Good Afternoon!
I think it might be just a tad bit cooler and less humidity right now. I noticed the difference walking back to the car after getting my nails done. I really hope cooler weather is on the way!

Not much newsy from my corner of the world today. Tomorrow is Friday and I am so ready! Jason and Amanda will be here tomorrow night while Beth is coming Saturday morning. Amanda is meeting two friends and they are heading to Mpls. shopping while the rest of us make a quick trip to see my dad. Jason's birthday and our anniversary are always close to LDWeekend; my parents have always come out to help celebrate but this year my dad feels he should stay close to home. I think today was his last radiation treatment and I'm not sure what is next. He seemed to think that he would have to take some time off to regain his strength. He's lost weight and that concerns me.

Since I didn't take any notes, and CRS has set in, I can't remember much from #188!

Maggie -- I don't know anything about bicycles -- I had a 3 speed years ago and never did use more than one.

Bubs -- I wonder of Jimmy remembers getting lost in the woods? I would love to do aqua aerobics but the only class here is at 7 AM and I am pretty close to leaving for school by then.

Have a fantastic Friday, Flowers!

Jean -- from Iowa!

Maggie,
I replied to your last post on 188, completely forgetting that Jean had started this one............glad we have her to keep us honest. How many weeks to go Jean? Enjoy your long weekend with your family. Going through radiation therapy does make some people lose weight, and definitely is fatiguing. Hope your dad doesn't have to go through any more therapy.

Bubs

BUBBLES I answered you over on the old thread not realizing I was there......for I got the e-mail notification that you had posted and it just took me there when I thought I was here ~ if you haven't read it go there for I am not bringing it over here.

Have a great weekend everyone. It is Cowboy's birthday on the first.

Good Afternoon, Flowers!
The sun is shining but the humidity has gone down considerably . . . not enough to open up the house but much better than it has been. There is a pretty good breeze so the hot air balloons are not able to take off tonight, yet anyway.

We just got back from visiting my dad. Both Jason and Beth were able to ride along with us -- 3 hours over, 2 hours there, and 3 hours back. I have not accomplished anything today except my walk at 6 AM! My dad was put in the hospital yesterday and released today; evidently radiation can affect the balance of body mineral levels, etc. He was dehydrated, low on potassium and sodium, plus needed something else along the antibiotic line. I didn't know this but radiation takes 1000 calories a day out of your body and since he was doing 2 separate treatments I am assuming he was losing 2000 calories a day. He has no energy to do anything, doesn't sleep well at night, and then cat naps during the day. He's done with the radiation so hopefully his strength and stamina will return. He is eating pretty good so that is encouraging.

Bubs -- I think voicing opinions also has something to do with age! I never used to say what I thought and usually just went along with whatever was happening. Not any more. . .I've tangled with several people over the phone and they knew I was not a happy camper. I have approximately 34 1/2 weeks until school is out for the summer! I am so busy this year that I don't have 10 minutes to call my own. The special ed. numbers are increasing at a dramatic rate . . . I think there is something wrong on the home front! It's time that all parents start doing their own parenting; the sad part is a lot of them don't know how.

Maggie -- We used to have a Nordic Track Ski Machine . . . I promptly fell off and never did get the hang of it. It is history and now we have a treadmill. Tell Will for me. I hope you both have a nice day!

DH is off doing chores for his farmer friend so I had better be thinking of something for supper. Grilling sounds goo!

Have a nice weekend!

Jean -- from Iowa!

Good Evening, Flowers!
It is cloudy and hazy here tonight -- we had sunshine this morning. We traveled to MIL's for dinner today -- grilled steak, salads, and pie. The pie was sugar free and FF so I don't think I did too much damage.

DH is out doing chores, Jason is headed home, and Beth made a trip to WM for catfood. I am off to read the Sunday papers.

Have a relaxing day tomorrow.

Jean -- from Iowa!

Hi Jean,
I agree whole heartedly with your view on age and opinions I was 35 before I learned to say no, and now I do it with great regularity! My husband died when I was 37, and I immediately went back to school. I used papers and tests for an excuse for years! Then it was on to grad school and the same routine.
Special Ed numbers are up all over. I think the biggie is the ADD and ADHD kid. They're so disruptive in the regular classroom, that they want them out of there, and justifiably so. However, instead of the parents having to be made accountable for their behavior early on, some yahoo doc sees the kid for 15 minutes and declares them ADD The kicker was when the kids would come in and say they were out of their meds. because their mother was taking them. They expect teachers to be all things to kids, and then they complain when test scores aren't increasing annually. Go figure. I feel many parents today want to be buddies with their kids and are afraid to say no, because the kid will get mad.............oh well. Somebody has to be the grownup, and I always figured as long as I was paying the bills I was making the decisions. Seemed like a nobrainer at the time.
The sun finally came out this afternoon, and it's supposed to be pretty tomorrow. The tents are still up at camp because it's been so damp. We have to have at least 3 days of sunshine with low humidity before they can strike them. If the canvas and all the hemp lines used to tie them up are not totally dry, they'll rot over the winter, and a new one is around $1,000. When there are sixty of them to put away, you make sure it's done properly.
Maggie, did Cowboy enjoy his birthday?
I'm determined to finish my book tonight, so I'm outta here.

