Just laying the ground work for a brand new thread.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to
> > > appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to
> > > forget them.
> > >
> > > Today...I wish you a day of ordinary miracles----
> > > A fresh pot of coffee you didn't make yourself.
> > > An unexpected phone call from an old friend.
> > > Green stoplights on your way to work or shop.
> > > I wish you a day of little things to rejoice in...
> > > The fastest line at the grocery store.
> > > A good sing along song on the radio.
> > > Your keys right where you look.
> > >
> > > I wish you a day of happiness and perfection--- little bite-size
> > > pieces of perfection that give you the funny feeling that the Lord
> > > is smiling on you, holding you so gently because you are someone
> > > special and rare. I wish You a day of Peace, Happiness and Joy.
> > > Remember to Make the Time TODAY, To do something Special for a
> > > Total Stranger.
> > >
> > > Have a TERRIFIC day!!!!
> > >
> > >

Pretty Good Happy... I am not sure I could stay up with a 4 year old... It has been a long time since I have had little ones around. They are full of boundless energy..
We didn't get our afternoon rain and occording to the weather man we won't this week. I live too close to the Gulf of Mexico.. The west winds hold the rain back.
Hello everyone...Joanne

Happy, sounds like you had a good week with Ashley. And a nice and busy weekend. I'm sure you need some rest now.
Even if they wear you out, those kiddies are the best medicine aren't they? And four is such a darling age. Of course, I'm such a sucker for any age.

Joanne, I didn't realize the company the miners worked for hadn't come up with much over the weekend. I guess they know they are targets for lawsuits. Tonight on local TV they said the miners would be paid overtime for the time they spent in the mine. Sounds like good PR. I did notice I hadn't seen any company reps when I was watching the news. Our young Gov seemed to handle it well. Too bad he's not going to run. I think he has a lot of credibility even before all of this. But he's so young that he could always run later - after his kids are grown. That's why he decided not to run and he announced it a long time ago. He said he was willing to campaign but not to spend the time needed for fundraising because he has three young children and doesn't want to miss all that time with them.

Candice - that sounds like some storm you had! Hope no one was hurt.

Serenity - the west Nile virus thing sounds frightening. We've had it found in some birds around here but I don't know of any people.

I've done pretty well the last two days with exercise and water and even food to some degree (I never get it totally right). I weigh in tomorrow. Dh and I hope to go to Laurel racetrack in MD tomorrow. Never been there, may stay overnight. Need something different. Weather has been so hot; yesterday was a really bad greeting for Ally - today was also very hot but there was some breeze and the humidity was somewhat better.
supposed to be even better tomorrow but no rain. We had a drenching on Sunday but only in an area or two. We were lucky we got it; usually it rains all around us. There's a mountain range just to our west and it breaks up a lot of storms before they get here.

My flare has just about subsided; I'm sure it was weather related or t riggered. I've been doing fairly well lately until last week and just want it all to go away. Hope you all have a good day Wednesday.

Anagram...I think I've been having a flare all year!!! Wish mine would just go away, too!

I went to the Dr. today...my regular M.D. I told him what the Rheumatologist said about my foot and leg...pinched nerve, etc. He asked what he was doing about it. I said, nothing except he put me on Neurontin again. He just shook his head and said, well that won't do. So he's sending me for an xray on Thursday. I have to go to Nashville tomorrow at 1 p.m., to the surgeon that did my biopsy, for a check up. Then to PT on Thursday and for an xray on Friday...it never ends!!!

About the gold...I had one internet dealer take a look at the photos and say it was a fake because it was dull in color. Then, another dealer sent me 2 emails today and wanted my phone # in the 2nd...said he needed to talk to me. I sent it to him and about 5 minutes later he called. He asked me to 'spin' it and see if it 'wobbled'! Well...I never could spin a coin. I tried but could only get it to spin a little. I told him I'd already about figured out it was fake. He said he thought it was a Balwin and that they put copper alloy in a lot of theirs. He said if there was any gold in it at all it was worth a lot of money. He said the fakes wouldn't spin because they weren't balanced like the gold ones. So...I told hubby when he came home. He got it to spin a long time. My mil got it to spin for a very long time and my son got it to spin for a very, very long time. He said if it would spin and if it was heavy it was probably real! If it is real, it could be worth as much as $75,000. I still think it is fake because it is so dull but he said the copper alloy would make it dull. We'll see I guess. I think I'm going to take it to a jeweler on Thursday and see if they can tell if there is any gold in it. Would be nice if it were worth that much, huh?

