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By Chelsea Retherford | Living 50 Plus Linda Sherrod, 78, has sewn and quilted almost her entire life. It was something she said she picked up from her mother, who likely sewed more out of necessity than for fun, because not so long ago, quilting and sewing your own clothes and bedding was a way of life in the rural
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By Chelsea Retherford | Living 50 Plus As Stacey Putnam shows off the vibrant colors in a quilt that her grandmother made decades ago, she flips the quilt over to display the small, dashed lines that make up the stitching on the back. These are the tell-tale marks of a quilt that was hand stitched. “When you hand-quilt, you leave
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By Chelsea Retherford | Living 50 Plus Nearly 45 years ago, Brian Beck approached Mary McWilliams with questions about restoring the historic Winston Home in Tuscumbia. At that time, the imposing antebellum structure located on the Deshler High campus, was used as storage space for some classes like home economics, but Beck had heard that the 1830s home was once
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By Chelsea Retherford | Living 50 Plus Mary Donna Ott found her passion for working in elderly care by chance after she’d moved to Florence from Fairhope in 1984. Now a Life Enrichment director for The Renaissance senior living community, Ott stepped into the role at the facility in 1999 when it was known as Morning Star — and later Brookdale
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Rain or shine — or even a little snow — chances are a group of Shoals residents are meeting down by the river at McFarland Park in Florence to practice tai chi, a low-impact, ancient Chinese martial art that combines meditation and exercise. “First of all, it’s really wonderful to be outside,” said Jan Post, a regular attendant to the
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By Chelsea Retherford | Living 50 Plus When Radell Key saw an ad in 2018 seeking dancers for the Singing River Squares at The Club senior center in Florence, he had no partner and no past dancing experience. Having just moved to the Shoals from Savannah, Tennessee, a year prior, he wasn’t even sure he’d know anyone among the regular
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By Chelsea Retherford | Living 50 Plus Before Skip Cleland retired from the Boeing Company, he said his work took him all over the U.S. As he moved residences throughout his career, he said he never had trouble re-establishing himself as a square dance caller in his new community. “It’s everywhere. In fact, it’s international,” Cleland said. “Just about anywhere
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