194 replies to this topic

[cathylj73]

Ok I guess im both im going to be 50 in january and been on the board since October 27th 2004 ! so I guess im just old all around! But I like your idea moon, maybe we are immortal?

[Puti]

Yep! Older than dirt!

I just want to thank White Witch for starting this thread.

[White Witch]

No problem I'm glad I did as well. Been so busy with work this is the first chance I've had to reply. I've turned 50 this month and I feel great about it!

[meanderer]

Wow...and here I am, a couple months shy of my 50th, too. (sigh)

I look in the mirror and ask..."Jeez! What the hell happened to ya?" Starts the day on a wonderful note.

[Puti]

Meanderer! What an attitude! All you 50ers, enjoy your life! Sounds like White Witch and Cathy are pretty happy about 50 and maybe they can help with your sour-puss.
At my age, every morning that my feet hit the floor, I'm saying TG for another chance to be here.

[jimmary]

Man, there are a lot of old people on here. I won't be fifty until June, so I'm practically a baby compared to you all.
Um...can someone help me change my diaper?

[Puti]

Sorry old friend in Connecticut that I called you a sour-puss. I had this memory of my lady friend when she turned 60 and her family surprised her with black balloons and a black cake etc. I'm sure you've heard of people doing that? I couldn't believe it! She was so sorrowful about another birthday. It put her in a funk about getting older.
The next day when her and I were alone having coffee she talked about it and I asked her, "what is the alternative to having another birthday?" You should have seen her face light up!

I've always LOVED birthdays! It means I'm still here to learn more, love more, eat more ice cream etc. Maybe go to Ireland again.


jimmary, you seem to have an obsession with your pants! Is that a Texas thing????

[White Witch]

I took a look at who and what was going on in my life and thought on who and what to keep. It felt good to get rid of the wood, so to speak, that I didn't need or want. I feel there is less junk I'll put up with now. I've gone through alot in my life so far so I'm shaking the junk off and stepping up! YEA 50! Never thought about going back in time at all. Wouldn't want to be young again in this day and age.

[meanderer]

Puti - you don't need to apologize for calling me a "sour-puss". I've been called worse. MUCH worse. (Usually, I'd say "I've been called worse by better people..." but that doesn't apply here.) It doesn't hurt my feelings. Usually, I just laugh it off...with a quiet little "you don't know the half of it". Anyhoo... I fully intend, in a couple more years, to be the old man shouting at the neighborhood kids to get off my lawn. But I don't really celebrate birthdays (I think the last one I actually "celebrated" was when I was about 14 or so. Since I was born on Dec 31, I don't even go out and celebrate the new year anymore (too many drunks on the road - and I don't want to be one of them). Usually, I go off to the woods and enjoy the peace and quiet, contemplating the past year, (and, like White Witch) letting go of what I can, and hoping to hold onto what I need (except, apparently, my hair). HOWEVER...this year, because I'm turning 50, I fully plan on spending my birthday with a delightful 18 year old...whiskey. And yeah, it'll be a Jameson. Of course.

jimmary...either you're wearing pants (or your wife's pants) or diapers...(sliding my chair further away...) I think we might just have to send you to your room.

[Puti]

Meanderer, I forget that you're not REALLY my brother. One thing is, I'm the oldest of 8 (of course Catholics!) and I always talked to my brothers like that. My brother Tim had a birthday like that a while back..... didn't want to talk about it being his birthday, didn't see what all the hoopla was about etc. So his wife got him one of those black cakes and balloons. I'm not even living up there, but when I called him for his birthday and he was talking all that glum talk he had to hear it from big sister how he should be happy to be alive etc. etc. etc.
Guess old people don't have much control over their thoughts coming out of their mouths!

I do that contemplating the past year thing every year also. Most of the time I go over my whole life, even beyond my birth to my parent's lives and where they came from and back and back. Actually "celebrate", if you could call it that, for about a week before and a week after my actual B-day. So you can see I take birthdays, everyone's, very seriously.

Ditto what White Witch said. The wonderful thing about getting older... I think it starts to happen strongly around 50.... is that a person begins to let go of all the silly crap in their life that they wonder why it's still there, including people who just drag one down.

