WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR AUGUST 2025

Good very early morning, beautiful friends,

Rebecca, I am so sorry for the loss of Tucker. He was such a beautiful dog. On the 15th of this month, I celebrated Rose's birthday. She is now 10, and I would be devastated without her. How old was Tucker? What happened? Did the vet say there was nothing they could do? I would hate for a dog to suffer. So, now he is over the "Rainbow". I like to think he is free of pain and playing like he is young again. Hug your sister for me. She needs a new puppy after she says goodbye to Tucker. Looking at the pics, I cried. I fell in love with everyone's dog. Yogi's passing was a hard pill to swallow. Rita's Brownie passing was difficult, too.

Allie, I think Kyle is brainwashing Tracey against you so he can isolate her. She knew you would see that post. How can she ignore how much you went through this year?

Pip, I hope your brother will fight this cancer and win. I know the big "C" is scary. We all say "F" cancer. I am so glad you were able to celebrate his birthday. He will love that picture. Why are you starting to hate running? It was something you and Kirby did together. I wonder if it is no longer fun because he doesn't run anymore. I hate running because it burns my lungs, but I wish I did run. I am better at power walking. I used to run track. Being an asthmatic made it no picnic. BTW, I wrote down your birthday in my calendar.

Lisa, I love your cardigan. It was professionally done. I love the colors in the sweater.

Debbie, maybe you can buy an ice maker for DH.

Machka, Congrats on learning how to swim. Practice makes perfect. So keep it up.

Michelle, I was so sleepy when I posted these past few days. I am so sorry that I gave you another grandchild.

I want to make a reading library for our unit. I found some shelves I could use on Amazon. Maybe three will do. They are $33.00 each. I will donate some books if my children agree. I know that I agreed with my therapist to stop spending my money on the babies in the unit. Their parents don't come and visit them, and I feel that being one and no one loving them is heartbreaking. There is one parent who didn't want me as their nurse because I woke their child up at 4 am, grabbing their arm to look at her IV for labs. I wanted to apologize to them, but I was doing my job. I understand how they feel. Now I tell parents in advance that I have to do labs at 4 am so that they can be prepared. I hate it when I get a parent who is not happy with me. I try my best to give the best care to my patients.

Everything went wrong. DH has been working and training for his new job. Then he gets a call that they want to delay his start date, even though he has already started. They said that he has been doing great, but they need to figure out their staffing issue. Someone was upset that they were not promoted, and instead, they got someone from the outside. Then DS called and said that he does not qualify for the parent plus loan, because he has been filing independent on his taxes. So we need $22,000 to finish his last year in school. They need $11,000.00 of it by this month, or he will be kicked out. I wish he had gone to Ole Miss, which offered 50% off tuition and a scholarship. He has a scholarship at NYU, but it is not enough to cover all his expenses. I think we will figure it out. Well, I am going to sleep now. I am not stressed because doing my step aerobics helped me destress. Talk to you all later.

XO,

Mo in Mississippi

Rebecca - Tightly held hugs for you and your sister. Fur babies love us hard and hurt so bad when they pass. 😢

Allie is in a tough situation. I am sure Kyle monitors all messages and posts. I would recommend figuring out a safe phrase spoken when Kyle not around. Something ordinary but not ordinary. "Hey Mom, I thought about dying my hair purple" . Allie would then know Tracey needs amily is hardhelp. Of course that only works if Tracey wants help, but might bring Allie some peace of mind. Family is hard. Adult children are hard. Older parents are hard. Protecting ourselves and our loved ones is hard. Letting Allie know we love her is the easy part! Listening is the easy part. Hugs Allie!

Mo- Back to life is hard…wow! Hugs for you too! My oldest had to do student loans for college. Her dad and I couldn't afford it. She knew that going in. I hope things work out for the males in your family. For now, I think you are in the place you are needed.

Yesterday was hard. I am still weepy today. Migraine day 4. I put a customer in his place yesterday. I will just say he was not representing who/what he was advertising. He was being rude and demanding and lied. I told him like it was. Don't mess with me when my days have already been hard. My pitchfork and horns come out. Maria actually stayed until close though she usually leaves at 4. I am grateful. She is my SIL's granddaughter. It sucks when you feel like you are never enough......I am grateful that Maria sees things like I do. It is awesome to have 2 people at work that think like me. We could make things better if we had 4 people to replace 4 bodies that just don't care. And the last body would figure out that "Dad's" way no longer works. It worked in 1990 but not in today's world.

