Goodmorning Ladies: A very dull gloomy day here. Later we are to receive severe thunderstorms with high winds and heavy rain. I guess I won't be going anywere today. breHow did the planting go Nikki? If you keep up the heavy bleeding have your blood checked. I got very anemic before my operation and after surgury had a transfusion. Aleka, my BP was 162/102, than 158/99 havn't checked it since she did it on tuesday and wednesday. She took me right off the hormones, said it could be part of it. I had 2 days of tests, blood EKG etc. and go back in a week to find out what medication she will be putting me on. She also said she doubts I will ever be able to take hormones again. So now I am back to the night sweats thank god she gave me sleeping pills, last night I slept though the night. So far so good. I am a little edgy but not to bad. Anne hope you got your running around done yesterday, today is a good day to stay home. I have been thinking about those dinners you have been talking about Aleka and Nikki. Start with 1 at lunch, and cook for us at night only. Well off to have a bubble bath, bye for now

Hi,
It was 91 here yesterday, according to the bank sign. At 10pm it was still 75. What a beautiful night. There were tornado's north of us, but again nothing here but wind and lightening. It's really windy today and after today, they say our temps will fall back into the 60's. I did get one garden almost done yesterday. Was going to do more today, but with the wind, forget it.
Lynn, I have talked to several Drs about this and all they do is say, ummhmm. Or make no comment at all. Like this is all in my head or unimportant. Think I'll try a new one that is in town next week and see what she says. Since she is only a NP, she will probably refer me to someone else, but that would be progress.
Have you talked to your Dr about taking some of the soy supplements for hot flashes? Or just eating more soy? Hopefully, getting off the hormones will help with your b/p. So glad to hear your sleeping better. I have been sleeping pretty well myself the last week. I'm surprised, since the windows are open at night and that usually bothers me.
Think I'll go plant some blueberry bushes. Talk to you all later, Nikki

Hi!

Hope you're all enjoying your weekend.

nikki, 91 deg.! It's hotter where you are than it is in FL. It was 82 here yesterday and today. Glad that the tornado missed you. DH & I have had a few frozen dinners in the past few weeks. At home I had some of Amy's, which is in the health food section in our supermarket. They are fairly low in calories, under 400 cal., made with a lot of good ingredients, and taste very good. I had a Lean Cuisine and really enjoyed it. I am not too fond of WW frozen meals. I plan on having a breakfast of either cereal, fruit, & skim milk, or English Muffiin, peanutbutter, & sugar free jam, a mini meal mid morning, then either a frozen meal or a sandwich for lunch, if hungry, a mini meal late afternoon, then a frozen meal for dinner, and either s/f jello or f/f s/f pudding for dessert. I also go to a NP and absolutely love her. She is more thorough than any MD I've ever had. I had such an enlarged uterius that I had a couple of ultrasounds. At one time, just before my TOM I had my physical and the Dr. thought he felt a cyst on my ovary. So, I had to have another ultrasound, but my fibroids were so bad that they couldn't see anything. Then he referred me to an OBGYN. Maybe seeing a NP she will be more sympathetic as to what you are going through. They can do so much today other than a hysterectomy for fibroids. Good luck to you.

lynn, did you get the severe thunder storms? Hope you didn't get them. Thankfully you've been getting a good night's sleep. The study that they aborted about taking Premarin alone, they found out that women had an increased risk of stroke. With your high B/P your Dr. probably that was the best course of action to take. Keep us posted on how you're doiing. I won't see my NP untiil Sept. and then I'll talk it over with her. As I told nikki, the NP I go to is a sweetheart.

Hi ANNE Hope everything is going well for you.

We only have 1 more week here. I am antsy to get home, I miss my routine.

Take care and have a great evening.

