By Pawnee Annie

LARNED — Mathilda and I are, shall we say, “Senior citizens.”
We are suddenly experiencing a new era in life; the time that is called “The Golden Years.”
It sneaked up on us!
We have gained “a little” weight over the past several years. It seems that the fat cells don’t go where they used to go! We have noticed that something that resembles an inner tube has latched itself firmly under the skin of our waists! We don’t know where it came from, or why it is here, but it was not invited, I assure you!
What are we doing about it? Glad you asked.
We hope exercise will help. I ride my bike. Sometimes.
Mathilda takes walks when she feels like it.
This past summer we made a quality decision to swim. We bought our season tickets at the city pool, searched everywhere for swim suits that fit (sort of), bought swim caps (so we wouldn’t destroy our beauty shop hair color) and donned goggles.
“Tilly” and I entered the Larned pool with our heads held high, our thighs hidden with towels wrapped around our middles. Once the little kids got their fill of staring, they never paid much attention to us again. However, one boy did swim up to me with a shocked look on his face, his eyes as big as saucers, and I asked him if I looked like a “Martian.”
He said no and paddled away! Bless him! I felt like we were making progress already, and we had only just slid into the water.
We swam for 45 minutes, three or four days a week, but the pool soon closed.
Finally, we felt we’d found an exercise we LIKED! We must not give up! The inner tubes around our waists were hanging on for dear life. Determinedly, we decided to take a BOLD step and enroll at “Club1 Fitness.”
Oh boy! No more excuses for us!
Husband Fred was impressed with our effort. He rides his bike and lifts weights so was not interested in swimming. He doesn’t have a tire either!
The first morning we drove to “Club1 Fitness,” we came prepared. We didn’t know what we “might” need!
Let’s see, did we remember everything?
Swimsuit — check. Goggles and hat — check. Towel — check. Curling iron — check. Body lotion — check. Comb. Brush. Make-up. Pool shoes, deodorant, purse, blow dryer. (didn’t need that one, I later discovered!)
It was Tilly’s turn to drive, so I dragged my heavy beach bag of “necessities” to her car! We were determined and thrilled with ourselves! We had it all!
Off we went, talking a mile a minute. We arrived, signed up, and changed into our suits. We didn’t look in the full length mirror. It didn’t matter!
We opened the door to the pool, swim suit skirts flapping, tight swim caps squeezed on heads that looked like little peas on a shoulder, and goggles on the face!
So what if we looked like 70-year-old ladies. (Sorry Mathilda, you are not quite there yet!)
We are 70-year-old ladies!
At this point we are swimming and loving it. It’s good for our lungs. It exercises and slims down our legs. It helps back problems. It burns calories. We are having a ball.
But the tires around our middle just stubbornly hang on! Oh well, if we get into trouble in the water, we will float!

“Woman’s View” is Judi Tabler’s reflection of her experiences and events. She is a wife, mother, writer, teacher, grandmother, and even a great grandmother.