Well, DS17 is thrilled with U of Guelph, and wants to go there. I liked it too, so I guess that would be fine with me!! They have a GORGEOUS arboretum there!
I'd be taking my books there to read every chance I had!!!

Ellis-HAHAHAHA!! I was going to say DS17 was probably the good choice for your daughter, since he may stay in Canada. BUT, his plans are to do his undergraduate work in Canada and then go to England, Scotland or Ireland for his graduate work!!! (And I was hoping that Canada would at least keep him CLOSER!!!)

Tiki-I liked him too. BUMMER. He was way too young.

Mauvais-You have convinced me that those boxed dinners are NOT the way to go. Are you having fun house hunting?

Blugrrl-YUP!! DS14 wears his heart on his sleeve and is very sweet. When he isn't insisting that he knows better than me, his dad, and the rest of the world that is!! (Or yelling at us and slamming doors!!)

ellis – great that you got inspired to start building your bookshelf! It sounds so nice to live in a big house, have lots of space and books – and not think about that you have to carry all the books out of there the next time you move. I move around a lot *and* I like to have a lot of books: those two do not mix well!

I think classes are starting up next week for me – and that is really way too early. But I’m going away for the weekend, visiting family, so hopefully that’ll be nice.
Have nice weekends everybody! :smug:

The house hunting has been going very well- which is why I haven't been posting much lately. :)

That BBQ place was called Double Happiness - double indigestion is more like it! :p

I think I know the place you mean, Mauvais. The one with the dead (Canadian, I presume) ducks hanging in the window. ;)

Den, that's great that DS is going to go to Guelph! I'm sure it's cheaper for you, huh? :yes:

Mette, I bought the wood and brackets. And then the toilet on the third floor broke, and that has become our current project. :rolleyes:
Yes, I always wanted a big house, and I do love it. When we bought it, it had been divided up into a triplex, with a two-bedroom apartment on each floor. My sister was going to teachers college at the time, so we offered her the second floor apartment at a low rental. She now owns her own home, but we decided to keep her apartment as a rental. The apartment is completely separate from our part of the house, and we have our own stairs at the back of the house to go up to our bedrooms on the second and third floor. (plus there's a kitchen and craft room in the attic) It's great having the extra income, and like I said, we really don't need the space. In fact, I could use a cleaner in here as it is! :lol: I turned one bedroom into a walk-in closet for DH and I (got my sewing machine in there, too!), and turned a bedroom on the main floor into a big walk-in pantry! The kids have a table with stools in there to do their homework at. Geez... just talking about it makes me cringe. No wonder I'm disorganized!! Too much space, and TOO MUCH STUFF!! :lol3:
And yes... I am NEVER moving again! You're so right... it's such a pain moving all those books around! :lol:
Have a wonderful weekend with your family, hon! :wave:

Mauvais, do you have any news for us? :)

No news yet - still waiting for some conditions to be met before I can blab.! And NO I am NOT pregnant! :rofl:

I'm with you there Ruth. I didn't realize I hadn't been here since July 21/04. Where does the time go. I started a new job (temporary assignment) on June 29/04 and that's kept me away from you guys. *sniff sniff*

So hi everyone!!! Hopefully we'll all drop in more in the Fall.

Teufelchen, I'm so glad you're back!! :wave:

Glad you are back girlfriend! :)

Thanks Chicks! Of course, I'll be away again for a week or so due to my upcoming vacation. (Whooooooo hooooooo!!!) :lol:

Teufelchen-welcome Back And Bon Voyage!!!

