I do understand you regarding attitude Sephia. But I don't think it is always just related to older people. Many people are "old" before their chronological age gets them there.

You often see a lot more of that online than out in the real world. Forums like this one are becoming pretty obsolete really. It's no longer the modern way. LOL Even LOL has become quaint ;-)

I notice a lot of people on boards that seem to have a lot of issues. Some have physical issues limiting mobility and the chance to get out. But many have psychological issues that tie them down. Social anxiety, agoraphobia, fearfulness of the unknown, fear of health and food issues, sensitive and easily frightened by the media, it goes on. I can be many things that tie them more to their keyboards instead of getting out and living and embracing life to the fullest.

Some people embrace technology to add fulfillment to their lives and others turn their backs on it preferring to do activities. The lucky ones manage to balance the two.

For example I love my smart phone and I love the fact that we have digital photography at our fingertips. But I am saddened, and often annoyed by those who have given up face to face for their phones and enjoying the moment at outings by looking at the experience through a lens instead of taking full opportunity to take pleasure in what is around them. Guess that makes me an older curmudgeon.

If you've never tried to learn a new skill, how do you know that you wouldn't like it?

Exactly. People should be willing to try. But doesn't mean they need to embrace everything they try. Do the things that please you most. Do the things that scare you most. Sometimes the things that scare you most will end up l pleasing you most. That's how I look at it.

Well said Watchmelol!

Right on, watchmelol. You understand what I'm trying to say, although not as well as you articulated it.

Sephia, my back did come up at some of your phrasing, and how those words came across to me.

For example, saying that "Old" people remain fixed on how they used to do things when Rin Tin Tin was a pup, even when presented with a more modern, up to date alternate." That implied (to me) that only the more modern, up to date alternative was acceptable.

I only left the corporate world two years ago and am quite used to technology. When I'd leave the office tho, and head home, I never wanted to take that technology with me. (other than my smart phone. I still have to have my smart phone). But I choose to unwind with a book, or work in the dirt with my hands, or make out my grocery list with a pen & paper, or read a real newspaper vs. reading it online. The way I interpreted your words was that the simpler ways are wrong. And they're not, they're just simpler.

No, Mystical Manns, unfortunately what you're interpreting isn't what I'm trying to say. Watchmelol understands.

I have a brand new iPhone, so does husband. We have a new iPad, laptop, and desktop. However, we have a landline with all portable phones scattered around the house. My iPhone sits on the kitchen table. I don't carry it from room to room and rarely use it in the house unless I text someone. I'd much rather talk on my portable phone and since there are four of them, one is always near. I don't talk that much on the phone anyway. Getting like my kids who just text. We're in a Verizon package, landline, internet and TVs.

Many of my friends have been ten or more years older. At 55 I am in some circles the young one. I also feel younger because I teach young people.

My dad is one year older than mom. They are both in their 60s. Mom loves her ipad,her smartphone,the smart tv,she's active on facebook,and does ALL the online banking and shopping. She gets excited about new technology. Dad,on the other hand,refused to even TRY to play solitare on the computer when they first got one,insisting that their is nothing wrong with using cards. He is and always has been resistant to trying new things.Okay. Whatever. Then,one day on a whim,he asked mom to show him how to play on the ipad.He loved it. So mom got him his own tablet. However,now he drives mom absolutely up the wall with incessant questions about the tablet. ("Why is it flashing that all drivers need to click here?" "Why did the screen go blank?" "How do I start over?" "How do I I turn it off/on?") Grrrrrrr. She has to keep getting up to go help him. I told her that he needs to get his butt up and come to her if he needs help. Now she curses the day she showed him. I think she went so far as to set parental controls up on his so he couldn't get into too much trouble. Lol.

I don't think he's ever been on the internet. I remember a scene one day when mom was trying to order HIM a new pair of shoes, and instead of going to look at the computer screen because it was "stupid " he just argued with mom over what was wrong with every shoe she suggested,then told he she probably should just go to a store and buy them without him. BUT THE SAME SHOES AT THE STORE ARE ON THE INTERNET!!!!

