WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR MARCH 2024

barbiecat · March 2

Rosemarie, for intellectual stimulation I rely on library books and e book and audio book downloads from my library. I listen to a host of interesting podcasts that are available free to download or to stream. I am very budget conscious and seek free options rather than paying for a subscription of anything. We pay for high speed internet and have a smart tv and pay for Amazon because we order so much from them (small town and lots of shopping not available) plus two inexpensive channels connected to Amazon. We don't travel and don't go anywhere with groups of people (concerts, movies, stores)

Woke up early this morning and have no early commitment so I've walked over 11,000 steps so far. What a great way to start the day.

Barbie in NW WA

drkatiebug · March 2

Thanks, Barbie, Lisa and Heather for your remarks about my spiritual journey. What I love best about this group is our diversity, yet ability to respect each other’s choices and paths.

Totally random: I have heard of the so-called chemo perm where women who previously had straight hair, lost it during chemo, then had it grow back curly. Have any of you experienced a sudden curliness to your hair when you haven’t had chemo? My hair used to be totally fine and straight. In my older years, I’ve always worn it in a short bob of some type and would use a round brush and blow dryer to give it volume. One lazy day recently I let it dry naturally and discovered it had gotten quite wavy. My hairdresser gave me a sample of some leave-in cream to scrunch into my wet hair and let it dry naturally. It’s not kinky curly, but it is definitely wavy where it used to be straight. One of my friends said she had heard of Covid doing this. Really? This is the weirdest thing to me. I haven’t decided if I like this look better than my smooth bob, but I am trying it out, especially on days when I’m just staying home.

javaplace · March 2

Hello, Happy March! I am over 50. I have joined a few challenges here on My Fitness Pal to keep me motivated to count my calories and keep moving.

@drkatiebug My previous dyed hair went from mostly straight to natural silver long wavy- curly. I love it.

grandmallie · March 2

Afternoon ladies
My Gerd is acting up something fierce..
Ugh.. oh well hopefully it will pass..
Talked to my brother this morning.. he is up in N.H. this weekend..

Little girl up in the window this morning..

bwcetc · March 2

Kay ... thank you for sharing your journey with weight loss. I was reflecting just this morning that I have been doing the same thing with the same results (not what I am hoping for) for too long. The approach you are taking is sensible and resonates with me.

Covid does a lot of strange things. My hearing tanked after developing Covid last year and my mother's has done the same. I discussed this with the cochlear implant surgeon and he said that many of his patients are saying that they too lost more hearing after covid ... but at this point it's all anecdotal evidence.

Rainy day near Buffalo.
Beth

ginnytez · March 2

Drkatiebug-my hair started doing that prior to covid. Hormonal changes can impact hair. Too bad that isn't the worst side effect of menopause!

Whidislander · March 2

Well I did it.
I threw away the yummy Sweet Italian cream creamer that youngest son loved in his coffee. Ok, ok I fess up, I loved it too. He went through three bottles of the stuff while he was here! I also moved my Truvia sweetener into the cooking items to only use if something requires sugar. So here I sit, sipping black coffee. I buy strong espresso, or dark coffees so my hair follicles are tingling.😂.

I plan on getting slowly back into my routine of OMAD or one meal a day with nuts, fruits or pickled things for snacks and desseets. I do recall how wonderful I felt eating like that, but its been awhile since I actively did it.

Yesterday I made a soup out of my simmered concoction I made. I had made ham hock and pinto bean soup for my eldest and husband. I was looking at the bones and fat of the 2 ham hocks and thought maybe I could render something out of these. So it simmered them for about 5 hours and I did add a tsp of chicken broth paste, pepper and some Old Bay seasoning but I think it turned out well. I sauted some onion, mushrooms, kielbasa sausage and garlic, added some cooked pasta and the soup. It was devine, but I definitely tasted a different taste. Maybe it was the marrow from the bone pieces? I strained it twice, and removed the fat layer after it had chilled in a mason jar in the fridge. Maybe I should have used the beef broth paste instead but it always tastes too salty for me. I have always used the chicken one. I also used some new pasta In the souo that I had never tried before. Its called Fusilloni, a swirly macaroni. Fun to eat. My normal go to pasta is Cavatappi made by Delallo, which are swirls too but have ridges to hold sauce better. 🤗💖. I watch these videos on FB called "Pasta Grannies" and I love their simple way of preparing the meals. Such artisans though with their hands. 💖
Rebecca
Whidbey
Wa

grandmallie · March 2

Talked to my pal Trudy.. she had to put her sweet kitty down yesterday.. she is beside herself..wish there was something I could do for her..

