WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR JANUARY 2022
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Good morning.
Re sleep: I regard myself as a night owl, and wandering about in the middle of the night is something I have always done. It’s never bothered me. I use it as thinking/writing time, or meditate.
Balance: I found that doing Tai Chi greatly improved my balance. There are also lots of videos on YouTube to improve balance.
Sinus problems: I found that limiting my dairy solved most of the mucus buildup in my sinuses.
Machka: Here’s hoping the disruption from Tonga will be minimal.
Today after lunch, we are visiting DED and her family. We pick up grandson on the way. His grad photos proofs arrived and we want to choose the ones we want printed.
🙏🏻 Pax vobiscum 🙏🏻
☘️ Terri
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Hello I haven't posted for 8 days, The 20 new pages of posts since are daunting! As usual I read the 1st few pages after my last post and the last few pages before this post.
Thanks for all of you who answered about listening to guided visualisations or meditation.
A big range of answers: some not at all, others daily, others do self-made visualisations, some really love them and others not at all, and so. I agree that the voice of the speaker is key.3 -
I'm doing some heavy duty weeding in one of the scariest areas of our yard. It's so overgrown, who knows what's in there!! So far I've found more weed grass than I imagined, blocks of wood, snails and potatoes.
But about weeds ...
What are these? Are the ones on the right chickweed?
Machka in Oz
Ah ha!
I've figured out the left one:
Scarlet Pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis)
https://plantsam.com/scarlet-pimpernel-red-pimpernel/
I am thinking the one beside it is Chickweed.
http://weedicide.co.uk/identifying-common-garden-weeds/
M in Oz2 -
SLEEP
I was a topnotch sleeper (more or less) till about age 45. At about age 40 I used to go to very intense level activity 2 dance classes one evening a week, and then go for a bite most times afterwards with dance classmates. I had trouble sleeping afterwards, but that's about it. Then in mid 40s there was a major accident near my home at night and that set off early morning wake ups (3 am). I would stay in bed till 4, then meditate, then clean then start work or activity at 6am.
Then about 5 or 10 years ago I had a major workplace issue to deal with for about 2 years, and I had to read, respond, etc. and it kept me up at night often.
Now my sleep is all over the place. The pandemic didn't help. Nor has developed online culture.
I never had a TV in my adult life, so pre-internet online everything I rarely spent any screen time.
I watched my first dvds when I was about 40 and had a bad bug keeping me bedridden for a couple of months.
Now with Netflix YouTube Wikipedia online news it's very easy to get sucked in....
It seems that trouble sleeping is common in older years. I remember my stepmom at around 65 or so, would wake at 4 am do stuff and then crash till like 10 am or 11 am, sometimes later.
It's apparently a myth that we sleep through the night, that we all have many micro awakenings that we don't remember, but that if they become more prominent that throws a wrench in sleep.
I knew this meditation teacher who said she missed her previous insomnia cause it was a good time to meditate lying down.
Sometimes I enjoy the sleepless time, at the time, because it's a time when I can do something.
But the next day in the afternoon I usually don't appreciate the previous nights iffy sleep at all.
Last night in my insomnia I worked well into the wee hours on a file I needed to send by tomorrow at latest, and programmed it to be sent off this morning at 6am.
That is decent use of the time.
I use the computer lots in bed. I know that's a big no-no and I'm admirative of those who successfully ban all electronic devices from the bed.
I never used them before, nor TV nor radio in bed, (though I have always read books in bed which was previously long ill-advised by many, they always used to help me to fall asleep in most cases).
In around early 2010s would with an occasional movie online with my SO of the time and it was sweet and fun. I must have started reading and writing emails in bed sometime in the 2010s too, that's pretty vague, I know...
And social media too. Not big on social media activity but I do glance at Facebook feed (according to wierd algorithm) possibly one time briefly per day or so. it's not a much, and I'm not very involved in it.
I would like to ban laptop from bed, but right now I'm writing from laptop in bed!!
And i find it very cozy to watch a movie or episode or YouTube clip or newspaper in bed these days.
In the old days it was books in bed, but now so much reading is onscreen.
I'm thinking of this cause a friend who works in the computer field and is highly connected during the day, said he reads the paper at home and only books in bed, no clips, online movies, series.
Kind of "old style" and probably good for balance.
But darned if I know how to go in that direction.
Maybe stretching on the sofa for screen time and switching to book for bed time.
Well you know I've tried many times and the results are not, to date, fruitful.
Op off to café for an expresso. it's already elevenish.
