WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR MAY 2016

Margaret: Your lilacs are gorgeous. Thanks for sharing. I agree with your advice to Joyce.

I had a call from DD a little while ago. She decided to drive up and see the house where my parents lived in West Salem. She was very pleased with what she saw and even took a picture of the backyard to share. It is a gift to know the house is occupied by people who care for it well. :flowerforyou:

DH got a birthday skype call from our son and DDIL a few minutes ago, and I was included in the conversation. It was great. We got to see their new house in Virginia. It is a rowhouse with nice light and good space. They're pleased with it & have invited us to visit. We haven't set any dates yet, but look forward to visiting there.

Katla in Beautiful NW Oregon

Tibetan proverb: "The secret to living well and long is: Eat half, walk double, laugh triple and love without measure..."

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” Thomas A. Edison

Joyce, I agree. It is time to see the doctor.

I almost got drawn into discussion board drama last week on another board that I frequent, but I finally just dropped it. I don't know why this particular woman decided to attack me, but I decided the drama wasn't worth it. It was a financial peace message board, the thread was about furniture that you bought but later regretted. The originator of the thread posted a picture of these lovely glass topped tables with curvy intricate wooden pedestals that were a booger-bear to dust. Not her, but a different woman posted that glass tables were passé anyway. Trying to be funny (but I apparently insulted her instead), I posted "Shucky darn! I'm going to have to get rid of my tables in my sunroom." She replied, "well, if you care that much about what people think of you, I guess you should." So I explained that I was just kidding. It was sarcasm. I had no intention of getting rid of my perfectly good tables. To which she replied "Captain Obvious!" This was when I bowed out of the thread. Even though this was a stranger, it still hurt my feelings. I don't know if what I posted could have possibly upset her enough to retaliate as she did or if she was just trolling trying to get a rise out of me. Either way, it's not how I want to spend my time.

As for Facebook, I just have to practice lots and lots of restraint. Between the presidential election and the transgender bathroom debate, there are just way too many opportunities to get mad and to get sucked in. I keep my mouth.

This is why I love you guys. Unconditional support!

Finished up yard work today. Wish I could enjoy working in my yard like some of you do. I dread it all the time. Back in the day when I was married we did it together. For some reason it was more enjoyable back then. Maybe because it was time together.

Met a friend at the bar today had a drink and talked for awhile. We are going to a concert on Wednesday night. Took Thursday off since it will be a really late night. Dreading being all by myself all day Thursday though. Still am not comfortable with alot of time by myself. Working on getting there though.

On a good note it was sunny but cool outside. The dog got to run around for awhile outside. She hates the cold so this time of the year she wants to go outside all the time.

Anne from Wisconsin

8

I think I am gaining weight at an alarming rate. It as about 2 weeks ago that I was around 205. Today I weighed 219.8. My legs are huge. I really need to measure my ankle and calf when I wake up and then again when I go to bed. I know there was a huge difference when I came home from church and that was only a 4 hour difference. I thought about what Heather said about when she could hardly walk up the steps to her flat and now she does wonderful. We have 2 flights of steps going up from the choir rehearsal room. They are about the same amount as our steps here at home, just steeper. It is quite difficult for my legs and lungs to make that climb but I quickly recover. I do have a little bit of cough for no reason. Time for me to call and get appointment with nurse practitioner.I want to know why my jaw suddenly went from no arthritis to severe, my hips really bothering me, the bursitis never stops. My body seems to be attacking me.

Joyce, Indiana[/quote]
Joyce Please see your doctor or nurse practitioner immediately! I am not a doctor but one of the aid projects I did dealt with monitoring chronic medical conditions in rural patients using telemedicine. Unexplained weight gain in a short period of time is a red flag for a number of issues. We don't want anything untoward happening to you.

Hi Annie
I am 51 and put the weight on quickly. I was 178 3 years ago and now 226 At 178 I wanted to lose about 10 pounds but instead gained and gained. Had thyroid test done. Negative. I cannot seem to get back into eating better. Courses cant stick to it very long anyway lol. I really need to get this off. I hate exercise. 6 years ago I was addicted to exercise and kept the weight off but now I hate it. I also have bad knees and one right now is in a brace so I cannot do much. I will say I do better when I log my food intake which I can't seem to remember to do. I need a partner. Years ago I didn't have to worry about this. Ugh.

Katla49 wrote: »

Annr wrote: »

Oh what a laaaazy Suuuuunday...

Still in a bit of a slump being accountable these days. Reality happens when you are busy makin plans! To sit down and write my food seems so un-important right now. I have more important things on my mind.

((hugs)))
Becca
Oregon

Becca, taking good care of your own health is the most important thing you can do. It is number one. If you aren't healthy, you can't really take care of your family. Then what will your guys do? Taking care of you isn't selfish at all. Keep track of your food as you eat it. Then it won't seem like a big task. ((((HUGS))))



Katla, who is definitely older and, hopefully, wiser than she used to be . . .