Snowflake1968 · March 2

I am way behind and haven’t taken notes.

Barbara - Happy Birthday!!!!

Annie - I too believe in the CICO and how much MFP helps me. I did want to mention though that I read a magazine article years ago about only eating when you’re hungry. I did that along with counting calories at one and lost 20lbs quite effortlessly. The theory was you are when you were hungry, paid attention to what you were eating and put the fork down between bites. It did make me more mindful. I need to do that again.

Kelly and Lisa - I agree on the irreverence.
This is a story from my FIL’s service.
He didn’t want the days of viewings that are still fairly common from where I come from so was cremated before his service. We had a two hour “gathering” before a service.
One of my FIL’s favourite things was music, old country music and any music with humour. Think Ray Steven’s.
Anyway, each of the grandkids had memories of him playing songs so they created a playlist of his favourite music.
As the family was starting to walk into the area where the actual service was being held the song, “Camp Granada” started playing.
All of us thought it was hilarious and so him that we burst out laughing. It was a nice break in a tough day.

Rosemarie - I have heard of some success with Ozempic, here in Canada though diabetics are struggling to get it because too many are using it for weight loss. My DH had it prescribed for his diabetes, and it was approved, but the price for 3 months was close to $300 with insurance and we heard about the stomach issues some had so he decided against it.

Dia_R - I did add you as a friend, however like most of the ladies on here I very rarely look at my newsfeed or interact with friends on here except for this thread and another one I follow. I find those two to be the most fulfilling for me.

I too have strange men trying to add me as a friend, very annoying.

Kaye - my hair was curly as a little girl but when I started school at 6 was straight as could be. It remained straight until we moved to Alberta. By the time I was 30 it had gone curly again. Very strange and I had no idea why. I don’t like my hair at all now.
Kaitlyn is coming to go through pictures with me tomorrow. If I find some of my straight hair I’ll send pictures.

Yesterday and Thursday I mostly worked on my project. We were given more to it for homework yesterday. I am going to start working on the second portion today after I finish the written research. We have to present what we learned.
So PowerPoint and I will be battling it out some today.

My friend is also stopping in at some point I think.

Tracey in Edmonton

dlfk202000 · March 2

Rosemarie2972 wrote: »

I have not completely caught up for March but am taking lunch to a friend.

Debbie: I am in a lower economic area, but I dropped cable and pay around $120 for fast speed internet and a landline.
Then I have a Fire Stick or Amazon Fire Cube and I add and drop streaming services at my pleasure and as my budget
allows!

I am still feeling much better which makes me realize how poorly I was doing. This morning I have walked already and am about to go to lunch. Hopefully this afternoon, I will do yoga and get back to decluttering!

Best,
Rosemarie from GA

Mil has to have the upgraded cable package because of her Japanese station she watches most of the time. She didn't want to pay for internet because she doesn't feel she is using it. She thinks the cameras are there for dh to spy on her or "for the dead people to come to her". The cameras are there so he can check and make sure she hasn't fallen or what ever. A little peace of mind for him if he is at work in the middle of the night, he can check the cameras and see that yes, she is sleeping in her recliner and she is ok. She has the medic alert necklace that we pay for and refuses to wear it($25 a month for it to sit on the counter)

I didn't go over there this morning- just wanted a break- I got my 6 of 5 days exercise already this week.
Dh went and bought her the prime rib dinner for her birthday yesterday. The "friend" was still there. MIL didn't eat the dinner and gave it to the "friend"- Dh is so mad. He went out of his way to get it for her, she gives it to this lady, and then this morning, she is mad because the lady took her food(after she gave it to her-another of her mental traps). He told his mom he is not buying food like that with our money just for her to give it away. It is bad enough when it is little things but not a $45 or so dinner. We don't even get that for ourselves on our birthdays.

