WOMEN ages 50+ FOR JULY 2016

Michele in NC - I think the frig monster is gone...not sure though, because there is a lot of stuff jammed in the frig anyway it will fit but I don't see the box. Of the original 7 houses, there are no small childern. My DD lives with me and she is 22 and next door their son who is 26 and on the road (job) all the time shows up from time to time. All the 'kids' have grown and flown the nest. We are just a bunch of silver haired foxes.

The rest of the neighborhood has lots of kids. The HOA holds a picnic in June in the local park for everyone. The bunch of neighbors that get together with me have become tight friends so its a friendship vs. the neighborhood get together.

Well today is the Brats, Burgers and beer fest. I made potato salad last night after I took my neighbor to the airport. Traffic was bad, we had to travel during the height of rush hour, the airport is 67 miles away. 2 hours later I drop her off and turn around to make the trip back home.

Off the computer to get the cleaning done and put together the rest of the food. Still need to make a green salad, cole slaw and a fixings platter of things to put on the burgers and brats. The burgers are already made. I bought a nice sized watermelon to cut up into 'sticks' to offer as a dessert. Everyone is bringing food also, but knowing I have light calorie choices will get me through the meal without taking a huge hit on my calorie intake.

Charleen in Colorado (Going to be a busy day...)

DJ thanks for the kind thoughts.

Kim it will be interesting to hear DH side when he gets home. I wonder if she told him about my worries.

Off with a friend today to go on a garden tour. I'll be interested to hear how they are handling our bumper crop of rabbits. We had a mild winter and they took advantage of it. I now will have to chicken wire any bush and young tree this fall to hopefully prevent any more damage.

Have a great day all!

Margaret

well kids, gym time, kirby is working this weekend, so just me n the kids

Morning, my pals!

I did the 3-mile walk with Dave this morning, then got cleaned up and changed my bandage. Boy, the nurse's bandage sure looked better than mine. My whole boob is taped up! I am sure glad that I did not declutter my flimsy Glamorise sports bras that had gotten too big for me. They are a life saver with this surgery. I tried sleeping with no bra last night, and it was too painful. The weight of my beast pulled too much on the incision. I also tried one of my newer sports bras after my shower and it put too much pressure on the breast. These old slightly too big, ones are just right. I forget there's anything wrong with my breast wearing one of them.

My sister is coming again. She still has not gone back to work from this latest wrist break. She is having neurological tests gone later this month to see if nerve damage is causing it not to heal. Disability may be in her future. So, I am sweeping, mopping and dusting today. The grandkids are coming for a sleepover tonight. It is my DD and DSIL's 9th wedding anniversary. I wil be exhausted tomorrow!

The scale is moving ever so slowly. I'm less than 5 lbs from being overweight. It's funny. I'll go a month and it won't move, then it'll jump down 3 or 4 lbs. I'm in a good place with the slow pace. It feels less scary about actually being able to keep it off.

Y'all have a good weekend.

DJ – I guess I am sort of prejudiced to Georgia Peaches … many different varieties to last throughout the summer; I like the ‘cling-free’ best and I personally like mine a little on the ‘hard’ (green) side; right before they start getting too ripe. DH likes them ‘ripe’ and ‘juicy’. One of the nice things about SC peaches are they are normally larger than GA peaches’ but, usually not nearly as sweet. When we lived in middle GA, my Daddy was ‘kin’ to the man/family that owns the ‘peach packing’ place down near “Musella, GA” and he’d bring us some every week. He’d bring home a bushel for putting up in the freezer so he could have a peach cobbler year round, like 365 days, too!

We live near Ft. Valley, GA which is right in the middle of the peach country.

Margaret – I’ve got 3 rocks that I painted and now they have turned a nice coral color from being exposed to the sun. I’ve written “love”, “faith”, and “hope” on them. I need to get a clear coat from DH and paint them, so they don’t fade anymore.

Janetr – Like the phone booth in the yard … is that a ‘working’ phone? That would be nice, so you wouldn’t break your neck try getting to the phone, only to find the other party has hung up. We have a ‘walk about phone’ in my studio so when we are both out in the yard, we can usually get to it. Unfortunately, I dropped it when it used to be ‘in the kitchen’ so the Caller ID no longer works. So we made #2 - #1 and #3 to #2.

