Welcome to the Aug Depression Thread
 

Welcome to the Aug Depression Thread. We are so incredibly happy happy to have you here with us. We are a small but mighty group of people who share our thoughts and feelings with one another. All are welcome!!!!!

First of all, yes, I am sideways. I can't seem to fix it. It's no biggie. It gives you an idea of what I look like.

Second of all, I had knee replacement on July 16th. PT sucks and makes me cry.

Thirdly, I'm stuck at - 50 lbs. I'm still trying though. No giving up, not in my vocab.

Forthly, while I was being taken care of following surgery, my friends came into my mobile and pulled everything out of it. I am back in it now and so incredibly happy. I cannot even express to you how happy I am. Despite the ****ing pain, I am sooo happy. My house is clean and the possibilities are endless.

I'm back!
 

Holly, Lisa, & Flower,

Hello to my long lost friends! :) It has been WAY too long, I know. I can't even remember when I last posted or read any messages. I didn't go back. I just read the July thread and decided to post really quickly to say hello. It is very late, so I don't have time for much right now. My life has been busy and crazy, as always. But I am going to try to catch up on some messages and post an update sometime soon. Keeping you all in my thoughts and prayers! :hug:

Believe!!!!!! I miss you. How are things with your health? It's ok if you don't respond. Just know I care.

My mobile looks fantastic. I love it here now. I'm looking at rugs to decorate the living room. Color, bright colors, deep reds, deep oranges, it's going to be beautiful.

I found this one today. What do you think?
https://rugs.com/multi-2x3-equinox-a...Broad+Audience

Not sure If the link works? It's gorgeous.

My leg aches tonight, not just the knee. It runs down towards the ankle. I really don't ever see me going through this ever again. My right one needs done.
My walking without the walker is great but as soon as I sit down, I regret it. The Oxy helps with pain but I'm trying to be so careful with usage.

How is everyone?

Thank you, Pat. I hope the healing process gets faster. I've iced the entire leg tonight. It was aching and shooting pains. I've got PT Monday afternoon so I'll try and ice it around noonish.

I am so so excited about decorating my mobile home. Like I said, my friends came in pulled out the remaining carpet and gave the mobile a good scrubbing. Now, it ready for some rugs and curtains. I would like to have wood floors in the future but for now, itll be temporary rugs.

I had a rough day. The knee wasn't in great shape. I cried out several times throughout the day. After hurting it on Sat, there are just things I just simply cannot do.

my PT was very kind and understanding. We pretty much came to the conclusion I should continue with my workouts but take it easy on a couple of the exercises.

I got through it.

Night ladies.

Hi Pat and ladies!!!!

​​​​​​Pat, my PT guy say one harsh word about my serious lack of judgement on my part.

We adjusted a couple of my exercises and the rest were fine for me to do. I did not meet my measurement goals due to swelling in the area I hurt. I'm kinda bummed but not surprised.

I hope y'all had a great Tuesday.

:(

Pat, the pain blows chunks. I had no clue what was coming was this bad. I'm supposed to get the right one done. Now is not a good time to make that decision. I can't even imagine going through this again.

I can't handle pain personally. Be kind to yourself.

Awwwww thank you. That's so kind. I'll try not do anything stupid from now on.

Welcome to the thread. 🥳

I'm under the weather today. Chills so bad. I felt awful and of course, no cold medicine when I need it. I've never had chills this bad in my 53 yrs.

I texted my friend what to do and she suggested Tylenol. I took some AND ibuprofen. I feel so much better. So so so much better. I'm going to try to go to PT in the morning. Missing a Friday would be bad.

4 weeks out today, exactly.

Edit: I was going to try to show you my incision but I don't know how.

Lisa thank you for starting the August thread! and again welcome back! :) I missed you!! I am glad you had the replacement but so very sorry about how painful it is. But it sounds like you are being careful with the pain medication and that is so smart of you! and bless your friends. However when you first said your friends cleaned out your mobile, I thought you meant your phone...like your mobile device? :rofl: now I understand. and yes that link worked and that rug is gorgeous with the block colors! did you decide on it?

Four weeks out is still a short time for such a major surgery. Did you do PT yesterday? And so glad you are feeling better from the chills episode . So glad it's over! but I have to ask..doesn't it make your worried that now there are so many possible symptoms for Covid 19?