He doesn't even have a cell phone, which is fine since they are rarely apart and mom could use hers to call someone if needed,but he wouldn't even know how to use one in a bind. It takes him forever to dial a number on their landline. I remember he had one for work before he retired,but he would never answer it. It would be in his pocket ringing and he wouldn't realize it was his cell. He would answer the landline or ask my mom was she gonna answer the phone or not.

If anything goes wrong with ANYTHING, whether it be the cable going out,the power flickering, a late delivery, whatever,he flies off the handle like it's the end of the world. My mom won't let him deal with any customer service people ,because he is so rude to them,because he expects everything to work perfectly, all the time and gets frustrated easily.

So I agree it depends on the attitude of the person involved. I don't ever remember my father being carefree and fun,although he was loving in his own way. He always had that proverbial stick up the you know where. My mother still has water fights with the grandkids, and gloats (shamelessly) when she beats them at games. (Seriously,she does the Arsenio Hall WHOOP whoop whoop arm pump when she wins.)

My dad had always been an old fuddy duddy,even in his youth. My mom will never grow up,no matter how old she gets.

I will chime in as one of the younger ones here who still has the admittedly limited view of "older people" strictly from the "younger" sense.

I do think a large portion of how "old" you are or how old you are perceived to be comes down to attitude and outlook.

My husband's grandma was the first person I met with this vivacious personality I had never before seen in "old people".

She was witty, spry, relevant, amazing, but with YEARS of experience. She was truly an amazing person. She still lived!!! She was still active and engaged and she was in her late 80s when I met her!

Prior to her, my only experience with "old people" was with, well, old fuddy duddies who acted old, no matter how young they physically were.

The most difficult thing for me in this aspect of life that I'm currently dealing with is watching my own parents age and my "role" in life change as I, and my parents, get "older."

There is this, for lack of a better way to put it, mental hierarchy to the family "pecking order".

When I had my first child 10 years ago, I tried to describe it to my mom but she didn't understand what I was talking about. My friends who weren't parents got it though.

At that time, when I heard the word "mom", I had this mental image, but it was of my mom, and my friends mom's, THESE were the people that term belonged to; not me; and "Grandma" was that old lady, not my mom.

We very quickly adopted these terms to our new roles in life but, inside I feel like we both still felt like "this can't be real... I'm not the "grand/mom" now!!!"

Well, it's been a decade and time has done what it does and I'm witnessing my parents start to go through the beginning stages of those "old people" things I always heard about as a kid with my grandparents and I'm still the "kid" saying, "wait...but you can't be the "old" person because that makes me the "middle person"

Does any of this make sense?

roxanne your DH is now walking in their shoes so he GETS IT. That is all that happened. If we would all try seeing the world from another's view it would help A LOT. There are two phases of retirement Active and Resting. Those in the Active phase are the people volunteering, helping those that cannot get around any longer. They have arrived at what they dreamed of, what they saved for. Those first years are their reward and what they waited for ALL THEIR LIVES. The Millennials and Gen Zers have turned that around. They are not getting married young, raising kids "paying their dues", They are doing all we waited to do NOW. They are young and feeling good and yes I can see how the rest of us would be clogging up things. Ask me if I care!!! LOL.

These days I spend a lot of time dealing with my mom. It frustrates my son to no end. When things are at their worst, the most frustrating, I say, but "I'm never gonna get old" [said very much in the vein of, this too will happen to me] to him, reminding him that he will one day have to be frustrated with me. And I hope, with all that I am, he sees the great amount of patience I am using with her. As I did with my grandparents, my inlaws, and all others who are struggling with the realities of a body that won't do what they want it to do.

