WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR OCTOBER 2013

Michele - you have saved my life, or at least my sanity! I finally got around to trying the hair dryer on the bug bites. Hubby was skeptical (too simple), but after spending 20 bucks or so on itch treatments that didn't work, I tried the hair dryer. That was about 4 hours ago and the itch still has not returned. Genius!!! Thanks a bunch!

Sylvia

Finally back home. I've had a short nap and feel revived. Was a bit knocked out this pm. I love company but it was full on.

Bath is really lovely. The Royal Crescent is gorgeous and last thing yesterday we went to the museum in one of the houses. I always like the servant's areas the best, but it was all interesting. Our hotel was very nearby and there was also the Circus, a complete circle of Georgian terraces. The stone is a lovely warm gold. It is such a pleasure to walk through the streets with the alley ways and arches. Loads of shops including a sausage shop! We went first to the Abbey with its Jacobs Ladder decoration on the front. Then we went round the Roman Baths. What a great museum. It is so well organised and arranged so you can really picture the scene, with the temple to Minerva, the sacred spring in which people threw curses they had written on metal, and all the different temperature baths. They had digital displays so you could see ehere you were standing in the temple complex and watch Romans moving around. Excellent. Then we had lunch in a seafood place. I had mussels. In the afternoon four of us went to the Herschel Museum of Astronomy - an ordinary house and garden where Herschel and his sister made telescopes in the 1770s and discovered Uranus and many comets. It was very moving standing in the garden just where they had spent so many nights staring at the stars and seeing the workshop where they made and polished the mirrors for the telescopes. The boiling mercury escaped from the furnace and cracked all the stone floor. I loved it as I have recently read a book called The Age of Wonder, which is all about 18th century scientific enquiry.
Our meals were all excellent and slimming, especially the last night. It was an Italian place with excellent service and I was able to choose tuna carpaccio and sword fish with vegetables. I had a very fishy couple of days!
England won the football so they will be going to the World Cup in Brazil. DH stayed in the hotel to watch it and joined us in the bar afterwards.
The morning of yesterday we very nearly came home as DH had had such a bad night, but changing rooms was a great idea as we both got a good night's sleep in our twin beds. He took a sleeping pill. We are both so glad we stayed. I did feel a bit agitated myself that morning with no sleep, but the day went really well. Lovely to catch up with friends I have known since I was 10.

DH's birthday tomorrow. We had thought of going to Portsmouth, but we both feel we have had enough gallivanting so we are going out to a pub for lunch and I will cook him a lovely dinner with his favourite best end of lamb. I have done poached peaches in white wine and bought Jersey cream. For a starter I have got locally smoked trout, with horseradish. Eating two celebratory meals in one day may be a touch testing, but I managed really well in Bath, sticking to fish and veg with no carbs, so I hope I can manage it tomorrow. I did drink a bit too much, so will be careful. Fortunately I will drive back from the pub so DH can have a few beers, so that will be a good thing. He has had his radio present so I will give him chocolate truffles in the morning. It's a good thing he needs feeding up! ! ! ! ! !
Friday we are up to London to see the grandchildren and take DGS out for the afternoon. Phew!
I hope we will get down to Portsmouth next week to see the Historic Dockyard. It's 34 years since I last visited the ships including Nelson's Victory.
Love to all. I missed you when I was in Bath.
Heather, back in Hampshire UK

Hello everyone. So glad I found a group of 50+ ladies that understand how losing weight as your body matures gets harder and harder. I turned 52 on Monday and decided that once and for all I want to be "New @ 52" so I'm determined that I will get truly get healthier and hotter instead of sicker and older. I have worked in a nursing home for 31years and I see daily the devastation that bad eating and fitness habits cause. I am so excited about the changes that ARE possible and I know that I can overcome the years of bad choices I have made. Sure need the support and encouragement of people who understand what I am going thru being a "foodaholic". I shudder to think what would happen to me if I were an alcholic or addicted to drugs because the people who love me are so determined that I never be deprived of a "Little Debbie" cake, ice cream, cheese burgers, ff, or various and other "goodies" that I wonder if they would be so determined to give me a drink or a joint/pill/hit, etc. I know they love me, but give me a break. I weigh over 200 lbs., do they think I am in danger of going into "DT's"????? I know there is no easy way to lose this weight. I know there must be a lifestyle change and not just a diet. I know that what goes on is my head is more important than what is going in my mouth. I know I have to move my butt.........often and consistently. I know that there are some things I love that are wayyyyy off limits for a long time, maybe always. My head knows these things so I have to get it out of my head and into my life on a daily basis. Looking forward to making new friends who are in the same boat as me...............that way when I get up you know what creek without a paddle, there will be someone to help me bale myself out! Thanks in advance.

SSCartwirght love your picture,I am a heron lover and that is just stunning, welcome to the group , you will find all of us fun to be with and will get to know everyone~

Thank you, Linda, for your comments. My brother-in-law makes diamond willow walking sticks and I was thinking of asking him to make me a matching pair. It will be easier on my shoulders on long walks.. Might as well be stylin" as I shuffle through the woods!
Anne

Greetings to all my vitamin F pals! Whew do I feel better! I hope I don’t have any more meetings with that faculty member again! My office still has an odor, but after leaving the door open all day it is pretty much gone. Not much exciting going on here; I’m watching the Red Sox hoping they win again. DD#2 is at work….she had to put in her 2 week notice tonight because her grades were not good on her report card and she doesn’t seek out help. It was a nice fall day here, in the 50s and sunny.

