Morning all,
Get a quick post in before the daily grind begins. Dog will go home sometime today for the weekend. DS2's nightshift finished last night. He'll be pleased about that. What else is going on? Um
Today I am going back down to the Gold Coast to see my brother who had a fall and is a bit bashed about. He also had a CT scan on his head to try to determine cause of headaches he is getting. Nothing like beating himself up and then getting an ambulance to cart him off to hospital and getting a specialist to check his brain all on the same day.
Tomatoes still pouring out of the garden. I've made pizza sauce and passata with the red ones - although there is still a bowl full left and more coming each day. So I am starting to pick the green ones and will make them into pickles etc. The lettuces are huge, and I am picking only a few leaves each day to make my salads etc.
We did have a sprinkling of rain last night - not enough to break the drought or anything, but something is better than nothing. Maybe some more to come next week, but the long range forecast is for nothing significant until the new year. Ahhh well, just have to conserve more water to keep the garden going. Bath with a friend maybe??

Susie - sounds like this job is going to be just as busy as the last one. Hope it all settles down for you. When I was training people on computer programs (SAP mostly) I found that for the normal adult trainee it took something like 7 times in a row to get the hang of it. Somehow a lightbulb went on at the 7th attempt and they were fine after that. Maybe you could save up all your invoices and try the theory.
DS2's split started off amicably but is no longer in that state. She has annoyed him enough that he is now digging his heels in and is currently on a go slow. Since she expects him to do all the work and research and pay for most of it, what does she expect from nagging him now?

Happy - the country is in uproar here due to the fact that our number 1 idiot has pledged your number 1 idiot $150M to go to the moon. Now I would endorse this if the 2 No.1 idiots got on the space ship at the same time and didn't come back.
Hope DH's pictures come out well. Sounds like you might be getting some use out of the ATV again. Tomatoes do extremely well here over the autumn/ winter/ spring period but the bugs are starting to come back for the summer now and I found a caterpillar on the lemon tree yesterday so back to spraying for bugs. I want this crop of lemons and limes this year and not have the trees eaten away by caterpillar moths and grasshoppers. Shame your garden didn't turn out as well as hoped. Maybe starting them early in a greenhouse might help. Your growing season is so short.

Ceejay - glad to hear the vision is getting so much better. I feel for you on the aches and pains since I have osteo-arthritis in the L2 and L3 and sometimes it hurts. I also have problems with ankles and feet. Getting old sure aint for sissies. Your pictures of the family babies was so cute.

Laura - typing over my head. Your post came in just as I was about to push the post button. I can reuse the laundry grey water in the flower garden which is good and sometimes I will put a bucket in the shower and it gets about half full and that can go in the vege patch. I've used bowls to do small loads of washing up - when it won't fill the dishwasher , washing hands, cleaning teeth etc and that all helps but there really is nothing like a good dose of rain and storms to get the garden looking really alive.
Sanders are quite easy to use, but hard on the arms at times and yes you do need to sand and prime before adding a new colour to the walls. There are always lumps, bumps, dents, etc in any wall you look at. It's the preparation that takes the time and is boring and completely necessary. I generally use an 80grit sandpaper for old walls to start, then go over that again after wiping it down and filling in holes with a 120 grit which is much finer and leaves a nice smooth surface. Of course if you are aiming for perfection try a 160 or 180 grit after that. I don't do perfection too well.

Annie - sorry to hear of all the sickness around you. Tell C not to forget taking his medicine. He will feel much better for it. Men are sometimes so stupid about taking medicine - nothing wrong with me that a beer won't fix Hope the sil gets better soon. Great to hear your heart check came out fine. What ever you are doing for that, keep on doing it.

Okay, well I better get cracking if I am to get to the Gold Coast this morning, see my brother and navigate my way to the Orchid Den to get some potting mix and some more pots. Such is life. I have the great nieces on Monday and Tuesday next week. We will do some baking, some digging and planting, some art works and who knows what else.

Have a good day all of you.

Good Morning All…Laura….hope the foot surgery goes well. I will put Nov 6 on my calendar for prayers that day. Not that I don’t pray for all everyday. Hope momma has a very nice birthday. 86 is a lot of years. Momma made it to 80, Dad 85 10 days shy of 86th. SHADDIE…sorry to hear about DS2 and SO. That is tough on everyone to go through. Even you, altho you may not think so. C is, so far, taking all meds accordingly and on time. His sugar was 159 this morning. Doc would like it between 80-130 somewhere. Time will tell. He has his first Diabetes Doc appt next week on 10/2. He has to take all his readings with him. Cindy, my SIL, did not look so great at hospital last night. My heart breaks for her. She looks tired and worn out. They were also giving her iron IV. Everyday it seems like something new. She does have a little bit of fluid in the one lung again. Doc is going to address that today.

Not much going on this weekend. Just taking care of sick people I suppose.

