Gayle, that's a cute picture of Maddie and he pumpkin. I understand that it's dark so the lighted pumpkin would show up, but I was wondering if you could lighten it up so we could see Maddie better. Or if you have another recent picture of her. I haven't seen a picture of her for a couple years.

Mary, I have a couple pair of jeggings. I also have trouble with them sliding down over my belly. I hardly every wear them now. I usually have to wear pants with a stretchy waist line.

I'm glad you got to spend some quality time with your son. I know that means so much to you!

Carol I was thinking about what you said about romance. It is true you can love each other and yet not be romantic. I think you kinda have to work at the romance as the years go by. We've been married 53 years and one thing dh and I do that has helped us is to make sure we hug daily...I mean full body taking our time hugs. Can become but is usually not sexual...just warm and loving. It is surprising how easy it is to forget to do this and it is surprising how therapeutic it is for us both. When we forget for a few days we notice the difference in how we feel and treat each other, so we try not to forget. Sometimes I initiate it and sometimes him. Sometimes dh will come to me when I honestly don't even particularly feel like hugging but once we do I'm so glad we did. Don't mean to butt into your personal life, but just thought of this and if you 're not doing it, it might help to put a little romance back.

Me too Carol but these jeggings are very stretchy in the waist too...but it's a firmer stretch so hoping they don't bag out too much with wear...today I only wore them a short time but they didn't.

Carol ~ I was fooling around with some pictures the other day and clicked on a thing I hadn't before and found some new things for editing pictures. So, I tried it with the one of Maddie. Here it is ~ can you see her better now?

Yes, Gayle, I can see her much better. She is very pretty, and looks so grown up compared to the pictures I have seen before. On Win7 I was able to lighten up pictures to see them better but it doesn't seem to be the same on Win 10.

Mary, DH and I hug, but I am usually the one who initiates it.

I found the booklet that I use to choose our medical insurance for the coming year. It seems that the insurance we have now is the best one for us for next year too. Last year we paid $15 copay for the PCP and $45 for specialist. This year it went down to $10 and $40. Now for next year it is going down to $0 for PCP but back up to $45 for specialist. I go to the cardiologist twice a year unless something is wrong and I go more. The PCP would like me to come every 3 months when I get my A1C done, but I prefer to just call and ask them what it is. Now, if I don't have to pay anything, I may be more willing to go more often. Also, this year the copay for my generic meds went down, and now for next year it appears that the copay will be $0. That's great if it's true. I have all generic meds.

We have noticed that Rusty tends to eat things he finds on the floor, and it's not necessarily food. For one thing, when we have him outside, he eats the red mulch we have around the shrubs. That's very bad, as it contains red dye and it's wood! When we see him do it we take it out of his mouth when we can if he lets us. I don't know if he has actually swallowed any. He also picks things up in the kitchen, which could be food I drop, but then it could also be pills that get dropped as I usually take my pills at the kitchen counter. Yesterday, he came in the bathroom with me and ate something off the floor. I know that was definitely not food!! I don't know how to break him of this. We had another dog who did that years ago, but then we have had dogs that wouldn't even eat the things we wanted them to eat. I know this sounds like I just need to clean my house a little better, but it's really not as bad as I make it sound. LOL

Hugging: Such a beautiful way to embrace the entire person we love. I agree and we do hug more than once a day. When we both land up at the coffee pot, it is ALWAYS time for a hug. Before we go to sleep, when we first see each other upon waking up, and in our small kitchen that really causes tight quarters, it is an excuse.

We also hold hands in Church, and always have once we didn't have to separate the 3 oldest kids to keep them behaving.

Youngest daughter is dating a former high school class mate who has been her trainer at the gym. I knew he was OK when after their first date he simply hugged her good by and said he really enjoyed her company. She thrives on hugs.

When young, our DD#3 used to study scripture with me by sitting in our Master bedroom bed with covers over knees and snuggled close. Of course she has been away from home since graduating from college. I don't read in bed any more with the comfortable recliners in Living room and in TV room. Such luxury!

Maddie's picture does show up. What a cutie!

Yesterday after Church we drove into the city for the Boutique at Fall Festival where Pat had a booth to sell her beautiful paintings, greeting cards, and prints. She had a successful weekend.

