Feisty After Fifty

Ever see a 95-five-year old female terrorist?

noreply@blogger.com (Tena Lynn) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 15:38:00 +0000

Um, me either. So after my wide-eyed reading of the incident involving a woman, 95 years old, being forced to remove her diaper, I begin my week in serious contemplation of just what form of recruitment process and subsequent training goes into a person becoming a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) person.

Does one need to have a high school education? Do they need to pass a background or credit check? If I am allowed to go off to the side here a moment, we might all be in trouble at the high school diploma requirement, since there are tons of kids receiving high school diplomas today that cannot spell and would be hard pressed to locate the great sates of our United States on a map. They might even think that Salvador Dali is the newest pop singing sensation. We are becoming a seriously dumbed down country and I find it embarrassing.

What I find outrageous is the violation of this woman as she proceeded through security on her way to board a plane. The purpose of airport security is to screen passengers in order to weed out and curtail potential terroristic activity, and keep our skies safe for travel. As I read this, I was wondering if we had ever in our history felt threatened by a 95-year-old woman. I realize that is a bit of a head-scratcher but I concluded that we have never felt such a threat.

Reading further, it seems that TSA has also come under fire for pat-downs on six-year-old girls? As a parent I can tell you, there is no way in Hell that would have happened to my daughter. Did the folks in charge of TSA need to revise policies on pat-downs of children under 12? Really?

There has got to be a smarter, more sensible way to keep our skies safe. I know there just has to be. In this, and too many other ways to count, we are not smart, we are a joke.

To common sense~~

Happy Mother’s Day~~

noreply@blogger.com (Tena Lynn) — Mon, 09 May 2011 02:55:00 +0000

In the United States, the origin of Mother’s Day can be traced to the “Mother's Day Proclamation" of Julia Ward Howe, written in 1870. She believed that women should play a major role in shaping society. In 1912, Anna Jarvis trademarked the phrases "second Sunday in May" and "Mother's Day", and created the Mother's Day International Association. Here in the United States we have celebrated this day on the second Sunday of May ever since.

So what does it mean to celebrate this day to honor our mothers? We all have early memories; some good, some great, some not so great, and some downright suck. If we are lucky, these memories are full of warmth, feeling loved, being nurtured. If we are not, perhaps they are filled with less than that.

Do we honor great mothers only? Good mothers? What constitutes being a good mother? Does that mean apricot fried pies after school, bandaged knees, big hugs at our accomplishments, tears kissed away when we have been hurt? Does it mean sacrifice and working a nine-to-five or not so nine-to-five job to make sure we were financially secure and stable? Does it mean being unselfish and making the ultimate sacrifice of giving us over to adoption so that another mother can take care of us and give us a better life?

Or do we honor our mothers simply because they brought us into the world? When we look back as we were growing up, do we feel we were loved enough? Do we feel we were loved too much? Did we get the tools to lead a productive and fulfilled adult life after we have left that proverbial nest?

Maybe we hold our mothers to standards impossible to meet. As we grow older and become mothers ourselves do we begin to forgive a little? Or do we find that we forgive a lot? Or, do we wrap ourselves around our hurts and hold tight so that we never forgive?

When we travel back to before our mothers were mothers, what do we see? What was her childhood like? Was she loved enough? What were her dreams? Once we start to look further, can we find it possible to believe that she did the best she could with the tools she was also given?

At least, I think we can. I choose to honor my mother for giving me life and a chance to shape the days I have been given on this earth. The chance to have had my own children and right what I thought went wrong in my childhood. And, just maybe, to be forgiven for my mistakes and imperfections, and for what I brought into my children’s lives from my own.

To our mothers~~

United We Stand~~

noreply@blogger.com (Tena Lynn) — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 01:32:00 +0000

It was only a few days ago that I was here renewing my presence on Feisty After Fifty, after having gone through life changes that were unexpected, turning this life around.

Today our country is in shock after Saturday's tragedy in Tucson. The attempted assassination of U.S. Rep. (D) Gabrielle Giffords and resulting death of at least six others caught in the cross fire, have left us all in shock and searching for answers.

The names of the dead, according to a local news station are: 63-year-old U.S. District Judge John Roll, Gabe Zimmerman, 30, Dorwin Stoddard, 76, Dorthy Murray, 76 and Phyllis Scheck, 79, and finally, 9-year-old Christina Greene who attended the fatal meeting because she was interested in politics.

I mention their names because they should be remembered. I pray that Rep. Giffords has a complete recovery, but let's not forget the lives that were lost that day, a day that will now go down in the history books for our children and grandchildren to read about.

