Pentagenarians & Beyond: 4/6/2025

Today I did Live Box and Burn, which I really liked. I do love it when she creates awkward combos that she then has trouble with! Then I did Lower/Upper Balance Discs and some lower body foam rolling because my legs have areas that are still unhappy from 2 days ago.

Valerie we rarely did vacations when I was young either, We'd go to my grandparents cottage or camping on weekends, but didn't venture much beyond those places for sight seeing. When I was 5, brother 3 and my Mom about 5-6 months pregnant but looking due any day (which apparently made people around her concerned that she'd just have it then!) We went to the island. We did do the carriage tour, but I don't remember if we did anything else. When I was in my 20's I started going on my one a couple times a year and would stay at a B&B. Tiny room for $30 a night with a bath down the hall. Now it would be hard to find a room for under $200 at any time up there, and most are more. I'd generally spend my day hiking and sometimes night hiking. Got to be friends with the owners, often ate with them, and that's where we got married. By the time we had Nick we'd pretty much been priced out. We only went once when we had Derek. I'd love to go again, but you could drop $1000 for 2 nights, food, and ferry. I don't see how people are doing it. I've actually contemplated going up and staying on the mainland and just taking the ferry each day and hiking. Cost of a room and ferry for a day would be about half the cost of staying on the island. I haven't seen flyovers of the ice storm damage on the island but it's bad, and the majority of the island is wooded, park land. The flyers from the northern lower peninsula are horrifying.

Diane Sue that's wonderful how Harvey is adjusting. I wonder at the people who had our dogs first two, as they both turned out really well. One said they didn't want the dog back after it followed their son to school. The other was found running, and no one ever claimed him. If only they could talk! I'd love to find out my cat's stories.
 
This morning I did my usual yoga/mobility for 18 minutes. Yesterday was a rest day and I tried to catch up on housework. Today is another severe weather day with storms reaching our area in a couple of hours. Not a fun day.

Valerie, nice job with the gardening, therapy work, and 15 mile ride.

Cathy, nice work with your Finished Step Combos, Live Lean and Mean Upper Body, Live Box and Burn, and Upper/Lower Balance discs.

Diane Sue, great job with Gloved Up and Sweaty and KCM Raw Yoga Stretch. That’s great that Harvey is adjusting well.

Hello to Judy and Shannon.
 
I vaguely remember seeing the horse and buggy things and mackinac island being woodsy. not a lot of detail. expenses are typical of so many destination locations

We rarely had vacation. neither parent had interests. father would "paint the house" . they didn't have a lot of extra money. no camping. occasional visits to other relatives summer cabins. I envied friends who drove someplace different, went to camp, anything different. I hung out with a friend whose family didnt do anything either. I know parents didnt have extra money. mostly they were afraid to try something new and did their best to make sure none of their children did either. they were both very unhappy, badly mismatched people.
I remember in 6th grade, our class went on an overnight trip. it was a class trip, all 30+ 6th graders. (teachers should have gotten purple hearts for even trying this!) my parents said, NO!!. absolutely not. you are not going. I was horrified. I was panicked and crying. it was my first chance to go somewhere. everyone had to bring signed permission slips and pay a small fee . we would stay in cabins, go by school bus for 3 days. I dont know what happened. i think my teacher contacted them and somehow convinced them because they finally reluctantly agreed to let me go. not without making me sweat for weeks thinking I would be the only kid in my class who couldnt go.
carolyn, take care with those storms. you have had too many threats lately. is this normal for spring there?

Thanks for starting us off every week Judy.
 
No workout today. I will be scrubbing floors and getting things done since my husband is off the next four days and we are usually doing tasks or going somewhere. It is so wet in our yard with standing water in the back. Harvey enjoys does not mind wading in it.
My family went on trips growing up, but my dad took pictures of the scenery and us kids were not in the pictures. We went to London multiple times when living in England and visited Madame Tussauds wax museum, castles and the like. We went to Santa's Village in Co. and the only picture is the front of the facility. My husband and I look for low cost cabins and then explore from there a lot. The last one, which he wants to go to again is nothing fancy, decent price, with two rooms, kitchen necessities and a bath with a shower. Next time we will book a little later than March as it was cold and their heat system did not keep us warm. It is by Turner Falls OK. up on the edge of the hill/mountain. I did not like the steep climb over abridge and up. Barely room for my husband to turn the big Ram truck turned around. The water there has a lot of yellow to it because of the sulfur.

