Willis

We were in the woods in northern Michigan for our annual summer trip to my in-laws cabin on Higgin's Lake a few days back. Absolutely a beautiful area and one could walk out in the water a long way on sand in waist to chest deep water before it drops off. The last few years we (wife, daughter and 2 Grandsons) have gotten a place in the backwoods off the water. My son-in-law is usually too busy with work a isn't a big fan of the outdoors besides. The place in the woods has become my favorite place to be as the peace and quiet are hard to beat. The lake cabin has become too crowded for lodging over the years and this works out much better. So I didn't spend much time there for a few reasons. That is where I was disappointing. To them not me. Her 4 boys and their gals and all wanted to see me and I like that and I get it but their overall feeling is this is a hoax. So yeah I went down a couple times but stayed outside. I was disappointed, not in staying alone at my cabin but in the family and their attitude.

IF there is a "fun" part it's the different masks. 

Yes, yes and yes to so many things the girl from the volunteer state said!  #1 Tracy your attitude is mine and we are lucky to see this for what (covid) actually is to our lives. I don't have to do the shopping or really much except watch my attitude and emotions. I've been told many times being my caregiver is not a big deal but if i'm mean and sobbing around it changes everything. I get that. Oh yeah outdoor chores on these 2 and a half acres, cutting grass, composting and a few fruit trees. There is always something and I'm thankful for that. Your crafts are a real blessing and paintings are so peaceful. My latest mantra: Be kind be gentle and be at peace with the universe. Continue to use and understand your advantage and sit back and watch the ones that don't get the seriousness of this try to ignore it and get around it.

I meant "I was disappointed". However I know I was disappointing.  

Thanks Janelle! My sister-in-law and her husband are low 70's with 4 boys btwn 40 and 50. Good people and I thought smart enough to know better. I was a little disappointing.

I still feel we have an advantage over the general population with the mental aspect of this Covid crap. When we all stroked we lost any advantages we had anywhere in our lives over anything. So take note of this one. Unless you were lucky and your stroke was mild all of us strokers here have already had our lives turned upside down. I was told over 5 years ago I would have a "new normal" now, no choice. I don't like it when I see careless people who won't follow rules for the good of all of us (my in-laws). So maybe if this has got you down you could try to look at it like this. A mass "new normal" for the world doesn't seem to sit too well with many. We could not have ignored our "new normals" if we wanted to. Wouldn't that have been nice. All of a sudden how fast you can run or how hard you can kick a ball or hit one isn't going to be worth untold fortunes. That high place in society will be for teachers, med people and service folks and rightfully so..  

The tomatoes look delicious. Perfect for a big organic chicken salad. I can almost taste them. My wife picked a nice basket of June bearing strawberries today. Day 2 of producing and they are starting to come quick. 1st year after about 3 they have produced like this. I also have 3 apple trees and 2 sweet cherry trees I have been showing some attention this spring since my wife is finally retired and I have the time. Medicare? How about this one. I stroked in Feb. 2015 3 months later and I would have been covered. Instead we battled and won the absurd medical bills they were sending us for different "services". Talk about not having any empathy they were on us like flies on you know what. 

57 minutes ago, heathber said:

Great plan Janelle, I got one when I first got home from hospital and used it everyday for about 18 months, it was a great tool and very useful. It's been used a lot less often over the last few years, I should sell it, but the cat loves to sit there and watch out the window.

🤣

I think you will be pleased with your purchase. It will take a little bit of figuring out what set up will be the most beneficial to you. It (like everything) is computerized and will have a nice option of settings from programs (I set mine for manual), timing of the minutes you want to ride and how much resistance you would like when peddling. When done it will display your results for you. I mostly pay attention to how far I rode and total the 3 sessions when done. My recumbent's resistance goes from 1 to 12. 1 being pretty much the peddles going around with very little push. I started at 3 and have recently moved up to resistance level 4. Other days I will do a 5 minute level 7 resistance sandwiched by two level 4's  That is on days I don't do any weights. I use to have a goal of riding 15 straight minutes (per what my doctor thought was a good # of minutes for a senior). I found that to be torture and it seemed like an hour sometimes. I decided to do 3 five minute rides instead and that has worked out much better. The bike and weights don't make me any stronger it doesn't seem and (I think as I'm aging) my strength is not what it use to be but that makes sense to me. However what this will do for is help you maintain and keep what you have. Enjoy and if I can help in anyway with questions at all please contact me anyway you choose.💪

