Schooled by an 86 year old

My sewing sister and fitness buddy, SLC, have joined the Silver Sneakers II fitness class at the y.  In an earlier post I expressed concern about group fitness classes and the territorial demeanor of some class members. I was pleasantly surprised to be warmly welcomed by this senior group although I do feel a bit "young" to be in this class. Some of the exercises are similar to those done by nursing home residents but I guess I should just look at it as preparation for my golden years in a "home".  

There is a gentleman in the class who likes to sing along with the music and has a great voice but I'm already tired of his routine and it's only been a couple of weeks.  But then again it might be fun to go to Pete's Dueling Piano Bar with him....I need to find out if he enjoys an adult beverage and can stay awake past 10.  He reminds me of my father-in-law in that he always has a smart come-back for just about anything. 

I've discovered that I am fortunate to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time.  I can do that but I cannot do a movement with my left arm while my right leg is doing something else.  Such as, kick your right leg forward while you left arm is swinging back.  Just not happening for me.  It's a brain thing!

At our first class we met Mary Lou who is 86 and the darling of the group.  She was very sweet and welcoming on that first day.  Today was another story.  SLC was finishing up her treadmill time so I went on into the classroom and got out our carpet squares and chairs so that we would be ready when class started.  I was all set up in the second from the back row and went to get the hand weights and resistance bands that we would need.  When I came back, Mary Lou was standing at my chair, looking down at my iPod and headphones, wondering aloud who had left their stuff on HER chair.  I explained that these were my things.  To which she said, "Do you know how old I am?" "Yes, m'am. You told me last week that you are 86." "That's right and this is my spot. You don't need to move but this is my spot!" Needless to say, I moved. She said, "that's so sweet of you to move. You really don't have to." I told that yes, I did because I was a little afraid of her.  She said, "Good....you should be!"  I will defer to my elders and you can be certain that I will not be setting up in the second row from the back again!  Now I just need to figure out where the sing-along guy always stands so I can avoid that spot, too.

Oh....and there were no announcements about any regulars being in the hospital and no cards to sign this week.  Plus the "watchers" haven't had to correct me lately so I must be doing better.  And I actually broke out in a sweat today during the workout but that might have been because the other ladies thought the room was too cold and demanded that the fans be turned off.  Those bird-like ladies just need a little more meat on their frail little bones....like I have!

Resolution update...Group Fitness Class

January 16, 2014
One of my resolutions this year was to take a group fitness class. Today was the day for that. I coerced my friend, SLC, to join me. We decided to join the Basic Step class. Remember, I was concerned about taking someone's place. Well that was not a problem...the instructor was very nice and there were no space issues.  We honestly tried to be successful but the pace of the class was just too much for us. And I could not follow the instructions....who would expect that I would have difficulty following directions? We gave it a shot but that class was just not for us beginners. But we are not finished with this challenge. Next week we are stepping it back and joining the Silver Sneakers class. I've been told that it is a good workout so let's see if I can keep up with the other seniors.
January 22, 2014
SLC and I checked out the Silver Sneakers II class at the Y today.  Hey....we are young Silver Sneakers....we don't need the beginning class.  It's a full class....both men and women "of a certain age".  I knew right away that this class was going to be much different than our Basic Step classes.  The men in the group started right in, carrying chairs (yes, I said chairs) and carpet squares and setting up the room.  (Gentlemen do still exist!)  Since I was clueless as to what to do, SLC got me outfitted with my exercise bands, my Silver Sneakers official ball and led me over the weights.  I went with the 4 lb weights when a little  Oriental woman raised her eyebrows at me while I was reaching for the 5 pounders.  The other, more experienced class members came up and started to introduce themselves and (covertly) question our ages and ability to keep up.  Our new friend, Margo, introduced us to a very sweet lady in front of us (cannot remember her name....I'm old enough to be in the senior fitness class so I am allowed a memory lapse or six.) who is 86 years old and has survived two heart surgeries.  Margo told us to just watch this lady and we would be just fine.  In addition to being 86 years old, this sweet lady has been taking this class for 10 years.  She invited us to join them for coffee before class because we could learn a lot about insurance and taxes from this group.  (I'm not sure what insurance and taxes has to do with fitness but......)
The music is good....mostly disco and things I actually have heard in my younger days.  The instructor is perky.  The class members all know each other and the class started with announcements about who was in the hospital and who has rejoined the group after a hospital stay.  (That, my folks, is my future!)  All of the aerobic moves can be adjusted to your fitness level and some class members (not me) actually used the chairs the entire time.  (There were some exercises done sitting in the chair but the chairs are actually used more for balance.)  There were lots of balance exercises which I really need.  They even have two ladies whose job it is to keep an eye on everyone and make sure you are doing the exercises correctly.  (I also think that they might be the ones trained in CPR and be the designated "catcher" if someone goes down mid-class.  They station themselves near the door to quickly summon aid!)
So...the verdict.....I think that SLC and I are really too young for this class.  (I've already picked out the guy most like my father-in-law....chatting with the ladies and generally joking around!)  But, that being said, any form of exercise is better than nothing so I plan to make this a part of my weekly schedule.  In time, I hope that I can progress to a younger class but who knows, I might be the 86 year old who has been coming for 26 years in the future!  Maybe I can be one of the first responders!  You know how I like to make sure that everyone is doing the right moves!
An ending note on Tuesdays with Nonie.....Mr. Perfect still does not want to put on that swim diaper and swim suit.  But he likes the songs that we sing and sang all the way home from lessons.  He was able to tell Mommy all about what we did so maybe we are making progress even though he really is not a big fan of the water.  I would like to add library story time to our day....works perfectly in to the schedule....but that would mean changing clothes at the pool and I am not ready to share the spider monkey wrestling bout with any other parents.  Stay tuned for updates next week.