Cathy, nice work on Live Box and Burn and upper/lower body balance discs with some foam rolling. Bed and breakfast places are pretty pricey most places.

Carolyn, good job on your Sunday morning yoga.

Valerie, that was nice that your parents finally let you go with the class.
 
Good morning, ladies. Friday I did Cardio Super Sets. Saturday I did LMR Functional Core Fusion and the lower body balance disc bonus. Sunday I did my own yoga.

We survived the Great Deluge. Good grief, it was a lot of rain. I’ll need to check with my dad for the grand total, but as of Saturday morning, we had about 13 inches of rain since Tuesday. I should try to upload a few photos of the flooding. But we got off really easy. I’ve seen pics of houses and cars under water. All we dealt with was flooded roads.

Friday I went for an eye checkup. I’ve been dealing with a lot of eye strain, and the doc told me pretty much what I expected. My cataracts are getting worse, which makes dealing with glare from the computer monitor much worse. He said there’s nothing we can do, prescription-wise, etc. right now. The cataracts aren’t bad enough yet for insurance to cover their removal. The doc said the best thing I can do is to take frequent breaks to let my eye muscles rest. I moved my computer to another room on Saturday, hoping that being away from my bright windows in the front of the house would help. We shall see.

You know I rarely check in on weekends. Now it’s official. I won’t be on the computer on weekends, in order to give my eyes two days of rest.

Cathy - So we’re talking about vacations now? When I was little and we lived in California, the family used to go camping a lot. We had a small camper trailer and went to lots of state and national parks. But once we moved to Arkansas when I was 10, those trips pretty much stopped because who needs to go camping when we already live out in the boonies, LOL. I’ve been on a few really nice trips as an adult, but I mostly stay home because vacations are so dang expensive.

Carolyn – I’m sorry you had to endure more severe weather, too. Yeah, it’s been rough. Thank goodness it’s over. I hope you’re okay and didn’t suffer any damage.

Valerie – I’m glad you got to go on that class trip! But yeah, the teachers were nuts for trying it, LOL. To answer your question about if this weather is normal, NO, it is definitely NOT. It’s freakishly abnormal. Our meteorologists said something like this, when the front just won’t move and we get so much flooding and storms happens once a century. I hope they’re right, because that means when the next one happens, I’ll be dead.

Diane – I read last week that you were in a lot of pain. I sure hope that has passed. I’m so sorry you have to deal with it. I hope you and DH have a nice time together over the next four days, even if it is work you’ll be doing.

Hello to Judy.
 
Today I did Killer Legs Barre and extra lower body stretching. That one is short, but it kills my legs. I've made Nick's flight reservation for August and yesterday all my hotels for the trip. Normally I'd wait till closer on the hotels but wanted to do it before prices could jump. A couple still did. Going to be a couple really long days between Derek and Nick. Especially the first day as I'm going from Bismarck, down into Kansas. Looks like a lot of it will be 2 lane roads, which explains why it'll take so long. And I've no idea what speeds I can get away with or what the posted speeds will be. In the UP those roads would be 65, and I generally set my cruise on 70-72. But the standard here is that speed limits are a suggestion.

Other than our one trip to the UP and northern WI, as a kid, I did do a week of 7th grade camp. This was the 70's and we were all in cabins with a high school student to "watch us?" One night they all snuck off to drive off and party, and we were all alone in the cabins. LOL Then we did an 8th grade day trip to Chicago to the Museum of Science and Industry. That was it. My boys did better, but we couldn't afford a lot. Their baseball teams each had a travel tournament each year. Mostly in state, and twice we went down to Cincinnati. We did do one big trip where we went to a few zoos in Southern IN and OH. But, in school they got to do more. Nick went to Disney, did the INDY 500 parade and did NYC, Philadelphia, and DC. Derek did Disney, but then the band director and his wife were basically pushed out, so Derek lost out on the other trips. He did do overnight to Chicago. I took them both to FL to my sisters twice, but she covered the air fare for the first, we paid the second, but since we stayed with her, it was still reasonable. The result is that they are far more comfortable with traveling than I am.

