Never too old

I have always loved the water and considered myself a really good swimmer.  There was just one thing lacking - the crawl (freestyle).  When I learned to swim in Germany, that stroke was not taught and over the years I've tried to teach myself.  I am fortunate to report that I didn't drown trying.  Never could get the breathing down.  So when I saw a sign at my pool that said:  "Do you want to perfect a stroke or refresh your skills?", I jumped at the opportunity.  The very young man teaching the class is a saint.  His face remained kind and interested when I approached him the first day of class.  You see, he had seen me in the arthritis pool, but his demeanor betrayed no skepticism.  First, I wanted to show him my two perfect strokes - the back stroke and the breast stroke. I needed to establish right away that he was not dealing with a novice.  "Very nice!" he said and proceeded to gently point out some major errors.  Heartbroken, I'm 65, you know, I proceeded to relearn those strokes until the saint was satisfied.  Then came the BIG day.  "Ready to learn the crawl?" the saint asked yesterday.  With my heart beating wildly, I whispered, "Not sure."  But the acoustics being what they are in a big pool, he understood "Yes, of course I am!!"  So, long story short, I learned that elusive stroke yesterday, with breathing!  So on Thursday, I'll dazzle the young swimming saint with absolute perfection.  I can see it now.  The crowd roaring, "There she goes!  She has beaten her own time!"

Where do I apply for olympic try-outs? 

The last photo

Schnauzi in her last rays of sunshine - May 23, 2009

The lavender delphinium is about to bloom on Schnauzi's grave

The young pear tree will provide cool shade.

My little granddaughter Julia said she will bring many 

flowers tomorrow.  And I am filled with gratitude for

having had this sweet dog in my life for 14 years.

Hardest decision ever

Schnauzi - August 15, 1995 - May 23, 2009


For 14 years, my Schnauzi (miniature Schnauzer) has been my companion, dearest friend, my baby.  Today Schnauzi will take her last breath.  She hasn't eaten in five days, her kidneys and liver aren't functioning well, and her little system is shutting down.  This has been going on for several weeks, and although she doesn't seem to be in pain, the vet said that she is in a deep malaise.  She still purrs like a cat when I'm holding her, and she tries to be close to me at all times.  They say one can't prepare for the inevitable.  It is true.  I have known for a while now that I have to let her go, but that doesn't mean anything today.  At 3 pm today my husband is going to put her in my lap, and we are going to a very caring vet.  When we come back home, she'll be buried under the little pear tree, and I'll plant a young lavender delphinium.  My tears haven't stopped since yesterday.  My heart is breaking.

Happy Friday

Here's a picture of three well behaved doggies waiting for a cookie.  

Left to right:  Schnauzi the geriatric, Kai the deaf, Roxy the wild farm pup.

Graceful aging, anyone?

Getting old gracefully is a full time job!  Every morning when I open my eyes I devise a new plan for the day ahead.  How will I age gracefully today? 

Well, this morning I decided to call everybody together for a meeting.  I asked my body to summon all the parts necessary to move, suggested to my inner organs they participate, and  had a stern yet gentle discussion with my brain.  There was a bit of a delay when I called willingness to join us.  But finally all participants were ready to hear my plan for the day.  I assured everyone that these were suggestions only and that no one was under any obligation to perform.  So here are the points I stressed:

1.  Let's all cooperate in doing the best we can when getting out of bed slowly.

2.  No whining, groaning and moaning, or complaining.

3.  Cheerful and light-hearted completion of morning ritual.

4.  There should not be any hurt feelings when we aren't showered with compliments when other members of the household first lay eyes on us.

5.   When leaving the house we are wearing something chic and colorful. 

6.  In the event that during the course of the day we feel overlooked or not noticed, we will intuitively know that it is not our fault and remain confident and sure of ourselves.....

And here I was interrupted by uproarious laughter.  Not one member of my body thought this plan was remotely feasible.  They stopped laughing, however, when they saw my disappointed face.  Finally everyone reluctantly agreed to give it a try.

So here I am now at 9:30 p.m.  My body is complaining, my inner organs are slumping, and my brain is looking all over the place for willingness.  Was our mission accomplished?  Yes! We did phenomenally well with point #1.  It was delightful to see effort and cooperation.  We skip ahead to #4.  No hurt feelings were observed because no one else was home and thus could not shower us with compliments. 

 And as to points 2, 3, 5 and 6 -- there is always tomorrow when the quest for graceful aging continues.  

          

  

First blog entry ever - a scary thing to do

Ok, so this is my very first entry, and I'm actually kind of nervous.  I'm about to tell you who I am, what my interests and passions are, and why I started a blog.  I'd like to connect with other people in all areas of life and perhaps those who have also entered the second half of life.  What keeps them enthusiastic about life in general and passionate about the specific?  

I am a very optimistic, hands-on kind of person who approaches most tasks spontaneously and enthusiastically.  But there is a limit to that and when problems arise, I tend to go inward to listen for new options.

I am in the process of writing a memoir of my childhood as a refugee from the former East Germany, a journey back into the often dark and frightening past.  And it is also a journey of discovery of what events shaped me and how much of this past is still with me every day.

I think I'll stop now.  It is a scary thing to write to an unknown reader.