Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?

carolehalston

Hi to everyone. I keep up with reading posts but often don't feel inspired to post. Today I'm playing golf with the women's group at our club. After some delightful cool weather, it is warming up again.

My mother seems to be slipping a bit the last few days. She will turn 95 in December.

Well, I must get dressed and head off to play golf.

Have a good Wednesday.

IllinoisLady

What is the essence of life? To serve others and to do good.

- Aristotle -

IllinoisLady

Carole, just glad you came. I think when we don't see people for awhile here we worry a bit -- as much as we worry if we don't see friends in town for a while. I'm sorry to hear about your Mom, but sooner or later we all wear out. I hope whatever happens it is slow enough to allow everyone to adjust while she remains in whatever comfort is possible. It is never easy, ever.

Wow !!! Golf here would not be possible. We are having another ( thank goodness for the special lights ) dreary sort of drippy day. Winter is definitely coming on and I have some dread. I think part of that is knowing that we can't rely well at all on forecasts with the global warming that seems to make a lot of difference when you least expect it. It has stayed more mild than anything the last yr. or two for which I am so grateful. Just thinking that at some point Murphy's little law might find us here.

Class today --- I'm working on a muscle by my one knee which went -- not sure when or where it started, but the inner leg/knee is just flabby and so I have to work on that. It was a surprise to me. The person teaching the class is a physical therapist so spotted it right away. Just another great reason to be happy I chose to re-visit this class. I knew there was newer FDA issuances and little did I know ??? So, I'll end up better than ever.

Anneb1149

Hi, everyone

Luvmaui- here's a picture of our new floor. You would never know it's not wood. We love it, but it is a little monochromatic in our house right now. I can't wait till all the problems are fixed and we can put some carpets down. We ended up giving our installer a week off. He realizes he should have worked on one room at a time, rather than tearing up all the flooring the first day. He had also said he was so glad we had chosen tile over laminate- said it was easier to work with. Not sure what happened. He had his brother as a gofer for the first two weeks, then brought in a second tile installer. Work went faster, but lots of errors. We were all so frustrated last Wed, and Ron said he wouldn't be here Thurs or Fri. My DD suggested that we give him a week off to be with his family and relax. We agreed and Ron was so grateful for the break. Meanwhile, there were a few tiles in my DGS room that the 2nd tile person was supposed to fix. His version of fixing was not acceptable to us- he removed the original tiles and put half tiles instead. Destroyed the pattern and very easy to see. DD sent a picture to Ron and he agreed that was not acceptable. They were both saying that they couldn't do any better, because our floors aren't level. That's not my problem- they should have leveled the floor before they started. Then this morning, the roofer we hired called, he needed some info, but mentioned that the permit was $500- after I told him permit fees for repairs due to hurricanes were waived. I called and I have to go up this afternoon to th permit office with proof that all the work being done is due to the hurricane. Still so much to get done.

Other than that, not much new. Amazed at how my DGS has become a high schooler so fast. He joined the Jr ROTC, and works the parking lot for all football games. He's going to homecoming this weekend. Neither of my 2 other DGS's had any interest in participating in any extra curricular activities. The oldest one, though, told his mom he is frustrated with his roommate and other friend from HS. All they want to do is sit in the dorm room playing video games. He says he still likes playing, but there is so much more to do around campus. His brother, in 10th grade is interviewing today for a special summer program where he would go live on a real college campus for 3 weeks and take classes ( I think it is a specific set of classes). He is one of three interviewing from his HS.

Anne

ChiSandy

Anne, lovely floor. Best of both worlds: the look of wood and the utility of tile in humid FL. (My mom's condo had either tile or marble everywhere you'd expect wood up North, except the doors of course. At first I'd thought marble thresholds and windowsills a bit extravagant for such a budget-friendly retirement development until she explained why the builders included them).

I had planned to nap before running a few errands today, but instead am forwarding Bob's texts to his pager and routing calls to his office...yep, he left his phone home this morning. I'd have glanced down at the passenger seat, seen the charger cable dangling, and immediately turned around to go home, but that's just me. I could go chasing him from office to hospital to hospital to nursing home down in the SW suburbs...wrestling with traffic and crappy weather, but even though I don't have a job I do have a life. (Gordy doesn't drive, and our housekeeper doesn't live anywhere near any of Bob's workplaces). If he doesn't call here, I'm not going to offer.

