Good morning ladies,

Opened the March thread to see Annie's sad post, didn't seem quite right to set up a new thread with a peppy, snappy title so I hope you don't mind if I improvised a bit.

Let me go do housekeeping and I'll be back for personals.

Ok, back.

Hopefully my log in holds up and I don't lose my post again.

First off, my heart goes out to you Annie with your brother's pain. I know that it's hard to lose someone suddenly but I think it's 10 times more awful to have to be there as someone suffers so much and the helpless feeling of nothing you can do for them except to be there. I hope they can make him as comfortable as possible. Thoughts and prayers to you both. Be strong for him.

Also Ceejay my condolences to you on the loss of your aunt. I didn't realize she was in such bad shape either. As for the health insurance, for the most part it's far cheaper to go to Medicare than to keep private insurance. Of course you will need to pick out something for the parts a,b,c,d efg Something to consider - don't know how many medications you are on but DH looked at the premiums and benefits and decided this year to drop the part D is it - the one for prescriptions. He would have paid something like $1,000 in premiums to pay for basically $300 worth of medication. Which means he'd pay 4 times what it would cost him out of pocket. They are giving him a hard time about dropping it but can't argue with the numbers he came up with. I thought that was interesting. They always scare us into thinking the worst with insurance but you should always look carefully past their sales pitch. I hope the storms are not too bad down by you today.

Laura - hope you enjoy your long weekend. Bummer on BF having to spend so much time reloading things but I'd think you have to expect that. It's easier to start fresh, brand new with nothing. Our "baggage" always holds us back I'm wondering if maybe we can meet up one night in Oakbrook for a quick dinner - that would be halfway for both of us. I am not comfortable taking the Orange line home at night so I'd rather not meet downtown. If I don't catch you this trip, I'm hoping a friend up here is going to be able to follow through with her plan to drive down in June (she has a condo in Palatine). That's another option.

Shad - I have to agree with other's comments about one day the kids will realize they need to change their ways. Usually it comes with regret later in life (as I very well know). When you are making lots of money, you think it will keep pouring in so there's always time to save. Then you realize how much money you have frittered away when you get mid life and you can never catch up. But... it's something each individual must decide for themselves. You can help guide but we all know how we feel about unsolicited advice, no matter how kind the intention. Are you headed to some wetter, more tolerable weather now that the autumn season is around the corner?

Susie - sorry you lost your post I don't know what's causing it either. We had troubles like this a while back and they "magically" resolved themselves. I don't think it's us as we are not prone to random acts of "logging out" mid post. Hope you get some you time this weekend.

Michelle - have you been able to work around the asthma and continue your training?

What a wierd day it is out there. It goes between fits of madly snowing like a snow globe and then 10 minutes later the sun is shining. I need to go into town to drop off some paperwork and I sure don't want to head out into that. I am sad to say that we have someone pilfering money at the thrift shop We have some acrylic donation boxes on the counter. They are locked and the store manager generally empties them on his shift. He noticed they were emptied though not completely. There is a small hole in one of them where with time and great effort, someone could have possibly fished out the paper money. It makes me both sad and angry - sad that someone is so desperate and angry that they'd steal $30 from homeless animals. We are not talking about great fortunes here.

We are getting things into place with building the deck, 3 season room and the new hot tub. Just watch the money fly out of the door... but we should be all set up to go by the end of May. I have not made a 3waQ - nINA IS BACK LAYING ON MY computer again.

I have not made an effort to get to swimming but I am waiting on my swim cap (must protect my hair color) and that is coming in I think by Monday. My goals at least for the next 2 weeks are to plan and track my food, drink more water and step up the exercise. All things I have been rather lackadaisical about lately. I got a neat dry erase board at the thrift shop that has an open 30 day calendar on it so will make tracking easier and more in my face to remind me to be a good girl.

I am going to post this because Nina is amazing when it comes to hitting keys in the right random sequence to blow up all my work over the last hour. Don't be fooled on April Fool's Day today and have a nice weekend everyone.

Ok, so I lost my post again - the old "you are not logged in" error. It seems this happens when I use the advanced option to post. But I did copy my text first and then submitted it - after logging in again - using the quick reply options.

Morning All.

