Hello Everyone,


It is May 1st already! With all that is going on in the world sometimes, time feels crazy to me. Sometimes, it seems to drag and sometimes it flys by so fast.


I am still working from home and most likely will be all of May, I have heard it could be through end of July. I am really ok with it. I like it. I have my routine and I try to keep the lines of work time & home time in place and not mix them.


I managed to lose 2 lbs in the month of April. I'm setting a goal of 8 lbs for May; and right now have the ambition that I can lose 10. I want to be sure my current summer clothes will fit comfortably.


I have done some online shopping and bought a couple pairs of sandles; in black because they always get bought up so fast, as well as some new flats in black and light tan. I also bought 3 new dresses (think easy, breezy sumer like dresses), a couple of new black dress slacks for work, and 6 new tops.


I feel I have a good start for something to wear when it starts warming up. I don't want to buy anything else until I get the tubs out, switch over the clothes and get read of some things and see what I need to buy to replace.


I'm pretty excited today because the Kona Ice truck is going to be in our neighborhood! I'm such a kid....lol. They will be near the school from 1-3 p.m. I found this info on Facebook. They ask people to social distance, and in the wide space available, I think it will all work out ok. It's the little things these days.


Dee: It was nice to see you post and hear a little from you. Would love to see you visit more!


Laura: I think you are taking a vacation day today? Enjoy!


Happy & Shad: I need to make note of your birthdays so that I am aware of them coming up next year. I used to be so good with all that.


Annie & Ceejay: I haven't seen to much of you here or on Facebook. I hope you are all well and that we see you back here soon.

Good morning ladies,

Thanks for the birthday wishes Laura. It was a nice one this year. Sunday was a beautiful day (my birthday was Monday but it was predicted to be rainy). My friend who is going stir crazy made me a birthday lunch featuring soft foods and we ate out on the deck. It was nice to talk to someone, sit in the sunshine and just be normal again. Yesterday they stopped by to pick up a picture DH had framed for them and they brought another friend who brought me a pot of chives as she cleans out her garden beds. Key piece of advice - NEVER plant chives in the ground or you will have a field of chives. Yes I didn't know that and they took over my garden bed. DH ripped them all out last year - as they years pass they tend to get tougher and less tasty anyway. So I have a pot of pansies from one friend and a pot of chives from the other - my 2020 garden is complete!

I don't have any interest really in doing a garden this year. Even planting flowers. We are supposed to take a ride to the garden center on Saturday afternoon. DH wants to look for things. My friend who has the farm is coming to town on Saturday so we will buy some eggs. I am debating about picking up some meat - hers is good and well packaged. Not sure what is going to happen going forward with the meat plants and all the infected workers and the White House ordering them to stay open in spite of things. I don't think I want to eat meat or any food for that matter that is handled by a bunch of people who are infected.

Getting really tired of Facebook. You can't make a comment without a bunch of ignorant attack comments and disgusting language coming from the clowns who have nothing better to do than pick fights on Facebook. Some of them are troll plants but there are many others who truly believe the crap they see on their news station. I know people are restless and want to get out but look at the prisons and the meat packing plants - tell me people in close clumps cannot be infected. Yesterday on the news idiots are protesting and storming the state capital building wearing bulletproof vests carrying their assault rifles. I fear we are coming close to a civil war here. It is very stressing and you can't seem to get away from it. I have a headache and feel nauseated and the feeling in my chest like I had far too much caffeine on an empty stomach. Perhaps part of it is also nervousness about the dentist. I might pop a Valium 30 minutes before we get there.

We had a fitting break in our hot tub. The thing was leaking and drained the tub in about 24 hours. The guy came and repaired it yesterday - very quick turn around on the service call. The thing is it drained out 3/4 of the way. He said to add more water and let it sit to see if the fix held. We usually drain the tub twice a year and do a deep clean. I filled it up half way to check the leak and not sure if I should drain it the rest of the way and just do the spring clean early. Will talk to DH about it.

