BS: Who you calling elderly?

To Thread - Forum Home

The Mudcat Café ^TM
https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=169870
179 messages

BS: Who you calling elderly?

22 May 21 - 11:04 AM (#4107013)
Subject: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jerry Rasmussen

Who you calling elderly?

I saw a news article today about an attack on an elderly man. He is 67. I lookecd up the definition of elderly in my Meriam Webster dictionary and it said "Older than middle-aged." What a cop out. I didn't bother to check their definition of middle-aged. It probably says, "younger than elderly." The internet was no help. They group the elderly, Seniors, and older people into the same category.

In my mind, elderly people say "By Cracky," and slap their knee when they tell an old joke. I wrote a song about being old:
" You know you're getting old when you start to say, I don't know what's the matter with these kids today."

Old is when you lose your sense of humor; when you are fearful of the future and can't remember the past; when you can consider exxercise as going to the refrigerator to get a bottle of beer; when you've lost your curiosity; and when no one remembers your oldies because they weren't born yet.

It is no particular age. It is not a matter of health. It is a mindset.

I have no intention of ever being elderly. Thanks for the offer but I think I'll pass.

22 May 21 - 12:16 PM (#4107024)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Mrrzy

Beats the alternative hollow.

22 May 21 - 12:30 PM (#4107026)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: meself

When you are in your mid-60s - as I am, by the bye - you are old, as far as young people are concerned - it's just silly to rail against it. Don't you remember being young? I don't want younger people pussyfooting around, wondering how to characterize my stage of life without hurting my tender feelings.

'elderly people say "By Cracky," and slap their knee when they tell an old joke.' I'm looking forward to that being me - time I started practising, I guess.

'" You know you're getting old when you start to say, I don't know what's the matter with these kids today."' Read some comments on on-line forums - not so much on this one, thankfully, but elsewhere you'll find all kinds of complaints about 'millenials', etc., and Boomers going on about how all the music today is nothing but noise ....

Don't take any of this too seriously; I'm just an old man rambling on ... think I'll go take a nap, now; you kids enjoy yourselves ... don't worry about me .......

22 May 21 - 12:38 PM (#4107028)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jerry Rasmussen

I like your rambles, meself.

My body is old. It reminds me all the time. I don't listen to it when it whines. I tell it to get a life, and do the things I can do to keep my body as strong as is possible at my age (which is more than I would believe.)

One thing: You are never so old that you can't lift someone's
spirit. It is light as a feather.

22 May 21 - 01:08 PM (#4107030)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jerry Rasmussen

I don't mind being tol that I am old. I am. My response then is, "and so?"

22 May 21 - 01:24 PM (#4107034)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Mrrzy

Age, old age, is an ACHIEVEMENT.

22 May 21 - 05:05 PM (#4107065)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Donuel

Old is when you can no longer think ahead. That makes some old by age 17 and young at 70. My kin generally look 20 years younger than we are.
(we stayed out of the poison yellow sun of yours.)

22 May 21 - 08:45 PM (#4107092)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Malcolm Storey

The one thing about being old is that it is never boring.
You wake up every morning with a different set of aches and pains.

Mind you if I'd known I was going to live this long I would have given up smoking 60 years ago rather than 20.

Time is of the essence - that's why retirement homes smell as they do!

I could go on but that will do for tonight.

22 May 21 - 09:53 PM (#4107095)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Sandra in Sydney

Way back in high school I counted forward & realised I'd be 48!!!! in 2000 - I couldn't imagine being that old ...

When I was in my early 40s, my younger sister had a friend/workmate the same age as me & she was OLD. She dressed like our parents, had behaviours & attitudes like our parents or grandparents & made herself OLD.

I'm 25 years older now (70 next year!) & still wear long hippy dresses. They are much more comfortable than many more recent fashions. I was hissed at a few years back by a snarky contemporary that I was stuck in a time-warp & almost broke into Rocky Horror Time Warp but restrained myself as explaining her rudeness in front of our friends was not appropriate - something I might have done in my thoughtless youth!

I won't mention my sore bits ...

22 May 21 - 10:18 PM (#4107098)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Rapparee

"Don't trust anyone over 30!"

Bob Dylan turns 80 on Monday. Mick Jagger is turning 78 this year. Joan Baez is 80. Joni Mitchell will be 78 in November. Phil Ochs is dead. Tom Paxton will be 84. Mama Cass and Janice Joplin are dead.

I'm 76.

DON'T TRUST ANYBODY OVER 90!!!

22 May 21 - 10:48 PM (#4107102)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: JennieG

I once read that "old age is ten years older than your current age"......so it keeps getting pushed back.

Sounds good to me.

It does really piss me off, however, when someone on the news is described as "an elderly man/woman aged somewhere between 50 and 60" - age is usually mid-50s. Since when was mid-50s classed as "elderly"?

Sandra is right. Attitude is a big factor in age. When my mother was my current age she had one foot in the grave; the other followed less than 18 months later and in she slid. I hope not to follow suit.

22 May 21 - 11:23 PM (#4107105)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Helen

One advantage of being labelled a "senior" in Oz is that we are eligible for the Seniors Card if we're working less than 21 hours per week. There are discounts on public transport and all sorts of other things. I'll accept being an oldie if there is a worthwhile advantage, and reject the title when it suits me.

My attire tends towards the hippie end of the scale as well. In the months after I retired I dyed my hair bright purple to celebrate. It was fun. It's a more sedate (NOT!) mulberry colour now.

23 May 21 - 12:13 AM (#4107108)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Sandra in Sydney

Helen, wot a shame we hippy-dressing oldies didn't get the chance to meet up a couple of years ago. We could have checked out each other's wardrobe. Tho I am pondering coming to Newcastle for a Sunday afternoon concert in a few months, I go the same distance to Wollongong for a day trip, why not head north?

In my cartoon collection I have a strip showing 2 mothers of teens/20s - first one is offered the Seniors discount by the cashier & is offended (she is younger than the cashier thinks), the first one is still ranting as they leave, while the second has a thought balloon ("I saved 5%!")

23 May 21 - 12:25 AM (#4107109)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Rapparee

One of the churches here has a "Seasoned Citizens" lunch once a month at a local restaurant. If I get any more seasoned I'll be toxic!

23 May 21 - 01:27 AM (#4107115)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Helen

Hey Sandra, yes, come to sunny Nukes. What's the concert? One of those Senior Cits specials featuring We'll Meet Again, and Daisy Bell?

Sorry!! LOL

23 May 21 - 02:35 AM (#4107118)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: BobL

One delight of being my present age (post-retirement pre-boomer) is that the world seems to be increasingly populated with young and beautiful people.

23 May 21 - 03:49 AM (#4107126)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jos

I have met young children who are seriously 'middle aged' - like Sandra in Sydney's sister's friend, but about seven years old.

I have also seen people's images of 'the elderly' being exploited in advertising. A leaflet for a retirement home had pictures of an elegant, well-heeled, happy looking couple dressed in clothes from the early 1930s - this is how 'the elderly' would have been thought of by those the advertisement was really aimed at, who grew up in the 1960s, and looked very different.

23 May 21 - 05:26 AM (#4107139)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Helen

I have it planned for some time in the future when I am forced to listen to a bunch of young'uns playing what they think is old folks music, e.g. the aforementioned "We'll Meet Again" etc. I'll be up the back yelling out, "play Stairway to Heaven" or even "play something by The Sex Pistols".

Back in the mid '80' my workplace was next to a Senior Citizens' Centre. They had regular concerts which we could hear through our back window. It made me wince even then. The way I figure it, the music that older folks probably want to hear was from when they were in their twenties, so in the mid-1980's, if the clientele were in their '60's, '70's or '80's, the repertoire should be from 40, 50 or 60 years ago, i.e. the 1940's, 1930's or 1920's. Daisy Bell, written in the 1890's should not have been on the list, although maybe We'll Meet Again would have appealed to the older people in the room because it was from World War II.

23 May 21 - 06:10 AM (#4107140)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jerry Rasmussen

I've enjoyed every comment on here. I've been playing, telling stories, and just plain visiting nursing homes since the seventies. I first started in the sixties. At that time, I sang songs my mother was still singing... Casey Would Waltz With the Strawberry Blond, Shine on Harvest Moon, and Bicycle Built For Two vintage. As time passed, I moved into songs from the forties, then fifties. Now those songs are too old for some of the younger residents. When I have to sing rap. I'll know it's time to quit. :-)

Most of the songs I've written and stories I tell are not nostalgic. Many are about right now, although I throw in a little doo wop and standards. In nursing homes, showing that you care for someone is far more important than a steady diet of "oldies." Folks may be old, but they're living right now, and good stories are timeless.

