WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR JANUARY 2021
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I would like to thank everyone for my birthday wishes!It was a nice day,I spent it alone.Not completely alone,our little boy dog,Vern curled up with me and enjoyed me not hopping up and doing something every minute of the day.😊
Debby in Va6 -
janetr7476 wrote: »Karen in VA. Help, please tell me again how to put things in a Spoiler so everyone doesn't have to see these gigantic images and Thank You.
Janetr OKC
start spoiler with [*spoiler] - without the asterisk
end spoiler with [*/spoiler] - without the asterisk3 -
Heather, My big lesson from the Minimalists was about intentional living. Everything I own is something I want to own. What I do is what I want to do. What I buy is what I've decided to buy. I am not influenced by what other people think or do or approve of. I notice that you make intentional choices. Your choices are different from mine but they are thought out and reflect your values and desires.
Dogs haven't wanted to walk in the rain, so I'll go out by myself in a few minutes just so I end the day with a decent amount of steps. Most of the holiday lights in my neighborhood have been put away so it will be a darker walk.
Barbie in NW WA 2 -
Tracey-the bunk beds and bedding are really cute. You two make a great pair putting those creative things together. Actually if body is sore from work yesterday keeping moving (slowly not aggressively) might be the best thing for it. I think sometimes we resist that and it can make stuff worse.
Julie-I agree with Machka-just get the thesis done. I went several years ABD (all but dissertation). After my first son was born it was hard to fit in. Then I got pregnant with second and was hitting time limit. I just cranked it out. It occurred to me that my professors and the school wanted me to finish as much as I did (it looks better for schools to have high completion rates, especially at Ph.D. level). You want to do a decent work, but I have seen many get paralyzed because it wouldn’t be brilliant enough.
Allie-I used Arnica cream on the scars from my hip replacements. The nerve endings are bothersome and unfortunately they just take time. Would a side pillow help with the battery pack device (not sure how they fit on)-kid of like laying on your side with a pillow helped when very pregnant?
DrKatiebug-like your “Neither am I personally responsible for keeping Amazon in business! Shopping, like eating, is something I should do out of necessity - not for entertainment or therapeutic reasons.” This past couple of years I have, no doubt, indulged of too much of that as both entertainment and therapy.
Lisa-that was a great Calvin and Hobbs you shared. It made me smile and think.
Barbie in NW WA-I feel really bad for Jake being stood up by granddaughter. That just stinks.
Janetr-amazing transformation. I like your saying “Pick your hard.” Lots of truth there.
Annie in Delaware-exercise is good for us, but for me the key to weight is still ci/co. I know when I dropped from the 170s to the 140/130s the difference in feeling better was way more than I thought.
Had another "odds and ends day." Laundry done (will iron tomorrow). Bathroom closet organized (now to keep it that way!). Threw out out of date stuff. At least I know what I have in there now. Found extras of things I had bought because I forgot I had them. Wrote out list of household projects I want to complete this year. Starting on work to finish painting door frames and new doors. Have to go to Lowes early tomorrow and pick up a strip of door stop and some wood filler. Got a good walk in outside-mid 30s and not much wind so brisk but not too cold. Think I am keeping my lighted gnomes out for a while longer just because they make me smile.
Sil in Switzerland was brought out of medical coma and seems to be aware (this is from her son to my other SIL). With time difference communication happens at odd times. It does sound like she is very lucky to have made it this far.
Going to clear out emails while I watch some tv. That way I am doing something necessary, but not overly energetic!
Take care all,
Ginny in Ohio
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Whidislander wrote: »Ladies I just use the 12 x 12 calendars. We had a Portland city calendar last year so these are my envelopes from that.👍
Have a great weekend all! We're going out on this blustery day to look for sheet set, new jeans for him and I, and hopefully a case for this Fire tablet.🙃😋😁
Rebecca
Those are beautiful!! Very nice.
And I love Portland so much. I don't want to live there, but I love visiting.
Flea
Willamette Valley, OR0 -
cityjaneLondon wrote: »I've read the Minimalists books and heard a lot of podcasts. I would love to be a hard-core minimalist, but it ain't going to happen while I'm living with DH. He likes a certain amount of cosy.
Love Heather UK xxxxxxxx
I agree! I have been slowly purging my things. I would be happy with very little and a good sized suitcase of clothes.
Except for kitchen things. I use a well-stocked, well-equipped kitchen.
Flea
Willamette Valley, OR0 -
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Julie-I agree with Machka-just get the thesis done. I went several years ABD (all but dissertation). After my first son was born it was hard to fit in. Then I got pregnant with second and was hitting time limit. I just cranked it out. It occurred to me that my professors and the school wanted me to finish as much as I did (it looks better for schools to have high completion rates, especially at Ph.D. level). You want to do a decent work, but I have seen many get paralyzed because it wouldn’t be brilliant enough.
