Maggie's Farm

Got to admit, now that I've hit 80, I've become much more sensitive toward these people who jabber about "death with dignity" when they're not even near there yet. The ones who are the most cavalier about life expectancies and quality of life are the ones who want us old folks to crawl quietly away somewhere and pass away when we're still enjoying life. Not going to do it. I'm planning on fighting to the last ditch.

Marianne

Thanks, jappy -- you're a sweet man. Good advice about staying out of hospitals, nursing homes, and staying home as long as we can. That's been our plan. Nursing homes, even the best run of them, are creepy, and they don't have nearly enough room for all of our books.

Marianne

I'd love to help if you want an occasional suggestion, but why don't you suggest a weekly free-for-all on Best Books of the Week. Green Mountain Punter suggested a couple that look really interesting. My husband is the omnivorous reader on anything ... world history, wars, from the Spartans to the present day, Patrick O'Brian's sea stories, and a nice selection of lighter reading, like Corelli's Mandolin, which he's reading right now.. while my reading is more specialized. He really likes mysteries for late night, like Lee Child and Robert Parker [so do I] and such oddities as The Dangerous Book For Boys, which harks back to the fine art of rubber-gun making [he was an expert] and other childhood enterprises which today's children don't seem to indulge in much, because they're too busy at the computer. If they raced around more, maybe we wouldn't have a childhood obesity problem.

You Maggies Farm men and women are busy doing things like gardening and fishing and other outdoor stuff which keeps you slim, but the kids need training in the immemorial joys of what used to be called kid stuff.

Had an online exchange with one of my favorite bloggers, a retired Navy Captain, who reposted an article about the world's greatest athlete, kind of a run-up to the summer Olympics about to happen. I noted that no-one could be described as the World's Greatest Athlete who hadn't won any fencing trophies. I proceeded to look up fencing [which I did in college not too badly] on Dr. Google and discovered that it is indeed an Olympic sport and has had a place in the Games since at least 1896 or so. Don't know why most people don't seem to realize what wonderful training it is in strategy and tactics as well as a demanding physical workout. And fun too.

More fun than skateboarding.

Marianne