I'm gonna to have to remember to ring winter clothes when I come to my friends house. I haven't looked at the thermostat but it's cold in here to me. Just looked it's on 60 degree's.
My visit with the insurance person went well. He also suggested that I keep m insurance with the city use one or the other for primary and one for secondary. I will do just that.
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Laura
My sister who is on the cruise is my Dallas sister whom I visited with in March for her son's wedding. She and Dh are coming in for her 50th high school reunion.

Annie
How nice that you two went for pedicures! I may have to do that in the near future. This particular co-worker wants all the fame and glory but doesn't want to do the work. She's always been that way.

To all the rest I will say hello and come back later. Time is drawing near to get my friend to her procedure.

Today after work, I'll be working out with my trainer. Then I'll be packing up my few things and taking them back home. Sadly tonight is my last night housesitting. My friends get back early tomorrow morning. I'm picking them up at the airport at 7:45 am after I drop Santa off at the groomer's.

I will really miss my friends' sweet dogs, their chickens and their comfortable cozy home . It's been a lovely retreat for me. Now that I am "moving back home" starting tomorrow, I will work to make my home more retreat-like in whatever way(s) I can.

Work is going well. I was able to get 3 designs done by the end of day yesterday, now I'm just awaiting feedback as to which design to proceed with.

I just purchased my plane ticket to go to Southern CA for the family reunion at the end of July. I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone. I'm supposed to go visit my friend in Vegas around Labor Day or the following weekend...still trying to get a better airfare.

==============================

No time for personals....other than a couple quick shout outs:

Welcome Amber!!

Laura - I love that print you bought.

Annie - Yep, I'm busy at work, but that's better than not being busy. Are the g-kids feeling better?

Happy - I hope the Customer Appreciation event goes off well. crazy that people sign up to be responsible for stuff and then back out at the very last minute.

Shad - What a fabulous photo! I love your hairstyle! You look great!!

to everyone!

Much love and big hugs,

Afternoon all,
Due out for dinner soon so I thought I had better get this done before I have to go and get ready.

Michelle - sorry to hear that you are having such problems with the sugar addiction. The only thing I can suggest is that you try the frozen natural yoghurt sundaes or sorbets - or make your own with fruit stirred through to sweeten. Natural yoghurt can be somewhat sharp. I love ice cream, but I am very fussy about which ones I eat. Naturally the ones I like are the gourmet variety and are therefore costly. Budget has a good way of stopping things being bought.

Happy - oh Thrift Shop motivator - you are the busy person. I used to laugh about Ruthxxx being so busy after retirement. You are no different.
Coming through the shopping centre at Auckland Airport yesterday, I found these and took a photo.







Honey, honey everywhere and just look at where the bees got the pollen from. One question however, how do they know that that is where the bees got the stuff or do the bees tell them?


Ceejay - glad you got that insurance thing sorted, but does this mean you pay two premiums???

Laura - hope you get rid of the cold soon. Hate colds. Haven't got there yet, but it is through lack of chance with a whole raft of people coughing and spluttering all around me - in the office, on the plane, in the Q Lounge wherever.

Oh lordy, look at the time, better get sorted to going out to dinner. I need to shower, shampoo etc. Thanks for the nice comments on my photo. It is indeed one of my better ones.

Cya

Might need to get your magnifying glass out to see the labels.

Shad
Most people that have Medicare will have a secondary insurance to cover what the other one doesn't pay. According to the insurance persons phone call yesterday my insurance at work will automatically be turned into a supplemental insurance upon retirement. And they will change the address on the policy to make due for the move to Missouri. I'm getting excited.

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My friend's endoscopy went well yesterday. They found nothing to cause alarm. The doctor who performed the procedure did stretch her esophagus. Of course they want you to be there at a certain time but if they fall behind you wait. Her procedure was schedule for 11.30 but she didn't go back until 12.30p.m. I was thankful that her step daughter came to go with us. My friend has done well since then. I'm staying till around 2 p.m. by that time the 24 hour requirement will be up. She is asleep.

Morning all.

Terra – One of my cable tv stations shows One Day at a Time reruns. Blast from the past!! How was the picnic?? We had new windows installed about 7 years ago & it really helped with stopping the drafts. And the windows tilt in so it's easy to clean them.

Dee - Enjoy camping with the grandkids! Hope the weather cooperates. Do you use tents, the rv or rent a cabin?

Annie – A pedicure sounds nice. I've done my own so far this season, but i intend to have a "real" one soon. What movie will u take C to see? Hope he enjoys his special day. Sad about your Humana friend. Praying her treatment is effective.

