All you ever wanted to know about the things that go on in the minds of those whom are old enough to qualify for Senior Housing and are brave enough to ask "Is there a Senior Discount?"
I really love my friends. Since I had such a small family, my girlfriends have always been my "family". I have spent as many holidays at their houses or their family's houses as I ever did my own growing up. You can't pick your siblings but you CAN pick your girlfriends and I have done a wonderful job of that. (not good at picking a mate but really good at picking my "Pals") This isn't a picture of us. It could be if we had known each other when we were this age.
We are all about the same age, give or take a few years, but other than that, the differences start......High brow, low brow, and everything in between. Fancy tastes, home-style tastes, in the middle tastes and in some cases, no taste at all. But we won't go there as this is a tribute not a roast. NO, this isn't a picture of when we were younger. Trust me, we never looked like this!!!!! We have been through love affairs, broken hearts, broken parts, divorces, loss of parents, the loss of a child, diets, diseases like Cancer, that are really scary and others that are just pesky. We have shared with each other, gotten angry with each other, cried with each other, prayed with each other but most of all we have laughed and laughed and laughed. Pulled jokes, pranks, and some down right dirty tricks stealing treasures from each other. We have baby sat for each others kids, animals, relatives, including the newest generation, the grand kids. We have ridden together in hot cars, old trucks, RV's , on motorbikes, buses, airplanes, and on horses side by side. Now here is a more believable picture. Ha ha haaa!!
We have secret sayings like "who's a pompus ass", and "the older we get the goofier we get" and there is always, "the men may come and the men may go but we've still got each other". When someone says it, we all crack up, much to the amazement of those who don't get it. We had added new people over the years as we really are a loving group and if you can stand us then we guess we can stand you. But you gotta be able to laugh or be laughed at and to see the humor in the mundane. It's just part of being called a "Biddy".
We have a new generation of Biddy's.....our daughter's and daughter-in-laws and hopefully they will carry on this wonderful tradition by being Itty Bitty Biddys or Biddy's in training. I know one, for sure cares this title proudly.
Since I branched off and headed to California I have had the good fortune to find another wonderful group of friends here in Santa Rosa. The SR chapter of Biddys are a fine group of ladies who are loving, supportive, and also love to laugh.
Here is to all of you, My Dears, and I hope and pray that the last time we see each other in this life will not be the last time we ever see each other. Thanks for so many wonderful years and many, many more to come.
'Good friends are like stars.........You don't always see them, but you know they are always there'
Age is really relative. It's about 1981. A gorgeous Saturday in June. As was usual back then; I was spending the weekend at Kathy's place. Kathy and I had a date to meet friends at noon and go riding (I think....) We got up early, fed the horses and decided to go to Duvall for breakfast. My new son-in-law Russel loved my hot, blue '73 Chevy short box, step-side, truck with deep dish mag rims and headers. I, in turn, loved his little bright yellow Triumph Spitfire sports car. We often, traded cars for the weekend. Kathy and I had the Spitfire and the perfect weekend for it. We took the top off and headed to town. At that time, Duvall had only one block of secondary street on the west side of the street. We turned west off the main road and parked between the Restaurant and a Nursery. We had a leisurely, breakfast and then cruised the nursery. We spent enough time in the Nursery to forget which car we came in. I got a real deal on a 6 foot tall flowering cherry tree, in bloom and Kathy got an azalea. As we headed back to the car; we noticed there were a lot more cars parked on our back street. Then, we heard bands and engines tuning up. Kathy remembered it was the day for the Duvall Days Parade. It starts at the south end of town, goes down the main street and turns onto the bridge that goes west out of town. We had a good laugh when we spotted our car. We considered leaving the tree at the nursery but I found space for the root ball behind and between, the seats. We settled the tree in. It looked quite pretty sticking about 3 feet above the seat with pretty pink blossoms hanging over our heads. Kathy had the azalea on her lap. We started up to the street to find the parade was going down the main drag and we were stuck on the side street! We were going to miss our company if we had to wait for the entire parade to go by! As Kathy said about 7 years later, "Sheesh! The older we get, the Goofier we get". I took a second to teach her how to wave like the Queen. (No hand flapping. Just a rigid, rotating, 'high sign'...). Told her to smile no matter what, found a gap and shot onto the street between a float and a band! We were that little yellow 'float' decorated with hanging, pink blossoms, with two 'dignitaries' smiling and waving side-to-side to the crowd and one of them holding an azalea on her lap.. We were in the parade for about 4 blocks. As the parade turned onto the bridge, we went straight and sped out of town towards Kathy's. We laughed all the way home and made it in time to go riding.
