Puzzles

These aren’t just for kids anymore.  Today we have a wide range of puzzles around for our enjoyment.  I think mind games help with dementia and other brain diseases.  It’s so important to keep our minds sharp.

My mother suffers with dementia.  She seems to be getting worse with her memory as the weeks go by.  I’ve done a lot of reading on dementia and Alzheimer’s since her diagnosis.  One thing I know for sure is that I don’t want to get it.  I do my best to exercise my mind daily with reading, writing, puzzles, or anything else that will make me think.

My youngest sister does a lot of board puzzles.  She loves the most complicated ones with a thousand pieces.  These are probably her favorite puzzles and she has even framed a few of them.  I’ve known other people to put together and frame those big puzzles too.  They make beautiful wall art.

I have another sister who likes the crosswords.  I enjoy the ones full of random letters where you have to find the twenty words hidden in those letters.  I try to do several of those a week. 

I’m not sure if anyone in my family does the Sudoku puzzles with all the numbers.  I’ve done them, but they really are quite challenging.  I imagine, as with anything, one gets better with practice.

I don’t think anyone of us wants to end up with dementia or Alzheimer’s, but who knows what the future holds.   If it’s inherited, perhaps we’ll get it anyway no matter how much we use our minds.

Staying healthy as we age

Of course we’ve all heard this many times.  Exercise regularly.  This includes walking, which is good exercise.

Stay socially active with friends and family.  If you don’t have family nearby, you could volunteer at various things in the community where you live.

Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet.  Dump the junk food and include greens in your meals.  Salads are very good for you.  We need to think about eating enough fiber, eating foods that are low in fat and also low in cholesterol.

Of course we all know that drinking too much or using drugs is a bad thing, as well as smoking.  There are many health issues attributed to smoking, so if you smoke quitting should be at the top of your list for a healthier lifestyle.

I always say everything in moderation is probably okay.  I would never give up having a glass of wine once in a while.  I don’t think anyone should do this daily, or get behind the wheel to drive anywhere if you’ve been drinking. 

I exercise daily; eat moderately and also as healthy as I can.  It helps keep the weight down, which is also another health issue.  Drinking enough water daily is also another important consideration.

One should also keep their mind active too.  This is a new focus for me, not that my mind isn’t active enough to run away with itself all the time anyway, but since my mother was diagnosed with dementia, I feel it’s doubly important to exercise your brain daily.  You can do this by reading regularly, doing puzzles and word games, writing, playing card games, or any other thing that‘ll make you think.

We may as well be healthy, old people instead of ones with numerous issues to deal with.  I think old age is hard enough anyway without adding on other problems that maybe we can control now.

We’re in for a stormy week

As much as I hate winter, it’s on its way.  I wish we were getting ready to start February instead of December.  Big sigh…

There’s not much happening here except work and more work, but I’m not complaining.  However, it seems like the older I get the more difficult it is to do repetitive things for six hours at one time.  I’m talking about the cheese demo I had on Friday.  It’s now Sunday and my arms feel like they’re falling off and I feel like I did about a hundred sit-ups.  I had to cut hard cheese wedges into small cubes.  I bet I cut approximately 900 cubes of cheese with a pastry cutter.  The only way to do this was to rock it back and forth and lean into it.  I probably should have taken a big, sharp knife instead and will try that next time.  Anyway, needless to say, after Wednesday and then Friday I’m glad to have a couple of days off.  The holiday season is in full swing with shoppers.

 

Sunrise in the desert

 

A lonely bird surveys the desert

 

I managed to get this beautiful sunrise the other morning and also one of a lone bird sitting on a tree branch in the backyard.  Then yesterday the storm clouds came in and I got these pics at sunset.  Today it rained and then the sun came out but it’s a chilly 45 degrees right now with upper 20’s expected tonight.  I’m not at all excited about that.

Storm clouds gather out back as the sun is setting

I’m not in the holiday spirit at all this year, but at least I got my ornaments and will get them in the mail in the morning.  My sisters and I exchange them every year.  We have quite a collection now.