January 2025
Happy New Years!
We hope you made it through New Year’s Eve, I mean that you stayed awake. Here we go into another year of living on this ever-changing planet Earth. Please continue to take great care of yourselves. Give yourself plenty of time to rest in between your daily activities. Be very alert to the latest swindles and troubled areas in our cities and neighborhoods. If you need help for any reason be sure to ask for it through legitimate resources.
We do hope to see you at our 60th class reunion coming in August 2026. Please let us know of any changes on the website that you would like to see. Stay connected with as many of your relatives and classmates that you can. Loneliness becomes more of a factor the more we age.
Losing a loved one has the craziest effect on your estimated biological age.
There are two types of age, with the first being the number of years you have been on planet Earth. The second is your biological age, which is decided by a range of factors like health and genetics.
Biological aging is the process in which your organs, tissues, and bodily systems decline. It’s a very normal part of being human, and yet, some factors can dramatically speed it up.
The connection between losing loved ones and health problems throughout life is well-established. For example, losing a close family member during your youth can spark mental health issues, cognitive problems, higher risks of heart disease, and a greater chance of dying earlier.
They say for those who experience loss, providing resources for coping and addressing the trauma is essential. We recently lost our 13-year-old cocker spaniel Charlie. How cruel can life be? I know that most of us have gone through the loss of a pet in our lives including myself, we’ve had four dogs, a bird and a goldfish. But the loss of this dog has become more troublesome compaired to the lost pets from the past. The first thing we thought of doing to ease our grief was to replace him. However, the $500.00 cocker spaniel puppy from 13 years ago is now like $2,500 to $3,500 and more. Then it came to us that if we were to buy a new puppy at our age it could create a situation where we may not live longer then the unfortunate thing and leave it in the same sad situation that we are in right now. It’s too bad Ann Landers or Dear Abby still isn’t around. Let me see if Microsoft’s new copilot can help us. Microsoft’s AI venture copilot says it can help solve many different problems. Here’s what the copilot sent back for us to consider.
Adopting an Older Dog: Senior dogs often get overlooked in shelters. They usually have calmer temperaments and are often already trained. Plus, you'd be giving a loving home to a dog who really needs it.
Fostering Pets: Fostering can be a wonderful choice if you're concerned about long-term commitments. It allows you to provide temporary care and love for dogs until they find their forever homes.
Pet Trusts: If you do decide to adopt a younger dog, you might set up a pet trust. This is a legal arrangement that ensures your pet will be cared for according to your wishes if you’re no longer able to.
Volunteering: Volunteering at a local animal shelter or rescue group could help you stay connected with animals without the full commitment of ownership.
And the copilot continued to say,
Remember, there's no rush to decide. Take the time you need to grieve and heal. If you'd like, I can help you explore more options or just chat more about your wonderful memories with your dog.
Woah! “Just a chat you say” This is scary! I think we’ll be just moving on from here.
Let’s try some humor. Humor can ease anxiety and depression, diffuse anger, lessen grief and reduce stress. It just plain makes you feel better. The act of laughing is truly good for your health.
The worst part about parallel parking is all the witnesses.
The object of golf is to play the least amount of golf.
The sign in a boutique business front window read, “Everything is on sale except the things in your size.”
The 3 D’s to success. Dream it, Do it, Done.
My bed is a magical place where I suddenly remember everything I forgot to do.
If we’re not meant to have midnight snacks, why is there a light in the fridge?
“By the time you’re eighty years old you’ve learned everything. You only have to remember it.”
“Did you hear about the pirate that bought a pair of earrings for $2? That’s not bad for a buccaneer!”
You can observe a lot by just watching.
He who laughs last didn’t get the joke.
If the black box flight recorder is never damaged during a plane crash. Why isn’t the whole plane made out of that stuff?
You can’t have everything, where would you put it?
The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.
As a child my family’s menu consisted of 2 choices; take it or leave it.
Of all the things I’ve lost I miss my mind the most.
Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once and a while, you could miss it.
My grandmother started walking 5 miles a day when she was sixty. She is ninety-seven now, and we don’t know where she is.
The man who smiles when things go wrong has thought of someone to blame it on.
It would be nice to spend billions on schools and roads, but right now that money is needed for political ads.
If your parents never had children, chances are… neither will you.
“I am” is the shortest sentence in the English language. Could it be that “I do” is the longest sentence?
The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like and do what you’d rather not.
Money is not the most important thing in the world. Love is. Fortunately, I love money.
Dogs are animals that poop in public and your to pick the poop up. After a week of doing this, you’ve got to ask yourself, who’s the real head in this relationship?
Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition.
Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy.
As I hurdled through space, one thought keeps crossing my mind – every part of this rocket was supplied by the lowest bidder. John Glenn
High heels were invented by a woman who had been kissed on the forehead.
Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow just as well.
Why is there so much month left at the end of the money?
A politician needs the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month and next year. And have the ability afterwords to explain why it didn’t happen.
My fake plants died because I didn’t pretend to water them.
You know you must be doing something right if old people like you.
I said to the Gym instructor “Can you teach me to do the splits?” He said, “How flexible are you?” I said, “I can’t make Tuesdays.”
Doc, I can’t stop singing the ‘Green Green Grass of Home.’ He said: “That sounds like Tom Jones syndrome.” “Is it common?” I asked. “It’s not unusual” he replied.
I was having dinner with Garry Kasporov (world chess champion) and there was a check tablecloth. It took him two hours to pass me the salt.
Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He’s not breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other guy whips out his cell phone and calls 911.
“I think my friend is dead!” he yells. “What can I do?”
The operator says, “Calm down. First, let’s make sure he’s dead.”
There’s a silence, then a shot. Back on the phone, the guy says, “OK, now what?”
A highway police officer pulled alongside a speeding car on the highway. Looking at the car, he was astounded to see that the elderly woman behind the wheel was knitting.
The trooper cranked down his window and yelled to the driver, “Pull over!”
“No!” the woman yelled back, “Cardigan!”
Sad after the funeral of a friend, my wife and I ducked into a Chinese restaurant for a pick-me-up. The feel-good session ended when I read the fortune cookie: “You will soon be reunited with a good friend.”
“My sunglasses are prescription so if they’re stolen, it becomes two people who can’t see.”
A ventriloquist is performing with his dummy on his lap. He’s telling a dumb-blonde joke when a young platinum-haired beauty jumps to her feet. “What gives you the right to stereotype blondes that way?” she demands. “What does hair color have to do with my worth as a human being?”
Flustered, the ventriloquist begins to stammer out an apology.
“You keep out of this!” she yells. “I’m talking to that little jerk on your knee!”
Is there rehab for gossiping?
I don’t need it, but I’ll tell you who does…
Two guys were out walking their dogs on a sweltering day when they pass by a bar. The first guy says, “Let’s go in there for a pint.”
The second guy says, “They won’t let us in with our dogs.”
First guy: “Sure they will, just follow my lead.”
He goes up to the pub, and sure enough, the bouncer says, “I can’t let you in here with that dog.”
He replies, “Oh, I’m blind and this is my seeing-eye dog.”
The bouncer says, “Ok then, come on in.”
The second guy sees this and does the same thing. The bouncer says, “You can’t come in here with a dog.”
He replies, “I’m blind and this is my seeing-eye dog.”
The bouncer responds, “You have a Chihuahua for a seeing-eye dog?”
The second guy exclaims, “They gave me a Chihuahua?”
What's the difference between spring rolls and summer rolls? Their seasoning.
Have an awesome day and know that someone has thought about you today.
Live life for today.
Look for a single moment of joy each day.
Pray for tomorrow.
Cherish your blessings.
And visit with your precious memories often.
Have a wonderful New Year and thank you for visiting.
Your Ballard High School Class of 1966 Reunion Committee.