergency services manager Luke Schademan. (MemorialCare does not keep statistics on how many of those patients were Village residents.)

“Before the pandemic, ambulance calls due to falls were the biggest problems here,” said Marcy Sheinwold, president of the Foundation of Laguna Woods Village.

At the time, the foundation had an intern who figured out that 50 percent of ambulance calls out of the Village were due to falls, Sheinwold said.

“It’s right up there with heart disease,” she added. “I have fallen three times in the last six months. It’s an issue.”

Marcelle Paja, a physical therapist at MemorialCare, said she sees fall patients start to come in around age 60. She recommends getting checked for fall risks.

“Get evaluated for walking, posture, muscle strength, picking stuff off the floor, getting out of bed, sitting down and rising,” she said. “We catch things that patients may not be aware of.”

This summer, the Foundation of Laguna Woods Village partnered with MemorialCare to provide fall prevention classes free of charge at Clubhouse 2, with Medical Center staff leading the sessions. The program was offered as one-month segments with three one-hour sessions.

The sessions filled up fast. One in July was fully booked with roughly 18 students learning how to keep their bodies strong, stable and balanced to prevent falls and, if they were to fall, how to put themselves upright again, if possible.

Yolanda Roetcisoender, a MemorialCare physical therapist who led the class, first tested students for their risk of falling – a risk that is exacerbated, she said, if one is afraid of falling. She had the students sit down on a chair and then get back up – down and up repeatedly, the more times the better, indicating a lower risk of falling.

Altogether, Roetcisoender led the group through three sessions that included chair exercises, stretches and strengthening (though without weights) to help improve strength and stability.

She also offered home safety advice and behavioral safety. Students learned, for instance, that in the home, good lighting and clear pathways with no loose rugs are important. They learned that when out walking, students need to look where they’re going and not get distracted. Among other advice: Carry a cellphone or keep a phone receiver in every room, and don’t rush to answer calls.

Lastly, Roetcisoender demonstrated how to – ideally – fall. “Protect your head, try to fall on fleshy body parts and roll out of a fall,” she said.

If you can’t get up, it’s best to drag yourself to the nearest chair and pull yourself up, or to a telephone to call for help, she added.

For those living alone, a device designed to alert first responders in case of falls is recommended. In some circumstances, these medical alert devices can be obtained through laguna Woods Village Social Services.

Devices for residents with limited finances have been subsidized by the foundation. So far it has funded 70, Sheinwold said.

Larry Agle, 90, fell off a stepladder while moving boxes in a storage room.

“I had a bump on my head the size of a tennis ball,” he recalled. “I fell on a concrete floor but did not lose consciousness.”

That fall brought a valuable lesson: “I learned to avoid stepladders — but then, I used to climb on chairs before that.”

Since he suffered a mini-stroke 18 months ago, Agle’s equilibrium has been shaky, though he doesn’t like walkers and canes, he says. To keep up his strength, he walks 30 minutes a day and uses hand weights at home.

Muriel Ash hasn’t fallen since she began using Nordic walking poles on her walks, she says. The poles are touted to improve balance and stability by providing extra support while users walk, thereby reducing the risk of falls.

Before she discovered the poles, Ash fell four times in three years.

“The last time I fell, I was wearing my Apple watch. I had tripped on a curb and the watch asked me, ‘Shall we call 911?’ I feel very good about that watch and wear it every day,” she said. “You have to concentrate on what you’re doing and not get distracted.”

Audrey Comport, 89, said that she has been doing everything right, and that she and her husband, age 93, have not fallen so far.

“We took the fall prevention class, and we’re doing the exercises the teacher taught us for our knees and back,” she said. “My husband and I go to the fitness center; we’ve gone there for 13 years.”

She also makes sure there are no cords or throw rugs at home to trip over.

For information on fall prevention programs, Laguna Woods Village residents can call the Foundation of Laguna Woods Village at 949-268-2246. For information on medical alert devices, residents can call Village Social Services at 949-597-4267.

