Pentagenarians & Beyond: W/B 4/22/12

fox2star

fox2star

Cathlete
Good morning,

Worked at the dog show all day yesterday, it was exhausting but a lot of fun.

Valerie, what is going on with your trips? some type of bad karma? I don't believe in that stuff but it's a saying right? :rolleyes:

Back to the outlet mall to return a pair of shoes that I wore for 4 hours and the sling back on one of them was so loose it would not stay on my foot. Unbelievable. They better take them back.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend, and Valerie, a bette one now!
 
Hi Deb and any later posters--

This morning I did Turbo Barre (74 min.).

Yesterday was so warm and beautiful and my friend and I thoroughly enjoyed our shopping trip to Northampton. I bought yarn for three sweaters, and because the sale price on the two wool yarns and the discount on the cotton yarn were so good, I will have three sweaters for a little over $100. Gorgeous Italian merino for 3.79 a skein, marked down from 10.00 a skein. But, then we stopped at a Eileen Fisher boutique, and I bought a very expensive dress. Penny-wise, pound foolish.

Good luck on those shoes, Deb!

What happened to your overnight trip, Valerie? (Guess I will have to check the old thread.)

We are going out to dinner tonight. DH wants to have the final comfort Sunday meal, but I think I will order something from the regular menu.

Very cold and rainy here, but we really need the rain.
 
Good morning,

Another wonderful week starting. I went to the outlet mall to return shoes, and while I was walking, I took a header flat out fell . Unbelievable. Nothing seriously hurt but my knees, shin and elbows are killing me right now. It was so embarrassing. They did take the shoes back though.

Garance, it sounds like you got a real deal on the yarn, and you saved so much that you could splurge on a dress! That is what I call a "win-win". LOL.

It's cold and rainy here too, only 34 degrees this morning. We need the rain but is sure doesn't make you want to get up and go out.

Hi to Valerie, Josie, and the vacationing Joan,

Take care,
 
I forget what I said about saturday exactly, but got tire replaced. no fixing that one. by then it was too late to go anywhere.
undaunted, sunday we went back to the same place and skied the whole thing. it would have been difficult with an overnight pack because it's long and climbs at least 1500 feet.... but what a lovely spot. we used to ski here a lot but a bridge over a big river crossing went down in flooding and took many years to get replaced. by then the road was overgrown with young alders blocking everything. trees grow fast here. we also used to be able to drive higher depending on snow level, and we are hoping that's still possible but we won't know until the snow melts out and we see what's left of the road.

DH and I have been working our way up the road all season cutting trees back ( hand saw) and now have a fairly clear route. once the road gets higher into evergreens it's clear. but what a view! sunny and hot and gorgeous mountains in all directions. if you've never been up on open snow in bright sunshine (at altitude) you have no idea how bright and hot it is. we were both exhausted by the time we got down. 6 1/2 hours. and my first cold beer of the year. in one day the snow patch where we'd gotten stuck on saturday was gone but there was another deeper one not much further, so not worth driving further. we had to walk half an hour before getting to solid snow. we will be able to use this a few more times this year if we have time. at least 10 feet of snow on most of it. in the sun it's hot, in the shade you need to put on pants and jackets.

I used to knit and crochet a lot but I got a permanent tendon contracture in my left pinkie finger so I gave it up so it didn't get worse or involve other fingers. used to love doing it . still have my needles and some yarn but probably won't risk it any more. I have a splint to straighten the finger that I use sporadically.
Deb, good work on the return. I don't have any heels and have never worn sling back. they won't stay up. my heels are flat up and down, no heel bump for a sling. bummer on the face plant. glad you aren't hurt other than your dignity.
 
Hi Deb, Josie, Joan, and Valerie--

This morning I did After Burn (54 min.).

Deb, that's what happened to me when I broke my elbow, except I used my right arm to shield the fall and broke the elbow. Hurt my knees as well and skinned my shins. Ugh! Glad you weren't injured as badly as I was. For me, it was all that trouble for looking up at the night sky while headed for some soft serve. For you, it was a pair of shoes. I wondered this morning if you had snow, because apparently parts of western NY were hit with a ton of snow. We just had a wonderful soaking rain, but the rest of the week sounds a bit blah, with off-and-on showers. At least my students won't be begging me to have class outside.

So that's what happened, Valerie--another flat tire! Well, it sounds like you made up for it with another skiing trip. That's too bad that you cannot knit anymore. I love it and have made some really lovely things. I finally finished this spectacular mohair sweater which took me way, way too long to do. It was in Vogue a couple years ago and I decided I had to make it. It is white with black, grey, and ice blue knitted in, and it looks like owl feathers draped down the front and back. The pattern for putting in the colors was so dauntingly irregular that I could only do a couple rows a day and finished the back last year and the front sides this year. I am only doing one-color sweaters for quite awhile after that one, which took all of the perseverance I have to finish.

