Senior Golden Sneakers - November 2010

CALIECAT

Cnnnie thanks for those exercise. I have some tapes I need to get out and just do them. I used to belong to the Silver Sneakers but Have not gone in a long time. Since I am not driving [ my eyesight is too bad] anymore. and at that time it was upstairs but they have another locaation now in a one story bldg. but have no swimming pool.

I am going to a diabectic diet class tomorrow. It was held a long way from my house but now they have moved to a place about a mile from my house so Now My huaband can take me and i can call him to come and get me. It last from 3 to 6 so hopefully they can help me get my diet strighten out.

CALIECAT

This is a reply I got from Connie when I Pm her about her birthdate and it was such a lovely story I ask heer permisson to copy and paste it here She is such a wonderful story teller. Expess her self so well. Wish I could anyway here is her reply

Marie, I was born on the 14th of July in 1941. A few months later, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and our adventure began. My dad had lost some fingers in a shop accident in high school so he was 4F. In retrospect, I wonder why he wasn't drafted anyway to play in the Army, Navy, or Marine Corps band as he was a talented musician. He started out as a clarinetist but with the loss of fingers, he could no longer cover the holes on the instrument to create the tones. His teacher, thinking out of the box, suggested they weld extensions to the lower two keys of the upper register on a saxophone so he could keep playing and that is what they did. By the time the war broke out, dad had formed a band along with a bunch of other fellows who were also exempt from the draft for one reason or another. It was called Gene Merrill and his Men of Note. From Thursday through Sunday of each week, they would pack the instruments into a "woodie" station-wagon, and my dad and his band, my mom and I and the other wives and girlfriends would hit the road. While the band played one dance hall after another on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, I would slumber away in the bass fiddle case. It was a glorious time for a tiny girl. My earliest memories are of toddling around, trying to step on the little specs of light created by the mirrored balls, or sitting on my mother's lap while she collected "admission" for the Sunday afternoon matinees (after playing for hire on Saturday night) when the proceeds went directly to the band.

My dad was a few months short of his 89th birthday when he died and along with his third wife was still making music and entertaining at the senior center.

Long answer to a short question. I'm feeling nostalgic today.

Connie thank you for letting me share this with the gang. Marie

Lafla

Hi to everyone from wintery Saskatchewan. We had a bit of snowfall today and there was a chill in the air. So glad I bought myself a new jacket! The forecast is for -20C (-2F) on Thursday. I don't feel quite ready but then I never am. Today was once again a better day than yesterday. The neurologist is quite hopeful that the voice will come back so for now we are playing the waiting game. Neil's swallow study showed that he is not aspirating the thickened liquid but is profusely aspirating liquids that have not been thickened. The poor guy coughed up mucous (too much info., sorry) from his lungs for about a half hour and then was ready to have his hamburger for lunch. The speech therapist said thickened fluids only, no nuts or seeds and no lettuce! He does like salad but not a biggy. His neurologist noticed that Neil had lost weight. He is looking good, wish there had been an easier way.

Marie -- So sorry that you had a fall. I hope your ribs aren't too uncomfortable today. It is so unfortunate that the chair has not worked out for you. Sounds like you will have a wonderful family time at Thanksgiving!

Connie -- The exercises sound great. Thanks for taking the time to post them.

Irene -- I am so glad that you are feeling so well. You are looking great as well.

Barbie -- Missing Dancing with the Stars is,indeed, a very bad thing. I hope you got to catch up tonight. No spoilers from me just in case you haven't watched yet!

Phoebe -- If you ever pop in -- I think of you often. I hope the highways are good.

I know I wanted to say some other things but my brain has shut off so I guess I will just say good night. Take care everyone and keep smiling. Gayla :flowerforyou:

CALIECAT

Here is my motto for thia week

"lEARN TO LOVE THINGS OTHER THAN FOODS"

It will be hard but it is something I most do. I go to a diavetic class this afernoon. Hopfuly she can help me get my insulin and food work out. We are off to the srore now to get our groceryfor the week. So better get up and get ready. Or Jerry will go off and leave me.

Here is another quote i found yesterday That I need to practice on.

"you can't love others if you don't love yourself "

What is your faverite quote?
Love Marie

Sandydur

Happy Wednesday!! My favorite quote is "One Day at a Time", something I try to practice daily. Can't worry about yesterday, can't worry about tomorrow, just live each day for it's own.