Mom and Sis got their care packages I sent. They included cute cloth masks from the Humane Society. I sent Sis some handmade soaps a friend makes and a loaf of cranberry walnut bread - BIL's favorite. Mom I sent a package with a mask, some pocket pack wipes, hand sanitizer, nice medicated hand lotion for her dry hands, a box of her favorite Junior Mints and in another empty mints box I sent her $125 in small bills. She needed change to pay the neighbors when they pick up small grocery items for her. Sis does not want to visit her right now so we were trying to figure out how to get her some money. She was happy with her goody box.

Will be heading out in a bit for the very long drive to the oral surgeon. It's a nice day and should make for a nice car ride but it's 2 hours away. And nothing is open to make the trip productive other than a giant grocery store that I might convince DH to stop at. There is another nursery on the way but I'm not sure what the rules are for them opening. Also a bit early for them to get much in the way of flowers quite yet.

Laura - hope you do decide to take that vacation day. Do something fun. Your weather has been lousy the last few days? At least that's what my Mom said. I hope the drain situation is not too messy and costly to fix. Yes, I don't know how things will change going forward - at least for the next 18 months until they have a good vaccine. I was surprised when Governor Cuomo talked about sanitizing the subways each day. It must be done but part of the joke of New Yorkers is how filthy the subway system is. For sure they will have to figure out a way to sanitize the public transportation system. Chicago and New York are unique in that issue. Not sure how many other big cities rely on public transportation so heavily. Good for you for finding creative and interesting ways to keep exercising. I am missing the swimming pool. Have been thinking about that a lot lately.

Shad - how nice to get the new TV. What a cute idea for the grandaughter making a poster and a story for you. Sounds like you have a lovely garden. Certainly enough to keep you constantly occupied. How is your friend Chris from Japan getting along with her health issues? How's the weather - getting better now that autumn has rolled in?

Hellos to the rest. I need to get in the shower and get ready for my appointment. Stay safe and healthy and stay off the internet! LOL

As I went to post I see that you just posted over my head Susie. Don't have time to read or respond right now but will comment later.

Hello ladies,

Thread's pretty much dying out. Is that because people used to check the internet at work and aren't doing so now? I admit I don't think about it as much. Not much going on to post anyway.

Weather is warming up although for the next 10 days we will be below freezing. DH wants to plant but we can't put flowers into the ground yet. We cleared out the 3 season room - they fixed a broken fitting in the hot tub so the leak has been repaired. There is still some odd buzzing in one of the motors or something - they will check that out today. I kind of like the room cleared out. Debating about getting a wicker type chair and small table - not that I sit in there much. In the interim it's very sunny although no heat in there so I told DH we could put up the plastic shelves and use the room as a temporary greenhouse. He really wants to pick up some plants. We are headed out in a while to check out 2 greenhouses. One had a video of their hot houses - gads all the gorgeous flowers and baskets.

Everyone is getting antsy here - the small business owners are fretting about loss of business. They have cancelled the major summer festivals running up to August and I think they will also cancel the 2 big autumn ones - Apple Fest and Cranberry Fest. Both of those draw HUGE tight packed crowds and if this virus is going to make a return in the fall - that's about the time it would surge again. There is a big political fight - the Democratic Party governors are listening to the doctors and medical experts and the Republican people are suing to reopen the towns despite evidence that it brings a surge in virus cases. People are at odds with one another. This country has gone mad.

I am tired of it all - it's very stressing. I get a lot of tightness in my chest lately. Something's got to give.

Anyway I just looked at the clock and I have to get ready to leave for the nurseries or the bus (DH) will leave without me. Don't need a fight about being late. Will try and come back later this evening.

Hello all.

