WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR MAY 2017

Becca: Your son is a handsome young man. I'm glad he had a good time at the prom.

TNToni: I'm sorry for your situation. I hope you're able to get things put together for your own wellbeing. :sad:

Penny: I'm so happy to hear from you. The photos are lovely and it sounds as though you had a good day in the sun. It appears that MFP has turned off the ability to use color. My guess is that the system isn't robust enough to handle all the customers and color, too.

Heather: You are wise as always. I'm sorry to hear about the Windows problems and grateful that I don't have a Windows computer. I've had the same Apple computer since 2009 and have added memory, but haven't had any serious problems. I hope that continues to be true. You'd think that Gates would do something to protect his software security. :grumble: I do use his Word program, and it is a relic from 2009.

M in Oz: You are amazing! :flowerforyou:


Today we're going to Beaverton to get DH's VW Passat. He had work done on his door lock system that had gone very flakey on us. The money was available because of the VW legal problems that have resulted in "gift cards" to families who bought a VW that was purported to meet emissions standards but did not. My VW was in that generation of vehicles but has not had an emissions problem. We'll be using another of their cards to get a ding repaired on my car.

Katla in beautiful NW Oregon


"The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another." - William James

Bummer of a Mother's Day. Got texts from all three of my kids. DS tried calling but phone connection is bad so he only left a voice mail. Had my DGS leave a message for Happy Mother's Day which made me smile. Otherwise, rained all day so watched a Bewitched marathon is about all.

Still raining today, but supposed to clear up this afternoon. We will see. It amazes me how different the weather is just 50 miles away from where I was living to here. In other words from where Allie lives to north-easternmost CT.

Rita in dreary rainy CT

KJLaMore wrote: »

Kelly wrote: Sending love and warm thoughts (or do you prefer cold thoughts there in the north?)

Just the other day we were having dinner with our good friend the minister, who reflected on the fact that in the Bible and in society in general, darkness and cold are often equated with sin and evil and bad stuff. But for those of us who live with constant cold and constant darkness some parts of the year, both conditions definitely have their charms. Nope, we wouldn't want to be without either of them!

My husband's cousin avers that any temperature below 28°C (about 80°F) is totally worthless. Poor woman! She shouldn't live in Scandinavia...

/Penny, rejoicing in the sunlight at a balmy 10°C (50°F) at 70° north latitude

Happy Straw Hat Day!

Barbie - Cute! None of my pets thought to get me a card...

SueBDew - Your day at the auction sounds fun. Making the connection between cattle and human moms is pretty funny! Love the picture of you with your flowers. You certainly don't look like you could be the oldest mother there!

Lanette - The Scotch eggs look delicious! I wouldn't have guessed the calorie count would be so low! I'll have to give it a try.

Becca - Your son looks so adorable in his prom duds!

Penny - I love your Norway pictures. I'd love to go back there for another visit someday. I was just there long enough to get a glimpse of that gorgeous country.

Thank you to Barbie, Toni, Allie, and others who've shared their worries. I hope that venting here will lighten the load, at least for a little while. As Spider Robinson says, "Shared pain is lessened. Shared joy is increased. Thus we refute entropy."



My mom died on a Thursday. Her funeral was Saturday, and Sunday morning our whole family was in church for the Mothers Day service. That was a hard sermon to listen to, and looking back I'm not sure how any of us held it together. Anyway, I tend to sort of tune out when the Mothers Day commercials come along. Fortunately Philip remembered to call his mom yesterday... she's a character but we'd have had some guilt tripping if he'd forgotten! Philip is "the good son," but his brother has set the bar incredibly low.

The weekend was a disaster, diet-wise. I do pretty well during the week and then it all falls apart over my three-day weekend when our schedule gets irregular. I'm sure that's a huge contributor to my pattern of losing and re-gaining. Clearly I need to work harder at being accountable for the whole week.

The de-cluttering continues. We've already got a large box ready to take to the thrift store!

You are all in my thoughts, every day.

-Yvonne in TX

good afternoon ladies. Another beautiful clear blue sunshiny day here in Evansville. 84 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. But I want to be able to open my new windows and door! I think tomorrow is cooler. Late last evening I opened the patio door for a bit and my cat ran so fast so she could sit by the open air.

