#Shenandoah Valley Archives

It’s time to connect😀

Hello and may this blog find you in great health with your Medicare insurance coverage working well this Memorial Day Weekend.

For questions, quotes, or quandaries, email Gray@TheBig65.com or book a time on my calendar and we’ll get it sorted.

While my wife, Quantz, was visiting her dad in the low country of South Carolina, our daughter Susanna and I visited my brothers where I grew up in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

When Robert, Haas, and I get together, one thing is certain, there will be chess.

Dad once claimed he’d played Bobby Fisher in New York in the late fifties.

True or not, Chess was our religion, and Bobby Fisher, our hero. We three boys watched on our black and white TV, cheering as Fisher defeated Spassky the Russian in twenty-one games to become world champion.

As many chess games as we could get in with Dad before Mom made us clear the pieces and set the dinner table. Dad, spotting us a glass of beer and his queen, placed two minutes on his chess clock and eight minutes on ours, decimating us with time to spare.

None of us brothers ever rose above amateur. Yet, we retain a love of the game, and through this old chess board and the pieces, a connection to our father’s love. The ghost of Rinehart remains in those pieces.

Never underestimate the mental and physical benefits of social connections between you, your family, and your community.

Maintaining strong social ties can significantly enhance mood, health, and quality of life. A study published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior found that older adults who engage in regular social activities are less likely to experience depression.

Social interactions provide emotional support, which can help individuals manage stress and anxiety more effectively. After dinner, we did a stroll around the old city of Staunton. If you ever visit, check out the Shakespeare Theater and take a walk up onto the hill at Mary Baldwin College. You can also visit Woodrow Wilson’s birthplace.

Engaging with family and friends can also help keep the mind sharp. Research indicates that social interactions stimulate cognitive functions, potentially delaying the onset of dementia.

A study in the American Journal of Public Health documented seniors with strong social networks had a 70% reduced risk of cognitive decline compared to those who were less socially active.

Maintaining social connections often encourages more physical activity, whether it’s going for a walk with a friend or participating in group activities. The CDC notes that physical activity can help manage chronic conditions, improve balance and coordination, and enhance overall physical health.

Haas lives about twenty minutes south of Robert on his farm in Spottswood and he spends as much time outside hunting, fishing, and farming as he possibly can. Do me a favor and stay out of the trees and off of your own roof, please!

Being connected to family and friends provides a sense of belonging and purpose, which is crucial for a fulfilling life. This sense of community can lead to increased happiness and life satisfaction.

The Harvard Study of Adult Development has shown that close relationships, more than money or fame, are what keep people happy throughout their lives. I’m so glad Sus came along on this trip to reconnect with her aunts, uncles, and cousins. Don’t forget about loving on animals as well.

We took a quick trip down to Charlottesville with Aunt Cristi to see cousin Mia right after Mia finished her first semester as a graduate student studying physics at UVA. Both Sus and Mia got our dad’s red hair and his deep love of learning. I guess it skipped a generation.

There is also evidence to suggest that strong social ties can lead to a longer life. A meta-analysis published in PLoS Medicine found that individuals with strong social relationships had a 50% increased likelihood of survival compared to those with weaker social connections.

Quantz’s dad is proof of this. He still volunteers weekly at Brookgreen gardens, walks daily to check out the birds at Huntington State Park, and hangs out with his coffee klatch buddies causing plenty of general mayhem. He’s proof of aging well by staying connected and repeating my favorite adage, “getting old ain’t for sissies!”

Some of the different ways to stay connected include participating in local clubs, volunteering, or attending community events. Video calls, social media, and messaging apps can also be great tools when physical distance is an issue.

By embracing the power of social connections, you can enhance your well-being and make the most of every day. Keep reaching out, stay active in your community, and cherish the bonds that bring joy and health into your life.

Or you can keep it simple and do like Buddy does: fish, laugh with friends, and love on Puff, the noisiest, sweetest Javanese I have ever met.

Keep squeezing the juice out of life and look for ways to help others!

If family or friends need help… referrals are the lifeblood of my business.

If you know someone who might like to receive The Big 65 newsletter, forward this link.

Medicare questions or problems?

Book a time on my calendar or email Gray, Gray@theBig65.com.

