WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR AUGUST 2014

This morning I went walking with friends. We walked 3 miles in a city park.
I did a little shopping this afternoon, just for fun. I've already started my Christmas shopping. I generally start in July with the back-to-school sales. I'm finished by October. I keep everything together and make a list to keep track. I have several hiding places around the house.

Alison, I have plantar's fasciitis as well. I have a brace to wear at night that stretches the foot. I have some OTC orthotics, that I move from shoe to shoe. I wear Birkenstocks most of the time.

Sylvia - CONGRATS on breaking the plateau. And sinking to a new low..hehehe

Sue, welcome to the group. If you have Facebook, look for Rebecca Leone. She's a former classmate of mine. She specializes in corrections of the spine. She has a tattoo sleeve on her left arm. She teaches Pilates, I think her studio is Body Avante. She lives in FL, but travels to teach classes.

Barbie, i just upgraded to a smartphone in June. Mine is Android. I bought a book on how to use it. :laugh:

Anne - you have been adopted by that feral cat. He has staked his claim.

Speaking of cats, someone in the group has mentioned a diabetic cat. One of my cats was just diagnosed with diabetes. Along with inflammation of the pancreas and the early stages of fatty liver disease. Good news is we caught it all in time. The diabetes is under control. The other diseases have disappeared. Bonnie gets insulin 2x a day. She's starting to lose weight. She is much happier. She doesn't mind getting her shots. I do them in the scruff of her neck. I do have a hard time checking her glucose. She doesn't like having her ears touched.

Joyce - maybe you can lay a slim board across the handlebars and rest your ipad on it. Something about 4-6 inches wide and 2 ft. long should work. If not, check Best Buy or Bed, Bath and Beyond, for an ipad holder. Or even Ross, Dress for Less and TJMaxx. they often have electronic gizmos and accessories.

I wanted to see the Marigold Hotel movie and missed it. Thanks for the reminder, now I'll add it to my shopping list.
Enjoy the weekend! Diane in TX

Kitty, anyone who keeps company with Tinker Bell is worth knowing!!!

Ia gree about the weather man. We used to have this lady on our NBC station named Marcia Yockey. She was, as my Dad said it, a character with a capitol K! I don't think she had any official training, just a character and everyone loved to watch her. That was in the days before you depended on radar to predict the weather. You never knew what she would be dressed in, usually jeans and a plaid or flannel shirt. She was as ugly, OOPS, shouldn't say that. She was very plain, stringy hair that was always in a pony tail. Mind you, this is on live TV and everyone loved her. But if she said it was going to rain tomorrow you knew it was going to rain. She always did a segment for people who were traveling. You told her where you were going and she would tell you the weather. She devoted several minutes to that each evening.

I love the name Oma for grandma. Yes, it is a special time. Nothing in the world like it!

There was a thread on the regular forums about needing a group for over 50. I referred them over here but told the men they needed to get a group of their own

Joyce, Indiana

Lesley: What is a “bore” for a garden -this is a deep bore into fresh water and tapped so we can water garden without using the rain water.

Sunday is my REST and re-feed day. We drove along the coast and walked doggy along the river,
Food is under at 2084 cals

Good morning!

Weather a bit dull today. I always think, if it's going to be dull it might as well rain.:laugh: We can always do with rain for the garden, but dull is just ........dull.:ohwell:
I much prefer cooler weather. I know you folks in the States think England is always cold and rainy and foggy like in a ****ens novel, but June and July were really hot and DRY! Sleeping was difficult as few people have air conditioning. I feel for you Anne.:flowerforyou: I must admit I am a little baffled as to why you live in the desert. I guess you must love it most of the time. :happy:

Kim - my books are available on Amazon as used copies. My favourite one, The Trouble With Herbert, seems to be no longer available. I know it was used as a school book in the States and I have recently had royalties. Otherwise I am especially fond of Well I Never. It is a favourite of DGS whose new word is "Balderdash!" :laugh:

I haven't heard from my friend who is meant to be staying tomorrow and Tuesday. I hope she isn't going to cancel. She is inclined to do that sort of thing.
The Friday contingent are on board, tho the niece hasn't got back to me yet. I messaged her on Facebook so I hope it gets through.
It does seem to be more difficult arranging things these days. You have to organise things so far in advance and there are always some people who are not reliable. Things used to be more spontaneous I think, people weren't booked up so far in advance. Luckily my DDIL is good at making and sticking to plans so I can see the grandchildren, but we do have to make arrangements well in advance.
I'm just hoping my friend will come. I want to give her a good time. She is living with cancer.