And when they do, what will they think of us? All of us in our age group remember the sixties, how turbulent they were, and we remember the assassinations and the violence. And we should remember how we reacted to that. Remember?

Not since that time, all those years ago, have I been witness to the level of violence, fear, loss of decorum, and complete lack of respect for one another. It feels as though everything that has always made us "us" has gone. How many times have we watched the news and some of the reactions of the government officials in "those" countries, looking down our noses at how uncivilized they all seemed. Prided ourselves with the knowledge that at least WE in the United States knew how to conduct ourselves. And we did. Then.

I have watched us in the last few years and have been unable to contain my disappointment. I arrogantly believed that we had overcome, that we had learned the lessons of the past and would at the very least never forget that, no matter what else made us different, we were all Americans. United. That, just like any family, we might bicker and yet, in the face of outside danger, we came together and would fight to the end any enemy that threatened our way of life, our common ground.

It would seem today that we no longer need enemies from the outside, for we are destroying ourselves. How will we react this time? Or will we?

One nation, indivisible~~

Tena

Hello again~~

noreply@blogger.com (Tena Lynn) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 18:04:00 +0000

Life can turn on a dime, "they" say. When you see that it has turned drastically for you or someone you love, it is small comfort (albeit some comfort, still) to look around and see that it has turned for thousands upon thousands of people just like you. People that did what they thought were all the right things too. In times like these, you discover what you are made of. You hear that all the time, but that is because it is true. Are you stronger than you ever imagined you were, or had to be? Do you go with grace? Do you tap into resources you never thought you had? What I truly love about us as Americans is the absolute resilience and strength and "damn the torpedoes" stuff we are made of. It is why I have always loved and still love our country and our people.

As you can see, I have not been here for awhile. It has been quite a long hiatus because life got interesting. This journey took some twists and turns that were harrowing, and I have learned that strength can come from where you least expected it to be. You can also discover grace, and there is something to be said for that. Actually, there is a lot to be said for that.

I am back here now, and will continue. I still find that this journey into second adulthood can be a roller coaster ride at times, and well, that just reminds me of how much fun that used to be. Let the fork in the road come, I am ready to take the one less traveled by.

To the journey~~

Tena

Yes, but it sucks eggs, too~~

noreply@blogger.com (Tena Lynn) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:13:00 +0000

This stuff of being a woman over fifty and being feisty and positive and all that is, well~~~a cool attitude to have about the whole thing. I mean after all, what else are we gonna do? Say that's ok, we'll just go back a few years, hang out, and we'll come back later?

I remember Oprah once having female celebrity guests on her show, in ages ranging from 40 to 70 or so. And they looked hot and we all wanted to be them. We thought, if we can be there and look like that, well then bring it on.

But when you first wake up in the morning, you haven't had your coffee yet and you stumble into the bathroom (by the way, that is not the best time to be looking in the mirror) you look up in the mirror and think "So when did my mother get here?" I mean, what a way to start the day, right?

We have great sites geared to us that I have come across like Vibrant Nation and Seasoned Woman. They are fabulous and positive and we love them. We have Oprah, we have Ellen, and a whole slew of females over fifty that exude energy and vibrance and beauty. We think yea, that's me!!

Then we look in the mirror again. And there are some days when you apply stuff and primp things and turn your face this way, that way~~~and this way, that way~~till you decide to hell with it, this is as good as it gets.

And you square your shoulders, stick your nose in the air, sniff~~~~flip off the mirror and head out the door.

The many ways it sucks~~

Tena

Great Cup a Joe~~

noreply@blogger.com (Tena Lynn) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:50:00 +0000

Anyone that knows me knows about my love of coffee. It began many moons (eons) ago, back to when I was just a girl. I don't know how exactly, but it somehow shaped my life that I recall very early mornings with my grandfather. The rest of the household still asleep, I would sit with him while he prepared to leave the house to start his work day.

There was always coffee, and it was always strong. He'd allow me this little glimpse of him as he fussed around the kitchen each morning, putting his lunch in a metal pail and taking a few minutes to enjoy another cup before heading out the door.

Fast forward those many moons and today I love coffee to the extent that I should have bought stock in Starbucks, and appreciate good coffee wherever I find it. So when I saw that O Magazine made mention of a company called The Roasterie, I had to check it out.

They have a product line that includes Certified Fair Trade Organic, a line of dark, green and flavored coffee, and teas. The coolest thing they have is My Blend, as mentioned in O.

