Frouf, don't worry about that pill. The last doctor I worked for was a hypertension and nephrology specialist who also instructed at Yale Univ. medical school (did you know I am a certified medical transcriptionist?) and he would prescribe HCTZ pretty much nonstop. It was a lifesafe (literally) for most people and works very well. Now to work on the stress in your life!

Paula, enjoy the berry picking! We are really enjoying our blueberries and blackberries from last weekend.

Shaun had another morning of exercise at the park today and was really not looking forward to it at all. He went Tuesday and did a lot of running and exercising and is very sore, so it's a little soon to be doing more on sore muscles but maybe he'll make it. He should have been doing this all along and now I think the recruiter is starting to get concerned. Aug. 22 is less than 10 weeks away.

Judd's brother and SIL and their two girls are in town for a week or so, staying at inlaws'. We're going to a Rangers game with them tomorrow night and I'm a little ticked at Judd because he bought $50 tickets but oh well. At least they're very good seats. The bro/SIL are in transition from Virginia Beach to Colorado Springs. He's a career Naval officer and is being relocated.

I suppose I should get started on some work. I have to work tomorrow ... supposed to be an off-day but here I am back into the routine of working weekends again!

I hope everybody's having a good day.

Kathy, you will be walking again, I just know it. You do so much and are so determined. The wands are cute, but you gotta stop looking for extra things to do. Take that time for you!

Frouf, when I went on BP meds, I was relieved. I was kidding myself that there was a problem. I also come from lousy genes, and I figure I've go to do what I've got to do. It helps to motivate me for my weight too. It's one less thing to worry about. Thanks for the Jamaica info. Iberostar is opening there as well. We'll have to see if Ottawa gets direct flights. Wow, two cruises, LUCKY!

Paula, enjoy those berries. Our strawberries are starting soon, and blueberry season is early August. I guess you have a big freezer. I was a fool and gave mine away years ago. Now, I would love to have one.

Vickie, hope you are back to normal. We take Natan to the air show on Saturday and it is suppose to be quite warm. It will be a bit tiring, but fun. On Sunday, we're going to Alexandria Bay New York for the day. I always love going there, it is so quaint. The guys (Bernie and Adam) will have a lobster dinner there, I'm not sure what I will eat.

Okay, better get going to see what needs to be done.

Later,

Good morning girls

Kate: the wands look very nice: please tell me they have special powers, like for example they make all the laundry and ironing by magic, and I'll personally go pick one up for myself

Frouf: my husband and I love taking cruises as well, we were thinking about making the Baltic next year. What's your favorite line? In the past I've booked with www.mycruise.com with very good results (and a lot cheaper than what the rest of the family paid booking through a mexican agency!!): we are both from a tightly knitted family, and it's the best alternative when the whole family goes on vacation. I'm sure you'll have a great time...

My mother in law uses this little gadget to cut pills in halfs or quarters: they sell it at most pharmacys, quite cheap: would it help dealing with the small pills? As a matter of fact, she also takes medicine for high blood pressure and is doing great, so don't worry, I'm sure it will work out great for you too.

Sandra: I'll take a couple of pictures from the garden and share them with you (hopefully I'll know how to upload them...)

yesterday I made a mango sorbet: just cut and froze the mangoes and then made a very concentrated "lemonade" with sugar substitute, put the frozen mango pieces in the food processor and added enough lemonade to desired consistency: it was yummy (I love sorbets), and I guess it would work out with a lot of other fruits as well, specially berries...

Also I remembered that my mom used to make this frozen banana dessert when we were kids (she actually had to stop making them as most of my older brothers friends loved them so that all the teaspoons dissapeared, there literally missplaced all of them!!): she would take the ripe bananas (of course as soon as my father realized that he made sure he always bought a considerable extra ammount of bananas to overripe...) and blend them with condensed milk (is there such a thing as ff/sf condensed milk? I'm guessing using ff evaporated milk and sugar substitute might work also) and vanilla, pour the mix in individual tupperware containers (with lids) and freeze them: very easy...

I have to go to like four banks, see you later....

Maggie

Maggie, you have wonderful "fruit" ideas, I look forward to trying them.

I agree those cool fruity things sound great for summer! A baltic cruise would be great!...and I am hoping to do a european/med cruise in the next few years! I will try that site you mentioned (I have found very cheap prices on www.7blueseas.com).

