WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR JULY 2023

Anniesquats100

Machka I wish I could send you some of my free time! I'm sitting waiting for laundry and watching my mom nap on the couch. A slow day for sure. Maybe I will do some extra yoga.

Once when my ex was mad at me he dumped a twenty five pound sack of birdseed on the patio. This huge opossum came out that night. It must have been twenty pounds. I think it lived in the storm sewers. Very scary, especially for our little dogs.

Annie in Delaware

dlfk202000

Didn't get to sleep until after midnight-Was up taking a hot massaging shower then for my hip that was really hurting/keeping me awake. Shower/melatonin/Aleve/Voltarin cream and I was asleep soon after. Woke up around 3:45 when dh was getting ready for work then at 6:30 when one of our cats who was snuggled up to me started having what I consider petite maul seizures. He is the one who has had the grand maul seizures for a while. These were more like twitches but he purred during the whole thing and was coherent. He had 12 "episodes" in one hour. I gave him a dose of his CBD oil twice, an hour inbetween them. He is sleeping now.
Skipped my morning walk to keep my eye on him- got the dishes done(was too tired last night to do them)
Having my tea with one of the other cats in my lap then heading out to clean the catio before Ezie gets here in an hour.
I will get my walk in this evening or skip it and walk tomorrow morning.

Have a wonderful Friday Ladies.

Debbie
Napa Valley,CA

kevrit

Pip awesome! You are getting your boot on! Lol

2023 Jump Back Up
Word of the year: appreciate. Today I appreciate park employees.

Meditation: daily.25/31 (82%(started Feb)94%,100%, 74%, 93%

Walking and exercising slowed down because of record heat this month. Emotionally and physically feeling better otherwise.

1. cut back drinking and limit to 2 days a week. 8/8–(100%,100%,0%,0%,0%,0%,0%)
2. Average 7,000 steps a week. 5989, 6411, 5736,7180,(7,700,100%-9851,100%-9526,100%-9,559,100%, -8347,100%—7465,100%)
3. Update budget every 2 weeks 3/2 —(100%,100%,100%,100%,100%, 100%)
4. Contact close family every week (4x) 153/208—(100%,100%,100%,50%, 83%, 100% should be 137 by August 1)
5. Contact Donat and sibs once a month (8x)63/94 (100%,100%,100%,100%,100%,100%,100%)
6. Weigh less last day of month compared to first until I reach 140. Start at 178.6,176,174.2,173.4,175.4,174,(100%,100%,100%,0%,100%,100%)
7. Develop a journaling practice by aiming to journal at least 5 days a week. 17/15 (100%,88%,100,100%,100%,100%,93%,100%)
8. Read 12 books at least this year. 26/12 (100%)
9. Pay off credit card debt by January 2024 by making monthly payments to NDR/Reach Financial 7/12—(100%.100%,100%,100%,100%,100%,100%)
10. Continue building emergency fund at SLFCU (min$25 a month)$25+$25+$71+700+25+25 +25 (100%,100%,100%,100%,100%,100%,100%)
11. April started putting 4% on income in savings. 700,200,200, 107, (100%,100%,100%)

January Met —100%
February met —-90%
March met met —-90%
April met——86.36%
May met——-89%
June met—-99%
July met — met
August met
September met
October met —
November met—
December met—



