Confessions of a Grandma

I worry about dementia.  I have watched two aunts, an uncle and my own mother fade away in that manner. Maybe you heard the story on NPR.  I read about it on Changing Aging .  Sleep problems are associated with cognitive decline.  Forty percent of American adults have trouble sleeping, and according to Dr. Kristine Yaffe of the University of California at San Francisco, those with sleep disorders are twice as likely to develop some type of dementia in later life. Of course, her research was done on individuals over 75, a population that seems more likely to develop dementia in any case.  (I don’t understand statistics very well.)  In any case, a connection is there, but that does not mean that sleep disorders actually cause dementia.  Maybe dementia causes sleep disorder.  Or maybe some other factor is at work that might result in both sleep problems and dementia. It seems to me that there is no reason to assume that the thing to do is slee...

This summer, the bridge that I remember as being silver when I was growing up, but that has long been green, was painted red. My friend Mary lived in that house at the end of the bridge.  At the other end of town, another bridge crosses the Winooski River.  This one is on a more heavily travelled road and it needed to be widened.  It was quite the engineering feat which involved cutting the metal span in half and pushing the two sides apart, then reattaching them with longer beams. It might have been cheaper to just tear down the old and build a brand new bridge, but re-using is the Vermont way.  There is a temporary bridge beside the old bridge for the duration of the project. The Jericho Town Library has been closed for a badly needed coat of new paint.  That accounts for my ability to finish off a few projects in the last two  weeks.  I have spent quite a lot of time volunteering at this library over the summer.  There wa...

I went to Wallingford on Sunday and took Amy, Kristen, and Dane out to lunch in celebration of Amy’s birthday. Amy’s present from me was a framed poster I had taken from a 1930’s Grade Teacher magazine.  It showed an owl exhorting everyone to “USE GOOD ENGLISH.”  It may sound like a strange gift unless you know my daughter. I also gave the kids little back to school goody bags. These were filled with tissue packets, hand sanitizer, pencils, tape, white boards, book marks, and magnets for keeping track of important papers on the the fridge.  And of course some M&Ms just because chocolate never hurts. We went out for a birthday lunch.  It was a gorgeous summer day.  I am not saying the grand kids are hyperactive, but it is good when we can get an outside table. Dane was turning on the charm.  “Has anyone noticed how beautiful my mom is in her new blouse?” K. will be starting grade six this week.  D. starts full day kindergarten after Labo...

to my darling daughter

I bought this bookcase as a yard sale for 5 bucks. I did a little sanding and gave it a few coats of a primer, which I had on hand. I had the paint too so this did not cost more than the $5 plus some labor.  I will take it to my daughter’s house for my grandson to use in his room for books or toys. I also bought a wooden paper towel holder for 50 cents.  Mike mounted it under a cabinet in my craft room and I am using it for ribbon storage.                                   I painted the little bird house and added some branches and a little bird on top.  I hung it in the breezeway where I have set up my sewing machine for the summer. Staples started its Back To School sales a while ago and I have been picking up little things here and there.  Some will be in the Advent baskets I ma...

Rape Statistics …  Sexual assault…it’s not about lust and desire, it’s a violent crime of POWER, CONTROL and DOMINANCE.  These are not pretty, but the consequences of rape can be even less so. I really do not want to hear another word that comes out of Todd Akin’s mouth, but I would like to know exactly what it was he apologized for. Surely, he did not mean by “legitimate rape” to imply that the crime is ever legally justified. He meant “forcible rape”?  meaning where the victim vigorously fights back as opposed to passive acceptance in the hope of less injury? or worse yet, consents or somehow invites the rape? God forbid, he meant legitimate in the sense of real or actual (actually how I interpreted what he said upon hearing it the first time) as opposed to those times when the victim falsely claims rape maybe  as the easiest way to get an abortion. Really, I am so disgusted that this is the pole-star issue of the upcoming political convention.  I ...

It is that time year once again—just keeps circling around, doesn’t it.  A tinge of fall is in the air. VT had a real summery kind of summer this year with plenty of sunshine and plenty of warm temperatures, even warm nights.  Inevitably, though, that has to change and this morning the thermometer read in the 40’s.  Since I was still running a slight fever yesterday (from that nasty stomach virus) I had been alternating heat waves with shivering episodes.  I was shivering when I got ready for bed so I was dressed warmly and I slept through the night—a blessing indeed. There are spots here and there of the trees in their changing process.  This tree is across the road from my house.  It used to be that I was thrown into a depressive episode at a sight like this in mid-August.  I actually like the fall, but that first hint of it would always feel like a knife impinging on my soul. Since retirement, this seasonal depression has not been so strong....

Mike had a touch of a stomach virus over the weekend.   It slowed him down but did not stop him completely.  Then the bug hit me on Monday morning.  I was knocked for a loop--cannot remember being that sick for ages now.  Hope it will ages again.

Some one asked about orange curd.  Like lemon or lime curd, it is a mixture of juice, butter, sugar and eggs.  It makes a nice cake filling or a filling for tarts.  It can be spread on toast or muffins, but it is especially yummy on shortbread cookies. It is usually available in grocery stores right there with jams and jellies. Or you can make it. 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened 1 cup sugar 2 large eggs 2 egg yolks 2/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice 1 tsp. orange zest Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer for 2 minutes.  Slowly add the eggs and yolks and beat for 1 minute more. Mix in the juice.  It will looked curdled and that is okay. Transfer the mixture to a heavy-bottomed medium pan and cook over low heat until the mixture smooths out.  Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, for 15 minutes.  Don’t let it boil.  It should be thickened—about 170 degrees if you are ...

