Bad Memory Can Be Dangerous to Your Health

 Listening to many of my elderly friends, I hear complaints about health and about memory. The idea of simple things being forgotten sometimes is hilarious, especially when it seems to happen to every one I know. Going into a room but forgetting why. Trying to recall a name that may pop into your brain at a later time when you are not even thinking about it. Trying to remember if a pill was taken. Making a list of what needs to be done or purchased and forgetting the list. Wondering if the garage door was closed. And many other things that are forgotten by senior citizens.

This morning I had to go to the grocery store for a few items and the last thing I put on was my mask to protect me from Covid. While driving I pulled the mask down to rest below my chin. Arriving at the store and getting my buggy I could not find the disinfectant spray or towels to wipe down the buggy. I asked a clerk and he said, "It should be by the buggies." I told him I did not see anything to use as a disinfect. I wanted to get in and out of the store so I proceeded to pick up my items. All the time I worried that who ever used the cart before me might have had some germs that I might get. That is an uncomfortable feeling.

As I checked out, all I could think of was to hurry and use some of the hand sanitizer I carry in my car. I placed the bags in my trunk, opened the car door, and went to pull off my mask. It was still underneath my chin. I had forgotten to pull it up when I went into the store.  I am surprised that no one approached me and told me to wear my mask!

I shopped without my mask covering my face so if I come down with something, I will know why. Memory is important and as a friend of mine, who is my same age, tells me, "You have to focus, really focus on what you are doing or it might slip your mind!"

At Starbucks a barista was wearing a face mask.

"Why are you wearing a surgical mask?"

"I'm not, it's a coughy filter."

From the Internet

After A Seven Month Hibernation

 On Tuesday, September 22, 2020, the Young At Heart group met at a mass at 11:00 a.m. It would be the first time that some of the people had been out since the Covid 19 pandemic and the first time to see friends. All those attending wore masks so it was hard recognizing many of them since some had let their hair coloring fade to white. It was a shock to remember people that we remembered with dark hair and now they were sporting grey or white tops!

Mass began and I counted about one hundred people in attendance though I wasn't positive of the number; more like an estimate. Mass was wonderful for me because for the past seven months I had watched it on my lap top. I debated on receiving communion because it would have been nice to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before I received the body and blood of Jesus again. The next thing I knew, I was walking down the aisle and praying that if I had any sins that they be erased so that I could receive communion. As I put the host into my mouth I knew what I had been missing by watching the electronic masses. There is a peacefulness that I get knowing that Christ is within me.

The priest's final words, after greeting us and letting us know that every fourth Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. a mass would be celebrated for the group, he reminded us that we should not congregate as we left the church! I believe it is called going in one ear and out the other because everyone gathered outside to greet, hug, shake hands or elbows and receive a chocolate for their birthday. I felt guilty lining everyone up, with no social distancing, for a birthday picture. Hopefully, the masks are enough to protect us from the horrible Coronavirus!

Some of the Board members and other YAH members went out for lunch at 3 Garcia's Mexican Restaurant. This restaurant has a large patio that overlooks Hidden Lake so everyone felt safe with no fear of picking up the virus. Of course, only time will tell and the warning we get is to quarantine for  fourteen days and then for sure we will be safe. That is unless people continue socializing and a germ can be picked up somewhere else!

Even with the threat of an airborne germ floating around, we enjoyed our lunch and talking to friends. I pray that God watches over us and keeps us safe because I have read that socializing is good for the soul!

"There is no greater

predictor of human well-being

than the amount of social time

we spend with one and other."

Tom Rath

A Foreign World

 I was flipping through the many Netflix offerings and when I saw My Octopus Teacher, I clicked on it. I did not know much about octopuses other than while in Mexico and in Europe I had seen it offered in meals. Not being a daring type, I never tasted it though I did eat Squid once and found it to be chewy and tasteless.

From the Internet I learned that an octopus has three hearts, blue blood, eight arms, suction cups on arms, and can become different shapes and colors. The largest are 30' long and weigh 600 pounds, have no bones in their body and with eyesight as well as man's. They are also gentle.

The documentary is filmed underneath the ocean and the speaker follows an octopus that looks about a foot long but much longer when it swims with its arms floating along behind the body. Every day the diver would submerge to the beautiful, alien world. He photographed the octopus at rest, fighting enemies, camouflaging by using different tricks and becoming friends with the photographer. One shot looked like a mass of shells stuck to a rock until the octopus burst from his hiding place. Seeing the many colorful fish, the kelp forest and a different world was amazing. The photographer made me wonder how he could hold his breath for such lengths.

