Good morning, Beach Chicks~~

How is everyone this morning? It is so difficult getting myself used to the idea that "vacation" is over. Back to the blood sucking today.

We had a little bit of excitement yesterday morning. Back in the winter of 1999/2000 we had a series of ice storms that left one of the many pine trees in our front yard severely damaged. Since it is nestled in amongst a bunch of other mature trees, we didn't really notice just how bad off it was. Yesterday morning around 10:00, it decided to topple over. Luckily it fell outwards and crashed into the neighbors driveway and not on top of our cars. As soon as dh is able, we're going to have to get out there and remove the corpse.

Not much else going on around here. Just have to get my eggs boiled for lunch. Everyone have a great day on the beach!

Mamacita

Good morning! It's pretty brisk but sunny here this morning. I almost put on my chenille bathrobe! 57F with a breeze! Suits me fine as I sort of wilt in heat and humidity.

Today is certainly off to a better start than yesterday. I even caught another mouse. (Yes, they're back! ) Toilets all flush, Harry is up and medicated and fed, the Girls have eaten and played and are loafing around and I am about to soak in the tub for a bit. ME time!

This morning I'll be doing the Library program with Liz - I'm reading The Popcorn Dragon - and will definitely need to start script research this afternoon. I am such a procrastinator! Since nobody has offered me an 1860 Victorian costume, I'll have to fake it with odds and ends of black clothes. (Can you tell I'd rather sew than write? )

So "set and chat a bit" and tell us what your plans are for this Tuesday.

You beat me to it Mamacita! You are the early chick today!

Wow! Trees falling are a scary thing! We had an ice storm here in 1998 that decimated our forests and also crushed Harry's car! I'm glad nobody was hurt when the pine fell. Since you DH is convalescent, can you get "a lad" to dispose of the corpes? I can send down Kevin.

Hey, girls!

Mamacita, that's scary. I remember in 1998 going outside to knock ice from some of the trees. I was trying to keep warm... we lost our electricity for five days. (nothing compared to the few weeks some people had to endure)

Ruth, the humidity is 84% here right now, and it's heading your way.

I may be starting to pull myself together. (knock on wood) I went to an OA (Overeaters Anon) meeting last night for the first time. It was lovely. There were just three other women, and we shared a lot of good/bad stories. And I came home and didn't eat the pizza sitting on the kitchen counter!

Tonight I'm going to an aquafit class for the first time. I have to find something concealing to wear...

Have a wonderful day, darlings!

Good morning, Ruth...just popping in before I fly off to the lab.

Glad everything is in working order up your way.

Our "lad" is my BIL, who is slowly becoming part of the household. Long story and will save for later. But he'll be by this afternoon and I'll ask him to give a hand to move the tree. Too bad rotten pine trees aren't useful for anything...compost??? B/c it's just going to lie in repose out in the back part of the property.

CYL~~

Mamacita

Hello ladies!

Was it you who was saying you could smell your pine tree burning the other day Mamacita? That might account for it falling down. Glad no one was hurt.

Ellis, the OA meeting sounds like a great idea. I think one of the reasons I overeat is because of filling up that emptiness inside, and it just cant be filled with food, or drink, or even new handbags. Good luck with it. I have a fellowship poem thing that I thought of posting yesterday but did not. I will put it on here. You might like it.

I wilt in the heat too Ruth. I love cool crisp summer days.......they make the garden smell nice.

Well today is MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!! Yes! I am now 38. I like being 38 already. I have cried twice, flirted with a big fat sad looking lorry driver who cheered up immensly after I winked at him, and bought myself a pound of gooseberries for supper (which noone else in the household will eat). Oh yes, I got sent flowers! roses with that spikey blue stuff and berries! I am not sure where they got the berries in early July but I dont mind that.

Plans for the rest of the day mostly involve sitting in the garden reading my book (which is called 'Comfort Me With Apples') and working on my thesis (which is called 'A Study in Absence and Presence'). I might also go up to the allotment and do some gentle hoeing (which is called Avoiding The Issue as the marestail really has taken over at the back of the plot this summer......)

OK, off to dig out that Fellowship thing.....

Here is the thing I mentioned. Reading it through again I have no idea why I thought it might be relevant to this thread, but that was the intuition and if 38 years have taught me nothing else, they have taught me to follow my intuition.

So here we are. To whom it may concern.......


