Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
Comments
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We had a wonderful trip to Big Bend country, too, quite a few years ago. Mommarch lives in a beautiful area.
Mommarch, glad to hear that your situation has stabilized. Sure hope that chemo is doing its job. Keep us up to date.
It's dark here with some rain and rumbles of thunder. DH and I went to the gym early. I'm doing some chores in the house. Just made myself a cappuccino with my little expresso machine and am sitting and resting my foot. Much to my disappointment, I seem to have the same pain in my toes as before my surgery when I spend a good bit of time on my feet. Tomorrow will be four weeks since the foot surgery. I'm hoping for a better outcome as time goes on.
Hello to everyone. Happy Tuesday.
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I just LOVE this video!
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Greatness is not found in possessions, power, position or prestige. It is discovered in goodness, humility, service and character.
William Ward.
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Welcome Lyn! Please do post pictures of your baby projects. I am no seamstress and have little creative talents when it comes to things like that. If I see an idea that I like, I can sometimes copy it, though!
Blondie... so glad that you are doing so well and how fun a trip to Florida will be!!!! Good for you! You go, gal!
Mommarch....sorry that you are going to have to miss your "outing with the family" but I'm so glad to hear that you are tolerating the treatments better. I think fatigue is just part of it and I guess it's best to listen to your body and give in when you're tired. Gosh, it's hard to do that though when you are used to being active.
I had my blood drawn today at the cancer center and have my appointment with the onc next week. I always get a little nervous when these "routine visits" roll around. I know it doesn't do a bit of good to worry but I think I was born with that mode installed in me! :-)
We have had some terrible storms and LOTS of rain. We live on the banks of a creek in a wooded area and I woke up in the middle of the night to a horrible sound. The creek had overflowed its banks and was hitting our deck on the back of the house. We had no back yard. It was just a lake and I was worried about it coming over the deck and into my dining room. Fortunately the rain stopped before that happened. I have never seen it this high in all the years that we have lived here. The creek is back down today and most of the water in the yard is gone but I have some debris that I need to get out and get picked up. Always something, I guess.
termite...I understand your feelings about leaving the home that you've been in for so long. That's a tough decison to make!
Well, I'm off to see what is on TV tonight.
Wishing you all a good Wednesday!
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Hi ladies,
Hope everyone is having a good week. I have been trying to post a few pictures but am not able to. Can someone please explain how I do this here.
Thanks
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Hi Termite!
I think you click on the little icon that looks like a mountain in a frame. It's there on the reply box. Then you can choose a file and add the photo.
Hope this works! I'm not an expert.
I'm working on some bibs at the moment and burp cloths-easy and fun!
Lynn
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Termite, Lynn has given you good instructions. Click the little rectangle and then select browse. Go through your pictures in your file where you have them stored and click the picture you want to post. Looking forward to seeing your pictures.
Good morning, everyone. The sun is shining this morning. I plan to head out to the supermarket and to Sam's Club with a list. That shopping trip is about it for plans today. Wed. is normally a golf day but I haven't started playing golf again. I probably won't play until July, when we're in MN.
Hope everyone is doing well on this Wednesday.
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Magic is a sudden opening of the mind to the wonder of existence.
It is a sense that there is much more to life than we usually recognize;
that we do not have to be confined by the limited views that our family,
our society, or our own habitual thoughts impose on us; that life
contains many dimensions, depths, textures, and meanings extending
far beyond our familiar beliefs and concepts.John Welwo
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Woo -- already hot here today with the weather people indicating today will be the hottest day so far --- and lots of humidity too. Yesterday, during the heat their was a nice breeze so our house stayed very cool. In fact, a couple of times I wondered if I needed longer pants on --- but don't think it will be quite that way today. It is just going to be sticky and icky. Dh said he would get the filters set up for the a/c in case we needed to turn it on. I always have great hope to avoid the a/c until July or so. For one thing -- the house is closed all winter so I love getting the stale turned out properly.
Also, it helps our heating and cooling bill so much. This yr. they charged enough on our budget billing monthly plan that we are on hiatus. Made the last payment this past month. I love when they are able to do that. It was only $38.00 as well rather than the $115.00 that we paid monthly through the yr. I'd actually rather pay a bit more monthly and then get the "time off for good behavior" for two or three months out of the yr. I get a breather and can do a couple of other things with the money. Like anything though, you can't PLAN too well anyway. You just hope nothing goes wrong or that it is fairly minor and will wait for that time when you do have a bit extra.
