The weather forecast says, “Check on the elderly.” I have no problem with this idea, except they are talking about ME!
I choose to age with sass.
Here are some quotes I love about aging –
Wisdom is the reward for surviving our own stupidity.” — Brian Rathbone
“I’ve enjoyed every age I’ve been and each has had its own individual merit. Every laugh line, every scar, is a badge I wear to show I’ve been present, the inner rings of my personal tree trunk that I display proudly for all to see. Nowadays, I don’t want a “perfect” face and body; I want to wear the life I’ve lived.” — Pat Benatar
It is lovely to meet an old person whose face is deeply lined, a face that has been deeply inhabited, to look in the eyes and find light there.” — John O-Donohue
There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.~ Sophia Loren
“As long as I am breathing, in my eyes, I am just beginning.” — Criss Jami
“When I grow up I want to be an old woman.” — Michelle Shocked
Filed under aging, Attitude, Favorite Quotes
I have a yoga routine that I am trying to do every afternoon now. It’s “Old Lady” yoga, emphasizing good, long, slow stretches rather than asking me to fold my body into a paper airplane and then fly out the window.
I’m grateful to Kat Kabira for making a DVD that got me started several years ago now. She has given me the opportunity to get more flexible, strengthen my core muscles, lessen my pain, and learn to relax. (Of course, I actually have to DO the routine in order to reap its benefits. I am finally caught up enough from gremlins causing problems in our house that I am actively making time for my practice now.)
I’m also adding some positions to my core routine. Since it will be too hot, even with the fan on the all, to do my elliptical trainer out in the garage, a longer, richer yoga routine should take up some of the slack. I’m trying to add at least one new position to my routine each day.
I don’t want my body parts to fall off as I’m working in the garden. It’s good motivation to keep up the yoga…
Last night I felt my age was 108 or so. I spent some time in the yard yesterday, stuffing the remainder of the black plastic that used to be the floor of our now dismantled greenhouse into a leaf bag. I had stretched it out first thing yesterday so the sun would hopefully dry up the water and I could shake off the mud enough to get it into a bag. I hauled the bag around the back of the house to the garage, ready for next Tuesday’s trash pickup. I also spread a lot of grass seed on the rectangular section of mud out there now. Happily enough, we got a bit of rain later, so hopefully it’s a start for the area to go back to the tall grass area it was pre-greenhouse eventually. All that bending, pulling, and hauling and trips back and forth to the garage made my parts yell in protest later in the day, making my “feels like” age (like the heat index) soar to 108 or so.
I slept like a log last night, and feel only my actual age this morning. I have found that I have a new pet peeve – I react quite hostilely to being referred to as ‘elderly.’ I never thought about the word much. The picture in my head when I hear that word is someone VERY frail, who can barely get around, has little or no hearing, and can’t follow the conversation around him or her. They fall asleep at the drop of a hat, etc. (The fact that this sometimes is a good description of me is only a coincidence…. )
My hostility started during the pandemic, when they kept emphasizing the group at most risk for dying from the virus. I realized with horror they were talking about my husband and me! Yeah, we’re older than dirt and do have health issues, but that doesn’t translate to ‘elderly,’ in my opinion. We are fully vaccinated, so these two ‘elderly’ people are as safe as possible. I got hostile again this morning reading the local weather website. It’s suddenly summer here, and we may have to break down and turn on the a/c this afternoon. The forecast said, “Check on the elderly.” He was talking about US!
I get hostile realizing that the heartthrobs of the day on TV and in movies are young enough to be my son. At least I’m not old enough to be their grandmother – yet. I may be old, but I ain’t dead yet! I even feel maternal about my primary doctor! NOOOOOOO!!!!!!
I will just continue to keep on keepin’ on – working in my veggie garden; weed whacking in the yard; helping my husband get the irrigation system on, repaired, and scheduled; playing in my art room; reading; enjoying music; writing my blog posts; adding new products to my Etsy site; exercising; and more. Maybe I AM old enough to be considered ‘elderly,’ but I’ll think of myself as the person in the picture above until further notice. :0)
Filed under aging
“Old age ain’t no place for sissies.” ~ Bette Davis
Ain’t THAT the truth.