I'm going to have a quiet day today - I've only got soup to make for tomorrow. Duck legs for dinner with home grown zucchini and french beans. I will probably put some jerk seasoning under the duck skin as we don't usually eat the skin.

Renny - we went all the way to Sussex for the weekend to avoid a neighbour's party!:laugh: I admire your cool. The last two years the farmer has rented out the field in front of us for the bank holiday weekend (next weekend). :grumble: Hope he doesn't this year. I loathe and detest other peoples noises. :embarassed:
I love brain books! Or any popular science books, especially human biology. A recent one was "Incognito - the secret lives of the brain" by David Eagleman. I also enjoyed "The Epigenetics Revolution" by Nessa Carey, though I'm not sure I took a lot of it in as I was always reading it before I fell asleep at night.:laugh:
I also read a lot of detective novels so I am not an incurable intellectual! ! :laugh: :bigsmile:

Love to all. Oh, the sun has come out!:bigsmile:
Heather in beautiful Hampshire UK

Good Morning or Evening, if it applies

I am afraid I am not very good at posting regularly...my life is not that interesting...Barbie...I tried a Smart phone but it was too smart for me :noway: ..gave it to my DD and now have a simple flip phone with no internet or any other thing that I would muck up on it. :grumble: ...I don't think I will try one again..time will tell.....

I never did the goal thingy this month...but because I have been on a soft / liquid diet I have lost some weight...I wanted to lose it but not this way....There are barbeques every where around us..it being an apartment building.....the cooking smells from them is a cruel torture.:sad: ....

My DD is angry for something Bampy said to our GS's...so I haven't seen them at all for a few weeks ...this is something that could be cleansed if she would discuss it with him...but she doesn't want to talk about it....So I don't know when I will see them again

Things have been tight around here for a few months now....whoever said the 60's and up were the golden years really got that wrong... ... The stress here you could cut with a knife....I won't say that it could always be worse... because we have already been there....

Being here reading the different posts is so uplifting....I pray you all have a happy relaxing Sunday with family and friends :flowerforyou:

LizP from Halifax NS

Oooohhhhh you girls are giving me smartphone envy!
Because I am a cheapskate and have virtually no monthly income I didn't want to have large monthly outgoings so I chose a smartphone that is severely underpowered. I didn't realise at the time how much that would affect what I can do with it. I'm always running out of memory and getting warnings. I can't exchange it for another 18 months. Also it is sooooo slow when I am out and about if it works at all. At home it doesn't bother me as I do everything on my tablet. So really I have a pretty dumb phone.:grumble:

Couldn't resist it today as the plums were flooding in so I made bbq sauce. In fact it's cooking now and the smell is amazing. Made the soup and have enough for tomorrow and DSIL on Friday. :bigsmile: She rang me just now to discuss arrangements. Nice to talk.

My beeper is going off. Bye again, Heather UK

PS - my friend texted me to say she IS coming.:bigsmile: But she is exhausted as her younger son has been in hospital for three days. Well, she doesn't have to do anything but rest.

well my computer is on the fritz again and God Bless Rita she is trying to find the software to fix it, we have figured it is a software problem,so right now I am hardwired in...
went to Sam's and then came home and mowed the lawn, we will be going over to see the DFIL later on and I made him some dinner which I will heat up for him..
back to a semi normal schedule this week..
and yes this group is the best, I feel that I have wonderful special friends that care for me ,as I do them even though we are literally scattered all over the world.. amazing what technology can do...

Hi gang. It’s quiet around here isn’t it? I woke up feeling awful; I think the 40 minutes on the treadmill yesterday was too much after getting a cold, so I slept in while DH and DD went to church. It’s cloudy and humid here and I wish it would rain. We need to get some yard work done, DH is doing something to the old car, and we need to assemble the CD holder we had delivered Friday. It’s really pretty; mission style, and holds up to 1040 CDs or DVDs.

I have a huge blister on the back on one heel from the treadmill. I usually don’t’ wear socks with my gym shoes because I usually am on the elliptical but this time my feet were moving in the shoes and now I’m paying for it! Note to self: leave socks in the gym!

Mimi: I love what you said about not eating anything your greatgrandma wouldn’t recognize as food. Yes names today are different, but Nikita reminds me of Kruzchev, the old PM of the Soviet Union and that does not leave a positive impression in my brain! I guess that dates me!