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Today I spent 4 hours working on the larger of the two wilderness areas of our garden. It's nowhere near done. Even the first clearing isn't done. But progress has been made. And my arms and shoulders are sore!!
I need to finish clearing it ... and find out what's under there! Then I'll do the second clearing to get the weed roots out.
And then I'll decide what to do with the area!
The current jungle I'm working on is behind the greenhouse and other either side, mostly on the left.
Machka in Oz7 -
OMICRON MANAGEMENT
had invited a small group around (about 7 people). a few have symptomless omicron. so the get together is put off till next week!
I think this is the beginning of the end of the pandemic.
here people are getting massive amounts of tests, for the slightest cough. At the pharmacy the person said about 20% of those tested are positive. I know countless people who have had omicron or someone in their family has had it. but with ranges between no symptoms and cold symptoms, or mild flu symptoms (only one person).
They have to stay home from work, and not see anyone and they are not sick at all. That is very majoritarian the case for omicron here. That can be cool for those who want a 5 - 7 day break from their work.
I don' t mind having the extra time not entertaining.
I definitely feel that social awkwardness that many speak about after two years of not having had people over much.
But I push through it.
I know it's controversial. but I see very few people other than at café since I've been on study break. and am not living or in regular contact with a highly immunocompromised person.
I do take more care when seeing friends who spend time with people who are immunocompromised very often more elderly parents.
Two friends have elderly parents (around age 90, seem pretty healthy relatively speaking) and it's being dealt with differently. for one his elderly parents decided not to see them or the very young kids for xmas. my friend thought this was sad and a risk in view of their age. Even without COVID each year can be considered a gift at that age. For another he and his parents went in the other direction. They want to take care etc, and often avoid contact times when there is a risk, but also after 2 years thus, want to enjoy time together when they can. Each very much thought out their choices.
I see that the contagion rate is sky rocketing (300 000 new cases per day in a country of 67 million, and deaths not so much but still going up (here) mildly.
3% of French people are tested positive THIS WEEK.
(and not everyone gets tested)
the rate of affection is going down slightly at present
so I think we're getting towards the heard immunity situation.
crossing fingers.2 -
bananasandoranges wrote: »SLEEP
I use the computer lots in bed. I know that's a big no-no and I'm admirative of those who successfully ban all electronic devices from the bed.
I never used them before, nor TV nor radio in bed, (though I have always read books in bed which was previously long ill-advised by many, they always used to help me to fall asleep in most cases).
In around early 2010s would with an occasional movie online with my SO of the time and it was sweet and fun. I must have started reading and writing emails in bed sometime in the 2010s too, that's pretty vague, I know...
And social media too. Not big on social media activity but I do glance at Facebook feed (according to wierd algorithm) possibly one time briefly per day or so. it's not a much, and I'm not very involved in it.
I would like to ban laptop from bed, but right now I'm writing from laptop in bed!!
And i find it very cozy to watch a movie or episode or YouTube clip or newspaper in bed these days.
In the old days it was books in bed, but now so much reading is onscreen.
I'm thinking of this cause a friend who works in the computer field and is highly connected during the day, said he reads the paper at home and only books in bed, no clips, online movies, series.
Kind of "old style" and probably good for balance.
But darned if I know how to go in that direction.
Maybe stretching on the sofa for screen time and switching to book for bed time.
Well you know I've tried many times and the results are not, to date, fruitful.
My husband and I have a sleeping pod.
All our three bedrooms are small. So ...- Our smallest bedroom is an "office" (or would be if a person could get to the desk).
- Our largest bedroom is a dressing room like a huge walk-in closet with dressers, closets, a blanket chest to sit on when putting on your socks etc. It's nice.
- The mid-sized one is a sleeping room ... what I call our sleeping pod.
Our sleeping pod contains our beds, bedside tables, a small shelf and a tall narrow dresser.
We have a TV in our living area and exercise area, but definitely NOT in the sleeping pod.
We have clock radios but haven't used the radio feature in years. It didn't work well to begin with, but we like the bright clock displays.
We don't bring our laptops to the sleeping pod.
However, I do bring my phone, mainly as an alarm.
And I have books, stacks of books. I like reading books before bed.
The room is darkened with good curtains, but I also use an eye mask and a headband to hold the eye mask tight. The eye mask keeps my eyes closed and blocks out the light. My husband can get up and turn the light on to use the toilet ... and I have no idea. Rhody can nudge the curtains open at 6 am to let in the sun ... I am not disturbed one bit.