Ginny in Ohio
Yes! One of my dissertation readers told me, "It doesn't have to be good; it just has to be signed." That advice was liberating because perfectionism can be debilitating. I revise the statement for my perfectionist students -- "It doesn't have to be good; it just needs to be submitted." I have so many students who don't turn work in because it doesn't meet their expectations. My eldest is like that. He failed a class a couple years ago because he had a paper to submit. He had it written. It was done. But not perfect. In anger, he deleted the whole computer file. Didn't submit anything. Failed. So frustrating.
A mantra I use around the house to my perfectionist family members is what so many of you say around here: "Do not let the perfect be the enemy of the good." Sometimes good is good enough.
Flea
Willamette Valley, OR2 -
I leave my outside lights out until end of January to add some cheer. I have started putting the Christmas decorations away. The tree will be mid January. It takes me so long to put it up I like to leave it up a bit longer too. Others here leave there outside lights out here longer too!
Michelle love your trees.2 -
Whidislander wrote: » I listened to over 100 podcast episodes by "The Minimalists" and they helped me be emotionally prepared to clear out the the physical and emotional clutter in my life. They talked much more about the emotional, spiritual, and cultural roadblocks to getting rid of things and helped me find my way. I had to be emotionally ready before I could take any meaningful action. It's a lot like knowing that broccoli is healthier than pecan pie, but needing to have the right attitude to begin. One book that helped me is "Outer Order, Inner Calm" by Gretchen Rubin. I read other books about decluttering that helped me see a simpler household as a thing I wanted. One great thing about my house is that I know what I have, why I have it, and where it belongs. All the good things are the result of years of preparation and action. Nothing worthwhile happens overnight (or even in a month). Jake set up a Zoom call with his granddaughter and her kids but they didn't show up. Poor guy sat at the computer staring at his own face for about 15 minutes before he gave up. Now, the laundry that I ignored at bedtime, is staring at me and demanding to be folded and put away....also the dishes in the dishwasher. Barbie in NW WA
How wonderful! I watched The Minimalist on Netflix ( two guys). The dark haired guy said he went hardcore into the minimalistic lifestyle by packing everything in his apartment. Then over a month taking out of the "well labeled boxes" only what he needed. He found out he didn't use 80% of the items! So he just donated it all. That's hardcore huh!?
Rebecca
I've done that sort of minimalist thing at times.
In 2004, I sorted through all my stuff, got rid of about 1/2 of it and packed the rest into storage. Then I travelled around Australia for 3 months on my bicycle, as in the photo below. Everything I needed was in the bags on my bicycle. Then I lived in my parent's basement (and a couple other small furnished apartments, a hostel, and someone's sewing room) from 2005 to 2009 while I got my Bachelor of Education ... I unpacked a small amount of my stuff from storage for that period. When I was preparing to go to Australia, I got all my stuff out of storage and got rid of another 1/2 of it, then packed the rest for shipping.
Then I moved to Australia with a bicycle and suitcase and lived in that shack off the grid for a year, as I've mentioned before. My husband had lost most of his stuff in the bushfire and so we bought a few things, but not much.
Finally we were able to find a small house in the town where I worked and we bought a few things and I had my stuff shipped over.
2 years later, we packed it all up and put it into storage. Then we set off to travel the world for 8 months with bicycles and panniers ... as in the photo below. My bicycle is the blue one on the right.
When we returned, we housesat for a bit, then lived with the friend we were house sitting for, then finally got a 6 month rental and brought our stuff out of storage. We had hoped to acquire more permanent jobs (we were both in temp jobs) but that didn't happen. However, I got my current job in Tasmania so everything went back into storage and we moved to Tasmania with a van-load of stuff ... like just a car van, not a moving van. We bought a little bit but it was about 18 months later before we got our stuff out of storage and had it shipped to where we live now.
After all that ... getting rid of our stuff, or in my husband's case, losing it in a bushfire, keeping what we had in storage for long periods of time and living with next to nothing ... in the past 7 years we've accumulated quite a bit. Neither of us liked being that minimal for the long term.
Now, 7 years later, I feel like I am in a place where I can start going through what we've accumulated and making some decisions about it.
M in Oz
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Worked today. It was kind-of cold, at least at first. The bad thing is that the sun wasn’t out. If it had been, I bet it would have been pretty OK. Tomorrow I just might try using the recumbent bike a little
Well, when I got home from work Vince was starting bringing in the decorations from outside. Right now he’s working on the controllers so there’s really nothing I can do so I’m here. We should have almost 80% of it in. The rest we can’t bring in mainly because we don’t have any place to put it so that it can dry out…lol
Tracey – what adorable bunkbeds
Rori and M – (((HUG))) Rori – how is that lady working out, the one who stays some with your hubby? I forget her name
Barbara – yes, that is a train under the main tree. The Polar Express. Vince likes O gauge trains. He got these sections of track that when the train goes over them, they light up. Pretty cool. You understand how much of an accomplishment it is for me to throw out food. I was raised by my grandmother who raised her family during the depression. NOTHING, and I do mean NOTHING, was wasted. Heaven forbid you even *think* about throwing out food.
Lisa – that comic strip is very appropriate for this group
M – I’m sorry your husband isn’t doing as well. This is the first time you’ve mentioned it. Unload here any time at all.
