Absolutely Anything Else

p.s.  As we know there's an election coming up.   The Two Tailed Dog party has a chance of winning now they have broadcast this fine message on the local TV:

Two Tail Dog Party on TV

I must say I am a little disturbed not to see a dog in charge.

My husband is worried that this crazy back and forth weather will hurt the cherry trees. He loves his cherries.
Have plans to go to a village this holiday weekend for some events, hope the weather holds.
Snow is nice though, whatever happens it's all good.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

My husband is worried that this crazy back and forth weather will hurt the cherry trees. He loves his cherries.
Have plans to go to a village this holiday weekend for some events, hope the weather holds.
Snow is nice though, whatever happens it's all good.

My cherry tree has some sort of disease.  It oozes sap.  I think it's called canker.  I saw some guy spraying in the neighbour's garden so maybe it's "time" to do that but how to do it and what with I do not know.  I know it needs trimming as it blocks our light.

Snow is RUBBISH! Messes up my cycling plans on a continuous basis. 

However, there's hope. It said on one forecast, 20 C a week on Tuesday.  How cool...err...is that?

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

My husband is worried that this crazy back and forth weather will hurt the cherry trees. He loves his cherries.

Our cherries are just starting to break bud. Luckily, since we live near a large body of water, according to accuweather.com not predicted to get at or below freezing here. Looks like next Tuesday will be the coldest at about 2°C / 35°F at night.

Been too cold for even my cold hardy lettuce plants to sprout yet in the garden. Pretty late. Hope to see them coming up soon.

klsallee wrote:

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

My husband is worried that this crazy back and forth weather will hurt the cherry trees. He loves his cherries.

Our cherries are just starting to break bud. Luckily, since we live near a large body of water, according to accuweather.com not predicted to get at or below freezing here. Looks like next Tuesday will be the coldest at about 2°C / 35°F at night.

Been too cold for even my cold hardy lettuce plants to sprout yet in the garden. Pretty late. Hope to see them coming up soon.

Same as our cherry tree.  I believe this is the time to trim it, when the first leaves are appearing. I have to make it unto a cupola shape to maximise cherry production.

Mrs Fluffy has got her plants in plastic growing boxes in the hall way and they are doing really well - she's got some carrots, cucumbers and other stuff on the go. 

We were working in the garden and shed yesterday and we still had ice in the shadows.  I looked this morning and it's all gone .   I really do hope we're over the cold weather now as I feel it's a brake on all outdoor activities.  I feel I'm waiting for life to restart out there!

fluffy2560 wrote:

Same as our cherry tree.  I believe this is the time to trim it, when the first leaves are appearing.

Sour cherries prune late in the winter as possible after freezing temps are mostly past, but when still dormant. This can be an aggressive pruning. Sweet cherries better to do a light pruning in late summer to avoid fungal diseases (the sap in late summer will help prevent infection).

fluffy2560 wrote:

Mrs Fluffy has got her plants in plastic growing boxes in the hall way and they are doing really well - she's got some carrots, cucumbers and other stuff on the go.

Sounds great!!

I started my tomatoes, peppers last month and my eggplants this month indoors. Already transplanted some of the tomatoes to bigger pots. I only direct sow carrots and lettuce and did that last week. Will plant peas this week. Will start some squash soon indoors, as they can't be put out here until mid May and 6 weeks should be enough. And currently harvesting onions from last year late summer planting.

But today was mostly spend trimming wine vines.

Didn't want to get too off topic so moved over here.
Yes,a drink at work isn't always the best thing to do.
In the beauty industry we used to have a open bar pretty much.
Once my boss was moving on to become the  artistic director of all S. Ca. Carlton salons. My friend and I bought him a bottle of his fave vodka as a good-bye gift.
He asked us to stay after work and have a drink with him, bottle was emptied and to this day I still thank my guardian angle for letting me get home without hurting myself or worst anyone else.
I used to bring boxes of the Cherry Queen chocolates around the holidays when I worked in Vegas .
The boss would place the boxes on the podium for everyone in our pit to enjoy. I didn't let on that there was alcohol in each bite, think they figured it out on their own but no one complained.
My son works in a casino where is super is a crazy lady who doesn't get on with anyone if she hasn't taken her phsychotropic drugs for the day.
Everyone knows when she forgot her daily dose, pure evil without them.
Sort of a fun fact: In the old times in Vegas  the workers could drink on the job.
One story goes, a male games dealer downtown was drinking on his 20 min break.
Guess he was doing this every hour and got loaded.
He got confused and walked out of the casino to a next door casino and after his 20 min. break he tapped out a dealer from the wrong  casino.
Too funny but I can see that happening.
We used to get a free drink after our shift at my casino if you wanted one, just had to remove your name tag and apron. They don't do this any more since it got all corp.

So this afternoon we took a walk and did some shopping.
Took the short cut on the side streets home.
Out of the blue I noticed 4 or 5 men dressed in Kilts coming towards us.
Took me a second to really see what they heck they were wearing.
First I thought Irish but somewhere in my memory I knew it was Scotsmen.
I missed my chance for a comment to them, thought the better of it since it was 5 against little old me and my tired husband with a backpack of goods on his back.
I am always one to make light of any situation if I can.
For once the silly, dumb expression of , "Beam me up Scotty"came to my mind.
I decided to act my age and not my I.Q. for once and didn't say a thing.
Guess it was one of those silly stag parties, don't get it myself but whatever....
I honestly think seeing a young man in a Hussar outfit is allot  more spot on then seeing a guy in a "skirt". Besides none of them had good legs!
Where was the strong wind when we could of used it? Would of been "fun" to see what they had on underneath!! On second thought maybe it turned out the best way possible...
Don't wish to scare anyone or have a stroke!