In addition ... something in one of the books I'm reading right now about the idea that completely resting the eyes by blocking out all light can help improve vision. As it happens, the last several times I've been to the optometrist, she has told me my eyes have improved and this most recent time, my eyes have improved quite a bit. She keeps telling me that it's normal to have some improvement at my age but that the improvement will likely stop in a few months ... she's been telling me that for 2 or 3 years now. I don't know ... maybe the eye masks are helping!
Machka in Oz
4 - Our smallest bedroom is an "office" (or would be if a person could get to the desk).
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bananasandoranges wrote: »OMICRON MANAGEMENT
I think this is the beginning of the end of the pandemic.
This is the Greek alphabet.
We are on omikron now.
We have 9 more variations to go.
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We have a very strict daily regime, which seldom varies.
Up at 7 am. I fetch a cup of tea to have in bed with DH. Chat time. We don't look at our phones while we are together until we have finished talking and he has gone downstairs to make breakfast.
Then it's exercise time. With the radio, BBC. Or I run. After that we have ablutions, DH makes coffee, and we get down to writing. I have always written in bed, he writes downstairs at the dining table.
Lunch is made by me at just after 12. Sometimes I prep dinner.
Afternoon DH goes for a walk, I sometimes do that, but more likely row on my machine while watching language videos or something.
Then I nap. 20-30 mins.
Then I do phone calls, Zoom, food prep, etc and around 5 pm I watch a TV quiz with DH. Dinner at 6.
Then TV choices and the rest of dinner, cheese, chocolate, stewed fruit that DH prepares.
Of course on Tuesday we pick up Bea from school.
At the weekends I don't write.
This may all sound very boring, but we love it. Writing is a challenge and an adventure every day, the purpose of my life, and the exercise is the sine qua non of our existence. It makes everything possible. I love my languages. I love my foreign films. I love reading and learning. I adore the seaside, the sky, and watching the wildlife in our back garden. Every day is a new discovery and I seek to live my best life.
We go to bed around 10.30 and we read our Kindles until 11.25 or so.
I sometimes have trouble going to sleep, so I decamp upstairs to my study/bathroom/guest bedroom. Sometimes I go up there in the night if thoughts are churning. I read, or look at something calming, inspiring and meditative on my tablet. Sometimes I sleep through with toilet breaks. Sometimes I have to take a pain killer for my legs. Sleep is sometimes elusive. I rarely sleep deeply. I meditate and visualise and drift off. Vivid dreams.
But, I always get up at 7 am and start the day. I always exercise, even if I've only had three hours sleep. Habits and routines are everything.
Now, as I'm not writing on Sundays, I'm going to wash my hair and then do some German. :-)
Love Heather UK xxxxxxxx6 -
cityjaneLondon wrote: »Vivid dreams.
Love Heather UK xxxxxxxx
Me too.
Mostly involving water.
M in Oz
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Machka- Just curious if the plant on the left has a blue flower at any time? I have a plant/weed in my yard that looks like that and has a pretty blue flower. Not sure what it is, but it is one of the reasons I won't let my DH use weed killer. lol I like the flower. You are correct with the chickweed id. We have a lot of that. One of my very favorite weeds in my yard is the Hairy Bittercress. It is an edible one, and I should think about harvesting it for salad/greens. My favorite thing about it, is in the late winter/early spring it creates these fantastic seed pods and when you touch the plant the pods POP like a New Years Eve cracker and these wonderful little curlicue shoots fly out as the plant spreads its own seed. Very fun to watch! (But because of this it spreads like crazy and is hard to get rid of)1
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MACHKA
yes I have blockout curtains too. I didn't have them at all in my younger days but they definitely help.
(but also make it a bit less easy to wake up naturally in the morning.)
No cat nor SO at present to let in light here or there so that suffices for now.
Yes, I had heard that we need to get through the whole alphabet.
HEATHER yes routine can really be great. yours would be right up my alley, but I'd add in a trip to the local café. I love that you avoid screen time for a good chunk of time in the morning (if I understand right).
I used to have topnotch routine for decades (see above post) but it's been different these past years. I wouldn't have understood in the past and really can't say I understand now, but that is how it is, I have to recognise . Hard to explain, but I'd say it's not just a question of choice, or otherwise it would be sorted easy-peasy.
I know that some say you can choose everything and I would have concurred previously but it's just not so simple alas, for whatever reason.
