WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR JANUARY 2025

cityjaneLondon · January 22

Poor John has an ear infection. He is thoroughly miserable and tells me about it every few minutes.

At least now he knows how I feel when my ears are blocked!
The good news is, he actually went to the doctor!

Yesterday morning. I told him how to work the system and he got an appointment the same day at 09.10.
He has antibiotic ear drops for a week.
Meanwhile, I smile and sympathise.............

The foxes are rampant at the moment. Out in daylight, looking for a mate. We had two persistent, pacing, ones in our garden this morning, and they bark all night. They mate in broad daylight, in full view.

I slept very badly last night, worrying that we had done Bea an injustice, over a blow up at the Monopoly table. I suspect Edie hid one of her properties on purpose. Bea had a crying fit and went off in search of her mum. Edie had to apologise for something, because she had been deliberately stirring Bea up. Eventually Bea came back and had a cuddle with John, and they all ended up playing Knockout Whist, with Bea holding her comforter, Monkey.
Oh the joys of siblings!
We are having Bea over on Sunday morning to finish some painting projects. Her crate, and 'next year's Christmas card'.

My son seems calmer, but DDIL says he is exhausted. He still wants to come to Burns Night on Saturday with Max. The autopsy on his friend was on Monday, but they won't know the results for a while. The family want a small family funeral and then a big memorial later on. Mainly so as not to overwhelm the children.
I bought my son some daffodils.

I don't think John will want to go to Cercle Français tonight. I may go on my own. I really hate going out at night, but I can get an Uber.

My friend G has had to stop driving for the moment, as she failed her peripheral vision test at the optician again. They have referred her to an ophthalmologist. Bit of a blow! She is the one friend who will still drive long distances. Of course, she will save a lot of money as she leases her car. If she has to give up permanently, she hopes she will be let off the contract, as it is a medical issue.

Love to all. Heather UK xxxxxxxx

Machka9 · January 22

Snowflake1968 wrote: »

Machka - will have them made of wood or glass?

Tracey in Edmonton

I'm getting them made of acrylic - plexiglass.

I got some wood shelves, but they weren't deep enough ... and wouldn't have looked right.

I thought about glass, but I thought something less breakable might be better.

At some point, I need to refinish the unit ... and 2 other pieces of furniture. My plan is to refinish them all as close to original as possible.

Machka in Oz

Machka9 · January 22

Spent the day in a training class and will do the same again tomorrow. Taking training ... not teaching.

A little too much to eat at the catered lunch & afternoon snack, but it was really nice.

So, since I spent the day inside, I went for a walk after work:

Machka in Oz

Machka9 · January 22

cityjaneLondon · January 22

The daffodils I bought for my son have come out!

. They were only £1.

Always cheers up January.

Love Heather UK xxxxxxxx

LisaInArkansas · January 22

Machka - I tend to sub in cheese for protein for me. At the moment, it's working. And potatoes do taste good to me, so they stay on the menu as well. I'm NOT suggesting this is good for anyone else, please note. It's part of why I take so many supplements. My husband says it's like cooking for a toddler. I tend to agree with him.

Heather - Poor John! So sorry about the ear infection - they're miserable things. If it helps, Bea and Edie and Max will all value each other at your age. Think of your love for your bruv...

My best friend called on Monday, and the news was good - her dad was able to stand up and walk a few steps with a walker. They transferred him Monday to a hospital near her home, so for the first time in months, she's able to both see him and then go home at night. The hope is they can get him in good enough health to go to a rehab center, also near her... but that hope seems fairly faint. She's just looking forward to being able to be home and in the middle of her own life again. It's been months of driving and exhaustion. In Montana, in midwinter.

Up early this morning - it's supposed to warm up today. My husband, who works in a chilly metal building or outside fixing broken machines onsite, is really hoping it does, bless him. I need to get a load of whites in the washer, and get dishes put away. Plus a couple of projects on the boil.

Hope it's a really good day!
Love y'all,
Lisa in AR

minicooper452 · January 22

HEY! I was being POLITE, Barbie! HAHAHA! (shame on you, you little vixen)

I'm SO sorry for DH, MO. Tell him to bundle up! I have to go back to school today, darnit. At least it's above zero though. A regular heat wave!

