The old lady blogger

My New Year's resolutions are usually for one month--then I'm on to something else--perhaps it will be poetry? I may try to do Fly Lady for a month. I have a lot of things to throw out, and that's a good method.

In March 2007 I wrote this, "The Lady Blogger's Comforts" being lifted from Robert Southey's "The Old Man's Comforts." If you've read Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll does a parody of this, "Father William."

My version, The Lady Blogger's Comforts

You are old, Lady Blogger, the young man cried,
The brown locks which are left should be grey;
You are hale, Lady Blogger, a hearty old gal,
Now tell me the reason, I pray.

In my twenties thirties, Lady Blogger replied,
I remember'd that youth would fly fast,
And abused not my health and my vigour at first,
That I never might need them at last.

You are old, Lady Blogger, the young twit cried,
And pleasures with youth pass away;
And yet you lament not the days that are gone,
Now tell me the reason, I pray.

In my forties fifties, Lady Blogger replied,
I remember'd those days could not last;
I thought of the future, whatever I did,
That I never might grieve for the past.

You are old, Lady Blogger, the rude kid cried,
And life must be hastening away;
You are cheerful, and love to write about it all,
Now tell me the reason, I pray.

I am cheerful, young man, Lady Blogger replied,
Let the cause your attention engage;
In the days of my youth I remember'd my God
And he has not forgotten my age.

The notes say that Southey wrote "Old Man's Comfort" in 1799 at the age of 24. He died when he was 70.

A hand written copy of Southey's poem is in the Morgan Library and Museum, https://www.themorgan.org/exhibitions/online/alice/12 and our book club in January will be reading "The Personal Librarian," about a black woman passing for white who helped build that library, Belle da Costa Greene.

A strange old lady

A strange old lady has moved into my house I have no idea who she is, where she came from, or how she got in. I certainly did not invite her. All I know is She is a clever old lady and manages to keep out of sight for the most part, but whenever I pass a mirror, I catch a glimpse of her. And, whenever I look in the mirror to check my appearance, there she is hogging the whole thing, completely obliterating my gorgeous face and body. This is very rude! I have tried screaming at her, but she just screams back.

The least she could do is offer to pay part of the bills, but no. Every once in a while, I find a $5 bill stuck in a coat pocket or some loose change under a sofa cushion, but it is not nearly enough. And I don't want to jump to conclusions, but I think she is stealing money from me. I go to the ATM and withdraw $50 and a few days later, it's all gone! I certainly don't spend money that fast, so I can only conclude the old lady is pilfering from me. You'd think she would spend some of that money to buy wrinkle cream. And money isn't the only thing I think she is stealing.

Food seems to disappear at an alarming rate-especially the good stuff like ice cream, chips, and sweets. She must have a real sweet tooth, but she'd better watch because she is really packing on the pounds. I suspect she realizes this, and to make herself feel better, she is tampering with my scale to make me think I am putting on weight, too.

For an old lady, she is quite childish. She likes to play nasty games, like going into my wardrobes when I'm not home and altering my clothes so they don't fit. And she messes with my files and papers so I can't find anything. This is particularly annoying since I am extremely neat and organized.

She has found other imaginative ways to annoy me. She gets into my mail, newspapers, and magazines before I do and blurs the print so I can't read it. And she has done something really sinister to the volume controls on my TV, radio, and telephone. Now, all I hear are mumbles and whispers. She has done other things-like make my stairs steeper, my vacuum heavier and all the knob and taps harder to turn. She even made my bed higher so that getting into and out of it is a real challenge.

Lately, she has been fooling with my groceries before I put them away, applying glue to the lids, making it almost impossible for me to open the jars. She has taken the fun out of shopping for clothes. When I try something on, she stands in front of the dressing room mirror and monopolizes it. She looks totally ridiculous in some of those outfits, plus, she keeps me from seeing how great they look on me.

Just when I thought she couldn't get any meaner, she proved me wrong. She came along when I went to get my picture taken for my driver's license, and just as the camera shutter clicked, she jumped in front of me.