Becca, ditto everything Katla said. Take a minute, close your eyes and remember that feeling of empowerment you described to us. Now write down your food and proceed forward with your "willowy" self. Big (((hugs))) we love you and care about you always.

Janetr okc

Did an hour of pilates today. The plan for tomorrow is to do a pilates Bun & Thigh DVD (I need to really see what it's like), hold my plank, then take the extremepump class.

Made icing for the cupcakes that I'm taking to Colby. This is a recipe that I got years ago when I was taking a cake decorating class. It calls for 2 cups of shortening. Kim - would one cup of shortening and one cup of softened butter work? To me, the shortening was just too flavor-less.

then put down weedkiller since it's in the 70's here today. Then we inflated my float for the pool (now I'm all ready, just waiting on Mother Nature), put air in my bike tires, shook out the grass carpet from in front of the cat's litterboxes, put more velcro as needed on the Rummikub squares so we can use it in the pool. Now here for a bit

Joan - welcome! There's quite a few of us North Carolineans here.

klanders - one thing I learned from my no driving was how very much exercise is important to me and how important it is to me to at least some be in a class. I've basically given up going to the one branch of the Y because I used to go real early and I know that there's no way Vince would take me there early. In April I counted the donation money at my church. Last year what I'd do is take the extremepump class and then drive to the church. I couldn't ask Vince to do that so I gave up the extremepump class just for the month of April. Then there were two weeks when we had Newcomer meetings so I missed my deep water class. By the time the following week got here, I couldn't wait to take the deep water class. Just need to be with people.

Put most of the things in the suitcase to take with me to VA. Still need to get my food ready, will probably do that tomorrow. After making that icing, ran the dishwasher. Even tho there wasn't much, it's really hard to get that shortening off the utensils. Only hot water will do it. and I can't stand the water as hot as it need to be.

Lisa - so glad the sale went well

KJ - good for you having that "no electronics" rule. Yesterday when we went to dinner before the show, there was this couple outside eating. Both the wife and husband were texting while the baby just sat there. How sad!

teresa - welcome. Say, I have a cleaning question for you. I got something blue on my shirt, I'm thinking that it's the blue from the kickboards that I took out of the pool shed and brought up by the pool. Can I just throw this in the washer, or do I need to pretreat the stain?


Lenora - did I miss it? Did you have a seizure? This 6 month driving restriction s**** big time. I'm half way there, three more months to go. Now I'm just the opposite of you regarding reading. As a child, I couldn't get enough books. As an adult, I don't read that many

Nikki - Florida in July and August is the pits, believe me. So glad you had a good time. Any other time, Florida is nice, just not in July and August. Wonder how people survived before the invention of air conditioning?

Margaret - lilacs always remind me of my grandmother. She had these lilac bushes and she'd always bring some in the house and put them in vases on either side of her statue

Joyce - I hear ya about the term "skinny jeans". I can't wear them, they're too tight for my calves and feel too uncomfortable. Even straight leg ones. Still can't wait for them to go out of style. Please take care of yourself. We all need you I truly hope the NP can give you some good answers

Michele in NC

Becca - Willowy becca!!! DH can be "left alone" for the few minutes it takes to keep to your logging.... Your son in CA would not be at Camp Parks would he?

Kim

Awake early. Restless sleep. Aches and pains. The usual.
But it's a beautiful morning! I have three large lilacs, one a darker purple, so every May my garden looks at its best. The apple blossom is also out and the forget me nots are rioting. Behind us we have a field of buttercups.
All my veggies are in the front garden, in raised beds. The previous owners did it like that because there is an old clay tennis court under the back garden. No depth of soil.
The back lawn is looking very good at the moment. DH bought a new lawnmower which gives light stripes. Twice a year a professional company comes to do the weedkilling, fertilising, aerating and scarifying. It has made the world of difference. We used to have more moss and weeds than grass, so it was brown in the dry weather. Now we have a green sward. :bigsmile: They are coming this Wednesday.

Looking forward to seeing my friend today. Just got to think about what to do about tonight's dinner after a restaurant lunch. I'm thinking seabass with lots of vegetables. DH can add potatoes. He has lost a few pounds and needs feeding up. I don't like him dropping too much weight. He'll probably put on some on the cruise though.

Got to get our morning cup of tea going.

Love Heather UK

anniespruce wrote: »

We mispronounce words all the time on purpose and try to get as many negatives as possible in one sentence.

Anniespruce - My favorite in this genre is this sentence (not of my own construction): "Heck, ain't nobody round here knows nothing about nothing nohow."

