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4 05, 2015

Boosting your mind with Bridge

By judythemorgan|2018-07-23T10:55:32-05:00May 4th, 2015|Make Me Think Monday|2 Comments

A long time ago in a place called Han Nam Dong, South Korea, there wasn’t much to do so I learned to play the game of Bridge.

As one of many unauthorized military wives, somewhat isolated from the usual Army post activities, I ended up playing Bridge almost every night and most weekends. Turns out I was doing myself a favor.

The Berkley study conducted by University Professor Marian Diamond found significant health benefits from playing the game of bridge:

Stimulates your brain.
Sharpens your memory.
Strengthens your immune system
Increases communication and social skills

How can playing bridge do these things?

When you play bridge, you train yourself to keep track of who holds what card, analyze your own suits, and figure out the best strategy to win the most tricks. You are constantly looking for clues and always calculating your next move. The result is a well-optimized brain that research proves produces a stronger immune system.

And because playing bridge requires four people, you build good communication skills for a successful partnership.

Recent studies link those who play mind games like bridge or chess to lower risk of developing Alzheimer.

Others believe the intense mental activity when playing bridge can actually help high-octane individuals unwind.

President Dwight Eisenhower, who considered playing bridge his only true form of relaxation, said this: “The most relaxing thing he could do was to play a game in which the problems were tough, the solutions difficult, but the consequences of error were just a few hundred harmless points written down on a score pad.”

Gus Lubin, deputy editor Business Insider and bridge enthusiast, claims the best bridge players are frequently Wall Street investors.“Bridge is a complex card game that fits the analytic side of finance, as poker appeals to instincts.” Read more about how the game of bridge and Wall Street are similar here.

Who knew that what I learned as a way to beat boredom in South Korea would keep my brain active and stimulated.

You’ll find there are serious bridge players and party bridge players. No matter which type of Bridge player you are (or become), the game of bridge is an entertaining card game filled with teasing camaraderie and fellowship.

Want to learn more about playing Bridge? Check out these websites:

Blueberry Bridge will help you learn to play bridge on line.
Bridge Doctor This site offers lessons and guides to learn American Standard Bridge
American Contract Bridge League The purpose of ACBL is to promote, grow and sustain the game of bridge and serve the bridge-related interests of our Members.

YOUR TURN: Do you play Bridge? Do you think you might start playing now that you know the benefits?

1 05, 2015

Annabel Update

By judythemorgan|2015-05-01T06:00:39-05:00May 1st, 2015|Miller Farm Friday|2 Comments

By Guest Blogger Chicken Wrangler Sara

Annabel, our “foster “dog, has adjusted quite nicely to life on Miller Farm. She even adds another aspect of entertainment to life here.

I recently gave her part of a dried out baguette to keep her occupied while I fed the chickens. She carried it around the yard for quite some time looking for a place to bury it.

She was somewhat successful.

As soon as I went into the house she went and dug it up. I guess she didn’t want to have to share with me.Her other trick is to follow me into the chicken yard and “herd” the chickens. She chases them ‘round and ‘round the chicken coop but they refuse to get in a group.

I have explained to her that chickens are not herding animals. She is determined.

I’ve started closing the gate completely so she does not get into the chicken yard. This week she got her head stuck in between the gate and the fence. Like I said – she is determined. She is also smart. She hasn’t put her head in that spot again.

We currently have two potential homes for Annabel. Hopefully within a week she can move out. Of course the two homes are the ones on either side of ours so she won’t be moving far.

29 04, 2015

GRASS – One Word Wednesday

By judythemorgan|2015-04-29T06:00:39-05:00April 29th, 2015|one word Wednesday|0 Comments

As a writer, I am a wordsmith and always curious about words and their meaning.

Seeing sprouts of green finally show up on my lawn here in the mountains made me think about the word GRASS.

The literal meaning: any plant of the family Gramineae, having jointed stems, sheathing leaves, and seedlike grains.

The slang meaning: Marijuana.

But the word GRASS can also be a symbol.

Once a name for spring or early summer, today the appearance of grass in yards signals the coming of spring.
In his poem, “Grass,” Carl Sandburg used the word symbolically to represent the waste and meaninglessness of war:

Pile the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo.
Shovel them under and let me work—
I am the grass; I cover all…

Two years, ten years, and passengers ask the conductor:
What place is this?
Where are we now?

In Psalm 103:15-16 GRASS illustrates the brevity of human existence:

As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourishes.

For the wind passes over it, and it is gone; and the place where it was shall know it no more.

The word GRASS can be found in idioms.

Go to grass is to retire from one’s occupation or profession
Let the grass grow under one’s feet is become slack in one’s efforts.
The grass is always greener on the other side (of the fence) implies different circumstances wouldn’t be better.
A snake in the grass refers to a false friend
Grassroots refers to the common people or bottom of the political pyramid political pyramid, opposite the “establishment,” which controls the top.

