Posted in Musings, Non-fiction

Thursday Thoughts – April 18, 2024

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

Thinking about the benefits of the sea…….

Photo @ R.M. Carlson

I talked with one of my best girlfriends this morning. She and her husband are planning a short vacation to America’s Gulf of Mexico coast. The picture above is of the Gulf at sunset, looking west from the western coast of Florida. Hearing her excitement and then looking at my ocean pictures have caused me to long for the sea today.

I’ve never lived by the sea unless you count the year I spent teaching at the University of Porto in Porto, Portugal. During that year, I lived several miles from the coastline of Portugal, but I went to the sea often. A little later in my life, my husband and I spent the winters in Florida in the U.S. We had a small place just a mile from the Gulf and I went there daily just to sit by the sea.

I’ve always said that spending time by the sea heals my soul. I think I need some of that now! It turns out that there is scientific evidence that supports my theory. The sound and motion of the waves lapping against the shore can improve your circadian rhythm and allow you to sleep better. Spending time in salt water can moderate your blood sugar and improve your muscle and nerve performance.

Photo @ R.M. Carlson

The above photo is of the beautiful Mediterranean Sea in 2019. This shot is off the southern coast of Italy.

Salt water even rejuvenates your skin. It can heal minor cuts and scrapes. It is full of the mineral magnesium which is essential for so many body functions. Magnesium can cure migraine headaches and is beneficial in so many ways. It is almost impossible to get enough magnesium in a western diet unless you live by the sea and consume a lot of fish and seafood. Magnesium helps the heart function properly. It, however, is not plentiful in food and we often should supplement the right type of magnesium.

Salt water is also full of other minerals and trace minerals that are essential for good health. Minerals such as zinc, iron, and potassium along with a whole host of trace minerals are bio-available in sea water. No, you don’t have to drink it. If you spend time in the sea, your body absorbs the minerals.

I’ll talk about the many other benefits of the sea in other posts. Right now, I think I’m going to get better about taking my magnesium supplement and hope that a trip to the sea is in my near future! Does the sea make you feel better? What are the benefits of spending time at the sea for you personally? I’d love to hear your comments!

Posted in Musings, Non-fiction

Wednesday’s Words

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

If you get to know me through my writing and these musings, there is one overriding thing you will discover about me. I’m always thinking and thinking deeply. I think they call it busy brain. It used to be that my brain was so busy I couldn’t sleep at night. But, I’ve learned to put myself in a state of Zen at bedtime and block out the roaring river of thoughts in my head.

What do I think about? I think about the minutiae of daily life and things going on around me in which I’m interested. I’m also a big picture kind of girl. I can see the big picture best when I think about global issues like world peace, poverty, homelessness, democracy, and the like. I’m not as good at seeing the big picture when it comes to my own life. We are not as objective about our own lives.

One thing I’ve discovered is that my generation (baby boomers) and younger generations (millennials, Gen X, etc.) have quite a different outlook on life. You would think I would have discovered this during the almost 30 years I spent as a college professor. But not so much. The generation immediately behind me was not so different from my own. Now, when I can look back more than one generation, I clearly see the differences and I think they are rooted in how our parents raised us. A second cause is probably technology.

How do you feel about this? Comments?

Posted in #FridayFictioneers, Challenges, Flash Fiction

Changes – #FridayFictioneers – April 19, 2024

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

Photo Prompt @ Rochelle Wisoff

She stopped at a gift shop in the airport. She was looking for a gift for Amy, who she was going to visit.

Amy, her friend, wasn’t as welcoming as

usual. Amy didn’t seem herself and it was an uncomfortable visit. Amy was

critical and cold. She left two days early. After she got home, they didn’t

talk again. 

Several years passed. She ran into Clifton,

another friend from graduate school. She found out Amy had been diagnosed with

obsessive-compulsive disorder. Now she understood her criticism. 

Twenty years later, she still thought of Amy. The two friends never spoke again.

Thanks to Rochelle for hosting #FridayFictioneers!

Posted in #weekendcoffeeshare

#weekendcoffeeshare – April 13, 2024

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

Good morning and come on in! Join me for #weekendcoffeeshare #160! I”m so glad to be blogging again. I really enjoy the writing, but I also enjoy my interactions with all of you. Grab a cup of coffee and please join me for a catch-up.

Wild weather in my part of the world again this week. Terrible thunderstorms and wind. It’s spring here and the weather is always unsettled, but never quite as unsettled as it is this year.

The week started with the solar eclipse! We did not get totality here. We got about 96%. It was quite cloudy that day, but most of us still got a pretty good glimpse at the eclipse. I was surprised because it did not turn as dark as we expected. Quite an event! The University here has a space science division and very nice facilities including a large telescope. They invited the public to come take a glimpse and that was fascinating!

I’ve done a lot of work this week. A lot of writing. What is your current WP? I’m looking at ideas for two books. I don’t know, for sure, if I will pursue these ideas or not, but I like them both. It’s not about me, however, it is about the potential audience for my work. I have to undertake some market research to find out if there is a potential audience. I feel like I’m out of touch with what the public is reading for pleasure since, until recently, I was writing on contract in my field.