Let us know what’s going on and please send pictures :).

Karl Bruns-Kyler
(877) 850-0211
Book a time on my calendar here
Happy with my Service? Click Here to Leave a Review.

Karl Bruns-Kyler is a Medicare insurance broker and independent Medicare agent licensed to help Medicare recipients in thirty states around the country, including:

Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maryland
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
Washington
Wisconsin

The Big 65 Medicare Insurance Services does not offer every plan available in your area. Currently, we represent 10 organizations that offer 50 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.

How are you treating yourself!

Happy November!

May this blog find you in great health during the madness of the Medicare Annual Election Period (AEP).

Alert, Alert⏰: If your insurance company calls you to suggest a “better plan” than your current one, warning Will Robinson, danger⚠️!

Having an Independent Medicare Insurance Broker means you don’t have to settle for a single carrier sneaking in and trying to railroad you into their plan. You and I can shop all the different carriers if you have questions. Don’t be bamboozled!

Book a time here if you need me because we have till December 7th.

Plato hopes you and your family had a fun Halloween. Ours was a little colder than expected, plus some of the white stuff.

Q delegated wrapping operations from inside the house. Plato and I did our best to protect this tree from the cold and the deer. As you can see, he looks pretty comfortable in the snow.

Sunday night was all about carving pumpkins, roasting seeds, and eating treats. Wine may have been involved and the names were changed to protect the innocent.

Daughter Sus and her pals in northern Colorado had a great time celebrating the holiday. I’m sending our honey to the first three who identify the characters and the movie they represented. Bee prompt.

Congrats to Gail in Ohio for winning honey last week! She’s the only one who jumped in the leaves. Good on you Gail. Keep an eye out for a Starbucks card as well!

Technically, Bryan didn’t follow the directions to take a selfie in the leaves, but this picture wins the award for cuteness, right? Bryan, the honey is on the way.

The holidays have me thinking a lot about food and what’s ahead.

A recent news report estimated that starting from age 19, individuals experience a gradual decrease in calorie requirements, which becomes more evident in the 60s, leading either to possible weight gain or to a reduced appetite.

Aging also results in muscle loss, increased fat, brain shrinkage, and decreased physical activity, all contributing to fewer calories burned.

It’s hard for me to believe this is true when I meet someone like John, a veteran who is still working, laughing, and living well, but I guess it applies to all of us. It helps to be mindful of how we eat.

As calorie needs decrease, older adults require more nutrients like calcium, vitamin B6, vitamin D, and protein.

Focusing on nutrient-dense foods becomes essential, with less room for treats. A multivitamin supplement can help fill gaps, but maintaining a balanced diet is crucial for health.

I had a fun surprise Monday night when my 7pm phone appointment with Helen turned into a face to face at our house with Dave, Kate, and Helen. Flexibility is the secret to good living. It was a pleasure getting to know these folks who live just minutes away.

The door is always open, just be sure to give us 15 minutes warning so Quantz can hide upstairs!

If you’re a regular reader, you know I just returned from a high school reunion in the Shenandoah Valley. Growing up in a Mennonite community, the joke always was:

Mennonites don’t have sex standing up because they are afraid it’ll lead to dancing.

Of course social mores have loosened up (see the beer glasses below) but thank goodness, the friendships remain. You can see four of the six below from the picture above and we hung out with the other two as well. As we used to sing, “may the circle be unbroken.”

I sure give thanks for these guys!

One of the joys of returning to where you grew up are the memories that return. My brothers pulled out these old pics of us playing speed chess with our late dad.

Dad would sometimes play us blindfolded and shout out the moves from the living room. He was rated just short of a Master and actually played Bobby Fisher once in New York when we were kids (so the story goes).

None of us excelled to his level but every time we visited, the board would come out and the games would begin. See how his hand is raised in the picture above and below? Even though the second game wasn’t a speed chess game with a clock, at 84 he was still in competitive form, ready to slap the timer.

Our best hope of winning was only if he spotted us a piece and a couple of cocktails.

I couldn’t count the thousands of games we played, but what a pleasure to be playing and honoring our father whenever we get together on the chessboards we played on with him.