1. Take a small step to help overcome a problem or worry. I am working on helping my son through this tough time by being in contact with his case worker and tracking his location.
2. Adopt a growth mindset. Change “I can’t” into “I can’t…yet”. I try to never use those words. I follow Yoda’s ‘Do or not, there is no try”
3. Be willing to ask for help when you need it. I will. My back hurts today so will easily ask for help when I need it.
4. Find something to look forward to today. Missed posting this yesterday. So today I am looking forward to my therapy session.
5. Get the basics right: eat well, exercise and go to bed on time. Will do!
6. Pause, breathe, and feel your feet firmly on the ground. Will meditate today to help me do this.
7. Shift your mood by doing something you really enjoy. I really need to do this today. Did not do this. Had a bad day all around yesterday.
8. Avoid saying “must” or “should” to yourself today. I will try.
9. Put a problem in perspective by seeing the bigger picture. Trying to see my son’s decisions through his eyes.
10. Reach out to someone you trust and share your feelings with them. I did not do this.
11. Look for something positive in a difficult situation. My son is bonding with his uncle and grandmother.
12. Write you worries down and save them for a specific “worry time”. I will try to remember to do this. Write them in my journal.
13. Challenge negative thoughts. Find an alternative interpretation. I worked on this. I also learned a breathing technique to help.
14. Get outside and move to help clear your head. I do this every day, but the triple digit heat is preventing it.
15. Set yourself an achievable goal and take the first step. I have to think about this.
16. Find fun ways to distract yourself from unhelpful thoughts. Controlled breathing helped here.
17. Use one of your strengths to overcome a challenge today. I use tenacity often so expect to use it here.
18. Let go of the small stuff and focus on the things that matter. I will try!
19. If you can’t change it, change the way you think about it. I need to really remember this!
20. When things go wrong, pause and be kind to yourself. I will definitely try.
21. Identify what helped you get through a tough time in your life. Therapy, someone to talk to, long walks alone all help me through tough times, medication as well.
22. Find 3 things you feel hopeful about and write them down. 1. I hope my son makes good decisions. 2. I am hopeful that I will find the right place to retire. 3. I am hopeful that I will be able to visit family very soon.
23. Remember that all feelings and situations pass in time. I won’t dwell on things or situations that happen causing me bad feelings.
24. Choose to see something good about what has gone wrong. My son has admitted his situation is his own fault.

25. Notice when you are being judgmental and be kind instead. I will be aware of judging and simply accept.
26. Catch yourself over-reacting and take a deep breath. I am teaching myself to do this through my meditations.
27. Write down 3 things you are grateful for (even if today was hard). 1. My family 2. I have a roof over my head 3. More than enough food to eat.
28. Think about what you can learn about a recent problem. My son is the biggest problem I’ve had lately. I need to accept that he is making the bad choices knowingly and I can’t do anything about them.

29. Be a realistic optimist. Focus on what could go right.,
30. Reach out to a friend, family member, or colleague for support.
31. Remember we all struggle at times. It’s part of being human.
RVRita in NM

LisaInArkansas

Kayne (and Margaret): Thanks so much for the watering advice.

Kayne - Getting out and doing the yardwork has really helped me get my activity levels back. The more I move, the more I want to move, I guess. I was out from 6:30 to 8:30 this morning pruning trees--three large trees done, three large loads of brush hauled to the firepit for burning after it's drier. I hasten to add, this is pruning the bottom branches - no ladders! If I trim the branches to above head high for me, I don't run into them on the riding mower. Now I'm still trying to cool down enough to get in the shower--I can't deal with the heat either, and after it gets up over 82, 83, I start wrapping it up and head inside... and I was already dripping wet with sweat and my glasses were fogging up. Time to stay inside in the cool!

Working inside on finally disassembling my home office today, and then reassembling as a full-blown craft room. It's been three years, and most of it can go! Might take more than today, though... That's OK, I have time. Machka, dear heart, I do not miss that life of never enough time to get it all done. You have my complete and utter sympathy.

Quick trip out to get towels off the line, a little lunch (probably the last of the carbonara) and then a quick call with Corey to sort out dinner decisions. Then either the craft room reshuffle or... a nap. We'll see...

Later y'all,
Love,
Lisa in AR

kevrit

Funny skunk story. My Shi-tzu Wicket is black and white and has a very fluffy tail. My DH was doing nightly rounds, checking the pavilion, but had put Wicket in the RV. He saw a black and white tail and got mad that dog was roaming around so went toward it to catch it and put it in the ‘Gator’. Got close, almost grabbed it and saw it was a skunk! I can picture him running back to the ‘gator’ and diving in to get away. LOL. Luckily, he didn’t get sprayed but the skunk was curious As to why he was so upset and almost got in the ‘gator’ with him. (The gator is a John Deer 4x4 vehicle for short runs in the park. Only has 2 seats and a dumping back-end.”

