STAYIN' HEALTHY..........

(TRUE STORY)

A few years ago I was in for my annual physical.  This was actually the first time that my Doctor, (Karin) actually told me that it was a good idea to start a walking program.  I must admit, at first I was reluctant to begin anything........that I was sure not to end,  but I took her advice,  told my wife, that this was a great idea ..............that she had suggested 5 years prior  and I was going to begin this walk-a-thon program..................ssssoooooo   each and every morning I would jump into my CAR, drive for 2 1/2 minutes down to a boardwalk promenade..........which measures exactly 1 mile round trip ,  dressed like a super athlete in my new  dark blue Nike outfit with my new $49.95 pair of Stanley F. Jabakaluski (famous Polish couch potato) walking shoes and my new $79.95 (marked down from $80.00) ipod and  began this new life style. That first day was a killer,  walked that sucker without stopping and it only took 55 minutes. for that mile.  When I got back into my car for my drive up the hill, I found that enjoyment was only 2 1/2 minutes away( my couch).  Margot made it a point to ask why it took so long.   Not wanting to raise any big concern about this I simply referred to the point that I was enjoying the music so much that I kept walking until all 60 songs (at 3.5 minutes per song) were finished.  Boy was she impressed.      guess, I didn't really fool her though.............she started walking with me..............just to keep me in check.   That exercise lasted longer than I thought it ever would (until the rainy season set in).  Now, each summer comes and my walk-a-thon begins once again.  As the years passed I became more enthused about this and once Lisa moved to Hungary, I inherited her ultra treadmill which does everything a good woman can do for you including making your coffee, turning the pages on your book, holding you up when you are about to fall over, measure distance, calorie count ,pulse and even creates a heavy breathing, though for different reasoning. I strategically placed it in the dining room next to the table, so that I just roll over to it after a hearty pasta meal and a couple glasses of wine..........just to help my digestion.

Now just this morning a very good friend of mine sent me an email, confirming ...................that walking is indeed healthy.........................which gave me the idea of this posting.   I hope you enjoy all the reason to take up this athletic endeavor  and begin a new chapter of your life.................so off the couch and let's get goin'   

The Importance of Walking

Walking can add minutes to your life.
This enables you at 85 years old
to spend an additional 5 months in a nursing
home at $7000 per month.

My grandpa started walking
five miles a day when he was 60.
Now he's 97 years old
and we don't know where he is.

I like long walks,
especially when they are taken
by people who annoy me.

The only reason I would take up walking
is so that I could hear heavy breathing again.

I have to walk early in the morning,
before my brain figures out what I'm doing..

I joined a health club last year,
spent about 400 bucks.
Haven't lost a pound.
Apparently you have to go there.

Every time I hear the dirty word 'exercise',
I wash my mouth out with chocolate.

The advantage of exercising every day
is so when you die, they'll say,
'Well, she looks good doesn't she.'

If you are going to try cross-country skiing,
start with a small country.

I know I got a lot of exercise
the last few years,......
just getting over the hill.

We all get heavier as we get older,
because there's a lot more information in our heads.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

AND

Every time I start thinking too much
about how I look,
I just find a Happy Hour
and by the time I leave,
I look just fine.

You could run this over to your friends
But just e-mail it to them

----- End forwarded message -----

CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN, WASHINGTON

Here we are,   a new week.   September 12th and it certainly was a memorable September 11th.
TV was loaded with the day's happenings...to the point where.......we just could not bare having it on.  The sadness was just so overwhelming.

It was at that point that, we decided to try and bring something else into the day, so off to Crystal Mountain, we went.  On the drive there, Margot and I tried to figure out what year it was that we actually were to Crystal Mt.  to actually SKI.  We came to the conclusion that it was about 35 years ago. After that we spent most of our skiing years in the Snoqualmie area, night skiing.  Crystal has never been a night skiing area .

 When we arrived, the sun was up and shining its hot face down and once we were out of the gondola we could feel the warmth.

Gondola ride of about 10 minutes


 brought us to the top.





 There we were, at one of the highest  points of the Cascades and in the shadow  of Mt. Rainier.

Majestic and VERY powerful

Green Valley.......otherwise known as.................THE BOWL. just slightly below us .

EASIEST WAY?????? for who????

Sure looks different in the Summer!!!!!!

Short stop at the restaurant.............at the top............ always give a little reason for one just to stay at the top.  We just emptied out our backpack on one of the outdoor tables and had our lunch while enjoying the sunshine.

After lunch and a short hike, we boarded the gondola for the ride to the bottom...................sure is different than the struggle of skiing your way down.

All in all, Crystal Mt. has indeed changed in 35 years and all for the better.