Jess just called to say they got back to Iowa
Bought some of the Tone It Up Protein powder. Did they ever downsize the amount! And they reformulated it. I’m going to look online to see if I can purchase it any other way. Update: I think I'm going to take it back. Too many reviews saying that they can taste and aftertaste due to the stevia so I probably will too.
Barbie (((HUG for Jake)))
Janet – hubba bubba
M – does your bike have two water bottle holders?
Michele NC
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OregonMother wrote: »
Julie-I agree with Machka-just get the thesis done. I went several years ABD (all but dissertation). After my first son was born it was hard to fit in. Then I got pregnant with second and was hitting time limit. I just cranked it out. It occurred to me that my professors and the school wanted me to finish as much as I did (it looks better for schools to have high completion rates, especially at Ph.D. level). You want to do a decent work, but I have seen many get paralyzed because it wouldn’t be brilliant enough.
Ginny in Ohio
Yes! One of my dissertation readers told me, "It doesn't have to be good; it just has to be signed." That advice was liberating because perfectionism can be debilitating. I revise the statement for my perfectionist students -- "It doesn't have to be good; it just needs to be submitted." I have so many students who don't turn work in because it doesn't meet their expectations. My eldest is like that. He failed a class a couple years ago because he had a paper to submit. He had it written. It was done. But not perfect. In anger, he deleted the whole computer file. Didn't submit anything. Failed. So frustrating.
A mantra I use around the house to my perfectionist family members is what so many of you say around here: "Do not let the perfect be the enemy of the good." Sometimes good is good enough.
Flea
Willamette Valley, OR
"A C is a Degree"
I came across this phrase while getting my Bachelor of Education and at first it horrified me ... how could anyone aim for a "C"??
But through my Master's degree process, I've had to let go of some of my courses or assignments and remind myself that "A C is a Degree". My marks were all over the place ... in some courses, everything just clicked and I got high marks. In other courses, life circumstances interfered or things didn't click between me and the professor or whatever, and I got lower marks. But it doesn't matter ... I passed all my courses and there is no requirement for me to ever reveal my marks to anyone.
But overall, I did do better than a C.
Through both degrees I also learned to sacrifice certain assignments. It was easier with my B-Ed in Canada because there they give you all the information about all the assignments on Day 1 so you can start working on them on Day 1. So I would organise the assignments for each class by marks. An assignment worth 20% was higher on my "To Do" scale than an assignment worth 5%. And there was a time or two where I just didn't get around to low-mark assignments.
In Australia, they give you the information for the assignment 2-3 weeks before it is due so it's harder to organise the workload and make decisions like that. Nevertheless, I remember going into one quiz worth 10% having barely studied for it. That was the year I had measles. I missed several classes, and was generally not well but was scrambling to try to get things together. I did the quiz and the marker came over to mark it, and looked at me with horror in his eyes ... "You got 4/10!! You need to work harder. You need to study more .... etc. etc." I stopped him and said, "I got 4% toward my total mark. That's better than 0%. He couldn't understand. But I finished that course with 75% or so, IIRC. I just had to sacrifice that particular assignment because of my life situation then.
All that to say ... sometimes you've just got to get it done.
M in Oz0 -
Janetr There are a couple of ways to do a spoiler.
The method I use is to click on this:
Which gives you this drop down:
Then click on “spoiler”:
and this will appear in your dialogue box:
The cursor should be between the bracketed “spoilers” and you just insert whatever you want in there.xoxo
Karen in Virginia
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Karen in Virginia
Thank you!
Janetr OKC1 -
Whidislander wrote: » I listened to over 100 podcast episodes by "The Minimalists" and they helped me be emotionally prepared to clear out the the physical and emotional clutter in my life. They talked much more about the emotional, spiritual, and cultural roadblocks to getting rid of things and helped me find my way. I had to be emotionally ready before I could take any meaningful action. It's a lot like knowing that broccoli is healthier than pecan pie, but needing to have the right attitude to begin. One book that helped me is "Outer Order, Inner Calm" by Gretchen Rubin. I read other books about decluttering that helped me see a simpler household as a thing I wanted. One great thing about my house is that I know what I have, why I have it, and where it belongs. All the good things are the result of years of preparation and action. Nothing worthwhile happens overnight (or even in a month). Jake set up a Zoom call with his granddaughter and her kids but they didn't show up. Poor guy sat at the computer staring at his own face for about 15 minutes before he gave up. Now, the laundry that I ignored at bedtime, is staring at me and demanding to be folded and put away....also the dishes in the dishwasher. Barbie in NW WA
How wonderful! I watched The Minimalist on Netflix ( two guys). The dark haired guy said he went hardcore into the minimalistic lifestyle by packing everything in his apartment. Then over a month taking out of the "well labeled boxes" only what he needed. He found out he didn't use 80% of the items! So he just donated it all. That's hardcore huh!?
Rebecca
I've done that sort of minimalist thing at times.