More Lear and Freud this afternoon.

We had a lovely meal last night. I had a braised chicken breast, and as usual the chef came out with a first course for me of fiddlehead ferns. Leftovers tonight.
 
Good morning,

Our class didn't end until almost 10:00 so by the time we got home and settled down it was almost 11 before we went to bed. The Vixen did her usual sleep and was up at 4:30. Class was fun though and she is doing really well.

Garance, don't believe what you see on the news about Western NY. There was snow south of here in the typical snow belt areas, but where I am in the city, it was like a slushy rainy snow. Nothing stuck anywhere, more like heavy rain. Not a pleasant day to be outside. Hopefully it is done now.

Valerie, That area that you go to sounds beautiful. Is it a state park? Is it ok for you to clear trees etc? I never really liked sling back shoes that much, but these were cute wedges, I thought I could wear. I too have a lot of yarn and stuff that I didn't finish. I used to make afgans all the time, loved to crochet more than knit.

Has anyone seen the interval timer ( part of the Workout Manager), that they introduced in the Open Forum? I have asked 3 times for them to explain how it worked and no one will reply, including SNM. Strange. They are usually so good about stuff like that.

Off for more coffee and to wake up. Take care,
 
Deb, this is in national forest. there are hundreds of miles of old roads built for mining or logging ( most long ago) in unprotected areas. when those projects are over, the roads get used by hikers, hunters, wood gatherers for access. big trees that fall across roads are free firewood for people who want to cut them up and haul them down. the forest service LIKES it because it saves them work and expense. some roads the forest service maintains, especially if they have another planned logging project in the future. a lot of hiking here depends on maintained FS roads for access to wilderness or park land. usually a buffer of many miles, sometimes hundreds of miles. other roads are officially closed and blocked, where they pull the culverts ( water drainage tunnels that channel water under roads) and formally block access.

the roads we use are old roads that aren't closed. we use them at our own risk for backcountry access. after just a few years alders start growing. you can walk through but especially in winter young trees make a tangle that is hard to weave through. impossible for vehicles and even for skis. these are not "big trees" just saplings and inch or two in diameter. but there are a lot of them! we whack back the ones in the way . If the FS reopens this road in the future ( who knows?) they would take a bulldozer and mow them all down. we do it the hard way. but it almost guarantees no one else will be up there. because of budget cutbacks the FS is maintaining fewer roads so we have fewer places to go in winter to avoid snowmobiles. we used to use maintained roads but most are taken over by 'bilers.

Did a 30 mile bike ride yesterday so definitely got in my work for the weekend.

Can't believe you are getting snow yet! last year we were having the same issue in april. this seems to be a more normal year. it was record warm yesterday and just lovely.

I haven't seen the interval time, but will go take a look.
 
Hi Deb, Josie, Joan, and Valerie--

This morning I did S & G (52 min.). Still don't like all those burpees.

Deb, it was such a strange storm that sort of circled around and hit every place differently. We had only rain and then it warmed up yesterday afternoon into the 60s, but now it's a very chilly day, even though the wind is coming from the south. I have not looked at the interval timer, and probably won't. I just do those intervals on After Burn and am thankful for the sidestepping recoveries.

Tonight I must talk with majors about my work. I wonder how many will show up at this busy time of the year.

Tomorrow I'm off to see the vascular surgeon in a morning appointment, so I won't be working out.
 
Linda, best of luck with the vascular guy. Who are the majors?

I've gotten pretty decent at the burpees. the move where you slide your feet under, across and out also used to get me. I've gotten better at those with an effort to not hold my breath and keep my head up. I also found I was going too fast. hard to look up from that position.

the general layout of the forest out here in the west is to have national park land surrounded by wilderness areas as much as possible, and then those wildernesses surrounded by national forest. not always the case. regulations on plain forest land are pretty relaxed, a little more restricted and controlled in wilderness, and most controlled in national parks. DH and I spend and have spent a huge amount of time in all those areas. we've hiked big segments of the Pacific Crest Trail in WA and OR and a little in CA. My idea of a good vacation is getting away as much as possible from people. parks are lovely but usually way too high a population. wilderness is usually as scenic but less crowded.
 
Good morning all,

Still cold and rainy here, this is the spring we should have gotten in March, when it was in the 80's.

Garance, Yes, good luck with the vascular surgeon.

Valerie, I don't do those burpees very well, but I keep moving so I guess that is a good thing. My idea of a good vacation is to stay home and do things around here. Strange huh?