:lol:
another busy gal popping her head in. come on down time. :dizzy:
on the plus side i got into a pair of 12's and they fit nice. not super tight. went walmarting and they had a cute lingerie thing on sale for 7$ bought it come home and realize that i am still buying big panties though i need smaller sizes. hubby was laughing at me. i did the same thing earlier in the week . ( had to take those back and exchange which was why i was in wally world) and i did it again.
work, school, some more work. that has been my life. how is everyone else doing? :)

I am off for a week's holidays starting on Tuesday :)

I am back. Tired, and a little out of it but back. Class was really good. Spent quality time with the boy. Now I need to unpack and get some sleep. I will catch up with everyone tomorrow. :)

Glad you had fun Squeak!! DETAILS!!!

Mauvais-I think you told us, but I forgot. Where are you going?

Heather-A LOT better than buying them too small by accident!! (THAT is a bummer!!) Don't you love it when you can buy a smaller size? That always makes me feel virtuous!!!

Tomorrow is my anniversary. DH and I are going out for breakfast tomorrow morning to celebrate, since we are trying to stop spending so much. There are a few GREAT but inexpensive breakfast places around here. 23 years married, and in a month it will be 25 years since our first date. We weren't going to do gifts, so the sweetie/stinker went out this morning, bought me the new Hiaasen novel, and presented it to me saying it was okay because, "I didn't give it to you on our anniversary." My 17 year old is sitting over on the couch reading it right now, so I may have to steal it back!!! I really enjoy Hiaasen. Light reading, but HYSTERICALLY FUNNY!!!

I saw the plastic surgeon Friday...(that really made my kids sit up and take notice when I said that to them!!! And luckily [for THEM] they said I SHOULDN'T as opposed to suggesting a dozen procedures!!!) Actually the doctor who will be doing my carpal tunnel surgery works out of plastic surgery!! I have to have an EMG test, but he is pretty sure I will need the surgery. He thinks I may already have some permanent nerve damage, but if the PAIN stops that is okay by me!!! Like when Ruth had it done, he is talking about doing one wrist and then the other 3 months later. This MAY get me out of doing Thanksgiving if I play my cards right!!! (Usually I like doing it, but I am NOT in the mood this year!!)

Hope you all had a great weekend!!

I’m back from a weekend with my father and my terribly spoiled half-brothers. The best contraceptive, in my opinion? Spending time with children spoiled rotten! They’re really a great anti-advertisement for procreation! :D
I start with classes Tuesday so Monday will be my last day off. I’ll spend the day going to the gym (lifting weights) and see if I can clean my place up a bit.

mauvaisroux – hope the house hunting is still going well! And happy vacation!
ellis – your house sounds really great with lots and lots of space. Hope fixing the toilet went well.
Teufelchen – hi! :wave: and have a great vacation!
Heather – good luck with the panties! I do that too – I never even considered that I would have to buy underwear in smaller sizes too. I haven’t been able to figure out why all my old panties are so uncomfortable and wrinkling up everywhere lately – until it dawned on me that they’re all way too big! ;)
Dentrassi – happy anniversary! And hope everything goes well with your surgery.

Happy Anniversary, Dentrassi and DH!! :hat: :balloons: :gift:
23 years! Woof!! And still happy. Amazing. Freakin' AMAZING, girl!! Give DH a hug for me.

So THAT'S where you've been, Heather! Buying UNDERWEAR!! :lol: Holy crap, girl! You've lost 50 pounds!?!? You're doing GREAT, sweetie!! :dance:

Wake up and tell us all about your trip, Squeak. :)

Teufelchen and Mauvais, enjoy your trips, girl!! :wave:

Mette, enjoy your last day off. :) I hope this is a great year for you.
Yes, I often wonder about people having kids. Of course, MINE are perfect :D , but when I see some people with kids I think, "What the heck were you THINKING!?!?" Well, obviously they weren't thinking. I have a few friends (including clever Mauvais) who have actually THOUGHT before procreating, and I admire them very much.
I have to admit, I didn't give it much thought. After having our first, I realized that having five kids wasn't what I wanted after all. :lol:
As a friend of mine likes to say of his two young sons, "I wouldn't sell them for all the money in the world, but I wouldn't give you a loonie (a buck) for the pair of them." :rofl:

Just got back from the cottage with a girlfriend. We had a hoot, but I gained (as expected) five freakin' pounds. :rolleyes: I'm just making myself a healthy breakfast. (Mette, we're back on track today, right? Anyone else with us?)
DH has started working on the toilet, but I have to either completely redo the floor in there, or find ceramic tile to match the existing. It's no thrill waking up in the morning with a full bladder and having to race down two flights of stairs to the bathroom on the main floor.

