MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish
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Faith, congrats on the book! My oldest daughter (23) got her teaching degree in June and has been subbing since she can't find a teaching position. I'll tell her about the book and have her check it out.
When we were kids, every summer we took a week long camping trip to the redwoods. Imagine the infamous Blue Bird, with attached roof rack, stuffed with 6 people, 6 sleeping bags, 6 military issue cots, food and supplies. We looked like the Clampetts, too!
Cruising "The Main" long after the roller skating kink closed. I told my mom it was open until midnight, so we'd skate a couple of hours, walk or catch a ride down to Main Street, then get back to the rink for mom to pick us up. She never once asked why the parking lot was empty!
We use to have a hair dryer that was like a square box with a hose and cap attached. You'd have to sit forever to dry your hair. We finally figured out that if you take the cap off you could "blow dry" your hair! Yep, I was tortured with the pink spongy rollers, that left kinks in all directions, the brush rollers that hurt like crazy and even the rubbery, hard pink one piece rollers with build it clippy thingies. Some torture device my mom found somewhere.
We had the ultimate 5 and dime by our house. At Halloween they had the wax figures full of sickeningly, sweet, sugary fluid, wax lips, the orange harmonicas, teeth and mustaches. For a quarter I could get 5 candy bars, 5 packs of Life Savers or 25 pieces of penny candy. Remember how difficult it was to choose what you wanted when you only had a nickle? We'd scour the neighborhood to bring in soda bottles for the refunds. A penny for the small ones and three cents for the large ones.
I'm trying to locate my kindergarten picture of me with my "mom did it" bangs and that lovely look from pink foam rollers. I think it's out in my husband's Man Cave. I don't have a scanner so I'm going to try to take a picture of the picture with my digital and see if that works.
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I got stuck with short bangs on a regular basis, but never as short as my daughter. She was 11 or so (old enough to know better) and had been twirling a comb in her hair. The comb got stuck, so instead of asking for help, miss independence grabbed scissors and cut the comb out, right to the root of the hair at the front. She didn't have bangs before that, but she sure did for a couple of years after that. It took forever for those things to grow out.
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Too funny! My daughter, who had long blond hair at the time, decided to twirl a brush in her hair, late at night. She woke me up and I spent two hours unwinding her hair, when my first impulse was to cut the dang thing out!
Unfortunately, I will admit to following in my mom's bang whacking affliction. After my divorce, I was raising three of my four kids alone so money was scarce. I use to whack my daughters bangs into some very unbecoming lengths and we have the school pictures to prove it. There should be a class in school called, "Bang Trimming 101!"
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Okay - is anyone else thinking that perhaps our love of those scary candies mentioned about was not so innocuous? I mean, come on - wax lips? How could that have not been dangerous? I'm thinking they HAD to be loaded with Red Dye #2. And I'm pretty sure that the Gee, Your Hair Smells Terrific seeped into my skull... or nasal passages...
Barbe, I can't imagine someone having 50 pixie sticks without lapsing immediately into a coma. You're lucky she wouldn't give you that many.
I have a great bang-trimming technique: you comb the bangs straight up, hold them flat between two fingers, and turn the back to the front. Then you cut about 1/4 inch off the top with hair scissors as you hold them up, and then comb them back down. The end effect is sort of a gentle curve - a touch longer at the sides - and there's a slight difference in length between the hairs because of holding them up - the upper layer is a touch shorter. The lack of a harsh straight line is very forgiving. It sounds weird, but it works. I still use it to buy myself time if I'm feeling too cheap to get my hair done - although I promised myself that I would be better to myself about that sort of thing after my diagnosis. The whole "saving money on the hair by going 10 to 12 weeks" thing is only a worthy goal if you are assuming you'll live until you're 90. Last summer when I was diagnosed, I was horrified by the thought that I'd looked crappy so often and yet might have NO long term savings!!!! So I vowed to have that "natural blonde" put back into my hair on a more regular basis...
Faith - kudos to you for getting the book created and getting out there and making it happen by marketing yourself! It's cool that one can become published now without the big publishers, but it's still a LOT of work to handle all of that yourself!
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Juanelle -
Where in west Texas did you grow up? I grew up in Lubbock.
