The halt and the lame

Today we were communion servers at first service (8:15). I try to be presentable--those parts that show. We wear neck to ankle white robes with a tie belt. I don't wear open toe shoes or sandals, because people are at the communion rail looking down--just about 2' from my shoes. I make sure my fingernails are clean and manicured, nails trimmed. Not much perfume or cologne. OK.

Friday night we were both injured. On our hands. I was getting ready for bed and somehow, while removing a piece of underwear, something that had both elastic and a little metal slider slipped lose and smacked the knuckle of the middle finger left hand. Ow, that hurt. Then I looked at it and within seconds it began to swell and turn blue. Must have been some sort of delicate blood vessel close to the surface. But I turned on the TV and climbed into bed. It was warm on Friday and I was enjoying having the windows open, perhaps for the last time of the season, listening to the insects and the train whistle in the distance. My husband came in the room and in the dark began to bring the storm window down. I asked him not to, but he insisted it was going to get cold. What's the temperature, I asked. 72. Please leave it up, I'm enjoying it--it's NOT cold. Just then the half raised very heavy storm fell on the tip of his middle finger. He screamed and writhed on the floor. I thought I might have to call the squad. For all I knew his finger could have been out on the patio! (It was dark.) Blood was squirting, I kid you not. He rushed into the bathroom and rinsed it while I searched for a band-aid. He's OK, but couldn't paint yesterday and is wearing a band-aid to protect it.

Today the bruised (my finger is purple) and bandaged Bruces offered the blood and body of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to other clumsy but redeemed sinners.

You need really deep roots

during this time of life.

Wednesday afternoon at Lakeside on Lake Erie I attended a lecture about trees. The speaker told about the importance of a lot of water early in their growth; about the wrong way to mulch (volcano instead of donut--the roots will girdle the tree and strangle it); the danger locally of the Emerald ash borer; how to prune; invasive species (Norway Maple, Tree of Heaven); and the problem of the silver Maple. Our speaker said they grow fast, but their life expectancy is about the same as a human. Also, they require a lot of care. One specie I wasn't familiar with was the Chinkapin Oak, or Chinquapen. He said the leaf was similar to a chestnut and that it was urban tree of the year.

However, Thursday evening we had a terrific wind storm in southern Michigan and northwestern Ohio, and we lost power--some for several hours, others for 2 days. When I walked around the grouds, I saw many damaged and fallen trees, a number were silver Maples. One huge tree on the lakefront had fallen on another and sheared limbs off of that one. At 2nd and Plum at that park, it looked like another fallen silver Maple.

But up on 7th street (7 blocks from the lake) a saw a huge tree had fallen in the yard of the old Danbury school (now boarded up). The root circumferance was huge, maybe 7 or 8 ft., sheared off almost at ground level, but the depth of the roots was very shallow because it was growing on rocks. There have been quarries around here even before the town. Trees perhaps are like people. You can get so far, but if the wind really starts to blow, you'd better hope your roots of faith go really deep. I brought a leaf home; I think it is a Chinkapin Oak.

Aging in Place

The Kiplinger Connection at AIArchitect says:

Lifestyle Trends

Remember when retirees headed in droves to the Sun Belt? No more.

Recent retirees seem to prefer aging in place, caring less about the weather and more about staying in their homes, close to their friends, family and community. City dwellers are also reluctant to give up cultural and entertainment opportunities. Overall migration from large cities fell on average by over 40% from 2007 to 2008. The recession is likely to compound the trend, but it’s far from the biggest factor.

The change presents problems for cities and states in some regions. Many aren’t equipped to provide the housing and services that older people need. Look for a realignment when the economy picks up, creating business opportunities from retrofitting homes so they’re senior friendly, to leisure and health care services.

Do you suppose it was all those hurricanes?