You go to their site and answer a few questions about your preferences. I think there are something like eight questions in all. They blend a coffee made just for you. You get to create your own label in your own words and add a photo if you want to. Then you save and share your profile. How cool is that? I just ordered mine, and you can find them at www.theroasterie.com.

And no, they aren't paying me but if I find something fun, I like to tell friends about it and pass it on. I also like neat sites and I think this is one. They believe in giving back to their community and to me, that is something to promote.

Have fun blending!!

Tena

Feels like being an oreo~~

noreply@blogger.com (Tena Lynn) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:25:00 +0000

I have a birthday coming. My son was asking me the other day what I felt about that. Since this is my second adulthood and new territory in a sense, I didn't know how to answer. But of course my brain never has a chance to catch up with my mouth, so I said something anyway.

I said that what I'd love is to never have anymore birthdays and yet STILL be around. I mean, considering the alternative I don't want to tempt almighty fate or anything. I like being here. For some reason, I can not understand why this has to be my second adulthood when I was never that hot at being in the first one. Or was I? What I do hope is that I have been a good person, woman, mother. I know I haven't been a perfect specimen of any of those.

What it does feel like is being in the middle. I have my son who has not yet made me a full empty nester, and I have a mother that is in a nursing home. She has early Alzheimers disease. My sister bears the biggest brunt of caring for her as I am further away. When I visit my mother I am reminded that she is the second female in my family that has spent some time in nursing homes.

I am in the middle. I have no anchors in any sense that I used to have anchors, as they are gone or either not able to anchor anymore. And I still am responsible to my son and many times wonder if I have been up to the task.

I don't know. I do know that I like the person he is. He is no more perfect than any of us but I like his big and gentle heart, his patience (that no way he got from me) and I like his intelligence.

It sometimes feels as though there are fewer and fewer people around that remember me in the first half, the first journey into adulthood. I struggled with my identity as we all did . But it might be nice to have those folks around that remember how I became who I am. It was those years, those people, those experiences that made me this person, this woman.

To those of us in the middle~~

Tena

When you wonder where the money will come from~~

noreply@blogger.com (Tena Lynn) — Sun, 31 May 2009 14:30:00 +0000

For several months we have all heard the stories. People that were once above water now wonder if they will be able to keep a roof over their heads. Many of them don't even know how to deal with the fear let alone how to focus and find a way to keep afloat.

Scary thing, when you have heard it said we are all only a couple of paychecks away from the streets. Only when you face that for yourself do you realize the truth in that statement. And it will keep you up at night in a cold sweat and fear like you may never have known.

And it can really tick you off~~~you have done it all right, played by the rules, did what you have been told you were supposed to do.

The advice we get from the well-meaning and popular financial advisors is all well and good, but not very practical in terms of just putting food on the table.

But some good things can emerge from all this as well. For one, you can see with a stark clearness of vision just who your true friends are. Funny, you find that they number more than likely, on the fingers of one hand.

That's ok, because you find a level of appreciation for them that might not otherwise have existed and you will go forward to cherish them much more than before.

I do not believe our learning process is complete yet and I do not know what else will emerge from this place that many of us find ourselves or our loved ones in. But I believe it will eventually be ok and we will be stronger than before.

To our strength~~

Tena

Not again~~

noreply@blogger.com (Tena Lynn) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 13:24:00 +0000

Gustav is coming closer to New Orleans~~~and I remember another day three years ago. I recall images and the emotions they evoked that I will never in my life forget. That there is also this stirring fear it could happen again brings tears to my eyes.

According to the news this morning, Gustav may have weakened to a Category 2, down from the Category 4 that it was when taking aim for New Orleans earlier. Please let it be. Please let it be spared this time, this city that is called The Big Easy. A city that America just can not be complete without. If you have ever been to New Orleans, you will know what I am talking about. It's a place that, once you have been there, draws you back~~~again and again and again.

Katrina hit the city three years ago~~~and remembering brings back those images that one just never expected to see in America. Viewing the aftermath on television was like viewing images of some far removed third world country~~~leaving one with a feeling of sadness for those enduring those circumstances "over there". But it was always "over there", wasn't it?

As I write this, 2 million people have evacuated. At least this time there was enough preparation for that to happen. Maybe this time a young boy and his father can get on a bus and not worry about abandoning a beloved pet, a dog that young boy refused to leave behind. Because being prepared to leave before the storm hit~~~that didn't happen the last time. Not before over 1600 people died. Not before patients in hospitals were left to die without proper care and doctors, so tired and yet remaining to try to do what little they could. Not before the body of an old woman was covered by a cardboard box, remaining there on the street~~~dying with no dignity. Not when Katrina hit and devastated the city from the 9th Ward to the Garden District to the French Quarter. Whether the damage was physical or not, the damage was deep and lasting.