Catch you later, girls... have a wonderful day!! :grouphug:

Happy Anniversary Den & DH! :balloons: :cb: :grouphug:

I am glad you had fun Ellis!

Have a wonderful vacation Mauvais!!!!

Heather - try and fit in some fun too. :)


My week in sunny CA was fun. I had class all week - which was really good, and the boy worked, but we still had some good "hang out" time. I flew in late Friday night. Didn't do anything but go to bed. :) Saturday was putt putt & Spiderman. Sunday we went to the Santa Monica Pier. Then a week of arcade games, movies and dinners. Then 3 hours of pool where I lost every game. :p Saturday night (my last night there) we stayed in and made dinner. It was a nice night. And for those of you wondering - not much happened at all. ;) Nothing like the last time I was there, but I am ok with that. He may have found someone who actually enjoys spending time with him. They have only spent time with each other once or twice. :crossed: It has only been a year since he moved out there. I am actually happy for him. He really deserves someone.

The only bad thing was the flights home reminded me of why I don't like flying. Though the flight crew on my last flight was wonderful.

I ended up taking the day off of work today. Spent the day cleaning up around the house.

THANKS EVERYONE!! We had a nice day today, even though most of the day we were running errands! DH dropped off his SIGNED 2nd probationary contract (out of 3) and he already has a raise!! Some of you know how we struggled financially for so long. Well we are actually middle class now!! (Still trying to fix everything that was broken and we couldn't fix BEFORE, but close enough!!)

Squeak-Glad you had such a great time!!

Ellis-Glad YOU had a great time!

Mette-Wish YOU had had a BETTER time!!

Tomorrow I am waking up at the crack of dawn to take DH to have a wisdom tooth extracted. Last time it was a nasty job. Covered with gum even though it was fully in. (he has gum hypergrowth as a side effect of Dilantin. They had to cut in to get it, and then the roots were wrapped around his jaw bone.) Afterwards, though, he was on Codeine and EXTREMELY goofy. Could be fun here the next couple of days!!!

Thank you so much for sharing that grizzly story with us, Den. :lol3:
Seriously, I hope it goes well for your DH tomorrow.
Congratulations on making it to "the middle class"!! :hat: I'll let you know when I get there. :rofl:

Squeak, I'm glad you had a good time with The Boy, and I hope you're really okay with the situation. Lots of hugs, sweetie... :grouphug:

Squeaker, Next time you're out my way, come visit me!

DH is doing pretty well. He has one chipmunk cheek, and is eating his ice cream as we speak. (He was told not to chew, but that ice cream or scrambled eggs were okay. Guess which one he chose?)

Ellis-Just strange to BE here!!!

Morning Chickies :coffee: Hubby found a job!! he starts this morning. Since we are both working days we will be having a friend watch the Bug. This is the first time that it has been someone else watching our kids and not us that is a little unsettling. but no matter how unsettling it is it can't override the joy . I was happier then him when they called last night, lol

Den, i am glad you enjoyed your Anniversary. :)
Mette, :lol: yep even with kids ( and luckily mine are for the most part sweet kids) when i am around someone's kids who are bratty it really grates my nerves.

ellis – how is ‘getting back on track’ going for you, this week? I’m doing OK, but as my days are getting busier I have to start planning my food better.
You’ll probably get rid of those 5lbs right away, and at least you had a great weekend, right?

dentrassi – glad to hear your husband’s tooth-pulling went OK! Those things are never nice! Yikes! But at least he got to eat ice cream after! And the middle-class-thing sounds like fun, let us all know what it’s like up there!!! (heh! ;) )
Heather – congratulations on your husband’s job!

