Brain Challenges

This year my oldest child will turn 40.  When you have a 40-year old child, there's no denying you are getting into the "old" stage of life.  On the news they refer to people my age as "elderly".  It makes me laugh.  I'm definitely not thinking of myself as elderly.  But people age differently, and some of my age definitely do seem much much older.  What is the difference?  Is it how we think about ourselves?  Is it keeping ourselves fit in mind and body?  It is genetics?  Is it simple luck?

It's probably a little of all of those things.  We can't do anything about the latter two - illnesses and genetic predispositions can take a toll over which we have no control.  But we can certainly do plenty about the first two.

I was thinking about this today as I did the daily Sudoku on the Washington Post site.  I do that puzzle Wednesday through Sunday.  I skip Monday and Tuesday as they are too easy now -- I am solving them faster than I can put down the numbers.  The WP puzzle is rated by difficulty one through five stars.  The puzzles begin at one star on Monday and progress to five on Friday.  Then the weekend is usually a three-star on Saturday and five on Sunday.

My goal is to finish quickly without making mistakes.  In Sudoku, one mistake is fatal and you have to start again.  No guessing either.  A guess is simply a gamble.  Sudoku is a logic puzzle in which you use various techniques for determining the placement of numbers.  Sometimes you determine what CAN go in a spot, and sometimes you determine what CANNOT.  I have developed my own techniques and methods, but it still requires some thinking and deducing on my part.

I like to test myself as I play.  I look at a row/column/square and see how quickly my brain can determine what numbers are still needed there.  I am at my sharpest when I can take it all in in a single glance and know exactly the numbers needed.  I am at my dullest when I have to actually run through the numbers 0 through 9.  It is proof to me that my brain at certain times functions more optimally than at others.  And thus this game has become a little something more to me.  It's a way of watching my own mental capacity as I age and determining the things that seems to make me sharper.

I am usually pretty sharp in the morning after a cup of coffee - but not if I've had little sleep.  I'm very sharp right after a workday that has involved learning a lot of new material.  I can run through a Sudoku, make stunning Scabble plays, solve some tough crossword clues, sight-read piano music.  It seems my brain is most available to me when it has had some challenges and has had to work hard -- but is not yet over-tired.  I am not at all sharp right before bed.  I always have a crossword and a Sudoku on the nightstand, but it is often only a matter of minutes until I can no longer concentrate and I am falling asleep.

I'm rambling on a bit here, but this is all important stuff to me.  It helps me to see how people keep their brains fit and accessible into older age.  Two things seem to be important:  Sleep.  Mental challenges.  No doubt, food plays a part in this, too.

As I approach retirement age, I have begun paying more attention to what my retired friends do with themselves.  I worry that retirement will not offer sufficient mental challenges that I want and need.  Perhaps the puzzles and music do help but are they enough?  I can't answer that.  I'm still figuring this out. But I do have an easy way of keeping tabs on how I'm doing so far.

(By the way, I love the diagonal Sudokus that offer one more dimension to the puzzle.  I'm always looking for those.)

Letting Go

(NOTE: This post has been edited from the original post)
A couple of very dear friends are moving away.  Not together, not even at the same time, nor anywhere near the same place--in fact, in completely opposite directions.  But far away.  A plane ride away.  One soon and one a little further down the road. 

Good friends are not just a dime a dozen.  It takes awhile for a friendship to take on that special level of trust, intimacy, and love.  When feeling sentimental, isn't it nice to listen to the old songs from the Great American Songbook?

Phase I Landscaping finished

For some reason this project exhausted me. I wasn't doing any heavy lifting, but I was letting go in some ways that were difficult. Alberto, the landscaper, had some good ideas and I went along with almost everything. I am pleased with his work and his prices were so reasonable. I have already talked with him about coming back to do my sprinkling system and finish cleanup and add bark in the remaining areas. Here are just a few shots of the results.

The reconfigured and narrower steps leading up to the beautiful new upper level.  The apple tree is gone.  The little birds visiting yesterday seemd disoriented by that.  I'll plant some ground cover along the steps and a new bird-friendly tree at the corner of the deck once I have sprinklers there to keep it alive.  That's coming in Phase II.

 This is my favorite section - the round patio (we brought in heavier flagstone for this and used my little blue rocks for the pathway).  Next fall I'll plant some perennials in here, but this summer I think it will be annuals in pots.  I can't wait to sit up here on a summer evening and watch the sunset.