Seeing the octopus fight a shark came as a surprise when the octopus did  clever move by getting on the shark's back for safety. What could the shark do but give up! Another time the shark was able to bite one of the octopus' legs but it grew back in a few months. The sad thing is that the octopus the photographer was filming did not live long. Not quite a year and it was sad watching the octopus fade away. This is a great documentary and I recommend watching it because it gives one a different view of life in another world!

"Octopus can fish for prey while deciding what

color and pattern to turn, what shape to make

their bodies, be on alert for predators and aware

of how far away their dens are."

Sy Montgomery

recommend it just for the idea of seeing another world.

Get It In Writing

What comes out of a person's mouth and what goes into another person's ear sometimes it is not the same! I had a problem with the plumber that came to remove the toilet from my bathroom. I never knew there was a problem because what he told me was different than what he was telling me when he came to put the toilet back.

"Hi, you are right on time," I greeted the plumber at 8 a.m. in the morning.

"Yes," he replied, "I'll have the toilet back in place in no time." He fooled around with his hand-held computer and said, "that will be $700 dollars."

"What?" I remarked, "You told me you would return to do the job since I had already paid."

Going back to the day he took the toilet out, we had chatted like two old friends. I paid the $400 plus dollars and we discussed the flange and he showed me two types and I picked one. He told me not to have any one else come in to do the replacing of the toilet because he would return to do it and "after all, it's all paid." Today's amount was a shock to me. I told him I could not pay it because it was not in my budget. I reminded him of his comment but he did not recall saying that to me. He mentioned something about me needing a new flange and I said I had already had the flange and it was sitting in the toilet in the bedroom where he had placed it. I thought he acted surprised that the flange was already in the house.

On his computer he showed me that two visits from a plumber came to over $1100. I told him he should have told me when he was here previously and I either would not have used him or I would have tried to come up with the additional money. In the back of my mind I kept thinking, another person I can not trust and here I thought I had found an honest plumber. He said he would proceed and put the toilet back in and after he finished the job he said, "I just want you to know that you got a $700 job for free!" I think he really thinks he is right and I also think I am right. If we had everything in writing all of this would have been avoided.

My response was that he should have told me that there would be an additional charge and he never should have made the comment about how I had already paid for the job. I also told him that when I called to set up the date for him to return, the receptionist asked me if I had already paid for the job. I told her I had paid and he was just coming to replace the toilet. She never made a comment. I truly believed he was returning to reset the toilet and there would be no cost. I had also mentioned this fact to family members and to some friends so I knew I was not dreaming!

I feel bad about the misunderstanding and probably would have found someone else to do the job if I had known there would be an extra charge!

"Read your contracts.

Up and down,

left and right."

Lauren Jauregui

When It Rains It Pours

The quote of When It Rains, It Pours I find interesting. Usually, it is unfortunate happenings, but in my case it is all good!  This is my story about face masks.

I had one face mask  It was the paper disposal one and for a couple of months I used it.  When I returned from being out, I would spray it with disinfectant, hang it on a door knob and reuse it. When my daughter visited me in July she said, "Mom, those are disposal masks and they are called disposal for a reason. Use it and trash it." She purchased a box of masks and left about ten masks for me to use. 

It seemed that everyone I knew had neat cloth masks, either homemade or purchased through Amazon. It also seemed that many places were selling them. Almost every day I would get on the Internet and look at the different masks and debate whether I should order me some cloth masks. I really liked the Mexican embroidered ones but could not justify paying $20.00. I continued using the disposal masks my daughter had given me and after one or two uses I would toss them away. 

One day I got a text from my granddaughter and she showed me a mask she had just purchased through Amazon for twelve dollars. I liked it. I went on Amazon and looked for the same mask but could never find it.

In the mail from National Pen, I received a black mask as a sample. I have ordered bulk items, for different groups from this company, so they sent me a sample. A day later I visited a friend and she gave me a mask with the flag of the United States. Now I had two cloth masks; a black one and a patriotic one. I ended ordering one from Amazon to save shipping costs for something else I had ordered. Yesterday, at a get together with friends, I was given a cute bag with three cloth ones made by another friend . She told me she has probably made over 100 masks for friends. When I told her she could make money by selling them she said, "No, I make them so that friends can be safe." Now I have a mask to match any color I am wearing. Without me having to buy one, I have ended up with six cloth masks! So you see, when it rains it pours! 