Common causes, effects and prevention of falls for seniors

Dr. Marc Taub, medical director of emergency services at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center, spoke about the causes and effects of falls on seniors and how to prevent them.

Q: Why are seniors in particular danger of falling?

A: Falls are the leading cause of injury among older adults in the U.S. While there is no specific age cutoff for higher risk, the likelihood of falls increases with age. Taking care of seniors after falls is a common condition we treat here at the emergency department of MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center. We assess both immediate injuries as well as look for underlying causes for the fall.

Q: What are some common causes of falls?

A: Some of the reasons that might cause an older adult to fall include impaired posture control, changes in sensations, decreased muscle strength, visual impairment. Also inadequate footwear, not using canes and walkers as recommended, household hazards such as slippery surfaces and loose rugs. Other conditions: low blood pressure as a result of old age, medications, dehydration or illness. Chronic conditions like Parkinson’s disease, arthritis, osteoporosis and dementia. Medications for pain and sedatives, alcohol use.

Q: What are common injuries seniors sustain in falls?

A: Minor injuries such as bruises and minor skin injuries are the most common. More serious injuries include head trauma, spinal injuries and broken bones such as wrist, rib or hip fractures.

Q: What are the most common permanent consequences of falls? Some say a broken hip can be a death sentence.

A: Fortunately, most falls lead to less severe injuries; healthy older adults with minor falls can expect to recover with time and needed therapy. More serious falls, such as those causing head injuries and fractures, can lead to permanent decline in function and the ability to perform usual activities of daily living.

Regarding hip fractures, it is true that many patients with hip fractures can experience prolonged decline in function afterwards. However, hip fractures are rarely fatal in this day and age. In hospitals with outstanding orthopedic and geriatric programs such as Saddleback Medical Center, physicians aim to accurately diagnose hip fractures, take measures to prevent complications, repair the fracture surgically and follow up right away with physical and occupational therapy.

Q: What steps can be taken to shorten the recovery process for seniors after a fall?

A: Seniors may take longer to recover from falls due to underlying health conditions and preexisting disabilities. That’s why it is important to follow doctors’ recommendations on recovery, including coordinated therapies improving strength and balance and mobility and occupational therapies to help maintain the ability to perform daily living activities. For some patients, that may require time in an assisted living or rehabilitation facility.

Q: What are your recommendations for fall prevention?

A: There are many steps seniors can take to reduce risk of falls and build up resilience for recovery should a fall occur. Regular exercise: walking, swimming, flexibility, balance and aerobic conditioning, dancing and tai chi. Keep moving. Work with doctors to stay current on medication, especially pain medications, sedatives, sleeping pills and blood pressure medications.

Reduce hazards at home with proper lighting, rails. Lots of falls happen at night. Get up slowly. Keep canes and walkers at bedside. Have a plan in case of a fall, especially when living alone. Staying on the floor for a long time causes more problems. Have a way to call for help such as an alarm necklace or watch. Most importantly, take fall prevention classes whenever they are offered.

Copeland’s aspiring artists are creating their works surrounded by booths filled with the variety of artforms and mediums, music and good vibes that are hallmarks of the popular Laguna Art-A-Fair in Laguna Beach.

Copeland, age 90 and a Laguna Woods Village resident since 2009, has graced the festival for 15 years with her colorful multimedia paintings and collages that have the whimsy and charm of folk art.

She began painting watercolors at age 55, but, she says, she studied art history and kept an eye on art all through college. Now she’s a regular at the Village’s Clubhouse 4, where she creates her eye-catching canvases and also teaches art.

“I enjoy creating. I don’t copy and I use my own imagination,” Copeland said. “As an artist, you don’t ever stay stagnant. You constantly move on to something else, and at 90 it gives me something to do.”