Lanette, Charlie has never been an appreciative kind of husband. I guess since we had such a whirlwind romance, I just never knew he didn't do things on special days. I was thinking about the different kind of loves that my two daughters and husband exhibit to me. My girls readily telll me all the time, give me hugs, do little things for me. That I love and appreciate. My husband is the one who always makes sure the lawn is mowed even though he doesn't feel like it or not. When I had my severe back problems, he completely took over taking care of the littler box and dishwasher, he always takes my laundry downstairs for me and asks me if I want him to take it up. Or he is even there to take it out of the washer and dryer, hang them up and bring them upstairs for me. Those are all acts of love. Now many years ago he used to write silly romantic poems and leave them where I would see them. I have no doubt at all in his love for me. He just doesn't know how to say those words. When the girls were young and he still does it a little bit, if we had an arguement, he would easily and frequently say that on his day off he would go downtown to the Civic Center and file for divorce. The girls just came to expect that he would say it. I think the only reason he doesn't say it much anymore is that he knows that no one would see an old man with Parkinson's and an ileostomy wouldn't be desirable. I know that your solution could work if only I didn't like things like cards or gifts.

When Charlie talks to young people about marriage, he tells them about us and how long we have been married. He tells them that the only way to a long lasting marriage is commitment, even through all the bad times. remembering your marriage vows. So he really is a sweet man. He is off for his walk on the mall right now. he knows he has to do it. He is also cleaning the bird bombs off the mail box. Another example of him doing things for me/us.

Just watched the commercial for the refrigerator that if you knock on the door twice you can see inside without opening the door. What purpose is that???????

Joyce, Indiana

When I fell in love with Louis, it was his 'voice' that I fell in love with (instantly) before looking up from what I was doing to see his face. He's got beautiful eyes (his mother called them 'bedroom dreamy eyes'). He had gone through a really, really bad 1st married and she took their only daughter to NO, LA from Jax, FL; he also had a short-lived 2nd marriage that was between 2 people who did not care to come home to am 'empty' apartment. She never took any interest in his daughter when he visited; in fact, she would do just about anything to be 'away' or have him go to Jax, FL to visit with his parents when she was with them. There is only 11 years difference between his daughter and I and we had a 'good' sort of 'aunt/niece' type of relationship. But, after his Mother died, she made it clear that she had no desire for us to ever be in her 'life', so that's the way it's been for 10 years.

Because of her selfish, greedy actions, I don't have 'any' pictures of my DH growing up. She took them all and a couple of attempt to get, at least, some of them just apparently falls on 'deaf ears'. We have not even spoken to her since shortly after the funeral when DH needed a death certificate so he and his brother could cash in a $3000 insurance policy that none of us knew about until they asked for a death certificate. In fact, they each got about $6,500 each and she got over $60K because she had gone into their Dad's lockbox at the credit union using a POA for MnL that she had pulled of the Internet and had her sign and initial every block. That alone, negated the POA; but, by the time we found out what she had done ... it was too late and would have cost $500 a hour to hire an attorney who dealt in 'elder abuse' ... but, "Karma will visit with her (again); if the first time wasn't bad enough." It just 'hurts' still that she felt that she had to be so sneaky and not forthcoming about things, even when directly asked a question.

I try not to hold a grudge; but, when holidays come and go with not so much as a card ... it is like she and her husband and their child (our granddaughter) also died. Maybe it would be 'easier' if they had. I know that sounds awful; but, being kept away from ever getting to know a grandchild is difficult. At least we have 3 that live out here next to us, and one in Louisiana. We are so proud of them, too. Oldest one will graduate in December with a Biology degree and she might marry her HS sweetheart after a while. She wants to do as her "Uncle" has told her, 'go to school, graduate, get a job, and 'know that if you ever have to, that you can depend only on yourself'.

Spent Mother's Day with DDnL#1 and DMGD, and DYGD - it was so much better than I ever anticipated. She was telling me about a job interview she had gone on and that she and DOS had talked about it and decided that she is better off staying where she is. Less money where she is, but, fully funded health and retirement benefits that cover the entire family. Maybe they will be giving her a raise now that she has been working there for 6 months (maybe a little over). One of the PO that transferred there said that 'she did NOT want to work in the local office, that was one reason she had put in for a transfer - the boss 'lady' was a pluperfect B****. She's work here before and I think she can 'see' what she is talking about.

Got a nice card from DOS and his family and one from DYS. He always reads through cards and seems to pick out one that is 'just right'.