Kathleen - wow!! you see we never forgot you because each new monthly thread would say 'we are a small but mighty bunch" and that was your phrase. Please visit when you can and catch us up!!! missed you!!

Pat - I hope you are okay, you 'sound' quiet. I know last month you communicated that you were down because of this ongoing seclusion :( and some medical issues. I hope so much you are okay :hug: You have sustained me here for months, with your quiet friendship and support! so great.

and Pat - that temporary gig I was so happy about? It lasted THREE DAYS. Yeah. The guy thought he could operate under the food truck owner's license..that is not so. Somebody in town called to investigate and we got shut down. so disappointing!!! I am back to feeling adrift with no purpose.

to Lisa and Kathleen - my summer job that I love so much? that this summer would have marked 19 YEARS there? they decided not to open this year. I KNOW i should be trying to take advantage of having the first summer of my adult life off. And I do my best but I am so programmed for work to be what I base the rest of my life around.

Last month my summer chef boss called and asked if i would assist him with a gig, he borrowed a friends food truck and we set up in town and had a busy great 3 days AND I was able to bake cookies/sweets at home and sell them at the truck too. And that gave me fresh energy and I felt like a useful person again. But as i described above, it lasted 3 days.

And you would think that I would use this free time to take care of the cluttered and mess around this house? but there are YEARS worth of stuff collected and NOT BY ME . I know Pat has tried to help me with this. And yes Pat I have armed myself with garbage bags and gotten rid of large black garbage bags worth of stuff. But is a drop in the ocean it seems :( I have told Pat that the main problem is husband starts projects and needs things, hardware/ electrical/ etc supplies. But he never puts things away properly so he can never fnd what he needs, then just buys more. So then we have twice what we need . Repeat that for the last 30 years and that is what I am dealing with.

today I got angry enough to just go ahead and tried to take care of an area that just grates on my soul 100 times a day. it was a container spilling over with hardware and supplies. I pulled it all out, piled it in a storage container (and those things just make the problem in one area) and behind that container, found tax papers and payroll slips from 1992. omg!!! I went thru every piece and recycled the plain paper and shredded the sensitive stuff. But my sense of outrage is that I have to take care of these things when I did not create them. is this just part of being married for so many freakin years/????

ok i am done I guess :(

I

Oh wow, Holly, I can sympathize. I didn't have that much growth of stuff. It sounds like years and years worth. You poor thing. My advice? Ok, here goes......

Do exactly what you just did. Pick an area that sticks in your craw. An area that pisses you off. Just 1, not 20 areas......just 1 area.....and hit it hard. Pull **** out, bag it, rent a dumpster, do whatever you need to do to help you feel a bit better.

Look at the 1 area with satisfaction, great satisfaction. Don't look at the house, in general but look at what you've accomplished. Then pick 1 more area, tackle it and so on and so on.

There are great resources out there today. Rent dumpsters to.help you. There are actual companies who com in and help you sort through things. Instead of 1 pair of hands, imagine 4 or 5 pair of hands and what could get done.

I'll write more later. I can hardly keep my eyes open.

TREEMBBS Great that you have joined this group. No pressure how often you post. I try to be a frequent poster and yet too often thats an unmet goal. :) I too physically have a low tolerance level for pain.


Lisa I'm not surprised how painful this recovery road is for you. I have heard that recovery from Knee replacement is very challenging re pain level. I cannot imagine living alone and having this surgery. And yet, someday I may need to get that body part replaced. Of course you have put the other knee surgery on the back burner for now! Im so sorry you are dealing with this pain! Again I want to say how great it is having you back.

Holly, I'm surprised that the gig didn't last. And all this time I pictured you working on the food truck. I wonder if your husb is even capable of cleaning out the crap he accumulates without an unreasonable amount of prodding from you. I can understand why this is such a high level stress for you. Both of your needs are at such odds. seems he doesnt care about mounding clutter and the space. You need to live in a clean and clutter free space. Of course it becomes anger provoking for you. Is he not even willing to work with you when you are clearing out the clutter, sorting through old documents?

I hope things become easier for all of us during these days weeks and months to come. Everything I have heard from teachers etc leads me to know that these are extraordinarily challenging times for most people for a variety of reasons, myself included.

I'm so sorry your job fell through. Hopefully, another door opens.

