Epona,
yes, I am a runner and triathlete. My favourite race is the half marathon. Have done some marathons and ultras.
Was planning on doing a half ironman next year but I have had some health problems and am not able to train for it at the moment.
Need diagram of African Violet plant
Auwh...that sux.
That's some serious discipine you have. I've been lurking around looking at pics of the different types of Gesses. ( And I saw Lin's terrariums, and now I really want to try one! That girl sell's herself short, and a she is so sweet, too). I also saw the thread where you said you love dancing. Shakin' yo boo-tay dancing? Or something specific?
I watch "So You Think You Can Dance" and I sometimes can't bear to watch because I want them to do well, and when they do, you can see how talented they are!
I've been up all night, and I'm fading fast, so if you don't see your post - I will see it tommorrow. Get well, spider
Hi Epona,
Thank you very much.:o)
I love any type of dancing... from classical ballet to hip hop.
So you think you can dance is my favourite TV programme.
I would love to learn hip hop but there is nothing around here, so, when I feel better (at the moment I am having lots of thyroid and adrenal glands problems that leave me in bed for days) I will get some hip hop DVDs and do them in the basement.
Alright ... now we got dancing too! You go girls!
I can tell some of y'all are young! All I can say is KEEP MOVING! I wish I had been more active when I was younger.
Kim got us singing "We Are Family" a few weeks ago, now you are going to have us all up dancing too! I've never been good at singing or dancing but hey ... as long as no one is around and it's just the cats listening and watching, what the heck! Now, if I sprain an ankle or break a leg, or my neck I can see me explaining to my hubby that I was dancing with my friends in the garden! ^_^ hee hee ... the way my arthritis acts up any more I don't think I can do much dancing! Sometimes it doesn't take much for me to tweak my back ... just turn a certain way and I feel it. I sat down out in the yard the other day when I was weeding a bed and thought I might be waiting for DH to get home to help me up! LOL.
Last night I watched "So you think you can dance" for the first time this season. I was real impressed with a couple of them.
Spider ... didn't know you were having health issues. Hope you get better soon!
Well it looks like I need to look for new threads more often..nearly missed this one completely! What another great thread too.full of very neat info... Welcome eponagrrl...Spider I never knew you had health problems..hope you get them in check soon..it must be terribly hard not to be able to exercise like you used to..
Thank you Plantladylin and Cedarnest.
Plantladylin, in my case, its just acting young rather than being young!!!
Hey Lin!!
Thanks for the welcome cedarnest. Nice to meet you :)
Lin, I'm like Spider. I'm not young. I just still like stuff that young people like, too!
And I've heard how how debilitating arthritis can be. Is there anything you can do for your back? have heard back exercizes can help (build up core strenght), but take it Slowwww. And heck yah! I've danced with my cats, and dog. My dog Tori gets excited and starts biting my legs. I've done some yoga, and end up with a cat sitting on my back. It stirs them up, and they actually get in the way. Hey, would some pool exercizes help. Lol, you can lead a horse to water...
Spider - I'm gonna say a little prayer for you (I'm not Christian, but I still pray) and hope they "get it right the first time" for you. You hang tight!! I've got some serious health stuff I'm getting back under control myself. On top of it...I suffer from extreme depression and BPD, but it's finally getting under control. I'm not kidding when I say I have been curled up in bed for about two years now! I didn't bathe for 3 weeks one time, lol. I finally shelled out the big bucks for a good doctor, and he added ADD to the list. I told him he was crazy, too. But he explained it and it made some sense. It's help correct some serious negative beliefs I had about myself. I really thought I was somehow poision, and noone could change my mind. I couldn't.
I let myself trust this man, and tried the Adderal - and it was like a MIRACLE!!! I could hear my "thinking" , and how my cruel, and hard i was on myself!! I would never do that to someone else! And I some WISE part of me said, "OMG, hello?!!, you are trying drown yourself in the kiddie pool. Sit up, please. And btw, that stuff about you being poison? That is just pure crap! If you were really THAT bad, they would have locked you up, and put you in a cage a hundred feet undergroud years ago!! You are not bad, AT ALL, so stop ripping yourself to peices...it's silliness". And here I am, and it feels so good to know that I'm just like anybody else. Yay! So, let's dance, lol. I may only last a few minutes though!
