The Two Types of Blue Moons

There are two definitions commonly used today:

• Seasonal Blue Moon: The extra full Moon that occurs within a season. One season—winter, spring, fall, summer—typically has three full moons. If a season has four full moons, then the third full moon in the season may be called a Blue Moon.
• Calendrical Blue Moon: The second full moon of a calendar month. It takes our Moon about 29.5 days to complete one cycle of phases (from new Moon to new Moon), so if a full Moon occurs on the first of a month, there will be a second full Moon at the end of the month, too (except in February).

WHEN IS THE NEXT BLUE MOON?

As of this writing, the next Blue Moon according to either definition will occur on May 18, 2019, at 5:11 P.M. EDT. 

This will be a seasonal Blue Moon, since the May full Moon is the third of four full Moons to occur in Spring 2019, defined by the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice.

The four full Moons are:

1. Full Worm Moon: March 20 at 9:43 P.M. EDT
2. Full Pink Moon: April 19 7:12 A.M. EDT
3. Full Flower Moon: May 18 at 5:11 P.M. EDT <- lue="" nbsp="" oon="" span="">
4. Full Strawberry Moon: June 17 at 4:31 A.M. EDT

My Brain Trust

At my age, brain fitness is a priority. I'm backing away from those who choose not to exercise their brains.....or use them at all.  Staying sharp as a senior is as important as staying physically healthy!  Here are a few tips to keep up the mental magic.

1. Learn something new..every time you learn something new, your brain makes a new connection. They even said learning to fly a drone and activate a new brain connection... That lasted about 2 crashes and a tree landing for me!
2. Take a walk...4000 steps a day produces thicker hippocampi (the part of the brain associated with long-term memory).  I guess 2000 steps just lead to thicker hips!
3. Be a Social Butterfly...talking, listening and socializing can be a super dose of mental fitness.   Yesterday, I overdosed!!
4. Food for Thought...They suggest eliminating dairy, gluten, processed food and sugar.   What else is there?
5. Go Nuts...Already there!
6. Stop and Smell the Rosemary...The sense of smell can trigger many memories and emotions.If you smell, spritz, sip or cook with fresh rosemary, you'll be promoting cognitive function and speed up memory.
7. Take a nap...A 40 minute nap can transfer memories from the hippocampus to long-lasting knowledge networks of the cortex.
8. Challenge yourself in fun ways! Walk backwards, write with your non-dominant hand, hop on one leg or even brush your teeth with your "other hand!" They say to work your brain the way you work your muscles..  Well, that analogy sucks!

I guess I might have to do some more reading on keeping my brain trust in the black and continuing to provide me with much needed revenue!!!

New Normal

Change is strange..... it's making things radically different to charting a different position or course.   I thought I was too old for change...little did I know. Some changes don't ask for permission. I'm in the midst of that right now.  Saying no is not an option.  I need to take the protagonist position right now but I don't have the power to affect the outcome...I don't like that......not one bit.

I'm supposed to be the elder with the experience and the good advice.  Without having the experiences, I find myself treading water while trying to decide which stroke will help me (us!)  Basically, I just want OUT of the pool! 

I have taken so many deep breaths lately that I've found myself with terminal hiccups.  What I want to do (and say) is nowhere near what I know is prudent. Then again, being prudent, cautious and filtered has never been my strong suit!

My new normal is helping when asked, abstaining from unsolicited advice, keeping the new monikers to a minimum and learning to accept that I am not only unnecessary but in some cases, unwanted. That's a challenge..especially during Mother's Day week when everyone seems to be over appreciative. 

I have reconciled that life is (will be) different. That I will be thankful for those who care, leery of those who do not and wise enough to know the difference.

P.S.  I still love Mondays!♥

PA. bound

The only reason I would relish the thought of Pennsylvania is to retrieve my #1.  New normal, new start, new goals.

Heading to Levittown !  Back tomorrow!  Ready for what comes next..

 Douglas MacArthur was a wise man:

Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid, one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat and humble and gentle in victory! ♥

Me, Me, Me, Me

I have always shied away from folks who were all me, me, me!  I applauded folks who were proud of themselves and their accomplishments but who could do so with being boastful.

I still steer clear but have turned the corner on putting me first.  It only took 67 years and a few months of heartbreak but for the near future, life's going to be about me. ( I could barely type that without cringing!)  Life will be what it will be but I'm going to read more and cry less, relax more and stress less and pray more but expect less. I am responsible for my happiness and life is too freaking short to waste it.