Here's the head: http://www.design-max.net/coinhead.jpg
Here's the back: http://www.design-max.net/coinback.jpg

I was packing up my Mom's things last night and I found an entire album of black and white photos...some were dated back in the 1930's. This one is my favorite of me!!!

Hi Gals

Well another weigh in today and I am down. A total of over 10 lbs. to date. REally hard for me to grasp this altho I do feel thinner.

We have had some mine disasters here and the owners usually don't get involved unless they have too. I think they are always worried about law suits.

I once worked at a gold mine. Gold is very heavy. It would weigh more than any other coin of the same size.

A bar of gold is not too big but weighs about 50 lbs. Because the weight is soo very condensed, it is difficult to lift. Even when I was younger and strong, I could not lift a gold bar.

If a bar of gold was put on my desk, I could not move it by myself.

The NOrth American Indigenous Games are on and there are lots of tourists here for that. We went today for a walk at the site and went through the teepees and other tents etc . Arts, crafts,
and lots of info on diff. tribes Indians, and Inuit from USA, Canada, and Greenland. We watched the opening ceremonies on TV and it was just wonderful. Sorry we couldn't go but that was the day of our family picnic.

Hot weather here again but cooling off at nite. We had rain last nite, but still had to water today.

Hi to everyone

Serenity

Serenity...You seem to be doing really good with your wt.loss. It is slow ,but that is better.. I wish that I could have been in your area to see the indigenous games. I have always been very interested in things that pertain to history. It was my best subject in school.
Meme.. You have probably found the best ,when you found the photos. You were a cute little girl. I bet your children will value those pictures forever.
Happy. ..When it is cold we can't wait for summer and when it is hot we wait for winter. I know I do.The humidity is the worst down here. I usually try to get some sun and a tan. Not this year. I have not been up to it . The pain in my knee has drug me down. I don't like to take a lot of medication,so I have to just deal with it. I will probably have to go back for another injection soon. Oh Well"That's Life". I think that is an old song.
Hello All...Joanne

The native American conference sounds really interesting. I'd probably just get to see what's on TV as I haven't got used to being able to walk in crowds again. Before the knee replacements (and a long time afterwards) have been afraid of them being bumped or stumbling on uneven ground.

Those black and white pictures are great, arent't they? So good you have them. Do you know who everyone is?

I think the humidity here is dragging me down, too Joanne. It seems you feel it this year even in A/C. Your pain is probably too much for these now but Icy Hot patches helped me a bit. Didn't take the pain all away but did make it more tolerable.

I'm fairly out of the flare last week but still feeling the fatigue and the "down" feeling. Can't seem to make any decisions, have too many little things that need doing and want (suddenly) to do some big cleaning project (Hehehe!). We did take an off day yesterday and went to the racetrack in Laurel Md. Had a nice day, decided to come home as nothing seemed to grab us enough to stay overnight. Just about covered our gambling pittance and enjoyed the day. Dh is golfing this morning and I'm off to the pool. He says he won't be golfing Sat and I should plan something if I want but I can't think of anything, at least not yet.

My weight loss efforts don't seem to be going as well as they were. Need an infusion of enthusiasm there too, I guess. Have not yet met that elusive ten lb down level though at times, it's seemed so close. Know I can't give up and know I'm feeling better than I did 9 and a half lb heavier. It's so hard, Joanne, when you can't move around much and so easy to gain so I hope you can hold on with that.

Think I'll go vacuum and dust the family room before I go. For me that probably is a "big" cleaning project any more. Get the old adrenaling going maybe.

Good day, all!

Ellen

Well, I hope this day finds you all feeling well.