I hope she never finds out where you live!

On making new friends at this age

Six years ago I wrote about the joy of new friends I'd made in the previous 15 years.  Since I didn't use surnames in the article, I had to pause and recall the names and faces. It's been hard to make new friends in these pandemic times, although I did renew some during the days we were taking care of our dying son, and his old friends from 30-40 years ago turned up to support him and us. It seems these days most of our new friends have been made during the summer at Lakeside, like the Priors, the Jankes, the Robys, a Bible study group at the Women's Club and a group of conservatives. I'll miss that when it's gone (just talked to the realtor today).

https://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2016/12/make-new-friends-but-keep-old.html

In this blog, I mention new people I'd met since retiring in 2000--in the retirees' luncheon group, in our Bible study group at church, in an Ohio history group, in book club, and in the Pregnancy Center where I volunteered.

Just another bit of I told you so wisdom from my mom . . . 

Winter Friend, source unknown

AND THEN IT IS WINTER

You know time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years. It seems like yesterday that I was young, just married, and embarking on my new life with my mate. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all those years went.

I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams. But, here it is... the winter of my life, and it catches me by surprise... How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go? I remember well seeing older people through the years and thinking that those "older people" were years away from me and that winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like.

But, here it is...my friends are retired and getting grey... they move slower and I see an older person in myself now. Some are in better and some worse shape than me... but, I see the great change... Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant...but, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd be.

Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore... it's mandatory! Cause if I don't on my own free will... I just fall asleep where I sit!

And so... now I enter this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!! But, at least I know, that though the winter has come, and I'm not sure how long it will last... this I know, that when it's over on this earth... it's over. A new adventure will begin!

https://www.inspirational-words-phrases.com/AndThenItIsWinter.html

Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done... things I should have done, but indeed, there are also many things I'm happy to have done. It's all in a lifetime.

So, if you're not in your winter yet... let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life, please do it quickly! Don't put things off too long!! Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can TODAY, as you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not!

You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life... so, LIVE FOR TODAY and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember.. and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!!

"Life" is a GIFT to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one.

Remember: "It is Health that is real Wealth and not pieces of gold and silver."

~Your kids are becoming you......but your grandchildren are perfect!
~Going out is good.. coming home is even better!
~You forget names... but it's OK, because other people forgot they even knew you!!!
~You realize you're never going to be really good at anything.... especially golf.
~The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you really do care that you don't care to do them anymore.

~You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than in bed. It's called "pre-sleep."
~You miss the days when everything worked with just an "ON" and "OFF" switch..
~You tend to use more 4 letter words ... "what?"..."when?"...???
~Now that you can afford expensive jewelry, it's not safe to wear it anywhere.
~You notice everything they sell in stores is "sleeveless?!"
~What used to be freckles are now liver spots.
~Everybody whispers.
~You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet.... 2 of which you will never wear.

~But "Old" is good in some things:
Old Songs, Old movies ...
and best of all, our dear ...OLD FRIENDS!!

Stay well, "OLD FRIEND!"

Will you live past 90? New research

Last night's 60 minutes (it's really 42 minutes) had an excellent report by Leslie Stahl on being over 90 years old. It challenged many myths about aging. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/living-to-90-and-beyond/

Some findings were no surprise to me. “People who exercised definitely lived longer than people who didn't exercise. As little as 15 minutes a day on average made a difference. Forty-five was the best. Even three hours didn't beat 45 minutes a day." However, the grim statistics were—over age 65, dementia doubles every 5 years.  Low blood pressure is worse than high blood pressure this age group, and being overweight, or normal weight, is better than being thin. Wine, dessert and coffee are good for long life.  Much of dementia in this age group is not Alzheimer’s, but hundreds or thousands of tiny strokes.  Some people seem to have something that protects them from dementia—this research will hopefully solve that puzzle.

Taking supplements doesn’t provide any protection, but being social does.  So take a friend to lunch, volunteer, go to church, join a book club, help your neighbors (it’s a 2-fer).