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

So this afternoon we took a walk and did some shopping.
Took the short cut on the side streets home.
Out of the blue I noticed 4 or 5 men dressed in Kilts coming towards us.
Took me a second to really see what they heck they were wearing.
First I thought Irish but somewhere in my memory I knew it was Scotsmen......
Where was the strong wind when we could of used it? Would of been "fun" to see what they had on underneath!! On second thought maybe it turned out the best way possible...
Don't wish to scare anyone or have a stroke!

I always thought it was much more sensible to wear a kilt than trousers.  They were more like togas really that could wrap around like a blanket.  Doesn't need much sowing skill and provides easy access for ablutions.  Bit similar to the dish-dash or kameez worn by men in the Middle East/Pakistan etc.

Alas I can never wear a kilt as I'm not Scottish and there's no McFluffy tartan (yet)

Well since they go "commando" using a Kilt for a blanket could be a sight to see.
My Vegas friend who is from Puerto Rico is NUTS about the Highlander the tv show character.
I think it's cute , she is a pretty 56 year old hairdresser who looks to be 45 at the oldest. Has that whole sweet Latino thing going on.
She went to Scotland a few months back, her first trip to Europe, couldn't find herself a Highlander but had a great time over there.
She hasn't given up though, returning next year . I told her to try out Spain instead, might be allot warmer and a bit more her style.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Well since they go "commando" using a Kilt for a blanket could be a sight to see.
My Vegas friend who is from Puerto Rico is NUTS about the Highlander the tv show character.
I think it's cute , she is a pretty 56 year old hairdresser who looks to be 45 at the oldest. Has that whole sweet Latino thing going on.
She went to Scotland a few months back, her first trip to Europe, couldn't find herself a Highlander but had a great time over there.
She hasn't given up though, returning next year . I told her to try out Spain instead, might be allot warmer and a bit more her style.

I suppose you couldn't get more of an unusual pairing than a Scotsman and someone from Puerto Rico.  Sean Connery played the Spanish swordsman in Highlander.  But he's a little old for your friend.

On the other hand there's a group of Welsh speaking people living in Argentina. Been there for a few generations.  That might seem not quite right if she's looking for someone from Scotland.

But if she wants a Scotsman, there's that Scots actor Henry Ian Cusick who speaks Spanish (his mother is Peruvian).  He's not quite Highlander but he's been in a few well known shows - Lost, The 100 etc., playing tough'ish guys.  She could spend some time admiring him!

Your friend should go to Canada, parts of Canada are more Scottish than Scotland! When I worked for Clarksons we had a visit from a man who worked at one of our subsidiary factories in Canada (Banff if I recall correctly). He was born in Canada but spoke with a broad Scottish accent!

Today I was looking for an electronics shop in Nagykanizsa to buy some phono / RCA plugs. I could not find it but spotted a paint shop so I went in to see if they had the correct dark grey metallic paint I need for my fence. One of the men there spoke English and it turned out he had worked for a while in Inverness! He said the electronics place had moved and told me roughly where it is.

I found the place but then experienced something like a sketch in "Some Mothers do 'ave 'em"! I went past the shop then realised they have a car park in the next street. I needed to turn the car round so I drove into a small side road, intending to reverse out to turn round. I was not given chance to reverse though, as a car pulled up right behind me. I just had to carry on along the narrow road, looking for somewhere to pull over or turn. There was nowhere but I then realised I was heading into a carwash! By then there were 4 cars behind me. An attendant came up to me to ask if there is a problem and I told him I need to get out. He moved some cones and created a gap just big enough so I could get out across the pavement between buildings!

klsallee wrote:

Guess what I can not find in the any local stores in winter? Yep. Fresh spinach (well, okay, would settle for semi-fresh).

Spring must be coming!

Fresh spinach was at a nearby hole in the corner produce store today!

Yeah!

klsallee wrote:

Despite being able to get thing like bananas that had to travel further. Where is globalization when you need it?

Of course they also had bananas.

klsallee wrote:

....

Fresh spinach was at a nearby hole in the corner produce store today! ...

Today's Spinach News (mangled from Popeye):

"You Is What You Is And That's All You Is?"

That sounds a bit insulting.

Sorry.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Today's Spinach News (mangled from Popeye):

"You Is What You Is And That's All You Is?"

That sounds a bit insulting.

Sorry.

Naw. Not insulting at all. It's kind of a cute saying. And I already said, "Popeye be I".**

** I hope you remember that I said that. You did remember right? If not.... maybe you should eat more spinach..... 

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Today's Spinach News (mangled from Popeye):

"You Is What You Is And That's All You Is?"

That sounds a bit insulting.

Sorry.

Naw. Not insulting at all. It's kind of a cute saying. And I already said, "Popeye be I".**

** I hope you remember that I said that. You did remember right? If not.... maybe you should eat more spinach..... 

Oh well then!   Who knows, you are possibly right. 

