Music for Lovers... (Mature)

Got this in an email from a raunchy friend...hahaha

Why Adopt An Older Dog?

clipped from www.olddoghaven.org Why Adopt An Older Dog? If you have room in your home and heart for an older dog, consider the following reasons why adopting an older dog is a very good idea: Older dogs, especially those that come to us, settle in easily and are more than ready and willing to bond with you and your family. What you see is what you get with older dogs. They’ve already grown into themselves in all ways. An older dog probably won’t need a great deal of exercise, and will really appreciate quality time with you and a good nap. And of course, your socks and underwear will remain in tact. Older dogs generally like to watch the same programs on TV that you do, so you won’t have to learn to enjoy cartoons. Many older dogs have already experienced rides in the car and walking on leash, so they’re instant companions and ready to continue those activities with you. Older dogs are very grateful for the second chance they’ve been given and are very good at giving and receiving love. currently adoptable dogs,

by Ardeth DeVries. More:

"Older dogs have figured out what humans are all about and are willing and eager to add new information to their knowledge of human behavior. Old dogs can absolutely learn new tricks!

There’s absolutely nothing like the smile you get from older dogs—especially dogs that haven’t felt like smiling in awhile, but now have reasons to smile because you love them.

Older dogs are looking for human companions who will value their wisdom and their slow pace. They have their very own special appeal.

When you adopt older dogs, you can erase any unpleasant past experiences that they’ve had by loving them and caring for them. It doesn’t get any better than that!"

On a personal note, last April our local animal shelter helped us find an older dog to provide a companion to our 15-yr-old dog, who, like us, was grieving over the death of his older "brother" . We adopted our Sadie, a 9-yr-old who had been discarded in favor of a puppy. She is a JOY!

Pageflakes: creative therapy for flaky people

My wild and crazy Public Pagecasts. That includes you, too! So far I have one friend on Pageflakes, dear old Socratoad. If you have a Pageflakes account (free!) and want to hook up as a friend, just add me through Pageflakes. I'm working on several more Pagecasts, so stay tuned!

Look who thinks you are great!

The True Nature of a Heart

John Blanchard stood up from the bench, straightened his Army uniform, and studied the crowd of people making their way through Grand Central Station. He looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn't, the girl with the rose. His interest in her had begun thirteen months before in a Florida library. Taking a book off the shelf he found himself intrigued, not with the words of the book, but with the notes penciled in the margin. The soft handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and insightful mind. In the front of the book, he discovered the previous owner's name, Miss Hollis Maynell. With time and effort he located her address. She now lived in New York City. He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to correspond. The next day he was shipped overseas for service in World War II. During the next year and one month the two grew to know each other through the mail. Each letter was a seed falling on a fertile heart. A romance was budding. Blanchard requested a photograph, but she refused. She felt that if he really cared, it wouldn't matter what she looked like. When the day finally came for him to return from Europe, they scheduled their first meeting - 7:00 PM at the Grand Central Station in New York. "You'll recognize me," she wrote, "by the red rose I'll be wearing on my lapel." So at 7:00 he was in the station looking for a girl whose heart he loved, but whose face he'd never seen. I'll let Mr. Blanchard tell you what happened: A young woman was coming toward me, her figure long and slim. Her blonde hair lay back in curls from her delicate ears; her eyes were blue as flowers. Her lips and chin had a gentle firmness, and in her pale green suit she was like springtime come alive. I started toward her, entirely forgetting to notice that she was not wearing a rose. As I moved, a small, provocative smile curved her lips. "Going my way, sailor?" she murmured. Almost uncontrollably I made one step closer to her, and then I saw Hollis Maynell. She was standing almost directly behind the girl. A woman well past 40, she had graying hair tucked under a worn hat. She was more than plump, her thick-ankled feet thrust into low-heeled shoes. The girl in the green suit was walking quickly away. I felt as though I was split in two, so keen was my desire to follow her, and yet so deep was my longing for the woman whose spirit had truly companioned me and upheld my own. And there she stood. Her pale, plump face was gentle and sensible, her gray eyes had a warm and kindly twinkle. I did not hesitate. My fingers gripped the small worn blue leather copy of the book that was to identify me to her. This would not be love, but it would be something precious, something perhaps even better than love, a friendship for which I had been and must ever be grateful. I squared my shoulders and saluted and held out the book to the woman, even though while I spoke I felt choked by the bitterness of my disappointment. "I'm Lieutenant John Blanchard, and you must be Miss Maynell. I am so glad you could meet me; may I take you to dinner?" The woman's face broadened into a tolerant smile. "I don't know what this is about, son," she answered, "but the young lady in the green suit who just went by, she begged me to wear this rose on my coat. And she said if you were to ask me out to dinner, I should go and tell you that she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of test!" It's not difficult to understand and admire Miss Maynell's wisdom. The true nature of a heart is seen in its response to the unattractive. "Tell me whom you love," Houssaye wrote, "And I will tell you who you are." (Anon)