Spider - I too would love to learn some hip-hop. If you find a good DVD let me know! I REALLY want to try Crumping!! I think the cigarette need to go first, though, lol. Are you by chance a fan of Fosse? Did you like "Chicago"? or "All that Jazz"?
Okay, gotta get back to my book.
Kisses your "Bo-bo's" guys
Good morning everyone!
I just have a few minutes to be on the computer this morning to check in. This garden is almost as addictive as my real one outside the door! I want to try to get a few things accomplished outside before the rains hit. It's very cloudy and overcast already. Not complaining though ... we need the rain.
Cleo, Congratulations on getting your BPD and depression under control! I know how hard that must be. I have family members and a friend who have suffered with depression and it can lead to so many other health problems. Sometimes stuff going on in the world and in the media, and life in general can bring us down and make us feel bad about ourselves. We ARE better than we sometimes think we are! So, hang in there ... keep giving yourself pep talks! You deserve to be happy! I'm glad you found a doctor you are comfortable with, one you can trust and one who has given you the medications that work for you.
I know y'all are younger than me! You just exude energy! LOL, I have no clue what Crumping is! Sounds interesting though. I have heard of Fosse and Chicago and All That Jazz. I love music of all kinds, got that from my dear Mom. To this day I listen to all kinds of different music from Bocelli to Country to ZZ Top. Very diverse in my taste in music, just depends on my mood.
Ok, I don't think I'm too bad for 60 years old! I know some my age who are a lot older at 60 and some who make me look like 90 (which I feel some days!), but I don't have the energy I used to. Each year I slow down a little more. I hope y'all keep moving as long as you possibly can! The Hip Hop dancing will help I'm sure! The most exercise I get is out playing in the dirt and mowing the lawn (which needs doing but with the weather I don't think it's gonna be today.) This spring we cleared a very large area of brush, trimmed trees, dug out vines, weeds and debris along our property line! I have been doing this for the 33 years we've been in this house. I told my husband "I'm Done!" No more of that hard physical labor ... it's just too much.
Well, I guess I better quit running my mouth, and get busy! Can you tell I'm a talker? ^_^
I hope everyone has a great Friday!
Lin
Good morning ladies........
Can't stay as grands are here and already going strong
Once you pass 65 I am just thankful that I wake up every morning!
Bad back, neck and all that is part of old age.........sorry you have it at a young age.
Take care of yourselves.......
My body is my best friend and I listen to it...........
Here is my favorite saying each day:
Though the talents you possess
may appear to be average or less,
use them anyway.The woods would be very silent if no birds sang except the very best. ---Unknown
For you young athletes, my 36 year old son has already had two major back surgeries from doing triathalons and racing off road dirt bikes. He hasn't been able to do that since his first surgery about 8 years ago........be careful with your bodies........
hi girls,
Epona, I also battle clinical depression and it is horrible. When i have the energy, I find that physical exercise really helps.
Yes, I know and love all of them. Did you seen the Alvin Ailey dancers last week on SYTYCD? They were majestic!
Gail and Lin, I have a friend in England that is 68 years old. Next month she is going to the Masters European Track and Field Championships.
She runs a lot faster than most people half her age and she just started running about 5 years ago.
She never gets injured or sick. she has soooo much energy. I think that her secret is that she has a young spirit and she refuses to get old. That helps a lot. She is a big proof that age is just a number.
I think that lots of joints and muscles problems start when we stop moving the way we used when we were young.
Gail, i hope you son gets back to racing soon.
Gail, it is true. I am sure some people do fine, but many have awful problems later with knees, etc. I saw an hour special on TV about it. It is great to keep moving, but high impact is hard for most people as the joints age.
Spider: Wow, your friend is amazing ... running track and field at 68! I bet she was active all her life. I have been active but not athletic most of my life and I am blessed not to have any health problems. I look at the creaking, aching joints as just a fact of life and am thankful that the only medications I take is the occasional Advil.
I know many who have serious arthritis issues later in life. My sister who is 9mos 3wks older than me has spinal stenosis and is getting ready to have back surgery to hopefully correct it. She is in major pain most of the time anymore. I have another sister 1 1/2 years younger than me, who has major health problems, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia and lupus along with depression (partly caused by the physical health issues.) My youngest sister who is 8 years younger than me has been very active her whole life. She plays tennis every season of the year, singles, mixed doubles ... she loves the game. She has two bad knees and will need to have knee replacement before she is 60 according to her doctors. She is just putting it off as long as she can.