I always wondered if folks undergoing a cognitive decline actually realise what is going on.  Maybe in the best case, all worries will just drip away and the world will be new and wondrous once more. Maybe people even get to like Spinach again and again as they orbit the plug hole.

One thing I really suffer from recently is indeed having a bad memory.  Usually I'm really good at remembering stuff.  Mrs Fluffy thinks it's because I have too much to do and cannot juggle the same as before: "I was what I was and that's all I was"

fluffy2560 wrote:

Oh well then!   Who knows, you are possibly right.

The only problem is.... What am I eating that is causing cognitive damage? For example, I had mushy peas last night. Might that be killing off brain cells?

fluffy2560 wrote:

One thing I really suffer from recently is indeed having a bad memory.  Usually I'm really good at remembering stuff.

If long term memory, that my be just normal aging. Unused long term memories go first if not refreshed. About a year ago, I realized I could not remember my basic multiplication tables which I learned in high school and could immediately rattle of any combination without pause or even thinking up to 25 * 25 (quick - what is 6 * 7 ?).

One may say, meh, who cares, we have calculators.

But the problem is, I read an article some years ago about an Alzheimer researcher who use to spend her time while driving to work going through basic multiplication tables in her head. Until one day she couldn't. Yes, she had early stages of Alzheimer's disease. So I took some time and re-memorized my tables. I test myself on some a few times a week. So far, so good. I guess (hope) it was just too much use of a calculator for trivial calculations in the past 20 years, so I lost the memory from disuse (don't use it you lose it).

fluffy2560 wrote:

Mrs Fluffy thinks it's because I have too much to do and cannot juggle the same as before: "I was what I was and that's all I was"

There may be some truth there. Especially if things are stressful. Short term stress is good (fight or flight response). But long term stress causes all sorts of body damage over time including cognitive.

Personally, I have more and more short term memory loss. Forget immediately where I put things. Or things I say or write. It also may be due to stress. But I am starting to wonder if what I am eating is causing cognitive damage? For example, I had mushy peas last night. Might that be killing off brain cells?

A long workout or fast long walk always clears my mind. I never tackle anything serious before I exercise and clear my mind of all worries. It's like a light switch turned on.
Was planning on a nice walk today but looking at the rain and wind, it might not happen today after all.
I've had a head cold for days and was looking forward to finally getting outdoors.
Really getting a bit tired of this winter weather.
Memory loss, I tried doing some simple 6th grade division  and couldn't figure it out exactly.This was last week.
Had to have my husband break it down to remind me how to do it.
That was scary. Was trying to divide in my head 15 packages at a cost of $108. , Tried to figure out how much each package cost by it self.
Number 7. was easy but getting the change amount in my head was not happening at all.
Maybe I've been using forints too long?
A quick adding trick as a new table games dealer was to add up all the numbers on the plates of cars while out driving in my head and see how fast I could find the total number.
As a games dealer in Vegas we had to know the exact pay out for games, blackjack was easy to know and there were tricks to figure it out without letting on that you might of gotten lost. But Roulette was difficult sometimes. If you had one winner say getting a straight up bet it was 35 to one. The hard thing was when you were a new dealer you usually worked at older casinos with different pay out systems. On the Strip you can pay one winner one bet at a time, say a red or black then pay them a corner bet etc. In smaller casinos they wanted the entire winning bet paid out at once. Sometimes that was hard when you were in a hurry and had a brain fade. 70 plus 17 plus 11. Sounds easy enough but after a long shift sometimes the easiest numbers just wouldn't come to mind. Every chip was worth money so either way one mistake for or against was going to get you into hot water with either the casino or the player.  I like baccarat the best, even money and 8 times on the tie which hardly every came up.
Doubt I could even pay out a even money bet these days, got so lazy.
My son learned roulette the very old way. His first job was on the strip at the old Barbary Coast. He was young and super cute so it was easy to get hired on the strip. New bosses came in and got rid of all new dealers who had knowledge of only one or two table games. They wanted more bang for their buck so wanted multi-game dealers. My son and several others were let go.
He was very down, starting at the top and going backwards. Well I give him credit, he took a low paying job at a downtown casino because his mission was to learn every game in Vegas and learn it inside out.
He learned roulette on a 10 cent table, meaning every chip was only worth a dime. Players felt rich by not buying in for large amounts and using the dime as their min. bet per check( chip).
Someone would play just $2,00 but have stacks on the table in checks, , He was allowed to take his sweet time and figure out the payout, learned to handle stacks without spilling them etc.
He then tackled learning the hardest game, or one of the hardest games, craps. They only game he doesn't know well is tiles. Tiles were hot a few years ago but many casinos have pulled that game out. It's very popular in China.
For the last 14 years he has been a casino manager and in charge of several games going on at once.
I am glad he didn't give up so easy but it was not fun to start at the top and hit rock bottom when he first started out. He was offered a manager job downtown but moved up on his own to higher casinos and finally just stayed where he is now although at times he wishes he kept put. He might be running the whole casino by now downtown and making more money then just being one of many bosses at a biggest house.