I have to admit that I surprised myself yesterday. I was out pulling up the black plastic that we put on the floor of the greenhouse, one of the last parts of our dismantling project. As I pulled up part of it, I saw a MOVING snake! This old lady jumped straight up in the air and high-tailed it back to the house, running as if my life were in the balance. It turned out that the snake was NOT a dangerous one – according to my husband, who, unarmed, walked calmly out there and pulled the plastic off the snake again. He said the head was ’rounded.” That means you won’t die if the snake bites you. With MY track record on stings and bites, I don’t want to find that out personally.
Filed under aging
Actually, I am feeling pretty good today. I’m teed off, though because my husband was nice enough to suggest that we have lunch out before we came home from our errands yesterday. We had a nice lunch with fun conversation and great food – and the result was I GAINED ALMOST A FULL POUND. :0(
Ever since I have gained “full maturity” (read I’m older than dirt) I not only have to WATCH everything I eat, it’s like I’m throwing LEAD into my body. I wish I had inherited my dad’s metabolism. He was 6’2″ tall and ate everything in sight. He would eat a huge mound of spaghetti with garlic toast on the side, for example, and still lose weight. The most he ever weighed was 165.
I’m really trying to eat less and move more. With a sloth’s metabolism, however, it’s more and more of a challenge.
I am thinking we should have a word that describes my husband and me trying to deal with new technology “DOOFAD.” (A person who is the personification of being DOOFUS.)
Yesterday we were lucky enough to finally get fiber optic Internet and TV service installed. The Internet is great – much faster with nothing new for Doofads to learn. The TV service is a ‘whole nother ball of wax.’
We listened carefully to the tech explaining the new system. He was bored because he has to say the same stuff over and over, so he went fast. My husband asked how we could get a 2nd remote, and we lucked out that he just went to the truck, got a 2nd remote, brought it back and programed it for us. He left and the fun began.
Long story much shorter, we managed to choose a group of favorite channels and set some programs up on the DVR. We figured out how to get back and forth between the regular TV and Hulu. Somehow my husband got closed captions turned on and gave up on getting it off again. I fumbled around and finally found the place and turned it off.
We THINK we’re reasonably set up at this point, but still have a lot to go over in the book and learning to use the remotes better.
After another hour or so, We have our old services cancelled and we will send their equipment back today.
Today a tech from ADT Security Systems came because our system was chirping, was signaling low batteries, etc. I got online and discovered that ours was a model that required a tech to change the batteries. He came first thing this morning. I had to admit to him that when I couldn’t get the chirping to stop, I unplugged the system for awhile. He figured out that the ‘low battery’ was on the emergency pendant I can wear to get help that comes with the system. I had forgotten about the pendant, plus the fact that it was connected to the security system. DUH. He changed the batteries in the pendant, then in the main system for good measure. He checked everything out, went over security codes with me, etc. I feel stupid, but I’m glad I got the refresher course.
*A good idea for patient teenagers – be entrepreneurs in offering to help DOOFADS deal with new equipment, trouble shoot problems, and explain over and over again how to set things up and use them. :0)
Filed under aging, Challenges, Changes, character-building exercises
Filed under aging, Attitude, Encouragement
Once a year I feel old. The rest of the time I don’t think about it. One of my favorite things is this quote by Satchel Paige –
I’m 74 as of last March 9th, and I qualified for getting the COVID vaccination protection due to my age, but most of the time I don’t feel ‘old.’
Most days I don’t have enough time or energy to do all I want to do. There is still a whole pile of books I want to read; I want to try at least 3 new art techniques (that I know of right now); I want to learn to garden in a way that allows me to have enough that I’m taking fresh veggies to everyone I know (or even might sell some on the square!); I want to live long enough to lose my lard, feel even better, be able to exercise more. I want to get rid of my excess ‘stuff,’ giving it to others who can use it, hopefully, or simply pitching it…
My son is trying to convince me to meditate. He is really good at that now, and it really brings him inner peace. Since my life certainly could NOT be described as one that enjoys much of that, I would really like to do it. So far, I try it and am a dismal failure. I sit quietly, trying to clear my mind. Like I do in the middle of the night sometimes, my brain starts a litany of things I need to remember to do, the wording of letters I want to right, the order in which I need to do a big project, a worry I have, etc. – over and over – just making me even more tense. I then stop and resort to my yoga stretches to encourage my body to relax, and then try the meditation again. I’m not a very good student so far.
Unless I overdo, with my back or hips reminding me that SOME people might describe one of my years as “elderly,” I feel about 40. Old enough to know better about a lot of things, but young enough to thoroughly enjoy life. And I think feeling that way is pretty darned good.