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Hi Ladies. I just got a phone call from my Oncologist.
All the tests I had on Wednesday were fine.
Sheila0 -
Congrats Sheila! Have a wonderful wekend...
Linda
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Wonderful memories, bell bottoms, Charlie perfume, I don't remember my first pair of jeans but they were most likely a hand me down from my sister!! New clothes was great for me I usually had hand me downs or my Mom made them. I think I was in junior high before we had more boughten clothes than home made. I remember my Mom's pattern box, trying clothes on full of pins to make sure it was right!!! Now I am lucky if I can sew on a button. I did a littel sewing, I made some maternity clothes for myself when i was pregnant with my youngest who is 24!!! Prell and Herbal Essence big in our home growing up.
Hope all have a fun weekend, I am recupperating from a nasty upper respiratory infection yuckk.
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Wonderful memories, bell bottoms, Charlie perfume, I don't remember my first pair of jeans but they were most likely a hand me down from my sister!! New clothes was great for me I usually had hand me downs or my Mom made them. I think I was in junior high before we had more boughten clothes than home made. I remember my Mom's pattern box, trying clothes on full of pins to make sure it was right!!! Now I am lucky if I can sew on a button. I did a littel sewing, I made some maternity clothes for myself when i was pregnant with my youngest who is 24!!! Prell and Herbal Essence big in our home growing up.
Hope all have a fun weekend, I am recupperating from a nasty upper respiratory infection yuckk.
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Congratulations, Sheila. I am sure the news is going to make your weekend better in more ways than you can count.
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Linda and Meece
Thank you for caring. Wasn't expecting the call until Monday when I saw his name on the caller ID I got so scared. Yes my weekend will be less stressful.
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Happy dancin' for you Seyla......
What a fantstic way to kick off the weekend.
May your celebration be grand & glorious.
Joy, joy, joy, joy, joy!!!!!
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P.S. Thank you Middies for your encouragement & support of my 'work'.
It's pretty awesome to get to do what I enjoy & make a living in the process of making people happy.
We're coming up on our national convention in DC in another week. We have a four hour presentation to make & that's always a great thrill. This will be our 6th national event in a row.
This ends up being my major marketing effort of the year. There are over 20,000 teachers in attendance. Pretty amazing.
Hope everyone has a great weekend.
(We just got home from the George Cloony Men & Goats movie -- I would not recommend it..... totally fell asleep.)
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desdomena, I grew up in a little town called Lueders, it is about 30 miles north of Abilene. We lived there until I was about 15 then we moved to Abilene and that is where I graduated high school. It is a good place to be from. I have never wanted to go back. It is just about all dried up now. About the only thing there now is the school. People live there because it is very cheap, but they drive to Abilene to work.
Seyla, congratulations, I am glad you got good news.
faithandfifty, congratulations on your book.
I hope everyone has a great weekend. I am going to see my grand-baby tomorrow, can't wait, she is so cuddly.
Juannelle
Juannelle
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Here's a NOW story:
I've always walked my dogs daily. One of them is half Alaskan Malamute and the other is half golden setter. Malamute is 127# and setter is 60#. Well, i'm pretty sure the Malamute(Moon) thinks he's my husband and the setter(Buddy)(Moonbuddy-sound familiar?) is our son.
Before surgery we had always walked 2 miles a day, but when i found out i was having it and knew i could only take a few days off we started walking 4 miles a day.
Needless to say, this is the most precious part of my day. I do it down on the River Road here in town, so part of it is well taken care of, sidewalks, and part isn't. The part that isn't is kind of fun, because you can just walk straight on the old road, or walk up a trail into the bluffs or go a little farther and walk up into the old rock quarry with it's caves and other interesting stuff.
Anyway, today, i knelt down to tie my shoe and Moon, the big one, turned around and came up to me, with Buddy following right behind and just smacked me a big one on my lips, so i just put my hands on the sides of his face and smacked him back, just fooling around, we have a good time, you know.
I had just walked them down to the boat ramp to get a drink out of the river and when i came back up a car was stopped at the top. Pretty hard to get nervous, with the size of my dogs, so when he rolled down his window i went over to see if he needed directions.