Connie, thank you for sharing your story,it was very interesting. You sound like you have been all over the world and lead quite an amazing life. You are an excellent writer and intelligent woman. :blushing:

Marie, good luck at the diabetic class today, I am sure they will get you with your diet. So sorry to hear you took another fall, I hope you are feeling better. Are you taking your scooter to the store just to be safe??

Gayla, I am happy to hear the report on Neil is better as far as his voice coming back. Can they do anything about his aspirating liquids that have not been thickened? Is that something that will just come back in time or is it a permanent thing? It is so cold where you live, I am not at all ready for winter, yet it is approaching quickly. The good thing is that I am almost done with my Christmas shopping so I won't be fighting crowds and snow. (I hope)

I did change my ticker today to losing 4 pounds just to reward myself for a job well done. :laugh: I did reach my goal and held it for a few days, but if I don't change my ticker I will get frustrated so hopefully it will change again by the end of the week. :bigsmile:

Tonight is bingo night and this afternoon I am going to the Mall since I have some coupons for sales today.

Have a great day everyone!!

Lafla

Good afternoon to you all. Nothing new since last night which I guess is a good thing!! Neil went back to work today and had a good day.

Marie -- I hope the appointment went well. A quote that I use often is Smile and the world smiles with you. . .

Sandy -- Yeah for the 4 pound loss!! You are amazing!! The Dr. really doesn't know what is permanent and what isn't. He wants to believe that the speech will return and perhaps the swallowing along with it as they are both vocal chord problems. The Speech Therapist seemed less confident. They said wait a month and then they will review it. The other gentleman that lost his voice was prepared to have some type of surgical intervention and then his voice came back on its' own. I will continue to pray for our own little miracle.

It looks like everyone else is busy which is a very good thing. Take care and keep smiling. Gayla

lyn54

:flowerforyou: Hi Ladies Marie invited me to "drop in" and introduce myself. I am aquainted with some of you. I am enjoying lurking and reading the posts. The stories are wonderful..I believe the stories about real life are some of the best.
On the MFP site I go by my middle name, Lynn. I was born April 4, 1956. I am the oldest of 5 chldren. 2 sisters and 2 brothers(both deceased) I am a newbie, I suppose. I joined in September.
I had a near death experience last summer one of 3, in my 54 years, and it has been a long year getting to this point. I am happy to be alive. My weight loss is slow, due to strong steroids used to save my life. I am a Wife (37 years to the same wonderful man)Mom of 2 sons, and Grandmother of 5 grandchildren(3 boys and 2 girls_1 deceased).
I would like to just lurk for awhile. I was taught to reverance those older than myself and enjoy the life experiences they have to share. The encouragement from "real" people is wonderful to have to "lean" on. It takes some of the load my family has had the past year, off them.
Thank you for letting me share this bit of myself.

tlp8rb

One way or another I managed to loose another pound (as my ticker shows). Glory Be!

Saw a reference to Dancing With the Stars. I used to be an avid viewer of that show as I love to dance but am no longer watching it as it is no longer relevant. This season is not about dancing. It has turned political. In our Wisconsin home town paper I saw a story about a fellow who lives near the state capital of Madison who literally shot his television set after watching Bristol Palin dance. His loss of control resulted in a three-hour standoff with local police. He should have done what I did; switched the channel.

Sandy, in the 20-years I spent working in the travel industry I did have the opportunity to travel the world. Our planet is visually beautiful but the people who inhabit it are amazing. On every trip, in every place, I encountered someone who touched me, taught me, and inspired me. I discovered not just grand vistas but even grander souls.

But don't get me started. I could tell stories for hours. My friends tell me I should write a book, and I've often thought of doing just that but I'm afraid no one would believe it!

Poached salmon, baked potatoes, butternut squash and a green salad on the menu tonight. Wish there was calorie room for a Sister Schubert Parkerhouse roll!

CALIECAT

Gayla. glad to hear Neil went back to work. We too will keep our prayers open for Neil. What kind of work does he do?How does he get back and forth? I am kind of nosey thiS evening, I think the other day I said I have known you since 1983 but I think it is more like 2 003 Ha I was making me older than I am!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. you too.!!!!!!!!!!!

Lynn I am so glad you dropped in. You will find some amazine ladies here and a couple guys too.Jeffrey and Jake. Hope you will stay with us.
So we can get to know you better.and Sandy can put you on our birthday list

Connie you are an excellant story teller Loved reading your post.

