WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR NOVEMBER 2025

My daughter sent me this picture this morning of the sunrise she saw.

She and her brother are working at the auction market today. They leave our place at 5am and get home around 11pm.

Melanie

Thank you, both to those who commented and those who didn't! 🫣🥰 I'm glad to have it done, and I may have finally painted something I can live with. I was uneasy about both the winter tree and the feathers, for any number of reasons, but mostly because they didn't look like I planned. (Prior murals on the same fridge, if you weren't around.) This one actually is quite close to what I had in my mind's eye. Not perfect. Never, ever, exactly the same as the vision… but close. At least I won't flinch every time I walk in the house.

I like the idea that eventually, it will either land in a repair shop or be broken down for parts or even a landfill. Go ahead, ask me why.

But since I posted that pic, I've been working hard repurposing all the wire shelving that I used in the back bedrooms into the small shop under the carport. But now I've had a break, snagged some lunch and headed back to it.

Later,
Lisa in AR

It's Guy Fawkes Night here, so explosions and fireworks are going off all around.

Heather UK xxxxxxxx

Melanie - I have had a bad knee since I was 15. It used to come and go. I do targeted exercises for it every day. I had both hips replaced last year and since then it has been worse. I managed OK on the cruise, and I was pleased, but suffered a relapse on Saturday. It is now arthritis, but I haven't been to the doctor about it. I may do so, just to get an x-ray done. I can't afford to have a private knee replacement after paying for two hips. The NHS would take forever, but it might be worth getting the process started. I keep hoping it will resolve itself with exercises. It is very annoying after paying out so much for my hips.

Apparently there are other treatments coming down the line, but could take years to reach me.

Heather UK xxxxxxxx

Barbara - safe travels. Be careful out there.

Cold and rainy here today. I have the crockpot full of chicken vegetable soup, will serve with brown rolls from Cheesecake Factory for dinner. Choir tonight and T is going to be passing out Christmas music. Yikes! But there are not really all that many weeks left.

Heather - glad you will be getting the knee looked at. So sorry your DS was injured. Ankles are hard to rehab.

Lisa - I like the window on the fridge.

Tracey - Hope things get easier as you progress with your MIL. Remember you have 2 hands. One to help yourself and 1 to help others.

Everyone take care, Sue in WA

Lisa - your refrigerator painting is my favorite one so far! Love the bird "swarms" in the sky. Very realistic. This would be a beautiful Christmas card. 😁 I feel fortunate we signed up for original Medicare too. Switched to plan G high-deductible for 2026 from plan N that I have right now. Crossing fingers I stay away from doctors and hospitals in 2026. Washington is one of the few states that allows switching to other Medigap plans any time throughout the year without underwriting.

Kay - do you have the option of downloading a new driver for the card game? That's the problem I encountered with my printer. I'm hesitant to mess with downloading drivers. I've done it before but had my DH here to bail me out if I got in trouble. AI offered to walk me through downloading the driver but since I had the option of hooking up my printer to the Chromebook I found an easy out.

Melanie - it was good to be able to talk to your sis about your dad. She'll be in your pocket when you visit him. 😉 We will be too! Love that your kids get to go to work in a saddle. 😁 Beautiful sunrise.

Rita - great news about your son, sounds like he's getting back on track now that he's in a stable environment. Hope the new diabetes medicine helps get your blood sugar back under control.

Rori - adorable photos of you and Mars and you and N. Always love it when you pop in. Go Nuggets! Go Avalanche!

Having thundershowers here right now. What month is this?

Lanette 😎

SW WA State

Tracey – when I lost my father’s ring that he gave me (it probably wasn’t worth much except sentimentally) something someone said to me made me think things in a different light. “if they had to take it, they probably needed it more than you did”. So whoever took your mother’s ring needed it more

Lately our cats have been on standard time (or else they just want their dinner earlier – not sure which it is)

It seems to be a combination of dark and cooler temps that are keeping people inside and not walking their dogs. Oh well...not me

Heather – how I wish your leg was better.