23 May 21 - 07:09 AM (#4107149)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Steve Shaw

I went to a pub in Broadford on Skye in 1974 that had a sign behind the bar saying "Credit is available to over-90s provided they are accompanied by both parents."

All my shirts are short-sleeved Hawaiian-style, I never wear long trousers or socks or a tie (the most ridiculously useless garment ever invented) and my footwear is always sandals. I possess no nightwear and never have (except for a pair in case I have to go into hospital). The most important thing for me in spring is to turn brown as quickly as possible. I'll be three score years and ten in three weeks' time.

23 May 21 - 07:42 AM (#4107154)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Donuel

Long pants and socks are a must in this Lyme disease area but Hawaiian shirts go with everything. It seems Helen, Steve and I are exactly the same age. My one pair of pajamas, should I ever need them, are a crossword puzzle design one can fill in with words.

I now picture steve wearing shorts, sandels and hawaiian shirt sporting a salted beard calling his cat "dinnneeer"

23 May 21 - 08:01 AM (#4107158)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: WalkaboutsVerse

"Old is when you lose your sense of humor" (Jerry)...and I've also enjoyed the humour in this thread.

23 May 21 - 08:48 AM (#4107166)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Helen

No, I haven't hit the septuagenarian stage yet but I only have a few more years of donating plasma before they show me the door.

One thing I have heard about is that people with dementia can remember songs from their youth and listening to those songs can light up their faces with joy.

If you are looking for some elderly humour, try the Aunty Acid cartoons. Do an image search on Google and there are hundreds of images.

23 May 21 - 09:10 AM (#4107172)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: rich-joy

Was it Pete Seeger maybe? who gave the definition that : "Old Age is where the Broad Mind and the Narrow Waist often change places"!!

Cheers,
R-J
(and I confess to shedding a teensy tear, as I say goodbye to my 60s this year :(

23 May 21 - 09:50 AM (#4107180)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jos

If people ever ask me how old I am I usually can't remember. It keeps changing.
I do know which year I was born, so I have to remember which year it is now (which also keeps changing), do a bit of mental arithmetic, then take into account the time of year (it keeps changing as well) in order to work out whether I have had a birthday yet.
With luck, I will come up with somewhere near the right answer.

I knew my mother was getting old when she said "I'm eighty-three, you know."

23 May 21 - 11:30 AM (#4107212)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: meself

I remember how delighted I was once when - many, many years ago - as my birthday was approaching I did the math, and discovered that I was 56 turning 57, and not 57 turning 58 as I had supposed. I couldn't help feeling that I'd gained a year.

23 May 21 - 11:57 AM (#4107214)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: WalkaboutsVerse

Living in England, I can't forget as it's often mentioned how long since we won the FIFA World Cup - the day I was born in Manchester.

23 May 21 - 12:14 PM (#4107223)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Steve Shaw

I watched that match on a big black-and-white telly in Victor Value supermarket in Radcliffe, where I was the Saturday lad (fifteen bob for a day's work). The manager, usually a miserable sod, hired the telly for the afternoon from Radio Rentals and actually let us watch the game instead of working...

23 May 21 - 05:53 PM (#4107280)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Helen

Jos, that's pretty much the same mental process I go through. My first response to the enquirer is, "what year is it?" but really that's a delaying tactic to give me time to do the calculations.

23 May 21 - 08:06 PM (#4107300)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Malcolm Storey

Vis 1966
We were busily changing the brake blocks on the pal with the car's car.
That's what you did then.
The plan was to get the job done before the match started.
Took a bit longer than anticipated so we did a bit more at half time and then again at full time before completing the job after extra time.
After that it was down to the pub where everyone seemed especially jolly, not the least the landlord.
The next day the four of us went for a spin in the pal's car and the brakes worked beautifully.
Happy days.

24 May 21 - 07:22 AM (#4107344)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Donuel

I was young when the shot heard round the world happened.
"The Giants win the pennent..."

Bob Dylan is 80 today

24 May 21 - 09:12 AM (#4107356)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jerry Rasmussen

Helen:

I've been singing in nursing home for over sixty years, and have many amazing stories about sudden breathroughs to people with Dementia after long times without speaking a word. Music is usually the trigger.

Once, I was singing in a Dementia ward where it wasn't clear to me that I was getting through to anyone. There was an old woman sitting motionless in her wheel chair who hadn't shown any response to the music until I sang Lucky Old Sun. As soon as I started singing, she joined in with a firm voice, and sang the whole song with me with a smile on her face. When we were done she slipped back into the silent void.

Music can bring people back with a clear mind.

24 May 21 - 09:32 AM (#4107358)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jeri

Someone once got upset with me over my use of the term "geezer". IMO, it has more to do with attitude than age, but age can mean people get set in their ways and intolerant of anything "new", and it was sort of nice to have someone assume I was one o' them young folks. I guess it's just different things that set off my own geezerness.

Meself, my birthday's in Dec, and one year, I got to May, thinking I was a year oder than I was. The fact I was actually 42 probably wasn't significant.

24 May 21 - 10:54 AM (#4107365)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: meself

Did you have that delightful feeling of having gained a year?

Btw, I gather from English TV & movies that 'geezer' on the east side of the pond is a generic term that doesn't imply anything about age - someone will quickly correct me if I have that one wrong ... !

24 May 21 - 11:35 AM (#4107373)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Charmion

The first time I heard the buzz of time's winged chariot hovering near, I was only 24 years old. I was doing a recruit medical on a candidate born after 1959.

Latterly, it's mostly when I'm talking to people who don't remember or have never heard of events that were world-changing to me. Whaddaya mean, you don't remember the Save Canada rally of 1995?

24 May 21 - 11:44 AM (#4107375)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Manitas_at_home

A geezer in the UK is just a bloke or chap. We would say old geezer to indicate agedness, but the two words are so often used together it's no surprise that geezer by itself has become associated with age. We also speak of diamond geezers aka terrific blokes or thoroughly decent chaps.

24 May 21 - 12:00 PM (#4107384)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jeri

Meself, it was great to get to do-over for 6 months!

When I think of the word "geezer", I thinks of someone who's miserable, hates change, and complains a lot. Unfortunately, it frequently has something to do with age, but being "old" isn't a requirement. I think we have more risk of being miserable, hating change, and prone to complaining when we get older. I might qualify, on a bad day, but I'd never think of Jerry as a geezer.

One thing that I've been noticing is who was alive when I was younger. Charlie Chaplin, Groucho Marx, Kate Smith, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, the entire Rat Pack... sometimes I think I should make a list, but then I realize how long it would take me.

24 May 21 - 12:10 PM (#4107389)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: fat B****rd

I'm 73 and didn't feel especially old until I was referred, by my GP, to the "Medicines of the Elderly" clinic recently. Just a general check up, but that title made me want to take up bowls and moan about "kids today" [:-}

24 May 21 - 12:17 PM (#4107392)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jeri

I ought to change my handle from "Jeri" to "Jeri Attric".

24 May 21 - 12:23 PM (#4107396)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Stilly River Sage

I was feeling incredibly old and achy - until my doctor discovered my thyroid was way low. What a difference a month makes!

24 May 21 - 12:26 PM (#4107397)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Dorothy Parshall

I am "old" enough to be considered "elderly" by anyone's standards, I guess. At 75, I mused, "I think I might be old now." The broken ankle shortly after my 80th aged me greatly; I forsook any sort of physical therapy and it was 3 years before I could be comfortable on uneven ground. I am still exceedingly careful - each step with mindfulness. The broken ankle never hurt much but being dependent was dreadful. Not being able to leave the house, even though I had the Rolls Royce of walkers was depressing; my house mate never "got it" that a railing really would have made a difference. Those weeks of isolation were far worse than current "stay home". The whole thing aged me unnecessarily.

Now 84, I went off and purchased enough (20) bags of "black earth" to plant the tomato plants on top of the clay in the back yard. As soon as the battery powered "weed eater" is charged, I will clear a track through the 18 inch grass so I can back up to the planting site. This is the BIG planting weekend in our part of Canada. So plant I shall! Greatly regretting the plastic bags that I am using. A gorgeous day and... Being 84 and reasonably healthy, I can easily forget I am "elderly"! Until I overdo it.

My house mate just turned 74; he feels old. But he works, physically and mentally, 7 days a week most times. High stress. He just took two days off to veg out; did not even finish installing the new bathroom sink. I mentioned it would have been nice... But he went off to work on this national holiday in far better shape.

The years have little to do with it; what we do to our bodies in those years... And how we view it all. I expected I would die at 58... Went to a Good doctor who pronounced me healthy; I trusted him.

People can call me elderly; that's their perception. Officially, I am old, elderly, whatever. I just keep muddling along.

