WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR AUGUST 2022

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  • KetoneKaren
    KetoneKaren Posts: 6,411 Member
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    Lanette,

    I am definitely feeling encouraged with my progress. My focus is on the task at hand; eating is an afterthought, & at night I'm often too tired to eat supper - and I sleep better if I don't - so I am gaining stamina and strength while losing weight. Can't get much better than that. Now that I'm making progress on the Death Cleaning, a lot of the stress is gone, too.

    I finished cleaning the attic out today - there were at least 150 boxes in there, but they are all gone now, after 3 weeks of persistence. I'm shredding old records like mad and giving away 90% of the treasures I am finding.

    Today I discovered how to take the back off the leather recliner loveseat, then helped a gift recipient load it into their van. It felt like an accomplishment to figure out how to take the back off. I love seeing the space open up. In about 4 days, Class and Trash will come to take half of our furniture away, which will open up a lot of space to continue going through boxes. Most will be donated or gifted, some sold, and some discarded.

    I have a friend whose husband died last year; he had a huge well-stocked shop. Unlike you, she was certain she did not want tools and other workshop items, so she called Habitat for Humanity and they were elated to come out. They cleaned the entire shop, leaving it completely empty, so my friend didn't have to deal with it at all. She was extremely grateful, and HH was also extremely grateful. It was a win-win.

    Keep us posted as you go through this adjustment period. My thoughts are with you daily.

    Karen in Virginia






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  • pipcd34
    pipcd34 Posts: 16,550 Member
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    53
  • exermom
    exermom Posts: 6,346 Member
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    Worked today but no work tomorrow so that means that I can exercise! The plan is to do a Tight on Time DVD and then some pilates. I’m sure I’ll be able to get at least one walk in, probably two. I’m thinking that I will be able to take a walk tonight after dinner.

    Church tonight and I’m supposed to lector

    Tracey – we decided not to go see Jess because she’s just moving and is probably busy unpacking. They really have the weekends, well, some time during the evening but mostly on the weekend. Jess mentioned that Colby is tired of sitting on the 0-gravity chairs and would like a sofa, so he might feel bad if we went up there right now. We’ll go probably after we go to see Denise (which is next weekend, yippee). Oh, trust me, I can absolutely see myself driving up to Jess’. Hey, I did that when she lived in VA. Vince is one of those “well, you just might need it some day”. Never mind that we haven’t used it in 13 years. Like we had these charcoal briquettes that he used to use at the races when he’d take the grill. Well, we haven’t used them since we moved here almost 14 years ago and who knows how long it’d been before then? You should have seen how I had to convince him to throw them out! “But we might need them” “we’ll buy more.”

    Rebecca – I would ask for the clock back. What’s the worst she can say? “No”?

    Allie – good luck Monday

    Barbara – so happy for you that you’re walking better and better

    Went in the pool (what else is new). Vince worked around the drain. Had I known, I would have helped him. I didn't see him there mainly because I didn't have my glasses on. Lectored tonight, now to take a shower and off to bed.

    Night everyone!

    Michele NC
    who got a walk in tonight
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,883 Member
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    Katla49 wrote: »
    I am sad and angry with our daughter. DH is not happy with her behavior, either. She has usurped my car.

    We are currently living in an assisted living apartment while DH is recovering from a heart attack. He is getting better.

    @Katla49 ... have you asked her why? Has she explained her concerns to you? If she has, and you don't remember, ask her to leave you a note. Having it written down means that you can read it when you find yourself getting upset.


    KetoneKaren wrote: »
    OregonMother wrote: »
    I agree with Lanette, Katla. Your daughter has done so much for you and your husband, even tearing down and rebuilding a house for you, from what you've said. She is always looking out for your best interest. So if she took your car, I am going to assume she thought she had a very good reason for doing so, to protect you. She hasn't sounded like the kind of person who would just take it because she wants to drive it herself.

    I can only imagine how difficult and confusing all of this is for you.

    Flea
    Willamette Valley OR

    Agree.

    Karen in Vriginia

    Agreed as well.


    Machka in Oz
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,883 Member
    edited August 2022
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    SophieRosieMom wrote: »
    Good afternoon ladies!

