3FC withdrawl!!!!! Was the site only down for me this morning?? Ack!

Well, it's summer in central Oregon! Apparently you can't officially call it summer until something's on fire.... I've had a headache for 2 days now because of the nearby wildfires. Last night it honestly looked like what I picture as "****" - with the sun setting through all the smoke, it cast an odd orange, purple and pink color on everything. Very surreal looking.

Amarantha, I really liked your quote by Mother Teresa. Great wisdom and excellent advice in that quote.

Wildfire, Metta and Arabella!!!

Frogger, go you! Yes, you WILL reach Onderland!!!!

Anagram, I'm glad you know you can come here for support... Hang in there and check back when you can. My thoughts are with you all.

Kaylets, my condolences on the death of your a/c - hopefully it's not truly dead, but just needing a little work . Now is the *worst* possible time for it to go though! Hopefully they'll come out before Mother Nature takes care of your cooling needs.

Thankfully tomorrow's Friday.... praying the mumz feels better - the 2nd 'round of chemo has been harder on her than the first, by far. She's still sick 4 days out and has been feeling worse each day. Hopefully she'll round the corner soon, I feel pretty darned helpless and a tad bit scared (even though I know she'll be fine). We do have our light at the end of the tunnel though! September 2nd is her LAST chemo treatment!!!!

Snuck a peek at the scale this morning (I quit punishing myself for that, why bother, it's not like I listen to myself ), and I'm at 213.2. Holy shmokes! At this rate, I'll hit my "2-oh-whatever" goal I set for Labor Day in a couple weeks! Funny and scarey all at the same time.... I haven't seen this number in probably 5 years, I look at myself in the mirror and feel a little disconnected from it. Hopefully shopping for clothes will put me more in touch with my actual size, not the size I still have in my head.
Still have until Monday for the official weigh in.

Onward and downward!
Terri

Morning all!!

It's official, my weigh in for this week (that is). 215lbs. That's a 4 lb loss. YIPPEE!!! I can't wait until onederland!

Got electric, got water, got phone for the new house. Hubby's brother will not be staying with us afterall. Couldn't keep up his end of the deal. (Had to have a job by the time we moved in). So he has to stay with his parents.

Hello all!

Hope everyone is doing well on FRIDAY!!!!!
My favorite day!

The A/C man was here at 2pm yesterday and the A/C was working by 2:30-- Small part in the compresser (Sp?). Got lucky on that one.
***********************
Thought of the day:

The following article came from a newspaper and deserves to be shared to put our lives in proper perspective.


If Earth’s population was shrunk into a village of just 100 people, with all the human ratios existing in the world still remaining, what would this tiny, diverse village look like? That’s exactly what Phillip M. Harter, a medical doctor at the Stanford University School of Medicine, attempted to figure out. This is what he found:

57 would be Asian
21 would be European
14 would be from the Western Hemisphere
8 would be African
52 would be female
48 would be male
70 would be non-white
30 would be white
70 would be non-Christian
30 would be Christian
89 would be heterosexual
11 would be homosexual
6 people would possess 59% of the entire world’s wealth, and all 6 would be from the United States
80 would live in sub-standard housing
70 would be unable to read
50 would suffer from malnutrition
1 would be near death
1 would be pregnant
1 would have a college education
1 would own a computer



The following is an anonymous interpretation:

Think of it this way. If you live in a good home, have plenty to eat, can read, and have a computer, you are a member of a very select group.

And if you have a good house, food, can read, and have a computer, you are among the very elite.

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more fortunate than the million who will not survive this week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are fortunate - more than 3 million people in the world can’t.

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead, and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of this world.

If you have money in the bank and in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the world’s wealthiest top 8%.

If your parents are still alive and still married, you are very rare, even in the United States.

If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.

If you can hold someone’s hand, hug them, or even touch them on the shoulder, you are blessed because you can offer a healing touch.

If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you, and furthermore, you are more blessed than the over 2 billion people in the world who cannot read at all.

Have a good day and count your blessings!

Hope you enjoyed that one- I've seen it before but thought it was perfect for Friday.
Take care all!

Not that the number is getting that high yet, but I've been so busy. The nine fruits/veggies thing seems to be working nicely tho, and I intend to continue. Makes me feel clear-headed, even when I'm exhausted physically. Which is a very useful thing, since I do need to think sometimes... So nice to have a second to think today!

Tonight's DH's staff party. It's going to be a murder mystery dinner theatre thing, so should be fun. I've seen the menu already, and it should be fine. Mussels, lots of salad, chicken breast. I'll skip the bread and dessert and it will be all good...

Kaylets my love, what a wonderful and thought-provoking article. Reminds me that I should be very grateful for what I have instead of feeling "poor" because most of my friends have more.

My heart goes out to you and the ongoing trouble with DS. These are the kinds of things that I find almost unbearable, even beyond life-and-death issues. Somehow, in the midst of the most extreme crises, everything is clear. Maybe incredibly difficult, but somehow easier to deal with, for me anyway. I guess the hardest things for me are the ones where I don't know what to do.

