How do you feel about getting older???

Ha Ha, heads do not get bigger as one gets older, brain shrinks because it decides to forget a lot of clutter that is not worth keeping

ROTFLOL.. Think my mom's compensating for her shrinking mass with her ever increasing ego.. LOL..

hi Pixie
this year we are stopping at Plymouth NH, then 2 days at Baxter St Park in ME, then back to Rutland Vt then home. We enjoy the foliage and look for moose. Last year we went thru VT, NH and to Acadia NP. It's all beautiful.

That's a wonderful trip, Deb. I'm jealous. Kids and school ruin everything!

my son is now 21, so an advantage of getting older is the freedom to get up and go again

Can't wait for those days!

To be honest with you I don't even look forward to when the kids leave home. I think I would miss them too much LOL Of course ask me that again when they become teens LOL

When my sons left the house for college, someone at work asked how I could stand not having them home. My answer was that they didn't one day leave home. It had been happening for a few years, little by little. Teens aren't home much.

It took some getting used to, but it wasn't bad.

This message was edited Sep 16, 2007 8:58 PM

DS Child #5 will be 20 next month....he said he's not leaving, Now you know the real reason for the acreage purchase and new house to be built!

Hi, just lurking here as I have my coffee this morning...and thought I'd post since I just loved this thread so much :-) Thanks for sharing everyone, you've all brought a big smile to my face this morning :-)

Ever since I was a kid I've loved "old" folks and would rather hang out with them than my own age group most times...because of the exact reasons listed in the opening post. Old folks don't care if your socks match, or what kind of car you drive...they care about what you're made of and what kind of person you are. They are *real* people and not concerned with all of life's foolishness...it's so refreshing! I've also found that I'll never learn so much as when I sit down and actually listen to someone who's "old"...ask them anything and they know how to do it, and do it right!

I'm 33 and grew up without knowing my Grandparents, maybe that's one reason I took a liking to an older generation at a young age...whatever the reason, I'm so glad I did.

Thanks for the smiles :-)
Heather

When I was a very young girl (around 10 I would guess). The lady across the street who was in her late 80's was my best friend. She sent me home with a plant. I grew that plant and it was happy so one day I brought it back to her and she told me I had a green thumb. I had nightmares about a HUGE green thumb and my dad would come comfort me and rub my head. I will never forget that lady. I would get home from school, drop off my books and run across the street to see her. I would imagine she was my gram :) She "listened" to me when it seems like no one else did. I will never forget the impression she made on my heart.

Kim

Welcome Heather! I'm glad you posted....old folks do know most everything and how to do it. There is so much wisdom in older folks, if the younger generation were more like you they would be tapping into that wisdom as often as possible.

Hi Heather and welcome to this thread.

The name I use, pirl, is in tribute to the real PIRL, a sweet older neighbor who taught me to garden. She passed away at 102+ so you can see I do respect the older folks but I get the feeling that soon I'll be one (if not already).

My daughter is 38 and does have a garden. She always listens, asks questions and follows advice. She thought that she and her husband planted the dahlias too late and when I explained how they like warm soil and are better off than planting too early I could see the light go on as I could see she understood the process. She has some beautiful dahlias.

What a wonderful story, pirl. I, too, love it when Anna and I discuss the gardens. I don't have nearly as much knowledge as you, but what I do have is the tie to be able to look things up and learn about them ... well, I have the time when the little ones allow me!!

Anna and I are learning at about the same time, and together, we are passing on what we learn to little Taelar, who just LOVES to garden. My oldest DD, Jenn, still thinks I know it all about gardening, so, as she doesn't live with me, I allow her to think that way!!!

To my way of thinking gardening is an unending learning process. That's part of what I love about it.

You are so right, pirl. I love the learning, and the 'experiments', and the 'what would happen ifs'. They make gardening an enlightening experience.

My older freind got me into planting and canning 4 years ago. He is 75. When I started he would come over and explain things, how to weed, how deep to plant etc. I would get flustered and call him saying " I hate you " time and time again (I was joking and he knew it). He showed me how to do canning and still helps out on identifying problems.

After 4 years the tides have changed a little. I got the green house and got him growing from seed this year. Now he hates me - lol. He said he is not going to grow from seed again, he is going to get all his plants off me. He does have lack of light in his house to grow a lot of plants. He was not totally happy with his garden this year. He is still my friend to this day and I respect him.

I have been reading all the posts, you are all just babies yet, *LOL* wait untill your as young as me 81. I have children that are in the 60s and I feel as young as they are, and in some instances I act and feel younger. Your really only as old as you allow yourself to be, so think young, and enjoy every day.

Great outlook kareoke! And welcome Heather. I too, always felt comfortable around older people. Loved every minute with my grandparents and still miss them dearly. My grandfather taught me a lot and he was prouder of my getting an engineering degree than anyone - including me!

