The majority of seniors must be more tech savvy than I typically give them credit for. I know this because I signed up for AARP and they’ve made an appearance in my INBOX in a big way. That tells me seniors know how to receive (and hopefully delete) email messages in bulk. Heck, they’re encouraging me to embrace what’s next with confidence like they know something I don’t. 😳
Senior Male Hibernal is here.
Sure, I could say Old Man Winter… but Senior Male Hibernal is politically correct while sounding official. Whatever it is you call him, he’s here in southern Indiana this morning.
Y’all know I LOVE snow. But this wind!!
I’m pretty sure the barndo gets more wind than anywhere in Commonwealth Bay, Antarctica, (the windiest place on the planet). Maybe I was used to it before I moved to Seymour — where other homes blocked it — and just notice it more now that I’ve moved back “home.” Or maybe I’m right in the middle of a geographical phenomenon where wind just rips around constantly.
Either way, Senior Male Hibernal is loving what he’s putting down here today.
Now you know: Commonwealth Bay, Antarctica, is the windiest place on earth. The location experiences persistent katabatic winds—cold, dense air rushing downhill from the Antarctic ice sheet toward the coast. Average wind speeds there are around 50–55 mph, and winds over 100 mph are common.
Everything Christmas is packed away until next year here at the barndo. Isn’t it funny how your rooms seem so much BIGGER without the holiday decor? Still, it’s all a bit depressing. I miss the soft glow of the Christmas tree lights and festive decorations already.
Even Merida is feeling blue…
Like any big event, there’s an end date.
For any planned event there’s a build up that includes planning and work to get ready. Ah! Then the anticipation. Next comes the special big kahuna day, and once it’s over, there’s nothing to look forward to. Clean up is no fun either but once that work is done, it seems l should feel good. I don’t, and I’m not the only one.
After Christmas (and often into the New Year), it’s common for people to experience what’s known as the “post-holiday blues” — a period of low mood, emotional letdown, or fatigue once the excitement, social events, and break from routine are over.
We can now look forward to spring!
Although here in Indiana we’ll experience some cold and gray days over the next few months, we know that spring comes next. And who doesn’t like spring?
In the meantime, we should be grateful for the things that make us happy. Like… toasty warm floors from radiant heat.
Now you know: During the Industrial Revolution (in the 1800s), laborers often worked six days a week for up to 100 hours. In 1926, Henry Ford became one of the first major employers to adopt a five-day, 40-hour workweek, believing that leisure time would increase worker productivity and consumption.
I probably shouldn’t write about this without first contacting a patent attorney, but here I am yapping anyway. I figure I could make a bajillion dollars with my innovative idea.
It’s so frigid in my slice of the world right now there’s no way I could take a stroll outside. I even feel sorry for the birds eating in the bitter wind.
An “I’M OLD” treadmill setting would make me rich.
Treadmills have walk, jog, and run automatic settings. The following numbers do no take into account your height or if you feet leave the belt, but speeds are commonly categorized as:
2.0–2.9 mph → easy to moderate walking
3.0–3.5 mph → brisk walking (power walk territory)
4.0–5.0 mph → light jogging
5.5+ mph → running
I’m a senior-aged female with long, but slow, legs.
My daily walks start at 2.8mph and finish at 3.2mph. At my age, I am picking them up and putting them down, you guys.
I gained over 100 pounds while pregnant with my son (130 pounds actually… but who is counting?). Afterward, needless to say, I didn’t lose all that weight even though he was over 11 pounds at birth. After a few months of diet alone, I started going to the school’s track to walk every day in an effort to drop the almost 80 pounds I picked up eating snickers candy bars and big macs.
My legs were the same length as they are now and I weighed around 90 pounds more than I do today. At less than 25 years-old, my fat ass would walk almost 4 miles in one hour and at the time, I couldn’t understand why my Mom — when she went along — couldn’t keep up. Apologies Mom… I certainly understand now. There is NO WAY I would still be walking at 4mph… no freaking way. My legs do not have that capability any longer.
Experts say speeds above 3.0mph is considered very fit for my age group, and 2.5-3.0 mph is a solid, healthy walking pace.
Why not have an “I’m old” treadmill toggle with the following settings?
2.0–2.5 mph → comfortable, everyday walking
2.5–3.0 mph → brisk walking (most common “exercise pace”)
3.0–3.3 mph → fast walk / power walk (above average for this age)
These settings would boost motivation and encourage seniors to crank out some time getting healthy. I would buy one!
In the meantime, I’ll just plug along with what I’ve got and spend my downtime birdwatching. 🙂
Now you know: In 1960, AT&T represented 13% of the entire US stock market, roughly double the weight of Nvidia today.
You’ve seen the memes that mock others who brag on one thing or another by exposing a one-up with the verbiage, “hold my beer,” right? Welp, good ole’ Indiana should have “hold my beer” weather rights this December.
From Florida to Alaska in less than 24-hours…
Temperatures here are forecast to crash from the upper 60’s into the 20’s with wind chill values bottoming out near zero. And did I mention the wind from the storms ushering in the cold front are to be 50-60 mph? The woodpecker that was hanging upside down on my bird feeder yesterday probably won’t be able to hang on by this evening.
Did you know birds can sense when bad weather is coming?
Their sensory awareness is sharper than ours so their behavior often looks like they can actually predict the weather. Birds are extremely sensitive to drops in air pressure, which often signal approaching storms. Yesterday, the bird feeder I can see from my desk was surrounded by redbirds, finches, and titmice — and of course, Mr. Fatty Fat Woodpecker. They already know yucky weather is on the way without listening to a FB live video from meteorologist, Marc Weinberg of WDRB.
The National Weather Services says there is possible threat to life and property. YAY!
Now… hold my beer.
Now you know: In 1999, 15-year-old Jonathan James hacked into NASA and the Department of Defense, causing a 21-day shutdown of NASA’s computers. He was the first juvenile incarcerated for cybercrime in the US.
Bonus Question #1: You have more than one titmouse on your feeder. Do you say titmouses or titmice? Answer: Either is correct. Bonus Question #2: What is a group of titmice commonly called? Answer: A banditry.
The kind of cold that settles over Indiana isn’t loud or dramatic—it’s relentless. Last night, as the temps were in single digits, I trudged out to take a quick photo of the sky that resembled fire in the distance.
Winter in Indiana teaches efficiency and patience in equal measure.
Earlier in the day, the sun shone brightly but offered no warm up. Perry took over the “clean a path on the deck” detail that I did the day before, but he moved with purpose and was more efficient than I was working in the warmer air. He needed patience once the dogs crunched their way across the deck to help. It seems like sound carries differently in the bitter cold — more muted, deliberate.
Smoke rising from the wood boiler and the smell of burning wood lingering in the air is a reminder of the wonderful warmth inside.
You know it’s frigid when…🥶
At the barndo, when the storm door freezes over, we know we’d prefer to simply stay inside. At least the humans want to be inside and warm. The doggies want out… and within moments want back inside. This process is on repeat all day long. ALL. DAY. LONG.
Now you know: The 17 mile “no man’s land” between Cuba and the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay is the largest active minefield in the Western Hemisphere.