In 2004, I sorted through all my stuff, got rid of about 1/2 of it and packed the rest into storage. Then I travelled around Australia for 3 months on my bicycle, as in the photo below. Everything I needed was in the bags on my bicycle. Then I lived in my parent's basement (and a couple other small furnished apartments, a hostel, and someone's sewing room) from 2005 to 2009 while I got my Bachelor of Education ... I unpacked a small amount of my stuff from storage for that period. When I was preparing to go to Australia, I got all my stuff out of storage and got rid of another 1/2 of it, then packed the rest for shipping.
Then I moved to Australia with a bicycle and suitcase and lived in that shack off the grid for a year, as I've mentioned before. My husband had lost most of his stuff in the bushfire and so we bought a few things, but not much.
Finally we were able to find a small house in the town where I worked and we bought a few things and I had my stuff shipped over.
2 years later, we packed it all up and put it into storage. Then we set off to travel the world for 8 months with bicycles and panniers ... as in the photo below. My bicycle is the blue one on the right.
When we returned, we housesat for a bit, then lived with the friend we were house sitting for, then finally got a 6 month rental and brought our stuff out of storage. We had hoped to acquire more permanent jobs (we were both in temp jobs) but that didn't happen. However, I got my current job in Tasmania so everything went back into storage and we moved to Tasmania with a van-load of stuff ... like just a car van, not a moving van. We bought a little bit but it was about 18 months later before we got our stuff out of storage and had it shipped to where we live now.
After all that ... getting rid of our stuff, or in my husband's case, losing it in a bushfire, keeping what we had in storage for long periods of time and living with next to nothing ... in the past 7 years we've accumulated quite a bit. Neither of us liked being that minimal for the long term.
Now, 7 years later, I feel like I am in a place where I can start going through what we've accumulated and making some decisions about it.
M in Oz
What an amazing journey! I know my son that we live with is a bit of a hoarder. His side of the garage is evidence of that. But he is methodical in his madness.
Rebecca0 -
M – does your bike have two water bottle holders?
Two in the first photo.
Three, on the bicycle in the second photo.M – I’m sorry your husband isn’t doing as well. This is the first time you’ve mentioned it. Unload here any time at all.
I haven't felt particularly comfortable going into a lot of detail ... sometimes I think people here get a bit bored hearing about my husband's situation.
But very generally ...
He had the workplace accident on March 22, 2018 which resulted in a severe traumatic brain injury. In a coma for 3 weeks, in Post Traumatic Amnesia (PTA) for 7 weeks, in hospital for 100 days.
The length of the PTA + other symptoms and testing are what led to the diagnosis of severe traumatic brain injury.
The bulk of his injury is in the left temporal lobe - he has quite a decent sized amount of scar tissue there, a part of the brain that will never recover. He also has a small area of frontal lobe damage and diffuse axonal injury (DIA) which happens when the brain moves rapidly in the skull - think, shaken baby syndrome.
When he was first diagnosed with DIA, in about Week 2, I was told he may die, remain in a coma or if he "woke", he'd likely be in a vegetative state. Fortunately, those things did not happen!
But with DIA, the injuries are all over the brain and it is impossible to predict what the results of the injuries will be.
In his case, for example, he has left leg and right arm difficulties ... like when a person who has a stroke has difficulty being able to use one side of their body. His left leg and right arm are OK in the sense of muscles, bones, tendons, etc. but his brain doesn't communicate with them very well. So he finds walking very tiring and difficult. He also drops things a lot if he uses his right arm.
He has double vision and suffers from vestibular disorders which affect his balance and bodily orientation. These, along with the left leg situation, also make walking difficult, especially in the dark, on uneven surfaces, and going up or down stairs.
When he has dealt with something difficult for a while, he gets tired, but not tired like we know it ... it's a whole body shutdown kind of exhaustion. So if he is presented with something else to do, like going into a grocery store, he has a meltdown/shutdown thing.
Sometimes I can pick up on his increasing fatigue and frustration and deal with it before it becomes a problem, sometimes I miss the cues.
He has a long list of other symptoms as well.
Most people with a severe traumatic brain injury will improve to a certain point and then plateau. If they are young, they may continue to make occasional improvements at times throughout their lives.
However, when we (healthy people) reach a certain age, our brains start to slow down and a certain amount of brain shrinkage starts to occur.
Severe TBI can increase the pace of this slow down and brain shrinkage process.
So I was told my husband would reach a plateau around about the 2 year point, and I think he did, and because of his age, the chances of improvements beyond that are very, very slim. In fact the chances of deterioration is much greater.
Staying home for 4 months allowed me to see him all day every day which was helpful for me to know where he was and I have noticed that his fatigue and meltdown/shutdown things happen more frequently now than they did. I've started noticing a few other things as well ... I think. Sometimes it is hard to tell until it happens a few times.
He will never recover, of course, but I'm hoping that the deterioration will be relatively slow.
Regarding the brain slow down/shrinkage for all of us ... they say that exercise and continuing to use the brain to learn new things helps. Another good reason for all of us to keep active!
