Pentagenarians & Beyond: September 14, 2025

Hi all! I got home last night. Good trip overall. After the first very rainy day driving, I only had light rain a couple times. Otherwise it kindly rained at night. I did the Dakota Zoo twice on my own since Derek was working and the Winnipeg Zoo. The trip to Canada went well, though they decided to search the car when we crossed into Canada. My sister who has been married to a Canadian for over 30 years, said we were an easy check off. Crossed in North Dakota and it was really not busy at all. Basically no wait. Then when we came back, he just asked a couple questions and sent us off. For a big city, Winnipeg was really nice, did take some adjusting to driving though. My speedometer is not digital and the kilometers is an inside ring that's lighter and hard to see in bright sun, so I was happy to have my navigator along to keep my speed on track. The traffic light system is different, too, though understandable. Signs are also different. Since I didn't get to hike in Marquette due to rain, I stopped yesterday and hiked for an hour. Derek's cat is like a tornado! She knocked my mug off the bit of counter next to the sink and broke it. I got a replacement at Derek's zoo. Then when we got back from Winnipeg, it truly looked like a tornado went through. Because it's such a tiny space it's already a bit cluttered and it had all my stuff added. Anything that could be knocked over or rolled around was. Derek has a TV tray folding table that he puts his dishes on to dry, since he has no counter and she'd collapsed it and everything was on the floor, anything by the sink was in the sink and there are two cupboards above the sink that she had opened and gotten into and knocked things over, and the cupboard under the sink was open. Stuff was also in the bathroom sink. And the woman he got her from, who seemed to have taken her in because a relative could no longer have her, told him she was the kind of cat who just laid around. LOL She also fell in the bathtub after I'd gotten out, and while there was still water in it. She did not like that!

This morning I did an AOLIH mix, Pyramid Pump Upper Body and the P30 Extended Stretch.
 
We also got home last night after a long long drive. there was an unexpected construction project messing up traffic. i read about it and the DOT dated it for next weekend. it happened this weekend. the newspaper had the info about it but gave no dates, just talked about "this weekend" on saturdays news when it started on friday and wasnt mentioned until saturday. i finally found the right info on X but thats not so trustworthy a site. we ended up changing our route (when we saw the congestion ahead) to Plan B which was not as congested but is not interstate so took longer. no way to tell what was the best choice. anyway 11.5 hours of fun.

cathy the first time we left the cat home along he took the basement apart. knocked down things and shredded a paper towel roll. opened the blinds to see out the window. this time he did fine and didnt disturb a thing. he was happy to see us after almost a week! Derek's kitty will probably get better with time but a bored cat will definitely stir things up. they dont like being left alone!. ours learned to open cabinet and room doors quickly.

cathy our last visit to Canada was unpleasant. we got stopped and went thru security check with the camper. they tore apart everything. they dont put things back together either . they went thru wallets and phone and seemed disbelieving that we only had one phone for two people. we had a lot of food packed but nothing that wasnt legal to take across. still it was unpleasant and took several hours. i dont remember us going back after that. it left us with an unwelcome feeling. the agent was clearly hostile towards us and this is long before the current "elbows up" atmosphere caused by our "administration".
 
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This morning I did Jane Adams Gentle Yoga for 18 minutes.

Cathy, great job jumping back into your routine with AOLIH, Pyramid Pump Upper Body, and P30 extended stretch. Apparently the kitten didn’t like being left alone!

Valerie, I’m glad that you made it home even though it took extra time.

Hello to Judy and Diane Sue.
 
Today I did an IMAX 4 Combo w/ 4 Blizzard Blasts mix, then STS 2 Standing Abs Core Plus Floor and Mat Yoga.

Valerie that would be horrid to have that kind of search. Ours was 10 minutes max, and I could see the guy going through Derek's backpack, and they checked under the hood and I'm guessing trunk (which was empty), but we took only minimal stuff with us. What we needed for 2 days and a few packaged snacks. I didn't notice anything out place in my suitcase and Derek didn't in his backpack. I'm not in any hurry to go back soon, and it'll be a couple years before Derek wants to go again.

Scooter is 3 so I don't think she's slowing down anytime soon, our Tux is also 3 and loves to knock things off the table, and bug people, but he has less stuff to get into or I'm sure he would. Just seems to be their personalities. Currently, DH is trying to work and Tux loves to be on the floor in front of him, often demanding attention, like now. Drives DH nuts. I'm not sad that Tux loves DH far more than me, he messes with me enough, but no where near as much.
 