We have a ton on seniors in our store daily, but the most on Thursdays (which is Seniors Day). Years ago I said, "when I get old, please hit me upside the head if I'm as miserable as some of them are!" I still say that. I'm 58. And I'll still say it when I'm 78. I understand them slowing down. I'm already finding it hard to get off the floor when I'm down there. But that's my doing: I'm lazy and keep saying I'm going to work out, but I don't. My dad will be 86 in a few months and he's still go a TON of get up and go. I have a hard time keeping up with him. Mom is the same way and she'll be 84 in March.

Gee sephia, maybe all those old folks from age 60 on up should just be rounded up and put in an old folks compound so we wouldn't get in anyone's way??? I just turned 75 (gasp) and consider myself quite active with no health problems( knocking on wood) so far. Yes, there are "older" folks sometimes that are stuck in their ways as I dealt with an aunt years ago that made me want tp pull my hair out but I still respected her wishes. As far as your power banks I have had two for several years now, one smaller to carry in my purse and a larger one also. You still need to keep them charged up. And yes I have a corded phone with one phone that is just plugged into the phone box so I can call to report power outage. Also have a couple of cell phones, one a smart phone and the other not so smart! Honestly, I hope you never run for an office. We have enough already in Washinton who do not care two cents about seniors......that includes dumbo, don't think I need to mention his name.

"Old Age" sure isn't what I thought it would be. Most times when I have to state my age I am shocked by the number. That can't be ME? In my youth, I thought that being old meant sedentary, mellow, all wise, sweet and gentle, homemade cookies and antiques. I am anything but those things. I am outspoken, can't bake worth a darn and am quite active. Although I move slower, I keep on going and going. Maybe today's youth should slow down a little. Many of them seem quite frazzled! LOL :-)

“Spotty cell phone reception at home isn't a problem with cell phones. Many newish cellphones can be set to route phone signals (and text messages) over Wifi, when connected. Most mobile carriers also offer access points that will route your phone signal over your Wifi if your phone doesn't do that on its own.“

Not true where i used to live until 2 years ago. We were in a rural location and couldn't get reliable internet, let alone reliable cell service, and had no access to cable. Text messages usually arrived, although sometimes hours after they were sent. We had very spotty satellite internet that was down more than it was up, and access points didn’t work, so we had a landline for longer calls and emergencies. While I loved living in the middle of nowhere, I am glad to have good cell and internet these days.

I will be 65 next week. I still trailrun technical trails 3 days a week, go to strength training 3 days a week and walk my nieces dog 3 days a week. Those that I run with are 5 years younger which isn't a big difference unless you make it so.

Oh and I own a landline and do not own a cell phone.

My mom is 88 with Alzheimers and it has taught me to be very patient, when I'm out and about, with those slower than me. Someday that will be me, just not today.

I am going to be Miss Goody Two Shoes here and say my mother and father taught us to never make fun of people: disabled, older, etc. We never did. I and my sibling in turn taught our children and grandchildren to follow this family tradition. I must say one of my proudest moments of two of my grand children was when they stopped riding with a lady who carpooled kids to school. They started walking to school instead. The reason was that one day on the way to school, they were on a one-way street and coming the wrong way was a very elderly person (dangerous for sure), however, instead of the people in the car (including the driver Mom) feeling sorry and concerned for the elderly driver, they all started laughing and making fun of that driver. My grandchildren said they just could not carpool with people who made fun of an old woman. I am editing this to add that they were just 14 years old when they made this decision (twins).

I just watched my 80 year old husband with bad COPD clear the drifted snow from behind our vehicles and the driveway. He had frequent rest stops, bent over, trying to get his breath back. Why did he do it? Because that's what he always did and he refused to think he's incapable. He has real problems operating a cell phone though.

Not everyone ages the same way, with the same abilities.

bluebell, are you suggesting many people live in areas where no kind of reliable telecommunications is available? I don't think so.

Those who choose to live "in the middle of nowhere" surely know what they're signing up for. Situations like that are anything but common.

