Tuesday, January 06, 2015

ABOUT BEING 70

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ANOTHER SETTING MOON THIS MORNING
Bit of a lack luster morning here I’m afraid.  Headed for Wickenburg to pick up my new glasses & was happy the blurriness problem with the left lens has been corrected.  Well as best as it can be corrected that is.  I do have an Astigmatism in my left eye which no lens can correct so I always do have a slight blurring problem especially with light points.  If I look at the Moon with only my right eye I see the Moon clearly.  If I look at it with only my left eye I see the Moon & a reflected quarter Moon right beside it.  If I look at a single point of light with my problem eye I will see 2 or three blurry points of light.  It’s just the way it is & it’s called an astigmatism.
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THIS IS WHAT OUR BAYFIELD ONTARIO AREA LOOKED LIKE THIS MORNING…IS IT ANY WONDER WE PULL OUT ALL THE STOPS & HEAD SOUTH EVERY WINTER…73F TODAY
A quick stop at TSC (Tractor Supply Company) for dog food & bird seed then our last stop of the morning landed us at Safeway for a boat load of groceries.  Home before noon & that was it for us guys.  Very seldom we head out anywhere after high noon.  It’s almost like we’ll turn into big round Pumpkins if were not home by 12 every day.  Handyman Les will be here at 7:30 in the morning to finish up a couple small repair jobs & I’ll see if I can get anything accomplished after he’s finished up & left.  I’m thinking bricks & Agave plants but I gotta git er done before noon because……..well you know.
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A WEE GAME OF FRISBEE IN THE BACK YARD TODAY
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The tech savvy folks over at Technomadia have just posted a must read for boondockers.  Entitled, BACK TO BOONDOCKING: EXTENDING THE HOLDING TANKS.   They have shared tips & ideas of their own experiences while camped out in the wilds for weeks at a time.  And they do it in a big old groovy bus too:))
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THIS HANDSOME GAMBLE’S QUAIL IS STRUTTING HIS STUFF
For a humorous but factual look at things learned sometimes the hard way by RV’ers on the road be sure to read this latest post from Just Wanderin: Things I Learned RVing.
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So how do I feel about being 70?  Well I’m not sure as it only recently snuck up from behind & tapped me on the shoulder.  I know it’s only a number but we humans have been measuring our time here on earth with numbers for centuries.  It is an easily referenced marker point.  But aside from the number how do I really feel about it now that I’ve reached an age I once thought of when I was a teen-ager as old, feeble, & definitely elderly?
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Physically, not too bad as I look around & see so many debilitating things that can & do begin to afflict people my age.  So far I have been reasonably fortunate but I am not naïve about that good fortune.  Time eventually comes for us all & I have just been lucky so far.  I have no respiratory or heart problems I am aware of.  No major illness or disease.  Arthritis in my legs causes me problems on occasion but it’s not all the time & it’s not crippling.  A couple kidney stones a few years ago, no severe back pain now for about half a dozen years & some worrisome knee & hip problems a couple years ago finally cleared up on their own.  Broke a wrist & toe in a motorcycle accident 20 years ago & that’s been as far as breaking stuff.  I am still able to run for a short distance if I had too but I’m not going to try any more headstands or cartwheels any time soon.   Gave that up when I quite drinking over 35 years ago.  Getting down then back up off the floor or ground isn’t a pretty site but at least with some swearing & grunting I’m still able to do it.  At least if I fall down I know I can still get myself back up again.  I don’t seem to walk or hike as far as I once did but I think that has more to do with laziness than any kind of physical problem.  Blood pressures always good & I think my cholesterol levels are finally closer to acceptable levels.   Haven’t lost any of my driving skills, sense of balance is intact & I can keep my motorcycle upright.  And I bet I could still do a little hot dogging on my bicycle, cross country ski, or even strap on a pair of downhill skis again & tumble myself all the way to the bottom of the nearest bunny hill. 
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But it’s mentally where I see greater changes in myself.  I definitely still have a young boy, teen-age, & young adult mind-set at times but it has been toned down over the years.  The wonderment of youth is gone as is the excitable boyhood years.  It’s not often I get really over the top excited about anything anymore & I do miss that.  I’ve always had a keen sense of humor but it doesn’t seem to flow out of me as freely as it once did years ago.  And I don’t hear myself laughing as much anymore either.  I think I could laugh alright if I saw or heard something I thought truly funny but where has all the funny gone.  Guess it’s just me.   Don’t know where all my patience has disappeared to but it certainly has got up & vanished alright.  Failure of short term memory is my most antagonizing & pressing foe though.  And that’s where lack of patience with myself really becomes a hindrance.  I don’t take kindly to forgetting things & not being able to retain needed information in my memory just riles me up something fierce at times.  But of course my poor short term memory is nothing new.  I’ve had that problem all my life but now at 70 it is of course a much bigger problem.  It is one of the reasons all this new techno stuff has left me in the dust these last number of years.  My brain just will not cooperate with me in patiently figuring things out.  And if it does remember to cooperate it doesn’t seem to remember it just cooperated.  It’s the darndest thing.  But in other areas I’m happy that my mind seeks information & asks questions every day.  It’s always thinking, always trying to figure things out, always attempting to make sense where there seems to be little or no sense in the first place, always trying to tie up loose ends & find logical solutions to illogical situations, & forever looking for answers where answers are not always readily forthcoming. All & all I guess 70’s not too bad…….if you take into consideration all the Senior Discounts that is.  So in conclusion I guess I really don’t have too much to complain about in the grand scheme of things.  I’m not aware of any bad stuff going on within my body yet so maybe I’ll be good for another year or six…………Ya’figure:))
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GROANER’S CORNER:(( The barn at Larry and Susan's farm burned down, and Susan called the insurance company.  Susan: "We had that barn insured for fifty thousand and I want my money."  Agent: "Whoa there just a minute, Susan, it doesn't work quite like that. We will ascertain the value of the old barn and provide you with a new one of comparable worth."  Susan, after a pause: "I'd like to cancel the policy on my husband."