This morning I did KCM’s Cardio Git, Cardio Kickboxing. That was 21 minutes, 145 calories burned, average heart rate 134, and maximum heart rate 157. Then I did P 30 Extended Stretch for an additional 8 minutes.

Cathy, great job with IMAX 4 combos with blizzard blasts, STS 2 Standing Abs plus Floor, and May Yoga.

Hello to Valerie, Judy, and Diane Sue.
 
Saturday I did a 20-minute Peloton HiiT ride, a 10-minute cool down ride and 20 minutes of foam rolling. Yesterday I did a 60-minute Peloton ride and 45 minutes of Yin Yoga. Today I went for 2 mile walk with my husband and did 20 minutes of strength work.

Cathy-I’m glad you had a good trip. Derek’s cat sounds like Shadow, LOL! Great job with the AOLIH mix, Pyramid Pump Upper Body, P30 Extended Stretch, the IMAX 4 Combo with 4 Blizzard Blasts mix,STS 2 Standing Abs Core Plus Floor and Mat Yoga.

Carolyn-Great job with Jane Adams Gentle Yoga, KCM’s Cardio Kickboxing and P 30 Extended Stretch.

Hi to Diane Sue & Valerie
 
Cathy the search made us feel like drug runners!. we had a slightly bigger container of wine than was legal (quarts vs liters etc)they left it alone anyway. he went thru my waistpack and asked "if there was anything sharp in there that could injure him". so i warned him there was a nail file in there..... getting a bit testy myself by this time! they take all ID/ passport and disappear with them. i felt like we were being arrested!. we had planned 2 weeks so everything was packed tight and orderly with a lot of food & clothes. we bring what we need with us. the last thing I want to do on vacation is shop. everything was all torn apart when they gave us our camper back. the agents have a lot of power so neither of us said more than we had to. they got weird about only one phone. i dont remember why DH didnt have a phone at the time, but we shared mine for a while. we didnt think anything of it but they did. anyway it was unpleasant. we felt like turning around and going back to the US side but we had planned visits in one of the big parks jasper, Yoho, banff. we used to go to canada fairly often but that whole thing soured us on travel there. never knew why it happened.

too funny about cat affections. they are definitely distinct personalities. our guy likes to pick up little things like a small plastic vial of eye drops or vaseline and chew on them. plaastic does not survive. in the evening because i get up more often with dinner and dirty dishes and the DW he sits with DH.
only therapy work today.
 
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This morning I did ICE Chiseled Upper Body, 47 minutes, 150 calories burned, average heart rate 109, and maximum heart rate 141.

Judy, great job with the Peloton rides, foam rolling, yin yoga, strength training and walking with your husband.

Valerie, that was a terrible border experience. I don’t blame you for not going back.

Hello to Cathy and Diane Sue.
 
Today I did KCM’s Cardio Quick Fix, workout one. That was 26 minutes, 176 calories burned, average heart rate 132, and maximum heart rate 156.

Have a great day everyone.
 
Yesterday I went and walked at the zoo, then to my parents. My Mom is supposed to get her first cataract done next week. Dad wants me to come and stay to help. Not high on my list of fun things, but okay. I asked him yesterday when I need to be there. Note the appointment is a week from today. He doesn't know as they haven't called him with specifics. So, I'm shopping tomorrow, need to buy food to take with me, and have no idea how many meals I need, or how many clothes to pack etc. And lets not forget that the times he has mentioned my going down to help, she has said that no that's not needed. Literally everything, including whether or not she'll actually go through with it, is up in the air. Today I just didn't Killer Legs Barre, for a variety of reasons that I should've ignored. LOL

Valerie that kind of search would definitely have put me off going back. Our search was unexpected, but I will say they were extremely polite and friendly, which is why at no time did I think they really thought they'd find anything. Still not in a hurry to do it again. Other than Tux liking to knock things off the table, and do a stellar job of making it hard for DH to work, none of ours destroy things. Not that's Derek's cat does it on purpose, it's just the result.
 
did a park walk with our neighbors yesterday. two hours 10 minutes. they have a newer puppy and nothing is very efficient with him yet.