How old are you?
Filed under aging
Some days I feel older than dirt. The articles that come out occasionally that point out what people in their 20s or 30s never heard of hit me right between the eyes. When someone on TV talks about the ‘elderly,’ and then make it clear that “I” am included in that group, it’s a gut punch. When I harbor fantasies about some wonderful hunk and then am forced to realize he’s young enough to be my SON, it hurts. If I fold myself into a paper airplane doing my yoga stretches and then have trouble getting OUT of the pose, I get a bit cranky.
But most of the time age is not an issue with me. I really think that if I could just ‘be’ the age I felt, I would probably be somewhere in my early 40s. No spring chicken, but…
The key to aging – I think – is just ignoring the whole thing for as long as you can. That doesn’t mean being stupid about it. You should try to get – and stay – as healthy as you can. THAT means that I am continuing to try to shed my extra lard and exercise, using whatever means it takes to keep moving. One of the things I’m doing that brings up my spirits as well as is good for my muscles and bones is wearing my MP3 player and dancing in a room all by myself so I don’t have to worry about my husband’s, dog’s, or cat’s reactions to it. The years fall away and I’m the age I was the first time I heard or danced to the music. Since my music list is old, it makes me feel young and full of life. I can close my eyes, surrounded by the music, and dance my heart out. :0)
Staying interested in things, plus learning new ones, is another thing that allows you to ignore the fact that you’re getting older. I personally find discovering a new art technique or medium and watching the YouTube demonstrations gets my juices flowing, eager to try it. It doesn’t matter if I am successful or not. It’s FUN to spend some time making a mess with childlike joy and no pressure to ‘perform.’
One of my favorite quotes is, “To me – old age is 15 years older than I am.” ~ Bernard M. Baruch
Filed under aging, Favorite Quotes
“Caught Red-Pawed” – Audrius P. – Bored Panda
I have been trying to get as healthy as I can so that I can continue to do what I love for as long as possible. This means losing as much of my lard as I can and trying to move more.
Since my lardiest, I have lost 40 pounds and there is 34.7 inches less of me than there was at one time. My goal is to lose another 30 lbs. and to continue exercising. As we age, we tend to move more hesitantly. That might not be the best descriptive word, but it’s the one that comes to mind. The feet start to shuffle, the movements become more tentative, as if we’re testing the waters before diving in. I am hoping that my efforts on the elliptical trainer and my yoga stretches will delay that for several more years.
My husband and I are very happy with our new eating plan. We ate “Pork, Black Beans, Brown Rice, and BBQ Sauce” from Stu’s Clean Cookin’ last night and it was YUMMY! Otherwise, I ate tuna fish salad and green olives for lunch and some cottage cheese as a snack. I’m drinking enough water to float a boat. (or at least it SEEMS that much…)
This seems to be working for us. My husband looks forward to his meals again (we were cringing for awhile with the prepared plans we were on). He is basically at his goal weight and is mainly trying to hold the line on sugar and hold the new weight. I can’t get him to exercise, but I will continue to ‘try to set a good example’ and hope he’ll want to do it, too. I can’t really talk very loudly since he was never as overweight as I and can still outlast me on stamina when we’re working on a project together.
I have set my goals for the next month, hoping to be able to report more progress to you at the end of October. In the meantime, I have finished a cup of coffee, so it’s time to replace my cup with a bottle of water…
taolife.com
Filed under aging, DIET!, exercise, getting the lard off
GrowingBolder.com
GrowingBolder.com
GrowingBolder.com
Filed under aging, Attitude, empowerment, Encouragement
Oddetorium
We are truly into summer now, with heat indices in the 105-110 range, and hotter forecast. We are very grateful for good air conditioning and ceiling fans. One of the many perks of aging is that my personal comfort range on temperatures is becoming narrower.
I will get outside in a minute, mix up a container of KillzAll Weed Killer, and spray it around the garden area. That, and seeing if we have any ripe tomatoes will be it for being outside today.
My friends, Kay and Bud from Lunch Bunch have been making me feel like a slug lately. They are systematically going through a bunch of their stuff in their home and packing it up to get rid of it. I should be doing that, but the ‘lazies’ have me in their clutches right now, and it’s all I can do to do the bit of yard work I need to, plus exercise. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.