Prayers for my brother. He called yesterday to say he can no longer work for Curtis as the cancer has gone to his back and he is in tremendous pain. My heart is hurting and all I do is cry.
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Update...Oncologist had Michael go in for yet another MRI just to make sure the spine was not be compressed. It is not, however there are tumors all up and down his spine. No wonder there is so much pain. My heart hurts.<--with sadness, not a heart attack.

Morning all,

Annie - so sorry to hear about your brother and the cancer. Hopefully he can get the pain alleviated soon and will feel better. Poor man. My thoughts are with you and his family.

Happy - I haven't had much trouble since the change in this site. However I don't often use the Go Advanced feature unless I am posting pictures. You are correct in thinking that there isn't a lot that the young ones will take in advice but it would be so nice if they didn't spend so much time on their phones and get off the butt and do something. I can't really fault the DS2 much for this although he does do this in the evenings but she can spend hours just sitting there tapping away. And then she complains that she is putting on weight!! Still both of them do hard work around the place from time to time. DS2 spent hours in the 33C (around 97F) sun yesterday replacing the timber in my pergola because it went rotten a while back. Now I have to make a decision on the roof type so we can finish that off. Another project off the list.

Laura - " Walkies" was a Barbara Woodhouse thing. She was one of those British women with the loud voices and just loved dogs. I guess it was her you remember. We had the series in NZ as well. Got a good few laughs out of her. Hope the boyfriends new teeth are going okay now and the pain is lessening and that he did well in his tests yesterday. Enjoy you vacation day.

Ceejay - Sorry to hear about the Aunt's death. Hope all went well for the funeral and you managed the rain and water okay. At least her death was reasonably quick and she didn't suffer too much. Drive safely.
Nice of the man to bring out your pay cheque. Do you not have wages paid directly into bank accounts over there? I can't think of the last time I got a pay packet with money or cheque in it.

Hello's to Susie, Dee, Michelle. We are back to being a small bunch again I see. Might have to consider a closed group in Facebook to continue our woes and hurrahs and family hassles and hopes if this silly log in stuff continues for some of you. I don't seem to have the problem.

Today, being Saturday, I am not walking the dog. They are both home and at least one of them will have the time to do this. I am going to a garden centre with a friend and then on Sunday to lunch with another friend who had a birthday last week. I'd better try find her a gift today when shopping for fruit and veg I think.

Okay, I will post this now. I think there is something else I wanted to say but I can't remember what it is, so I'll post and come back with the gem of knowledge if I ever remember what it was.

Hello
The 3fc website has been giving me fits tonight so I'm going to use the note pad then copy and paste. I lost a post twice.
Still counting down my retirement date. I sat down while I was in Branson to figure a certain date by my pay period and it came out to be August 31st. This way I will get paid for my birthday.
The funeral service was good. A lot of people were there. Some were asking if I would still be attending church and I said no. That I would be moving to Missouri. The trip over to Paragould is getting a bit longer each time I go.
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Shad
I would be willing to go to FB behind close doors. We voted one year to have direct deposit but every one didn't like that.
They want the check in their hands.

Happy
A dry erase board is a very good idea. I always do better when I have things planned out and prepared ahead of time. I had never sat down to figure up the cost of medication without my insurance, but that is something to consider. I can't believe that some one would steal money from the store.

Annie
Hugs This is very sad news about your brother. Will keep you in my thought and prayers.

Good morning ladies,

We got some snow overnight and there are flurries in the air. I am tired of being cold already and really longing for spring. I need to make a list and get focused here - too many things flitting away. And I want to have a few specific tasks completed around the house before my trip. Otherwise I look around and think that I should be staying home getting things done instead of flitting about.

I went to the eye doctor Thursday for a follow up after my surgery. He said all looks well for the 2 and a half minutes he managed to stay in the room and check me. He asked how I was doing and I said well... instead of one pair of glasses, now I have 4. Close up glasses, mid range computer glasses, distance glasses and sun glasses. He just looked up and said "don't lose them" I am not going back to him. Actually he had a new nurse who FINALLY explained to me that with natural lenses your eye adjusts naturally to a mid range - think of a camera moving in and out. With the new rigid replacement lens I have now, they can't do that. That's why they will never be able to prescribe me progressive lens that will actually work for me. I am stuck with 3 pairs of glasses - so much for the baloney sausage line of junk they give you that once you have "cataract surgery" you will never need glasses again. BAH! And it seems to me that my eyes are getting weaker in the distance, just like they always did. I will wait a bit and then go get checked by another doctor to see if I can get glasses that work a little better. The distance ones I got have too small of a frame and the prescription sunglasses I got have too BIG of a frame - both distort the vision. Crazy, crazy - wish I knew this BEFORE I had surgery. Was lulled into a false sense of security!

