The Wonders of the Internet

My friends and I are living proof that old dogs can learn new tricks. And those of us who are fortunate have a grandchild or young neighbor to get us out of trouble on the computer. There are neighbors here who don’t own a computer and then there are those who use it only for e-mail. Well, that’s a start anyway. The amount of information on line is amazing. For example, I just spent two hours investigating various sites and reading some of your blogs. Now, I know that as a retired person I could be out to lunch with “the girls” or shopping or playing bridge. But the fun of meeting new people, connecting with old friends, learning something new is just plain irresistible to me. I have been learning about Tibet (I know a woman who will teach me phrases in Tibetan). I am also reading Greg Mortenson’s Stones into Schools so have done a lot of reading on Afghanistan. Did you know “-Stan is formed from the old Iranian root *sta- "to stand, stay," and means "place where one stays," i.e. homeland or country? Names such as Afghani-stan, Tajiki-stan, Hindu-stan are formed by adding this suffix to the usually pluralized names of the people living in that country, as the Afghani (one Afghan) live in Afghanistan.” (with thanks to the author whose name I couldn’t find) And, in addition, the Arabic, Greek and Mediterranean team’s recipes on Spark.com lead to fascinating background on those interesting places. I know I am preaching to the choir here, but if any blogger can encourage their elders to make the internet a friend, it will change their lives. Don’t let those you love be afraid of the computer. I’m soon to be 76 and I’m having a ball with mine.