I stayed on track today everytime I wanted something i told myself that I love myself too much to be putting that crap in my tummmy. You know it work. I did learn a few things at diabetic diet class today A wonderful teacher too.We have another class next month.. Best of all it is free.

Sandydur

Happy Thursday!! My weight went down to my goal so I am changing my ticker once again because I am so proud of myself!!!:bigsmile: :blushing: :bigsmile: :blushing: I figure if I change it then I will work really hard to maintain my goal weight and if I lose the extra 5 that I would like to lose it would be even better. :laugh: If you stay focused and count those calories, exercise and drink lots of water this program does work!! Ask Barbie, Jake, Barb and Jeffrey.....just look at their tickers. I know there are others who have joined us that have lost a lot of weight also but at the moment my brain is sleeping. :laugh: :laugh:

I won a whopping $9 at bingo last night, but at least it was a win.

Today is meeting day and a little more shopping. I hope to finish my Christmas shopping by Thanksgiving and start wrapping.:glasses: I hate crowds and hate shopping in snow so I am trying to get it done now.

Have a great day!!

tlp8rb

Sandy - Congratulations on meeting your goal. I have no doubt you will surpass it.

You have no idea how much I would love to tag along on your Christmas shopping expedition. The closest town to where we live is about 12,000 people and the only shopping opportunity is Walmart. On top of that, the Christmas gift lists that came this year were all eerily similar - everyone wants gift cards.Add in the fact that my husband's pending open heart surgery has us in financial limbo and the holidays are colored in pastels this year instead of vivid reds and greens.

Phew. My mood matches the weather today. After a glorious week of sunshine and temperatures in the 70s, the past few days have been chilly, gray and wet. The rain is welcome - the months since June have been bone-shaking dry - as I'm trying to grow grass.

We just learned that our (American Field Service exchange student) son is coming to visit us over New Years. Paulo was a senior in high school then and it's been more than 20-years since we've seen him. He is an award-winning film director and producer in Curitiba, Brazil. We will meet his wife, Nicki, and son, Gustavo for the first time. His English is excellent if a bit rusty but neither his wife or son speak anything but Portuguese. I found a site online that teaches the language and I'm going to try to brush up. Funny, I can read a good deal of written Portuguese but the spoken language is another matter.

We also found out last night that our friends have a deer for us. We'll have to pay for processing (about $80) but it will add about 90 pounds of lean, read meat to our diet. If you like Venison, that's good news. If you don't, I guess it wouldn't be. We do, a taste developed from years of living "up north." I just have to figure out how to get it all in our already filled freezer! I wish now I hadn't sold the little chest freezer we had when we moved here.

Gosh - MFP is getting like Facebook. First thing I check in the morning. Hope everyone has a lovely day.

CALIECAT

Good Thursday morning to all.
Sandy I am so proud of you. you are a great gal.
I don't do any Christmas anymore Just buy gift cards. and thst is what I like to received too for I can get what I like.

Connie how excited to have out of state visters You sure have got around pretty good in your lifetime. I have hardly been out of Texas.When will your husband have his surgery? Our prayers will be with him.

I plan on another day of being on track with my eating. I am doing like Sandy "one day at a time" or rather one meal at a time. i am making hamburger chili for tonight. with some red beans. No snacks unless my blood sugar get to low. I do have the problems of gettin my insulin and my food at a happy medium But I am working on it. I think the class yesterday has help me.

Hello to all of you.
Marie

Mamasota

Congratulations Sandy! I have a long way to go to get to my big goal but I am inching toward my interim goal and hope to make it by the end of the month - if Thanksgiving doesn't get me!

Christmas shopping is all done but now I have lots of wrapping to do. I don't like to wrap so I will be doing a couple each night. I still have wrapping paper left from a day after Christmas spree at the Container Store 4 years ago!

Congratulations to Connie on the pound lost as well. Do you by any chance live in Hot Springs? My sister lives in the village and loves it.

:happy: Janette

tlp8rb

Congratulations to Connie on the pound lost as well. Do you by any chance live in Hot Springs? My sister lives in the village and loves it.

Janette, we live in a rural area of south central Missouri north of the city of West Plains. We're about a half hour drive from Mammoth Springs, Arkansas. We've been meaning to take a road trip to Hot Springs and Eureka Springs but just haven't gotten to it. I do all the driving these days and I try to do as much of that in daylight as I can. Our travel plans are always tempered by our dogs. I won't board them, and we've had a problem finding a reliable dog/house "sitter". I think that's been solved for now so we may be able to take a trip or two after my husband is back on his feet.