The Fiscal Cliff

Let Obama take us over the Fiscal Cliff (he's out campaigning for tax increases right now) so people know what he's about. Of course, he will blame the Republicans who want cuts in spending to reduce the debt, but his proposed tax increase which he thinks you voted for will only pay for the government about a week. That’s useless and he knows it.  The purpose was to create class resentment, not revenue.  Then he'll have to come after YOUR paycheck.

http://www.cfr.org/economics/fiscal-cliff/p28757?cid=ppc-google-grant-fiscal_cliff&gclid=CNLQn8na8bMCFYpFMgodhmIAmQ

One of the easiest and most sensible cuts is to raise the age of receiving Social Security and Medicare. It can be gradual so people have plenty of time to prepare.  And which party has shot down that idea consistently—the Democrats.  They want nothing to do with a program that will take power away from the government and put it in the hands of the citizen.

In 1930 the life expectancy for whites was 61.4 and blacks 49.2. Sixty-five for retirement (in an era when many worked their entire life) seemed extremely optimistic. But in 2010 for whites it is 79 and for blacks 75.1. A male retiree, born in 1940, will spend anywhere from 19 percent to 25 percent of his life collecting Social Security benefits (depending on whether he retired at the normal retirement age of 65 or chose early retirement), and a female born in the same year will spend 21 percent to 27 percent of her life collecting benefits.

The biggest old age problem we have is not Social Security, but a less than replacement birth rate, and many people will have no cousins and no nieces or nephews as well as no grandchildren to help them. Families are the original safety net, but the Democrats by pushing contraception and abortion are also weakening this safety net. Maybe YOU have grandchildren, but will they have grandchildren?

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0005148.html

Obama has no intention of saving the United States from its plunge into being Greece or a failed European state.  So don’t look for solutions—just look for higher taxes.

Did You Know--OAA

27 states had old age programs before the passage of the Social Security Act in 1935. They were known as OAA, Old Age Assistance. However, they were restricted to the poor and were temporary which SS isn't. Working Paper, Cohen

U.S. seniors smarter than their congressmen?

That study hasn't been done, but there was one at the U of Michigan that seems to show American seniors are about 10 years better off than British seniors. Maybe it's all that waiting in line for medical care that the over 65s in England have to put up with?

"U.S. seniors performed significantly better than their counterparts in England on standard tests of memory and cognitive function, according to a new study.

The study is the first known international comparison of cognitive function in nationally representative samples of older adults in the United States and England. The report is published in the June 25 peer-reviewed journal BMC Geriatrics."

Full report here.

The good news

Sandy always looks on the bright side and refuses to be scared by government stats asking for more money:

after infancy, old age is the single biggest risk for dying. In 2004, the death rate was:

0.08% for ages 18-24 (38% lower than in 1950)

0.19% for ages 35-44

0.42% for ages 45-54

0.91% for ages 55-64 (52% lower than in 1950)

2.16% for ages 65-74

5.27% for ages 75-84

13.82% for ages 85+ (32% lower than in 1950)

Dying of cancer is one of the biggest fears for young adults, but it can be reassuring to realize that, despite the media portrayals, cancers are primarily diseases of aging. Overall death rates from cancers are 0.09% for ages 25-34 years and don’t even cross above 1% until age 75+. Health of the Nation

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Let's face it, Harry

When I look at the pinched and angry face of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) I see in every line and wrinkle all that's wrong with the United States. I'd like to blame it on boomeritis, but he was born the same year I was, and we're not boomers. But he's overstayed in the Senate, having been there over 20 years, enough to buy and sell a lot of government real estate.

The face of the new America
1) First, we're an aging nation. Being old isn't bad, but we're tossing the common sense and wisdom that usually come with age to dance to the tunes of the 60s and 70s, and abandon our allies to please the war protesters and home-grown Communists who are trying to relive their glory days of smoking weed and frying their brains. Millions of Vietnamese were slaughtered or sent to camps for "reeducation" when we ran out on them, and now we want to leave the Iraqis to the same fate.