And he got into a minor scrape yesterday in the alley. We have several "self-employed small businessmen" scavengers (think Sanford & Son but different ethnicities from both hemispheres) who cobble together decrepit trucks out of rusty old pickups, spit, duct tape, boards and chicken wire and cruise the alleys dumpster-diving. They always obstruct traffic, idling in the middle of the alley, refusing to move until they've exhausted each dumpster's possibilities--and every house on either side of the alley has at least two dumpsters. I honk at them, ask them to please pull over, but they pretend not to understand. So I either back up out of the alley and go in the other way, or if they're traveling in the same direction, sit there fuming & waiting. Not Bob. He is too polite to honk or yell, but too impatient to wait (he is, after all, a guy). So he squoze his little Fusion Hybrid past the truck, and now his side mirror has a huge scraped area where the paint used to be. (No, the mirrors don't fold). He threw up his hands and said "What else could I do?" I suggested "next time, take down the license plate number and call the police," but he said he didn't want to get the scavenger deported, or cause retaliation against us.

I never had anything worse than a flat before I gave him the car, and he has now been in two major accidents (neither one his fault, and our insurer is suing the other drivers for subrogation), a couple of one-car fender-benders and now this "owie." We'd better keep this car till it croaks (or the hybrid battery dies), since all those dings will likely tank its resale value.

I am all for free enterprise, but IMHO people's right to make a buck any way they can stops when it inconveniences or endangers others, even "just" others' property. That also goes for decrepit taxis & rideshares, ill-maintained and rusty Medi-Cars (I've had to ride in a couple), fly-by-night mattress shops that don't disclose their wares are often secondhand (bedbugs or worse), food establishments that don't bother with even basic sanitation practices, people who sell and install re-capped tires in the alleys or in the street in front of their shops (if you can't afford parking for automotive customers, you shouldn't be in a business catering to them), and newspaper vendors (not to mention charitable solicitors or panhandlers) who ply their trade by walking between cars stopped in rush hour traffic at busy intersections & freeway ramps. (The latter are tragedies waiting to happen--about a decade ago, two Streetwise vendors fought over territory and one stabbed the other in the middle of the intersection). Don't even get me started on subway dancers & drummers who hold passengers hostage on moving trains until they've collected enough extortion...er, tips and move on into the next car. Now, it's legal to be a street performer and even a train-station busker--the CTA designates "performer areas" on station platforms. Many of my friends have had to do that between gigs, and fortunately the music is usually pretty good. But you can always walk away down the platform and get on the next train. You can't do that trapped in a train hurtling between stations.

Now get off my lawn.

Luvmaui

Thanks so much for the photo Anne, the tile floors are awesome! I think we might need a darker color but the tile looks exactly like wood. Home renovation is a lot of work under the best circumstances, I can't imagine having to do it after a hurricane when thousands of others are trying to get the same things accomplished.

Sandy, I notice you attended an Elton John concert in Vegas. We saw him 10 yrs. ago at Caesars Palace and he was amazing! Sounds like he may have slowed down a bit, but still good? Where did you stay in Vegas? As each of our sons turned 21 we, along with friends and family, spent a week celebrating....so much fun! Since then we go down there with a large group of the same people every 2 yrs. always staying at the Mirage (great suite deals), renting cabanas and enjoying the sun and beautiful pool. I'm not a big gambler but the guys enjoy playing Blackjack, Craps and the Sports Book. I can't believe your DH found his phone, but I bet he was excited and you were relieved after he partially blamed you for the loss......MEN!

Pleasant day today 60 degrees, I have a haircut at 1PM and after that grocery shop. Lots of rain coming tomorrow and Friday. Enjoy your day everyone!