Yes, when I felt awful, I was a bit worried about covid. I just stayed to myself. I must have had a slight fever because the Tylenol worked on those chills. Knocked them right out. I paid attention to my symptoms and kept track.

I couldn't be married to someone who didn't listen and communicate with me. Grrrr

Sorry, I didn't post more. My eyes are heavy. Night.

Oh and yes Holly, I am purchasing the rug when I get pain next month. I love love love it.

good morning to my friends!!! it helps so much to know you are out there :)

Pat - yes - challenging times!! I do feel so much empathy for teachers and parents right now!! I selfishly so glad I do not have to deal with the subject of teaching children or child care issues. Glad our boys are grown ups!

Lisa - yes I echo that you are so brave to be handling this on your own! Independent lady :) I hope you are NOT in much or any pain today!!

and yes Lisa you were right on about how to tackle stuff. To take it ONE section at a time because otherwise I get overwhelmed. My husband seems to act like people who have gone through the Great Depression of the '40's, when they cannot stand to get rid of something because it might be useful in the future. I actually have looked up "hoarding' in relation to him but thank goodness it is not that bad.

today I did part of our back covered porch, which has so much stuff :( again it's mostly tools and home improvement stuff but I find other junk too. And sometimes things are 'stored' back there but it is a porch and mice get into it. And the problem with those storage containers is that it gives someone maybe the sense of 'hey I put that away, Im good' but then it is still a large box of STUFF that is not being used and is now 'out of sight'. What I did manage, was to go after about 8 falling-apart cardboard boxes of household repair items; got the items at least into 3 smaller boxes; broke down those boxes and got them into the recycling bin; and collected 3 or 4 bags of what I considered 'garbage' and bagged and in the trash container :cp: And took some items and left them at the top of the driveway (that is an accepted way of letting people know stuff is Free if they want it; and it usually goes!) And if husband does not see what I throw out, it will never be missed.

Yes husband and I definitely disagree on this issue; and we are in the wrong for not openly discussing it; classic avoidance of touchy subject and not wanting to get into a disagreement.

okay enuf of that :)

love and friendship to you ladies!!

Holly,

I'm not totally alone. I have made friends here. A whole jumbo size family. My friends name is Trinity and she has taken such good care of me. I stayed with them for 2 weeks after my surgery. I didn't plan on that long but I was in such pain. There was no way I could have taken care of myself.

This morning I am.....guess what......icing, if course. What am I always doing. I have an achy leg, thigh ache, ankle ache. I was told that is caused by swelling. I did not know that but it makes sense.

Ive got to get something's done today for tomorrow. I'm washing out my only pair of shorts and I need to wash a shirt too. I need to shave my legs and wash my hair later. I'll wait until it's 104° and that'll be a perfect time. Yes, you read right, 104° today. Bleh

Holly,

Taking on things 1 at a time is the only way I get anything done. My house got so bad, I had to ask for help.

PT yesterday went well. My range of motion is improving. We've altered some of my exercises to focus on just that. Getting this old leg to straighten easier and then flex behind me easier.

You went through 8 boxes?? Holy moly!!!! That is awesome!!!!! You're doing amazing. You are correct, what he doesn't know, won't hurt him. Get rid of what you can. Just pick an area that drives you batty. You're doing so good!!!!

I'll write more later. My pain meds are kicking my butt this morning. zzzzzzzzz

Good morning! hi friends :)

Lisa - that is so wonderful that you have a family of friends :hug: and that your friend in particular, Trinity, was so good to you right after the surgery. And so glad that your home is such that you love it and you are free to decorate. I have a personal question that I hope is not painful - do you still have Elvira? and I am so sorry but I forget where you live now, is it Washington State? when you mentioned that it was 104 the other day, OMG!! how do you survive that??

So very good to have you here again Lisa :) :hug:

Pat/Flower, how are you?? I sense you are having a particular hard time, because usually you write more . I am so sorry if this is true :( Yes you have to be isolated from people because of your immune system and that is just so difficult for humans. Maybe okay for a short time but this has been going on for so long. I hope your neighbors are still able to get groceries if needed? I am thinking of you, Pat :hug:

Wasn't it great to hear from Believe/Kathleen?!!

I wish we knew how Coop (Ireland) was doing also.