Today, meeting at a friend's home to see the movie Fatima, another friend gave me a present and guess what I found in the gift bag! A beautiful face mask! That gives me one mask for every day of the week!

"Friends are God's way

of taking care of us."

Gypsy Souls

A Gathering During A Pandemic

 Usually, after one of the trips to see different views and to learn about history, when we get back from our trip I plan a party for the travelers. (See my August 23, 2020 Blog entry named Are We Tempting Fate.)

Today, September the 16th of the year 2020, the party day arrived. We were in a large patio and a huge

garage door was slid open so those that did not want to be outside could feel as if they were outside! The view of the lake was beautiful and we could see a few water skiers enjoying the sport. Someone told me they felt as if they were at a foreign resort. The only thing bad was the hazy grey sky because of the forest fires in the mountains.

All the masked travelers arrived and it was like old home week with hugs, elbow tapping, and greetings. The hostess had arranged places for people to sit at four persons to a table but as friends arrived, chairs were dragged to have more than four at a table. One round table that I had arranged to have six people was soon filled with nine persons. They were right next to each other with no thought of social distancing!

Food was served and it was wonderful to see how normal the lunch seemed to be as people removed masks to eat. The hostess and one fellow were the servers as they hustled back and forth serving drinks, taking down orders for the alcoholic drinks which were not included in the price, bringing out plates of either flautas, chile rellenos, or enchiladas. 

Three travelers had birthdays in September and they were given a birthday crown and a card. A slide show of the trip was on three large screens above the bar for those that wanted to watch our travels. My thanks goes to the 3 Garcia's Mexican Restaurant for all the help they gave me in preparing for our get together. The food was tasty and the drinks were cold, especially the salt-rimmed glasses of Margaritas!

It took almost seven months for our group to get together because of Covid 19, but at our party no one would guess that we were in a pandemic.

"Let us be grateful to people

who make us happy, 

they are charming gardeners

who make our souls blossom."

Marcel Proust

Here I Go Again

If you have been reading my blog about replacing the floor in my bathroom today begins another round with a different company. Already I am pleased with the new company and especially with the young man who delivered the materials to be used by a contractor to replace my old floor with a spanking brand new floor! Goods delivered on Labor day, September 7, 2020. When the young man called to let me know he was on his way, he used my name and pronounced it correctly. That gave me a good feeling. Even though I had been told that the delivery could not be brought into the house and that it would be left in my garage or porch, he asked where I wanted the material.  And I replied, "In the house." No lifted eyebrow, no questions, no argument, he just said, "All right."


I noticed how careful the kid handled the materials. He brought in one box at a time though I knew he could have brought all three boxes at the same time. He was just being careful, almost as if he knew my experience with the previous delivery by Home Depot. Already I liked Lowe's better! The materials are now in my kitchen and I will wait to hear from the contractor as to the date he will be out to begin the putting down of the new floor.

On September 11, 2020, I received a call from the installer around 4:30 p.m. asking that I call them to set up a date to come install the floor. On Monday I will contact them and maybe I will have a new floor next week! Wednesday or Friday will not work for me and I am hoping that Tuesday or Thursday will be the day that the installer can get my new floor into the bathroom.

I called the installer early Monday morning and left a message. At three-thirty I received a call from the installer and his first available date would be Wednesday, September 16, 2020. As fate would have it, Wednesday would not work for me. I told the installer that I was meeting forty people for lunch at 1 p.m. and I could not cancel the lunch date. I was torn between rescheduling, and waiting another two weeks or if he could do the installing of the floor before noon then Wednesday would work. He said he would arrive at 8 in the morning and would be out of my house before noon. 

Now I have to plan to be ready for lunch before eight in the morning because while he is here I will not be able to get ready! Lucky for me, the installer arrived at eight and after assembling all of his gear he began installing the floor. I was amazed at everything he set up in the yard; saw, cords, drills, etc.

The feeling I got was that Lowe's had sent a professional installer and I was impressed at how diligently he worked to complete the job. He knew I was on a tight schedule and as promised, he finished the job by 11:30 a.m., giving me plenty of time to prepare for the luncheon.

