WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR APRIL 2022

Getting to Know Each Other


Favourite Indoor Hobbies???

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Lately, I've been colouring up a storm. I use pens which give me a vibrant colour. I never thought I'd get into this, but it relaxes me, relaxes my brain.




I also dabble in photography, playing the piano (a "new again" thing for me), and I read as much as I can.


Machka in Oz

Hello all! Happy Friday! Welcome new girls!
Michele- I love your alligator! I really hope you find a spot for him in a pool of clover or puddle of violets!

On shrinking- lol I really don't want to shrink. I know I have already, but only by about 1/4 inch. I used to be 5'8"- I now measure 5'7 3/4". I really enjoy(ed) being tallish. My best friend was 6'. We would go out, back in the day, and she is the first tall girl I knew, who really OWNED it. She wore heels, and would tell me, "Tall is great. You wear your heels, walk straight, look people in the eye and walk like you own the place. It is all about intimidation." lol The wisdom of an 18 year old that I have carried with me my whole life. lol I agree with Machka and the others on posture. IF you stand tall, sit tall, you not only make yourself look thinner, you also make yourself look younger and more energetic. IF you slouch; you look like you have given up.
Machka- I don't think I have anything that I do inside that relaxes me. When I was updating my living room and kitchen, I found painting the walls to be extremely relaxing...maybe I need to start a project?
Heather- Sorry to hear about your DH 's losses. My DH has long been anti-social; even with his family. It takes some "pushing" from me to get him to respond or get in touch with people. I always assumed it was a "guy" thing, as many of my friends have also complained of their anti-social spouses. I wouldn't worry much about Johnny; until he begins to push away the grand kids. I know my grands bring out the love and life in my DH. More than anything else. They exhaust him, but he wouldn't miss a call or day with them.
Hornworms- Yep! Lots of people raise their own food for their reptiles/amphibians. When my daughter worked for our local nature center, she would have to go collect them from people/nature to feed the reptiles that they had in their nature center. On a side note: I have had frozen rats/mice in my freezer from time to time.

Well, ladies, I was all ready to jump in here and vent and throw my woes about how crappy I feel and how crappy my vacation has been because of being sick into a spoiler. But reading about your days and replying on a few things has made me feel better and not so focused on my own small problems. I am going to end this with how grateful I am for all of you, how grateful I am for a week off to sleep whenever I need to, drink warm beverages and soup whenever I want, stay in jammies all day if I need to, etc. I am grateful for a hot shower, some tea tree products to make my sinuses feel a little better, make up to put on my face (because I feel better if I don't look sick all day long). I am grateful to know that I will get over this cold. ttfn xoxoxo KJ (Kelly)

Happy Friday, ladies!

Haven't been on here for a while but try to skim along and keep up with everyone. Just popping in!

Yesterday it reached 80 at our house here in SW WA State. DH mowed, I got a good start on spraying and weeding. Last year our lawn/gravel driveway was a mess. Partly because DH had good intentions but then was too tired and/or sore to do these jobs when the weather was good. And I didn’t have a clue about some of these lawn maintenance tasks.... didn't think I could do them. That has changed!

For example, I discovered that granular moss killer also does a job on the dandelions that have taken root in our gravel driveway and along the road shoulder. Win!

Last month I dragged out the battery powered Ryobi weed wacker – it’s old but works good enough for our purposes. It’s light enough and I can use it. And last week DH gave me a lesson on running the zero-turn Toro mower. I managed to not crash it, lol, after some practice and cussing, and actually got most of the front yard mowed (DH did the tricky part around the trees and shrubs). Our neighbors got to hear some new variations on the F-bomb theme. Using only the hand controls seemed counter intuitive to me, I kept wanting to use my feet to stomp on a clutch or brake. I’ll get there.

Anyhow, yesterday was a great day and DH agreed we made a good lawn maintenance team. Rain, cold temps and possibility of snow this weekend and into Monday. Yikes!

Vikki – sorry to hear about you having to put your old pup to sleep. I believe you still have one there at your house? Our Rosie is doing fine after losing Sophie last month, but it took a while. Glad we have her and the house isn’t empty. Not sure how she would fare being alone if we were still working though.

Barbara – what’s this, you have brought a Schnauzer into your pack? My condolences, lol. Bossy little sh*ts. 14 pound Rosie wants to take on every dog in the neighborhood and runs around the back yard barking and “yelling” until she gets one or more of the dogs around here yapping. Then, satisfied, she comes into the house for her treat. She could easily get herself into a dog fight if she was around other dogs, or thinks she could.

