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Editor’s Note
We are What We Make

The past year gave me clarity that I didn’t expect and I’m not sure I appreciate: I like art. But I’m not an artist.

Months of weekends with nothing to do, long evenings and insomnia-driven early mornings mean I have a lot of time on my hands. I don’t feel like doing anything that I should be doing: organizing closets, mastering recipes, reading books, grooming the dog. I’m restless, a condition I blame on Living Through a Major Historical Time (LTAMHT).

So I did what millions of others have done: I went on Amazon and ordered art supplies. 

Creatively Average
I started with origami. I thought it would be a fun art to master and I ordered a tablet of origami paper. My YouTube instructors led me through complicated-looking videos until I found one designed for children. It was still really, really complicated.

I powered through, and after a few short hours, made an origami chicken. I progressed to Christmas trees (harder than it looks on the videos) but finally gave up after a major star-folding fail. Conclusion: I’m a Below-Average Origami Artist. Let’s say D+.

Next up: Watercolor painting. I consulted my YouTube instructors and quickly realized that mixing pigments and managing brushstrokes, combined with a lack of artistic talent, had all the makings of a setup. 

Undeterred, I bought cheap watercolor pencils, paper and a pack of $5 brushes. I’m committed to art; my wallet isn’t. Fortunately, the instructors were patient with me and I made a few (shamelessly copied) paintings. Conclusion: A solid C. Good enough. 

During this LTAMHT, I’ve also tackled silk scarf painting and, briefly and inexpertly, calligraphy. Again, solid C work. I’m reluctant to call it art.

My artistic friends are making better use of their LTAMHT. One is a quilter who, not content with that impressive talent, made paper caricatures.

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We can’t think of a better way to celebrate the promise of spring than a stroll through one of Northeast Ohio’s public gardens. If you’re eager to find inspiration for your own backyard, or want to enjoy and appreciate someone else’s hard work, then a visit to a public garden is in order. The best part? The gardens are pandemic-friendly with expansive outdoor areas and protocols that keep safety first with timed visits, mask requirements and other measures. ...

Health
By Dr. Steve Marsh

Dentists are frequently asked about the materials that are used for veneers, dental restorations that can rejuvenate a smile. 

There are some wonderful choices, each with its own characteristics, with porcelain dominating the field. Though composite plastic material can be used, it is not a common choice when the entire facial – or outside – surface on the tooth needs restoration because it can chip and/or discolor when used as a thin covering. A composite is best used as a filling material or to restore a fractured tooth corner. This is why porcelain is the material of choice, as it is strong and color-stable.

A Smile with Style
There are a number of choices to be made among the various types of porcelain.  Much like there are different types of countertops with unique characteristics – like Corian or quartz or marble – each has its advantages and disadvantages, though in veneer work, the differences are subtle. 

Feldspathic porcelain is among the prettiest, though it is labor-intensive to fabricate and is a little less strong than the others. Other porcelains, like Empress or E-max, combine beauty and a little more strength. More recently, the use of Zirconium-type porcelain has increased; though it initially was known for its strength, recent incarnations of the material allow it to be aesthetic, as well. The Lumineer, developed by a California laboratory, is also used on occasion; it is actually a brand-name for their veneer, much like Kleenex is a brand name for facial tissue.

In any case, the choice of porcelains for veneers should be based on several factors, including aesthetics, strength and required thickness. Other influences include the colors of the teeth they are covering, the type of bite/occlusion the patient has, and the relative strength of the tooth underneath.

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How’s it working for you?  We’re talking about your space. Spending an entire year mostly homebound, working, relaxing, teaching and cooking, we learned what is and isn't working for us. As we slide into spring 2021, many of us are more motivated than ever to improve our spaces to better reflect our personalities, activities and families. It’s not about perfect magazine spaces but curated joyful spaces.  ...

Whether you’re an employed Boomer ready for a career change, or need a job-search refresher course after being downsized due to COVID, it’s never too late to begin a new chapter. People in our age range in the workforce already know what the mistakes are because we’ve made them. We already know what’s coming over the horizon because we’ve been over it many times. We already know when a plan isn’t going to work, and we know how to improve it. Why? Because we’re highly experienced and can get the job done in one-third the time of anyone else — and that’s an asset. ...

Before the internet, matchmaking likely involved a friend setting you up with a cousin, or a coworker introducing you to someone who’s “perfect for you.”  That still happens, but it's also now respectable to fish in a much larger pool by using dating websites. For those of us 50+, it’s nearly a requirement. ...

Whether you live in the suburbs or a city center, boomers and seniors are likely to possess "The experience and knowledge necessary to deal with the potential difficulties or dangers of life in an urban environment.” In other words, street smarts. If street smarts are essential for living safely in our real world, is there an equivalent for the digital world since we spend more time there these days? Absolutely. ...