WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR MAY 2016

Michele Some other bush suggestions . These are all very hardy bushes that can be trimmed back as they all need eventually. Witch hazel blooms very, very early. It sometimes flowers in February. A plant that I find fascinating is Harry Lauder's walking stick. As you gather from the name, it has a wonderful shape, although it is not evergreen. A later bloomer is oakleaf hydrangea. It looms in the middle to end of May and reblooms and the blooms stay until the fall. They are wonderful cut or dried. There are many size varieties. The old, native varieties can get quite big, but they are easy trimmers and hard to kill. You might want to plant something like vinca that has pretty violet flowers to form a blanket around the base of the bushes. Catawba is native to North Carolina and evergreen as are other types of rhododendrons. Finally- if you combine some early bloomers with winterberry, you are guaranteed color all 12 months of the year. the winterberries stay all through the winter until spring when the cycle begins again. Some people cut branches to use in winter arrangements.

It poured yesterday, thankfully after I finished the patio. I was laying brick by 6:30 a.m. in order to beat the rain. 5 hours later, and I was done. The sun is shining now and if the weather holds, I will go to the Memorial Day wreath laying in town. A number of events have already been canceled. It is a nice ceremony - everyone walks behind the small parade to the monument erected in honor of those who died for the Union in the Civil War that was dedicated on a very early Decoration Day almost 150 years ago.

Patio Progress so far - I have put in all the bricks, expanded the kitchen garden a bit. I still have to rent a tamping machine and complete permanently staking the edging bricks for the kitchen garden as well as adding compost, top soil and mulch. I will wait to rent the machine until I finish the front walk, to save one rental. I was reluctant to tackle the front walk, but after speaking with a retired mason, I think I can handle it. There used to be two old elms right next to the walk. They are long gone, but the roots have to be dug out and an entirely new underlayment installed before I can do any brick laying. I did some temporary patching a few years ago, but it has not held at all. The heavy rains this year have made the walk a miniature roller coaster.

CSSJ09 wrote: »

Memorial Day A time to remember those in the military and, I would add, the many civilians who worked for the cause of peace who gave their lives in war and conflict. These people do it without any thought of being "heroes". What is most courageous to me, is that those who served are often the first to forgive, while all the time remembering and insuring that we never forget. Their valour serves a sharp contrast to that of the "armchair soldiers". So on this Memorial Day, let us remember their sacrifice and reflect on what far wiser persons than I have said:

"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." Mahatma Gandhi

"With malice toward none, with charity for all, ...let us strive on to finish the work we are in, ...to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations..." Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address

Thank you to all you ladies who served or who are the wife, daughter, mother, cousin, granddaughter, partner, or special friend of those who serve, did serve, or died in service.

CJ

Senator Carper wrote a moving op-ed about his visits to Viet Nam where he served as a Navy pilot My trip to Vietnam: a journey back in time, and a look into the future
https://medium.com/@SenatorCarper/the-future-of-u-s-vietnamese-relations-if-you-want-to-travel-far-go-together-c4ee9162f38f#.3406m7paj

CJ: Thank you for this post. It touches my heart. My dad and uncles served in WWII, I lost a dear cousin in Viet Nam, and my son is active duty.

Katla in Beautiful NW Oregon

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bwcetc wrote: »

Cheri ... Praying your husband receives good news soon!!
Beth near Buffalo

Thank you!

cj - huge job with the brick laying, but it is such a feeling of success when finishing something like this.

Becca - Thanks to YOU, your DH, and DSx3 - as the family deserves the recognition too.

My dad, and his dad both servered in WWII and his younger brother and my mom's brother served in Korea, they have all passed now... but thanks to them as well.

It's just about lunch time and I am to 17K+ steps....

Kim in N. Cal

afternoon ladies~
I am pooped!!! I have been home since around noon, I went to dads at 7:!5 this morning and it was crazy... my dads house is still on the small glass fuses and one is blown, so there he is unscrewing and screwing ones in different places.. oh Lord, when I left he was off to buy more fuses, I just dont know how that house is gonna run when it is Hot in the summer, 2 refrigerators, 3 air conditioners , my dad went up to the attic( pull down from the ceiling steps) and wanted screens put in so he could open the windows.. so I helped with that... then the electric thing, i was scrubbing paint off staircase, and then had to scrub down shower and floor in bathroom, both bedrooms are done.. and we did put Taliah's air conditioner in... then tackled the kitchen floor, had a scrub brush on pole and pine sol and scrubbed till I thought my arms would fall off.. . there are 30-40 yrs worth of dirt in crevices .. told Dan to mop sometime before they come.. will pick up a few things for them weds morning and turn the fridge on weds morning.. and then go up there after I get out of work on weds.. with all this going on, I have to go and take care of Faith Tomorrow night as they will be going up to New Hampshire tomorrow afternoon overnight.. so will have to be up early making Toms dinner for tomorrow night and his lunch for weds...
Annnnd since tomorrow is the day after a holiday the dentist office will be crazy... did I get me time this weekend? NO but did have a nice glass of wine with my girlfriend down the street yesterday afternoon ,and I fed her moms cat for a few days, and God Bless Bev, she went to Whole Foods and got me some tea that I tried at her house Honest T is the name of the company and it is organic bottled moroccan mint green tea, and it is just the bomb, nice and light and refreshing,, she got me like 6 small bottles and a big jug of the Honest T green tea.. she is such a sweetheart..

Grandmallie~ You have so much energy! I got tired just reading what all you did! You amaze me, such strength!
I LOVE Moroccan green mint tea. Stash tea (an Oregon based company) has them in tea bags, so I use 4 to a pot of boiling water, and make my own huge container of it. After its seeped for a while, I then put it in my plastic container, but I make a simple sugar syrup to put in it. I just put a couple of tsps. of sugar in the empty pot, with some more water and warm until sugar has dissolved. Easy peasy. I love chugging that more than anything. The fact that the mint kind of cools you down from the inside, is another benefit!

Becca

GodMomKim - So I got off to try and get back onto this group. I had previously click on the grey star as you suggested. I still had to do a search for this title. Is this correct or is there another easier way to get back to this chat?
Irene

Just got Kirby 's hospital bill from the accident, over $92400.00

Irene - Yes, as Janetr says, the star is the outline one, above the page numbers and tiny magnifying glass. It turns yellow. Then when you want to come back you click Community, then the grey star and it tells you the number of posts since you read last. Click on this to be taken to the last post you read.
I have a rowing machine, an elliptical and a recumbent bike. I started by only doing 200 calories a day on them. I thought I would explode if I did more! I gradually built the number up. I used various sources for my dumbbell, including STRONG WOMEN STAY YOUNG, and stuff on the Internet. I was thrilled when my arms first showed definition.
I am not in a race. I am 66 and well aware that I am doing far more than most women of my age. I just want to be fit enough to enjoy my life and activities and above all, I exercise so I can eat without depriving myself. My ankle and knee will never be perfect, and I still have days, and nights, when everything aches, but I was so much worse before. I could hardly get into a car and has to pick my left leg up with my hands. I was horribly breathless. Turning over in bed was a major effort.
I wish you well and hope you can stick with the programme. The secret is to find a way of exercising and eating that you can live with and enjoy. I moan about my exercising all the time, but it has freed me from that dreadful guilt about eating . When I have done it I know I can enjoy my day.

Love Heather UK