Spotify – I sometimes listen to podcasts at night when I can’t sleep. I found one called “Relaxing White Noise” – it plays 8 hours of all kinds of soothing sounds. There are dozens and dozens of choices. Waterfall, rainfall, wind….. I’m sleeping a lot better listening to them, now getting from 7 to 8 hours of restful sleep (aside from a couple bathroom breaks. Grrr!)

Garden – most of it is now covered in black plastic, I’m doing all containers this year. Considering straw bale for some of it. But straw has tripled in price – now nearly $14 a bale.

I have a couple dozen teensy tomatoes germinated on the heat mat in the garage. Most of the seeds are from 3 to 6 years old and I’m still getting over 90% germination. I store them in a coffee can in the refrigerator.

DH’s cognitive decline[/i] has leveled off and in some cases, has improved a little. I think part of it was depression since his Rheumatoid Arthritis makes him tired and movement painful. Along with some malnutrition (will not eat a variety! No fruits or veggies!) which is being helped with the addition of several vitamins prescribed by his doc and levothyroxine. His appetite is dwindling and he’s losing weight quickly, and he no longer likes Ensure. But he does like milk and now has added ice cream as a dessert. His weight is nearly in the “underweight” category per the BMI. He was once 6’ 2” and he’s now just about eye level with me at 5’ 8 ½”, so I’m guessing he’s lost 3 or 4 inches. Grateful for good days!

[i]Allergies – knock wood, they aren’t hitting me much. If I’m feeling stuffy in the late afternoon, I take half a generic Zyrtec at night (5 mg) and use nasal spray several times a day, either Xlear or Alkalol – quicker than neti pot or using the nasal rinse bottle. I’m also continuing the immune boosting supplements I started a couple years ago when C reared its ugly head – Quercetin, Zinc, Vit C, Vit D and magnesium. My Vit D had dropped below 50 ng last fall. Per my doc, I increased my daily D3 intake from 5,000 to 10,000 IU and added Vit K2. Had it tested a couple weeks ago, it’s up to 62. Most of those who were hospitalized/died from C-19 were found to be Vit D deficient, there’s plenty of research papers supporting that.

With DH’s decreasing appetite and me cooking all kinds of things to try to tempt him, there’s been plenty of food here that I normally don’t eat. But I have been – the cost of food, I refuse to waste any. So I started packing on pounds – especially tummy, and it’s making my hernia surgery scarring (belly button) too painful to wear some of my favorite pants with the increased pressure around my waistline.

So, I am back on Intermittent Fasting, and continue to tweak – think I’ve found a schedule that works for me now. I’ve been able to get, most days, a 16 hour or longer fast if it's comfortable. Basically, while I intend to stop eating at 5 pm, sometimes I can’t help myself and get into cookies and chips up until bedtime. Then, I don’t eat until late morning or early afternoon the next day. I can ignore most hunger pangs. If I get weak or woozy, then the eating window opens.

I don’t have a lot to lose, 8 to 10 pounds at the most.

Before I forget, those of you doing OMAD (one meal a day) or anyone who needs menu suggestions to get more variety in their diet, check out “Window Worthy IF Meals” on Facebook, hosted by Nadia Nigro. She’s keen on eating a minimum of 30 different plants per week as suggested by Tim Spector. Just seeing and reading about her delicious meals has really improved my veggie intake. I need to get a charcuterie board!

Walking - The sun is starting to peek out, and I want to grab a walk between the showers. My walking buddy is out of town for a week - and I'm thoroughly enjoying walking alone, and at my faster "Lanette" speed. I go out on the highway and side roads before there's much traffic. She is getting a knee replacement in May, is bone on bone, so when I walk with her it's well below my usual clip. I know she likes walking in the early mornings, she has a lot going on throughout her day and it works best for her, but I've decided I really need to save that time for myself for my walks and doing early morning lawn chores, and move her to late morning or another time at least for this spring. Even though I don't have as many social events during the day as she does, my needs count too. She's a great friend and we enjoy our time together so will make something work. After her surgery she'll be sidelined for a while.

That’s my quick catchup. Welcome new ladies and Happy Birthday to everyone who’s celebrated another year around the sun!

Lanette
Showery SW WA State