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Keeping the mind and the body moving
After i learned to work and achieve some goals I was hooked on seeing how far I could go. I also enjoyed helping others learn. I never liked the word "retire" because it seemed like no fun to disassociate from friends and life, which my in-laws did. I vowed to never retire. I soon learned that if I stayed independent, then no one would think they ever had to help with with the work load. So it has been difficult to need to slow down in life with this aging body and get the work done. So I downsized. I studied and learned to take better care of myself, but never learned to like exercise. Strange, isn't it that I like to work but don't like to exercise. That is because my work usually produced a product. I can't actually see the result that exercise provides. I don't look thinner and I don't feel better some of the time. Then there is my short term memory which has given me problems since my forties. So I try to write things down, or nothing stays in my brain for long. My friends are so fearful of Alzheimer's and I am more afraid of being neglected or rejected. So I reach out to available friends for comfort and help them when they need it. I must work hard to not have to say "I don't know" in response to how to get help.
We are all in this journey together, I discovered, and none of us is without decline at our age. It is sometimes different in each of us. But together we can figure some things out and we can not sit for more than thirty minutes as the doctors recommend. It is our first start. We can eat better, for improved health. I do know that works in our favor. We can love each other, despite our bad days. We can be honest and ask questions. We are a team.
I never was on a team in school. They didn't want me. Now I am on our team and we are going to win a few. I believe in us. I believe in God.
It is a good life so long as I remember to get our of the chair after thirty minutes. I wish I could get out of a car like Jackie Kennedy did for the photographers, and walk gracefully. It is never going to happen for me again. That's o.k. I'll think of something else. If I can remember. Dorisena
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I found this fun project and I wanted to share it. bumblebeewatch.org is an organization looking for an endangered bumblebee called the rusty patch. This week I went out on a bee hunt! I've had so much fun at it, and getting some fresh air and exercise at the same time. bumblebeewatch.org is a website that is looking for volunteers to photograph and identify bumblebees. I snapped a beautiful photo of what they tell me is a brown belted bumblebee.
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5 Reactions@Erinmfs
Hello Erin, I had never heard of the bumblebee watch organization. I agree that it is a great idea to get out of the house and explore new areas. I appreciate your posting about that and especially the picture. Do you use any products to protect yourself from getting stung?
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1 ReactionHi @hopeful33250 , the bumblebeewatch.org website has a nice page that outlines their recommendations on photographing the bumblebees, I had to read that a couple times and it takes some practice. I'm finding that the bees aren't bothered by someone holding a phone over the flower. That photo I provied is enlarged actually on the bee, I wasn't that physically close to the bee or the flower. I had to read up on instructions on how to use my smartphone properly too. Like the website says, the bees have not really been aggressive toward me, and if I get too close, they just buzz away.
Here it is, it's kinda hard to find. Here are the tips for photographing the bees:
https://www.bumblebeewatch.org/photo-tips/
I'll add this too, my daughter works for the Iowa DNR, so I subscribed to their emailing list and receive regular updates. The DNR in Iowa requested that volunteers go out and survey the bees in their area, that's how I learned of this conservation effort (and fun exercise opportunity). Here's the article from Iowa
https://www.iowadnr.gov/About-DNR/DNR-News-Releases/ArticleID/2008/Join-the-search-for-Iowas-endangered-bumble-bee
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3 Reactions@Erinmfs That sounds like an enjoyable thing to do, to have a purpose in your walking! The problem for me is that I am allergic to bee stings, and do my best to stay away from those industrious critters!
Ginger
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4 Reactionsoh no! I guess I don't consider myself allergic to bee stings, but I haven't been stung. I have enjoyed getting out for a walk in the flowers and searching for bee photo opportunities, the weather has been nice recently.
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4 ReactionsWhen I gave the photo to the DNR, I thought I had found the endangered species rusty patch bee, I was so excited about the photo and the brown patch on the bee. But the DNR and experts came back and told me that the bee in that photo is really a brown-belted bumblebee which is common they said. They loved the photograph and encouraged me to continue my 'bee adventures' they said :-). One of the DNR members provided this link for bee identification. The DNR is taking this conseration effort quite seriously.
https://www.fws.gov/midwest/Endangered/insects/rpbb/rpbbid.html
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2 Reactions@Erinmfs It just sounds like a lovely adventure, Erin, to be able to enjoy the sunshine, flowers and of course, the industrious bees!
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