Well that will be disconcerting when you reach 79, martyb!
Yeah, I guess you're right. Maybe I better go with the Great-Great Grandfather that made it to 84. Born 1798, died 1882. Here's a picture I took of his grave with my dad standing beside it about 6 months before dad died. The old family cemetary is way back in the woods near the site of the old homesite that I never even knew about until a couple of years ago. My family was wealthy back in the day, with over 1000 acres of land, a huge milling operation on the creek, lots of farmed land and a good number of slaves. Yes, sorry but slaves. My ggfather's cemetary includes himself, his wife and a bunch of slave graves. By the way, all that wealth pretty much went away with the civil war. At least 5 of my ancestors that I can trace fought in the war, including my great grandfather.
I recently picked a new primary care doctor. After two visits and exhaustive lab tests, he said I was doing "ok" for my age.
A little concerned about that comment, I couldn't resist asking him, "Do you think I'll live to be 90?"
He asked, "Do you smoke tobacco, or drink beer or wine?"
"Oh no", I replied. "I'm not doing drugs, either!"
Then he asked, "Do you eat rib-eye steaks and barbecued ribs?"
I said, "No,my former doctor said that all red meat is unhealthy."
"Do you spend a lot of time in the sun, like playing golf, sailing, hiking, or bicycling?"
"No, I don't", I said.
He asked, "Do you gamble, drive fast cars, or have a lot of sex?"
"No", I said.
He looked at me and said, "Then why do you even give a sh!t?"
Once we quit work, we spent our first winter in the valley in TX, found it warm but really humid. The next winter we spent in southern AZ and CA. Been doing it most winters since then. Lots of snowbirds there who tend to form an extended "winter family". Not bad. We were babies on the block when we started it. These people are not sit at home folks, lots of activities. We took a bicycle tour across the border into MX that first year...lots of fun! Most return home (up north) when the weather gets too warm, usually 85 degrees. DH and I retreat to the mountains and enjoy the cool weather during the summer. I wouldn't want to live in either place year 'round, but we get the best of both places.My mother's father moved from NY to TX because of arthritis; my mother moved from NY to AL because of arthritis; I don't want to move south because of arthritis.
I'm considering a tactic someone here mentioned concerning a relative: retreating to one (relatively warm) room for most stuff during cold weather.
My mother's father moved from NY to TX because of arthritis; my mother moved from NY to AL because of arthritis; I don't want to move south because of arthritis.
I'm considering a tactic someone here mentioned concerning a relative: retreating to one (relatively warm) room for most stuff during cold weather.
we will not know until we get there.
my brother has already predetermined that he will endure a.d. should it strike him. but he also has a wife and three kids to care for him so it might be "braver" now for him to make such a future decision but more practical than brave for me, a single guy with no kids, to make mine. certainly, even if i was willing to live like that, i will not get the extremely good care my mother received or that my brother can expect. in fact, it would not be too unlikely that i could be physically abused by some homophobic nurse's aid. so maybe my decision isn't so brave after all. perhaps i'm just protecting myself.
I'm straight but I hear you, Lazy, and I have similar concerns about being alone without an advocate in my declining years. That's why I, like you, want to be in control of my destiny.