Mel
Love all the cute graphics this morning. Plus the new avatar. They made me smile. Guess I can say one thing about the lemons and gf. All those lemons she's eaten must have built up a good immune system She still hasn't had this nasty thing.

Happy
That plant is beautiful. Don't think I've seen one.

-------
I was up this morning and took out the garbage. When I came back in I put the note back on the front door. Didn't feel like having the neighbors. Had some more problems with my stomach last night. It rolls and rolls but after I took the Zantac once again I got some relief.
I told myself that if my stomach wasn't better this morning I would go to doctor here, if he's back.
I was laying down on the couch and heard a knock on the door and then the door bell. When I got up to look at the camera I saw the neighbor going back home. Guess she finally saw the note.
Don't mind company in the afternoons just not in the morning.
Time to get ready for the day.

TGIF fo SURE!!

Visited with dad last night. I took him outside as it was a very lovely evening. I made him do the wheels on his wheelchair per the physicial therapist to help him gain strength. Looks as tho dad will not be living with us. His COPD is too bad. His oxygen level is fine while sitting but just standing up makes it drop too much to the point of dizzy or even fainting. He will have to be somewhere for 24/7 supervision. We are looking into finding a place we can put him that maybe won't take everything he owns.

MELLIE...keeping my fingres crossed for a stress free, alarm free weekend.

CHELLE...how did the "date" go? Hope you have a great time at the potluck dinner with friends.

gotta get busy.

Morning all. Happy Friday!! TGIF!!

Happy - Never heard of that plant - candy corn plant - but it makes me want something sweet just reading that nickname. Hope you can enjoy it outdoors during the warm weather and indoors when it gets cool. If you have it in a sunny spot close to the house, maybe the heat emanating off the house could keep it warm enough on cool nights, especially if it's a sheltered spot.

Annie - Awww, li'l guy picking a "flower" for you. Not a fan of Red Robin just cuz it's a noisy place. What's going on for the weekend? A long list I'm sure.

Chelle - How did the dinner date go last night? Enjoy your work at home day today. The potluck with friends sounds fun - it'll be fun catching up with them since you haven't seen them in so long.

Mel - Glad the meetings went fast last night! We just cancelled our weekly software status meeting - not much to discuss. Whoo! Fingers that you have an alarm-free weekend. PS Love all the graphics, especially today's - very weekend-y.

Ceejay - What's with your friend and the tomatoes & lemons?? Is it a health thing or just that she likes the taste? Glad you ignored the neighbor visiting early in the AM. That virus is hanging on - I hope you can get some relief today.

Hey Shad.
==

I really liked Iron Man 3, but I knew I would because I love Robert Downey Jr. The new Thor movie is coming out in November. Can't wait. Chris Hemsworth is fun to look at.

Bf ordered the cases for our cell phones last night. Mine is a bright green, so it'll be easy to spot in my purse.

Getting this posted before further interruptions!

Happy Friday kids,

We're trying out a new fish fry tonight. Yum. Looking forward to it.

The hummingbirds are back! I was sitting on the deck yesterday talking on the phone and zippppp. Something bigger than a fly buzzed past me. I assumed it was a hummingbird so I got the feeders out of the garage. We have red ant cups that the feeders hang from. You put water in the cup and it prevents the ants from climbing to and swarming the sugar water in the feeder. I hung the ant cup and sure enough in 2 minutes a hummingbird was hovering over the thing. I told him to wait, wait while I rushed to make a batch of sugar water for him. Got that cooked and quick cooled and we hung the feeder out. I also pulled out a pot of bleeding heart flowers and put it on the plant stand. Didn't take long before the hummingbird was back checking out the flowers and the feeder. DH grabbed his camera but wasn't able to catch the bird in the flowers - but at least we know he likes them as he checked them out a few times.

After supper I went downstairs to watch some TV. DH called me up at one point and asked if I wanted to see a bear. Looked outside and there was the biggest bear I have ever seen sitting in the yard. He was MASSIVE. Scary massive. We watched on the deck for a while but it was the last shreds of daylight and was getting hard to see the black bear against the dark background of the trees. DH blasted the air horn but we're not even sure if that had any effect. He said that I had left the lights on in the garage when I went to get the hummingbird feeders - I had my sunglasses on at the time which really dims the light so I forgot they were on when I left the garage with the box of feeders. He went outside in stocking feet to cross to the garage and turn the lights off - something we've both done. He was looking for deer and thinking it odd that no one was around when he noticed this big black mass. You brain processes quickly, especially when you realize it's a bear that's 5 times as big as you so he hustled back up the stairs. *feets don't fail me now!* Geez this thing was huge. So that officially ends feeding season until winter. We will feed the hummingbirds but have to take the feeders in each night. I sure hope the bear makes his way into the deep woods quickly as I am nervous for DH working out on the back of the lot, even if he does have his pistol with him and is quite aware of his surroundings and noise.