I have heard that Americans are some of the most sedentary people on the planet, and that there are many kids growing up with problems of obesity nowadays. A lot of kids sit around playing video games or watching television/videos all day. There are many single parents out there, holding down two jobs trying to make ends meet, and it's understandable that they are just too tired and have no energy left for lifestyle changes within the family. I understand that ... I remember when I worked full time, it was so much easier to run and get fast food on the way home from work! And, I guess there just aren't enough funded programs for kids to get them up off the couch. I have heard over the past few years that a lot of schools here in Florida have cut extracurricular activities and sports. I guess it all comes down to $$.
Plantladylin,
The rule has been that the younger generations would live longer than the ones before them.
Life span has increased a lot in the past 100 years but it is getting to a point, with all youngters having already health problems due to inactivity, that soon, the rule may revert and the younger generations will have shorter life than their ancestors.
That is so sad and worrying.
Yes, you do have to keep moving. Kids stay inside more often now. My sister's kids have always been active. That is great. My son was about 8 when the playstation game things first started. I was so sad to see that.
I didn't get him one. He played at a friends house and I noticed the kids went from being active to INSIDE all the time. I told my son he had a certain amount of time he could play, otherwise, he needed to have outside fun. I really do remember life with no playstation etc... was really nice.
My son saved bday and Christmas money for his game. They really took over.
Okay, I missed everything. I just woke up. And let me declare this! I had no idea how old anybody was! I thought maybe I was older (but FAR more imature, lol) than most here.
I'm 40 or 41...I'm not sure (groggy).
Yea, I wish they had never invented those games. Playstation, Wii, ect...have made kids lose touch with their bodies. I am so grateful that I spent my youth running and playing and exploring. I think the rule for me in grade-school was "Be home when the sun goes down".
Okay, I gotta run (drive) and get some cancer sticks, lol!
Yes, our mom's would have to call us in every evening. We stayed out most of the day and had SO much fun!
SallyBlooms, we are so fortunate to have had that! I remember hearing over and over, "You are too skinny.". Of course I was...I was outside all the time - moving - and we called it "playing", lol. Walked to school, and no - not in the snow uphill both ways. Do parents even let their kids do that now?? I know some can't, but the one's who can?
Spider - NO. Dang it. I totally missed it! I have always wanted to see them in action! That show is like sitting on pins and needles!!! And I know you have to do what you love, you athlete, you! Please, please take all the precautions to keep your joints safe (I'm sure you do). I had a friend who has "orthorexia" , and she ruptured a disc in her lower back, didn't know it (mentally pushed, or ignored the pain), and was running trails, and tai-bo for 3 months like that, till one day her leg gaveout. She was forced to see a doctor, and they told her she could have been paralyzed from the waist down. She had the surgery, and is fine. But she learned her lesson the hard way. It was scary for all of us, because we knew working out was her passion. I'm so sorry to hear you have depression, too. I've been on every anti-depressant known, lol. The only thing that sorta worked was Effexor. And I know, I need to get exercise because that would help so much! I enjoy weight training, but I hate cardio unless it's fun (like dance). The videos look so much better now, especially the hip hop workout - so maybe soon. Do you still take any dance?
Lin, I thought you were close to me in age! Is your pic current? Because you look fantastic!! And yes, I will take your advice and be kind to myself. I was raised strict Baptist so any kind of personal pride was an unspoken sin. I am learning that it's okay to like yourself, and take pride (and a compliment (Lin, lol) in your own accomplishments. It feels good to tell yourself good job, or wow, I rock! As Martha says, "It's a good thing".
You guys are addicting, lol
**** ^_^ *** Blushing here! Thanks for the compliment Cleo. That picture on my home page was taken this past Christmas. The photo is how I look now except my hair is a tad bit shorter. It had grown so long, I had 6" cut off in May and need another haircut but that's never at the top of my list of things to do. I turned 60 in March. Sometimes I look 60, sometimes even older ... especially on days when I am tired or haven't had a restful nights sleep. I had to go back and look at that pic. My wrinkly chicken neck wasn't showing in that picture, nor were my hands. I remember my mom always saying you could tell a woman's age by her neck and her hands, LOL.