21 comments:

  1. Please tell Kelly for me, that I love, Love, LOVE her dress in the above picture. Love, love, love!!!! thanks :-)

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  2. Having just turned 70 myself, I read this post with great interest. I had a great connection with the part about short-term memory, and set out to tell you how similar my feelings are to yours. But now that I'm here looking at this little text area box, I've lost track of what I wanted to say. Sorry. Maybe I'll remember later and get back to you...

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  3. Be happy to be 70. You know what the alternative would be and that would be not to get a chance to be 70. We all experience difference phases of our life. Who knows what the next ten years will bring you. I hope it's love, laughter and lots of good RVing times.

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  4. Welcome to the 70s! It ain't all that bad if we just keep on living and loving what we do. By the way, absolutely beautiful photos on the last two posts of the moon. You are a true artist and professional!

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  5. That Gamble's Quail is a beauty! I agree with your assessment of being 70. I can only laugh at myself for the things I can't remember and can't do any more, because it isn't going to get any better. All in all, I'm happy to be alive and still able to travel and do things I like to do.

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  6. It's a frame of mind, and eventually body. Agree with Lynda, keep lovin' your livin'.

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    1. Al, I can certainly agree about the short term memory thing, The part that bothers me the most is walking into a grocery store and forgetting what I need!
      I agree that being 70 certainly beats the alternative.

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  7. When we get to be 70 I wonder how we made it. I am not there yet but never even thought I would live this long. Great that you are making the best of things and doing what you like.

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  8. Al, I'm only 62 and yesterday I went out and dug some holes to put some lavender plants into, and BY GUM! I fell in one of them and landed on our rock pathway. Good thing I threw out my right arm or my head would have hit one of the rocks! I'm sore today and was a bit shaken yesterday afternoon! As to computers and technology, my district wants and wants and wants us to use so many programs...why not just hire robots?
    Cheryl Ann

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  9. one needs to be thankful for each and every day! a bad day above ground is better than a good one under it! You may be 70 but how on earth did I get to be 55?..where has the time gone!

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  10. You and the cowboy share a birthday month and I always forget you are a year ahead of him--Nat always comments, "it's better than the alternative," although several times in the last year or so Nat has also said, "at 92, I am tired."

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  11. Sounds like 70 is not too bad, wishing you many more healthy and happy years.

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  12. As they say age is but a number. It is what you feel that is important and I think you have done a great job keeping of your self in good shape both physically and otherwise. Looking forward to sharing another 20 years with you and yours.

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  13. That Quail is so beautiful - I'd strut too if I always looked that good! At 58 I look at pictures of you up on a roof and think "Oh hell no.....I got too old for that years ago!" Actually it's more fear of the height than lack of agility, but still.......no. You make me look forward to turning 70!

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  14. I really related to that "70" thing, Al. Although it is still a few months away for me, the number, even though only a number, does seem a bit weird. Another thing I was encouraged to read is that your hip trouble went away. Can it really do that???!! I hope so, since mine has been acting weird lately. Enjoyed this a lot.

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  15. Just another year. As long as you still enjoy coming to the southwest you will be young. Happy number 70.

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  16. Staying young in your mind is the most important...that is something we CAN control. I have bouts of depression on occasion, and have to revisit sad memories of those in our family who died too young (of which there are many)..When I think of that, I realize I am blessed every day being able to sit up and take nourishment..and drive Dennis nuts...He is 72, and going strong...mind and body...lucky him, right?

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  17. Wasn't the moon so absolutely gorgeous! I love the photo of the Gamble's quail.

    When I was home for Christmas, several friends and I were talking about getting older. We all agreed that we still see the world through our 30+ eyes. Just wish our bodies would function like it was 30+. Nothing we can do about aging, so we must all deal with it the best we can.

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  18. Your short term memory might not be what it used to be, but your artistry with a camera just keeps getting better and better!! I'm not quite to 70 yet but the other day I couldn't think of the word to describe the mix of colors in a soft blue and pink sunrise. Finally had to go to a dictionary site and found "pastel." Oh yeah, that's the word I was looking for!! The Gamble's quail is gorgeous, but the picture right above it is my favorite (of course!!).

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  19. I'm a few months shy of 60 but look forward to getting to 70... heck at my age there is a lot to look forward and 70 is just one of them...

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  20. Al, it always sounds like you are doing 70 really well. As for the memory thing...I forgot. Happens ALL the time, I hate it.

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