Yes always the need to push forward. It is a good thing. With me I can usually do it if I remember to "enjoy and embrace slow". it's not a bad thing and but I need to always remind myself of that. Naps yes! Childhood punishments have become adult rewards.🛌 🤣

Well that explains a lot. Recorded, watching and rewatching  a 3 part series series on the human body that was presented on Public TV. Part one was on our growth and development. The part that discussed our brains was of course all consuming and very fascinating. FACT: even though our brains make up only 2% of our body weight they demand and consume 20% of our calorie intake and they were talking about an undamaged brain I'm sure. Can anyone say fatique?    

On 5/17/2020 at 8:58 AM, alansd said:

yes sir! I just tried out and then ordered a recumbent trike for my birthday gift to myself. Cant wait to get out and cruise,My short trial ride on our rails to trails thing was so much fun, and no stress, glad i could comfortably and smoothly ride while steering with my right arm only. Getting the Trident trike...Spike.Now lool\king at helmets.gotta protect what I have left.

Great! My recumbent is stationery and I have it in a picture window where I can watch the bird feeders and the rest of the world going by. I have thought about a trike for these scenic dirt roads I live on in the country. I know you did your research before deciding on a model. Good move trying it out. That is what my wife suggested too if I moved forward. Reading reviews the biggest complaint seemed to be that they tend to pull to the side the gear is on the rear axle. What a great gift for yourself to enjoy the scenery. Enjoy and be careful.   Happy Birthday! 

❤️ Yes the miracle of life! How wonderful for you to know this feeling.  We are a miracle and  I think since the stroke my understanding of just what a miracle we are is even more obvious to me. On the lighter side it's been said that if women had the 1st baby and men had the 2nd there would never be a third.  🍼

Amen to that swilkinson but darn I for one feel you could do a much better job.

Happy 71st sir. That is great! I know this isn't how either of us envisioned ourselves in our 70's but on the other hand we could probably both list at least 10 past aquaintances who didn't have this privlage. I have a brother-in-law who would be 70 in July but has advanced pancreatic cancer and as of the last few days has been alone (no visitors allowed) in the hospital because of fluid on the heart and lungs. I just wish it would be quick and painless as the chemo has robbed him of any quality of life for over 2 years.

7 hours ago, GreenQueen said:

Hey Willis!!

Part of the problem could be your AGE!!

Happy 70th birthday!!

You are officially in the 70s club!!

 

It's very unfortunate when the list on the fridge doesn't match the list the body is able to complete!

7 hours ago, GreenQueen said:

Hey Willis!!

Part of the problem could be your AGE!!

Happy 70th birthday!!

You are officially in the 70s club!!

 

It's very unfortunate when the list on the fridge doesn't match the list the body is able to complete!

Thank you! You are too sweet! I know Wednesday I thought "70 now what?" lol So glad to have survived and to be here to still enjoy things in life (albeit different things than before) like this group and the wonderful humans here like yourself,

Good thought because it is always better to walk away and go back. to the task and do it right. The worst is doing it half-assed and having to go back and do whatever all over again. Yes I have noticed a difference in how many days I can string together now as compared to before. It use to be one on then one day off. Good thing to know for any of you newbies seeing this. Thanks Heather! I am getting better and hardly ever let it get to me when these "stroke" things happen because I understand better all the time that it's not our fault It's the damaged brain trying to function for us the best it can.  

Ok what's that saying? The best laid plans of mice and men...... After all that bluster about my bike and lifting and outdoors and bring on May last Thursday I hit that stroke wall Friday. I took the pole trimmer, lopers and hand snips down by the apple trees Friday and did manage to give one of them a pruning but man you would have thought I had just put myself through football practice. So only one of the 3 trees got trimmed and nothing happened on the compost. I even managed a shower when I came in the house but crap that is so hard and frustrating at times. Gave myself what I call a "ZERO" day Saturday, no outside & no exercise. Sunday outside, Monday "ZERO" day but showered. I get feeling strong like that and it's almost like pre-stroke and can never remember that it won't last and I will be paying a price. So as I sit here Wednesday afternoon I have rode the bike 1 whole time in May, yesterday and when I finish this I'm going to ride it. I always hope these reports help someone in some small way. Be well my mates.

