Memory – Page 2 – Finishing Well In Life

My sister Peggy and me reminiscing during a recent visit. (talking cloud) Me and Peggy laughing and having a great time.

Is Reminiscing Beneficial?

Posted on January 1, 2022September 28, 2022 by seniajean

The most famous song to be sung at midnight on December 31 must be “Auld Lang Syne”, by the Scottish poet Robert Burns. I wondered how a Scottish poem became a New Year’s Eve tradition in America.
The New Year’s Eve festivities taking place in New York City’s Times Square were televised for the first time in 1943. Guy Lombardo’s dance band was performing live while the TV viewers waited for midnight. Lombardo decided to close out his New Year’s Eve performances with the song “Auld Lang Syne”.
The audience loved it. He made the song a New Year’s tradition. This yearly television exposure encouraged Americans to adopt as their own, the custom of singing “Auld Lang Syne” to bid farewell to the old year.

Sleepy kitties taking cat naps. clockwise top left: Timbre, Xox, Uma, Ari.

Is Cat Napping good for you?

Posted on December 1, 2021September 28, 2022 by seniajean

I have never been much of a nap-taker. Even when I am feeling sleepy, if I lay down and try to nap, daytime sleep evades. Interestingly enough, I usually do not have any trouble falling asleep at night. My occasional bouts of insomnia are usually due to a book that I find too interesting to put down.

It may be a genetic thing. My sister is also not a nap-taker, and my daughter never willingly took a nap when she was little. My husband easily takes naps, and I must confess that I am a bit envious of his napping ability.

Wayne waters a few flowers in the garden area in our front yard.

Benefits of Autumn Gardening

Posted on November 1, 2021November 1, 2021 by seniajean

We are now in the midst of Fall – it’s my favorite season of the year. According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, Fall, also known as the autumn equinox, officially arrived here in the Northern Hemisphere at 3:20 P.M. (EDT), Wednesday, September 22, 2021.

One of my favorite features of Fall is the cooling temperatures. At first, it is subtle – one-day cooler, the next day hot. Right along with the changing temps, the humidity levels begin to drop slowly as well. Humidity has been one of my biggest challenges to adjusting to our new home here in the east, but air-conditioning helps me acclimate significantly.

Dancing Away from Dementia

Posted on May 1, 2021October 1, 2022 by seniajean

When our oldest granddaughter was around two years old, her favorites things were strawberries, swinging, and ‘dance-dance-2’. The dance program was a video game that included a dance pad. The idea was to watch the TV screen and place your feet where the animated characters placed theirs. Some friends of mine and I discovered it when volunteering at our church’s youth group. Watching the kids play the game, we saw how much fun it was, and what a great form of exercise it offered.

Encountering Grief and Going Forward

Posted on April 1, 2021June 7, 2025 by seniajean

As I sit down to write, I look out the window and notice how gray the day seems to be. The skies are gray and a bit misty as the rain drizzles down. The birds are not active – most of them have taken shelter in trees. I can spot the red feathers of cardinals peeking out under leaves – decorating the large beach tree in our back yard. Today’s weather mirrors the topic I am planning to write about. Grief.

I am getting ready to leave my house armed with my trusty water bottle. You can see I have added a rubber band around it to make it easier to take the top off.

Can De-Hydration Mimic Dementia?

Posted on March 1, 2021October 30, 2021 by seniajean

I recently read an article about the seriousness of dehydration. It can have severe effects – especially in older folks. Among other things, it cautions that dehydration can cause symptoms that resemble dementia. Unfortunately, it is not always obvious when someone is suffering from a lack of fluids.

Wayne holding a glass of apple juice and a delicious apple on our front porch.

Can Apples Help Reduce Dementia Risk?

Posted on November 1, 2020December 28, 2023 by seniajean

Along with the joys of being with family, this season up north offers the splendor of spectacular fall foliage and juicy, crisp apples. I love apples. One of the traditions that my husband has established with our grandsons is to hike a nature trail that has a lot of wild apple trees. They produce smaller apples, but the boys like them well enough. There are numerous deer who roam the area, and the ones they don’t eat, they feed to the deer. It turns out deer also love apples.

My neighbor Jackie and I show off our ‘litter-pick-up’ tools we take with us on our walks.

Reducing Dementia, One Benefit of Walking

Posted on August 1, 2020December 28, 2023 by seniajean

Weaving walking into our daily lives adds benefits beyond simple exercise. One of the marvelous things about walking is that it doesn’t require a lot of specialized equipment. If you have comfortable shoes, a hat, and perhaps a walking stick, you’re good to go.

The Beautiful Benefits of Bananas for Dementia

Posted on March 1, 2020October 30, 2021 by seniajean

When Wayne and I were first married, I found myself doing a lot of baking, gardening, canning, and even sewing. It was an enjoyable necessity grown from our reality of having more time than money. Eventually, many of my domestic endeavors fell away as life and responsibilities shifted and changed. We refer to the activities done back then as things Wayne’s ‘first wife’ did.

Juneberry Memories – Good for the Brain

Posted on June 7, 2019July 24, 2019 by seniajean

One of my favorite childhood memories is of my Grandpa and I standing under his delightful Juneberry tree eating the delicious berries. I loved them. Juneberries look similar to a blueberry, only more burgundy than blue. They have a distinct taste – rather somewhere between the sweetness of a blueberry and the tartness of a raspberry.