BIG NEWS…4 years sober this past week on Sept 24th. I get my token at meeting tomorrow. That went fast and doesn’t seem like 4 years. I truly don’t crave or miss that evil stuff at all.

Have a great weekend All….

Happy Friday/Saturday everyone. Turns out I’m not alone today – the #2 is here. In spite of being supplied with two computer monitors, neither boss nor #2 have tried to use less paper at all. And #2 is always running back and forth to the copy machine/printers. I wouldn’t care except she sits next to me and is passing behind me every time and it’s kind of distracting. The admin and I look forward to the day when #2's growing stacks of paper tumble.


Annie – Sorry to hear about C’s diagnosis with diabetes, but at least it was diagnosed and he’s getting treatment now. I know you do a paleo kind of diet for yourself…how will C’s diet change? Sending healing thoughts for your SIL. Yay for your good heart check. And BIG congrats for your 4 years of sobriety!!!


Shad – I like the bath with a friend idea. Very resourceful. Thanks for the grit recommendations for wall sanding. All I really know is that you start with courser and go to finer, so the numbers help me. Well, a long as your Aus numbers jive with the US numbers, LOL.

Hellos to Ceejay, Happy and Susie!

===

Wellness evaluation time at work. My labs came back after yesterday’s blood draw. Three things are out of range – cholesterol (201), LDL cholesterol (111) and hemoglobin a1c (5.8). I’d say they are slightly out of range as opposed to wildly out of range, but still…my eating and exercise could be much better.

I have to schedule a physical to get clearance for my foot surgery, so I’ll phone to make that appointment today.

Having lunch with a friend today. It started off sunny today, but now the sky has gotten overcast. Hope the rain holds off until I'm back from lunch!


That’s about it for me. Have a good weekend everyone.

Fluid in Cindy's lung is now pneumonia. Inserting a tube for drainage. Remaining kidney not functioning well.

Annie
Sorry to hear about your sil's health problems as well as C's health problems. Glad your heart health check was good.

Laura
Yes, I'm getting more used to not having to wear my glasses except for fine print. Sometimes it feels as though I need to push them back up on my nose.

Shad
Hope your brother gets good results form his CT scan.

Hello's to Susie and Happy

Not much going on in my neck of the woods. I'm back on my food plan and lost 1.5 pounds at weigh in this morning. Still haven't made it to a 10 pound loss, sigh, maybe next week. Decided to divorce all the problems that were bothering me. And I feel better. Nephew is still in rehab and I'm still taking bil to and appointments but I can handle that. If nephew comes home and lives with me then I'm going to live with my sis in Branson until until he can find a place to stay. I feel like he's being enable to much by giving him all the comforts of home away from home. I don't want to do that.
Making plans to go visit with my bff in Arkansas in October when it is not as hot. I need a break.
Need to get out and finish the weed eating this afternoon but first I need to go to the grocery store.

Hello everyone it's Saturday morning and I am cleaning house when my husband is actually at work this morning I'm a bit slow about it I think it's because it involves dusting and I just don't feel like it but it needs then it's been 3 weeks and I could plant potatoes! lol!

I don't have a lot of time but I did want to let Annir know that I saw her posts and I'm praying for Curtis and for her sister-in-law. It sounds like they both have a lot going on. I also want to congratulate Annie for the for 4 yrs of sobriety! Way to go girl.

I'm going to get this dusting done. I plan to come back later.

Good morning all,


Hard to believe we are starting the 4th quarter of the year already. I should set up a new thread but we have slowed down in our posts - not sure we need to do another and right now I don't have the time for it anyway. I spent last week in a flurry of activity trying to get ready for our weekend trip. Never seem to get everything done that I plan on and there is always the expected wrench in the works to gum up the plans anyway. I also officially submitted my resignation from activities at the Humane Society and in between thingsstarted to put together a list of all the things I do so we can hand them off to some other lucky individuals.