Take care,
 
Deb, I used to travel a lot for work and then staying "home" sounded best... but I considered backpacking/ day hiking around here "home". didn't require plane travel or too much driving. so for a long time we backpacked in WA and OR. I've never enjoyed resorts, motels, restaurants, shows. or shopping! I met up with some long time friends in CO a couple years ago and all they wanted to do was "go shopping". I was mortified. go to gorgeous mountains with hiking, biking, gorgeous scenery right there(!!) Breckenridge and you want to spend all the time browsing outlet malls?? a lot of annoying crap. had to do some business travel involving resort places and found it totally unenjoyable. could not wait to leave.

so for this short trip (5 days) going to the coast in the Olympic national park. it's wilderness beach. no houses, no development, just wind, water, sea stacks, critters to watch. we have the camper, sleeping & food are easy. might do a backpack. no big mileage, and day hikes. the rain forest is lovely and shouldn't be busy yet. we are taking mt bikes too, there are places to ride.

Did yoga yesterday morning, and S&G later. I can do all the burpees now. I still skip the dragging pushups and do 40 knee push ups instead. my shoulder is close to 100% again so thinking about STS soon.

ETA gosh, I sound harsh, don't I? I just never could "get" the idea of sitting in a hotel somewhere, ordering room service, and calling it fun. or broiling in the sun by a pool. going to casinos. noisy, smelly, drunk people crammed into rooms trying to lose money as fast as possible. I'd rather drink paint.
 
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Hi Deb, Josie, Joan, and Valerie--

Went to see the vascular surgeon today and made an appointment for ultrasound on my veins for May 8. They use it to map the veins for ablation to destroy the veins with the faulty valves, which I will make another appointment to do.

Valerie, they are English majors, meaning this is their primary course of study with requirements. You declare your major at the end of the sophomore year. After a few years reading Josie's and Joan's posts about their vacations in Vegas, I wouldn't mind trying that for a change. It might be fun--with women friends, I hasten to add. DH would never want to go to Vegas, even on a lark. I do like beach vacations where I can read, walk the beach looking for shells, and do some bobbing with the help of my husband. I can swim like a fish in a lake (grew up in Minnesota), but the ocean is impossible for me. Lazy vacations where I don't really worry about anything. I've had several frenetic European vacations where I scramble to see everything in the guidebook, and when I come home, I need a vacation from the vacation.

Yes, it's pretty chilly here as well, Deb. You just never know--we could even get snow in May. It's happened.
 
I got back late last night but I have dh's cold and haven't done much today. We went to an Eagles concert, two comedy shows and The Rat Pack is Back. We stayed at the Flamingo for 4 nights and the Bellagio for 3 nights. Sunday was exceptional and I couldn't lose. I actually brought money home this time.:D

Will try to get back in the exercise mode tomorrow.

Joan
 
Good morning all,


Typing with a puppy on my lap chewing a nylabone...not easy.

I got up at 4:00 and did CC#1 rev. Love his workouts. My HRM crapped out again. I had to mix it up with the watch from my second one, and the strap/transmitter from the original to get it to work. Time for a new HRM I guess. I need to research and see what is out there now....

Valerie, maybe that is why I like being home when on vacation. Travelling for work kind of makes it not fun, hate airports more than anything. I don't mind hotels, actually like staying at the Ritz in DC :).

Garance, is the actual vein destruction considered an "out patient" procedure? will you have problems walking after etc?

Joan, sounds like you had a great trip!

Hair and pedi after work, time to get rid of the grey again. It amazes me how fast it grows back in. I hate that skunk stripe!

Take care,
 
Hi Deb, Josie, Joan, and Valerie--

Well, I am on exercise hiatus, I guess. The television I use for exercise just plain conked out yesterday, so I will have to go and buy another one. I guess it's not so bad, since I was planning on having my blood work done tomorrow anyway, first thing in the morning.

Deb, the doctor says it's a procedure done in the office and then a bandage or pressure stocking is put on the leg. Local anesthesia so you are awake and can talk to the doctor. I can expect to go home soon after the procedure and resume my normal activities in 1-2 days. Walking encouraged, but avoid heavy exercise for 7 to 14 days, no hot baths for awhile.

Off to teach!

Welcome back, Joan!
 
Hi Ladies,

Sorry for not posting. I have been busy at work and yesterday I took a mental day off.
My job is no longer motivating me and a couple of people that I work with are just so annoying and lie about everything. I wish that I could retire tomorrow 

Deb, I have not used my spinning DVD, I have been riding on weekends and was to lazy to set my bike on the trainer. I ended up not buying my spinning bike with my birthday money because I loaned it to my son, but as soon as he pays me back I will buy it and use it after the Aids Life Cycle.

Joan, you are the luckiest person I know, glad that you brought some money back with you.

Garance and Valerie, I love to go places where I can do the things that Grance mentioned.
I love to sit by the pool or the beach and read and walk. I do not shop much when I’m on vacation because I can do that in LA anytime. My DH and I love Las Vegas, but we only stay for 3 to 4 days and then we have to go home.