Good night,
Aleka

Goodmorning All: We were lucky to miss the worst of the storm. We got rain and high winds but only a little of the electrical storms that the GTA got. DD really got the storm, How did you fare Anne? Well had my first really bad night without hormones. Must have woken up 10X in a sweat, It was 67 in here when I got up and I was so hot. It is going up to 78+ so will be a short day for me. God, I dread the summer. The old air conditioner will be working over time. Aleka, what is a NP? I assume some kind of Dr. I have read your posts about the frozen dinner's and think that is the way to go for a while. It will keep me out of the kitchen except for dinner. We have always had the rule that DH is responcible for his own breakfast and lunch plus clean-up (I am not a maid) so that will make is easier for me. I have been very good lately but I still havn't got serious about the exercise. We plan to go for a walk or bike ride today but if its raining I probably won't make myself exercise inside. When we get our walking club going in May I will have 4 or 5 ladies not leting me slide, and as Martha says "that is a good thing" Well hope you all have a good day, DH is waiting for me to go shopping so will close for now

Hi,
Aleka, we don't have any Amy's frozen dinners here. I don't like WW or Smart ones either. There are some Lean Cuisines that I do like, but it seems like the portions are so small when compared to Healthy Choice. Well, they may be, I guess I never looked at the weight on the box. Or, it could be that Healthy Choice does some packaging tricks that make it look like your getting more
We had some really strong winds yesterday and through the night. When I was going to get DD from work last night, I thought the car would be blown off the road. It's a lot cooler today. DH is mowing the lawn in a sweatshirt, its so cool and windy out.
Lynn, a NP is a nurse practitioner. We have more of them than ever anymore down here. Most of the ones I've gone to are more down to earth than Drs and don't have such an arrogant attitude as Drs do. I've had some good Drs too, but most are pretty full of themselves.
The other day, when it was 91 out, I came in from the garden and stuck my head in the freezer, just like when I was a kid and we didn't have ac. I spent the last 2 days covered in sweat constantly. I hate that feeling. I don't know what I hate more, feeling like I'm cold to the bone (winter) or feeling like I'm sitting in a furnace (summer).
We went out and had Mexican last night. I told DH, that's the last time, unless it's a special occasion. I gain 2 lbs everytime I eat there and I have been leaving stuff on my plate and ordering less. It's too darned hard to work off 2 lbs for 15 min of eating.
Hi Anne , hope your having a good day, although, I know it's Monday, so probably not your favorite day of the week.
Later, Nikki

I found this on the HSN site today, I think it's cool

What Makes You a Woman of Strength
A strong woman works out everyday to keep her body in shape .... but a woman of strength looks deep inside to keep her soul in shape. A strong woman isn't afraid of anything ... but a woman of strength shows courage in the midst of her fear. A strong woman won't let anyone get the best of her ... but a woman of strength gives the best of herself to everyone. A strong woman makes mistakes and avoids the same in the future ... but a woman of strength realizes life's mistakes can also be blessings and capitalizes on them. A strong woman walks surefootedly ... but a woman of strength knows when to ask for help. A strong woman wears the look of confidence on her face ... but a woman of strength wears grace. A strong woman has faith that she is strong enough for the journey ... but a woman of strength has faith that it is in the journey that she will become strong.

I don't know where it comes from, but it does bear repeating, Nikki

I just want to say oh, oh, oh
I think, I've found a website that is going to help us with our computer questions.
While at the HSN site (yes, again), I found this site mentioned. I went and it gives shortcuts for doing things quicker. If you go to their home page (click on home page on the top of this page that I copied here), they have places to go on this website that will help you with other computer questions and problems.

http://www.computerhope.com/shortcut.htm

I hope this will be useful for all of us, when we have computer questions, Nikki

Hi Everyone: Well yesterday weather Canada thinks a small tornado went though here. We couldn't leave the grocery store because of wind and rain for 10 min. When we were up the street we saw a area that was about 100 feet that there were a lot of branches down and debris across the road. This was only 300 feet or so from us. I guess that was paart of it. Tomorrow they are calling for a severe storm watch again. Loved the "woman of strength" Nikki. I also have been on the computer hope site and am going back after I have posted. It is great!!!! Also when I was in the grocery store at check out there were Atkins bars on display and all they cost were $3.79!!!!!! What is with those people do they think Canadians are all rich? Even if I was rich I wouldn't pay that for a chocolate bar size snack, what a rip-off! How is your weather today Nikki & Aleka? Today is sunny about 60 so am going to finish up raking a couple of beds that we couldn't do because there was still ice in them. Hi Anne are you back on track? Hope you got outside at lunch time.
Will be back later

Evening,
Lynn, glad that you are ok. I hate tornado's and we have too many around here it seems. I have to live in a house with a basement or an underground shelter, otherwise, I never feel safe.