Sue I bet your horse was glad to stretch her legs!

Joyce: ok call me stupid (or not connected LOL) but why do you need your ipad on your bike?

Alison: sounds like you had an enjoyable day! Today is another chance to do well, but take some time to enjoy those special occasions.

Renny: we are flip phone sisters!!!!! I love my flip phone and don’t want to be more connected than I already am. I have bought several batteries for it over the year (now they are down to $5 on amazon with no shipping fees LOL). My students know that my cell is the last choice for contacting me so they often text me and place bets on how long it will take me to a)find my phone, b)turn it on, c) charge the battery since it’s usually dead, and d)notice that someone texted me. I guess they have a facebook page and place their bets there. If I come into class and they are all laughing at me, I know I should do all of the above and look for a text!

Michele: I don’t know how you keep up with all you do. I usually want to nap after reading your posts!

Diane: we all loved the Marigold hotel.

Speaking of India, I hope Anamika is enjoy the holidays. There is a religious festival going on in Mumbai I read about in the paper.

Carol: glad the move is done

Kitty: welcome to our little group. Beware: we are usually very chatty!

Anne: ah…the dominant feral cat! That is sweet that he has adopted you! All our cats have always been totally indoors; we actually have laws against cats roaming too. We do have one neighbor with an outdoor cat, but I don’t think it ever leaves their yard. At least that;s the only place I ever see him. That’s good because I have 17 birdfeeders! I like them declawed because when they sit on my lap and jump off, out come the claws to dig into me.

Heather: right now I am reading Tumbleweeds, and it seems ok so far. I just finished Cats and Daughters which was ok. I did recently read the biography of Pat Summitt (Sum it Up). She was the winningest basketball coach in all of college history and had to retire when she was diagnosed with early-onset dementia. Now that was a good book!

Sylvia: hope you are feeling better. That’s what I had last week…beh!

Liz; nice to see you again. Sorry about the stress in your life right now.

Katla: isn’t there some sort of priority TSA clearance that you can get? Rori I think was talking about it at lunch when we met in Denver. Maybe that would save you some time and hassle.

Well I think I will head outside and water the plants. I was going to totally re-“do” the garden this weekend, but haven’t felt like it. Have a peaceful Sunday! Take care, Meg from dreary Omaha

It’s a beautiful day here in the foothills. Gonna be hot though so I’m glad I’m headed down to the Bay Area. It’s usually 10 degrees cooler there. I stay with my folks, who have a pool, so I can get even cooler if I need to. (They have AC too. Here, the AC is not powerful enough to reach my abode (I tried quarters, rooms, suite, apartment – nothing works, lol. It’s my own little house adjoined to the “big” house).

DD has had a rotten cold. It’s the third bug she’s had, one right on top of the other. She is crabby with a capital C. I hope that, when I get back, she’s more cheerful. (Make that with a capital C too.) :laugh:

Renny, I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who was feeling chatty last night. BTW, the place you live and the activities you do sound idyllic. I get a good feeling every time I read about them.

Cynthia, I recently did the 23andMe genetic testing. Mostly for fun. (I know, “fun” for me is not what it is for everyone. ) They give you lots of good ancestry info. There are also a couple of other good sites for genetic info related to ancesty. BTW, it’s a spit test – no blood involved.

According to my genes, I am 99.6% European, most of that British and Irish (67.2%). I have a skosh of French, German and Scandinavian (around 12% all told) and an even small amount of Southern European. The most interesting and thought-provoking thing is that I likely have .2% West African, .1% Yakut (East Asian) and .1% Native American. A one-woman melting pot. (Well, almost. Let me dream.)

Not too many years ago, a 5,000 year-old (or so) Neanderthal man was found lodged in an ice bank. His body was so well preserved that scientists were able to extract DNA. (Amazing.) I’m 3% Neanderthal! (Almost everyone has a little Neanderthal in them. The average on 23andMe is 2.7%. The percentages range all the way down to .1% for Nigerians.)

You can also find out the health implications of your genes and gene mutations but you have to take your raw data to other sites to do so. The FDA shut down that part of 23andMe. I think, mostly, because the medical folks don’t like DIY. They’d rather be involved. There are good arguments for and against.

Heather, I ordered “Well I Never” from Amazon. I can’t wait to get it. I love the cover. It reminds me of my sister’s artwork. In addition to illustrating much of our famous (or infamous as the case may be) cookbook, she illustrated several educational but creative children’s books. (E.g. “Math in the Garden” and “Flash! Bang! Pop! Fizz!: Exciting Science for Curious Minds.) I think her drawings are amazing. I’m proud of her. (Can you tell?)

