Carol I love Bejeweled! DH has it on his laptop. I'll play that while he watches endless sports.. Sometimes he gets up to go to bed, I kiss him goodnight, then forget everything till the battery flashes nearly gone!!!

With DH gone for 2 nights I have choices of TV or NO TV. Wow, it has been years since I had a choice like that.

He used to go on regular hunting or fishing trips with DS or firends or our Son-in-law. We also would go as family once in fall and twice in spring but that wasn't enought for him. Since he is older, balance not so good, he is concerned to go alone, and thank goodness for that.

Where they are going the lodge is just up about 200 steps from the creek where he fishes. DS and DGS will fish further up or down the creek so he can have the area close to lodge so he can quit when he is tired.

Used to be that DH kept going long after everyone else was too tired to go. He resents that he doesn't still have that kind of energy at 81!

Laughed at the confused dog and sliding door.

Mary My mouth watered as you told of all the food you served. If you can describe or give receipe for dish Carol mentioned and for your daughter's spinach salad I would appreciate it.

We r having left overs but they are also good ones.

Hi Everyone,

Have been dealing with kitty's surgery, class I'm teaching, workshop I'm taking, and my DD & SIL's health issues.

Actually been doing VERY good with my anti-inflammatory eating. Following my goals - see below. Just got a new book, "The Anti-Inflammation Diet & Recipe Book" by Jessica Black. Plan to read some of it tonight & make a shopping list for cooking a couple of the meals over the weekend. Will keep you posted.

Week 2 goals --

Keep Week 1 (Aug 11 - Aug 17) goals

Cut out ice cream/frozen yogurt/ice pops/candy/cake/cookies/pastries & diet soda.


Add Week 2 (Aug 18 - Aug 24) Goals

Eat at least 3 organic fruits/day
Eat at least 1 vegetarian vegetable and protein meal every day
Cut out jelly/jam w sugar or artificial sweetener

NOTE: less pain & fewer pills.

Lynn

Hi Everyone,

Hi Sandy,

What state is your DD’s house in? Sounds like my DD’s house in FL. Their bedroom on one side, and mine (with a tv room + second bedroom) on the other side.
Hi Mary,

You are such a techie! I keep getting the “Install Windows 10 Free” message, but I’m afraid. I HATE Windows 8 (on my other computer). Cannot imagine I will like 10. Happy with 7 on this computer.

Hi Mary,

My pain is significantly less since I started eating less sugar & more fruit & vegetables. Cut my pain meds down to 2/day (was up to 5/day).

What is “The Mirror” about?

Hi Sandy,

I have a sleep number bed at home & at my DD’s. When pain is bad I change the number (sometimes up & sometimes down) until I feel better. When I travel, I MISS my bed!

What kind of pedometer do you have? Did you have to calibrate it before you started using it?

Hi Mary,

She seems pretty good to me. Surgery was on Tuesday morning. I am supposed to rub her ear with a fluid on a sterile pad every day, but have trouble getting at it. I stopped her pain meds this morning bc she was sleeping all the time. She seems pretty much back to normal today. I take her back to the vet on Tuesday for him to check her.

Hi Carol Sue,

I also found it fascinating. I have it as a paperback & on discs. Several of us GG’s read it & my Book Club read it. Funny, some folks found it depressing. I did not. I felt that it provided research-based rationale for why it is so hard to keep the weight off.

BTW, Bobbi (who starts this thread) has kept her weight off for MANY years, my WW lecturer kept over 100 pounds off for around 30 years. I had kept 40 lbs off for 10 years, but gained back 10 since last year when my sister died. Right now, I am focusing on eating healthy. So far, haven’t gained or lost any weight, but feeling much better.

Hi Mary,

Evening – after dinner – is only time all day I start grazing. Since I cut out all the ice cream, etc., my snacks consist of unsalted pistachio nuts, Ezekiel bread w Smart Balance margarine, & sugar free jello and pudding w sugar free Cool Whip.