We finally got some rain, started last night and rained most of the day. What a relief, I thought we were living in a dust bowl. Everything was coated with dust and it was looking more like August than springtime. The rain stopped and now there is some sun. I planted 6 tomato plants last night and will plant 8-10 more in the other garden when it dries up some. Love those tomatoes

I don't blame you for not buying those Atkins bars. I dont' remember what they run down here, maybe 1.00 at Walmart? Less than 2 for sure. Anyway, while some of them are good (some are icky too), they aren't that big, they give you diarrhea and all they make me want to do is eat more of them. Plus, I gained weight on them too, so I say, forget it, no matter what the price, but especially at that price, that's just robbery.

Guess I'll go take a look around the yard and see what's happening out there, hope everyone is doing well. Nikki

Goodmorning Everyone: Another gloomy day here, more rain called for later this morning. We need a couple of rain free days to paint the deck, this week isn't looking to good. Before I forget Nikki, I can't remember if I gave you this site beffore if so sorry. It is www.fabulousfoods.com. They have 1000's of recipes and 1 with over 1200 in the RV section. Had a good day in the watching what I eat department yesterday hope the rest of the week is good too. Finished the rest of the beds outside yesterday. I have a lot of perennials and shrubs because we are not here most of the summer to care for them. my son called so excited last night, the baby has his first tooth. I asked him top or bottom and he had to ask his wife, apparently she called out to him and he picked up the phone before he asked!!! Well I guess I should have my shower and go for my bike ride before the heavens open up again. Later

Good afternoon,
I just got the Power 90 tapes from ebay that I bought. It took longer to get these than anything else I've bought off of ebay. I was kind of ticked off about that, but I'm glad to have the tapes and will not be using them for awhile anyway. I'm feeling stronger and my endurance is getting better everyday.
Lynn, thank's for that address site, no you hadn't posted it before. It looks like a lot of fun and I'll spend some time there. I like to find out about new sites. There are times when I'm just bored out of my mind (usually at 2am) and I wish I could explore some new sites. This will come in handy
That's great about the new tooth and pretty funny about the dad calling you before he even saw it. How sweet!
I've still got lots to do in my yard, but it's pretty wet now. I like perinneals a lot and have been slowly adding more and more of them to the yard. I like that they return year after year and don't need as much attention. We are gone alot in the summer, so I can't have anything that is too time consuming. For my vegetable garden, I put down that fabric that prevents weeds and keeps moisture in, then I cover it with straw. The straw holds it down (besides using ground staples to keep it down), keeps more moisture in and when the tomato vines/tomatoes travel down to the ground, they are laying on nice straw. It is expensive to start with, but the amount of time I save in weeding and the money I save in water is worth it. It is so dry here anymore. Plus, it looks so nice. Usually after I get it all done, that's about all there is to do, except for pick the vegetables and water on occasion. I've had some people tell me that it sours the ground and causes mold, but I've done it for years and never had that problem. Also, one year when everyone else has fungus on their tomatoes and no leaves, mine didn't get any fungus at all.
Aleka, hope your having a great time. Enjoy that wonderful weather down there. Anne, how's things with you? Talk to you all later, Nikki

Hi Nikki: I have never planted vegetables. I shouldn't say never, I did once when the kids were small and when everything was ready we werd on holidays. My neighbour talked about enjoying the veggie's for years. That fabric sounds wonderful. I wonder if it would protect my hostas from slugs? I use slug bait now but the fabric sounds great. I have never ordered off the computer. The only time I give a credit card # is when I renew my norton antivirus. DH who is computer illiterate is very uncomfortable with his #'s given outon the net. The # is also not given out over the phone. I just realized how soon it is till trailer opening today when I phoned to see if our phone had benn connected. DD is coming on the 30th to help us get the stuff to trailer in 1 load. We are in a severe storm with possible flooding later today. It is so dark and humid here, it feels like we will get a dozzie. Well better go and get this thing turned off. Later