YOUR TURN: Can you think of other ways the word GRASS is used?

27 04, 2015

Should we be handwriting more?

By judythemorgan|2015-04-27T06:00:57-05:00April 27th, 2015|Make Me Think Monday|2 Comments

In these days of touch screens and keyboarding, handwriting seems a lost art. Personally, I think that’s a shame.

I’ve also discovered studies show handwriting has the advantage over typing on creativity, memory, and information retention.

Don’t believe me?

Studies by Pam Mueller and Daniel Oppenheimer have shown that using your laptop or note app for note taking actually hinders your ability to learn information.

You can read their full research paper here or check out this Washington Post article on the paper:

Interesting conundrum if you’re a teacher. Do you allow your students to use technology or require handwritten note taking?

Even if we’re not students or teachers, the Mueller and Oppenheimer study suggests handwriting offers four benefits.

·Increases Conceptual Understanding

Stronger conceptual understanding means more success in applying and integrating of material.

·Enhances Cognitive Processing

You can only write so fast, so your brain processes more as your hand writes more of the crucial data. Typing may be faster, but cognitively the words of the other person are not sinking into your brain.

·Stimulates short-term and long-term memory

Handwriting stimulates more effective memory cues because you’re forming the context and content in your own words.

·PROVIDES Better focus

One pen, one notebook, one hand means not much that can distract your attention. A laptop, on the other hand, is a smorgasbord of focus distractions.

Personally, I prefer handwriting because I love wandering the office supply store or aisle for neat writing paper and lovely pens, and I think handwritten notes lend a personal connection that print from a computer can’t give.

So, food for thought. No definitive answers.

How would you answer the handwriting vs keyboarding question?

24 04, 2015

Letter to Chickens

By judythemorgan|2015-04-24T06:00:13-05:00April 24th, 2015|Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

Guest Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

Dear Chickens,

Please stop playing hide and seek. I realize that for you this may be very amusing, however, I am not having fun.

There are also other reasons to stay in your chicken yard.

When you hide under the shed, there is a real possibility that Bella will be the one who finds you. She is a dachshund – bred to crawl into small spaces and retrieve animals. I’m not quite sure how you got under there. Beekeeper Brian had sealed every possible opening he could find. Apparently he missed one.

When you hide in the quail cage I can see you but cannot get to you easily.

I have to get a cinder block to stand on and there is a great potential for injury to me and to you. I know you are cramped and may feel invisible, but I see you there and since you have no food or water, you will not be comfortable for long.

I am ready to surrender and declare you “Hide and Seek Champions” if you will just stay in your chicken yard.

Thank you,

Chicken Wrangler Sara

22 04, 2015

APRIL SHOWERS, MAY FLOWERS and PETRICHOR

By judythemorgan|2015-04-22T06:00:00-05:00April 22nd, 2015|Make Me Think Monday|2 Comments

We’ve all at one time or another repeated the rhyme, April showers bring May flowers. Most of us are also familiar with the heady smell before a rainfall.

Since April is also poetry month, it’s appropriate that the saying first appeared in 1610 in a poem as Sweet April showers/Do spring May flowers.

The science behind the rhyme and that peculiar smell is also interesting.

According to meteorologists, March winds push in low pressure systems to replace the normally dry winter air with much more moist air in the low pressure systems. The more and stronger the low pressure system, the more rain falls.

Days grow warmer and genetically hard-wired plants push through as the soil thaws and frosts end. Rain helps nutrients reach the roots faster. Springtime sees increased activity of animals, birds, and insects which renews the ecosystem.

The smell of rain comes from the oil released into the air before rain begins to fall. Scientists named the smell petrichor. Read all about the process and the name here.

Whether you sing in the rain or grumble inside on rainy days, think about what’s to come. Those dark days will bring beautiful flowers.

20 04, 2015

Creative Subtraction and My Red Pencil

By judythemorgan|2015-04-20T06:00:44-05:00April 20th, 2015|Make Me Think Monday|1 Comment

Last week I shared how creativity is like math. We subtract things and we add things when we are being creative.

This week I’m considering how to apply subtraction to your life in general, not just your creativity.

It seems like there’s always something we can add to our lives. There’s so much possibility and potential wrapped up in our choices to add this or that. We spend years accumulating stuff or doing things because we always have.

Sometimes it’s easy to differentiate between what should and what could be subtracted. Other times it takes time and effort to decide what to remove.

Subtraction is about getting to the heart of what’s important and meaningful and eliminating the rest.

Why is subtraction important?

By identifying where we are and what we’re doing we can make decisions about what is robbing our time and our energy.
We can eliminate things like thoughts, outdated methods, stuff that we hang on to that doesn’t help move us forward.
We can investigate new additions that will improve our creative process.