Turns out he was a photographer and traveled around a lot taking differnt kinds of pictures for some different magazines he contracts for. The only one i recognized was Midwest Living. He had a bunch of equipment in his car (SUV), and he had taken a picture of Moon and I kissing!!!
I was red with embarassment, but damn it was a great picture! He gave me one and asked me to sign something allowing him to use it. Well, stupid i'm not, so i didn't give him my name or anything, but i sure do have one cool picture of my dogs and me and the river and the bluffs changing colors!
Just thought i'd share that when elimar said she liked now stories like Faith and Marybe's. Big difference however, when you look at the creativity of those two and my simple everyday one. But it did get me to thinking, we all have busy lives that just go on. We've also learned to celebrate what counts! Good news on Friday before a wknd, that makes us all have a better wknd.
I've never been one to talk a lot or have close friends(since my sister died), but this has changed me, I hope for the better. I really do care about the good news on Friday. I really am impressed with Faith's accomplishment. No jealousy, no competition, just simple enjoyment of another's happiness.
I've learned to reach out and ask for help here. Or just say how i really feel. And to appreciate that we are individuals who share a lot more than an illness. We're funny, creative, caring, and have good attitudes. Or if we didn't have a good attitude before, you sure can't be on this link long before you get one.
The fact that elimar can go hours without thinking about cancer....how cool! For all of us. If we haven't experienced that yet, we know it's in our future! Everyone caring about the kittens, the momma, it's all cool.
I also, am interested in what you all did today. What was a simple fun thing for you? It might make me appreciate more of my small moments as well.
By the way, a hairdresser told me if you just need your bangs cut...twist a little hair before you cut it,small amts. at a time, that way it won't be completely straight across, but just right.
G'nite all and thanks again for everything!
Marian
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Oh Marian. What a lovely epistle to start our day.
I L-O-N-G to see the photo of you & the dogs. Is it possible for you to figure out how to post it here for our delight? I would be happy to send you some 'instructions' for posting (thru Photobucket) which takes a bit to figure out, but once you do -- you can add so much fun & visual interest to your posts & encouragement.
What a lot of insight into yourself you've shared in your post of last night. I, too, appreciate what happens in the lives of our sisterhood here. You've expressed it so well.
I'll nominate you for thread scribe.
I was raised by a very strict father who was perhaps even over-bearing in his staunch feelings of not being boastful or tooooo proud. We were to be humble in all things. (He was in fact a pastor and actually preached these things to his congregation -- in the pews & in our home.)
The great news is that he's mellowed somewhat in that regard. When he became a grand-parent for the first time, his world changed. When my daughter made them great-grandparents, he took another quantem leap in softening/evolving. He will be 81 shortly and that's been a lovely process to observe.
In any case, I am always VERY hesitant/cautious/concerned about sharing my "successes" because of that early training, drilled into my very core.
I am especially appreciative of the response from our "middies" who are helping me to learn to 'share' my story. Your flowing, easy-going encouragement is a treasure. Thank you.
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This new book of mine was done in total collaboration with my own biological sister. It has been fraught with every issue that could rear it's ugly head between sisters who do indeed love each other, but have busy lives & different approaches to the world. We have worked on it in theory since 2005, but probably in earnest beginning in 2006 or so. Having it now out of our computers and in the page-turning-phase is an enormous mental health hurdle crossing.
We order 1000 at a time. My first book has sold nearly 6000 copies in about 4 years. Without one real dollar going to PR/marketing in a traditional sense. I count on the word of mouth of teachers. I am the very poster child for: "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can."
Enough psycho-analysis for today...... back to your happy weekends, one & all.
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There is an amazing written "piece" that I wish I could find about being an artist and not hiding your light under a barrel/basket. I used to have it hanging in my store and wonder where I found it....
A labourer works with his hands, A craftsman works with his head, An artist works with his heart.
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Lick m aid..that's the stuff I was talking about. It came in a little envelope. Later it came out in larger quantities and they gave you some sort of a stick (I think it may have been made out of candy also, but am not sure because I only had it back when it came in the small envelopes) to dip in it and you'd lick the sugar mixture off of it. My friend and I used to make our own out of sugar and koolaid.
