Women of a certain age.

Dys, the first R?

More history please. New Spain? Was it a fort? I know that most of the SW US was settled and owned by Spain.

I found this on Google:

History of New Mexico

Hi BorisKitten, menopause was not a problem for me except for the fact taht I am constantly warm now and I finished with menopause several years ago. Go figure!

Earlier on this thread, I mention having some rather poignant feeling when visiting with shewolfnm and her family, including 9 month old baby Jillian.

Shewolf is at her prime with many childbearing years ahead of her, if she chooses to have anymore children. I began to see all the differences: her elastic skin, thick healthy hair, and then I held Jillian and was swept back in time to my babies and the whole, sensual experience of baby smell, baby skin, little baby sounds. I loved being awash in all those sensations and felt a little nostalgia for all those many years ago.

NOT that I would want to do it all over again! I'm over it, yes indeed. Still, there was that tug of the inevitability of never being able to revisit that time and that warm little world that surrounds a young family.

Yes, I love wearing t-shirs and jeans, going braless and wearing or not wearing makeup, depending on my mood and where I'm going.

For many of you, I've noticed that your rennaisance began early. God, I am a slow learner. Guess it takes a long time to overcome some long held opinions of self. So nice to be FREE.

Good thoughts, Diane.

I agree.

I would hug Diane for that, but she's not wearing a bra so that would feel...um...all...wrong.

One of the perks of aging is nostalgia.

With aging, comes nostalgia about perkiness of the braless sort.

Turned 41 this year and don't get me started on the chin hair again, LOL!

I also only wear a bra if I'm going out or have company. I hate the damn things! I will put one on to hug you guys, since some of you (Eva) are concerned ;-)

I meant to come in here and see what's going on. Thanks Diane, for starting this topic. My mother died so young... just a few years older than I am now... and I know, she didn't want to go. She had things she still wanted to do. I'm trying not to make that mistake. I act on my impulses and am not under constraints to "save for the future" or "think ahead." Lord knows, I don't give a damn what "the Jones" might think. :wink: What I want are experiences to savor and landscapes memories. For sure, I don't want anyone remembering me as the one who had an immaculate house.

In the last year or so I've linked up with several new women friends. I'd noticed a gradual decline in the number of friendships I had, a natural condition of aging -- people move or change or die, so now I put out some effort to stay social. This doesn't come easily because I enjoy being alone. I've shunned several people too, sometimes for their religious beliefs but more often for their politics. I don't have the time to waste arguing. I am friendly to all but they don't realize I'm often not smiling but showing my teeth.

I've also learned to value family relationships more than I used to. It is important to get together, to make the time to visit, because death comes too soon. Talking to a corpse is not much fun. Becoming the matriarch of the family turns out to be both an honor and a burden -- it still makes me laugh to think that *I* am the head bitch. Me? I didn't even realize I'd grown up.

The worst part of aging for me is that I haven't yet been able to shake the vanity of my younger years. I still freak a little at that strange face in my 5x mirror and wonder what happened. A new friend, a few years older, told me that she noticed her age would seem to suddenly jump. One big stressful event, an illness or something and suddenly ten years are added on. I think she's right. I can coast for a while in my little dream world (that party in my head) thinking I'm sort-of timeless and then, BOOM, suddenly, definitely, I know I'm middle-aged.

I've wondered about face lifts but I hate doctors so much I don't think I could handle elective surgery. Perhaps a bag over my head? As for chin whiskers... I don't have those... but I am constantly grooming my eyebrows.

Piffka, because I have the great good fortune to have met you and correspond with you, I can say that I consider you a crone goddess. You have done more than any woman I know. You are an inspiration--and you started early!!

And dammit, I do have chin hairs now. Not many, but one long one has turned a silvery white. You say "Why worry since it isn't dark?" HAH! It actually glints in the sunlight.....Argh. Pluck, pluck but the damn thing just suddenly appears.

Yes, Piff, I still have some vanity. The magnifying mirror can be shocking. My beautiful mother raised me to be beautiful and pleasing. Sh*t. I never could be what she wanted, but I never stopped trying. It is soooo wonderful to have found Dys, a man who thinks I'm beautiful at this late date. He doesn't mind that I'm chubby, he thinks I'm desirable. I swear, if there is such a thing as a next life, I'm gonna find that skinny cowboy right away!!

Awwww!!!! How sweet is that :-D

Pluck pluck pluck!!! LOL!

And I agree with Dys - you are beautiful, Diane.

Diane
Hey, both Dys and Diane are beautiful. There's just less of Dys to admire.

BBB :wink:

Diane, you know I think you are gorgeous. We've had some fun. As for an errant chin hair -- thank all the Gods and Goddesses for good tweezers and a fine mirror!

-------Not sure what you mean by "done more than any woman you know." (Honest, what did I tell you? -- It all seemed fairly tame to me. I am saving the best stories for later.)

Mostly, I am convinced that there is true love, Diane, and I'm glad you found it. In fact, it is my suspicion that you & Dys passed each other in the streets when you were living in Tucson (or maybe somewhere else) but somehow you just didn't catch each other's eye.

There is a great line that speaks to this in the film "Second-Hand Lions." Robert Duvall, as "Hub" says:



*<ahem> Add "and woman"

Re: Diane


Very true, BBB!

I also believe in true love, Piffka. I think one reason why I am what I am now is that I found a man who thinks I am great - whatever I do. That support makes it a lot easier for me to do things without considering so much what other people might think.

Years ago - in another life :wink: - I took part in one of those seminars where you walk over embers. First, we built a big fire and everybody was asked to write things on paper that he/she wanted to get rid off. The pieces of paper were then burned. I wrote that I did not want to depend so much on what others thought. It took a while... but now I am (almost) there!

BBB, LOL, yes, there is much less of Dys. You wouldn't believe the sweet cheeks on that bony ass.

Piff, you continue to amaze. The stories so far are mild???? THUD! This means that everyone here needs to get together for a pajama party with all sorts of goodies and swap stories, starting with piffka. Come prepared, this might take awhile.

Urs, you and BigD are one of those couples who are so perfectly matched. Two complete individuals who complement each other beautifully.

One of my heroes growing up was my aunt Anne. She didn't marry until she was fifty and she could easily have gone for the rest of her life without being married. She was born in 1915, so she put up with lots of "looks" and angst from people who "only her to be happy."

She traveled, taught school, sold real estate, sailed and loved life. She didn't need a partner to define who she was. I was very lucky to have her in my life, even though I didin't get to see her very often. I think she was largely responsible for helping me see that life was more than marriage and a clean, well decorated house.

Do any of the posters here have women or men who helped shape your psyche? It doesn't have to be someone whith whom you had a lasting relationship, just someone whose philosophy touched you in a positive way.