WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR APRIL 2020

It's a Good Friday morning here and spring has sprung!

Machka - I laughed out loud at those memes. Wearing a mask in the house to stop eating.... great idea! Also it's interesting the very stringent rules about social interaction and the fines. Seems like walking on the beach with a friend would be a good way to get fresh air - but I'm sure they have their reasons.

Kim - how awesome a big embroidery order and the jobs coming up and gift cards. And loved that article about you and the successful plant sale. Good of you to shop for mom. Is your brother in remission?

Ginny - interesting comment from that nurse about you wearing gloves. I wear mine to protect my hands from the sanitizer and the chemicals in many of the wipes. Besides, it reminds me my hands might be contaminated so I'd better not touch my face.

Janetr - what a shame about the theft. I'm sending a virtual conk on the head with my cast iron frying pan to whoever did this. I know we'd really be shaken up if it happened to us.

Got my walk in at 6:15 as soon as DH got up. I love my early morning walks, alone. Just me in my introverted special time, no talking. Noticing the trees, the animals, nature waking up.

It looks like my late morning/early afternoon walks with my sweet neighbor "D" might turn a group thing as another gal on our block saw us walking and asked to join us, we politely said yes. And yesterday she said she's invited another gal to join us

D might be OK with this, so I'm not going to stress. What I do know is that I really enjoyed the ability to be spontaneous and flexible as far as walking times with D. Hoping we can keep it at a "if you see us, feel free to join in". When I retired, I vowed to never again be in charge of organizing something for a group so I'm sticking to my guns. The introvert in me finds that interacting with more than one person at a time pretty draining. How to tactfully express that to extroverts is a challenge.

Anyhow, got in a 19 minute mile this morning and feel pretty good about it. Lovely morning and no wind so the pollen left me alone.

Heading out to glitterville to do my shopping this morning. Masks and "shopping jacket" are ready. Then BFF will stop by around lunchtime to pick up her masks and take home a bunch of Lucifer Crocosmia starts.

So better get cracking. Make it a fabulous day, ladies.

Lanette
Sunny SW WA State

Lanette - I'm with you about the walking party. Two's company, three's a crowd for me. I would put my foot down, nicely of course. More is not the merrier. I could not do it. I always think the quality of the conversation goes down the more people join in. I love my one to ones. Plus I'm fussy about who I talk to.
Plus, we are not allowed to have more than 2 people from different households walking together, even if they are social distancing.

Love Heather UK xxxxxxxx

*****

Barbara: Turning retired breast pumps into ventilators is brilliant! Thanks for sharing the story.

Heather: I love the beach photo, too. It is delightful and somehow very soothing. Mother earth is alive and well.

Machka: I love the humor, and can’t really choose a favorite but I’m leaning toward the bear peeking through the sliding glass door.

Barbara: I never used a breast pump, but DD did with her first baby. I wonder whether she still has it. :flowerforyou:

Terri: I love the Easter flowers and tree. Delightful!

Lisa: Unfortunately, I can’t open the Washington Post links without getting a message that blocks the view unless I pay for a subscription. :ohwell:

Lanette: I will walk with the dog &/or DH, but nobody else. DH has a bucketful of autoimmune issues and I’m not willing to risk compromising his situation. :noway:


I wear a mask and gloves when I go shopping. I take advantage of senior hours at the stores—first thing in the morning. I touch bases with friends and family via internet or telephone. So far, so good.

Today I hope to spend time getting my garden space weeded and ready to plant beans.

Katla in Beautiful NW Oregon

cityjaneLondon wrote: »

I wear gloves when I'm shopping. Yes I could be transferring bugs from one item to another, but my hands would be doing that anyway. It does remind me not to touch my face. I wore huge sunglasses as well. I took my own trolley. When I came home I shook my gloves off and left them exposed for days. Then I washed my hands. It's not perfect, but I didn't come close to another person at the store. I'm leaving delivered items for at least 48 hrs, if not longer, before I touch them. Then washing hands.
It just seems so random as to who gets it severely and who mildly. Terrible toll on the doctors in NYC. Others, like my friends, who are not young, over 70, not badly at all. There must be some reason for this. Is it just over exposure to a lot of virus at once, or some other cause? I know some people's immune systems overreact. So sad when it's a younger person. And very sad when an older person is denied a dignified death.