Annie - I'm sorry too see that Dad has crossed over to needing full time care. Boy that COPD really whacked him fast and hard. I hope you can find a solution that works for everyone - those care facilities can suck your money out faster than the strongest vacumn cleaner! I suppose you will have to sell his house for sure now? How cute is that with Lil Man and the dandelion? That's definitely on the top 5 list of all time awwww moments.

Ceejay - not sure what's worse - the tummy virus or the pesky neighbors. Geez louise. You need the kind of people we had on our street in TN - I hardly ever saw them, could count on one hand the number of times I saw 5 separate households in the span of almost 8 years. Hearing your stories I'm not glad they kept their distance Hopefully they will leave you and your lawn alone!

Mel - the picture does not capture just how cute this plant is. I will have to try and get a shot of my own. Thank you Michelle for sharing your experience about growing it. I will have to figure out the right size pot and trellis so we can grow it outside and move it back in when the time is right.

Mel - so jolly was a typo??? I thought it was a play on words with the Spanish pronunciation of J being H so I took it as (Ricky Ricardo accent - jolly/holy crap ) Wishing you an alarm free weekend so you can turn your attention to things you'd rather be doing. Send me a picture of the new chair so I can start working on my bling design for you - pretty BUT practical

Shad - sounds like you are doing some serious work on the garden - time to switch up the plants. How much corn do you grow? Doesn't it get buggy? I thought corn was one of those plants susceptible to humidity and bugs - both of which are abundant down your way. How's your friend Chris doing?

Michelle - sounds like you are settling down nicely in your new home. Good to be back I imagine and finally be happy in your surroundings.

Wow Laura - that's a fantastic price for a used phone! I guess it pays to try and sell things, especially if that allowed you to trade out for a new model! Bummer on the train delays but sometimes that happens - just kind of late to get home, eat and get over to the movies. How was Iron Man 3? I take it you saw the first two? They seem to be quite popular movies.

I'd better get off the computer. It was supposed to rain today but it's looking sunny at the moment and maybe moving to overcast. Want to take my flowers out and give them some sun. Not sure if I will have enough time to plant today (flowers only, still too iffy for the veggies). I'm sure as soon as I pull out my stuff, the clouds will move in and rain on my parade - although I could work in the greenhouse - a bit cramped but could work.

Have a good weekend ladies.

Just as I thought - there's me and Laura sitting next to each other in typing class Glad the movie was good and the meeting got cancelled. I love cancelled meetings - precious free time - that is unless it was ME calling the meeting

Hi ladies -

The date last night went well. Nice dinner at a soup/salad/pasta buffet. We didn't come right out and discuss anything serious. But since we have totally different work schedules...he works in the afternoons/evenings and on weekends, it's clear whatever "this" is will progress slowly, which is fine with me.

I called the recruiter for the San Diego job, and according to her, it's between me and one other candidate, and the other candidate had their second interview yesterday. So I'm hoping to hear by early next week. In the meantime, I've got a big and challenging project for my current job. I'm working from home today, which is very nice. Roll out of bed, have some breakfast while I check the email and post here, then dive into work.

=======================
Annie - I'm so sorry to hear your dad needs full time care. I know how much you were hoping he could stay with you.

Ceejay - I'm glad the neighbor finally saw the note and left. Bummer that she had to knock and ring the bell before she saw it. I hope your tummy settles down. I think moving near your sister is a good idea. That's one of the reasons I eventually want to move to Southern CA (to be closer to my sister). My sister doesn't live in San Diego, but she only lives about 2 hours from San Diego...it's just there aren't a lot of tech jobs where she lives. Tomatoes AND Lemons? That would just be too much acid for my tummy to deal with, no matter how much Zantac I took.

