Sometimes all I can do is shake my head when I watch the news because things just don’t make sense to me and some of the stories are so tragic that you think that people are really going mad. Like the story that broke here last week when Meleanie Hain, the gun carrying soccer mom was shot dead in her home by her husband and then killed himself. Thank God the stupid man didn’t kill his 3 children also, what a mess. I can’t imagine the trauma these children must have gone through and probably will for the rest of their lives.
I know many people have never been the victim of violence and abuse and really don’t know anyone that has been. If you are one of those few then you’ve indeed been very lucky all your life and that’s great. The majority though has been involved with some sort of abuse or violence not just the domestic type at some point in their life or at least has a friend that was victimized. Even if it has never touched your life you’ve heard about it from some source and I’m sure it shocks you down to your very soul, but believe me if you’re ever involved it will be even more of a shocker.
October is the designated Domestic Violence Awareness month and here is the National Domestic Violence Hotline 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) 1.800.787.3224 (TTY) someone is always standing by to help so if you or someone you know is living with abuse please use the number or give it to someone you know that needs help and doesn’t know where to turn. Many years ago I would have loved to have had a number like that to call, but things were swept under the rug and it seemed like less people cared unlike now.
Just as we child proofed our home for our children when we get older we more or less need to do the same thing. Many seniors choose to move out of their larger homes to senior communities or smaller homes with everything on one level for convenience. Many look for communities where the grounds are maintained because lets face it after a certain age shoveling all that snow and mowing can really be too much. The older we get the harder those steps are to climb and I find myself huffing and puffing and pulling like crazy on the handrail now. I’m grateful my laundry room isn’t in the basement as many are around here. I’m truly grateful I’ve lived 56 years, but it certainly doesn’t get easier.
When senior proofing our home one very important area to check are carpets and rugs to make sure there are no loose coverings because that’s one of the most hazardous and common ways that elderly people can trip, slip or fall. A clear path is desirable and furniture should be conveniently placed and objects shouldn’t be just left lying around. Rugs should be removed at the earliest opportunity, or placed somewhere in the room that is very rarely used so they are just there for decorative effect. Carpets should be checked every three to six months to make sure that all fittings are still firmly in place. Make sure you replace or tighten any loose fittings and then check them again after a couple of weeks to make sure that they are still firmly in place.
Accidents happen a lot with our pets and their toys also so if you’re elderly you need to keep an eye out for that stray toy or bone unless you have a special room designated for your pets playtime. I try to keep our dogs toys picked up, but I have tripped over them numerous times lately and I’m indeed grateful my falls haven’t resulted in any major sprains or breaks. We seniors also need to watch our weight because more than any other age group it negatively affects us the most. We all know that as we get older, our metabolism slows down making it harder to burn calories so it’s easier to add those pounds and a lot harder to shed.
Yes, we all know we’re suppose to have a regular balanced nutritious diet, but that certainly doesn’t mean we can’t splurge and eat some of those no no foods we so love every now and then. We just need to remember that being overweight can put unnecessary stress on the joints so it accelerates the affects of arthritis, osteoporosis and other bone and muscle disorders and illnesses. It can also bring about the onset of diabetes, which is more common in seniors than in any other age group. Too many seniors give up their freedom as soon as movement becomes too painful by resolving not to move or to remain in bed and of course that’s not good either.
From the age of 65 and above 20 minutes of exercise three times a week is the recommended amount for seniors. While 20 minutes every day may be good for some seniors, twenty minutes over a period of a week is better for others. You know your capabilities better than anyone else and so you are perhaps better equipped to decide what form your exercise plan should take. Even if you choose not to exercise every day, you should at least walk around the house or venture into the yard a couple of times just to stay mobile. The effort is ultimately worth it, no matter how painful it may be, if you can still move. Our neighbor is 83 or84 and he reminds me of the energizer bunny he just keeps going and going and going. We are living longer so we certainly want to be in the best shape possible to enjoy these years.
This past weekend Bill took my engagement ring to the jewelry store to have it resized and then he went to a swap meet looking for a CB antenna since we lost ours the week before. Of course he could have bought a new one, but they’re 40 bucks. He found a brand new one still in the package for 10 dollars and was tickled no end, he does like to find those bargains. When he came home he handed me a small package shown below and I love the little case with the latch.