I hear Jameson is the best. "Old Paddy" might be horrible?

Hubby's leaving it up to me as to whether we go to a family reunion next year. Maybe we can meet for lunch and talk about all those."you don't know the half of it" things. I've got plenty of those too.

[jackrabbit slim]

Just joined about 15 minutes ago. What's up folks? Anyway, just bought my first EVP recorder and gonna test drive it this weekend at a friends "haunted house".

[meanderer]

Puti - Yes, on my birthdays, in the woods, I review things I'd done over the past year and try to decide whether it was good or bad. I'm my harshest critic. I'm still trying to learn to get rid of a lot of residual guilt over past deeds and behavior. People I've treated badly or unfairly. It's easy for me to forgive others, but I have a very hard time forgiving myself, if ever. One of the wonderful side-effects of being raised Catholic. So, that's how I spend my birthday - forgiving others, then (mentally) beating myself up for the silliest things. I do hold grudges, but mostly against myself.

And yeah - in my humble opinion, Jameson really is the best (Irish) whiskey...I've even had a man from Derry (or, Londonderry, if you're not sure) recommend Bushmills' Whiskey. So I did. I didn't tell him this, but I thought it tasted like sewer water. But it's from Northern Ireland, so that might have something to do with it. But if you are a whiskey drinker, once you've had Jameson (especially the 12 year old Jameson), you'll have a hard time going back to your regular drink. Believe me. I've seen it happen. Great! Now I'm thirsty. And no Jameson in the house! Might as well go to bed, then.

If you do ever come back up to CT for a family reunion, I wouldn't mind getting together for lunch (if schedules work out). But who knows?

And who the heck was that jackrabbit slim character? He just joined, and he's in the old member forum? Shoulda knocked first, I suppose. oh well.

[Puti]

Let's be nice.... jackrabbit slim just happened to put their first post here. Welcome to Ghost Village! This thread started by White Witch looking for old members ended up being a sort of chat for the "oldies".
which I've enjoyed, by the way.

It's Derry! The Irish don't forget history.

Growing up on Long Island sound, my go to place for peace was always the ocean. I can't even describe how much I miss it! It was right there, handy. If I had time for a little walk, then it was the woods. But the ocean, any time of year even winter.

We should talk about that Catholic guilt thing!

[White Witch]

Meanderer I hear you with forgiving yourself. We are our worst critics. In time I'm sure I'll be good at letting things go totally. Some stuff has been easy to let go of though. I'm glad everyone is enjoying this form.

[meanderer]

I know...I shoulda been a little nicer to jackrabbit slim (I thought I was!). Put in my place again by Puti (hanging my head sheepishly...)!

Yeah, I know it's Derry. Everybody knows it's Derry - but the Derry City Council won't officially change the name of the city. Go figure. As for the Irish, not forgetting history - for the most part, that's true. However, a little discussed fact is that long before the Cromwellian era, Irish kings were constantly invading England (it wasn't "Britain" yet), raiding local kingdoms and doing all sorts of nasty things. But, that's neither here nor there.

Although the ocean's nice...I'm just tired of so-called "do-gooders" flocking around me, trying to drag me back into the water, screaming things like "keep his skin damp" and "don't block the blow hole"...lousy buggers. So, I don't go to the beach often. I do enjoy sitting near lakes, rivers and streams, though. But the woods have always been "my special place", where ever those woods might be. I don't like a lot of noise in the woods, when I go. I prefer to listen to what's around me. If someone's going to be yapping incessantly while we're walking in the woods, I won't take them any more.

White Witch - (by the way - I am enjoying this forum/chat)I suppose the reason why it's hard to forgive myself is probably because I expect more from myself. I feel I'm supposed to "be better" than the people I can forgive "for just being themselves". Whether that's being hypocritical or something like that...I suppose that's the first step in self-forgiveness: finding out the reason why it's difficult to forgive myself. One day, I might reach that level. I think it's got a lot to do with that Catholic "brainwashing". Yes, Puti - that'd probably a whole other forum, wouldn't it? Anyway, it's drizzly and overcast, so I think I'll go for a walk.