It's so good to read of how others are dealing with the repetitive stress and health issues. I recently learned I have 2 disc problems in my neck and degenerative arthritis in my lower spine as well as the known tendonitis and worn out hand and shoulder issues I was aware of. So now at least I understand the pain. I am having to relearn how to do things, many of which were adaptions from before having my knees replaced 4 years ago. Fortunately my husband, who used to be traveling more much of the year, just retired. He doesn't particularly like yard work but he will help me out with the heavy things. I wish he got some joy from the garden itself. He does like bragging about my garden to his friends :-) I Am 65 and intend to die gardening at 95 so it is devastating to have to sit back and watch the weeds grow! I've been through the whole range of feelings about whether I should give up part of my garden that brings me so much joy. 3 days ago I got cortisone injections in my neck and now I can move around the house without pain. That is encouraging. I get the injections in my lower back in about 10 more days. But I know now that I have to do my work in much smaller increments and as Karl and Reg say, there are just some things you learn not to do. My biggest issue right now is invasive weeds in my rose beds...Buttercup and Bishops Weed (I think), and a few others. I get it cleaned out then hurt myself and can't get back to it until it is all grown up weeds again. Also, last years strange winter killed off all my weaker roses. I have ordered replacements from Palatine so there will be a lot of prep needed this winter...if only we could figure out how to get the beds cleaned out. I am thinking a good weeding with HUbby doing the digging while I pull out the roots form the loosened soil, them a deep mulching with straw. I won't use chemicals because I run an organic flower business. I am hoping for some "On site" teaching from my physical therapist, with my husband involved if we can find some decent weather to do this. I would so love to hear more of the tricks you other aging gardeners have come up with! I have tried a little garden scoot thing but it doesn't help with the bending over to weed or plant.I don't have a problem with pruning as long as I use the sharp tools and hubby will haul away the prunings. He is also good at hauling loads of compost for me. He helps me plant the roses when they come. He is totally uninterested in them. He only does it because he loves me. I have about 130 roses in several different areas. None of them are doing as well as they could. This year hubby was traveling much of the time and I was unable to get them even fertilized with all the crappy weather, then so much to do at once.

Here's the recipe for cottage cheese daughter has! She got it from the program 'Good Eats'! She and her two boys, ages 4 and 5 love that show! They tape them and the boys beg her to play them over and over. They've really gotten interested in cooking, themselves and even use play dough to reinact the shows! She's letting them help her alot now! Quick Cottage Cheese 1 gallon pasteurized skim milk 3/4 cup white vinegar 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 1/2 cup half-and half-or heavy cream Pour the skim milk into a large saucepan and place over medium heat. Heat to 120 degrees F. Remove from the heat and gently pour in the vinegar. Stir slowly for 1 to 2 minutes. The curd will separate from the whey. Cover and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Pour the mixture into a colander lined with a tea towel and allow to sit and drain for 5 minutes. Gather up the edges of the cloth and rinse under cold water for 3 to 5 minutes or until the curd is completely cooled, squeezing and moving the mixture the whole time. Once cooled, squeeze as dry as possible and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the salt and stir to combine, breaking up the curd into bite-size pieces as you go. If ready to serve immediately, stir in the half-and-half or heavy cream. If not, transfer to a sealable container and place in the refrigerator. Add the half and half or heavy cream just prior to serving. Oh, and her hubby (our SIL) is here with the boys right now, having watched Ohio State and Illinois (boo hoo--OSU lost) and he says it's really good and not gritty at all, when she makes it!

Trailrunner, your home is just so beautiful and it seems to be full of who you are as a person. I don't know your story but I too have one of my own. The sentence that began "All any of us can do" really spoke to me today and I don't even know what words I can say to thank you for them. I don't mean for this to be an OT not by any means, but I try to surround myself with things that are attractive to me. The beauty might be in the character of your unupholstered chair or the unknown history of memazz's bowling pins or a painting that tells a story to me. My family doesn't understand the importance decorating has in my life, and luckily doesn't really have any influence on what I do - I couldn't imagine that battle. For me, it is the desire to surround myself with things that I find beautiful and items that evoke happy memories that dictates what I do. My rooms would not be in any magazine and pale in comparison to rooms I have seen in this blog (like your dining room) but adding something or altering a room bringing it closer to being "me" is what I strive for. Sitting in a chair in my LR, with my coffee, watching the cat as she sleeps next to "my" chair - no one else likes the color but I think it is "gorgeous" - with the colors of the vase (which I picked out just knowing that it would cast the most magnificent shadow) in the window beginning to creep upon her fur is more beautiful than any diamond I could own. So again, without meaning for this to be OT - I tend to look at people's rooms as more than what is "correct" as to how much of their personality is there. So many of your pieces from the stories you have told seem to tell some of the stories of your life. Do you like I, place what may be to most people, a greater desire to surround yourself with things that elicit positive thoughts. I find that not many people understand that it is more than just accumulating or matching "things". How much does ingesting your personality matter when you are designing a room?

Latex mattresses sold by the big "S" companies are rarely, if ever, composed of 100% latex. They contain layers of cheaper foam which tend to sag over time, and mattresses with pillowtops sag the worst. I once saw a chart showing specifications of big-name "latex" mattresses and you wouldn't believe the small amount of real latex. There might be five layers of different types of foam with one or two thin layers of latex. About four years ago I was looking for a latex mattress and did a lot of online research, including spending many months reading posts on a mattress forum. I learned about several online companies that sell real latex mattresses and provide great customer service. Specialty stores in some geographic areas (not mine) also sell latex mattress, some organic. But I was on a limited budget and knew I could never afford any of these (and I question the concept of organic latex but that's for another thread.) Based on suggestions on the mattress forum, I took a risk and made an online purchase from a web site called foambymail (the company is Foam Factory.) I purchased a 6" firm base, a separate 3" soft topper, and upgraded to a terry cover, which has a zipper around all four sides (a $20 upgrade.) The mattress comes shrink wrapped, shipped by UPS. Shipping is free. Latex is very heavy and a friend helped me lug it upstairs to the bedroom. We placed it on the platform bed before unwrapping it. As we cut through the shrink wrap carefully, it made a whooshing sound as it expanded. The 6" latex base had already been placed by the company inside the mattress cover, so we only had to shift it into place on the bed. We placed the 3" topper inside the cover and zipped it all around. Since I like cushy beds, I bought a separate mattress cover with its own pillowtop made by Cuddledown (from Costco). After four years, the bed is like new and it's the most comfortable bed I've ever slept on. If I were doing this again, the only change I would make is to get a 2" soft topper rather than 3". I might also substitute the Cuddledown cover with a wool topper since the Cuddledown is filled with polyesther and sleeps a little warm. I paid less than $700 for a full size mattress and topper; it would be a little more today. Here is a link that might be useful: Foam Factory