Love and Blessings
Carla, in MN

Whidislander · January 22

barbiecat wrote: »

Yesterday I filled out one online form that included attaching a scanned copy of Jake's death certificate. I won't know for awhile if I did it right and accomplished what was required. I also went online to find where to dispose of all the medications. I'll go look for the place today while I'm out to go to the library.

Rebecca, When I owned a treadmill it was set up facing the TV so I could walk and watch a favourite show that I'd recorded. I tried the elliptical once and hated it. Now that I walk outside, I have headphones and listen to a podcast, audio book, or favourite music.

Barbie in NW WA

Many police stations have a box you can deposit them in. I remember after husbands liver transplant I had boxes of medications that he did not need. I probably filled up the whole lock box that day.🙄

Nice with your commitment of walking. Husband listens to radio shows he downloads. Or he watches tv. I either listen to music from Pandora, or read. Some of my books have been audio books. I am pretty particular about what the voice sounds like though!
Rebecca
Whidbey
Wa

krausekelly61 · January 22

Hi - I am looking for others to cheer and help cheer me on who are closer in age (I’m almost 64). Trying to lose a few lbs to keep my cholesterol in check but finding it difficult at this time. Have used MFP for many years - but not the forums. Connecting with others seems to be my missing piece. Hoping I can find a few friends here in the same boat!

LisaInArkansas · January 22

@krausekelly61 - The easiest way to know this thread is to read quite a bit of it! Let people know what you want to be called and about where you are, so we know a little about you, and you'll find tons of support. It's an eclectic bunch, with women your age who are at every stage between active weight loss to maintenance, and all of us know that the whole person is involved with getting healthy, not just the numbers we get on the scale. Glad you're here, join in wherever you're comfortable!

On another note, popped back in to say WOOT! Just sent the payoff to my car to the finance company - about six months earlier than planned. Crunched the numbers, and if we pay off now (we've had the loan a bit over a year) we will save about $400 in interest between now and June, and I can put both the payment amount and the extra amount I planned to pay to the loan into savings over the same six months and end up ahead there, too. Made too much sense not to... and puts Corey and I back to debt-free! The house is paid off, the car's paid off, and it's one more weight off our budget. Whee! So pleased.

Back to my doin's, just had to tell my tribe that I'm a happy camper. 😃🎉Time to do 10 to 15 minutes of chair exercise, keep that streak going! Feeling better every day. Could feel the ones I'm doing in my core when I laid down last night. 👀😜🐈‍⬛

Love y'all,
Lisa in AR

barbiecat · January 22

Had a great visit yesterday from my friend that I met in 2005 when she and her daughters had a litter of poodle puppies and we acquired Brandy and later, Sasha from the another litter. She is fun to be with, a great listener, and good at sharing personal experience. Her years of raising poodles has made her good with dogs and Annie and Bessie enjoy her company.

I built a fire in the wood stove and Annie is paying no attention to it.

Barbara, Annie is very social and excited to see someone come to the house. When my dancing friend arrives, Annie wants to spend time with her. Annie is not sufficiently obedient to go to her bed or the couch just because I say so.

Yesterday's insight was that I am doing fine navigating this new territory, but I'm not doing it perfectly. I want all the "stuff" to go away. Settling the estate and changing names on accounts is a time consuming process and no matter what I do, I can't make it happen any faster. Yes, the perfect is the enemy of the good.

Barbie in NW WA

krausekelly61 wrote: »

Hi - I am looking for others to cheer and help cheer me on who are closer in age (I’m almost 64). Trying to lose a few lbs to keep my cholesterol in check but finding it difficult at this time. Have used MFP for many years - but not the forums. Connecting with others seems to be my missing piece. Hoping I can find a few friends here in the same boat!

Welcome. I've been on this forum since age 62 and these women have helped me navigate life.

drkatiebug · January 22

Snow/iced in here in north Georgia. My post-op appointment and evaluation got cancelled because of the weather, they will call and reschedule me tomorrow. I am feeling almost back to normal. I didn’t even take Tylenol yesterday, and it was a PT day,

Any weight loss efforts have been stalled from lack of movement coupled with entitlement eating. I’m ready to get back on track.

I watched the first episode of Accused and liked it ok. I tried episode 2 and woke up about half-way through episode 3. I’ll rewatch today and see what I think. I watch on Hulu.