cathy best of luck with your mother. the process itself is fast and painless. getting her there might not be! it was so simple at a clinic i wish that would have worked for her. hospitals have to go thru the admission process that takes a while and gives more time to get nervous. they might pre medicate her if she's really nervous and agitated. it was comforting seeing the same group of people I saw in the parking lot and waiting room lined up in rolling beds with IV's running in the pre-surgery room. probably 6-7 people. she will be awake during the procedure so she can respond to their requests to hold still, tilt this way, etc.
all the drivers are sitting together in a waiting area. maybe after one eye she will be more relaxed about the second one.

make sure you & your father understand the post surgery eye drop schedule and have a paper chart to check off as each dose is done. if you have the option to get the various drops combined in one vial for a little extra $, its totally worth it. i think it was $100 more. I have no clue if that is standard for cataract procedures or not. there were 4 different drops so its easy to mess up. all in one vial is much easier. i was out of there in half an hour after the surgery. i had to be quiet the rest of the day. i could see fine immediately after but that's not true for everyone I had a clear cover over the eye i think. i honestly don't remember. i had very explicit written directions to follow because everyone is nervous and memory can be dicey then. hugs to you and you mom. her vision will be way better. it doesnt help dementia issues if she has trouble seeing and hearing well.
my DH is probably going to do the process this winter.
 
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Yesterday I did a 60-minute Peloton ride and 20 minutes of Arms & Light Weights. Today I went for a 2 mile walk with my husband, did a 45-minute Peloton ride and 15 minutes of PT work.

Carolyn-Great job with ICE Chiseled Upper Body and KCM’s Cardio Quick Fix, workout one.

Cathy-Great job with the zoo walk and Killer Legs Barre.

Valerie-Great job with the park walk.

Hi to Diane Sue
 
This morning I did Jane Adams Gentle Yoga Lying Practice for 34 minutes. I wanted to do a mobility workout without spending a lot of time on my knees. I didn’t remember much about it since it’s been several years since I last tried it. Many of the moves were similar to Cathe’s mobility but done while lying down.

Cathy, I hope that your mother goes through with the cataract surgery. It’s good that you can help out during that time.

Valerie, nice job with the park walk.

Judy, great job with the Peloton ride, Arms & Light Weights, and walking with your husband.

Waving hello to Diane Sue.
 
I had planned to get up early and do cardio an then a long stretch. I had my Covid shot yesterday so my arm is sore. But, I was sleeping really well, when the CO2 monitor decided to die and started letting out its warning beeps. One does not generally sleep through that. So, I had to turn the light on so I could deactivate it. So, I slept in till 7 and just ended up doing STS 2 Total Body Stretch.

My Mom had to make her final decision today on whether or not to go ahead with the surgery and Dad sent a message to that it was a go. I'll still believe it when It happens. She has a whole week yet. At least she doesn't have to be there until 12:25, so I can go down Thursday morning and hopefully won't need to stay more than one night. My Dad had it done years ago, and he'd familiar with doing all the drops, plus she's been doing daily eye drops for years, still does it herself so doing the drops shouldn't be an issue. And she is having it done at a clinic, which meant waiting additional months, because she refused to have it done at the hospital.
 
Today I did LiTE Cardio Party, 39 minutes, 272 calories burnd, average heart rate 134, and maximum heart rate 158.

Cathy, I had a few awful experiences with malfunctioning CO2 detectors. They were wireless and connected. They would go off and we couldn’t stop them. The last time it happened I pulled them all out and put them in the trunk of my car! The electrician replaced them with less sensitive devices and we haven’t had a problem since.

Hello to Valerie, Judy, and Diane Sue.
 
Cathy I had it backwards. i thought your mother was using the hospital because she didnt want to use the clinic. whatever!. hope she goes ahead and gets it done. that your father has already done it will make it easier for her. that word of mouth helps calm nerves. its still scary beforehand. nobody feels good about getting their eyes tinkered with. I could have waited longer but glad I did it.

i plan on covid shot in the next couple weeks. we get them at pharmacies here. for me that's costco. usually dont need an appt, just sign up when you get in the store and they give you a time to be back at the rx window usually under half an hour. its not as big a rush as a few years ago. the vaccine has to thaw first.
we had CO2 alarms once and finally tossed them. they were seriously loud if they went off.
Did our trail ride this morning, 1 hr 30 minutes because we spent time looking for salmon . saw a few along with some mergansers. if it rains this weekend, that might start the run upstream.
 
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