Tag Archives: Ginnie

Picker-up and Grabber …

Now settle down you old geezers. I am not writing about revitalizing your libido. The Picker-up and Grabber that I have in mind is this one:

I had never even heard of this tool until I fractured my hip back in 2011. I was introduced to it while recuperating in rehab and it has proved to be indispensable. The grip was easy to handle and the pick-up end proved to be extremely versatile.

I remember early in my recovery when one of my get well cards slid off the bed and I didn’t want to bother a nurse or an aide for such a small item. It was then that I first used the gripper and I was pleased to see that, not only was the rod long enough to reach, but it easily picked up the card

So now I knew that the gripper was able to pick up something as small and light as a card but what about other items? I decided to try it out. I picked up medicine bottles, towels, magazines and my make-up kit. It was almost too easy and I think it was then that I decided to have fun with it.

The breakfast tray had not been picked up yet and I still had a half full cup of coffee on it. So, very carefully, I encircled the cup with the pick-up end and, making sure that I didn’t loosen my grip, I brought it to my free hand. Voila! It worked. I didn’t think until after the fact about the mess it would have made if it hadn’t!

Now, as I write this, it is almost two years later. I’ve recuperated just fine but I still rely on my Picker-upper. It’s one of the handiest tools I have. I use it outside for picking up litter and pine cones and inside it’s great for grabbing items that are stored up high. It makes me wonder how I managed without it.

Books, Ginnie, Pastime, Reading, Senior

…And The Author Wrote Back!!!

This is not just an ordinary shelf of books. It’s a collection that I started four years ago. Although the authors vary in content and writing style they have one thing in common … they’ve all answered the emails I wrote to them expressing my pleasure with their work.

I find that many of the new writers are much more open to communicating than ones in the past. Here are three of my favorites and the authors answers:

“The Book Thief”, Markus Zusak ….”the fact that my writing has also meant something to you is something that can never be taken for granted. You write and think no-one will read it, let alone be compelled to write to you about it. You’ve made my day”.

“The Welsh Girl”, Peter Ho Davies …”Many thanks for your kind note. It is such a pleasure to hear from readers who’ve enjoyed the book. I was especially glad you liked that scene in the pub, it’s one of my favorites too” etc. (he goes on to tell me of his new book which he is having trouble putting down on paper!)

“The Night Circus”, Erin Morgenstern … “I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the book! It is indeed my first novel and it’s amazing that the response has been so strong” etc. (also talks of her new idea for a book and signs it “Cheers, Erin”)

Isn’t that neat? I’ve found that about 90% of those that I write to have answered. It tells me that published authors are just as needy of kind words as any of us … maybe more so.

Give it a try … it’s fun, it’s FREE, and, as Markus said …it just might make their day … and yours!

Ginnie, Security, Senior

SECURITY … for pennies a day !

In 2011 I fell in my driveway and fractured my hip. It was about 7 in the evening and luckily it was a warm night because I didn’t get help for almost two hours. Of course one of the first things that we all concentrated on later was how to prevent something like this happening in the future.

I looked at many options but none of them fit my budget or my life style. Finally I came up with this idea and it seems to be working perfectly. I have had a Tracfone for many years and I love the low cost and the versatility that I get with it. As most of you probably know Tracfone is a no-contract wireless service. I don’t have to sign any binding agreements or pay monthly fees. It cost me less than $20 for the phone AND I only buy the minutes that I want.

Now I grant you that this is not the phone for a person who is in their own business or who uses a cell phone solely. My children all have cell phones that seem to do just about everything but pick up the weekly garbage!

But my needs are entirely different and I limit the people who have access to my number because I use it only for emergencies or when I am traveling or for the occasional time that I am not near a land phone and need to contact someone.

But how does this keep me secure? My cell phone was in the front seat of my car when I fell but I couldn’t get to it so there goes that idea. However you might note that there are two items in the picture above and it’s that little black case that makes all the difference. It’s where I keep my cell phone now and it clips very easily on to whatever I happen to be wearing so I am seldom without it.

I certainly don’t want to fall again but at my age (80!) it pays to be vigilant and it helps to appease the family too!

Ginnie, New Technology, Senior

Tending to Grandma!

My granddaughter Amelia, (pictured here with her dad, my son) is a very recent Summa Cum Laude graduate of NC State and I am extremely proud of her. She knows her Grandma well and even lived with me for a year when she was 11. She acknowledges that I am a thrifty old geezer and probably the only person known to her that has never owned a dishwasher.

Let me set the record straight however. I embrace this new world of technology and love emailing, blogging, and searching the web. It’s just that, like so many of us at my age, I do not understand the complexities of it all.

I am also thrifty, as I mentioned. I was born in 1933 and I can remember those years of deprivation where nothing went to waste. This has never left me and I am constantly appalled at the cost of all these electronic gadgets on the market today.

And this brings me back to Amelia. She is determined to bring me into the 21^stCentury and I think it’s working. She presented me with a one cup Kuerig coffee maker last Christmas and this year for my 80^th birthday she and her fiancé completely floored me with their gift …a Kindle Fire.