Great idea about doing the multi-tables in your head.
My husband was fantastic at math, advanced math, should test him now since he hasn't used it for about 8 years time.
Math was never my fave subject but basic math is or should be easy to do in your head without paper.
I like to practice in my head while standing in line in the shop, I add up all my purchases in my head and usually get it right to the forint and have exact change ready.
Only works if I shop alone and am not distracted though.

My MIL was 80 and her mind got really dull towards the end.
She used to work in shops in Budapest and add number and weight items to the exact amount in her head all day long.
We stayed with her and one day we were looking everywhere for her fave frying pan. No where to be found.
Finally for some reason I thought of the freezer. It was in there. She must of put it in by mistake instead of the fridge( still wonder why she would of put i int he fridge ). Of course her pride wouldn't allow her to except she put it in the freezer and she told my husband that I must of doen it.
And that's how the fight started...How could he even think I would do that?

Organic Moringa Powder is full of vitamins A and K suppose to help with digestion , inflammation, helps remove free radicals and many other benefits.
Is rather cheap as well, only paid 525 forints for 100 grams.
Been taking it for close to one month, actually my husband has taken it daily, me only about 2 or 3 times a week because I dislike the texture and taste so much.
Our son gave my husband a gift last visit, a huge bottle of Q-10 to improve his brain! Wow, nice gift...
We have been cutting out starches from our diet, ot at least trying to.
Eating flaxseed ground fresh every morning mixed with oatmeal .
Used to take those chia seeds but the protein isn't too much more then flaxseed and they seem over priced here in Hungary.
In Vegas they were only $2. a lbs.
I'm weird about paying more in Hungary for something that is cheaper in the US.It just burns me to pay more here since overall I'd rather be home , at least I'm starting to feel that way, see how it brews over time.
Bananas here are what, 449 per kilo, that is about 80 cents per lbs. in the US they are usually only 45 cents a lb. at least on the west coast.
Green tea and ginger tea is good for the old memory too.
I drink one cup of coffee a day in the morning, I know that is not healthy, might look into drinking Postum, that wheat drink and ween myself off of coffee.
Starbucks wouldn't survive with clients like me.
I could never see paying over $5. for a cup of coffee.
Only time I ever overpaid for a cup of coffee was because of my older friends as a teenager.
Still in contact with one of these older friends, she is 2 years my senior.
In the early 70's 5 of us girls hitched a ride to Hollywood from our small town, something fun to do on a weekend.
Of course my mom wold of locked me up if she had known we were hitting the road.
The old Brown Derby restaurant was still in business.
We walked past it and this old friend who is a real coffee addict had us all pool our change to go in for a coffee  inside.
She still goes to Starbucks now although she really can't afford those high prices.
Ok so we teens go in , all 5 of us, of course since we were dressed like Hippie girls and the place was posh they sat us next to the kitchen door.
Didn't even care to go in but sometimes you have to make other people happy too.
On the way out my older friend noticed a celb, Mr. Harry Belafonte.
She dragged us to his table where he was enjoying lunch with a lady.
She asked for his autograph, the rest of us were really embarrassed that she would bother him at lunch. He however was really a gent, shook all of our hands and gave her his autograph.
Mr. Banana Boat Song himself.

klsallee wrote:

.....
If long term memory, that my be just normal aging. Unused long term memories go first if not refreshed. About a year ago, I realized I could not remember my basic multiplication tables which I learned in high school and could immediately rattle of any combination without pause or even thinking up to 25 * 25 (quick - what is 6 * 7 ?).

One may say, meh, who cares, we have calculators.

......
Personally, I have more and more short term memory loss. Forget immediately where I put things. Or things I say or write. It also may be due to stress. But I am starting to wonder if what I am eating is causing cognitive damage? For example, I had mushy peas last night. Might that be killing off brain cells?

As I'm not keen on mushy peas so I have my doubts on that choice of legumes.  But that's not memory loss but could be attributed to judgment.  Unless you really come from the North of England in which case, mushy peas are compulsory with everything and all is forgiven.  Oops, looks like I insulted you again.

It's an ongoing joke between Mrs Fluffy and I to blame missing objects here on the previous and now deceased occupant - Horvath. Or a former neighbour in Austria - Wolfgang - who was always borrowing my tools.   So if things go missing or are moved, Horvath did it, there's no other way it could happen! Of course we're being haunted for occupying and modifying his place.   And the inexplicably or historically missing tools just have to be Wolfgang. 

From what I've read on the subject,  memories get shuffled out if they are not used as you said. But sometimes I note I have flash of memories from a very long time ago.  Usually there's a trigger - music, a picture, some situation or a feeling.  I was surprised such memories can resurface after so long.  I've always thought of it like an index in a book.  The information is there but it's just not easy to reach as you don't have the key.  If there's a trigger, you can look up that info (we actively ask for index reminders from people by prompting for more info).  I think this would not be the same as say dementia where the memories are being actively destroyed along with the brain cells maintaining it and the abilities therein.

In school, we learnt our multiplication tables like parrots and relentlessly for weeks.  I still don't really remember them anymore or just remember by experience even.  The important thing is knowing how to calculate.  In dementia, the individual loses that idea completely.  Not just memory loss but complete loss on how to do things and how things relate to each other - like putting the car keys in the fridge or getting lost in familiar places.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Oops, looks like I insulted you again.

Not at all.