Happy - I have to say I don't have much to report, so that's why I'm not on here much lately. Sounds like your DH is eager to get going on the garden. I look forward to his photos. I've planted 2 different containers of seeds but only one container sprouted and I might have mixed up the labels (they were on the lids of the containers). So now I wait for these things to grow enough to tell what sprouted and what didn't. You didn't mention how your dentist visit went - I hope it went okay. Brrr, gonna be cold up by you! We're up and down in the temps, but a lot of rainy, chilly lately. I bet you're glad to get the hot tub fixed - a nice soak sounds good. Sad to hear about the cancellation of the festivals, but that's what needs to be done to get this c19 under control. That said, I worry about our economy and everyone suffering the financial effects from this. It's just awful.

Susie - Congrats on the weight loss! I barely think about clothes, shoes, my hair, or makeup these days. I probably should be prepared for the time comes when we'll return to the office. I was happy to see that my salon is offering custom color kits. I would definitely do that if needed. When the salons open again, I imagine they'll be very busy and who knows when I'd be able to get an appointment. Is the Kona truck one that has Hawaiian shave ice? Sounds great!

Hellos to the rest of you!

Nothing much to report. I'm still working from home, and it's very quiet. I do shopping for my mother, but otherwise I don't get out for much from any stores - bf does that. I get out for walks after work if the weather's nice. I've been working out in the mornings, but nothing very intense. I'm currently doing a workout for the Total Gym (the one Chuck Norris and Cindy Brinkly sell). We've had our TG for years, but I've never spent much time using it. There's a bit of learning that goes into it since you need to know how to adjust it and put attachments on and off. Anyway, there's a workout that came with it "6-8 Minute Workout" and I've gotten through days 1-3. It takes me longer than 8 minutes because I'm always having to figure out the attachments. This WFH is a good time to figure it out and see if it's worth my time.
I also do my PT exercises for my back and some ab work.

Our meals have been split between preparing/cooking at home and getting carryout. Well, breakfast and lunch are nearly all made at home, and dinner is a mix. This week has been more leftovers/carryout - I think we got tired of planning ahead/shopping/cooking. Not much else going on. I've done some baking - a couple batches of brownies. Made a big batch of cookie dough last weekend, portioned it out, into individual cookies, froze the cookies separately and now I have a big ziploc bag full of frozen chocolate chip cookies. I can bake just a few at a time, but I have to not do that too often because of course I will eat a few at a time! Watching TV, reading e-books I check out of our library system and the apps they provide. For TV, I've started the Bosch series - on season 2 and there's plenty more seasons to watch. I like that new show "Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist", but I think I only have the season finale episode and that'll be gone for a while I guess.

Okay, I'm just rambling now. I'm going to get this posted and then go for a walk before the temperatures drop! Everyone take care, stay home, stay healthy, save lives!