Anyway... I think DH is going to be ready to go into town shortly so I have to address the box I just packed with the Easter candy for my Mom that I should have sent 2 weeks ago. My sister told me yesterday that she was huffy that I told my sister I was coming before I told my Mom, even THOUGH I said I was planning on staying at S's and I had to ask her FIRST to see if my timing worked with her schedule. I would never have believed my once tough momma would have turned into such a childish baby unless I witnessed it myself. Now I sort of cringe for each passing year as she is really on a roll and gets her knickers in a twist over just about everything. She compares every little thing and gets fired up over what she supposes as favoritism over her - and of course is mostly always misguided in her thinking. I am not planning on getting past 75 myself.

Anyway - have a good weekend. Stay warm or dry, whatever fits.

I worked outside today. The wind was cold. It took me 63 minutes to mow the lawn. I was exhausted. Rested for a bit after that and decided to wash the SUV. It was to pretty to be on the inside. Did talk to my Dallas sis who is still in California but her dh's doctor doesn't want him to travel until Tuesday.

Annie - So sad to hear about the spread of your brother's cancer. Sending prayers and strength to you both.

Ceejay - My deepest sympathies on the loss of your aunt.

I wish there was something I could do to ease the pain that you both are going through. I'm sorry I haven't been around much.

I'll try and get back later to write more. I took last Friday off and have a lot to catch up on at work.

Love and hugs,

Good Morning, I am just going to say this....I am glad the weekend is over. Lost my key fob for car, found key fob for car...Cs box truck had a flat tire. No spare as box trucks do not come with spares. Had to have it towed. 259 bucks. Bleh. FINALLY found someone, on a Sunday to fix the flat. Another 40 bucks. Yikes. Over this and that issues that cost money. Just a nutty weekend. Michael's new pain med is keeping him pain free for the moment. He is not yet bedridden or chair ridden but does have to sit and rest quite often. High winds on Saturday and SUnday took two panels out on our shed. Thankfully, C found them and put the shed back together and screwed it all up with screws. Still waiting on the roof work to start on the house.

Thank you everyone for you kind thoughts and prayers for my brother.

CHELLE..how is the training coming along? Asthma inhaler doing the job for you?

CEEG...we had high winds up to 70 mph. Tore a lot of stuff up and many without power here.

HAPPY...not many docs will tell you the downside of any treatment, they are all out to make a buck as the next person. I have had a few docs I trust to do just what is necessary and tell me what they would do if it were them. What is the status on the front door? Sorry but you probably packed candy for your momma that she no longer fancies. LOL...just love her and let the BS roll off.

SHADDIE...closed group for us on FB sounds lovely. I could probably post better as most of the Worldlies.

SUSIE...how was your weekend?

LAURA...think I caught you took a day off on Friday...how was your weekend?

Make it a good day ladies...I am trying to also...just sad, mad and not in the mood.

Morning all,

I am going to try and post this from the QUICK REPLY box as I am tired of constantly losing my posts. There are light snowflakes dancing through the air. I am getting very tired of gray skies, cold and snow already. It's going to be a crappy week weather wise, there is the possibility of snow for the next 4 days. Oh how I would embrace 50 degree temps and sunshine!

I have a new wrinkle with the eyes. Saturday I was on the computer and noticed I was having a hard time seeing. I could not see at all out of my right eye with or without classes. I did have a headache at the time. While I could not see anything at arm's length, I glanced to the wall to try and read a calendar without my computer glasses. I then noticed I had double vision - a light shadow repeat of the words under the main word like JANUARY. I blinked and blinked, could not get it to go away or focus. After a few minutes I walked off to the tv to give my eyes a rest. It was like that for the rest of the evening. In the morning I was better but still a hint of the double vision. I looked it up on the computer and lo and behold, it might be that the lens slipped a bit in the eye. This can happen. Very common as the "piece" the new lens hooks onto is paper thin and rather delicate. The fix is corrective surgery. I also stumbled upon a website for cataract surgery where it invited people to leave comments. The vast majority (over 80 percent) of people talked about post surgical issues. The thing is - these issues are quite common - they just don't tell you this stuff before you have the surgery. They make it seem like it's so wonderful and you will be so happy to see everything crystal clear again. No you won't. I am sorry I had the surgery, I think I will deal with issues the rest of my life and I would totally suggest to someone to put off surgery until they have one of those creepy milky eyes that scare dogs and little kids. I guess the first doctor who said my cataracts were not ready yet knew what he was talking about. I think the one who did the surgery jumped at the idea of me having private insurance - less to justify for payment and he got about 5 times what he'd typically get from a Medicare payment. Live and learn... sigh.