We took a mini vacation and spent a few days in Jerusalem, Rhode Island, where Mike took maximum advantage of the fact that our brother-in-law finally (finally, after years of intense desire) has his own fishing boat. I forgot my camera and I did not take a laptop.  Jerusalem is a somewhat quiet beach area.  If you think of Newport when you think of Rhode Island, it is nothing like that.  It is a cozy, grey-shingled cottages sitting on the bluffs and fresh seafood.  Lots of fresh seafood—none of it caught by Mike. Unfair—he did catch some fish, but he threw them back.  He caught a black sea bass but they are not in season. We went to Spain, a restaurant in Narragansett.  Let me tell you, if you ever are in Rhode Island, do not miss it.  Every detail of the service was attended to and the food was excellent. Back at home, my sister went into the hospital for surgery yesterday, a hysterectomy.  I went for a brief visit last night.  Ev...

Image from Bing Mike and I usually start our days with a couple of cups of coffee and toast or a muffin, but on Sunday mornings we like to fix a big breakfast and have a leisurely meal while reading the paper. This morning I made the breakfast—pancakes with orange curd and blueberry sauce, bacon, and coffee.  We may not eat again until tomorrow.  (Would that were so!) Blueberry sauce (it is that time of year here in New England): In a small saucepan mix a cup of blueberries , 1/4 cup of orange curd , a pinch of salt , a teaspoon of corn starch , and a splash of orange juice .   Simmer gently until slightly thickened but not so much that the the berries break down.  Add a pat of butter and set aside. The pancakes: Combine in small bowl: cup of all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking powder pinch of salt some grated orange rind In a larger bowl, whisk together: 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt 1 egg Add dry ingredients, alternating with: 3/4 to 1 cup of milk...

I like to read.  I always have.  I am not of the opinion that reading is for bedtime, something to put you to sleep.  I never, ever feel guilty that I spend a certain amount of time reading during the day instead of doing something productive.   I have always felt that reading is a worthwhile activity in its own right. At the same time, I like to thinkthat I keep a pretty good balance in my life.  I enjoy a lot of different things and I like to feel I make time to see people and do a variety things that I enjoy.  Once in a while, though, I get really into something.  I could not put this book down.  Unlike at least one reviewer, I did not feel the rug pulled out from under me.  I thought the plot was predictable, but at the same time I was completely sucked in.  "Oh! I knew it!!"  If you like a mystery/thriller, this book does it.

The yard: I try to keep a daily bit of time for pulling weeds from the flower gardens.  When Mike mows  the lawn, I try to keep up with the sweeping.  Monday is my designated day of putting on the the grubby garden clothes and doing a thorough weeding.  Sometimes. I let that go.  Here is the result: Do you think it is time to do some edging??   The dry weather and the opportunistic nature of crab grass are pretty evident here. Even with the edging, things don’t look that great here.  It has been a dry and hot summer, 2012. (Linda Reeder, I am so embarrassed.) The harvest has started, though.  This year I planted tomatoes and peppers only.  Late season blight has been noted in the area, but I have not been affected yet. Yet! I had a satisfying supper of roasted tomato and peppers on polenta tonight. ******* Green clean: I have a lot of mint in my herb garden this year.  I will try a combination of mint and rosemary a...

  I have liked  this show very much on those occasions when I have managed to turn the television  on at the right time.  Now, with my ROKU box set up and working, I have been able to watch it from the first episode.  I have watched the first six episodes.  Even though I liked what I watched, it makes so much more sense going in order.   The other show I have started watching in Mad Men. I missed the whole first season.  I watched the rest of it only sporadically.   It used to be that if I liked a TV show I knew when it was on and made a point to watch it.  These days it is more…I think I’ll take a break and watch some TV.  I am enjoying being able to pick something I want to watch rather than flicking through channels and then deciding to have a snack instead. So I give my ROKU box a thumb’s up.

We will be traveling to Boston tomorrow.  It will be a sad trip as we are attending the memorial service for a good friend who died at too young an age.  And in some ways it will also be a happy trip because we will be sharing so many fond memories of so many good times with Scott. This is a sobering thought.  I have reached the age where I go to far more funerals than weddings...and they are not the funerals of the "older generation."  It's us.

We bought a Roku, one of those little tiny boxes that lets you stream movies and shows to a television. No need for a PC , it said on the box.  It connects directly to your high-speed internet wirelessly.  True, but for most of the items on the menu, you need to go on the computer and enter a code to activate.  This wasn’t a big problem, but it still struck me as a tad misleading. It’s really easy, it said on the box.  plug it in, add it to the home network, and enjoy.  Well, I connected it to the TV set and plugged it in (easy).  I put the AAA batteries in (no problem).  Now we get to configuration of the network.  This little baby was designed to automatically detect wireless networks and then guide me right through the set up steps.  Yes! It detected my network and I selected it (so easy!  I am practically ready for my guest appearance on The Big Bang Theory!) Not so fast.  Enter your network password, which is case sensi...