GOOD MORNING MAGNOLIAS

It is so lovely today I think I will go for a spin ~

GLORIA that is too funny what you told your husband. Give him a big Hippo Birdies Two Ewe's from me. Age is only a number and we are as old as we feel. How nice the temperatures are getting lower and you can enjoy it better.

JEAN hope tha test does locate the cancer and they can do something about it. Since those cells move "up" they will probably look at his kidneys and liver.

Have a good Humpday everyone..... this is the middle of the week already.

Oooppps! Guess I wasn't paying attention when I posted #15 on the other thread. Hopefully I can get it over here!

Good Morning, Flowers!
It is 68 degrees here and cloudy with a nice breeze! The humidity feels like nil and I love it, love it , love it!

The latest news on my dad is that he has small cell cancer which means they have no idea where the cancer cells are coming from. All of his tests have come back with "nothing" until the biopsy. He met with the oncologist yesterday, to set up a radiation schedule starting tomorrow, which he will be able to do in another town closer to home. That is good! Today they had to go back for some kind of $3000 test, which is new and Medicare won't pay for -- ! But this will pinpoint the area where the cells are originating. My "sister", bless her heart took them yesterday and then stayed to go back with them today. He had to be there at 6 AM so would have to leave home by 4 . . . long day for them.

I went to WI last night and showed another 1.2# gone. I was surprised because I haven't been very OP this past week, except for the walking. When my mom got sick I dropped 20# almost overnight. I could lose another couple of 20s but sure don't want to do it that way.

Maggie -- Opium sounds like it should be illegal! I will have to take a sniff the next time I am in Younkers. Would you share your lemonade pie recipe? As soon as my life settles down, we need to have some friends over -- we try to get together every six months or so but seem to get so busy. We finally just pick a date and put it on the calendar.

Gloria -- Tell you DH from your favorite online friends! Every time I have had a sensitive tooth, I've ended up with a root canal and a crown. I hope your dentist can fix you up cheaper than that!

Have a great day, Flowers! My piles are disappearing by the day!

Jean -- from Iowa!

It worked! It worked!

Maggie -- I did not know that about cancer cells moving anywhere. When my FIL got sick, his tumor was on the sciatic nerve in the back - hip area; the spot of origin, that they questioned, was on a lung. By then he was too sick to do any surgery so they used radiation first and then chemo. He didn't have very good luck because they gave him chemo that was too strong. We think he hadn't felt food for a long time and just never said anything until he couldn't stand the pain any longer.

I've run my errands and need to get back to ironing. See you later!

Good evening everyone,
Today and yesterday have been absolutely spectacular in the mountains..........clear and cool.........one of the special days you see once or twice a summer. Before the days of air pollution and global warning, they used to be fairly common here. Oh well, we have to be grateful for every special day we get.
Lost 2.2# this week I'm almost back where I was before the beach trip.
Have a great rest of the week.

JEAN OH yes cancer cells do move up and that is why some folks die so soon after detection because before they realize they have it ~ it has moved to thier brain. I had a small spot on the outside of my neck about 2 inches below my ear removed once and the doc kept me in close watch for awhile to make sure he got it all and it didn't move up on me. He said that sometimes a while after a spot like that is removed one will appear a ways up higher and so on. You remember me telling you about what happened to my youngest brother don't you? Keep in mind that they are still checking you dad and he may come out of this fine.

Good Morning, Flowers!
We are enjoying another cool morning -- 64 degrees as I type. The sun is shining brightly but the humidity is still low so the windows are still wide open!

I am trying to motivate myself to get in gear. I have piles of clothes sorted all over two bedroom floors and I see a cat is napping in one pile!

Maggie -- I do remember that your brother died but I don't think that you shared any details with me. I just don't understand with all of the cancer research and money being poured into it, why they can't find a cure-all for the little beasts.
I can't remember exactly who or where but we were in a group conversation about cancer quite a while ago. There was one guy who pointed out that cancer is BIG business and look at all the people who would be out of jobs if there was a cure. It's sad to think about it in that way. I know they have made great strides in the diagnostic and treatment areas since my mom died eight years ago.

Bubbles -- CONGRATULATIONS on the great loss. The scale is going your way once again! Enjoy another special day!

I need to get busy! Have a great day, Flowers!

Jean -- from Iowa!

GOOD MORNING MAGNOLIAS

Weather is holding in the nice area. Up in the 90's yesterday but with a nice breeze it was very tolerable. I made a stew in the crock pot over night and that is what I had for breakfast. Yum Yum Yum. I don't like a "traditional" breakfast all the time. And sometimes I like breakfast as the evening meal.