So nice to meet you, kareoke. Keep that optimistic spirt.

I love everyone's upbeat spirit. No wonder our NEG Forum is the best!

Now I know that I have a lot to look forward to!!!!!!

Maria, you have many life/memory "videos" to look forward to after blindness sets in - keep positive! Don't forget you can garden 24-hours-a-day in your mind, too!

Icosden - whoever said kids make you feel younger must have had them when they were 20! I didn't marry until I was 35, had my first at 37, and second at 42, then peri-menopause started about a year after that - I'm tired at 52! I love my kids though, and wouldn't trade them for anything. Although if given the choice to do it over, I think I'd start at an earlier age, and have one or two more!

I wouldn't want more and would consider a decent trade.

Seriously though, regarding getting older, I don't worry about the getting older part. I worry about my health and death. My mother had a mild stroke in her late 50's and died of a stroke at 68. She had bad varicose veins and was a chocolate-eating couch potato.

I, too, have the veins (got one leg 'fixed' 2 years ago, trying to get up the nerve to have the other one done - big baby), so I worry that I might have a stroke someday and who would be there for my (very needy Asperger's Syndrome) kids? I know that I need to trust God to handle everything, but I often like to take problems out of His hands and hold them in mine for awhile - naughty girl!

All very understandable, Sue. Like I said earlier in the thread, taking care of ourselves is so important. I actually love exercise. Would give up gardening first.

I caught a show on the Discovery Health Channel that had to do with food and health. It was on last night, and will be on again through most of this week, I think. It was very eye-opening!!!

Now I know exactly WHY I feel better this year than I did last year. (Last year I resolved to eat more healthy, and I am feeling about ten years younger now.)

I cut out 90% of pasta and (along with gardening) lost 16.5 pounds since May. BMI right where it should be.

Congratulations, pirl!!!!
I bet you feel better, too.

Great Pirl! You should be proud. I guess the carb thing worked for you. Though the durum / semolina pasta is much better. Lower on the Glycemic index.

Wow Pirl! Thats wonderful!!
I'm not a big pasta fan, or bread...I do like mashed & baked potaoes but they fill me up to quickly. Which is why I have a hard time to gain weight and hold onto it. Menopause has helped with some weight gain, they say 20 lbs. is what most women put on. I don't think i'll make it the full 20 but im happy to have gained some.
I have a high metablism, it always been like this....my brother is the same way. He'll be 60 in Nov. and he is just now slowing down some and finally has a little "belly". My Dad was this way also, my Mom on the other hand was a big woman who loved her pasta, bread, potatoes and chocolate. I got the chocolate addiction from her which is not good cause Dad was a diabetic. So I eat and test!

Thanks, everyone.

From my mom I inherited the gene for heavy cream and that's what I have in every cup of coffee - ready for the third one right now. From my dad I have the love of cheese and have some every day.

My favorite food guy, no longer on radio, Arthur Schwartz, has a cooking school in Italy. When he was on NYC radio he used to say that what we really like is the sauce on pasta. So I just use that sauce on meat/chicken/fish.

pixie:

I am so happy to hear that someone else has the problem of keeping the weight on!! I love to eat, even though much of what I was eating was considered bad for me. Lately, it's been a lot of fruits and vegetables, a bit of protein with each meal, and a bit of fiber with each meal. My BMI is way at the low end!! And, I eat about five times a day.

Sheesh! I feel like a hummingbird sometimes .... I keep buzzing around, then go and eat ... buzzing around, then go eat. But I have just as much energy as the littles ones, so I must be doing something right. *smile*

Wait till menopause kicks in girls. Size 2 till I was 29. 20 years later put the sizes on, size 12 now. Yeah I am 49 getting ready for the golden 50. Not over weight yet, lots of energy but the middle age spread is obvious.

Sherrie:

Been through menopause and am out the other side. It was after menopause that the weight started to come off.

We have a couple who come to visit and always ask if I've lost weight again. It's so fustrating cause I had in fact gained 4 lbs! I do try to make sure the weight gain is muscle, I do sit ups in the winter months, get on the treadmill and lift weights. In the summer I don't have to do those things as there is enough outside work to keep me in shape. Sometime I get so tired I do forget to eat!

47 here and smack dab in the middle of it!

This message was edited Sep 18, 2007 8:17 AM

Waiting to see what menopause will do to me. (My wife's, that is.)

Tread lightly Victor....it's your safest bet!

Same here in the summer, there is enough to do without exercising. I have alway's been a scrappy active little thing. Then the menopause kicked in at 39 and done at 41. 2 years I went through the whole cycle! I am still scrappy & active, but a bigger thing. Can't pinch an inch yet. LoL

Oh yes Victor the claws can fly at anytime. Beware Beware.

So I've heard.