Deb – hope everything works out for your mom

The other day Jess asked me what my mother’s favorite dish was. I just answered her “Jess, I can barely remember my mother much less what her favorite dish was”

Lanette – there are some stores around here who donate a lot. FoodLion, WalMart, Sams. If Sams orders things and can’t fit them in their freezer, they donate it. But it does seems that donations are down somewhat, I’m thinking that stores are cutting back on how much they’re ordering. I’m going to give the soup kitchen a donation(check) when I go Friday. I am afraid that there’s going to be an increase need. And as far as I know, the soup kitchen hasn't received the grant I applied for them in July. Previously they'd gotten it. Wonder if the program been discontinued or the fact that someone else bought the store has anything to do with it. I'm just not sure. I've tried calling, and just have to leave a message and no one has gotten back to me. I'm going to try again, and maybe someone will be in accounts payable and they can at least give me info as to who I can speak to

Oh, the gal who previously ran the ceramics studio is going to have a christmas party at this one church. The room is free – I suspect one of the people who will be at the party goes to that church. I would normally have offered my house, but with J&C living downstairs, I just can’t this year. If she does it again next year, and if J&C are in their place, I’ll definitely offer our home.

Oh, J talked to Lynette today. She said they STILL aren’t moved into their house. Yes, they bought it a year ago this month. She was making “upgrades” to it. Looking at the video of it, it didn’t look like a fixer-upper to me. I can understand that she may have wanted to change the bathroom tub so that she can get into it. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t move into the house. Oh well,...if they can afford it, more power to them. According to J they expect to move this month. Honestly, I’ll believe it when I see it.

Barbie – that is so nice that the dogs care so much about each other that they check on each other

Melanie – beautiful picture

It’s now Wed. No work tomorrow but the plan is to do some HIIT at the gym tomorrow and then probably Aldi.

Went to Michael’s since I had 2 vouchers, one of which expired today. I was thinking that I’d get some meringue. I know HL is less expensive – I think around $15. So I figured M can’t be that much more and with my $10 off, that’ll make it less expensive. But M wanted almost $24. No way. So I got a bottle of butter flavoring which I use for $9.99 and with my vouchers, it was free.

Had routine blood work done today. Went to BK, started the prep, had my blood drawn, then returned and finished the prep. Actually, I went also to CVS and got a bottle of Dawn for something like 72 cents since I had coupon for there. You know, our Medicare uses CVS as their preferred pharmacy, and since (Vince especially) we get a lot of prescriptions, I am now getting a lot of money off. When it was just me, I barely ever got coupons.

Took Ganon for his walk. Jess wants him to get used to the harness. He HATES it. Just tonight she said that I can use the collar.

OK ladies – I’m running out of ideas for dinners. I’d like it to be something that I can keep warm for them since sometimes Jess works late. So casseroles seem to work ok. Made chicken today and just kept it in the oven warm for them, But I’m running out of ideas of what to have. C likes things spicy, Vince doesn’t eat spices, J just mild spices. Tomorrow I’m planning to have huvero ranchero (or however you spell it) and on Sunday a Chicken Casserole. Does anyone have any ideas? Nothing real complicated.

Just made a chocolate brownie cake for anyone. We shall see how it turns out.

Vince is at bowling right now. I do find that with J&C here I’m using the dishwasher more, but that’s expected.

Lately I've been drinking some pickle juice. Just a small glass (probably about 4oz) every day. We shall see if it helps with cramps in my legs. Plus…I get the pickle juice for free from BK. We'd just throw it out anyway.