Storm seems to have just about stopped- at least the gale force winds from the past two days have died down-Wind advisory is over as of 15 min. ago.

Going to go to Ace and pick up some seeds- use my $5 coupon for my birthday- has to be regular price item which I never buy much of anything for myself and not at full price.
Then strawberries at 99cent store then home.
Need to keep all these printers going. Dh has another show this coming weekend. Going up to Sac. Spending the night at his friends so no hotel costs so they are staying two nights-will be home Sunday night. Will be a very quiet birthday weekend for me. It is Friday but he will be so busy packing everything and getting last minute things done all day, I have my daycare girl for the afternoon so, at most, we will get a quick lunch before I pick her up. He will be going to his mom's while I still have her then come home, load up and leave.

dlfk202000 · March 2

drkatiebug wrote: »

Thanks, Barbie, Lisa and Heather for your remarks about my spiritual journey. What I love best about this group is our diversity, yet ability to respect each other’s choices and paths.

Totally random: I have heard of the so-called chemo perm where women who previously had straight hair, lost it during chemo, then had it grow back curly. Have any of you experienced a sudden curliness to your hair when you haven’t had chemo? My hair used to be totally fine and straight. In my older years, I’ve always worn it in a short bob of some type and would use a round brush and blow dryer to give it volume. One lazy day recently I let it dry naturally and discovered it had gotten quite wavy. My hairdresser gave me a sample of some leave-in cream to scrunch into my wet hair and let it dry naturally. It’s not kinky curly, but it is definitely wavy where it used to be straight. One of my friends said she had heard of Covid doing this. Really? This is the weirdest thing to me. I haven’t decided if I like this look better than my smooth bob, but I am trying it out, especially on days when I’m just staying home.

My hair didn't get curlier after covid(not that I could tell-it is super curly as it is)BUT it did FALL OUT- lost half of it. Because of the length and being very curly, it was hard to tell but when I washed it I could really tell. Dr. told me to get Rogain- used the Amazon brand for a year. It came back but still not what it was, and it was never very thick to start with. Dr said it was stress- lost my dad the day before I got sick but others have said they lost a lot too. Just a different side effect than some people get.

Snowflake1968 · March 2

I meant to add this to my post.
My small hometown has a population of about 1000 businesses struggle to survive but “just across the river” they built the regions only hospital a few years ago so more people are in the area. The actual town I’m from is home to the “Longest Covered Bridge in the World” it’s a national historic site.

The area is known for potatoes, the headquarters for McCain’s Foods is in the next town up.

There was a family that decided to build a potato chip factory, there has been one in the area my whole life that is now owned by Old Dutch Foods, but this is a kettle cooked style of chip. They opened in 2009 and have been very successful, they have made their facility into a local tourist attraction where you can see the chips being made and get some free to try. There was a gift shop and they were just a successful business.

Last night this wonderful business burned to the ground. So many will be affected, I personally know 6 people that worked there. I just took a tour last winter when I was home and ran into people I knew there.

Such a loss for the community and region.

They are on FB if you’re inclined to look them up.
So sad.
Tracey

cityjaneLondon · March 2

So sorry Tracey.

We had our Hairy Bikers dinner tonight and toasted Dave Myers.

Had a long chat with my friend L this evening. I'm coming round to the idea that my pain is osteoarthritis in my hips. She had the same inner thigh cramps that I had. Both hips replaced. At the moment I can hardly walk, even around the house. It's got worse so quickly, though it's been coming on for years. I had to crawl backwards down the stairs after exercise this morning.
Tuesday is Doppler day, so if it's not vascular, I'm going to try the osteo route. X ray is the first step.
My worry is how operations are going to fit around our cruises. Plus I can't book anything new until I know what the future holds in terms of medical stuff.
I think I would opt to have both hips done together.
Haven't discussed it with John yet, as it's all the unknown. I guess osteoarthritis is better than vascular.
The good news is my BP readings are better with my added medication. I will have to tell Saga.