Please share your family’s rituals, the ones you want to pass on and gift them to the next generation. You will be glad you did!

My amazing wife Q has only two speeds, on or on. She’s been home a week, caught up on the house, and now she’s volunteering again for the Sherriff’s department. Mostly phone calls and clerical, but keep an eye out for her on election day, keeping the peace at a voter station near you.

So get out there and vote, be a great citizen and THANK your neighbor for having a different set of beliefs than you do. That’s what makes America amazing!

“There is no them, there is only us!”

Keep squeezing the juice out of life!

Medicare questions or problems?

Book a time on my calendar or email Gray, Gray@theBig65.com.

If family or friends need help… referrals are the lifeblood of my business.

Let us know what’s going on and please send pictures :).

Karl Bruns-Kyler
(877) 850-0211
Book a time on my calendar here

As a novice to navigating the Medicare system, I cannot recommend the services of Karl enough. His knowledge has saved my wife and I a lot of money, both on the Medicare supplement insurance and the drug coverage. Costs you nothing to listen and has saved up thousands of dollars over time.
– Robert B

Happy with my Service?
Click Here to Leave a Review.

Karl Bruns-Kyler is a Medicare insurance broker and independent Medicare agent licensed to help Medicare recipients in thirty states around the country, including:

Alabama
Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Louisiana
Maryland
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
Washington
Wisconsin

Here’s the one D that’s good for you!

May this blog find you in great health with your Medicare Insurance working properly 😊.

Plato hopes you’re enjoying the leaves wherever you are in America. In fact, he double 🐶 dares you to make a pile and jump on it 🍁.

I’ll send a bottle of our honey to the first three people who send selfies in the leaves.

And don’t worry, yellowing Florida palm fronds count 🌴!

The Annual Election Period is in full swing and the phone is ringing.

If you’re happy with your current coverage, and there have been no major changes, then no action is necessary, leave things be 🐝. But…

If you are unhappy, unsure, or just want peace of mind, book a time here. We have till December 7th. Here’s my current list of states:

AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, ID, IN, IA, KS, LA, MD, MI, MN, MO, NV,

NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI.

Remember: anyone who calls YOU about Medicare without permission is BREAKING THE LAW. Ask for their insurance license number and watch them disappear 👿.

Yours truly had a great time visiting clients, old high school classmates, and family in the Shenandoah Valley. Reconnecting is good for the heart and great for the soul, and it is a reminder we are getting older!

It wasn’t easy to convince my little brother to take an ice bath ❄️ on his farm in late October. The shock is good for the body and the brain, but don’t you try it till you consult a doctor.

I would’ve posted the video, but Haas dropped too many F bombs 😅. That’s what brothers do, right?

Nobody likes feeling older so one of the most important things we can do as we age is to take the time to practice self care, especially of the brain.

A recent study posits that vitamin D deficiencies could be linked to an increased risk of stroke or dementia. And here’s the crazy thing…

Up to 42% of US adults may be deficient in vitamin D!! The good news is there are plenty of easy ways to remedy this problem.

Here are some simple ways to increase vitamin D:

• Spend time in the sun.
• Eat vitamin D-rich foods, fatty fish, eggs, and cheese.
• Take supplements if necessary.
• Include mushrooms in your diet.

Be sure to consult your doctor for personalized advice, but do pick at least one and add it to your life, and let us know if it helps!

68 pounds🍯. That was the honey harvest this year.

Thanks to so many friends for their advice and help in the harvesting and taking care of the bees. I’m keeping my fingers crossed the winter isn’t too hard on them.

Neighbor Erick was kind enough to enough to give me advice about my sprinkler system so I sent him home with honey.

He is an amazing landscape architect who recently completed Seven Stones here in Colorado, a botanical garden cemetery with a whole new approach to celebrate and honor the passing of life. I can’t wait to walk the property. Even better, they have bees!

We lost one of my favorites in Atlanta this month. Miss Shirley was 95, beautiful on the inside and the outside, one of those remarkable people you get the privilege to hear about. Healthy, kind, engaged, and loved. It just doesn’t get any better than that.

Adrienne told me her mom loved seeing her picture in the newsletter. In fact, we’d just been talking about her the week before she passed. Miss Shirley, you’ll be missed. Hope your ears are ringing in heaven.