Meme - cute picture. When my Mom passed away, I went through all the pictures. So many we didn't know. Really old pictures. Of course, some were of my Dad's family as well, and there was no one to tell us who was who. It was quite a challenge. My aunt tried and knew some of them, but mostly they are just people - very, old people! I hope you are getting things done without a lot of hasstle.

Joanne - It was downright cold here yesterday. It was only in the 50's and as the day wore on, they were talking about heavy rain mixed with snow!!!! on JULY 31!!! Northern Alberta had 5cc of snow the night before. Yikes, the weather is a mess this year, but as much as I don't want those really hot tempts., I sure don't want SNOW!!! Just mid 70's will do. I think the humidity is really hard on arthritis and FM. I ALWAYS feel worse when it is humid.

Serenity - Good weightloss. It took me a very long time to lose 13 pounds. It just wouldn't move. Stuck to ww diet and I would lose .8, or .6 or some ridiculous amount. Have been maintaining what I lost, and I fully intend to get back at it, but with more protein added. Keep it up.

Anagram - sounds like you and hubby get around a bit. That is good, going out and being able to enjoy yourself. Keep at that weightloss. It will happen. With some of us, it just takes longer.

Ally and Candice - Don't know what your up to, but I hope you are both doing ok. Candice, are you still digging your way out of that storm? That would have been so frightening.

Went to the Dermatologist yesterday, and I have Psorias's on the palm of my hands and on my head. This all started the end of February or the first of March. I told her about the accident and she said that it was a result of stress on the body - and boy was I stressed at that time Anyway, the Dr. had tried various creams and they kind of kept it under control. She gave me a stronger cortisteroid cream, so we will see how this works. Also, some lotion for my poor old head. Wish it would just all go away!!!!

Aging
>>>
>>>by George Carlin
>>>
>>>Do you realize the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when
>>>we're kids?
>>>If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you
>>>think in fractions.
>>>
>>>"How old are you?"
>>>I'm four and a half!"
>>>You're never thirty-six and a half.
>>>You're four and a half, going on five!
>>>
>>>That's the key.
>>>You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back.
>>>You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.
>>>
>>>"How old are you?"
>>>"I'm gonna be 16!"
>>>
>>>You could be 13, but hey, you are going to be 16.
>>>
>>>And then the greatest day of your life...you become 21.
>>>
>>>Even the words sound like a ceremony...
>>>
>>>YOU BECOME 21
>>>
>>>YESSSS!!!
>>>
>>>But then you turn 30.
>>>
>>>Oooohh, what happened there?
>>>Makes you sound like bad milk.
>>>He TURNED, we had to throw him out.
>>>There's no fun now, you're just a sour-dumpling.
>>>What's wrong?
>>>What's changed?
>>>
>>>You BECOME 21, you TURN 30...
>>>then you're PUSHING 40.
>>>
>>>Whoa!
>>>Put on the brakes,
>>>It's all slipping away!!!
>>>Before you know it,
>>>you REACH 50...
>>>and your dreams are gone.
>>>
>>>But wait,
>>>
>>>you MAKE IT to 60
>>>You didn't think you would!
>>>
>>>So you:
>>>
>>>BECOME 21
>>>TURN 30
>>>PUSH 40
>>>REACH 50
>>>and
>>>MAKE IT to 60.
>>>
>>>You've built up so much speed that you...
>>>
>>>HIT 70!
>>>
>>>After that it's a day-by-day thing;
>>>
>>>You HIT Wednesday!
>>>
>>>You get into your 80s and every day is a complete cycle:
>>>
>>>You HIT lunch
>>>You TURN 4:30
>>>You REACH bedtime.
>>>
>>>My grandmother won't even buy green bananas!
>>>It's an investment, you know, and maybe a bad one!!
>>>
>>>And it doesn't end there...
>>>
>>>Into the 90s, you start going backwards:
>>>
>>>"I was JUST 92."
>>>
>>>Then a strange thing happens.
>>>
>>>If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again.
>>>
>>>"I'm 100 and a half!"
>>>
>>>May you all make it (healthily) to 100 and a half!

TOO FUNNY & TOO TRUE

Anne...hope your hands and head are better!!! Sometimes I wish my whole head would just go away!