I made my favorite spicy bean soup tonight. I remembered it as low cal and low fat, but didn’t even consider the carbs. We always have it with homemade tortilla chips (made from wraps) with guacamole and either mango chunks or mango-jicama salad. Too many carbs, so we left out the salad and I ate only ¾ of the wrap, but still too many carbs. I can tweak the recipe next time and really up the veggies and I found this brand of wraps has low carb versions, so I’ll try those too.

Lin: as long as she doesn’t smoke on campus there is nothing we can do about a faculty member who smokes. I don’t usually react this badly but she reeks! She works full time in an ICU and I can’t believe they let her take care of patients smelling that bad.

Rori: have a great trip to NYC! I love that place!

Sylvia: congratulations on the scales! The costumes sound so cute; I love Halloween.

Michele: you do more shopping than anyone I know

Katla: so happy DH’s report was a good one. I always wanted to serve on a jury. I got called one time but wrote to ask for a delay til summer because we have no ability to find substitutes. After several long weeks I got a letter saying “After reviewing your doctor’s report, we have found you either physically or mentally unfit to serve on a jury”. WHAT???? It was pretty funny!

Barbie: you always have such good suggestions

Joyce; hope the weather holds out for the petting zoo. I always enjoy those even if I do come home smelling like a goat!

Puzzler: I do the same when I eat out

AnneCarol: being an old ER nurse, I really admire firefighters, cops, and paramedics. Good luck to your DD

Yanniejannie: don’t you love decorating for Halloween?

Renny: jazzercise sounds fun

Pat: sorry you are so tired tonight! I go through spells like that too. There really isn’t enough room in my office to get very far
away. But now that this happened, if I ever have to meet with her again, I’ll make it in an open space.

Grandmallie: sorry about the sunburn!

Lin: let us know how the Epsom salts worked out. I’ve never tried them

Sylvia: ice also helps with itching bites according to DH who has been on steroids three times now for the chiggers

Heather; your trip sounds so lovely and your cooking is heavenly!

Suzy: hope those back exercises work!

SSCartwright: welcome to our group! You are so right that what goes on in your head is more important than what goes in your mouth.

Jill: I do know that person smokes in her car…a lot. In one of the last classes she taught, the faculty had to throw out the student folders including all their papers because they smelled so bad. Thanks for the suggestions!

Well I need to start getting off my butt instead of watching all these baseball games, but post season is only a couple weeks a year so it’s hard to convince myself of that! Take care all….I’m depressed….the Sox are behind 5-0 after a really bad inning. Hope the Cardinals are still in it; missed their game today. Take care all, Meg from Omaha

Finally back home with my cat by my side. Very, very exhausted. Did really well two meals out of three. Did poorly on the water. Rained off and on most of today. The DGD other Grandma lives on our way home so we dropped them off at her house on the way back to our house. Didn't know were she lived, go really, really lost. Finally got there and then got lost trying to find the interstate again. Then when it was time for us to finally get on the interstate that we always take that comes through here the exit ramp was closed. I had seen the detour sign that it was closed and which interstate to take instead. DH didn't believe me and we got lost again. We so good to finally see I 64 W again. Ok, nite, nite. Time to hibernate

Joyce, Indiana

Barbiecat--You are right I do eat a lot of food outside of home, I am on the road everyday, all day (500 to 600 miles a week of traveling ) And I am in 12 to 14 grocery stores a day as well (my job is with a Food Brokerage Co.). It is just so much easier to grab something to go than to pack my lunch, BUT I know I should, just some laziness on my part :embarassed: . But you are correct in that I need to make better food choices, Thank you for the honesty, it is what I need to hear. :flowerforyou: . I will work on this. The pedometer seems to help a lot, it says I walk at least 2 to 2.5 miles per day.

We drove to Springfield yesterday, checked in to the hotel, went to the room, hubby says "oh, hard candy", and immediately breaks a tooth on said candy. GRRR! So, we have a friend in Joplin who is a dentist. We called him and he agreed to see Bill at 7:15 this morning. So we got up at 5am to drive 75 minutes to the dentists office, then will drive back to Springfield so hubby can continue at his conference. Not the nice mini-vacation I thought it was going to be, but it could have been worse. Our room was very nice, but we didn't get to enjoy it very long. I'm still hoping to have some time to myself today in the big city. There is a really nice walking trail, and I need to do some shopping.

Yesterday when I was getting ready to go, I put on my jeans and was just disgusted at how big and baggy they were. I needed suspenders. So I ran to walmart and bought some new Size 20 jeans. I felt so good in them, it was wonderful. I had washed my old jeans in hot water, hoping they would shrink, but no luck. I had been wearing size 24s, but before that it was size 26, 28 and some 30's, so you can imagine my delight with the new jeans. I even made hubby take my picture in them. I don't have the nerve to post it yet, but I really can see some improvement. Don't get me wrong, I am still a very fat woman, but not quite as fat as before.

I noticed this morning how much easier it is to say "no thank you" to stuff I used to love. Bill asked if I wanted to go through mcdonalds drive through for breakfast, and I said I'd rather just eat a banana. That has to mean something good.

Hope everybody has a great big sparkly day!

Sylvia