RVRita

grandmallie

Well got up and showered and got the dishes done and getting my appetite back.going to do a load of laundry maybe,but feeling so much better.
Heather- love the painting ,you and Johnny are very talented.

Rosemarie2972

Grandmaillie: Glad you are feeling okay!

Annie: Your Dad is doing great to be getting to Main at age 89!

Michele: Glad you spend so much time at the pool! I love the breast stroke but my American Crawl has always been weak!

Debbie: I hope your hip feels better. I am not sure the possum will move on as it gets bigger if it is being fed! I hope your cat is okay.

Heather: I love your last Norway painting.

Ginny: I love rainbows. I saw several when I was traveling though AZ.

Machka: The Government house would be fund to tour! I am glad the news on your knee is pretty good!
Sorry about the arthritis!

Kayne: I cut the grass with a stand up lawn mower when I was younger. I never did buy a sit down mower because the front yard has a sloping hill and I don't know how I would do on the hill. A yard man helps me now a days!

RVRita: I would love to have seen the wet raccoon!

PipCD: What a great help you could be to your Great Niece.

Carol: I have toured the Biltmore 1x. It was interesting. I have been back once and just toured the outside again. I love the outside grounds on the Biltmore.

Tracey: Glad you and your DH had a fun day at the museum together.

Barbie: I helped with the reception for a funeral yesterday. I ate 4 small lemon squares. I don't know how many WW points that is, but I am staying on track today! I also did pretty well with the small talk. It was good seeing people!

I subscribe to 2 newspapers and have their apps on my phone. I don't look at them every day. Frequently I just scan the titles of the articles. I very seldom watch tv news. Too many ads. In fact right now I am saving money by just watching the free streaming shows. i am not paying a streaming service such as Direct Tv Streaming or Hulu or Sling. I might sign up for one for the US Tennis Open or if the Braves make the Play offs. If something major were to happen, I would sign up for one of these services.

I must get back to cleaning away clutter. I have a storage room over the garage that needs attention,
and the room where we kept my husband's medical supplies and my husband's bureau is packed. I plan to keep his shirts! I always liked him in his colored shirts!

Best,
Rosemarie from Georgia

Rosemarie2972

Wow! My spelling and typing are pretty bad on this last post! I posted very quickly!
Rosemarie

SophieRosieMom

Evie - I forgot to mention - have a safe trip, enjoy your visit with your son. I'm sure you're well on your way by now.

Lisa - Kelsey might relive that experience for a while and wonder if she could have done things differently or if it would have made a difference. Sounds like she is great at her job, I don't blame you for being a proud mama!

Good luck to Corey on his weight loss program, bet he'll do fine. When my DH needed to lose a few pounds, he'd just say "I'm eating less and no desserts" - I could make his favorite cake, sit it on the kitchen counter and never touch it - he had will-power of steel. He'd lose the 10 or 20 pounds he wanted to and would then keep it off for years. I wonder if he was human, lol. His cigarettes helped.

Kayne - thank you for the foot surgery info. What was recovery like after the surgery 5 years ago? Were you wearing a "boot"??

Machka - glad the MRI didn't show anything severely injured and will heal with rest. The "other things" are always concerning but like you said, probably arthritis. Anything worrisome - I'm guessing you would have gotten an emergency call from the doctor by now.

It's cool and overcast right now.

Went out for my early morning walk, and as I started down the small hill toward the main highway I heard a large dog barking-it sounded close. The neighbor two doors down decided to let their old pit bull run off leash. Old or young, I don't trust dogs off leash unless I know them to be happy and friendly with no bad history. I turned around and came back to the house and grabbed DH's extendable heavy baton and headed back out. I really don't want to start carrying pepper spray or a handgun to walk on my wonderful little street. When DH and I moved here years ago, we could walk our schnoodle up and down the this street without any fear of dog attacks. Now, Rosie refuses to walk because of the dog right next door that barks all the time (the one that escaped and bit me) and that pit bull - they used to keep it chained outside and it would lunge and bark its head off.