I just realized that in the 4 years I've been at BK, I haven't called out once because of illness. Well, some of that is because of the nature of my work. Like at one point I lost my voice. Not sure why. But I still was able to go to work since I really don't need to talk to customers/other workers. Plus..it's not like I'm there for a long time, only anywhere from 2 to 4 hours, usually around 3. Enough for me, I just go there, do my job, do it the best I can, and I go home. They work with me, I work with them. I like to laugh and tell people that the reason I couldn't get the RSV vaccine is because I'm too healthy. I don't have any underlying conditions — no asthma, kidney problems, liver problems, etc

Michele NC

I’m not taking the time to comment tonight, it’s been another long hard day.
I found out that MIL’s house will be auctioned on Nov 20. The daughter and grandchildren have received two eviction notices and have not left. They may be forcibly removed.

We have people lined up to get her stuff on Monday. We may need the sherriff to step in before that so that her stuff is safe from them.

She has made a very detailed list of what she wants and went through it with Rodger, myself and her ex son in law. He’s a son to her.

I am sick, I’m sure all of the stress has weakened my immune system so have caught a cold. I have called in sick tomorrow, the first time since I started over a year ago.

I was very teary today. It’s almost coming to an end, but the fractured family will never be repaired and I don’t know if I’m sorry for that or not for myself, but I sure am sad for Rodger and his mother.

Tracey in Edmonton

Lisa: I love your trompe l’oeil fridge painting.

I have used Biofreeze spray for ages on my back. It does the trick quite quickly.

We did our weekly shopping today instead of yesterday as DH had to go get his routine bloods done yesterday.

🤗🤗🤗 and 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 for those who need them.

🙋‍♀️ céad míle fáilte to our newbies

☘️ Terri

@Poerava14 PLEASE friend request me and send me your address and I'll send you one!

It's my passion. I love making cards and sending them out. Love in an envelope!

Have a great day all!
Carla, in MN

It took every ounce of convincing to get myself up.

"Don't look at the whole picture, sometimes its all about doing the next right thing"

So my next right thing was rolling out of a warm bed. Today I can put that I started November out well with a Monday-Thursday workout.

I am now munching bon a Kodiak thick and fluffy protein waffle with smear of peanut butter and sipping coffee.

And Today is Dose Day! Tomorrow is Ramen Day with my friend on the island here. Last time we got together was June for birthdays!

Rebecca Whidbey Wa

Tracey - you have been through more in the past month or so than many people go through in a decade. When you went back home to visit your mom and see friends, did you have any idea that you'd be stepping in to rescue MIL like this? In my view, your SIL fractured the family quite a while ago, you just pulled back the curtain and exposed it. Hope you get some rest today - you've been able to set a lot of things in motion and you're exhausted. (((((HUGS))))

Allie - so glad you weren't hurt when you fell. By all means let your doctor know.

Kay - that makes sense about the driver and wanting to find a whole new replacement for the card game. I had a little diet app that I used for years, sort of like this MFP that had a food log, exercise log, etc. I bought the download of it for something like $20. Then it didn't work anymore on Windows 10 - they do have a totally online version now, for a price. Seems like every update to all technology creates more problems and cost. I had to get a new phone last year because the old one ran out of storage from all the bells and whistles every update injected.

Hope Dave can find a new card game that he enjoys playing.

Barbie - you mentioned some of Jake's items you donated or gave to the kids. I thought it was neat that your daughter felt comfortable in that the furniture was still there that she remembered. I can imagine the reminiscing and memories of Jake while she was visiting stirred up some feelings. (((HUGS)))

I reached the point that if someone else could use it my DH's stuff, it was easier for me to find a new home for it. His clothing was donated (except for his sweats which I can wear). His drums and guitars and pickup which I sold pretty quickly. I kept one drum and one guitar, but if a music student needed them, I'd gladly give them away. And my own stuff - how many large covered casserole dishes and Pyrex loaf pans does one person need?? Things cluttering cupboards that have no sentimental value.