I’ve started with classes this week: I’m doing neurobiology (from a psychological perspective – which means lots and lots of tests. On everything from attention, memory, mental abilities, etc) and community/health psychology this semester. In addition to clinical work at the university clinic.
I’m also doing a class in literature – completely unrelated to the psychology: I just couldn’t resist. It’s a class based on a feminist approach on “tragic heroines” in drama – with everything from Sophocles’s “Antigone”, Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” to Ibsen’s “Hedda Gabler” and Stindberg’s “Miss Julie”. I don’t know whether I will have the time to complete the class – but I’m going to try. It sounds great, I have been taking some feminist/gender classes earlier, and they’re usually very good and interesting.

So that’s me. Hope you guys are having a nice Wednesday!

Good morning, girls! :wave:

Den, I'm glad DH is doing well! :) I had my wisdom teeth removed in hospital, too. All five of them. shudder. Very unpleasant having someone fishing around in your mouth while you're lying on an operating table in your underwear.

Heather, I'm so happy for you and DH!! :hat: That's wonderful news!! Don't worry about your kids... they'll be just fine. :grouphug:

Mette, this is my (knock on wood) third day back on track. So far I've only lost a pound of that five I put on last weekend. :(
Like you, I need to plan my meals better. I'm glad you're doing okay!
Oh... the neurobiology class sounds absolutely FASCINATING!! I envy you! And the lit class... ditto!

Yesterday was a little nasty. Mom and my DS and I had a meeting with a doctor regarding possible treatment for Dad. Only to slow down the cancer... nothing miraculous. We all conceded that he's far too weak to go through any procedures, so we're leaving things as they are. It was the first time a doctor had taken us step-by-step through the location and type of each tumour. It was devastating, but at the same time, very interesting.

On a lighter note, I'm going over to Mom and Dad's today to screen in their back porch! :lol3: Did I say this before? A week alone in my own home would be divine. :D

Is anyone watching the Olympics? That swimmer of yours (can't remember his name) is amazing! :yes:

ellis – so sorry to hear about your father’s cancer! Hope he’s without pain and lives comfortable, and that the rest of you – you, your mother, and your family are doing well.

Also good to hear you’re back on track. As for planning meals better - I’m starting to think I have to divide my total numbers of calories a day (1500) on the number of meals I’m supposed to eat (5) and just start making meals that are 300 calories? I eat breakfast at home (always oatmeal w/ milk & banana), but have to make & bring 2 meals to school most days. I so wish I could find an easy way to do this – but damn - this losing weight business is hard work! ;)

So you’re staying at your parents’ house while screening in their back porch? I’m very impressed by your handiwork talents – I can barely paint, much less screen something! You go girl! :D

Ellis, also sorry about your dad.

Alterna-gals, I will be an empty nester as of tomorrow! Of course this is always a bittersweet thing, but I am looking forward to many aspects of it---getting my house in order, getting my SELF in order--work on getting these pounds off, and getting back to the many stitching projects I've put down and left sitting over the years due to hockey and football practices, school meetings, and rooms that constantly seemd full of pop cans and pizza boxes no matter how many times i cleaned them up. :coffee:

Tomorrow we take youngest son (and his bro) to college and (gasp!) leave him there. dh and I won't know how to act! :cb:

dh has some ideas how to act ;) and I do too, but some of mine are different...... :lol:

Check with me in a few weeks,-- :stress: --- but I feel excited and ready for this next phase of my life.