We did finally get out - had a truck full of stuff even though I carefully planned what we were taking and only the things I thought we needed. LOL Still too much. We never did get to put together the puzzle I brought or read the books or do the coloring I had in the activity bag. All that fresh air tired me out early and DH is an early to bed guy anyway. It is unfortunate that Shad is in bad drought conditions and we just cannot get an end to this infernal rain we get most every day. And hard downpours too - not just a light sprinkle. Still, I'd rather we have the rain than the drought. Friday started out rainy but by the time we left in the late afternoon, the weather had cleared. We checked into the cabin and had dinner at the complex. I had the baked fish - was ok but nothing spectacular, DH got the bbq ribs which were very tender but they have a smoker so I was not able to eat any of his other than one small bite. Afterwards we went for a drive. The color was almost non existent - disappointing but oddly this year the color is very spotty. We paid extra for a cabin off by ourselves on the lake. We were supposed to have a rowboat - we did not. The lake was high and the dock rickety so when you walked on it, the water sloshed up along the slats so not good. There were people renting one of the cottages that was above us but out of view. They had a little yappy dog that constantly barked and barked and barked so it was annoying to sit outside. You can bring in dogs but they are supposed to be well behaved. Constant barking is not well behaved in my book. The sound on the TV did not work and they had some sort of weird cable service like Roku so you could not get the regular tv stations - all I really cared about was weather and news which I got from my phone. We both went to sleep fairly early (for me at least). I woke up around 2am to some banging that at first disturbed me. I thought someone was lurking about the cabin. Then I realized the wall heater just on the other side of the wall from me was starting to make more and more banging noises. I fell back asleep and woke up at 3am to more noise. It was really popping at 4am and I realized I had been all crunched up trying to get comfortable on a very narrow twin bed. At 5am I woke up again and this time the heater was really loud. It woke up DH who jumped out of bed and went to look for the flashlight and pistol. I told him no one was breaking in (that's what he thought) and it was the heater. We both went back to sleep until 7am. We had to turn the heater off completely as it was so noisy. Fortunately they have a small fireplace heater which warmed things up enough for us though the bathroom and bedrooms were cold. They were originally talking about frost warnings over the weekend but thankfully it didn't get that cold. Saturday was a gorgeous autumn day. We got up, went to breakfast at the restaurant - it was really good. We decided to go back to our house (30 minutes away) to check on the cats and pick up some stuff we forgot to bring. OMG - Bimmy gave me the look of death when we walked in. She has never been completely left alone before since we got her and she was NOT HAPPY. Would not come to me and had that look they give you when you take them to the vet and they get shots or dental cleanings or a butt reaming I was concerned, DH said "they will get over it". Nina was happy to have treats and see her Daddy. We got our stuff and I reluctantly left Bimmy. We went for a long drive, found some ATV trails that were really nice looking - we will go back there again once the color start popping in another 10 days or so. Stopped at a nearby casino and spent about an hour there. Came back to the cabin, DH built a huge fire and we roasted hot dogs for supper. I loved it. Then we got marshmallows and roasted them too - I can't remember the last time I had roasted marshmallows - I love them even though I don't like eating them out of the bag. I loved sitting by the fire with DH, he took some pictures of the glowing embers and we imagined things in the fire like you do with cloud formations. I didn't even mind the yapping dog up the hill. It was a really nice evening - I realized sadly that it had been many years since we had some nice time together with just us. I knew I did the right thing by giving up the volunteering... We came in around 8:30, I cleaned dishes and put away the food and DH took a shower. We read for a little while and both went to bed early. We left the heater off and I told DH I could not sleep in that awful twin bed again so went and slept on the full size bed in the other room where I was not as crunched up. My back was really hurting and it made my legs and knees hurt also. I feel like I undid all the good I had done in therapy and with the chiropractor. We got up on Sunday and went to breakfast. It was supposed to be a very rainy day with heavy storms moving in overnight. I told DH I didn't see a reason to stay another night paying $250 to listen to a yappy dog, sleep in uncomfortable beds and have a busted heater. He agreed. So we packed up all our stuff and checked out around 2pm. We had planned on going to a casino in Minnesota - a big one and there was a place DH wanted to photograph along the way. We also knew the kitties would be happy if we came home early. The drive to the casino was nice - as soon as we crossed the state border - the trees were in colorful glory. The casino was huge - reminded me of Las Vegas. We played for quite a while and then decided to hang around until 5pm as they had a really nice steak house. I got scallops in a cream sauce that was amazing, DH got a steak and shrimp which was delicious. We both agreed this would be a good place to spend a night for special occasions. We stayed a little longer after dinner and played - I am always nervous about travelling long distances after I eat. It was about a 90 minute ride home. Just as we were about to leave, DH hit a jackpot on a machine and made almost $400. We drove home and I was a bit nervous because it's dark and winding roads and we saw at least 15 deer along the road at various points feeding. I asked them to stay in the grass and not hop out in front of us! One errant suicidal raccoon did run out but DH was able to avoid hitting it. The dangers of driving out here at night. I was glad we came home early and were able to unpack the car Sunday night because Monday morning it was pouring rain like the dickens! I had an art class to get to which was a lot of fun if not messy with the technique. The teacher is so good with beginners. The kitties seemed to know we were home for good too so no death ray looks It was really a nice weekend - need to do that lots more. Now I have a huge mess to unpack and put away and work on getting those apples processed!