Weather Report, lol: Looks like one more day of monsoon weather here, then 5 days of little or no rain with some sun peeks if Weather Underground has predicted things correctly. I realized yesterday that I don't have an adequate rain jacket. I'm spending more time walking the property several times a day refilling bird feeders and broadcasting a little seed under bushes and evergreens, hence I got pretty soaked yesterday. I found an old bright orange rain jacket DH used to wear. It was HUGE and just won't do. Maybe the farm store has something kind of lightweight yet heavy duty enough to do the job. Would like something with a hood and bill. On the bright side, I'm not trudging through ice and snow. 😁

Having a late breakfast/early lunch with D this morning. I was hungry so already had my egg and toast. Brain on daylight savings time and all that. After DH passed, she and I would walk nearly every day until my foot could no longer take it and the foot surgeon told me to keep it at 7000 steps since I was close to a stress fracture. Anyway, it did me good to get out and get fresh air and listen to someone else talk about their lives instead of me thinking about how much my life had changed… and didn't change… now that DH was gone. We don't walk anymore, mostly because she and her DH now go to the gym a lot and I realized I treasured my alone time when I walked. So breakfast once a month is a good compromise.

Lanette 😎

SW WA State

Lisa and Lanette - this is why I love you, you just say it like it is.

I slept all night last night and just got up a few minutes ago, just before I would normally be at work.

I woke up to the executed POA document. I’m so relieved to have that. It is dated for Nov 3.

MIL is going to the doctor today so hopefully she gets some relief for pain. Kaitlyn and Brodey are doing that it makes more sense, Brodey can intelligently talk to the doctor about options. I’ve given them a list of things she’s concerned about that I’ve been adding to as she mentions things.

I am going to buy some totes today to try to organize some things. It’s going to be a lot of work over the next few days, and we have to tell the people in NB that Mom is staying here. I don’t know how they haven’t figured it out since they know they’re all homeless now, but we need to tell them I guess.

Thank you all so much for supporting me through this. Hopefully we can breathe easier here after Monday.

Tracey in Edmonton

Big, big (((HUGS))) Tracey.

Love Heather UK xxxxxxxx

Allie—Take care of yourself! Best to get checked out just to make sure there isn’t some subtle damage somewhere.

Heather—So sorry your knee is giving you grief. Preparing for visitors is always stressful too, so don’t forget to take some breaks for yourself.

Lisa—I love the painting.

Rita—It sounds like things are looking up for your son. Great news.

Melanie—I don’t have the drama with my sisters like you. We are best friends. However, there is still other drama around them and I’m glad I live far enough away that I can remove myself from it.

Rori—Great photos. So nice to read your report.

Tracey—Hang in there. It’s great that you got that POA. I know it’s a bit melancholy for you all, but every time you post a photo of your MIL with the kids, she looks very happy. Maybe this move is great for her.

Michele—Think casseroles and crockpot meals. Pasta dishes reheat well. Keep sandwich things around. We think of those for lunch, but they work just fine for dinner too. Quiches and frittatas are also good options and you can double the recipes for the base and put different things in them to match all the tastes. I also have a chili infused oil (or just chili flakes) on hand when the mister wants something spicier. It’s hearty soup season, so get some crusty bread and make big batches of soups. I sous vide a bunch of chicken pieces and have them in the freezer for quick meals. You can put it in salads, make a stir fry or curry with them at a moment’s notice. This is what I’m doing because we seem to be on different eating schedules. Food is around. We just have to reheat it.

Well, my job has changed. It’s the same job, but the company merged with another and I fear we will now have to deal with “corporate structure.” I do not like that at all. I will likely break even on salary or even make a bit less overall. If things change too much, I’ll quit. I’m told nothing will change, at least in the short term, but that’s not the impression I got when talking to the new COO yesterday. The reason I’ve stuck around for 10+ years is because I like everything about the job as it is.

I’ve been having issues with little pops in my back when I move certain ways for a while now. For example, if I do a sit up/ab crunch, it sounds like my spine is popping like bubble wrap. So, I’m increasing my ab workouts hoping it’s a muscle imbalance. Have any of you had this sensation or know what it could be?

I have a doc appointment for my feet today. I’m hoping he can help me get this PF taken care of once and for all. I’m tired of not being able to run/walk or even do a weight workout without significant pain.

Hugs to those in need.

Tina in CA