Exercise is important

In the 1980s I took a Jackie Sorenson Aerobics class. Eventually, I lost 20 pounds and really was in the best condition of my life. Here's a photo of my friend Nancy and me (I'm on the right) when the class was doing a Blues Brothers routine. We're not sure, but we think it is 1986.


I had to lose that same 20 pounds again in 1993, the late 90s, and again in 2006. Seems to want to hang around. Doesn't come off as easy as it used to.

Four Pensions

I talked to a retiree today who is having no problem in "this economy." He and his wife between them have four pensions--two social security and two defined benefit programs. Of course, those benefits are invested in the stock market, so he'd better pay attention. Or maybe not--he'll sleep better. He says they live on one pension and save the other three. Their home has been paid for for years. He drives a Prius and loves it. Their other car is a 1996 something with under 70,000 miles.

Good news for coffee drinkers

"Midlife Coffee and Tea Drinking and the Risk of Late-Life Dementia: A Population-based CAIDE Study." Marjo H. Eskelinen, Tiia Ngandu, Jaakko Tuomilehto, Hilkka Soininen, Miia Kivipelto. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, Vol 16, No 1, January 2009 (in press). Link.

Abstract: Caffeine stimulates central nervous system on a short term. However, the long-term impact of caffeine on cognition remains unclear. We aimed to study the association between coffee and/or tea consumption at midlife and dementia/Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk in late-life. Participants of the Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging and Dementia (CAIDE) study were randomly selected from the survivors of a population-based cohorts previously surveyed within the North Karelia Project and the FINMONICA study in 1972, 1977, 1982 or 1987 (midlife visit). After an average follow-up of 21 years, 1409 individuals (71%) aged 65 to 79 completed the re-examination in 1998. A total of 61 cases were identified as demented (48 with AD). Coffee drinkers at midlife had lower risk of dementia and AD later in life compared with those drinking no or only little coffee adjusted for demographic, lifestyle and vascular factors, apolipoprotein E ε4 allele and depressive symptoms. The lowest risk (65% decreased) was found in people who drank 3-5 cups per day. Tea drinking was relatively uncommon and was not associated with dementia/AD. Coffee drinking at midlife is associated with a decreased risk of dementia/AD later in life. This finding might open possibilities for prevention of dementia/AD.

Happiness

If in your domestic life you would be supremely happy you must not forget the old adage: "The husband must not see and the wife must be blind." The Gospel Messenger, December 18, 1888.

New Year's Problem Solving

The only item that applied to me in the New Year's Day "How to fix your life in 2009" article in the Wall Street Journal was this one. And many retirees need to be on the alert--especially if you live in the the mid-west.

Problem: You work indoors, live in a cold climate and wear sunscreen to protect your skin -- and you wonder if you're getting enough vitamin D.

Solution: Have your vitamin D level checked. Experts think many people aren't getting enough these days, and that can put you at higher risk for a variety of problems, including osteoporosis, heart attacks, high blood pressure, multiple sclerosis, macular degeneration, mental illness, chronic pain and many cancers. Your doctor can check your D level with a blood test, which costs about $100 and is usually covered by insurance. Make sure the test measures 25-hydroxyvitamin D, not 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D. A concentration of less than 20 nanograms per milliliter is considered deficient, and more than 30 npm is healthier.

If you are low, you can boost your level with inexpensive supplements. Current U.S. guidelines call for 200 international units per day from birth through age 50; 400 IUs from 51 through 70 and 600 IUs from age 71 on. Many medical organizations now think that's too low. The American Academy of Pediatrics says children should have 400 IUs a day, and the National Osteroporsis Foundation thinks adults over age 50 should have at least 800 to 1,000.

In most of the U.S., being in the sun for at least 20 minutes a day can boost your D level nicely but also raise your risk of developing skin cancer.

—Melinda Beck

I was tested for Vit. D levels about 2 years ago as part of my annual exam, and must say, I failed miserably. I'd never heard of "low vit. D" but my wonderful internist, Dr. Bill Wulf is always ahead of me.