Thinking about this reminds me of a book I edited (basically rewrote) and she illustrated. The title is "That Was The Best Party Ever!" By Sharron Werlin-Krull. It has some good philosophy and great ideas, including non-competitve games, for birthday parties for kids. You can still get it used on Amazon. I have a few copies at home that I give out to the new moms that keep popping up (and out). It was fun browsing through it.

I got a laugh out of the “About the Editor” blurb near the front of the book. Reading it brought back memories. :bigsmile: The first paragraph says, “Mary (my real name) is a recent escapee from the corporate world where she wrote business cases, strategic plans, RFPs and mission statements. “I was living the life of a Dilbert Comic Strip character,” she says. When the company offered a golden handshake (well, maybe more of a tin handshake) she decided take them up on it and see how real people live.”

It goes on for another paragraph but just the first one is enough to a) give me a chuckle and b) remind me of what life was like 8 years ago. In 40 years, you can imagine that I wrote a lot of other “stuff” too. Most of it supremely boring. I do not recommend spending most of your life at a computer. (So, what am I doing here, you ask? :laugh: Old habits die hard.)

BTW, if you happen to ever see the book, that is the most awful picture of me ever. Really. Ever. I look mean.

Heather, you mentioned other people’s noise. I’m with you on loud noise. Being my somewhat introverted self, I do like people-watching though. So a little noise is okay. I like nothing better than to sit over a cup of coffee in a cafe, looking up from my book once in a while to see what other people are doing (and saying - sometimes they're not very discreet!) One of the funniest sights is to see a few people, sitting at the same table, not conversing with each other but with other people – via their smart phones.

Alison, don’t forget to try using arch supports literally all the time – from the time you step out of the bed. (I’m not sure about the shower!) That cured my plantar fasciitis. I’ve also found that I have much less pain (MUCH less) in all of my joints now that I’ve stopped eating food with added sugar. I also very seldom eat refined carbs, not even whole-grain flour. Is the connection coincidence? Hmm. Maybe. Maybe not.

Barbie, you are so far ahead of me with your smartphone. I’ve got to get to those classes to catch up. Of course, that won’t help with the TV remote. I do have a TV hanging on the wall now (after 15 or so years without) but I’ve never used it. I do want to watch some of the PBS shows and I love HGTV. It lets me dream. Soon!!!

Welcome Liz. I’m glad to see your post. Maybe you could talk to your DD separately. After all, YOU are not your DH. You are two separate people. I’m inclined to think he should do his own cleaning up if it’s needed. (I'm sure that's easier for me to say, being single, than it would be for you to do.)

Don’t worry about not having anything interesting to say when you post. I blab away. If someone wants to read it, they can. If not, they’re more than welcome to press the down arrow. :laugh:

I know what you mean about the Golden 60’s. I could work a little more and have a little more money. It’s a hard tradeoff though. I love having time during the day to do what I want to do.

Tere, if you’ve been working out, I’ll bet your weight gain was a matter of gaining muscle – and maybe some water. Somebody else mentioned relying on measurements. That’s a great way to go as you can weigh more but be smaller when you replace fat with muscle. It’s still hard though.:noway:

Katia, I like those Food Rules too. I’ll end with more.

So many of you have mentioned the Marigold Hotel book and movie. I put the book on my Amazon Wish List. It sounds like a good read. I put Sum It Up there too. Thanks for the reviews.

Kim, Ohmigosh, your recipe for plum BBQ sauce sounds wonderful. I’m saving it. I’ve already sent it to the three gourmet-ist cooks in the family. Yay on the business success. It’s always a frantic time when you’re up against a deadline.:flowerforyou:

Mimi (aka Mary)


Here are the next 3 Food Rules from Michael Pollan. Passing them along is helping to refresh my memory.

AVOID FOOD PRODUCTS THAT CONTAIN HIGH-FRUCOSE CORN SYRUP.

AVOID FOODS THAT HAVE SOME FORM OF SUGAR (OR SWEETENER) LISTED AMONG THE TOP THREE INGREDIENTS.

AVOID FOOD PRODUCTS THAT CONTAIN MORE THAN FIVE INGREDIENTS.

