Holy Cow Cyn - you sellin' snake oil?? lol. I have one idea, though the droopy plants don't fit it....must think.

It has been lovely here too. We had the crappy old carpet ripped out of the stairwell - yea!! Smelly old carpet gone, and they have 2 coats of a lovely ecru on them. This house is over 100 years old, so bare wood stairs suit it, and I can no longer haul a vac up and down to vacuum the stairs, nor want to!! Pita however, disliked the disruption to her home. she came downstairs yesterday, slipped through the first coat, leaving puddy marks all through the first floor then went to the basement to hide. I found her about 1 am last night, under the raised basement floor. What little time I did have, I slept hard!

Nancy.

I thought of something that discourages teen loitering and may apply to some of the others.

Our lovely weather is coming to and end this weekend as temps will rise into the nineties next week. Have only used the AC a few times in June this summer. I am moving large amounts of compost and soil for a new bed in the back. Best get most of it done today.

You're not late, Cynthia; I'm the one who is late. It's a gorgeous day here and I couldn't resist hitting the lake for some fishing. I caught a few, but nothing I wanted to bring home and eat.

I read your question and Nancy's posts and in both I read droopy plants as droopy pants. I was really looking forward to that answer!

I'm wondering if this has anything to do with circadian rhythms. Will await further developments.

TM

Why, Bobbie, we are doing almost the same thing today! I am not creating a new bed though, just covering persistent weeds with newspaper and mulching over it. Chuck is mowing the weeds in the lower yard. I am also going to resort to chemicals to get rid of some especially nasty thorned things our neighbor planted right next to the fence, but actually on our property! I don't understand it. She knew they were selling (house goes on the market in two weeks), but went ahead with these without asking. Have I ranted about these before? Seems I have, but that was before I knew they were moving! No more worries about being neighborly. Just going to get rid of them before they sell the place. The neighbor on the other side of her plans to get rid of a crown of thorns tree (at least that is what she calls it because of the nasty thorns that keep her from weeding under it) that the moving neighbor planted right on that property line as well. Of course, no thorny things anywhere else in her yard. It is rare for me to sing the praises of toxic chemicals, but in this case...sigh. Enough.

Nancy, I would love to see the staircase now! Poor Pita. I would really like to tear off our dirty stained carpet on the stairs to the basement, but Chuck is loathe to do so. Maybe he will get tired of cleaning them one of these days.

Cynthia

Hello all my computer it acting up again so I'm trying my iPhone silly gadget lol
Wow such a list of problems. My first thought was caffeen (sp). Or lack of sunshine. I definitely need more clues.
And smaller fingers
:)Laura

TM, I think you made a wise decision. Trivia can always wait when there is fishing to be done. It is one of the great pleasures in life, I think, although I tend to just float or sit on the shore and watch the water go by like a serenade from nature.

As far as rhythm, goes could be on the right track but not circadian.

Einstein would have liked this question. Do you know what he said he would have been had he not become a physicist?

Kurt Vonnegut addressed this subject in a statement he made about his epitaph "If I should ever die, God forbid..." I find that quite endearing.

Every great thinker, philosopher, writer has addressed this at some point.

Cynthia

OK, rule out sleep as an answer. I know that Einstein played the violin, but I don't know if music was his second passion. Maybe.

I'm making up for my morning of fishing fun by doing house painting this afternoon. The north, south, and west sides are done and I'm working on the east side today. After that, I have to get on the steep roof and do the chimney chase. That's going to be tricky, and I'm going to rent some scaffolding next week to help me get it safely done. I have no desire to do any falling-body physics experiments, at least not when the body is mine.

I'll try to come up with another thought or two while I'm up on the ladder.

Later.

TM

I think I am on the right track. I'm having a hard thinking of clues that won't be too obvious.

With a nice breeze and an occasional cloud and low humidity it is comfortable working outside. Will take a long break to do some grocery shopping around four when it is the warmest. Cools off nicely by evening.

Cynthia, I have a few weeds that I will spot treat with chemicals as well. Last year I tried digging them out but here they are back again.

I want to remove the carpet in our lr and steps as well. Perhaps this fall.
Wish we had remodeled when we were younger and had more energy. The age old battle, lack of money vs lack of energy. Oh, we'll at least now we can pay someone to do the work for us.

Ha, ha, TM, I read that as droopy pants too! Didn't see how that fit.

Aahh, now I believe that I have a clue. There is a quote about life without this, if I could just remember it!! I think it was from Nietzsche.....

Nancy.

Hmmm, seems. A lot of religious under tones. Every writer, philosopher , and great thinker....,
Nope nothing
:) Laura

Oops double post ignore please

This post was edited by auntyara on Sat, Aug 17, 13 at 17:14

Yes, this one is hard to give clues for without giving it away, although I think I did slip in a couple. Hints are easier here.

