All this talk about Alzheimer's is really a downer, how about we change it up a bit and talk about what everyone does for fun? 

I'll start.  I like gardening, and have a small garden where I enjoy growing fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers.  There is nothing quite like getting my hands in dirt to soothe my soul!  I also like to cook, and make food for friends and neighbors.  Read any good books lately?  I like to read and just re-read Wild, a book about a woman who left everything behind to hike the Pacific Coast Trail.  Watch any good movies lately?  Recently, my neighbor's kids brought over Moana, the new Disney movie.  It is about a 16 year old coming of age in Hawaii, I cried happy tears many times, it is such a good movie, but I don't want to give any of it away if you haven't seen it yet.  My friends and I go horseback riding every week.  Friends make my day, we laugh, share, play, and gather around the bonfire.  What kinds of things do you like to do for fun?

Mary

Hi Mary,

For fun I read science fiction and fantasy. I have a book stand that I can put my book in and lay down in bed and turn the pages. Those 1000 page books by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson get pretty heavy so a book stand helps. I also watch movies on cable TV (love Hallmark movies) and go to the senior center to shoot pool. Shooting pool allows me to think about how to improve my game with ball speed, angles, English and strategy. It also allows me to socialize with other seniors. You might want to try your senior center and do things the other women do like arts and crafts, yoga and stuff. Most of my senior center are filled with women doing things and most of the men just go to the pool room. Only one woman comes to shoot pool but a few men do the dancing and arts stuff with the women.

I like to play bingo at the senior center, also crafting,  cooking and antiquing. I also like word search puzzles and spending LOTS of time on my tablet.

Thanks for this thread Mary!

--Lynda

My thoughts in this thread were to just try to get to know everyone, since I don't want to know you only by your symptoms or struggles, and would rather know you by the things you enjoy.  Thank you for your replies.

There is nothing quite like home-grown tomatoes.  Last year I invested in some native plants that will, hopefully, attract butterflies and hummingbirds, including a few butterfly bushes.  I will be interested to see if it works.

That book stand sounds like just what I need!  Awesome to meet another sci-fi fan, although my passion falls into more of the sci-fantasy realm, like LOTR, and I really enjoyed the movies when they came out as well.  Some ladies that I hang out with play pool. It is really nice to know that we share some of the same interests.  Thanks everyone.

Mary

You also might look into leasing one.  Horse owners often have horses that they don't have time to ride, so they lease them. 

Mary

Julie,

Some times you can just offer to ride horses or pay to occasionally ride horses at a stable for lessons.  Many stables have to exercise the horses for their owners to keep the horses in competition ready condition.  Leasing is an option but that is usually more expensive.  My son's ex girlfriend used to own a couple of horses and the stable had to exercise the horse if the owner didn't come regularly to ride the horse.

I get my fun in celebrating my birthday and holidays and in going on day trips with the seniors.  As I posted on another thread, I need to incorporate fun into my daily life.  I enjoy these episodic events, but I find that they wear me out, and I need a lot of time to recover.

Iris L.

Needing to recover after being with others, sounds like you might be an introvert, Iris?  I'm the opposite, I feel recharged and renewed after being with friends, I guess that would make me an extrovert. 

I have been growing bell peppers, onions, chives, green onions, tomatoes (really liking the chocolate tomatoes), cucumbers, peas, sunflowers, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, rhubarb, watermelon, cantaloupe, broccoli, cauliflower, endive, spinach, romaine, asparagus, chamomile, various mints, rosemary, oregano, echinacea, potatoes, beets, and carrots.  There is a wonderful sweet mint that I grow that, unlike other mints, is not bitter so you can eat the leaves.  It is marvelous to add to salads and drinks.

The woods and beach are great places to go hiking.  One thing I like to do is collect things when I walk, like rocks, or leaves, sometimes acorns, or whatnots. 

Mary

Mary,

How wonderful to grow so many things.  You are inspiring me to grow more this year.  Chocolate tomatoes?  Never heard of those.  Where did you get the seeds?  What do they taste like? 

I also collect unique things I find in the woods.  I consider them gifts from God.    Alz+  also collects rocks when she goes hiking.  I find it so relaxing to do.  Just wandering in nature, looking for gifts from the creator. 

Just wandering out in the desert collecting rocks is something I would really enjoy doing again.  Thanks for the inspiration!

--Lynda

Green houses and horses!

the book stand - who knew?

I do like rock hunting and hope this summer to go to lake superior and wade along shore looking for my first agate.

I like to watch Keeper garden in containers, walk my dog, and photography. Swimming in warm pools, TCM old movies. Rummaging at local thrift shops is my senior center.

Putting hands in dirt ends all kinds of meltdowns - a woman who attends our church has horses and I love the smell, she said I could come over any time but I never have. My back is shot so nothing sitting works for me, it is upright or lying down.  