Love Heather UK xxxxxxxx

Smoking (including smoking mj), vaping, and high blood pressure all contribute to getting the virus more seriously.

The amount of exposure also seems to contribute. Walking past someone outside might not result in much while sitting next to someone on the bus for 30 min might.

spikeyhair wrote: »

Feeling down today spoke to relative of our friend actually she is the sister of the widower. She said he is alone can’t see kids or grandkids. I posted a card through door earlier. Also a long time neighbour who has been ill for some time was in hospital not CV she was brought home today as she is dying. Her grandkids were standing around outside house. Personally am I wrong but lady is dying does it make sense to keep family from saying goodbye
Sorry to be so down
DH and I are fine
Keep yourselves safe

Kate UK ❤️

I agree, since she is at home I don’t see why they couldn’t see her as long as they keep the social distancing safe for themselves. At our nursing home we are allowing one family member in for someone that is near end of life. We have to keep all residents safe not just the one.

@Katla49 I think very few if any are going to have school before next fall. I hope we have school next fall. i'm not even sure. In France the official message at present is that school is suspended until May 5. A collegue had a meeting with one school director and there is no way they are going back to school on May 5. In China i think none have gone back to school and the virus is said to be more contained there.

@Machka9 thanks for the information on the fines. Being in nature and near the beach makes a big difference. "those helpful whatsapp messages"... I know one friend is sending me article and article and video after video. when i look into them a little they are often shaky. my sister was sending me info about how this was not serious a few week ago. when i asked her for her sources she basically more or less said she is not a fact person but an intuition person, and felt very hurt that i asked. (so why send facts to argue a point?) of course now that is no longer a discussion. a researcher friend send me a video about the conspiracy that it was created by bill gates to implant us all with microchips. i overheard a woman saying how it is all in one's thoughts. there are still people saying that. : (

@Ginnytez i hope you feel better soon. i feel tired too.

@SophieRosieMom can you go for group walks? could that be a pretext to turn down if not wanting to. i can agree that a walk w one person is simpler than a regular 4 person walk. why don't 3 and 4 just walk together...? Here you'd be stopped by the police and criticized by neighbors non-stop if you were walking in a group. They would say "Nurses are dying and these people are walking in groups like it's vacation." I read stuff like that on Facebook daily. We have no choice here anyway.

@JRsLateInLifeMom i never take my cellphone with me now when i go out.

@auntiebk it depends on the size of the screen. i have an external screen

@exermom stores have limits here. tiny shops have 1 person at a time, bigger ones can take 3, a supermarket, maybe 50 or so. the lines can be long and slow.

@cityjaneLondon i was wondering about the cause for some getting a serious case and not others. that is so upsetting and disturbing.

Having bad hay fever today and the antihistamine isn't working today.
It doesn't always. i sat on balcony from 8 to 9:30 when there is sun, but this is also a high pollen time of day.yesterday i washed my hair just after that. i didnt today. i need to wash my hair now 2x a day instead of 1x a week. my hair is long and thick so takes plenty of shampoo. i was late for a cut before lockdown but the last weeks i didn't dare get a cut. i'll probably end up cutting it myself using a tutorial and sharpening scissors with a whetting stone. Or maybe i'll let it grow out forever and ever.

I started re-reading The Plague by Camus. Have any of your read it. It's a dark novel akin to today's situation but so beautifully written, partly from the point of view of a sensitive doctor. I thought it might be depressing to read but so far it is not, because of the thoughtful observations of the narrator and character in the story.

My first 3 days of confinement i was meditation and drawing and walking, but with the endless prolongation and rising death toll, i have not kept up that upbeat rhythm at all. Sometimes i feel like rolling from bed to floor to easy chair, to chair to bed. It is not an easy time. i'm ok with being alone a fair bit, but not being able to go out without a mask and the ambient fear and terror is not a nice feeling. you can't walk here without crossing people. it's very warm and there's little wind so it feels less comfortable than on more windy days. the airborn bits can hang in the air... and it seems not great to have such stunning weather and not be able to sit outside. and this will go on for how long? yet how can we complain when others are working and others are suffering and others (homeless, people in poor countries) are much less protected.

this is not good for people with occasional low morale. common suggestion for low morale: go out and see people. both are illegal here most of the time. glad about the week off anyway.

be well.