Music and More in Iowa

A facility in Iowa recently took me up on my Music and More offer, so off I went to a lovely little town just an hour past Dubuque.   The plan was to play my accordion, musical instrument of ages, and then retire to the dining room for an activity, namely, dying silk scarves with bleeding tissue.

As I arrived early I was given a tour of the facility by the Activity Director, Lisa.  We headed for the dining room where lunch was in progress.  I was immediately struck by the atmosphere in the dining room and couldn't help but comment.  As the lunch progressed the staff went about their business with pleasant smiles, while the residents ate and visited with each other.  When the staff did speak to the residents they spoke to them as if they were cherished friends, not a task to be accomplished.

After lunch, when the resident gathered for the music, they were full of care for one another as they got themselves seated.  When the music began the residents spontaneously sang along.  As for the activity, I decided to find a less cumbersome way to work with the scarves by eliminating the Styrofoam boards.  Yes we did!  That new and improved scarf dying method will be posted on this blog early next week.

Thanks to Lisa, the staff, volunteer Irene, and the residents for blessing me with a beautiful day.  How fortunate they are to live and work in such a caring facility.

The Far Shore of Aging

For those of you who have not yet explored the American Public Media program, On Being, (formerly, Speaking of Faith) with Krista Tippett, I highly recommend this series of programs.  I recently checked in and found a presentation. The Far Shore of Aging by Jane Gross, author of The New Old Age blog at the New York Times.

Gross addresses issues of aging and care-giving.  Currently, a large portion of the population is involved in the care-giver roll as seniors live longer, but not always healthier, lives.  She calls this the in-between time when people are caring for their parents but also caring for themselves.  The other in-between happens as caregivers are caught between guilt and exhaustion.  As care-giving professionals it's nice to have resources that address all the issues that are faced day to day.

To listen to the entire podcast, which aired on July 21, Google "On Being".  There you'll find a wealth of food for the spirit with a new program posted every week. 

What's Cooking!

Lately my involvement in healthy food and recipes has grown and outgrown this blog and taken on a life of its own.  Constant researching and tweaking of dishes along with foisting some of my favorite discoveries on friends has expanded into a new creative outlet - a separate recipe blog at loveyathemom.blogspot.com.

The name of the blog comes from the usual sign off I use on letters and emails to family and friends - Loveya, The Mom.  And this blog is filled with not only love but longing.  I have a great love of good food and a longing to be able to enjoy such food without placing my health in jeopardy.  For those of you who have not yet heard the annoying fact, today's generation of young people, for the first time in modern history, will have a shorter lifespan than their parents.  It seems that fast food consumption along with the myriad of processed and/or modified foods that fill the shelves at grocery stores are taking their toll.

So join me at my new recipe blog, which is easily accessible by clicking on the "Recipes" link under Resources at the top of this page.  One of my goals is to nudge people toward consuming at least 75% of their meals from the vegetable category.  Another goal is to find delicious foods that contain easy to find ingredients as well as to introduce readers to new ingredients that please the palate.  Yes, my focus will be on vegetarian dishes with a strong bent toward vegan, as I believe in the benefits of such an eating plan.

Good food, good health, and lots of energy.  What a great payoff for just a little more effort!

Loveya
The Mom