Tuesdays with Nonie...the return of the spider monkey

Today was episode two in the ongoing saga of Tuesdays with Nonie. 
I am not sure what it is about Tuesdays and traffic but I got caught up in it again today.  DIL is under the weather so I was to pick up Mr. Perfect at home.  What is usually a 25 minute drive turned into a 50 minute ordeal this morning.  I debated going the "long way" but since traffic was moving at that point, I decided to just go with the usual route.  And of course, no sooner had I made that decision than traffic slowed to a crawl.  Now, I am sure that there are more than two ways to get to DS#1 and DIL's house but I'm not good with directions and Gabbie, our trusty GPS, was home probably offering home invaders directions from the living room to the kitchen.  The big flashing TxDOT sign declared that there was an accident ahead and to expect delays.  When I finally reached the bottleneck, there was nothing there....no police, no wrecked cars, no ambulances, no bodies by the side of the road....nothing! I have absolutely no clue what caused this major delay because there certainly was nothing to look at.
Finally got home with Mr. Perfect and my weekly lessons commenced.  Today I learned that:
1)  The idea of swimming lessons was no more appealing this week than it was last week.  I started with the happy...."It's Swimming Lesson Day!  I'm so excited!" and was met with a firm "NO!"  I decided that since the weather was much nicer this week, we would do the changing from clothes to swim stuff here at home.  This week's spider monkey problem was not the shirt....or the socks..or the shoes.  It was the pants and the Superman Pull-Ups.  I swear that I no sooner got his legs into the swim diaper before I saw it go sailing across the room as he kicked it off.  Finally succeed with the swim diaper (don't ask how many times it went on and came off but that little monkey is fast!) only to repeat the whole process with the swim trunks.  And then suddenly...it was over.  He allowed me to put on the swim shirt and helped to pack the backpack but insisted that he carry his own towel.  I learned that perseverance pays off.
2)  I learned that seeing Unca Tim on the IPad via Hangouts is not the same as seeing him in person.  Even though we did a quick connection before we started the swim apparel war and got in our minimum daily requirements of fist bumps, Mr. Perfect still had to check Unca Tim's room to be sure he wasn't just taking a nap.  On a more positive note, when we connected during lunch so that Unca Tim could get a lesson report, Mr. Perfect did tell him several things that happened at the pool.
3) I learned that all swim instructors are not created equal.  On the way to lessons, I told Mr. Perfect that we were on our way to swim with Ms. Madison and was informed...."No, Unca Tim takes me swimming!"  Not long distance, he doesn't!
4) I learned that apple juice tastes differently in a different cup.  Mr. Perfect tried his AJ in his blue sippy cup with the reclosable lid  and told me that he didn't like it.  I poured more juice in the green cup and it was fine.  Then he told me to put the juice from the blue cup into the green cup, watched me do this and drank it all.  I guess green plastic tastes better than blue.  Who knew?
5) I learned that not just any quilt will do for naptime.  We didn't have our Nonie blankie (He is the ONLY one allowed to refer to a quilt as a blankie!) and had to audition several quilts until we found one that Mr. Perfect deemed worthy as a nap companion.  It was a four season wallhanging that I made years ago and is now referred to as the tree blankie.  I'm just glad that we found one that would work.
6) I learned that a thirty minute swim lesson results in a long nap...not for me...for Mr. Perfect.  Of course the whole spider monkey thing might have added to the exhaustion.  I just hope that DIL isn't suffering with a toddler who refuses to go to bed because he had a great nap!