I will be checking in a bit later so I'll see you then. You're all in my thoughts. Thinking about Joan and hoping things are well with you. Also, Mimi our clown.
Blessings,
Jackie
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Morning all,
Blondie- hope your trip to Fl is everything you want it to be and more!
RitaJean- that rain must have been terrifying! I know my mind would go straight to a Hurricane Katrina or Sandy outcome, even if it was "just" rain and not a hurricane.
Emma- good luck on the sale of the house. One of my daughters wants us to clean out the master closet here, because I have stuff from everyone in there, and I just can't find the energy to even consider it. There is almost 40 years of stuff in it. I can't imagine having to do the whole house. The other bedrooms wouldn't be too bad- they have changed residents so much that they are pretty clear, but the kitchen and God help us, the garage and shed!! Makes me queasy to even think about it- which is why I don't.
Nothing much happening here. Rob got in Sun and camp started Mon. I used to do all the office stuff for them before BC, but what was supposed to be 15-20 hrs a week became more like 50+ hrs, so I just haven't gone back. I stay connected though, like I went the first day and helped give out the camp t-shirts and serve the lunches. It was fun being busy, but I got to leave when I wanted, without feeling I had left anything undone. There were 247 campers the first day. They run an excellent teen camp which is hard to find, so there were 125+ kids in that part.
I think for Rob, the best part of the summer is coming home to a decent hot dinner every night. Even when his vegan wife makes "dinner" for him, it is always pasta and sauce,with a salad. Rob's not a salad person and no matter what the shape, pasta is pasta is pasta.
He is in charge of the whole camp, and the most stressful part of that is dealing with the owner of the camp and her daughter who is co-director. They are both scatterbrained and OCD. Just as an example, the first day, the owner told the head counselor of the middle camp to go with another counselor to get the TV, and that she would watch his group while he was gone. At the end of the day meeting, she yelled at the counselor saying he left his group without coverage. He yelled right back at her that he was doing what she told him to. Rob gets just as frustrated, but manages (for the most part) to speak calmly. Another example is that she told Rob that she and I would take the lunches over to the youngest group who were in a portable classroom at the closest middle school. He called the counselor and told her lunch was on the way, so she got all the kids sitting at their desks, ready for lunch. Problem was, Sue lost her sunglasses, then got into a long discussion with a parent, then couldn't find the paper we needed (which was in her hand), so we were more than a half-hour late in getting there with the lunches. She was not happy that the kids were just sitting there watching TV. Made no connection to the fact that we were supposed to be there 30+ minutes earlier and they had been active until they were sat down for lunch.
Rob has been doing this for 20 years now, Sue has owned the camp since 1983, her daughter just started five years ago. Even though Sue and Lori know Rob can run the camp part calmly and completely, they cannot let go and let him do it. They question him constantly. Rob says so far this year every time Lori tells him he has to tell a counselor something, he tells her to tell the counselor herself, and every single time she has come back and said they said Rob already told them. When she asks why he didn't just tell her that, he says because you obviously don't believe me when I do. When Lori gives directions to them, for a field trip, or specific activity, they all come to Rob saying"what?!?" She ends up giving each of them two or three contradictory jobs in the same conversation.
Rob stays with the job because he loves the kids, and it pays him as much in ten weeks as his teachers salary, but Sue and Lori drive him crazy. Since I left, he is giving Lori more and more of the paperwork that she can do off-site. Lori's oldest daughter is in the youngest group of campers this year and when sue and I were giving them their t-shirts, Sue was surprised Lori hadn't ordered any extras for her daughter- I said why would she- she can take as many as she wants. These are extras that the parents paid extra for. Lori is part owner- why would she pay for a shirt? I gave her daughter an extra one anyway, just so she would have a bag like everyone else.
Anne
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Anne, that camp owner sounds like a real "ditz." She would drive me crazy.
Termite, good luck in selling your house. It sounds like a wise decision.
Jackie, that system for paying the electrical bill sounds good. We don't have that system. You just pay for whatever you use each month. Our bill goes down to the minimum in the summer when we aren't here. About $30. It will be interesting to see how the solar panels on the house affect our bill. The installers are scheduled for Friday but the forecast is for rain. I have my fingers crossed that the rain holds off.