Heather – About the ‘adopted’ brother … my DH’s father was not his granddaddy’s real son; but, he took him in and treated him like his own child; but, differently from his uncles. He looked so different than any of the other children and he knew that his Dad was not his own. He never wanted to find his real Dad; but, sort of figured out 'who' he was. Since he was the ‘oldest’ his Grandmother spoiled him … and he was a lot different from his siblings. They all had great senses of humor; they’d play jokes or ‘prank’ their parents … he would only watch. I tried to take down their stories; but, one story would bring up another and they kept interrupting one another and going off on another story - most of it 'laughter'. Thankfully, my DH got his mother’s good temperament. His brother got his Dad’s. Both would keep a ‘damn’ toothpick in their mouth and rolled it around when talking. I always have wanted to slam it down their throats. I always think, ‘they’re going to swallow and choke on them’. I’d have to tell my DH to ‘get it out of his mouth’ before talking. I guess it is a nervous habit. DBnL will take his ‘out of his mouth’ if I say something to him about it. He does NOT like to be told her looks and acts just like his Dad. I guess the bad thing about his Dad's side of the family is that we had 'no medical history'; but, both his parents lived into their mid- to late- 80's. While they were put into 'nursing homes' ... they never lost their 'minds' or 'their stories'. His aunts are not in nursing homes; one of them and her husband had a huge house; so when one of their daughters and son-in-law got transferred back to Maitland, FL; they built a suite on the other side of the kitchen (which they shared). One is dead; the other one is a 'hoot'; when we all went to visit the oldest brother in the A.L.F.; we sat in the lobby so we'd all have a seat; and, whenever a man came in the door, she'd call out, "Hey, Baby ...!" (really loud) and we'd all laugh at the look on their face. She'd keep talking to them and I won't say what she said; but, it was like her to do things like that. She was like that black actress in the insurance commercial that calls out to the 'guys' ... 'want my number'? Or, you must be (name) ... "Heeeyyyy!" Whether they were alone or with another woman. While we were sitting there a woman came up and told her 'that's MY seat'. She leaned forward, looked at the back; and, looked down around it and told her 'I don't see your name anywhere on this seat and I'm not getting up; since I am visiting with my family'. She 'huffed' off! I think we were all shocked that she had the audacity to tell her to move. Of course, DA did not budge.

Lillian – Your cherries remind me that I still have juice in my freezer to make “Muscatine” jelly. Probably a good thing; the deer have finally found them and ate almost all of them in 2 nights flat. DH says he is going to put up some wire and hang rags and aluminum foil from it, so maybe it will deter them some. Thankfully, we live out in the country. My DDnL#1's mother has a toilet in her yard that she uses as a planter - how tacky - I mean it can be 'seen from the street'. Dear DDnL#1 suggested to my DH that maybe he and DOS could get some tires, cut them in 1/2 and put them down both sides of the driveway and paint them ... DH told her 'oh hell, no'! We share a common driveway that is actually 'on our property, not theirs'. If they ever move; they'll have to cut a driveway to come into their 3 acres; and we'd probably plant pines to hide their trailer from our house. The people they bought their trailer from were told that the 3 acres was bought and paid for and they did not want it 'tied' into the price of the trailer; that way they could tell them to 'come' move or take it off the property as we are not going to have someone buy it and have someone living there in the middle of our land which is actually 2 different tracts of land
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Charleen – We used to live on the corner lot (only house) to a double dead end road; we’d all get together at our houses, for a roving dinner; where one person would make appetizers, the next the main meal, the last dessert and coffee; or, we’d have one big ‘yard’ cook-out. Our house was in the middle and was usually where we gathered. We all used the same teenager as a babysitter and we ‘shared’ her as well. If one had her scheduled; and, another couple wanted to go out, too; they’d take their children to the first house; but, each paid her, her hourly rate. On party nights she would entertain all the kids. We all ‘loved’ her. Before she could drive she’d walk from her house, through the woods on a path to the neighborhood, and one of us would take her home’.

Mary – I love you picture of the dog and the man … having Cracker helps make me forget about most of the other things. She is so entertaining for both of us.

Drkatiebug – Oh, I remember having breast surgery and having to wear a binder for 3 nights; then a sleep bra for the longest time. I hated it, too!

Took my ‘colored’ small red potatoes (purple and pink on the inside) and made my ‘fried smashed potatoes’; I don’t know why they called them “fried” because they aren’t fried, they’re cooked in the oven. The recipe calls for more olive oil than it needs to; but, I did realize that my ‘brush’ has disappeared. I bet if I went to DOS’s house – I’d find it. But, they’d probably say it was theirs; like our 'brownie pan', so I will just buy another one (at least before Thanksgiving). It irritates me so much that they come ‘borrow’ things and I end up going down there to get it back. To me, ‘borrowing something’ means you ‘get it, 'use it', and then ‘bring it back’ (hopefully within 2 days). They finally got their own vacuum cleaner because I would make such an @$$ of myself when I’d go to use it and it was not ‘there’ (where it was supposed to be).