    New topic - Energy Audit

    Now that I live in a one-income household, I'm thinking more about how I was raised on the farm with parents and grandparents who lived through the Depression and talked about it often. They didn't have much money. They were able to raise most of their food - something I'm unable to do.

    More specifically, they used either natural gas or fuel oil to heat their homes. Being "all-electric" was not the norm.

    Discussion:
    I've been tracking the power bills since DH passed the end of May. So far, the KWH usage is down compared to last year - part of that is likely because of the new water heater and heat pump. And he was always chilly and had a space heater going in the morning.

    The cost of electricity is up - hasn't hiked like it has in some areas, but still, with winter coming on and me not planning to heat with the woodstove unless there's a real cold snap or extended power outage, I need to start some better habits since I'll be relying on the electric furnace.

    The first thing that comes to mind is the electric clothes dryer. Today I was able to hang a load of laundry on my wooden clothes drying rack on the deck. I could do that rain or shine, I have room in the house to set it up. I hang a lot of clothes on hangers and dry them on the shower curtain rod anyhow. I would love to have an outside clothesline but holes would have to be dug, cement poured to secure the posts. I can't do this by myself and besides, it would just be another thing to mow around. :p

    Machka - I remember the photo of the one you use. Please remind me - during summer and/or dry weather, do you have an outside clothesline? And second - how do you manage drying sheets and blankets during wet weather? I like the style and want to get one like that as well.

    I've been unplugging things I don't use. The TV for example - I can watch just about anything I want on my tablet.

    And to me, it's more than just saving money, it's being a wise consumer and good steward - as much as I can. :D

    Now here's where fitness comes in. I've decided the more active I can be, the better. Hauling laundry to the deck and draping it on the drying rack might not burn many calories, but it's using muscles - stretching, bending.

    I've also decided that keeping as active as my bod will let me and eating as healthy as I can is much more important to me than any number on the bathroom scale or macro's on a fitness planner.

    Lanette B)
    SW WA State

    First, regarding raising food ... we grow fruit and veggies in our little yard.

    We've got 2 apple trees, 2 pear trees, 2 blueberry plants, 1 lemon tree, 1 cherry tree, and a whole bunch of raspberries and strawberries

    Apple trees:
    bnrjvxtpjay9.png


    In this photo you can see 1 of the pear trees, the blueberries, the semi-ornamental grape vine, the apple trees in the background AND our outdoor clothes line.
    l8m20dy5kv7o.png


    Regarding that clothes line, it folds down to half as you can kind of see in this photo, and that part folds down against the wall as well . No holes dug or cement poured to secure the posts and we don't have to mow around it. In fact, since putting in the gravel, we don't have to mow there at all.
    zc3wsip8s2bo.png


    We try to pick a nice sunny day to do our sheets and dry them out there. However, in winter that can be more challenging.

    Inside, we have a drying rack similar to this one. When we do sheets, we might do one bed at a time and/or fold the sheets somewhat to hang them. Then refold them a few hours later, and refold them a few hours later, etc. so that the sheets dry.
    The rack sits in front of our split system which blows warm air on it.

    With clothes, on laundry day I haul the basket out to the lounge room or outside and hang everything. Then for the next several days, I fold and shift items until everything is dry. Keeps me from just sitting all evening long.

    bjohoss3qhys.png


    Down here, there are all sorts of shapes and styles of drying racks a person can get!
    And a lot of people I talk to have one sitting in their lounge room like we do. :)



    BTW, as we near the end of winter here, we were expecting quite a high quarterly energy bill especially since prices have risen. But we were pleasantly surprised to find it was significantly lower than we expected.

    We keep the heat at 18C in the evenings here and my husband often turns the heat off during the day. And we close up the house so that the heat goes to the rooms that need it. We wash clothes, and hang them to dry. We only cook one meal. We watch TV in the evenings, not during the day. It all helps. :)


    And kind of a funny thing about growing our own veggies. My husband and his carer planted potatoes back in 2018 all over the place. In just about every area with bare soil. And we've continued to plant potatoes in different beds, in somewhat more limited quantities than that first year. But we still have potatoes popping up all over the place, at different times of the year, from that first planting!! Those things are persistent! Fortunately I love new potatoes. :)


    Machka in Oz
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,883 Member
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    suebdew wrote: »
    Katla- my friend moved into assisted living and her daughter “took” her car too. She explained that it cost $100.00 a month to have a parking space and the car wasn’t being started regularly. Just a thought.
    Welcome to the new ladies.
    We went to Dallas Thursday to spend time with grandson who left today for the University of Wisconsin. He was really nervous but his brother will be a Sophomore at the same school.
    Time for bed…
    SueBDew in TX


    In addition to that, there could be a licencing issue.