Hi Sandy,

I love the library & bookstores also. However, I do all of my fiction reading on my Nook. Now, my library time is spent browsing books on disc. When I am alone in my car, I am listening to audio books. At any one time, I am listening to a book in car, reading a book on my Nook at the gym, and reading a book on my phone whenever I have a few minutes to wait for something.

I also love B&N. In there, I spend my time browsing shelves to decide what books to order on my Nook, or buying Sudoku books, or cookbooks, or travel books. Don’t like any of these on my Nook. Who is your favorite author? Mine changes over time & genre. For mysteries, it is Louise Penny. In general, it is Stephen King. Just re-read To the Lighthouse by Virginia Wolf – my all-time favorite book.

I’m still here. I teach online courses & spent the last few days taking care of kitty & teaching.

Hi Sandy,

I used to play Candy Crush, but ended up getting frustrated & buying the 99 cent passes. Got a bill from Pay Pal one month for $15 worth of passes. Haven’t played CC since. I play Word with Friends. Actually play with several of the GG’s through FB.

Lynn, I'm glad to hear that kitty is doing better.

I'm glad you are doing better too, and not needing as much pain med. Some days my pain is lessened, but I don't pay attention to what I ate that day that might be effecting it.

Occasionally I check actual books out of the library, but when I can, I get Kindle books from the library website online. Does your library offer that feature? They have audio books on there too but I've never done that.

I remember Bobbi was always so good at sticking to her plan. Any time she went up a couple pounds she just set her mind to getting it back off and was successful. I wish I had her control.

We have had a sleep-number bed for years and we love it. We couldn't figure out why a regular mattress was never good for us until we realized we have different sleep numbers. I'm high, around 70-75 and DH is lower...50 and under.

Sandy, I don't know if DH ever really enjoyed hunting. I think the camaraderie meant more to him. Years ago he went with friends, then quit for a while. He started again when his son became old enough to hunt, but now has stopped since his son is older and goes with his friends. Also, my step-son is into small game, pheasants, quail, turkey whereas DH only did deer hunting. After he had his heart attack I was afraid to have him out in the woods, and he quit going. No interest anymore. He has also lost interest in fishing. I fished a bit, but mostly liked to sit on the bank and read while he fished. It was so relaxing.

Mary, I hope you absence means you are enjoying your time with your DD.

WOW!!! 70-75 is REALLY high. I'm 40-45 (Most of the time - when back is bad, I go up or down.)

Lynn

The BBQ went well and we got a good pic of all the kids and gc. First time all together in years. At least I thought it went well...our visiting dd didn't seem to enjoy it and that night (after everyone left), things went south. Apparently I was a terrible mother and all the ugly past had to be rehashed. Gosh she is 50 years old! How long does this have to go on? I have apologized for my mistakes (and yes, I did make plenty) but I have tried to make it up to her, but it is never enough. Right now I feel drained and discouraged...not unusual after her visits...I just need some quiet time to regroup...I will be now be spending more time with the Lord and His Word always lifts me up. After she left I took a very long nap and then last night I took Tyl PM to make sure I slept and I did sleep good. She returned today as she took the wrong cable for her computer..but couldn't find the one she needs. Hopefully it is in one of her bags as she needs it for her work. She has to work even when on vacation. I know her life is not easy, but she has education and this is the lifestyle she chose. Back to the BBQ. ..My younger dd (the one who makes the spinach salad) brought me a beautiful flower for the table on BBQ night. It is another type of lilly.

ETA: Halo hurt her foot somehow...she got in a tussle with one of our dd's dogs the other day and yelped really loudly. It may have happened then. I didn't see anything wrong with it, but she has been limping at times..other times she runs like nothings wrong. This am there was a tape around it, guess our son did that. Not sure if he found a cut and dressed it or just taped it for support.



