Backyard Oasis

Dennis Lee talks to veteran auctioneer Don Raucher about auctioneering horses, cars and contents from estates. Find out if your items might be successful at auction, and a bit of etiquette advice if you plan on attending one!

Do you have questions, comments or thoughts about this episode? Have an episode idea you'd love to share? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at backyardoasispodcast@gmail.com

Hosted by Dennis Lee

Guest: Don Rau...

Are you ready for the unexpected? You come across a hiker bleeding seriously from a fall - could you stop the bleed? Could you help a person who was drowning, having a stroke, choking or having a life-threatening allergic reaction? Would you be calm and confident in your ability to respond to an emergency? Nicole Roma Thurrell of the Institute for Wild Med teaches us how to be prepared.

Find the Institute for Wilderness Medicine at ...

Shrouding is an ancient and deeply rooted human practice as well as an act of protection, kindness and caring in the preparation of a body for burial. Green or natural burials are ancient practices too, and humans are showing renewed interest in them. But there are so many questions: how are they done? Who does them? Are there rules and regulations? Let’s listen and find out about green burials and burial shrouds.

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This week on Backyard Oasis, Dennis Lee talks to professional genealogist Dave Robison. He teaches genealogical research techniques and strategies both on and off the internet, as well as the world of DNA and how it can assist in family research. Join us as Dave explains how to get started in finding out where you came from!

Hosted by Dennis Lee

Edited by Nina Bocko

Produced by Alex Audette

Recorded in the Teaching and Learning Innov...

When author Stephen Bilias invited Bela Breslau to write a novel with him, a wonderful creative collaboration ensued. Host Denise Schwartz talks with South Deerfield, Massachusetts writers Bela and Stephen about their long-time marriage, their new-ish working relationship, and how writing books together has made their marriage even more meaningful…and fun!

Here's a preview of their in-progress fantasy novel titled “Wu Wei Warrior”: ...

Goodbye, "elderly" and "over the hill"; hello, "wise, active older adult!"

Take a moment to imagine an "elderly" person. Now take that mental picture, rip it out of its cracked, broken, gray frame, and REFRAME it in something big, bold, shiny, and new. With a little consideration, you'll start to see wise, active older adults instead of the "elderly," "over the hill" folks you used to picture. Now that is how you change negative ste...

A terrific program that connects digital natives (young people) to older adults to help them navigate technology and learn how to use their devices has launched at Greenfield Community College! Join Judy Raper, Associate Dean of Community Engagement at GCC, Cyber Senior Coordinator, Donna Dusell and tech mentors/GCC Students, Liv Dow and Jessica Lenihan to learn more!

Hosted by Judy Raper

Featuring Jessica Lenihan, Olivia Dow, and Do...

(Special thanks to the Ohio State University's Age-Friendly Innovation Center for creating the (anti) anti-aging slogan that makes today's episode title!)

Tired of being told you "look good for your age?" Tired of seeing anti-aging product advertisements everywhere? Tired of all the messaging from the media telling us that "youth is better," that if you aren't in your 20s, 30s, or 40s you are over the hill, out of touch, no longer r...

Jazz guitarist Philip Rowland and Double Bass player Michael Suter talk about what keeps music alive and exciting for them after all these years. They play American Standards at venues throughout the Pioneer Valley and were recently recorded by Greenfield Community Television. In this episode, Christine Copeland asks how music fits into other aspects of their lives and how they communicate musically with each other as well as their...

Helen Olson spent her life getting to this place, this place here in western Massachusetts. Hers was a jumbled, uncertain life filled with follies and miseries. Helen talks about her two-part life, first, in California, and then here in rural Massachusetts where she learned to bask in the beauty and serenity of the natural world and find herself. And she reads from her book "Getting to this Place", too.

Hosted by Denise Schwartz

Pro...

On this episode of Backyard Oasis, Dennis Lee talks with Barry Bouthilette about his three careers over 71 years on the planet. Barry was a probation officer in Hampshire County, a Director of Development for the United Way and now is a Health and Wellness Coach. His mission is to inspire people to be fully engaged in a life that really matters.

Contributors: Dennis Lee, Barry Bouthilette

Produced by Alex Audette in the Multimedia ...

Dance Doctors Emily Fox and Denise Schwartz (they're not real doctors but they are real dancers!) discuss the enormous number of benefits dancing bestows on people of all ages, but especially on older adults: increased energy, balance, flexibility; improved cognitive skills; more social interaction... and more endorphins - the happiness chemicals- pumped into your body! And it's FUN! But think you can't dance? No, no, no...Dance Do...

The Medical Reserve Corps of Franklin County, MA is thrilled to present this special crossover episode of "Prep School: A Readiness Podcast," originally aired on Jan. 5, 2024.

They say every one of us will feel the impact of a dementia diagnosis - our own or that of someone we know and love- at some point in our lives. Public health nurse and dementia specialist Meg Ryan shares her thoughts about how we can prepare ourselves and oth...