WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR JANUARY 2018

I can't remember who asked, but yes, the outdoor spigot froze & ruptured - we do have one that is vulnerable, & always shut that one off for the winter, but not this one. So yes, I was in the crawl space at 3 a.m. shutting off the valve to the spigot. LOL! Oh the joys of home ownership!

Karen in Virginia

Machka - I am drooling just thinking of your apple cherry crumble.

Kate UK - Your friend is so lucky to have you. Yes, we all need to be proactive for our physical, emotional and intellectual health. Here's to being the best we can.

Allie- I wish I could wave a wand and rid you of your financial fears. Tom needs to pay you.

Michele - It wasn't an extra shift. I'm just not doing well with the 6a.m. start. There are 6 of us in the management team. They are all younger than me. One day I won't be doing this.

Rita - Families can be difficult. Glad you are taking care of YOU!

Rye - Looking Good!
Comfort food - If I'm sick it is always home made chicken noodle soup, saltines with butter and tea with milk and sugar.
Emotional? Diving straight into a vat of chocolate every time and maybe a glass of wine.

Slept in until 9 a.m. and started my day slowly. First stretches then coffee and duolingo Spanish.
Did a few household chores and then went out with Jheri. Waited in car while she did a consultation with her new commission client. She says it is going to be very difficult as the woman has a very neutral decor and really doesn't want much colour. Jheri is all about colour but says this will be good to get her out of her comfort zone and stretch her as an artist.
We went to a scrapbooking place then on to Michael's ( the reason I was along). We put the 55% coupons to use and got her 2 sets of alcohol ink. I'm sure she was creating after she dropped me off.
We were invited to my sister's for supper. We always know what we are getting. Les cooks roast, potatoes and peas. In my honour they added carrots tonight. Lol. We had a discussion about exercise, walking, etc. My sister seemed more interested than she has ever been.

Harmony has had a fever and they finally took her to a clinic. Just as Grandma suspected it was an ear infection. Hoping the antibiotic works magic and she is good for her birthday party. Waiting on updates.

Larry invited me to go look at this old car he might by for parts. He wants company and is bribing me with the possibility of a visit with my best friend from childhood who lives in Pincher Creek. I would love it as long as we are home in time for the party. Jo and I always pick up as if we just saw each other yesterday. She and her parents were very important to me. Once they discovered I had to have great French marks for University we never spoke English in their house again. Her Mom helped a 17 year old me plan my parent's 25th anniversary. Joe and Flo were such wonderful people. They also introduced me to wine with dinner. Aaaah......memories.

-Sharon in Lethbridge where it was a wonderful day.

Good morning!

Karen Although we have outdoor faucets that we do not have to shut off in the winter (I am not sure what they are called) I still put this styrofoam caps on them. You can get them at any hardware store.

I am still trying out ideas about sleep. I am now reading a book called The Power of Rest by Mathew Edlund. He too suggests creating rituals around preparing yourself for sleep. I do now have some rituals in place. The big one is to turn off electronics an hour to two hours before sleep. He does say your ritual will be unique onto you.

One he suggests that I am going to start trying is to make a list of your problems not before sleep. He suggests right after a nourishing dinner. He then suggests trying to think of solutions to help me with my problems. He doesn't guarantee the solutions will work. His idea is to start training my mind to go into problem solving mode. The other idea behind this is to do this so if my problems follow me into sleep my mind will work more productively on the problems. I think it might help me not get stuck in victim mode. This is part of cognitive therapy. I like the idea because I like things that try to give a new perspective to problems where I tend to get stuck in old patterns that no longer serve me.


Some one mentioned stuffed animals. If you have ones you are ready to part with you can possibly donate them to a school or a police department if they are in good condition. My friend the Kindergarten teacher gives each of her students a small stuffed animal to read to during independent reading time. The police use them when they have to go to homes where children are witnessing traumatic events. It gives the child something comforting to hold to. Check with both of them first and see if they are need of them.


Margaret

Means naughty

You all made me feel very good, thanks for your kind words. I did post a photo of myself before. In sunglasses and a Mad Hatter hat I purchased last summer.

Reflections and the Mad Eye Moody effect
I don’t see what everyone else sees, literally, when I see my self on photos or reflections. I am TOLD by those I love that my lazy eye is usually not visible at all in real life. But if they stand next to me in front of the mirror they can see what I see - an eye that points straight up and out (thus making it look like it is bulging out of the socket). I look grotesquely disformed.

This isn’t a perception problem, my ‘lazy eye’ for some reason in reflections (and to a lesser extent in photos) is appallingly extreme and very ugly. And it is physically impossible for me to see myself unless it in a reflection. And, honestly, I’ve never quite believed those who tell me that I don’t actually look like what I see in the mirror. I see someone with a comical or grotesque disfigurement (think Mad Eye Moody in the Harry Potter movies).

I learned to use mirrors without actually looking directly at them. How to clean my face and brush my hair without letting my working eye stray to to the area of my eyes or my face as a whole. Since I’m legally blind in that eye anyway I had to learn to put on eye makeup by touch (eyes closed) so just learned to put it all on that way. I can shock people who watch me perfectly put on eyeliner, lipstick and color my cheeks with my eyes closed. (I can put my makeup on by touch only if I close my eyes).

Mentally I don’t think I will ever be able to see myself as anyway other than disfigured. If I try to, a random photo or a glance In the mirror proves otherwise. The reflection, I am told, is not the actuality: but it is what I see if I look.

So, as a mirror avoider I was able to pack on those pounds without being fully aware of the impact on what I looked like. It is a relief not to feel ashamed of the casual photo anymore.

So I really do thank you all for the nice compliments- I just am really sucky about knowing how to handle them.

I’ll be back later,

Rye

On the topic of decluttering: We downsized significantly with our move from Ohio to Texas. Think 3000 sq ft to 1700 sq ft. We let go of so much stuff and then when we arrived here much more. It was about keeping only that which meant something to us and we would miss having in our immediate life. Not something stored away. We are currently looking for our forever home and are considering something even smaller. We had the kids own their boxes of childhood goodies. Ros has her stuff in her new home and Ben stuffed his in his Houston apt. It truly is a freeing feeling as the process progressed and continues to progress. It's not easy and the hubs and I have had words about stuff to jettison and stuff to keep. We are doing our kids a favor. Take it slowly. I put the donation stuff in a box by the front door and let it sit for a bit till I no longer even know what is in the box. Then one day we announce it is going to Goodwill. Phew.

Have you all in my heart!

Cheri
in very chilly Texas