Celebrities such as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Oprah Winfrey and Ellen Degeneres have tried to help rebuild~~truly rebuild and not simply throw money toward the effort as some others did. K-Ville with Anthony Anderson playing Detective Marlin Boulet was a television show that reminded us of the bravery and courage and determination of many in the NOPD. K-Ville, a show that was canceled early~~~more than likely because there was not enough of a following to keep it alive. More than likely because we forget. That was then, it couldn't happen again, right? Move on, get over it, it's over~~~we don't need to be reminded of something that was in the past, do we? Sure, we don't.

That was Katrina. We can hope and pray that lessons were learned and awareness such that the aftermath of Gustav will be much different. Leaders made mistakes and learned, too. Let's hope we learned enough.

To the Big Easy and her people~~

Tena

Taking care of our own~~

noreply@blogger.com (Tena Lynn) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:22:00 +0000

We are such an awesome part of our overall population in this country that is the USA. I'm proud to be part of that, which is why Feisty After Fifty was born.

At the same time, not all of us are doing well. In fact, many are in trouble. Not just the kind of trouble that makes us buckle down and curb some expenses, get fewer manicures, or buy less at the make-up counter. No~~~the kind of trouble I'm talking about is not having enough money to pay the rent, the mortgage, the lights, even have enough food to eat. In America you say? Yes.

Those that are in trouble? We may not know it to see her~~we may see her in the line at the grocery store, work side by side with her every day, notice her leaving her house or pass her in the parking lot in our apartment communities.

And never know that inside that apartment there are no lights because she can't pay rent and the light bill, too. That she walks the aisle at the store and wonders how she can feed herself, and how she got where she is. That she works forty hours a week and is a productive citizen~~~and still has to rob Peter to pay Paul just to pay basic living expenses. Always falling short, month after month, after month.

She is divorced or single and was laid off from her job, has a mortgage with a sky-high interest rate, went through an illness that kept her out of work, took care of a family member that became ill. There are a myriad of reasons and circumstances that brought her to that place, and none of them are through any fault of her own. No, she didn't bring it on herself by squandering money or doing drugs. She was/is a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister that did everything right. Just like you, just like me.

I've seen mention of wonderful programs that we as women in the greatest country in the world have endeavored to create and fund. Programs to set up funds so that women in foreign countries can work for themselves~~to empower them. We have given of our time and money and resources toward human rights for women all over the globe.

While all of these are wonderful and generous, and even further demonstrate what makes us truly giving and remarkable women~~~what about the women in our own backyard? What of them?

While thinking about all of this, I decided to do a search. I was totally ready to sit down and sort through all of the wonderful resources that I was sure to find, and report my findings here at Feisty After Fifty. They aren't there. True, mine was s cursory glance. Yet it seemed to be enough to know that what is out there, if anything, falls tremendously short of addressing the problem.

Sure, there are welfare programs and food stamp programs. They serve a purpose. I'm not talking about women that can benefit from them, because the women I am talking about fall under a different category. They have children that are too old for them to be considered for benefits under welfare~~~they are too young to be eligible for social security or benefits for the older citizen. The women I am talking about are in a no-man's land where none of these resources are there for for them, available to them.

What can we do? I don't know, but I know that talking about it, bringing it to the table is a start. We are smart, we are generous, we have strength and we have courage on our side. We should be able to come up with some answers~~~to take care of our own first. If we can't take care of our own, how can we take care of anyone else?

For the women in our own backyard~~

Tena

As the dervish whirls~~

noreply@blogger.com (Tena Lynn) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:06:00 +0000

If you have AADD, or Adult Attention Deficit Disorder (does the word "disorder" have a connotation of something negative or what?) then dervishes can be familiar to you, whether you realize it or not.

Why? Because they whirl~~~and whirl and whirl and whirl. Just like your brain, just like your thoughts.

You know that constantly whirling thing that is where your thought processes, your ideas, your everything is, up there in your head?

You will be in the shower, talking to your dog, i.e. yourself, at work, talking to a friend, whatever~~~and the thought you had and the one you were just so serious about~~~is gone.

Before you know it, the thing gets sucked back in where the dervishes whirl and out pops another one that you haven't had time to wrap your brain around yet, let alone segue into.