In the meantime, I keep plugging along, making little changes as I can with M and D's help. Trying to make changes that a) make my job less time consuming. b) Keep the shop both profitable and respected in the area. C) Put processes in place that will enable others to step in to assist in mist areas. Getting all this done morally and with pride in our work.

I have been cooking in hot tub for an hour. Prior, I sorted laundry, emptied dishwasher, and changed sheets. I should probably get ready for work-🫡🤐😶‍🌫️

Please know that you are all LOVED and HUGGED,

Kylia in Ohio

Rebecca … Tucker was a beautiful dog. Hugs to you and your sister.

Mo … my husband and I made our son take out the maximum amount he was allowed under the federal student loan program (his debt, not ours) and we paid the balance after substantial scholarships that he received. Still, it was a boatload of money. At first we had low interest loans, but after we were eligible to make a withdrawal from our 401K without penalty, we paid it all off. Not a particularly good financial move, but it's what we did. It is impossible today for young people to earn enough during the summers and through part-time jobs to pay for school. Another system that is broken.

Raining today and I'm just puttering inside. Later tonight I have a bridal shower to attend. I've been requested to bring cut fruit for the dessert table. I am horrible at picking out ripe melons, so I purchased pre-cut yesterday. Stupidly more expensive but at least the guests will be able to eat it.

Beth near Buffalo

my ideal car would have been red outside light interior.

So true Mo. They just don't get that we worked our tushies off for the things they grew up with. We didn't just "have" it when they were there. They got the benefit of years of our hard labor and sweat. They seem to think they can waltz out of college and walk into 6-figure job, house with a 3-car garage, vacations whenever they like, and lattes every morning. It just doesn't work that way. I still don't have that and I make my own mochas at home.
I also agree with Tracey, Allie. I have to think that Kyle is behind Tracy's behavior towards you. WTHeck is his deal with not "allowing" you to be alone with the kids unless they're there, BUT they'll gladly accept you're babysitting?!? I'd put my foot down to that right now. Sorry, I'm sorta flying off the handle on this one and it's not your fault, but as Tracey said, this sounds like he's really trying to isolate her. He's already pushed one child away.
That "safe phrase" is a really good idea, Kylia. We use that in our family for phone calls too just in case there's an emergency to be sure we're talking to the real person. Started that when the grands were very young.

Thanks Lanette and Rita. It's just SO sad. I love her to death, but I just don't like her. How horrible is that?

Oh Rebecca, that just breaks my heart. 💔 I know it was for the best, but he was such a lover. Your poor, sweet sister. Sending love and prayers to her. She needs to know that she did the right thing for him. BIG HUGE (((hugs)))

Love and Blessings
Carla, in MN

Hey guys, I am back with Rose clinging tightly to me,

We are having a thunderstorm. When she was younger, she would play outside even in the rain and thunder. Now that she is older, she is very nervous about it.

DH found out that his employer had decided to invest in more stores and start DH then. He is thinking of September. Meanwhile, DH asked them to pay him in an invoice as a consultant, instead of a payroll check, so that it won't interfere with his unemployment. As for DS, we are trying to figure out how to get a loan for him to finish school. They said that we no longer qualify for the parent plus loan due to DS's age. DS took 2 years off from school due to COVID. I had COVID and was in the hospital, and he got it as well. He was isolated in NYC and was deeply depressed. So, he worked at UMMC for 2 years(didn't save much money), got therapy, then went back to school. His financial aid issues are infuriating, as his last year at NYU could be postponed because of his age. However, I had to deal with problems at school on my own. My dad didn't know how to deal with things like that, and my mom told me to ask my dad. The good thing was that I worked hard and dealt with all the delays. I had to put myself first and not be a cab service for my cousin, who was in the Navy. It was making me have to drop out of classes. I told my dad no more of this crap. I went to a counselor at school to resolve my issues. I was then transferred to another school and stayed in the library. Maybe DS needs to be on top of his stuff, too. His grades are stellar, but this bombshell should have been looked into earlier. I asked him about it after I listened to the parent support group complaining about the fees. I am going to go to the pharmacy and pick up my meds. Then I am going to work out, so I can destress. My job as a mom is never done. I need to remind DD that in November, she will age out of my insurance if she needs to get her teeth fixed.

