Just Plain Stuck

Do you think this is going to work?

Egypt: I suppose you noticed on the news today...a gigantic ship is stuck in the Suez Canal, just plain stuck tight in-the-mud. My husband read me the article this morning. Since the Suez Canal is a world away, I could listen without feeling much of anything. 

However, as with everything in our world today, sooner or later what happened will effect us. The world just keeps on shrinking and we are all so closely connected.

No single human being is getting blamed...yet. It turns out the wind did a number on the ship that is as long as the Empire State Building is tall. My husband comment was, "I suppose sometimes a ship of that kind can actually be too big." Yes, I think he might be right.

But the thing that made me laugh was the picture of a lonely heavy equipment scoop moving earth beside that huge monolith of steel sitting stuck in the mud. All I could think was that this is the ultimate "can an ant move a rubber tree plant?" event. Holy Cow!

I hear Egypt is going to start dredging and are hoping for high tide soon. They have also talked about unloading the 10 of thousands of containers the ship is transporting. I wish them good luck, lot and lots of luck!

The worst thing of all is that ships are arriving all of the time, waiting their turn to go through the canal...many hundreds of them. Commerce from around the world is simply going no where soon.

China: In 2010 China had a traffic jam that held people hostage for over 10 day. Wikipedia has it's very own page about that disastrous even.

The China National Highway 110 traffic jam was a recurring^[1] massive traffic jam that began to form on August 13, 2010, mostly on China National Highway 110 (G110) and Beijing–Tibet expressway (G6), in Hebei and Inner Mongolia.^[2][3] The traffic jam slowed thousands of vehicles for more than 100 kilometers (60 mi) and lasted for 10 days.^[3][4][5] Many drivers were able to move their vehicles only 1 km (0.6 mi) per day, and some drivers reported being stuck in the traffic jam for five days.^[5] It is considered to be one of the longest traffic jams by some media.^[6][7][8]

My son and his wife were living in Shanghai at the time. They told about the Chinese people and their ingenious reaction at that time. Vendors set up shop on the highway feeding the people in the cars. It is hard to imagine I think. While the Chinese people as very used to crowds of citizens pushing impatiently, I can imagine that the honking of horns much have driven them mad.

In the time we were in China we noticed that the Chinese way of solving a disagreement ends in a fist fight. I think that that traffic jam may have pushed many people over the edge.

Boston, Mass.: We were on the East Coast back in the early 80 when an airline went on strike and traffic across the country came pretty much to a halt. I think it was United. We were trapped with a plane load of teens in Boston, I had the flu and those famous Boston blackouts were happening all of the time. AND Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant malfunctioned. It was a nightmare. Still it was nothing compared to the "just plain stuck" others are and have endured. Besides we had good bragging rights for many years! That is important.

As for the Suez Canal, at least people are on ships and cannot get at each other or I think that the captain and crew of that ship would be in great danger. The whole world will probably be very mad at them.

Have a wonderful day...read the new and tell me what you know!

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p.s. Did I mention that oil prices will probably be going up? Of course they are!

 

What will that look like?

Many, many times I have written about growing old with a positive attitude. I am beginning to wonder if I truly understood what that looked like in real life.

I turned 79 on my last birthday but this is not really about me. Those people around me are a little older and a little younger in their age. But this is not about that either.

I have often talked about a study group in San Diego that focused on cohorts...age mates I suppose. They were all women. But more importantly, they were not well at all. But in spite of aches and pains, these women remained positive. I thought, great, at least we will not be grumpy or angry. That is good I think.

My friends was celebrating 100 years of
Life at a party. She played 18 holes of
Golf with lady’s club.
They have special rules for her.

But what I did not realize is that as people grow older they miss what they cannot do anymore. Finding a replacement for a lifelong love of reading or golfing or even mowing the lawn is not easy. Each person misses something just a little different. What I would miss more than anything is being a snowbird...I love my life today. It is perfect for both my husband and me. There would be an empty space left in life.

I was at a gathering for my friend Franny last Wednesday. (She was being given a 100th birthday party.) I sat with a group of seemingly well, happy and satisfied women...my age I suppose but some were younger. Their age was not so much important as their health. I am talking about health issues that cannot be fixed. 

After the obligatory “organ recital” were everyone shares their aches and pains, the conversation moved to things everyone loves to do and a could not do anymore.It was very interesting how they were all struggling for that next passion to replace what was gone.

I think we should start a handicapped golf league so we could still play a little golf and have a happy hour afterwards.

I love playing cards and it fills most of my social time.

The thing I really want is to spend time here at the golf course with other women...I love the social part of golf almost more than golfing!

 

Visit to a local resort in Tucson.

Of course there are ways to all of those things. A game at putting, cards in the club house and even a scheduled happy hour. Most holes can be filled I suppose. 

That was when I began to wonder about that fourth stage in life. That one where life goes on in spite of it all. That part where disability sets in. Now I am talking about myself. What will I want to do?

One ladies husband is turning 90 soon and she said that he didn’t want to eat anything that was good for him...it sounded so wonderful to him. 

Carole and I always said that when we reached that stage we were going to do all those things that were absolutely forbidden...in her case she is going to take up smoking again. I might have wine for breakfast if that sounds good or eat butter. 

The truth is that making ourself miserable with overdoing our forbidden doesn’t sound like as much fun as it did at one time.

Do you suppose that a day will come when there is an acceptance of the fourth stage or will it be thrust upon us? Will it be on a Friday or a Tuesday? Will in be in the spring  or the summer? Then will we all stop fighting what is happening to find some peace? I don’t know but I do know that my husbands’ s life has never been about sitting still physically or mentally. I am right there with him. I am hoping that being mentally active will be enough to keep us both happy.

Do you have any thoughts?

Have a wonderful day.

b+

Oh, and as for Franny...she loved her party. She played 18 holes of golf and she beats everyone every time. They are rethinking letting her hit the ball closer on one par three...that is her special rule! She is an amazing women and we all want to be like her when we grow up!

 

Snow Bird Lifestyle at it's Best...Arizona!

Living Room

Honestly, after all these years I feel like a native here in Tucson while I know I am a native Oregonian.  Oregon is full of family and a neighborhood that is close and supportive. Arizona winters are all about another set of friends, golf and restoring old houses. (We are only on our 2nd house so that is something new. We live in them so the restoration fills our days.) When we're here, we miss there and when we're there, we miss here..

The home we own in Arizona is bigger (4 bedrooms) than the one we own in Oregon for a reason. Now we can actually have family visit and everyone can have their own space. They live near us in Oregon. It is turning out to be perfect.

Our home is located on the 5th green at a golf course called Rolling Hills. It is a beautiful Santa Fe style home that is 50 years old. We are cleaning up the yard and the interior. We still need to replace bathroom sinks but they function. It is not perfect but it works beautifully.

Family Room

So the question that is in my mind now is 'Should we make the Arizona home a summer Airbnb? The idea seems so appealing to me. Should we set up that process? May, June and September are wonderful hot summer months with cheap golfing on world class courses. What do you think?

Do you know anything about how that works? I want to hear from you...links, personal thoughts, etc. 

Thank you for listening...it is just a thought! Have a beautiful day!

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