WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR MAY 2025

Mo ~ So sorry about the job loss for your husband and I hope he will find another one soon. Sometimes events like that end up being for the best. A brighter future may be in the future for you both.

Pip ~ Glad you are enjoying your trip and enjoy the photos of your journey.

Heather ~ Your meeting day outing sounds like so much fun. You handsome Max seems to be getting a little mustache in the birthday photo. As our grandchildren transition into adulthood it is such a wonder!

Lisa ~ Sorry about your bad night. I admire you so much for all the work you attempt even though I know that you have health problems. Riding that tractor and hauling debris, plus all your crafts, housekeeping chores, and gardening.

Yesterday I vacuumed, mopped and dusted the hardwood floors in our den which for me was a huge undertaking as the room is about 20 by 20 feet. This morning I swept and mopped the kitchen. I think that will be it for the week! I find myself having to sit down very often as I try to do these things.

Carol in GA

Hello everyone;

I slept in rather late. Rose woke me up barking when she heard them delivering my package. I did stay up late reading. Reading helps me normally take mental vacations from my current situation. Who needs drugs to cope when you have books? Says me, who is on an antidepressant. So, I need all that is legal and prescribed. 😁 I am glad that I get to see my psychiatrist on Monday. I may need to work extra to pay my bills, at least. DH was paying the cable, the yard guy, my car note, and our insurance. If he gets unemployment, that can help pay for his HOA and food. He needs a new job ASAP. I don't want DH to rush me to move to Chicago. I will make an appointment with PERS to see what my options are.

Machka, I have a book for you. It is a story of caregiving dilemmas and a romance that hit close to home for me. It also had animals in it. It is by Abby Jimenez. "Say You Will Remember Me." It is fiction, but many of us in this group will enjoy this book.

Pip, you look great! Vacationing suits you. It makes me happy to see you having fun.

Kim, I hope your brother takes this loud warning seriously. If not, take him on a field trip to see his future. Maybe that will get him to make a lifestyle change. I know that in the pharmacy, I ran into this guy who was 45 and needed his walker and wheelchair due to left-sided weakness from a stroke. The blood sugar of 300 has a blood consistency of mashed potatoes. Imagine that going through the vessels of the heart, lungs, brain, and kidneys. It wasn't until I went to that class that I could see what that looked like. I am a visual learner. Prayers and hugs to you and his family.

Heather, thanks for reminding me that this situation will pass, and hugs.

Everyone, your support means the world to me. Thank you so much.

XO,

Mo in Mississippi

Kim: So sorry about your brother.

Allie: Ditto about yours. Hard to see them floundering.

Machka: Congrats on learning to swim. It's an activity I have done since I was about 2 years old, and hope to continue for life. If I lived as close to a beach as you do, I'd be in the water daily. Your pictures make me miss living in California and Hawaii. Here in Colorado I have access to an outdoor pool from May to September. Can't wait till they open it.

Lisa: Ditto that photo of your friend and DD in Hawaii. I can almost feel the trade winds.

Mo: Hope DH finds an even more rewarding job that what he had. Please take care. Those constant headaches sound like such a burden to live with.

Heather: That Max! Wowzers. He's a looker. Love those Meeting Day cards.

Lanette: Wish I lived closer and could take some tomato plants off your hands.

Rita: Enjoy your two weeks in the new park.

Beth: Prayers for your dear mom. And a big hug for ((you)).

Ginny: I hope you continue to get support during your recovery. Sounds like an exciting move ahead.

So happy to report that the 21 day Holter monitor results showed nothing concerning. My primary care physician also disagreed with the doctor who said my iron was too low. It's just at the low end of normal, so no need to supplement. I should know results of the echo cardiogram any day now.

My basketball team is continuing in the playoffs, so I have at least one more week of working at the arena. They are underdogs, but you just never know …. 🏀🏀🏀

My friend N will be here on the 19th. I've got us tickets for Sting at Red Rocks, reservations for dinner at a fondue place (FUN-do!), an introductory stretch at StretchLab with a golf specialist, and 2 nights in a riverside cottage by the national park. Fingers crossed for good weather. Like many of you, we've had rain and wind blowing through here this week.

Stay well friends. We can do this.

Rori

Colorado Foothills

Ladies!