I hate to be pessimistic but I'm very much afraid my foot surgery didn't cure the problem. Tomorrow will be four weeks. I hope things improve, but today I went to Walmart and did quite a bit of walking. I was in pain as I limped out to my car with a buggy full of groceries. Once I sit down and rest, the pain goes away. It comes from putting weight on the foot, something that walking is guaranteed to do! Oh well, it is what it is and could be much worse.
Since I don't anticipate being able to walk on the street for aerobic exercise this summer, I went to one of the Any Time Fitness gyms in this area and paid for a 4 month membership for dh and me. So we'll be able to use the Any Time Fitness gym in Park Rapids, MN. It will be good for dh to continue his regular exercise since he's a cardiac patient.
DH is off playing golf so I'm having a peaceful afternoon.
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Rita - the only time I didn't worry when I got a mammogram was the time I got diagnosed with cancer...
Maybe the worry gene will help ward off any more bad stuff. 
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Carole - so sorry to hear that your foot isn't responding as you'd hoped. Did they tell you 4 weeks would be enough healing? When do you see the doc again?
Regarding A/C - I'm home most every summer and I rarely cool my house down more than 78 degrees. Summer electric bills are never under $200/month. And it's not odd for temps to still be 85 degrees at Christmas. One thing about Houston (and LA & FL I imagine) is that it doesn't cool down at night like in the mountains, desert or ocean - so 99 degrees & 99% humidity during the day might only drop to 90 degrees at night.
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Well gardengumby....I knew I worried for a reason! Sure hope that worry does ward off the bad stuff! I like the way you think!
Carole, I sure hate to hear that you are still having pain in your foot. There are LOTS of nerves down there so maybe it will just take some more time.
I broke down and put on the air when I got home from golf this afternoon. The house was really steamy and it is feeliing pretty good now! We are in a wooded area and usually get a good breeze but not today. I also wanted to make a cake for our strawberry shortcake for dinner and that would heat up the house even more. Of course I have chosen the hottest day of the summer so far to do this! :-)
This has been a week of good news. We have a friend who needed a liver. We figured that if there was a younger person who needed the same liver the younger person would probably get it. However, they got a call from Mayo Clnic telling them to get in the car immediately and head north because they had a liver. Hopefully his body will accept this gift! Then one of the gals that I bowl and golf with had a brain anyuerism (I think I spelled that wrong!) and had to have a coil put in during a challenging brain surgery. She got through the surgery OK and is expected to make a good comeback. How scary! She is younger than me and so very active!
Well, I need to get that cake made and the strawberries cleaned. I hope everyone is having a great day!
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Like you Minus, when we do start up our a/c ( letting it get out all the humidity in the house first ) we set it at 78 or 80. If it is really, really hot outside -- that temp. seems almost cold when you first walk in. If you are not being highly enthusiastically active with some chore, you are ok. Not great, but ok. It is just right for sleeping -- sometimes even using a light sheet part of the night.
We didn't have to turn on the a/c today. It got up to about 80 in the house ( what we would have even if using a/c ) and though we were sticky for awhile, when the sun starts falling even a little on its way to setting -- we start to see a difference. So the fans did the trick. It is still warm in here, but the fans will be on all night long. I'll be using a sheet too.
We are on budget billing on our electric as well so both that and propane. Only difference is the electric doesn't set theirs up to give you some "time off for good behavior" months like the propane people. This really does help us tremendously. We always know what our bills will be for those things which can be sort of major in winter ( we have some doozies now and then ) or in the summers when they are VERY hot and humid.
Here's hoping we can make it to July before we need the a/c.
See you all in the morning.
Jackie
ETA: Carole -- my vote is for your needing to give that foot a little more time. I have noticed that things just take a lot more time for me now that I'm 69. I know, 69 is still fairly young, but even little cuts and nicks seem to take their sweet time.
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Forgive those who have injured you -
not because they deserve your forgiveness,
but because you can never be happy until
you release your anger and grant forgiveness.
Forgiving is not a gift to someone else -
Forgiving is your gift to yourself - a great gift - the gift of happiness.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie0 -
I have to quit going to the garden shops. I noticed a few bare spots this morning while watering This afternoon I stopped by my favorite parking lot pop-up garden shop after lunch and came home with a tray full of plants. They're all planted and watered in. It's such a joy to have the energy this summer to putz in my yard.