Standing at the top of the new second set of steps looking down on my large swath of xeriscaped area.  Many little things are starting to grow, but we won't really see a garden here until April.  A second view of that area from the other end looking up from my driveway.

They trimmed up the old pfitzer which I'm keeping for sentimental reasons, but got rid of that one plant that always gave me a rash every time I trimmed it, cleaned up under the bushes and the entire west side, reconfigured my funny little cinderblock steps I put in to get me to the backyard from the front.  The next phase I'll have them add the landscape fabric and bark on the west side too.

It's all good

The landscapers worked almost a solid 12 hours in my yard yesterday.  Honestly, they barely took a break for lunch.  I put out coffee and muffins and replenished during the day, with cold water as the day got warmer.  I appreciate their hard work and honestly feel sort of bad they worked such long hours on my behalf.  But I do know they'd do that wherever they were working.

The steps are so nice, the cleanup amazing, and the patio - well I had not imagined how pretty it would be.  They said there were not enough of the bluish rocks I already had, so we decided to go with some larger ones for a small additional charge, and they would use my other rocks for a pathway.  I'll get pictures when the sun comes up.

I decided to go ahead with the project on the west side while they were there.  Their prices are very reasonable and it's work I need to have done.  They are putting in a couple of retaining walls for me and taking out the old all-but-dead apple tree.  They cut down the tree late last night, and it was a shock to walk out and see it gone.  I have an emotional attachment to that tree.  It's where I've most enjoyed watching the birds from my dining room all these 30 years I've lived here.  I will need to replace it and soon.  My heart can hardly stand that vacancy.

They are going to be cutting down some other things today too, but I might put a hold on one of them, my last remaining old pfitzer bush.  It's another place the birds love, and it provides a small barrier between my deck and the road.  I think I need to keep it lest I feel totally naked to the world on that west side.

Pictures soon, I think.

UPDATE:  Okay, here they are from the dim pre-dawn light.  The bark is coming along nicely.  This picture doesn't do justice to how pretty the new round patio is.  But oh what a mess where the apple tree was.  In the light of day it's an even greater shock.  Patience, Becky, this wiill get better.  You can see the steps, not as wide, not as steep, more of them.  But we exposed an old unused sprinkler line in the process and that will have to come out.

Just for a point of reference, here's how that tree was looking two years ago, already quite dead:

I realize things sometimes have to get worse before they get better. I remember when they tore down my room addition to turn it into a covered patio. I so love my patio now, but that, too, was such a shock at first. Why do we cling to things even when change is so needed?

Landscapers Tomorrow!

I promised myself I'd get help this year.  When a landscaper I had used previously dropped by two weeks ago asking if I had any work for him, I decided to look at what I needed and break it into three jobs.  I was thinking I might have him do one, two or all three jobs.  He started at $3,000 total with his bid and dropped to $2,500.  I felt somewhat unsure.  It seemed high and I had had some problems with his work the two occasions I had hired him.  I decided to get a couple more bids.  When he dropped by a day later, he dropped his bid to $2,000 but I would still have to pay for the mulch above that.  The second guy had done work for my sister and he seemed to really grasp what I needed. He promised to mail me his quote.  It never arrived.  The third guy I found from a flyer left on the doorknob of a friend of mine.  I was surprised the guy seemed to have a very good grasp of what I wanted and he made a couple of suggestions to improve on my ideas.  The bid was just under $1700 including all materials.

After thinking about it over the weekend, I called the third guy on Monday and said let's do it.  He asks for no payment until the job is done and I'm satisfied.  He said he could start this week.  He just called and he will be here tomorrow. 

So here's where we're starting.  I'm excited to be getting this done.

Steps to the upper level.  My husband had made these out of full-length railroad ties years ago.  Now they are tilting forward and slanting to the west.  We will cut these long ties in half and make two sets of stairs, one at either side of that upper level.  He will reinforce them with rebar to hold them firmly in place.  This is such an ugly area just outside my dining room, I'll be so happy to have it cleaned up and straightened up.

The upper level.  Long unused, it is the only flat spot in my yard and was once grass-covered and a place for croquet and badminton for the kids.  The workers will clean this up and put down landscaper's fabric and spread bark so I can extend my xeriscaping here.  Somewhere  here we will also put down sand and lay some rocks I have as pavers for a small patio.

Here are the rocks I got for free from my boss last year just for hauling them away.  Rocks are expensive and I was glad to get these.  I think the blue coloring is particularly interesting and should make for a pretty centerpiece in my upper level.

