WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR MARCH 2024

LisaInArkansas wrote: »

Kylia - We're here for you. Don't feel you have to catch up with every single post, dear heart. Just keep breathing, we're always glad to see you when you pop up.

Annie - Thanks for the suggestion. Oddly enough, I had dragged out the highlighters and have been using them in my planner. I've started coloring in each of these habits I'm starting to accomplish to give me some sense of what I've done. There's another space in my planner where I could set up that tracking, as well. It's a great thought.

Heather - Like anything else, healing your body takes time! You'll get there, you just have to be gentle with yourself to correct ingrained ways of standing and walking and working. I have no choice but to work on an easel or something upright, whether standing or sitting - I never could figure out how you painted on a flat table. Never worked out how you wrote in bed, either. Do you sit and bend over your tablet, or do you lay back, or lay flat? Any length of time in bed, and all my muscles are tied in a knot and aching.

Ginny - That's a LOT of grandkids! Lots of family resemblances there, too... Looks like a houseful to me. Glad you're enjoying them.

Machka, Barbara, Heather, and more I'm sure: When it comes to what I no longer do because of Corey, I try to remember what he stopped doing because of me, and particularly since I got ill. He loves the long drives in the country that Barbara mentioned, but I haven't been able to do that in years, due to my body's demands on me, and he won't go without me. He quit smoking because I did, and then quit vaping because I did. He enjoyed them both, and had I not stopped, he certainly wouldn't have.

For me - it's just not possible for me to do the solo things I enjoy when he's here, like crafts and writing. It's always more fun to be where he is. We're both beginning to get better at letting the other one go and do, like grocery shopping. I try to make sure he gets that solo walk out to the orchard and around the yard when he gets home from work. It's part of his disconnect from the day's work, and truly enjoy the time while he's at work and I do what I choose. I guess I'm saying it's a balance.

More in a bit,
Lisa in AR

Unfortunately there is not much balance in our situation.

He hasn't stopped doing anything because of me. That was one of the things I enjoyed about us ... we were both into getting out there and doing stuff! Neither one of us wanted to stop the other from doing something, we'd be in there doing it together.

However, he has stopped doing a lot because of his brain injury. The brain injury took his job, his memory, his ability to cycle long distances, his ability to walk distances and different terrains, his energy, much of his motivation, his ability to see projects through, a portion of his cognition, the ability to deal with things, control over emotions and so much more.

Because of his brain injury we have cut way back on doing many things WE enjoyed doing together like travelling, being active, attending events and all sorts.

And I have stopped doing a lot of things out of deference to him.

I don't blame him ... the brain injury is not his fault. It's one of those horrible things in life you never expect.

It's possible he misses doing all the things we used to do too, but it's hard to tell.

But, I am very thankful for days like today when he wanted to ride his bicycle with me ... and hopefully our plan (because he is part of it too) will work to allow us both to be more active. I hope to update you all by the end of the month.

M in Oz

Machka, sorry to read about your struggles and hope your plan works out for the both of you.

For myself, hubby and I do pretty much everything together from grocery shopping to doctor appointment, visiting family and friends, etc. The only thing he is does not do is travel so I go solo. I would like to go more often and can afford it but I feel guilty leaving him alone so limit myself to one trip per year and I'm happy with that. I know he would prefer I don't go at all but I love seeing new places and the experiences that go with it. I feel I need that for my own mental health.

I'm struggling to get used to this time change. Wish they would stop doing it.

Joy

Today is: Celebrate your plumbing and tools! We celebrated both a day early. DH replaced our water heater on Friday. On Saturday, one of the pipes attached to the heater ‘blew’ off putting water everywhere!! His tools (he ‘worships’ tools!) all got wet as the water seeped down into the storage hold below the heater. ALL GOOD NOW! Don’t forget to ‘wash out’ your nose!! I use Neli Med (generic) often now that it is allergy season here!

PS.. planted some Snow Peas yesterday, watered my green onions and garlic bucket, and the parsley bucket which all kept over the winter and are starting new growth already! (Mums too!)

RVRita

Machka - thank you for those exercises, very timely. I had forgotten about the piriformis stretch and how beneficial it was for me at one time. Do you perform these stretches every day? Probably wouldn't hurt to do them several times a day, right?