It is pretty hard to insult me, unless you call me a Belgian...... 

fluffy2560 wrote:

It's an ongoing joke between Mrs Fluffy and I to blame missing objects here on the previous and now deceased occupant - Horvath.

I have a more simple solution: If anything of mine goes missing from where I left it, I just blame my wife. After all, if I leave my power tools, roller skates and marbles on the stairs, I darn well expect to find them there later....   

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Oops, looks like I insulted you again.

Not at all.

It is pretty hard to insult me, unless you call me a Belgian...... 

fluffy2560 wrote:

It's an ongoing joke between Mrs Fluffy and I to blame missing objects here on the previous and now deceased occupant - Horvath.

I have a more simple solution: If anything of mine goes missing from where I left it, I just blame my wife. After all, if I leave my power tools, roller skates and marbles on the stairs, I darn well expect to find them there later....   

Belgians have come up recently several times - bit spooky.  Who are the real Belgians?

Sometime ago, Mrs Fluffy and I had a kitchen table conference and decided to blame third parties on their magical hiding objects powers.  But the interesting thing is that while I asked her all the time where my stuff is as clearly it's either her or the kids, as we've got older, she's now admitting Horvath has been busy with her stuff more and more including hiding her tomato seedlings when she wasn't looking at them and despite them being in her hand just moments before. As you noted, memory loss might be stress related.  OK, losing your tomato plants is not PTSD but it is time critical.

Finally the weather looks like it may stay nice.
We took a LONG drive yesterday Easter Monday.
Next long drive we will defo buy a highway pass.
First long ride of the year and wasn't thinking of how long taking those side roads can be.
Nice though to get see the land and villages.
Plan was to go to Holloko for some Easter events.
Drove past there really early in the day but first we drove further on to check out some other towns in the area.
Saw some apts and house for sale up there and wanted to just have a general look around the area.
Not really feeling it there, looked a bit down and out.
Stopped and talked to a nice couple, they mentioned that the jobs were all going and people were trying to get out of town.
Checked out a couple of lakes up there, all just fishing lakes...
Bummer.
Spoke to a couple of biker guys and they said everyone up there rides horse, bikes or motorbikes for fun.
I for one am not willing to get thrown off a horse again so that's out.
I now realize if we do stay in Hungary and wish to move out of the "big city" I would have to be near a resort area or Balaton.
Still might just check out the other 3 corners of Hungary just in case we missed a nice peaceful and not depressed area of the country.
Seeing with your own eyes is allot better then looking at property on the internet,reality is always different then a photo shopped picture.
We later drove back to Holloko but by 1 pm the police were not allowing any more cars to enter the town... Too crowded and they ran out of parking space...

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Finally the weather looks like it may stay nice.
We took a LONG drive yesterday Easter Monday.
Next long drive we will defo buy a highway pass.
First long ride of the year and wasn't thinking of how long taking those side roads can be.
Nice though to get see the land and villages.
Plan was to go to Holloko for some Easter events.
Drove past there really early in the day but first we drove further on to check out some other towns in the area.
Saw some apts and house for sale up there and wanted to just have a general look around the area.
......
Still might just check out the other 3 corners of Hungary just in case we missed a nice peaceful and not depressed area of the country.
Seeing with your own eyes is allot better then looking at property on the internet,reality is always different then a photo shopped picture.
We later drove back to Holloko but by 1 pm the police were not allowing any more cars to enter the town... Too crowded and they ran out of parking space...

Moving out to the country might seem a good thing but as one is older, access to proper healthcare and services is vital. 

My parents (94 and 89) essentially live in a larger sized village (in the UK) some distance from the nearest hospital.  My folks are heavy users of health services (too many things to list - being kept going by technology and luck).  They are at the docs every week and at the hospitals a couple of times a month, often on different days so up to 4 journeys a month there. 

If my Dad didn't still drive (and his driving skills are becoming marginal and my Mum's mobility is poor), they'd have to get the bus or the train to the hospital. Depending on which one they go to, it could take them 2.5h to get there by public transport whereas it takes them 40 min otherwise.  Not just the time but the cost of it is high.

If one hasn't been caught out beforehand, things start to go more seriously wrong past 75. 

Have you thought about moving more to the burbs to keep access to services?

p.s.  Rain tomorrow: BUD weather

Yes, those are some real concerns. ATM we are "active" seniors but my husband is slowly getting the "old man" syndrome of saying how old he is.
My sister is only one week younger then he is and she is still riding her motorbike and working, she does admit in the past couple of years her energy level has dropped. She was a belt belt in karate, was doing her gardening on 2 acres of land, canning things etc. She for her to say her energy is low is like your average person saying they are doing well.
I am 7 years younger then her and she wears me out. She once visited us in Vegas and I about died keeping up with her and at the time I was working out at the gym for hours a day and in great shape.
She was running here and there, going on every ride at Circus Circus, roller coasters at the NY hotel, doing that thing where you sky dive  in a room, the air blows you around and it's like free falling, she even forced me into a 9 passenger airplane ride over the Grand Canyon, she had so much energy the pilot had her sit next to him for a better view. I had my eyes closed in the back and almost lost my mind.
My husband gave me his camera and told me to take some shots,all photos of the floor and ceiling of the plane, I couldn't look out without almost screaming. Yes, I am a big cry baby.
She was always super active,shooting bows and arrows, bringing down her own deer, skinning them etc. Super mountain women.
She also scuba dives and finds time to volunteer at the mInn. zoo. Help, she would probably kill the two of us with all that going on. Free time one has for themselves when they don't have kids over the years...Just saying, wow she wears out most people. went through 4 husbands already, don't really want her taking mine out with all that stuff going on all the time.Might even take me out with all that activity.