I need to get up and get going on finishing cleaning up so I can get in the pool before it rains. I told DH to tell the carpenter he works with occasionally to find out 'when he can come install it'. Told him to tell him, that I had become an unrelenting *kitten* about it. He told me that he had mentioned it this week to him; but, the way he said it, I doubt it. He doesn't want me to open the doors off the MBR because it doesn't have the regular door on it; but, the screen porch has plastic over the screen door. I want it 'finished' so I can use it

Watching "Rehab Addict". It'll run all day. I don't like the show coming up on the channel I usually like because "Love It of List It"; can't stand the fact that the woman who tries to 're-do' the house always comes up with something that 'supposedly' takes up 1/2 of their budget; then, the couple gets into an argument about waiting to see what she does vs. what the man has found them to buy.

Lenora

Today would have been my late husbands bday, 8-16-61. Gone so young, I miss him so

I had a wonderful visit with my middle sister from Wednesday afternoon, to Friday noon! We talked every night until midnight! Her different ailments have left her fuzzy-brained somewhat, and I know she doesn't do any exercising whatsoever. She has fibromyalgia, so I know that can be difficult sometimes. She does use huge cans of beer, and glasses of tequila to "dull the ache" which is hard to see, but I didn't let her drive. The tequila bottle was an inch down however, when she came to visit... I tried to believe that she brought the bottle from home, but with the other beer she bought, my brain didn't believe it. She brought me some Stella Artouis beer that I enjoy, (to validate all the stuff she brought). I was polite and had one but that 6 pack will last me a couple of months. I realized she has quite a connection with booze when we were coming back from looking at some shops in the coastal town down from me, and she said, "Can we stop somewhere I need a beer". So we stop at a restaurant that was open up from where our apartment is, and she orders a beer (and a triple-shot of tequila). I had water, and that was that. I have to accept her flaws, we all have them true?

My husband stayed out of our way, and our conversations. He hates booze in general, I suppose he has seen way too many sailors drunk and disorderly. In fact in the 32 years I have been married to the man, I have never seen him drunk...ever. He has a sip of my Stella now and then. He has his Bailey's and Milk now and then, but never out of control. I think keeping himself in control always is a Navy thing. He does enjoy watching me have a beer and be silly. I guess he can protect me, just watch me dance if we are out at a club or something. But I never have more than 2 of anything, that is him caring (and controlling) me. Ago, I used to think of his controlling, as a flaw, but now with me looking at the situation differently...its mostly because he is caring.

I am up a couple of lbs, but not exercising Thursday or Friday, plus having some great meals for my sister I just didn't pay attention. Wednesday I made a roast with all the trimmings. On Thursday my sister and I went to Arnies Restaurant (local comfort food central) and had Eggs Benedict....which was heaven. That evening I fixed chicken fried rice. My sister stated to me that she really eats only one meal a day.Well when you get up at 12 or 1 o'clock in the afternoon, I suppose one meal will be fine.... She doesn't read a paper, or watch the news, so as a 58 yr old single lady, she is kind of clueless in her world. I sometimes don't watch all the news either but news is local stuff too, and not all bad news. It's my way of caring about the world I live in to be informed, and appreciative with my neighbors you know?

I am hoping that with her living with us for those couple of days, she realizes the potential of how her life can be. She lives in a huge ranch style home that used to be my grandparents home. So she has her daughter, her two grandkids, her daughters boyfriend (babymaker) all there in the upstairs. She lives in the basement, never going upstairs for anything. Eating all her meals out because the idea of going upstairs and dealing with the mess of the kitchen overwhelms her. It's crazy. She has boxes filled with memories that she can't part with, and that defines her life. Stuff is just that stuff, and I told her when she was here, that no one cares about all the stuff she saves. It's stress in a physical form is all they are.

Well going school items shopping.
((hugs all)))
Becca
Oregon

Pip ~ Hugs to you on the anniversary of your late husband's passing.

Becca ~ So glad you had a visit with your sis. I am 9 yrs older than mine and she is a hoot. So different from me and yet we are friends.

Janet ~ Thanks for sharing the pics of your girls.

DJ ~ Please rest for me! LOL

Dr Katie ~ Hope your sore boob gets well quick.

Met a couple of long time college friends for lunch. Really does me good to get out every once in a while.