Will Trent is not my favorite, because they have deviated too much from the books. And even the books were becoming a bit too gruesome for me. The tv show is one of my daughter’s favorites, however, so I continue watching so she can talk about it with me. I thought season 1 was good. I endured Season 2. So far, season 3 seems better. Any attempts to follow the books’ storylines have been abandoned, though.

pipcd34 · January 22

mcmillonmail wrote: »

Hello dear friends,
It is midnight, and I guess I never switched to a day schedule during this stretch of my break. DS has a lot of anxiety. He puts his stuff in storage, and they keep going up in price for him. He works at the university and has an internship teaching dramatic writing to High School kids. Plus, he has his load in school. DS is going into the last semester of his junior year. He isn't coming home this summer cause he has an internship. He missed Rose and wanted to talk to her, but she was too busy barking at someone walking by.
I woke up at 8:30 a.m., had my morning tea, ate cereal, and then returned to my warm bed. At almost 3 p.m., I woke up with a headache. I did my sinus wash, took meds, and wore a hoodie and sweats. I decided to take Rose out. I ran around with her for some exercise. It was freezing outside, so I left her out there. I don't know what I will do when I move to Chicago. I made tea, salad with salmon, and lunch for Rose. Would you believe I went to sleep again watching TV? DH called to remind me to watch Married At First Site with him( our long-distance date night). I finally convinced myself to work out. So, I did 45 minutes of step aerobics and felt good. So, day two of working out. I have to keep it up to make it a habit again. Once I get my momentum, I need to continue, or I will have to start all over again.

Carla, my DH, is in Minnesota for work, and he said it is cold.

Tracey, a date night will be fun.

Michelle, I understand what you mean. It is too cold to walk outside for long, and I don't want to go swimming and leave out with wet hair.

Pip, what kind of dog is Lucy? You have a nice-looking gang of 3. Yogi looks like the leader.

Rebecca, I am well versed in politics and try to keep up if someone is missing or shooting. My uncle, a Chicago police officer, told me to watch the news before I stepped out so I wouldn't drive into something. I take my chances. I will keep up with the above, but I don't want to debate. I have seen friendships end over politics and religion. So, I take notes, discuss with DH, and move on.

Carol, I hope you are doing okay. You are on my mind.

Barbie, I know this is a difficult time, but you are learning a lot, and I am learning through you. When I needed to help my mom pay for her electricity and home insurance, I discovered they were in my grandpa's name. My mother never changed it. She continued to pay it, and that was it. So, it is good that you are getting things done right away.

Well, I am going to bed. Talk to you all later.
XO,
MO in Mississippi

I’ve looked her up when I got her and chispas from my mother, Australian cattle dog. Yogi is the leader for sure

815815

1948CWB · January 22

Anniesquats100 · January 22

Good morning beautiful ladies!

I'm back!

I read pages 1 to 5 of January so far.

Barbie I'm so sorry to hear about Jake. Many hugs.

Lisa I surely hope the grandkids are home safe by now and the custody agreement updated. I will keep reading to see what happened.

Debbie, I also want to know how the MIL story goes.

I just started my dad on Trazodone last night, which is for anxiety and depression, and in his case to even out his sleep schedule. So he is quite sleepy this morning because the effect is a mild sedative. I feel so guilty because this is a step towards sedating him to better manage him overall, which is a known strategy for Alzheimer's.

On Monday I slept through dinner ( usually 5 pm) then woke up thinking it was morning and made my breakfast. I was confused for an hour or so. It made me realize I really need to work on my sleep schedule in order to handle Dad effectively. I can't handle him waking me up in the night over and over.

On the good side I finally got an appointment with my prescriber and got my meds sorted. My trick is to flip the pill bottles upside down first thing in the morning, then right side up when I take them. That way I don't have to wonder if I took them yet or not.

It's so lovely to read about all your events and challenges. You really are a great group, and I'm sorry I took a break. I missed you all. Just reading has been like a family reunion.

Have a wonderful day! May you all be happy, healthy, safe and free!

Annie in Delaware

bwcetc · January 22

Kay ... glad to hear you are healing so well! "Entitlement eating!" That is exactly what causes me my problems!

