I’m back at home with DSL service–finally! Starbucks was fun, but inconvenient, too. It’s great to write from my own desk and make coffee in my own kitchen. I’m so glad to be free of hours long phone calls with AT&T “customer service” rep’s. Going through that much drama, just to transfer service from one house to another, is enough to make any sane person cave in to crazy!

I want to review some of the topics I wrote about in previous posts and get this blog up and running again. I apologize for my inconsistencies and my slow posts.

~We moved to a home with no stairs, ease of entry, and no trees! Now don’t get me wrong. We love trees, but needed to lessen the workload that comes with a yard full of trees. We now enjoy a great view, fresh backberries along the fence line, and other people’s trees and horses. Nirvana!

~I am writing the blog as a WP50 (well-past 50) woman, who often feels misunderstood in this youth oriented society. As I mentioned before, it’s odd to feel “eternally 30,” while facing aging related challenges. This blog is my place to record my experiences, interests, and perceptions as I advance through my senior years.

~Health is a big concern for an aging population. The goal is to remain strong and healthy for as long as possible.

~My health challenges: I have Celiac disease, an inherited autoimmune disorder. I am unable to digest the storage protein (commonly called “gluten”) in wheat, barley, and rye. I am also allergic to dairy products and corn. That means I can’t eat the majority of foods in the supermarket! I consume almost all fresh food and very little sugar. I still need to lose weight, keep cholesterol and blood sugar levels down, and maintain a healthy blood pressure. Diet and exercise are the ticket.

~I do not trust pharmaceutical companies. My goal is to stay off medicines as long as possible. So far, I do not take any medicine. I hope to keep it that way. I have been reading The Truth About Beauty, by Kat James. I have incorporated many of her suggestions, including replacing toxic health and beauty products with natural, health promoting ones, eating organic as much as possible, and avoiding blood-sugar spikes. The book is about health; true beauty comes from good health. I’m noticing that others are now agreeing with Kat: Oprah’s trainer, Bob Greene, has a new book out with similar recommendations. Nutri-Systems has joined the low-glycemic band wagon, as well. I will write about my quest for “true beauty” and health, on a regular basis.

~I use Sparkpeople.com to help me stay on track with my diet. I am able to record what I eat and receive feedback on nutrient levels and carbohydrate, fat, and protein ratios. Sparkpeople has a library of superb articles on health and fitness. They also have great recipes. Check them out! It’s free.

~ I love to reminisce about the past or to write articles about interesting family members or friends. For example, my husband’s Grandmother, Minnie, collected salt and pepper shakers. In childhood, Mike spent hours admiring her colorful shakers.

He and I decided to start a collection for OUR grandchildren. Looking for unique shakers brings us a lot of joy. We try to buy ones that are especially humorous or that have special meaning. We have alligators from a trip to Georgia, a pair of aging beachcombers from Florida, Minnie and Mickey, in honor of our 1st granddaughter, Kristen (she loves them!), and many more. One of my sisters sent an adorable set of barrel cacti from Arizona. In Texas, we found a horny toad wearing boots with spurs, a bandanna, and a hat. An antique grandma, sitting in a rocking chair, symbolizes the reason for the collection.

My great grandmother, Mabel, and her sisters played with the tea set on the lowest shelf.

Did you know that the world’s largest salt and pepper museum is in Gatlinburg,Tennessee?

I’m thinking that I’ll dub Friday “Fun Friday,” and reminisce about people, places, or times that I’ve known.

Wow! I’m whopped. I’ve got to get the writing muscles back in shape. It’s a pleasure to be back. Do you have interesting tales from your childhood? Silly question, huh? Who doesn’t? Feel free to comment! Have a great afternoon!

©2010 BLN
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I love new beginnings, whether the beginning of a year, a month, a week, or even a day. Today is Tuesday, June 1st, and it’s the date to re-start this blog. My life has been a whirlwind for the past few months. The chaos isn’t going away anytime soon. In 2 weeks, we are closing on our new home. It’s both an exciting and a challenging time.

Mike and I have more to do than we have time. I think we’re both a little burned out from all the work or we’re feeling the effects of aging! We sure aren’t as fast as we once were. We decided to move out of our current house before we put it on the market. Living in the house, packing our belongings, and showing the house, all at the same time, is a stretch for us old folks! (We actually don’t feel old at all until the aches and pains set in or we look in the mirror!)

I began this post a month and a half ago! Great things have happened since then. We finally emptied our old house and moved into the new one. We’re experiencing a few complications: Our new refrigerator is on back-order at Lowe’s; we’re eating from an ice chest; we’re watching an old TV with rabbit ears, while waiting for Direct TV to get us hooked up, and AT&T is taking forever to transfer our DSL service.

According to AT&T customer service, our number is “lost in the system.” They say, until it surfaces, there’s nothing they can do about it. I’ve talked to at least 15 AT&T customer service rep’s and am no better off than when I started. This morning they told me to watch my modem and to call them when a green DSL light comes on. I thought modern technology was supposed to make things happen faster! AT&T seems to be be stuck in the stone ages…

Starbucks is my salvation. At least I can use their WiFi until AT&T gets it together. It’s actually very relaxing here at Starbucks. I love the music and the interesting people that hang out here.

I have all kinds of things I want to write about on this blog: health concerns that come with advancing age (I’ve actually dropped a few pounds since I was last on), spiritual growth, marriage and family (I have a new granddaughter arriving in August), books I’m reading, great food and recipes, and anything else that I think is interesting. I hope you’ll join me.

I’ve been in Starbucks far too long! Good-bye for today. Stay cool, and have a great evening.

©2010 BLN
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