Lynn - That's the thing...most people didn't like Win 8. That's why they are giving us Win 10 free for a while. Win 10 is a cross between 8 and 8.1 and 7. I really like it. You have the start button again, the only difference is that when you click on start you will see the blocks (like in 8) which you can set up as you want. I don't usually even use start ...just open my browser...and except for those blocks in start it's just like Windows used to be only better. Within start however is the settings...so you can go to the control panel stuff and customize your computer as you want it, so that's even easier than ever before plus now you can do more. Kim Komondo is a very good source for info about it...I read her site a lot.

Ive heard of these games you mentioned but the only game I play is Dice for Buddies. I'd love if you joined me on there. I also used to play a word game think it was Wordly or something like that. I liked it really well too but when I switched to an Android phone, I had some problems with the app.

You are doing well with your diet plan, Lynn..and so glad it is helping with the pain and sleep. I was surprised to notice that too when I was sticking with my eating plan (foodloversonline). I think sometimes we don't realize how our poor eating habits cause our problems.

Carole Sue - Pasole is a Mexican recipe. You can find it online. My dil is hispanic but has never lived in Mexico and does not speak Spanish. Her dh, my son, however speaks Spanish.

Sandy - I don't have either recipe but am sure you can probably find both online. The Spinach salad is very tasty and my dh who doesn't like spinach leaves in his salad, likes it even. Its the dressing she uses I think that draws him in. I can only eat a little of it at a time as it is sweet and tarty, but I do like it.

Mary What a treat to be able to get good pictures of the kids. Understand how rare that can be and how precious, too. The BBQ meant a lot to 90% of you or more. Not even the very best batters bat that high a percentage. Thank goodness for Tylenol and a good nap. Nice that your younger daughter brought you a lily. Those have to be among the loveliest of flowers.

Your daughter who drains you . . . well just say I'm so sorry. Thank God you have another daughter AND strong faith in God!

Recipe: Check out PAllenSmith.com for some fantastic recipe ideas. One with Kale salad that marinates over night is one I'll try tomorrow. I believe Mary doesn't like the toasted sesame oil so this wouldn't suit Mary.

Lynn You really made up for lost time with your wonderful detailed responses. Our grand niece asked me to join her on candycrush but I didn't want to encourage that with her living so many states away and can never take "no" as an answer. She has attention defecate so the game may help her concentrate.

I have no web hookup for the laptop so the games on that unit wouldn't work if it requires a constant check with the web.

Amazing how much you are doing with pain issue as you eat differently.

Carol You mentioned how your husband enjoyed the camaraderie on hunting or fishing trips. That is one of the hardest things for my husband now that he is finishing his 2nd year of retirement. When he says "no body calls me anymore." I'll ask "Who have you called in the past 2 years?" Only 2, and that was golf buddies that had to be neglected while his leg healed from the knee replacement. He really need more interaction with other men than I do with those away from our home.

He does belong to a Saturday Morning Church Men's group that meet 2 times a month. Really a top notch group of men, small, under 10 most of the time. Most are still working but age group goes from DH who is oldest down to a man with pre-schoolers. They are all good family men who value Church highly and many also volunteer a lot.

Wish DH would consider some of the volunteering. I find that so satisfactory all my life. Nothing like being in kitchen washing dishes with group of women after we put on a supper, or fixed a once a week hot dog sale for the Catholic grade school our kids and grandkids attended..

DD who lives with us and I spent most of this cooler than average August day outside together. Walked in neighborhood, then took thermos of coffee on shady patio and talked for hours. This evening we tackled the flower gardens to remove weeds, dead growth , and some wonderful Bee Balm that had to be removed to make room for next years tomatoes. She is such good company. I am truly blessed.

Good evening GG's,

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. We were gone again and sometimes did not have internet to be able to post. I can read on my phone, but trying to post from that, one finger/letter at a time ~ too hard. Also, a lot of pain in my hands when I try to do stuff on the phone, so I don't last very long on that.