My recent round of blood labs are o.k. I'm going to catch it about my A1C ... just went a notch above the acceptable range although the blood glucose fasting and non fasting are fine. I have not been getting any exercise and I can feel that I am no longer in good shape.

Cold here too (-6 this morning) coupled with a TON of snow! It is breathtakingly beautiful outside but my photos just don't do it justice.

Beth near Buffalo

cityjaneLondon · January 22

Just had a really long chat with my son in Nottingham.

Haven't actually spoken in ages, though I had just texted him a long text when he phoned.
We exchanged news ( he hadn't heard about my son's friend, my boys don't communicate much) and then he told me he had recently been diagnosed with autism, after years of suspecting it. I had a pretty good idea. He is very relieved about the diagnosis, because it explains a lot. So that makes him and Max with a diagnosis of autism, my younger son with ADHD, and John's elder daughter with autism. Hooray for us!

It was so good to chat with him.

WELCOME to the new people! Come in, chat, and don't worry about keeping up. We are a whole soap opera on here!

Love Heather UK xxxxxxxx

kevrit · January 22

Quiet day yesterday, today have to go the PO and get a few groceries. I’m making DH pay for his rum and grocery shopping. He ‘lost’ $100 the last time we went shopping together and I had to use my Christmas gift card from my Mom, which I was going to save for the hairdresser throughout the year, to pay for the groceries and rum he bought. Sigh, he is now seeing how I was struggling by the end of the month with money. I give him cash since he doesn’t have a card or access to the checking accounts. I’m so tired of being out of money because of poor management by him. He gets all bent out of shape if there isn’t enough by the end of the month. I’m trying to force him to see and handle the grocery money, yet, he doesn’t even want to look at the budget or see what is budgeted to what. A losing battle I have to be sure to manage to get ahead. I’ll get it under control by March to move, not before then. I refuse to borrow money from family or anyone else to move to an apartment. I’m leaving the staying in the camper to him to deal with. I’m so tired of this and not in the right frame of mind this morning. Sorry all, needed to vent.

Thought for the day:

For all you nurses:
Want to know what nurses like red crayons?

Sometimes they have to draw blood!

RVRita in Roswell

SophieRosieMom · January 22

Good morning ladies!

Annie - how wonderful to wake up and see a post from ya! Sounds like you've been making do, hope the med helps your dad and YOU get better sleep. Your weather is probably too chilly to take him out for walks in the woods to wear him out. (((HUGS))))

Barbie - I think about you every single day. You are doing great, keeping things up to speed. The hardest part of the first year without DH was figuring out how and why he did certain things. He usually had a good reason for everything, as I'm sure Jake did. You'll figure it out just fine. I still ask DH "why did you do (____) that way?"

Rita - (((HUGS))))

Lisa - what a great feeling to have your little car paid off and be able to build up savings again. Hope you and Corey have a long streak of no financial surprises. I feel for anyone that has to work with their hands in this kind of weather.

Heather - Hope John's ear is doing better. Glad you heard from your Nottingham son.

Tracey - I thought about you this morning as I was putting wood in the wood stove. I had several pieces of those nice 1 x 3 and 1 x 8 and other various sizes of smooth wood I pulled out of the dumpster at the wood products manufacturing plant a couple years ago. I've been burning them just to get rid of them, but decided I'm going to hold off if I can - they are so perfect for craft projects. I checked the dumpster last summer and they didn't have anything that nice.

I walked across the street yesterday to catch up with Mr. and Mrs. Roger. My heart really goes out to her, the lymphedema in her left leg is really bad and apparently there's no cure as the lymph circulatory system as been destroyed. She is in a lot of pain and cannot take pain meds because of so many other meds she's on. She had been going to a lymphedema clinic in Olympia, but it closed its doors as they couldn't make it financially anymore with what Medicare and insurances were paying.

23F this morning, now it's above freezing and the sun is shining here. Better get this sent.

Have a good day, ladies. Keep warm!

Lanette

SW WA State

LisaInArkansas · January 22

My Egg... Watched cat videos for 12 minutes straight while I folded laundry. Then took a nap. I want to come back as a pampered cat in my next life.

