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Tag Archives: aging
Bleary Thursday 3-30-2023
I went to bed sleepy last night, but lay there with my eyes closed instead of actually falling asleep. Couldn’t turn my brain off. I wish I could tell you I was bothered with productive thoughts but….
I was still doing that, intermittently dozing, I guess, at around 3am, when my husband started talking. I sat up and leaned over so I could hear him. He was talking about “Pointy scissors poking him.” When I asked him if it was happening NOW and where he was hurting, he was quiet for a minute and then said “no,” and mumbled. I realized he was talking in his sleep.
I tried to sleep again, but couldn’t, so I ended up downstairs reading until around 4:30. I was just dozing off around 5am when he started talking to me again. I determined he didn’t have anything of note to say this time, either, and I have to tell you I said pretty harshly for him to be quiet.
The next thing I knew my alarm was going off. He was downstairs asleep in his chair with a towel on his head. I didn’t feel bad about making a lot of noise in the kitchen. He remembered talking to me, but didn’t remember what he said. He told me he had finally stopped reading about 2am and came up to bed. I don’t know when he got up and came downstairs this morning.
This is one of the many ‘perks’ we have discovered as we age. I have to leave for a haircut this morning in a few minutes, but Michael will be kind if I fall asleep while he’s trying to work a miracle on me. I look like a dandelion gone to seed right now.
It’s a very good thing I don’t have a job now that requires an excess of alertness…
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Not Old
I’ve had a really nice birthday celebration, and am now ready to put thoughts of how old I am away for another year. Most of the time I don’t even think of it. The main thing is annoyance if I have trouble getting out of my recliner. :0)
We have Lunch Bunch today. I’m hoping we have a full contingent. I haven’t heard from anyone, and usually that means that everyone is planning to come. It will be good to see some much-loved faces, laugh, and share a meal.
There is not much going on here today otherwise. We have some errands to run after Lunch Bunch, but then a quiet day after with lots of sunshine.
I’m going to try to pay attention as we do our errands to see if the places in town are starting to stock spring plants. I’m itching to get our garden started, though it’s a bit early.
Have a wonderful Friday.
Filed under aging, Thoughts on a ________
Feeling Special
Tenor
And my birthday celebration continues!
Shout-outs to Sandi and Cathy for sending me actual birthday cards. I love all forms of reaching out, because people are making you feel special, but I have to say an actual card in the mail remains one of my favorites.
Another shout-out to my good friend, Marsha, who means the world to me. I received a box in the mail today containing several beautiful pairs of earrings she made. I keep changing which pair is my favorite – all different colors, stones, and styles – and can’t wait to show them off!
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
Filed under aging, Cause for Celebration, Delightful Surprises
Definitions
litbm
While working at the computer the other day, I started to drink some coffee and found my cup was empty. I took my cup and went to the kitchen. I stopped to pee, then went on to the kitchen. Went back to retrieve my cup from the counter in the bathroom.
Noticed a bunch of dog hair on the floor (imagine that!) and grabbed my battery-powered portable vacuum to get that up. I emptied out the canister and returned the unit to the wall-mounted battery charger thingie. I went back to the office and sat down. Realized I hadn’t gotten my coffee, so went back to the kitchen.
I got out chili mac leftovers for dinner and put out plates and spoons for our lunch. I felt hungry as I hadn’t had anything for breakfast yet, so got out a banana, peeled it, put it on a plate and brought it back to the office. Sat down and figured out I still hadn’t gotten my coffee.
Went back to the kitchen, got my cup, filled it, and put it in the microwave to heat it up. Let Abby, our cat, out. Checked to make sure the dishwasher had been emptied, and put the few things on the counter inside, wiped the counter. Went back to the office.
Went back to the kitchen to retrieve my coffee from the microwave and brought it back to the office. When I decided I was going to try to “move more,” this really wasn’t what I had in mind…
Filed under aging
DAY 50!
My dog, Amber, doesn’t ‘yog’ with me, but she snuffles and nuzzles me each time I start my practice now, getting as close to me as possible, turning over on her back with her feet in the air, cavorting around, biting one foot, thoroughly delighting in yet another chance to be loved, make me laugh – and possibly get another cookie.
I can’t say I’ve built a ‘habit’ of daily yoga practice yet, but I’m definitely automatically making time for my practice each afternoon, choosing my yoga over other activities if I’m running short of time. If my husband is in his chair, I automatically bring him a throw as I flip the switch that starts the ceiling fan, turning it off when I finish.
Yesterday I added another pose to my practice. It’s another pose that focuses on the core – or abdomen – specifically, called, “The Boat.” There are some other poses in that article that I’ll add as I go, but one new one at a time is enough for now.
