"Juicy" Crone Excerpts

Crone is an interesting word, isn't it? First of all, women don't exactly cozy up to the idea of being one. Images of an old hag with wild hair and a huge, ugly wart on her chin come to mind. With a scratchy voice and long, knobby fingers, she probably hasn't bathed since the Eisenhower administration, or was it Harry Truman?
 
Everything about the classical crone image screams de-hydration. She appears pinched and parched, closely resembling a witch. Ah, but there's more to her than meets the eye.



Hence, my very first article... entitled The Raisin Years, wherein I lamented my own de-hydrating process while acknowledging a growing awareness of the gifts of aging. 

It does seem unjust that we're not equipped to fully appreciate the gifts endowed by our youth until we've gained the perspective that only aging affords. As I gradually surrender to the inevitability of my body becoming more prune-like, I become aware of a deeper source of juice to sustain me going forward. 

I'm learning to accept that at the core of this warrior woman I've been all my life, lays a tender, vulnerable heart, here to lead me into the mystery of what lies ahead. Like a grape that lingers on the vine gently being transformed by the sun's drying rays, I trust that in these "Raisin Years," I too am being distilled into the sweetest, richest essence of who I am. 

 This, I believe then, is the work of our elder years; to deepen the chalice of our Being by transforming the pain of loss and disappointment into the sweet wine of Wisdom and to drink heartily from the cup of Gratitude.

      The Raisin Years, Aug. 11, 2008
 

Source

Author: Dr. Judith Rich    

80YO Rita Marcus Blogs "Very Old Grandmother"

Rita Marcus is a blogging Very Old Grandmother (V.O.G.). from England. She’s incredibly fashionable - see her featured in Ari Seth Cohen's “Advanced Style”.  Read her interview with Courtney Sunday about her energy, her grandsons, and what you can’t get from a computer.

 



90yo Phyllis Sues

To look good and feel good is work. To look great and feel great is a full-time job. There is no cheating! It's daily! Minute-by-minute, second-by-second. This is the process I love and love to work at. The reward is liking myself and living a creative life. I will turn 90 on April 4 and hope I can still create this in 10 years time.

Life in itself is a challenge and you can either, accept it and take action, or you can sit and do nothing. My advice is there is only one winner: accept the challenge, take action and get on with your life no matter what age.
I'm not aware of being 90. I'm aware of feeling physically as good as I have ever felt and mentally even better. I practice dance and workout every day. This body has to know who's boss and being 90 and feeling 20 is as good as it gets! People ask me all the time what's my secret. I tell them move, learn and listen.

105yo Edythe Kirchmaier renews drivers license

Edythe Kirchmaier had just renewed her driver’s license, making her the oldest driver in the state of California. When Ellen DeGeneres interviewed her on the occasion of her 105th birthday... asking the secret of her longevity, Edythe said,

"I would say I’ve always been very happy. I’ve had a happy marriage. I’ve got a wonderful family. I think positive. If something happens, I can’t do anything about it so I don’t let it bother me."

Kirchmaier is Facebook’s oldest subscriber. She told DeGeneres, “I think technology is a thing that’s growing, keeping people young and alive and active.”
The interview with DeGeneres brought thousands of “friends” to Kirchmaier’s Facebook page. Although she reached Facebook’s upper limits and can no longer accept new friends, anyone can subscribe to her page. Kirchmaier’s irrepressible spirit and community awareness inspires.

Lemon, honey, vinegar, cayenne Ayurvedic blend

DIY Ayurvedic medicine

 

Lemon, honey, vinegar and cayenne form a classic, vivacious Ayurvedic blend to boost fat digestion and metabolism. A strong sour taste encourages the free flow of bile from your liver and gall bladder to your gut. After drinking Lemon & Spice tea, a warm sensation about the midriff will confirm these effects.

• 1/8 tsp - Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/16 tsp - Cayenne Pepper
• 1/4 whole Lemon
• 1 tsp - Honey
• 1 c Water

(Sometimes I use maple syrup or brown rice syrup instead of honey.)

83 year old Kyokushin martial artist - Liliane Pierron

 

Photo

 

On October 2012 a Dan Grading Test took place in Chile under the supervision of Shihan Seiji Isobe. The participant was 83 year old Liliane Pierron. Born in Paris France, she first experienced Kyokushin at the age of 47 and never stopped ever since. She has a son, five grandchildren and a grand-grandchildren who just turned 3 months. She got her first black belt in 1981 at the age of 52 and in 1995 opened her own dojo. In 1995 she got her 2nd Dan at the age of 65 and the 3rd Dan followed in 2007 at 77 years of age. After taking her 3rd Dan she started getting the attention of the media and started appearing on TV, newspapers, magazines and radio as the "Super Granny". At 83, Super Granny still teaches twice a day from Monday to Saturday and lifts weight training her legs, arms and abs. She had a cool face after finishing 50 jump squats and 100 sit-ups at the grading test. The test started with Kihon then Ido, Kata, Kumite and Hokyo. In Ido she did 7 to 9 combination moves. After the test she said "I want to continue to dedicate my life to Kyokushin as long as I live and contribute to the development of youth". Shihan Isobe has nothing but admiration for the 83 year old and promised to devote his own future to Kyokushin as well and look up to her as his Sensei.

Source

Kirstie Alley Makes 61 Look Fun!

Is Alzheimers Caused By Too Much Sugar?

How the American Diet Is as Bad for Our Brains as Our Bodies

Photo: MindBodyGreen

The following article first appeared in Mother Jones.

Egged on by massive food-industry marketing budgets, Americans eat a lot of sugary foods. We know the habit is quite probably wrecking our bodies, triggering high rates of overweight and diabetes. Is it also wrecking our brains?
That's the disturbing conclusion emerging in a body of research linking Alzheimer's disease to insulin resistance—which is in turn linked to excess sweetener consumption. A blockbuster story in the Sept. 3 issue of the UK magazine The New Scientist teases out the connections.

Scientists have known for a while that insulin regulates blood sugar, "giving the cue for muscles, liver and fat cells to extract sugar from the blood and either use it for energy or store it as fat," New Scientist reports. Trouble begins when our muscle, fat, and liver cells stop responding properly to insulin—that is, they stop taking in glucose. This condition, known as insulin resistance and also pre-diabetes, causes the pancreas to produce excess amounts of insulin even as excess glucose builds up in the blood. Type 2 diabetes, in essence, is the chronic condition of excess blood glucose—its symptoms include frequent bladder infections, kidney, and skin infections, fatigue, excess hunger, and  erectile dysfunction.

US Type 2 diabetes rates have tripled since 1980, New Scientist reports.

Wise Blood

Wise Blood

You store up blood.
It is no longer red.
Your blood is black and thick; it is the density of life.
It is wise blood.
You make no more sons and daughters.
You make wisdom of your womb.
Go inside.
Exist where beginnings and endings are one.
Stare down your fear.
Look it in the eyes until it falls on its knees.
Eat your fear.
Digest it.
Take it into your blood.
It makes you strong.
Your body is the world.
Everything fears death.
Matter groans, waiting.
You are what is most aware.
You are my body.
You are my beloved one.
Feel the fear.
Turn it to your blood.
Pour it out.
Black.
Thick.
Beautiful.
The blood of an old woman.
The blood of one who no longer fears death,
Of one who stands on the edge of the world and sings.

~ Christin Lore Weber