Tomorrow is our primary election in Wisconsin and for a change since the race is getting tight, Wisconsin matters when it comes to voting and campaigning. I will make sure DH and I stop off and vote tomorrow before I head into the thrift shop for my shift. It appears that someone is pilfering money out of the donation boxes we have in the shop. There is a small hole in one of the boxes, I can't believe someone was so desperate to take the time and energy it would require to fish out a couple of dollars from the box. Seriously I doubt if there was 25 dollars in bills in there. But DH said when you are desperate for money, whether it be for drugs or just down and out and needed a few bucks for food or whatever, $25 can make a difference. I hope I am never that hard up in life and believe me, there have been a few times where I was truly desperate.

I think I will go and make some soup today. I know I keep saying I will do that but I really don't get to it. I am in a limbo with food - I want to continue on plan but nothing sounds good to me. I made a couple of eggs and some peach and raspberry pancakes for brunch yesterday. Wasn't that hungry for dinner and DH got me sidetracked anyway. He was trying to do the taxes and was completely confused when it came to deductions for medical even though I gave him all the receipts for charitable and medical stuff. This after I had to stop in the middle of what I was doing earlier when he decided he needed this. Then as I was getting ready to get something for dinner, he decided he could not figure this out. I will say that Turbo tax pulled a funky this year and for some STRANGE reason, you have to break out medical into lab tests, eye doctors and surgeries, regular doctors and medical devices and such. So again, I stopped what I was doing and broke down things into categories for him. But the time I was done it was close to 8pm and I really didn't want to have anything very heavy so I just had some popcorn. I was happy to see that the salt did not cause the scale to move in an upward direction. I need to focus this week on exercise, tracking food and planning and eating clean again. Not planning is killing me and then come the day before weigh in, I am fretting about wasting the week away.

Annie - I am sorry that you are having an extended visit in Funkytown these last few days. I do think that worrying about your brother does tend to cast a pall on things. And then there is the usual when it rains, it pours "money out of my wallet" when those financial issues slap you in the face. Please try to keep your spirits up - when you go to bed at night think of 3 things you are grateful for and remind yourself of them when you are brushing your teeth in the morning. Circumstances right now can really drag you down and that's not a good place to be. You don't have to be Susie Sunshine (not taking your name in vain Susie ) but when we are in a down mood, we tend to look at everything negatively. Draw some positivity out life. Those high winds are scary and it seems like there are more instances of wind like that.

Laura - hope you had a nice extended weekend.

Ceejay - since they don't have direct deposit, will they have to mail you your pension check once you retire?

Shad - I agree with you about people being too overly involved in their cell phones. I guess it's like being on the computer too much here. I'm glad I don't have one myself although when I see some of the apps they have, they would be useful. I'm not sure we will ever get decent cell service (or internet) up this way. Did you have a good weekend - find anything interesting at the garden center? I sent you a link on Facebook of some new orchids you should consider Mel would have loved them!

Hello Susie, Dee and Michelle I am hungry - I guess that popcorn last night was not very filling. So I'd better go get something in my tummy before I get ravenous and just eat anything I see. Have a good day everyone.

Morning all.

My weekend was alright, somewhat productive. Thursday evening I went to a Hyatt hotel not far from home. I had a glass of wine and a chicken quesadilla appetizer and earned 45 points for my Gold Passport membership, and more importantly, kept my account active and my accumulated points safe for future redemption.

Friday was ho-hum, but we did get the dog bathed. We went to a new place that offers self-serve dog bathing and has nicer tubs for bathing than other places we've used. We also did a couple other errands.

