and an other Birthday

To Ron who turns 45
on July 1st
There is just something about an oldest son
wait......reminds me how young I was when he was born
and I had to pretend I knew all there was to know about being the perfect Mom!

We love you Son

****************

Us

Ted often has to repeat himself because I can't quite understand what he is saying. He's told me that I should look into getting an hearing aid. Until the Neurologist told him that he is experiencing an other symptom of Parkinson's.

This afternoon Ted mentioned that he finds himself having trouble talking. I suggested again to him to formulate his words and talk slower. To which he replied: "That is easier said than done, because my brain is so fast and my mouth can't keep up with it. Your problem is the other way around!" Uhuh!

Strawberries

Since there is only the two of us, I had to find a way to keep fruits fresh, because I like a variety on hand.

So this is what I found out: Take strawberries for instance, I start by getting the freshest boxes, red with nice green tops, but NOT too ripe. When I come home I wash them with a few drops of dish soap, rinse a few times. (I throw the containers in the blue box). Place a paper towel on the bottom of container you plan to use. Carefully place strawberries on top, (while still wet) then place one or two wet paper towels on top, then a clean dishcloth and into the crisper compartment of your refrigerator. They keep for several days. I take out what I need and cover up again.  Any that are mushy but not spoiled I cut in half, freeze them and are to be used for smoothies.,

Works great with cherries and grapes as well.

To make your strawberries taste even better?

 Cut them up sprinkle a bit of strawberry or

 rasberry Crystal Light over them.

 I buy the boxes with single servings

 and might us only one third of a packet. 

Who has a Birthday?

Our Favorite Son Paul, that's who!

He'll turn 42

June 26

What's that!

Actually, these are mushrooms came out of nowhere in the soil of one of our plants in the livingroom. They looked beautiful enough to eat, if I had, I might not be here to write about it!

A day outdoors

This is what Ted and I were watching and hearing a few days this week. i was amazed by their agility and how much fun they had working together from early morning to late at night. I mentioned that to one of the guys as I went by for my walk. I said: "I heard a "%$#@" somebody must have banged his finger?" He began to laugh "Oh yes, happens lots of time!"

But what energy those guys have. I love the sounds of outdoors, does not matter what it is but not "rap music" that is not pleasant.

I don't mind planes flying overhead or car zooming by. 

For educational purposes

Think someone is trying to

 pull the wool over your eyes?

 Look for these telltale signs 

and see if you're dealing with a liar.

Lies occur between friends, teachers and students, husbands and wives,

 lawyers and clients—yet nobody wants to be caught.

“I’ve interviewed crooks more apt to admit to a major crime than to lying,” says Glenn Woods, a criminal profiler, formerly with the RCMP, who’s been studying deceptive behaviour for more than 10 years. “Everybody lies to some degree.”

Here’s how to separate those little white lies from the whoppers:

Listen to the Voices
Pay attention to voice changes like change in pitch or cracking; they may well indicate deceit.
“A person’s voice pitch tends to be a bit higher when they’re lying than when they’re telling the truth,” says Mary Ann Campbell, director of the Centre for Criminal Justice Studies and an assistant professor of psychology at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John. “It doesn’t mean they’re lying for sure, but there’s a higher likelihood.”

Watch Those Words:
What about written material? Can we spot misleading behaviour in letters, emails and even resumés?

Professor David Skillicorn and his students in the School of Computing at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., created software—based on the deception model developed at the University of Texas at Austin—that can sniff out lies in emails and other written material by studying the frequency and kinds of words used. Skillicorn says liars tend to use fewer exclusive words such as but, or and except. They also tend to use more negative-emotion words such as ashamed, upset and embarrassed. “These are the words that send up red flags,” says Skillicorn. “It’s as though some part of the brain is feeling bad and this comes out in the writing.”

Look Past Shifty Eyes:

While most people may interpret darting, unfocused eyes as a classic sign of lying, it’s vital to consider the context of the behaviour. For example, experienced poker players are careful not to make too much of eye “tells.” People usually look to the left or right when thinking about an answer. Someone not making eye contact should arouse suspicion, but eye contact, cautions Woods, can be a tricky evaluation tool: consider that a psychopath can look you in the eye and lie with ease. And in some cultures, it’s considered inappropriate to maintain eye contact.

Get Better at Body Language:
Even though a high percentage of communication is thought to be non-verbal, no single part of the body—such as the eyes or hands—reveals the whole story when it comes to lying. Campbell says people who are lying often become more still: Hand gestures that normally accompany talking may occur with less frequency or intensity, and there may be fewer arm and leg movements. “The person becomes more focused on telling the lie,” explains Campbell, “so they get quieter in their body.”

Try asking questions quickly—one after the other

 “The initial lie is easy,” explains Kang Lee, director of the Institute of Child Study at the University of Toronto, and whose behavioural work with children can often be applied to adults. “The follow-up lie is more difficult. When you continue to ask questions and put people on the spot, it gets harder to maintain the lie.”

Check for Emotional “Leaks”
Micro-expressions that flit across the face often expose a person’s real thoughts. “If you were to watch people on videotape, frame by frame, you would see them showing their true emotion just before they show the fake expression designed to cover up the lie,” says Campbell.

But these ultra-brief facial movements, some only lasting a quarter of a second, aren’t easy to spot. Even professionals trained in lie detection can’t always isolate them. And deliberate liars tend to add other expressions, like smiling, to disguise a lie.

So here’s hoping that the next time someone lobs a lie your way, you’ll know just how to catch it.
Adapted from: Reader’s Digest Magazine, Canada, Sept. 2007

I'm still here!

Sorry I haven’t blogged. It’s been a difficult and eventful couple weeks. I’ve had two eye surgeries (one eye, a couple weeks ago and last week the same procedure on the other eye), another small procedure to remove some ‘suspicious’ spots on my skin, a couple serious dental procedures, and my general cancer-check-up rounds of bloodtests and scans.All and all adding up to $2000.00 plus.

Sometimes it’s just all so overwhelming. It’s one thing to deal with your own health issues, but then throw in a spouse who is just as ill, and you have me. Sometimes I just don’t know WHAT to blog. I don’t want to complain, so I don't write anything. People keep asking for an update...but when things are tough…what do you say? I have had a couple calls from friends, which I really do appreciate. The problem comes when people want me to go out or come over (their well-meaning attempt to reach out to me) I hate to say ‘no’. But sometimes saying ‘no’ is simply what’s best for me. As lonely as I can become, I just don’t have the energy to go out. The older I become (and Ted can attest to this), what my mind wants to do and what my body will allow me to do are two different things.

So what do you do when you feel alone, but don’t have the energy to be with people? I suppose you hope they leave a “you’re not alone” comment on your blog, give you a call sometime just to say “I’m thinking of you” and hope they understand your lack of social interaction. Aging sucks.