After A While
1971 Veronica A. Shoffstall

After a while you learn
the subtle difference between
holding a hand and chaining a soul
and you learn
that love doesn't mean leaning
and company doesn't always mean security.
And you begin to learn
that kisses aren't contracts
and presents aren't promises
and you begin to accept your defeats
with your head up and your eyes ahead
with the grace of woman,
not the grief of a child
and you learn
to build all your roads on today
because tomorrow's ground is
too uncertain for plans
and futures have a way of falling down
in mid-flight.
After a while you learn
that even sunshine burns
if you get too much
so you plant your own garden
and decorate your own soul
instead of waiting for someone
to bring you flowers.
And you learn that you really can endure
you really are strong
you really do have worth
and you learn
and you learn
with every goodbye, you learn...

Hi ya'll!

Mama-sorry you have to go back to blood-letting. It's an under-appreciated job by most in the healthcare field. I love our techs. They save our bacon.

Ruth-a tree a toilet? What a poem that would be.

Ellis-OE, what a great idea. Did you feel inspired?

In the ER this AM. Sunshiney, hope it's quiet. Doesn't sound like it, ambulance bringing in a chest pain, so I'm off.

Love ya all, have a great day! TTFN

Oh my God, Clovey. That is so very good. Thank you so much for sharing it with us. I'm going to print it off right now...

RNMom, that chest pain could be me! I hope your day isn't too busy... and, yes! I was inspired!!

Morning. Missed you all. Ate kinda poorly, but not really. Proud of myself. Computer at home is dead and work is horribly busy. Just wanted to check in though!

Hope all are well!

Morning, gals! I had a good weekend. Down a couple of pounds and had a wonderful time at the waterpark on Sunday. I ended up eating a few bites of a big pretzel but I think I worked it off in 5 hours of playing in the Lazy River and the wave pool. My son isn't interested (or tall enough) for the big rides which is good since that is where the lines were long.

I'm working from home today since I leave in a half hour or so to get the labwork done for my physical. Keep your fingers crossed for good results. I don't see the doctor for a few weeks so I'll probably have to wait until then to find anything out (but it also gives me more time to lose a few more pounds). I am really hoping to get to 180 by then.

We've got a stopped up kitchen sink today. I'm hoping DH can get it clear by the time I need to fix dinner tonight. I need my sink!

Good morning, ladies!

Mamacita, I also hated this morning! Last night, I was lying there at 2 AM thinking, God, it is going to be so awful when I have to get up in 5 hrs. And it was. I fought and fought getting up, and actually lay down for a few more minutes after I did my teeth and hair. But I made it here.
I slept and slept all weekend, so tonight maybe I'll just try to fall asleep early - like, before midnight.

DH has bought us concert tickets for a Mary Chapin Carpenter concert being held tomorrow night in Ann Arbor. I'm looking at it as my "I survived Phase I" present. Tomorrow I'll know the results. I'm trying not to get my hopes up for a significant weight loss - I am trying to look at this as the first step in a series of lessons in improved eating. Dinner last night was a green salad, cauliflower with a whiff of parmesan, and grilled fish with salsa. Six months ago, it would have been cauliflower in cheese sauce, and fried fish with tartar sauce.
I decided that my first carb is going to be the Kashi Puffed Grains (no added sugar) for lunch. I wrote the company, and got a very nice e-mail saying that this has no sugar (that's what the box says, too). I've been dreaming about this for days!! I'll mix a little GoLean in gradually over time, because I really like the texture and the flavor, but I'm going to start out careful.
Wow, and I'm a grown woman FANTASIZING ABOUT CEREAL.

Barb, I hope both the lab work and the scale are good to you.

Take care, all. See 'ya.

Sue
278/270/160
SW/CW/GW

Hello everyone!

I woke up early this morning because I had to take my mom and grandma to get their haircuts. I have decided to grow mine back out. It's just short and curly at the moment...and with this humidity you can only imagine how poofy it gets....I hate humidity...My grandma it seems has gotten poison oak or ivy on her....it's everywhere...Nothing new is going on....I got on the scales this morning and it seems I've lost a couple more lbs! YAY!!! I hope you all have a wonderful day!

I'm bummed out....I just called this place that I was soooooooo qualified for and talked to them about the hiring process.....the lady said I was qualified for the job except I didn't have enough experience...I'm really frustrated because how am I supposed to get the experience if they won't give me a chance and hire me? UGH...I have been looking and applying since Dec. I'm so frustrated!