Kim - mall walking is good, but the nearest indoor mall is 10 miles away, so I don't go there lightly. Did you know that the first-ever indoor mall was built in Phoenix? It's the Chris-Town Spectrum mall and it was THE place to go when we were teens.

Your plum BBQ sauce sounds yummy. I just made my first tomato jam a few weeks ago, because I had an overflow of tiny tomatoes from my garden. (A by-product of the heat. Usually they don't even bloom if the temp is over 100. The plants are all dead now - they fried about the same time I made the tomato jam. Back to the subject....) I will have to make more. I had two pints and the men of my household just demolished it. I'll put the recipe below, in case anyone wants it.

Lastly, I just had T-shirts printed for my DH's business. The printer was working on a job of 5,000 purple shirts for my Alma Mater, Grand Canyon University. He was surrounded by a sea of purple and said he was even dreaming about it. :laugh:

Tomato Jam By April McGreger

Makes 1-1/2 to 2 pints

A little sweet, a little savory, this glossy condiment has serious versatility. The perfect topping for crostini, spread on grilled cheese, on a burger (I love it with lamb burgers), with crab cakes, or as a condiment on a cheese or meat platter. The cooking time varies, depending on the tomato. Plum or paste tomatoes have less juice and cook more quickly than slicing tomatoes. You can also use skin-on, halved cherry tomatoes in this recipe for a more rustic version.

•7 cups peeled and chopped tomatoes
•2 cups sugar
•1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon (or lime) juice
•zest of 1 lemon or lime
•2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
•2 teaspoons ground cumin
•1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
•1/2 teaspoon celery salt
•1/4 teaspoon cayenne
•1-1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt or pickling salt

Combine all ingredients in a large, wide, non-reactive saucepan or preserving kettle. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until the jam is thick and glossy, about one to two hours. Toward the end of the cooking time, pay attention because the mixture can scorch easily.

Ladle hot jam into clean jars and leave 1/4" inch of headspace at the top of each jar. Close the jars with hot, two-piece canning lids. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Detailed instructions on canning can be found at the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

Store in a cool, dark, dry place for up to 1 year.


Variation: For Tomato-Basil (or -Marjoram or -Sage or -Oregano) Jam – Omit the cumin, cinnamon and cloves. Simmer tomato mixture with a large stalk or bunch of basil, marjoram, sage or oregano. When the jam is thick, squeeze the herbs to extract the flavor and remove them before canning.

Kitty in Phoenix

I am so grateful for your post. I could never understand why I was not able to grow tomatoes. Now I see that I planted them too late in the year when it was already too hot. I grew melons by accident though and a papaya tree. The papaya tree was a mystery for a long time. I took pictures of it and showed it to all the experts at the nursery and nobody knew what it was. One day I hired a plumber who was from India and he got all excited when he saw the tree and told me that it was a papaya. I eat a lot of papayas and I compost, so obviously the melons and the papaya were a product from my composting. Unfortunately I succeed in killing the papaya tree because I transplanted it too often in search of the perfect location.

Yeah, Phoenix is too hot in summer to do anything outdoors.. People in other parts of the country never realize that we are practically prisoners of our houses in summer and that our AC bills are higher than their heating bills.


Anne, slowly melting at 105 Fahrenheit

Hello gorgeous girls. I'm just popping in before bed.

DH continues to make progress after his heart attack but not fast enough for his liking & his cardiac nurse told him off for doing too much too soon. "We give you these instructions for a reason Mr Mundy". He has a scare on Friday night with chest pains but a puff of his GTN spray worked but it has made him think.

My weight loss has stalled as I've not paid enough attention to weighing & logging. That will change now & also I decided to give up added sugar. I have a max of 2 cups of tea a day (I'm a coffee fiend) which I thought I couldn't drink it without a teaspoon of sugar. So cold turkey quit & it's not as bad as I expected. Still prefer coffee.

Will catch up reading everyone's news tomorrow so night night all.

Geri in England

Geri, best wishes to your DH. When I went in for a post-op check after my afib ablation last month, the PA said my EKG looked great - almost textbook normal. He also said he had never seen a normal looking one post-op for a man because THEY ALWAYS DID TOO MUCH TOO SOON. Lol. Sounds like your DH is right in there with the rest of them. It also sounds like he has a good nurse.

Good for you for getting started again. I've become a believer in no added sugar. I'm not perfect - had dessert at the wedding a couple of weeks ago (lemon tarts, not wedding cake, which I could have resisted - easily!) You sound as though you'll do really well.

Mimi