Feeling hopeful, Heather UK xxxxxx

.

auntiebk · March 2

February summary: better than January ;}
Feb average weight 132.5, lighter than Jan by 0.5 lbs
Average steps 6439, better than Jan’s 5077
PT, Hebrew, meditation never even started, will drop Hebrew, meditation and focus on PT exercises.
Dedicated time with Joe, readings, BP, consistent line dance class, dog group, bone broth, vitamins ok. Dropping chair yoga.
less sugar than mfp allows-303 g. CI<CO-87%
March plan – better than February.
Move -average more steps than May (7778), twice weekly line dancing, daily-ish basic PT, play with and walk dogs, every other day 2 sets dumbbells, criss-cross with abs, hip openers, seated twist and block ab lifts.
Fuel better: less sugar, CI<CO, dailyish vitamins and bone broth.
Live NOW: dailyish time with Joe, dogs, readings. Open heart and mind before mouth.
2024: Strengthen: body, mind, heart-connections

Happy Birthday, Vicki!
Today’s gratitude: Snow!!! Lovely excuse to stay in all day, maybe in nightgown

.
Yesterday was a wild ride. First Joe surprised me with a jar opening tool and an electric can opener. Then made the trek north of Gold beach to check out Doggy daycare. Guy is fine, pleasant, kind. Indoor kennels (with outside potty space) look ok but not luxuriously warm. Casserole-a-thon went ok with just Pastor, his wife and me. She left to meet with the “Martha’s” who are standardizing communion setup and let them know it was my birthday. They insisted on taking me out to lunch. Glad I accepted, tho’ it made for a little stress, we do get to talking! Was late picking up the pooches and there was no way I’d be on time for chiro appointment in Harbor. Fortunately chiro’s office was without power and she had to cancel ;}. Then T suggested we postpone my bday beer and vegan nachos as she was almost deluged at Freddie’s, and again, I thankfully agreed. Joe had the woodstove going full force so house was warm and cozy when I got home from Gold Beach. Promptly took a nap. All in all a very good birthday.
Heather stunning museum! Ah that blood pressure test on ankles and wrist, my MD calls it an ABI test and I hate it. All those mechanical blood pressure testing devices HURT. I always ask nurse to do with old fashioned manual cuff but the ABI test has to be electronic. Yuck. “...action creates momentum” was in a discussion yesterday about no matter how much I/we resent “having” to do X, if we have nothing to do we get blue. Doing X always feels better than the blues.
Annie what you said about not bashing the other tools. What works for one does not work for all. Added you to the Katla note. Brava for increasing your times!
Welcome @jgmmk5fdjj Carla from Ohio! That’s quite an id

Thanks Machka. The ultrasounds I had for clots were much more comfortable than the ABI mechanical cuffs

Betsy, Evelyn, Carol, Tina, pip, Rebecca, you’re in the Katla note. Thanks!
Lisa being able to stretch before running to the bathroom, I count that as a win.
Margaret added your pic to the Katla note. If not ok let me know and I’ll take it out. Are you in MN?
Kelly you’re in. Is MI your general locale? Well done on the 15 lbs lighter and toned body!
Rita you’re in. Sorry for the confusion, you’ll find me in your friend’s list as “auntiebk”
7 months sober? Hooray!!!
Dia_R conVERY gratulations on being 7 lbs lighter than last month. Sounds like your MD is supportive.

Annie Penn Foster didn’t sound like a good investment. Well done for continuing to research. Community college certification and possible grant or scholarship? Well done!!!
Allie sure hope you can get some help with your sleep, it’s crucial to feeling good enough to move around and do things. sMiles’ smile says it all!
@linder4866 good to see you pop in. Would you remind me of your (nick)name and general locale?
Kay, got it, thanks! And thanks for sharing your reflections.
Dia_R glad Kim and Lisa already replied. Could hear your frustration.
Rosemarie sounds like you’ve found a good solution to the news situation. Wonder if my library has a subscription to The Economist.