We're in our 70's and husband took early retirement from the state exactly 20 years ago next month and has worked continuously since then at a golf course in the summer, a ski resort on the winter. We go to the gym every day of the week but Saturday and maybe even then if the gym is closed for a holiday another day that week. I walked the dog three miles a day, run two miles on the treadmill at 6mph and lift weights. Husband does the treadmill

and bikes and walks the other dog a mile or two. We read two books a week and take care of a 180 year old farmhouse with two koi ponds and 1/2 acre of bushes and trees and flowers. I can beat many 20 somethings running my first mile at 6.5. In fact some of them came up and told me that.

The last time we had a big snowstorm, more than half the county lost power for 3-4 days. Cell towers didn’t work, they didn’t have power either and no one could get to them if they wanted to. We don’t have a landline anymore, we can’t justify the cost. We had no way to contact anyone unless we drove for 25 miles which wasn’t practical or safe. We use cellular for phone and internet. We could charge the phones if we wanted to, with the generator, but there was no point. It was a long 3 -4 days. Lots of reading and playing cards and cooking on the wood stove. We sure wished we had a landline in case of an emergency (fire, medical).

What mobile carrier do you use, Flaming?

My mind says "no", but this old body says "yes you are" I still like to parasail, hot air ballon, zip-line etc...and use an iPad and smartphone. But I have major limitations due to a surgery that killed nerves in my hip that prevents me from walking much and a hand tremor which prevents me from writing. So my body has aged me long before I wanted, so don't judge people until you have walked in our shoes!

Elmer, I live in a fairly big midwest city, but cell phone reception in my house is spotty at best. My carrier is AT&T, but I've also had Verizon. I also have zero interest in carrying a phone with me all over my house! My father worked for Ma Bell and we got free phone service. He also knew how to hardwire a phone, long before plug-ins existed. I was accustomed to a phone in every room when most people had one phone on the front hall table. Why would I go back to relying on one phone?

I am a big fan of technology - I'm the techno geek in my family. I can't imagine life without my iMac and my iPad and my iPhone. But I also like a hardwired phone. I want it next to the chair in which I sit to have a nice long phone visit, and next to my computer. It's far easier to hold a hardwired phone between ones ear and shoulder than a portable one, and forget it with a mobile phone. I also have cordless phones all over my house. But my cell phone lives in the basement on a table next to the door into the basement garage. My iPad actually allows me to answer my cell phone and I do so if someone calls. This is what works for ME! And it has nothing to do with my age.

BTW. one place that has notoriously bad cell phone service is the Gold Coast of CT. No one wants a cell tower in THEIR backyard, so signals are very spotty. It's a major problem there.

"'Old" is relative. Few on the KT are 'the old old' (85 and older). The first person I heard speak of this was the head of our town's Visiting Nurse Association. That was forty years ago, before the VNA's community-based operations were discovered to be a gold mine by hospital conglomerates.

What is your perception of the old old in our society? I see what amounts to warehousing, and the 'market' for that worries me.

I had a landline for several years when I moved here, but the phone lines are underground and every time we turned around, the county was digging out ditches and cutting the lines or something similar. We lived on a narrow, one lane road. The county came in and widened the road, even putting a stripe down the middle, although back then we were the only people that lived on the road and it was a dead end at our gate. Each time the line was dug up and cut, the telephone company came out and repaired it, but then it was another outfit that had to come out and bury it. By then, the line was usually cut again. We were without a phone more in a few years than we ever were at our old place....in fact, I can't remember a time we were ever without a phone there. Probably at least 10 times in a few years here.

I didn't get a cell phone until I made a trip to California to buy a car from my nephew. He insisted I have a cell phone to drive it home. So I got one...probably was a trac phone...and it was useless because there was no reception for most of the way home.

