Though I turned 60 in late July, I'm still depressed. I been noting things about myself that are generally problems of old people. First, my nose hairs seem to grow an inch or two overnight. This may not be so bad since I can blend them in with my beard which is heavier than most of my male students. True, I noticed the nose hair problem at age 55, but it seems to be worse. At least I don't have hair in my ears. My brother who is 58 worries about hair in his ears. I had a neighbor who had a whole tuft of hair in each ear. He looked like a Hobbit or something. But he got sent to the pen for raping a 14 year old girl when he was 69 and barely able to walk. I never did believe that story. I don't think Homer was capable of raping a street sign, much less a 14 year old girl. But he did take care of his retirement with good medical care.

But I digress. In addition to nose hairs, I have a bad back, a bad heart, allergies, and a balding pubic area. I suspect there are some more bad physical problems, but I don't want to know. But the worst thing is that I have started reminiscing. I have actually started thinking about how things were better when I was a kid. Naturally, things were better. I didn't have to work and support the dogs, cats and mother. I was thin and attractive. We had a big old Buick which weighed the earth and used gas like crazy. It also overheated when we ran the air conditioner, and we lived in East Texas. But I had some good times in that Buick. I do things like think about the clothes we wore in high school (everything matched -- sweater, skirt and socks). I actually had a dream about people's noses. Is this strange or what?

I think I may be put in the nursing home sooner than I had planned. I plan to die at age 72 which will give me 8 years of boring retirement before I go over the rainbow bridge. But my nightmare is being put in a nursing home where people beat me up, and I don't have any kids to protect me! My students have promised to protect me, but I suspect that means a more brutal nursing home. So things are looking bleak for me. I hope you all are younger and have kids. Be nice to them. They may save you from being beat up in the nursing home. For myself, it's all over because I'm officially old. God!!!

newgirl07: Hey doll, I know I responded badly to your very sweet post. I think that aging is such a shock to me that I do not appreciate the idea of a 60 year old man with a much younger woman. Honestly there is absolutely nothing wrong with that relationship as far as I'm concerned. I am just jealous on 2 counts: the first is because you're 37 and have your head screwed on better than I did at that age, and second, if something should happen to my husband, I'd like to think that the available 60 year old men would find me an attractive mate. With someone like you around who finds a 60 year old male a viable and attractive mate, my chances are zero.

The fact is, if something did happen to my husband, I doubt if I would want to hook up with a man again full time. But I might like to hook up with a man your age for a rowdy night or two though! :heh:

Just don't feel too badly about our cantankerous posts here. Afterall, damnit, we're old and we don't accept it! It really isn't anger directed at anyone in particular, just the world in general for not appreciating our wisdom and wrinkled, blemished beauty. :phanvan

Have any of you checked out the thread that's a place for bandsters in

their 60's? I think it's nice to have a place for people our age.

I've checked it out, Foxy. It's a good thread.

As for landing coots who are my own age, BJean, I find that they are never, ever interested in me (except for one therapist who had a countertransference crush). It is men who are younger who tend to like me. Other friends of mine have noticed the same thing. I have one friend, a widow who is 60, who is having a big fling with a guy who is in his mid 40s.

I am 60...my mother died at 39....my father at 72....from where I am standing....everything is JUST FINE!!

Hey BJ,

Thanks for posting back. I admittedly am a little sensitive about our age difference (I hate to admit that) because I've seen the dirty looks. I think I should get a t-shirt that reads "I have my own $, I have my own house, I have a hot guy and I'm not a gold-digger but a spouse!" Well, not spouse yet but soon.

I don't want to get sidetracked on what I really wanted to post about which is everyone here making a great positive choice for their life -- that's something we can all be proud of regardless of our age.

I was talking to my older sister about this post and she said, "I know you have a 50+ year old brain and 99% of your friends are that age but honestly, you can't relate to physical limitations until you get there." She's in the medical field; she should know.

Soooo, to all of the great women out there that are 60+, my apologies if I seemed cavalier about your health and future. I was trying to be optimistic but I can see how that could've been really annoying!

Always best of luck to you all.

Newgirl, you should play with their heads and get your man a t-shirt that reads boy-toy.

newgirl: I won't bash you for your refreshing outlook, but I would love to be around when you turn 60 and have you tell me how 60 is the new 40. However, I doubt very seriously that if I'm still around then, I'll be able to remember who the hell you are, much less this discussion.