Bubs

Bubs -- It's nice to see you tonight . . . I was getting lonely in the flower patch! I am having trouble getting into one of the other forums I post on and thought I would check this one. I got right in here so I don't know what the problem is. When I try to enter my user name and password, it says they are already being used. DUH! Like I didn't know that?! I can't send them an email because I can't get in. Guess I'll try again tomorrow. I whole heartedly agree with your observation of ADD and ADHD students. I can't believe the number of students who take meds at school! Sad! What book are you reading?

I am heading for bed. See you tomorrow!

Jean -- in Iowa!

Good Morning Flowers!
Looks our sunshine is rapidly fading into more clouds and humidity, but compared to the rest of this region, we should count ourselves lucky. The farmers around here have gotten at least three cuttings of hay, so they won't have to be buying it as early this year. Last year, some of the poor guys were buying feed as early as August due to the drought.

Jean,
I'm reading a mystery, " Maximum Bob" by Elmore Leonard. It's the first time I've read anything by him, but when I went up to the library Friday, the head librarian and the Chair of the Library Board were chatting, and couldn't say enough good things about this author. It's easy, mindless reading, and he's extremely prolific........... this was published in '91, and he already had written 28 books! He must spit ' em out like Mary Higgins Clark.
My next book is The Shipping News by Ann Proulx. I've heard mixed reviews on this one. The Chair of the Lib. Bd. says she read it twice, so we'll see. Have you read "Cane River"? It's one of the Oprah books, I think, and I enjoyed it. The two that I really loved were "The Lobster Chronicles" and The Beautiful Ocean, both by a woman who is a commercial lobsterman in Maine, after 19 years as a commercial fisherman off the Grand Banks in the Atlantic. I can't think of her name to save my soul, but you can find it on Amazon. She's the female captain who was characterized in "The Perfect Storm" , another good one. I haven't seen the movie, but I loved the book. I rarely go to the movies because they can never measure up to the books.
Didn't mean to prattle on, but eating and reading are two of my favorite things to do

Later,
Bubs

Good Afternoon, Flowers!
It is hot, humid, and windy today . . . the TV weatherman says there is a cold front coming and I wish it would hurry up!

I'm trying to finish up some laundry and get organized for tomorrow.

Just found out that my 90 year old grandmother has a tumor on the liver which her immediate family has decided to let run its course. She also has Alzheimer's which adds to the problem. She is actually my "step" grandmother but the only one I've known all my life. Her son and daughter are in my age bracket while my grandpa's first family is my dad's age. My dad is 5 years younger that my grandma and when they were younger they used to have a great time confusing people when they introduced each other as "mother" and "son" as it was evident they weren't that far apart in age.

Bubs -- I used to read all the time but in the last few years I haven't been able to settle down and concentrate for any length of time. I really need to get back to reading. I do like Mary Higgins Clark. When Beth was home this weekend, she talked about a "Bob" and a "Will". Finally, I figured out that Bob was the dog and Will the guy. Bob is a Great Dane that likes to go for rides but can only go in convertibles with the top down because he is so big. He is 6'2" standing on his hind legs (Beth is 5'4") and is still growing. I'm not sure if there is any romantic interest as far as Will is concerned . . . we shall see, I guess. She wasn't sure about Bob at first and he was a little jealous of her. I couldn't help but think of you and Jimmy.

I need to keep moving. Have a terrific Tuesday!

Jean -- from Iowa!

Good evening Flowers,

Jean,
Great Danes are wonderful dogs. We had one when my half sisters were learning to pull up on things, and they pulled up on him all the time. They'd stick their little fingers in his mouth, eyes, nose, you name it, and he'd just put up with it. I had a Crosley station wagon( they haven't even made them since the 50s!), and would put Ham(short for Hamlet) in the back of the car and take him to the beach for a run. Those were the days.........no condos and wide expanses of "virgin beach". I shudder to think what it must be like now, tho' I've heard third hand that Siesta Key is one big Condo after another............what a shame. Guess I'll just stay holed up here in the hills.

A guy was supposed to come by this morning between 8-8:30, or mid afternoon, to give me an estimate on pruning my two huge maples in the front yard. I waited all day for him, and of course he was a no show

Youall enjoy your short work week

Bubs

GOOD MORNING MAGNOLIAS

Sorry I haven't been here for a while. The time just seemes to go by so fast. When we aren't baby sitting it has been one thing after another. Came to the site last evening but was too tired to post.
First, CONGRATULATIONS to all you losers! DH & I are trying to start back as of the 1st of Sept. I hope to have reports soon!!

JEAN: Great Danes! Wow! I didn't realize that they got that tall.
When we had the St. Bernards they were too heavy to get on their hind legs so I guess I never thought of them that way.
I'm sorry to hear about your grandmother. That is so hard to deal with especially with Alzheimers. Now that your dad is finished with radiation I hope he will be able to get his strenght back and feel like himself again.