Machka in Oz4 -
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Hi there,
Happy New Year!
I am looking forward to 2021. I'm good at starting things and working on finishing.
The main word that is working for me as I look towards 2021 is DECELERATE. I've worked 2 jobs and been go go go running from pillar to post for 20+ years. I need to slow down, be more DELIBERATE and make some DECISIONS about letting one of these jobs go, as well as about my lifestyle, including how I eat and how much I exercise!
I've been with you here on this group before, though maybe not in a couple of years.
I am prone to disordered eating. And when I am really sad, otherwise emotional, or anxious food is my best friend and solace. I try to divert myself with hobbies I love like crocheting and making miniatures. But it's a tough challenge. I was on antidepressants years ago and packed a lot of weight on. Now that I'm almost 60 it's getting harder and harder to get that weight off. But I keep trying!
I'm hoping to drop 6 lbs this month. I'd like to see the 150s before 2021 is through.
My eating goals are to track my food and focus on increasing my intake of fruit and vegetables.
My fitness goals are to exercise every day, whether a fitness class, walk, or video-led workout.
I also need to do more stretching, including yoga.
I plan to have an epsom salts bath 3X/week.
I have a basket full of face, hand and foot masks. I hope I use them soon. Self care is so important I know.
For my home, I follow and practice a combo of FlyLady and Declutter 365 methods. I don't accept the FLYLady emails any more but follow her on FaceBook so see some of her live podcasts and I'm in an online group that play cleaning games together based on FLYLady principles. I've been doing this for 2 years and I am gradually feeling like I have that act together. The basic cleaning is well under control and now, for the first time, I feel like I am really getting at the clutter. I've done the Clutterbug tests and even have the book. I'm a bee. I need to organize, sub-organize, categorize. It makes actually getting anything organized quite challenging!
Cheers,
Melodybug
In Atlantic Canada
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[
He will never recover, of course, but I'm hoping that the deterioration will be relatively slow.
Machka in Oz
Oh dear, Machka, you have certainly been one of the most diligent care takers any husband could have. I will keep you and your husband in my prayers that as you said, the deterioration will be relatively slow.
Biggest big hugs,
Janetr OKC1 -
I have a new calendar on my wall. New calendars are annual gifts from our public utility company. Each of the photos tells the name of the photographer, and all the photos are taken inside this county. The first photo is of a beautiful pattern of lights and clouds in the sky.
Rebecca: Your calendar envelopes are creative and nice to see.
Ginny in OH: Sending good wishes to your SIL in Switzerland. I hope she continues to be lucky and heals completely.
Margaret: I still have outside Christmas lights on our deck. I took the ornaments off of our tree and have it back in its spot in the garden. It looked happy to be home. The weather is relatively mild this evening. I would not have taken it outside in very cold weather after it had spent weeks in a warm house. This transition seems to be gentle enough. I hope that it stays that way long enough for the tree to adjust. :bigsmile:
Machka: I love the photo of your bikes beside the brick wall along with flower baskets. Beautiful!. :flowerforyou:
I’m planning to haul boxes of Christmas items back up the ladder into the garage attic tomorrow. I’ll be happy to get the job done. Right now, I’m ready to get some rest.
Katla in NW Oregon
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Barbie - how rude of Jake’s granddaughter. I hope she makes it up to him somehow.
Rebecca - I wish you lived closer you could raid my scrapbooking leftovers. I’m trying to decide if I should sell some more of it.
Janet - I love it! “Choose your hard”
Debbie - happy Birthday
Ginny - we do work well if we each have our individual tasks more than if we have to do something together.
We each a couple of project in mind to keep us occupied if the weather holds. His are more creative/artistic and mine are more practical. I’m sure we’ll figure out which and how Soon.
I did keep moving today, I took the tree down and was going to leave the rest, but as I was sitting thinking about it, I realized if I didn’t do it today I probably wouldn’t until next weekend and that’s Rodger’s birthday. So everything is put away, except for one candy bowl, I always miss something. My regular decorations are back, I want to make a couple more furniture changes tomorrow, but the majority is done. It always looks so bare and feels so cold when I take Christmas down.
I finished everything but my bathroom before supper and did the bathroom after supper before taking a long well deserved bath with a CBD oil bath bomb and a cup of tea. If those bath bombs weren’t so pricy I would use one daily.
Machka - when we moved to Alberta 23 years ago Christmas we sold almost everything. Rodger came by bus in September the girls and I and my babysitter left by bus Christmas night and arrived in downtown Edmonton about 75 hours later. 9 suitcases between us 4 and my girls were only 6 &8. Then we had a house fire in 2005 and quite a bit. We built it all up again and then when we lost the house in 2016 and moved here we were forced to downsize again. There isn’t much left that I would be willing to part with.
Rodger and I watched the movie Soul on Disney Plus tonight. It was pretty good. I had heard that it was by the same producers or writers as Inside Out and I could see that, but I liked Inside Out better.