Morning all,
Exactly right Happy, not much going on and so not much to report. I've been busy with the garden which I am pleased to say is coming along nicely, but it must get boring for you all to read that the onions are up or the lettuces are going to seed or that I pulled out the last of self sown tomatoes yesterday. However on a funny note, dog has decided that he must hatch the seeds and is lying in the damp smelly soil (chicken poo) I have had to resort to mulching heavily to keep him off. He's not fussy about the warm, itchy sugar cane mulch.
Apart from that, little bro appeared on the scene with a 70 year old family teddy bear which he has dug up from somewhere in his mess and wants to do a family tree booklet for his young grandson (about to turn two) based on Teddy's story. I'm not sure who the bear belonged to originally but I do remember it in the family from a long way back. There are probably some old photos of Teddy at my sisters place. Anyway we have been working on putting photos to faces where we can in the family tree on Ancestry.com and are now printing the different groups out to put in a book for Lennox when he gets older. We may have to update from time to time I guess. I've given the printouts to Bruce (little bro) and he is looking to ensure all information is correct and I found a few errors as I printed them anyway. Then the printer decided that it was low on Yellow ink so everyone got to be purple including the picture of teddy. Yesterday I replace a couple of cartridges and so far all is well with the printing world again. Going through the old photos and looking at the new faces always makes me wonder. The years pass, we all age, grow, fade, etc.
Restrictions are slowly being eased here, and we are allowed to have 5 visitors to my place on Mothers Day which is tomorrow. If we go to a park or beach we can have ten. However 5 is easy enough, having 10 that have to stay at 1.5metres distances (60 inches near enough) may be enough to create enough noise when everyone shouts to be heard. Any closer and we are likely to have a visit from the police. Cafes and pubs are going to be allowed to open shortly, however only a certain number of people can be in the place at any one time. Tables must be far enough apart to have physical distancing between people seated at different tables. It's a nightmare for the operators. Shops and malls are also open again. My neighbour went to the local mall last week and came home saying it was a nightmare and impossible to practice physical distancing. She's 76 so she just turned around and came home. Nightclubs and large gatherings are still forbidden. Prep and year one children and years 11 and 12 are to go back to school on Monday, the rest a week later. Most people will go back to work this week. Whether we progress from here is to be determined by any new cases or clusters of coronavirus. We haven't had any new ones here in Queensland for a week and no deaths for close on a month. There is still no travel between States unless on urgent business or family distress and because there are few planes flying, mail takes forever to get from any other part of Australia to Queensland and don't even think too much about overseas mail. Six or seven weeks to get a parcel from here to Wellington in NZ.
Hope you are all travelling okay. Haven't heard from Ceejay for a while and she doesn't seem to be posting in Facebook that I have seen. I see Annie from time to time on Facebook. She comments rather than posts.
The house is clean and tidy, the garden is weed free (mostly) the laundry is up to date and the beds are made. What to do around the house now. This morning I pulled out a rose that was not doing the right thing and put in another - Adieu Madame Anisette and bonjour Charles de Gaulle. Seem to be going to the French roses this year.

Okay, well that's about it. I need to get the dog out for a walk - he got landed on me early this morning. His Dad is helping someone shift. That will keep me busy for a while and then I might just sit in the sun, think about what is for Brunch and dinner and read a book. Or I might watch a few recorded programs on TV - although that will undoubtedly send me to sleep and I won't sleep tonight.

Happy - good idea about setting seeds in the 3 Seasons room. It will give plants a head start for your shorter growing season. Green houses are good however there have been a few instances here of the wildlife breaking into them to seek shelter from the weather.

Everyone is tired and stressed out by this thing. Judging by some of the news around the place and from around the world, crime is down in NZ and Australia by considerable percentages but DV (Domestic Violence) is up sadly. The veneer of civilisation is very thin in many places. Lockdown is getting to a lot of people, however what do we prefer - to live for a period of time in captivity and survive or to spread the disease around and die a pretty horrible death. Lack of discipline and falling standards is showing up everywhere and I am always surprised at the number of countries that I wouldn't have expected to knuckle down and obey orders who are doing so and beating the odds. Yes it will and has wrecked a number of economies, but it has also shown a lot of good things about humanity. Economies will survive - they have done previously and will do so again. Those that have money seem to be the ones bleating the loudest.

On a good note: Following on from the bush fires we had here that slaughtered so much of our wildlife and their habitats, one of the sanctuaries reported the births of Koala, Wombats, Roos, and Emus on one of the lifestyle programs last night. So cute to see them all thriving and getting ready to be released into the wild again.

Gotta go. Dog is waiting, waiting, waiting.
Rats - forgot to mention Laura and Susies posts. Okay, when I get back.

Laura - sounds like your world is just moving along like many others. At least we are allowed out sometimes so it's not as bad as it could be. Other than that there is only movies at home and playing on the computer or doing something that you've/ I've been procrastinating about for a while.

Susie - Congratulations on the weight loss. So many people are complaining about being stuck at home and eating lots and putting on weight. I've managed to lose nearly 3.8kg over the past month or so. That's about 5lbs just doing the maths haphazardly. Hope Happy's DH is not reading this! Nice to have some new clothes too. Don't buy too many or they will hang on you when you lose that 8lb in May.