Ceejay – Glad the friend's procedure went well. So your work offers medical for your retirement, or will you buy your own medicare supplement? Good you're getting the info you need to make the decision.

Michelle – You have some fun trips coming up!

Shad – That's a lot of honey!! I wish i liked it because it's much more natural than granulated sugar, but nope. Same for agave sweetener.

Hello Happy, hello Susie. Who'd I miss? Amber, you lurking??

☆☆☆☆
My day off was busy. Apparently my dose of nyquil the night before wasn't enough to put a stop to the skin test at the allergist. But just for environmental allergens. And i reacted as expected to all - especially all the outdoor ones - tree, grass, ragweed, etc. And to a lesser degree for molds, dust mites & even cat/dog dander. No surprise or change from the last test in 2004.

Doc wasn’t happy with my breath control test results & gave me another dulera inhaler to use for two weeks. Guess this cold hasn't helped my lungs...

Back at home i had some tea then tackled some weeding & pruning out front. Then i showered & we got doggy to the vet and after that to petco for a diy dog bath.

After that was a dog walk. Doggy was pooped after all that & i was ready for some slothing by then too. Bf went to a concert - Peter Frampton -with a friend. I read & watched tv. Doggy barely moved. Seemed like his sedative pill didn't kick in until after all the anxiety-inducing activities were done! Poor baby.

Meeting a friend for lunch at noon. Gonna try to get some stuff done before it's time to leave, so I'm gonna get this posted.

Enjoy the rest of your weekends girls!

Morning all,

Ahhh time to take a breather. I was supposed to go to a handgun refresher course this morning but it got rained out. Glad about that, one because I am so tired and the other because with this cataract, I am VERY nervous about my inability to see properly, particularly focusing a sight on a gun I am terrified I will shoot something inappropriate. I do however, need to take this class eventually because I have not touched a gun since I moved here and it is important to know how to handle a pistol if need be. I was also going to meet a friend and drive to her town for a craft show they are having but with the heavy rains, that's out too. So I have the day to myself. There is Mount Washmore to tackle, a pile of papers to be sorted out, some Humane Society stuff that I think will wait a few more days, and a book to read that I just downloaded on my Kindle 2 days ago and already forgot the title. I found an online photo enhancer that turns regular pictures into black and white pencil sketches - which can be used as an interesting guide for artwork ideas of mine. Oh and there is that pile of art supplies I should tackle before I forget all I learned in my art class last month. Yes, I never thought I'd be as busy as I am in retirement but it's a good thing. Keeps the old brain active.

Yesterday was a beautiful day weather wise. I spent the day at the Thrift Shop, we got a more than fabulous response from the volunteers baking cookies - we have so many extra cookies we may offer a bake sale later today at the end of the day. We had a good turnout yesterday but with the rain today we expect a lot more shoppers. Since this is an outdoors recreational area - when the weather is nice, people tend to be outside on the boats, fishing, biking, ATVing. But when it rains, everyone comes into town to shop or eat. We got a steady rain overnight which will end around 1pm. That's good, my garden really needed a good soaking. I might stop over at the shop around 4pm today to help with clean up although the one volunteer I most can't stomach will be there Ms. Hoity Toity, but otherwise today is mine. Tomorrow DH wants to go to the zoo to take pictures in the live butterfly exhibit. It opens tomorrow and I'm hoping that with it being Father's Day that perhaps the zoo won't be so crowded with people doing family gatherings at home. It is a long drive though and DH wants to leave at the crack of dawn to get there when the place opens. This does not make me happy as I would typically be going to bed for the night about 2 hours prior to when I'd have to get up to be ready to leave when he wants to. He said I don't have to go but I have been putting him off to the side for other pressing priorities so I think it would be good to bite the bullet and tag along. Let me post this and then go back for personals. I have a lot to catch up on.

Our yard is filled with crows. Big black crows making all sorts of noises. It's really annoying. It appears that anything you get to scare them off also runs off the woodpeckers and songbirds. I don't know where the dumb things came from or why they won't leave. Never saw so many. And we are not putting out corn or seed - haven't for weeks so I don't know what is attractive about my yard.

Laura - I remember young Peter Frampton. I think I'd have a hard time accepting old Peter Frampton. I'd be thinking gee, I went to Peter Frampton's dad's concert He's too old now to play the music that made him famous. Yes, we are all getting older. That is a real bummer about your lungs. Are you like my sister - generally ok but have to be cautious about getting a cold as it really compromises the breathing? Did you get to see the Blackhawks parade? I love that picture you bought!