Socially she met a woman, new to our area that doesn't live that far from us and may turn out to be a good friend. All 3 of us really like her. Pat enjoys the social aspect so much that even when her sales are slow, it is a great time to be there with fellow artists.


Gayle and Mary, Carol and I are so fortunate to live in states that have fabulous color this time of year. Our back younger maple is full bloom orange - name is Sunset Maple, and it is named well. With Burning Bushes in bright red, yellow leaves from another maple and lavender blooms of the Roseann Geranium climbing all over other plants, I'm so grateful for eyes that can see.

May this day be a good one for each of you. Sandy

Sandy ~ I grew up in NE Ohio and enjoyed the fall colors. I miss them here, but don't miss having to rake up all those leaves.

Here are a couple pics (I snagged off of Facebook ~ taken my a high school classmate of mine) of the beautiful fall colors this year.

Started to post earlier and got interrupted so will try again. Glad to hear I am in the midst of such huggers! Sandy, you and your dh hug more than we do...will have to tell dh we need to hug more. I have always been demonstrative within my own family, but didn't grow up that way and in the past wasn't much to hug those outside my family, but the older I get the more social I am and the more of a hugger I am. I think it's a good sign. We hold hands a lot in church and when out shopping etc....but NEVER when walking for exercise....that's a big no-no!! I love hearing about your family...they sound so loving.

I was noticing the pretty leaves on the trees today as I drove to my clinic. Had to leave them a sample because I have another bladder infection...second time this year so far...hope it's the last one. I used to have a standing prescription but haven't needed it for so long it expired. My doctor (who is wonderful!) is out of the office so if they make me go in, I'll have to see someone else. But they will hopefully go ahead and send over a prescription before that, at least she always did that.

Glynne - I agree with Carol...Maddie seems to have grown a lot...very pretty little gal too.

Carol - Sounds like your insurance is great with the prices going down. Poor Rusty...I hope he doesn't eat anything he shouldn't. He'd have a field day here ...there's always something on our kitchen floor. Halo is sensitive to fat so I have to be careful with fatty things and I think she likes chocolate and that's very toxic. She's been sick a couple times but I think it was something fat when I used to slip her something now and then, I don't do that now.

Dinner's ready so have to go..

Those pictures are beautiful Gayle. What part of Ohio are you from?

Sandy, I had to chuckle when you mentioned the burning bush. Our next-door neighbor has 3 burning bushes across the back of her yard. One day, DH went over when she wasn't home and dug out a piece of a root of it and planted it in our yard. I told him if he had asked she probably would have allowed him to do it, and she is probably going to notice that all of a sudden we have a burning bush growing in our yard. LOL She never said anything so I don't know if she noticed. It is very pretty in the fall. The previous owners planted them to block the view of their shed from the street.

Mary, I am afraid I will drop a pill on the floor and Rusty will eat it. Sometimes when I'm getting my pills out I drop on and if I can't see where it went I just take out another one. If DH is around I ask him if he sees it, as his eyesight is better than mine. So far he hasn't had any ill effects.

Sandy, that's a lot of hugging. I didn't grow up with a lot of hugging, and I don't think DH did either. I really don't like to hug casually, with people who are not family, but sometimes I will hug a friend I haven't seen for a long time. I live about 5 miles from the city where I grew up so it's easy to run into a classmate I haven't seen since school. My daughter-in-law and her mother do a lot of hugging, but it feels forced to me and I don't like it. I avoid it when I can. DH and I don't hold hands, but sometimes when we're walking into a store I will put my arm through his, but that is to keep me from falling on uneven pavement in the parking lot. LOL Sometimes when we go to bed we will cuddle up and watch TV before we fall asleep.

Carol ~ I grew up in a little town called Mantua (south of Cleveland and north of Akron). It is a rural area, though it has grown quite a bit since I lived there. Farming area ~ they grow potatoes and there are dairy farms. They didn't do it when I lived there, but now they have drive your tractor to school day at the high school ~ to kind of celebrate the farming that is so much a part of the life of the community. Back when I was going to school, the kids who lived in town were kind of uppity to the kids from the country (I was a country kid). I don't know if it is still like that or not.