Thank you, Mette. :) Life is actually very good. We've really been blessed.
My parents moved into the city about three weeks ago, and they're only six blocks away from us. It's great... I can just walk over to see them and help out.
My sister is just a few blocks away, too.
A few days ago, Dad answered the phone. It was a telemarketer selling cell phones. He said to the guy, "Look! I'm dying of cancer. Unless your phones connect from earth to heaven, I have no need of one!" :lol3:
Oh! I like your idea of dividing your calories into five meals! I wonder if I could get organized enough to do that this fall...

Thank you, Cheryl. :)
Hey! You and DH will be ALONE! A whole new life for you! You enjoy it, girl! Of course you'll miss the boys, but you'll have time to rediscover yourself. I'm so glad for you.

Ellis-I know the doctor visit must have been hard sweetie. Sounds like your Dad is dealing with things pretty well. It must be a big comfort knowing that your parents are closer...SOME of the time anyway!!! You, your Dad, and the rest of your family are in my thoughts sweetie.

Mette-Good for you!! I'm still OFF track!! Cooking mushy food for DH to eat, and often joining him!! (Refried beans for dinner last night, and of course I had tortilla chips with mine!!)

Cheryl-COOL! We are just starting the process of finding a school for our eldest who wil be a senior this year...and I'm ALREADY freaking!!!

Well, so far middle class means Clark could get his tooth pulled!! We were without coverage for years, and couldn't afford the extraction. NOW maybe we can replace the crumbling concrete steps out front!!!

:lol: I love your dad's answer Ellis!!! I am glad they live so close now. :grouphug: Email coming to you soon. :) Congrats on staying OP!!!

Den - If you had the choice between eggs or ice cream, which would you pick? ;) Glad DH is doing good. And I am still glad you are back with us too! I know it's been a little while now, but I am still glad. :)

Congrats to Heather (and her DH)! :cb:

Mette - report back on the lit class. It sounds pretty cool!

WB Cheryl! Enjoy the quiet.

Jessica - I was staying in Santa Ana, going to a PeopleSoft class in Costa Mesa. But the only place I would drive to, besides class or the mall up the street, was the Spectrum. (I think that is what it is called - a big outdoor mall in Irvine) Otherwise the boy drove! I am chicken. I want to go back in October to see The Tragically Hip play in Hollywood, but I don't think I can swing another trip. :)


Today in my nephew's second birthday. I am taking him to an amusement park tonight. I can't believe he is so big already. I love when I walk into the house, before he even sees me, I hear "Hi Sarah". :D

I got a kiss from a British boy today. Ok so it was just on my cheek and he is just a co-worker for the UK. But I am always happy when I get a kiss lately. ;) It just doesn't happen often enough!!

Squeak, a kiss is a kiss. lol well some kisses are a little nicer.;)
lol but still.

ellis, your dad sounds like quite the character. :) I hope he is free of pain. and hey i have some porch screens that need work. <hint, hint, lol>

Cheryl, it may be because my kids are whiny today but i sure did think to myself when reading your post. "gee ain't she lucky" :lol:

and i must be the weirdo around here. because i woulda picked the eggs over the ice cream.

Heather- :D I like eggs a lot myself, but ice cream with tons of chocolate chunks in it STILL wins!! And I agree about the kids. Love 'em, but can't wait for school to start!!

Squeak-Thanks sweetie!! I know you have had some bad news. I hope you still managed to have fun celebrating your nephew's birthday though. I know what you mean about them speaking. My little sweetie nephew is starting too. He is younger, so it isn't as sophisticated, but when he visited last May he was showing me things.....BGG (bug), FLER (flower, accompanied by a big sniff, and then practically sticking it up MY nose so I can smell too!!), 'CORE (encore, accompanied by giggles since this means he wants to fly some more, or be bounced some more!!) (My sis is a French Professor, so she is starting him early.) His latest word...BACK HOE (he LOVES trucks!!!)