I didn't realize the Baptist faith considered personal pride a sin, but I do recall a Proverb that says pride goeth before a fall. And, I interpret that to mean we should not think we are higher or better than the next person, unless we want to be taken down a notch. I don't think we should put ourselves on a pedestal or let anyone else do so either. I don't feel I am better than any other human being on this earth. I learned long ago that there are always going to be those who have more than I do, whether it be education, a bigger house, fancier car, more money, material things, etc ... but that does not make them any better than me and I know there are those who have much less than I do so I try to count my blessings every day and say thank you for the good things in my life. Being human I am greedy, judgemental etc., and I have to give myself a good talking to quite often! We are all only human ... and to err is human, to forgive divine. We forgive others for wrongs they do and I think we have to forgive ourselves sometimes too. This world we live in is so scary ... all we can do is take one day at a time and do the best we can with what we have. We have to like/love ourselves before we can like/love another.
Ok ... here I am rambling again. I know I get carried away when I start typing! Hope I haven't offended anyone. You know that commercial "Help! I've fallen and I can't get up." Well ... with me it's like "Help! My mouth is running and I can't turn it off." ^_^ Ok, I will shut up now.
Sorry to jump in here ladies as I haven't been around much this past week but I just have to say Lin, you are an amazing lady. I can't tell you how inspiring you are. You really are SUCH a wonderful person/lady/friend! You brighten this world in which we live and always see the cup 1/2 full. That is a gift. You share your gift with others so freely and it's wonderful that you can just type and talk away as you have some very important things to share with the world. I know I am grateful to have met you :)
Spider and Epona, I'm really glad you both came to garden here in the AV forum. It's so nice here, you will like it alot. I too suffer from depression and have tried every medicine known to man. I have weaned myself off all meds and now take St. John's Wort daily. I find it helps and can certainly tell if I have missed a day or two. For me I have turned my life over to God and give up my will to him daily. I try to find the positive in everything but there are times that depression still sneaks in and I just need to take a time out from everything and everyone but I always come out of it and it doesn't seem to last nearly as long which I am grateful for.
I hope I didn't offend anyone, just trying to offer my experience strength and hope in some way/shape/fashion :)
Now everyone get up and shake that booty to a little hip hop *lol* Sorry ladies, I don't know much hip hop I'm afraid. My daughter likes that stuff though. She was listening to a song the other day and I made her change the channel as it just totally turned my stomach *lol* I guess I'm getting old *lol*
Have a great day all :)
Kim
Hi Ya Miss Kim! Thank you for your kind words ... Y'all really are sweet. I too have my good days and bad days. Depression runs in my family, I do think it's in the genes! I feel blessed that I am at a place in my life, emotionally where I try to just let bad things go quickly as I know it would not do me good to dwell on them. Some times are easier than others.
That piece that Brenda posted a few days ago about women/sisters rings sooo true! We need each other! We are good for each other!
So, to all my "Sista's" out there ... Keep on Dancing! And Singing! And, just .... Being!
*Spider jumps in the thread hip hopping*
such lovely words from everyone!
*Spider jumps off the thread to go and check Lin's photo*
*Spider hip hops into the thread*
Hmmmm..... I must have checked the wrong photo. The one I saw is of a 20 years old girl sitting by her dad.
Can someone please guide me to the right photo?
LOL Spider ... That is my husband next to me. We will be celebrating our 39th anniversary in a few weeks! He is actually 1 1/2 years younger than me and has always gotten comment about looking older, even before the gray hair began. When we were in our 20's and he was in the military we had a few folks refer to me as his daughter. He had a better sense of humor about it back then. LOL. He has always been a lot more mature than me. He was not quite 20 years old when we got married and I was 21.
I think one of the reasons people get my age wrong is the long straight hair. That's just me ... it's always been long and straight with the exception a period back in the 80's when perms were the thing! Then I had a bad perm that made my hair fall out ... Ugh ... bad memory! LOL. I have not had a perm since then. I just figured I would go with what God gave me ... long straight hair. Of course I have been coloring it since I was 16, which reminds me my roots are showing ... need a dye job now.
Thank's y'all for the sweet sentiments ... I will try not let it go to my head! ^_^