Groundhog Day and other trivial pursuit

GROUNDHOG DAY

Anyone who handles a toothed rodent on a cold day in February ought to have their head examined. Especially if the rodent bites them, as one named Chuck did in Michigan. Nevertheless we were told there are six more weeks of winter. Since this January has had the most snowfall in Michigan (or is it Detroit) since they have been recording such things, I guess six more weeks of this is a bit much. You folks in Florida, best stay put for a while. And my friend Katie who has not gone down there yet, will soon be going and no doubt will be very happy doing so.


FACEBOOK: The person who got me to be aware of Google blogspot, invited me to join Facebook a social networking site, originally set up for college kids. It recently opened to the general public. Much to some of the kids chagrin, Mamas and Papas, Grams and Gramps, and this Auntie are now on board, and enjoying ourselves on it as we check in on what public news our own friends and families have deigned to share. Mike Wendland of the Detroit Free Press wrote a column about this phenomena at about the same time that many of my friends and family were signing up.

Facebook is why I have not made many entries here, but I am presently typing all of this up on MS WORD, and will add it, but not send it out to my mailing list for reasons of length. I kept putting off my newsletters which I have to get to, because my blog entry came first in my priority and needed to updated. So here it is. I shall add graphics later, as I am up quite late typing this and need to get to bed as I have a doctor appointment tomorrow AM.

THIS ‘N THAT

Senior health concerns: Sometimes when we seniors get together it is an organ recital. We are so amazed at how in such a short period as perhaps five or ten years, we could go from an occasional pill to a regular regimen of medicines and vitamins. Or how we now have several doctors whom we regularly visit, whereas in years past we only had one or two, like a dentist, and a GP. Now there are endocrinologists, and Podiatrists, and Chiropractors, Optometrists, or Opthamologists, Acupuncturists, or muscle doctors. It’s a little hard not to talk about these doctors and the procedures and fears that have become such a new portion of our daily lives. Today I had lunch with two friends, both of whom are seeing muscle doctors. I wonder if my frequent visits to the chiropractor and an every other month full body massage at my hair salon has any impact on why I don’t seem to need that particular type of medical care. I feel for my friends.

Mortality: A while back I had the disarming thought that if I live to be 80 years old, the age my father was when he died, I have sixteen years left. That surely gave me pause. And yet, I feel I waste so much time, reading, watching TV, and having fun. Seems like I should be doing something that will contribute more to my final mark on earth. The biggest involves filing and thinning out files and shredding documents. I have had a good week when more than one bag is put at the curb on Thursday nights.

CHRISTIAN MUSIC.: I noticed today on WUFL that many old songs are being set to new music. Music with a beat so intense you could dance to it. Not that the old tunes did not have a beat. All music has a beat. But these have been redone in a tasteful way to appeal I am sure to a new audience. I found that the old tune was retained, and the old words were emphasized, but a rocking beat was inserted. I tried today and was able to sing the old tune along with the new one and it worked. Not perfect for congregational singing but the message of the song (Leaning on the Everlasting Arms) was retained, so that was hopeful. These are good songs and it would be sad if they did not make it through many generations of Christians.

Then my friend Joyce brought an article to my attention from Christianity Today about the loudness of many church worship bands. Since many in my church have taken to wearing earplugs in church, for the part of the service that used to be enjoyable to them, I include the link in this article.

Also yesterday I heard that George Beverly Shea, Billy Graham's long time friend and singer in his crusades in the Fifties through the 1990's, has turned 100 years old. What a heritage and influence he has had on modern day Christians, and our world in general.

MUSIC OF THE SIXTIES AND EXERCISE CLASS
My new exercise class is an hour long. It includes about twenty minutes of varying degrees of aerobics. These aerobics are the equivalent of doing twenty minutes of jumping jacks, but include various dance steps, like the Mambo, the Grapevine, etc. I find my coordination suffers during this part, so it must be good for me.

Irene, the teacher, allows us oldies who can’t do it all to go to the bikes when we have severe pain. I find that each class I can endure a little more before my bike time, so I must be doing better. The second part of the class is much like the exercises we used to do for an hour in our arthritis class, but that class has been cancelled twice because not enough folk signed up. I tried a chair exercise class the first time it was cancelled, but found that I cannot do all of the exercises sitting that these chair folk can do because of my deteriorated disk. I thought that because it hurt it was doing me good, but discovered I started retaining fluid and gaining weight.

So hopefully, this class, Senior Fit, will work for me. It is a lot more enjoyable because there are a lot of folk in it including five very brave men. Once a month the ladies and one man go out to eat lunch after, and that was fun. Today while exercising to the music of Wild Thing, I experienced pain and thought “This is the punishment we get for getting old, or for listening to that precursor or hard rock back in the sixties.” Fleeting thought. The good thing about exercise this way is that the pain only lasts a little while then you switch to exercising some other part of your body that does not hurt as much.

SUPER BOWL. So how about that game? Best one I ever saw. A real “heart stopper’ as a friend said on Facebook. Good game. Wish the Arizona team had won, but then Pittsburgh did set a record. Sixth Superbowl win and first team to do so. It was a great game. Far better than the ads this time and the halftime show was not bad. Music of the 80's Loud but well done. What was that about the choir in the background on the last number Springstein did? Looked like some choir robes I have seen recently.