What do you feel the public likes now? I’d love your opinions!

I have some pics of my garden although Mother Nature seems determined to make this gardening year difficult. Our last frost date isn’t until May 15, so there is plenty of time left for her to kill it! I used to grow vegetables, but not now. Living in the forest does not let you have access to enough sunlight. There is also a tree here, the black oak, that drips sap that is poisonous to veggies. So, now it’s flowers for me!

Speaking of flowers, allow me to show you the progress of some of my favs in my flower garden! Here are the perennials just starting in my shade garden.

Siberian Bugloss (top) and fern (bottom)

Ajuga – a great shade groundcover

Coral Bells

Here are a few of my plants in another flower bed that get partial sun/partial shade.

From the front:

Hosta. Left of the hosta is a clematis. Immediately behind the hosta is two peonies. Behind the peonies and to the right, climbing, is another variety of clematis. Behind the peonies/clematis is an iris bed. The irises are slowly coming up. I have both Siberian Iris and Louisiana Iris.

Other flowering plants are in this bed that have not come up yet. It’s early spring here in the Kentucky mountains.

Thanks for having coffee with me and have a wonderful week!

Many thanks to Natalie the Explorer for hosting #weekendcoffeeshare!

Posted in #unicornchallenge, Challenges

The Runaway – #UnicornChallenge – April 12, 2024

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

The two boys hopped on the freight train as Cadot, the old Ojibwen man, watched. It was a dry, windy day, typical for these Dust Bowl days of the 1930’s in America. Even though the most profound effects were in the Midwest, most of the country was affected in some way.

The two boys were from a poor white family in town. They came out to the area around Cadot’s cabin near the railroad tracks to pick blueberries. Northern Michigan was renowned for its blueberry crop. The boys picked the berries for money to support their family.

After picking as many blueberries as they could carry, the boys would hop on a passing freight train and sell their blueberries at every stop. They would ride another freighter back.

One day, the older boy came to pick blueberries alone. Cadot asked where his brother was, and he replied that he had left home after they had fought. The boy was 15 years old. 

Almost ten years passed. The Dust Bowl was over, and World War II was firing up. Cadot had a visitor, and it was the boy who left home. He had come home to join the Navy. He had been sending his family money from Baltimore. When the boy left, Cadot grieved and didn’t expect to see him again. 

After the war was over, there was a knock at the cabin door. There stood the boy, now a man, home from the War. His seven-year-old daughter was with him.

Thanks to C.E. Ayr and Jenne Gray for hosting the #UnicornChallenge!

Posted in Challenges, Friday Fictioneers

The Old Homeplace – #FridayFictioneers – April 12, 2024

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

Photo Prompt @ Susan Rouchard

The old house was going to be destroyed. Industrial development. She barely got there in time before it became a victim of the wrecking ball. 

They stopped work for her so she could retrieve what she wanted. She had to be quick. She ran from room to room, snatching and grabbing.

She ran into the nursery and there were her books. Her childhood lived in those books. One of the workers helped and she packed them up. Nancy Drew. Huckleberry Finn. More.

She loaded them in her car as the memories battered her brain. Thinking of her family, she cried.

Thank you to Rochelle Wisoff for hosting Friday Fictioneers!

Posted in #atozchallenge, Challenges

G is for Gerontology – #AtoZChallenge – April 7, 2024

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

Theme: Aging and aging issues

#AtoZChallenge

What is gerontology? Gerontology is the study of the social, cultural, behaviorial, health, and other aspects of aging and older adults. As the population ages, and the baby boomer generation is currently the older generation, the study of gerontology as a job gets increasingly popular. Gerontologists or geriatric specialists work in hospital settings and in private practice.

Gerontologists are advocates for older adults. The needs of older adults cannot just be lumped into one big category. They vary based on the health and gender of the individual. The needs of older individuals include transportation, medical care, living arrangements, legal needs, and nursing care, just to name a few. If you are an older adult and you have to enter a hospital, ask if they have a gerontologist on staff and have a meeting with that professional. You can also use the services of a gerontologist to help you plan during your older years. There may be gerontologists available for you, especially if you live in a larger community.

You can search for a geriatrics professional in your state in the U.S. by using this search engine. They can help you find an assisted living facility if that is what you want to do. They can also help you go through the process of moving into assisted living or even a rehab center or nursing home.

Take advantage of gerontology services when you are making plans. They can make the issues of aging more understandable and easier for you to navigate.

Posted in #atozchallenge, Challenges

F is for Family – #AtoZChallenge – April 6, 2024

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

Theme: Aging and Associated Issues

#AtoZChallenge

The relationships between generations of families is rapidly changing, not just in the U.S. but in much of the world. The generation that is aging right now is the baby boom generation. This generation changed a lot in the U.S. and in the rest of the world, The generations behind us are very different. The baby boom generation is actually where the attitudes starting changing about taking care of the elderly. Now, the generation behind us, those in their 40s, is called the “sandwich generation” because 40% of households in their 40s include both an elderly parent and children.

