Hello Dear Blog Friends! Just a note to let you know, I am celebrating 9 years today! The biggest help for me was support from anywhere I could find it! Mr. UT has been my main support! We are both 70 now, , and recently had our 47th wedding anniversary! We were high school sweethearts, so we’ve been together for 52 years! My knee is still getting stronger! I can lift weights, and go to yoga. Still have to wait to golf and bike outside. Grrrr! Otherwise, nothing too exciting, and that’s ok! At our age, we are learning to enjoy the normal days, because we are running out of time! With New Mu ..read more

Dear Readers, Both Mr. UT and I are getting to what I call, the Middle Age of Old Age! LOL We will be both 70 this summer! YIKES! This might mean we only have, (if everything goes as normal), maybe 10 to 15 years left to live. Some of those years might not be the best in terms of health. Kind of scary if I stop to think about it! In my case so many of my relatives lived to 90 ‘s so that’s even scarier! Getting older is not easy, as people become more dependent on other people, and bodies hurt more, making it harder to not think about all the aches. This is something I have to fight against my ..read more

Dear Readers, Mr. UT pushed me into the dentist office for a checkup and we were chatting with the receptionist, when a woman walked over and started asking me about my cochlear implants. It turns out she had a smilier experience about going deaf over time. It was a chance meeting, and as we talked we instantly bonded over similar experiences. Her deafness was due to problems during her delivery, the cause of mine was unknown, perhaps a virus or heredity. But the connection was made when we learned that we both had teachers and other people commenting on our speech, which sounded a bit differe ..read more

Dear Readers, Have you ever smelled something in the present that brought back happy memories from the past? That happened to Mr. UT and I today, as he was taking me across one of our favorite bridges that goes over the Minnesota River. We could smell the river smells so strongly. It’s a unique smell, different than that of an ocean or a lake. We both grew up in Wisconsin, and have fond memories of fishing and boating on many of the rivers there. Mr. UT and I have been together so long, we are always reminiscing about the fun experiences we had in the past. As we were going along, we saw so m ..read more

It was spring for a day!MinneapolisBack to Minnesota Spring! Dear Readers, My knee surgery is done. It went very well. I had a special kind of meniscus root repair, one that hopefully will be better than just shaving off the meniscus. You can read about it in this, article, written by my surgeon, Dr. LaPrade. However, it is a long recovery time. I’m not allowed to put any weight on my repaired knee so I have only been able to put weight on the other leg. This means I depend on a walker, and have had to hop around for over 3 weeks, and I still have 3 more to go. It also means I am totally depen ..read more

Dear Readers, Two events, happening close together, has led me to have some interesting thoughts about death and dying. This is not meant to alarm anyone, but I find just putting these thoughts on paper to be so helpful. About a year and half ago, Mr. UT and I were in a bad car accident, in anther state, where our car was totaled. At the same time, while we were gone, my mother was taken to the hospital with a heart episode. She was put into hospice soon after. I was with my mom right before she passed, and actually found her after she died. Even after all this time, I still struggle with some ..read more

Dear Readers, I looked in the mirror the other day, and realized my chin now has loose skin, which makes me look like I have a double chin, especially when I wear turtlenecks. I don’t like it! I used to have a great looking chin and neck. I also have other sagging body parts that happen when you are close to 70 years old. My Turned in Left Eye I am also heavier than I would like to be. Having been heavy and thin, I definitely prefer being thin. I have a few more physical imperfections, (and I don’t like that word, maybe the word “differences” would be better). I have a very turned in left ..read more

BEFOREAFTER Dear Readers, Happy New Year! The Year of No Snacking! LOL Mr. Untipsy redid our whole office space, and it looks just wonderful! I now have a desk in front of my very own window. Now, it’s not the most scenic of views out my window, but I have my own apple tree! Squirrels sit on my tree and eat the apples now that it’s winter. I have my own sidewalk to watch people walking their dogs! I see moms walking their children to the school bus stop, as well as teenagers slogging their way. Cars going by. Or in the case of our 15″ of snow, cars getting stuck! (I also see my neighbors trash ..read more

Dear Readers, I asked a woman I help, (I’ll call her Lettie), “Lettie, how are you doing today?” She replied, “Well, I just asked Lettie, and she hasn’t decided yet.” I had to laugh at that! Then I got to thinking about her answer, and realized maybe I had more of a choice on how I am doing or feeling than I think. Too often I tend to choose how I am doing or feeling based on whatever is happening right now, and if it’s negative, I carry that in my mind for far too long. Perhaps, I can say to myself, “I haven’t decided yet. Let me get back to you on that.” Keep it neutral, rather than saying I ..read more

I always mess these up! Dear Readers, The other day, when I volunteered reading menus to older people, a woman was complaining her clock didn’t work. I tried to fix it, but to no avail. The next time I saw her, it was working! It turns out the clock was connected to a light switch, and she had turned that off. She told me, “I just have to push the right button.” I started laughing, and told her I had just pushed the wrong button myself on my phone and accidentally hung up on somebody. Her next comment was priceless. “I guess that applies to life. Just push the right button.” Maybe the button I ..read more