I love presents, but not surprise presents they freak me out especially when I don’t know what they’re for. If it had been anyone other than Bill giving me a present I wasn’t expecting I would have been very suspicious. However since it was Bill and knowing how he likes to surprise me occasionally I knew he was simply thinking of me and wanted me to know he loves me. Okay you can all say oh, how sweet now. I thought it might be a little trinket he picked up at the meet so I was very surprised when I saw it.
While he was at Zimmerman’s he was looking around and spotted the ring above, which I love by the way and decided to get it for my right hand he knows that I love rubies and it has small diamonds on either side. I don’t like big jewelery so this was perfect. The man really does spoil me and believe me I’m very grateful he’s in my life. Just out of curiosity do any of you guys and gals get suspicious when your mate does something nice for you for no reason at all?
Vandalism is getting pretty rampant where we live. Not long ago someone broke the mirror off our neighbors brand new car and when we got the jeep a few years ago they keyed the whole side. A couple weeks ago the empty house down the street was strewn with garbage and beer cans dumped all over the place. I’ve seen a lot more patrol cars around our area recently so I know they are trying to keep things under control, but somehow they manage to miss the kids that are doing the vandalism. I’m sure everyone has experienced some type of vandal in their area.
Halloween is right around the corner and people have their decorations up everywhere except for me I really don’t do much decorating any more. For whatever reason kids seem to love to bust up pumpkins, last year some little brat threw a small one on our front porch and it was a mess to clean up. The other night some older kids decided to decorate the intersection up the street and busted them all over the road. Someone gathered them together and left them on the corner, hopefully the Borough will pick them up today before they rot.
Sunday I took the day off, away from the Internet, everyone needs a break now and then. We went looking for a yo-yo for Nate, years ago they were everywhere and very popular just like the hola hoop, but now with all the sophisticated toys around they seem to have lost their appeal. We did eventually find one though and dropped it off. I remember how much fun I had with mine years ago and now Nate can enjoy the same fun Bill and I experienced without spending a fortune.
While we were out riding we went through Red Lion and saw a bunch of young people spending their time decorating the windows of the businesses with Halloween drawings and paintings so at least I know there are still a lot of great kids out there spending their time doing nice things for their communities instead of trying to destroy it. I’d love to move away from the city and the high school we live so close to maybe that’s why our vandal rate is so high.
I think Bluehost needs to update their website I use to pay 95.40 a year and that included the primary domain name. I’ve been with them for 4 years and never really had a problem till this year. I had it set for manual pay with a warning when it would be due, but for some unknown reason not only did they auto renew, but they raised the price to 107.40 without advance notice.
Usually the primary domain name and web hosting renewed at the same time, but this year the hosting was auto renewed and then I had to renew the domain later. Of course it was free, but it was still a pain in the butt. When I called the billing department I was disappointed with the lady I spoke with because she more or less called me a liar. I told her I had not received notice from them, but she insisted an e-mail had been sent to me.
It was a little late to transfer to a different hosting site, but next year I certainly will. I use my checking account to pay my bills and I always need to know when something is going to be deducted in advance so I can make sure I have the money in there to cover everything. I was very upset just thinking about it because what if I had paid other bills not expecting that deduction and everything had bounced? That really ticks me off the more I think about it.
So I am going to start getting everything in order for a move next year and I found a perfect place which is weird because it’s in my area. For those of you that are dis-satisfied have you checked your local areas to see if there is something around you that is cheaper? The place I’ll be switching to if you pay yearly you get a free month and it will only cost me 90 dollars a year with 10 add on domains instead of 5 even though Bluehost says unlimited now, I still only get 5.
When I switch these are the features I will get: Unlimited Disk Space, Unlimited Bandwidth, CPanel and Fantastico, Free Blogs, Forums, Shopping carts, Host Up to 10 Domains, and they promise up-time of 99.9% same as Bluehost plus many other features. They will also move everything for me at no extra charge of course the domain name isn’t included, but big deal. If I get upset with this company I’ll just go there in person and give them a small piece of my mind, can’t afford much more than that.