Happy - How scary about the bear! So they're attracted to bird seed and hummingbird feeders?? Are the bears where you live likely to attack a human? I was always under the impression that black bears wouldn't bother humans unless the human got too close to their cubs, or tried to take food away or something, or made a threatening move. I've seen black bears many times in Yosemite, and they never really harmed people - though they would break into cars to get at the coolers and food stored inside. I'm just not all that familiar with the behavior of Midwestern Bears (except for the nasty Chicago ones). I spotted a hummingbird yesterday fluttering around a tree. And it wasn't even a tree that had flowers on it, so I wondered what was attracting the beautiful bird. I was able to get fairly close to it, which was nice. I love bleeding heart flowers. I wonder how well they'd do in CA. As for settling in...I am sort of. It will be nice to eventually have my own place, but financially it doesn't make sense to do that while I'm working at a contract job in Silicon Valley. I'm trying to find fun things to do on the weekends where I can bring Santa. I don't want to leave him at my step-mom's house because she's not used to having to constantly monitor a dog, and there's no telling what Santa could get into. And if he's left alone in the backyard, he'll bark. So he and I are still adjusting...he seems to be adjusting better than me as day care makes him quite happy and quite tired.

Laura - It's good that the movies are offering you some eye candy, since you're having cravings for something sweet! Eye candy has much fewer calories!

Mel - I'm so glad the meetings went fast! I've got my fingers crossed for a quiet day and weekend for you.

Much love to all,

LAURA...you will fit right in here at Humana. That bright green/lime green is the new Humana color for Vitality Fitness. One entire wall of our new suite is that bright green and I must say I like it way better than the dreary tan/off white/beige walls of norm. I should send you a green Humana shirt to match your phone case...ba haha. We have IM 1 & 2 on dvd at the house and I have not seen either one of them. C has and Sam has, but I didn't watch it. I just might now. My plan for this weekend is to finish building the decor wall around garden, tilling, adding more dirt, and planting, all will have to be done between isolated rain showers. bleh

HAPPY....bears scare the bejeebers out of me, especially MASSIVE ones. THe heck with the lights on in the garage, let them burn, beats getting a hunk bit out of your arse. Yes you know emotional me, it is sad about dad. Sissy and I have boohooed on the phone over it this morning. In a funk about dad but over all still happy in life. I need to get new humming bird feeders as a fall storm beat the H out of my two last year. Maybe will add that to my list to do this weekend.

Later chickies.

CHELLE....good thoughts on the date/friend. If it is supposed to be, it will be. You sound much better these days, I believe the move was the bestest thing for you my sister...enjoy your weekend. Hugs to Santa too!!

Looks like the dark clouds are setting in and a grand thunder boomer is about to hit. Might just wrap this baby up and head south.

Chat at cha chickies later....

Happy - I'd have to agree with Annie. Next time one of you forgets to turn off the lights in the garage....leave them on all night rather than encounter Mr. Bear. That would certainly be even scarier than encountering Chicago Bear Brian Urlacher when he's in a foul mood.

Annie - Sending you much love and many hugs, and many prayers to you, your dad and your whole family.

Hey Michelle - now that you're a Californian again, you can give up those loser Packers finally

And yes, everything you said about the black bears not being aggressive (save for a mom with cubs) was what I read in the paper from the DNR. However, this guy was almost as big as a VW bug and I certainly would not take my chances anywhere near him. We have found if they are hungry and have a food source, they are reluctant to leave. Thank God I'm not a corn cob, just corny

You do sound MUCH better since you moved. It was an ordeal I'm sure you care to never repeat but like me, things are wayyyyyy better once you get to the other side where you belong. And ... it is true that things happen for a reason, just takes us a while to understand. I'm glad you can squeeze the pennies for doggie daycare for Santa - I think if he was alone after being used to companions, he would also be stressed in the new environment.

Annie - hope you beat the storms home.

Well... we seem to have attracted the only 2 hummingbirds in town and wouldn't you know it, they are already fighting over the feeder. I will have to put out 2 feeders so they each can have their own. (They are both males BTW). Reminds me of when I lived at home with my Mom, Grandmother and little sister and we had 3 different phone numbers in a house with only 4 ladies

Have a good weekend everyone!

Michelle
Glad the dinner date went fine. Would be nice to have a male friend to talk to once in a while. Fingers crossed that you will be number one for the job position in SD.

Annie
Sad to hear that your dad will need constant care.

-----
Guess I'll have to relent to taking the Zantac for a while. Tummy feels better when I take it.

Happy - I was a Packer fan before I moved to Wisconsin. So I'm still a Packer fan. You're right about bears and food. I wouldn't take my chances either. I am somewhat happier in CA. Still not "settled" yet. But once Santa and I do get settled, it will be even better. I miss DMIL, but it's nice to be out here with my family.