You have to be pretty talented and quick on your feet to jump from salad dressing to the size of a man's family jewels all in one fell swoop, let me tell you.

Let 'em whirl~~

Tena

More information to protect your home~~

noreply@blogger.com (Tena Lynn) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:26:00 +0000

Many of us are currently afraid that we are in real danger of losing our homes due to foreclosure. We don't know where to go, who to trust, what information we can and cannot rely on.

I have come across information that can help and I want to pass it along. There is a counseling service that is provided by the Homeownership Preservation Foundation and their counselors are there to help. They are HUD approved and well trained in foreclosure prevention, can offer a real plan of action with specific steps to take and are non-judgmental in their approach.

The Homeownership Preservation Foundation's mission is to help homeowners avoid foreclosure. It is an independent nonprofit. Counselors have extensive training and have been awarded credit counseling certification. The website displays endorsements from other homeowners that have been helped by them.

The number to call Homeowner's Hope is 888.995.HOPE You can call 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Calling this number may bring you closer to regaining your peace of mind.

To our security~~

Tena

Protect your home~~

noreply@blogger.com (Tena Lynn) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 14:11:00 +0000

We all know the current shape our country is in. And many of us are worried. Gasoline and grocery prices are climbing, and lay offs are all over~~~we are spending less in the attempt to hang on and yet it's not enough for so many of us.

The foreclosure rate continues to climb and people are hanging on to their homes by the skin of their teeth. They try to modify loans, file bankruptcy, anything to hold on. But one thing so many are not prepared for and do not foresee is the matter of~~~taxes. Please do not be unprepared and in your efforts to save your home, breath a small sigh of relief~~~only to find it was all for nothing.

When you are falling behind on your bills and your mortgage, many times you are delinquent with paying taxes as well. After all, you are in survival mode and some matters simply have to wait, be set aside to deal with and pay later.

Be aware of what can happen if you have delinquent taxes that are reported to your lender from your taxing authority. Your lender will force escrow and pay those taxes, any penalties and interest your taxing authority has added, and advance that money~~~to be collected from the escrow account that was force placed and added to your monthly mortgage payment.

What that means is that whether you chose to have an escrow account (established and held by the lender into which money is collected to pay taxes and/or insurance) or not, you will get one forced upon you.

Once escrow is forced, you might find the payment is too high for you to afford or feel that your lender had no right to add escrow in the first place. If you attempt to pay your monthly mortgage payment without paying the added amount that was advanced, you will find that your lender will not accept your "short" payment. That will place you behind in your mortgage, causing you once again to be where you started~~~on the brink of losing your home because you can't afford the payment.

Can your lender do this? Yes, they can. They can and they have to or your property can and will be sold for taxes. For taxes. Taxing authorities can also differ greatly in the policies they have regarding notifying you, not only of the threat to take your property, but when or if the property has already been sold. You could be notified after the fact.

See, if taxes are not paid and your taxing authority has placed a lien on it, that lien has a higher priority than your lender's lien. Please do not neglect taxes in your efforts to save your home, but include that as part of your plan so as to avoid getting hit with a higher mortgage payment just as you thought you could breath that sigh of relief.

When your lender pays those taxes, plus any fees or penalties and interest your taxing authority has added on, your lender will advance the entire amount to your taxing authority. If they have to redeem a property that has already been sold, then the amount that needs to be paid to recover the property can be off the charts. All of that money that is advanced to either pay late taxes or to recover the property, is on you to pay back. It is added it to your mortgage payment.

Your lender will divide that advanced money into a payback plan that recovers the money over a twelve month period. In addition, they will begin to collect enough to cover current taxes over the same twelve month period, PLUS in many cases enough to create a cushion of 1/6 (or roughly two months worth of the total amount of items paid from the account) .

Can they do this legally? Absolutely. Check your loan documents, and check RESPA (Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, which was passed by government in 1974.)

Be prepared. Take all of this into consideration and make this part of your plan to save your home BEFORE you begin to tackle your overall mortgage payment.

To our security~~

Tena

Not so feisty~~

noreply@blogger.com (Tena Lynn) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 12:42:00 +0000

I haven't surfaced for a while. Sometimes the feisty can be dealt with life and become not so feisty after all. At least for a time.

There is something unique to being this age that we never imagine and are never fully prepared for. We feel great that our children have come to a place where they are out of the house and are moving toward becoming the productive and independent people we worked to help them become. Or perhaps they are still at home but in school. At any rate, we are nearing the time where we no longer have to take care of them.