Now we just have cell phones. I have a cheapy cricket phone. Reception is spotty....was told Liverpool is a cell phone sink hole. ?? Not good reception. Sometime if I am in the house, it works, sometimes I have to go outside to use it or sit in my truck at the end of a long driveway. I am the same....if it works, I don't replace it. I hate talking on the phone anyway. If someone calls me, get to the point. I seldom call anyone just to chat, and I seldom answer the phone if I don't know who is calling. If I ever talk to anyone, I save their number, so I know who is calling usually.

I could have better services, if I lived in town. No thank you. I would be the most miserable person on earth if I had to do that. I would probably shoot myself, and that is no lie.

I know I am getting older and so I guess I could die at any time. ;) I can't sit around and think about things like that. I have to be cognizant of my limitations but I also don't intend to slow down any more than I have to. I don't know many people my age, who could unload thirty 50 lb bags of feed and carry them up 7 steps and stack them. I can. It took me a long time, but I didn't stop until I did it. And, I probably couldn't have done that when I was 30.

I have two young horses. I intend to be the one to train them and break them to ride. Yes, I have to be careful, but that means I will spend a lot more time working on the ground with them. I have good health. I have energy. My mother lived into her mid 90's and mowed her own lawn with a push mower until she was into her 80's. She insisted on doing it herself because she knew she had to stay active. People tell me to slow down. No. I can't slow down. I may not be able to speed up, but I am not going to slow down any more than I absolutely have to.

Yeah, I don't like holding a phone for a long conversation either. If it's one that I expect will run more than a few minutes, if home, I'll put on an earpiece/headset so that it's hands free. In the car, it's always the hands-free Bluetooth connection. Earpieces can be used with portable phones (connected to a landline) too.

Phones "all over the house" have fallen out of favor with many, to cut down on clutter and so that an incoming call doesn't produce too alarming a noise.

As above, with an iPhone or Android phone, there's no reason to deal with a dodgy cell signal at home for phone calls. Just set it to connect to Wifi and you'll have the best possible connection.

Elmer, we use Verizon. They have the best service in our Ozark region.

I live in a suburban rural interface area about 10 min from our state capitol. There is no cable here. I can only get less than high speed internet, faster than dial up, but a dsl. It's ALL that's available here. I do have pretty good cell service, but when the power is out, which is frequently because we are in a forested area, sometimes the cell tower that serves me is also out of power. When the power is out, my modem and router don't work, so I have no wifi.

I moved here in the 1980's when none of those things was a consideration (except frequent power outages, which is just common in any forested community/state, which ours is, unless you are in a bigger city - then it may be more infrequent and shorter duration). I keep my landline because of that; I have cordless phones in use, but keep a couple of corded ones around for when the power is out. I've been glad I did a few times.

My situation is very common in my area. Assuming what is true for you is true for others is a faulty assumption.

Elmer, you are wrong about ‘reliable telecommunications’. We moved by choice to a rural area with acreage. When we first moved here we had dial-up. We now have a mifi broadband that works ok most of the time, but it is often very slow, especially after our monthly GB limit is reached. It’s expensive. No cable service, and no way to bundle anything. We’re fortunate to have Direct TV. We’ve been able to negotiate a few times to keep costs down on both satellite and cell phone/internet costs but we have to be diligent.

edited to add: I also talk on my Apple Watch (version 3) on occasion when I get a call. No one can tell I’m on my watch. My DH calls me Dick Tracy!

. A "plug into the wall corded phone" will still have service...

Not necessarily anymore. After Irma I discovered that when the fiber optic cable is damaged, that's it for the house phone. Very few landlines are real old-fashioned mechanical lines anymore. They've quietly become a software function, so please don't put all your reliance on them without finding exactly what's happening where you are.

Having said that, I have a landline because I'd have to drive three miles to use a cellphone, which seems foolish to do, and much farther than that to get off the Edge network or equivalent for smartphone data.

I just dislike talking on a smartphone. It was better with the old flip phones I used to have. That's another reason I keep landlines. We have a fibro optic Verizon system with high-speed internet , landlines and Tvs covered in a package. We have cell service anywhere I have ever gone.

