WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR APRIL 2025

Heather - There's a thing I've noticed as I've gotten older that I get very frustrated with heavy, massive things in general. I want lighter weight items so I can change things myself, without having to have help. It was very understandable for my mother, who lived alone, to use rattan furniture in her living room, because she was alone, and often didn't have the help. I've got the help, but live with a man who honestly loves heavy, massive pieces. So I end up surrounded by heavy items, but I couldn't sell them. Not because I would miss them, or it would upset him, but because nobody else wanted them!

Starting to get back to sleepy… good night again, my chicks…

Just ordered a long sleeve t-shirt from M&S. Their own range is extraordinarily cheap, and excellent quality. I can pick it up when I'm in town tomorrow. It's a boat neck, ((which suits me), dark stripe. For some reason I am really short on long-sleeved t-shirts. I must have thrown a lot away, and others deserve to be thrown out, but they are perfect for most of the summer in the UK. I'm not keen on short sleeves because I hate tan lines! 😛 I do have a few though, to wear under other things, or indoors. My arms are not fit to be seen out in public in sleeveless. 😱 This year, I am slowly adding a couple of long-sleeves that I am not ashamed to be seen in, though they have discontinued my favourite style. I hate it when they do that.🙄

Love to all, Heather UK xxxxxxxx

Shoulder is OK.

Just tendonitis, bursitis and arthritis with a bone spur.

Full-on day today!!

Took car in for service.
So much work at work - audit going on.
Doctor appointment.

And one odd thing … I got a notice from the library that a book I put on hold was in. Only, I don't really remember putting it on hold. I must have done but how long ago??? It's on Tasmanian Gardens so I picked it up. 🌿

Machka in Oz

Went out with John to the pharmacy and around the local shops, and really enjoyed it. Just nice to share a few moments. In the deli I said to the server, "It's a rare chance to see us together. " She laughed and said, "Yes, I was thinking you'd buried him under the patio!" In the butcher they were calling me 'love' and 'darling ', which I don't normally notice.

At the flower shop, they were selling very nice glass vases that had the tiniest chip on the rim that you could hardly see. I bought a thick, round one, for £1. !!!!

So, a good morning. 👍

Love Heather UK xxxxxxxx

Margaret - What a very interesting trip you are having! So many worthwhile experiences. 🤩 Love the music sculptures!

Love Heather UK xxxxxxxx

Happy Tuesday ladies!

Today is a dermatology appointment at 9:30 am. Yesterday I used my Gold Bond's body lotion for crepey skin from nose to toes! I would bathe in the stuff if I could!😂. Today was a quick shower. I know the doctors would prefer skin sans lotions or scents. Not like this lotion has a scent. It really sucks to not have a sense of smell.🙄. Course I did change about 5 messy diapers of Eli's and I was grateful to not have a sense of smell!

Its interesting to me that he knows so many sign language movements. From watching Ms. Rachel on YouTube. She is hypnotic! Every young child is drawn to her voice like a zombie baby. She teaches simple concepts along with SL. Eli uses the hand symbols for more, all done, hungry, and a couple others. He is definitely making sounds, mostly aaaaahhhhhh, and ehhhhh. No words just yet. He has said "Dadda Bye", but just the once my daughter inlaw said. Eli is 18 months old. He is understanding everything though, can point to all his body parts, even like his elbows and knees. One day his voice will click on and never stop.💖🤗

Yesterday I chatted on the phone with my girlfriend from Connecticut. The one I met when we were stationed in Japan in the 1980's. Her only brother passed away, and most of her friends have passed. Her son's family is literally 5 minutes away but with both of them working and my friend driving a school bus, they haven't gotten together since Christmas really. I find that incredibly sad. I told her she needs to have a chat with son, expressing that she's having a hard time. I am glad she reached out to me though. We have been thru almost 40 years of living, yet have never visited face to face since Japan. I on one coast, her on the other. Then before dinner I got a video call from my middle sister, a rarity! She looked well. She showed me all the puzzles she's been doing (she's the one in the basement of her own split level home), and plants she's planted off the slider door, her little sitting and smoking area, (though there's a huge cement patio off the kitchen upstairs). She's content though, and that's the important thing. She had a treadmill down there, but sold it because she never used it. I think it could have done her a world of good, but I am not her.