If anything makes me put a for sale sign on this house, it will be dogs.

But good news on the Subaru - it doesn't need a new head gasket - the minor leak, by all indications, should stay relatively minor for a long time - apparently it's not in a critical place. The car's timing belt replacement is due to take place Monday and I'll have the car back, hopefully on Tuesday. I wish it could have been done this week of course, but it's a minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of things.

Gladys gave me an egg early this morning - she's getting too smart for her own good. Yesterday she wandered into the potting shed where I keep their feed buckets and bowls of treats up on a counter - she flew right up onto the counter! I was right behind her, grabbed her and tossed her out, spilling several containers of bird seed and various chicken corn/oats treats in the process. Then she went around the building, could see me cleaning up the mess through the window and flew up at the window. Who said chickens were dumb clucks? LOL!

Have a good Friday!

Lanette
SW WA State where the sun is starting to peek out.

pipcd34

Stats for the day-

Walk w/family- 1hr 59min 23sec, 73elev, 3.02ap, 80ahr, 95mhr, 6.03mi= 563c
Strava app= 739c
Zwift home bike trainer- strava stats- 1hr 35min 58sec, 2365elev, 118aw, 13.5amph, 112ahr, 140mhr, 21.56mi= 596c
Strava app= 650c
Zwift stats-1hr 36min 4sec, 2367elev, 118aw, 55arpm, 13.49amph, 21.6mi= 651c

Total cal 1159

1948CWB

Whidislander

1948CWB wrote: »

Skunks/Racoons/Possums ~ We had a rabid possum in our garage when we bought our first house. I thought it was my Siamese cat until it started hissing at me. My husband came home from the shop and shot it.

Rebecca ~ Hope your middle sister will get the help she needs to feel better.

Lisa ~ So glad your daughter got to Hawaii safely with the children. She must have been exhausted. Sounds like Corey is being wise in watching what he eats before it gets out of control. My husband was skinny our entire married life until he had a heart attack and had to quit smoking. Food took the place of his cigarettes and now he is very over weight.

Machka ~ You sure do know a lot about using the MFP program.

Kayne ~ Hope your toe surgery is successful. I think my MnL had hammer toes on each foot but that was probably because she had been in the big time dance reviews in the 1930’s/40’s.

Barbie ~ Glad you were able to attend the social function and be around other people. But, know you were glad to get back to your usual calm life. I would have been.

Hope Everyone Has a Great Day!

Carol in GA

I hope so too. Its amazing how over the years her illnesses have uncovered more unanswered questions than solved them. Its like the doctors are saying things just to pacify her. I know when I go to the doctor like today. I have questions written down. Then we go thru things one by one.
-doctor put in for a referral to see eye doctor for yearly appointment.
-waiting on appt to get CT scan of my sinuses to see why I have no sense of smell. Also when that goes thru, she put in referral to see an ENT doctor for nose. Also check my hearing.
-told doctor about my issues with youngest son. Therapy isn't the way to go. I feel like I would be mentally ripping off the bandaid regarding my youngest Sailor son when seeing a therapist monthly. The grief isn't going to change, nor will talking about it change facts. We decided to have me start taking Welbrutin, a anti depression med. I just want to feel more hopeful. I would be really worried if on my bad days I wasn't reaching outward, but I do. I have a solid support system in place and use them.
So all good things going forward.👍🏼
Rebecca
Whidbey
Wa

KetoneKaren

Marcia_Cassiano

Hello from Titusville, FL!
Hello girls I’m new in all this.
Nice to read the messages and see how the community helps in the journey to a better healthy life.
I started two weeks ago the keto lifestyle. It’s already making me feel energized.
Good Evening for all.
Márcia Cassiano. 😗

sh0tzz99

Just checking in. I have had a super busy summer and about to head out for my mission trip.

Lanette-I also love the chicken stories!

Allie-Hope you feel tip top soon!

Machka and Carol-Ditto.

Tracey-Congrats on the baby and school! If I could afford it, I'd be a full time student.