About dogs and pills ~ one time when I was up home visiting ~ my niece was kind enough and let me stay with her. Her one dog gets into stuff. I had left my medicines (they were in a sandwich baggie) on her kitchen counter ~ way far back on the counter. That crazy dog, when standing on it's hind legs was tall enough to reach that even though they were pushed to the back of the counter. When I got up and ready to take my meds in the morning, I couldn't find the bag. I saw a corner of it sticking out from under the door that went down to the basement. The dog had gotten my bag of meds and took them down to her crate and had gotten into them. Thankfully it was toward the end of my stay and she didn't get too many. She got some of my blood pressure med. Some of them, I guess she didn't like the taste of and left them alone. My niece called the vet ~ I think she just had to watch the dog. Thankfully, she didn't get sick or anything. I felt bad that she got into them, but I am not used to living with a dog and just didn't realize that she could reach where I had put them. And thankfully, I always put a couple extra doses in ~ in case I drop one, so I had enough for the rest of my stay.

Gayle - Very cute picture of Maddie and she sure is a cute. Thanks for posting the fall color pictures. That's what the trees look like here too.

Carol - I can't relate to everyone talking about medical insurance as I live in Canada and our OHIP that we paid for during our working years covers just about everything except some elective surgeries; some special tests and I would imagine certain drugs but for me personally everything has been free so far. I'm sure you keep a clean house. We all drop things and have a little clutter between cleaning days. I hope Rusty doesn't get sick with his eating habits.

Sandy - Your Sunset Maple Tree sounds beautiful. I also have two burning bushes that are a beautiful bright red right now too. One is a bush and the other is a burning bush miniature tree.

Mary - I grew up with a family of huggers and I still always give friends and family hugs when meeting or saying goodbye. No one at home though for me to hug . Sorry to hear you have a bladder infection. Hope it clears fast for you.

This past Saturday night it was raining here and at 2:30 am I woke up as I heard a sound. I lied in bed listening to try and figure out what it was and concluded that it sounded like dripping. I got up, turned on the lights, put on my glasses and went to the window. Oh no....water was coming into my bedroom dripping down from the window frame onto the carpet which was soaked. I got towels and sponged up most of the water but the carpet; curtains were still damp. I then folded up a new dry towel and put it on the floor where the water was dripping and went back to bed. The next day, Sunday morning, most everything was dry except for a few damp spots. So yesterday, Monday I called 4 roofing places and no one would come out for a look see and small repair as they were too busy. Apparently they still do roofing well into December. So I looked up my invoice to see when I last put up a new roof and it was 19 years ago. The next place I called I told the man that I would likely need a new roof in a year or so and would like an estimate for a new roof. I told him my present problem and he said I really do need a new roof as mine is pretty old and when they come to give me an estimate they will look for my water problem. Sheesh....a new roof will cost me between $3,000 & $4,000 but one consolation is I have been saving for a new roof for the past 4 years. He said someone will be coming in a few days and they would call me first. Will let you all know what the outcome is once I find out but he did say they are fully booked until well into December....great!! I'll have to keep a close eye out every time it rains from now on. Sorry for my long saga today.

Have a good day everyone,
Karrine

Forgot to mention in yesterdays post that I babysat the two gc I don't see so often anymore. Used to babysit them quite a bit but when dh started having so many problems I think our dd was reluctant to ask plus with the traffic and their schedules it is not so easy for her. They have a nana closer that is usually available. Anyway, it was fun to see them but didn't get to enjoy them much because they are scared of Halo and stay in my office watching movies most of the time. I got them to go outside and play with the big wheels for a little while and they came out for a snack and lunch briefly but the youngest esp was very uncomfortable which makes me sad. She did get so she would stand and pat Halo's head but then a min later would be running from her.

Since I didn't get much done around here yesterday I'm hoping to do better today.

Karrine - Are you happy with the care you get with your health plan? The price is certainly right! I haven't heard many saying they have been helped with our Affordable Care Act, but I suppose there are some. Only way it's effected us is that they cut Medicare payments so much that we had to get a Medicare Advantage Plan in order to keep/find a doctor, but we were very fortunate as also have TriCare4Life to cover what Medicare doesn't pay plus are getting a few other nice benefits from Humana. So while I complained plenty at first, I regretted my compaining because it actually turned out quite well for us. But not so sure about many others.