Tomorrow we will be delivering the bunk beds. I think I’ll go buy a helium balloon or two to tie onto them. I also need to get a card for her. In preparation of this gift her parents moved the playroom to the basement the last couple of days. She was also gifted a massive Barbie House this week.
Tracey in Edmonton
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You have been busy! I have our Christmas decorations out of the house but they’re not put away yet. I expect to be hauling boxes up the ladder to the garage attic for much of the day tomorrow.
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Well, thanks to Barbara and Katie I had to go back and check out Lisa's word for the year! lol To my knowledge, none of my relatives ever actually had a still, but there was homemade hootch out there and it packed one heckuva punch! When my maternal grandfather passed, we went and stayed with my dad's brother for the few days that we were in that area. It was about a 6 or 7 hour drive from home, and I was pretty wiped when we got there, I was 18, and had been driving since I was 16, and I only "spelled" dad, but it was still a long day. My uncle decided I needed something to either pick me up or help me sleep, I'm not sure which, and I don't remember too much about how I did sleep that night, but I do remember gasping for air when I drank the stuff! (which I did do voluntarily, nobody was pouring booze down my throat, and it was only one small glass) 40 plus years later and that memory still sticks..... can't remember what I went into a room for earlier, but remember that....
lol oh well, it's all good.
Tracey, the doll bunks and mattresses and pillows are amazing! You two not only do excellent work, but so quickly!
Janet, you too are amazing! You worked hard to get where you are and, while I may have seen those photos before, I do not have a problem seeing them again and again! I can certainly see why your friend would call you Sassy!
Machka, I'm sorry to hear that your hubby seems to be deteriorating, I had hoped he would plateau for several years, and then do a natural decline. Having you explain more about his injury helps me understand why that's probably not going to be the case. I can only imagine the frustration you must sometimes feel when he starts to melt down, not being able to do as much as you both used to. I imagine his frustration levels must also be pretty high at times. Please don't hesitate to vent here, this is a safe space! I do like your choice of word/phrase, to go with the flow.
Rori, my heart goes out to you. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have the patience that you do with your hubby and his condition, you are an amazing individual for sure!
Tomorrow I shall probably start taking down Christmas. I didn't put up as much as I had wanted to, but now I'm kind of glad because that means there isn't as much to take down! Sunday is always my housecleaning day and I shall start, as usual, with our bedroom and ensuite, then the rest of upstairs. When I head downstairs, I think I will do the undecorating first instead of vacuuming right away. That way anything that lands on the floor will be taken care of later and I won't be upset with myself for making a mess when I've just cleaned! Definitely by Monday afternoon, all will be packed away til next year. Hubby has been talking about building shelving in our garage and I think we are actually going to do it sometime this spring/early summer. When we do get it done, I plan on moving some of the Christmas stuff out of my "office" and into the garage. My space is upstairs and it's a pain packing all that stuff down, then back up. If it's in the garage, it's already on the main floor and will be much easier to access.
I worked today, first time in two weeks that I had to work a full shift! I only work Thurs, Fri and Sat and with Christmas landing on a Friday, I was off early on the 24th, and off the 25th and 26th. Then off early again on the 31st, off Jan1 and then worked the full day today. I'm knackered! And on that note, I think I shall take myself off to the shower and go to bed.
Hoping everyone has a great day! (evening, night, morning....) Hugs for those needing them, congrats to those celebrating and welcome to the newbies (and returnees!).
Evelyn, on very soggy Vancouver Island4 -
Rebecca, I love the calendar envelopes!
Janet, Congratulations! I also like that entry about choosing one's hard. So true.2 -
Julie-I agree with Machka-just get the thesis done. I went several years ABD (all but dissertation). After my first son was born it was hard to fit in. Then I got pregnant with second and was hitting time limit. I just cranked it out. It occurred to me that my professors and the school wanted me to finish as much as I did (it looks better for schools to have high completion rates, especially at Ph.D. level). You want to do a decent work, but I have seen many get paralyzed because it wouldn’t be brilliant enough.
Allie-I used Arnica cream on the scars from my hip replacements. The nerve endings are bothersome and unfortunately they just take time. Would a side pillow help with the battery pack device (not sure how they fit on)-kid of like laying on your side with a pillow helped when very pregnant?
Annie in Delaware-exercise is good for us, but for me the key to weight is still ci/co. I know when I dropped from the 170s to the 140/130s the difference in feeling better was way more than I thought.
Had another "odds and ends day." Laundry done (will iron tomorrow). Bathroom closet organized (now to keep it that way!). Threw out out of date stuff. At least I know what I have in there now. Found extras of things I had bought because I forgot I had them. Wrote out list of household projects I want to complete this year. Starting on work to finish painting door frames and new doors. Have to go to Lowes early tomorrow and pick up a strip of door stop and some wood filler. Got a good walk in outside-mid 30s and not much wind so brisk but not too cold. Think I am keeping my lighted gnomes out for a while longer just because they make me smile.
Sil in Switzerland was brought out of medical coma and seems to be aware (this is from her son to my other SIL). With time difference communication happens at odd times. It does sound like she is very lucky to have made it this far.
