My Mother's New iPad 3 Air

Song:  Sky High

Group:  Jigsaw

The weather has warmed considerably lately...

and flowers are blooming everywhere.

On the previous night...

I had taken over my iPad 3 Air to show my mother the many apps on it.

She especially loved the games I had on it.

I showed her many games from the Apple download app...

and she immediately said she also wanted one.

So...

on the next day...

I took her to the Apple store in town.

She had initially wanted the iPad Pro since it is considerably larger in size, until...

...I had shown her how the price was double.

It simply had options she did not need.

I then showed her the iPad 3 Air...

and how the screen was still perfectly adequate for her needs...

and I had reminded her that it was the same as mine and how much she had enjoyed it.

So...

she got the iPad 3 Air...

and a 10 foot cloth weave protected power cord.

She was like a grinning like child getting a present for Christmas  :)

We then ate supper at...

what used to be...

our favorite Indian restaurant.

I think it is under new management...

with a new cook.

In short...

the food was dry...

and I could tell of the shortcuts the cook had taken, by the quality of the food.

I fear this restaurant is entering its death spiral.

I will give it one more try for a lunch buffet.

The Nan (flat unleavened bread)...

was DRY and hard.

I had told the waiter when I initially ordered...

that I wanted the Nan with the meal.

So...

the cook must have made the Nan first...

and then put it under the heat lamps until the main meal was done.

The rice was also dried out.

He must have cooked a lot earlier in the day...

and then kept it heated...

which then dried it out.

The sweet Lassi...was not.

The chicken was dried on the surface...

and a bit raw near the bone.

This tells me he had rushed the cooking on too high of a heat source.

This could only be the result of an very inexperienced cook...

of whom had not been trained properly.

This tells me the owner tried skimping on the most important area...

the quality of the food by paying less for the cook.

Instead of charging a little more to cover the cost of a quality cook...

he lowered the quality of the cook...and so...the food.

This is how a restaurant enters a death spiral.

People will gladly pay more for quality food.

What is unforgivable...

is having to eat poor quality food...at any cost.

People stop going...

the owner then tries skimping in other areas to keep his profits up...

and with constantly fewer and fewer customers...

it enters an unrecoverable spiral towards closure.

------------

One interesting note:

The people sitting behind my mother were Japanese nationals.

They were speaking only Japanese.

I had heard that a Japanese company was setting up in Reno.

The company most probably moved some of their management staff here

 with their families.

It is too bad they had eaten at this restaurant.

It will give them the wrong impression of Indian food in Reno...

or of Indian food in general.  :(

-------------

After I took my mother home...

I started up her new iPad...

and I loaded in some of her favorite apps.

I plugged it in near her favorite chair in her relaxation room...

 I had her recline in it with a comforter on top of her...

and I left her to enjoy her games...

with her eyes all a glitter...

and a childish smile on her face.  :)

Deep Freeze: Salmon, Flounder, And Rainbow Trout

Song:  Clocks (Cover)

Artist:  Jamie Dupuis

A little while ago...

I had my mother buy a deep freezer which I put in one of her garages.

This is a stand alone freezer to store a much larger amount of frozen foods.

I wanted her to get it so I could stock up on all of her favorite foods...

as sometimes when I shop, they are out of what I had wanted to buy.

With a deep freezer holding a large stock of all the frozen fish...

and other items I use to cook for her...

all I have to do when I go to her house to cook her supper...

is ask her what she wishes to eat...

and I can easily retrieve whatever my mother desires most to eat that night.

I cook mostly fish based meals for her.

Not only is it the most healthful of all the meats to eat...

it is what she enjoys eating the most.

My mother had planted these tulips in a pot on her front porch some months ago...

just before winter.

Now that Spring is here...

she enjoys having cut flowers in her house.

Spring has arrived.

Our basic staple fish for our meals consist of these three.

I use a variety of methods to cook the salmon, including inclusion in other dishes.

With the flounder and the trout, I just grill them with salt and pepper.

I buy these frozen fish from the neighborhood Super Walmart.

I love this store.

A two pound bag of salmon costs just under $15.00.

A one pound bag of Rainbow Trout costs a little under $9.00.

And a one pound bag of Flounder costs just under $5.00.

I would have bought more fish...

but I had taken the last that they had for the day.

I had bought this deep freezer off of Amazon for a few hundred dollars...

and it was then delivered to her door.

A deep freezer which has a manual defrost is necessary to prevent freezer burn.

In auto defrost models...

it warms up the walls to shed frost...

which also warms the food...

which partially thaws the meat...

and this forms ice crystals in the meat when it refreezes...

which damages the cell walls...

which then forms the typical freezer burn with such models.

When the food goes low in this freezer...

I will then transfer the rest to the regular freezer in the house...

and I could then manually defrost the freezer when it is empty...

and I would then restock the freezer.

Another thing which helps prevent freezer burn...
is having each fish fillet vacuum sealed.