From L to R, Trudy, Pdot, Joybelle, Horsey Gal, Ellen, Tanya, Farkle, Cherie, Attebetty
Don't you just love a plan when it works!!!!
My friend, Attebetty, with her superior intelligence, has always intimated that she can't be surprised. I picked up that gauntlet, so subtley thrown down, and was determined to surprise her for her Birthday. See, I live 618 air miles away from my Pals.
On April 20th Attebetty turned 66. I tried to get there to surprise her on that day but it didn't work out. So we hatched up another plan. Horsey Gal hosted a Belated Birthday Party for Attebetty. And unbeknown to her, I had flown in.
Well, all the old friends gathered together for lunch over a week after her Birthday and some said they even mentioned the only thing missing was me. Little did they know I was getting closer and closer by car driven by my DIL, Tanya..
We arrived about an hour after all had gathered. We parked and I bent over to keep the top of my head out of sight. I opened the back door and as soon as I did, Horsey Gal started to walk towards the door then turned around and loudly said, " I feel like singing' and started singing Happy Birthday. I came in the door partially hidden by her and then she stepped aside as I got right in front of the VERY SURPRISED guest of honor seated at the dining room table. She just sat there staring at me for about 30 seconds until her brain could catch up with what was going on. She jumped up and started to cry and ran around the table to hug me. Gotcha!!!
The sign in the front was a gift to her and we all wrote on the back.
Many have asked me if that is the name of the building where I live and I feel I must explain, because it's not. It's just my tongue in cheek, smarty pants way of saying I'm getting old. In the small town where I lived a good share of my younger years there was an old folks home and it's name was Bethany Home. We used to use that name as a destination for anyone that acted in a way that we thought old people acted. Once I parked near there to go to the grocery store. One friend in the back seat asked, "did my husband put my suitcase in the trunk when you picked me up?" and she pointed at Bethany Home rising up behind us and we all laughed. There were these friends of ours, a nice couple, who were a little older than us. Often when we were all together she would get mesmerized by the conversations and the goofing around. She would let her cigarette go, just burning between her fingers, and just as the ash was about to fall on her lap, her husband would jump up with an ashtray in his hand, hold it under her cigarette, tap her arm and say in a disgusted voice, "Mary, next week, Bethany Home." I would imagine that her behavior was what he thought old people did. No disrespect was ever meant to Bethany Home's inhabitants. It was just an expression. Hence, the name for this blog. I am old enough to now live in Bethany Home.
One morning recently, I was sitting in bed using my laptop, looking at some videos on You Tube and I was listening to Bon Jovi doing "We Got It Going On" and the first line is "Is there anybody out there wanting to party?"......I swear to you my hands were up in the air and I had my mouth screwed up in that partying, let's dance kind of way.....like I was a kid again. I caught myself and put my hands down like my Grandkids had just walked in. Do we ever grow up?
How did I get to be a person old enough to live in Senior Housing? Was I asleep and my sixties just crept up on me?
Am I the only one that is shocked to wake up and be old? I need some input and you all need to let me know how you feel......please!!!!
JESUS LOVES ME {Senior Rendition} just like we sang in Sunday School
Jesus loves me, this I know, Though my hair is white as snow Though my sight is growing dim, Still He bids me trust in Him. (CHORUS) YES, JESUS LOVES ME.. YES, JESUS LOVES ME.. YES, JESUS LOVES ME, THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO.
Though my steps are oh, so slow, With my hand in His I'll go On through life, let come what may, He'll be there to lead the way. (CHORUS)
When the nights are dark and long, In my heart He puts a song.. Telling me in words so clear, "Have no fear, for I am near." (CHORUS)
When my work on earth is done, And life's victories have been won. He will take me home above, Then I'll understand His love (CHORUS)
I love Jesus, does He know? Have I ever told Him so? Jesus loves to hear me say, That I love Him every day. (CHORUS)
We have been through love affairs, broken hearts, broken parts, divorces, loss of parents, the loss of a child, diets, diseases like Cancer, that are really scary and others that are just pesky. We have shared with each other, gotten angry with each other, cried with each other, prayed with each other but most of all we have laughed and laughed and laughed. Pulled jokes, pranks, and some down right dirty tricks stealing treasures from each other. We have baby sat for each others kids, animals, relatives, including the newest generation, the grand kids. We have ridden together in hot cars, old trucks, RV's , on motorbikes, buses, airplanes, and on horses side by side.
We have secret sayings like "who's a pompus ass", and "the older we get the goofier we get" and there is always, "the men may come and the men may go but we've still got each other". When someone says it, we all crack up, much to the amazement of those who don't get it.