Annie - I am very sorry to hear of your SIL's medical troubles. Prayers that her remaining kidney will not fail and she can overcome this pneumonia. ♥ Also hope the C does what he needs to and takes the diabetes seriously - stress makes it so much worse, trust me. We have a volunteer at the thrift shop who is not taking care of herself and has diabetes and she is digging her own grave - it's sad. It does require a huge commitment to a life style change and insulin can be frightfully expensive. Although it looks like they are trying to get his sugars in line with Metformin right now - just has to give up the carby stuff. Is he working now as a driver's assistant now that he sold his route? I pray for you too for the strength to get through this ordeal and be a good caregiver which I know you are. Maybe worry a bit less as you don't need the stress either


Shad - so much going on in your life. You still are a whirlwind of activity - the trooper that you always have been. OMG with all the scandal of our current idiot, I had not heard about the donation to the space program I see he asked your guy to investigate our own government - anything to deflect his current wows. Two idiots indeed. Oooh you have a lemon and lime trees - I always thought that would be wonderful. Glad you have a bumper crop of tomatoes but yes, you can run out of ways to use them up. I will try to send some of our rain over too you. It was nice to see the sunshine on Saturday - getting to be a rarity here and gets the spirits down after a while. Sorry to hear about the brother also - hope there is nothing seriously wrong with him. Sounds like you don't suffer for a lack of things demanding your attention!


Susie - laughed about your potato planting comment I know what you mean. It just seems to appear out of nowhere and keep coming back! Glad you are settling into the job, I trust with your strong work ethic you will always find more to do than is in your job description. Glad you are making time for you and for exercise.


Ceejay - I think you are smart to step away from the stress - doesn't help with weight loss either. Sounds like the nephew has to deal with a bit of discomfort to help get him on the right path again. Hope he can. Enjoy those little babies - such sweet ones!! And stick with your diet plan - you won't regret it.


Laura - OMG - it's so HOT down by you. I can't believe how warm the weather is. And it's OCTOBER!! Sorry to hear of the health woes - guess it's time to get the numbers back in line. I talked to my childhood best friend last week. She said she is taking Garlique for her cholesteral and it seems to be helping. Must be good -they are out of stock online at Walgreens and that stuff isn't cheap but I will give it a try. Glad you got your foot surgery scheduled. Nerve wracking but good to get it done. Do whatever you have to in order to make sure you are not stressing the foot after surgery. Pity the boss does not trust you to get your work done.


Ok, I need to get cleaned up for the chiropractor - was not going to shower but I am chilled so maybe a fast jump in the shower. Good to see everyone checking in.

Happy
I know what you mean by a yappy dog. Every one in a awhile you will hear one at the condo. Glad that you and DH had a nice week end.
Good for you in tuning in your resignation.
Susie
When you are finished cleaning at your house come and clean mine, please.
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My sis told me that nephew may come home as early as Friday and wants to stay with me. I'm not staying here if he does. I'll be going to Branson. I hate to be that way but I do not want to be living with him and be caught between her and him. If she doesn't get him on a second ring then she calls me. Not dealing with that this time.
Every one have a good day.

Ceejay - I think it's smart of you to draw the line and keep your distance with the nephew. Especially since now you have experience and know you will be caught in the crossfire and that gives you great stress. Perhaps you tell the nephew no - he cannot stay with you. Time to put on big boy pants, swallow hard and live a responsible life - you will not be an enabler. It's hard but necessary when you are dealing with addictive behavior. Sometimes they have to hit rock bottom before they can climb up again. I remember when I was waffling about quitting smoking. DH said it is something each person has to make up their mind to do for themselves and he was very right.

I feel terrible - I don't much pay attention to dates any more - I'm lucky I remember the day of the week. And my sister's birthday is tomorrow and I totally lost track of it. Now her cards will be late. I figured I might as well send out my Mom's birthday cards (at the end of the month) early too because that's right after I have my teeth done and I'm not sure how I will be feeling. She will love getting her cards early anyway - she doesn't get as many as she would like.

Oh and Annie - on your 4 year pin. That is a wonderful accomplishment maintaining your sobriety. Very proud of you girl - heaven knows there are stressors and excuses but you persevered.

Afternoon all.

Happy – Yes, it’s been very warm here the past couple days. But I’ve been trying to appreciate it, given the approaching fall and winter. So I made a point to get outside at lunchtime in spite of the hot & humid air. As usual, I did appreciate the AC at home and in the office! Today – totally different. Temps are dropping and it’s rainy. So maybe we’ve had our last hurrah with summer-like weather. Sounds like your weekend away was a mixed bag, but overall a nice change of pace for you and DH. I hope you get to go somewhere nice again to check out the fall color and do all sorts of other stuff you’ve been too busy to do up ‘til now. Your art class sounds fun! How are the apples going? I’m not too worried about my recent lab results and won’t start any new supplements, but I will focus on my eating.


Annie – More healing thoughts going out to your SIL. How are S and the boys doing?


Ceejay – Smart to stay out of the middle of your nephew and his wife’s problems – save your sanity! Have you scheduled your trip to Arkansas yet?


Susie – LOL, you could plant potatoes! I can only imagine what bf and I could plant in the dust bunnies that sometimes gather along our baseboards, LOL. I think it would be nice to have a cleaning person come in every few weeks, but then I think about the preparations to do that…we don’t have all that much clutter or anything, but still, I think I’d want to make it as easy as possible for the cleaner to do a good job. Surfaces would have to be cleared…

Hi Shad. Keeping out of trouble? How about doggie?