Thanks so much for the insights and encouragement about the clutter and such. I can actually say that I feel I have made changes that are positive and permanent. That does so much for me!! Yes I have to realize that he and I are so very different when it comes to putting things away properly and such. I cannot change how he is; I have to think how to work around it without making myself so angry, defensive or hopeless feeling.

I love writing to you ladies :)

Hi everyone! Holly - I feel your pain...my boyfriend and I have VERY different ideas of “clean” and “organized” and it drives me crazy ughhh

Hi IdealProteinNewbie! :wave: and :welcome: !!

Oh isn't it frustrating!

however I came back here to tell of some more success! 2 big garbage bags filled and out of the house in the garbage receptacle, buried under a bag of smelly kitchen garbage :rofl: Found 5 cardboard boxes that didn't even have anything in them!! what a score that is!!! broke those suckers down and they are in the recycling.

And I am stopping that activity for today. If I try to accomplish too much, it gets overwhelming and frustrating. i will stop at my successes for one day :)

This is funny - we have an awesome cooler, it looks just like a big can of Coca cola, it is about 3 feet tall, even the lid looks like the top of a can with a pull tab! but we never use it. We have regular rectangular coolers that are more practical. But the Coke one would be so fun at an outdoor party. (which we might have, but not for alot of people). So I cleaned it up, made a great bright sign for it, and put it at the top of the driveway. Then my son called and we were talking, and I mentioned the Coke cooler and he said "oh wow, I would like that Mom". LOL so back up the driveway I trudged, collected the cooler and put it in a clean place (I also bleached it out) for him to pick up :D

Lisa - I, too, am wondering where you are living now. Can't believe your temperature was 104° the other day! 😲 I am glad that you got your knee replaced since it must have needed it, but SO sorry that you are in so much pain during recovery. I had my hip replaced in March of 2019 and my initial recovery was very painful. I think it was more painful because I waited too long (over 3 years) to have it replaced. Like Pat mentioned, I have always heard that knee replacements are harder to recover from than hips, so I can only imagine. Hang in there! 💜 I am so happy to hear that you are loving your mobile home! 😊 Also, I think I read in the July thread that your weight loss is stalled on 50 pounds. When did you lose 50 pounds? That is awesome!!! 🙌 🎉

Holly - It is SO wonderful to hear from you! I must admit that I am embarrassed as I read about your husband's clutter because, unfortunately, I can relate. 😢 I am in no way trying to make you feel bad for sharing about his clutter and your frustrations about it. I just have to come clean about the fact that I have a serious problem with clutter, too. It drives my husband totally nuts and is a very sore subject at times. I am very ashamed of the clutter and want it gone at this point, which is actually an improvement, but I am overwhelmed and just not good at clearing it. I never know where to start. My husband just dives right in and gets it done! I have to be in the right frame of mind to do it. Anyway, it is interesting that my husband and my roles are reversed from yours and your husband's on the subject of clutter. Maybe you can help me to understand and be more sensitive to his viewpoint. When he gets angry about it, I just shut down. Ibt stifles me. 😢 Often, I feel like I'm a lost cause on the subject of clutter because I have battled the issue for so long. My mom has the same issue. On another note, I am so sorry that your regular summer job doesn't exist anymore. ☹ That just plain sucks! I know you always looked forward to going back to your summer job each year. I'm sorry that the 3 day gig came to an end so abruptly as well. Do you have any other ideas in mind for the fall? What ever happened to your work on that assembly line? I am so far out of the loop! Whatever you decide to do, I have the utmost confidence that you will excel at it, as you have every other job you've taken on. 😊

Pat - I hope you are okay. I hear and echo Holly's concern.

I am doing pretty well at the moment. Still TRYING to focus on one day at a time. I have good days and bad. I am very happy to report that I have had success with weight loss since I have posted here awhile ago! 😊 🎉 I was down to 157.8 pounds the last time I weighed myself in early August! I had a recent virtual appointment with my Endocrinologist and she set my goal weight at 145, so I am actually getting close!!! 😁 I can't believe it!!! My depression has been kept to a minimum, but I have been dealing with a lot of anxiety for several months now. My psychiatrist recommended that I get back into therapy, but the thought of that gives me more anxiety. Plus, I don't want to add even more appointments to my calendar. Family life continues to be a rollercoaster ride. I think my first priority is going to be to schedule couples counseling for me and my husband. We aren't in a deep, dark place or anything, but our relationship isn't exactly thriving either, so I think it could really help. I am just unsure about starting over with the process and a new therapist. Anyway, that is what is going on in my life right now. Not much new, except for the weight loss, which I am thrilled about!