Also Happy - keep meaning to ask you about your Sister and her family. You were worried about them a while back when they weren't feeling well. Are they all OK?

Dog is now sleeping it off and I am about to watch a bit of TV until the heat passes this afternoon. It's darned hot and dry out there. I will probably do what the dog is doing and take a nana nap while watching something I've recorded because I couldn't miss seeing the show.

Interesting skies above my place this morning

Hi Everyone,


Ohio is opening up slowly. Retual opens tomorrow, then on Friday, Resturans with outside divning at 50 % capacity. We can have groups of 10 with 6ft apart distance.

Salons open up on Friday. I have a Saturday appointment with my stylist and my husand has one with his. I am so thankful! I also plan to get a pedicure scheduled.


Our church will start running 3 am services on Sunday. One at 8:30 a.m., one at 10 a.m. and one at 11:30. It has all been streaming since the shutdown, they will stream the 10 a.m. service. DH and i have not decided what we will do yet. I know I will continue to work from home at least through the end of May.


Hi to Ceejay and Hi to Anne: Hopefuly you will stop by to visit here soon and say Hello.


Happy: How are you doing after the fall you took?


Laura: It sounds like you are doing a good balance of WFH, getting your workouts in and also enjoying downtime catching up on your TV series. It all sounds very good and balanced.


Shad: It sounds like the a lot is opening up there where you are. Our primary & high school will not be going back to school now until fall. They will finish their classes on-line for a couple of weeks and then it is Summmer break. It sound like your plants are doing well. In Ohio we have had a frost advisory over several days and people are coverning their plants with sheets.


Time fo me to head to bed. Talk with you all later.

Hi all. I see a lot of names I still remember. May a bad penny turn back up? Hope everyone is staying well and hanging in there.

Good morning girls.

11 days since I fell. Pretty much my whole leg turned black and blue. I have never in my life had such bad bruising. Most grateful I didn't bust a clot. The bruising is easing but the pain is not. My whole lower leg hurts to the touch and today my ankle and knee are very painful. I can't stand for more than a few minutes. I do think I have blown out my other knee - not sure this will recover. I really can't consider knee replacement until I lose a substantial amount of weight as I do feel that also affected the outcome of my other knee. Although our idiot politically biased state Supreme court through caution to the wind and overturned the stay at home orders, fortunately many businesses - possibly out of concern for their own liability are being cautious about reopening. I am glad to see that. However there is no word on gyms = pools. I am on the fence about this anyway. It is true that the water itself is pretty much virus free thanks to the chlorinating efforts, just like my hot tub. What I am concerned about is the virus sits in water droplets in the air and since the pool is naturally a humid place, will that increase the risk of contamination? I have not tried to get on the bike or NuStep since my fall - it would be easier to walk or swim in the pool but I may just have to test the waters with my equipment and do some upper body weights to build muscle to burn calories. I did order a cat stroller to come on Tuesday. I have been using my walker and Tarzan in particular likes to sit on the seat and I push him around the house. Shiloh will tolerate a ride but isn't as attracted to it as Tarzan is. A cat stroller is like a baby stroller but is enclosed with strong netting which allows you to take them out for a walk. Works for small dogs too except I don't have one of those. It has supportive handles like my walker so I can use it for more support. I suppose I can just take my wheeler walker out too but this might be more fun. We'll see when it comes. I can always ship it back.

So I have not been doing much at all except sitting a lot and icing my leg. It really hurts big time. I'm getting tired of being in constant pain. Been pretty depressed lately too. And cranky and on edge.