Saturday morning was a workout in the basement before a shower and my hair appointment. Afterwards I went to the market and picked up a bunch of sale items, including fruit, veggies, chicken, and eggs (only 77 cents per dozen!) When I got home I prepped the fruit and the chicken. Ugh, hate trimming the fat off chicken. Also did a dog walk. What an awful weather day – rain, snow, gusts of high winds, snow pellets (not hail), and the occasional clear sunny period. It was like Sybil, LOL.

Sunday I finally made a batch of eggs in muffin cups (I added diced red pepper, ham and shredded cheese. They turned out nicely. I ate 2, bf ate 4 and I froze the 6 remaining. It’s pretty quick to do, so I’m sure I’ll make some again - if they heat up alright from frozen/thawed. On Sunday I also did a load of laundry, took a dog walk, ran a couple errands, and made a meatloaf for dinner.

I’ll try to get back later for personals. Right now I’m catching up from being out of the office on Friday. There’s always a price to pay…

hi every one.
Had an exciting moment yesterday. I heard something pop and smelled something burning. It was the plug in for the dryer. I pulled the dryer out and when I did the lent hose fell and put out the fire. Whew. I was in panic mode. I called my landlord and told him this morning. My landlord's office called a few minutes ago to see if the alarm was on and told her I left it off for them to go in. She asked if I could leave it off in the morning just in case they didn't get out there today. Needless to say I had a restless night.
I got busy cleaning my office yesterday. It really looks a lot better. Also started the clothes transition but instead of changing closets I packed all of my sweat shirts, sweaters etc that I wear for winter months.
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Happy
My 401k is with a different company but when I sign up for it I go through city hall and I want to think it will be a direct deposit. I hope so. That's scary with the eye problems. Thanks for warning us future prospects of cataract surgery. I'm glad I had the second opinion done. And I'm going to wait as long as I can before I have that done. I'm not sure if I can increase my lens strength on my next doctor's visit. I looked at Walmart at their readers and my strength is as high as theirs go. I really dread that surgery. I'd rather have my bunion done first.

Laura
Good for you in keeping the membership alive. I may have to get a chicken quesadilla tonight. That sounds good to me right now. Haven't seen eggs for 77 cents a dozen i a long time. That is a good buy. How long did you bake your eggs? I want to try that.

Michelle
You are a busy person. How is training coming along?

Annie
I don't think we had any wind just the heavy, heavy rain. The sewer system finally got caught up this morning. Thank goodness.

Hello's to Shad and Susie.

Afternoon all. Back with personals.

Annie – I’m so sorry to hear about your brother. I’m glad he’s not in a lot of pain right now. After your weekend, I’m very sure you are glad it's over!! And I’ve had enough of all the strong winds we’ve had this winter - broken fence for me and shed for you - ENOUGH!!

Happy – Thanks for setting up our new thread. Let me know if you’ll have time to do a dinner in Oakbrook, I’d love to finally meet face-to-face! It’s so awful someone’s stealing money from the donation boxes at the shop. I wonder what the story is behind this. Nothing justifiable, I’m sure. I’m so sorry you’re having issues with your eyes related to your cataract surgery. And here I was thinking it was one of those things they had “down pat” by now. Does/did your dh have any issues with his surgery? Maybe you’re one of the small % of unfortunate folks with complications. Good luck with your upcoming visit with your mom – sounds like you’re going to have to summon up all the patience you can during the time you spend with her. Good you’re at least getting the taxes done – I haven’t started yet and they are due two weeks from today!! Tonight is as good a night to start as any, so I guess I better get to it!

Shad – Yes, it was Barbara Woodhouse that I remember with the “Walkies”. Bf’s test went fine. He was being a big complainer over the weekend re the pain from the braces, but at a certain point he realized he’d gone overboard and stopped. Maybe he was worried I'd get fed up and smack him, lol.

Ceejay – I’ve had direct deposit for so long, it would be strange getting a paper check. I like having the funds available right away with direct deposit. Good for you getting out in the nice weather. It was nice and mild here yesterday, and I enjoyed my dog walk, but it was rather windy. Scary about the burning dryer plug! "Exciting" is one way to put it… Your upcoming retirement must be starting to feel very real now – packing clothes away for the move, picking a date. Now that’s exciting. Re the eggs – they cooked about 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Michelle – We’re in the same boat – catching up after taking Friday off! Hope your day is going well.

Hellos to Susie and Dee!

Okay, time to pack it up and go home. Have a good evening/morning everyone.