Welcome to the Misadventures of Widowhood blog!

Welcome to my World---Woman, widow, senior citizen seeking to live out my days with a sense of whimsy as I search for inner peace and friendships. Jeez, that sounds like a profile on a dating app and I have zero interest in them, having lost my soul mate of 42 years. Life was good until it wasn't when my husband had a massive stroke and I spent the next 12 1/2 years as his caregiver. This blog has documented the pain and heartache of loss, my dark humor, my sweetest memories and, yes, even my pity parties and finally, moving past it all. And now I’m ready for a new start, in a new location---a continuum care campus in West Michigan, U.S.A. Some people say I have a quirky sense of humor that shows up from time to time in this blog. Others say I make some keen observations about life and growing older. Stick around, read a while. I'm sure we'll have things in common. Your comments are welcome and encouraged. Jean

Wednesday, December 25, 2024

Brain Games and Christmas Wishes

This post will publish on Christmas day, but will anyone read it then? I would guess not. Still, I have to write one because writing posts is one of those brain exercises I do that I'm afraid to stop doing because my geriatric brain might seize up like an old motor left out in the snow all winter. I also do the New York Time's Wordle, Quiddler and a game or two of Solitaire every morning. In the evenings it's online Mahjong---the real game where I play against three computer bots, not the matching tiles game where people think they are playing this ancient game, but they aren't. 

A surprising number of the residents here in my continuum care facility do Wordle, too. Once in awhile if the Wordle word-of-the-day is especially hard it will become a topic of conversation at the lunch table and every time it comes up it generally leads to everyone comparing their starting words. Everyone but me because I'm ashamed that I have three of them that I use and that almost always gives me enough correct letters that I can guess the word on the forth line---an unorthodox way to solve it but it works for me and my dyslexia. For example, recently the word of the day was 'flash' and after entering my starter words of 'pearl' then 'stick' followed by 'found' it was easy. Another example when the word was 'blade' I got 'pearl', 'stick' and 'found' using my three-word starter method.

Quiddler is more challenging but I'm able to solve it as often as I can't. And Solitaire? When I was growing up there would be times when my mom played Solitaire over and over again. She’d pull up a red leather footstool, top it with a TV tray, deal the cards and play the tricks, until I would go daffy watching her. I didn’t play the game myself until after my husband had his stroke. That’s when I bought a tiny deck of cards at a hospital gift shop and I carried it everywhere we went for the next 12 years. Spouses of disabled people spend a lot of time in waiting rooms. I became my mother only with a twist that, I thought, set me apart from the woman I didn’t understand growing up. I bought a book titled 101 Ways to Play Solitaire. Yes, I played the game that drove me daffy as a kid but I was learning 101 new ways to numb my brain, to turn it off so I didn’t have to have think about the serious issues going on in my life. True Confusion: I suspect 2025 will bring on a few sessions of binging on Solitaire and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out they will be 45/47 related.

It's been a busy and rather pleasant holiday season for me despite what's going on in the national and world news. Like so many others, I've given myself permission to take a holiday break from worrying about what "President" Musk and "Vice-President" Trump are doing. There will be time enough to hop back on the Worry Bus in 2025. 

On Christmas day here at the CCC many of my neighbors will gather in their robes and PJs by the fireplace for coffee and a potluck breakfast at 8:00 AM. I don't get out of bed that early except for surgeries, but I'll be going to the White Elephant gift exchange later in the day. We don't get food service on Christmas day and no employees are on duty except for a security guard. Our concierge's desk will be manned by volunteer residents doing two hour shifts. I refuse to do one on principle---not that I've ever been asked. I should say I refuse to answer the call when they ask for volunteers. We pay a lot of money in fees to live here and they are spreading some of their employees too thin. On the other hand, with so many of us taking on self-appointed roles around here it has a homey feel, like we really are in charge of our own lives. At least the volunteer concierges will have a lot to do because a fair amount of people are having families coming over for gifts exchanges and home cooked dinners. 

There's about a dozen of us (out of 75) who will not be with families this year and our resident social committee has invited those of us who will be alone to bring our own lunch down to the (closed) cafe` where we can eat together. I won't be doing that. We spend plenty of time together already and I will not de-solve into a pity party if I spend dinner on Christmas eating alone.