I will be riding this weekend on both days, 45 miles on Saturday and don’t know how many miles on Sunday yet.

Have a great day everyone!

Josie
 
I did a few of those vacations where, as Linda said, you need a vacation afterwards and don't do them anymore. the ones where you dutifully trot from one historical site to the next. crowds. lines. airports. buses. no more. also stayed in Vegas for a couple months with an old room mate. wow. talk about getting tired of a place! Roommate liked it and stayed, I went on to WA.

Linda, is it both legs? it will be tough not to exercise that long. nothing makes you want to do anything more than being told "you can't".

Josie, you will love having your own spin bike. I like ti much more now that I dumped the bike shoes. I have to switch out the pedals for regular ones when use it, but it's simple.
 
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Josie I was the luckiest person. I hit a royal on a $2 machine and on the next machine-$5, I hit another royal. I made them give me a check so I wouldn't spend it. At Bellagio I went from the lowest player's card to the highest players card. I will never be able to get that many points again, but it was fun while it lasted.

I actually was down a pound when I got back so maybe I have this eating thing down now. I felt like I ate 1/2 the amount I used to eat but still felt it was too many calories. I guess all the extra walking balanced it out.

I guess I am strange but when the kids were little all are vacations were going to one place of interest to another. Although we never rushed. They loved Gettysburg and we actually went their twice. There is really nothing there but there is a bus tour with headsets that makes you feel you are in the battlefields. Of course with boys we went to every baseball stadium, too. I haven't had any problems with the airports either. My dh likes to get there early and we have a good restaurant at the St Louis airport so always eat before the flight to waste time. Of course I always have a couple of books with me.

Hoping to get this cold gone. I have been just dragging around and don't want to do anything.

Joan
 
Good morning and Happy Friday!!

I just finished CC #4. Whew....I am still sweating.
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Garance, will the new TV be just for your exercise area? I will get get a nice small flat screen, when my clunker in the basement craps out. ( that's all you can get now a days anyway). So no Cathe LIS or lifting for 7-14 days after the surgery?

Josie, I'm with you there on the retirement wish.

Valerie, Funny how everyone is different about vacations, everyone has their own likes and dislikes. I like going to small little artsy towns, like Los Gatos, and staying in a nice small quaint hotel. Then going around and seeing things that we don't have here. ( Except of course if it's a Ritz, I'll take it!),

Joan, you really had a lucky streak this trip! How is your Mom doing?

I have a wake to go to tonight, our friend's ( the one that grooms the dogs) Mom died Tuesday, she was 98. She died in the car when Joanne was taking her to a Dr appointment. Sad, but she lived a long life and was very happy.
Anyone have any exciting plans for the weekend? I hope we get some
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Keegan and I are going to an all day agility seminar Sunday, it should be fun..

Take care,
 
Did treadmill yesterday and yoga in the morning. DH did the cyclemax extreme workout yesterday ... 75 min on the spin bike. wow. I'm not doing that.

Right now we're planning on the coast the next few days. won't be back til mid week. some hiking, beach walking, mt biking, bird & wildlife watching. depends on weather. the northern WA coast is lovely. it's part of the Olympic national park and is mostly wilderness beach. weather tends to be pretty rough there. lots of rocky headlands, giant waves, sandy beaches in between. can be unpleasant if it's windy and rainy. great to backpack though need to plan carefully for tides.
there is a huge load of debris from the japanese tsunami last year headed this way. no one has a clue what to do about it, or where it will reach shore. this is mostly floating plastic stuff that doesn't sink. some is radioactive... great. we want to get in a visit before ( if) it gets unpleasant. it will be a nightmare to clean up.

TV's are so inexpensive now. like most appliances, toss when they fail. when I was a kid our neighbor made a decent living fixing TV's. too big to take anywhere... he'd go to people's houses to fix them. how times change. I remember all the giant glass tubes.
wow 98! my mother is 92 and still doing pretty well. arthritis is pretty bad and she's not very mobile anymore. otherwise not too bad so she might make it to 98 too.

Deb, I'm so glad people differ on vacation preferences. if they didn't, whatever was the hot spot would be pretty crowded.
we never took vacations when I was a kid. one time we went to see the locks that move ships from one great lake to another... real exciting, especially for kids! my father would use the time off to paint the house. they had no interests, stayed home. didn't get along with each other. when they got older they took a few trips. they came out west and visited a few times and I took them to parks, outdoor things. turned out they liked hiking etc but they never learned to do much by themselves.
Not having a very good idea of what to do on vacations, I did a few standard things... Wash DC, New York, British isles, a tennis camp. it was Ok but not for me. fortunately DH and I worked out things we both enjoy doing. we met in a mountaineering class.

Linda, don't know when your procedure is scheduled, but best of luck with it... You'll do fine!
 
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