24 May 21 - 12:29 PM (#4107398)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: meself

One time - um ... years ago - I made my first visit to a community music group that I was considering joining. When I arrived at the hall, I saw a prominent sign advertising that it was an "Over 50" club. I immediately had a sinking feeling - and then it occurred to me that I was well past 50 myself ......

24 May 21 - 02:36 PM (#4107410)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Bill D

I wonder why (many) people decide that people over 50.. or over 60..or...whatever... get the idea that people of 'an age' only want to socialize with others in their age group.
The folk realm has for 60 years meant I could share music AND ideas with folks of all ages.

24 May 21 - 02:39 PM (#4107411)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jos

I wouldn't want to join any group intended for the 'over 50s', or live in a compound housing only 'over 50s', or do anything else with an age restriction. There is so much to gain on all sides from people of different ages interacting, learning from, and enjoying the company of each other.

24 May 21 - 02:47 PM (#4107412)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jos

Bill D, you posted while I was typing, and we were thinking much the same thing.
I remember a friend at university who bought a small car so that she could move out of town, as she couldn't bear hardly ever meeting anyone who wasn't aged between 18 and 24. She valued the variety and richness to be found outside the student bubble.

24 May 21 - 04:34 PM (#4107433)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Helen

So SRS, no more porridge brain, eh? You're right, I felt elderly before being diagnosed with the thyroid issue and when the medication kicked in I was back to normal life.

I do feel old when I listen to some of what they call music these days. The type of popular music which has no real melody, and the little melody it does have is repeated and repeated for each line which is the same lyric over and over. It's only some of the current music around. Some of it I do like.

24 May 21 - 04:49 PM (#4107438)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: WalkaboutsVerse

Just back to 1966 briefly, Jack Charlton (RIP) was on Facebook for a while saying, e.g., how much he liked fly fishing and disliked women's football; then one time he posted a photo of the World Cup winning team, with a caption saying something like who's the handsome tall chap in the middle?

I let him know what I posted above and added that, despite being born with a club foot, I managed to play A-grade juniors in Sydney; to which he replied - Alf Ramsey used to say I was born with 2 club feet!

24 May 21 - 05:38 PM (#4107445)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jeri

My thyroid is fine. What I have a problem with is B-12. Doc gave me supplements, and I'm feeling better.

My biggest issue with "the way things are these days" is television. Used to be, there were a few networks, and shows were on at specified times. You'd talk about the latest episode of whatever, and it was a social bonding thing. Now, you can watch shows anytime - there's no schedule - and with no set times, I forget to watch, and there IS no "latest episode". It has good points. Families no longer argue about who gets to watch their show at a given time, and binge-watching has helped us stay sane during the lock-down.

24 May 21 - 05:45 PM (#4107446)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: WalkaboutsVerse

Hearing it's the vitamin that vegans struggle to get enough of, I have a slice a day of a vegan cheese with added vitamin B12.

24 May 21 - 06:00 PM (#4107447)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Steve Shaw

Drink those Alpro oat/soya/almond milks. They're vegan and they all have B12 added. I love the unsweetened oaty one.

24 May 21 - 06:06 PM (#4107448)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: WalkaboutsVerse

Thanks Steve - I just checked and my carton of Tesco soya drink does indeed have B12, plus B2, D2 and iodine.

24 May 21 - 06:11 PM (#4107449)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: WalkaboutsVerse

...I think the latter being what I was told to add to my water bottle when travelling through India in 1988 - which I did for a while but then decided if the water source was good enough for the locals not to bother.

24 May 21 - 07:28 PM (#4107454)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Donuel

Some of you are fully familiar with yin and yang.
In youth I consciously depended on going full Yang. With age I planned to exploit Yin. Yang is forgiven when you force things in youth. Yin in old age allows you to easily force things unseen.
Simply put, with yin you allow gravity to do your work.
Yin is vastly more nuanced than yang.

24 May 21 - 08:23 PM (#4107459)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jerry Rasmussen

Helen: Geezer isn't age-specific. It's a politer way of saying "an old fart." Geezers haven't had a new thought in ten years.

Dorothy: walking on uneven ground is the real test of balance and leg strength. My lawn is a never-ending series of holes and mounds. It's a good place to twist an ankle. I've regained reasonably good balance with the elliptical at Planet Fitness and walking at a solid speed on the treadmill without holding on. Most of all, I had to get rid of Vertigo.

Jeri: You could be Jeri Cho, a symbol of freedom. I started talking about a guy in my neighborhood many years ago whose name was Al. I didn't know his last name, so I started saying his name was Al Fresco, and people started using that, not realizing it wasn't his actual name. :-)

24 May 21 - 08:40 PM (#4107463)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Steve Shaw

Geezer quite often has positive connotations this end. You wouldn't use it for a child, but other than that it isn't at all age-specific on its own.

There's a bloke called Al Dente, but I've only ever seen him in spaghetti westerns, riding a pony called Macaroni.

24 May 21 - 08:52 PM (#4107464)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jeri

My name on a few successive computer log-ins and email addresses was "jerico" because my last name started with "co".

I bought some oat milk to use for snoothies, but I don't like the taste. I'm not vegan, so I probably could eat some sausages, but since I'm the only one here, if I buy a package, I have to eat them all. I love dairy, but I don't mind taking the supplement.

My neurologist thinks I should use a cane, but I feel like it would be giving in. The B-12 does really seem to be helping with balance. I DO have to hang on when I'm on the treadmill. I do the bike, but maybe I should get back to the elliptical.

24 May 21 - 09:14 PM (#4107466)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jerry Rasmussen

Hang in there, Jeri. It takes time to rebuild and add muscle. I couldn't use the elliptical because my legs weren't strong enough. I've strengthened them quite a bit, and now it's not so overwhelming. I do a little more each time I use the machine and my heart rate stays low now for the first four or five minutes.

24 May 21 - 09:25 PM (#4107468)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jeri

The first time I got on the elliptical in 2008, I'm not sure I lasted 2 minutes. I kept doing it, and loved it. The only reason I ended my workout was that I was bored. Silly, I know. Then I made friends with the bike. I really need the treadmill, though, for balance and bone density.

I don't know that this is just me, but...
I used to not do things for a week or so (if I'm sick, lazy, or just away somewhere), and there wasn't much change when I went back to using muscles. Now, it seems like I start to go to hell if I miss a couple days. I don't maintain like I did.

24 May 21 - 09:54 PM (#4107471)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jerry Rasmussen

Jeri: I'm changing tghe way I work out. For a long time now I've focused on three machines, or sometimes a fourth. I try to strengthen specific muscles. For a long time, it was to try to strength my legs and improve my balance. What I've found it is the other muscle groups that need regular exercise, like my biceps, arms and shoulders lose strength. I've talked it over with the personal trainer at Planet Fitness and he has encouraged me not to spend ten or 15 minutes on countless sets, each with 20-25 reps. I'm now changingto doing five or six machines when I go, with fewer reps and sets. I think that will work better.

Good for you. Most people do little or no organized
exercise.

24 May 21 - 09:57 PM (#4107473)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: punkfolkrocker

Martha Argerich: 80 Year Old SUPER VIRTUOSO!!

24 May 21 - 10:41 PM (#4107475)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jeri

PFR, holy.................!!! I'm not knowledgeable about classical music, but WOW!

25 May 21 - 12:00 AM (#4107478)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: punkfolkrocker

I'd never heard of her, until a few hours ago when the video turned up on my feed..

Astonishing...!!!

25 May 21 - 02:50 AM (#4107483)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Mr Red

well now, I invariably refuse to state my age. People then mentally guess your age and react according to their assessment. And luckily they aim low.

Well that's my methodology to railing against being thought of as past it.

25 May 21 - 04:56 AM (#4107494)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Rain Dog

What age do people think they are?

In your minds eye do you think of yourself as bring your current age or a few years younger?

25 May 21 - 05:15 AM (#4107495)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Black belt caterpillar wrestler

I intend to live for ever, and its working so far.

On that basis I am not even middle-aged yet!

Robin

25 May 21 - 05:33 AM (#4107498)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Sandra in Sydney

Jerry wrote - It's a politer way of saying "an old fart."

the politest way is Olde Pharte! JennieG taught me that, she has a way with words -

25 May 21 - 06:46 AM (#4107501)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: JennieG

The plural is, of course, Olde Phartez.

25 May 21 - 07:43 AM (#4107507)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Steve Shaw

Martha Argerich and Daniel Barenboim are lifelong friends. They were both born in Buenos Aires, within 18 months of each other. They are both incredible free keyboard spirits. If I want to hear some Beethoven piano music, he's my first resort. I sometimes find her playing to be very driven and occasionally brittle. I look elsewhere for warmth. I bought a record of her playing Schumann's Kreisleriana and loved it. The other side was Kinderscenen, which I don't think she got to the heart of. She is a private, reserved person and is somewhat notorious for cancelling her performances at the last minute. I agree with the YouTube bloke that we'll still be talking about her in 200 years' time. Well, not me personally.