All in all, it was another informative Tuesday.  Who says you can't teach a retiree some new tricks?

Tuesdays with Nonie OR What I learned from a 30 month old today

Today began our weekly Nonie and Mr. Perfect adventure Tuesdays.  (Mr. Perfect is aka The Most Perfect Grandchild in the World.)  Because it is important to us that Mr. Perfect learn to swim, or at least be comfortable in the water, we decided to sign him up for a Water Babies class at our local Aqua Kids.  Since he is under 3 years of age, this is an adult/child activity.  Mr. Perfect's parents would have signed him up but this swim center is closer to us and since they both work and I do not, (yippee) it seemed easier for me to be the responsible adult in this activity.  I picked him up from DIL's office and we spent the morning playing before our class.
I learned a few important lessons from Mr. Perfect today.
1) When he looks at you and using his most stern voice says, "Dummy" he is not making a comment about your intelligence (or lack thereof).  He is merely asking that you read his new book, Hand, Hand, Finger, Thumb.  It includes the refrain, "Dum Ditty Dum Ditty Dum Dum" and is therefore referred to as the dummy book.
2) It takes 2 Lego people and 7 rubber ducks to convince him that we need to put our coats on and get in the car for the trip to swimming lessons.
3) Shoes and socks are some of life's great mysteries.  Mr. Perfect insists that he keep his shoes and socks on in the house but the minute that he is strapped into his carseat, they must be removed.  At least he has recently begun to tuck the socks into the shoes so the hunts for the missing Frankenstein socks are becoming fewer and less traumatic.  And he no longer flings the shoes into the way back of the Honda so I don't need to climb all the way in to the car to retrieve them.
4)  Trying to get a toddler out of his shirt when he does not want to be out of his shirt is a little like wrestling a spider monkey.....at least, I think that it would be similar.  I've never actually wrestled a spider monkey. Next week, I am asking Mom to pack an extra shirt so we do not have a repeat episode and and he can swim in his shirt.  Getting in the pool is non-negotiable.
5) Having someone softly sing the ABC song in your ear makes is much easier to attempt to float on your back.
6) It is absolutely necessary to search for Unca Tim all over the house even though you have been told over and over that he is not home.  You never know, that rascal Tim might actually be hiding under the bed.  And when your Nonie makes a 30 second HangOuts connection with said Unca, all is right with the world. And "Unca Tim's in tree" which is Mr. Perfect speak for "Uncle Tim is in Calgary" is the appropriate explanation.
7) All good things come to those who cooperate in swimming lessons.  There will always be a stop for "bites" on the way home and "fa fries" can be on the menu if you ask nicely.  And did you know that white cream gravy mixed with ketchup makes a tasty dipping sauce of chicken strips, fa fries and bread?
8) Whatever Nonie is drinking is infinitely more desirable than what is in the Mickey Mouse sippy cup.  Thanks goodness, I don't drink adult beverages during the day...usually.
So, all in all, it was an enlightening day.....the first of many Tuesdays with Nonie....at least I hope so.  And I hope that this "elderly" adult can keep up with the spider monkey speed and agility of Mr. Perfect.  I think I need to work out more....I am exhausted!