BUBBLES I didn't see you post when I last posted sorry. CONGRATULATIONS on that wonderful weight loss. You are almost back to exact that that sure must fee good. Stay cool now!

JEAN You sure generate a lot of laundry - or do you run a Chinese laundramat and take it in? Cats love to lay on clothes for sure. The story of my brother. He was out for his evening walk one rainey day in California and slipped and hurt his shoulder. It did't get better so he went to the doctor who said that the fall did hurt his coller bone but there was a bigger problem ~ he had a lump which when examined was cancer. AH but not alone it had moved up - mastasized (sp) - he had cancer in his kidneys and liver and it was moving on a fast track toward his brain. He was gone 6 months after that slip on the side walk. None of the meds or treatments at the time would help his case. He would have been 50 on the 5th of this month.

Have a good OP day everyone.

GOOD EVENING MAGNOLIAS

Hope your day has gone well with you. Mine has. I just got through covering 10 little wooden match boxes. I always cover them with pretty paper when we get a new package of them. They look so much better sitting by a candle. I have been doing it for years and have given away so many because folks like them so much. It is so easy to do that I cannot imagine not doing it. They are especially nice during the Christmas holiday time to be covered in seasonal paper. What have you been up to doday?

I am fixin' to go to a weight loss program that an acquaintance has started up. I typed out some neat material that I found in a little pamphlet that I got as a freebie from prevention magazine when I ordered a book a couple of years ago that I am planning on taking to the meeting. They weigh in on the honor system on a scale in the room and have a low point dessert along with an inormal chit chat with some informative handouts. I know all the folks that go there and they have requested my presence. I am free to go because Cowboy is working a split shift so we don't have any plans for the evening. I could go anyway even if he weren't working but plans with him come first!

Catch ya'll on the rebound.

Hi Everyone!!

Well this is my last few days of freedom. Monday I start back to school. I knew that we would be going back this early, but I needed a few more days to finish a couple of more projects. I was up at the school today and got to meet some new students. They were so cute... I will have all three of them.

Maggie: I didn't know about your brother... sorry to hear about his illness. You had mentioned the new program....what is it all about?

Jean: I am sorry to hear about your dad. I hope they find what is causing the cells and get rid of it.

I am going to do some last minute cleaning and call it a night. I hope everyone has a great night.

Good Evening all you beautiful flowers!

WOW!!! Did we ever have good news tonight at our At Work Hospital group. This is week 19, and they're at 975# lost! Next week they'll easily get to the 1,000 mark! A lady from the hospital came to take a picture of the group this evening, and the administrator told the Mgrs. in a meeting this morning that he can't get over what a positive influence WW has had on the morale and general climate of the entire hospital. Don't you know he'll get many points from Corporate for this move! The hospital is paying the full fare for all the employees, and now the cafeteria has started offering at least one low point dish each meal........that's real progress, as the cooks were poohpoohing it at first.
Maggie, I'll be interested to hear how your informal group goes....I'd like to share the format with the folks at the Y if WW turns us down, which I'm sure they will.
That's my big news for the day. The weather is still cool and glorious........a hint of fall in the air.
Jean, my thoughts and prayers are with you. Not knowing what the score is is the toughest part. And when they explain things to you, you always think of a gazillion questions to ask as you walk out of the building......at least I do. When Mike had his bypass surgery last year, one of my best friends, an RN, came up to be with me during surgery, and was able to "translate" for me when he was in Recovery and later in ICU. It was really helpful, as she knew the questions to ask also. What would we do without family and friends?

Lorraine, my heart goes out to you! All my friends are back at school, and I can count on one hand the number of them who are happy to be there. The state has their collective heads in the sand and continues to make impossibe demands re: test scores, etc. while at the same time cutting budgets, which of course means larger class sizes..........go figure. Can you tell how bereft I am to be out of the classroom? I actually do miss the kids and my colleagues, but not the BS we have to endure.