Going to clear out emails while I watch some tv. That way I am doing something necessary, but not overly energetic!
Take care all,
Ginny in Ohio
I'm so sorry about your SIL. That sounds like good new about her being aware.
I agree with you about getting thesis done. Yes, for sure the school is happier too. it's better for their stats for each person who finishes their thesis, and finishes it relatively quickly.
Also agree about ci/co for weight.
I love when closets are sorted!
Good idea about clearing out mails (and computer files) while doing TV. I don't do that enough and need to find a routine to do so.OregonMother wrote: »Yes! One of my dissertation readers told me, "It doesn't have to be good; it just has to be signed." That advice was liberating because perfectionism can be debilitating. I revise the statement for my perfectionist students -- "It doesn't have to be good; it just needs to be submitted." I have so many students who don't turn work in because it doesn't meet their expectations. My eldest is like that. He failed a class a couple years ago because he had a paper to submit. He had it written. It was done. But not perfect. In anger, he deleted the whole computer file. Didn't submit anything. Failed. So frustrating.
Flea
Willamette Valley, OR
I agree also, to a point. Early in thesis I went to a a talk to all by the then director of PhD studies, he told some anecdotes of people who spent a long time (and one who dropped after years and was happy to do so) and said it doesn't have to be the work of a lifetime. I held that advice in mind.
18 months ago I was notified with little notice that I had to furnish 100 pages (no quality required). so I did what one might call a page dump! I worked hard for a month, but a month was not enough for me to assemble 100 good pages (plus corrections, since I'm non-native), so it was really just getting pages out there. I was allowed to continue but got (understandable) criticism.
With my own students, I have some who do great work, some who do not bad work, and some who furnish the number of words required so they can pass, and clearly furnish no effort (write off the top of their heads). So I wouldn't say "it doesn't have to be good" to my own students, and yet, the students who do a word dump do pass, and those who don't don't. So there's something to it.
MINIMALISM
@Machka I've moved a ton too, and intercontinentally a few times, so gotten totally rid of stuff several times and lived with very little several times. I've also gone backpacking quite a few times. 10 weeks max. The most minimalist was 2 week stints on el camino, probably similar to you guys biking, aiming for 6k max, including weight of bag (1K) water (1k) some food (a bit of nuts and GF options emergency food to get through in case of food shopping issues (no shops, shops closed etc) (0.5-1k) which leaves about 3k for clothes, (1 change of warmer or lighter) toiletries, maps, anything else. Whenever I came back, my, home (which is not too full) seemed overfull.
I can get rid of books probably. I hesitate, as they are kind of like old friends. I still like to keep some. My big, quality dictionaries were great boons for years, but how often do we looks things up in dictionaries now?
I'm actually concerned that some day (could be in 10 or 20 years) there may be major electricity or hacking issues that make our 100% computer dependancy dangerous, so I tend still to want to have some paper stuff. (major documents and some books).
But I could sort a bit.
I need to get rid of even last few favorite DVDs I guess, since computers no longer come with DVD players (and I don't have a tv and the external DVD player I bought for computer years back didn't seem to ever work).
I could probably get rid of some clothes. I don't have a ton, at all, but there are a few things I haven't worn in years, and don't feel like wearing now. My clothing style has been very lowkey of late: jeans simple shirts, maybe a simple dress over jeans...maybe I should wait till past COVID when we actually start seeing people normally, presuming that happens in 6 months or a year or two. (???)
I definitely need to get through papers. I have some doubles.
I can't get rid of all.
Scheduling 30 min per day on paper sorting might work.
Art supplies. I have quite a bit. It's rather expensive to buy all again.
So I'll keep some around for now. And it's helpful to have stuff handy when I need it.
0 -
@Machka9 I'm sorry your DH has plateaued and is apparently deteriorating.
I agree with you about exercise helping to keep our minds (and bodies) well. A teacher-friend-colleague around was talking to me about memory about 15 years ago, and back then I noted that if I got exercise my memory was better. I also saw that during this lockdown period if I went for even a 10 minute walk outside before starting classes (at 8:30am in the dark) my mind was sharper, and I was more upbeat.1 -
"Get to do"s and "chose well"sChose well: leaner/stronger 14 mins wii, tested Bluetooth speaker, it’s waterproof so took out to deck and did 10 mins T’ai Chi sheltered from the rain, typed hymns.
Bonus: practiced One Margarita, watched another livestream, all caught up.
Get to do: take BP, dogs to powerline, call R & S, fire call data into state system, corrected roster to Cal-Or, minutes and letter to Howard, index mutual aid files, watch STAS Day 19, submit grant pics and receipts, make experimental almond paste, declutter sideboard, practice new dances (I ain’t never gonna love nobody but Cornell Crawford (Alley cat), A Little Less Broken, One Margarita, I’m so used to being broke, All Night, Nothing but You, Blame it on my beating heart, Homesick); finish mulching flowerbed; broadcast cover crop seed in veg garden areas, invest another 10 minutes in prepping living trust, Freddie’s for complete series TDAP <$48, get Shingrix vaccine, find and configure a screen time popup, figure out where to plant naked lady bulbs, and soon as it warms up above 50 and dries out below 60% humidity I’ll tape and spray paint those rusted areas of Aunt Elsie’s stove. Reconcile Joe’s EOB’s Thrivent shows only 2263.48 so far, next BGBS ask Terry about GB’s FD firetruck tax levy – contacts, media, advocate???,
Reward: inventory seeds, plan next year’s garden, wishlist replenishments, Monday: call roofer, pickup library book.