Check out Mitsuko Uchida for a truly wonderful female pianist. At 72 I think she qualifies for the thread, though maybe she wouldn't agree.

25 May 21 - 09:06 AM (#4107514)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Donuel

Easy there big fella, Martha has a delightful extended soft touch when called for. The keys will move less than a quarter inch to capture the soft but fast passages.Thanks for the information that Daniel is her friend. Are you sure you don't have a music historian degree?

25 May 21 - 12:12 PM (#4107539)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: meself

"Historian"?? They aren't THAT old!

25 May 21 - 03:06 PM (#4107561)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Bill D

I am reminded of Eubie Blake who played into his 90s...

25 May 21 - 08:53 PM (#4107584)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Donuel

A reminder; Hurricane Bill has begun with the flap of a horsefly's wings in west Africa.
Its on its way, an' I don't know where and I don't know when.
Goodbye Maggie, queen of Corona, Hurricane Bill is next on the list to hit. singin Hurricane Bill is next on the list to hit.

25 May 21 - 11:15 PM (#4107593)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Stilly River Sage

I heard Eubie Blake a couple of times when I was living in Brooklyn. He used to perform at one of the band structures in the Prospect Park.

The Argerich video is a nice reminder of her work. I've heard her over the years, but on the radio. The videos are a revelation. I have a bunch of high-end CDs I got at a garage sale, when they thought no one would be interested so sold the entire bin of 300+ disks for $20. I'm betting I'll find some Argerich in there (but I'll have to search by composer). Whoever curated this collection of mine was, I think, teacher, probably university level. He/she had several performances of various pieces and I'm sure it was for comparison purposes. It's how one of my music classes was taught decades ago, a time-honored approach to teaching by comparison.

26 May 21 - 08:33 AM (#4107618)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Donuel

A surprisingly good movie about being called elderly is called The last movie star

26 May 21 - 09:44 AM (#4107627)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jerry Rasmussen

Thanks for the suggestion, Donuel. We'll probably watch it tonight. It looks good.

26 May 21 - 01:57 PM (#4107665)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Donuel

Think
50 years go by
in a blink
Too soon
for a lifetime memorial
too late
for better past choices.

I could give or take a tutorial.
Right now is not all I got,
I still have past predictions.
I could go float in a sea of memories
that I thought I forgot.

But the next thing
is more exiting

26 May 21 - 02:37 PM (#4107674)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Donuel

ha ha last word ; Exciting
Its a Freudian slip and fall.

26 May 21 - 03:56 PM (#4107685)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Bonzo3legs

I see people daily who are probably 10 years younger than myself, who I would call elderly!!

26 May 21 - 04:07 PM (#4107689)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: punkfolkrocker

My mum is 89, and recently been moved by adult social services into a dementia care home..

She is not at all happy being surrounded by so many elderly annoying people...

26 May 21 - 05:14 PM (#4107699)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jerry Rasmussen

Bonzo: Age is not a good measure of whether or not someone is elderly, or just high-mileage. I am old (86) but not elderly. My mother lived to be 99, but I never though of her as elderly. Her mind was sharp as a tack, and in her early nineties, she had a curious, adventurour Spirit. My mother was in her low 90's when my father died. The morning after the funeral service she asked me to take her out to buy a "record player." :-) My father didn't want music playing in the house, and she loved music. She'd heard of CDs but didn't know much about them. I took her out and bought her a stereo player and a couple of CDs she weanted. When I came down for breakfast the next morning she was listening to the radio, listening to rap. I asked her why she was listening to rap music. She said "Th last time I liwstened to radio, Glen Miller was still playing." We both laughed. Mom had a t endency to exagerate for a laugh. It clearly runs in the family.

Punkfolkrocker. My wife had dementia and spent the3 last three months of her life in a Dementia ward. I've sung in the nursing home for twenty years, so I am familiar with the range of awareness in a Dementia Waqrd. Normally, a new resident is noit put in a Dementia Ward unless they have Dementia. THere are plenty oif exceptions, and a wide range in level of comprehension. My wife was quiet, and sweet. She didn't talk much, but she could outsmile anyone. She did o.k. in the ward, because she could be who she was at that stager in her life. There were people in the ward who could deck you with a left if you got too close. It requires a lot of patience to deal with impatient people.

26 May 21 - 06:03 PM (#4107710)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Mr Red

Did someone mention biological age?
Different parts age at different rates. And not all equal the chronology. It is written in the telomeres.
Take eyes. You can have mine, if I get a better pair in the deal.

27 May 21 - 04:40 AM (#4107747)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Donuel

My eyes are such that "Bonzo: Age is not a good measure of..."
Lopks to me as "Bronze Age is not a good measure..."

27 May 21 - 05:15 AM (#4107749)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jos

When I was young my older relatives, if asked how old they were, would say
"I'm as old as my little finger and a little bit older than my teeth."

I wonder if the 'young' equivalent of 'the elderly' is 'the youthful'.

27 May 21 - 06:20 AM (#4107753)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Ebbie

: JennieG - PM
Date: 22 May 21 - 10:48 PM

Jennie, I once read a novel that was published in 1910. In the story there was a querulous old granny who spent most of her days with a shawl over her shoulders and sitting behind the wood stove.

Later in the story it developed that Granny was 54 years old.

27 May 21 - 08:21 AM (#4107760)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jos

That brought to mind Mr Salteena - "an elderly man of 42" - in The Young Visiters, written by Daisy Ashford in 1890 when she was nine years old.
Though he was not a grandparent and was in fact quite young at heart.

27 May 21 - 11:00 AM (#4107773)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: punkfolkrocker

When we were teenagers we thought 27 year olds were really old.

.. even 19 year olds were on the verge of becoming grown ups;
but still fairly cool and not yet too
boring..

So anybody out parents age or older were well past it...

27 May 21 - 05:32 PM (#4107816)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: JennieG

Oh, my goodness, Ebbie! Only 54!!

Still, I suppose when that book was published a 54YO old woman was 'old'.....life expectancy being a lot shorter than it is now.

I remember thinking, as I approached my 55th birthday, that I was on a slippery slope downwards. 50 wasn't too bad but 60 was much older, and I was half way there.

27 May 21 - 06:50 PM (#4107820)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Bill D

I've worked on my genealogy for about 5-6 years. Because of a few lucky things, I've found a very large number of my ancestors. A few were indeed "elderly", like 80-90, but as I go back beyond 1900, 50s & 60s were more common, and WAY back, I mean 1000 to 1600, 30s & 40s were quite common. Some had 3-4 children before dying in their late 20s. (yes, some of the men died in combat or were executed for their religion and some of the women died in childbirth.)

It's all a matter of perspective.

27 May 21 - 07:03 PM (#4107824)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Donuel

cool Bill.

Ya know Cher is hot at 75.

27 May 21 - 07:10 PM (#4107825)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jerry Rasmussen

Bill: With the world birth rate dropping like it is, someday Earth my be known as The Planet of the Elderly.I can see the diaster movie now.... Hordes of the Elderly mluntain a revolution charging the gates, angrily waving their thee legged walkers!

Ity will be as exciting as an old SCience Fiction I saw about monster snails. They were six or seven feet tail. A man was reading a book when a young, frightened kid came bursting through the door.
"The snails are comin, the snails are coming! We've got to run!!!!. "I will, as soon as I finish this book."
"What page are you on?
12"
"What are you reading?"
"Moby Di0k."

27 May 21 - 07:15 PM (#4107826)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Doug Chadwick

"I'm as old as my little finger and a little bit older than my teeth."

My mother used to say "I'm not quite as old as the top of my head but a bit older than my feet".

DC

27 May 21 - 10:01 PM (#4107844)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: JennieG

My grandfather, Pop Davis, used to say: "I'm as old as my tongue and a little bit older than my teeth".

28 May 21 - 02:27 AM (#4107873)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jos

Although Bill D's ancestors 1000 or more years ago may not have lived more than 30 or 40 years, the Bible (Psalm 90) gives as a normal life span as 'three score years and ten', which is 70.
If we survive accidents, sickness, war, childbirth, and all the other hazards that surround us, 70 should be achievable - and any more is a (usually) welcome bonus.

28 May 21 - 04:23 AM (#4107881)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Doug Chadwick

the Bible (Psalm 90) gives as a normal life span as 'three score years and ten', which is 70.

But it also said that Adam lived for 930 years, Noah for 950 years Methuselah died aged 969.

I have reached my three score years and ten, so I am living on bonus time.