Nancy, yes, Nietzsche does have a famous comment, no mistake there.

Laura, who is your favorite Peanuts character? Mine is Schroeder.

Cynthia

Good grief ! i always liked Sally.
Does the movie Ground hog day have any connection ?
:) Laura

Hmmm. Schroeder played the piano. Einstein played the violin. Is there a theme there, or am I off key?

TM

Music has charm to sooth the savage breast. Or something like that, yet all the writers. Philosophers , wise men etc... From my understandings only agreed on one thing and that one thing according to Earl Knightinge ( stupid auto correct) was " we become what we think about" so confused. As usual.
:)Laura

"You are the music while the music lasts." T.S. Eliot

Just got the Groundhog Day clue!! lol.

Nancy.

Didn't get the Groundhog Day clue. Didn't see the movie but know that the main character lives the same day over repeatedly.

Using classical music to discourage teen loitering is well enough known that I found it referred to in a novel I read recently.

Good morning! I am singing in the rain today-not sure we are getting enough, but if. This drizzle keeps up all day, It will certainly help.

Yes, you all have the answer. Music helps with all the above-named problems. Here is the article:

Jessica Hullinger
filed under: music, 11, top-story

IMAGE CREDIT:
REUTERS/PETR JOSEK/LANDOV

Music is a splendid thing. It can cheer you up when you're sad, make you dance like a fool, and allow you to drown out the world when you need to. But music has its scientific uses, too. The new documentary Alive Inside details how dementia patients react positively when given iPods filled with their old favorite songs. The music seems to help them "come alive" again. While listening to familiar songs, many of the documentary's patients can sing along, answer questions about their past, and even carry on brief conversations with others.

"Music imprints itself on the brain deeper than any other human experience," says neurologist Oliver Sacks, who appears in the film. "Music evokes emotion, and emotion can bring with it memory."

The documentary follows recent studies showing that music can improve the memories of dementia patients, and even help them develop new memories.

Here, a look at some other things music has been known to "cure":

1. LOW BIRTH WEIGHT

Babies born too early often require extended stays in the hospital to help them gain weight and strength. To help facilitate this process, many hospitals turn to music. A team of Canadian researchers found that playing music to preemies reduced their pain levels and encouraged better feeding habits, which in turn helped with weight-gain. Hospitals use musical instruments to mimic the sounds of a mother's heartbeat and womb to lull premature babies to sleep. Researchers also say that playing calming Mozart to premature infants significantly reduces the amount of energy they expend, which allows them gain weight.

It "makes you wonder whether neonatal intensive care units should consider music exposure as standard practice for at-risk infants," says Dr. Nestor Lopez-Duran at child-psych.org.

2. DROOPY PLANTS

If music helps babies grow, can it do the same thing for plants? Dorothy Retallack says yes. She wrote a book in 1973 called The Sound of Music and Plants, which detailed the effects of music on plant growth. Retallack played rock music to one group of plants and easy listening music to another, identical group. At the end of the study, the 'easy listening' plants were uniform in size, full and green, and were even leaning toward the source of the music. The rock music plants had grown tall, but they were droopy, with faded leaves, and were leaning away from the radio.

3. THE DAMAGING EFFECTS OF BRAIN DAMAGE

Of the 1.5 million Americans who sustain brain damage each year, roughly 90,000 of them will be left with a long-term movement or speech disability. As treatment, researchers use music to stimulate the areas of the brain that control these two functions.

When given a rhythm to walk or dance to, people with neurological damage caused by stroke or Parkinson's disease can "regain a symmetrical stride and a sense of balance." The beats in music help serve as a footstep cue for the brain.

Similarly, rhythm and pitch can help patients sing what words they can't say. A study of autistic children who couldn't speak found that music therapy helped these children articulate words. Some of these kids said their first words ever as a result of the treatment.

"We are just starting to understand how powerful music can be. We don't know what the limits are." says Michael De Georgia, director of the Center for Music and Medicine at Case Western Reserve University's University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland.

4. TEEN LOITERING

Public libraries, malls, and train stations already know this: Teenagers typically don't like classical music. In fact, they dislike it so much that "it sends them scurrying away like frightened mice," says the LA Times. The theory is that when the brain hears something it dislikes, it suppresses dopamine, "the pleasure chemical." And as teenagers' moods fall, they go elsewhere to find something to bring it back up.

So if you want the neighbor kids to get off your lawn, turn up the Tchaikovsky.

5. HEARING LOSS

OK, maybe music can't cure hearing loss, but it may help prevent it. A study of 163 adults, 74 of them lifelong musicians, had participants take a series of hearing tests. The lifelong musicians processed sound better than non-musicians, with the gap widening with age. "A 70-year-old musician understood speech in a noisy environment as well as a 50-year-old non-musician," explains Linda Searling at the Washington Post.