Lisa in AR

bwcetc · January 22

Annie ... great to see you! Do NOT feel guilty about the use of Trazodone for your dad. According to the NIH, Trazodone is effective in treating depression with symptoms of insomnia, anxiety, irritability, or agitation, as often seen in patients with elderly MDD and conditions such as dementia. My mom, having lost my dad 18 months earlier and after having an episode of sundowners was given trazodone. And while it knocked her out at first, because her sleep cycles were so out of whack, her sleep patterns are now normal. At my last conference meeting with her team, there was talk of weaning the trazodone in the future. Medications do have their purposes and trazodone is not necessarily for sedation alone. Hugs.

exermom · January 22

Used the stairstepper today./ Really didn’t have a problem with my heel. Didn’t go in the water – too cold. Then went to CVS only to find that the Cheerios weren’t on sale (no way will I pay full price!), then Aldi. Home and have an appt with the dermatologist this afternoon about that lump on my back.

Tracey – I don’t think of you all as “my ladies” but as “my sisters from another mother”

M - “If no meat or vegetables ... what's left to eat? That removes pretty much everything from the list! “ There’s always fruit

Mo – I bet you didn’t run around with Rose just for some exercise. You probably ran around to keep warm! I do keep a blow dryer in my gym bag. I know this sounds TMI – but one thing I use it on is my private parts. Hopefully, I will reduce the chances of irritation from moisture. I also use it on my feet to dry out between the toes. Don’t really care for athlete’s feet. It’s not as important in the summertime when your feet are exposed to the air

Heather – hope John feels better fast

I know that the CVS here has a drop box for prescription medications. I always take ours that we need to dispose of to WalMart

krausekelly – welcome

Lisa – what great work you do! Getting things paid off. In my next life I want to come back as one of pip’s dogs! Or barbie’s.

I do like the show Tracker

Just got back from the dermatologist. It was a cyst. He lanced it and REALLY REALLY squeezed. My back is tender, most probably from him squeezing so hard. He said there’s really nothing I can do to prevent it from happening, it’s caused by friction. So I said, “guess the only thing I can do is not wear a bra”. Then I looked at the nurse and said “hey, I’m from the 60’s”

I can’t get it wet for 24 hours but afterwards I can take a shower, just not soak in the tub. Looks like no pool in FL. But at the rate FL is going, I may not want to go in the pool

Afterwards, went to Food Lion. I do like their meats. I almost died at the price of asian pears. For the longest time they were $1.99 each. Today they were $3.99 each!

Annie – great to see you popping in. Hope you can come back lots

Bowling tonight. It’s still tender on my back when my sweater rubs up against where the cyst was. Of course, Vince isn’t going bowling. Wish he’d at least come to cheer us on. But he feels he’d be too tempted to want to bowl

Michele NC

pipcd34 · January 22

Stats for the day-

Walk w/family- 1hr 42min 33sec, 12324steps, 3.02ap, 93elev, 84ahr, 102mhr, 5.22mi= 513c
Strava app= 633c
Walk home to gym-10.47min, 1274steps, 3.09ap, .54mi= 56c
Strava app= 66c
Treadmill easy jog- 41.59min, 173spm, 10.30min mi, 84ahr, 142mhr, .95mi @ 5.5sp, next .95mi @ 5.6sp, next .95mi @ 5.7sp, last .95mi @ 5.8sp, last .05mi for each mile was at 8.0sp, 7195steps, 4mi= 420c
Walk gym to home- 10.33min, 1346steps, 2.83ap, .55mi= 59c
Strava app= 67c

22139 total steps

Total cal 1084

I jogged faster than I thought I would have especially since I haven’t run in a bit.

816816

TerriRichardson112 · January 22

tempis fugit amor manet

🤗 🤗 🤗 and 🙏 🙏 🙏 to those who Have want/need them.

céad míle fáilte to our new ladies.

☘️ Terri

grandmallie · January 23

Evening ladies
I don't know if I told you earlier, a dear friend I grew up with,they moved to Tennessee early on..is on life support or they might have done the honor walk already as he was an organ donor.
He had a massive stroke and they found him Sunday..
He is my dads Godson I told his sister today that his dad,mine and my mom will be there to meet him ..
Gosh its just so sad..you never know..

barbiecat · January 23

Annie, It's so good to see you posting again. I've missed you. So sorry about Teddy.

Got one more box checked off on my list. Talked to the man who manages our investments and he said it would be easy to take Jake's name off and since they needed the death certificate to do it, he'd come to my house (50 miles from his office) and pick it up on Friday morning.