Annie-Great job on the challenge! I wish I could be as motivated as you are.

I know there are many having challenges and victories. I'm thinking of you all!

Tina in CA for the moment.

pipcd34

257257

LisaInArkansas

Lanette - On loose dogs, the neighbors with five kids and assorted critters are back more and more often, and they're either fostering or have gotten for themselves a young pit bull cross. They already had a corgi and the demon chihuahua from the depths of the netherworld. Well, the little pit is a fence jumper, and yesterday morning, found it in my backyard after Egg came in and informed me there was a booger outside and it was my turn to deal with it. I looked out back, saw the dog and opened the door and yelled at her.

She went scatting back around front, so I went out that door and yelled again, scaring her enough for her to scramble back over the four-foot chain link into their yard. So I texted the owner and politely but firmly asked them to rectify the problem. Heard nothing 'til after dinner and in the interim, they had set up and installed a single live electric fence line all the way around the chain link fence we share, just one line about a foot higher than the fence. Unobtrusive, very nicely done, and hopefully very effective. I thanked her effusively over text that I thought it was a great addition.

I couldn't be more pleased. Funnily enough, of course, won't help the barkalator chihuahua, and the corgi's legs are so short she couldn't jump over a pencil on the grass!

Off to bed, my chickens,
Much love to all,
Lisa in AR

Machka9

Rosemarie2972 wrote: »

I must get back to cleaning away clutter. I have a storage room over the garage that needs attention,
and the room where we kept my husband's medical supplies and my husband's bureau is packed. I plan to keep his shirts! I always liked him in his colored shirts!

Best,
Rosemarie from Georgia

If you quilt or know someone who does, I've seen some nice "memory quilts" done out of shirts.





Machka in Oz

GodMomKim

Hi Gals,
So many things I wanted to comment on, but just know you are all in my heart, and I am crying with you, cheering with you and reminding you to not sweat the small stuff and it’s all small stuff.

Lisa – what a great win with the neighbor! I just love folks who understand good neighbor relations and work to make it work.

So my week was/is crazy – my own fault or plan depending on how you look at it.

A couple of months ago I decided that tomorrow would be a good time for my potluck crew to gather at my house. Then the gal who hosts our book club couldn’t do it so they were here on Monday. That meant the major house cleaning and front yard clean up was done by Monday.

And I have been working on fitting in the rest of the clean up and food prep. I know it seems like a lot, but I prefer the few days between but not many days, then all the work can cover multiple events. I have been realizing that I am still in healing mode from the 12 weeks of mom living here. While the surface was clean-ish there was so much I had let go. So I washed walls and floors before book club ( I only wash walls because I have a big dog that loves to lie against a wall, so they are all quickly somewhat dirty) The guest bathroom got a deep clean also.

Because tomorrow is a potluck I am doing the main course and picked the theme of BBQ Usually we are a group of 7 but one gal has out of town visitors so we will be 9 ( a few hours ago someone else cancelled and dropped us from 10 – this sounds mean but I won’t miss the one who dropped – she has all manor of food limits, which would be ok, but they change all the time – for no apparent reason! )

So my contribution is potato salad (done!) and proteins (chicken pork and shrimp- all marinaded) and veggies (bell peppers- orange, red, & yellow, zucchini, corn on cob cut into 2 inch pieces & small onions I will hand out skewers have the BBQ ready and it is a build and cook your own. The vegetables are already – I partially cooked the onions and the corn. I took a sit down to write this but I am going to go mop the kitchen floor before bed so it will dry while I am not tempted to walk across it.

Happy weekend everyone!
Kim in N. California

Machka9

I colour as a way of relaxation ... there wasn't much colouring this past week, but yesterday, I took photos of a couple I've finished recently ...






Oh, and somehow I lost 0.4 kg (almost 1 lb) last week. I'm down 4.5 kg (10 lbs) from my highest weight in early May. I can't explain the loss given I haven't been exercising much ... maybe my knee is healing and I lost some protective fluid (swelling).

Machka in Oz