DC

28 May 21 - 04:49 AM (#4107883)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Steve Shaw

And I'll be there in two weeks' time. I think I'll save my family some money and combine my birthday party with my wake.

28 May 21 - 06:12 AM (#4107890)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jos

"Adam lived for 930 years, Noah for 950 years Methuselah died aged 969"

That could be a misunderstanding about measurements of time. If, instead of counting in years, they were counting moons - roughly 13 lunar months a year - Adam, Noah and Methuselah would have died in their seventies.

28 May 21 - 07:29 AM (#4107898)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: punkfolkrocker

No men in my immediate family ever make it to 70.
That's a family curse hanging over me..

I'm 62...

The anomalies were my Great grandad, who got to 90 in the mid 1960s,
.. and my Dad's dad who lived to 80, and died in the early 1970s..

Their shared common factor was they both faught in the first world war...???

.. not much help to me..

Why couldn't their secret elixier have been something more do-able...?????

My only hope is that as my sister passed at 49,
maybe I'll get her spare unused allocation of years...

28 May 21 - 07:29 AM (#4107899)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Doug Chadwick

That could be a misunderstanding about measurements of time. If, instead of counting in years, they were counting moons ....

"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less."
Lewis Carrol - Through the Looking Glass

There are those who would have us believe that every word in the Bible is true, rather than it just being a story. Beware of cherry-picking "facts" from the Bible as evidence of anything.

DC

28 May 21 - 08:08 AM (#4107902)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jos

For many, many people, fighting in the first world war didn't result in a long life.

28 May 21 - 08:11 AM (#4107903)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jos

"Why couldn't their secret elixier have been something more do-able...?????"

I had a great-uncle who did survive the Great War and lived into his nineties. His secret 'elixir' was rice pudding. EVERY day.

28 May 21 - 08:25 AM (#4107907)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: punkfolkrocker

My Great Grandad's was a tot of rum every day.

..until he fell over and broke his hip..

hmmmm... [Rum giveth, and rum taketh away...]

Who knows how many more years he still had left in him...???

My Dad's dad's elixir, according to family legend, was 12 gallons of rough cider per week..

He died a fat blind diabetic.

28 May 21 - 08:37 AM (#4107909)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: WalkaboutsVerse

Day off today and, after practising my serve at the local park, I tried a few of the exercise machines courtside - including, for the first time in my life, the elliptical (mentioned above)...never been skiing but seemed a bit like cross-country skiing movements, and obviously low-impact on the joints.

Now I'm switching between the French Open tennis qualifying and the Giro - what a beautiful country Italy is.

28 May 21 - 08:49 AM (#4107911)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: WalkaboutsVerse

(I keep a hanky damp with antiseptic liquid in my pocket, and wiped my hands before and after, by the way.)

28 May 21 - 08:49 AM (#4107912)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Donuel

Yep snow soft, tree hard.

28 May 21 - 01:19 PM (#4107941)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Bill D

I'm sure that in biblical times, 70 was not uncommon... so those who made it were considered 'normal'. They knew that war and accidents etc. happened.
By the Dark Ages and into Medieval eras, more wars and disease etc. were affecting 'average' life span..including, eventually, The Black Death. Since modern medicine in the 1800s to the present, 'average' has gradually increased.
I am the result of thousands of lucky circumstances that didn't kill my ancestors... so are all of you.
Actually, 2 of my ancestors died at sea in the mid 1600s... but they had a son in England who didn't emigrate to the colonies until several years later.

Every set of statistics has to be understood in context....

28 May 21 - 11:08 PM (#4107993)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: keberoxu

Now, don't mind me, but ...

I'm in residential treatment and
there are three of us over the age of sixty here.
We are amongst the most cheerful of the lot.

And here at the psychiatric treatment center,
some of the saddest, most distraught of patients
are those who are the youngest
(you have to be at the age of consent: eighteen or older).

Mind you, we three "elderlies" have our issues or we would not be here to begin with.
But, somehow, we feel thankful to have survived this far.
Meanwhile the youngsters, some of them,
go through each day as though it is the end of the world.
It makes me stop to think.

29 May 21 - 01:03 AM (#4108001)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: punkfolkrocker

Adolescents and young adults feel the best and worst of life far more intensley...

29 May 21 - 01:40 PM (#4108060)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jerry Rasmussen

I've beeen talking with friends about getting old, and one of the hardest things is rarely talked about: isolation. Old folks are often lonely, and feel left behind. I had two sisters. My oldest sister, Marilyn died five years ago. My sister Helen who was four years older than me, begged me not to die and leave her alone. She was very distressed with the thought, so I decided to stick around. My parents died long ago, my sisters are gone, many of my best friends are, too. There's also the physical isolation. There comes a time when traveling across country becomes too difficult. The pandemic robbed us of a year and a half of limited or no air travel. I have regularly visited nursing homes for most of my life doing a variety of programs, and just visiting. Even residents who don't know you are happy to have you visit. No one wants to feel forgotten.

29 May 21 - 03:19 PM (#4108075)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: WalkaboutsVerse

With your experience and thoughtfulness, Jerry, I'm sure you have got that right.

I'd been visiting my parents in Sydney from England every year for years but not since December 2019, sadly; but, on the positive side, my sister and brother-in-law live nearby and visit regularly.

As well as taking them on the outings they love in a hire car, I also made a point of eating in the community dining room with them a couple of times.

I'm hoping I can make it later in the year...

29 May 21 - 03:48 PM (#4108081)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Helen

I started a thread in January 1999 (when I was in my mid '40's) based on a comment I had made in a different thread which was named "Old Folkers":

Old Folkies' Home/Retirement Village

"Subject: RE: Old Folkers From: Helen Date: 01-Jan-99 - 06:09 PM On another note: A few years ago I had an idea (but no resources to carry it out) about setting up an Old Folkies Home/Retirement Village. I think that my own personal nightmare of growing old is the possibility that I'll be trapped in a regular old folk's home with bingo players and carpet bowlers, being wheeled in to a concert of singers singing way off key, and playing out of tune fiddles, playing "We'll Meet Again" or something from the turn of this century (rather than Stairway to Heaven or a bit of Metallica?), and being patted on the head by a well-meaning young-un who says "you'll love this music, dear" and being left there, incapable of wheeling myself away from the aural torture. It's be far better to set up an Old Folkies Home where the residents would sit around having sessions and Mudcat-type chats and *we* would be the ones going to other old folks homes to provide the music. Like one long folk festival for the rest of your life. What do you reckon?"

Link fixed. ---mudelf

29 May 21 - 04:06 PM (#4108085)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: WalkaboutsVerse

As well as the "Quartet" movie, I'm sure I saw on the news a care home for ex-classical musicians here in England...so it's certainly possible, Helen...

29 May 21 - 06:20 PM (#4108099)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Steve Shaw

My mum was in a residential home close to us for two years until she died last October aged 91. It was hardly Buckingham Palace, but we were incredibly happy to have her in such a loving environment so close to us. Whilst the 03.48 PM post fairly accurately describes the kind of things happening there, the sort of activities, etc., it completely fails to capture the atmosphere that the wonderful efforts of the staff to entertain the residents achieved, and the sense of fun that they successfully engendered in those kinds of activities. Why, I wouldn't have missed those sing-songs with my mum for the world, and yes, we sang We'll Meet Again every time. Shop around for your residential home. There's a lot of love around.

29 May 21 - 07:57 PM (#4108110)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: punkfolkrocker

My mum is now an unwilling resident in a dementia care home.
It is essential either my wife or I phone her at the same time every evening
It doesn't matter what rubbish we talk about as long as we end every call with mum laughing.

My mum is a retired care worker.
She worked many years in an old people's home.
She often complained to us about middle class families who dumped their parents in the home;
then rarely bothered getting back in touch until it was time for the will to be read..

We are a traditional old fashioned working class family.
Mum has no money, or property, or investments too leave us.
We phone her everyday simply because we love her.

I hope I get to see her soon while she still recognises the top of my head poking up out of full PPE...

29 May 21 - 08:14 PM (#4108113)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Steve Shaw

I know. The last year has been bloody tough. Just make sure that you get to those sing-songs when you can. It's really important to know what you've got before it's gone, I found....

29 May 21 - 10:48 PM (#4108125)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Stilly River Sage

I hope the many lessons about how to reach out to your loved ones even during a pandemic have been learned by a lot of people. 100 years from now, when the 2020 pandemic is history and something to be studied, what will the conclusions be? Hopefully that we were resourceful in our methods of staying in touch with loved ones.

