Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
Comments
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Very warm here this morning -- like milquetoast and rain is coming. It is windy for present but when the wind dies back the rain will start. I have had to open the windows a crack as the house is simply just too hot for me. Dh loves it warm and while I need to reset the thermostat on occasion, it is not very often and I really need it cool at night to sleep. I think he slipped it up some time during the night as I woke up a couple of times enough to throw my covers partly off -- hmmm.
Can't believe we are so close to the major holidays left for this yr !! How could we get here this fast??? I don't remember sleeping on the job but somehow the summer just seems to fly --- and later, if remaining the same this yr. winter will feel like such a long interval.
I hope you will all have a satisfying and productive day. You are always in my thoughts by the way.
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Jo
When she retired, my mother lived in Iron Mountain. She lived there for more than 20 years. My brother is across the river in Niagara. We were raised further north, in Houghton County.
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Your mentioning Iron Mountain took me back MANY years. My camp nurse , who I kept up with for many years , was from Iron Mountain, her name was Eila Routsala. Surprised I even remember her name, been so long ago!
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Started out raw, windy and rainy this morning. Decided I was definitely not driving downtown--because of security concerns (lots of skyscrapers along the route), more street closures earlier in the day for this year's Festival of Lights parade. Had to wrestle a suitcase full of costume changes, so taking the L was not really an option. Brought up the Lyft app on my phone, and it was really slooooow loading. Was able to enter pickup & dropoff, hit "Request Lyft," up came the ApplePay TouchID page and.....crickets. Spinning wheel cursor. "Processing...processing....unable to process payment at this time. Try again later." 10 minutes of this, and I said the heck with it--I'll take Uber instead. Well, guess what? Uber changed its interface yet again (seemingly every time I use it)--had to re-enter my password, cell phone number, verification code, yada yada. Entered my pickup & dropoff, and clicked "Order Uber." But instead of the usual "searching for drivers" screen I got "Schedule Pickup." Earliest I could schedule was five minutes later, so I did. The driver's name & car came up, but so did a box saying "Meet at..." an address four blocks away. WTF? Aren't rideshares door-to-door? I called the driver and told him my actual address. Meanwhile, on the map telling me where he was, the car icon wasn't moving and it said "4 min. away." Then my phone dinged to tell me he had arrived. He hadn't even turned the corner on to my block. Well, it all turned out okay--made it with 5 minutes to spare...only to find nearly everyone else was late.
At the meal break, it was still raining but not pouring and the wind had yet to kick in (they were forecasting gusts up to 40mph, with the rain turning to snow). Still in the high 30s. Not too bad. When rehearsal was over, I figured I'd give the L a chance. All was okay till a panhandler started working his way through the train car, down the aisle. I assume he was begging though the music in my earbuds was drowning him out. I deliberately avoided making eye contact, as did everyone else. But as he stood near me with his back turned, I could smell that he reeked of cigarettes & beer...and then to my horror I realized that his rear pants pockets were nearly to his knees--his jeans were riding so low they were about to fall down. Fortunately, he gave up and moved on to the next car. By the time I got off the train and on to the street, the wind was beginning to howl. "Deja vu all over again" from last year: jacket hood blowing back & down, earbuds barely staying in (and these are totally wireless, so if they fall out of my ears I lose them), and the wind propelling my suitcase like it was pulling me.
Still 38 degrees now and dry--but very, very windy. Should be in the 20s when I leave in the morning (blessedly, rehearsal starts half an hour later than it did today). Friend is hosting his annual Sunday-before-Thanksgiving brunch. Bob will get there when it starts, antipasto and Beaujolais Nouveau (and maybe a bubbly) in hand. I will get there after rehearsal. Definitely will take a cab or rideshare there, as our friend lives four long blocks from an L station--one of the few that has no elevator or escalator, and the walk can be dicey after dark (his neighborhood hasn't completely gentrified yet).
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Compassion is the most precious of all gifts. In times of sorrow and bewilderment, it is what restores us and offers refuge. It is the force of empathy in your own heart that allows you to reach out and touch the broken heart of another. It is rooted in the heartfelt acknowledgement that others, like ourselves, yearn to be free from suffering and harm, and be safe and happy. It is compassion that rescues us from despair and helplessness, that provides a refuge of peace and understanding inwardly and outwardly. Compassion does not claim to be a quick-fix for the age-old causes of suffering, nor is it a magic wand that will sweep away sorrow. But it is our commitment to compassion and our willingness to nurture it in every moment that gives meaning to life.
Christina Feldman0 -
Sounds like it was a dicey night out for you Sandy. The wind pulling you & suitcase -- just wow. Wondering aloud here but is it age that starts to make dealing with the wind more difficult. I do remember being "pulled" hard on windy days --- but I think I just didn't fight it all that much and apparently now do. Well, having to STAY on a sidewalk etc. in the city I guess just means to really do have to fight.