Hey, girls! :wave:

Den, thanks for the good thoughts for Dad. You're such a good friend. :grouphug:

Squeak, did you have fun with your little love yesterday? :love: He is such a sweetie... I wish I had a nephew or niece. :)
Thinking about you, hon. :grouphug:

Heather, I can't WAIT until the kids go back to school! I know that sounds b*tchy, but I've GOT to get my house back in order! And my LIFE!! :lol:
How's it working out with the babysitter?

Not to complain or anything, but I've got another bladder infection. :mad: This is my fifth this year. I'm so ticked. I should be at the drop-in-clinic right now, but it's cold in there, and I'd have to sit for an hour before seeing a doctor. I'm drinking lots of liquids and taking lots of cranberry capsules (can you OD on those things?), but I know I've got to get a prescription.

Hey, I hope Mauvais gets back soon! I miss her!

Cheryl – good luck on being an empty nester! It sounds like you’ve got a lot of projects to do, and as long as you’re excited – nothing’s better than that!

ellis – I knew your parents were moving closer to where you live, I just hadn’t heard the reason why. It must be good that you all are living so close – your parents, your sister and you. I lost my brother a few years back and my family is sort of spread out around the country – so we didn’t get to see each other much. And I think it would have been easier if we had.

Squeaker – we had the first lecture in my lit class yesterday on “Antigone” by Sophocles. Now, I don’t know about you guys, but I’m completely blank on Greek drama. Antigone was one of King Oedipus’ daughters, and she had this great stand against the tyrant (her uncle) of the city she lived in to get her brother a proper burial so that he would have access to the underworld. Her brothers (she had two) killed each other because they where on opposite sides in the war. Very tragic (well, it’s sort of given, since it’s a tragedy!) The family is – of course – completely insane. Since it’s the family where Oedipus married his mother and had 4 children with her. So Antigone’s father is both her father and her brother. Her mother is both mother and grandmother. It all gets very complicated. It’s a complete soap opera 400 b.c. :D

And good for you that you got kissed! I don’t miss having a boyfriend much, but sometimes I do miss the kissing! ;)

ellis – sorry to hear about your infection! Yikes! Keep drinking the water and eating cranberries, I haven’t heard about anybody OD on those! :D

And happy Friday everybody!

Mette, I'm so sorry about your brother. :( He must have been very young. I think there are benefits and downsides to being close in proximity to your family. And to being far away. :yes: Certainly when someone is ill, it must be difficult to be at any great distance.

Ooooh, you're doing Greek drama! We studied it (obviously to a much lesser degree of difficulty) in Grade 9 or 10. I loved it!

ellis: thank you, and yes my brother was very young, and it all happened very suddenly. By now, 4 years later, the shock of it has passed while the grieving is still ongoing – but things are much better than they were. I suppose we find a way to live with it eventually.
I just wanted to say that it was difficult to live far away from my family when it happened. I’m usually happy not living next to or near them – but when something like this happens, it’s good to spend time with people who are going through the same.
These days I’m very happy living where I’m living! ;)

The lit class is called “tragic heroines in drama” – so it’s basically about difficult, stubborn, and obstinate women who did great deeds and ended up dead, I think. To be continued next week – when we’re doing Macbeth! ;)

And you know, I’m sure we all hope Mauvais is having a great vacation and all, but ellis is right: it’ll be good to have her back! :)

My plan for the weekend is to get all my notes and print-outs from last semester (!) organized and put away in neat folders. Which means spreading them out on the floor and the bed, and see if I can get them organized by date and class! And also clean this place up. So that when I get up Monday morning everything will be clean and organized! That’s my plan!
And also go hiking, and maybe see a movie.
What are you guys doing?

I knew exactly what you meant, Mette. Sorry... I didn't put it very well. :(
I love my family dearly, but the stressful situations we get into are something else. Thank you God, for my psychiatrist. :lol: Sometimes I wish I'd moved away, but right now, I wouldn't have it any other way.
Yes, the grief never really goes away, does it? It just dulls.
I hope your organizing goes well! :hat:

I'm just going over to sit with Dad while Mom and my sister pick up a few more things from the old house.
I spent all day yesterday cleaning out the pantry. It looks GREAT in there! The kid's homework table and shelves are all tidied up, and the food shelves look like someone anal has been organizing them. :lol3: Let's see how long THAT lasts!

