“Island Senior” is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Peggy Sue McRae. We cannot say it enough. More than ever during this time of Covid, San Juan County’s Senior Nutrition Program, “Meals on Wheels” serves as a lifeline to many of our island seniors. With usual fundraising events still out of  Continue Reading

“Island Senior” is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Peggy Sue McRae. In my last Island Senior article, The Year of Covid-19, I took stock of the past year, a challenging time for most of us, and took note of some of the good things that helped me through a whole  Continue Reading

“Island Senior” is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Peggy Sue McRae. My birthday is in early March and last year’s girlfriend lunch, themed “Cheeseburger in Paradise” is remembered now as the last “normal” social event a few of us had before things started getting weird. I remember that month well  Continue Reading

“Island Senior” is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Peggy Sue McRae. Islanders receiving delivered meals last Friday from our Meals on Wheels program received an extra message of Valentine’s Day love from the younger generation. Two groups of young people, students from Friday Harbor’s Spring Street International School and members of  Continue Reading

“Island Senior” is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Peggy Sue McRae. By now you probably know a few islanders who have gotten their first COVID-19 vaccine. Once Tier 1b opened up to those over 65, there was a rush to get the shot. Because 5,000 or so county residents now  Continue Reading

“Island Senior” is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Peggy Sue McRae. Neurosurgeon and well-known CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, MD. was recently featured in the Blue Zones online newsletter regarding his new book, Keep Sharp: Build a Better Brain at Any Age.  The Blue Zones is a concept based on  Continue Reading

“Island Senior” is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Peggy Sue McRae. Happy New Year! As the old year comes to a close, whether you are in the habit of making resolutions or not, the Mullis Center offers several ways to gently improve your life. To bring joy and wellness into  Continue Reading

“Island Senior” is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Peggy Sue McRae. Any way you look at it, 2020 has been one heck of a year. Times have been tough for many islanders. For some of us, staying at home without our usual social interactions has been the brunt of it.  Continue Reading

“Island Senior” is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Peggy Sue McRae. Pretty sure Merle Haggard was not thinking about a spiking global pandemic when he penned the lyrics to his classic country song, If We Make It Through December, yet I can’t think of a more fitting song for wrapping  Continue Reading

“Island Senior” is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Peggy Sue McRae. Islanders are creative resourceful people. For everyone’s health and to see our way through this pandemic, holidays will be a little different this year. That does not mean we cannot celebrate, enjoy good food, share with our loved ones  Continue Reading

Island Senior is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Peggy Sue McRae. How are we doing? Eight months into this pandemic and we are all tired of it; tired of staying home, tired of wearing masks, tired of washing our hands all the time. It is easy to get lulled into  Continue Reading

Island Senior is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Peggy Sue McRae… The concept of “blue zones” grew out of a demographic study identifying Sardina, Italy as a region with a high concentration of centenarians. Researchers who drew concentric blue circles on maps highlighting villages of extreme longevity began to refer  Continue Reading

Editor’s Note – This story is being re-posted with corrected information. The flu shot clinic at the Mullis Center will actually be on Thursday the 15th from 1:30pm to 4pm. *Not* the 13th as previously posted. Island Senior is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Peggy Sue McRae… As we enjoy  Continue Reading

Its wildfire season in the west and air quality is bad. Everyone, but especially those of us with compromising health issues are recommended to stay indoors with windows closed and avoid breathing the particulates in the smokey air as much as possible. You can check current air quality on the website Purple Air. In my  Continue Reading

One of the first things on anybody’s list of how to live a good life pandemic or not is to get some physical exercise. For me this can be a challenge in the best of times. Being quarantined by myself has made finding the motivation to get moving nearly impossible, nearly, but not entirely. I  Continue Reading

It may seem quiet at the Mullis Center these days without our lively community lunches, exciting senior trips, and the wide variety of social gatherings that are all on hold right now. Take a closer look though and you will see that the Mullis Center is still humming along on our seniors’ behalf. With the  Continue Reading

A new flag is flying over the Mullis Center. The flag is a gift to the Mullis Center from the family of Margret Lackey in honor of their mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Not only has the Lackey family provided the Mullis Center with a new flag, they also generously oversaw long needed repairs to the  Continue Reading

Island Senior is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Peggy Sue McRae… According to Wikipedia, cabin fever refers to “claustrophobic irritability or restlessness experienced when a person, or group, is stuck at an isolated location or in confined quarters for an extended period of time”. Anybody relate? They go on to say…  Continue Reading

Island Senior is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Peggy Sue McRae… With the pressure and stress of opening up our destination vacation island only to then slow the opening back down, the arrival of visitors with and without masks, spiking COVID numbers across the nation, not to mention prolonged isolation,  Continue Reading

Island Senior is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Peggy Sue McRae… It’s June and gardens on the island are burgeoning with new life. At the Mullis Center more than foliage and flowers has sprung up. Among the greenery on the east side of the building you will now find poems  Continue Reading

Island Senior is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Peggy Sue McRae… It is summer in the San Juans and San Juan County has moved into Phase 2 of our state’s four-phased Safe Start Washington plan. What does this mean for island seniors as local businesses slowly begin to open up,  Continue Reading

Island Senior is a regular column on the San Juan Island Update written by Peggy Sue McRae… Its been a few months now of staying home and staying healthy, of wearing masks and gloves to the grocery store, of staying six feet apart from friends we’d really like to hug, of meetings on Zoom. How  Continue Reading