Judy

ChiSandy

We stayed at the Hilton Grand Vacations Resort on the N. end of the Strip; we're Club owners there and got a free promo stay. There are a few rooms available for non-owners. Pluses are that it's quiet, clean and has lots of amenities (pool, gym, spa, lobby bar, fully-stocked market, kid-friendly); minuses are that there is no casino on-premises (which to me is a plus), no full-service restaurant, and is an easy <1/4 mi. walk to the nearest major resort/casinos (SLS to the north, Circus Circus to the south). The busy part of the Strip is for all intents & purposes inaccessible on foot because of non-contiguous sidewalks and the necessity to make multiple zig-zag crossings. But it's on the city bus line, the Big Bus tours stop at the aforementioned resort/casinos, cabs are plentiful and Uber/Lyft even more so (and half the price). The 1-BRs have full kitchens with in-suite laundry, large whirlpools in the bedroom (Calif. King), 2 big-screen TVs, one marble bathroom/shower, and queen-size sofa sleeper in the living room. The 2-BRs have 2 baths, and the studios have a kitchenette (cooktop, microwave, dorm fridge) with a king bed and queen sleeper.

But you don't have to stay where you own. We've used our points to stay in Tuscany. We might do New Zealand, Portugal, Hawaii, the Canadian Rockies or Scotland next time. (We aren't big on Orlando or Myrtle Beach--we don't golf and are Disneyed-out). You can roll over your points annually or convert them to HiltonHonors points for discounts on hotels, airfares, merchandise, etc.

We saw Elton at Caesar's. He's still good. (Last saw him at Wrigley Field in 2009 with Billy Joel).

Wren44

I finished my present for DH's birthday tomorrow. I will never ever sew velvet again. Thank God it was only a couple of seams. I had heard it was difficult and they were definitely not kidding. All my sewing machines have been Singer, from great grandma's treadle to today. He bought me a new one a couple of years ago and it is the most dyslectic counter-intuitive process to do bobbin and thread that you could imagine. I think it was designed for a child to use in a 3rd world country because there are numerous places you can't get your fingers in to follow the instructions. I thought I was going to have to take it over to the store to get it threaded, but DH finally managed to do it - using a needle threader for a couple of steps. Definitely not the machine they used to make.

ChiSandy

Haven't used a sewing machine for decades--used to have simple Singers and made a lot of my clothes in college & law school, but developed other priorities and let it slide; about 20 yrs. ago I was given a Brother machine with all the doo-dah like auto-buttonholers and a gazillion decorative stitches. Never could figure out how to use it. So I mostly hand-sew, usually just mending.

VelvetPoppy

My sister & I sewed our own clothes when we were in high school. We were the same size, so we could trade clothes. I stopped making my own clothes when I got out of school.

I bought a simple Singer when my (then) husband and I were stationed in Key West. I used it to sew his military stripes & unit patches on his uniforms. I took that machine from Florida to Germany back to Florida and then to Texas (with now husband). When my son was born, I used the machine to make his Halloween costumes until he was about 10.

Then it sat in the utility room unused and gathering dust. I finally donated it to a Women's shelter last year. It had served me well. Military families are usually on a very tight budget (especially Enlisted) and I learned to sew curtains for our apartments from inexpensive, but pretty bed sheets, dish cloths & dish towels from fraying bath towels and dust cloths from men's undershirts.

IllinoisLady

The ingredients of happiness are so simple that they can be counted on one hand. First of all, happiness must be shared. Selfishness is its enemy; to make another happy is to be happy one's self. It is quiet, seldom found for long in crowds, most easily won in moments of solitude and reflection. It comes from within, and rests most securely on simple goodness and clear conscience. -William Ogden

Wren44

Poppy, I had to laugh at curtains from bed sheets. My study has folded over white bedsheets held up with clips for curtains. The folded over part is on top and is enough to block the blinding sun. They're white because I paint with watercolors and don't want the light influencing color. They actually look pretty good.

VelvetPoppy

~Wren~

Bed sheets can make some pretty curtains and they were inexpensive. When I married the first time some 45 years ago, we had no money. I was working full time at a school because he had a child to support, and I had to replace that money. We were living on $169.00 a month. Our furniture was hand-me-down and thrift store. I really wanted to have something nice to come home to, so I sewed.

duckyb1

Hate to disagree but it is not junk science.....I know people who work in the raid;ology Dept of one of the biggest cancer hospitals in the northeast, and she has seen it with her own eyes, and has heard the stories of where they put their phone...young girls in their 20’s/30/s......I got BC too, I never put my phone in my bra either....I just got it....