Might make tacos because its Taco Tuesday!😁

Rebecca Whidbey WA

Hoping youngest here has a couple hours layover from his international flight to his flight to CA when he's at Sea-Tac airport! I told him to let me know, husband and I could just take the airporter, for hugs, maybe share some coffee, and I would bring a container of my fried rice!💖

Nine pages in already … 😲 Welcome to the new ladies!

Barbie … Thank you for moving us into April.

Lisa … a belated Happy Birthday!

Heather … I like the cabinet but would be tired of that color as well. I've never had any luck painting furniture, but these other gals have good ideas.

I do not know if my weight changed or not from March to April. The scale is buried at the moment due to our bathroom renovation. Which, by the way, is taking an inordinately long time. My husband's back is not holding up well with this project … I might have mentioned this to him prior to starting. A full bathroom gut to the studs… and he's doing all the work himself. We've needed to take a lot of breaks for his back to recover, but are now about 3/4 of the way through tiling the shower stall. It will be beautiful, but the choice of 12x24 inch tiles has created its own installation challenges. Once the tiling is complete, I think the project should pick up steam. It's a very small bathroom. I'll be glad when it's done because the house is a train wreck with everything out of place. Amazing how disruptive a remodel project can be.

Hugs to all.

Beth near Buffalo where there is snow on the ground today!

I asked the painter for an estimate for the dresser. Sanding, two coats, and a wax finish.

£80.

Can you believe it! That's not much more than a decent meal out for the two of us. I have accepted the estimate, of course.

I will do it with the same emulsion as the walls, with added Polyfilla to make it a chalk finish. Hooray!

LLove Heather UK xxxxxxxx

Ginny - wishing you all the best for a successful surgery tomorrow and easy recovery. Will there be a visiting nurse or someone to check in with you for the first couple days? Sounds like you have everything ready to go from your end.

Allie - Sorry you are under the weather. Does Dan, Tracy or anyone check in on you each day to make sure you have meals/food if needed or if a trip is needed to pick up a prescription?

You ladies have been through surgeries before so I bet you've pre-planned as much as possible.

I'd probably be OK for recuperating from most things by myself here - might need someone to fill the chicken water and feeder, but that's not an everyday thing if push comes to shove. And I always make sure I have at least a week's worth of food in the fridge and freezer.

PT kind of beat me up yesterday….. but in a good way. The dry needling - I can't tell any major improvement today, maybe 2%, lol. I have a lot more exercises to get going on this afternoon. Something new since I had PT for my back over a decade ago is stretch bands around ankles or just under my knees, then walking with these types of restraint. Think I mentioned this before. Therapist added a new one, and said this kind of exercising (which I think is strengthening my hips/glutes?) would help me the most.

Lanette 😎

SW WA State

Rita - I just saw this on FB and thought of you!😁

For some reason I'm unable to shrink this image down.

Lanette

While at work today got a call from C. He’s going to have someone here this afternoon to take out the stumps. He’s also going to have someone come by to look at the deck.

