What home repairs are you most Afraid of?

I cant say I'm "FOND" of any home repairs, but some are more enjoyable to do than others. If I had to choose, I'd probably do indoor electrical wiring before most other repairs. But that depends on whether I have to rip walls apart or not, because that job sucks, and repairing the walls is even worse.

At least when I do electrical work, I'm interested in the job at hand. This is also true with plumbing. Painting is absolutely boring. I can do it, and can do it quite well, but it bores me so much I nearly fall asleep. Framing walls and buildings is something I kind of like too, but I dont much care for the nit-picky finish work, like moldings and cabinet installation. Of course that too depends on the weather. In warm weather I can really get into framing a building, but in cold weather it's a real drag.

What I'm most fond of, is finishing a job, putting my tools away, and going out for the night with a nice looking woman...... but this is another story!

But I always figure that one of these days I'll find a woman who likes to paint :)

I have a knee that will occasionally "stop working". I've learned that simple leg lifts with a 2 pound weight on my ankle make a world of difference!

The problem is maintaining the discipline to do them all the time -- not just when it acts up (which is "too late")

Funny how that works. I did plenty of painting at the end of a 40' ladder, roofing on steep roofs, etc. Then one summer when I was about 45 I went to paint my second floor windows. My knees started shaking as soon as I got high up the ladder, and I didn't even get any painting done. Never went "high" again. But I still go on the roof of my ranch style house with no problem.

Had the meniscus in my left knee torn about 40 years ago - had it fixed 30 years ago. Why I waited 10 years? Back then they had to dissassemble the knee to fix it. I had one of the first arthroscopic procedures in our area.

The problem with anti-inflamatories like motrin etc is they put my blood pressure up.

I haven't used any weights on my ankles, yet, but I was getting regular exercise before the knee started hurting.

It's not just exercise. I (rapidly) walk 4 miles/day. I.e., "exercise".

What is needed is exercise that strengthens the muscles and ligaments surrounding the knee, "holding it together".

I don't think I walk 4 miles a day. More like half that amount with working in the back yard and around the house.

Springfield was our "late night opportunity" (to purchase packaged liquors; bars stayed open late but you couldn't buy anything at retail, incl beer, after 8PM, IIRC)

State police used to hang out just inside the border to catch folks bringing liquor into the state without appropriate "tax stamp".

UConn?

Alcohol was not sold at retail, IIRC, on Sunday. But, grocers were open (though not other retail establishments).

Grrrr... no, that would have been Storr's?

At least you have to take the GS 1500mg a day. If it is bought at Costco, triple it. 1500mg figure is a result of Italian clinical test done in the early '80's. Ibuprofen kind pain reliever is bad for your bone. If pain is bad, try high quality Curamed, or Curamin. Specially processed curry powder. Very, Very effective. Over weight is bad news for hips, knees, the weight bearing bones...

I just had ultrasound scan done on all my limbs joints, result came out all good.

That's casual walking, not "exercise". When I'd put in "volunteer time", it was not uncommon to walk 5 or 6 miles in a day -- and never leave the building!

Thankfully, I've not mangled anything *too* badly to need surgery -- despite my apparent disregard for my body's "care and feeding" instructions.

But, as I get older, I notice more "little things" that never used to bother me. "Ah, yes... that's the knuckle I jammed playing ball as a kid!" "Hmmm... that elbow never ached previously!" etc.

So, when I started feeling "twitches" in that knee while walking, it wasn't something I just dismissed -- as I might have when younger. Or, if it "suddenly" gives out -- for no apparent reason...

Getting old is not for the faint of heart!

Unfortunately...

Which flavor of glucosamine? I had been taking the chlroide which is the common form but the Mayo newsletter recommended sulphate. I switched and it does seem to work better although that's a very subjective judgment. I also threw in some tumeric and devil's claw. They also mentioned boswellia but I don't know if that had an effect on blood pressure or not.

I'd started using trekking poles. While they helped for a while I became concerned that they might be counterproductive by ultimately reducing the strength of the supporting musculature so I stopped using them for a while. I'll use them this winter but that will be for avoiding falls on icy trails rather than just habitually grabbing them.

Tumeric capsules work for me. The generic tumeric from Swanson's is much less expensive than the Terry brand name. Boswellia and DLPA is also inexpensive if you want to throw that into the mix.

I walk a mile or two at noontime but it's not that great for cardio. On level ground I have a problem getting my heart rate up above 120 bpm and to do that I have to get up close to 4 mph, which is well above my natural pace.

Springfield MA? I lived in East Longmeadow for a while. Fortunately Gentile's Package Store was a quick romp through the backyard and across the parking lot. Or maybe unfortunately.

I'd heard that. by then I was living in Dover, NH so MA state police were the least of my worries.

I thought that was Storrs? Somers was just the closest place to E. Longmeadow. iirc it was only about 10 miles.

As I remember MA in the early '70s major grocery stores were closed on Sunday but some of the convenience stores were open. My most memorable Christmas dinner was frozen deep fried chicken from a 7-11. MA wasn't too unique in that. It took me a while to figure out you could starve to death on Christmas Day but all the restaurants were open on Easter.

Oddly the bucket of blood down the street was open so I stopped there for a little cheer. Got home, threw the frozen stuff in the oven ad forgot about it until the smoke started pouring out. Great dinner!