I thought that area was a bit depressing, of course at this time of year with no leaves on the trees and it being a super quiet holiday weekend it is hard to see the real picture, but then again, it wasn't my sort of place.
My idea was to invite my sister over here and buy a big house together, she is ok where she is now, Has already fixed everything in her present home, new windows, new insulation, Bosch surround sound system , new everything plus she has a small garden that she can handle herself.
She wants to leave it to me along with her car and motorbike, can't see me on that though.
She mentioned when she had a 2 acre organic garden with her ex that it took a good 2 hours min per day just to do that upkeep on it.
Plus all the canning and digging.
Not my thing at all.
Just some ideas though, doubt I'll be going all ,"Green Acres" anytime soon.
( US TV show from the 1960's about a middle aged city couple moving to the countryside, stared Eddie Albert and funny enough Eva Gabor)
I'm more like her show character, hate messing in the dirt.
My sis is pushing hard, sort of for us to move now with her in Minn.
She has allot of extra room but I don't think my husband would enjoy having two sisters telling him what's up all day long. One of us Pawlak girls is enough for anyone!

That is a serious issue though with your elderly parents. Poor kids. I wonder if the UK system has a way of doing house calls for them or if they have some sort of shuttle bus to take them into the medical offices? 
My MIL in Erd used to have the doc come to her home once a month for check ups, she tipped but not allot only a couple thousand forints a visit. The doc would set it up where he/she visited several people who lived in the same area on the same day.
This was only 12 years ago, wonder if they have cut back on these services here or not?
Our elderly 86 year old neighbor lives on the top floor in our house. She is now very heavy and has breathing issues. Has not come down from her floor in over 2 years now!
She is really too heavy now for the medical team to carry her down the stairs. Last week a nurse made a house call on her and took some blood for testing etc.
Maybe they could do the same in the UK under some program or the other?

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

...That is a serious issue though with your elderly parents. Poor kids. I wonder if the UK system has a way of doing house calls for them or if they have some sort of shuttle bus to take them into the medical offices? 
My MIL in Erd used to have the doc come to her home once a month for check ups, she tipped but not allot only a couple thousand forints a visit. The doc would set it up where he/she visited several people who lived in the same area on the same day.
This was only 12 years ago, wonder if they have cut back on these services here or not?
Our elderly 86 year old neighbor lives on the top floor in our house. She is now very heavy and has breathing issues. Has not come down from her floor in over 2 years now!
She is really too heavy now for the medical team to carry her down the stairs. Last week a nurse made a house call on her and took some blood for testing etc.
Maybe they could do the same in the UK under some program or the other?

Oh  NHS (National Health Service) medical care in an emergency is excellent in the UK and totally free.  They don't pay for anything, including drugs.  Actually, if you are over 60, it's all free meds in England and free meds in Scotland and Wales whatever your age.  Don't know about Northern Ireland. 

NHS does everything like house visits but at the moment, what with an austerity/budget reduction programme going on there, you really have to be dying or in serious emergency (life threatening)  problems to get them to come around to see you.  They usually want to diagnose you from a call centre  to see how bad the person is (people have died because they screwed up over the phone).   

My folks could ask the NHS/hospital to collect them but they could spend 8h being shunted around the place for a 5 minute inconclusive chat.   

The reason they are at the hospitals are that their health issues are complex, so the local services cannot deal with that. It needs specialists only found at the major regional hospitals, not the local versions.  The list of ailments is almost endless - eyesight degeneration, hearing loss, high blood pressure, kidney cancer (slow growing type), age related diabetes ( type 2), heart valve problems, pacemaker,  osteoporosis and god knows what else. 

Neither of them are fat, they are very thin, eat very little and seem to have shrunk to about 2/3rds their previous size (spines are getting compressed) and they try to keep active within the limits of their mobility and abilities 

As I said, overall, despite their issues, not too bad and they are keeping going by technology and luck it seems!  I should think they've got about 2-3 years left before something eventually does them in.

Bless them both.
It is difficult for sure.
It takes a brave soul to get old, it's not very fun knowing it's never going to get any better and you can't turn back the clock.

When I was waiting and waiting at the shoulder ortho docs about 6 months back with about 12 others they had a very elderly women on a gurney.
She was in her late 80's. Had the ambulance service bring her in for a check up. She was mad as could be and kept asking when they were going to bring her home.
It was about 11 am and she had been there for 3 hours waiting for them to pick her up. They told her another 3 to 4 hours and they would come back to take her home.
Everyone waiting was nice with her, a women came over and talked with her, the old lady brought out a sandwich and had her lunch and asked for water.
she was a bit funny and sneaky, probably hoping someone would take the bait, she was asking for a burger and fries hoping someone would walk down to the cafe and get her order.
Poor thing, hard to get upset with someone in her situation.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

I now realize if we do stay in Hungary and wish to move out of the "big city" I would have to be near a resort area or Balaton.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Moving out to the country might seem a good thing but as one is older, access to proper healthcare and services is vital.