Ceejay- I'm glad you talked to an insurance agent about follow up when you switch to Medicare. They are the most knowledgeable about things, and it's good that it will easily carry over if you move out of state. You will love being retired, yes you might miss the extra money but I wouldn't trade it for the world when it "buys" you time to enjoy yourself. It sounds as if the job is getting to be too much anyway. There comes a point... glad to hear your friend is doing ok after her procedure. Nice of you to be with her.

Shad - I wondered that very thing about the bees also. I thought that perhaps they planted fields of "clover, orange blossom, etc" that the bees would feast on to make said honey. The biggest bumblebees around just love the blossoms on my chives. I wonder what their honey would taste like :P Tiny bees love my sedum also. Now you have a good "profile" picture that you can easily use for the next 10 years. I do like the hair color and style. You are looking good my dear, even for all the crazy running around you do. As to your question about insurance (medicare) yes, DH pays 3 premiums - one for Medicare which covers hospitalization, one for part B which covers doctors and one for part D which covers prescription medications. But even paying 3 premiums, it's still about 1/4 the cost we were paying for private insurance for him. And the medicare cost is deducted straight from his social security check from the government, he pays the other 2 premiums under one payment so it's not as confusing as it sounds. The worst part was figuring what plan to use and you have the opportunity to resign every year. That can be a good thing as you can shop around or a hassle since you have to re-up every October for the upcoming year.

Michelle - I'll bet you will miss the more quiet solitude of house sitting. Just like personalizing your desk at work, it's nice to have your home accented with things that make it feel like "your space" too. But that has to be difficult with roommates, especially male ones. I'm sorry I didn't get back to you - it's been crazy busy for me lately. But I do hope you can get some extra help with the sugar addiction - I know EXACTLY where you are coming from. I would be better myself if I could walk away from Coca Cola. It truly is an addiction. And it's not so easy to just "walk away". It is a mental thing - that's something that you just have to keep fighting so if you can get some outside resources to help deal with it, the better for you. And as much as I love a good, sweet plum - that isn't always an acceptable substitute when I REALLY want an ice cream cone One of the things I dealt with quitting smoking was of course the urge to have a cigarette. They said a craving lasts about 10 minutes. If you can deflect that craving temporarily, it will go away. And then you just have to deal with the next one. The thing is, they never completely go away, you just have to learn to manage them. And as you are already well aware - it does you no good to self sabotage because the guilt you feel afterwards is not worth the 2 seconds of your brain saying "yes, I WON" when you give in. Be strong, keep plugging away. This is why maintenance is so hard.

Terra - how was the picnic? Fun I hope. Yes, new windows should really help with the heating and cooling bills. Plus no stuck windows and they are nicer to see out of!

Annie - you made me laugh - can we have a foster rescue at the commune? Well you have the right resource in me I happen to know of a place where we can get an endless supply. Are you talking puppies, older dogs, etc? The only problem with having dogs up this way is that they tend to scare off the rest of the wildlife. While I know you would be happy to see the bears leave, you also won't see any wild turkeys or deer or baby fawns either. I'm sure we can work something out and there is always the option of going to the shelter - dogs need to be walked every day. We have lovely trails and a bark park - great for exercise and socializing of the human and canine flavors! So nice that you and Sissy had a girls day. Was probably nice for her to get some peace and quiet and adult conversation too Bummer about C's selfish kids but I hope he has cut back on the money train if they are not grateful or deserving. Gotta reign those kids in when they misbehave. I'm very sorry to hear about your friend Nell - will add her to the prayer list. I hope if her time is limited, it is not compromised too much by the chemotherapy.

Dee - I hope you have good weather and great fun camping. I was standing on the deck last night taking in some fresh night air and I thought - what a great night it would be to sleep outside! Are you going to a campground area? When we were camping I was impressed at what a great family experience that was. People were respectful and it was great fun for everyone. I'd love to do it again but this time I'd need a camper as tent camping days sleeping on the ground is over for me. Have a good time!

Hi Susie- sounds like you are back home, smack dab in the middle of things again. It was nice to have a break for a while, wasn't it?

Looks like the rain is clearing up, I should get off the computer and go be productive. Have a good weekend everyone!

Laura & Happy ~ I would love it if I could watch the whole series of One Day At A Time, The picnic was good. Yeah Scott and I had fun at the picnic, We went on a train ride and we tried the paddle boats but I ended up getting out cause I couldnt paddle backwards so Scott went with out me and I sat and watched him and the food we had so good too. Thats great that you got new windows installed also. From what the seller said the windows will be easier to clean so thats good. I hope the new windows do bring the cost down on the cooling and heating bills.