My daughter and I spent the last year having picnics in the parking garage at her workplace, where after a few months at home they determined that she could safely go in two days a week (alternating staff in work areas). So on a Tuesday or Thursday I would pickup takeout, would drive to her garage and park next to her car. We both took folding cloth chairs out of our vehicles (I now keep two of them in my SUV—I never did before, but I always will now—and we sat six feet apart to talk and eat. When we were vaccinated and could finally hug - I didn't think I could let go of her, it had been so long. I think the literature will be full of stories of family resourcefulness. And for our elders, those concerts from the parking lot or through glass, and conversations via phone or tablet, they helped. Good job, everyone.

29 May 21 - 10:50 PM (#4108126)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jerry Rasmussen

One of the difficult things to do is imagine life in a nursing home when you're in your fifties, or even sixties. My father resisted going in to a retirement complex. When he reached the age where taking care of the yard and property (or even taking out the garbage) was difficult for him, he changed his mind. He loved the place they moved to because they started out with an apartment, and lived there until my father died. My mother stayed in the apartment for another three years, and then moved into assisted living in the same complex. If they'd stayed in our family home they would have lived a sad life. They couldn't drive; most of their freinds were dead or equally isolated. In the retirement complex they made many new friends and socially more than they had when they were living at home. If you try to imagine yourself living in a retirement complex or nursing home with your current health, of course it sounds like a sentence.

29 May 21 - 11:06 PM (#4108130)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Helen

Jerry, a few years after my maternal grandfather died, when my grandmother decided to move to a retirement village she lucked out completely in finding a really good place to live. She started out in a self contained unit and when her health deteriorated many years later she was moved into a higher level of care but still independent living and then later into the nursing home. I think she made some good friends there and the staff were very caring and supportive.

It was indicative of my Grandma that she suffered a heart attack while carrying a heavy sewing machine up a slope to do some sewing for another village resident. No slacking off for her. Some years later she had a stroke and she was gone soon after.

30 May 21 - 11:56 AM (#4108199)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jerry Rasmussen

Great story, Helen.

One about my mother.

My mother lived to 99. Her body was giving out, but her m,ind wsas still as clear as a bell. She'd lost her vision to the point where wh could no longer ead, but her dear friend Bess (who was in her her late 80's, would drop by every evening after visiting severak other friends of hers in the complex. Each night, Bess would read to her before Mom went to sleep. She often read a story from one of my books, which mom especially enjoyed. Mom's health was rapidly detgeriorated and she knew she didn't have long to live. Bess told mom that she wanted to be there when mom went home to glory, and mom promised she'd have someone call her if she knew she was near to passing.

When the time came and mom knew she was dying, she had the nurse call Bess so she could be there. When the nurse called, Bess didn't answer the phone. Mom was very upset and asked the nurse to find Bess. As it turned out, Bess was taking a shower. When they reached Bess, they told her mom wanted her to come immediately. Bess threw on some clothes and rushed to mom's room. Mom was holding on,keeping her promise to Bess. When mom saw Bess come in the room, she gave a weak smile and reached up one hand. When Bess took her hand and spoke to her, mom's hand slipped from Bess's and she went hoe to glory with a smile.

Mom was a woman of her word.

30 May 21 - 02:48 PM (#4108230)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Helen

That's beautiful, Jerry.

30 May 21 - 07:47 PM (#4108252)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Donuel

60 minutes tonight is about people in their 90's and 100's
Several eye openers is ; that half the kids born today will reach 101 or higher. There is a resistance to dementia or Aspergers in some people that leaves them unaffaected. CPT43 is a dementia that affects only people in their 90's.

31 May 21 - 01:48 AM (#4108270)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: BobL

half the kids born today will reach 101 or higher

Worldwide, or merely in certain countries? I presume that's also extrapolating from present trends, not taking into account the foreseeable consequences of war, pestilence, global warming etc.

31 May 21 - 08:08 AM (#4108291)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: gnu

Myself.

31 May 21 - 09:24 AM (#4108300)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Donuel

I assume its the US but I am as curious as you.

10 years ago I wrote some fiction about telomere treatments that only Bill Gates, Musk and Bezos could afford and the consequences of doubling certain life spans. Politically it was like greed on steroids.

31 May 21 - 11:23 AM (#4108320)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Helen

Donuel, a long, long time ago I read a science fiction story possibly by Isaac Asimov, about a rich man who wanted to prolong his life and the procedure was something like transplanting his head onto someone else's body. Something like that. But I think it didn't work out as planned. I think the other person was a woman so then he had to deal with life in a whole different way and he wasn't a happy chappy. Well in fact, he wasn't a chappy any more.

I wish I could remember the title of the story and I probably have the details wrong.

Whenever I think of that story, I think that I would not want to live longer than my allotted time and it would definitely depend on the quality of my life and whether I still have all of my faculties.

31 May 21 - 11:36 AM (#4108323)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: WalkaboutsVerse

I vaguely recall a documentary a few years ago about people paying to have their bodies kept in some kind of freezer in case future science may allow them to be brought back to life.

31 May 21 - 12:13 PM (#4108327)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Helen

Also Donuel, I had not heard of telomeres until a couple of weeks ago when I watched a TV show - I think it was the Australian show called Ask the Doctor (or maybe it was Dr Michael Mosley's Trust Me I'm a Doctor).

Very interesting.

31 May 21 - 01:05 PM (#4108335)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Charmion

Helen, the novel your memory is almost but not quite delivering is "I Will Fear No Evil" by Robert A. Heinlein.

Heinlein's obsession with extreme longevity made it a recurring theme of his oeuvre, fully expressed in his last mostly readable novel, "Time Enough For Love".

After yesterday's bout of gardening, followed by emergency removal of the parlour carpet (tomcat with possible urinary tract issue), my whole body is calling me elderly today, and it has me convinced.

I don't squat or kneel well, thanks to old injuries, so I weed in the bung-up-and-bilge-free position, bent from the waist. Consequently, I can still put my hands flat on the floor without bending my knees (much), but it's a bit hard on the hamstrings and lower back.

31 May 21 - 05:20 PM (#4108359)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Helen

Thanks Charmion. I knew it was a big-name sci-fi author.

In workplace health and safety information sessions we were always told to bend our knees and not bend from the waist otherwise it would put strain on the back. There are some garden kneeler aids around but that may not be useful for you.

Hubby & I avoid kneeling because it is so darn difficult to get up again these days. Dropping something and seeing it slide under a cabinet is an elderly person's nightmare IMO because of the ungainly manoeuvres involved in getting back up off the floor after retrieving the item,

31 May 21 - 06:18 PM (#4108361)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Donuel

I remember less of my story and more that it was featured on an immortality research website. My memory always had word glitches in that my left brain doesn't remember what my right brain wrote.
Even memorizing scripts is the hardest task in my life.
I like writing stories and abstracts but the act of reading is too exhausting to enjoy. Weird huh.

Many dementia tests ask who is the President or involves spelling backwards or subtracting by seven from 100. I better start practicing now.

Many of you have heard of Ted Williams of the Red Sox. Today his head is still cryrogenicly frozen solid.

01 Jun 21 - 06:39 AM (#4108406)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Donuel

A glorious day is having less back pain than the day before.
The spine is fine. Torn muscles are the troubles.

01 Jun 21 - 06:58 AM (#4108408)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Charmion

Workplace health and safety don’t have my ankles to contend with. Once busted, forever stiff. Combine that with arthritic knees, and there you are : head down, bum up.

01 Jun 21 - 09:08 AM (#4108418)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Donuel

Alzheimers has its first drug claiming to slow progression.
More insights into memory and the hippocampus are here.
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Memory-Thief/Lauren-Aguirre/9781643136523

Also opiods and Fentanyl may cause hippocapal damage.

01 Jun 21 - 05:40 PM (#4108475)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Helen

Yes, Charmion, I guess the horse has already bolted on the WH&S (Work Health & Safety) advice. :-(

I also remembered a weeding tool one of my neighbours showed me.

Grampa's Weeder

It works well. I haven't bought one yet, but that's because our garden is a jungly mess and I wouldn't know which weed to pull out first and besides, the weed-gremlins just come up behind me sprinkling thousands more for every weed I pull out.

I'm a terrible gardener. We've put lots of pots on the top verandah with herbs and veges and some geraniums and lavender. It's within my power to control that lot and they are doing fairly well. We have capsicums, some chilli plants, basil, tiny tomatoes, lemongrass, and we did have some fancy lettuces but they died off with the colder weather.

I don't know what I do wrong with thyme and lemon thyme. They were going great and then, with a wave of it's wicked magic wand the garden fairy killed them both at the same time. I have trouble keeping thyme/time obviously.

01 Jun 21 - 06:11 PM (#4108476)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Charmion

Alas, Helen, the Grandpa’s Weeder people do not sell to Canadians, unless we can pretend to be Americans or Australians. I’m not quite up to that level of subterfuge.

