Getting old is not for sissies.

It is my fault that I had not seen my old friend for a number of years. I had talked to her on the phone and knew she was not well but that was as far as I went; until today. I bought her a pretty little potted rose at the grocery store and just dropped by her house.
She has full time, round the clock care and she is bed ridden. I knew that she was bed ridden and on oxygen but I was not prepared for the sight of her in a wheel chair with the oxygen tube in her nose. Her hands and legs shook. Her face and body was swollen. But her mind is sharp.
We talked about old times. About grand children. About books, but most importantly, after she asked if I had gone, we talked about the funeral I had attended yesterday. Her ex husband had died after a long, lingering illness. He had remarried a much younger woman about 20 years ago but still, he was the father of their grown children and the grandfather of their 12 grandchildren. No matter how long they had been divorced I knew this was a difficult time for my friend but she was holding up valiently.She asked me about details of the funeral service and if the crowd was large. I filled in the blanks and told her how wonderfully their grown children had paid tribute to their father.

I know it is not customary, but it did seem so awkward and sad to me that nowhere in the funeral program or on his bio or obituary was there any mention of my friend, his first wife and the mother of their 4 adult children.Of course I did not mention this to my friend but I am sure she was aware that her contributions to his life and success were completely ignored. Almost as if she had never existed.

I am glad I went to visit with my dear old friend who is 2 years younger than I am.

I left thinking, "There but for the grace of God go I"

This short quiz pegged me 100%--Try it yourself

You Belong in the Silent Generation

You fit in best with people born between 1925 and 1942. You are a person of high values and character. Family, your country, loyalty, and hard work all important to you. You are willing to do what's right, even when it's difficult.

What Generation Do You Belong In?

Idol mistake

Do any of you watch "American Idol" Despite it's occasional cheesiness my husband and I look forward to the show each week.

On Thursday we were ready to throw an old shoe at the show when they eliminated the singer Michael Johns. He is the nice looking guy with a fine voice and stage presence. He is originally from Australia but now lives in the US. For a time, according to his bio Johns lived and worked for a time in Atlanta(Buckhead). Buckhead is a suburb which is not far from downtown.

I was so shocked when Ryan Seacrest announced on Thursday that Johns was cut from the show after having received the lowest number of votes. The two women who were also in the bottom three but were not cut are not nearly as talented as Johns.

Sometimes I wonder if the show is fixed when a clear "mistake" like this happens.

Oh well, life goes on.

Happy Birthday to my favorite "Elder Blogger" Ronni Bennett of "Time Goes By"

Happy Birthday to my favorite "Elder Blogger" Ronni Bennett of "Time Goes By"

A few years ago I went to Google and typed in "old age." I thought I would find some useful information about the aging process.

Since I was already an elder I needed all the help, inspiriaton and encouragement I could get.

One of the first sites that came up was TGB.

I wandered over and became acquainted with Ronni Bennett and her refreshingly honest outlook on growing old.

What a serendipitious discovery that was.

I read Time Goes By the first thing when I turn on my computer each day.

I am never disappointed. I am always challenged to think for myself.

I grow a little bit stronger in mind and spirit each day because of "Time Goes By."

Thank You Ronni

And again

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Janet
aka chancy

Customer service?

When I read the following on the "Reader's Digest" web site I got a chuckle since it was so true of all the automated customer care non service we usually experience when calling many companies, and in my case especially our cable company, Comcast. .

This is an excerpt from a RD column by Mary Roach.

Enjoy





"Please wait, a customer-care representative will be with you shortly, or be short with you, or something. Currently all of our representatives are busy helping dilute our profits. Calls will be answered in the order in which we feel like.

Your expected wait time is 42 minutes. Your expected blood pressure is 210/130. You may hear clicks followed by silence. You may hear "Whole Lotta Love" done entirely in strings.

You may hear yourself say regrettable things, which may be monitored and/or recorded. For example, our records show that you used the phrase "gabbling nitwit" during your last call to customer care. This has been noted in your record and will be reflected in the quality of service you receive and the tone of voice of the customer-care representative, should you somehow manage to reach one.

I'm sorry, 0 is not a valid prompt, even if pushed furiously 11 times in rapid succession.

To use our express automated-speech response system, press 1. To hear our website address, press 2. To speak to someone about your anger-management problem, press 3.

3 is not a valid prompt. Thank you for calling. "