We were at the beach. Maddie went with us, the DD Sara and GS Corbin and his girlfriend Claire came on Thursday evening for the weekend. That was fun. We had some sunny days and some rainy ones. One rainy day, we just stayed inside all day and rested/relaxed. The other couple rainy days, it cleared off in the afternoon, so we could spend part of it down by the water. We really enjoyed our time there.

Sandy ~ I hope your husband can find some times he can get together and spend time with some of the other men and enjoy that company. The time you get to spend with your daughter sounds lovely. I got to ride back from the beach with Sara and really enjoyed the time together visiting with her.

Mary ~ so sorry for the hard time with your daughter. It makes my heart ache for you that you had to go through that. Praying for both of you. Glad it was a nice time with the rest of your family. Glad you got a picture with everyone ~ priceless. Hope Halo's foot feels better soon.

Lynn ~ busy lady. How is kitty doing? Hope she is feeling better. Glad your anti inflamatory diet is going well. It is so encouraging when you can feel like the changes you make are helping.

Carol Sue ~ I have lost track of time on the computer like you did the other night. When you are enjoying something ~ it is easy to do. I did it one night ~ there was a lady on FB who was trying to find the location of a house in the town where I grew up, that she thought might be the one in a picture she had found in her husband's ancestors belongings. She posted the picture and several people who used to live in our area chimed in where they thought the house was ~ it was very interesting. Before I knew it it was in the wee hours of the morning. She had done a lot of geniology and I asked her about some of my grandparents on both sides, and within a matter of minutes, she had names and dates of lots of them, so even though it was a late night ~ it was time well spent.

School starts on Monday, so finally things will slow down a little here. Now just 10 more days until I can begin taking my RA meds again. I don't think I will magically start to feel better right away, but hope that it won't take too awfully long before I start to feel better. Finally relief is maybe right around the corner.

Hope you all have a nice rest of the weekend.

Found out what's wrong with Halo's foot. Her dew claw was cutting the others and she has a right pink bump there now. Our son noticed it. He clipped it and taped her foot so it couldn't do it anymore. Said he may need to clip it some more. I need to get her in for another spa day...dh has been clipping her nails and bathing her, and although he does the bath better I think, he neglects some things that they do.

Sandy thank you for reminding me of all my blessings and I do have a lot of them! God is good ALL the time!

Glad your dh has the group of men to share with. Very important. Dh used to enjoy the mens group but he won't go anymore to the evening group. He will go to the occasional men's breakfast however and enjoys that.

Hi Everyone,

Fell off the wagon tonight. Took my DD & SIL out to dinner & broke rules – ate: red meat, white potatoes, white bread, and ice cream. Started right back on when I got home.

My DD & SIL are headed back to FL next week. I will miss them, but my DD & I actually get along better with a few states between us.

Teaching another class on Tuesday – this one ends on Monday. Good to be busy.

Hi Mary,

Is your DD in counseling by any chance? I ask bc my DD (also 50) is & she is dealing with her “anger issues” toward her childhood. I just nod my head & try not to talk much. Anything I say seems to trigger her. My DFs & I were having dinner last week. We decided that although we had each raised our children in a different way, each of us was “WRONG” as far as our children were concerned. We had another glass of wine & talked about old boyfriends.

I will get Windows 10 on the laptop that has Windows 8. Thank you for the info.

Hi Sandy,

I am the type of person who is “all in” or “all out.” Trying now to work on moderation – NOT my strong suit.

Slipped up tonight on my eating – will see if it affects my aches & pains.

Hi Gayle,

Kitty not so good. Ear filling up again. Took her to the vet this morning. I have to clean & squeeze it every morning & night so it will drain until it heals. Asked a neighbor to come help me.

Hope your pain subsides.

Hi Everyone,

Back to vet again this morning. A neighbor helped me clean her ear this morning & it had filled back up in an hour. Vet will re-operate tomorrow & widen the hole where it is supposed to be draining from.