01 Jun 21 - 08:35 PM (#4108485)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Helen

Charmion, I found this:

Here are three links for Europe, UK, and Canadian customers:

but also a Google search for "stand up weeder Canada" gives some alternative brands.

02 Jun 21 - 07:00 AM (#4108534)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Charmion

Thanks for that page of links, Helen. The Canadian distributor of Grandpa’s Weeder is Lee Valley Tools, my favourite purveyor of gadgets.

It’s out of stock at every Lee Valley outlet in eastern and central Canada.

I’ve done an adequate job of weed control so far with stoop labour and a Lee Valley dandelion lifter, but I can see that Grandpa’s Weeder is the way of the future.

In my opinion, the way to garden happiness is to contract out work that requires equipment you either don’t have or hate to use — in my case, that means lawn care because I hate the racket of a lawn mower or aerator. I have ear defenders for when I have to take the weed-whacker for a spin, which is blessedly not often.

Also, plant shrubs and perennials. That reduces the drudgery to weeding and occasional pruning.

02 Jun 21 - 05:04 PM (#4108570)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Helen

Charmion, I hope that the Grampa weeder does the trick, when you can get one. There are other brands available here in Oz.

I totally agree about contracting out, especially for very loud machinery like lawn mowers.

At this point we are in in-between land regarding the garden. We plan to get it all sorted by a garden expert later this year. We had it re-worked about 10 years ago but some of the grand plans fell down badly. Two of the plans sort-of worked: Plan #1 was to have no lawns to mow except the path outside the fence; Plan #2 was to use mulch mat as much as possible to smother the weeds.

The very lovely man who set up our garden thought he would save us some money by using horse manure instead of cow manure. He didn't listen when I told him that my mother always said not to use horse poo - unless you compost it first - because the weeds just go straight through them unlike cow poo, because cows chew their cud and the weeds get mashed up before being ejected at the other end.

Consequently, we were the beneficiaries of all the weeds those lovely horses ate out in the paddocks, especially the really annoying Bidens pilosa aka cobbler's pegs which spreads as easily as COVID 19 and is as difficult to control, IMO. It's called cobbler's pegs because of the little, hard spiky bits which stick to clothes and start growing again when they fall off. It's like fairy dust spread by a lot of bad fairies. The other bothersome weed is summer grass, which grows to about a metre tall and takes over any open ground it can find, like an invading army. If we can put paths and paving down for all the non-gardening bits, we will only have the gardens to tend and we might get on top of this. I hope.

Like I said, I'm not a good gardener at the best of times, but this is just overwhelming me. An insurmountable problem at present until the cavalry arrives - hopefully without their horses dropping more weed seeds.

02 Jun 21 - 08:39 PM (#4108583)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: punkfolkrocker

Pete & Bas

03 Jun 21 - 09:22 AM (#4108617)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Donuel

Ever notice how the elderly get off track and have a wandering attention span. :^]
Some of the elderly evolve a wisdom and have a big picture of life.
Others never grow up.
Its like the difference between Biden and Trump.

03 Jun 21 - 11:24 AM (#4108634)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jerry Rasmussen

I've got my dad's eyelids. O.k., I don't mean I have his actual eyelids. :-) When my dad was about my age his eyelids looked like saggy curtains: or so I was told. I was living a thousand miles away from home, so I didn't notice. Like others in my family, on bith sides, it looked like he was half asleep. As the day progresses and I get tired, my eyelids set with the sun. It looks like I'm squinting into oncoming headlights.

Not cool.

I had my eyes checked a couple of days ago, and I have three small spots on the back of my eye from the beginning of macular degeneration. Us Scandinavian types are light-skinned and the coloring on the back of our eye fades and thin as we age. At this point, my eyesight is not affected, but I will have to get regular six month check-ups to monitor the progression. I've been taking Lutein for the last thirty years, which is supposed to protect against macular degenration so I may not lose my eyesight.

If it's not one thing, it's another. :-) My eye doctor thinks I will be o.k., because the spots are small and he thinks the MD will advance slowly at my age.

Whatever.

In the next two or three weeks, I'll have my eyelids lifted and my vision will be substantially improved. No more yelling at me "Wake up!"

03 Jun 21 - 12:25 PM (#4108640)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jerry Rasmussen

By the bye, Not being able to get up off your knees does not necessarily mean you are elderly, unless you believe you are. In my eyes, Elderly is a state of being.

Yesterday morning, I was lying in bed before getting up to start the day. I've been sobered (nothing to do with alchohol consumption or the lack thereof) by the amount of outside work I have to do. I've had two bouts of vertigo that lingered a couple of months each, and I feel like I live in a jungle. It's not that I can't do the work (I am blessed that I can get up and down on my knees.) I've just gotten so far behind. I started wondering how I can handle the work. The thought crossed my mind that at some point I may have to move out of my house because I can't keep up with the work.

"WAIT A MINUTE"!!!!, I said to myself, and stopped dead in my tracks. I was still lying in bed, so I wasn't in my "tracks." I still look into the future once in awhile and it looks unrealistically bleak. Besides, this is today, not ten years from now.

Getting old is a process of adjusting to the limitations of ageing, without losing your appreciation for life in the moment.

Later this morning, I had to take my car in for a fifty thousand mile checkup. Cars age, too, and nobody calls THEM elderly. I left my car at the dealers and got a ride home from a young man at the dealership. A woman who looked like she was at least in her sixties (A young chickie) rode in the car with us. The "car" was a gray SUV. It was the size of an elephant, and getting out was a challenge. The door jam was more than two feet off the road. I didn't have any trouble getting in, but when I got out, the floor inside the SUV was six inches below the door jam, and I had to duck my head to get out, while lifting my right leg six inches to get over the door jam, all while not knocking my hat off. :-) When the woman got off first, she swung her legs around and stepped out with ease. She was short and was not wearing a big straw hat. Does that mean I am elderly because I had more trouble getting out? Not on your life!
It's hard getting off an elephant when you are six feet tall and are adding another three inches, wearing a hat.

I ain't elderly yet!

03 Jun 21 - 01:37 PM (#4108645)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Bill D

"How do you get down off of an elephant?"

You don't..you get down off of a duck.

03 Jun 21 - 02:31 PM (#4108648)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Donuel

"Getting old is a process of adjusting to the limitations of ageing, OR IMAGINING LIMITATIONS without losing your appreciation for life in the moment." quote: Jerry
SO TRUE
Ruminating about so much to do takes the place of doing even small steps that add up to a solution. I do that and it is key to successful procrastination. I need an app to set off a procrastination alarm like a xlaxon bell.

03 Jun 21 - 03:43 PM (#4108653)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Helen

Jerry, my Hubby bought a low-slung sporty car a few years ago and I have trouble getting in and out of it because it is so low to the ground. I go "Oof" and "Aah" each time and the seat has a dip in it which makes it even more difficult. So, it's not just the high vehicles which are a problem.

I suddenly developed vertigo a couple of years ago and after an internet search I discovered the Epley Manoeuvre aka Epley Maneuver which works if the problem is crystals moving around in the inner ear.

"The Epley maneuver is an exercise you can do at home to relieve dizziness caused by benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV).

"BPPV is caused by a problem with the inner ear. Calcium crystals called canaliths can end up in the semicircular canals. If these crystals become dislodged and move around, they can cause the sensation that the world is spinning or moving, also known as vertigo. The Epley maneuver, however, can dislodge these crystals and remove them from the semicircular canals."

The instructions on this page are the same as the ones I use. Epley Maneuver Remember to do it for the correct side. My problem was my right ear.

It only works if the crystals are the cause but it's a simple technique and worth trying. After the initial bout I have only had a couple of further issues and the Epley technique fixed it quick-smart.

03 Jun 21 - 04:30 PM (#4108657)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jerry Rasmussen

Thanks so much, Helen. Like you, I did some poking around for easing Vertigo. The Eply Maneuver is the best known of three excercizes, I don't emember the one I used, but it was similar and did the trick. Gingko Biloba is a natural rememedy that keeps it from coming back. I take a pill once a day and it works beautifully.

Many years ago a friend of mine bought an Alfa Romeo. He took me for a ride, and he's lucky I'm still in it. It was almost impossible to get out of the car. :-)

03 Jun 21 - 04:41 PM (#4108661)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jerry Rasmussen

Good one, Bill.

04 Jun 21 - 05:34 AM (#4108706)
Subject: RE: you calling Jill Biden elderly?
From: Donuel

They say "don't look down" but i can get dizzy by looking up/

Helen I think I have your husband's car.

04 Jun 21 - 06:05 AM (#4108709)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Helen

Toyota 86

Mid-life crisis! As long as he doesn't trade me in for a younger, snazzier model, it's ok.