    I don't know how it works in the US, but here (Australia), if you've moved to and have been living in a state for a period of time (couple months, maybe), you must get a driver's licence from that state.

    @Katla49 has been in the new state for a little while now. It's possible she might not be able to drive on her previous licence.


    M in Oz
  • skuehn48
    skuehn48 Posts: 2,826 Member
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    <3
  • cityjaneLondon
    cityjaneLondon Posts: 12,214 Member
    edited August 2022
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    Hello all! I feel as if I've been gone for ages!

    I'm glad I went yesterday to the engagement party, as it's important to show that you've made the effort, I think. But ..... ! I spent 6 hours travelling for two and a half hours visiting.
    The trains at the weekend are hopeless at the moment. I normally refuse to travel at weekends. There is a shortage of staff, especially drivers, and track and maintenance work takes place. Going out, I narrowly missed a complete mess up, because I luckily asked the train guard a passing question, just to reassure myself. Just for once, being neurotic, and a control freak, was very useful. Lots of trains were cancelled.
    Coming back, we were unexpectedly diverted and our train had to wait to be hitched up to another, so the driver could drive both of them. Then further on, they had to change drivers and we had to wait for him.
    I ended up getting home 45 mins late, which doesn't sound bad, but the stress of the diversion and waits was frustrating. I had prepared for it with water and downloaded films and radio programmes, plus my Kindle. The lady next to me had to change at Hove to get to Brighton and then on to Bexhill-on-Sea! Oh my! It was 9 o'clock at night by then, and she was around 65.
    The control room for Southern must have been tearing their hair out. I could claim compensation, but my ticket was extremely cheap and I felt sorry for them. They were doing their best and we got lots of announcements! :p

    My DSIL spent the whole party slaving in the kitchen. Not good. :* My brother did the bbq and then a son took over. I was happy to see everyone again, and only had one small glass of red wine, two AF beers, and ate healthily.
    My niece used to be morbidly obese, and now is too thin. She and her fiancé both suffer from anxiety. She has postponed, again, her take up of a local college place. Nice to see them though. Loads of kids running about.

    Now for the family to come over for lunch!

    Love Heather UK xxxxxxxx
  • TerriRichardson112
    TerriRichardson112 Posts: 18,116 Member
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    @Machka9
    I’ve used every one of those excuses for putting things off in the past 😝 The dry river bed is coming along nicely.

    Heather: Glad to hear you got home safely. Enjoy seeing your family again.
    🥰 all the holiday pics.

  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,883 Member
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    Cycled again today. :)
    lonsj2lzydjk.png


    Exercise minutes:
    mpponuzqr4w6.png

    I've been able to cycle all three days this weekend. Not as far as I originally wanted because of my vaccination, but at least we got out each day.

    I've also been able to spend time in the garden each day.

    I've weeded several areas that needed it. That leaves one area I haven't got to yet. I planted seeds in that area last year and not much came up, but this spring there are all sorts in that bed and I'm not sure what's what. So I haven't weeded it ... I'm not sure what to pull!

    I've also been working on my dry stream and have started digging a trench for it.

    And I've been doing a little bit of pruning. This is an area I am not at all familiar with but I'm giving it a go with some easy stuff ... like for example, lower fronds from the manferns die and new ones unfurl. Some people don't remove the dead lower fronds, but we like to. In the past my husband has done it ... this time I did it.


    Machka in Oz
  • barbiecat
    barbiecat Posts: 16,920 Member
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    <3
  • SophieRosieMom
    SophieRosieMom Posts: 3,342 Member
    edited August 2022
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    Machka9 wrote: »
    SophieRosieMom wrote: »
    New topic - Energy Audit

    Machka - thank you for that great information. I tried to put it in a spoiler but laptop not cooperating right now. Your yard looks great, I am very envious of your fresh gravel. :p So neat, tidy and useful!