Happier January:
2: Make time today to do something special for yourself: 10 mins TC on the deck breathing in the rain washed air. .
Welcome @ladybug2021 ! Would you let us know what you’d like to be called and your general locale?
Lisa I miss Calvin and Hobbes too. And I love the commercials that feature movie clips with characters saying “no!” 
Welcome back, Melodybug!
Janetr I never tire of your inspiring story and pics. “pick your hard” really resonated.
Machka ((hugs)) what Evelyn said.
Julie like you I prefer to have some hardcopies. I do not trust the cloud and keep files on laptop or usb drive, but even those would be inaccessible during long power outages.
Had to march in place nearly an hour to meet step goal, now I’m falling asleep zzzzz…
Lighter, lovelies!
Barbara, the Southern Oregon Coastie AHMOD
January: leaner/stronger/kinder than December.
daily: sit with Joe: 2, weigh/wii: 2/14, steps>5592=5777 vits=2 log=2 CI<CO=2 CI<250<CO=2 Tumble 5=1 Shadow 5=1 mfp=2 outside=1 up hill=0
wkly: BB&B,T’ai Chi or SWSY x3 =1 rx= dance=2 clean 60 mins=.5 packwalk=
mnthly: board mtg= , grant= , 21 plan= bonus: AF=1 play=2 sew=
2021: choose to be leaner/stronger/kinder NOW
2 -
"A C is a degree" There is some truth to that.
On the other side
I have pretty much heard that your thesis report has a major impact on getting a job afterwards (as do thesis teacher recommendations).
By accident my thesis teacher sent me the recommendation for another new young student (who told me she has written nothing after 1-2 years). The recommendation was flourishing. For me she send the minimal, non committal letter!
Also I was at lunch and I heard some real criticism on the thesis of a friend-colleague (who already had a tenured job before getting his thesis- possible in some practical fields, and is relatively well-known, liked by some, not by others). I defended him a bit, but they were a rather central bunch and some were meanly criticising person after person like that.
This said, for some jobs Phd is required and the Phd is not the only thing they take into consideration, but also teaching experience, and other stuff, and different selection committees fonction differently... And also there are bits in my field where a Phd is not required (so they won't necessarily look at it or the report) but it can be helpful to have that plume in one's cap. Some of my colleagues in same level have PhDs and that can be argued to have such and such a slight position improvement.
Anyway, I'm in it so it's best to go forward, due to my field.
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Had another decent night's sleep. I got a lot of exercise (several hours walking!), fresh air, listened to "headspace guided meditation (animated podcasts)" on Netflix to fall asleep. I had CBD oil (delivered), I accidentally got very tiny bottles- no wonder it was so cheap!- and had a couple of drops. I also had a glass of wine. (I may still have a glass sometimes max 2-3 times a week, not sure).
Grateful today: home more spacious and having part of time (or some times) to organise as I like.0 -
Tried to edit last post but it won't take edit (bug- I've had that happen before). here's a redo, that is partly redo and partly new.
Had another decent night's sleep. I got a lot of exercise (several hours walking!), fresh air, listened to "headspace guided meditation (animated podcasts)" on Netflix to fall asleep. I had CBD oil (delivered), I accidentally got very tiny bottles- no wonder it was so cheap!- and had a couple of drops. I also had a glass of wine. (I may still have a glass sometimes max 2-3 times a week, not sure).
Woke at 7ish and listened to meditation tapes. I opened curtains wide to get lots of daylight. Now at 10 am still dragging in bed. Contrary to weather report, the clouds seem to be letting up, at least momentarily.
Last day of "school vacation".
I would like to:1)Go for at least 30 min walk before midday (to help sleep -wake rhythm)8) Print out 2021 goals/resolutions/projects/plans/aspirations, and break down to January goals and this week's goals.
2) Spend 2h on thesis
3) Continue working on habit of at least:
a.15 min tidying/cleaning
b.2x 15 min papers
c.15 min financial stuff
d.meditation (check, online guided visualisation)
4)review collective collegues's mail and give feedback
5)write to __and invite her to meeting.
6)Go through insurance numbers and choose best insurance option for me and start to take action on that level. (can be part of 3.c., but will likely take more than 15 min!)
7)If time: start correcting some papers for Monday and Tuesday's classes
Grateful today:-home more spacious and having part of time (or some times here and there) to organise as I like,
-my 3 now tallish plants (about 3-4 feet tall) which have survived amazingly after years, sometimes with no water for months!
-having been able to spend time with friends yesterday and about 10 days ago0
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