Got back on my plan immediately. Guess I didn't do much damage. No bad physical reactions to my eating except that I felt kind of uncomfortable last night.

Have a good Sunday,

Lynn

Lynn, everyone comments on my sleep number being so high, but if I have it lower I get more back and hip pain. When we bought regular mattresses I like firm ones and they were too hard for DH. That's why sleep number works so well for us. Sometimes I roll over in bed and fall down into his side. LOL It's so low compared to mine.

I'm sorry your Kitty is having so much trouble. I hope he gets better soon

Mary, I'm sorry to hear that thing went bad with your DD. There's something about mothers and daughters. My mother was a good mother while I was a child, but as an adult she didn't like the decisions I made for myself, and I felt they were my decisions to make. She said she didn't have to like them and I agreed that she didn't, but she didn't have to harp on them every time we were together. I would have liked to have a closer relationship with her but I couldn't tell her anything I was doing. It didn't make visits enjoyable. My father died when I was 11 and I understand she felt a bigger responsibility. .

And Mary, I hope Halo gets better, too.

Gayle, I'm glad to hear you had a nice little vacation with your family. Sounds like fun. I miss going to the beach. I would like to go back one more time, but I don't want DH driiving that far. Also, the place where we used to stay changed to a high-rise and we don't like it. It's hard to choose another place without seeing it. We like to be on the boardwalk, with a balcony where we can look out at the ocean. Those rooms are top price. He tells me to pick anything, but if he doesn't like the room I pick he will be groaning and complaining the whole time. It's better to just stay home.

Thought I posted but guess I forgot to submit as I don't see it. I'm still trying to recover from this past few weeks. We were up with Halo a lot so didn't get much sleep last night which didn't help, but I did sleep in. I'll be ok, just need some time. I trust God to work it all out...it's just that I need rest right now so I'm sorta hunkering down, praying, reading God's Word and trying to leave it all to Him and just rest.

As you say Carol Sue, mothers/dd have a difficult time sometimes and for this particular dd it's been a long time. I thought it would be all over with by now but it's not. I love her and I do know she loves me so somehow it will work out. And I guess out of four children, it is likely there will be problems with at least one. Right now I'd like to take a very long trip...however for other reasons I don't want to go far away for several months.

Lynn - Funny about the two ways of raising and you were both "wrong"! I think that's the way it goes sometimes. Hope the draining out helped and your kitty will be well soon. One splurge does not a diet break...my youngest dd who is in great shape eats small meals every 2-3 hours...always balanced...one small carb, one small protein and one small healthy fat and plenty veggies. She maintains her ideal weight and works out and runs. She says since she eats this way, she doesn't have to work out for very long at a time. Every now and then (maybe once a week) she splurges for one meal, then gets right back on her plan. She was never fat, just feels better eating this way and wants to stay fit. I wish I had her discipline!

Halo went outside yesterday and came back with no tape on her foot. She licked it for a really long time and later seemed ok. I think as long as the dew claw is kept trimmed back, it will heal.

Mary, when I had my heart surgery, they started me on sitting exercises the next day. I had to get out of bed and sit in a chair. No lying in bed for extended periods of time. You have to get moving to heal. I could not do the chair dip because of the pain in my right arm/elbow. I usually do some bench presses when I do weights, but I can't do them now, either. And the leg lifts are hard because of the bum knee. I'm just falling apart. LOL but I do what I can and hope for the best. They say moving helps with the pain. Can't prove it by me.

I will google "dew claw." Don't know what that is.

Ok, I read about it. I have noticed that on some of our dogs, but not others. It said sometimes they are removed if they cause problems, and that some breeders have them removed at birth. I will check Rusty, but right now he's out with DH. It said some can have them on their back legs as well as the front. Our dogs have always been very furry, so I guess I just didn't notice it.