I was from my youth a wonderful morning person, like up at 5 or 6 easily happily actively, and couldn't not deeply understand the interest or rhythm of a sibling or friend or family member or acquaintance who preferred to awaken at 11 am, though I can certainly respect that there are variances.
I love(d) being a morning person. I think studies tend to show better work is done, clarity of thought etc, etc, (ON AVERAGE) but there are also myriad exceptions.
Lots of brilliant show people have to stay up til late (end of show late, plus networking drink alcohol free or not, making way home, etc, etc, with equipment). Not glorious at all all the time, but that's how it is for them, their lives.(my BIL is a musicien well into his 60s and it's a gruelling schedule when on tour for a month, but also joyful to be working all over etc.) And some people in creative fields, are more night people than morning people. (but there is also visa versa).
I'm not a night person and I'm not really a topnotch morning person like I was previously, though I would like to be and have made many endeavours to re-be one!
Still trying to find way in a rythme, routine, with changing self these past years. Not yet found in a settled satisfactory way.. Still expect I will at some point though!!!! I have yet to understand somethings that don't seem to be found in simple recommendations......
that's how it is.
I've read countless advice strategies etc etc etc. To little avail so far.
I have an occasional throb in my lower right molars. Doesn't hurt yet, but it's a THROB every so often and then nothing. Last time I had this it soon turned to pain, and I had to have a root canal a few days later.
nice to read you all and exchange thoughts.
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had stop at café where I didn't feel like reading the paper and just looked off into space for a while. then walked to the cemetery and back, getting in a good 30 min of ambling and then bought. deluxe pastry: a new one quite tasty. mostly creamy and chocolatey and fruity, not to pastry-y because I can't eat gluten, but a bit of GF grain in there somewhere to hold I together. very tasty.
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Machka- Just curious if the plant on the left has a blue flower at any time? I have a plant/weed in my yard that looks like that and has a pretty blue flower. Not sure what it is, but it is one of the reasons I won't let my DH use weed killer. lol I like the flower. You are correct with the chickweed id. We have a lot of that. One of my very favorite weeds in my yard is the Hairy Bittercress. It is an edible one, and I should think about harvesting it for salad/greens. My favorite thing about it, is in the late winter/early spring it creates these fantastic seed pods and when you touch the plant the pods POP like a New Years Eve cracker and these wonderful little curlicue shoots fly out as the plant spreads its own seed. Very fun to watch! (But because of this it spreads like crazy and is hard to get rid of)
No blue flowers just orange.
I think it is the Scarlet Pimpernel weed. Without the flowers it almost looks like the chickweed.
We have so much chickweed! I pull out handfuls just about every day.
M in Oz1 -
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Edie and Bea have tested positive today. Mild symptoms. So we won't be doing the pickup on Tuesday.
It also means that my son probably won't be coming for our day-early Burns' Night on the 24th, as it will take a few days for him to get it. Oh well, we can postpone it. I have a BIG haggis on order at the local butcher. 
It's been a while since I've seen them as I was sick last week. (Non covid)
I made pizza dough yesterday (half wholegrain, half white) and put one half in the freezer. The other is in the fridge and bursting out of its wrapper! Looking forward to eating it tonight.
Love Heather UK xxxxxxxx4 -
Vivid Dreams....My dreams confound me! It's like there are stories/movies playing in my mind. Sometimes they include people I have known and other times complete strangers.
Carol in GA4 -
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Julie - I am extremely fortunate that I have my DH to keep me on the straight and narrow. I could not have done it without him.
I used to be a mess. I don't know if you have read my memoirs, but they describe the utter 'bordel' my life used to be. I use that word deliberately. It was out of control. I was out of control.
Consequently, I was not able to achieve everything I dreamed of.
The routines that DH favours are a little extreme, but they are very productive and healthy, and I have never been happier in myself. I am producing work almost every day, without angst or guilt.
I will take time off to meet my friend G for lunch soon and I count that well-spent. I think meaningful contact with very good friends is a 'good-in-itself', rather than a 'means-to-an -end', in philosophical terms, so I count that as a very high priority. Just frittering my time away with people I am indifferent to would not be.
Poor DH is plunged into despair over the calamitous performance of the English cricket side at the Ashes in Australia. The last match in Tasmania, in Hobart, where Machka works, has just finished. He is thoroughly miserable. He's just come back from his walk in the sunshine and he is still gloomy.