Faith, you are proof that if you really want to do something, you can do it. Congratulations. I am going to tell my freind's sister who is a first grade teacher about your book.....or possibly she even knows about it as she is in Hilliard.
It's Sat. AM which used to be lots of cartoons after the farm report and a cooking show, Mada's Kitchen. We would usually watch these shows at my grandparent's when we were very small since we often spend Friday nights with them. .Later in the day it would be BigTime Wrestling and bowling. They used to also have some sort of a weekend program at the movie theater where they would show 100's of cartoons....Mr.McGoo, Bug Bunny, Porky Pig, Tom & Jerry, Mighty Mouse. Sometimes my mother would take us, but a lot of times it was a baby sitter and I remember this one time the sitter wanted to see the feature so we stayed and saw it also and it was not something for children. I remember it was some movie with Tuesday Weld. We did not have that particular baby sitter again. I think it was only 25cents for all of those cartoons.
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Somehow my post is way out of order.....or I am a very slow writer because now I see a lot of other posts. You didn't like the George Clooney movie? The previews looked so good. I loved Burn after Reading and Brother Where Art Thou,
I loved the story about the dog kiss. Maybe what you signed was a release and your pic with Moon. Did the guy look like Clint Eastwood? Remember in that movie Bridges of Madison County how he traveled around. I loved that book and the movie was good, but I just never imagined Merle Streep as the woman when I read the story and so often I find imagination is better than the actresses or actors they choose. Except for Rhett Butler...Clark Gable was perfect!
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Love this link, great stories, great memories. Sun-in anyone? I loved the blond streaks I got with it. My Dad loved long hair, my Mom wore hers' short and me being the only daughter..... Anyway no pixie cuts for me. Does anyone remember short white boots?
Reconstruction question - Now that my new foobs are healing, PS wants to schedule nip recon for Feb. guess there are three choices, do nothing, have new nips created or the 3-d tattooing? What experiences have you ladies had? What factors influences you decision? Are you happy with the results?
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Middlies, I Need Your Help.
Some women are still having trouble locating this thread. The time has come to get us into a proper home and I am asking the Moderators to create a Middle-Aged Women with Breast Cancer FORUM, and to move us there rather than under the Younger Women heading. If you support this idea, can you all take the time to visit my REQUEST THREAD and leave a post:
http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/93/topic/743445?page=0#post_1586443
I think you will have to cut and paste this into your browser to get there.
THANKS ALL, ~~E.
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And please don't overlook Somuch's question, just cause I butted in. :-)
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Faith, thank you. I have Picassa and have a friend who is going to show me how to get a couple of pics uploaded here. I have another picture a friend of mine took of Moon and I smacking when I had all four of my dogs with me. (when i got divorced my ex, a good friend, kept the girls and i took the boys and i exercise them all). What you and your sister have gone through and done together is great. I can imagine the fights (disagreements)? and then the wonderful feelings between the two of you when it was accomplished, and letting by gones be by gones. I still have 7 siblings left out of 9 and it's a trip!
Marybe, I remember in the summer Mom buying tickets for the summer saturday afternoon cartoons at the show! I'm sure the older kids didn't enjoy taking us as much as we enjoyed going, us younger ones i mean.
As far as actors and imagination, that's why i read instead of going to movies. I prefer my own visualizations better than the movie's. One exception: No body could have played Atticus better than Gregory Peck! Actually the entire cast on To Kill A Mockingbird were perfect. So I still prefer the book but love the pictures of the actors in my mind for the characters!
Somuch, Sandy? I am not going to have reconstruction because of time, maybe somewhere down the line, who knows, but i'm totally ignorant on that subject-totally.
Elimar, I don't have a clue how to do what you've asked. Help?
Now off to one of my three grandchildren's birthday party (tractor party, means bring something to ride)! down in Lawrence, Ks. About an hour away.
Have a great day everyone. 70 degrees here today in Atchison, Kansas! Good weather today, tomorrow then high 50's next week. That's Moon's weather
Marian
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Barbe,
By the way, I can't even think about drive-in movies! Young, sitting on top of car, trying to stay awake, wonderful. Teenager:
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Drive-in movies...what a wonderful memory. There is still a double screen one in Concord, CA, about 4 hours from me.