BUBBLES: I can just picture you running the Great Dane on the beach or was it the other way round. Dh & I are sitting here waiting for the plumber so I know what you mean about the tree man. Seems that every year when we have the furnace checked and the service man leaves something goes awry! This year the hot water heater keeps kicking out so we have to reset it. Done that 5 times this weekend. Enough!!! We have a service contract, thank God!

MAGGIE: Since yesterday was a Holiday when will you be visiting the iron monster? Not that you really have to worry but will you have to wait til next week?

Gloria in MA....listening for the plumber's truck. Have a great week.

Hi Gloria,
Ham ran, I watched. Actually, that's not quite true. He wasn't wild about the water, but if I went in he'd follow. He'd also play "fetch" for hours.
Tonight's the WI for me. Hope I'm where I was Thursday, but probably not. I still have the nausea bug, so haven't been eating, as nothing tastes good. Also haven't done much exercising for the same reason.
You can be sure I'll report in, however!

GOOD AFTERNOON MAGNOLIAS

Howdy all!

I had a weird session with the Iron Monster today. Since my group yesterday didn't meet I went to a neighboring town to weigh in because I don't ever want to miss a week if I can help it. I wanted to lose at least .8 and when the gal weighing me in said I had lost a half a pound I said, "OH, I was hoping for at least .8." She then smiled and said, "Take off your shoes." I said "I don't like doing that but we will see what one shoe will bring" as I slipped off my right shoe. She gasped and asked real excitedly, "Does your shoe weigh 6 pounds? Look, it shows you have lost 6 pounds." I said, "That is ridiculous, I will put my shoe back on and step on this thing three times and we will take what ever weight comes up the most ~ for this scale is acting weird." Well then the Iron Monster said for three times in a row that I had lost 3 POUNDS. I still don't know what to think of it but that is all I have to go on so will accept it.

I got a new bicycle yesterday. It is made by Diamondback and is a Mountain Racreation Multi Speed bike called Sorrento. It has 3 gears in front and 7 in back so when they are multiplied [that is how they figure them] it means I have a 21 gear bike. The young man at the sporting goods store said it is the bike for me. He is currently in the Navy out here and owns his own bike shop in Florida ~ so I figured he was the expert. This bike is good for this type of terrain and others as well. I haven't yet ridden it - too hot out - but hope to give it a spin this evening. What is a really neat feature is that both wheels are quick release off which made it easy to bring home in my convertable. I am going to try it with the existing seat and if I need a change they have those gel filled ones there plus anything else you can imagine or can't imagine hanging on racks in that place. May the exercise begin.

Everyone stay cool.... we are up in the triple didgets.

Good Evening, Flowers!
Well, I've had quite the day! When I got to school this morning there was a spur of the moment staff meeting. It seems that one of the students fell out of a hay mow onto some cement. He was life flighted to a larger hospital; has a broken leg but no paralysis. He is very, very lucky! A 50 year old father, of another student, died of cancer over the weekend. The staff tries to cover for teachers who want to attend the funeral. The saddest news was that a 6 week old baby belonging to one of our special ed. students died. The mother has dropped in and out so many times that we have lost count. The baby only weighed 4#s; other students have said that the mother had been on drugs the whole time she was pregnant. The body has been sent elsewhere for further testing; the mother is blaming the father and the father is blaming the mother for the death. A picture of the father was passed around just in case he would show up at school -- it was an ID picture with a prison number on the front.

Bubs -- I hope I get to meet Bob and Will some day, but on their turf. I don't think my felines would take kindly to a BIG dog in their house even if he does like cats. I just hate waiting for service guys to show up! I hope you are feeling better and had a good WI!

Gloria -- I talked to my dad tonight and he sounded like he had a froggy voice. I mentioned it and he said he had a scratchy throat. He has another doctor's appt. on Thursday so I will call and talk to his wife . . . she always gives me more information than he does. He doesn't want me to worry but I do anyway.
It's good to see you!

Maggie -- How do you know what to do with which gear on your new bike? That sounds much too complicated for me! Send that crazy scale to Iowa! I could use a 3# loss right now. I showed a .6# loss tonight. It's a loss so I will take it! I know I ate the wrong things and way too much over the weekend. CONGRATULATIONS on your loss!

Guess I will watch the 10:00 news and head for bed. Today was our 35th anniversary and Jason's 29th birthday. We met them for supper and called it good. It sure doesn't seem like 35 or 29 years have passed by . . . where does the time go?

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Jean -- from Iowa!

Just a very quick post to say hi to all and

to say to Maggie....

PROUD, well that doesn't even come close to stating how I feel about you! Inspiring lady with the determination that will take you anywhere! WOW... three rounds for you...

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Brenda

I had a terrible week, I was moody, stressed, sad, mad, and just about any negative emotion you can think of .... I think it was my excuse to eat and eat and eat... AND EAT I DID and guess what my punishment was..... + 7 lbs

I will try and take all the positive for you all and turn it around!