I had a wonderful day of resting up - a little weed whacking and I finished tying up the taller tomato plants to stakes. I need to set them out in the breeze and sunshine for a few hours a day. The greenhouse has a shade cloth over it so they never get direct sunlight, just the warmth. Hopefully tomorrow afternoon I can start for a few hours.

Rita - so glad you like your new PC and your DH likes her as well. I encourage hugs, as you said, very welcoming. Sorry to hear about the goose. Many years ago we had a tiny farm with a pond - it came with a crippled duck. He couldn't waddle straight but he was a great swimmer.

Michele - have a safe quick trip!

Allie - love seeing those munchkins. SMiles looks like an adoring big brother!

Debbie - what do you do with the containers of soil the tomato plants grow in after they die in the fall/winter? I save mine and put it in the bottom of the containers I'll use this year along with sticks, compost, you name it or blend it with new soil. I see Home Depot had "garden soil" on sale for $2 a bag! Sale ended today. I didn't make it to town to get any. I only need one more bag.

Carol - you were on fire with that housework. Hope you weren't too sore today. I'll send Collette out to do it all for you next time. 😉 She just turned 56 and is a little powerhouse, hope she can keep at it as long as I need her.

Pip - looks like you're having fun. I think your friend looks like you - a couple cuties right there.

Mo - crossing fingers and saying a prayer that your DH finds a new job soon. I always look forward to his daily devotionals. You have so much going on right now. Great idea talking to PERS and seeing what your options are. I think a person in WA who has been enrolled in PERS for 30 years can take retirement. - don't quote me, lol. I only had 19 years in so had to wait until I was 65.

Heather - I finished your book, really enjoyed it, need to sit down one of these days and get a review posted. I love how your storytelling is so relatable to us, especially those of us who grew up in the 50's and 60's. I guess I could put THAT in a review. Stay tuned. 😁

Your writing about your baby Kate sparked a memory. Right after I was married and we moved out to Seattle, I hemorrhaged and when I eventually found a doc, she thought it likely that I'd had an early term miscarriage. This sounds strange, but I often felt the presence of a little one for decades. I'm reading a book about NDE's (near death experiences) and there's a story about a child who died for a little while before being resuscitated, and while on the "other side" met his siblings - who lost due to miscarriages. His parents had never told him about losing those babies. I get chills thinking about it. Maybe I'll meet my little one some day.

Rori - so glad the heart monitor didn't show any problem. Good to know! Echo will probably show similar. Sounds like a great time planned with N! 😀

I cancelled my appointment with Dr. Lisa tomorrow. With her messaging me, and a discussion yesterday with Melanie, our leader in the diabetes prevention Zoom class, I got most of my questions answered.

Better close. Chance of frost tonight and I need to move the tomatoes into the potting shed.

Lanette 😎

SW WA State

I just saw this other ship

Thank you to Lanette, Rita, and others of you who have bought my book and are writing a review. It means so much to me. I am especially happy when I see people are finding resonances of their own, which was my intention. 😘 The ratings and reviews are gold dust, sprinkled over the Amazon algorithms! It will reach more people that way. I know a lot of people find review writing difficult, or a chore, but really it's a numbers game and just a simple comment is hugely appreciated. 😍

Lanette - May your baby's presence be with you. Always.

Zoom today with my schoolfriends. Other than that, I am having a quiet day. The chub-rub underwear I bought does fit, though I panicked when I saw the size of them, they were so tiny. I might actually wear a dress out and about this summer!

I have self-diagnosed my uncomfortable upper abdomen with breathlessness, as a hiatus hernia. Seems to fit, after much googling. I've always had problems in that area, even when I was much younger, and they are much worse when I put on weight. I have had these symptoms before when I have put weight on. So, first priority - lose weight. I feel better now I 'know' what it is. 🤓 They are reluctant to operate, unless the symptoms are unmanageable, so I will do what I know is helpful and monitor it.

Love Heather UK xxxxxxxx

Hi

Lisa- I too had an episode on Saturday night at the farmhouse! Was thankful I still had 2 imodium in my purse. I am blaming poor eating choices that day. Doughnuts and Mcdonalds-duh! Glad we are both feeling better!

Mo- so much to think about! Hugs!

Rori, Lanette, Allie, and Ginny- Am thankful that all your healing is going well. My heart monitor also showed nothing concerning. My DH told me I need to keep walking even if only 15 mins a day. 😉 So sweet.