My mom would pop a paper grocery bag full of popcorn and fill the large Coleman jug with lemonade. We'd be in our jammies, grab our blankets and pillows and jump into the station wagon. We'd go early so we 4 kids could play in the playground and get good and tired. By the time the movie started we'd be asleep and mom and dad got to enjoy the movie.
Walk in movies were too expensive and saved as a special treat. I remember seeing Mary Poppins at a walk in.
As a teenager they started car load prices of $2.00. I can't remember watching too much of the movies, but it was more about socializing back then!
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We are big movie goers. Our little summer get-away place up north still has an operational drive-in movie theatre. They get all of the top releases.... it's so much fun. We love to be early enough to see all of the young children doing just as we did years ago. There's a great playground and a volleyball court -- both of which are heavily in use before every movie.
Our daughter came up last summer and we went to see MamaMia. Fun times.
Tonight's movie critique is for "This is It" -- the Michael Jackson final filming of his concert preparation. It was brilliant. I LOVED it. Seriously well done. So much talent. Amazing. All the superlatives that you can imagine.
And no, I was not a fan of George Clooney and the gang of guys last night..... in the Men & Goats send-up. Not on any level. And I have liked EVERYthing George up until this one. My husband would tell you that I'm not an appreciator of sarcasm as an art form tho. Nor war movies.... but it was his choice, so I go. That's our deal.
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I have not been on for a few days due to work and have spent quite a bit of time reading. You are all such wonderful girls (:
Faith, could you PM me the instructions for posting pictures? Congratulations on your book!
I just drove home today from Syracuse NY and it was a clear sunny day and the autumn leaves were so beautiful.I take route 17 which is not interstate so that I can get out of my car whenever I want and watch the streams come down out of the mountains and I love to day dream about spending a long weekend in a little one room cabin with a fireplace and a big chair and a couple of good books.
There is a wonderful quote by Nelson Mandela titled Our Deepest Fear, it talks abour our deepest fear not being that we are inadequate but that we are powerful beyond measure. He states at the end: "Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. You were born to manifest the glory that is within us. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others." I edited this for time.
Big Hugs,
Linda
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moonbuddy, after I read about your nice doggie outing, I felt a little guilty and decided to take my dog for a walk today, but first...
This might be the last warm weekend before Winter, so I tried to get my husband to give our hound dog a bath. Since he had just cleaned out all the gutters, he did not answer in the affirmative to the suggestion of further toil. "You do it," he grunted. Well, o.k. then.
Now the thing about my dog is that, after 14 years, she has built up quite an understanding of words and phrases muttered by her people (or shall I say her Monkey Butlers? Oh yes, we know how she thinks of us!) If I say "go for a walk," she responds with a deep bow which is her non-verbal reply, "You betcha." Today, when I said "get a bath," she first turned a deaf ear and ignored me (first line of defense.) When I repeated that, she went bug-eyed and trembley. This is actually her non-verbal reply of, "I knew I should have ripped out your jugular in my prime." Well, pitifull or not, I just was not going to have a stinky dog lounging around the house all winter, so watcha gonna do? Three minutes of soapy sponge followed by one minute of rinse bucket is hardly animal abuse. She retaliated by soaking me in the shake-off, as any self respecting dog will.
The thing I love about dogs is that within minutes, all human transgressions are forgiven. So, we were able to have a great walk first past a community area, where she reads her pee-mail from other dogs and usually leaves a reply, and then I took her down a road where I knew there would be the scent of deer (because I had seen two cross the road last night.) This is bliss for a hound dog, second only to rabbit scent. We both got some exercise and had a fine stroll in the sun. She thinks I make a pretty good Monkey Butler. Woof!
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Right on, Nelson Mandela! The quote on the page before.
(Figures this would jump to a new page.)
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Ha Elimar I can just picture your dog and the reaction to getting the dreaded "bath"! My little guy was sick this week and required a trip to the vet when he did not want to play ball nor did he care if other dogs were walking in his yard.
$400 dollars later and there is nothing seriously wrong thank goodness, but I told him at the Vet's that perhaps I would turn him into my new Coach purse since he and the bag cost about the same. We do so love all of our furry children don't we?!
Where the heck is Nebraskagrandma?
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