Often,the elderly (who are now usually the baby boom generation), don’t particularly want to live with their children. Illness may make it necessary. Money may also make it necessary. In the U.S., assisted living facilities and nursing homes are prohibitively expensive. Other cultures take care of their elderly far better than the U.S.

There are subcultures in the U.S. that still do feel a desire and a responsibility to take care of aging parents. One area where this subculture lives is the area where I live, Appalachia. You find many multigenerational families in my area of the world. In some other cultures in the U.S., children often live thousands of miles from where they grew up which doesn’t foster the ideal environment for a multigenerational family.

The elderly who have strong family ties often report a stronger immune system, less illness, improved mental and physical health, and a longer life overall. Work on your family relationships during your life so they will remain strong and supportive as you age. Check out government eldercare resources for very good information on family life and aging.

Posted in #weekendcoffeeshare

#weekendcoffeeshare #159 – April 6, 2024

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

Good morning and welcome to my April 6, 2024 #weekendcoffeeshare 159! Please come in a have a seat. I was hoping it would be warm this morning, but it isn’t, so we will be here in my kitchen.

If I were having coffee with you this morning, I would tell you that this has been one of those weeks. By the end of it, I didn’t know if I wanted to scream or if I wanted to climb back in bed and pull the covers up over my head!

The week started, last Sunday, with three and one-half or four full on bad weather

days. Here in the East Central U.S., we had flood warnings, tornado watches and warnings, severe thunderstorm watches and warnings,, and warnings about hail. In addition, we had warnings from the National Weather Service about high winds, perhaps hurricane force.

Where I live, we got all the weather, but we were spared any real damage. There was one evening where we had 70 mile per hour winds and a terrible thunderstorm, but they weren’t tornadic. The road flooded at the base of the mountain where I live and no one could get in or out.

After the stormy weather, it turns cold here. Really cold for April where I live in the US. I have two perennial gardens and all the plants had to be covered up – for four nights in a row. I think, today, the weather is finally back to something approaching normal and we can take the covers off.

Even in the cold, the perennial gardens are just starting to thrive.

The end of the week held an event I went to. One of my best friends lost her husband a month ago. She had a Celebration of Life for him instead of the traditional visitation and funeral. It was at a local bar where he worked off and on. Although we all paid our respects, it was really just a big party in celebration of Jeff’s life. It was nice to be able to see a lot of friends all at once. I was able to see some of my high school classmates which I always enjoy.

I’ve been doing a lot of writing for this blog. I’m gradually getting comfortable with it again and may start back to work on my book. I had been sort of blocked for a while, but seeing friends and writing with friends here has helped. Thanks to all of you!

I’m currently reading the book, “Commonwealth,” by Ann Patchett. I like her books sometimes, but not always. I’ve only just started this book and the jury is still out. Has anyone else read it?

Thank you for stopping by my #weekendcoffeeshare today! I’m off to read some of your’s. Will you watch the solar eclipse this week?

Thank you to Natalie the Explorer for hosting #weekendcoffeeshare!

Posted in #atozchallenge, Challenges

E is for Education – #AtoZChallenge – April 5, 2024

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

#AtoZChallenge

Education or lifelong learning as you age will keep your mind sharp and help stoke your curiosity about the world. Not only will you stay alert and aware, you can learn the skills for a new “encore” career if you miss working, part-time or full-time. Maybe there is something, besides the job you have either retired from or you will retiring soon, that you’ve always wanted to do. If you study for that new encore career, you can have a fulfilling work life after retirement from your major employer.

If you have a local university nearby, it may have programs that allow senior citizens to attend classes for free. Check with the Admissions Office when you file your application for admittance.

An example might be graphic design. Do you like to play on your iPad or computer? Are you interested in making a little money designing webpages or even entire websites? Is there some other job in graphic design you prefer? You could work part-time and enjoy retirement the rest of the time, but you have to gain the skills. Those will come through education, either in a classroom environment or online through remote learning.

In my case, I was a college professor of finance and business for over 25 years. I was able to retire with full benefits, but I missed working. I missed my co-workers. I missed being able to express my creativity daily. I actually missed everything about working. I had always been a writer and had written a few things for publication. Writing became my encore career. It was hard at first, but I’ve had one book and over 400 articles published.

If you would like to incorporate socialization with your education, you might choose to take classes on a subject of interest in a local university or community college classroom setting. If you prefer to study on your own, you can choose to use online learning via computer. Even though my primary fields were finance and business during my career, my interests now are very diverse. Currently, I’m taking classes (free online classes) in anthropology and genetics. There is a wide array of subjects you can choose from.

You can find online adult education classes at numerous sites online. One is Udemy. You can find classes on a wide array of subjects for reasonable fees. Another excellent platform for online learning is Coursera. If you do an internet search, you can find other platforms for online courses depending on what you want to study.

You can also go the vocational route if that suits you. I have a friend who had a 30 year career as a podiatrist. After he retired, he went to vocational school and became an airplane mechanic.

Aviation engineer workers are maintaining various aircraft systems.

Adult education, or lifelong learning, will help you keep up to date skills and help you feel part of the modern world. It will keep your brain active and alert. Older adults can benefit in many ways from studying something of interest after retirement.

#AtoZChallenge