Hi,
Lynn, the fabric is sold at Walmart and many other places. They also sell a plastic for ground cover and then there is one that is kind of a heavy paper, but it tears real easy and isn't worth bothering with. I use the fabric under all may flower beds, rocks and mulch. It really keeps the weeds out and the moisture in. I don't think it will do anything for slugs though. They just crawl right over it anyway. I've read you can do these things to deter slugs-
You can put jagged particles around your hostas and this will kill the slugs, because they have soft bodies. Things like pine needles (slightly crushed), crushed egg shells, diatomaceous earth (it's fossilized prehistoric algae. It's sharp and cuts up the slugs bellies. It doesn't hurt earthworms, birds or other creatures. You can get it from garden centers. Don't use the kind that is for swimming pool filters), or you can use bird grit (the stuff from pet supplies that is used for caged birds). There are other ways, putting out a pan of beer (this never worked for me), surrounding the hostas with cabbage leaves and then picking them up in the morning and disposing of the slugs (too time consuming). In the end, battling slugs is an on going thing and I've never found anything that is fool proof.
I have bought a lot of stuff over the computer. There are secure sites and I only buy from places that I trust. I understand your DH's hesitatation and since I live with a guy that prefers to use rotary phones over push button, because they are less complicated, I know what it's like to try to explain things to the technologically challenged male.
I buy much less from ebay anymore. One reason, they are now invaded by sellers that are actually large businesses and keeping the prices high. It use to be, you could get some bargains there, but there are fewer of these around anymore. The other reason, some how, when you use paypal or ebay, your email address is obtained by a spybot and is then used to send out emails that are fake. These emails look like they come from ebay or paypal, but they are just trying to trick people into giving them your password or private information and then they can access your account. So, maybe your DH is right after all. But with the majority of purchases, I've had no problems at all.
Well, it's kind of gray and will rain the next few days they say. I guess that gives me a chance to do other things, I just don't know what yet.
Have a good one, Nikki

Goodmorning All: Thanks Nikki, I have tried the beer for slugs, not bad but have never heard of the egg shells since they just go into the garbage I'll throw them around. I guess it's still the slug bait. We are rain free so DH is out cutting in the deck. This has turned into a night mare. Originally the deck was painted than the next time it was done a stain was put on. This has caused the deck to peel. We power washed and scraped and am now painting. Unfortunatly we have to use a oil based paint this time. I HATE working with oil base paint. I have my crappiest clothes on and just know I am going to be covered in the crap very soon. DH is working like a mad fool to get everything done so we can get out of here on May 1. He is soooo looking forward to the summer, fishing, golf games etc. I wish I had his enthusiasm (?) Well he just called so I had better get out there. My job is the railings. Before I forget give me some sites that you visit when you are bored. Hi Anne, hope your week is going well. Aleka, are you enjoying good weather? Bye for now

Lynn,
I hate oil based paints too, hate them.
I visit www.Beachbody.com, because I use their products.
Then there's http://www.hsn.com/com/forums/default.aspx (it's the Home Shopping Network) they have a very interesting and active BB, especially the lobby. The beauty board, jewelry board and clothing boards there are also a good place to learn about things. I rarely post there anymore as some of the people there can be rather rude or maybe they're just opinionated and they don't agree with me There is a lot of politcal talk there, but they talk about all the news of the day as well as products and shopping. Actually, they talk about everything. On the weekends, there is a troll that visits there and is annoying, so I rarely go there on the weekends.
I subscribe to www.Flylady.net, it's a place that helps you to get organized and do things better. If you sign up for the emails, you get a lot of them in a day, but I just delete the reminders and read the testimonials and her advice which I find to be a treasure trove. I've heard that some people with dial up say that it has jammed their mailboxes, but it never did mine, when I had dialup. You can just browse the site though and learn a lot.
Sometimes, I'll look around on www.drweil.com, some of the things they talk about there are pretty interesting.
Then there are the yahoo sites. If I have nothing to do, I'll go to http://games.yahoo.com/ and play the free games they offer. I have to be just bored silly to do that. I think I go there about 10 times a day. Boy, is my life dull or what?
Good luck with the painting, Nikki