Ceejay - I'm fortunate to have a few really great male friends. They are always really good to talk to and super supportive.

Morning all,
Have to make this quick as I have a list of things that must get done today. So far I have done approximately 1/3rd of them.
The beans and corns and parsley are in. I need to extend the garden but that will wait a bit because it will involve changing the brick edging around which means cement. The tomatoes are still going strong so I am reluctant to pull them out just yet but that will come in the next week or so. I've put some chili seeds in a couple of pots and then I can pull out the wild ones which seem to pop up everywhere.
Chris has to have a scan shortly, but the doc is convinced she has a cyst and not a tumour. So that is one worry sort of off her mind.
Oh yes and my ticker is now correct again. That makes about 3kg gone since I got home. Seems that the hard work and the exercise is working again. I'm not eating a lot either. Since those teeth came out and I've had to rinse with this mouthwash stuff, I haven't really felt much like eating big meals or indeed much meat at all. That stuff makes a great diet aid. I must tell them that when I go back next week. The mouth is still good. I don't feel it much, just the occasional twinge from the jaw. Presumably that is the bone trying to revive and grow.

Annie - Bacon and Egg pie is just that. Pastry bottom, bacon, eggs, salt and pepper on the eggs and a pastry top. There is no specific recipe, you can make them in tins, freeform, in muffin pans. And you can add extra bits if you wish. With this one I put in garlic chives, but you can add peas, cooked potato bits, onion, parsley - anything that isn't too watery. I put the pastry bottom and sides in the pan, add a layer of bacon, put in as many eggs as covers the bacon to a depth of about 1/2 inch to inch, salt and pepper the eggs then add anything else you want and another layer of bacon. Finally the pastry top, pinch the top and bottom together well and sometimes I add some parmesan cheese on the top before I stick it in a hot oven 180C (about 400F I think) for as long as it takes to rise up a bit and the top to turn golden and presumably the bottom is cooked. Usually takes around 1/2 hour or so. DS2 loves it and he gets the left overs to take for his lunches during the week. Don't think G/F gets much of a look in there.

Happy - Would have loved a video of the DH dashing through the snow in his stocking feet wondering whether the bear was gaining on him. I have a fridge magnet of a big bear chasing a stick figure through the trees. Caption says - Canadian Fast Food. Got a sense of humour those Canadians.

Laura - good price on the phone. Mine are usually kaput when I get rid of them and they go to the recycler. Good idea to get a coloured cover. Most of the interior of handbags over here are black. Sometimes it is very difficult to find anything in there - which is why the latest bag had to have a coloured lining. Who cares what it looks like outside. I can at least see my camera case and my sunglasses case which are both black. And my phone.

Ceejay - still trying to work out the lemons and tomatoes. Must have missed something. That norovirus is a pain. They had it on a cruise ship down here and nearly everyone got sick on that cruise. Time and fluid and good food is the only thing that seems to work on that.

Mel - got the 'gone fishing' sign out I see. Seems to me that some of those seniors need to be in care or at least under supervision and not left to their own devices.
M's ideas are slowly moving forward. There is much to be done before the first class is under way or the first document is written. I have to do some homework on Course Outlines this week. Might practice on the doco I have to write for a friend (from the previous contract) for a new implementation on plant.
The cheque is in the mail. Well yahoo! Time they did something concrete for you. Lets hope the tyres arrive quickly and wear well.

Michelle - it is good to hear that you are settling down well in California. And that Santa loves his doggy day care and comes home tired and happy. Yes you will feel better when you get your own place. No place like home. The date is probably an advance and retreat process to test out how things will pan out. No point in trying to rush things. It is best to let it dawdle along and be happy that you have a male friend of your own.

And with that, time to get up out of this chair and make a start on the linen cupboard and the laundry. The sooner I get this house sorted, the sooner I can get the garden sorted and the sooner I can get on with the things I want to do. Like buying a new car, or going to NZ on holiday, or planning my next big trip.
So hi ho, it is off to work I go. For those of you still on Friday - I've attached a picture.

Morning Shad
Did I miss something, do you have a new job? The lemons and tomatoes are what my friend eats most of the time and lots of them.

---------
Time to take a Zantac. Went down to visit with a friend at her store. Came back home lay in my chair and off to sleep I went. I've just woke up at 11.00 p.m.
Meant to call my aunt and uncle but I found a message from her on the phone stating that we are going to eat lunch tomorrow.