How many times have I joked about forgetting things? More than you can remember, right? But sometimes it hits a little too close to home.

Last month I needed to open up the Center at 6 AM to prepare for the Saturday Breakfast. Knowing that there would be breakfast, but not right away, I brought a banana to tide me over. I got busy and around 8:00 AM when I realized I wasn’t going to eat till later, I looked but couldn’t find my banana. How many times have we all done that? Where did I put the keys, my sun glasses, my pants?? I looked everywhere – I knew I hadn’t eaten it. I would have remembered that – and again I looked everywhere. Knowing the banana would eventually wonder back, I went back to my desk to finish some work. Then for some reason, I inadvertently looked in the waste basket, and behold, there was the banana peel. I had eaten it after all! And I had no recollection. Somebody needs help!

I figure and hope – misery loves company- I am not the only one afflicted (too many balls juggling in my head?). So for those of you concerned about your memory and brain health, the Center has an answer: a Brain Fitness class starting September 14th at 1:00 PM – right after lunch and before the afternoon power nap – which will last about an hour or until our synapses stop snapping.

We will discuss a holistic approach to maintaining brain fitness including exercise (what is good for your heart is good for your brain), stress reduction, good nutrition, volunteering and novelty. But the primary focus is to have fun doing challenging activities and puzzles while giving the many parts of your grey matter a little work out. To register for the class call 296-4788 or email the Center at mcseniorcenter@gmail.com. Don’t forget.

Meals-on-Wheels does more than just serve meals for folks 60+ (and anyone else who would like a delicious, healthy meal). They were also on duty last Friday night at the Center preparing over 250 individual meals in their kitchen for the Red Cross to serve the Mosier residents displaced by the Microwave fire. It was inspiring seeing the Meals-on-Wheels volunteers pull together within an hour’s notice to respond to the emergency. They deserve a big warm thank-you as do all the other volunteers and firemen who helped protect the community of Mosier.

Boyd Jacobsen has scheduled another great line-up of musicians in September for the Center’s Tuesday Night Music. The Cherry Park Band will be playing tonight, Sugar Daddies on the 8th, Truman Boler on the 15th, Jazz Generations on the 22nd and the Dufur Boys on the fifth Tuesday of the month. The dancing starts at 7:00 and the cost is zip, but donations are appreciated. And everyone – from “purple people eaters” to seventh graders who often act like they’re from another planet – is welcome.

Dobie Gillis’s partner-in-crime was Maynard G. Krebs (befitting the character, the G stood for Walter), and the winner was Sandy “Stitch Niche” Haechrel (who is donating the free breakfast to one of the regulars). This week’s “Remember When” question is a little different. What were the names of the horses rode by the following movie cowboys: Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Lone Ranger, Tonto, and Tom Mix? Any person who calls in or emails all the correct answers by midnight tonight (Tuesday) will receive a free Center breakfast on Saturday September 19th.

Enjoy the Labor Day weekend – no Bingo on Saturday and the Center will be closed Monday. Until we meet again, keep your eye on the prize and don’t forget the banana!

“Learning to ignore things is one of the great paths to inner peace.” Robert J. Sawyer
Or as the old farmer from Fossil once said “Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.”