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Puffin, when your garden blooms, you'll have to post some pictures so we can enjoy it, too!
We used to set our thermostat at 78 to 80 but I mind the heat more and more as the years pass. When I leave the house, I put the setting higher but keep it about 74 or 75 when I'm here in the house. And I still sweat if I'm moving about doing things. At night we lower the setting to 68 and cover up with a sheet and light blanket. The plus side to getting the house cold at night is that the a/c seldom kicks on the next day until about midday.
The solar power company is scheduled to come tomorrow morning early to install the panels on the roof, but the forecast is for rain. Fingers crossed that they're able to do their work because time is short.
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When I let go of what I am,
I become what I might be. ~ Lao Tzu0 -
Beautiful day here. We were supposed to go on a tour of the Capitols of Eastern Canada and leave tomorrow but, had to cancel due t o my IBS kicking in this week. Am going o try eliminating foods that I read may contribute to it, and see if I can get it under control. I have never associated bouts with any specific food, except broccoli and blueberries! Which I stay away from. Diarrhea is literally a pain in the butt. Have to worry every time leave the house. If we travel on our own or a cruise where we can follow our own schedule, I can usually deal with it. Of course the foods I shud stay away from seem to be ones I like, like caffeine/chocolate and tea for my tachy cardia. Oh well I shudn't complain when I see what many are dealing with.I'll probably be fine the rest of the week , and we cud have gone! Just never know! Just tired of this way of life. Rant done!
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Bonnets, what a shame! Feel free to rant. It's good to get the emotions out and we don't mind. That sounds like an interesting trip. We enjoyed all our travels in Canada, which is a very nice country. If we were to live anywhere else but the USA, it would be Canada.
The installation crew for the solar panels has already gone, their job done. They said our house was "a piece of cake." The roof design is simple with a gentle slant. Your typical ranch house roof. Now the parish (county) has to come for an inspection and the power company (CLECO) has to come and install a special meter. It's unlikely all that gets done before we depart for 3 mos., but we can hope. Until the special meter is installed, we won't get credit for power we feed back into the grid. I know--it's all words. I don't understand it either!
We'll have an App for our I-phones and computers that will let us monitor the electrical output of each panel. Isn't that amazing? Supposedly the solar company monitors all this, too, and if one panel isn't doing its job, it will undergo repair. Sounds complex to me!
There was a light rain shower and some rumbling a couple of hours ago but now the sun is out. DH went off to play golf and I can do whatever I decide to do this afternoon. Nice!
Happy Friday.
Jackie, what an intriguing quote today. Letting go isn't easy, is it?
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I am always intrigued by solar power. I don't know what the make-break point is --- that is where you, yourself start reaping the monetary savings -- but I think in the long run it will be so fantastic in 'putting' our world back in a better state. The immense damage that has been done through greenhouse gasses, depletion of forests, diminishing wet lands, disruption of ozone layers --- all things that heavily affect climate change or global warming so even if it takes some time to PAY for these improvements --- in the long run it is my hope that new construction has it as a built-in feature. We really do need alternate sources of energy that has a renewal factor built into it.
It is sticky hot once again today, but the rain is due to start this late afternoon or evening. As long as it cools down -- though we do fine in the house if we are quiet. It is no hotter in here than it would be if we had the air on --- it is just that we must deal with the humidity and the fact that if we do have to exert a lot of effort --- it takes longer to cool down with just the fans circulating air. I place the fans in positions where we can get some air directly hitting us part of the time so it is not the worst. Still am not sure if we can make it to July --- just playing it by ear.
Carole, the quote is a bit on the difficult side --- we are so familiar with who we are and it seems so much easier when life is pretty predictable. It also means to me to try and not let myself get into a rut of rote behaviors -- to stay flexible and branch out. Stay happy and be pleasant, helpful and cheerful with wherever I am and whomever I may be with and most of all be willing to try new things or new small adventures. As I am a stay-at-home for the most part due to feral cat feedings and care of plenty of my own 'rescues' that live with me and Dh --- I really have to guard my "sameness" and maybe that is why I so often question things the way I do. I want to maintain an ability to change my way of seeing and thinking about things --- so I'm always on the lookout for how others might see things.
Though as humans we are all pretty much alike --- there to me is nothing or no one so complex.
