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By Linda and Paul Bradstreet, Residents BUDDY BRADSTREET, AKA HERO DOG Buddy arrived on the scene at the Bradstreet house on Cape Cod in November of 2013. He was a rescue dog as he had lived with an elderly couple who was moving into assisted living. When he first came to us, he had trust issues with humans, but enjoyed the other pups in our home, especially his new little sister, Cassie, who immediately began to teach him how to play. Over a long period of time he began to relax and enjoy life in his new digs and learned to run around and play. Buddy was born on January 11, 2009, so he will turn 12 this year. He loves to go for his daily walks to enjoy the wonderful aromas of the paseo, but especially to greet his many human friends. He gets excited when his friends see him and call out his name. He loves to be petted and rubbed around his ears. He often walks right up to strangers and blocks their path anticipating that they must be wanting to greet and pet him. The reason he was once referred to as "Hero Dog" is because one night in 2016 an intruder broke down our front door just after we had retired for the evening. Buddy responded with such loud and scary barking that the individual didn't get beyond the front door but ran away in fear for his life. Now Buddy has settled in to be part of our dog doorbell, which alerts us to the approach of anyone coming to the front door. Buddy's favorite time of the day is when Linda sits in her recliner and he can join her on her lap, protecting her as he sleeps there in his comfortable perch. Our Buddy is a contented old soul who greatly enjoys his life here at Solera Diamond Valley. Pet Of The Month Interview 10 SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | FEBRUARY 2021 By Sherrie Chaparro, Resident If you absolutely cannot read another book, cannot find any interesting movies or series to stream, and Sudoku no longer meets your needs, why not try an interactive video game? Video games have long been one of my guilty pleasures. The story lines are entertaining, the visuals can be stunning, and making progress in the game is challenging and very diverting. All you need is time, a personal computer, and on-line access. AARP found that in the past three years the number of older adults who play video games frequently has grown from 40.2 million gamers to 50.6 million gamers. Studies show that strategic video games can improve brain flexibility and may help slow the aging process. They can also be a whole lot of fun. Here are two of my recent favorites: Goodgame Empire, from Goodgame Studios This is a good one to start with, because it is free to download and play. No hand/ eye coordination is required, just an ability to think strategically and prioritize goals. Players start with their own castle which they develop and grow while learning the game. As you move up in level, play becomes more interesting and complex as new items and challenges are added. One of the more interesting aspects of the game, to me, are alliances. Being in an alliance allows you to chat with other players from around the country, get and give advice on game play issues, and work as a team to complete common goals. My own alliance consists almost entirely of grandparents and retirees. They are welcoming, love to give advice, and are equally generous with the many resources game play requires. Also, they are a lot of fun to play with. Hades To play this game, you need to download the Steam application (free), which allows you to purchase video games and provides the playing platform. Your character is the son of Hades, and your goal is to escape from all the levels of Hades to join the rest of the Greek gods in Olympus. This game is unlike Goodgame Empire in that you play on your own and it requires some dexterity in using the mouse and keyboard simultaneously to be effective. But learning something new is good, and I am finding it extremely challenging and entertaining. There are also a variety of on-line sites to provide information and help improve your game play. MORE WAYS TO WASTE YOUR TIME

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