This year, Copeland is one of 114 artists who were juried in to the art fest from 227 international applicants ranging in age from 21 to 90, said Kim Brandon-Watson, marketing vice president for the art fest.

Visiting regulars might note that the festival has been infused with new energy. Spaces have been reconfigured, and there’s a terrace-like area for artists workshops, live music ranging from rock and blues to folk and salsa, and, new this season, dance lessons. Plus there’s a beer and wine garden pop-up.

Among the wealth of painters, ceramicists, photographers and fiber artists are three more Village residents displaying their creations. Maribeth and Joe McFaul, a married couple, also came to making art later in life, and the multifaceted Audrey Grider creates visually beautiful paintings and also mines the healing powers of art.

Joe McFaul, a retired international maritime lawyer, first cut lapidary stones as a hobby and came to making jewelry after taking a class at Saddleback College.

“I’m inspired by jewelry from the Southwest and its use of silver and semi-precious stones,” he said, adding that each piece is one of a kind.

Now, he also wears the red apron of a safety supervisor in the lapidary studio at Clubhouse 4.

Maribeth McFaul started out as a science major in college, then went into pre-med and wound up working at St. Mary’s hospital in Long Beach. Art was just a hobby then. However, art classes at Saddleback College brought her on a path to an art education credential from Cal State Long Beach.

“I’m a multimedia and also a street artist. I’ve exhibited at the Festival of Arts and traveled around the country doing street painting,” she said. “Not to be confused with graffiti and murals, street art is done in chalk mostly, on sidewalks. Paintings can be as big as 6 by 8 feet.

“Street art with its impermanence is also performance art – the idea is for people to watch the creative experience in action.”

Grider’s love for horses is evidenced in her colorful paintings. An artist all her life, she has a studio in her home in the Village and is enjoying her first summer at Art-A-Fair and the realization of a long-held dream to show her work in Laguna Beach.

Grider sells her artwork primarily to support rescue efforts of African elephants and auction horses and the protection of whales.

“Such support efforts are important to me,” she said. “It feels good to inspire people with my work and serve a higher purpose.”

Grider suffers chronic pain from Sjogren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disorder, and is keenly aware of the healing powers of making and disseminating art.

“For people with chronic pain, the process of creating art offers self-care, stress reduction, meaning-making, and emotional expression through metaphor,” she said. “In addition, through art we can distract away from pain in a healthy way, and experience an increased use of our bodies and sense of self through our creative accomplishments.”

Among other notable artists at Art-A-Fair is Ken Jones, who has created a series of sculptures from musical instruments that are whimsical and fun and beautifully executed. Now in retirement, the clarinets, trumpets and guitars have been given a new life as visual treats.

The woodworks by Henry Lim are astounding in their craftsmanship. Intricate does not begin to describe the individually carved puzzle pieces that, put together, tell stories. Throughout, the integrity of the wood textures provide tonal variety.

Linleigh Love’s fused glass pieces resemble woven place mats except they are made from glass rods that she weaves together in a technique that is not for the faint of heart. Her multitiered kiln firing processes can take hours – 120 to 170 hours for one piece. The intricacies of form that Love achieves through her craftsmanship and the subtle use of color catch and hold the eye.

To wrap up a visit to the Art-A-Fair, one might take in the colorful photographs of Diane Lamboley, first shot in black and white, then colored in post-production and then printed on aluminum.

And pet lovers will get their due with Brandon-Watson’s charming pet portraits. She’ll bring your Schnauzer or dachshund or kitty to life on paper and imbue it with a charm that is unique to her sitter and the genre.

Laguna Art-A-Fair runs through Sept. 3. For more information, go to art-a-fair.com.

“No jumping,” commands Penny Gordon. “No jumping,” the Laguna Woods Village resident repeats, sternly but gently, in her role as the dog’s trainer or, specifically, puppy raiser.

Responding to his noble name, Newcastle, the little guy obeys. After all, he is in uniform: He’s wearing a green and white harness that identifies him as a guide dog for the blind in training.