So.........I just booked a house for 35 days in Florida next March.  My rehab!  Lots of room for friends to come and visit, hot tub, heated private pool, king size bed and 3 tv's.....right on a lake. (which in Florida is smaller than most ponds Wendell has built!)  Some of you who know me well, know I'm not really a fan of Florida and I do relish my NY vacay when Lee is in Florida....but I've hiked up my big girl panties and I'm gettin' outa Dodge...he'll be shooting and I'll be floating!   I've always said that this stage in our lives needs to be accompanied by something to look forward to beside aches and pains.  I'm giving it a try.  Christmas will be an austerity holiday this year. Everyone will be getting what they've given...🤯

It's a new me inside with the same OLD outside... I can only do so much!!!!!

Let Us Pray

I saw an amazing movie yesterday...Breakthrough...about a boy who had fallen through the ice and the power of prayer.

I have prayed A LOT the past 9 weeks...Probably more than in the last 67 years. I have not always had as much faith as one should. I'm sure many folks don't. I know my Dad would have told you that he blatantly did not believe in God or any higher power. I'm pretty sure the questioning would happen when anyone loses a child.  It's not the normal progression of how things are supposed to be.  He would tell you he was a faithful hypocrite. He gave more than anyone I have ever known. He gave to the church. He contributed to missions, capital improvements, flowers, ministry etc....but he would not attend and he no longer believed. 

As children, we went to church as a family, we sang in the choir, we joined the youth groups and it was part of our lives.  As adults, we did not.  You absolutely learn what you live and acclimate to the climate of your household. (My children are a testament to that...good and bad!)

For the past few months, I have prayed extra hard. Hands folded, knees bent and tears flowing I have asked for good health, strength, and forgiveness.  I have always prayed! I have asked for things for others and now, a bit guilt-ridden, I am asking for me.  I need wisdom, strength and a selfish return on my investment.  I feel much like the analogy that explains that if your oxygen mask drops on an airplane, you need to first breathe it in so you can then help others.  I need oxygen♥

Yesterday's movie was cathartic, to say the least. Its message was exactly what I needed to hear (and see!)  I know it was a movie and life doesn't totally work as the script was written but being a true story indeed gave folks hope.  I tried to remember that miracles seldom happen but then think...it's a script...that word must be a derivative of the word scripture.  Don't panic...I haven't gone off the deep end and you won't need to call me a "Jesus Freak" but I do believe in the power of prayer.  We got here somehow and for some reason.  I've always been a firm believer in Thank yous.  Whether you are a believer or a skeptic, this movie gives us hope that there really is power in prayer. I gave it a firm 2 thumbs (and 8 fingers) straight up!  I know if you see it, you will too!🙏

Staying Sharp!

Signs of aging for me include loss of name recognition, my hands looking like my grandmother's, my verbal filter has totally left the building, sleeping in my chair,  declaring some friends..... family and some family.....strangers, and my inherited "kind of don't give a shit attitude about what other people think" flourishing!  I guess, for the most part, I'm an average senior citizen.

Another sure sign of aging is reading the AARP magazine when it arrives in my mailbox.  It usually hooks me with a handsome, white-haired, white-bearded senior (male, of course, a white-bearded female would be kind of a turn off) on the cover or a headline that I can immediately relate to...."How to Make your Kids Hate You"...that was a piece of cake.

So, in this month's AARP periodical, is an article on how to stay sharp for life...Unless I've totally lost my mind.... there wasn't one single answer or even clue in the entire article.  It kind of debunked a few old theories but didn't really share any positive tips. Are senior moments signs of dementia?..seldom. Does eating fish contribute to mercury affecting my brain...nope, it's good for you!  Does waking up tired and irritable forebode a shifting from a healthy to impaired brain function...probably..(shit!) Will high cholesterol lead to Alzheimer's...maybe,  Does diabetes decline your verbal memory....sometimes and do antidepressants make you gain weight.... not usually...   Not one of those paragraphs help me stay mentally sharp...unless.......they're hoping that weird seniors actually try and figure out what the hell they're talking about..In that case,  my mental acuity is still sharp enough to realize that their page-filler articles are just a bunch of poppycock. Poppycock...there's the proof in the pudding right there that I'm still tarp as a shack!!!!