Nothing much to report on my end. I’ve now gone 12 months without a period, so I guess I’m post-menopausal now? No horrible lingering side effects, though I seem to feel warmer now than in the past. Another thing - just general aging – is that my hair must have a lot of gray now because the texture is quite a bit different than a couple years ago. Bleh.

I brought the sander up from the basement a few days ago and looked through the storage case last night. It looks like we have a bunch of different grit sandpapers for it. We have the user guide that tells you all the different things you can do with it – sand, polish, scrub - but not the instruction manual. I’ll have to go online for it.

I was woken up last night just after 2 am to a horrible loud noise that the AC unit was making outside our bedroom window. It stopped after a short time, and the AC seemed to kick in with no problem after that. I’m thinking some type of debris - like a tree twig - got through the grate of the unit and was caught up in the fan blades. We have our HVAC people coming on Monday for the fall checkup, so we’ll have it all checked out at that time.

I left a message with the orthopedic dr’s assistant. They sent out the surgical packet, but it’s kind of half-arsed, so I had a list of questions about it. I also have to get back to HR to get the paperwork going for the short-term disability.

Aside from the stress fracture, it feels like my plantar fasciitis wants to flare up again in that foot. Sigh. And it also seems the bunion in that (same) foot is worsening. Or maybe I'm just paying more attention to it because my mother is having a problem with that lately, but she won't spend money to buy good shoes for herself. Either way, I’m going to be extra mindful of the shoes I wear, and try to remember to use my YogaToes each night before bed (to stretch out my toes). I feel like I need to get a new pair of custom orthotics, but I won’t bother with that until after the surgery.

That’s all the unexciting news I have for now, so I’ll post. TTFN.

Morning all,
Not much news from this side of the pond either but I'm here and reading so may as well post. I've had the two great nieces here for two days of their school holidays while their Nana was away and their Mum was working. We had fun with repotting orchids and picking tomatoes and watering the garden, art stuff, cooking, swimming, and going to the Strawberry farm. They must have enjoyed themselves since my niece has said they haven't stopped talking about it yet and invited me for dinner on Saturday night as a thank you.

DS2 is coming to the States for a visit in November. A friend is a director/ ambassador for Ronald McDonald house and they have a get together from across the world every couple of years. This year it is in Chicago. They are allowed to bring another person with them provided the other person pays his/ her own airfares. So from the 14th to 27th November DS2 will be in Chicago for a week and then to New York for a few days before they fly home. I've been talking to him about the things I saw in Chicago when I was there with Happy and her DH. He will have his days free more or less and has planned Navy Pier and a few other places so far. This may cheer him up a bit from his slump over the break in the 8 year relationship although I think he is basically over the split now. It's just the legal things that are annoying him. He wants to get on with his life. I have the job of looking after the dog while they are away.

Happy - we the population of this country are not happy with our no.1 idiot. We don't like the fact that he has given or is about to give your no.1 idiot $150M over three years to help with getting the space thing back to the moon. Haven't we already gone there?? We have farmers and agriculturalists who are doing it extremely tough due to the drought, dead animals, towns running out of water, no feed, etc. He promised help but so far that has not arrived and it has been left up to the rest of us to rally round and try to help these people, sometimes at great expense to ourselves. Also he has apparently agreed to help supply some details to your no.1 idiot about contacts over the Russian/ Ukrainian thing. The journalists are baying heavily and we are not amused unfortunately it will probably all pass on because the opposition is as gutless as his mob are.
Good to read about the trip away, but it is so annoying when things just don't work in rented places and the weather doesn't co-operate. Cats are strange creatures. They certainly have a will of their own.

Susie - Happy housework

Annie - glad to hear that C is doing okay. It takes a while for the levels to stabilise and as long as he keeps at it, he will eventually get there. Just a shame he had to get this in the first place. Also hope SIL is doing better with her pneumonia and kidney. Poor thing.
Congratulations on the 4 years up, well done and well earned considering what you have had to put up with in the past.

Laura - hope you can correct the bad readings from the wellness test. If your walls are not in bad shape, don't go with the coarser grits. You will only make more work for yourself. Most of the walls I am doing now will be sanded starting at 120 and going to 160 then wash, dry, paint. Done!!!!

Ceejay - glad that the eyes are getting better. A good news story for you. I'd be inclined to ditch the nephew too. You are not his mother and he has to learn to fend for himself. Not because we can't give a helping hand from time to time but because we care enough for tough love. Just make sure you have all of your precious stuff locked away if he is going to be on his own. As for the wife, tell her you are not his keeper and you will block her calls if she continues to ring her. She seems to have problems too, but then she has been left holding the baby - literally.