I still haven't heard from the clinic about my sample, so I'm getting along with the OTC product for spasms. It helps a lot, but I am still uncomfortable what with that problem and the itchiness I mentioned a few days ago, esp at night. I'm taking Tyl and actually sleeping pretty well despite it though. Sleeping for six hours straight is a wonderful thing!

Having savings is also a wonderful thing, esp when the roof is leaking! you were wise to save. I hope they can fix it for you sooner than they predicted. We are still waiting for our entry and think it will be close to Dec too but at least no water is coming in for us.

Glynne/Carol - That sounds like something Halo would try to do. I am always afraid she will get one of our meds too. I'm more concerned like you Carol of dropping one and her finding it, but she is also a long dog so when she stands up she her head is above the counter. At least she has short legs so I guess she probably couldn't reach anything that far back really. She can get into food if it's set too close to the edge so I always have to be careful about that.

Hi Sandy...hope you are having a good day...I have to run..

Mary Glad to hear you got to see the grandkids, and perhaps the next time they will be more comfortable around the dog. Hope you get the results of the test, and the meds sometime today.

Karrine Leaking roof? OUCH! Thank goodness you made it to the 19th year. Smart decision to begin to save for the next one. The roofer that did ours is retired, so eventually we'll have to search for another. Some in our subdivision are putting up the metal roofs. Very few fit with the brick homes in my way of thinking.

My concern with a leak is that insulation in attic gets wet and molds, then moldy water drips down or infiltrates the drywall.

I remember Mom and Dad hugging a lot. One of the cutest thing I saw was when Dad was about 60, and Mom 7 years younger. Dad was in his comfortable arm chair. Mom found something he had done in the kitchen to help her and came in and said "Jack, you fixed it!" and jumped on his lap to give him a hug and kiss. (she was about 5 ft tall and small).

My friend was here, we were about 14 to 15, and her parents rarely spoke to each other. She was so shocked her jaw stayed open for a long time. To me this was pleasing, but certainly normal.

Just got a financial zinger. The dentist that will make a tooth for my implant charges almost $1500 to make and install the implant. This is on top of the huge amount for getting tooth removed and post implanted in August by the oral surgeon.

Limited income makes this a real blow. I expected $900, but thank goodness our new Insurance Agent seems to think he can cut almost $500 off our yearly insurance for house and car. I was counting on that helping toward the $900, but now will have to dig for the difference that is far greater. Still glad not to have a bridge to contend with.

When we were younger, DH often would put in extra hours at work and bring home larger check. Not a possibility now. Year 3 on retirement is starting out on an "ouch".

We received soft flannel sheets for winter in a soft blue that we really like, made in Portugal. This flannel, that I have on another bed and have washed and washed and it does NOT pill up! L. L. Bean has been the best place for sheets and blankets, and also fleece to wear. They had 20% off and free shipping, so I feel really good about this purchase. The new sheets are being washed on cold, and short cycle before putting them on the bed.

DD #2 told me she learned that clothes made and shipped to USA contain pesticides for shipment, and suggested they be at least a short wash in clear water to make them safe to go against our skin. Makes sense.

Feels more like the real NW today...it's cloudy and rainy. Met friends for breakfast and I had two yummy strawberry/blueberry crepes. After the sweet breakfast, I'm feeling sleepy.

Sandy your story of your mom and dad (btw, a very sweet story!) made me think of my parents. They weren't so huggy, but they did hug sometimes and I remember my dad grabbing mom and dancing around with her.

Sorry to hear about the large unexpected expense. You probably remember when I mentioned that dh had work done. Cost us $8000 for two implants, and the upper and lower dentures. He's had to go back a few times for readjustments but I think they are ok now. We knew it was coming and were able to save for it, but dental work is really very expensive.

Hi to everyone!

Mary We have the money in savings, but it was ear-marked for emergencies, I guess this counts as that. At least with an implant, there will be no dentures, at least at this time. At least I'll claim it on my taxes, DH had expensive work done this year, too.

Your weather is here in the middlle east of USA, too. I had to hurry from car to different buildings several times today, but luckily didn't get drenched.

Good report on my Asthma. My breathing is up to normal, low normal, but better than a month ago. Thank Goodness.