Resolutions

The new year is begun and it's past time for my resolutions. 
Like 75% of the rest of the world, I want to improve my health and fitness in 2014.  DH and I hate this time of the year at the Y because of all of those other resolution makers!  It will be a crowded mess until mid-February.  About that time, the crowds will fall off because most of us only keep these resolutions for about 6 weeks.  These crowds will have one benefit for us long-time members.  I don't usually participate in the fitness classes because the classes are filled with members who have been in these classes for years....literally.  They all have "their" spaces in the room and woe unto those who stand in their space.  They all know what the instructor expects them to do and understand all of the shouted instructions.  "Oh, just tell the instructor that you are new to the class (like she wouldn't notice?) and she will make sure you know what to do," is the advice from the Y administrators.  These bosses obviously have not been in the classes because they have no idea about the wrath of the regulars.  But there are a few brave souls with new resolutions who will attempt to join these classes and be unaware of the importance of a particular space.  My plan is to follow a few of these newbies (their new Christmas gift/workout clothes give them away every time) in to the classroom and hide out behind them.  The regulars wouldn't dare attack a GROUP of newcomers and we can take up several of these special spots.  So that's one resolution...Take a group fitness class at the Y and live to tell about it.
I also want to improve my quilting skills.  I am happy with my piecing skills but my machine quilting leaves much to be desired.  Oh, I'm OK with a straight line but anything else is a mess.  When I quilt for a customer, I do the quilt design and construction and sub-contract to a professional longarm quilter for the actual quilting.  (I do tell the customer so this is no bait and switch scam.) I would like to be able to quilt commissioned quilts but it's difficult on a home sewing machine.  It can be done and skillfully by many but not by me.  I have considered purchasing a longarm machine but the cost ($10-25K) is prohibitive as is the space needed.  So here is my resolution...to improve my machine quilting skills on my home machine and to take a class or two on longarm quilting with the plans to rent time on these machines at local quilt shops.
And finally, when I retired I promised myself to organize several areas of our home including the sewing room, the linen closet, the pantry and the kitchenware storage.  Well....it's been 6 months now and I have "straightened" the sewing room but it is by no means reorganized and none of the other areas have even been touched.  I could promise myself that I would tackle one of these areas each week until they have all been de-cluttered but my weeks are fairly busy....there are those visits to the Y, my Friday sew day with my sewing sisters, my weekly visit with Transplant Sue, my Tuesdays with Ben (we start Nonie and me swimming lessons tomorrow) not to mention the time devoted to Facebook and email.  So my resolution is the reorganize something once a month.
So there they are...only 3 resolutions and nothing earth shattering.  And if I don't follow through no one will be harmed....except for me, of course.  Being able to actually find something in the closet that fits would be nice.   

Pete Delkus was right...this time

The predicted ice storm actually happened this time complete with freezing rain, sleet and ice fog.  The Dallas Fort Worth metroplex has been iced in.  I haven't checked in with weatherman, Pete Delkus, today but he has not worn his suit coat since Thursday afternoon....at least not on the air.  He never took off those cufflinks and rolled up his sleeves so the weather emergency, while dangerous, was apparently not life threatening.
The highways were iced over and many motorists who did not listen to the warnings were trapped in their cars on I35 between Fort Worth and just north of Denton.  Rumor has it that many of these drivers were Oklahoma fans trying to get to the OU/OSU game.  (People....a football game is just not that important!)  The temperatures that night were in the 20's.  Your average Texan is just not prepared for that.  The Texas Department of Transportation is asking everyone to stay off the roads until sometime on Monday.  Of course, all local school districts were closed on Friday and we are wondering about Monday.
My Facebook feed is full of photos and videos of my friends, their children and grandchildren playing on the ice....riding down the local hills in laundry baskets, playing hockey on the streets, sliding down icy driveways on pieces of cardboard.  They are definitely making memories and I am wishing that our boys were home and little again.  We actually have a real sled and saucer sleds but they are in storage and it is not worth the trip to go to get them.  But being the excellent dad that my DH is, he would have gone to dig them out if the kids had been younger and wanted them.
So what did DH and I do during our self-enforced imprisonment?  I sewed (no big surprise there) and he got caught up on the DVR'ed shows that I don't care to watch.  (Boardwalk Empire.....yuck!)  We cooked and we were both glad that I had made that run to WalMart on Wednesday or Thursday for the essentials of life.  But now I know that I misjudged the essentials....bread, chocolate milk, chicken, soup ingredients made the list but I forgot eggs, hamburger, semolina flour and parmesan cheese.  This would have been the perfect time to bake some cookies and make the Christmas ravs but I honestly did not think this weather crisis would happen.  My bad!  The Christmas tree is up and decorated and the house is as festive as it will get...downsizing some this year.
The sun is out this afternoon and the temps are above freezing for the first time in over 3 days.  (Yes, I know my northern friends, 3 days is no big deal to you but this is Texas!  They don't know how to deal with it.  Cowboy boots are for fashion, not function!)  DH has scrapped off the driveway.  I have my fingers crossed that we might venture out to get some dinner tonight.
The temps will fall again tonight and that will cause all of the melting runoffs to refreeze.  And since there are no such things as snowplows in Texas, the streets will just ice over again.  DH's district is made up of many smaller towns and they bus in lots of students.  I don't think he will have school tomorrow but he is optimistic.  AT son's district will probably have school.  DIL will most likely return to work too as I do not expect FWISD to cancel classes. TMPG will be back at daycare.
No matter what the weather conditions are tomorrow...I AM GOING OUT!  Yes, we need eggs and provisions for the week's menus (maybe some more beer) but more importantly, I am in the middle of big applique project and I don't have the right colors in threads!  Let's get those priorities in order!  Clear the way to JoAnn's....I'm coming in!