FWIIW: Keszthely at the western end of the Balaton is somewhat a medical tourist destination. Has pretty good medical services for "the countryside". Keszthely is also one of the places where the local, regional hospital was not closed. Ours was closed, and Keszthely is now our closest hospital, but not the one someone is sent to by default where I live, since Keszthely is in another county
.

Balaton area is something that would suit me.
Forget hospitals, never again!
Doctors are more dangerous sometimes then a car crash!

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Balaton area is something that would suit me.
Forget hospitals, never again!
Doctors are more dangerous sometimes then a car crash!

Recently I've got the impression that some Doctors are actually just guessing when it comes to treatment.  "Try these pills and if that doesn't work, come back!"

Pills are the least of it.
When I had my shoulder surgery in Dec. I was told that they would address the main issue I was in there for.
Instead they by passed that area and just poked around and then told me I need a replacement joint.
Forget it. Not good to be put under, wake up and find out they didn't do anything.
Then he told me to wait a few years because they are getting better at replacement joints with DNA testing etc. Whatever, too Sci-fi for me,they lost my trust anyways after that fiasco.
Complete waste of my time and money.
I'm doing my own rehab, back to push ups even if they are just half push ups, weight training but that cracking every now and again is a uncomfortable sound...

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

....
I'm doing my own rehab, back to push ups even if they are just half push ups, weight training but that cracking every now and again is a uncomfortable sound...

I've got problems with my jaw - called TMJ - but it's only temporary and randomly appears every so often.    OK, it's not from yapping too much - I waffle on in real life as well as here. 

Anyway, it is and was incredibly painful.  No-one could find anything wrong with it although they said it might be stress related.   

It cracks so loudly, Mrs Fluffy heard it on the other side of the room.  We've got used to it but others find it quite surprising.  I don't actually think it's doing anything dangerous. Just a bit odd.

My little half sis has TMJ, the dentist gave her a device to wear when she is sleeping to keep her from grinding her teeth.
Maybe a dentist would be more helpful then a doctor?

Might be a good idea to check it out, don't want to have tooth issues later or wear down your jaw bone.
My deceased sister was quiet the "party animal" in her day.
She got into a fist fight with her boyfriend and woke up the next morning on the kitchen floor with a broken jaw, broken right through in 3 places. Didn't even feel it, at first... wonder what wonder drugs they had been taking.
I got a call mid day when the pain came, she had gotten dressed and went to work, had to leave and see a dentist who wired her jaw shut for 6 weeks.
She was 5'10" tall and not one oz. over 118 lbs. before the "accident". Couldn't eat solid food for 6 weeks, wow, not sure how much she dropped in lbs but when she put on her bikini at my house I flipped out, nothing but bones, no joke.
Her jaw healed up nicely but cracked after that and still hurt at times.
Not sure exactly why that happened as when she was in her wild adventures I often didn't see her for long periods of time, only daily phone calls,she kept me away from that insane part of her life for the most part.
I was upset that she didn't press charges, she broke up with that guy, later  she saw him up close at a concert for some Aussie  band in the 80's. Yes," Midnight Oil" that's the band.
Someone also had enough of him because when he saw my sister he smiled and all his front teeth were missing, karma is a B that's for sure.
My bum shoulder hurt me for years at the gym, doing yoga in side plank or some push up moves it would crack and feel odd but I just worked it out and didn't bother with it.
It cracked after some workout moves or just on it's own for no reason.
Now I need a new shoulder because it got worn out with all the rubbing inside, they told me it's a wonder my rotator  cuff wasn't torn too,
being careful now when I use it, being more mindful with things I do and how I move it.
You don't want to keep wearing out your jaw bone if it could be a easy fix with a guard from the dentist.
Thinking it over, my sister was lucky she didn't lose any teeth, She had "perfect" and I mean perfect teeth, wore braces for 6 long years as a kid and had 4 teeth pulled out to make room in her mouth for the ones she had. Big teeth and a tiny face.
She looked almost exactly like Pat Benatar in the early 80's, only about 6 inches taller then the real deal.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

My little half sis has TMJ, the dentist gave her a device to wear when she is sleeping to keep her from grinding her teeth.
Maybe a dentist would be more helpful then a doctor?

Might be a good idea to check it out, don't want to have tooth issues later or wear down your jaw bone......
She got into a fist fight with her boyfriend and woke up the next morning on the kitchen floor with a broken jaw, broken right through in 3 places. Didn't even feel it, at first... wonder what wonder drugs they had been taking.
I got a call mid day when the pain came, she had gotten dressed and went to work, had to leave and see a dentist who wired her jaw shut for 6 weeks.
She was 5'10" tall and not one oz. over 118 lbs. before the "accident". Couldn't eat solid food for 6 weeks, wow, not sure how much she dropped in lbs but when she put on her bikini at my house I flipped out, nothing but bones, no joke.
Her jaw healed up nicely but cracked after that and still hurt at times.
......
I was upset that she didn't press charges, she broke up with that guy, later  she saw him up close at a concert for some Aussie  band in the 80's. Yes," Midnight Oil" that's the band.
Someone also had enough of him because when he saw my sister he smiled and all his front teeth were missing, karma is a B that's for sure.
......

