WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR MARCH 2019

Lisa - what a lovely note your mother gave you.

Janet - my girls are my everything, I have worried about them of course, but I think they have given me more than I have given them.

I understand Katie’s sentiment though, sometimes they just break your heart with worry. Katie, I hope your daughter has a successful surgery.

Barbara - sounds advice. I have decided to go, I think hubby and I could use the break. We are getting on each other’s nerves a bit and there is not enough space to get away from each other. She may have all of the junk food in the world, but nothing can force me to eat it unless I choose to. If we go out to eat I can choose sensible options.

NYKaren - I hope all the family drama settles for you. I am very blessed to have a brother I can talk things out with and we agree on most things. My husbands family has lots of drama but we are too far away to be included.

Kelly - it seems that your talks with Tim has paid off. How lovely that he had already shovelled for you. That the family has hired cleaners and trucks. I’m so happy for you.

My parents were like yours Kelly in that there wasn’t a lot of talk about furthering education. I think it is because of their own history that it wasn’t important. My Dad had to quit school in Grade 7 to help the family and my Mom quit in grade 9. I’m not sure why, her Mom was a teacher. When I decided in the middle of grade 10 to quit my Dad took me for my first ever real conversation with him and made me promise to complete grade 10. I did, but didn’t finish high school until I got my GED as a 24 year old.
My Mom stayed at home and my Dad worked continuously. She was very involved in our lives and still is visited by some of my friends. As a matter of fact, one of my daughters friends contacted my brother yesterday to ask if it was ok to go visit my Mom in the nursing home.
Dad worked too hard trying to support us that he had no time or I’m sure energy to attend any of our activities. I miss them both like crazy and only hope they knew/ know how much I loved them.

Katla - that’s a great idea, that should ease your husbands mind a bit.

It is very cold again today, but the Hoar Frost is beautiful on everything. The fog and frost is so heavy that the sun looks white. It is supposed to get above 0 on Saturday!

Tracey in Edmonton

On family - My parents are long gone, father was an only child, mother had one sister, who broke contact with all my family after their mother's death in 2004. I have 9 brothers and sisters, one died 22 years ago, and am truly only in contact with one sister, the baby, the one I was closest to all my life. One brother stays in touch with her, as well. Like Barbie, I am grateful more often than not that I'm not close to the rest. My mother's death 20 years ago shattered us as a family, as my sister predicted it would, and I'm content with the very minimal knowledge I have of them and their lives.

My husband's extended family is huge (he's ninth of 12, with one brother that died about the same time mine did), and the older sisters get everyone that can attend together every three or four years, which is plenty. The next reunion is in July, and I may send him without me. Like dairy, I just don't travel well these days, and the main event usually involves alcohol at prodigious levels. Not my bag.

Love y'all,
Lisa in AR

My parents too are long gone, they both worked hard, Dad was typical of his generation, didn't get too involved but Mum encouraged us, she was a great reader and always said that she learned more from her children than at school. They were so proud when I passed 11Plus and went to Grammar School. Mum didn't live to see me go to University in my Forties she would have been so proud. All my aunts and uncles are gone but I have lots of cousins and 2 brothers

Spoke to my daughter this morning and the latest tear was in a different part of the retina, they say all they can do is laser the tears as she is high risk due to her long term short sightedness. She is very brave and just gets on with life. I do worry but I am good at compartmentalising so don't let it drag me down.

Kate UK

Today, looking out of my office window!

Felicia
Willamette Valley, Oregon

Remember the Alamo!

"The Alamo was built by Spanish settlers around 1718 and housed missionaries and Native American converts until 1793, when the Spanish missions were secularized. Spanish troops were stationed in the chapel of the empty mission in the early 1800s. After being vacated by the Spanish, it was used by rebels and then Mexican troops; Mexico gained independence in 1821. It was also this year that Stephen Austin moved to Texas with 300 families from the United States--the influx of settlers into the area eventually helped to spark war in the 1830s. In December 1835, the Alamo was captured and occupied by volunteer Texas soldiers. In mid-February, James Bowie and William Travis took over at the Alamo and were joined by famed frontiersman and former Tennessee Congressman Davy Crockett. On February 23, 1836, Mexican forces, led by General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, began a siege on the Alamo. The 200 or so Texans dug in and held on for 13 days. Ultimately, they could not hold off Santa Anna and his troops, which numbered 1,800 (by some accounts as many as 6,000), and the Mexicans broke through a breach in the outer wall of the courtyard on March 6. Almost all of the Texans were killed. Mexican forces also suffered great losses, losing somewhere between 600 and 1,600 men. Mexican forces occupied the fort from March until May, but on April 21, Sam Houston and his troops defeated Santa Anna's forces at San Jacinto. As they fought, they shouted 'Remember the Alamo,' and with Houston's victory, Texas independence was assured."

Since my Texas roots trace back to Stephen Austin's original 300 colonists, I had to pick this one!

Terry - Welcome! Looking forward to getting to know you. I think all spouses get under each other's skin now and then - I know I'm not always easy to live with either - but we learn not to let the bad blind us to the good.

Kelly - Forrest is what's called a longdog, which is a mix of two sighthound breeds. In his case he's a mix of greyhound and saluki. (A sighthound mixed with a non-sighthound breed is called a lurcher.) He mostly looks like a whippet-sized greyhound, only with a curly saluki tail and creamy saluki markings on his front legs. He's only a year or so old, so he is a handful!

Katla - I'm pretty sure every kid is unhappy with his or her parents at some point. I still remember being 15...

Kate - Best wishes for your daughter. Retina disease is scary.

Tracey - Deepest condolence on the loss of your uncle.

Rebecca - That cat looks SOOOO happy! As if there'd been a string of cold, wet days and now all it wants to do is bask in the sun.

Janet - I definitely understand the wish for a magic wand! Hope your dad manages to rally. It has really hard to see a parent fade, especially our dads who most of us think of as big and strong.


I finished work early today so I went and played in the back yard with the dogs. Forrest is learning to walk on a leash but he doesn't like it so we're using a harness until he feels more comfortable. It wouldn't take much for him to slip that little pin head out of a regular collar.

-Yvonne in TX

Janet - so sorry about your Dad. It is very very hard watching a beloved parent battle in any way - sickness, aging, failing. Sending prayers up for you and your family!