Stan and Michelle finally pulled off their dream adventure: London, Highclere Castle (from Downton Abbey), Paris, Provence, and Giverny, plus lots of great wine.

Here’s wishing the engineer and his wife continued adventures!

If you ever find yourself a wandering in the Shenandoah, be sure to visit the Thomas House in Dayton, Virginia. Just off Route 11, we’ve been eating there since time out of mind.

Old Mama Thomas has long passed, though some of her china plates still remain on the walls, and the food will bring you back. Digging in to this comfort food reminds me of my days working on Abe Lincoln’s uncle’s dairy farm before school, in the heart of Virginia Mennonite country.

You may need to take a statin and some insulin before grabbing a meat and three plus a glass of sweet tea, but I assure you, it’s worth the indulgence.

Better yet, go with your best friend Luke, his son Lightning Lucas, and a big appetite. You won’t be disappointed.

Leave a good tip and a great smile. The world will thank you.

Good news: Quantz finally came home 🎉! Last stop was Armenia, including a glimpse of Mount Ararat and this Gampr, a huge dog bred to protect flocks from predators (the ears are cropped so the wolves can’t bite them).

73 countries visited, 122 to go! Miles to go before we sleep.

Keep squeezing the juice out of life!

Medicare questions or problems?

Book a time on my calendar or email Gray, Gray@theBig65.com.

If family or friends need help… referrals are the lifeblood of my business.

Let us know what’s going on and please send pictures :).

Karl Bruns-Kyler
(877) 850-0211
Book a time on my calendar here

Happy with my Service? Click Here to Leave a Review.

Karl Bruns-Kyler is a Medicare insurance broker and independent Medicare agent licensed to help Medicare recipients in twenty-seven states around the country, including:

Don’t be a hero this weekend!

May this newsletter-blog post find you in great health with your Medicare Insurance working properly as we prepare for the 4th of July .

Are you getting outside and enjoying life? Great, but don’t be a hero this weekend!

Perhaps you should check out pickleball! The game is fun, inexpensive, and a great way to meet people.

Just be sure you do the right preparation before starting!

According to USPTA Certified Teaching Pro Pam Lippy (PamLippy@gmail.com), who runs Pickleball Clinics in Ohio and Florida, it is imperative to get clearance from your doctor and to also do dynamic stretching before you just jump on a court and start playing.

According to a recent Bloomberg article, Pickleball may be responsible for nearly $400 million in medical costs! Hip injuries, torn ligaments, and sprains.

A lot of this is caused by over eager players with a “can do attitude” who don’t take the time to warm up properly and get the training they need to get started.

Just remember what my daughter said to me many years ago when I came back from soccer with a torn calf muscle: “Daddy, don’t be a hero!”

Keep trying new things, but be careful .

Life is getting back to normal here in Colorado after last week’s tornado. Miraculously, no one was injured but we did lose thousands of trees. This is the park behind our house where the trees are being mulched.

Q and I have had so much fun hanging out with our neighbor Vickie and her grandvarmints.

Going on walks and exploring nature with them has been so much fun.

We know how hot it’s been for Medicare clients in the South and the Midwest. Plato hopes you’re staying cool.

We’ve had more rain in the last three months than we did in the previous year, but this week, we had a couple of days in the 90’s and our bees are doing their best to adapt.

This is called bearding when the girls build up on the outside of the hive. I thought they might be swarming but my bee buddy Toly set me straight. Keep your fingers crossed they produce a ton of honey …

Congratulations to Jack and Adrienne on the celebration of their 24th wedding anniversary. Their smiles say it all. Adrienne, please send more pics of your puppy doodle Winston, people have been asking!

Summer means different things to different people, but to my little brother Haas, it means fishing the rivers of the Shenandoah Valley.

Our Air Force son, Nicholas, has been deployed to Eastern Europe where he and his fellow Airmen are working twelve hours days six days a week.

We give thanks for tech that allows us to screen share and stay in touch.

Nico and the other soldiers have befriended a local cat now named “Perogi,” feeding him leftovers and trying to fatten him up. It’s those little connections that make all the difference.

Be sure to keep all our soldiers in your prayers.