Margaret wrote: I think lilacs like our cooler temps up here in Minnesota. I remember going to a retirement party here and that was the retiree remark was now they had time to enjoy the lilacs when they bloom. They only bloom for a couple of weeks.

I remember Minnesota lilacs from when I was growing up there. They usually bloomed around my birthday and my mother would decorate my cake with them. Lilacs may like Minnesota cool, but they don't thrive in northern Norway. It must be the short season or the midnight sun or something, because it doesn't ever get as cold here as it does in Minnesota!

During Swedish springs, first the bird cherry trees (link here) are covered with racemes of white blossoms, then a week or two later the lilacs kick in. It's a marvelous time of year but fleeting; it always goes by too quickly. There's a tale about a cobbler who would lock up his shop every year, leaving a sign on the door: Closed between bird cherry and lilac. (Stängt mellan hägg och syren.)

Joyce - I wonder if your troubles are indirectly related to your tooth extraction. Being a person with autoimmune issues myself, I've noticed that if my body has to mobilize and defend itself against one threat, the effect often spills over and causes pain in completely different areas. A minor infection will cause sore joints or a rash or something. You wrote: My body seems to be attacking me. That may be exactly what's happening! Have it checked up, please... (((((hugs)))))

My husband arrived home (in northern Norway) yesterday and we drove out to our holiday home on the island. This is the place with the webcamera and all the wildlife. It's SOOO peaceful here! Way out in the country at the end of the public road, so there's no traffic. I slept like a baby. Literally. Sound sleep with intervals of waking, like a baby. Every time I woke up, there was something going on outside. Hares hopping by singly or in groups. Geese grazing on the meadow below the house. Various denominations of small birds. And ptarmigans galore! One time I stood at the window for 10 minutes watching a couple of ptarmigan *kitten* quarrel over hens and territory. No motorized traffic, but it was like Grand Central Station! Yet utterly peaceful.

I'm doing well weight-wise. The upward trend I had a while ago has come under control and turned downward. Heather speaks of being rid of her "pesky pound" before the cruise. I'd also like to be rid of a few pesky kilos before that cruise. I won't do anything crazy to get there, though. (Not that Heather would either.) I'll just focus on getting in as good shape as I can before the half-marathon June 4 and that should take care of Heather's visit too.

Now I'm off to commune with Stina, my sourdough starter. Have a lovely day!
/Penny, not exactly at the

Morning folks. Another hectic work week ahead but glad I checked on to read all your posts. Keeps me motivated

Loved the chicken shwarma recipe I made this Saturday and maybe I am back on track a little. Don't feel guilty. Being honest with you all and adding my weight gain is a good thing and getting back to the gym is the way to go.

All this talk about weight or strength training has got me thinking.......

Gardening is a happy pursuit for me but I don't take it too seriously. I just do what I feel like and stay in the moment. Smell the earth look at the little bits of growth
I only do it for the enjoyment not the results or produce or anything. I just like listening to the birds while I do it and I can't invest a lot into it. Just take it for what it is a simple thing for me
Have a good Monday am thinking of you all.

Karen from my

Back to my day job - up early to write my editorial, clean some of this wreck of a warehouse. Off to the shower, still got 50 or so photos from a stock photo driveby on the all the hotels last Friday to clean up and save, the Chamber of Commerce magazine to edit, and some short pieces to write before my 10 a.m. commissioner's court budget meeting. Sounds kinda awful, bluntly. Such is the exciting life of a newspaper editor. There are worse things!

Supposed to be 92 degrees here, today. Short sleeves, I'm thinking!
Love y'all,
Lisa in West Texas

Kim in CA, do you practice gray water conservation? Gray water is the water from sinks and bathtubs and washing machines. It can be diverted to use on the garden. You cannot divert the water from the toilet! But the other water is safe to use on gardens. In Idaho there was a drought for many years while we lived there. The water authority (irrigation) wouldn't allow water use for home gardens. So we did a minor plumbing change and diverted all our gray water to the garden. You can also capture some gray water without a plumbing change by washing dishes and hands in/ over dish pans then tossing the water into the garden.

Good Morning, Everyone!

Started losing my voice yesterday, awakened this morning totally laryngitic. Very inconvenient as this is the last day before a 5 day whirlwind of activity culminating in my stepson's Big Fat Wedding! I have all kinds of phone calls to make and now I can't talk above a whisper. HRRRRMMPPHHH!!!!!

On the other hand, my knockout roses are blooming and are lovely and fragrant. Tomato plants are growing without a lot of attention from me, just good soil and plenty of rain.

I so love lilacs...my mom did too...I remember the biggest bush between the grade school and the library I used to just bury my face in it every spring on my way to school...ummmmmm!

Ok, I am off and (silently) running on my last free day before the wedding windup!

Have a nice week, everyone! It may be a few days until I can catch up again!

Karen in Virginia

morning peeps