He will have a triple bypass on November 30. He's never had an operation in his life. In 50 years he's been in the hospital only once before until this October when he went in for diagnostic tests. That was six years ago. He had a heart attack. The surgery is on a Tuesday and he thinks he'll be ready to go to a Christmas party the following Saturday. He is delusional.

Been Googling low calorie Thanksgiving menus all afternoon. I've found a few things I think I can adapt. There will be eight of us at the table as I learned some friends were going to be alone that day and I've invited them.

Lafla

Hi to you all from snowy Saskatchewan. I started out to work this morning but visibility was poor and then the truck in front of me started skidding around. I turned around and went home. I called the program manager and she agreed I should stay home. I will go in Monday instead. The highway on stormy days is the only bad thing about living out of the city. It looks to me like the snow is decreasing but I don't think I will go out to dinner tonight as planned. I also had to cancel my chiropractor appointment. Today is really the first day that my back feels almost normal. An emphasis on the almost! It gives me hope.

Marie -- Neil gets driven to work by one of the group home employees. It works well for me and he is happy with it. He manipulated his way out of going to church last night. I don't care as long as it doesn't involve me! He said he was tired and likely was after his first day back to work.

Sandy -- Way to go, girlfriend!! You really do inspire me as you worked away like the little engine that could.

Connie -- I understand your mood being a bit grey. I hope that your husband does, indeed, have a quick recovery. Like you, I expect Saturday will not be a good day for a party. It sounds like you are getting the Thanksgiving meal under control!

Janette -- Good job on the Christmas shopping! I have a few things but have a long way to go. I am thinking of getting some short term memberships at a fitness place for my kids. I just have to figure out if they will use them before I spend money on them. I know my dil would as she is a bit of an exercise junkie but my sons could use a little push!!

Hope everyone is well. Take care and keep smiling. Gayla

barbiecat

:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: there may be snow this weekend but today Jake was outside pruning roses and I was pulling weeds :bigsmile:

:flowerforyou: Sandy, congratulations on reaching your goal...I knew you could do it

:flowerforyou: Connie, congratulations on another pound lost...they go away one at a time until suddenly you're at your goal.....never, never, never give up....Jake and I will be thinking healing thoughts for your husband when he has his surgery and wishing him a speedy recovery

:flowerforyou: Gayla, glad your back is better and sorry that you had to miss your chiropractor appointment...glad Neil is back to work....that's bound to improve his spirits.

:flowerforyou: Janette, congratulations on getting your shopping done.....planning ahead is so smart

:flowerforyou: Marie, your chili sounds yummy. I hope things continue to go well for you

I've been having an ongoing problem with the bill from when Jake sliced his thumb in February and the billing people haven't called me back after four phone messages.....finally today I got them on the phone, had a productive conversation, found out how backed up they are, and was told not to worry about it that they'd contact the insurance again to get things settled.:bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

CALIECAT

CALIECAT

Here is my boy Sammy

Sandydur

Marie, loving your boy Sammy!! Also a big fan of Maxine and I have the same problem.:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Barbie, not sure I could have done it without you, you are such an inspiration and you gave me such encouragement, thank you!!
You all have been so supportive and even though I have reached my goal I can't give up and have learned a new life style. I am proud of my accomplishment and will be here for each of you while you reach your own goal. :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

Gayla, I am happy Neil went back to work and hope each day brings better health. At my meeting today someone said they can't understand why God lets bad things happen, I in return said He doesn't, he gave us free will and it is up to us to make our own happiness. There always seems to be a reason for things we don't understand, but there is a reason. I know that doesn't apply to bad health, but for some reason these things happen and we have to accept them. Something good seems to come from something bad. Hope I didn't go over the edge there.

Connie, your husband is having his surgery on my son's birthday and he has brought me happiness so only good things should come from his surgery. :bigsmile: As an extra bonus your husband will be added to my prayers as will the rest of your family. Tell him there will be other Christmas parties and he should just take it easy and have you spoil him.:drinker:

Have a good night everyone!!

barbiecat

We just decided that we’re going to the movies for Thanksgiving since we had two huge turkey dinners last week and we’re going out to dinner on Saturday after Thanksgiving…….what are you all doing?