At last, after three and a half months and two different companies, I have a new floor. Once again I can walk into the bathroom and enjoy my new floor!

"If God wanted us to bend over,

He'd put diamonds on the floor!" 

 Joan Rivers

Costco Joins The Modern World

 

This morning I had to go to Costco for one item. The lines were fairly long but I saw a sign directing me to go to the cashier who was handling shoppers with ten items or less. I got to the cashier but to my surprise, there was no cashier. It was a self-checking machine and there were six machines. This was a shock to me because I did not know Costco had a self-check out area. A clerk came up and said, "Scan your card, scan the item, place item on metal table, and when total comes up, scan your card again."  The clerk told me that the machines were put in a couple of weeks ago and I did as she directed me. Surely this would get me out of the store faster than if I had to wait in line behind many item shoppers. I thought I would soon be out of the store. 

I was wrong. Once checked out I had to join the other shoppers with more than ten items and creep along until I reached the people who count the items and put a line through the receipts before we can leave the store. I am not sure if the self-check machines are supposed to be for customers who think they will get out of the store faster or because they don't want to stand in line behind fifty item purchasers! But, by me checking out my one item it did not get me out of the store any faster. I still had to wait behind the heavy shoppers with all their items to be checked out. When I finally arrived at one of the two persons checking people out, a line was put on my receipt and I was able to leave the store. 

My suggestion is that there should be a separate line for the self-checkers because having to wait with the rest of the shoppers does not allow a shopper with one item to  get out of the store any faster.

Costco shopping can be fun,

yet it is a relief when I am done!

E. Moscoso

Never To Be Forgotten

 It was a regular work day for me; woke up, got ready for work and left for the office. I did not turn on the radio and when I arrived at the office, I opened the door at eight-thirty and went to my desk to begin my day. I was the first one to arrive and before long, two co-workers entered the office. "Did you hear?" They shouted at me. "Did I hear what?"

 "A plane crashed into one of the twin towers in New York!" We rushed into a room with a television and I could not believe what I was seeing. It seemed like an announcement for a new terror movie. Before long there were eight people around the screen, stunned at the news we were hearing. We were told the office would close. I rushed home to watch the rest of the alarming news on my own t.v. set.

The reports were horrible. People jumping from windows, last minute conversations from those caught on floors and unable to get out, fire fighters killed trying to rescue people, another plane hit the Pentagon, hijackers attacked by passengers and all killed, the term "let's roll," became popular, miracle stories of some that made it out alive, and so many people died either on impact, trying to escape the burning towers, or the collapse of the towers. 

I had visited my brother in New York a few years before the attacks so I got to see the twin towers! He had taken me on a tour of Manhattan and when we tried to go up one of the towers at the Trade Center, it was under repair, and we could not go up. But I did see the identical towers standing so tall and proud! 

Yesterday, September 11, 2020, there was a remembrance program at the museum built around the disaster of the attacks. As I watched it, nineteen years later, I still cried. Amazing to hear the stories of the survivors and to see the children, now grown up remembering their parents, relatives or friends. The wall with all the pictures was sad to see and to hear the comments from family who had lost loved ones during that terrorist attack. Barack Obama, Rudy Giuliani, and Andrew Cuomo were some of the speakers and it was good to see all being united in remembering and honoring that tragic day. I learned about the Essay Staircase, also known as the Survivor's Staircase and the tall frame with messages, both at the museum.

It is a day that will never be forgotten.

"If we learn nothing else from this tragedy,

we learn that life is short and there is no

time for hate." 

Sandy Dahl, 

wife of Flight 93 pilot Jason Dahl

Fooled By A Title

My Planet by Mary Roach is a book I would never read. I knew I would not enjoy the book chosen by my book club. A book about natural wonders of our earth or maybe about exotic animals that roam the land or possibly a book on astrology that I felt would be to scientific and I would not enjoy. I prefer fiction and pretend stories to reality. Especially now that we are in a pandemic I want to be taken away into imaginary worlds!

The introduction to My Planet is about Mary Roach writing for The Reader's Digest and had over sixty articles published. Maybe if I had read the whole title, it might have made a difference. My Planet: Finding Humor In The Oddest Places might have given me a clue that it might be a book I would enjoy! It has nothing to do with our planet but a hilarious series of short vignettes about her way of seeing every day happenings. Her husband is in many of the stories dealing with their differences! Many of the short stories I could identify with and her humorous life made me laugh at some of her ramblings. There is no subject that she leaves out and writes about many things I, and maybe you, have thought about also.