Funny Epitaphs

clipped from www.usroots.com On the grave of Ezekial Aikle in East Dalhousie Cemetery, Nova Scotia: Here lies Ezekial Aikle Age 102 The Good Die Young. In a London, England cemetery: Ann Mann Here lies Ann Mann, Who lived an old maid But died an old Mann. Dec. 8, 1767 In a Ribbesford, England, cemetery: Anna Wallace The children of Israel wanted bread And the Lord sent them manna, Old clerk Wallace wanted a wife, And the Devil sent him Anna. Playing with names in a Ruidoso, New Mexico, cemetery: Here lies Johnny Yeast Pardon me For not rising. In a Silver City, Nevada, cemetery: Here lays Butch, We planted him raw. He was quick on the trigger, But slow on the draw. A widow wrote this epitaph in a Vermont cemetery: Sacred to the memory of my husband John Barnes who died January 3, 1803 His comely young widow, aged 23, has many qualifications of a good wife, and yearns to be comforted. (ed: guess they did not have personal ads then) A lawyer's epitaph in England: Sir John Strange Here lies an honest lawyer, And that is Strange.

LOL Go to the original website for more funny epitaphs.

My Native American Name

Your Native American Name Is...

Kimi Kuwanyauma Your name means: Secret Butterfly Showing Beautiful Wings

What's Your Native American Name?

Silly me...hahahaha

Mother Nature's Smile

Why Salvador Dali Should Paint My Portrait

Who Should Paint You: Salvador Dali

You're a complex, intense creature who displays many layers. There's no way a traditional portrait could ever capture you!

What Artist Should Paint Your Portrait?

Alzheimer's memory loss faster among well-educated

clipped from www.reuters.com

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Having more years of formal education delays the memory loss linked to Alzheimer's disease, but once the condition begins to take hold, better-educated people decline more rapidly, researchers said on Monday.

Their study, published in the journal Neurology, tracked memory loss in a group of elderly people from New York City's Bronx borough before they were diagnosed with Alzheimer's or another form of old-age dementia.

Every year of education delayed the accelerated memory decline that precedes dementia by about 2-1/2 months, according to the researchers at Yeshiva University's Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.

But once this memory loss began, the rate of decline unfolded 4 percent more quickly for each additional year of education, the researchers said.

Someone with 16 years of schooling might experience memory decline 50 percent more quickly than another person with just four years education, based on the findings.

As one of my fellow clippers, pokkets, astutely observed, increasing one's level of education is "Holding the water back until the dam breaks, rather than letting it trickle down the drain." Which I find to be a comfort, of sorts--I'll fight it but should it happen to me anyway it will proceed more quickly and be over. I hope.

Problem Patience

Patient: Doctor, you must help me. I'm under such a lot of stress, I keep losing my temper with people.

Doctor: Tell me about your problem.

Patient: I just did, didn't I, you stupid fool!!

Doctor Feelgood?

As the doctor completed an examination of the patient, he said, "I can't find a cause for your complaint. Frankly, I think it's due to drinking."

"In that case," said the patient, "I'll come back when you're sober."

Tips for Safe Sneezing

clipped from www.newsdaily.com Ailing individuals who do not want to spread their infections should sneeze into their sleeves rather than their hands, a British virus expert recommends Professor John Oxford of London's Queen Mary medical school has claimed that by sneezing into one's sleeve or crook of the elbow, a person who is sick can significantly limit the spread of their infection, The Telegraph said Saturday "The new etiquette should be to cough and sneeze into your elbow," "It breaks the chain of transmission, and you must wash your hands properly and regularly." Other keys to preventing the spread of infection are repeatedly washing your hands and using disposable tissues rather than a handkerchief "You should sing 'Happy Birthday' twice over while washing your hands with hot water and soap, a quick squirt of cold water will not do it," the virus expert told the British newspaper. "The handkerchief can be a harbinger of unpleasant micro-organisms. Bacteria can multiply in them."

The new etiquette? I don't believe that the practice is new at all. Haven't we all seen others do it, or have been guilty of doing it ourselves?

Sneezing and coughing into your sleeve helps prevent airborne transmission of viruses and bacteria, but there is a certain yuck! factor in having saliva & snot caked sleeves. The good doctor should have mentioned the obvious need to handle infected clothing carefully and wash it thoroughly...and promptly!