Love Heather UK xxxxxxxx1 -
Ah, dang it, Corey woke up with a sore throat. No fever, though. Not sure if there are home tests available anywhere around here right now, I'll have to check online. Maybe it's covid, maybe not, but for now, we'll treat it like a cold and hope it's mild and that I don't get it. Not sure what else I can do. I'm triple-vaxxed, so it's possible I won't get it, or if I do, it will be mild. He got two Pfizer shots, but not the booster.
Heather - so glad that Edie and Bea's cases are mild.
Got fresh bread baking in the oven, so the house smells absolutely glorious. Still snow on the ground outside, but none falling now. Supposed to get up to well above freezing today, and the roads stayed dry yesterday anyway, which let us go to the nearby grocery store and get the eggs I needed to make bread this morning.
Fingers crossed that whatever he's got, it's mild, and passes quickly. Hospitals here were at 90% capacity at the end of December, and it may well be worse now.
Reaching for serenity,
Lisa in AR
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Hoping Corey is just suffering from a sore throat,im going to run to the store in a bit and I know its going to be crazy since we excpect ,snow ice and rain tonight into tomorrow..and i have a video drs appointment in the morning .. and im sure she can do it from her home if needed..
I have to park in the lower parking lot so they are able to plow i sure wish i could find a garage to rent ..1 -
This morning's efforts...
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My goodness, you’re an inspiring lot! I’ve had a hectic January at work so far and had no idea how much there was to catch up on …
Machka - your cycle rides inspired me to dust my bike off and your running is incredible, go you
Chantal - welcome to the party and how fab is your 2022 To Do list, I hope it’s going well
Heather - I love your beach photos, I must hit the coast sometime soon and hope I can look as stylish as your beautiful, beachside friend
Lisa - you're making me hungry, I can smell that bread from here
Portion-watch has gone super well, along with daily strolls, but while I’ve dropped a few lbs, motivation was waning a little till I came on here. Thanks for sharing your stories and your energy, I’m now ready to blast through this week with renewed calorie-burning vigour
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Just had a text from my friend G with pics of her sister's ghastly head wound from a fall Saturday early morning 3 am. She was on her way to the bathroom. Also broke her little finger. They kept her in one night with a small pneumonia, so that could have caused it. Didn't knock herself out.
Her sister is my age.
My friend G is feeling bad because her niece is collecting her mum from hospital and G has fallen out with her niece through a major misunderstanding. So she can't see her sister at the moment.
Be grateful for every, single, day you have.
Love Heather UK xxxxxxxx5 -
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Hee hee hee!
😈
Heather UK xxxxxx
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Heather sounds like my place lol..
Lisa- looks spectacular ..went to the store.. wasnt to horrible.. will probably be worse later.. we will be getting ,snow ice and basically yuck overnight.. but im all set to hang out with Alfie..
Enjoying watching some cooking shows2 -
Lisa ... hoping Cory is just suffering from a cold. If it helps, know that my son, husband and I were triple vaxxed. My son developed covid and we did not isolate from him in our home (too small). Neither my husband nor I contacted covid and our son's case was mild. My brother was double vaxxed and his wife triple vaxxed. They both got covid (not from us). My SIL breezed through it and my brother had a little bit of a rougher go, but came through ok.
Beth near Buffalo where the Bills won their football game and we are now waiting on the anticipated snowstorm while other teams play football from our comfy couch.3 -
OregonMother wrote: »I'm doing some heavy duty weeding in one of the scariest areas of our yard. It's so overgrown, who knows what's in there!! So far I've found more weed grass than I imagined, blocks of wood, snails and potatoes.
But about weeds ...
What are these? Are the ones on the right chickweed?
Machka in Oz
Are the ones on the left sticky? I don't know what either are, but we have something like them, and the ones we have that look like the one on the left are sticky and just horrible. I hate them.
Flea
Willamette Valley, OR
we have those sticky ones too out here. Never had them until just a few years ago. Have them at mom's too. They are easy to pull but stick to everything and the seed pods on them are the worst when you have pets that go outside or you walk by them-stick to everything
Machka- thanks for the link- never knew what that weed was called-
The ones in the picture do look like chick weed(or at least what dad always called it)
Debbie0 -
Thanks, Beth, it is helpful to hear about other's experience. It seems so entirely random who gets it and who doesn't! Glad all your family is OK.
I may steal that meme Heather - and so sorry about your friend's sister. Hope her healing is quick and painfree!
@fizzfizz and Allie, thanks for the bread compliment. Lots and lots of practice.
For all our East Coast folks, Allie and Beth and the rest, please keep safe while the storm blows through.0
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