Hope everyone is doing well when you read this message! Welcome to our two new posters! ❤

Lisa - I, too, am wondering where you are living now. Can't believe your temperature was 104° the other day! 😲 I am glad that you got your knee replaced since it must have needed it, but SO sorry that you are in so much pain during recovery. I had my hip replaced in March of 2019 and my initial recovery was very painful. I think it was more painful because I waited too long (over 3 years) to have it replaced. Like Pat mentioned, I have always heard that knee replacements are harder to recover from than hips, so I can only imagine. Hang in there! 💜 I am so happy to hear that you are loving your mobile home! 😊 Also, I think I read in the July thread that your weight loss is stalled on 50 pounds. When did you lose 50 pounds? That is awesome!!! 🙌 🎉

Holly - It is SO wonderful to hear from you! I must admit that I am embarrassed as I read about your husband's clutter because, unfortunately, I can relate. 😢 I am in no way trying to make you feel bad for sharing about his clutter and your frustrations about it. I just have to come clean about the fact that I have a serious problem with clutter, too. It drives my husband totally nuts and is a very sore subject at times. I am very ashamed of the clutter and want it gone at this point, which is actually an improvement, but I am overwhelmed and just not good at clearing it. I never know where to start. My husband just dives right in and gets it done! I have to be in the right frame of mind to do it. Anyway, it is interesting that my husband and my roles are reversed from yours and your husband's on the subject of clutter. Maybe you can help me to understand and be more sensitive to his viewpoint. When he gets angry about it, I just shut down. It stifles me. 😢 Often, I feel like I'm a lost cause on the subject of clutter because I have battled the issue for so long. My mom has the same issue. On another note, I am so sorry that your regular summer job doesn't exist anymore. ☹ That just plain sucks! I know you always looked forward to going back to your summer job each year. I'm sorry that the 3 day gig came to an end so abruptly as well. Do you have any other ideas in mind for the fall? What ever happened to your work on that assembly line? I am so far out of the loop! Whatever you decide to do, I have the utmost confidence that you will excel at it, as you have every other job you've taken on. 😊

Pat - I hope you are okay. I hear and echo Holly's concern.

I am doing pretty well at the moment. Still TRYING to focus on one day at a time. I have good days and bad. I am very happy to report that I have had success with weight loss since I have posted here awhile ago! 😊 🎉 I was down to 157.8 pounds the last time I weighed myself in early August! I had a recent virtual appointment with my Endocrinologist and she set my goal weight at 145, so I am actually getting close!!! 😁 I can't believe it!!! My depression has been kept to a minimum, but I have been dealing with a lot of anxiety for several months now. My psychiatrist recommended that I get back into therapy, but the thought of that gives me more anxiety. Plus, I don't want to add even more appointments to my calendar. Family life continues to be a rollercoaster ride. I think my first priority is going to be to schedule couples counseling for me and my husband. We aren't in a deep, dark place or anything, but our relationship isn't exactly thriving either, so I think it could really help. I am just unsure about starting over with the process and a new therapist. Anyway, that is what is going on in my life right now. Not much new, except for the weight loss, which I am thrilled about!

Hope everyone is doing well when you read this message! Welcome to our two new posters! ❤

I think my long message posted twice. Sorry! I tried to edit it and I think it reposted instead. I tried to delete one, but no luck.

We love writing to you too, Holly.

I do still have Elvira. She's 14 yrs young now. She's such a good doggie. We live in Washington State, we've been here for 3 years.

It's been really really miserable lately. Today it was nice but lately it's been 104, 107, 106. My house is miserable when it gets that hot.

Hello to everyone. I'll try to come back soon and greet everyone. I'm tired this evening.

It's late and I'm drowsy but I wanted to say hi.

Kathleen, let's see if I can answer and respond to your post before I pass out.

Yes, last week it was 107, 106, 104. My mobile gets miserable. It's like living in a tin can. I'm attempting to get an AC unit installed but my bedroom windows are crank out ones. I'll keep you updated.

