The Things Children Notice That Adults Miss, Blue Light Glasses for Better Sleep, and What to Know About Long-Term Care Insurance

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Fiction: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt – A lonely aquarium cleaner forms an unlikely friendship with a remarkably intelligent octopus, whose observations help unravel a decades-old mystery and bring unexpected connections into her life.

History (Non-Fiction): Guests of the Ayatollah by Mark Bowden – This gripping history recounts the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, following the American diplomats held captive in Tehran and the political and military efforts to secure their freedom.

Memoir: An Ohioan's Odyssey by John J. Kulewicz – This reflective memoir traces a life shaped by law, leadership, and public service, sharing personal experiences and lessons learned through decades of professional and community involvement.

Self-Help: The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson – This thought-provoking collection of insights explores how to build wealth, develop sound judgment, find happiness, and create a more fulfilling life.

Romance: The Long Game by Elena Armas – A disgraced soccer executive retreats to a small North Carolina town, where she clashes with a former professional goalkeeper while helping coach a struggling girls' soccer team.

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Take a walk with a child and you may discover that you're travelling through completely different worlds.

You're thinking about where you're going, potential cars on the street, or an obligation you have later. They're examining an unusually shaped stone, watching an ant cross the sidewalk, or wondering why one house has a tiny door in the garden.

Children often notice things adults have become remarkably good at overlooking—but that doesn’t mean you can’t regain that sense of wonder.

Adults tend to scan the world for useful information: traffic lights, street signs, the time, the weather, where we parked.

Children haven't developed quite the same filter.

They notice the snail on the garden wall, the moon visible in the afternoon, a face hidden in the bark of a tree, the fact that one floorboard squeaks and the others don't.

Try borrowing that kind of attention occasionally. On a familiar walk, deliberately look for five things you've never noticed before. You may be surprised by how difficult—and then how interesting—a route you’ve taken a hundred times before becomes.

"Where do birds go when it rains?"

"Why do we call it a pair of pants when there's only one?"

"How do streets get their names?"

Children's questions can be funny, but they also reveal something adults have largely lost: the habit of looking at the world through a lens of perpetual curiosity.

The next time a child asks something you can't answer, resist the temptation to brush it aside with a simple “I don’t know.” Instead, declare, “Let’s find out!”  and work with them to identify the answer.

Children may forget exactly what happened during a visit, but they remember who and listened to their questions and comments and who dismissed them.

 Even if what a child says seems silly, treat it with the seriousness you would any other discussion. What appears inconsequential to you might be deeply important to them in that moment.

And who knows—maybe pursuing their train of thought will help you look at the world in a new way as well.

Children remind us that interesting things don't always require special plans. Curiosity can turn an ordinary sidewalk, kitchen, backyard, or conversation into something worth paying attention to.

Sometimes seeing more simply requires slowing down enough to notice what's already there.

We're looking for seniors who are embracing life with enthusiasm, purpose, and adventure. Whether you're traveling the world, starting a business, volunteering, pursuing a passion, learning new skills, or simply making the most of every day, we'd love to hear your story.

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Email [email protected] with a photo and a short bio. We may feature you in an upcoming edition of Seniors Magazine.

You’ve probably been someone’s favorite teacher, even if teaching was never your job.

The discount: Savers

What it gives you: Participating thrift stores offer senior discount days with savings on eligible secondhand merchandise

How to claim it: Ask your local store about senior discount days and show proof of age

“My Mother’s Recipe Box”
From the life overview of Evelyn R., 83, Madison, Wisconsin. Shared with permission.

After my mother died in 1996, my sister and I spent a whole Saturday going through her kitchen cupboards. There were jars of spices that were older than me. We also found three chipped mixing bowls and a drawer full of worn-out rubber bands. Tucked away in the back of one cupboard, her recipe box was behind a stack of saucers.

The box was small, pale green, and made of metal. Inside were index cards with my mother’s handwriting scribbled on them. Most of them were stained with butter or tomato sauce. Some of the recipes had no measurements at all. The instructions were sometimes vague, like the one for chicken soup that said, “Add enough water” and “Cook until it looks right.” Apparently, I was supposed to know what that meant.