Next on my personal list of things ‘when I get motivated,’ is to use the power washer. If I can get started, it’s addictive. This year I will try to start with out outside chairs. I also need to do the deck, sidewalks, front porch, and driveway pad. I’m not sure if I can clean up our stained brick in our planters or not, but I’ll give that a try, as well. Hopefully, I will get the urge soon. :0)
I hope that you have a healthy, happy Sunday.
picturequotes.com
It’s going to be warm today, but the humidity will be low, so no complaints.
I’ve been PLANNING to get out in the yard for a couple of days now, but never got beyond the talking state.
I’m going out now to weed whack.
Wish me luck!!!!
Ranker
Yesterday I was really sore from working in the yard, so I settled down to do some yoga in the afternoon.
It had been awhile since I practiced. I’ve admitted before that I’m really lazy and use every excuse in the world to avoid exercise, even though I KNOW I need it.
I live with the illusion that I’m still young most days, doing what I need or want to do, paying the price for that later – when my body laughs at me, and then turns the screws by going on strike for a time, adding insult to injury by making me walk around like a really old lady, creaking when I get up or sit down.
Yesterday was the first day in quite awhile that I got down on the mat. I could immediately tell that my body was in ‘snarky mode,’ when I started to creak just getting down to start. Suffice to say that the stretching positions did not come easily and that I have lost ground on flexibility since I last practiced.
I resent the fact that doing yoga and doing my elliptical trainer in the garage seem to use different muscles than I use in everything else I do. I kill myself working in the yard, for example, but THAT exercise doesn’t translate to keeping me flexible or allowing me to walk longer distances without feeling it in my hips.
My practice lasted a lot longer than usual, and my stretches weren’t near as good as I HAD been doing when I was practicing every day. I DID feel better when I finished, though, and I slept better last night.
Cartoons by Ron Leishman
When you are my age, the more celebration the better. (I will be 73 on Monday, March 9th.)
My friends at Lunch Bunch made me feel really special yesterday and I’m still grinning.
When we walked into the Pizza Barn, this was one of the things on the table –
I put them in the center of our dining table so that my husband and I can enjoy them together. The first thing he said at breakfast this morning was, “These are lovely.”
Spring-Scented candle and holder. I wish you could smell this!
Ceramic OWL candle or tealight holder. This has a peach and mango candle. Delicious!
Kitchen towels with attitude!
And beautiful birthday cards.
TWO pieces of chocolate sheet cake with chocolate frosting.
My lunch was free.
Conversation, laughter, and hugs from long-time friends. (we have been meeting every Friday for Lunch Bunch for almost 19 years now – a true gift.)
My husband and I indulged in hot dogs with BUNS and Fritos last night for dinner – I haven’t had those – or the cake – in over a year now.
And Monday my husband is taking me for a lobster tail lunch at Red Lobster – a celebration of another year of life, PLUS having over 1400 subscribers to my blog now.
“I’ve enjoyed every age I’ve been and each has had its own individual merit. Every laugh line, every scar, is a badge I wear to show I’ve been present, the inner rings of my personal tree trunk that I display proudly for all to see. Nowadays, I don’t want a “perfect” face and body; I want to wear the life I’ve lived.” — Pat Benatar
Clive Staples Lewis from RaiseYourMind.com
Filed under aging, Attitude, Changes, Good Thoughts
2 STAR art
I love my life.
Not EVERYTHING about it, but close.
I’m retired, so I can pretty much design my day – except when the water pressure booster dies, like yesterday.
I have given myself permission NOT to be productive. I used to make a to-do list and not allow myself to do other things until I had at least shown a bunch of progress on it. I FINALLY realized that my to-do list just grows. Most of the things I accomplish on it don’t STAY done, so they get added onto the bottom in a never-ending depressing length. I don’t get any POINTS or anything for getting these off the list, so I have changed my ways.
I now do the things that will result in bad things if I don’t on time. Those take priority for the day. I try to do the MOST important things first – the ones where I will be thrown into the slammer if I ignore them today.
I then intersperse FUN stuff – like playing in my flowers in the spring, or harvesting my veggies at the proper time, or playing in my art room. THEN I go back and do another ‘important-to-others’ thing from the list.
I’m MUCH happier since I started doing this.
Nanea Hoffman – My Positive Outlooks via Bethany Kerr
Filed under aging, Attitude, Encouragement, quality of life
creativeartworksblog 