Lori, you can do facebook, too. Its just another avenue...you can also "talk" to another friend...like instant messaging...its fun. I do this blog also..not just one.
My kids will "talk" to me on facebook...so its just another way of branching out.
Don't be afraid!! Its really easy!
I have been wondering about your family also...I don't understand people and talking and peace either...
Happy Thoughts to all............

If all of you end up switching to facebook, I'll have to switch, too, but I'm kind of set in my ways and like the blog. I tried facebook after the reunion and couldn't really get used to it--maybe because I'm too attached to this thing we have going on the blog. I still think it's amazing that we've kept it going for so long. It's my morning routine--before I drink my coffee, I check my emails and the blog. It's like an addiction. Well, maybe that's going a little too far....

Karen, my friends in Israel all live in the central area, so none of them are in danger right now, but I'll keep you all informed.

I've been talking with 3 or 4 different people in facebook . The 2 people who were recently invited to join the blog have not done so for whatever reasons. I like that when we are here we are talking with each other en masse. In my facebook pages it's very individualized. I think that's have folks want it. More personal perhaps? I like "thinking" we are all hanging out here together.

Lori, I think AARP eligibility begins at age 50.

I didn't even realize AARP was for our age. Every time something comes in the mail, I get mad that they think I'm that old and throw it in the garbage. Guess I'm not too well informed. What age does it start at?

Karen, the Israeli/Gaza situation is really complex. On the one hand, most Israelis felt Israel had to do something to protect its citizens from the constant threat of those missiles being fired from Gaza, especially after Hamas started firing way more missiles after the 6-month ceasefire ended. On the other hand, war never seems to help, in my opinion at least. It just makes the other side more fanatic and more determined to do something back that's worse than what they were doing before. I think there are moderates on both sides who have been trying to work out a political solution, but the fanatics on both sides ruin it for everyone. I do think we have to have a 2-state solution and that both sides have to make compromises--but how do you compromise when they don't even recognize Israel's existence and when they have such a culture of death (sending their young people on suicide missions and believing they'll go to heaven and get their 72 virgins up there). I don't have an answer. I just can't comprehend why it's SO hard for people to talk to each other and compromise. As for my family, my parents and Amy and her family live on a kibbutz in the southern part of the country. The kibbutz is just outside the range of the missiles, so they're not in any danger there. But Amy's youngest daughter goes to high school in Beer Sheva, and her oldest son goes to university there--and Beer Sheva IS in the range of the missiles. School there is cancelled now, and no one knows how long that will go on. Of course, kids never have a problem with school being cancelled--until summer comes and they have to make up the time they missed. My father works in Beer Sheva twice a week and said the number of patients coming in to see him has gone down a lot. Amy's other son got called for reserve duty, but only in February, so hopefully things will be better by then. It's a mess. I hope they'll figure out some way of coming to a compromise and ceasefire. Sometimes I have this grandiose notion that if I were the prime minister, I'd know how to make peace! (because one thing I know I'm good at is listening to the other person's point of view). But I'm not the prime minister and don't want to be!

Karen, it can be hard to recognize someone who has the distraction of being well hung like that skier- but, it ain't me. Being on the gondola at Whisler 72 hours before it collapsed is as close as I hope to come to this problem.

Speaking of mountains, I have a friend who is ice climbing in Nepal right now. Here is what he says. Please compare your world to the 98 pound sherpani chicks and the evening meals that he describes.

"People are quite friendly here in the Kumbo but certainly lead a hard life. I have seen 90lb. Sherpani women carrying loads of over 100 lbs. on their backs on only a tumpline across their foreheads! It is time to head up to the dining room for dinner, it is the only heated room with a wood / yak dung stove. We have been eating rice, noodles, eggs, lentils, potatoes, and chappatti (a bread like Indian Naan). Yak is on the menu but I haven't tried it yet."