Shannon that's a crazy amount of rain. Sorry to hear about your eye issues. My husband gets up every hour or so and puts an ice pack on his eyes for a couple minutes because he's sitting at a screen all day. But he can just walk to the fridge, or he can go sit and close his eyes for a few minutes. Not so easy when you aren't at home.
 
I did a 25 min spin, therapy work, and FUB yesterday.

Shannon I dont know how old you are. probably not medicare yet. no vision difficulties when I scheduled surgery. cataracts showed on exams but I didnt notice anything. after the surgery, my distance vision was corrected but no brightening or better colors etc. depends on what part of your vision field was getting obstructed. full range of vision without contact lenses or readers is great! I paid extra for better than standard lenses. lenses are fine but many will still need readers and because I had good close vision, i didnt want to lose that. glasses/contacts are NOT cheap over many years, and this is a "forever "procedure. i was able to get full correction easily. not everyone can . depends on your eyes to begin with. definitely worth the money to me.
thats a crazy amount of rain!! climate change will come to bite us all at some point in unexpected ways.

I wish we could have vacationed more for good memories and experiences. I started traveling with friends in college. i learned then because they had learned growing up. it teaches good things to kids/. learning about different people and places, planning ahead, maps, directions, decision making, learning to go with the flow. I wish I'd had that.

cathy we once went to the museum of science and industry and to an aquarium.... Shed aquarium maybe? in chicago. I dont remember if it was a school day trip or a family trip. your kids sound well adjusted and you travel enough.
so true about speed limits. its feeling like they are mere hints!

one of the first things I did when I moved to Seattle was sign up for a mountaineers course so learned about safely enjoying big outdoor adventures. it was a good idea.
 
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This morning I did Cardio Slam, no mat cardio. That was 34 minutes, 234 calories burned, average heart rate 136, and maximum heart rate 171. My family never took vacations. We visited my grandparents in Arkansas, but that was the extent of family car trips.

Valerie, nice job with 25 minutes of spinning, therapy work, and FUB. We always have spring storms, but these storms are different. We are getting the same weather that is hitting the middle of the country and causing the flooding and other problems.

Shannon, I’m glad that you survived the great deluge. That’s a lot of rain. Great job with Cardio Supersets, LMR Functional Core Fusion, and lower body balance discs.

Cathy, nice work with Killer Legs Barre and extra stretching. It’s good that you are making your travel arrangements now. Prices are sure to increase.

Hello to Diane Sue and Judy.
 
Yesterday I did a 30-minute Peloton ride before work. Today I did Live PHA Super Sets #3 and a 20 minute Peloton core workout. I’ll probably do yoga or some PT work this evening. It’s going to be a busy 2-3 weeks here so I probably won’t be around much. We have contractors coming in later this week and hopefully will have the new carpet installed as soon as possible after they are done.

Cathy-Great job with Live Box and Burn, Lower/Upper Balance Discs, foam rolling and Killer Legs Barre.

Carolyn-Great job with your yoga/mobility and Cardio Slam, no mat cardio. I’m sorry about the bad weather that you have been getting.

Valerie-Our family didn’t really go on vacations either. I had an aunt that lived in Quincy, Illinois and we would drive down there occasionally.

Shannon-Great job with Cardio Supersets, LMR Functional Core Fusion, disc bonus and yoga. I also have cataracts but not bad enough for surgery yet. My dr. said I’d probably be closer to 70 (I’m 62) when I need the surgery.

Hi to Diane Sue
 
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Today I did Raw Arms, 22 minutes, 95 calories, Raw Boxing Finisher, 17 minutes, 101 calories, heart rate 127/160, and LMR functional Pilates timesaver #1 foam roller, 22 minutes, 51 calories. Total time 61 minutes, 247 calories. My arthritis doctor messaged me back and said to stop the med and see if my blood pressure goes back down. It is rather obvious on my blood pressure monitor app as two months ago I was almost always in the green normal zone and then it just started going up to elevated and stage 1 and I hit stage 2 a few times. It was almost normal this morning and I am wondering if the folic Acid that I started Saturday helped. I read that it can help Methatrexate side effects so gave it a try for Leflunomide. I will have to take a couple of days off workouts this week for an appointment and a birthday party for great grandsons first birthday.
 