My main xeriscaped area will get all new rich brown bark this year.  Two years ago I worked very hard with the help of my granddaughter and put down some mulch that already looked rather gray and faded.  My landscaper promises nice and brown and he will bring a sample for me to approve.  I have already cut down all of last year's growth here, so it's pretty barren with just some daffodils and tulips poking through.  But everything is putting up shoots and it will soon be very pretty.

So those are the three areas.  If that goes well, I have some work for them to do on the west side, too.  With all that heavy lifting done, my job of maintaining becomes much easier.  And who knows, I may just hire some of that done as well.

Movie Review: Moon

*****

I don't watch a lot of sci-fi, but I took my daughter's advice and ordered Moon from Netflix.  It has an interesting enough concept: an energy company has a mining operation on the moon harvesting a fuel that has replaced fossil fuels on earth and solved our energy problems.  The moon station is manned by one man who is just two weeks from the end of his three-year contract and will soon be going home. His job is to keep the automated mining equipment online and to pick up filled canisters from time to time and shoot them back to Earth.

The moon station is appropriately futuristic, although worker Sam Bell has brought in an old leather chair and keeps family pictures tacked up around his sleeping quarters.  A detailed hand-carved wood replica of his town on earth gives the impression he's been there a very long time. 

Sam is well tired of his job and very anxious to get home.  His conversations with his wife and with his employer have been reduced to recordings as the live link to the moon is broken.  Sam is discouraged with the company for not making the communications link a higher priority.  Sam's only companion on the moon is a charming robot named "Gerty", with the voice provided by Kevin Spacey.  You can't help feeling the loneliness.  And then one day, another person shows up . . .

I won't get into the plot more than this as it would be too easy to give too much away.  I have to admit I was drawn into the story and began to really feel for the characters.  Sam suffers some injuries, and there are some bloody scenes that required some eye-covering on my part.  I'm squeamish.  I did find myself getting ahead of the story a time or two, but there were sufficient surprises and tense moments. 

The theme of the movie plays well because the dilemma is most believable.  This isn't Star Wars by any means, it's more cerebral and less fantastic.  The movie is well done and will hold your interest.  I'm giving it 4 out of 5 stars. 

Movie Review: The Ghost Writer

*****

Saturday a storm rolled in, rain at first and then snow.  I had planned to do more spring cleanup in the yard, but the weather spoiled my plans.  And since the house was clean and everyone I know was off doing Saturday things, I took myself out to a movie on the spur of the moment.  I chose "The Ghost Writer" which had just arrived at Salt Lake's Broadway Theatre -- the place for foreign and independent movies, and occasionally mainstream movies with more of an edge.  This movie would fall into the latter category.

Directed by Roman Polanski, this was billed as a suspense thriller.  This is a bit out of the normal genre for me, but I liked the writeup in the NY Times.  It turned out to suit me quite well.  This was no Robert Ludlum story with numerous characters and a complex plot.  The cast is small and the storyline simple.  Facts are slowly revealed to you the viewer as our main character learns them.  There is just enough tension in the movie to keep you alert but not overly tense.

The movie opens in London with our main character, the ghost writer, played so well by Ewan McGregor, applying for the job of rewriting the memoirs of the former British Prime Minister, played by Pierce Brosnan.  McGregor's predecessor in the position has met an untimely death, falling overboard from a ferry and drowning.  Right away we begin to realize that all is not as it seems.  Questions arise, and clues begin to emerge.  Little by little we are drawn into the story and, through the eyes of the ghost writer, we learn the answers that lead us to the ultimate conclusion.

I particularly liked the style of the movie.  It had the feel of an updated 1940's Bogart mystery.  The characters are fairly one-dimensional but deliciously so.  The dialogue is crisp, clipped, spare.  Most of the movie takes place on an island off the Cape Cod coast.  The dismal weather, the stark but beautiful seacoast, the fortress-like building, all contribute to the uneasy feeling of personal discomfort and possible danger.

The political background has just enough flavor of recent history.  You might believe the Prime Minister is based on, but is not quite, Tony Blair.  The war-profiteering company Hatherton is clearly meant to remind you of real-life Haliburton.  But the story necessarily departs from reality there.

The one distraction for me was Kim Catrell's phony British accent, as she played the role of the Prime Minister's personal assistant.  Her voice was unnaturally high pitched, and when she says "Right!", it just doesn't feel right.  Much better, I think, to have cast her as an American assistant and allowed her to use her more suitable sultry voice.  Still, the distraction was minor.