What we don't plan for is that now our parents are becoming less independent and less strong. We don't think of them, our own anchors, being in need until it happens. And there we are~~~we haven't yet completed our duty to our own children when we are faced with the possible duty of caring for one or more of our parents as well.

I was nearing the end of a normal day when I got the call that my mother was in the emergency room in her home of more than 200 miles away. And so began twelve days in intensive care, learning she had congestive heart, not knowing if she would wake up once more.

I realized selfishly that I wanted more than anything for her to wake up even just that once more, so she would know I was there. And when she finally came out of intensive care, it was then several days of her doctors trying to determine the next course of action. That next course was to be rehab to relearn what was lost during that scarier time.

We don't prepare for this, are not ready when faced with it. When do/did we come to see that we have become and are truly and without a doubt the ones to be leaned on? That all those that have been there in our lives, the ones that WE needed to lean on are either no longer able to allow us to lean on them, but perhaps are no more?

Does that mean that all these years we so arrogantly called ourselves grown up were just a lie? We always knew there was someone to fall back on, didn't we? Didn't we? And then suddenly we don't. And we become the caretakers. Is that when we become adults in the truest sense of the word?

There is a fear that comes with that, and a profound sense of loneliness too. We have already seen our children move toward the door and beyond, and just as we began to feel a sense of freedom in that, we get whomped with our parents perhaps moving toward yet another door. A far more permanent one.

And then we feel alone~~

Tena

Happy birthday, Bette Davis~~

noreply@blogger.com (Tena Lynn) — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 15:27:00 +0000

Bette Davis~~~a force to be reckoned with or what? According to a web site dedicated to all things Bette Davis, the actress would be 100 years old today.

Her fans will gather at the spot in front of Mann/Grauman's Chinese Theater between 12 p.m.–2 p.m., where her hand prints, foot prints and signature were placed in concrete in 1950.

Now Voyager, Jezebel, All About Eve~~~who can't name a dozen or more movies she made that we loved? In her lifetime, she made over 100 films. Over 100 films. She was the woman that women secretly wanted to be but didn't dare. And today we have that freedom~~~we have it largely because of women like her, and the women she portrayed for all of her career.

She was called "The First Lady of the American Screen," she was referred to as "fiery" and set a new precedent for women. According to the website, she was the highest paid woman in America by 1942.

For more information, go to the website at: Bettedavis.com.

Fasten your seat belts!!

To the women that came before us~~

Popeye, you still the man~~

noreply@blogger.com (Tena Lynn) — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 18:40:00 +0000

Remember Popeye the Sailor Man? Squinty-eyed, corn cob pipe, muscles, and anchor tattoos? Seems he knew his stuff when it came to spinach. Eating spinach gave him this superhuman strength, the kind needed to smack the whey out of Bluto when he'd had enough. "I've had all I can stands and I can't stands no more!!"

So it seems the Sailor Man knew his stuff~~~~spinach is one of those Super Foods, big time. In spades. It's one of the best food for you, and one of the most nutritious foods there is.

It's called a Super Food for a reason~~~well, several reasons actually. Not the least of which is you can eat a ton of the stuff and gain all the good things without the bad~~like the fat and calories. It can reduce the risk of many cancers, heart diseases, strokes, and age related degeneration. It may even be good for us in delaying cognitive decline, meaning not losing our minds and being able to remember what you ate last week and the name of the snotty kid in high school that you loved to hate. Unless you WERE the snotty kid in high school~~~~you know who you are.

We know spinach is loaded with iron but that's not all. Antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, omega 3 fatty acids, co enzyme Q10, the list goes on and it's not to be sneezed at, if you want to be healthy and live a long life.

For weight loss, the key is this~~~what spinach provides is nutrient density. That means you get a lot for a little. Just a small serving is packed with nutrients so you can eat more without worrying about the fat and calories. One cup of raw spinach is only 7 calories. You can't beat that.

Again, to our health~~

Clean Eating~~

noreply@blogger.com (Tena Lynn) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:13:00 +0000

I love this magazine. There have been two issues so far. There are tons of good solid information and recipes. All good stuff for you.

The magazine is well thought out and organized. There are recipes, menu plans that you can download, grocery lists, supplement guides and supermarket guides. There is pizza!!

Clean eating is basically consuming food in it's most natural state. Who can argue with that? Especially when so much of the work has been done for you.

I already see many things I am going to try and with the grocery list provided that I can print out and take with me, I can prepare five meals with five recipes for under $60.

There are many magazines that I am not impressed with for one reason or another. This is one that is a keeper.