Sure, there are men who choose women who are close to them in age. However there are many more men who choose women who are much younger than they are. On the other hand, these days there are a lot of relatively young men who prefer the company of older women. Frankly, knowing what medical problems the age of 60 brings, if I were single I would probably choose a younger guy just so I wouldn't have to deal with all that in my mate. It's disgusting enough dealing with my own skin tags.

I bring this up because I just had 27 of them all over my body painfully frozen off. I have jowls where my firm chin line used to be. My hair is thinning around my forehead. My knees are arthritic and the doctor threatens knee replacement. Believe me honey, botox doesn't begin to fix everything that age 60 brings. Botox is great for the 42 year old who is beginning to see laugh lines deepen and the forehead lines looking more permanent.

I am thrilled for you that you've found your soul mate. I hope things work out well for you as a couple. The odds are sure stacked against you having a 20 year union though. You won't believe how different things get after the mid-70s. Then the 60s will look like a cake walk.

I can't believe you had your skin tags surgically removed. I just cut mine off with scissors. I cut one on my neck off tonight. God, I hate skin tags. I had some sort of old age thing on my leg and asked my doctor about it. She said it was an old age thing. So I cut it off and it hasn't returned. Botox is ridiculous. I note the ads in TV and the models are about 30 at the most. I didn't need Botox at 30. Besides it is botulin toxin. I don't think I'm going to willingly have botulin toxin injected until I'm really senile.

My God, I don't think we need to hassle younger women who find older men interesting. I just wish some younger men would find me interesting. Actually, one does, but he's only about 5 years younger. Some people are just born older and understand older people. BetsyJane -- I relate. My mother is 87 and lives with me. I'm the servant. She's not in good shape, but I think she's going to live forever just to spite me. I had a dream once that we died at the same time and met my uncle on the road to heaven. It was like driving through Nebraska or Western Kansas and heaven was in the mountains. Well, he's dead and we're still alive and I'm getting worried. What if I do die when she does, assuming she ever does? That would really irritate me. Mother had colon cancer earlier this year. She had it removed and the doc told her she could live another 10 years. Since I intend to die at 72, that will leave me exactly 2 years of freedom. I'm rather upset about this. Maybe I should live longer just to spite her. What do you think?

What are skin tags? Are they the same as those moles that are not flush with the rest of your skin?

Green,

Yes, they're those little dangly things that just happen and don't seem to have any feeling. I have two under my left arm and I'm tempted to have them removed. My sister cuts hers off with fingernail clippers. I just can't bring myself to do it. I just can't... Should have asked Dr. Hollis to do it when I was under. Ah well...

Elaine that's funny about having the doc cut your tags off during surgery. My dad had a large one on the back of his leg and he begged the doctor to promise to take it off during surgery, which the doctor did. After surgery, when my dad was able, he checked to make sure the tag was gone. He was really ticked off to find it still there in all its' glory. Doctors do not like to bother with them. Even the dermatologists don't like to deal with them. They are just little irritants to those of us who grow them.

I can't imagine having the fortitude to snip them off with sissors or clippers. I could bite a bullet and let someone else do it for me, but I don't think I could perform that procedure on myself. Bitter, you got grit girl!!

And I'm with you about the Botox. I can often tell when someone has had those treatments (they're de rigeur in Dallas). Yes, they look a bit younger but they also have no facial personality. What has the world come to? :help:

I don't think I have any skin tags yet. :nervous I have some moles and I have a couple of liver spots on my forearms. I found that they were age-related when I asked a dermatologist if they were skin cancer. His answer was bad but not the worst. :phanvan A further insult is that I have developed acne on my upper back. Backacne is what I call it. Trouble is I can't get at it without help. :help: Oh, bluddy!

As for Botox, I wear my hair with bangs instead. This is what French women of a certain age do. It is much less labour intensive, far cheaper, and a grrl still gets to display her displeasure in life, an important thing for cranky Green. :heh:

green: Skin tags just love to grow in areas where a piece of clothing rubs constantly or at skin against skin contact areas. For men and women under the arms is a popular place for them to congregate. Men tend to host them around the collar area. Watch out for the little buggers. When one comes for a visit and decides he likes the place, he invites all his relatives!!

I have had a phenomenon lately that has me flummoxed - tiny little cysts. They don't hurt, you can't see them very well, but they create a little bump under the skin and they are an irritant. I had three of them removed at the same time as the tags. They required excising quite a bit of tissue and then stitches to close them up. I absolutely hate the little buggers. If there's anything that disgusts me more than a blemish on my fine, fair skin, I can't imagine what it is. :eek: