The Senior Times
By Charlotte Richardson
Spring has finally arrived, dressed in the guise of summer, and we don't want to be the first to complain about the heat…but WOW, the 80s and 90s!!

With the heat increasing, and summer nearing, it's a good time to think about some of the dangers of summer. One of the tiniest creatures in town packs a powerful wallop! That tiny, almost invisible creature is the deer tick that infests our neighborhoods in large numbers and carry the likelihood of passing along Lyme Disease, with many serious complications we certainly want to avoid. The tick research team from URI will be on hand to help Jamestowners learn how best to control ticks in your yard and on your pets. (Your pets can contract Lyme Disease too!) Last year URI's tick surveillance recorded the second highest level of tick abundance in the past 14 years. Take steps now to keep from being bitten.

You are invited to a Tick Control Awareness Day, which is scheduled for Saturday, June 2, at 3 p.m. and will take place at 22 America Way, at the entrance of East Passage off East Shore Road. In addition to Lyme disease, ticks can also transmit babesiosis and anaplamosis and all are known to be very serious if contracted, and can dramatically affect your life. Don't miss this chance to get important information about how to set up your tick surveillance and take a moment to inform your family, friends and neighbors about this opportunity.

On a lighter note: The Newport County Board of Realtors has fi- nalized plans for the fifth Senior Pancake Breakfast, to be held on Friday, June 8, from 9:30 a.m. until noon at the Knights of Columbus Hall, on Valley Road in Middletown. There will be special gifts for all attending and the program will close with the traditional sing-along. There is no charge for the breakfast, but there will be no transportation provided. Make your plans to get there.

If you would like to attend, please drop by or call the Jamestown Senior Center (423-2658 or 423-1026) by June 3 to add your name to the list of attendees. We have been asked to provide a count to our hosts, as space is limited. This breakfast has been a very a popular event for seniors throughout Newport County so make your reservation quickly so as not to miss it!

Plans are in progress for Volunteer Appreciation Day and the annual meetings for both the Friends of Jamestown Seniors and the Jamestown Senior Citizen Association.

The Jamestown Community Garden is underway for the seventh year, and there are plenty of planting jobs waiting to be filled, which seniors can handle. Don't miss this great opportunity to add an hour or two to your exercise program, and to satisfy that springtime urge to plant something and watch it grow. The results of all that industry will soon be mountains of naturally grown foods that will be donated to Rhode Island Food Bank, to feed elderly and needy Rhode Islanders, just as they have been for several years. Just bring along a small trowel to dig with and go for it!