See Rusty's post here

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5075037/smiles-for-today-jan-15?n=10

Getting older...it is funny how most folks don't think of themselves as old as their age? Maybe its a disconnect that what we feel is, what it is, but in our heads we think that age 'ought' to behave/think/be/ older than that?

Pre-judging old people as fuddy-duddy, or well pre-judging anyone for anything -- it generally hasn't worked very well for me. Some people act/think "old" no matter what their age. Some people, its just their personalities not to want to try new things.

My MIL (early 70s) has never used an ATM. Not sure she has a card. She goes to the bank and banks on paper....she goes to Macy's to pay her credit card bill. Suits her just fine and no skin off my nose. The grands are pulling her into this century -- they set her ringtone to quack like a duck and she was super motivated to learn how to change that asap, haha!

I have always expected to be/remain super active as long as possible, but as we don't get to choose everything that falls in our paths -- well, some times you get, what you get.

My folks are 90, and while they are still very active for their age, live on their own, and are able to do many things (volunteer, garden, cook, sew, woodwork, golf, make things, etc.). Its not a popular topic of conversation, but they are somewhat terrified by how it all might end -- they are sad to have lived past many of their friends. And just as we all live and experience life, they see that some of those ends kind of suck, and they don't want that for themselves.

Until last year my husband's relatives in the bottom two rows of counties in Iowa only had spotty reception. It was funny when I went to the annual picnic to be told to go to the edge of the park to make a phone call because the reception there was better and I would not drop the call. For years until they went to 4G I used Tracfone because it was the only one that could get coverage in the northern part of New Mexico and north through the mountains. A simple search will show that there are many areas that still lack cell coverage. http://www.cellularmaps.com/net_compare.shtml

I had a college friend who acted elderly when she was 20. When I bought my present old farmhouse I was 41 and she asked if I still "do" the stairs. Seriously. Yeah , honey I have done these stairs gazillion times since then.

When I was young (sigh), I looked for doctors and dentists who were older than me hoping that they had some helpful experience. Now, I look for ones who are younger than me because I want my health provider to be in better shape than I am, and whose practice will last longer than me. I once had a great dentist, but I have outlived his practice. He become shaky and retired. I now look for dentists who are younger than me and have great eye sight. Old age does change one's perspective.

A reminder to all-- Mr Rogers likes you just the way you are. He even knows you like learning new things.

"Assuming what is true for you is true for others is a faulty assumption". This is a wise comment, remember it also applies to you too.

There are very few things you can describe about Americans that the word "most" can be used but there are a few. Most Americans don't vote, most don't travel abroad, most don't save enough for retirement, most don't pay enough attention to their health as they should.

On the positive side, most do live in areas where one or both the following two things: adequate mobile phone coverage and wired high speed internet (DSL or cable) are available. If you don't, that's your choice but I think you are in a small minority. I think the percentage that does have one or both of these services is over 75% and may be higher.

maifleur, tracfone doesn't have its own transmission system but rather pays the larger guys (mainly AT+T and Verizon) for access for its customers. Coverage on secondary roads (and even a few interstate highways) through mountains is always spotty because of the terrain.

Areas with poor or no coverage elsewhere also tend to be areas that are lightly populated and not adjacent to an interstate highway (which are usually well covered by all the carriers).

The time may come when everyone in this country has both cell and wired high speed coverage. One of the latest initiatives that the USDA is now doing since they have helped many of the rural areas and small towns now have water lines available is to help those areas without electronic capability. It may be a long time before some of the more rural areas where there may be only a cluster of four or five houses in places like Montana, North and South Dakota have the capability. People live where they have homes.