6. A BROKEN HEART

Not the kind caused by rejection, but the kind caused by a heart attack. Music can help patients who are recovering from heart attacks and heart surgery by lowering blood pressure, slowing the heart rate and reducing anxiety. As a preventative, try listening to "joyful" music, or songs that make you feel good. Research says listening to songs that evoke a sense of joy causes increased circulation and expanded blood vessels, which encourages good vascular health.

7. POOR SPORT PERFORMANCE

In 2005, a UK study found that listening to music during sports training can boost athletic performance by up to 20 percent. That's roughly equal to the boost some athletes get from illegal performance-enhancing drugs, except music doesn't show up on a drug test. For best results, try music with a fast tempo during intense training and slower songs during cooldown.

8. GRUMPY TEENS

In a 2008 study, researcher Tobias Greitemeyer wanted to study how lyrics impacted teenagers' attitudes and behavior. To do so, he exposed one group of teens to "socially conscious" songs with a positive message, like Michael Jackson's "Heal the World." Another other group listened to songs with a "neutral" message. The researchers then "accidentally" knocked over a cup of pencils. The group listening to positive songs not only rushed to help more quickly, but picked up five times as many pencils as the other group.

9. ILLITERACY

A 2009 study comparing two groups of second graders from similar demographics suggests learning music boosts reading abilities. The only major difference between the two groups was that one learned music notation, sight-reading and other skills, while the control group did not. Each group was tested for literacy before and after the school year. The end-of-year scores for the control group improved only slightly from their beginning of the year scores, while the kids with a music education scored "significantly higher," especially on vocabulary tests.

10. SLUGGISH ALCOHOL SALES

Are you a wine store owner suffering from an overstock of German vino? Try pumping some German tunes through your store. A 1999 study showed that doing so boosted German wine sales, and similarly, playing French music boosted French wine sales. Customers said they were completely oblivious to what music was being played.

11. WINE SNOBBERY

Ever purchased a bottle of wine with recommended listening printed on the bottle? Well, makers of cheap wine may want to consider that tactic. A group of researchers say certain types of music can "enhance" the way wine tastes by up to 60 percent. In a study, wine-drinkers rated white wine as 40 percent more refreshing when it was accompanied by "zingy and refreshing" music ("Just Can't Get Enough" by Nouvelle Vague was their go-to zingy song). The taste of red wine was altered 60 percent by "powerful and heavy music" like Orff's "Carmina Burana."

"The tongue is easy to dupe." says Jonah Lehrer at Wired.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some $8 chardonnay that needs a little help from Tina Turner.

May 11, 2012 - 10:41am

Read the full text here: http://mentalfloss.com/article/30649/11-problems-music-can-solve#ixzz2cKb24mo8

Thanks for playing everyone. I think I should probably watch Groundhog Day! If you like to read quotations, the link below starts out with the one to which Nancy may have been referring.

Cynthia

Here is a link that might be useful: Quotations

Lol why do I always over think these trivia questions :)
I love the part about teens scurrying away like mice hahaha
I guess I need to change the station at the nursery. We tend to play oldies rock. Poor plants.
Thanks for the stars and the fun!
:)Laura

Yes, thanks Cynthia!! Didn't happen right away, but Nietzsche has a habit of creeping into my brain. That may or maynot be a good thing!! lol.

Nancy.

Thanks for the fun, Cynthia. I love music and was once told by the local butcher that I sing softly to myself while shopping. Since then I no longer sing while shopping. At least I don't think so.

Aw Bobbie, I think you should sing to your heart's content!

Cynthia

Great question and answer, Cynthia! The literacy thing was discouraging -- the control group improved only slightly after a year of school. Kinda sad. Guess we'd better teach all of our kids music, huh?

I think scientists have found Dorothy Retallack's little book to be less than impressive, and haven't been able to reproduce her results.

Lots of fun, as always.

TM

We use music all the time to help kids remember history, math, etc. The link is one we used when teaching the American Revolution. One of my and the kids' favorites. They could really belt it out after watching it a couple of times! Can you spot Jefferson (easy since he is first!), John Hancock, John Adams, Sam Adams, Ben Franklin? The also learned the Preamble to the Constitution set to music. That takes a little more explaining since the construction and vocabulary are a tad difficult, but they end up getting it and will probably remember it better than the classes that didn't use music!

Cynthia

ps. Bobbie, I sing all the time. When my son was little and in a car seat in the back seat, he once said, "Mommy, please stop singing." Haha. I may not be great, but I am enthusiastic.

Here is a link that might be useful: It's Too Late to Apologize

Ah, kids! My son didn't tell me to stop singing until he was in his teens, also in the car. Until then he sang along with me.

I taught him his address when he was two by singing it to a ditty on a one hundred mile drive, just the two of us.

I still sing. There is no life without song.

:). Agreed.

Ha! My grandsons don't like me to sing either. Understandable.

TM