I guess you could say that I’m a bit upset that BK hired this non-English speaking person who evidently is doing prep (since that seems to be the only thing she can do, and she doesn’t put dates on things) and they’ve cut me down from 5 days to 4. She uses Google translate so where is the incentive to learn English? To me, if I was going to live in a foreign country, I’d learn the language. I did something today that will most likely backfire on me. I told the one gal that I needed Easter Sunday off since I’d made a commitment to lector at the church. I really didn’t, I lector the next week. But Spanish people seem to go to church on Sunday. Yet, there are a lot of Hispanics at the Saturday mass. I told them that I’m more than willing to work on Sat, that perhaps she could do Sunday and I’ll do Sat. Since they can’t really talk to her, I suspect they’re going to continue to have her work on Sat. I’ve already texted the store manager to see if they could increase me again to 5days. So far she hasn’t gotten back to me. She was quick to cut my hours, tho. I do enjoy the job, don’t get me wrong. And I do things like text the store manager when we’re low on something (like plastic wrap) and change the veggie wash (then have to test it to be sure that it’s coming thru correctly). I’m just getting frustrated that they take hours away from me to give to this gal. I totally understand them wanting someone as a backup for me. But to take my hours? Maybe I’m being petty. But I do enjoy the job.

Lisa– I find that the older I get, the more I want lighter things too –like dishes. I really don’t want ceramic dishes, I want Corelleware.

Mo– np at all. I know how hard it is after being incarcerated. A lot of people won’t give you a chance. This is an organization that helps people get back into society under supervision. They don’t charge much, but tips are appreciated. Oh, I got out a step DVD (I think it’s Cathe’s) but it’s shorter than Gin Miller’s that I have so I think I’ll start with that one. Isn’t it amazing how much you lose in a short time if you don’t keep up with exercising??

The guy about the stump removal just got here. I am under the impression that the removal is included in the price we paid C. I didn’t realize that he’d had a stroke. I know that many times he says things like “I just can’t remember any more” (like phone numbers, addresses, etc) and I just attributed it to the fact that he© isn’t a spring chicken anymore, but it turns out that this is probably a side effect of the stroke

Called C and told him that the deck guy never came or called.

Michele

I understand your frustration, Michele. But learning a second language isn't that easy. Especially if you are trying to learn it as an adult. Using Google translate might even be good for her, double checking what she's hearing and making sure there's no confusion.

The parents of my youngest son's girlfriend speak little to no English. They understand more than they can speak. My great grandparents came to this country already well into their 40s. They spoke only German for the rest of their lives, even though they ended up living in the US for another 30-40 years. So I would try to cut her some grace.

Cutting your hours is another issue. Have you tried to have a frank conversation with the manager about why they cut your hours? Without bringing up the other staff member, I mean.

Allie -- I'm feeling for you, too. I know it's hard to be patient, but you can do this.

I was rear-ended yesterday afternoon while waiting at a stop light. The guy and the way his car was loaded, with tarps strapped to the top, seemed homeless. The car he was driving, not his according to the registration, was not drivable; the airbags deployed. His passenger fled the scene. The driver apologized and told me he was not licensed to drive, nor did he carry insurance. "You aren't going to call the cops, are you?" I did, of course. He was so nervous, and I thought for sure he was also going to run, but I give him credit for sticking around. He was very kind and polite. The officer cited him, gave me a copy of the report for my insurance company, and I left.

I was curious about the driver all night. His address on the report seemed suspicious. I googled it this morning, and that confirmed what I thought. The address was for a homeless advocacy group that helps homeless people find housing. Made me sad for him. He likely totaled the car he was driving, all of his belongings were towed away, and he got cited. I mean, I get it; it was his fault totally, but I still feel so much sympathy for people whose lives are a mess. Made my inconvenience caused by the accident insignificant in comparison. I wasn't hurt; my car is drivable; I have insurance. It is also possible that the owner of the car was insured. A policy was listed on the report.

Still, upsetting to be slammed into while just waiting behind 6-7 other cars waiting for the light to turn. Thankfully, I have the habit of keeping at least one car length between me and the car in front of me, and the light turned, so I didn't hit the car in front of me. Thank God. I thought for sure I was going to.

Cars are replaceable or repairable. Lives sometimes aren't, so I've been sending lots of prayers up for the other driver today.

Flea

Willamette Valley OR, homeless capital of the world, I swear