Last night I wrote down somethings I want to talk about. But before I get started we need to celebrate. It rained last night. I have a photo to post if I can discover how to do that.
Although my birthday won't be until February, I am actually already 80 according to some circles. For instance, there are those folks that strongly suggest that once you are conceived you are a viable human being. That being said, then when I was born I was already 9 months old. Now think about this - I was born in February 1932 . . . wouldn't I be 1 year old the following May 1932?? If this is so then Social Security owes me some back pay because I was actually 80 last May. Just some food for thought!!
So what is it like getting to be 80?? My mother didn't spend a lot of time talking to me about getting older. I've had to discover all sorts of things all on my own time. Fortunately, I 'saw the light' some years back and diligently began to pay attention to my health.
On November 6, 1986, I quit smoking, cold turkey. I had been smoking up to 3 packs a day. I had one whole carton and one pack that was half smoked. I put them on my dresser. Every morning when I woke up I would go to my dresser and say "I will not pick up a cigarette and light it". I think I said that 3 times. I had to give up friends that smoked and I couldn't drink coffee. I would make myself a cup of strong tea with honey to sip on and then I would go for a walk or do some yardwork or something. Anything to get my mind off cigarettes. I chewed gum constantly and joked that I should buy stock in a gum company. I was not comfortable being smokeless for 2 years. That was 25 years ago. I was so addicted that I used to dream I was smoking. I still have a dream about smoking to this day. When I wake up I want to find a cigarette and enjoy a smoke. I am afraid to touch a cigarette for fear I will start again and I stayaway from those places where I think I will encounter smoke. Yes, I gained weight. I have my mother's body style which was heavy German stock. But the good news is that I can breathe and what little shortness of breath I might suffer is what one gets from getting old.
Because I gained weight I had to pay attention to what I was eating and make adjustments. I switched to frozen or fresh foods and cut down on portions. I haven't touched a Cinnamon roll or Doughnut in the last 10 years. I eat a lot more fruit these days and snack on Walnuts and dry roasted peanuts. I allow myself 4 oz. of beef at noon and 3 to 4 oz. of chicken or turkey with a tomato in the evening. I strongly believe tht medicine will kill you. Just watch the drug ads on TV. I take a lot of herbs and control what few ailments I have with diet. I don't care about living a long life but I do care about living a quality life. My brother lives in a wheelchair in a VA hospital and my sister-in-law lives in an Alzheimer's unit. That scares the H--- out of me! So I stay busy!! I live in a condo and I am on the Board of Diretors; I belong to the Canyon Lake Art Guild (I do photography); I belong to the Hill Country Photo Club . . .they meet in San Marcos . . . and I particicpate in the things they do; A friend(Marilyn Brinker) and I just formed the New Braunfels Photographic Society and, God willing, I will be busy getting this club organized into a legitimate club for the next 2 years. In my spare time I play FreeCell on the computer and write this Blog. I would like to travel but I don't have the money to do so, so I don't fret - that is just the way life is.
I still drive. I have a 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis with 150,000 miles on it. I am lucky to get 13 miles to the gallon in town but on the road I can get as much 28 mpg even with air. Someone suggested I get a smaller car and I said "with what??" I live on SS and I am considered poverty level. I don't get enough SS to pay my living expenses. I don't go out to eat unless someone else pays, and I don't go to movies. My entertainment is the TV - a poor choice except during basketball season - and our wonderful local library.
I love to read and read one or two books a week. My favorite authors are Nelson DeMille, David Baldacci, Harlen Cohen, Jeffery Deaver, Ken Follett, etc. Oh, add James Patterson to that. I'm sure there are others that I can't think of at this moment. I love a good mystery and if a writer has humor, that is a plus. So far, DeMille and Cohen are winning on that score.
So, back to my car . . . A couple of years back I took a 7000 mile driving trip. I visited my 1st boyfriend who lives in ElPaso. His daughter was there and what a great experience getting to know her. I stayed two days and then went on my way heding West. I stayed in camp grounds and slept in the right seat of my car. I took side trips to see sights new to me and finally got to Phoenix where I had another set of friends that I stayed with for 2 days. BTW, before I left, I invested in a GPS (Magellan). That was the greatest thing since Microwaves!! I breezed through large cities like a native. If you travel and don't have one, I suggest you get one. Anyway, I drove all the way to Yellowstone, stayed a week and then went on to Idaho Falls and Boise to visit my cousins. Any of you who have Mercury GM's kinow that these cars are road cars. My car purred like a kitten on the whole trip. Everyone was so nice to me in the campgrounds and tried to place me in a spot close to the bathroom. I often wish I coud redo that trip. I would have liked to stay in some places for a week. I was gone 6 weeks and took about 2000 photos.
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