How Old is OLD?

Some days I feel my old is old but in the scheme of things, it really isn't. Still, there are those days...the ones where we take the inventory before putting a foot outside the covers, where we think if we have to get up one more time to use the bathroom we might very well scream, where the aches remind us relentlessly we are not spring chickens, where we realize we cannot tolerate extreme heat or cold, where we look around and wonder how our friends got to the age where they look like our parents, where you are no longer sure everything is related to fibromyalgia (or some other chronic illness) because maybe age is factoring in now and intensifying everything for you because apparently, things didn't affect you bad enough already... Yep, those days.

What's all this about? I had a birthday Saturday and it was not one I looked forward to having though I do realize it's better than the alternative thanks, Dad. And then there's this:

I feel like I should say something akin to if you believe that I have a parcel of land for sale...Anyway. 

The age is here. I've hit it. I'm not happy about it. And I don't feel like what I think someone my age should feel. Maybe 60 isn't the same 60 my grandparents and parents hit or maybe I am guilty of some faulty thinking. 

I did get my coveted snow for my birthday. Ok, so it came on the 3rd but it was still here on my birthday, shoot it's still here today. Why? Because our temps have been in the teens and 20s except for mid-afternoons which have been rising to a sweltering 37ish which melted the snow just enough to have plenty freeze overnight and make the roads downright trecherous which is why this older person has stayed herself inside the house for 7 days. Hey, I'm aging but I'm not stupid. 

Yep, those are our deck Christmas lights which are still there because they're frozen to the deck. They'll come down once everything melts. You can see part of the backyard, too. And these were taken yesterday afternoon.

You can tell it's trying to melt.

 Some of you might recall when AthleticTrainer Daughter went to Texas for grad school, she taught herself to quilt and made me this Christmas quilt which I LOVE.

The back is red and green because Christmas and polka dots because I love polka dots.

My birthday gift this year was a spring quilt. I had an idea I would love a spring quilt that reminded me of my grandmother and AthleticTrainer Daughter did this:

All those flowers? My grandmother loved flowers in the yard and her yard was filled with many varieties. One thing Grandmother did was always carry a hankie in her purse which was alway with her. My sweet girl took a couple of those hankies that belonged to my grandmother and incorporated them into the quilt.

Each of the four corners has a piece of a hankie in them.

Here's the underside.

My grandmother would love this quilt! I'm just like her about flowers- I love them outside but cannot stand bringing them inside just to watch them die. Another thing about my grandmother? She fought the whole aging thing tooth and nail. When she was in her 80s she took food to church for the seniors on their dinner night. She was a trip!

All this snow/ice and cold has not been setting well with my pup who will be 9 in April. He's taken over one of the warmest blankets in the house and is spending a great deal of time on it.

And under it. I'm not sure if that's a sign of an aging dog or a smart dog. I think I'll go with smart. I've been under a blanket, too. I do love cold weather but I like to be cozy in the house and it's not cozy inside my house. It's COLD inside. The infrared heaters are fine but only if you sit right in front of them. With a blanket. And socks. And layers of clothing. At least you don't have to dress to go outside because you're all set to go!

This one pretty much sums up how Tucker feels about the snow/ice/cold and football. I could relate to him on the football games. The Panthers sucked it up which I knew they would and now I have to spend the rest of the season pulling against Atlanta but for no one. The good news? The Panthers played the day AFTER my birthday instead of ON it.

So, how old is too old? I'm not sure that's an actual thing. I think as long as you feel like you can do something, do it. If you don't feel like it, don't. But don't use age as an excuse because then we probably could fall into a trap of believing age is a deterrent to living.

Any January birthdays in your neck of the woods?