Hurrah for feeling better!
Welcome @javaplace ! Would you let us know what to call you and your general locale?
Rebecca have I thanked you lately for your soup concoctions? They inspire me.
Tracey good luck with PowerPoint. Not my fave… What a tragedy for the company and the community ((hugs)).

Carol, Annie, Lanette, Margaret, Rosemarie, Machka, Tracey, et al, thanks all for the bday wishes!

3/1: Move mins- wii:0 PT:0 d:0 x&a:0 dogs:0 Steps:6677
Fuel: sugar in vs mfp=0 CI<CO net=686 vits=1
Live: Joe, readings, BP, ptT, ptS, check out doggy daycare, casserole-a-thon. Wt:132.9

Later, lighter, lovelies!
Barbara, the Southern Oregon Coastie AHMOD

March: Move more than yesterday, fuel better than yesterday, live NOW.
Open heart and mind before mouth.
2024: Strengthen: body, mind, heart-connections.

LisaInArkansas · March 2

Kay - No change in my hair after covid, but my covid was symptomless, so maybe it's one of the variants that causes it?

Tracey - Sorry about the loss of something so important to your home community. Hope the tussle with PowerPoint goes well.

Heather - If you do end up with hip surgery, every one of your exercise days will suddenly be of great benefit--I snapped back from the knee surgery much more quickly than they predicted because of my exercise before and after. It sounds horribly painful, and I do hope they come up with some resolution soon.

Corey sledge-hammered in a T-post to stabilize my redbud tree this morning. It was run over by the FedEx driver during our bout with the snow but survived the rest of the winter, and is even putting out buds, so we straightened it this morning and strapped it to the post. Fingers crossed it makes it through a growing season and completely heals. It was Corey's gift to me a few years back.

He also finally, with massive effort on his part and a tiny assist from me, cut an old steel-belted radial tire away from the flower tree out front. Someone cut one side of it into points all the way around, and I'm sure they thought it looked beautiful when they planted the tree inside it's protective circle 40-50 years ago. (Think Jughead's hat from the Archie comics):

It was no longer beautiful if it ever was, and I was glad to see it go. The man cut through a steel-belted tire with a razor blade and a small hand-held wire cutter. I'm not sure he understands how strong he is. In fact, I'm sure of it. I'm glad he uses his powers for good and not evil. 👀😀

Not feeling my best today, but it's probably the backlash after my medica-lollapalooza. Just woke up from a badly needed nap. I'm pleased, though, that I was able to get through yoga early this morning (with added knee push-ups Heather - thanks for the suggestion). It helped that I dragged out the yoga mat and padded the floor so my knees didn't scream too badly. That's six days this week, and that makes me very happy. Rest day tomorrow, back to it on Monday.

Hope it's a good Saturday for everyone - Cor's off to the grocery store, and I am in the sunroom watching Egg skulk around the yard terrorizing worms and bugs.

Later y'all,
Love,
Lisa in AR

SophieRosieMom · March 2

Katiebug - I finally had a chance to sit still for a while and read your spoiler. I think you hit the nail on the head. When I realized I must be grateful for who I was today, no matter what my weight was and come from a place of peace within myself, then people started coming into my life to help me make the best changes for my "future self".

Heather - I hope they can figure out the source of that pain and what to do about it so you can be active again. It just might be your hips. Our bodies are good at "referred pain" - something gets out of whack in one area but the pain shows up in another. Crossing fingers for you.

Tracey - what a shame about that chip plant burning down. You are so right, this impacts so many people in a small town. Hopefully they were fully insured and can come back with a bigger and better plant. Crossing fingers.

Changing hair - over the years, my naturally curly hair has gone super straight on the temples. Just like it's been flat ironed.

It's been getting thinner over the years and especially on one side of my head. My hair gal said that's normal, and hair grows at different rates on different parts of a person's head. I didn't notice any extra loss from having covid, but then I didn't run a temperature. Not sure if that has anything to do with it though.