Have a wonderful day, girls! :grouphug:

Just popping in quickly to say hi all. The darn site is very slow for me these days so I'm not posting much. Real Life is getting in the way too! I'll spare everyone the details but you can snoop in my Journal any time!

Damned weight is absolutely frozen at 198.4. It's been two whole weeks without a move either way! It's enough to make a girl eat shrimp toast or bridge mix!

Ellis, the babysitting is going real well. My Daughter is actually going to bed at night with no fuss. because she wants to wake up and go play at Ms. Donna's.!! imagine that, usually she drags bedtime on forever.
just popping my head in here. then it is off to clean house and get some things caught up. starting to get hungry so i better cook now before i get too hungry and sabotage myself!! I got some yummy fresh white flesh peaches the other day and sad to say they are all gone. well not really sad because that means i ate them and they didn't go to waste.

Ellis - I'm going to tell you what my mother told me about Urinary Tract Infections - Pee after sex! Also, you can know buy an over the counter drug in the states that makes you feel okay until you can get to the doctor.

Classes started last week for me. I'm exhausted already. I have:
Biological Anthropology
Geography (plus Geography lab... stupidest freakin' lab ever)
Cultural Anthropology
English Composition II
and an Independent Study course in photography.

I was taking a ceramics course instead of photography but the instructor required 6 hours of outside studio time and the studio wasn't open in the evenings. Well, I work full-time! There's no way I can get to school during the middle of the day - I'm either at class or at work. Silly people!

Diet-wise, I've been really out of whack. But I've been exercising more and this time the Cute Boyfriend seems to be on the bandwagon. Yay!

Mette: Your classes sound awesome. A friend of mine teaches women of the bible. She's a great feminist, so I'm sure her class is awesome. The 300 calorie meals are a great idea. I try to do the same thing but tend to poop out in the evenings. Evenings are my hardest time.

Sorry I haven't been around lately but I've been thinking of you guys!

Just a quick check in. Have been pretty much gone for 1.5 weeks. You guys sure kept busy with the posts! My sympathies to those with health and family issues. My sympathy ALSO to those of you in school. Oh my gosh, just the titles of those classes make my head spin. I have nightmares about being back in college and having to take required classes!

We had an unexpected death in our extended family last week: My cousin's 24-year-old son was up in the mountains, trying to photograph one of our raging forest fires. His 4wd went over an embankment and he was thrown from the car and killed. Sad. Twenty four is so darned young.

I was at the beach house vegging out for much of the past week. Struggling with some depression issues, but it was a good getaway nonetheless. Of course, what am I reading, but a book about depression, called "The Noonday Demon." Pretty interesting. I've been trying to balance it out with several feng shui books, strategizing how to rearrange my house to make it "work better."

I think it might be the end of the road for my "adopted" 15-year-old cockapoo. Mostly blind and deaf now, drinking a ton (I suspect kidney issues), he spent most of the week confused, as he hadn't been to the beach hosue lately and he didn't remember the layout--much walking into walls, I'm afraid. I'm carrying him up and down stairs now, and he's having more and more urinary accidents. Bless his fuzzy little heart. He came to me when his elderly owner went into the nursing home four years ago. She died shortly thereafter, as did my other dog, so I've always maintained that we were meant to be together to console one another.

Anyway, I should head off to bed as I must get up tomorrow and write my police column for the local paper. And put together the Senior Center newsletter. It will be a busy couple of days, making up for my time off.

Was wonderful to come back to you guys. I'll hop on the bandwagon again tomorrow. Haven't been on the scale in a couple of weeks, and I suspect the news will NOT be good. :lol:
LLS