Saundra - direct flights from Ottawa? are you kidding? Just cuz we're the CAPITAL OF CANADA what makes you think we would actually have decent air service? (have you been out too much in the lovely ottawa sunshine? ). Speaking of which sounds like we are definitely and finally warming up here.

Dh also takes little ds to the air show and they are really looking forward to it (got little ds one of those little folding chairs w/a 'Cars' character on it so he can use it throughout the day!). I on the other hand will be having a lovely day on my own - first at nail place for a manicure, then hairdresser appt in the pm to get rid of the ugly gray roots!

As for the pill - I think I am still a bit freaked out - now I have a headache which I have had all morning (asked dr what symptoms of high bp were and she said headaches - so go figure!). Will take something for it - will also investigate those pill cutter things (yes I did 'wreck' a few pills as I tried to slice them evenly!).

Now here's the situation - my gf whom I have know for many many years (since childhood days in Montreal) is a travel agent now. We were very close when I first moved to Ottawa (she was already living here) but since my divorce/split from ex we have not been as close (and an ex-best friend of hers moved her as well so she had a 'replacement' I guess?).

Anyhow we are still friends - she belongs to same women's group, we invite each other to kids events (bar/batmitzvahs), go to the same hairdresser and she rides the bus to work every day with my ex!

When I travel, and if possible, I usually get her to 'book' the holidays, cruises, etc - I am pretty sure she gets a commission and for our past 2 cruises she has always sent a bottle of wine to our cabin. Now here is the problem - she is a bit catty and jealous and I am wondering what to do about it? She knows my dh is basically 'unemployed' and works intermittently (her dh was in the same situation a few years ago) and to my face she says nothing, but to my EX on the bus she has several times mentioned how flabbergasted and surprised she is that I am still able to travel!

I find this slightly upsetting - she obviously has no intimate knowledge of my finances and maybe she's right? and I should be saving every penny I have? But frankly I don't live like that? (at least not all the time). I could just as easily find someone else to price and book my cruises or do it over the internet as many others do? I find it hard to understand why she is so bitter? and why she is making any comments to anyone at all let alone my ex!

Would love to hear your opinions on how to treat this? (I had already sent off an email to her asking about specific cruise pricing before finding out about this latest 'gossip' from my ex!).

Frouf

Ha Ha, Sunquest is flying out of Ottawa to Jamaica on Sundays. It definitely makes the Riu a posibility. I don't know if it stops in Toronto first, but at least there is no hotels to worry about in Toronto.

As for your "friend", personally, I wouldn't say anything, but book your trips through someone else. That's just my nature, I LOVE nice, but when you're not, look out! Your finances are none of her business!

The direct flight is just cuz it's a charter I guess? We of course flew direct to Jamaica when we booked the RIU thru Sunquest! ...and most of the winter charters will fly direct. I am looking at flights for cruises now and of course absolutely nothing direct to Miami or Ft. Lauderdale from Ottawa (there are a few from Montreal - but again it means getting there and in some cases overnighting to catch an early morning flight!).

Maggie - I tried the site you recommended - but it just opens up a page listing several OTHER sites? Which one do you use?

Had lunch - still have bad headache so I shall take something now!

Frouf

i'm behind reading and am exhausted for some reason right now so i won't catch up till later. i hope you're all having a good day. i'm off to lie on the couch. i'm not sick or hurting. i'm just tired.

well, i'm catching up on reading now. still don't have a lot of energy, though. curtis is tired, too. don't know what's up with us.

saundra, i did read the book. i liked both the book and the movie. i don't know what a good critic i'd be. it did hold my interest. i'm a big tom hanks/ron howard fan and like most everything they do.

maggie, did you find your coffee? the lady fixing my hair lost hers today just a few minutes after she poured it. must be something going around. we had 2 hummingbirds today!!!!!!

frouf, again i'll have to do my cruising through your writings. hmmmmmmmmmm. you love to travel. you're an outstanding writer. did you ever think of writing for travel magazines? i met a lady on a plan to hawaii one time who did that. she was on her way to cruise the isles and write about the venture.

vickie, i'll bet you're more tired than i am. lol you're right. we're too old for young ones' energy. they have it all and we have almost none.

kathy, the wands are precious. i didn't realize it was almost time for shaun to leave. i'll bet he's getting excited.

paula, you're picking up parents and berries today. sounds like fun.

i just learned a future relative is also a weight watcher. life is good.