2) Second, Reid's mouth is perpetually pursed with the tortured and convoluted reasoning that if you tell your enemy your plans in advance, he'll be cooperative and just wait until you pull out run out to kill any more American soldiers.

3) Third, His beady, narrow, yet strangely puffy eyes, glint with his new found resolve to make a name for himself globally--an old American tradition, if we can believe all the anti-war left tells us about our motives.

4) Fourth, his skin is the ashen color of a man slowly dying from, not too much CO2, but from too much hatred for the Bush administration, so much so he's willing to not just sink the Iraqis, but American soldiers as well.

I know from reading left-wing bloggers that they aren't thrilled with him, but they should be. He be them.

Poetry Thursday #13

This week's challenge is ekphrasis, "a literary description of or commentary on a visual work of art." The painting I have chosen for this week’s completely optional idea is "The Marriage License," painted for the June 11, 1955 Saturday Evening Post by Norman Rockwell, who did 322 covers and died in 1978. No one mastered in art the American life, events and values better than he. Now if you are an artist purist and don't think Rockwell be one, check out this painting of a bride by Domenico Ghirlandaio (15th century) and you'll see the same attention to fabrics, hair, position of the faces, locale and eyes gazing into the past.

There is nothing in this painting that isn’t absolutely authentic or essential, from the dangling light bulb repeating the shape of the upper window needed for heat or light, to the rumpled forgotten flag or bunting possibly from WWII that lays unceremoniously atop the book shelves filled with dusty legal volumes, to the bride and groom who knew this was a special occasion requiring the very best clothes. The items in the painting that are completely out-of-step with the 50s, like the stove and spittoon, are critical elements in the story it tells. We all know the hopes and dreams of that couple, because they are us in another time and place, so I've chosen to write about the civil servant slumped in his chair.

At the County Courthouse
by Norma Bruce
March 28, 2007

Dreaming of fishing again, aren't you, old man?
Your rumpled coat and hat hang near by,
just waiting for your escape.

The red geranium blooms in the open window alone,
scrawny but surviving the weather whims,
seeking light and warmth.

Now that the wife has died, the stray kitten
eyeing the cigarette litter on the floor
is your only source of joy.

Your arthritic fingers interlace, worn elbows rest
on the arms of the old wooden chair,
your bones beating the cushion down.

Ah, those weary bones, you squirm and shift,
oh, so tired. Slumped, you're forgetting
the stories, oh, the stories.

Who are these eager people, in sunny yellow cotton
and Sunday suit with hat, signing on for years
of windows, weather, and weariness?

Like the bride on tip toes and her tender groom,
we want their hope and love, so we turn away
from the old man's defeat and pessimism.

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March 21 poetry selection

from my daily book of poems has one I could not resist, but I've changed "Father William" to "Lady Blogger," and made it a bit more edgy and updated.

The Lady Blogger's Comforts
being lifted from Robert Southey's "The Old Man's Comforts"

You are old, Lady Blogger, the young man cried,
The brown locks which are left should be grey;
You are hale, Lady Blogger, a hearty old gal,
Now tell me the reason, I pray.

In my twenties thirties, Lady Blogger replied,
I remember'd that youth would fly fast,
And abused not my health and my vigour at first,
That I never might need them at last.

You are old, Lady Blogger, the young twit cried,
And pleasures with youth pass away;
And yet you lament not the days that are gone,
Now tell me the reason, I pray.

In my forties fifties, Lady Blogger replied,
I remember'd those days could not last;
I thought of the future, whatever I did,
That I never might grieve for the past.

You are old, Lady Blogger, the rude kid cried,
And life must be hastening away;
You are cheerful, and love to write about it all,
Now tell me the reason, I pray.

I am cheerful, young man, Lady Blogger replied,
Let the cause your attention engage;
In the days of my youth I remember'd my God
And he has not forgotten my age.

The notes say that Southey wrote "Old Man's Comfort" in 1799 at the age of 24. He died when he was 70.