The garden has been bountiful. The potatoes are looking good and there is corn ready now - won't be long before the tomatoes get ripped out and the lettuces resemble small trees. I will be digging over and fertilising one garden bed next week and I'll try for one more crop of broccoli or cauliflower before it gets put to bed for the summer. The beans are doing their best and I have had a couple of feeds off them but the garlic didn't seem to work even if the shallots and onions did. Nearly the end of the growing season, although it has been getting really warm over here and the bugs are starting to arrive, Darn things.

Right I am off, got some things to do and a Probus meeting this afternoon to discuss the mens' section of the club and what they need to do. Men find it impossible to organise themselves over there. They are either raging dictators or of the opinion that 'someone should do something' - yes you should!

Good morning ladies,


Spent the day wrestling with the Amazon credit card people. DH who is a secondary contact on my account got an email about a possible fraudulent $300 charge to my card from the AT&T (cell phone company) online store. I logged into my credit card account online and low and behold there was a $121 fraud charge on Sunday, 2 more $55 charges on Monday and then they got bolder and tried for bigger charges on Tuesday. I called the number on the back of my card - they are making them SO DIFFICULT to read now. Got a person who barely spoke English and clearly did not understand English common words as I was trying to give her my email address and she kept getting it wrong. After the 4th slip I asked her to PLEASE give me someone who can speak and understand ENGLISH. After a brief pause I got a much more helpful person but after much dancing around and 20 minutes, she said this was the Amazon rewards number, not the bank number. I found the number on the back of the card - NOT in plain sight and finally got the fraud department. This person spoke English and knew what she was doing. They kept wanting to validate by email address and that had somehow gotten switched so the address I gave them did not work. WHY CAN'T YOU JUST TAKE MY CREDIT CARD NUMBER???????? Anyway they cancelled the old card, removed the fraud charges and now I wait for a new card in the mail. This is the second time we have had a compromised card in 3 months. This is the card I use all the time and am most careful about where I use it. I did use it at a street fair last month and one day DH forgot his wallet getting gasoline so I gave him my card to use at the pump. I am thinking the gas pumps might just have been scammed with one of those readers on it. Or it was the lady I bought jam from at the street fair. She first told me it was $40 and then charged me $42. When I emailed her about the different, she charged me $40 which I thought corrected it. Only to find when I checked my account that she did not issue a credit for the original charge of $42 and rang it under another account. NO JAM or Jelly is worth $82. So I disputed that last week. I have bought preserves from this person before the last 2 years at the street fair although it was not the person I remember working the booth but the name of the preserves was the same. I usually try and pay cash when I go to fairs like this but I was running low on cash - lesson learned.


Speaking of fairs this weekend is the last big hurrah of the season - Apple Fest and Cranberry Fest. Friday is supposed to be nice but Saturday is supposed to ... you got it... rain like nobody's business again. Might be better to avoid the crowds. I never go to Apple Fest because a crowd of 200,000 decends upon a town with a population of 1500 and it's a big mess to navigate. We usually go up to the apple orchards before or after but this year we went early and I have enough apples. Cranberry Fest is the opposite direction in another town. Again a huge thing but the vendor booths are zig zagged around the down so it's a bit easier to move around although a long walk at that moving uphill. My cortisone shot did not last very long, either that or the bad beds at the cabin messed me back up again so I am not up to walking long distances so will skip the fairs. Don't need any more craft items or food items. The autumn colors are bursting though, I told DH we need to get out for a couple of drives. I see so many landscapes that would be lovely watercolor paintings. I have to do bingo tonight and while I have started to skip it because of personal plans (like I skipped last week), I am starting to grow weary of the regular commitment and honestly would rather give it up altogether. For now I will give them 2 weeks a month and will see if I can gradually wiggle out of it now that they will be forced to find someone to fill in for me on the weeks I can't be there.


Laura - I did want to thank you for mentioning the yoga toes. I need something to stretch my toes too - been doing in manually in the hot tub but it's difficult to reach my feet and hold a stretch so the toes will be perfect. Ordered a pair from Amazon - but realized that by changing credit cards, my rewards points are in suspension too right now I think you would be wise to write all your surgical questions down and have one face to face appointment prior to your surgery so you can be as prepared as possible! I smiled at your comment about the gray hair. I realized the same thing myself a few years back. By coloring your hair you forget that there is gray mixed in. I realized that my hair would no longer take a bend from a round brush and it was harder to style. Then realized I am probably at least 50 percent gray - 100 percent on top for sure and yes, the gray certainly changes your hair behavior. Good thing you keep your hair long. We are arguing with my Mom because she goes to the cheap hair salon in the neighborhood with the hairdresser who is in the beginning of dementia and should really retire. My Mom is always complaining about the perms she gets - we said that she leaves her hair too long AND she has gray hair - perms don't like gray hair!!!!! She said the lady does not leave the solution on long enough - I said if she leave it on too long your hair will FALL OUT. But there is no dealing with Mom as I'm sure you know with the shoes. I agree it would be a waste to get new orthotics prior to surgery - your gait may change a bit, better to wait until everything settles down again. Good luck with the sanding - you can probably find some instructions and tips on You Tube also.


