Published: August 07, 2008 04:49 pm         

AROUND THE TOWN: Age is just a state of mind

My husband turns 49 next week, and since that is just one year away from the big 5-0, we have already noticed some age-related things beginning to occur, even though we aren't quite senior citizens.

For example, we walk into rooms and forget what we went in there to do. We can't remember names or things we have known all of our lives. As a result, our conversations are often very convoluted and go something like this: "What's her name?"

"I don't know, but she is married to that guy that works at that place over by the, you know, the place where they mail letters, what's that called?"

Or, we may be driving down the road and a song from our era, the '70s, comes on the radio. Michael will ask me who recorded that song. I, my readers, will know every single word to the song, but couldn't tell you the artist or band's name, even though I know it as well as my own, so my response will be something like this:

"Oh honey, you know, it's that band that had all the makeup on and they also sang..."

Anyway, that's pretty much how our conversations go nowadays, not to mention the fact that we have a lot more aches and pains, particularly Michael, whose football and baseball injuries have caught up with him.

So on the aging note, I want to share with you a couple of funny stories/jokes that I read recently. I hope you enjoy them!

•Just before funeral services, the undertaker came up to the very elderly widow and asked, "How old was your husband?"

She replied, "98, two years older than me."

"So, you are 96 then?"

"Yes," she replied. "Hardly worth going home, is it?"

•Reporters interviewing a 104-year-old woman asked her what the best thing about being 104 is. Her answer? "No peer pressure."

•Two elderly women were out driving in a large car. The stoplight was red, but they just went on through it. The woman in the passenger's seat said, "Mildred, I think we just went through a red light!"

Mildred replied, "Oh! Am I driving?"

•One lady had this to say: "I sure have gotten old. I've had two bypass surgeries, a hip replacement, new knees, diabetes and am half blind, dizzy and winded all the time; I have poor circulation and bouts with dementia...but thank goodness I still have my driver's license!"

•One personal favorite is where a woman reported: "I feel like my body has gotten totally out of shape. I got my doctor's permission to join a fitness club and start exercising. I decided to take an aerobics class for seniors. I bent, twisted, jumped up and own and perspired for an hour. But, by the time I got my leotard on, class was over!"

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And, on the opposite end of the spectrum from us is that our county's school children return to school Monday until 10 a.m. for registration. Teachers are required to stay all day. Wednesday, Aug. 13, is the first full day of students. Students will remain in school until the Labor Day weekend.

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Be particularly careful if you are motoring about this weekend. It is the annual 127 Corridor Sale! Watch for pedestrians, stop-and-start motorists and prepare for heavy traffic!

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Sign-ups are currently under way for the annual fair pageants. They will be held next weekend down at the fairgrounds. Contestants 5-20 years of age may pick up a form at the TAD Center between now and pageant time. Forms must be turned in to the fair office upon completion.