Oh, I'm not one to muck around especially at that level of pain.   I had a clicking jaw before this little story below but it got worse. 

So there's a bit missing in this story of how this might have come about. 

My bridge fell off and I had to go to the emergency dentist in Kiraly Street - my dentist was not available.   So they glued it back on and it felt fine.  However after about a week, I suddenly started to get really bad pains in my jaw.  First one side and then the other.

I went straight to my dentist (who was back) and he put me in his fancy x-ray scanner.  Nothing visible, no nerves being compressed, jaw aligned, no inflammation, no infection absolutely zilch.  He got his "blue" out (to show my bite), then got the grinder out and had a bit of a whizz over the surface here and there. 

It seems a vague possibility my bite had changed even though it felt perfectly the same to me other than it hurting rather a lot.   He gave me some painkillers and told me it was probably TMJ and it would settle down after several months.  I also rubbed some Flector cream on the area - anti-inflammatory/painkiller.

Several months later I still get the pains in my jaw in the joint but they are not really that noticeable as they were before.  But the clicking is still there and even louder.   Are the two related? No idea!   

Re: Midnight Oil, your story on your sis, made me think of their one hit - Beds Are Burning - and i immediately thought about Farah Fawcett's portrayal of an abused woman The Burning Bed.  It's a long time since I saw that movie but perhaps your sis's abuser should have got the same.   Farah Fawcett did a really good acting job - one of the highest rated TV movies of all time.

My sis was a spitfire and got thrown out of a biker bar once for being too rowdy. Skinny little her against a couple of bikers.
She was a wild child, I'm sure her BF got what was coming to him perhaps him losing his front teeth was related to my sisters many friends seeking revenge for her.
Water under the bridge now.
Yes, having bridges or crowns does change your bite, I messed up my back teeth over 20 years ago by chewing on ice. Made fractures in my teeth and had to get crowns on several back teeth.
I have never gotten used to them fully,wish I had known better then to chew on ice. I was super anemic and didn't know one sign is a craving to chew on ice.
Hope you jaw pain goes away in time.
Funny side story:
My father was a medic in WW11. So had some medical training.
He went to a bar in Cal. once and a patron next to him yawned really hard and dislocated his jaw.
My dad stepped in and set his jaw back into line...Crazy to think you can actually dislocate your jaw so easily.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

....
Yes, having bridges or crowns does change your bite, I messed up my back teeth over 20 years ago by chewing on ice. Made fractures in my teeth and had to get crowns on several back teeth.
I have never gotten used to them fully,wish I had known better then to chew on ice. I was super anemic and didn't know one sign is a craving to chew on ice.
Hope you jaw pain goes away in time.
Funny side story:
My father was a medic in WW11. So had some medical training.
He went to a bar in Cal. once and a patron next to him yawned really hard and dislocated his jaw.
My dad stepped in and set his jaw back into line...Crazy to think you can actually dislocate your jaw so easily.

The jaw is a very complicated joint so it doesn't surprise me it can come undone yawning - especially if it's loose in the first place.  My jaw is aching even thinking about it.  I spent quite a lot of time investigating my jaw problem.  There are some rather good X-ray videos on the Internet on how it works.  The per mm2 pressure it can exert is very large and it can move left right, up and down  and has plenty of muscles. Amazing really,

But to get the bite right, it makes a difference if the dentist does a proper job.

I've got all sorts of bits in my mouth - implants, crowns, fillings etc.  I have an aversion to false teeth so I always opted for implants over plates etc.  Pricey even here but I've been going to my dentist for probably 20 years and he's always had lots of dentist gadgets.   

I just hope he doesn't retire any time soon.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Pricey even here but I've been going to my dentist for probably 20 years and he's always had lots of dentist gadgets.

Lots of gadgets? He must be good then.

P.S. Sorry about your jaw problems. Bummer....

My friend in Ca. had all her top teeth removed and got implants.
She mentioned something about her first treatment costing over $10,000!
That was just for a few on the top.
Yes, sorry, having your bite be even a bit off can cause allot of pain when chewing.
I must of spent at least 40 or more hours in the dental chair here in HU  in the past couple of years. Had all my teeth back teeth  redone over, new fillings, new crowns and a bridge which wouldn't of happened if not for some hard rice served in route while traveling.
I have what is a "thing" called shovel teeth, hard to work on as the roots are very deep and the teeth curve inside the backs in the front, Indians and Asians usually have this, good for bitting meat or tearing flesh... Ok, don't really want to know about what exactly my ancestors were nibbling on, or who they were nibbling on!
I had her clean really deeply too, still, have to be careful not to snap or crack anything again, no more nice hard candy or toffee for me.
Even nuts could be a issue, grind things or chop into pieces first.
If your dentist does retire, the dental school has allot of serious minded students and student teachers with a professor keeping an eye on everyone. Slow going but they have all the equipment there and they try to do it right, no short cuts.
That was witty about Burning Beds, saw the movie was well done .

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Pricey even here but I've been going to my dentist for probably 20 years and he's always had lots of dentist gadgets.

Lots of gadgets? He must be good then.

P.S. Sorry about your jaw problems. Bummer....

I'm a sucker for gadgets myself as may have been gathered.

It's like wearing sporty clothes as these make you fit even if you don't actually do anything sporty.

So by the same logics, gadgets make you an expert.