Pat’s Katy Area Restaurant Reviews: Antonia’s and Bistro 829

One of my many interests is gourmet cooking and dining in restaurants that provide excellent food and service in appealing surroundings. I have above average culinary tastes and skills for a lay-person and a cookbook collection that would make the people at Harris County Library drool. Read more

Beware of Economic Stimulus Refund Scams!

If you receive an e-mail, supposedly from the IRS, claiming that you need to click on a link and fill out the necessary information to receive your 2008 Stimulus Economic Refund, don’t be fooled. It looks legitimate, but it is not. Do not respond or open the link, as it may place a virus onto your computer. The IRS does not initiate contact through e-mail.

They may also ask you to give them your bank account number and routing number, etc. and they will make a direct deposit of the stimulus check, directly to your bank account. Do not do that either! This has nothing to do with your stimulus check, they now have your bank account number and routing number and can do almost whatever they want with your money.

Anyone can be a victim of financial abuse. There are lots of scam artists out there and lots of people too willing to trust them. Seniors are often the target of those scams. The older generation is thought to be more trusting—raised to believe that a man’s word is his bond. And many have built up a nice nest egg from years of saving and investing. But by knowing what to look out for, and what not to fall for, you can keep your money and belongings safe from greedy criminals. Many of these greedy criminal groups operate overseas—Nigeria, Ghana, Russia to name three countries. Look for more information in future articles.

If you have had either of these things happen to you, please e-mail me the circumstances—I want to keep a log of incidents of scams and report them to the proper authorities. I invite your comments!

Brain Muscles: Excercise Daily

In previous articles, I have written about using computerized games and very simple “every-day” ways you can work the “Noodle” to its max. In researching brain health, I have found so many interesting things pertaining to brain health and how we can stay “sharp” as we age, or even while we are young.

Although much remains to be discovered about learning and memory, scientists have already put together important pieces of the puzzle. For example, the brain appears to process different kinds of information in separate ways and then store it differently. Isn’t that amazing? We have different storage units in the brain, which, by the way, weighs approximately Read more

Brain Aerobics: Working on the “Old Noodle”

“Old Noodle” aerobics (brain aerobics) can be done without the aid of any electronic device if you choose to do so. CONSISTENCY is the key to keeping mentally sharp–exercise the “noggin” every day.

In researching for this article, I found many things we can do, on a daily basis, that are part of our day-to-day living, or that can become part of our day-to-day living. It’s all about being conscious of what we are doing, why and considering the end result. The list of things I am going to give you are suggestions of how you can actively engage the brain. Read more

Attention Seniors: Brain Training, A New Excercise Program

As I entered my “Golden Years” (several years ago, I might add) one of my goals was to keep my brain active—limit TV, limit idle “brain” moments, read a lot and have many interests that kept me busy. I was “sharp” for someone my age, but now I’m even “sharper” and more aware of exercising my brain in ways that I had not focused on and those areas that are most beneficial to maintaining the right kind of brain health.

What started this new revelation in my life? Read more

Chivalry is Not Dead in Katy, Texas

This past summer I was driving back to Katy from Remington Trails when a brand new tire blew out on my car. I was on Hwy. 90 with no service station in sight and had forgotten to bring my cell phone with me. I am a 73 year old widow, so trying to change the tire myself was out of the question.

I made an arbitrary decision to continue driving until I reached a service station or someplace where I could make a phone call to AAA. I got to the service station on Avenue D and 90 and checked the Read more