When Gordon retired from nursing two years ago, she wanted to continue life in the spirit of her career.

“I still wanted to do something good for someone else in need,” she said.

After some deliberation and online research, she contacted Laguna Niguel Puppy Raisers, deciding that helping to raise puppies to be future guide dogs for the vision-impaired fit with her goal of helping others.

It wasn’t too far off a choice: David Gordon, her husband of 22 years, is blind. He has had the help of several guide dogs, and now Dewey, a calmly alert German shepherd, lies protectively at his feet.

At the same time, Dewey patiently puts up with Newcastle nuzzling his older, temporary bro.

“They are bonded already,” Penny Gordon said.

Puppy Raisers are volunteers who teach puppies basic obedience, house behavior and socialization. After Gordon contacted the Laguna Niguel branch of Puppy Raisers, the organization did research of their own, found her to be a fit foster mom and paired her with Newcastle.

“First I had to prove myself by puppy-sitting five other puppies and showing that I was patient and a good dog handler before getting Newcastle,” Gordon said. “Not having a fenced-in yard but only a patio was not a deal breaker.”

The group’s goal is to get puppies ready to graduate to Guide Dogs for the Blind, a school founded in 1942 to assist World War II veterans who had lost their sight. Today the school has two campuses, in San Raphael, California, and in Boring, Oregon.

Gordon got Newcastle when he was just two months old. Now he is about seven months old.

“I watch him grow and mature, having gone through his terrible twos and now his teenage years, which begin around six to seven months,” she said. “I will have him for six more months.”

Gordon takes Newcastle everywhere she goes – to grocery stores, offices, even restaurants – where he must learn to behave properly. Newcastle can romp by the creek, but he’s not allowed to do his doggie business there. That gets done at home. There’s also no petting by passers-by.

“They have to concentrate on their job, but when he’s got his gear on, he acts his part already,” Gordon said.

There’s one drawback to raising puppies, Gordon noted: You get attached to the four-legged youngsters.

At age 14 months or perhaps a bit later, Newcastle will leave to start his next phase of training, on the campus of Guide Dogs for the Blind, either in San Raphael or Boring, to prepare to be placed with the visually impaired.

Jeanne Valenti, a leader at Laguna Niguel Puppy Raisers, said that once Newcastle settles at one of the campuses, he will begin his training as a guide dog for the blind. Coming from an as yet untested litter, he will also be neutered.

Should he not make the cut as a guide dog, he might have a future as a service dog for the hearing impaired or a diabetic’s companion trained to smell if a patient is in danger of experiencing sugar shock. He could also become a service dog for someone suffering from PTSD.

“All dogs are free to their recipients,” said Valenti, who has raised service puppies for 17 years. “Guide dogs for the blind are the cream of the crop, since they have to guide blind people through potentially hazardous settings like traffic.”

David Gordon summed up his reaction to his wife’s first experience as a puppy raiser: “I was a little apprehensive at first,” he said, “but it’s turning out to be a lot of fun – a great experience.”

Laguna Niguel Puppy Raisers is a nonprofit organization staffed by volunteers. To join the ranks of puppy raisers, call Valenti at 949-280-5464 or email jeanneandthepuppy@gmail.com. For more information, visit gdblagunaniguelpuppyraisers.com.

New job for new working dog

Laguna Woods Globe readers last read about Moby, a blond Labrador, in March 2022, when he was being raised by Village resident Penny Flaherty.

The youngster was working hard to learn basic obedience, house manners and socialization so that he would be ready for training at the Guide Dogs for the Blind school.

Now Moby has finished that training, and he’s landed his first job – in a vegan bakery in Beaverton, Oregon. Moby will be helping out Carina Comer, the visually impaired owner of Carina’s Bakery.

Flaherty, meanwhile, is raising a new dog, a somewhat older lab named Ian.

– By Anita Gosch