Saying goodbye...

I want to send prayers and good wishes to everyone affected by Hurricane Sandy! So many tragic stories and loss of life from Mother Nature's fury! It will take a long time to get back to normal so whatever we can do individually will help in the long run. I've read that the best contributions are money and blood. I would suggest donations of either go to the Red Cross where they are able to manage it best in times like this and you can be sure your donations will go to the right place.

Visiting the Tx kids Jan 2012

My next request will be for your prayers for my move to Texas at the end of November! After 16 1/2 years here in Michigan watching my 3 oldest Grandkids grow into beautiful teenagers, I feel the need to live closer to my youngest Grandkids and give them some memories of having family nearby. 

The older ones all spent nights at Grandma's and I was at most of their baseball games, soccer, volleyball and wrestling matches, which sometimes made for some hectic weekends trying to make it to all the games! The younger ones (Claudia 10, Kaz 7, Jude 6) have been living in TX for almost 5 1/2 years with only visits from relatives, so I decided to make the move! 

Heading out for Tye's b-ball game

I'm really going to miss my "big kids", (Tye 17, Bailey 14, Zach 13) but I hope to make it back to Michigan for the important milestones like Tye's High School graduation in May! Thank goodness I have photos of all the good times we've had over the past 16 years! 

Thank goodness for Facebook and Skype! I've been able to stay in close touch with TX this way and now will do the same with MI. I've got pictures of each of the older kids learning to use the computer at my house and now they are way more advanced than I am! I will also look forward to visits from them in the future!

Bailey--1st Homecoming Dance

I'm also going to miss my daughter and son-in-law (who got married this past April) and my middle son (father to the two handsome boys above)! I'll be missing my friends I've made in Michigan too, but again, the computer will keep us connected as it has helped me re-connect with even MORE friends from so many years ago!

It's kind of overwhelming to pick up and move at my age (64), but most of my life was spent moving from place to place and country to country, so I know I will adjust after it's all over with! You can get really comfortable with all your memories (and junk) around you after 16 years and it gets harder to just "pick up and go" like I used to! 

The apartment I want is not available yet, so I will be living with my Son and Daughter-in-law for a few months. After living alone for ....hmmmm....sooooo long, that will also be something to adjust to. I just read an article in the AARP Bulletin about a parent moving in with their adult child and it had some good tips for discussing certain things from the beginning (like not getting involved or interfering with the way they run their family or finances).

Couldn't have been closer to nature on the trail!

 I'll be making new friends and finding   new places to walk and take photos. Hope to find some avid bird watchers too! :) I will miss my Pollyann Trail here in MI, where I've walked daily for over two years. Nothing like having the beauty of nature and wildlife right across the street, but I look at it as another blessing I've had in my life! I've so enjoyed sharing the photos with everyone and have been inspired by the comments and praise.

 Discovering that trail did more for me than just providing the wonderful photo opportunities though. When I found out I had diabetes, I made up my mind that I was going to walk every day rain or shine to help myself lose weight and keep my blood sugar down. I don't know if I could have kept it up for 2½ yrs. if I hadn't had such a convenient, gorgeous place to walk I don't know if I would have gotten out there every day (eventually 2 times a day)! 

I'm just hoping I can maintain my very healthy habit of walking even if I have to drive to a place to walk. I've been researching a few places and have found that Bear Creek Park is only a few miles from where I'll be living, so now I'm looking forward to sharing new scenes with all of you.

Of course it's great that my business is online so I can take it anywhere without much disruption! That has been another blessing in my life. I started Minnie Pauz over 18 yrs. ago and she has been not only a source of income, but a way to express my feelings and to help other women laugh their way through a very trying time in life. And now I'm hoping to do the same with all the baby boomers who are past all the menopause stuff and on to bigger and OLDER problems! LOL! I am working on developing a site for the "After Pauz" bunch, but for now I have this page for you.

I would love to hear comments and advice from any of you who have gone through a "restart" at this stage in life! I thank you all for your support so far and hope to hear from you as I make my way from wintery Michigan to not so wintery Texas! :) Love, Dee

(from my newsletter this month)

In case you're wondering which Minnie Pauz cartoons are the most popular, this seems to be one of them! It's the most "Liked" and most "Shared" on Facebook this week.  I'm pretty sure it's because it's so relatable to almost all of us. One of the most common symptoms of peri-menopause, menopause and post-menopause is that we feel like we've lost (or are losing) our minds. Nothing seems to work like it used to and everything seems out of place. We can't find things and that's because we put things in strange places and when things are not where we've always found them....we feel like we're going crazy! Of course that brings to mind this cartoon (another very popular one).

 I'm wondering if YOUR favorite cartoon has a lot to do with which symptom has given you the most trouble? I've had women tell me that being able to have a good laugh about something they relate to has helped them get through it easier, but I've also had a FEW women that must have been suffering so terribly that they could find nothing funny in any of the cartoons. I think it has something to do with how each of us handle ANY problems in life and, for me personally, humor is my "bridge over troubled waters".

Is there something that helps you get through the rough times other than humor? I'd love to hear from you on this subject!

Middle-aged/Senior Gardening?

I've always WANTED to have a garden, but never wanted to do the work! Or if I was in the mood to do the work, I was living someplace where I couldn't put in a garden. I remember being impressed at my sister's garden many years ago when I visited her farm in IL. and it's always been one of those little nagging "bucket list" things (like learning to play the piano) that, at 64, I'm wondering if I'll ever do.


I still don't live in a place where I could put a traditional garden. The most I've been able to accomplish is buying a potted lily and digging a hole to put it in. My daughter helped me plant a Peony bush several years ago and I've managed to keep it alive. This year the weather was very weird--warm very early, then a hard frost after things were blooming--so it wasn't as great as last year. I still enjoyed the wonderful fragrance that only a Peony can give (just my opinion). I favor it over roses and even the lovely carnations that always take me back (mentally) to my first dance and corsage! Since this was the year of the Puny Peony in MY yard, I took a photo of someone else's beautiful specimen! I'm sure they wouldn't mind since I'm not providing any identifying information with it! LOL....this is why I always carry my camera! The one on the left was mine in 2011 and the one on the right is the way I WISH mine looked this year!


So...I've actually got a point that relates to the title of this blog...I have come across something that I think would be great for us older gardeners, well really ANY age, but especially anyone with bad knees or a bad back. It's called straw bale gardening and you could literally have a garden on a balcony or a deck with just a bale of straw, a little bit of potting soil and some seeds. I've found a very good site for beginners and experts to ask questions and share information and I think you'll find it as interesting as I have. The first part is reading but there are pages and pages of photos showing you all kinds of techniques and tips. I love the idea of not having to dig or weed or get down on the ground (sometimes it's hard to get back up!!). And it's just so NEAT looking! So let me know what you think and if you're a gardener at heart, like me or a REAL gardener!!