I am reminded that the things we think are crises in our day-to-day are really insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

Amarantha, loved the MT quote. I think that there's wisdom in all of the world's religions. I don't agree with everything MT said, but this really resonates.

Funny how people are about religion sometimes. I remember talking to someone at one of DH's other staff parties. The subject of religious tolerance came up, and she said, in all seriousness, "Well, it really doesn't matter what religion you are as long as you're a Christian." I had a major struggle to maintain my composure. I should have started to quiz her on other religions, but I was so non-plussed I didn't think of it. Tells you a little bit about the cultural environment here...

Frogger, a fantastic new house AND steaming to Onederland! Yay for you!

Punkin, It must be so hard for you seeing your mom feeling so bad. We'll all celebrate when chemo's through. And you're heading to Onederland at breakneck speed too! Nothing like new clothes to help us redefine our self-perception! Whoa! Hip drops comin' at ya! Gotta get me a belly-dancing tape...

Anagram, to you and your mom, too. Know that we're thinking about you! I'm happy doing mostly lowish carb. Mostly really just avoiding the bad carbs, and eating either no bread or heavily grainy bread.

Wildfire, bike hasn't arrived yet, but I'm so looking forward to it! Funny hearing people talking about "wildfires" this time of year and having both good and bad responses to the word! My word-association self thinks that Wildfires all over the place would not be such a bad thing...

Eydie, I can't begin to tell you how touched I was by your birthday message to me (i know this goes back a bit!). It meant so much to me. A wonderful gift! Thank you. And I could send you the same message right back, too.

Oh ye who are missing, ye are also missed! Please tell us how you are! Let's make this a great day - love to all!

Fly by postie....

Wanted to post the picture of my wall before it disappears again. It's an ooooold disk and for some reason it keeps deleting itself...

So here's the Great Wall of Punkin!

Beeeeeyootiful, Punkin!

Happy Friday afternoon!

Thank you Arabella! The cat that's draped herself over the dark orange chair is Maia - she likes that chair.

Well, Mom's feeling better - amazing how it all turns around overnight. We've been busy today making potato salad, trimming kitty nails, and just visiting now that she feels better that I'm just *now* at 2pm, getting to post!

Frogger, congratulations!!!! 4 pounds gone! watch 'em dance away....

Kaylets, nice to hear you're cooler already and that it wasn't a huge fix needed.
I love your post today. I'd seen it awhile back, but it's always an eye opener to realize just how blessed we all really are. When 9/11 hit I was 99% through the house buying process and it dawned on me just how lucky I am - to be a single female with my own income, property and a home that is my *mine* and no one else's - when in other countries just being female would make ME the property. Yep, I know I'm blessed.

Arabella, I'm so impressed with your 9 servings of fruits n' veggies. Something to aspire to for sure!

Have an excellent weekend everyone!!!

Terri
Punkin o' Friday

Today Mom was transferred to a nursing home. It's supposed to be temporary and for rehab. But I dunno.....

It's a nice place. RN sister works there and had all so well coordinated that it went fairly smoothly. Mom, of course, didn't want to go - who does? But she had always told us that when it was time for her to do it, she would. And she did, very graciously. Still, overall, not a good day.

Anagram, I know how hard this day must have been for you! Been there! Hang in! It'll get better!

Hmmm, two in a row? Why not! Arabella, just reread your post. What a funny quote from the staff party! Unfunny though is how that rings so true with me, as I know many people who would agree with the statement.

I don't agree with everything Mother Teresa said either, although I do find her one of the wisest of wise crones (and that's said with the utmost respect). Re religion, it seems to me that they are all one at bottom, they are just dressed up differently.

For me, the MT quote (especially the last line, which I did not post) has nothing to do with religion, though its words are couched in religious symbolism, which, of course, to MT were not symbols but concrete reality.

To me, this quote, which is really a poem, I think, is sort of like a severing spell that when I think about it really helps me daily in putting many things in perspective.

Hmmm. I seem to be rambling, as is my wont!

Braindead! Beam me up, Scotty! (I'm saying that a lot lately).

Anagram-- So sorry about what you're going thru. My best to you and your family. Is the Nursing home any closer to you ?? I dread this entire experience too. We are here for you.

To everyone: You're the best!

DH's made up the yardsale list- got to fly!


*************
Thought of the day :

'Life isn't about finding yourself.
Life is about creating yourself.'
- G. B. Shaw
******
Question of the day :

" What if the hokey pokey is what it's all about? "

**************

Have fun all!

Lovely wall, Punkin! You're so talented. I love getting alittle glimpse into your life--post more! Beautiful kitty too....

Anagram, how are you feeling? And how's your mom feeling? That sounds so hard, to say the least. It's good that your sister is there. I'll be thinking about you.

Arabella, yeah, that was a funny quote from the staff party. Funny, in a chilling sort of way!

Amarantha, Thanks for sharing the quote from Mother Theresa. And to Kaylets for the statistics that show us how blessed we all are.

Off to see an old friend of ours who's moving to California. It may be the last time we see him for a while.

The hokey pokey IS what it's all about!!!!!