Sorry Elmer but not every place in this country is 50 miles from the nearest interstate. I know that Tracfone buys their feeds but so does every other carrier. Depending on how long you have had your phone do you remember seeing Roaming Charges on some of your bills? I am aware that you think I am stupid but some of your statements are just plain silly.

maifleur, I don't think you're stupid but sometimes you are misinformed and a bit stubborn about it. Telecommunication and infrastructure investments are all about population density and population levels. Another example of that was how rural areas were so late in getting electricity in the 20th century compared to many urban areas that had it many decades sooner. Today, if you want high speed internet and cell phone coverage, living in a rural area is a choice unlikely to be helpful.

"Tracfone buys their feeds but so does every other carrier"

Very much not true for the larger carriers. Both Verizon and AT+T operate their own networks (mostly, not entirely) and several of the smaller ones do also, in large part. If not, why would there such wide differences in the coverage maps?

"People live where they have homes."

People usually live where they have employment, not where they have homes. Are you suggesting that someone who owns a home in a 4 house town in North Dakota is going to stay there unemployed rather than move somewhere they can get a job they're qualified to do? I don't think so.

I do remember Roaming charges. I even had that happen not that many years ago when I was up in the Sierra foothills in an area that had some little podunk cellular carrier. When the charge appeared on my bill, I called Verizon and they reversed it. The "R" symbol always appears when I use my smartphone abroad because its connection to a non-Verizon system is a form of "roaming".

I live in a town without cell service. I can set my new IPhone to wifi and text but not make or receive a call. There is 2 places in town that have 2 bars. Obviously everyone here still has landlines.

I drive on interstates from KY to MA ever single summer. Good luck with the cell phone coverage in WV and Western MD! There are still many analog privately owned cell towers there. It takes a while for an iPhone to switch from high speed cellular to analog and in the meantime, calls are often dropped. If I see a cell phone tower up ahead, I can be quite sure my cell phone signal will be dropped and I'll have to call back the person with whom I'm speaking. Apparently, the owners of this analog towers want the sun and the moon for them and it's just not worth the expense for any of the major carriers.

Heck, they could not get enough residents on Chappaquiddick Island to sign up for cable TV in order for Xfinity to put it there - very few people wanted to pay the $3000 per household in order to have cable.

It was interesting that 13 years ago, my husband and I were on a train going over the Rannoch Moor in Scotland. I kept looking at my cell phone and I was showing 5 bars of coverage - this on a moor with no roads or telephone poles. I have no idea how Scotland did this, but they feel very strongly about those in isolated rural areas being connected to the internet.

Interesting how the direction of this thread changed. Enjoyed the subject, but somehow it got changed to phones :o(

I'm somewhat older ... sometimes I get involved with more recently discovered systems, sometimes not: my choice.

I live in the country, by choice: figure that I can live there as long as I can drive ... and my car died a couple of weeks ago: what a great (post-)Christmas present! Hitch-hiking over 15 miles (30 km) to town in February isn't any fun: January, either.

I'm fairly active, keep involved in a number of activities with various people.

Try to keep my mind active ... but have a hard time with short-term memory.

I enjoy my visits here, and many of the people involved.

But don't like having people look down on me.

ole joyful

P.S. Have a landline, and a tablet, need a cell phone, but the one that son recommends doesn't reach out quite this far.

o j

joyful you might look at a satellite connection phone. They are not as effected by weather as they used to be. It has been a while since I looked at them but hope they have came down in price. I know most are now the size of regular cell phones.

I don't understand why any one would ever look down on anyone! I am old by years but keep as busy as I can. I no longer have a home phone, we do have a CB radio in our car, and I have a smart phone that I tether to now for my internet. I have unlimited data. I have a two story house and carry meals up and down it to my husband. I go with my daughter's when asked, I just got back from a trip into town with the oldest one and tomorrow morning I will make a trip for shopping with my youngest. I don't have enough hours in the day as I keep so busy. So age is a thing of the mind. You keep as busy as you can and enjoy as much as you can. I have always had a lot of things that interest me. I think many do not have interests and that becomes a problem in later years. I wish you all the best of health and happiness.

Sue who is 82

I think Sat phones are REALLY expensive and usage plans even more so.