HALFWAY BENCH

10/9/22

Question For You Nice Folks

 

Adventure Location: Decatur, Al

Today's Date: 10-09-2022



It was a good cool day all day and the OFM appreciated it.

Several folks we know including friends and a former relative are telling us we are too old to hit the road again after my eyes are fixed. These are well meaning folks trying to help the OFM. NONE of them are as old as the OFM. But, yes the OFM has put into place more safety actions to help keep the Teams safer during travel. The OFM does not feel invincible. We have met a large number of folks above the age of 80 still on the road but taking it slower and more carefully. We would appreciate hearing what our readers think on that subject. We will make our own choice of course but having helpful, friendly information to help make that choice is appreciated.



In the mean time the OFM came up with a really good snack this afternoon. We were cutting up fresh cauliflower this afternoon and got plumb wild and put some peanut butter on a piece and it was fantastic. Yep the OFM put a big dent in the jar of PB and the cauliflower. UMMMMMMM that was good.



The walk this morning was only 3.4 miles and had a lot of picture taking but only three shots to show. Here is near the start fairly early this morning and the day only got better all day.





The usual white bird was on sentry duty greeting all the walkers as we came by.



Then about half way along the trail was this very pretty reflection picture we just had to have.





Things are getting a bit repetitive around here for what to do but the Doctor Wednesday may cause big changes in that. We just have to wait and see.

In the meantime the OFM has started on a new facet of adult coloring book art to keep himself busy while waiting on being able to see well again. Gotta do something for trying to have tooooo much fun.



14 comments:

  1. My parents gave up camping in their early 70s, mostly because of Dad's parkinsons, but they continued to travel on group-tours for a while. Mom is coming up on 90 and is just now going to give up her car this winter (Michian resident) We're all different and I think it's up to you to decide what and when is enoughfor you.

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  2. Yep definitely my decision to make. I have the time to ask for opinions in case I did not think of something important.

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  3. Ha. The boondork is in fine form. And a lot of what he says is true. On the other hand, OTH as they say, you will know more after all the medical people have finished up with your eyes. Before my cataract surgery, I was less and less confident with driving. It's been a whole new world since summer before this recent one. My reflexes aren't what that were, so I have to be more vigilant. And I've been avoiding big city driving for a long time. Just got over that a long time ago, due to having to do it when I didn't really want to. So time will tell......and meanwhile, you can do things with your eyes, like painting. So that is a fine thing and should help you be patient. Ha.

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  4. Thank you for your advice. It is appreciated.

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  5. Knowing that I wasn't ever going to be younger, I installed extra handrails on the stairs, grab handles in the bathroom, and lever type door handles throughout. Any mods that increase your safety and convenience are never a bad idea!

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  6. Been following your blog for 10+ years. You don't seem to travel as parking in one area for several months. And your daily long walks are a healthy habit. Everyone is different in older years. IMHO

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    1. Your observations are very accurate. It has been on purpose to change but a lot of the previous locations are not safe for me to climb around in the trails etc so I quit going there. Rock scrambling is a total NO NO for me since about summer three years ago. For the same reason bikes and kayaks went away three years ago. Getting old and decrepit stinks but getting older is still good.

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  7. This is your life you're living, I think you'll know it's time when that time comes. You are aware of of the changes that are coming with age, good enough in my book!

    Again, this is YOUR life!

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    1. Thank you very much. But at times I need reminding of things I need to be careful about. The memory is not as good as I would like it to be.

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  8. Keep on truckin'-----You will know when it is time to throw in the towel

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  9. Hello Barney, What you do and how you do it is something between your doctor and you. But since you asked, I'll give you my opinion. If I were you, I would consider restricting my camping area to Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. And inside of those states, I would restrict my campground choice to Corps of Engineer campgrounds. I just did a quick check on one of the travel programs I use and found about 90 Corps campgrounds in those three states. All Corps sites are generally laid out well with great views (usually of some type of water). They usually have great hiking paths with Rangers and camp hosts patrolling the CG. The other campers are usually travelers who are open to conversations. The price with your old geezer card would average about 10 to 12 dollars per nice with would be similar or cheaper than Rockport campgrounds. If you stay within those three states, you would be far enough south to avoid any major cold spells during the winter. But one main reason would be that you would being within a few hours of your son and his family and doctors who are familiar with your condition. As with most things in life, we must "adapt and overcome". Remember, you asked for my opinion. I'll just down from my soapbox now. Be safe.

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    1. Your comment is very much appreciated. You did bring up an excellent point about distance from help when needed that is high on my considerations of where to roam. Thank you.

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