Opinions

If you have been reading my column for very long, you might remember a fancy lemon tart I made last year about this time. It was a French recipe and included making everything from scratch.

Back home last week, I finally had a chance to reflect on the long and winding visit Kim and I had recently with two of my kids – Katie in Chicago, and Bill in Sacramento, Calif. Kim and I jokingly called our nearly twoweek journey the “Burmuda Triangle” because we did all of our traveling by one-way tickets.

At the start of February Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow in western Pennsylvania, thus signaling an early spring. And last weekend certainly felt like spring had arrived.

Unexpected visitors are a common phenomenon at our newspaper office. Folks pop in regularly to take care of transactions with our business office, either to pay a bill or update a subscription.

Last Sunday was our first without the Kansas City Chiefs playing, and it felt...well, it felt weird. There was a threehour hole in my day that I did not know what to do with.

Dear Savvy Senior, What are the IRS income tax filing requirements for retirees this tax season? I didn’t file a tax return the past two years because my income was below the filing threshold, but I got a part-time job late last year, so I’m wondering if I’m required to file this year.

Editor's note: Publisher Paul Rhodes is in Chicago this week, visiting his youngest daughter, Katie. Here's a look back at one of his columns from nine years ago, reflecting on a visit to the Windy City.

Some of us are adventurous and some of us tend to be homebodies. I tend to be more on the adventurous, although I've become more of a stay-at-home person thanks to being on the high side of 50 and living in a post-COVID world.

Dear Savvy Senior, Does Medicare cover any weight-loss treatments for overweight retirees? I just turned 65 and need to lose about 100 pounds and would like to know if Medicare can help. Overweight Owen Dear Owen, Yes, traditional Medicare does indeed cover some weight-loss treatments like counseling and certain types of surgery for overweight beneficiaries, but unfortunately it doesn’t cover weight-loss programs or medications.