Shad - yes, our number one idiot is getting panicky as the circle closes. People are very worried about how much damage he can do as he goes berserk to deflect attention off him. We didn't hear about the money for the space program but did hear that he asked your guy to help dig up anything he can use to discredit investigations into his many nasty antics. I can't wait to see him tossed on his ear. Probably the most despicable person I have ever seen in my life. I hear the Prime Minister of England - Boris is no better. Pity this world when these are the representation of our "leaders". How nice the DS2 is coming to the States for a visit - pity he can't bring his Mum although November would be bitterly cold for you m'am - perhaps not in Chicago but definitely winter in our parts - most assuredly snow by then. I will say with caution that downtown Chicago is a most different place than when you visited, Laura can elaborate more. Be careful of pickpockets downtown - don't flash your cellphone. Might not be as bad as when the summer crowds are there but still be mindful as the riff raff is out to take advantage of unsuspecting folks. I hope he enjoys his visit. Also tell him that Thursday November 28 is our American Thanksgiving Holiday. If that's when he lands in New York most businesses are closed and turkey dinners abound all over. I'm sure the hotel restaurants will still be open but most shops will be closed. Is he spending much time in New York City? You talk about growing garlic, does it ever get cool enough for garlic where you live? It's something we plant here in the fall and harvest in the spring so I'm thinking it needs cold winters to grow? Onions are a bit more forgiving. Sounds like you got a nice bounty from the garden. I was sad - used the last of my good garden tomatoes to make a chili and there was something odd about the meat I used - did not at all care for the taste and of course I should have listened to my better judgement and cooked the meat separately before I mixed it in with the tomatoes. Tossed the whole batch and ruined a nice pot of tomatoes, garlic and onions Good luck with the Probus meeting. One thing I have learned about men - the "hunter" mindset - they laser focus on one thing and ignore all that is around them


Hello the rest of you ladies - hope things are better in your house Annie and that SIL is doing better and C is behaving himself.


I must get on with the day - will get broken up with the chiropractor appt and then bingo for the night so get something done girl.

Afternoon
My sis told me that nephew is coming home in two weeks and will be staying here. I told her to move over cause I'm coming up there. Also told her that he needs to learn to be on his own and take some responsibility. I've been keeping these things to myself but not any more. Think I'm going to charge him half for the utilities.
I've scheduled my vacation to Arkansas for October 24th - October 31.
I've also decided that since I'm toward the end of my time with Metabolic Research that I'm not buying more time. It's not worth the hassle and I'm only giving the program about 20%. I can do it at home. Told them this morning that I couldn't be there for the next couple of weeks.
Our 4 to 5 month old baby, born in May, is talking. She said Nana I didn't think that they stated this early. Told sis I want her to say Nette too.
Our other baby is a little over two weeks and still tiny.
Our weather is really nice today. I'm hoping this is the beginning of the fall temperatures. I didn't plant mums but did set them in bigger pots and put them on the front porch. I need to do some more things outside just don't have the want to do it attitude.
Making stew for dinner tonight.
-------
Happy
Ouch on those credit card frauds.

Good Mornig All Happy Fall/Spring............

C is doing well. Eating healthy and correctly. Sugars are running very good. Amen

Cindy is still in the hospital. Fluid turned to pneumonia. Drain tube inserted a week ago for drainage. May get tube out today, observe her as this can cause lung collapse. If all goes well she may go home tomorrow. Thank you for all the prayers, good vibes and mojo.

Jacob will be 8, yes 8 on the 19th. Where the H did all that time go? Having his BD party this Saturday at the house. Just trying to prepare. Mostly Sam's is. I am just a bystander. hahaha

We are going to Wolf lodge next week for fall break. Tues thru Friday. That is in Cincinnati. Just me, Sam and the boys. C has to work since he missed 3 weeks of work and the route got all messed up. Plus he is taking care of Miss Sassy and Bruno.

CEEG....the baby is adorable. Love me some babies.
HAPPY...Yuk bummer on the CCs. What a PIA. Hope everything gets straightened out. Geeze. MMMmmmm cranberry fest. I am really liking cranberry "stuff" lately.
SHADDIE...nice visit with the nieces. MMMmmm strawberry fest. You and happy are making my mouth water.
LAURA....welcome to the onset of senior society.

Gotta get...lots of love Annie

Good Mornig All Happy Fall/Spring............

C is doing well. Eating healthy and correctly. Sugars are running very good. Amen

Cindy is still in the hospital. Fluid turned to pneumonia. Drain tube inserted a week ago for drainage. May get tube out today, observe her as this can cause lung collapse. If all goes well she may go home tomorrow. Thank you for all the prayers, good vibes and mojo.