Hoping your cold travels are safe and hopefully not too windy. You are a real trooper.
We are staying fairly coolish here, but back to lots of sun which always minimizes the intensity of being out in the weather. Yesterday I stopped in at Goodwill and found two sweatshirts ( neither looked as though they had been worn, and if so it must have been very minimal ) for $3.50 each. I love getting a bargain.
It was so warm when I went though rain had been predicted and there was LOTS of wind going on. Still, it looked not great but quite okay. Just as I got ready to think about checking out -- I looked out and sheets and sheets of rain were coming down. Running water on the parking lot, the little bit you could see and it looked like it had the ability to go on for some time. I slowed my pace and did a bit more looking but finally checked out. I had a hoodie sweatshirt in case some errant drops fell and boy did I need it. It also had dipped drastically temp wise and what was 66 and warm before was now 44 and quite cool. I only had a t-shirt on under the hoodie and I was cold.
Stopped at Aldi's and picked up what seemed like tons of food ( 3 bags and two boxes ) and got home. No more real rain going on which made me happy. Outdoors it barely looks like it rained so much yesterday.
Hope you are all going to have a good Sunday.
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30F when I left the house this morning, but the wind chill "real feel" was 18. The principal rule of Chicago meteorology is that regardless of what the weather report says and which way you happen to be facing when you walk, the true wind direction is not N,S,E, or W--but rather "In Your Face." (It's not a factor of age: I first observed that when I moved here at 27). Brrr...was glad when the train finally dipped below ground into the subway: no icy blasts when doors opened at the subterranean stations. Very windy all day, which could explain why the Bears missed what would have been a last-second game-tying field goal, by at least 10 yds.
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I'm paying closer attention to Sandy's weather reports since we'll be heading north to Illinois, Chicago area, tomorrow. We're making it a two-day trip, hoping to arrive in New Lenox at a nephew's house on Wed. He is hosting Thanksgiving dinner with 25 of us, including his wife and two children.
I'll bring a parka but not a lot of warm clothes. Maybe it's just dh's family, but they heat their homes so that you can wear short sleeves. I learned this years ago when I used to pack warm sweaters. I like to keep our house cool enough to wear a cotton sweatshirt when it's cold and windy outside.
The nephew and his wife are not big on cooking so I won't be surprised if he gets catered food for the Thanksgiving meal. For Christmas he hired a chef to cook and serve the meal for that gathering which was smaller. We got a report from dh's brother, father of the nephew, that the Christmas meal was very good. It suits me not to have to do a lot of work in the kitchen for the same-old same-old Thanksgiving dishes. I know there will be good wine to enjoy. Plus we'll get to visit with dh's relatives in a range of ages.
Yesterday I worked on finishing up two crochet projects that involved making an edging around afghans. I have two more afghans to assemble. What to do with these afghans? Good question. The two unfinished afghans are heirloom squares that require making just about every possible crochet stitch pattern. It was fun making the squares, often challenging.
Today I plan to go to the library to rent some audio books for the trip. I also need to pick up a prescription. And pack my clothes.
Happy Thanksgiving week to everyone.
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"Only a life lived for others is a life worth while"
– Albert Einstein0 -
Carole, wow --- can't totally imagine not having a home-cooked meal on the holidays. I do admit a couple of times we tried a restaurant. It was okay. I think there is something about the smells, the memories and the left-overs that ( while for the cook or cooks of same might say something a little different ) that just have a feel of deep nostalgia to them. My mom LOVED making the memories for everyone. I am not good at that part but do try most of the time to do something. This yr. since I'm working pretty much it will be quite relaxed for us.
I hope the weather is good for you Carole. That is quite a drive to take but it is great to be able to do it and share time with extended family if you can. Anyway, catered or not -- spending time with family is always a good thing. I can imagine being too warm at places. We have kept out temps down here and once in awhile it is still warmer than I like. Dh can't tolerate much in the form of blankets, even throws if too heavy on him --- so he keeps the temps up. I think I'm glad we don't live in the Chicago area. It is much more temperate here ( the tippy-tip of southern Illinois ) and we are in that little pocket I've talked about before. There can be many extremes all around us while we barely notice. With the global warming I'm not sure anymore what we will have or when. I hope you have a marvelous time.
I hope you will all have a nice bight, sunny Monday which is what I'm seeing out my window.
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Carole, I worked with someone in Houston who went home to Chicago for Christmas. She told her mother to meet her at the airport with 2 coats (to be worn together). They may keep it hot indoors, but outdoors with wind. . . FIL worked it out one day that Okla with wind was colder than Anchorage, AK a lot of the time.