Serenity, good job on the weight loss. I seem to be like Anagram...I just can't get in the groove. I've gained quite a bit since Mom had her first stroke back in May. I was eating a lot of junk...eating out etc. Then I brought her home and had to start cooking to 'fatten' her up some. Then she had the 2nd one and I completely stressed out. Eating out again and then all the food people sent over here for the funeral. Now I can't seem to get back to eating right. We are going to the lake next week so it will be hard!!! Hubby will take a lot of junk along! I'm going to go clean out my fridge. I just can't seem to get anything done lately. I feel 'adrift' or something!

Yes, I know who almost everyone is in the photos. There are 2 little boys I'm not sure of and one man in his 20s. I'm going to NC in Sept. so I'm going to take the book along and ask some of my Aunts. I've decided to go over (it's only about a 4 hr. drive) twice a year so I don't lose touch with my other relatives! I'll go in the fall or early winter and then again Father's Day. That's when they have decoration where my grandparents and my brother are buried. I'm going in Sept. this year because we already have a vacation planned for October this year.

I just HAVE to get some work done!!!!!!! Somebody MOTIVATE me! All I want to do is mope around. I went to the hospital today and had my foot xrayed and had an ultrasound of my neck...Dr. said he 'heard' something that didn't sound 'right' in my arteries in my neck. Seems like when I have to go somewhere in the middle of the day my whole day is shot and I don't want to do anything else!

I'm going, I'm going....look out fridge...here I come!

Meme.. You sound like I feel. I too can't seem to get it together. I think if I eat something I will feel better. Well I went through a large box of cheezetts this week and I still don't feel any better. My knees have started hurting again so all the exercise to make them stronger didn't do any good . I think all of us ,in one way or another are in the same boat.
Happy ..George Carlin is my hubby's favorite. Some of his stuff makes me hide my face. This one was so true...I can't believe the weather you are having!! It is hot and humid here and not all that pleasant.
Hello everyone...Joanne

This has been a really quiet day...I am off to see my daughter and G/son who will be on a short leave. He is in the navy and stationed on the Harry S.Truman out of Norfolk.Va. I wonder did any of you see the piece on Fox news about a week ago about it? It is one of the biggest and newest carriers in the navy.
Bye for now see you about tuesday...Have a great weekend
Joanne

Well...I got the fridge cleaned out. Cleaned the kitchen, too. Washed a load of clothes. Went out to eat and then got in my groceries for the week. Came home and put them all away, made out my Avon order for the weekend, made out mine and Mom's monthly bills, wrote two letters to insurance companies, took a shower and fell into bed about 1 am. Went to sleep about 1:30 and woke up at 5...couldn't go back to sleep so I just got up and started again. I did some housework, unpacked some boxes I had brought from Mom's over here. Got dressed and went to town. Ran errands until 12:30, met Paula for lunch, went over to the hospital to drop off insurance papers, went to Physical Therapy for an hour, stopped off at a jeweler to see if my coin was worthless (it is), went to the drug store, stopped and picked up hamburgers (frozen) for the cook out Sunday (son's BD), went to Kroger, came home and fed the dog, let the furniture guys in with my new table and chairs (they are BEAUTIFUL!!!), cooked dinner and cleaned up the kitchen. Now I'm off to Mom's to do some more packing over there and then home to do some more laundry over here! Let's see...it is 7 p.m....if I'm lucky I should be able to take my shower and fall into bed by 1 again 'tonight'! Tomorrow I have to clean the house and finish the laundry and iron and make potato salad and make chicken salad and go to Cookeville to pick up the BD cake and pack and groom the dog and wash my hair and do my nails and call all my piano students to set up appointments for week after next. Oh well...on the bright side...I don't have to mow or do any yard work!!!

Enjoy that visit, Joanne. No, I didn't see that show. Sounds interesting.

Meme, It would take me a month to do all that.

We reached 100 degrees today. Don't even know what the heat index was. Had a little storm about an hour ago so it feels a bit better. Supposed to have a bit less humid weather tomorrow, still hot but less humid.

Nice weekend, all. No special plans here.