I give this movie four stars out of five.  While the plot was a bit thin, that was more than made up for by the acting, the scenery, the photography, and the way in which the story was told.  It turned out to be a very pleasant way to spend a rainy afternoon.  Walking out of the theater afterward was a bit like closing the cover on an enjoyable mystery novel.  I recommend this one.

"Rated PG-13 for language, brief nudity/sexuality, some violence and a drug reference."

Consolidation

This is just a little FYI.  I'm giving up on my separate blogs for movie and books reviews.  For one thing, I rarely post there.  For another thing, I am simply committed to writing in too many separate places, and I need to simplify my online presence.  So I've iimported all the past movie and book reviews into this blog and will post any future such reviews here.  I'll try to remember to put "Review" in the title of those posts to help identify them.  I'll keep RedStateBlues as a separate political and commentary blog.

Back to the lists

The remodel was so big, I stuck with one big general list of things to do and abandoned my daily or weekly lists.  Consequently, I slacked off a lot and wasted a lot of the past two months.  No  more.  Yesterday I began the daily LOTTD again and it was successful.  I always do best if I write it down in the morning.  I had a small interruption in the evening to help out a friend, and it reminded me to not expect to fill up every waking minute.  And I did remember to put myself on the list - my walk, stretches, etc., intended to take care of my well-being.

Now that the snow has mostly melted, I'm getting eager to do even some small things in the yard.  It's still so cold, and I can't stay out long, but even a half hour at a time will allow for some satisfaction.

It feels good to be getting back into the groove.

Where I like to hang out

As part of my recent remodeling and redecorating, I've been moving artwork around, too, trying things out on different walls.  I am lucky to have a few pieces of lovely original artwork, among them some special pieces by our own blogger and facebook friend Jacqui Binford-Bell.  I promised to send her a picture when I had these hung and never got around to it until now.  Jacqui's style has such appeal, and from the time I saw her paintings, I knew I wanted some to hang in my home.  Over time I was able to acquire a couple of my favorites.  I'm surprised myself that these didn't include any of the goddess series nor ones with the swirly stars, which I just love.  But these were a couple that really grabbed my attention and became my choices when it came time to select my very favorite.  At first I had these hanging on darker plainer walls which really provided a much better setting for the paintings.  But I like them better hanging in this room because they have the right mood and colors for the room, and since I hang out here more than anywhere else in the house, I get to enjoy looking at them more.

This is my TV room where I sit with laptop and remote control and keep up with the world.  It is a room of whimsy and color with the bright yellow striped walls (painted on - not wallpaper), fun objects like my Book Woman afghan, a pillow that declares "It's Good to Be Queen", Harry Potter book ends, and an elephant lamp.  My daughter says it's an Alice in Wonderland room.  It's a happy little spot that reflects my attitude, personality, and most of the time my mood.

So for now I'm keeping the artwork here because here is where I like it.  One day I'll paint over all these stripes and make a more mature subdued room.  And Jacqui's lovely work will have a more suitable background.  And I'm sure I'll enjoy it just as well.

Success and weariness

What a great day it turned out to be.  The dinner for my friends was just perfect.  We had fun, the food turned out great, and the weather was lovely so there were no worries about travel.  That shrimp recipe is a keeper although I cut way back on the Tabasco and it was still spicy enough.

I ended up making it a sit-down dinner served buffet style since there was too much food to manage on little plates.  I didn't deviate much from the menu I had planned.  With the extra half of cake mix that wasn't used in the Yummy Dessert, I made a birthday cake for one of the guests whose birthday is this month.  I found the cutest candles that were in the shapes of the letters Happy Birthday, but boy did those melt down fast!  We laughed that she hardly got a chance to blow any of them out.  I also added chocolate-dipped strawberries since I had bought fresh strawberries instead of frozen for the dessert.

Since it was an afternoon do, I invited my son and granddaughter later in the evening and we did the whole meal again.  I sent leftovers home with them and still have some for myself tomorrow.

It really pays off to plan and write things out.  Once I settled on the menu, I had a shopping list and a preparation schedule covering two days.  With all the thinking done in advance, it becomes a simple matter of following the plan.

I'm sorry to say I didn't get a picture of the meal.  Only the aftermath.  The new kitchen got a real workout.  Me, too.  I think I'm ready for bed.  So glad tomorrow is an extra day off this weekend.

 

 

Wishing love to all this Valentine's Day

For those of us who won't receive valentine wishes from a love, here's a pretty, melancholy love song.  I bought myself some pretty flowers and invited friends over for a party. What did you do for yourself today?