When there is air in the package...

freezer burn results when...without having to go through defrost cycles...

the ice sublimates (goes from a solid to a vapor without first going to a liquid)...

and this is why there is ice on the inside of the package when it wasn't there

when you put it in.

The meat gets...

essentially, dehydrated...

another form of freezer burn.

When you use these two precautionary measures (manual defrost, and vacuum sealed products)...

you can store frozen foods for many months without product degradation.

On this night...

my mother felt like eating grilled trout.

As you can see...

each is vacuum sealed.

All I do is set the stove on medium high...

and I grill each side until lightly browned...

and I season with just a little salt and pepper

(I cover the pan during cooking).

The rest of the seasoning for the fish comes from our favorite Tonkatsu sauce (below).

We also have a bowl of miso soup to round out the meal.

We will usually start out with a salad during supper...

but on this night...

we just ate the meal without the salad...

as neither of us was particularly hungry.

------------------

My mother loves fish just grilled.

This is a typical Japanese style meal.

I cook using typical Japanese...

and Mediterranean style foods.

These are the two most healthful diets in the world.

Both include fish as the main meats

(with supplemental meats of poultry...

and lighter amounts of other types of meats)...

lots of vegetables, fruits, grains, and nuts...

and with lesser, but healthful, amounts of eggs and some dairy 

(mostly yogurts and cheeses).

I also usually have her drink a full glass of a fruit or vegetable juice at supper.

I use mostly an olive oil based salad dressing

(I mix it myself with a true extra virgin olive oil)...

and I have her sip on a half glass of a concentrated grape wine

as she watches a movie on TV after dinner.

I also cook using a lot of tomato based sauces...

especially when using pasta.

-------------------

I reiterated to my mother on this night...

the great importance of how I have styled her diet...

and exercise regimes 

(which she hasn't been able to do for many months due to pain in her knees...

but which we are going to restart tomorrow...

as I had her knees x-rayed).

Although she has mild loss of cartilage in her knees...

it shouldn't be debilitating.

We are going to walk shortly after each supper from now on.

I reinforced the message that most people who die 

from a stroke or heart attack in the hospital...

usually die between the hours of 2 - 3 AM.

A quick funny note:

As soon as I had said this...

my mother's face lit up...

and she actually said...

with a big smile on her face...

that she is a night owl...

and she often stays awake past 3 AM anyways  :)

After removing my hand from my face...

I told her that it was not the time which was the causative factor...

but it was the time which most people are deeply sleeping...

and when their system is at its lowest output.

My rationale:

I believe (it seems reasonable)...

it is because the body is at its lowest ebb in its metabolic stage.

The blood pressure is at its lowest...

everything slows down...

and this is when blood clots have the greatest ease to form...

especially in the legs.

These clots then travel to where they then do the damage.

So...

it is most reasonable to exercise and drink a half glass of wine...

just before bed.

Not only does exercising just before bed increase the metabolic rate

all night long...

which then forces the body to burn fat while you sleep...

it increases the amount of capillaries in the body...

 increases the stroke volume of the heart...

and improves the muscle tone of the legs...

and so, prevents pooling of blood...

especially in the legs...

which will prevent the main cause of mini clots being thrown

from the legs.

A lot of dementia is the result of mini strokes...

which is usually caused by mini clots forming in the legs at night...

especially in those who have a sedentary life style

(and so...the reason that those who stay in a hospital bed for extended periods...

are usually fitted with pressure hoses on their legs).

The legs and hips...

not only have the largest muscles in the body...

 they are the farthest from the heart.

The blood has a harder time returning to the heart...

and so, often times, pools in the legs...

which can then, form clots.

This is not only a danger for a Deep Vein Thrombosis...

but sets the stage for the more often...

and most often silent...

mini stroke.

Exercise just before bed helps in the long term...

as well as for the short.

It also, when coupled with a hot shower afterwards...

greatly reduces stress and excess energy...

which then induces a deep restful slumber.

A half glass of wine also helps  :)

While we all must die...

we should aim to die without unnecessary infirmity.

So, in essence...

our goal is to die healthy  :)

My Mother's New Favorite Restaurant

Song:  Regresa A Mi

Group:  Il Divo

I took my mother to a restaurant which was new to us on this night.

It is open until midnight every night...

and until 1 AM on Fridays and Saturdays.

As we were to find out...

they have great Prime Ribs

(which are only sold on Fridays - Sundays).

I took her here specifically for their Prime Rib.

It has a nice open atmosphere and the seating was very comfortable.

We started off with a couple of St. Pauli non-alcoholic beers.

We then tried their delicious Portobello Mushroom Salad.

Both, my mother, and I, loved it.

We then started on our main dish...

a 16 ounce Prime Rib...

fire roasted asparagus...

and my mother had a baked potato...

while I had the mashed potatoes.

From the first bite of the Prime Rib...

my mother and I loved this place.

My mother proudly announced that this was her favorite restaurant...

and her wish to come here often.

They know how to, not only, make prime rib here...

but their vegetables were so deliciously spiced and fire roasted.