The good news was that it wasn't a high-priced sporty car and I was happy that he chose a Toyota because that's the only brand of cars I have owned - thanks to a recommendation from my now-deceased motor mechanic Dad - and they are good value, reliable and long-lasting. My old Corolla is still going strong. It does look a bit elderly next to his car, though. A bit like me, I suppose. Elderly but going ok.

04 Jun 21 - 09:34 AM (#4108730)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jerry Rasmussen

You are aged like a fine wine, Helen.

04 Jun 21 - 11:43 AM (#4108743)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Donuel

I was thinking Scotch.
Yep I was a musician 50 years ago. Music was like magic until I had music theory and the patterns were too complex for me, aka no talent.
All I had was an incredible tone.
FIFTY years in a blink.
I remember my parents said such a thing.

04 Jun 21 - 04:08 PM (#4108814)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Helen

Yes well, Jerry & Donuel, I'm not so sure about that. Maybe an aged vinegar? :-D

04 Jun 21 - 07:12 PM (#4108836)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Donuel

I remember a song "I always cook with honey"
Vinagar is for salads
Xylocaine is sweet too.
I still have a knack for posting events at least 3 weeks in advance of being widely publicized. A recent one was my saying that ufo disclosure will be advantageous politically at this time with such widespread distrust of government. And voila.
Next week there will be a further disclosure of classified annex data but there will be no 'mystery solved' info. The old excuses of refracted light of Venus being focused by weather balloons are over, but real insightful information is not forthcoming. I kinda like the static that happens before the event actually happens. Other times I am surprie myself like when I painted twin towers being set afire by an airplane and thousands souls sybolized by arms and hands ascending to heaven - SEVEN years before 9-11.
Call it a facility if you will but this ability did come in handy as a hypnotist. I have avoided 'dead ends' more than once as with an offer from the CIA. - real bastards.
rant over and out

04 Jun 21 - 07:14 PM (#4108837)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: JennieG

Jerry, I had eyelid surgery in August last year and the difference is amazing. My peripheral vision is much wider than before - I can see both hands at once without turning my head if my arms are held out to the sides - and my 'up and down' sight is wider too. In other words, the world is bigger than it has been for many years, so much so that I can't go outside in summer without a hat.

My friend's MIL had it done when she was already 90 or so to help with macular degeneration and it allowed more light into her eyes, which helped what sight she still had.

04 Jun 21 - 07:29 PM (#4108841)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: punkfolkrocker

https://amp.theguardian.com/fashion/2021/jun/03/sarah-grant-wearing-a-swimsuit-wasnt-a-problem-for-me-because-70-is-the-new-50

04 Jun 21 - 08:36 PM (#4108843)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jerry Rasmussen

Thanks, Jennie. That's very encouraging. I'm glad I'm having this done while I'm still young. :-)

04 Jun 21 - 08:40 PM (#4108844)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Helen

Donuel, the night before I saw the 9-11 on the news (i.e. morning news in Australia) I recorded an episode of an X-Files spin-off series called The Lone Gunmen on TV and didn't watch it until a couple of days later. In the TV episode I was amazed to see an aeroplane heading straight for the twin towers. Spooky!

Pilot (The Lone Gunmen) It first aired in March 2001.

"Synopsis

"While he and the other Lone Gunmen attempt to steal a computer chip, Byers receives news of his father's death and the trio soon find themselves unraveling a government conspiracy in which an attempt to fly a commercial aircraft into the World Trade Center would result in increased arms sales for the United States of America."

06 Jun 21 - 01:23 AM (#4109002)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: punkfolkrocker

Andrè William and The Sadies - I'm an Old,Old man.

06 Jun 21 - 12:12 PM (#4109049)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Jerry Rasmussen

POunkfolkrocker: L:ove the song, love the group. I'll be 86 in another week. Don't have far to 90 and I'm feelin' fine. Never was much of a dancer, though. :-)

This is my kind a music. I'll have to check out the group.

Thanks for posting.

14 Jun 21 - 04:56 PM (#4110171)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Donuel

Regarding strains and torn muscles. If you just rest up, scar tissue reconnects muscles but in a shortened way. You have to retear the scar tissue by stretching which is blindingly painful BUT if you do rehab correctly, full range of motion and strength will return. Funny that intentional reinjury is good for you.

I thought X files jumped the shark but examples in literature and art in having a mass prediction of a major shared event is profound.
The question is about deduction verses, predaliction vs. presience verses psychic. I've discussed this subject before and a few people believe we have a 6th sense and the rest assume coincidence.
I think this subject goes beyond ghostbuster entertainment.

14 Jun 21 - 07:49 PM (#4110196)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Steve Shaw

I achieved three score years and ten 43 minutes ago as I type. You may not call me elderly as I regard seventy as the new 32. Unfortunately, I have yet to persuade even one of the many hundreds of attractive young ladies of Bude of this. Mrs Steve has advised, nay, warned me in no uncertain terms that I should desist from any further efforts in that direction. But, in the immortal words of Basil Fawlty, she'll have to sew 'em back on first...

14 Jun 21 - 08:06 PM (#4110199)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: punkfolkrocker

"Dirty Old Man"

14 Jun 21 - 08:36 PM (#4110206)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Steve Shaw

I told you - I'm not old!

15 Jun 21 - 09:44 AM (#4110249)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Mrrzy

I am, or aspire to be. I said something in a recent board meeting that someone else commented Sounds like years of wisdom and I replied Oh, I am *very* old, and they all laughed...

15 Jun 21 - 03:03 PM (#4110280)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: fat B****rd

BTW Happy 70th Mr. Shaw :-)

15 Jun 21 - 03:03 PM (#4110281)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: fat B****rd

BTW Happy 70th Mr. Shaw :-)

15 Jun 21 - 09:42 PM (#4110311)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Sandra in Sydney

for Steve - Three score and ten

15 Jun 21 - 11:49 PM (#4110316)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Helen

Another day older and deeper in debt:

Tennessee Ernie Ford - Sixteen Tons

16 Jun 21 - 04:34 AM (#4110333)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Steve Shaw

Yesterday, my 70th birthday, was sunny (matching my disposition) and the temperature reached 70F (matching my age). Highly satisfactory, and noted in my weather diary!

16 Jun 21 - 06:02 AM (#4110337)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Donuel

Steve as my elder it is fitting I send you a piece of Princess Diana's wedding cake that I have been saving.

16 Jun 21 - 08:34 AM (#4110353)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Bill D

".... warned me in no uncertain terms that I should desist from any further efforts in that direction."

Gee, Steve...my wife merely told me that "Anything you bring home, you have to feed and clean up after.".... knowing, of course, that all my interest in the local "attractive young ladies" was merely appreciation and fantasies.

Old joke about old Indian..("Native American") who managed to trade his 40 year old squaw for 2 20 year old ones. Had to give it up after a week, though... explaining.."Me not wired for 2-20s,"

16 Jun 21 - 11:07 AM (#4110374)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: meself

Yikes - advanced age is the only excuse for that kind of racial stereotyping and, um ... 'problematic' terminology. Geography might be a mitigating factor: I assume you're in the UK?

16 Jun 21 - 01:12 PM (#4110390)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Donuel

Its too warm for snowflakes.

16 Jun 21 - 01:42 PM (#4110391)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: meself

Know thyself - in the Biblical sense.

17 Jun 21 - 07:08 AM (#4110466)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: HuwG

From my lofty position at fify <cough><cough> thirteen ...

And preparing to take cover ...

Some years ago, the BBC Radio 4 quiz show, "The Now Show!", hosted by Hugh Dennis ans Steve Punt, polled the studio audience on the best thing about growing old.

The answer I liked best was "an increased appreciation for wine, song and MILFs."

The joke has had enough time to be largely forgotten. I intend to microwave and use it when opportunity offers.

17 Jun 21 - 07:45 AM (#4110469)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Donuel

Itsnotsnow, its a hell storm.
Got Milf?

17 Jun 21 - 08:34 AM (#4110473)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Donuel

Old dyslexic Ben says he has Bain Frog.
The elderly narcissist in assisted living thinks he has house guests.
An old racist says he used to be a pin head till he went bald.
95 year old Al says QAnon have lost their minds 60 years before their time.

06 Jul 21 - 05:14 PM (#4112513)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Donuel

late nite Willie

06 Jul 21 - 06:25 PM (#4112518)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Stilly River Sage

meself, no, he is in the US. And there is so much wrong about that joke on so many levels. It must be retired, Bill_D, it is no longer funny (it never was funny, but now people don't need to chuckle politely.)

06 Jul 21 - 06:47 PM (#4112522)
Subject: RE: BS: Who you calling elderly?
From: Steve Shaw

I've heard worse, and I have a whole battery of much worse ones that I have to keep to myself (and chuckle).