Hi GreenQueen! Yes that is Wil2 who is about 2,000 miles south of me in Florida. It does get cold here and our 3 months of winter December, January and February. We get all 4 seasons in Michigan. Ontario is one of the 5 Great Lakes as they are called. We are technically a peninsula. They are all very beautiful and what we like is they are all fresh water lakes. A bit different than swimming in salt water. Hey I saw a comment about not being able to exercise because of I thought it was balance or possibly paralysis? I just want to tell you my recumbent bike has a stirrup across both pedals so my numb left leg  is "locked in" even if it is not a willing participant it will be moving up and down! Also I'm in a seat with a back on it. It is the only way I can pull this off. After I got back home from rehab and all I thought I might be able to ride my bicycle again but after just straddling it and standing there I knew that was a bad idea. As far as the little bit of weight lifting I try to do that is one of those cabled weight machines where you can add and subtract weight to it but the weights all are connect and follow a path so I can't drop anything. I had both machines before my stroke and tried to use them often to keep myself fit enough to continue playing ice hockey back then. Never realizing what else they would be used fo someday. Hope this helps.      

Done. Bring on May. 43 total miles for April, not bad. More than I thought I would see considering how often I was able to skip the indoor exercise and work around the property. Plans for the mostly sunny and 60ish temps for Friday. My apple trees need pruning and I want to get set up for composting again. Not going anywhere unless I get up early with April and ride to the grocery store with her. Then I would take a couple empty 5 gallon gas cans and fill them at these low prices. My money is on wishing her a safe trip and rolling over and going back to sleep.  😴  Be safe everyone.   

Quick update from Wonky Wil. Staying busy outdoors on the gorgeous Michigan days with numerous chores around the acreage. April being retired now is awesome. She's a 102 pound outdoor dynamo. 5 years younger so a bit more energy too. Staying in on the not so nice days (rain the last 2) but keeping my promise to myself to ride the recumbent bike and lift when I do. It always makes me feel good when I keep my promises to myself. Ok time to move me self closer to that bike for a 15 minute ride. Last day of the month, big excitement because after I'm done I will total my miles for April & compare them to March which I rode a total of 44.8 miles. I have no idea what to expect because I have had a few more "outdoor" days this month and skip riding on those days. I did however kick the resistance level up another notch and that added distance to the 3 five minute sessions I ride. Dragging this numb left arm and leg over to the bike, strapping on the headphones and shuffling my iTunes library. Wish me luck! 😥    

We really are Heather. If you can find the American Public Television 1 hour special "Influenza 1918" about the flu pandemic you will find the similarities shocking. We learned little and forgot about it quickly when it was gone. Humans? Yes they humor me is my latest catch phrase. With who some think they are and what they think we can control it's actually entertainment for me. I do jn my heart believe that the Who or Whatever is responsible for this beautiful planet looks down and shakes their head in disgust with how it's abused. Stay safe!  

When I stroked out Saturday February 14, 2015 I  was 82 days from turning 65. Physically I was in pretty decent shape after being involved in athletics at all levels in different sports most of my life from early on. Not in marathon runner shape but I made sure I wasn't sedentary either. Over the past year or so I notice what I had stored up all those years in my "fitness bank" is just about gone. I continue ride a stationary recumbent bike just about every single day for 15 minutes. 44.8 total miles in March. I also lift weights every other day for about 10 minutes. This seems to be just enough for me to continue to hold on to what I have. One of two things is happening here. I am weaker because my active physical life style ended or the fact that 70 years old is coming up with blinding speed and the machine is wearing out. I'm leaning towards the later from other subtle and not so subtle things I notice with me. Damn glad to be here! God Bless

In a nutshell GreenQueen. Worried sure but after getting slapped around by life all of a sudden and for many of us it came as a shock this pales in my book. My wife and I are hanging out at our home in the country and getting outdoors and putzing around the property as the spring weather allows. A few acres give us more than enough to keep us busy and it's getting warmer all the time. What is it about yard work and an ice cold beer? It's like a hand in glove. 😊  I guess things are leveling off a bit if we can believe the media. I sure hope so. I'm a bit concerned about a 2nd wave next fall. This is what happened in 1918 with the Influenza pandemic. It came back with a vengeance after going away in the summer briefly. Hoping all are safe and sheltered safely. We have an advantage here for a change.

Well duh? Sorry I thought you lost a pet dog I'm sorry;