Foot X-ray this morning- I walked into the hospital at 7 am. Parking lot was nearly empty, as I had predicted. Short wait, then X-Ray tech got images of both feet. I told her I'd broken my baby toe on my problem foot in June 2022, so she'll be sending that image to Dr. D as well in case that's contributing to the situation. The clinic and the hospital don't share that database.

Mini Rice Cooker - I spent time down the "Mini Rice Cooker" rabbit hole yesterday. I discovered it can be used it to make oatmeal, warm leftovers, cook pasta, hard boil eggs, even make personal size pizzas. Plus much more....there are plenty of YouTube videos about different recipes. And I also discovered a 2 cup/200 watt cooker will most likely run off that little Bluetti power supply unit I bought last year. So if we get a power outage, no need to drag out the Coleman propane burner to boil water for coffee. Just plug in the little rice cooker. And when the Bluetti power gets low, if it's not too overcast, I can recharge it with the solar panel. I ordered a rice cooker from Amazon, which should be here Monday. I'm anxious to just make some rice in it.

Time to get started on chicken noodle soup for supper.

Have a great rest of your weekend.

Lanette

SW WA State

sh0tzz99 · March 2

I have a question for the cooks and bakers (and anyone else who has an opinion on the topic)! I am getting a new oven/range. Mine is very old and like most things of the sort, the newer models probably have a lot of handy bells and whistles that I'm not aware of. What do you all love and/or hate about your oven/ranges?

What are your repair experiences with which brands?

I find the options a bit overwhelming at the moment.

Thanks in advance!

Tina in CA

LisaInArkansas · March 2

There will come a day when I will be able to recognize my limitations before I exceed them. This is not that day. Sitting here sweaty, waiting to cool down so I can get in the shower. I just wanted to move all the wood out from under the carport, since we won't be burning fires again this year. Then once I got that done, I had to sweep off the schmutz from the carport.

Then once I got THAT done, since I had the small lawn tractor and trailer out to haul the wood, I had to go get that pile of cinder block pieces that my husband left in the front yard from the drainage he used in the big tomato and pepper planters he tried two summers ago, and get them moved. And to get those moved, I had to get some brush piles moved so I could get the small lawn tractor & trailer near enough to the berm we're filling with rubble for a later build...

I love working in the yard, and it's 75 degrees out there and just beautiful, and I just couldn't resist...

And two hours of hard labor later, I know I'll pay for it tomorrow with every muscle, but today, it's worth it.

Later,
Love,
Lisa

LisaInArkansas · March 2

Tina - I kinda love our Samsung gas range, after two years with it. It had mixed reviews, but I've been very happy with it. I loved the "proofing" function which keeps the oven a steady 95 degrees to proof bread. I haven't baked bread for a long time, now, but when I was a lot, it was great--made proofing much more predictable. It took a lot of experimenting, but we've finally figured out what works for the air fry function, and it means we don't have to have a separate electric air fryer on our limited counter space.

The oven also cooks more evenly than any I've ever had in a lifetime of baking, I don't have to turn cakes or bread or cookies around halfway through, and the temperature is spot on. Last with the oven, but not least, I finally used the self-clean function, which scares me for a gas oven for some reason, and I was very happy with it.

As far as the range top, it's got a middle burner for a griddle that we never use, but it has one burner that we use all the time (there's always one). Best design I've seen, as it has an inner ring of flame and an outer ring. Very efficient and quick for a gas stove.

This is, I think the current version, or very close to it. Good luck - we felt like it was a stab in the dark, but have been happy with it. I have not, by the way, hooked it to my wi-fi, still haven't found a reason to do so!

Anniesquats100 · March 2

Tina here's a silly thing - my range has a blue clock which reflects on the black surface and looks like a blue gas flame. So many times I've seen that reflection and thought the stove was on! On the other hand the black surface hides the dirt well.

Heather hope you find some relief one way or another.

Tracey yes a very sad event for the community.

I went to see Argyle the movie. It was very clever and fun. First movie I've seen since before Covid, unless I'm forgetting something.

Dad is doing well today. He told me the same joke three times, which is fine. He didn't get into trouble while I was at the movie so that is all I can ask.

Hope you all had a great day!

Annie in Delaware

WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR MARCH 2024

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