Whether you read this post on Christmas day or a few days after, I hope you're having as nice of a holiday season as I am. The next time I'll see you it will be New Year's Day! Until then I'm sharing a message that was in the Hallmark Christmas cards I sent out this year. I LOVE the wording and the sentiment. ©

"Christmas keeps us believing in goodness,
 in kindness, in the wonderful dream of Peace.
May Christmas always have the power
 to remind us of the connection between us all
 and to renew our wish for a more peaceful world.
And this year, especially, may Christmas bring you joy."

 
A Christmas tree from my youth, 1951.
I named that doll 'Jimmy' because a grandfather figure/neighbor
used to call me that. I recently purchased a briefcase for my mahjong stuff and it's the made of the same pink cabbage roses and tan fabric as the drapes in this photo. I loved it the minute I saw it but didn't make the connection until a few days later.

20 comments:

  1. I play different word games on my tablet such as word search, word connect, zen word, bible word puzzle as well as a jigsaw app and solitaire, to keep my brain active. My Christmas Day was good, not great but not bad either

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    1. Wow, and I thought I played a lot of games for brain exercises.! Merry Christmas.

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  2. Merry Christmas Jean and know you are the highlight of my Wednesday mornings as I sometimes wake up early to see if your blog is posted. Christmas is different for a lot of folks this year due to health issues, separation, and distance. Wherever you are remember the reason for the season🌲

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  3. Merry Christmas Jean! I am happy to see your post on this holiday morning. We had our celebration early, so I am relaxing in front of the TV with that fake fireplace all ablaze. It sounds like you have some good options at your CCC, and that's a blessing. Sometimes it's lovely to be able to do nothing, too.

    Your old photo brought back memories of the 1950s. It looked much like our living room. I got a globe for Christmas, when I was young, and I see one in your picture. Simpler days.....or were they? I guess I'm beginning to think that there will always be challenges in this life, but I want to echo the lines of your Christmas card. May we search for goodness, kindness, peace and joy!

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    1. That old photo reminded me that it didn't look much different under our trees as those of today's kids who I often thought got too much under theirs. Parents want to make their kids happy. I think you're right about their always being challenges no matter what century we were born in. Merry Christmas, Pam.

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  4. I read your blog every week, you just add to the holiday. Thank you for your thoughts and words of wisdom throughout the year. I so enjoy your sharing. I have forgotten my favorite Wordle starter word, but Grandmas name was Pearl, so I have a new one! Deana

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    1. That would be a nice way to honor your grandmother. I love the name and I wear pearl earring nearly every day. They go so well with my white hair. Thank you for reading my blog!

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    1. Thank you! I love your blog and how devoted you are to challenging yourself. I need a little more of that in my life.

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  6. I'm imagining your mah jongg case; it must be beautiful. I love those old, classic fabrics. They take me back to the bedrooms in my grandmother's home, a place I loved to visit and spend the night.

    Wordle is a favourite game of mine, and I play it even before I get out of bed in the morning. I was devastated when I lost a game and broke my streak of over 400 days. Oddly enough, I don't even remember the word that I stumbled on.

    Merry Christmas, Jean. Enjoy this day and many, many more.

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    1. I've always loved cabbage roses and had similar wallpaper in my teens and twenties, and now in a bed spread. But my mahjong case is the exact same print! Makes me happy just to look at it and I got it on a dirt-cheap sale. What is it they say, everything that is old is new again!

      I can image how you felt to not get a Wordle after a streak like that! When I can win at the three games I play in the morning on the first try it makes me feel good all day, like it sets the tone for how things will go.

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  7. Merry Christmas Jean! I also play Wordle and NYT's Spelling Bee, Connections, and Strands. Add to that Septle (like Wordle but with seven letters and its bonus game of six letters) and Outspell (like Scrabble). I've recently added Wordiply on the Guardian's website. They give you four letters and you have to come up with a word using that combination that's as long or longer than their pick in five tries. All the while keeping in mind that the English use "s" when we often use "z." It's a wonder I ever get anything done. haha

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    1. I'm not surprised that you do so many word 'games'. I really love your blog. Have a great holiday week!

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  8. We Christmased on Sunday. I have a difficult relationship with celebrations and I do better with a different date. This morning I slept in until 9:30 am and am still in my pajamas at noon. We have enough leftovers I will not have to cook today. I started my morning as usual with Wordle, Connections and Strands. I used to do similar Wordles with more and more words, but have switched it up. Now I am watching old tv shows on my streaming service. Have a great week!!!

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    1. Still being in PJs at noon sounds like a perfect way to do Christmas, even better when you don't have to cook. Oh wait, I'm doing the same thing. Merry Christmas!

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