She knows how much I love to read and thought it would be perfect for me. I was thrilled, of course, but in the back of my mind I couldn’t help but think how expensive it was going to be to buy all those books on the Kindle. I am a voracious reader but my books come from the library or I buy them for next to nothing at yard sales or Used Book stores.

Imagine my delight when I found out that you can actually use the Kindle as a library card. In my state it’s called “The NC Digital Library” and now I can order books on line and have two weeks to read them … just as I would the old fashioned way! I also took a tutorial (while learning how to set up the digital library) and am slowly getting to know my way around the “Kindle world”… so once again our two generations have joined forces and I can’t thank Amelia enough.

Who could ask for a sweeter granddaughter ???

Gardening, Ginnie, Senior

Jan’s “STAND UPPITY GARDEN”

I have a friend who was in a severe auto accident back in the 70’s. She suffered a fractured pelvis and the nerves that went to her left leg were severed. The doctors told her she would never walk again but she refused to accept that verdict.

She did have the use of her right leg and that made all the difference. So, very slowly she persevered and, although she still keeps her wheelchair for long ventures, she manages to accomplish more in a day than most of us do in a week!

Gardening is one of her great loves but she has a very hard time bending over and sitting on the ground or even on a low stool is almost impossible for her. This makes it very difficult to handle the hard work that goes into a successful garden. Did this stop Jan? Of course not … and I want to share with you how she’s overcome these problems.

It’s her “STAND UPPITY GARDEN” (as she calls it) …a wonderful elevated creation that you see here in the making…

She fashions a table by using cement blocks as legs, topped with a sturdy board. Then she adds the huge bag. It’s by Smart Pots and is called a 100 gallon Big Bag Bed. I had never heard of Smart Pots but Jan told me that using their containers has made it so easy for her.

When opened the bag has a diameter of 4 feet and holds as much potting soil as a 4×4 garden. It is extremely sturdy and is perfect for her project. They also carry other sizes ranging from 5 to 100 gallons and she uses those too.

What a wonderful concept and a perfect answer to her dilemma. Here we see the beginning of this year’s yield …

I love the way that Jan tackles whatever comes her way. She truly is an example of that old adage … “where there’s a will there’s a way.”

Exercise, Ginnie, Quick Exercises, Senior, Tai Chi

My “I hate to exercise” exercises …

About 10 years ago I decided to try Tai Chi and I attended a few classes. I found that I didn’t have the temperament for it but I was impressed with the warm-up exercises. These are 18 moves designed to relax and tone all the major joints in the body and since I have a pretty severe case of scoliosis (curvature of the spine) it seemed to be the perfect exercise for me.

An orthopedic doctor friend assured me that she actually recommended them for her recovering patients so that clinched the deal. During the last 8 years I have had a fractured hip, non-malignant brain surgery and two sicknesses requiring hospital-ization but I’ve always returned to my exercises as soon as I could.

Actually this all started when I bought the book “Step by Step Tai Chi” by Master Lam Kam Chuen published by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

As it says in the title it takes the reader step by step through the entire Tai Chi regimen; but, it was the warm up exercises that captured my attention. They are described in simple, but very detailed, terms and with illustrations such as the one at the top of this blog entry that make it easy to learn.

I have a good friend who enjoys kidding me about the fact that I don’t do the exercises s-l-o-w-l-y as the Tai Chi master teaches. I have to agree and my apologies go out to him, but I know myself well enough by now to know that anything more than 10 minutes in the morning and I wouldn’t stick to it.

I can’t imagine starting my day without it now and, on the rare occasions that I have missed, I can tell it by early afternoon. My back starts to ache and I don’t have my usual energy level…and all because I didn’t devote those few 10 minutes to doing what’s good for me!

No matter what your age, if you are like me … and have found an exercise regimen to be near impossible … I suggest you try these 18 simple moves. They’ve been a life saver for me and if I can do it you can too! GOOD LUCK!

Arthritis, Ginnie, Senior

The hands of an octogenarian…

I am honored and pleased to be a new member of the Unlimiters team. My name is Ginnie and this is my first entry. When Lisa contacted me to see if I would write a blog for them I was a little confused. I told her that I have no physical handicaps but then I thought, “Wait a minute … I am 80 years old and I run into difficulties daily!”

These old hands of mine are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to aches and pains. Why not write about the daily challenges that we seniors face and how we overcome them? It’s what I plan to do with this blog and I hope you will come along for the ride.

I also have many friends who DO have medical disabilities and I find that most of them would fit right in with the Unlimiters philosophy. They are optimists and dreamers. Seniors who are aware of the physical and mental changes taking place but who refuse to be limited by them. I am constantly amazed by them and will be highlighting their experiences too.

Now back to my hands. I featured them to make a point. Over the past few years I’ve lost a lot of the strength in my hands and it’s hard for me to open jars. I had resorted to the old system of turning the jars upside down, tapping all edges on a hard surface and twisting as hard as I could …a practice that rarely did the job and frustrated me immensely.

I am so pleased to have found the Maddagrip Opener. it’s a simple but very effective opener that works perfectly for me.

Now I can forget about the weakness in my hands and rely on my new “toy”. It sure beats waiting for a strong man to come by and open those pesky jars … I could starve by then!