To our health~~

Tena

Well orange you special~~

noreply@blogger.com (Tena Lynn) — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 15:07:00 +0000

In my on-going quest to become a healthier me, the research continues. Well, also in hopes of keeping my son from having to hire people years from now to keep Mom from walking naked down the streets someday in full dementia.

Actually, that could be kind of fun if you think about it~~Baby Boomers unite!! There could be whole hordes of us reverting back to flowers in our hair, sans clothes, and creating yet another of the protest movements we were so good at once upon a time.

I can see us now, united against our children in their efforts to get us into nursing homes~~~in full march shouting "HELL NO, WE WON'T GO!!"

This has nothing to do with oranges, does it?

We have heard of the Super Foods with Super Nutrients and I mentioned the book I've begun to read, in an earlier post.

There seem to be a total of 14 of these super foods, each loaded with good things for us. These can be further broken down to add sidekicks as they are called that are also loaded with good stuff for you.

If you are like me and want and need the information but don't have the time or inclination to go headlong into too much at one time, then baby steps are a good thing.

So I give you oranges~~finally, you say!

We know already they have have a high level of vitamin C and that vitamin C has a myriad of health benefits. There is the influence on heart health, the prevention of some cancers, protection against the risk of stroke.

There are now studies that suggest oranges can promote weight loss. According to the book, several studies have shown a link between vitamin C status and our body's ability to break down fat for fuel. Studies also show some association between low levels of vitamin C and increased degree of obesity.

It appears that there is a huge number of us that are low in vitamin C intake. If it is true that getting enough vitamin C in our diets can help us in our efforts to lose weight, then we "could be potentially resistant, or at least sluggish, when it come to weight loss".

Adding oranges (and kiwi is mentioned as one of the sidekicks to this Super Food) to our diets can be so simple~~~they are portable, sweet, easy to use in recipes and make for easy morning routines when getting ready for the day ahead.

One further note on why I like this book~~~of course we all know we should eat fruits and vegetables, we should be getting fiber, we need to eat fish, lean proteins. We need to avoid fried foods and so on, and so on.

But if we are given specific choices and the information we need to understand why these are the best choices for our goals, we take so much guesswork out of it. That means we save time. We worry less about what we are doing wrong and feel great about the things we are doing right. Simplicity. Why do we choose oranges over something else? What choices also add the fewest calories? What choices are the most efficient?

To our health~~

Tena

What's inside that counts~~

noreply@blogger.com (Tena Lynn) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 23:55:00 +0000

We are what we eat, it's what's inside that counts, garbage in, garbage out~~~and so on and so on. We can't say that we don't know, because we are inundated on a daily basis with tons of information coming at us. Nutrition, healthy eating, weight loss, diets, organic foods. But you see, that's part of the problem.

To be healthy and to lose weight if that is also a goal, we know of tons of books, articles, websites, and advice that are at our fingertips. It seems that as soon as we are familiar with one new weight loss or food guru, another emerges.

If you are like me, you have read them all~~~~only to end up feeling as though you just wasted your time and money on yet another book that contradicted the one before. And if you are further like me, you have a difficult time following the advice of anyone that has never had an extra ounce of weight on them in their lives.

We are intelligent enough to know that some things just make sense. We know that certain foods are better for your health and longevity. We know that these should be in, or added to our diets. We know that simple and natural food, free of chemicals, pesticides and growth hormones are better than those that aren't.

Now we have Super Foods that contain high quality Super Nutrients. Foods that can drastically improve health and prevent disease, help us live longer. According to the newest book, The Super Foods RX Diet, we can lose weight with the power of these Super Nutrients.

We are told in the book that "scientists now recognize that the chemistry of weight gain and weight loss is far more subtle and complicated than first believed". You don't say~~~

I'm looking forward to reading the book because it does seem to be well written, practical and just make sense. I'm all for living longer but not just living longer~~~living well.

The Super Foods RX Diet
Wendy Bazilian, DrPH, MA, RD
Steven Pratt, MD
Kathy Mathews, MD

Don't slap me~~

noreply@blogger.com (Tena Lynn) — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 18:00:00 +0000

With so much information out there just at the tip of our fingers, we have to decide what sites become so interesting to us that we bookmark them and go back often. So I got the idea that I would like to become a much more intelligent and sophisticated, well-rounded woman. Versed in topics that are important, that matter in our world~~and then have people thinking I'm just hot personified.

My morning began by checking email and I came across one from The Discovery Channel Insider. I'm smug, I'm an insider. Yea. So I began to scan over the articles that I could choose from and decided on the one I found the most interesting.