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The mystery was solved on Facebook when our hostess for Thanksgiving announced that we would be served by a chef. Appetizers will be served at 3 pm so I'm guessing the dinner will be 4 or 5 pm. Everyone is welcome to bring a dish or dessert or wine. DH decided to make roasted pecans. He bought a large bag of pecan halves at Sam's Club and I bought a couple of jars at World Market.
He made two flavors. One is melted butter with Worcestershire. You stir the pecans in the flavored butter, spread them on a baking sheet, roast in the oven at 350 for 30 to 40 minutes, turning them at least once. Spread on paper towel to cool and sprinkle with salt.
The other batch is melted butter, sugar and cinnamon.
We always make the salted version for ourselves. They're really delicious. And so low cal and low fat!
Jackie, I don't mind having a Thanksgiving dinner without all the kitchen toil. It will be fun to experience something different. Our most unusual Thanksgiving was spent in Hawaii. We were on the island of Maui and had driven up to the top of a mountain to see snow on black volcanic rock. On the way back down the mountain, we stopped at a small restaurant and learned that the menu was a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. We had turkey and dressing and the usual side dishes.
I must go pack some clothes.
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Carole, you should be fine in New Lenox. It's in the south suburbs, well inland. Here by the lake, still-air temps are usually more moderate than inland. The record highs & lows are usually reported from O'Hare, which is NW and at least 12 mi. inland; and the exurbs are even hotter in summer and colder in winter. But at the lake we also get more wind, which makes the "real-feel" much colder. Of course, once we get down into Chiberia territory (colder than -15) all bets are off. The three reporting stations are O'Hare, Midway (SW, about 7 mi. inland), and the Loop--which is by the lake and isn't really an official reporting station.
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Life without thankfulness is devoid of love and passion.
Hope without thankfulness is lacking in fine perception.
Faith without thankfulness lacks strength and fortitude.
Every virtue divorced from thankfulness is maimed
and limps along the spiritual road.
John Henry Jowett0 -
I am getting three more days of work so I'm not getting to be on here as much as I like. It is nice to get the work though. It has been a bit on the sparse side since my patient passed away. I've had so much to try and catch up here ( still working on that ) that I haven't really push finding another position. I have that way stayed available to work on and off for the Dr.
I hope you are all well and enjoying some good weather. We have been having sun which I need in order to bloom and I've really been enjoying it. Anyway, I've got to get back across town. Making a baked Salmon dinner with the boss's daughter this evening and Dh will join us when he gets off work. See you all tomorrow.
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The art of thanksgiving is thanksliving. It is gratitude in action. It is applying Albert Schweitzer's philosophy: "In gratitude for your own good fortune you must render in return some sacrifice of your life for other life. "It is thanking God for the gift of life by living it triumphantly. It is thanking God for your talents and abilities by accepting them as obligations to be invested for the common godwit is thanking God for happiness by striving to make others happy. It is thanking God for beauty by helping to make the world more beautiful. It is thanking God for inspiration by trying to be an inspiration for others. It is thanking God for health and strength by the care and reverence you show your body. It is thanking God for each new day by living it to the fullest. It is adding to your prayers of thanksgiving, acts of thanksliving. -Wilferd A. Peterson
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A beauty of a day outside. The sun is bright and it will warm a bit. It will be nice and a bit warmer the next few days. Lots of blessings. Tonight will be my last night at the Dr.'s house and then back to my own bed. Good for me as well as getting back to my work here at home. I have a question.....does anyone here use those 'meals' sent to you in the mail. I'm toying with this idea since there is only Dh and myself here. Sounds like it could be much more economical as well as less wasteful and not having to buy something for here that is seldom used. It seems an interesting concept and I think we would eat better then we do at present.
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Happy Thanksgiving everone!
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I hope you all have the best Thanksgiving ever. Here's to great memories.
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we
have into enough, and more. It turns denial into
acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.
It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home,
a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes
sense of our past, brings peace for today,
and creates a vision for tomorrow.
Melody Beattie0 -
Happy Thanksgiving from Pahrump NV. Currently 50 degrees here! Visiting my son and his lady. I'm a turkey, 75 today! Have a great day!
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Happy Birthday, Bonnets! Happy T-Day from sunny and not-too-chilly Chi-town (we did have flurries overnight but we'll be in the 40s today, with mid-50s and high winds tomorrow). Long-range forecast says (fingers crossed!) no snow for the Bar Show run, except for perhaps some flurries Friday.