Debbie- your DH did a great job at that show. How neat that he enjoys making the figures and selling them, something to take his mind off his mother's abuse. And is it me or does MIL seem to calm down when he doesn't see her for a while? Does she get "revved up" when he stops in a lot? She's nicer and calmer when you stop in. Maybe she knows she's met her match.

Beth - winter isn't over yet, is it? Looks like you easterner's are in for some winter weather still. At least the bitter cold is over for this winter we hope. Starting Thursday, it looks like we're in for a week of sunshine and no rain - maybe 70's in the afternoon on Saturday and Sunday.

Barbie- Agree. It's so nice to be this age and not in a high-school competition to be like everyone else. We all have our strengths, likes, and goals. This group is so good in allowing us to support each other and our individual choices.

Friend Charlie stopped by yesterday afternoon and fired up the Kubota tractor and repositioned it in the shop so I have room to pull the mower in right in front of it. The shop door on the other side, where the mower used to sit, gets tricky and doesn't want to close. Probably needs to have the unit replaced but that's way down at the bottom of the list of repairs around here, so easier to use the other door.

This post has been sitting for hours, I should probably hit the "post" button. Let's see if it works.

Lanette
SW WA State

MFP Weekly Check-in March 11, 2024

Sue in WA State - Maintained weight at 223 so that is good. ankle is close to 100% so going to try 2 minute walks again this week. Yoga 7/7, strength and balance 6/7, water exercise 1 time last week. Doing better with after dinner eating. Have done it before so know I can do it again.

Rita in Roswell NM - Down 2 pounds from last week. Still higher than at beginning of year but headed in right direction!

Debbie in Napa Valley CA - Up 2 pounds this week. Not exactly sure why- will work on it.

Evie in BC - Happy to report another .8 of a pound down. Also happy to report that life after the wicked cold seems to have returned to normal, now just have to readjust to the time change! Grateful that I don't have to be anywhere til Tuesday at 2, gives me a few days to catch up! (Evelyn, Vancouver Island where its supposed to get into the 60's this week!

Lanette in SW WA State – Celebrating weight staying in desired range. Navigating foot and toe pain with cutting back walking a bit, elevating and icing the foot, back stretches. Also abandoning weights for the time being.

After exercise I noticed that because of the callous on the bottom of my foot, I’m walking weird and another callous is forming on the bottom of my foot. NOOOOO I won’t have this. So I went to WalMart and got some of those callous remover pads. Also bought gas since we’re going to see my cousin tomorrow, meeting for lunch. I’ve already looked at the menu and I’ll have the fish sandwich, asking them to substitute beans and rice or vegetables for the fries. I know I substituted last time we were there.

Laid out by the pool. Too breezy to go in the pool, tho. I have a feeling it’ll be nice tomorrow and I’ll miss going by the pool. Oh well…..

Tried to go bowling earlier and believe it or not the bowling alley down here not only opens at 11, but it’s closed on Mondays. I never thought it would be closed. So went to CVS to get a prescription and then home and I went by the pool. I signed up for the lady’s lunch Wed. Know that I’m going to have their salad since it looks like almost everything is deep fried. I also signed us up for the pot luck on Friday. I’d forgotten that you had to sign up for it

Heather – wonderful card! Like Lisa, I have a hard time practicing patience. Like I’m not patient to stretch my calve to have this callous go away. I just don’t want to wait 3 to 4 months. So I got the pads. Now to see if they help

Going to go work some more on Jess’ tree skirt. I’m now at the point at the bottom where it takes a long time to do one row.

One of the really nice things I like about FL is that there are a lot of sidewalks. Well, we are in the older part of the town. I can walk to the post office, a grocery store, hardware store, thrift store, dollar store, downtown, the park, the mall across the street for any of the restaurants and ice cream (yea!), another ice cream place, church, health food store, another restaurant where on wed. if you buy just one thing (even a glass of OJ), you get a free slice of pie. Not that I need pie, but it’s somewhat of an incentive for Vince to go walking. Speaking of which, he said that he did some walking on his own the other day. He took his headphones. I commented on how relaxing it can be to just listen to the music while you’re walking. Now hopefully he’ll keep it up. Should be easier now with the time change.

Vicki - deer can be so unpredictable. Glad you're all safe

Michele loving FL