I'm home a little early; absolutely exhausted and sweating my brains out. Lovely thought, huh?

I went to Home Depot after work and got two more big pots, hibiscuseseses, and dirt. I just planted them and put them by the front door, and the pots and flowers that were previously going there are now slated for the back patio. We might be having everyone over on Sunday for Father's Day, and everyone would include BIL/SIL and their two girls, MIL/FIL, and SIL's parents. We have to scurry about and get things presentable if it's going to happen, so I think I'll go ahead and schedule carpet cleaning for Saturday. We will either grill here, or just meet here and then go to dinner, and come back here. We're halfway between Fort Worth (where inlaws are) and SIL's parents, who are in Dallas. Like anyone cares, huh? Another ...

Soooo anyway, tonight is game 4 of Mavs. Sandra, I hope you're rested up and able to watch by then! Judd and Jon will be going to the bar (although Judd is only a tea-drinker these days) to watch it. Tomorrow night is the Rangers game, Saturday I'll clean and plan all day, and then Sunday is Sunday. Shaun doesn't have a dad ... well, technically he does, but he's in federal prison in (I think) West Virginia. They move him around the country from time to time so I'm not quite sure where he is right now. Anyway, Father's Day is a little tough for him. I always said it would be better for his dad to be deceased than be a bank robber and in prison! I really feel bad for him (Shaun, not his dad) for it. Hopefully he'll join in our reindeer games on Sunday and not stay sequestered upstairs alone.

Frouf, your travels sound quite exciting and I hope you are able to do both cruises! After we get back from Colorado, we'll be planning our vacation to either Mexico or something local, I suppose depending on how much money we have left. It's my turn to take a "girl" trip, so I should volunteer myself to go on cruise with you but I could only do it out of Galveston. Also, you probably don't like my crappy choices for cabins! Last cruise we went on, I spent probably a total of 4 hours in the cabin over the four days (okay, maybe not but I swear it wasn't much!) -- I stayed in casino until they closed, wandered around, slept a little, got up early to watch the sun, and just generally chilled out most of the time. I napped on the deck while either laying by the pool or in the sun. Anyway, it's something fun to think about but I'm sure it would take a miracle to pull off. Oh and I have to save money also for my trip to Chicago when Shaun graduates from basic training, at which time Vickie and Jim and I and (hopefully) Judd will be hitting Vickie's favorite Core restaurants!

Okay, I have written a book but good news is that I think I'm starting to cool off. Now I have to go make the pink wands. Oh and I took the purple ones to work today and the girl is thrilled with them. She gave me $20 and a nice card! I told her NOOOO but she has insisted, and then slipped this into my tote bag while I wasn't looking. I found it on my way home from work.

Be back in a while!

Sandra, glad you liked the movie. I agree, the combo of Tom Hanks and Ron Howard, you can't go wrong. We watched American Grafitti the other night and still enjoy it.

Kathy, I actually do like hearing about where you are. It's cool to pin point your area. Texas is so big, and I'm familiar with the large cities. We should have a big map of North America and put pin points for all of us.

Okay, time to see what's for dinner,

Hi everyone, went for my weigh in this morning and lost .4 was hoping for more but I will take it any way. TOM soon so hopefully next week more will come off. My problem is I need to exercise more. So total loss for 4 weeks is 10lbs, I even got my 5lb star today. I am going to get dd to bed and I will catch up on posts.

kathy, i'm intrested in all the logistics. i love reading about you and your family. and i love reading about the metroplex. makes me feel at home. i am amazed at your planting hibiscuses. i never could get them to live down there. did i tell you i planted honeysuckle here? i gave curtis a couple for father's day 2 years ago. it was odd buying plants. down in tx you could always get "starts" from friends--and they'd grow "wild." i paid almost $25 for one and $15 for the other up here, but they are well worth the $$. they are gorgeous. the hummers and bumblebees love them, too. but back to hibiscuses--i love them they remind me of islands. i'll bet your place looks very festive.

nikki, congratulations. i'm going to wi tomorrow to start over. i am very proud of you.

Hi friends. I'm SO sorry that I've not been around. I haven't been home very long, tonight was my night at the food bank. We just ate and now I really need to do some stuff around the house. I hope that I can catch up tomorrow, I shouldn't be very busy at work. I love ya'll though!

we love you, too, melissa. just come here when you can. (but know we miss you when you're away.)