In the past, most years we always had one major yucky-weather event--either pouring rain, frigid winds, ice, or one memorable year a major snowstorm so heavy that several numbers had to be cut from Act I because their starring cast members were stuck on snowbound commuter trains. We didn't have understudies (still don't, at least not officially), so if you are the lead in a number, are sick or otherwise unable to perform, and nobody else has memorized your part the scene gets cut that night. (Some of us have quietly learned the lead's lines & vocal in group numbers so the scene needn't get cut--and in trios or quartets where no one member is essential to the scene, we all learned all the solos so they can be reassigned if necessary. That obviously wouldn't work where one character is crucial--such as the number in which I play Angela Merkel, because if either I or those playing Theresa May, Emmanuel Macron or Justin Trudeau isn't there, the dialogue, lyrics & choreography would go all to hell).
That snowstorm year, the conductor was on one of those snow-slowed trains, so the choral director/pianist had to lead the band. It was the first time in years there were no tempo glitches. After a partial regime change, we've since replaced those old Musicians' Union geezers & conductor with a rock bandleader/conservatory assoc. professor and several of his bandmates, including the producer's son on drums. We had to, as we needed to introduce parodies of more contemporary songs into the score in order to attract younger audience members. We now always have at least one Top 40 song (in recent years, "Blurred Lines," "Happy," "Uptown Funk," and this year "Can't Stop the Feeling" from Trolls). And we always have at least one or two songs from current B'way shows--original or revival. This year it's two numbers from Hamilton (three last year) and one from Dear Evan Hansen. That snowbound year, many of the Broadway-in-Chicago theaters were dark. So we called the two local news-radio stations (this was before the days of Twitter & Facebook) and announced we would honor all tickets for those cancelled shows that night. We had a nearly-full house!
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Happy Birthday to a turkey who is a beautiful Bonnet. I hope it is a world of fun and good times. Many more !!!
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Happy birthday, bonnets.
I always wanted to have a holiday birthday, but I was born in May, 4 days before Mothers' Day.
We celebrated my son's birthday today as well. His birthday was actually yesterday, but he was my Thanksgiving turkey 33 years ago...all 5 lbs. of him.
Everything is put up and the kitchen is clean. Tomorrow will be a true day of rest. I will do absolutely nothing except read and play with the dogs. Sunday we will start planning Christmas decorations. Tree, lights , etc. will all be up by the beginning of Advent - Dec. 03.
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Happy Birthday Bonnets!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone else. We're in the cleanup phase. No dishwasher, so waiting for the ones in the drain to dry before starting the second one.
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33 years ago, Gordy was supposed to have been my Thanksgiving baby--at my late Sept. OB appt., they measured my fundus and estimated he'd be a big one--at least 8, maybe 9 lbs. The night before my mid-Oct appt, I told Bob I was Braxton-Hicksing. He asked how far apart, and when I said 10 min. he said "those aren't Braxton-Hicks--I'm coming with you to the OB tomorrow." The OB examined me and ordered me across the street to Maternity. After 10 hrs., they were able to stop my premature labor, and kept me in the antenatal unit to fatten him up a bit (was hard to wrap my brain around being told to eat as much as I wanted of anything I wanted). A week later, I was standing by my closet, trying to decide whether I would go to that night's Halloween party as a pregnant bride or a pregnant nun...when my water broke. Gordy, due Nov. 23, was born by C-section Oct. 28. 6 lbs. 3 oz., 20 in. He was ready to come home before I was!
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Make it a habit to tell people thank you, to express
your appreciation, sincerely and without the expectation
of anything in return. Truly appreciate those around
you, and you'll soon find many others around you. Truly
appreciate life, and you'll find that you have more of it.
Ralph Marston0 -
Ah, the morning after. Well, Dh had to be at work at 7 a.m. this morning. I think we are fortunate he works at a home town Sears store or it would have been a really lousy time in the wee hours. It will be another really long day for him. I am done with my ( paid ) work so can start paying some bills and resuming things that need doing here. I was up at 5 a.m. this morning myself. It will be a somewhat long day but a satisfying one.
We are having okay weather though the sun hasn't come out this morning -- hmmm. Maybe it will get here later. I hope you are all going to have a great day after. See you later.
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Thank you to everyone for the Birthday wishes. Sandy, never know what life has in store for us, do we? Beautiful morning as every day here seems to be. Thinking about the trip home tomorrow!
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We had a nice dinner with lots of veggie choices. Army 1st Lt was here on leave and came with his vegetarian girlfriend. She is a lovely young woman. She was amazed at all her choices. I finally broke down and told her we'd been vegetarian in the past, so it was easy. He will be posted to Korea in Feb. New level of anxiety to master. Of course if they can reach the West Coast, we may be in as much danger as him.
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My son wasn't due until mid-Jan. '85. I was sure they would stop my labor at the hospital, but my Dr. was just leaving when we got there, so he examined me & said there's going to be a baby later today. After he was born, the Dr. said if he would have 'held on' another 7 weeks he would have weighed 7-8 lbs. He was so tiny.
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