The car died again, we jumped it again, I decided I needed a new battery. Gary may help with that this week. Meanwhile the car's down the street out of the way of the truck coming to pick up the pod from his house.
Handsome Son tells me AAA might be able to replace the battery on the spot, so that might be worth investigating. I must admit to feeling a bit defeated at the moment, just not enough energy, emotional or physical, to deal with the cold weather and attendant issues.
In my seventies this would have been very manageable, but once you get past eighty, things are very different, including the energy available to cope. I do continue with what exercise I can manage, to try to maintain strength.
One really useful one is getting out of a chair without using your hands, then lowering yourself veeeeery slowly back down to a sitting position. It's like squats, and is vital to keep your legs working if they currently do.
I do about ten of these in a set, and various stretches and balancing things at odd times. Usually waiting for the microwave is a good moment for a tree pose and other moves, with counters handy just in case.
Meanwhile, spinach, cilantro and potato soup, yogurt stirred in for a lovely tangy flavor. Toasted multigrain on top.
I really like the table runner. I make a conscious effort not to use my hands when I get up from a chair. It's one thing I can still do. I'm going to give the chair squats a try. I do back stretching and counter pushups when I'm in the kitchen. Your car is giving you a headache all of a sudden. I hope AAA will install your battery, that would be convenient.
ReplyDeleteThat levering yourself up gets to be a habit! So it's good to try to reverse it. I have to check if my AAA m ship is current.
DeleteIt's hard not to feel despair for Ukraine.
ReplyDeleteThey've been overrun so many times by different powers.
DeleteThe Ukrainian whitework is beautiful. My sister collects antique examples whenever she comes to Europe and can rummage about in the tight kinds of flea markets. She teaches embroidery and tries to keep certain cultural styles alive, even on the other end of the earth. You always feed yourself so well - your devotion to cooking well for yourself is something I envy.
ReplyDeleteCooking to please yourself is a pleasure! Your sister sounds great.
DeleteI wonder what will happen in Ukraine this year. It sometimes feels like a horrible world.
ReplyDeleteGeography really matters, especially in Europe.
DeleteI seem to recall Mr Pepys had quite an appetite! I shall have to try that getting out of the chair thing.
ReplyDeleteThe account of his wife setting out a multi course dinner is amazing. Herself, with a girl helping, not a kitchen staff.
DeleteSo sorry about the car -- you're right. Everything is a little harder the older we go. I like your exercise you described. That's a good one!
ReplyDeleteI think 80 is a watershed. Quite a change in the years since.
DeleteI want whatever it is that Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have. I guess skinny bodies is part of it.
ReplyDeleteI have only recently heard the term, "I only have so many spoons," to describe the amount of energy we have, whether physical or emotional. I get it. Yes, sometimes we can push through but it's not always good for us to do so and it's not always possible.
Good luck with the battery. I surely hope that you can get it replaced right where it sits.
J and r are kids in their seventies! In my seventies I was doing 24/7, 7 am to 11pm care of a quadriplegic partner. Maybe an hour's rest in the afternoon when he napped. Couldn't do that now!
DeleteAlso they never gave birth, that's big!
DeleteYes to AAA and the new battery. I had that happen a few months ago. A battery change with the car in my garage. So much easier than any alternative I could think of, and a good use of onte of the perks of AAA membership! I hear you about the passing 80. Sometimes I do not get out of my recliner on the first try!
ReplyDeleteThat needlework is beautiful.
I've been chasing around trying to see if my membership is current, and not being recognized by any of the AAA that serves this area. They all say nope, not us. Or that I can't use that mship # because it's in use. Yes, by me! My card expired in 22, so I don't know. And they're saying they're only attending people stranded, not in safe locations. Meanwhile Gary came by to say he's taking it in this afternoon!
DeleteI need to start doing walking lunges again. I used to be able to stand from sitting cross legged without using my hands to boost me up. haven't been able to do that for at least a year, probably longer.
ReplyDeleteUse it or lose it!
ReplyDeleteMy son had battery problems. Got a new battery and it didn’t help it was his alternator or something like that. Anyway they had to wait on a new one to arrive so he was using my car because I have a car seat for Ana.
ReplyDeleteNow it’s all fixed and hopefully I won’t have to give up my wheels again for a while
I had wondered about that. But I figured since the battery's almost four yrs old, I may as well go for it anyway. We'll see if it fixes the non starting.
DeleteOne has to look for news of Ukraine these days. I hope this winter is not desperate for the people.
ReplyDeleteThey're having some successes -- I follow a couple of people reporting from there -- but it's still a dangerous situation with more funding desperately needed.
DeleteKudos to you for exercising! It takes strong will and perseverance, which I seem to lack. Good luck with the car battery!
ReplyDeleteThe exercising is partly from fear of losing independence! But yes, I do persevere. Some times it resembles perseveration, admittedly!
DeleteI had triple A replace a battery a couple of winters ago. It came to about $130. Not bad.
ReplyDeletePrices are up now, not surprisingly.
DeleteWinter in the northeast is just a hard time - not surprised you feel a bit low at times. Yet you still exercise, you still cook yourself tasty and healthy meals, and you continue with your art. There's a lesson in there for the rest of us. I hope Gary has acquired a new battery for the car, and I hope that solves the unreliability problem. My mother-in-law drove about as much as you do, and had the same battery issue.
ReplyDeleteChris from Boise
Yes, partly it's about not driving enough to keep the battery charged. And I do keep going, that's true, though my own battery is a bit low!
DeleteBatteries may not do well in winter, if they're more than three years old, which is the age we are at now. I think it's holding, though.
ReplyDeleteIt's a tricky point, I think, not quite old enough to replace but getting there.
DeleteAAA should be able to help you with the battery. It's worth a call to check. I had a flat tire a few weeks ago and they came out and had it fixed in less than an hour.
ReplyDeleteRead on!
DeleteI have read lots of Georgette Heyer. These Old Shades and the sequel, Devil's Cub were favorites for years. Now I like The Tollgate, so much that I actually spent $10-12 on a very nice readable copy - not those tiny print paperbacks I had for so many years. The Foundling is fun to read also, as the Duke learns how to run his life while continually hunting for the foundling.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I bought my own copy of Sootypaws. I love the pictures!!
I love Heyer, and I've read and reread a lot of her novels. I like her spirited heroines.
DeleteLiz, after nearly half a year of recovering from one thing or another, I'm having to build back muscle strength. I'm sure because of my recent searches online, my YouTube offerings have more and more been including exercises like you describe. I have found them perfect for the spot I'm in, and have made me more mindful of not losing the easy ability to do things like getting up from a seated position without needing to support myself. The endocrine therapy I'm on does make my joints stiffer, so that works against me, but that only means I need to apply myself more purposefully. Thanks for being point of inspiration.
ReplyDeleteGood for you for being aware of needing to maintain and increase strength. It will serve you well.
DeleteI just had to stand up from my chair without using my hands to prove to myself I could do it. Obviously that's something I need to be conscious of (and yes, I did it). Having said that, if I'm stupid enough to get down on the floor, getting up is a production. My knees refuse to do the work.
ReplyDeleteHope you can get the battery situation sorted out.
Getting up from the floor was something I could do till I passed eighty. Then your whole body, however tended to, loses some strength. So you try not to be on the floor!
DeleteI certainly don't spend time on the floor by choice but I sometimes wonder what would happen if I were to fall and didn't have something to brace myself to get up.
Delete