Socrates and the Test of Three

Keep this philosophy in mind the next time you either hear or are about to repeat a rumor.

In ancient Greece (469 - 399 BC), Socrates was widely lauded for his wisdom. One day the great philosopher came upon an acquaintance who ran up to him excitedly and said, "Socrates, do you know what I just heard about one of your students?"

"Wait a moment," Socrates replied. "Before you tell me I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Test of Three."

"Three?"

"That's right," Socrates continued "Before you talk to me about my student let's take a moment to test what you're going to say. The first test is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"

"No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it."

"All right," said Socrates. "So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second test, the test of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my student something good?"

"No, on the contrary..."

"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him even though you're not certain it's true?"

The man shrugged, a little embarrassed.

Socrates continued. "You may still pass though, because there is a third test - the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my student going to be useful to me?"

"No, not really."

"Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither True nor Good nor even Useful, why tell it to me at all?"

The man was defeated and left, ashamed.

This is the reason Socrates was a great philosopher and held in such high esteem. It also explains why he never found out that Plato was banging his wife.

Growing old at home, like old people should

I was pleased to read this article in the NYT about groups working to make neighborhoods comfortable places for elderly people not interested in assisted living. It's disconcerting, depressing and frightening to consider what will happen to us as we age. My husband and I have both vowed to never be placed into a nursing home. We would rather end our lives at home than be warehoused, waiting for death.

This video of Jacques Brel singing Les Vieux (Old People) is a poignant reminder of what lies ahead for us all. How powerful are the gestures depicting the ticking of the clock that says "I'm waiting for you". To at least be allowed to experience "our last great adventure", as Ruth Morduck optimistically describes our final years, at home in familiar surroundings leaves us with some dignity.

What's wrong with lawyer jokes?

clipped from hlavolamy.szm.sk Q: What's wrong with lawyer jokes? A: Lawyers don't think they're funny, and nobody else thinks they're jokes.

What's the difference between a good lawyer and a great lawyer?
A good lawyer knows the law. A great lawyer knows the judge.

Crabby Old Man

My brother forwarded me an email with the following message and poem:

NOT JUST FOR NURSES BUT FOR ALL OF US TO THINK ABOUT...


CRABBY OLD MAN

When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a small hospital near Tampa, Florida, it was believed that he had nothing left of any value.

Later, when the nurses were going through his meager possessions, They found this poem. Its quality and content so impressed the staff that copies were made and distributed to every nurse in the hospital.

One nurse took her copy to Missouri. The old man's sole bequest to posterity has since appeared in the Christmas edition of the News Magazine of the St. Louis Association for Mental Health. A slide presentation has also been made based on his simple, but eloquent, poem.

And this little old man, with nothing left to give to the world, is now the author of this " anonymous" poem winging across the Internet.


Crabby Old Man

What do you see nurses? .What do you see?
What are you thinking.....when you're looking at me?
A crabby old man, ...not very wise,
Uncertain of habit ........with faraway eyes?

Who dribbles his food.......and makes no reply.
When you say in a loud voice....."I do wish you'd try!"
Who seems not to notice...the things that you do.
And forever is losing ......... A sock or shoe?

Who, resisting or not...........let's you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding ... The long day to fill?
Is that what you're thinking? Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse......you're not looking at me.

I'll tell you who I am ......... As I sit here so still,
As I do at your bidding, ....as I eat at your will.
I'm a small child of Ten.......with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters .........who love one another

A young boy of Sixteen .....with wings on his feet
Dreaming that soon now. .......a lover he'll meet.
A groom soon at Twenty ......my heart gives a leap.
Remembering, the vows......that I promised to keep.

At Twenty-Five, now .......... I have young of my own.
Who need me to guide .... And a secure happy home.
A man of Thirty ......... My young now grown fast,
Bound to each other ....... With ties that should last.

At Forty, my young sons ....have grown and are gone,
But my woman's beside me.......to see I don't mourn.
At Fifty, once more, ......... Babies play 'round my knee,
Again , we know children ....... My loved one and me.

Dark days are upon me ............ My wife is now dead.
I look at the future ..............I shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing......young of their own.
And I think of the years..... And the love that I've known.

I'm now an old man.........and nature is cruel.
'Tis jest to make old age .....look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles..........grace and vigor, depart.
There is now a stone.. ......where I once had a heart.

But inside this old carcass ..... A young guy still dwells,
And now and again .......my battered heart swells
I remember the joys........... I remember the pain.
And I'm loving and living.............life over again.

I think of the years all too few......gone too fast.
And accept the stark fact........that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, people .........open and see..
Not a crabby old man. Look closer....see........ME!!