Those darn weathermen.....

I hate to admit that I get most of my news from Yahoo these days.  I just don't seem to read the newspaper like I have in the past and it's easy to flip through the local news on TV in favor of something that is clogging up the DVR.  But DH is a news junkie.  He reads the newspaper daily .... yes, every section. ( He also does all of the crossword puzzles and other brain stimulating activities found in the daily paper.)  And he likes the local news....especially the local weather reporters.  I'm not sure what his attraction to the weather is....he is not a frustrated meteorologist.  I think he is entertained by their prophet of doom persona.
His current favorite weather broadcaster is Pete Delkus.  Pete usually wears a very nice suit and tie but you can always tell when there is a potential weather emergency.  Once Pete takes off his jacket and rolls up his sleeves, you know that it's time to pay attention to the upcoming weather.  (He never takes off the tie.  If that ever happens on the air, we can be sure that the end of the world is at hand.)
The week before Thanksgiving, Pete and the other weather forecasters definitely had their jackets off as they warned us about the pending ice storm.  Local people were panicked about getting out of town for the holiday week.  DH and I were worried about making it to Dallas for the JFK 50th Anniversary Event.  Most of the local school districts were off the entire week before Thanksgiving but the ones that were in session Monday and Tuesday were filled with teachers  keeping their fingers crossed that school would not be cancelled on Monday....who wants to have the kids for one day before Thanksgiving?  They are crazy enough without the addition of one more day off.
 I'm certain that you can predict what happened...it rained but there was not one bit of ice in the area.  Pete claimed that we missed the disaster by one or two degrees but I think that the weatherpersons just wanted to see how crazy the metroplex could get.
It has now been 10 days since this last weather emergency and Pete is warning us that another winter weather event is on the way.  (I haven't seen the weather today so I am not sure if Pete's jacket is off or on.)  They say that the temperature will drop all night and through tomorrow.  The rain will begin tomorrow at 6 p.m ...how they know the exact time is beyond me.  The temperature will continue to drop and we should have a winter weather advisory on Friday morning with possible significant ice accumulation.  The bad weather will continue through the weekend.
So what does this mean to me?  When we first moved to Kansas in 1982, DH and I laughed when the weather forecasters came on with the blizzard warnings.  They would actually advise people to go to the grocery store to stock up on essentials.  Intrigued, I had to go to the store to see what the locals considered essentials.  Every cart contained milk, bread, chips, beer and in many cases, diapers.  Most of the time, these weather forecasters were just as wrong Pete and his buddies were last week.  We ignored these blizzard warnings and went on with our lives.  But in the winter of 1986-87, I knew it was time to leave Kansas because I actually started going to the store to stock up when the weather advisories were announced....could not risk running out of bread, milk, chips and beer.  (No diapers in our cart....the boys were out of diapers and no Depends for us yet.)
And so, what did I do today when faced with an impending weather crisis?  I went to WalMart to stock up.  But my cart did not have the Kansas essentials....it contained chicken, soup, ingredients for tortilla soup and chocolate milk.  (Chocolate milk?  But of course....I need it for my hot cocoa and Bailey's Irish Cream.) Once again...no diapers.  And we have beer on hand.
So now we wait....will Pete and the other prophets of doom be right or will one or two degrees make all the difference?  DH is wondering if he will have school on Friday.  I'm worried that my Friday sew day with the Sewing Sisters will be cancelled.  Friends are posting photos on Facebook of empty grocery shelves. We have postponed our planned next stop on the Beermuda Triangle trail until January.  Will Book Club be able to meet Sunday night? Where is that ice scraper anyway?
I think it's time to leave Texas.