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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
August 22, 1974     Shelton Mason County Journal
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August 22, 1974
 
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Jake Smith welcomes you King Whole ............ ,b. $|4o King Whole ,.ead on) ............. lb. sps King Roasts .................... Sl'° King Steaks .................... ,b. sp0 King Salmon Fillet ............ ,.. =2" Canned Salmon ................ ,b. slgs Smoked Salmon ............... IL The finest and freshest seafood in Mason County is yours at S,I.T.E., the newest and most modern seafood processing plant in the Northwest! LOCATION Only 8 miles north of Shelton on Highway tO6, .4 mites west of junction of 106 and Highway lOt. Open seven "Jays a week ]0 a .m.-6 p.m. Telepho¢~e 877-9246. WATCHES COSMETICS PRESCRIPTIONS GREETING CARDS CAMERA SUPPLIES HAIR CARE PRODUCTS 2nd & Railroad II I COLONEL SANDERS' RECIPE ® Page S-14 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, August 22, 1974 426-4642 Through housing designed with the older generation in mind and catering to their comforts, needs and budgets and with facilities formulated to fit the recreational and social requirements of the elderly while offering specialized services, a new lifestyle has opened to the senior citizens of Mason County. Such an apartment building is Fir Tree Park. and such a facility is the Senior Center. Such a citizen is 77-year-old Alice Cortese, widowed and legally blind. Born in Iowa and reared on a Minnesota farm, Alice Cortese literally grew up on a horse. She has led a life of outdoor sports, hard work. and action-packed hobbies. She's still going strong. She and her husband shared a love for gardening, and on a three-lot site in Minnesota grew more than one hundred different perennials in a park-like setting complete with pools and rock-gardens and naturalized wild-flowers. Now she must settle for house plants, but she will tend a row of vegetables in the Senior Center's community garden spot, the Pea Patch. Once she was elbow-deep in handicrafts. which in her blindness tend to elude her; but she has learned to make ribbon roses by touch, and she believes that other projects as well will become possible for her knowing fingers. In Minnesota she rode motor bikes and snowmobiles with her grandchildren, and she enjoyed camping. She swam at night in clear, warm lakes. Now, with other senior citizens, she swims at the Shelton Pool. "It's wonderful for me," she states, "as I need have no fear of bumping into things, or of swimming straight out into an unlimited expanse of water!" For three years during World War 11 she worked in an iron mine near Calumet, Minnesota. "! took ore samples," she says. "It was considered man's work, but they hired women for the duration of the war. I often worked two shifts, and occasionally even three." "1 tagged the ore cars," she continues, "and then I climbed on top of each car to take a sample with a scoop. After every five cars samples had to be taken to the grinding room, and then to the lab. "It was skilled labor. Many other duties are involved in evaluating the ore," After she was widowed, Mrs. Cortese sought to build up her social security benefits. She labored for three years in a box factory, operating a swing cut-off saw. At one time she was employed by a post office, hauling mail from the depot to the office, and working as a substitute clerk. In 1969 infection following a bout with influenza resulted in the loss of an eye. Subsequent strain weakened the other. Minimal vision prompted her to accept the help of a teacher for the blind. "You wouldn't believe how difficult the little tasks can be," she remarks. "Actions previously taken for granted suddenly become major undertakings when one loses eyesight." There are many little tricks to be mastered to enable the newly blind to be reasonably self-sufficient. There is a long, solemn period of adjustment. Alice Cortese learned to use a funnel to pour liquid into cups; she switched to ladle-shaped measuring spoons, and substituted tongs for the cooking fork; pot-holders were replaced by oven-mitts, and a spatter-shield was used to fry the bacon, cooked to desired aloneness by sound alone. "Breakfast is the hardest meal for me to prepare," says Mrs. Cortese. "For lunch and dinner I use the oven a lot, and 1 have the timer to make it easier." The White Cane, now her most prized ALICE CORTESE, legally blind, has developed a keen sense of touch. possession, was for a long time rejected by Alice Cortese, who was extremely sensitive about her unprecedented helplessness. Because she could not judge distance, the cane eventually became a necessity. "! remember very well," she laughs, "how one day 1 was walking alone and charged into a telephone pole. 1 politely exucsed myself and wondered why the surly brute didn't acknowledge my apology." Her embarrassment when she learned the truth of the incident prompted her acceptance of the cane. "1 am glad to carry it, now," she explains. "It helps others to be aware of my handicap, and people are much more courteous." Alice Cortese has a son and a daughter in Minnesota and a son, Sam Foster, whose home is in Sheiton. For 15 years she was a periodical visitor to Mason County. In February of 1973 she came to this area to stay. With the help of her daughter-inqaw, she manages very well. Mrs. Cortese can accomplish a lot of housework and she is an excellent cook. Utensils hang upon her kitchen walls within easy reach, each always kept in its assigned spot. Alice Cortese participates in Senior Center activities, and in those of Fir Tree Park Social Club. She is a member of the United Methodist Church, active in the Dorcas Circle and with the United Methodist Women. She has pieced a quit top since her blindness. No longer can she read, but she writes letters and she operates a pre-focused camera. The resulting pictures are to her a mere blur. "I wish I knew Braille," she sighs, "but at my age it seems like just too much trouble to learn it. "I'm glad," she adds, "that I've had such an interesting life. Memories are my greatest blessing." Thursday, August 22, 1974 - Shetton-Mason County Journal. Page S-19