Posted on 04/07/2008 1:39:14 PM PDT by Deo volente
In the courtyard of a low-slung convalescent hospital west of USC, Gertrude Baines was inaugurated Sunday into one of the world's most exclusive sororities.
She turned 114 years old. There was cake. Singing. Proclamations. Superlatives. Because only two other people in the world are 114. There is no one older.
A former college maid with a fondness for hats, bacon and Scripture, Baines is the third-oldest person on Earth, according to the Gerontology Research Group, which validates claims of extreme old age. A year ago she was No. 9. It's not hard to figure out what happened in the interim.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
The current record holder, at 263 years young!!
Bacon you say? I'll live to be 200!
Oh, you just had to go ruin the whole thread, didn’t you?
:-)
Her choice may have a profound impact on her future.
Leni
My great aunt just turned 105. She loves chocolate and reading her Bible.
My grandfather died 2 months after he turned 100.
Wow!
That bodes well for your own longevity.
Great story. Thanks for posting. My grandmother will turn 101 this June 1st.
She stayed on the family farm until she was in her nineties. She misses her garden.
excerpt:
These days, Baines’ heart is strong. Her lungs are clear. She’s healthy, except for some arthritis in her knees. Her main complaint? That the bacon isn’t crisp enough at breakfast.
And as for food: “I eat bacon, toast — I like all kinds of food. If it tastes good, I eat it. If it doesn’t taste good, I don’t eat it.”
That was my great aunt Matt! I only remember meeting her once when I was a child. I remember her as being extremely happy. She lived most of her adult life in either Beaumont or Port Arthur Texas and only moved to West Virginia when she was quite elderly to live with her daughter.
My husband’s Grandmother will be 100 this August.
She lived alone until she was 99.
She has always grown and used the produce from her garden as a main part of her diet...along with smoked sausage and bacon!!!
It’s a fountain of youth!
What happened to my thread? It disappeared from the Sidebar.
Is it possible to get it back into Extended News?
I thought it was a pretty interesting story!
You know, most of these stories have something in common, besides bacon!
These super-old people all seem to be very happy and content with life, taking it as it comes. There’s a serenity and acceptance of what life has to offer. And an interest in people and the world.
My great aunt was 100 when she died, and I remember her as a very happy person, always smiling and laughing.
I wish, but I inherited my grandmother’s health issue, lupus.
My grandfather and great-aunt’s auntie lived to 108, she’s the record for the family.
All the long lived people in my family have had a strong faith in God, got plenty of exercise and eaten and drunk moderately.
My great-aunt walked 2 miles a few times a week until she was in her 80’s. Her aunt was still living and she walked across town to visit her. If you saw her while she was walking you knew to just wave, if you tried to offer a ride she would refuse with a breezy, “No thanks dear, I’m walking!” lol My grandfather was an avid hunter and gardener. He also walked to the Post Office, drug store and grocery store daily.
BTW My aunt would accept a ride home after the visit and supper, becasue it was usually going on dark.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.