Did you know that the Tootsie Roll was unveiled on this day over a hundred years ago?! When something has been around that long you have to pay attention, don't you think? A great thing about Tootsie Rolls is that they come so handily wrapped you can just eat one and still not be pigging out, right? Right? I said I ate just one!

There are about 62 million produced every day, so if I just ate that ONE every now and then, hey~~~~. They were named after the candy maker's five year old daughter, whose nickname was Tootsie. There's even a recipe for Tootsie Roll Cheesecake. Now that is just a low blow, don't you think?

In pursuit of knowledge~~

Tena

Down for the count~~

noreply@blogger.com (Tena Lynn) — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 00:09:00 +0000

Ok, so I got this virus that decided to waylay me for a bit. The aches, the watery eyes, congestion, and I could swear there has been a gorilla sitting on my chest for the past few days~~~big hairy one, too. I happen to be a short woman, so your average size gorilla could cover my chest with most of his big hairy behind and have large parts hanging over each side.

I've done steam, saline mist, chicken soup, decongestant~~~I've had my head in the medicine drawer, pulling boxes and bottles out in hopes for a miracle cure. I had a coughing fit so severe, my poor doxie had a frantic look on his face like "OhmygodwhatdoIdoifshediesonmeNOW?!" He should worry too. He knows where his Gooberlicious treats come from.

So the first day you are arrogant and brave. You think you have it covered, no prob. Take some over the counter stuff, drink water, juices, and wait for it to go away. Then you decide by the next day that perhaps you should have gone to the doctor and not tried to self medicate. The doctor gives you more drugs and then you have to wait for them to work. If you are like me, by this time enough is a friggin' nough~~~~this THING should be gone by now, does it not know how unwelcome it has become? It doesn't know who you are, does it? Well apparently NOT.

I've learned that some of the best over the counter meds to take or use are Afrin and Sudafed, and yes you must remember that greasy stuff your mother plastered on your chest as a kid and you swore you would never use, ever when you were grown~~~ever, like never ever?

Well, you find when you are wallowing in self-pity over your aches and pains, then the idea of that disgusting stuff isn't so disgusting after all. Could it be that it's one of those revert back to childhood, I want my mom kind of things? I think it might but when you are sick, you're entitled right?

So, here I am, now on the third or fourth day of this. But how would I know since the week went by in a fog anyway? Don't you hate losing an entire week like that? I mean, when we were twenty what did it matter, right? Well now that I'm not, I want all of my weeks thank you very much.

If you'll excuse me now I think it's time for the cough medicine~~the one the doctor prescribed that has the codeine in it? I may not be cured after taking it, but I'll be asleep and won't care anyway!

Stay well~~

Tena

Our money~~

noreply@blogger.com (Tena Lynn) — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 17:36:00 +0000

One of the best books I've ever come across that is geared to women and money is the new book by Suze Orman, Women and Money~~Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny.

I believe all of us can find something in this book that can help, whether we are sitting pretty, as they say, or just making ends meet. We should all have this book, and buy one for our friends and daughters as well.

Suze speaks to us in a simple no-nonsense language that helps us all act in our own best interest when it comes to our money and our financial security. It applies not only to today but tomorrow and into the future.

Whether we are single or married, a stay at home mom or have a career, this book is for all of us.

Women and Money also allows us access to a whole slew of financial knowledge and tools on Suze's website. There are forms and calculators, and Suze's Action Planner.

I've always liked her books before, but this one is the best I've seen. Look for more information about this book and all of the other resources she offers at www.suzeorman.com.

Tena

This one's just for us~~

noreply@blogger.com (Tena Lynn) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 16:16:00 +0000

There are days when I feel like Oprah, days when I feel like Ellen, and then there are days when I can more closely identify with Maxine of Crabby Road. I've been a mother, wife, sister, daughter, and girlfriend. And somewhere in there, is me.

I'm in great company, and never in history has there been women more powerful, more independent, more outspoken than women of today, in this age group. I am and we are, feisty after fifty.

Feisty After Fifty is my baby. There are forums for teens, for moms, for those among us that are younger. Yet even though the over fifty woman is such a huge part of the population in this country and the world, we still don't have enough of a voice.

Issues that are important to us can be as huge as health care and retirement, and those not so earth shattering as the latest sale at The Container Store.

I want Feisty After Fifty to be a place for us, to share the resources I have found that worked for me and hopefully will for you, too. As it evolves, I'll be adding articles and resources, links and fun stuff too.

So I hope you join me here, I'm looking forward to meeting you~~

Tena