I had a giant sinking spell this afternoon so I loaded Annie up in the car and took a finished knitted blanket to Project Linus and two bags of stuff to the charity shop. I felt better when I got home.

Someone, maybe Lanette, suggested watching "Vera". I found it today and am enjoying it a lot.

Barbie in NW WA

exermom · January 23

Allie - so sorry about your friend

I can't put my back against a chair's back or anything like that. Makes driving fun. I have to sit up and not put my back on the seat. Well, this too shall pass

Michele NC

Vickil57 · January 23

Well I have had my fill of winter. It has been below zero for days. Yesterday and today it was above. Yesterday I took the car in to have the check engine light checked. First they came out to tell me when they opened the hood a rabbit ran out. Then later came to tell me a mouse had chewed some wires and it is not covered by warranty. They quoted me $2300 at least. Then when I was leaving I was more upset than I realized and backed into one of the service people van. So call my insurance company about that. Today I stayed home.
I have a job interview on Friday and hope it warms up some.
Barbie--Glad Jake's kids are stepping up and keeping in touch.
Tracey--Hope Roger does better and you get to have a talk. Sometimes I have to lose it with DH to get him to listen to me. That happened just a couple days ago about his eating. He has done better since.
Lisa--Great news on paying off car early. I always feel better when we can do that. Once I get working again want to work on getting out of debt.
Annie--So good to see you post. I think you are doing a great job with your dad and the meds are for both of you to deal better.
Rita--You feel free to vent here anytime. We are here for you.
A friend of DH has been coming by everyday to see him. Today he said tomorrow he is bringing moth balls to put around the garage and the house to keep the mice out. It's the thought that counts I keep telling myself.
Blessings, Vicki GRAND ISLAND, NE

Snowflake1968 · January 23

Heather - I hope John’s ear is better soon.
I know so many people whose siblings ruined Monopoly for them. I don’t know why that game causes so much angst.
I dread the day I can’t drive. It’s such a loss of freedom.
I believe there are more people finally getting the diagnosis and help they need these days.

Machka - I have a couple more pieces I want to refinish too. That will be a summer project for me.

Lisa - I bet having her father closer to her home will make all of this so much easier to deal with. It won’t be easy, but easier than it has been at least.
Egg sure has it made.
My Granddog watches Hallmark Christmas movies I swear.

Annie - I’m so happy to see you back. I don’t think you should feel guilty for getting meds for your Dad, if it was to help with another part of his body besides your brain you wouldn’t doubt your decision at all. Don’t doubt this either, you’re doing what’s best for him and you.

Rita - I am so tired of managing money, making it stretch and worrying about it. I understand your frustration and need to vent.

Lanette - Wood that is good for crafting is expensive now. I’m glad you saved it.

Michele - I feel for you having to have that lanced in the office. It’s painful.
I’m catching up on Tracker now. I didn’t get a chance to watch many of my shows in the Fall.

The next two days I have to go into the city to work. Just down the street from where my job was for 7.5 years. I haven’t had a commute more than 10 minutes since Dec 2018 on a regular basis. I’m sure the next two days will remind me how grateful I am for that.

I don’t know if I have told you about my 5 year old neighbour. For the first 2.5 -3 years his day home was on a farm and he was the only child there. He picked up some of the habits of the farmer. If he sees me on the dooryard he’ll come talk to me, he adjusts his hat on his head, rocks back and forth on his heels with his hand in his pockets and slowly gets around to asking how my day was, or what I’m doing. Over the last couple of years I’ve watched their pets for them, it’s just him and his mom, and I’ve invited them over for a visit a few times. This past weekend I offered his mom a shelf for her church and they came to pick it up tonight. She told me he has asked for the last two weekends if he could come for a visit. I don’t know why. In December they came for a visit and he ended up having a 1.5 long nap. The second time when I was off between Christmas and New Year he just sat and listened to his mom and I talk. I invited him over for a visit on Saturday.
Michaela is going to come spend the night Friday so she’ll keep him entertained.

Well I should sign off.
I want my phone yo be charged to 100% since I have to drive on the highway tomorrow.

Tracey in Edmonton

skuehn48 · January 23

WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR JANUARY 2025

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