The prime rib was excellent in its supreme tenderness...

mouthwatering spices, and juiciness.

We were both so impressed.

We are going to try their Rib Eye next time.

And...

whenever we feel like the best prime rib we have ever had...

we are sure to return on a Sunday night.

The included desert was so large that I couldn't finish it.

I usually don't eat sweets except at restaurants...

or an occasional chocolate at my mother's as we watch a movie...

so, this was quite a sugar shock for me  :)

We then departed fully satisfied...

and with the full knowledge that we had experienced a great meal

and that we would return often.

My mother absolutely loved this place.

Trying new restaurants is one of our hobbies.

As we usually eat fish or poultry at my mother's...

and as I simply cannot cook red meats anywhere near the quality

of a good restaurant...

when we eat out...

it is usually to get a good steak.

In this restaurant...

we had found a winner.

An added plus is that...

as we are both night owls...

we like to eat out late

when the restaurants aren't crowded...

so we may just enjoy a relaxing meal.

We have until midnight to enjoy a great steak or prime rib...

on any given Sunday.

What was funny was my mother's absolute LOVE of this place.

She was as delighted and gushing as a school girl.

This is the type of reaction a good restaurant should bring about in its patrons.

This is also our goal when eating out.

It is a new adventure to be thoroughly enjoyed...

time and again.

And...

as always...

Hana absolutely loved the fat trimmings we had taken back for her.

Dinner And An IMAX Movie

Song from Secret Garden

On this night...

I took my mother out to dinner at the Olive Garden...

and we then went to see a movie at an IMAX complex.

It was opening night for the movie 'Born In China'.

It was a documentary on select animals in China.

There were some beautiful scenic shots of different parts of China

where the Panda, the Golden Monkey, and the Snow Leopard live.

It depicted the life of select animals and their lives over more than a one year span.

My mother loves animals...

so, she enjoyed this movie.

We had just been seated at the Olive Garden.

Their soup is excellent.

We then enjoyed a plate of Chicken Parmesan, Lasagna, and Fettuccine Alfredo.

We departed the restaurant and drove to the movie theater just a short distance away.

Each seat was assigned

(I had bought the tickets online the night before)...

and each is an electric recliner.

It was almost 10:30 PM when we departed the theater.

Although my mother has an excellent 80" TV at home...

I wanted to get her out of the house for a night out.

She enjoyed herself...

and that is what is important.

--------------

My mother will be 80 years old in less than two years.

Time is limited...

and death waits for us all.

To have regrets at a loved ones funeral means you had realized

you should have spent more time with them.

The time to show them your caring is while they are still alive.

A funeral should be a time of missing them...

but of having no regrets on your part for not having been with them more.

When you have no regrets for things not said or done when they mattered...

 allows just the good memories to fill your mind.

And...

having had lived their lives well...

allows people to die well.

Near the end...

I am sure...

it is the amount of magical memories shared with others which fill the mind...

and which gives life so much of its meaning...

and, which dictates the depth of peace before the final slumber.

Give your children plentiful amounts of affection...

lots of hugs and kisses...

and spend meaningful amounts of quality time with your parents.

The people around you are mirrors of your soul.

How you treat them...

is a reflection of who you really are.

A Picnic At Kings Beach - Lake Tahoe

Song:  Ave Maria

As today was a beautiful day...

I went to my mother's to take her on a picnic.

My original plan was to take her to Prosser Reservoir.

However, the last half mile to the reservoir was impassable due to mud...

so...

We first stopped to get some fried chicken for the picnic.

My mother carried it on her lap the whole way.

Hana was in the back seat.

The drive to the turnoff from the highway to Prosser Reservoir was less than 45 minutes 

from home.

We traveled to the turnoff leading to the reservoir at the end of this road...

and found that the asphalt stopped...and mud began.

There were some people snowmobiling at the end of the road.

Fearing I would get stuck...

I turned around.

We were leaving the turnoff here.

Since we were so near to North Lake Tahoe...

I decided to go there for the picnic.

We stopped at King's Beach and put the chicken down and ate.

The temperature was just right...

and there was a light breeze blowing.

We were surrounded by beautiful views as we ate.

My mother enjoyed looking out at Lake Tahoe...

and the surrounding snow covered mountains as she ate her chicken, biscuits...

and Cajun rice.

Hana loved the new surroundings also.

When we finished...

we got up to walk to the end of a nearby small pier.

My mother rested a few minutes here before we continued on to the pier.

I had given this jacket to my mother...

as it was too small for me...

in the shoulders...in the shoulders!  :)

This is now her mountain jacket.

I then drove her back to her home.

My mother thoroughly enjoyed our little outing.

Our whole outing, there and back...

including the turnaround at Prosser Reservoir and our picnic...

took less than three hours.

My mother kept commenting on the beautiful mountains during our whole drive...

there and back.

It is good to get out of the house often.

Having new and beautiful experiences...

even if just for a short while...

lends to having a happy life.

Sometimes you just have to be spontaneous...

you just have to listen to the call of the mountains...

and answer.