Michelle ~ I started a thread for Valerie's Work out dvd if you ever want to post on it. http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/fitn...k-out-dvd.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I still have to work out, Fold and Put away my clothes, Get my dirty clothes ready to be washed and clean the bathroom so I have alot to do today. I hope everyone has a great Saturday.

Hi everyone. Visit with Nell was wonderful. She is soft spoken due to loss of energy and strength. My heart aches for her. Cried all the way home preaching to God all the way. Prob be stricken by lightening from all the yelling I did about Nell and my brother.

Weeded my front flower bed. That is about it. Making Mexican for dinner tonight.

No personals. Posting from phone. Too difficult for me.

Hugs

Annie
I made Mexican chicken last night and leftovers for today. Yum.

Michelle
Being busy at work makes the time go by faster.

Laura
It's the insurance company that is carrying the policy over not the city.

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Not much to add this morning. I got home earlier than usual for a Saturday. My friend was doing well and she didn't get to rest since her step grand daughter was there. She was going to sleep and the 24 hours was almost up anyway.
I did get to return my fitbit. I'm more happy with that.

Good Morning Everyone,

Woke up at 6 this morning, Its now 8:36 a.m. I'm about to start doing my morning work out to my new dvd. I still work out to WATP's at night though. After I get done with my work out I need to fold and put away my clothes. I hope everyone has a great Monday.

Morning all.

Happy – Did you go to the zoo/butterfly exhibit with your hubby? Odd that you have the crows hanging around your property. I hope they move on so the the other birds will come back. Yeh, I don’t have major problems with my asthma, but I guess colds do cause it to flare up. And the other stuff – smoke, strong scents/chemicals. No, didn’t see the parade. I was in a meeting. I imagine there were a lot of tenants in our building lobby's Monroe street entrance trying to catch a glimpse… It’s great that your DH is paying so much less $$ for his medicare coverage than the private insurance!

Terra – I suppose if you really want to watch the series One Day at a Time you can buy the dvds – at least some of the seasons should have been released by now. I’m glad you and Scott enjoyed the picnic. Gosh, I haven’t been on a paddle boat in ages, but they are fun! Too bad you couldn’t pedal backwards.

Annie – I’m glad you had a good visit with Nell – I’m sure she was happy to see you. Very sad though. What kind of Mexican food did you make for dinner?

Ceejay – Yum, Mexican chicken! Nice you got home earlier on Saturday so you could have some “me time” before your weekend was over. Glad you got the fitbit returned.

Hellos to the rest of you!
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My Saturday was fine. I met my friend about halfway between us at a restaurant neither of us had been to. I had soup and salad and it was pretty good, especially the soup – beer cheese. I ordered a cup, but it was a big serving, so I brought some of it home. Bf was reluctant to eat it because I’m a sickie (though I don’t know when one stops being contagious), however, he succumbed to it last night and enjoyed it. I should think if you heat it properly it would take care of any germies.

I ended up driving out to my friend’s house after lunch for some more girlfriend time and it was nice. I got home and walked doggy before the rain began.

On Sunday I met another friend for breakfast. It was good to see her, but I didn’t care for the restaurant experience. The restaurant was really busy, so that may be the reason why my tea and the food arrived not warm enough for my liking. And our server wasn’t very attentive…dunno if I’d go back there.

Back home, I did some more weeding out front – there were tons of weeds in that bed. I need to Preen it now since I’m gonna wait for a sale on the mulch. Home Depot always has it on sale during long/holiday weekends, so not this weekend, but next (4th of July weekend) is when we should be able to get it. We also need to put in some edging that will sit above the height of the sidewalk so the mulch doesn’t keep running off with the rain onto the sidewalk. It’s good that the ground slopes away from the house’s foundation, but I hate when the mulch floats away. We bought the edging last year, so it's a matter of installing it...

Even though it had rained Saturday evening, that sewer line dirt pile looks dryer than ever. I guess the clay content gives it a lighter color that makes it look dry. I think I will buy myself a good old-fashioned pitchfork to break up the soil before my next digging session, whenever that may be. Chances of rain are forecast for the next several days.

That’s about it for me. Back to catching up on e-mails.

Hi ladies,

I "moved" back home on Saturday. I miss my friends' dogs, but it's wonderful to be able to give my undivided attention to Santa again. I was going to go on a hike yesterday with a group of people, but I awoke with a migraine, so I opted out. Instead I went to an Overeaters Anonymous (OA) meeting, and then went grocery shopping and got lots of fresh fruit and veggies, along with some yummy sugar free popsicles. When I got home, I sliced up the fruit (strawberries and canteloupe) and made some egg salad for my lunches.