I asked my BS about it when they were reporting it, and he said he would not recommend doing it.....so there is something to be said for “junk science”..........rather be safe then sorry.....my grandaughter carries hers in her book bag at school, a small Vera Bradley when she shops, and on the seat of the car if she is just driving.......why defy fate

IllinoisLady

So interesting about the sheets Poppy. I got to thinking about it. Here in the woods we have many windows that only have a valance -- more as decoration to make the room look and feel more complete. We don't need curtains for the neighbors who are too far away from us to be able to see in. When I was growing up my family being of limited means had plastic curtains. I hated them. Not so much because they were plastic ( some of them looked pretty nice anyway ) but because any slight breeze would have them waving around pretty good. When you were trying to sweep or dust or anything curtains that didn't stay in place better were a big frustration since we wanted chores over with asap.

carolehalston

My sewing machine is a very old Sears mini that still works fine. I had it serviced about five years ago and the man did a great job.

We went to Vegas once when we were rv-ers and stayed in the rv park (parking lot with hookups) at Circus Circus. Once was enough. Those super cheap buffets are a joke. They're worth what they cost. Lots of mediocre food. We did enjoy the free shows along the street in front of the hotels. The nice indoor shows are expensive. All in all, I was unimpressed with Vegas.

With that said, I know people who enjoy Vegas.

ChiSandy

The danger of keeping your phone in your bra is that it can overheat; and your sweat could cause a short-circuit that could cause the battery to leak or even catch fire. It no more causes breast cancer than do antiperspirants or underwire bras.

The first few times we went to Vegas, we went to the buffets (but not the cheap ones like in "glitter gulch" downtown or Circus Circus). Our first trip we stayed at Caesar's, and the food was pretty good but no better than a high-end hotel's Sunday or holiday brunch; the line to get in was interminable. (The seafood-bar guy served me a third lobster claw, though). Second one was at the Wynn before we saw "Avenue Q," and it was definitely the best balance of international variety and high quality. But we had to go through the smoky casino to get there, and then the valet parking line was insanely long. The last one was at the Rio in 2015 before the Penn & Teller show, and though the price was right (we had twofers--for the buffet, not the show) and the quantities & varieties vast, the quality was just "meh." Sorta lost my appetite seeing people piling their plates high with stuff that didn't belong together (chocolate cake, lasagna, crab legs, egg rolls. mashed potatoes all on the same plate--who in their right mind, or with any taste whatsoever, wastes their buffet dollars on starch? Even at a Golden Corral), washing them down with quarts of soda pop. Fortunately, we've outgrown the "consume mass quantities" mindset and prefer to eat at better restaurants, often sharing portions. (We've also noticed we no longer gain weight on vacation).

carolehalston

Definitely a good attitude toward eating out, Sandy--quality not quantity. You live in a place where you have access to a huge variety of restaurant food and you take advantage of that access.

Both our golf courses are closed to members today because they're being used for a tournament, so I'm free to get some jobs done. I hope to wash my car, tend to some planters on the patio, a few of which have overgrown herbs that survived the summer, and clean the outside of the grill which is grimy from the summer out on the porch. If I have enough energy I will also do some cleaning inside the house. Plus I'm trying to finish up a crochet project by putting the pieces of an afghan together. I like making the squares but get bored with the end stage of sewing them together and making an edging.

Whew! I'm getting tired just listing all those chores!

I was awake at 5:30 and didn't go back to sleep. I was thinking about my mother's declining health and spirits. Yesterday I discussed bringing her a good lunch tomorrow and she couldn't even muster an interest in food, which is not like her at all.

Wishing everyone a great Friday.

IllinoisLady

Goodness is the only investment that never fails. -Henry David Thoreau

IllinoisLady

The finest gift you can give anyone is encouragement. Yet, almost no one gets the encouragement they need to grow to their full potential. If everyone received the encouragement they need to grow, the genius in most everyone would blossom and the world would produce abundance beyond the wildest dreams. We would have more than one Einstein, Edison, Schweitzer, Mother Theresa, Dr. Salk and other great minds in a century. Sidney Madwed

IllinoisLady

Anne, I think I've forgotten to say how pretty I think your floor is and just wishing I had a similar one We have farmhouse planks here but they are laminate and are reaching that time where they are beginning to go. Not enough to be ready to do anything but they sure don't give the house the charm it had after they were put down. Everything ages and laminate does well until -- we all wear out at some point.