LOVE to get massages!

It is nice to be getting to know each of you, and it is neat that we share many common interests. 

A neighbor shared the seeds for the chocolate tomatoes, but I believe that you can buy them thru most seed distributors.  They are purple-green, blackish tomatoes, and almost look rotten inside, but they are some of the best tasting tomatoes, more sweet and less tangy that typical tomatoes.  A treat for the palate.

Mary

Mary, it sounds delicious.  I think I am going to get me some of those chocolate tomato seeds.  I think my husband would enjoy them too.  

Yes, it does seem many of us have a lot in common.  Being with nature, gardening, animals.  I think we have learned to enjoy and appreciate the simple things in life.  Things that relax you and quiet the mind.

I agree BlueSkies, the simpler the better works best for me.  The positive thing about this experience is that it is forcing me to slow down and appreciate the basic pleasures of life.  I am (slowly!) learning to take my time and truly enjoy the things I am doing each day.

--Lynda

Massages are great.  Thanks for the reminder.  Think I will book one this week. 

Mary

That's wonderful Lynda.   So happy for you

Ahhh, a massage.  I use to get those once in awhile.  They are so relaxing.

I used to garden and at one time had quite a collection of Iris, peonies and hemerocallis.  Now for fun I like to study and am working on getting back into school.

I watch way too much TV and have to admit that I can get hooked into an old movie any time of the day. 

One dawg...no other pets. Lot's of squirrels which we are now trapping because they killed three beautiful elms by eating the bark. 

Oh, I do have a seasonal Mallard duck couple. 

Jfkoc, get some cats!  They'll chase the squirrels away!  

Iris L.

I wonder if you can temporarily cover the trees with some kind of screening to keep them off it? 

Mary

Thanks. I did briefly think of netting. My trees touch each other so the cute little things jump like monkeys from one to another.

I have always enjoyed them...just don't want them killing the trees.

Mary W - please do a topic/post on your vegetarian cooking recipes.

Did this in the what's everyone having for dinner topic although I don't get back to it as often as I had planned on.  Part of what leaves me cautious to add more is that it seems that most members here are not interested in the connection between what they consume and how that affects their whole body health and so I feel like I am stepping on toes here.

Mary

Mary,

You have not stepped on any toes at all.  What makes you think that?  I have posted many things that did not get many responses.  It just happens sometimes.  I don't think it is anything personal.  The people here are very much into best practices which includes eating a healthy diet.  We do stray from it at times, but what the heck most people don't stay on a strict diet "all" the time.  I hope you will continue to post about anything and everything you want to.  Please don't worry about responses you get or don't get.  I love all your posts and am grateful for your knowledge in the area of cooking and eating well.  Keep posting!!!

I have discovered Youtube videos!  Of course, I knew about Youtube, but now I go from one to another. I never realized that on some videos there are loads of comments.  They're fascinating to read!  I am learning new things (good for the brain) and realize that I have a lot in common with many thoughtful people.  

Iris L.

Thank you, I am and do post about my vegetarian cooking in the what's everyone having for dinner topic and will post more as time allows.

My caution isn't about the responses it had more to do with the audience.  The kfc eating margarita drinking pot smoking crowd is generally not the crowd that is interested in  how great someone is doing after they changed lifestyles.  A few words here and there are not going to ruffle my feathers but I do try to be considerate of others feelings. 

Julie, the vegetarian lifestyle is more about getting protein through other sources like beans and grains.  Most meat and potatoes people also love their breads.  It helps to make smaller steps in the general direction than throwing greens at them which most will reject.  Boiling potatoes in vegetable stock helps get the taste buds going in that direction as well.  You might also start with making burritos with vegetarian refried beans, black beans, basmati rice, salsa, guacamole, I wrap mine in romaine leaves but you can wrap in a regular extra large flour tortilla.  You both will probably still like shredded cheese on it and maybe sour cream.  However, this is a great protein boost.  If he is still very objectionable, throw some shredded chicken breast in it, that should fool him into thinking it is about the meat and not all the extras that you added in there.  The trick with my friends is to wow them with flavor.  If a dish is irresistible enough they will ask for it again and again. 

For me the biggest change in my palate took place when I stopped eating processed foods.  This reduced the salt I was consuming and within a week everything started tasting better.  This was the first surprise of this diet.  Before I changed ways my inflammation levels were through the roof and I had developed Alzheimer's.  My doctor put it to me and said change or die so I changed and it worked so well that I never looked back.  How I felt each day improved and with that my mood improved and I had more energy and was able to do more and the progression of the Alzheimer's slowed down. 

It is just so shocking to me coming on here and read about all the developing of new symptoms people were posting about and noticing how that connects with what these people are eating and their other life style choices.  Guess I look at my downfall, sugar, and think is it worth going through what has been described on here and think hell no.  

Mary