If anyone needs a chuckle this is one book that will make you laugh!

"My books are not really books.

They're endless chain of distractions

shoved inside a cover."

Mary Roach

Road Kill Cactus

Hanging around with friends who are gardeners, some more that others, but all seem to have a knowledge of plants. At a gathering of my five friends, two of us were given the choice of picking a green, prickly looking cactus. I was chosen to take the Road Kill Cactus because I have told them that no matter how much I try to grow plants or flowers, they eventually die. Some because I forget to water and others because I watered them too much! When I was handed the cactus I was told, "Here is a plant that you won't be able to kill....it needs no care other than sun!"

I was skeptical because I know my plant history, but I brought it home and placed it in a basket planter. The dirt is completely dry and my inclination is to water it but the instructions say dirt should be dry. I wonder, how dry?

Reading about Road Kill Cactus, I learned some will grow into a tree and in the spring it will bloom with tiny orange flowers. Now I have something to look forward to but my thought of putting some water on it is nagging me! I have always liked succulents and this one is a beautiful plant so I hope I can keep it growing. It is called Road Kill because it is flat like it has been run over! I was advised by my knowledgeable friends that I will need to bring it in when it begins to get cold.

Looking at my beautiful plant I am feeling that if I can keep this cactus growing, maybe I will be able to grow other things!

"Life begins when you

start a garden."

Chinese Proverb

It Would Have Been Sixty-Nine Years

Yesterday, three friends took another friend out to lunch. He had been friends with two of the gals for many years. I became a friend when he would ride the casino bus and when he and his family took a few of my planned trips to Mount Rushmore and New Mexico. It was always a pleasure to be with his whole family and to see how much they enjoyed traveling together!


Today, September 2, he and his wife would have celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary. In or about November of 2019 she became ill. My two friends and I visited her in the hospital and when we thought she was getting better, she passed away. Her funeral was in February of 2020 and her husband was inconsolable. "I wanted to die too," he told me. No one could know what he was going through because when I thought about their long life together, their children and grandchildren, and how they did so many things together it had to be a painful experience. How do you over come the sadness when one of the group is gone? The good thing, that I could see, was the closeness of his family. I knew he would not be alone and they would be around to help him return to normal, or as close as he could get to normal after loosing part of himself! I also knew that when I lost my Mother it took me five years to get over her leaving us!

Covid 19 hit and no one was in touch with him other than phone calls. One friend invited him to lunch and then called me and another friend so yesterday, at our lunch date, we jokingly called it "our coming out party!" It had been six months since we had seen each other. I was surprised to see how great he looked, even sprouting a moustache, and even though he still has moments of sadness he told us he is slowly recovering from his deep grief. Big band music in the background and meditation on his many memories is helping him recuperate.

A beautiful couple is now a man alone, but he is trying to accept the hard blow of losing his mate. May God give him the strength to carry on and may she rest in peace as she watches over her family from another realm.

"Marriage is a gift from 

God to us. The quality 

of our marriage is a

gift from us to Him."

L. Whitney Clayton

Cute Squash

Zuchinni is the squash I use to make one of my favorite dishes of Calabacitas. I remember my mother using a yellow squash with a scalloped edge but I have never used that yellow squash. One day while speaking with a friend, she mentioned some little green round squash. I told her I had never seen a small, round squash and she said that Heinie's Market sells them. On my visit to Heinie's I picked up one yellow and two round  squashes to experiment using squash I had never used.

I did not want to make Calabacitas with my new to me squash and looked on the Internet to see how I could prepare the squash. The yellow squash is called a Patty Pan and the green one is called Tatume Summer squash and it is actually called Calabacita. I learned that it has been a favorite of Mexico and Southern Texas for ever! Most of the recipes called for roasting so I cut the squash into big chunks, added onion, sprinkled salt and pepper and dribbled olive oil over the pieces. I realized it would make a tasty side dish to go with a main dish and could take the place of potatoes.

Both are soft and the green one had the taste of how my mother would make Calabacitas. Maybe I had finally found the secret to make mine like hers used to taste! No matter how hard I try, my cooking is close to my mother's cooking but never exactly like hers!

"Roasting veggies is by far

our favorite way to make them

and patty pan squash is no exception."

From the Internet