Sunday Afternoon Wine and Hors D'oeuvres

This little party is for some of the very most special people in my life -- my best friend of over 50 years, her sister, their husbands and their mother.  These are people I am most comfortable with and, thus, I'm not feeling such pressure about the party preparations as I might for other groups.  I know if there are failures, we'll all laugh about them and it will not be traumatic.  I decided on hors d'oeuvres so we wouldn't be bound to sitting at the table but could relax in the living room or even walk around outside if the weather is as nice as promised. I'm having it mid-afternoon on Sunday because of issues with the freeway construction - so my friends won't have to navigate that confusing route in the dark.

The setting will be informal, but the food will be special.  Here's the menu.  If I happen to get photos, I'll post them later:

Swedish Meatballs in sauce
Shrimp (Killer Shrimp recipe)
Red beans and rice
Veggie platter with dip
Garlic bread, oven toasted
Cheese plate w/ dried fruit
Selection of wines, beer, soft drinks

Dessert: Cake (Yummy Dessert)
Coffee and tea

The meal is a combination of pre-prepared foods and some actual cooking on my part. I'm getting the meatballs and sauce already prepared from the deli. The red beans and rice is the Zatarain's (yes, from a package, but really very good). The shrimp is a new recipe I found online, but I'm not nervous about trying it as the ingredients are quite simple and it is wonderfully easy to prepare ahead and cook at the last minute. The veggie platter will include some lovely blanched and chilled asparagus spears, jicama, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and celery, all prepared the day before. The cheese platter will have just two or three selections -- whatever looks good when I'm shopping on Saturday. The hot dishes will be served in crock pots - everything is served buffet style. This interesting shrimp recipe bakes in the oven, so I won't be standing over a hot saute pan while I'm also visiting with my guests. I know it's against all the rules to try out a new recipe on guests - but that has never stopped me.

Here are the recipes:
-----------------------
Killer Shrimp

1/4 cup butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chili sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 lemon, sliced with peel
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1 small Anaheim chile pepper, chopped (optional)
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon Tabasco pepper sauce
1 pound large shrimp with tails (peeled and deveined), uncooked
French Bread for dipping

In a large saucepan over medium heat, simmer butter, olive oil, chili sauce, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, lemon, garlic, parsley, Anaheim chile, red pepper flakes, oregano and Tabasco until well blended. Remove from heat and let cool. Place sauce in a zip-lock bag; add shrimp. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place sauce and shrimp in a large shallow baking pan; bake approximately 10 to 15 minutes or until shrimp are opaque in center (cut to test). Remove from oven.

Place mixture in shallow bowls and serve with a crusty French bread for dipping in sauce (this dish is eaten with your fingers).
Serves 4 to 6.

------------------------
Yummy Dessert

1 white cake mix
8 ounces cream cheese
1 pint cream
2 cups powdered sugar
1 package Junket dessert
1 cup fresh or frozen fruit

Use half of the cake mix and bake in a 13" x 9" pan. Cool. Whip the cream to peaks gradually adding in the sugar. Fold in the softened cream cheese. Spread this mixture over the cake and chill. Make the Junket dessert using 1 1/2 cups water (or about 3/4 of the water called for). Add the fruit to the Junket and spread evenly over the cake. Chill for several hours.

If you wonder what I'll do with the other half of the cake mix, I'll bake it, too, and cut it into squares to freeze.  Those plain cake squares are a nice accompaniment to morning coffee now and then.

Just when you think nothing will ever surprise you again . . .

 . . . your daughter and her boyfriend get married secretly (today) and then announce it to the world on Facebook.  Nope, didn't even call mom first.  I had to read it on Facebook.  They knew I would and they thought it would be fun and funny. 

And it was sort of funny.  I'm reading the News Feed and see familiar Zach and it says Zach and Jenn are married, and I'm thinking, "I know that."  And then I realize I DON'T know that, and read it again.  Ho-ly smokes!  And then I'm on the phone to my daughter.

It's not how I imagined my daughter's wedding at all.  But it's not about me after all, now is it?  And as she points out, it's exactly how her father and I were married -- secretly, telling no-one until afterward.  But we didn't announce it on Facebook.  Although, as Jenn pointed out, "You would have, mom, if you had had Facebook."

And so maybe I would have. 

I'm thrilled and happy for them both.  Zach is a great guy and I have felt for a long time as if he were part of the family.  This just makes it legal and official.  I couldn't be happier about it.

Still . . . just getting used to the news.