Have a happy TGIF y'all
Bubs

The weight loss group I went to tonight isn't anything special to write home about. How it got started is this ~ a few folks wanted a WW meeting on Thursday evening and had a place lined up at a church for free. The WW talking heads said NO for there is a meeting already in this town and in fact there are two meetings - back to back on Monday evening. So one of the gals just decided to get some stuff together and have a group discussion each week. There is a scale in the corner where folks go and weigh themselves and keep track of their own progress. The material is gleaned from all sorts of places. What I took for them tonight were some articles I got of the internet on binging, portion control sizes, the Wendie Plan and the such like. There is so much sensible stuff on the web to be gleaned for a group of this nature. They take turns bringing a low point dessert, which I declined to eat, but they say they are between 2 and 3 points each time. In the handouts were some of my recipes that I had previously given the gal that got this together. Seems she has already handed out my smoothie collection. I had given some of my little books to a few of the WW ladies and she was one of them that got the set. They asked me to bring in my little books so looks like I will go back next week. This is a fine group of folks who just want to lose weight. I'll type up another section out of that Jumpstart booklet I have for them also. That's it folks.

Good Morning, Flowers!
It's another cool morning here with the sun peeking in and out. It was cool enough for walking in jeans this morning! We are supposed to get heavy thunderstorms late this afternoon and evening.

I talked to my sister yesterday and she said the Rochester oncologist was a REAL jerk. His opening comment was, "no one lives forever!" He totally ignored my "mom and sister" and didn't give any of them a chance to ask any questions. After they waited an hour +, and he found out they wanted the treatments in a location closer to home, he said that the first appt. would be set up for Thursday (yesterday) and walked out of the office.
I talked to my dad yesterday and he seemed really upbeat. I think all of the testing was really getting him down because they weren't coming up with any answers. He has to have 14 radiation treatments and they are a low dosage so it won't take very long. He has a new pain medication and said that it acts twice as fast as what he had been on. He likes his new doctor who will work with him during the radiation; my dad said that the new doctor had nothing except the highest praise for the jerk they saw in Rochester. The Rochester doctor is supposed to be known throughout the U.S. for his knowledge in the cancer field. I said as long as he knows what he's doing they could put up with his zero personality for 10 minutes. I don't think they will have to see him again anyhow. I would imagine that there will be some chemo after they get the results back from Wednesday's scan. Now it is a waiting game, I guess.

Maggie -- Right now I am washing clothes that have been packed away in closets and the cats have slept on them or brushed against them. I try to keep closet doors shut but sometimes they sneak in when I'm not looking. A good portion will end up at the Goodwill but I wanted to pack them up clean and defurred. Covering your match boxes is a clever idea! Do you wrap them (farmer match boxes?) on three sides like a present? Reading about your brother brings to mind -- my mom fell and hit her head on the edge of their TV and ended up with stitches and a black eye. She got sick a month later with what they thought was the flu and it ended up being cancer. My dad always thought that her fall had something to do with it. It's a hard way to die, both for the patient and the family. I'm sure that you contribute lots of "vinegar, spice, and everything nice" to any meeting you attend!

Lorraine -- I need to get some clothes organized for school. I really need to go shopping but until a few days ago, it's just been way too hot. I hate to shop for clothes -- everything is too long and if it comes as a set, I need a different size top than bottom! I can never buy anything without trying it on.

Bubbles -- I have read where the WW meetings at businesses have great success. 975#s lost is just amazing! I know that I appreciate it when coworkers are watching what they eat because then there are only healthy type snacks in the lounge.

I need to make a grocery list and get going. Have a great Friday!

Jean -- in Iowa!

GOOD MORNING MAGNOLIAS

It is so weird of the phone company who has the pay phones out here. They are so stuffed frull of money folks can't use them and they are taking their sweet time coming out to empty them. When people come here and then find out we can't allow them to have a campfire they want to go to a state or county park only to find out the phones don't work and they can't phone home. Very frustrating for them for celll phones don't work out here either. We have nice radios we communicate with ~ I can get hold of Cowboy anytime I need to or he me. I keep mine on a channel that the park doesn't use but Cowboy keeps his on scanner so he can hear me and the fellow workers. He was out side the window doing some stuff and it came over the radio that a tree is down over the road so he had to grab the chain saw and split.

He is working a split shift so during his break we are going into town ~ I want one of those wallet, cell phone combination little purse type things. I get tired of taking my "purse" everwhere and those are neat little things.

LORRAINE little children are so sweet and smart now days. The lights are on and someone is home in there. I imagine your children are growing like weeds.... such nice kids you have.

JEAN I know about cats in closets. I was cleaning out the bottom of mine yesterday and it was a chore to keep Turn out. I don't like him in there - all that hair. I have gotten him some special food and brush him twice daily in hopes that will help the hiar ball thing.