    Love your clothesline - thanks for the reminders about how you utilize your drying rack.

    18C - 65F is our winter temperature too, although the living room gets colder since it isn't insulated that well. Before we got the woodstove we had a fairly energy efficient space heater we'd use. I may have to drag it out again.

    How hot do your summers get? Living near the water, I would imagine it stays fairly pleasant for you.

    Lanette B)
    SW WA State
  • SophieRosieMom
    SophieRosieMom Posts: 3,342 Member
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    Machka - my comment to you in the above post got hijacked in the "previous quotes" section. :) Good grief.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,883 Member
    edited August 2022
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    SophieRosieMom wrote: »
    New topic - Energy Audit

    Machka - thank you for that great information. I tried to put it in a spoiler but laptop not cooperating right now. Your yard looks great, I am very envious of your fresh gravel. :p So neat, tidy and useful!

    Love your clothesline - thanks for the reminders about how you utilize your drying rack.

    18C - 65F is our winter temperature too, although the living room gets colder since it isn't insulated that well. Before we got the woodstove we had a fairly energy efficient space heater we'd use. I may have to drag it out again.

    How hot do your summers get? Living near the water, I would imagine it stays fairly pleasant for you.

    Lanette B)
    SW WA State

    When we don't run the heater in winter, the temperature in here gets quite cool. We also don't have much insulation.

    Our outside winter temps range between about 0 and 15C.

    I find the summers here disappointingly short and cold. In the "Before" days we would go to the mainland for a week or two at the edge of summer to drag the nice weather out a bit.

    January, our warmest summer month, has an average high temperature of 22C. We'll often get one day of something nice like 30C on a busy Tuesday when I can't enjoy it at all, and then the next day is a rainy 18, and by the weekend it's drizzly 16. I find it frustrating that we simply don't get warm days for more than 1 or 2 days in a row.

    We do have an air conditioner, but if it happens to get a bit warm in here, we usually just open the windows.


    I like that gravel too ... it has actually raised the level of the ground under the clothes line so that I can reach it better. And if I drop a sock or something, it doesn't drop onto wet and sometimes muddy ground. Plus I like the look of it and it's much easier to take care of.

    Machka in Oz

  • 1948CWB
    1948CWB Posts: 1,313 Member
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    <3
  • cityjaneLondon
    cityjaneLondon Posts: 12,214 Member
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    The lunch went wonderfully! We were all so happy to see each other and my food choices for help yourself went down extremely well. I had laid the table up in my usual posh manner. :p Even Icelandic napkins.
    Then I produced the gluten free brownies and ice cream
    I am delighted to say they were perfect! I was a bit worried I had overcooked them, but they were great. The family took the remainder home and left one for DH. :D

    I asked around the table, what was the best thing and the worst thing about the holiday. Apparently the glamping was not a success at all and the mosquitoes were ferocious. Max suffers terribly from bites. Plus the site did not have advertised facilities. Otherwise fabulous.

    I am more than extremely relieved that my son and DDIL have decided to cut back on their ambitious house renovation project. They are now mainly just doing a major kitchen extension, but not the rest of it and are staying in the house while it is being done with a temporary kitchen in the playroom. Thank goodness! Rentals are impossible to obtain and fearfully expensive. I am delighted as I was really worried about it.

    So, this Christmas my son will be cooking his last meal in the old kitchen and I am making to bring, Christmas pudding, gluten free stuffing, bread sauce, and carrot and swede mash. I will make the mash for the 19th September when my son comes over for a much delayed haggis. :p 😜 Then I can freeze the rest for Christmas.
    I love that my DDIL likes to make Christmas plans in August. Perfect for me.

    Barbara - So happy for you that your mobility and balance have improved so much. Kudos! <3

    My friend G at last took my advice and put stuff on Freecycle. Her junk is flying out of the door! She is so happy. She's moving on Thursday.

    Love Heather UK xxxxxx
  • kevrit
    kevrit Posts: 3,848 Member
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    <3B)

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