Remember this poem when you next meet an older person who you might brush aside without looking at the young soul within....we will all, one day, be there too!


PLEASE SHARE THIS POEM
The best and most beautiful things of this world can't be
seen or touched. They must be felt by the heart.

Logic Problems Online!

clipped from www.puzzlersparadise.com logic puzzles you can play right on the site If you've solved the puzzle correctly, a winning message will appear in the grid area NEW! Pet Sitting Weekend It’s been a busy weekend for Larry. Five people in his neighborhood left on vacation Saturday morning and each of them left a pet for Larry to care for until they return. It’s a good thing this week is school vacation week, so he has lots of time to take care of everybody!...Determine the name of each pet’s owner, the name and animal type of each pet, the street each owner lives on and the number of days that Larry needs to care for the animals for each owner. puzzles, trivia, games, and more for puzzle enthusiasts of all ages

Interactive logic puzzles for those of us who want a fun way to keep and/or sharpen our mental acuity. I've been doing one a day of these for a few weeks now, and look forward to the new puzzles posted each month.

Free Rice...Vocabulary Game

Just found this most satisfying (and addictive) way to practice and learn English vocabulary while performing a humanitarian service: Free Rice

You choose the best definition for a word, and for each word you get right ten grains of rice are donated to the United Nations World Food Program. If you get a word right the next word is harder, and if you get it wrong the next word is from an easier level. A bowl to the right of the word to be defined shows you the amount of rice you have donated, with a running tally. Did I mention that this word game is addictive? :)

Play and feed hungry people.

Marketing 101

Lesson 1:
You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say, "I'm fantastic in bed".

That's Direct Marketing.


Lesson 2:
You're at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous girl. One of your friends goes up to her and - pointing at you - says, "He's fantastic in bed".

That's Advertising.


Lesson 3:
You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You get her telephone number off one of her friends. The next day you call and say, "Hi, I'm fantastic in bed".

That's Telemarketing.


Lesson 4:
You're at a party and see a gorgeous girl. You get up and straighten your tie; you walk up to her and pour her a drink. You open the door for her, pick up her bag after she drops it, offer her a ride, and then say, "By the way, I'm fantastic in bed".

That's Public Relations.


Lesson 5:
You're at a party and see a gorgeous girl. She walks up to you and says, "I hear you're fantastic in bed".

That's Brand Recognition.

Little Sally

Little Sally came home from school and with a smile on her face and told her mother,

"Frank Brown showed me his willy today!"

Before the mother could raise a concern, Sally went on to say, "It reminded me of a peanut."

Relaxing with a hidden smile, Sally's Mum asked, "Really small was it?"

Sally replied, "No...salty!

1 in 7 Americans Age 71 & Older Has Dementia: NIH study

clipped from www.nia.nih.gov A new analysis suggests that about 3.4 million Americans age 71 and older—one in seven people in that age group—have dementia, and 2.4 million of them have Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The study, supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is the latest in a series of analyses attempting to assess the prevalence of dementia and AD, the most common form of dementia. Published online this week in Neuroepidemiology, the study is the first to estimate rates of dementia and AD using a nationally representative sample of older adults across the United States The study highlights the nationwide reach of dementia, which affects not only those with the disease, but their families and communities as well. NIA experts point out, the numbers of people with dementia, and Alzheimer’s specifically, will certainly increase until ways to delay the progression or prevent the dementia are found. Advancing age is the most common known risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease

As this affects not only those with dementia, but their families and communities as well, we need to get busy and find ways to delay progression or prevent dementia--ways other than increasing our chances of dying young via promoting & provoking war, ignoring malnutrition and stressing our children to the point of suicide...

Study: Vision to linked mental decline in seniors

clipped from bodyandhealth.canada.com Problems seeing things close-up can speed up the rate of mental decline in the elderly, a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society indicates Researchers examined the link between vision and level of mental functioning in 2,140 Mexican-American adults over the age of 65. What they found was that seniors who had problems with near vision (but not with distance) showed the steepest decline in mental functioning over a 7-year period The exact reason for the link between near vision and rate of mental decline is unclear, but the researchers speculate that not being able to see things close up affects the level of brain activity by decreasing both active and passive visual stimulation. Keeping your brain active through activities such as reading or doing crosswords, and even by passively processing visual information, increases nerve activity in the brain and has been shown in studies to have a preventative effect against dementia and Alzheimer's disease

Good news for the nearsighted, but not so good for those who are farsighted. Guess we'll all have to try hard to stay mentally active. Fortunately I find that clipping and writing remarks & comments is mentally stimulating! (for me, anyway)