Shannon, nice job on Friday's Cardio Super Sets, Saturday's I LMR Functional Core Fusion and the lower body balance disc bonus, and Sunday's yoga. That is tough having issues with cataracts and needing to stare at the computer all day.

Cathy, good job on Killer Legs Barre and the extra lower body stretching. That Barre workout makes my hip hurt and legs sore.

Valerie, nice job on the 25 min spin, therapy work, and FUB .

Carolyn, nice work on Cardio Slam no mat cardio. I never did like doing cardio with the mat myself,

Judy, nice work on yesterday's 30 minutes, Peloton ride, and today's PHA Super sets #3 and Peloton 30 minute core.
 
Good morning, everyone. Yesterday I did weights on my own and STS 2.0 Core Plus Floor. It was a very good workout. The images of flooding and storm damage are pretty awful. I really feel for all those people. We have always been very fortunate in where we live, away from flood zones, and it seems that some hills protect us from tornadoes. We actually had one go up the back side of the hill and launch into the air over the house when I was a kid. That’s the closest we’ve ever come to tornado damage, thank goodness.

Cathy – I hope you have a really nice trip. Good thinking about locking your reservations in place before the price jump. I do work from home. It’s just that I get into “the zone” when I’m writing or designing and don’t think about getting up. If I’m really onto an idea, it breaks my flow. I need to get into the habit of more breaks. Does your husband have eye problems too? Ugh.

Valerie – I’m technically 56, but getting mighty close to 57, LOL, so nowhere near Medicare. It would be nice to go ahead and get rid of my cataracts, but I’m not willing to pay the price. I wouldn’t really have any problems if it weren’t for the computer. I do have problems with night driving, but I don’t do that very often. I didn’t know they made lenses with full range of vision. I thought it was only for distance vision, and everyone had to wear readers or whatever. That’s very interesting. My eyes so awful though, I doubt I’d be able to get full correction.

Carolyn – Good job with Cardio Slam. I hope you’ve been able to take a few vacations as an adult. Although some people just like to stay home. I’m one of them.

Judy – New carpet is exciting! I’m sure you can’t wait until everything is done and you have your house back to normal though. My guess is that I’m like you – a long wait until I’m in my 70s for cataract surgery. I’ve had them for several years, and they’ve just now gotten a bit worse.

Diane – I sure hope you get your blood pressure and medications figured out. Happy birthday to your great-grandson!
 
Shannon that's what I meant about my close vision. without contacts, I could read the tiniest of print easily. my long distance was not perfect but not bad. maybe 20/40. they can do a sort of "monovision" correction where one eye is corrected for distance and the other for close and your brain can take the input it needs. I've always had some version of that. no clue how many people that works for but an ophthalmologist can tell you what is possible for you. my lenses cost more. they are out of pocket costs even on medicare.. there is a standard lens that medicare covers. private insurance... no clue. but probably similar. I think you'd get coverage with all the usual deductibles, exceptions, etc. many people need this surgery long before medicare age. some people develop them sooner. medications, sun exposure, and people all being different. there is a standard amount of impairment needed before medicare will cover. my sister needed this fairly young because the anti seizure medication she needs to take caused them. and ther is of course the question of whether Medicare will continue to function with the horrendous situation in the federal government right now. the future is questionable for all of us.

we rode again yesterday squeezing it in between rain storms. 15 miles (the usual) with a strong headwind half the way. we finished just as rain moved in and missed a downpour by not very long.

Judy I had an aunt and grandmother who lived in peoria Illinois that we visited some times. they didnt live there very long but moved back to milwaukee. that was our version of going "down south"! best of luck on your update at home. always nice to refresh and update. its weird how things that seemed so far away when I was a kid are now nothing to worry about.
 
This morning I did STS 2.0 Upper Body 1, express with one set. That was 48 minutes,151, calories burned, average heart rate 108, and maximum heart rate 147.

Judy, great job the Peloton ride, Live PHA Supersets, and Peloton Core work.

Diane Sue, nice work with Raw arms, Raw boxing finisher, and LMR Functional Pilates timesaver.

Shannon, nice job with your own weights and STS Core plus Floor. We did take vacations as a family, but I don’t mind staying home. Vacations were mainly for the kids.

Valerie, great job with the ride.

Hello to Cathy.
 

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