Still kicking. Anxiety high due to an unpleasant customer. Then dreams that I was being arrested for murder of someone i dint know....wild times! Work still crazy. Looking forward to next weekend as it is our first car show of the year!

Gotta get ready for work.

Love to all of you!

Hugs!

Thankful for all of the sharing so that we don't feel alone.

😍

Kylia in Ohio

Hello, my dears, from the soggy, foggy steppes of the Arkansas River Valley,

More rain last night, and another chilly morning - the day won't even make it to 70 degrees/21 C. I'm inside again today, but honestly enjoying a couple days of inside stuff.

Took the afternoon completely off yesterday. I started watching Scott & Bailey on Britbox a couple days ago and am now about halfway through Season 2, as well as the bit of crochet I'm working on. Thank you for that mention, Heather! Really enjoying it. For those who haven't seen it, it's a police procedural, but you get really attached to the characters quite quickly. Really good storylines, and you become totally engrossed in the character's lives.

Carol - Thank you for that compliment… long explanation, so I put it in a spoiler. Skip if not interested.

As usual, that got away from me, thus the spoiler. 😉

Mo - I don't respond well to anyone pushing me to do anything, so I can't respond well to your dilemma. But, someone I love once told me, "If a dearly loved friend was telling you the same thing that's going on with you now, what advice would you give her?" It really helped. It's hard to step outside our own situations and look in at them - but if Baby Suko was in the same place you are now, faced with the same decisions, what would you tell her?

Machka - SO well done on the audit, my friend. I know that was a weight off your mind to pass that. Enjoy your busy weekend!

Michele - Safe travels.

Egg is curled up on my sewing table once more, so I'll wait a bit to work on the jacket I'm building. Time for me to get in the shower, I think. Want to get my towel into the wash with the rest of the whites, so I'll get my shower done early. And yes, I always wash my towels after one use, and use hot water with mild bleach, too.

Many years of UTIs taught me the hard way not to risk any bacterial growth on anything that touches my skin - my underwear all have cotton gussets, and they go in the hot bleach water, too, as well as changing them three to five times a day. I genuinely can't afford any kind of infection with my immune system compromised by the medication. "Died of a UTI" is not something I'd want put on my tombstone! 😜😹🐈‍⬛ Might be I've been watching too many murder mysteries… Heard Corey mutter under his breath last night, "Those British people are awful fragile - they die A LOT." 😀 I just told him to hush and go back to his book. 🤷🏻‍♀️😜

Have a grand day, my chickens,

Love y'all dearly,
Lisa in AR

Pip the boat you saw might have some friends of mine on board. They are on a cruise that started in Korea. Husband had an uncle in the Korean War. They just posted pictures similar to yours from Glacier Bay! It is fun seeing both of your pictures. My dad was a pilot in Alaska in WWII. He was in Dutch Harbor when it was bombed. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a scouting mission that discovered the decoy ships to throw us off from the Battle of Midway. The plane that took over for his plane did not make it back. I have never been to Alaska so seeing your photos are special to me because of my dad.

Lanatte Because of my kidney numbers it has got me interested in the cause for the elevated numbers. It has led me to learn more about Uric acid and what causes a rise in blood work. Besides red meat fructose can also be a culprit. Turns out in our ancestors uric acid helped us survive drought and famine. Now it contributes to us gaining weight. Listened to a few videos on detailed explanations as to the mechanisms of how fructose contributes to higher uric acid. Too much info to go into it here. When uric acid becomes too high it starts to cause problems. The two major signs are gout and arthritic joint pain. Kidney stones may also be a problem and weight gain.

So I have started trying to limit my red meat and some seafood.

Fructose is found in fruit. As long as the fruit is not overly sweet the fiber in the fruit mitigates the effect of the fructose. Fruit juices do not have the fiber and thus are high in Fructose. I do like Kombucha but I realize it is also a fruit juice, so I am starting to cut back in drinking this. I also like tart cherry juice which I will cut back on and try to eat cherries once they are in season. Unfortunately many processed foods here are sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup because it is cheap. I have already cut them out of my diet. Table sugar is half fructose with no fiber so anything with an added sugar is more than likely increases your fructose load. Because people have a strong sweet tooth many our fruits and veggies have been bred to be even sweeter. We may enjoy them but they do not do our health any favors.

Rita ~ Love your jokes every day and look forward to them! 🤣

Carol in GA