That’s it for this week; Keep squeezing the juice out of life!

Medicare questions or problems?

Book a time on my calendar or email Gray, Gray@theBig65.com.

If family or friends need help… referrals are the lifeblood of my business.

Let us know what’s going on and please send pictures :).

Karl Bruns-Kyler
(877) 850-0211
Book a time on my calendar here

Happy with my Service? Click Here to Leave a Review.

Karl Bruns-Kyler is a Medicare insurance broker and independent Medicare agent licensed to help Medicare recipients in twenty-three states around the country, including:

Alabama
Arizona
Colorado
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Louisiana
Maryland
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
Wisconsin

The Big 65 Medicare Insurance Services does not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all your options.

How To Use Your Crystallized Intelligence

I hope you’ve been avoiding the Medicare trolls and incessant telemarketers. Beware of anyone who promises too much! Meanwhile, Plato says Happy SNowvember!

Here are a few stories that may inspire you to use your crystallized intelligence.

Last Saturday, when we were walking, we ran into a buddy who saved his newly born grandchild’s life. The baby was born prematurely and was not putting on weight. After one ounce of milk, the baby stopped nursing and the newly minted doctor ordered a feeding tube but the feeding tube was not fixing the problem. The baby was still losing weight.

My buddy had been actively involved in the feeding and the care of all sixteen of his other grandchildren and he took the doctor to task.

He asked for the chance to remedy the situation by being allowed to take over the feeding. In one night, using the learning of a lifetime, Bill turned the situation around.

When morning came around, his grandbaby had consumed 2 and 1/2 bottles of formula and was on the road to living. No feeding tube was needed after Bill worked his magic.

We often think of aging as a diminishing process. However, don’t underestimate the power of crystallized intelligence … the wisdom we have gained over a lifetime.

In our younger years, it’s our fluid intelligence that helps us succeed. As we age, crystallized intelligence makes us specialists in certain areas and the onus is upon us to use that wisdom for good.

Since I’ve already made every mistake in the book, I try to use what I have learned to mentor the lives of younger people (and of course to help all of you with Medicare).

Aging well should also include growth, learning and trying new things, but do look for ways to share what you have learned over life with your tribe. How are you going to help others?

Here’s how Martin has helped ...

Martin is a buddy of mine in France. He bought this barren farm in 1992 when he had a still had a head full of hair. Over the next thirty years, he worked as a teacher and spent his free time transforming the land into a forest. Martin jokes that though he lost hair, he regrew it on the land. That, to me, is a legacy.

Famed psychologist Raymond Cattell describes crystallized intelligence as what we acquire from past experiences, through knowledge, and culture.

There are more ways we can learn to use our crystallized intelligence for enriching the lives of our fellow humans.

Tom’s Halloween Masterpiece …

Neighbor Tom takes pleasure every year in building a Halloween spectacle. Though his kids have been out of the house for quite a while, Tom has created a masterpiece that brings joy to everyone who sees it. Each year, his monster madness is more amazing than the year before.

Ed and Perri are neighbors. We usually run into each other out on the trails with our dogs. Though I don’t know them well, I always enjoy our casual conversations. Everything I read says these connections are essential to living well, to staying connected. So, keep looking for ways to stay connected, that is the secret sauce.

You all know that I love Colorado, but if you are looking for “Almost Heaven…”

You have to go where I grew up, the Shenandoah Valley, the edge of West Virginia.

My little brother Haas lives deep in the Valley and he’s loving his new puppy, Georgia, even when she causes trouble. He takes her everywhere he goes.

Georgia says watch out for “Medicare bull” and don’t underestimate the power of your own crystallized intelligence. And let me know what’s going on in your world and how I can help.

Please forward this newsletter to all your friends and family! Remember, referrals are the lifeblood of my business. And thank you.

Have a great week, be safe, and call me if you need me.

Karl Bruns-Kyler
(877) 850-0211
Book a time on my calendar here

Karl Bruns-Kyler is a Medicare insurance broker licensed to help Medicare recipients in twenty-two states around the country. States served by Karl include:

Alabama
Arizona
Colorado
Florida
Georgia
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Louisiana
Maryland
Missouri
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
Wisconsin

We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all your options.