Jacob will be 8, yes 8 on the 19th. Where the H did all that time go? Having his BD party this Saturday at the house. Just trying to prepare. Mostly Sam's is. I am just a bystander. hahaha

We are going to Wolf lodge next week for fall break. Tues thru Friday. That is in Cincinnati. Just me, Sam and the boys. C has to work since he missed 3 weeks of work and the route got all messed up. Plus he is taking care of Miss Sassy and Bruno.

CEEG....the baby is adorable. Love me some babies.
HAPPY...Yuk bummer on the CCs. What a PIA. Hope everything gets straightened out. Geeze. MMMmmmm cranberry fest. I am really liking cranberry "stuff" lately.
SHADDIE...nice visit with the nieces. MMMmmm strawberry fest. You and happy are making my mouth water.
LAURA....welcome to the onset of senior society. haha. Hot, Hair, and sometimes taste buds change.
SUSIE...hope you are full swing into taking YOU first in life and not that silly job.

Gotta get busy....lots of love Good Mornig All Happy Fall/Spring............

C is doing well. Eating healthy and correctly. Sugars are running very good. Amen

Cindy is still in the hospital. Fluid turned to pneumonia. Drain tube inserted a week ago for drainage. May get tube out today, observe her as this can cause lung collapse. If all goes well she may go home tomorrow. Thank you for all the prayers, good vibes and mojo.

Jacob will be 8, yes 8 on the 19th. Where the H did all that time go? Having his BD party this Saturday at the house. Just trying to prepare. Mostly Sam's is. I am just a bystander. hahaha

We are going to Wolf lodge next week for fall break. Tues thru Friday. That is in Cincinnati. Just me, Sam and the boys. C has to work since he missed 3 weeks of work and the route got all messed up. Plus he is taking care of Miss Sassy and Bruno.

CEEG....the baby is adorable. Love me some babies.
HAPPY...Yuk bummer on the CCs. What a PIA. Hope everything gets straightened out. Geeze. MMMmmmm cranberry fest. I am really liking cranberry "stuff" lately.
SHADDIE...nice visit with the nieces. MMMmmm strawberry fest. You and happy are making my mouth water.
LAURA....welcome to the onset of senior society. haha. Hot, Hair, and sometimes taste buds change.
SUSIE...hope you are full swing into taking YOU first in life and not that silly job.

Gotta get busy....lots of love Good Mornig All Happy Fall/Spring............

C is doing well. Eating healthy and correctly. Sugars are running very good. Amen

Cindy is still in the hospital. Fluid turned to pneumonia. Drain tube inserted a week ago for drainage. May get tube out today, observe her as this can cause lung collapse. If all goes well she may go home tomorrow. Thank you for all the prayers, good vibes and mojo.

Jacob will be 8, yes 8 on the 19th. Where the H did all that time go? Having his BD party this Saturday at the house. Just trying to prepare. Mostly Sam's is. I am just a bystander. hahaha

We are going to Wolf lodge next week for fall break. Tues thru Friday. That is in Cincinnati. Just me, Sam and the boys. C has to work since he missed 3 weeks of work and the route got all messed up. Plus he is taking care of Miss Sassy and Bruno.

CEEG....the baby is adorable. Love me some babies.
HAPPY...Yuk bummer on the CCs. What a PIA. Hope everything gets straightened out. Geeze. MMMmmmm cranberry fest. I am really liking cranberry "stuff" lately.
SHADDIE...nice visit with the nieces. MMMmmm strawberry fest. You and happy are making my mouth water.
LAURA....welcome to the onset of senior society. haha. Hot, Hair, and sometimes taste buds change.
SUSIE...hope you are full swing into taking YOU first in life and not that silly job.

Gotta get busy....lots of love Good Mornig All Happy Fall/Spring............

C is doing well. Eating healthy and correctly. Sugars are running very good. Amen

Cindy is still in the hospital. Fluid turned to pneumonia. Drain tube inserted a week ago for drainage. May get tube out today, observe her as this can cause lung collapse. If all goes well she may go home tomorrow. Thank you for all the prayers, good vibes and mojo.

Jacob will be 8, yes 8 on the 19th. Where the H did all that time go? Having his BD party this Saturday at the house. Just trying to prepare. Mostly Sam's is. I am just a bystander. hahaha

We are going to Wolf lodge next week for fall break. Tues thru Friday. That is in Cincinnati. Just me, Sam and the boys. C has to work since he missed 3 weeks of work and the route got all messed up. Plus he is taking care of Miss Sassy and Bruno.

CEEG....the baby is adorable. Love me some babies.
HAPPY...Yuk bummer on the CCs. What a PIA. Hope everything gets straightened out. Geeze. MMMmmmm cranberry fest. I am really liking cranberry "stuff" lately.
SHADDIE...nice visit with the nieces. MMMmmm strawberry fest. You and happy are making my mouth water.
LAURA....welcome to the onset of senior society. haha. Hot, Hair, and sometimes taste buds change.
SUSIE...hope you are full swing into taking YOU first in life and not that silly job.

Gotta get busy....lots of love