PiP, I know you can do this half-marathon, physically. Are you mentally ready to train? I think you are. Just ask yourself that every year till you are 69. I have to go through the questions of doing my step aerobics each day. One day, when I finished exercising, I thought, "That was fun," so I kept doing it. I have a Salon pas on my back and right hip. I feel it is worth it. I am helping those ischemic vessels in my brain. Something is empowering about exercise. I made sure I got a red car this time. I wanted a Volvo, but got a Jeep in red, and it worked out well for me and Rose. Red is my favorite color. So maybe next time, since you are leasing, you can get a red car. I love the seats and the car. Well, I'd better get going.

Carol, about the scam, they did the same thing to my mother-in-law about DS. She called us first, and we said that he is in his room and Big Horace is fine as well. I looked into this scam, and they warned us to be cautious and not give any personal information. I guess they obtain information from Facebook. I am so sorry that happened to you.

Chow for now,

MO in Mississippi

Good afternoon ladies!

On the run this morning, lunch with M. She told me about a Medicare scam they got caught up in. Here we go…

Mo - sounds like things are in the works for your DH's job. Some employers aren't good planners (or managers) and make hiring decisions before thinking everything through and leave the employee in the lurch. Crossing fingers things work out for your son's loan.

Pip - I like that car, the interior looks so nice. I heard cops like to pull over red cars because they look like they are going fast even when standing still, lol. I don't see very many red cars on the road these days now that you mentioned it. I was wondering if you were still running or going to the gym.

I stopped at a couple thrift stores this morning looking for a sweater or quarter zip pullover - nothing. I went into a nicer clothing store and did find a Carhartt pullover - $69. Too much to slouch around the house in and feed the chickens. But did find the equivalent on Amazon, their brand, for $19 plus a coupon for a couple bucks off.

The weatherman is once again off his rocker and predicting temps here in the mid-90's this coming weekend. I'll be glad to ship some south where you guys are putting on sweaters, lol.

Lanette 😎

SW WA State

I don’t know it’s just the thought of training for it, if I don’t want to die, I have to train somewhat for it because if I don’t, I will regret it. I don’t have anything to prove to anyone, at this point, I really don’t even care about pace anymore. I’ll be over the moon if I end up doing anything under an 11 minute mile which is really slow for me. I remember the first full marathon we did, at the 1/2 way mark we were doing a 9 minute mile and I told Kirby we neeeded to slow down because we have another 13 miles to go. No I'm not mentally ready to train but I’m going to start because I have to. :0/

Didn’t get to run today. We went to do the car paperwork only so I thought, we ended up bringing the new one home. We weren’t prepared to, we hadn’t emptied out our car yet. They still have to remove hitch from our car and put it on the new one. I need to give them my key fob, back seat headrests and the cargo cover. I guess that will happen tomorrow.

He had been looking for a red one, it couldn’t be found. The I used to detail cars and gray metallic was the worse to detail. It is in the garage so the sun won’t kill the pain job.

I have been on this rollercoaster for 3 or 4 weeks and its got me rethinking my life, for certain! Most on Zepbound states if I do not take it tomorrow, it won't impact things and I can start back up the Thursday after. Some patients state that the 5 mg dose gave them a hard time, but the 7.5 mg dose was fine. Most state that the 2.5 mg dose in more an introduction of the medication. But then others experience weight loss with 2.5 and continue that dose throughout their whole journey. I need to chat with doctor on meds to stop the constipation from happening in the first place. I know taking (staggered time wise) the IBgard mint herbal thing isn't helping, the MiriFAST chews a don't want to get dependent of a laxative, and I think those two medications combined give me terrible acid reflux. Its taking something for one side effect, then taking something else because that first thing gives you a whole new side effect! That's craziness but that might just be my life!

Rebecca Whidbey Wa

Another rough day work wise. Thankful that Son in lawmcaught up in repairs so assisted up front. Older mechanics cancer has metastasised. He left at noon to start new treatment. SIL and her granddaughter are both off on Wednesday to care for the ex husband's son's little girl. Other mechanic called in sick. DH decided it was a good day to change oil in truck-SMH My head still pounding.

Upside sheets changed, laundry going, dinner cooked and cleaned, plants watered, cats cared for.…and now need to get out of hot tub to do work.

Love to all!

We've Got this!

Kylia in Ohio