I took the box home and tried a few of the recipes. The first one was her apple cake, which she made every October when the apples ripened. I followed the instructions exactly as they were written on the card, even though I didn’t understand what my mother meant when she said to use a “moderate oven.” I had to look it up for clarification.

The cake turned out a little dry. I tried again the following weekend, this time with more butter and less cooking time. It was much better than the previous attempt.

Over the next few years, I worked my way through the entire recipe box. Some recipes were wonderful, while others were beyond saving—like the one for a gelatin salad with canned fruit, which I have no intention of ever making again.

My daughter has the box now. She calls me whenever she can’t decipher the instructions on a card. Unfortunately, I can’t always help her. We just decided that “a handful” was my mother’s standard unit of measurement.

***

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A deck of cards can provide hours of entertainment, especially when you discover how many games belong to the rummy family. From straightforward matching games to more strategic variations, rummy offers something for casual players and competitive card enthusiasts alike.

Most versions share a basic idea: collect cards into matching sets or sequences, then use them to score points or empty your hand.

In basic rummy, players draw and discard cards while trying to form melds. These are either sets of three or four cards of the same rank or runs of consecutive cards in the same suit.

For example, three queens form a set, while the four, five, and six of hearts form a run.

The goal is generally to get rid of your cards by forming and playing melds, although scoring rules vary.

This traditional rummy rules guide explains how to play, including dealing, drawing, melding, and scoring.

Gin Rummy is one of the best-known variations and works particularly well for two people.

Unlike traditional rummy, players generally keep their combinations hidden until the end of a hand. The objective is to minimize unmatched cards, called deadwood, while deciding when to knock or attempt gin.

The Gin Rummy rules and strategy guide explains the game's scoring system and different ways to end a hand.

Once you've mastered the basics, there are plenty of other games to discover.

Canasta is commonly played with four people in partnerships and uses two decks plus jokers. Players aim to build large melds, including combinations of seven or more cards.

Contract Rummy introduces changing requirements for each round. Players must complete specific combinations before they can lay down their cards, adding an interesting layer of planning.

Rummy is easy to turn into a weekly activity because the equipment is inexpensive and games can be adapted to different group sizes.

Invite friends for a recurring card night, keep a running scoreboard, or choose a different rummy variation each month.

For even more possibilities, explore Pagat's complete rummy game collection, which includes rules for numerous regional and international variations.

The appeal of rummy is that the basic mechanics are simple to learn, but each variation introduces new decisions, strategies, and opportunities for a little friendly competition.

When you type a question into your browser's address bar, it automatically sends your search to a service such as Google, Bing, or DuckDuckGo. You can change which search engine your browser uses without installing anything new.

In Google Chrome, click the three-dot menu, open Settings > Search engine, and select your preferred option.

In Microsoft Edge, go to Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Search and connected experiences > Address bar and search.

In Firefox, open Settings > Search and choose a search engine under Default Search Engine.

On an iPhone using Safari, open Settings > Apps > Safari > Search Engine. On a Mac, open Safari > Settings > Search.

Google offers familiar search results and extensive features, while Bing integrates closely with Microsoft's services.

DuckDuckGo emphasizes privacy by not building a personal search history to track your activity across searches.

Changing your default search engine won't delete bookmarks, passwords, or browsing history. It simply changes where searches from your address bar are sent.

If you don't like the results, you can return to the same settings and switch back whenever you want.

Today: St. Augustine, Florida

America’s oldest continuously inhabited European-established city offers historic streets, Spanish colonial architecture, waterfront views, and plenty of places to linger over a meal. Its compact historic district works especially well for a short getaway.

Ingrid’s Tip: Start with a trolley tour to get your bearings and decide what you’d like to revisit. It’s also a nice way to give your feet a break while still sightseeing.

Unscramble the letters to find a famous person, event, or object. Think you know it? Reply with your answer and show off your brainpower.

Today’s clue: Hand-cranked kitchen gadget used to remove fruit skins.

LEPPA REEPEL

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