I have a red pencil to subtract the things that don’t really matter in my writing. It’s a remnant from my schoolteacher days and a reminder of the time I spent grading papers. These days I use my red pencil to take away words, sentences, whole chapters without losing what I most want to say.

Sometimes our subtracting requires a literal red pencil. Other times the red pencil is metaphoric. Here are a couple of examples of what I mean…

The noise of the internet – twitterfacebookblogslivesphotoswords – can be become overwhelming at times. A time and energy suck. Applying the imaginary red pencil in my head, I log-out and redirect my attention to what’s important for my writing and my life.

Then there are projects and invitations. Usually worthy, but there are only so many hours in the day and so much energy to expend. I examine the pros and cons of each project or invitation based on my schedule and current workload. My red pencil draws a line through ones with more cons than pros so I have time for what’s important in my life and my writing.

If the idea of subtraction is new to you, consider starting small. Try removing just one thing – one word from a sentence, one DIY project, one item of clothing from your overstuffed closet, one piece of furniture – and see what happens. The results can be monumental in re-framing the way you see and feel and create.

Check these links for more ways to subtract in your life:

Many ideas to apply year round: Clearing Your Life For A New Year by Leo Babauta.
Specific suggestions on simplifying our lives: 28 Ways to Stop Complicating Your Life from Marc and Angel Hack.

17 04, 2015

Feathers from Heaven

By judythemorgan|2015-04-17T06:00:34-05:00April 17th, 2015|Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

By Guest Blogger Chicken Wrangler Sara

As I was walking back to the chicken yard last week a feather fell from the sky. It was quite small and very white. In fact, if it were colder outside I might have mistaken it for a snowflake.

I stood still for a minute to see if more were forthcoming. Or perhaps an entire bird was soon to follow. That would be one way to increase our flock.

Neither of these things happened. I picked the feather up and put it in my pocket thus confirming that it was not a snowflake.

I remember as a child taking walks with my grandfather around the lake near their apartment in Austin. One time I picked up a feather. This one was not white and was much larger. My grandfather put it in his Bible where it remained until his death.

As life gets more hectic and being a grownup becomes harder, it was nice to reconnect with a childhood pastime of picking up feathers. Perhaps I should keep this little white feather in my Bible for when I feel childish.

15 04, 2015

Grateful for Today

By judythemorgan|2017-01-06T10:41:00-06:00April 15th, 2015|one word Wednesday|0 Comments

Today federal income taxes are due. Most of us are probably not feeling particularly grateful.

But today is more. Brother David Steindl-Rast, a Benedictine monk, describes today this way:

You think this is just another day in your life. It’s not just another day. It’s the one day that is given to you today…. It’s the only gift that you have right now. And the only appropriate response is gratefulness.

Instead of dwelling on taxes, we should recognize the precious gift of today and observe and experience what we’ve been given to enjoy.

~the natural beauty surrounding us

~the interesting people we encounter

~the sound of laughter

~the simple beating of our heart

So many miracles — if we only pause to appreciate and be grateful.

13 04, 2015

Adding and Subtracting for Creativity

By judythemorgan|2015-04-13T06:00:14-05:00April 13th, 2015|Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

Creativity is a way of thinking, a way of viewing the world, and we all have slightly different ways we create.

Austin Kleon in his book How to Steal Like an Artist suggests:
“Creativity isn’t just the things we chose to put in, it’s also the things we chose to leave out.”

Sounds a lot like math to me.

Put something in = adding; leave something out =subtracting.

Some creative people start with nothing and add piece by piece until a final work is complete.

The opposite of addition is subtraction. Being creative by subtraction means you begin with a great mass of stuff, then the chip away, removing little by little until the final work is revealed underneath.

Examples of creation by addition

• Musicians and composers begin with a single melody line, beat, or sample and build layers until the piece of music is complete.

• Weavers begin with an idea or design, and then weave thread by thread, color by color, layer by layer until the finished tapestry emerges.

• Poets and writers may write one or two lines at a time, adding slowly, each word carefully chosen and placed in the correct position and sequence and complementing what’s been put there before.

Examples of creation by subtraction

• Archaeologists have a vague idea of what’s buried where they chose to dig, but they delicately, systematically remove the earth and debris to uncover the treasures.

• Sculptors start with a chunk of their chosen medium, stone or wood for example, then chip away gradually until the sculpture emerges.

• Fiction Editors begin with a completed manuscript, and then slowly remove the excess and weak parts to expose a great novel.

Most creative types probably use a combination process of adding and subtracting.

When I’m writing, I start with a premise or theme and add from that. Words, sentences, paragraphs, chapters build until I have a completed novel.

Other times I use subtraction, more correctly called editing, not creating. However, I am taking a whole manuscript and chiseling away to create a finished product.

What about you? Which do you use most adding or subtracting in your creative process? Do you think experimenting in the opposite way would expand or improve your creativity?