The first 4 weeks after my surgery sucked. It is worse than my c section. The right knee needs it too. It was a toss up on which knee to do first. It won't be done anytime soon, I can tell you that. I won't go through this again for a while.

I have the best PT guy. He is so kind and encouraging. He makes it so that I don't mind going to get tortured.

Kathleen, yes I have lost 50 lbs. It was 60 but I gained some back. Low carb helped but now, I've hit a wall. I can't lose anymore. I'm frustrated, pissed off. I really don't know what to do.

I do love my house. I've been here 2 years, maybe 2.5. It's cleaned out now and ready for flooring. To begin with I'm simply going to use rugs I've picked out from online. I know what I want so for now, it'll be rugs. Eventually, I'd like to put some pretty wood flooring down. I want every room in the house to gave different flooring. Kind of an eclectic look.

I also have several Longaberger baskets I'm going to display in the living room. Some, I'd like to display on shelves. I'd like to use different shelves, never using the same shelf twice. Again, going for an eclectic look for my walls.

I've switched to walking with a cane. I still have the walker for emergencies. I've been ok'd to be weaned off the walker.

Night friends. I'm turning in soon.

I'm so tired today. I'm afraid to lay down for a nap.ill wind up sleeping all afternoon.

I had a great PT session yesterday. New exercises, I'm up to 30 reps on all and a 5 lb weight added to some exercises. Today

I wish I could stay awake. I don't think I can.

I did manage to stay awake. I'm still v v sleepy/woozy. I don't understand why I'm like this. I have been lately. It seems like ever other day, no I'm not kidding, I sleep for hours.

I did wind up taking a nap but it wasn't a mega nap. Once again I'm drowsy but it is 10:15 here.

I just wanted to come in and say goodnight to everyone. I hope y'all had a good day.

I have 2 appts tomorrow so I'll have a busy day.

Sweet dreams.

Hello friends!

Lisa i just LOVE that you are back here!!

and it is so great that your home is such that you can choose to decorate AND that you feel good enough to do so! I don't even know about those baskets you described but I love to hear your plans. YAY that you still have Elvira!! so glad to hear that. good doggie :)

Yes low carb seems to go so well for so many. I just get ravaged by desire for bready things when I try to do so. 50 lbs lost is amazing!!

and so glad you have a great PT person! but worried about why you are so dozey / sleepy? hopefully everything is fine.

And I am continuing to take your advice about tackling cleanup jobs. And listening to myself to STOP at a certain point before I get frustrated. or worn out. or make even more of a mess, LOL. And this is crazy but if I do too much, if it looks like too much was tossed, the husband gets worried that I'm throwing out his precious junk. Well I am, but I won't do too much at a time LOL.

Now to Kathleen - Hi!! so good to hear from you. AND OH MY GOSH YOU LOST SO MUCH!!! how great does that feel??? congrats!! and would love to hear you catch us up on what is going on . I hope so much your son and daughter are doing well :) with the challenges of college. And life!

and Kathleen I am sorry , I hope it doesn't make you feel bad when I mouth off about clutter and cleaning up, that is insensitive of me :( Maybe you have a different method of clutter than my husband, lol.

Oh you asked about my factory job? Yes I had that from late October 2018 thru April 2019. It was so hard to adjust to, but yes I had the friend from the other job there for companionship (and because we always walked around and ate lunch together, people thought we were sisters!! we looked NOTHING alike lol except for chemically created blonde hair lol!) And I was thankful for that job and I did fine there as a 'mature' (older than 25) person, everyone else always had trouble clocking in on time or getting to work, that is simple for me and I actually got an award for not being tardy at all, Haha!! What a nerd I am lol.
But I remember so well, coming here about my anxiety about it and all of you were so supportive!!!!

This past fall, my new ventures for the winter jobs were - assisting in a small jam/jelly kitchen, measuring ingredients, making product, capping hot product, labeling, etc. I was only needed during busy time of late October thru the third week of December. I was very nervous there too, the girl that was supposed to 'train' me only told me when to dump in my sugar and pectin and when to stir, so then when I was put on my own, I promptly ruined a LARGE batch of beer jelly ugh! the owner was kind of okay about it but obviously not happy about the loss. Ugh! I was glad to be done there.