Tonight for dinner will be a salad with grilled chicken, tomatoes, cucumber, a little Mexican blend cheese and a chipotle ranch dressing.

I finally got a chance to talk to my Aunt about my trip to San Diego at the end of July. I'll be flying to LA on the morning of the 24th, and renting a car and driving to San Diego (about a 2 hour drive, though it could be up to 3 hours). For this trip, it was much cheaper to fly into LA rather than San Diego. So I'll be staying with my aunt and uncle Friday night and Saturday and morning driving up to the reunion which is closer to LA. The other reason to fly into and out of LA is that I want to get together on Sunday evening/Monday morning with some friends who I haven't seen in years who live in the LA area, and one of those friends and his wife said that I could stay at their house on Sunday night - saving me from needing a hotel room.

My goal is to get to 145 by July 24th (for my Southern CA trip)...that would place me at 100 lbs lost since my cousins and aunt and uncle last saw me, and roughly 20 lbs lost since my sister and her grown kids and their families have seen me.

==========================
Shad - I used to work with a guy who kept bees and made his own honey (which was delicious). I asked him if his honey was clover honey or wildflower honey or what. He said that bees can travel long distances (can't remember exactly but more than a mile) to get pollen, so the only way it can be guaranteed to be "clover" honey is if the bees are centrally located on multiple acres of growing nothing but clover. Many beekeepers (and honey makers) call their honey "wildflower" honey. He just called his pure honey (because he didn't add anything to it) but didn't specify a variety, but rather a location - Santa Cruz Mountains - because he didn't know what flowers/plants his bees got into when they were out and about. Whatever his bees got into, it made for the best tasting honey I've ever had. Granted I'm not a honey connoisseur, but it was far and away better than anything that comes in a bear container or anything I've ever gotten at Costco. Makes me sad that I can't eat the honey regularly anymore due to my surgery. I gave my last 2 jars to D's brother. He tried it and he said that it's the best honey he's ever had too.

Ceejay - Glad your friend's endoscopy went well. You're a good friend to stay with her.

Laura - I love One Day at a Time. Wow, aren't those allergy skin tests fun (not!). I'm surprised that the antihistamine ingredient in the NyQuil didn't affect the allergens. Like you, I'm allergic to most trees, most grasses, most weeds, molds, dust mites, cats and to a lesser extent dogs. Bummer that you need another inhaler. I hope your lungs clear up soon. Poor Coal that the sedative didn't kick in until after all the stress.

Annie - So sorry to hear about your friend Nell. I'll keep her in my prayers. It's absolutely normal and natural to be angry about what cancer is doing to Nell and to your brother.

Happy - Bummer that the rains made you change your plans, but it's good that the rain increases shoppers at the Thrift Shop. I saw some of the lovely photographs. I really enjoy live butterfly exhibits. The last one I went to was four or five years ago at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago.

Terra - Good for you for changing up your workout routines.


Well, I've got to run. Lots to get done today. to anyone I've missed.

Much love and big hugs to all,

Good Morning/evening all....

Didn't make it to the movies yesterday. We had a nice lunch at Bonefish grill. Then C wanted to go to Gander Mountain as he had a gift card from Christmas from Sam and kids. Needless to say he bought fishing junk. lol Came home and vegged the rest of the day. He went fishing on the pond with the neighbor for a couple of hours last evening. Couple of loads of laundry and bedtime.

TERRA...let us know how you like the VB workout.

CEEG...I may bring my leftover mexican for tomorrow's lunch. I kind of forgot about it this morning. I am having salad with grilled buffalo chicken on it from downstairs for lunch today. Not bad at all.

HAPPY....the rescue can be puppies to old geezer doggies. Not particular. We have those big black crows too, they look about as big as a turkey. Huge. The only thing I don't care for is the geese of the pond. Everyone once in a while they take a walk through the neighborhood and crap everywhere. It is the awfulest<----if that is a word, crap ever. How was the butterfly garden? Ours at the zoo sucked. Maybe 10 butterflies in total.

LAURA...Peter Frampton...hmmm takes me back to high school and 8-track tapes. WOw just aged myself a ton. Sassy is so small, I can wash her in the kitchen sink. She is not fond of bathes either.

SHADDIE>..that is a huge display of honey. Who knows how they can tell what type of honey the bees produce unless they are in a controlled environment for each type.

CHELLE...when is your next house sitting stint?

Hello to all...hugs