I think my DBnL (Louis' brother) is addicted to 'gambling'. He is divorced, one son passed away about 3 years ago from cancer, the other lives about 90 miles south of us. He will go visit when invited; but, he doesn't care for his DnL's parents. Friday, a day they normally stop work early; and, they were busting their butts to finish, he comes wandering up about 10:30 because he had been scratching off his daily/weekly/whatever tickets for the lottery and he buys the $10, $15, and $20 tickets and was waving around the $800 he had won. Of course, sometimes I wonder how much he spends trying to 'hit' a big pot. He's won several $10K and $1K and lower $100s; but, when I have had to stay in his duplex waiting for the guys to finish, he has a couple or more stacks of scratched off ticket, to send in for a 2nd chance drawing.

Son got angry because he showed up late to a job that they needed to 'finish'; and, casually asked him why he did not just pick up and move to Gainesville, FL and that way he could be a big help to his granddaughter and grandson-in-law, and great-grandbaby (while he is in medical school) and she is busting her @$$ teaching to support the family. As always he hemed and hawed and grumbled, and all that. I 'think' part of it is that he knows that he'd have to deal with his 'ex' and her present husband and also with the in-laws of hid granddaughter. I just don't bother to speak to him until he speaks to me first, or has that 'I'm in a good mood today' look.

Watching the last show today of "Restored". WOW! The houses this man 'restores' is phenomenal! Having grown up in an 'old' colonial style home (until they took the big porch off and made it into a Williamsburg-style house. Our house was used as a Civil War Clinic and it was so old that the lumber in it had turned to 'heart-of-pine'; so when the Methodist Church in the next block (one block of the Courthouse Square one Sunday my Mother called us to come to town because it was on fire and they were watering down the trees and house around it to prevent it from spreading. Our furniture was in storage at my Daddy's office in the house next door to theirs and closest to the church. I remember, like other fires, it was an 'event' to come watch! The church caught fire in the afternoon and the fire department determined that it started in the fuse box where someone had put a penny in place of a faulty fuse. Not a good idea, at all ... the town only had a volunteer fire department and the FDs from Barnesville, Jackson, and Macon all came to help; but, it was a 'lost cause'. It was sad to watch them throw bricks through the stained glass windows to get closer to the hottest part. There was a chimney on the outside (although you really could not see it) and the heat got to it and someone heard a 'pop' and yelled out "MOVE!" Nobody hesitated, they moved back and like the parting of the Red Sea, that chimney fell right down between everybody helping with putting out the fire; and broke off right at the little street that separated the 2 blocks, the top bricks skittered into the yard where we had been standing. I remember writing a column for the local newspaper about the fire and how well everyone in town came together to try to put it out and it did not matter their race, religion, new or old, everyone came to help (men and women). Daddy's office building was from the same period and they had one tanker parked beside it doing noting but watering down the side of it each time the sap would come to the top and burst into flames. My Mother said that 'if' they had not been able to contain the fire; that the entire west side of town would have burned to the ground. I still have 'shivers' run up my back just talking about it.

I can remember as a child a house, that we 'thought' was haunted that was at the very end of a road from the square caught fire one night. No storms, no electricity ... must have been set; and, when it went up, we sat in the road in the middle of the road and watched it burn down. Nothing could be done to save it. They built a funeral home on the spot after it was cleaned up. Now the main funeral home in town is on the block behind where my parents' home way, in an old home. Very stately, even though both my parents' funerals were held at the church since so many attended.

Carol - My Mother died on the 15th of December, the year she died. We were all there and I remember Suzanne had surgery scheduled for Monday; and she asked "Spanky" at what point would it be 'too late' for a Sunday funeral. He told her 1:00pm on that Saturday. My Mother died right at 1:30pm that day; so we ended up waiting to have the funeral until Suzanne could get up. I know that when we were in the receiving line, if someone even 'looked' like they were going to 'hug' her Tommy would step in to block them. One song that Mother had always said, specifically, that she did NOT want to be sung at her funeral was "In the Garden"; so she told him to just get the person singing to pick out a Christmas Carol. To this day, whenever I hear "Silent Night" I cry.

Sorry ladies, with Mother's Day yesterday, I really miss my Mother a lot more than I thought I would ever do. She was a great woman, as was my Daddy a great man; they raised us 'right'! I'm sure they were proud of us, they were proud of their grandchildren; and, they would have been proud of their great-grandchildren to see how we had turned out.

Happy Mother's Day, a day late, to all you Mother's and Happy Mother's Day for those who have not yet had it.

Welcome to all the "Newbies". {{{{{HUGS}}}}} to those that need them. Congrats to all the goals met and NSV! Thanks for all the encouragement that all of you give me (and others). It's nice to have somewhere to come where we are comfortable pouring out our hearts.

Lenora