Anyway, I will work again tonight. I'll be glad to finish my week --- and truly happy that I got an extra day in this week. I will have one of the 'longer' week-ends that I like since I often end up skipping Fri. and then working Saturday night. Either is fine with me at my age --- I don't have to worry about what was long ago date night for most people. So --- unless something were to come up ---- I'll be off until Tues. after tonight.
Bonnets, your tour did sound interesting. I'm sorry that you will have to skip it. I hope you do find the "key" to getting the IBS to settle down so you can have a life that allows planning little excursions or shopping trips or anything that you have had to skip the last few months.
Canada is I think a super nice place -- or can be. My first husband's mother was from Canada -- so we spent a fair amt. of time there visiting family of hers that stayed in Canada. I always enjoyed it immensely. I'm sure winters are a bit off-putting, but oddly most of us adapt to things like that all right. Meaning, if you can do winter at all, then you could do a Canadian winter. Their summers are delightful. We mainly went in summer.
Anyway, I'll be checking in through the day as always. See you then.
Blessings
Jackie
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Gray and cool today - which is a bit of a relief for us northwesterners who aren't accustomed to high temps for long periods of time.... I was supposed to go fishing with hubby this morning, but couldn't sleep last night, so opted to stay in bed instead. Once up I continued along with my yard project of covering all the grass in our backyard with landscape cloth. I put down one strip a day, and figure all the grass will be covered in another week (unless I take a day or two off, of course
) Once the landscape cloth is down, the next step will be dumping fresh dirt over all of it - heavily laced with Preen to discourage weeds. Once I feel safe that the under grass is safely dead I'll start planting drought tolerant shrubs and perennials (mostly shrubs, though). I want to put in a couple pathways, and haven't yet decided on what I'll do there. Hubby is encouraging me to use low plants that tolerate foot traffic, so that might well be the direction I take. The former owners left some large hunks of slate laying next to the house. I asked hubby not to get rid of them, so if he didn't, I'll probably use those as well with the plants around them. If I ever complete the project I'll post some pictures. 0 -
Carole, Our neighbors put in solar panels (in cloudy Seattle) and power their house, their electric car, and are still selling back to the electric company. I don't know how long the payback is but they are certainly helping the greenhouse gas effect.
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Hi all, tonight I take my last 3 pills for this 14 day of my chemo session, I am off for 7 days. I guess when my feet got so bad the first session I must have had blood blisters that I could not see due to the swelling and redness. Where they hurt the worst, now I am peeling, not sore.
I have noticed that our clown mimi has not posted in along time. Hope she is OK. Kids are still here, 2 teen age boys eating me out of house and home. Kimber is spending most of her time down in Alpine with her Parental grandmother. Kimber is doing the Sul Ross Univ. musical Annie get your gun this summer. Having a great time with it.
Hope you are as well as you can be. Will let you know later on in the week how my week is going off the med. Hugs
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The hopeful person sees success where others see failure, sunshine where others see shadows and storm.
Orison Swett Marden0 -
Oh Puffin, I share your love or working in the yard and the flowers. I am not very good about planting things in the right places but I am learning. As Carole says, do post pictures!
Carole, I am anxious to hear about your solar panels and how well they work. There are many pools in Florida that are solar heated. The house we rent as a regular heating unit for the pool but the solar heat sounded very interesting to me.
Today is supposed to be a good one Illinois so I'm planning on working outside. The rain is supposed to reappear tomorrow again and there are chances of rain predicted for every day next week.....UGH. At least we don't have to water the flowers! :-)
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Google "Right plant right place". There's a book by that name and it looks like others have pamphlets. I wish we had read it when we planted astilbe, which likes wet feet, under a large tree that drinks all the water in the area. I think it's so pretty, but ours gave up the ghost really fast.
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Lew got a call from his sister that hospice nurse said his mom's fever was not a good sign and we should come. So we're in Brainerd doing bedside vigil. She's getting oral morphine scheduled every 6 hours round the clock and in between doses if she needs them. She's opened her eyes once, wiggles her toes occasionally and sucks on the water soaked sponge when I put it into her mouth. Lew's son will spend the night, we'll sleep at Lew's sister's house and come back in the morning. Brings back memories of sitting at my mom's bedside.
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Sorry to hear that Puff --- you and your family will be in my thoughts. No matter what, it's a difficult time for everyone. You can't ever quite prepare --- even when slipping gently away into the next world is what should happen. Prayers and love be with you.
Blessings
Jackie
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z727wXHEJMg