I’m hoping that my daily practice will allow me to move as freely as possible, with as much flexibility and balance as I can without a lot of pain as I age. I would like to increase my stamina. Since I hope to live a lot longer, this is a really important goal for me. I want to be able to do what I’d like for as long as I can, enjoying freedom without a lot of fear of falling or breaking bones.
I’ve improved a lot on my stretching since I started my goal of daily practice 50 days ago today. I haven’t gotten any younger, but I’m able to stretch farther in each of the poses and hold the poses longer now, or do more repetitions. I’m able to do my ‘normal practice’ plus now look for a bit more to add. Good progress.
Filed under aging, exercise, taking care of yourself
I’m Not Old
I have to admit that at this very moment I’m feeling a bit older than usual. I just finished weed-whacking the front yard, the driveway area in front of our trio of planters, around the driveway pad, the back sidewalk edge and a bit more. I’m inside, drinking water and trying to cool off before we fix lunch. Then, I’m HOPING it won’t be too hot for me to finish the back.
For ME to do weed whacking, I have to get in a certain position. Holding that position while working, plus the weight of the weed whacker, plus fighting with the 100 foot extension cord I need to use makes me tired pretty fast. I used to be able to do the whole job in one session. Now I quit after 45 minutes. Oh, well. Maybe I’ll feel younger later…. :0)
Age vs Energy
This amazing lady, Tao Porchon-Lynch, died in February of 2020, living to be 101. One of her mantras: “Know that the joy of living is right inside you.”
I’m not at all sure I want to live to be 101, but I really admire the way she lived life to the fullest, spreading joy and energy to everyone she saw. What a wonderful role model!
The big lessons I’m getting are:
- STAY ACTIVE.
- STAY INVOLVED AND INTERESTED.
- KEEP EXPANDING YOUR LIFE.
Filed under aging
No Dancing for me Today
I spent two hours yesterday weeding our rock beds that run along the front and back of the house. I finished, and even my husband was impressed, saying they look, “Great.”
The only problem is that my back is NOT so pleased with my efforts, even though I sat on my garden stool part of the time, used a padded knee pad part of the time, and stood part of the time, trying to vary my position often to avoid problems.
NEXT time I’ll only do the front OR the back, not both in one day.
Maybe I can do TWO sessions of yoga stretching today….
Late Start
hahahahhahahahah. Actually, I’m not stressed, just late today. I just loved the picture above. :0)
I’m having a very late start to blogging today. I had a haircut appointment and errands to do this morning. By the time I got home, it was time for lunch. THEN, after we ate, I got sleepy and took a nap…
We’re having a weird day today.
We were just checking a detail on our investment account and saw that Schwab had generated a corrected tax form for us. We printed it, and then I emailed our CPA that we were having to mail him a correction for our tax stuff.
My husband wanted to check to see if we had gotten a delivery from Fedex or UPS (sometimes left at our mailbox at the bottom of the driveway) and said he would mail the corrected forms when he went. We talked about how it would be mailed, etc.
Then I started to work on the computer. I heard the driveway alarm and realized my husband had left. The form was still where I left it, so my husband didn’t take it. Wonder what he’ll think when he gets to the post office. Getting old is SO much fun. I’m glad I don’t have to do it alone.
Filed under aging, Challenges, Thoughts on a ________
Sad
I’m having trouble eating the right things lately. What I HOPE is the last gasp of winter has encouraged comfort food. I’m getting so ‘comforted,’ I’m almost comatose.
I titled this post, ‘Sad,’ because I saw a thing on aging –
and it made me HUNGRY…..
Old, hungry, and ticked off by pet peeves can be a lethal combination….. :0)
Filed under .gifs I Love, Funny Signs - Humor
In Your Hands
Filed under Attitude, Challenges, Changes, Dreams, Encouragement
Friday Yoga
The three-times-a-week yoga stretches are helping this sweet old lady loosen up. I’ve lost 3 lbs this week, too, so thumbs up. :0)
Speaking of feeling a bit ‘long-in-the-tooth’ lately, three things:
Thing One – when we were looking for a replacement cover for one of our kitchen fluorescent fixtures lately, a kind guy was trying to look it up for me at the service desk at Home Depot. When he told me he couldn’t find the one we needed, I realized that our fixtures are over 30 years old, installed in 1987 when we built the house – and older than the nice guy has been alive!