Carole I am thinking of you and hoping that life is gentle with your Mom. We may or may not be moms ourselves, but it is ( at least in my mind ) and was for me harder to let go of my Mom than it was my Dad. Guess I sort of identified with mothers putting all the heart in home -- and making it the welcoming refuge for everyone. Dad was truly missed in his own way -- but Mom made our life at home a delight -- even into her older yrs. Going to Mom's was always something to look forward to with some ( sometimes quite a good deal ) anticipation.

Dreary today and likely more rain coming either today or tonight. It will stay cloudy. It has made it warmer here for now, but this part of the yr. nothing lasts for all that long as far as warmth, and sunshine. Just part of the yearly trek to winter. Wondering if winter when it gets here will seem to linger overlong as it has for some few yrs. now. Hope you are all going to have a good Saturday.

Wren44

We're having a cold snap here, but it's supposed to get into the 50's next week. Right now it's 38F and they're predicting snow over night. It will melt tomorrow. Glad it will be Sunday and not many have to go to work. Some of our downtown streets are incredibly steep. We used to live a block from a street that was closed with snow. The neighborhood would go out to watch the people drive around the barrier and slide back down the hill. Cheap entertainment.

Wren44

My previous post made me curious. The steepest block in Seattle is 28% grade - about 10 blocks from my house. When we were buying a house, we saw one on a steep street. I told the realtor I couldn't live there because I could feel the house clawing the hill, trying not to slip. I was born at sea level, so perhaps that has something to do with my feeling. There are lots of 21% grade blocks downtown.

bonnets

Yesterday it was 70, today only in the 40s! Lovely sunny day. Never know what clothes to put away or what to keep out. After calling tree service, who never bothered to call back, I called my carpenter bee guy who offered to take down a birch for us this summer. This time it was a pear tree that split and fell on the roof during last weeks storm. He came over and is taking it down right now.

Had a lot of snow, growing up in Chicago, but no hills. Garbage trucks wud eventually plow, otherwise the ruts just got deeper. Never had snow days like they have here. But then we walked to school.

Had a massage that was a Christmas gift, this morning. About time I got around to it. Was great til I was finished and got off the table, oops slipped and fell. knee is a little sore, but everything else seems to work.

duckyb1

As for me I will tell my grandaughters/etc keep your phone out of your bra....not that they ever did it......this is a good read.....

duckyb1

IllinoisLady

Bonnets, hope your knee doesn't hurt more tomorrow. Sort of nice being good and young --- it only hurt till you got a band aid on it, and then off and running and the next day you wouldn't even remember what you did. The massage does sound like it was great though.

Wren wow -- some hills. I think there was one similar where we lived in Ventura, Ca like the steep one you mentioned. I disliked it, but since there wasn't snow there it was more of a nuisance than anything. No homes there -- mainly just business places. I seldom would use the street because I didn't frequent the shops there so no reason to use the street. Most of the streets were nice and not steep at all. Don't know the why and how they managed to get mainly only one in the whole of the city. Maybe early on had something to do with being able to see the ocean. It was one of the nicest reasons to live there as if you didn't live super close to the beach ( not affordable for us ) you could still live close. We were about a mile away.

ChiSandy

Wren, I lived in the U. District for 7 years, at the foot of "the Ave," Univ. Way NE. Those hills sure kept me in shape (especially when we first moved there, before I got my drivers' license & first car--half a mile dragging a schlep-cart uphill to the Safeway gave me great, albeit, aching calves).

Wren44

Sandy, I'll bet you were in great shape. That's a really long hill. Not super steep, but relentless in length.

IllinoisLady

Do we spread loving kindness? There are many who say that this is our ultimate goal on this planet--to spread loving kindness to our fellow human beings. And when we are able to accomplish this goal, we find that our lives are transformed in the process. We're no longer so strongly focused on things and negative thoughts and feelings, but we've become truly happy, content human beings who love life and living. tom walsh