I don't cover the farmer matches anymore since we don't buy them because they discontinued making the "strike anywere" matches. We just get the little match boxes and I rubber cement the paper top and bottom since there is a striker on each side.

About those doctors ~ some of them don't have an ounce of bedside manners and don't deal with the public (family) well but know their stuff. They depend on other staff to do the smoozing and feel they just don't have time for that. There are "more important" things for them to do. I got that information from a doctor just like the one you mentioned so it is how he felt anyway. They try to not get involved emotionally with the patents family for it takes too much energy away from what they are about during the day. They are't there to be a counselor to the family but to diagnose and treat the patent. There are others on staff that can answer all the questions the family has for that is thier function. Maybe we don't like it but that is the way it is.

I don't think I will be going back much to that Thursday evening meeting. The gal that is heading it does not have any leadership skills and is full of negative talk. "I can't, and I don't" appear in every sentance....... and if I continue to go it would end up being led by me and I don't want to do that. She would want that ~ and it wouldn't be a take over ~ but I just don't want to do that. I will point her to some neat material and help out but I think you understand where I am coming from. It isn't run the way I would run it and it isn't mine to change nor do I have the inclination to do so.

BUBBLES that group could be featured in the WW magazine for certain it would seem ~ WOW a 1000 pound loss. They featured a town in Iowa once. The whole town! Such good support you receive in a work setting for most folks have the same mind set and help each other over rough spots.

Have a nice FRIDAY fokls ~ this eve of the weekend.

GOOD AFTERNOON MAGNOLIAS

It is a really beautiful Friday afternoon here and I want to wish you all a great weekend as it is almost upon us! I am taking a break and thought I should see what everyone us up to. You all have been busy.

JEAN: We will add your Dad to our prayer list. It isn't easy to have such a worry in your life. I don't have cats in our house but with DD#2's Chocolate Lab residing here I do know about hair. I have a white floor in the Kitchen and WOW I can't clean it often enough to keep up with the hair.

MAGGIE: You'd think it would be to the phone company's advantage to empty the boxes so they could make more money. I think someone must be lazy! Know you could probably run that meeting better but I don't blame you for not wanting to do it. Some people feel that if anyone else can do the work that's OK.

BUBBLES: Even though the group may not be the best, it could be just enough to keep people on the right path. I think that is what I need to do. I hate to start paying WW when I really know what I should be doing but.....

My break is over & need to get going & set up for DD#2s 2 kids who are coming over for the weekend. Oh, yes, latest on their house addition. Seems an outside faucet leaked into their finished basement while they were on vacation and a quarter of the basement has been quarantined because of mold. They will have to tear out a wall and the bathroom lavatory and rebuild. Thank God for insurance. This is not what they needed with all the other expenses and chaos!

Gloria in MA.....enjoying the great weather and looking forward to the kids visit.

I am on my way to bed and thought I would just say "good night and happy dreams!"

Maggie -- I hear what you're saying about the Thursday meeting. The attitude of the leader does make such a difference and I have no doubt you would make a great one! When Jason was little he had to be in a leg brace; the doctor we went to had 12 children of his own and absolutely no rapor with his patients. He said, "we'll do this my way or not at all!" He scared us all half to death! Ironically, he and his wife were good friends with Amanda's grandparents and we met up with him at a funeral a couple of years ago. He got to meet Jason and see how "his way" turned out. I think that IA weight loss story took place in Sac City, just south of us. I remember that they weighed in all together on the elevator scale.

Gloria -- Thank you for the prayers . . . we can use all that we can get. Things are looking "good" right now and everyone is optimitic. That's too bad about your daughter's basement; what a mess to come home to!

See you all tomorrow!

Jean -- in Iowa!

Good Afternoon, Flowers!
It's kind of quiet in the flower patch today! It is warming up again -- 84 degrees and HOT in the sun! I still have the windows open as the humidity has stayed low. We headed off to Menard's this morning; it was supposed to be a "quick" trip to get new items for the bathroom which should be finished soon. The tile was laid this morning and will be grouted (?) tomorrow afternoon. Anyhow, we just got home a little while ago because we ended up going to the mall. A little gizmo that holds the handle upright on my vacuum broke so I now have a new one! I didn't plan that purchase but . . . As long as we're at the mall I had to check out Target's dept.! My day has gone by without any major accomplishments but lots of together time with DH!

I have laundry to fold and mail to sort through. Hope you all are having a nice, relaxing day.

This is #14 -- time for a new thread!

Jean -- from Iowa!