Thing Two – shortly after my husband and I married, we decided to try building a digital clock, building one with the use of a Heath Kit. (I’m probably showing my age again, but Heath Kits were popular back then for the fun of learning a bit about electronics, and having things you couldn’t afford otherwise.) I learned about circuit boards, learned to look at various parts to install, learned to solder, etc. My husband kept trying to prepare me that the clock would need a lot of trouble-shooting to get it to work and that things almost never worked the first time. Can you imagine his face when it worked perfectly the very first time we plugged it in? :0) We’ve had this clock with us ever since, most recently living in our entertainment center in the living room. We noticed it was losing time – something it has never done. We reset it several times, and it kept gradually going off the right time. I was a bit sad that we need to shop for another clock now, but realized that it lasted over 50 years!
Thing Three – The latest heart throbs are younger than our son….
Sudden Thought
“The older I get, the more I see there are these crevices in life where things fall in and you just can’t reach them to pull them back out. So you can sit next to them and weep or you can get up and move forward. You have to stop worrying about who’s not here and start worrying about who is.”
— Alex Witchel
Filed under aging, Challenges, Changes, Favorite Quotes
Immortality?
“Trigger” was ridden by Rogers in every one of his motion pictures, finding his own fame in the process. After Trigger died at age 33, his hide was stretched over a plaster likeness and put on display, also reared on two legs, inside the museum. He was mounted, then, not stuffed.
I bring this up because, when my husband and I talk of end of life issues, my husband always says he wants me to have HIM ‘stuffed like Trigger and mounted in the living room.’ That would be a form of immortality – I guess – a way to feel as if your life had made a difference to someone.
Some people will be remembered by some special talent – their singing, dancing, writing, creating, building, teaching, entertaining….
Most of us won’t do anything so wonderful that we’ll be remembered by the world for something we have contributed, but that’s okay. If we are remembered from time to time by someone we touched in some way, that’s immortality too.
I think of all the people who have made my life wonderful – my family, my friends, strangers who have taken the time to be extra kind, people I’ve never met, but who have made my heart sing with joy through their talent, who have made me laugh so hard I have trouble catching my breath.
Little means more than living on in someone’s memory and heart.
Filed under aging, quality of life
Side Effects
Thankfully, keeping moving and doing afternoon yoga stretches are mitigating a lot of mine.
I discovered Cat Kabira and her “Gentle Yoga” DVD several years ago now. I can’t say enough about her.
One of my pet peeves now is people on TV referring to the ‘elderly,’ and then clarifying the insult, adding “people over 65.” How insulting is THAT!
“Old age is always 15 years older than I am.” ~ (attribution disputed)
I don’t think of myself as a hostile person, but I do NOT consider myself ‘elderly,’ and will probably NEVER accept it. People also say that “you’re as old as you feel.” Though some days I feel at LEAST 108, most of the time I feel pretty good. :0)
So I will continue to do my yoga for old broads stretches, try to lose the lard, keep trying to learn new things, and enjoy my life – while trying NOT to bite someone in the leg who calls me ‘elderly.’
Filed under aging, Pet Peeves
Choices
We went to bed at around our normal time – about midnight. We were both up again, downstairs reading at about 1am.
That is the worst time for me to NOT eat. I could eat a house at that hour. I found this cartoon yesterday and thought if our fridge were like this, it would help a lot. It would remind me that I’m not REALLY hungry at that hour, just needing comfort, and maybe some water, as well as my book…
Getting Older
Hahahahahahahahah!
I woke up crackling and popping this morning. Even my husband heard it!
I will do a longer yoga practice this afternoon to see if I can improve things. That and W-D40….
My husband found an image of Wonder Wart-Hog, one of his favorite comic book characters from his childhood, and wants us to do another mailbox decoration. “Wonder Wart-Hog (the “Hog of Steel”) is an underground comic book character, a porcine parody of Superman, created by Gilbert Shelton and first published in 1962.” (Wikipedia)
He worked on the computer much of the afternoon, coming up with a program he hopes will work as it should to translate the image to the computer out in the shop and allow us to use a computer-guided torch to cut the image out of sheet metal. Then he’ll make an attachment that allows us to bolt the decoration to our mailbox, welding it to the sheet metal. We’ll use an overhead projector to mark the key areas of the bare sheet metal front and back. Finally, I’ll paint both sides of the piece plus the attachment. I’ll post a picture when it’s finished. :0)
Right now we have Godzilla on the mailbox. We’ll be exchanging it for Fritz the Cat in another week.
Filed under aging, Lewis Art, Lewis Mailbox Decorations, Lewis projects
Sunday 9-12-2021
We’re having nice weather here in Arkansas today. I’m planning to spend some time in the yard again today, pulling out spent plants, trimming, pruning, etc. I’m concentrating on not overdoing it, since the people on TV keep insisting on calling me ‘the elderly’ when they’re talking about Covid and vaccinations. GRRRR!
I would like to remind them –
So we will run an errand or two and then I’ll spend several sessions in the yard today – resting in-between – and see how much good I can do out there. :0)
Have a wonderful day!
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