 Funny story attached to skiing Crystal.   Many a decades ago, we at SAS along with the crew stationed in Seattle would plan a days trip each week to a different ski area.  When Crystal Mt. was chosen Margot and a girl friend were convinced that skiing the BOWL was a great experience. SSSSOOOOOO off  they went on the chairlift. Arriving at the top half frozen, they were able to see...........the world.   Now,  to get down.  The crew member that they were with at that moment convinced them .........that this was a snap........"just follow me"    Margot tells me now that the bowl was a pleasure........wide open and lots of room to traverse...............however it wasn't long before the trails got narrower and narrower and it became a straight run down.    Needless to say for two slightly better than average skiers it took them some time to make it down.........................all the while followed by a ski patrol person,  who when signaled to ................"it's ok to pass"  simply replied back that   "it's OK ,  I have to make sure you get off the mountain since it's getting dark" 

While the group enjoyed their  wines in the  bar....waiting and wondering where the ladies were,( for some hour and a half) we had all learned that Ake who had been down the hill in about 20-25 minutes and on his second wine had skied with the Swedish Ski team. 


FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT PLEASURE

http://videos2view.net/irish-dance.htm

 

WHAT IF............

Just the other day,  the temperature was about.......oh ,  80 degrees, the sun just touching the end of our garden table, that sits on our deck.

(OH,  for the glorious days of summer
to never disappear
the whistling of the birds
the smell of good wine
friends always by you side.
that's what life is all about)

  Margot's  lovely potted flowers finally feeling the needed warmth, a nice glass of wine and my thoughts.  I had just finished lunch and now watch a single ant........ trying to make off with the tiny remains of my liverwurst sandwich, lightly covered with Grey Poupon dijon mustard.  I really did not know if I was asleep, dozing off or just day dreaming....but whatever it was .......it induced me to start to chuckle and then all of a sudden burst out with a belly laugh................how stupid.........but an interesting concept of life.
Think about this!!!

What if,  ones life was be lived totally in reverse.
Now , my concept is this.
A person is actually brought into this world at the time that he is actually leaving life.. Your life ........to begin in total reverse than it presently does.You begin as an old, grumpy shrivelled up person on retirement, collecting social security, and on medicare. ....... .and end as a newborn.   What a concept. You presently end your life......for the most of us.......as an old fart with no teeth and a pacifier in your mouth. Under my new concept you will end up very young ...........with a pacifier like item in your mouth.     Just take a moment as I did and think about how you would live your newborn life.........or does this REALLY happen..........after life as we know it.  Do you really reenter your totally new life as an angel and work back?  When someone finds out........shoot me an email!!!!  I would love to know the answer.

Anyhow , that  ant is still trying to pull that breadcrumb.......with liverwurst.....off the plate and will he be surprised as he gets closer to the side of the dish...........that's when he falls over the side ......the sandwich bit will fall on top of him and kill him.......or I will just give him the thumb of death and take it away from him.
I've just now noticed that my........trained birds......are beginning to appear to help Margot clean up any crumbs left behind.  I feel as though, I'm sitting in an out door cafe in Tuscany at this moment, with all this action going on.   HI SENORITA!!!!    there is my neighbor, starting to BBQ her kimchi.........she's Korean  but likes to think of herself as an Italian living in Tuscany also.  OH  what a glorious life.   
This summer has not been necessarily one of the better ones..........perhaps for just a few happy moments here and there.  Weather not so very good.  Cloudier than normal, rainier than normal,  but never the less the 5 perfect days we had was much taken advantage of.  I'm thinking about writing something around............."The five days of summer"  but just get my act together.

Now, while my latest batch of  Vierlot is fermenting, I decided to tackle a really tough problem that apparently 535 congressional members plus the amount in the WH  have not been able to do.  Actually Margot told me this and I'm just lending a little bit more to it. This was an article in the St. Perersburg, FL Times. The business section asked readers for ideas on:
"How would you fix the economy?" I think this  Old guy nailed it This from a senior citizen around 80 yrs of age.

"Please find below my suggestion for fixing America's economy. Instead of giving billions of dollars to companies that will squander the money on lavish parties and unearned bonuses, use the following plan. You can call it the "Patriotic Retirement Plan".

There are about 40 million people over 50 in the work force. Pay them $1 million apiece severance for early retirement with the following stipulations:

1)  They MUST retire. Forty million job openings- Unemployment fixed.

2) They MUST buy a new  AMERICAN car.  Forty million cars ordered.- Auto Industry fixed.

3) They MUST either buy a house or pay off their mortgage - Housing crisis fixed.

It can't get easier than that!!

P.S.  If more money is needed, have all members in Congress pay their taxes.

Mr. President,while you're at it, make Congress retire on Social Security and Medicare, I'll bet both programs would be fixed."

Now to carry this persons idea one step further, I am soliciting for 23 volunteers to join me in following through with extending this to show Congress that 24 people with BRAINS  can do more than 535 without BRAINS!!!

Now that I have got all this heavy thinking off my chest...............only one thing left to do.  Name this group!!  They had................A GROUP OF SIX.    They presently have A GROUP OF TWELVE.   It can only get better with our new      GROUP OF TWENTY-FOUR.