On the points about healthcare, I can only say that I see it as a three fold issue that begins with the type of care that can be accessed, your ability to sue for malpractice and negligence, and it also includes the preferred treatment methods that you will be led to where the doctors make the most money (ie. get a colonoscopy during your 30 minutes spent on GI health, not, get a lecture on the benefits of eating kale, cuz the former nets a whole lot more money). Peace, Richard

I don't know anything about the group you mentioned Karen, but I know that the AARP folks are in favor of universal health care and that is a very good thing. I also think they have made some serious mistakes along the way but as a whole, I'm in favor of their organization.

The AARP is in favor of universal health care for seniors so I think they're trying to do something positive in that regard.

I wish you a very happy birthday, Patti! Sounds like you'll have to celebrate it another day, when Dave's not sick! Let us know how it goes at the women's clinic. If you learn anything that can help the rest of us, please pass it on! Karen, I agree with what you said--that it's how we handle things that counts, not what actually happens. Avi's always quoting one of those self-help books that says, "Attitude is more important than fact." He had it on our computer screen at one time until one of my son's friends changed it to "Attitude is more important than fart."

Thanks for the well wishes everyone and Happy double nickels to Eleanor Richardson as well. I am already a member of AARP aren't you? You get good discounts here and there but a lot of junk mail advertising.

I spent several hours at the library working on our up coming book sale, will have a chiropractic adjustment around 2 and other than that I don't have much planned. Dave is home sick today poor dear and I am avoiding him like the plague. He gave me the entire set that's 7 years of DVD of the West Wing. I may never come out of my room again. Bring on the cold of winter I'll be just fine.

Happy Birthday to Patti!
The first of us to reach
the magic 55!
Congratulations on your
special Day!!

I am going to have a wonderful (I hope) experience next Tuesday. Years ago I was watching MPBN and the program was a Dr. Christiane Northrup on the topic of WOMEN. She was wonderfully informative but quite funny as well. She has written several books; "Mother-Daughter Wisdom"," Women's Bodies", "Women's Wisdom", "The Wisdom of Menopause". Among others. I highly recommend them to all of you. Even you guys, you would be surprised at what you might learn! so anyway, she was a Dr. in a clinic in Yarmouth ME that she had started with a friend. the Women to Women Clinic. I thought boy, it would be great to have such a place available. Well, having moved south; I've decided that 2.5 hours is close enough and I have an appointment there this coming Tues. Dr. Northrup is no longer there as she has so many speaking engagements but her former partner still is and I am really looking forward to this. the initial visit is at least 2 hours. Delicious, some to talk to who will really listen and I have no doubt will have advice and recommendations that will be very beneficial.

Regarding Facebook, I was there last night with my updating moments. I still am trying to get my new email up and running so I can receive or be logging into sites I did before the move. anyway. ...there was a current message from Kathi, and I asked her how she had been in contact with Jane. So I invited Jane to be on my friends list. Then today when I was checking out Janes' section I saw that she was friends with Gayle Oberg. So I asked her to join me too. It was easy to do but I haven't heard back from them yet. I just don't understand why it's been so hard to get into the blog site. But it seems to be.

I don't know which I prefer but certainly I like this. Maybe best. But I want us to have as many peole as we can get together! It's a great way to break up a clique....yes?

I sent an invite to Joanne Gordan thanks to an email from Debi too. Maybe we'll start seeing some new "voices" here. Wouldn't that be nice.

Don't worry too much Lori I'm not really scared. Actually I don't have the chutzpah to look at the egg myself...........

I found where you send invites, so I sent an invite to Jane.

I think you are much more adventurous then some of us!
I have been "talking" to Jane Haseltine on facebook...how do we get her invited to the blog? Pat???
I love putting up Christmas decorations but hate taking them down. I just took my tree down and now have to lug all the stuff back up to the attic. I changed beds from all my family company and now have to make all the beds...but it is much more fun getting in touch with my old friends then cleaning!!
Hope everyone is recovered from the exciting New Years celebrations! Karen are you back from Florida yet??

I scare you?! Why? Did you think I'm seriously trying to read my future in an egg? Don't worry, I haven't gone over the edge....