THEN my second winter job (from late December to mid_March, when the world ended being normal) was in a little daycare center, making meals and snacks for the kids, then assisting the teachers. This was an awful job for me!! The kitchen was just like a home kitchen but even smaller, and an electric stove that would immediately smoke and smell like burning as soon as I turned it on...I did enjoy making awesome, delicious, and attractive little meals for the kids but then a teacher got in my face and said "Stop giving the kids red peppers and tomatoes all the time, they've had them 3 days in a row" which was NOT true, and I was TOLD by the owners to incorporate more fresh veggies!! that pissed me off so much! and when I went to one of the owners to say so, she commiserated with me but said "don't pay any attention to her, just keep doing what you're doing, you're fabulous" which is nice but doesn't address that the teacher needed to be talked to! but they didn't want her to get mad and quit.

and then we were all laid off mid-March...and the summer job Board of Directors decided not to open at all...so I have had the first summer off in my life since being 17!! It took me a couple months to get used to it and now I can't imagine going back to work LOL but I will have to soon.

Pat - I hope you are doing okay?? haven't heard from you in a bit but no pressure!!!! just thinking of you.

WOW as usual I am talking too much lol but again I love talking to you all here because I don't talk to anyone else.

Hey and I can't seem to post emoticons or color or 'bold', anyone else?

I have only 1 thing to say.......PT kicked my *** today.

I am not in a good mood today. I think it's just everything. I'm going to try to watch some funny stuff tonight.

I had an appt with my knee Dr yesterday. I'll tell you all about it later.

Holly, I'll respond to you soon.

aw very sorry you were not in the best of moods. Looking forward to hearing from you when you can, Lisa!

I got lots more cleaning up/clearing out done in the past two days in a new territory :rolleyes: the garage! there is always some frontier around here for me to dive into whether I like it or not .

Holly - Oh my gosh... you couldn't be insensitive if you tried! I don't mind you talking about your husband's clutter at all. It actually helps me to see it from a more "objective" person's perspective than my hubby's, if that makes any sense. Please don't feel like you have to censor what you say about the clutter because of me! I would hate that! I really would! This has always been a safe place to come and vent about our challenges and frustrations, and I want it to stay that way... for everyone... and that includes you! 😊 I hate that your summer place of employment decided not to open this year, but I am secretly happy for you that you have your first summer off since you were 17!!! Wow! You are such a hard worker! You definitely have earned and deserve this break!

Lisa - Congratulations on your 50 pound weight loss! I know it is frustrating when the weight loss stalls, because I've been there. But I hope you are proud of how far you have come and that you give yourself credit for putting in the hard work it takes to lose a significant amount of weight! My gosh, your incredibly high temperatures sound miserable! I hope you will figure out a way to get an air conditioning unit installed for some relief. I'm so sorry that your recovery from your knee replacement has been so rough, but happy to hear that you have a good physical therapist. It sounds like you are really sprucing up your mobile home. That is great! I hope you are okay. You said you were in a bad mood when I last saw a post from you. Please give us an update when you can.

Pat - Hope you are hanging in there! I know we never got to know each other very well, but I have read along with many of your messages with Holly and Lisa here, so I kind of feel like I "know" you to some extent. So I do care about how you are feeling. Thinking of you and wishing you well! 💜

I don't have much new to report about me that I can think of, except for the weight loss. We have been coming up to our lake house on the weekends this summer, as we have done for many years. It is my happy place! 😊 So relaxing and peaceful! Indian Lake is only 50 minutes from our house, but it feels like we are on vacation when we are here, so it is wonderful! We are so blessed to have this place for weekend getaways! We will come up on weekends for as long as possible until the weather is too cold. I hate the end of summer. ☹ My kids started back to college this past week. Their classes are all online for now. My daughter petitioned and got ALL of her classes online for the entire semester. She is happy about that. Her major is Creative Writing, with a minor in Screenwriting. My son only has 8 credit hours left this semester, before graduation. I think 2 of his courses will remain online for the entire semester and 2 will meet in person once they go back. His major is Psychology, and he is currently in the process of applying to grad schools. One of the schools he is applying to has a campus close to our house. I think that is his first choice. I would love that!

Oh my gosh, I just looked at the time and it is after 3:30am!!! Time for me to wrap this up and hit the sack!!! Hello to everyone! Hope you are all doing well! ❤