blood pressure - exercise - and other potpourri (or pot pouring)

 potpourri   - I always thought it was pot pourri with the space.  Spell check disagrees.  I don't doubt.  Some Chinese AI guy might lop off my head.

-------- blood pressure -------------

I have asked this questions over and over.  I have never gotten a straight answer - just some casual "don't worry about it;  you're fine" answer.  I really wanted to know.  I'd bet few of my readers (wherever and whenever and whoever they are) have rarely heard an answer worthy of an Academy award.   Here it is.

I read the Temple paper in the morning.  I'm pretty thorough usually.  I end by reading the funnies and doing the sudoko.  It is a process.  Then, the papers are piled in a basket for my #2 daughter who takes them monthly to line the cages of her rabbits.  A great "final" solution.

In an article this morning by Lauran Neergaard, I read about a guy who has blood pressure problems.  They tell me:  "don't worry about it;  you're fine."  So, I suppose I am.  I can usually count on a little less than 120 over 80   (120/80).  Her article actually briefly explained the numbers.  Have you ever heard an explanation?  I am going to quote her now:

"Two numbers describe blood pressure.  The top, "systolic" pressure is the force blood puts on the walls of arteries as its pumped out of the heart.  The bottom "diastolic" number measures that same pressure but between heartbeats."   How about that?  Was that so hard to explain?  Nobody has even tried to do that for me.  I've asked.  But, let's continue:

"Normal is less than 120 over 80.  Blood pressure naturally fluctuates throughout the day, higher when you're physically active or stressed.  but when it stays high -- consistently 130 over 80 or higher, according to most recent guidelines -- it stiffens arteries and makes the heart work harder."  So there you go.  Now, I know.  It makes no difference in what I do; but, now I know.  I bet I could have found this on google.  

The article continues to explain how to take blood pressure and so forth - describing when medicine is appropriate.    "Medicine is a must once hypertension reaches 140/90."   See - I betcha regular ole doctors and nurses never thought about creating a one page sheet with this type of info on it.  It should be on light blue paper - save yellow paper for urinary explanations.  I am saving this article in my file of 'never re-read' articles that I've been saving for decades in a small box under the bed.  

On the same page ------- exercise---------

of the Temple paper was a too long article about how to exercise when you get old (me) to help you strengthen  you sense of good balance.  Several simple exercises  Ask me in the comment section and I'll quote from that article.   Moving on.

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My wife has a new Indian name since she broke her pinky finger:  Princess Crooked Paw.

I was driving to Lubbock one time.  After passing Cisco ( a lovely squirrely town ) I noticed the Interstate had a mile maker:   316   From that day forwarded (not being the most religious person in my family) I envisioned some local church sneaking out and attaching the word  JOHN to that marker.  It would read  JOHN 316.  A small piece of wood painted with holes drilled - then bolted to the top of the marker. Do it in the middle of the night when no Hwy Patrol will arrest you.  Think how many 316 mile markers there are in the Continental USA.  Sure, some stupid kid will get killed in the traffic.  Interstates are not the safest places to walk.    Perhaps there is another Bible quote Deuter../.Duteromi/ Duetterom ... never mind - go to the Book of Mark - that's easier to spell.

Last thing:   SWMBO    I had an Uncle Bob (Robert Lee Metz).  One of his common comments was  SWMBO.  This is how he talked about his wife Ruth.    She Who Must Be Obeyed.   Thought that was funny.  My wife now has a T-shirt with that imprinted.  More on Uncle Bob later.

mtz