We have a pair of cardinals that have nested in the tree directly across the yard. The male sees his reflection in the upper windows so for the last month has been flying into the window "attacking it". Thump, thump, thump all day long. It starts at about 5am and goes all day long. We are concerned he will get a concussion or something. We have ordered window clings that are UV light reflective so they appear to glow to a bird's eyes but yesterday we had enough of the constant banging against the windows - which also gets the cats all up in arms. So DH went out and I told him to go to the Dollar Store and pick up 2 helium filled balloons. He tied them to the woodwork on the lower windows so that they float in the middle of the upper windows. Shazam! Works like a dream. Bird hasn't bothered the windows since we put them up. Now our windows have 2 balloons that say "Congradulations Graduate" but who cares. They are making a big fuss over the graduating seniors who's year got cut prematurely so I can say I am saluting them.

The bears finally made an appearance. Momma and what looks like a pair of one year olds. They are too big for newborns. Yesterday they destroyed DH's woodpecker feeders - figured out a way to get up the "bear proof" feeder pole. I will have to be careful walking outside - will probably limit my walks to the deck since I can't outrun a bear. Although as soon as we went out on the deck to see them, they ran off.

The weather is slowly warming up. We need to cut down a bunch of trees in the yard to give it more sun for the vegetable garden so we decided to skip vegs this year and instead DH bought a bunch of colorful flowers to plant hoping to attract butterflies and hummingbirds for his photos. Good thing because I am not going to be in any shape to bend and garden any time soon.

I have a hair appointment June 2. They want you to wash your hair before you come in and they will not be doing styling and blow drys to prevent the spread of things in the air. Are doing lots of sanitizing. You sit in the car in the parking lot until they call you in so no waiting inside. Basically you get cuts and color and that's it. My hair is long, curling on my shoulders so I will be glad to get a couple of inches lopped off. Surprisingly although it's grown so much, I don't have roots. She did a very good job of coloring in my hair to mix in with my natural white.

May 28 I go back to the dentist to take impressions for the final part of my dental implants. Can't wait - this has been an ordeal for sure. And that's about that.

Hi Jollygirl - what's been going on with you?

Susie - our church has decided to keep streaming services. I thought it might be nice to have outdoor services in the parking lot but our weather is still too iffy to rely on that. Regarding work from home I guess some companies are considering making that a permanent thing. DH worked for IBM and with big city real estate being so expensive, I guess they saved lots by people working from home and occasionally coming together for meetings. It depends on the kind of work that is being done.

Shad - thanks for asking about my sister. She and her family have recovered from the virus without any ill effects. Her FIL finally got out of the hospital after a 3 week stint in rehab where he made great progress after his strokes so he is home now and my BIL and his sister are with him (im)patiently waiting for him to recover enough so they can go back to their own lives. He is a tough old bird at 87, not willing to pack it in yet - I think they both thought a big inheritance was in their immediate futures. Not yet. Congratulations on your weight loss. How wonderful to hear that the bush is recovering from those devistating fires. We are scary bone dry here too and I welcome the gentle rains we have had yesterday and today. It also cuts down the sound of the constant ATV traffic on our road here. That is also starting to annoy the very soul of me that annoys DH because I constantly bring it up. I moved to this spot for the quiet and peacefulness. This is like living on a main highway now. Grrrr. All for the tourists. That's all this town cares about. Perhaps I should shop in other places and delay paying my taxes. Do you have a large rose garden or just a patch? Pictures you have shown look like you have a fair amount of openess yet with the veg, flowers and veranda, it sounds like you are quite filled. Are you still growing orchids?

Laura - when I went to the oral surgeon he trimmed the gum tissue on the roof of my mouth. While that was not pleasant at the time, it made an immediate difference the next day. That awful feeling of soreness like my skin was burned went away promptly. Then I could focus on the pain of him reinserting the pin that fell out in one of my implants that keeps the socket from closing up It's ok but thanks for asking. How is your foot doing? Since you've been home and not pounding it commuting has it healed up nicely? Once you got back that walk from the train is going to seem L-O-N-G I started watching Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist too. I was both interested and then repulsed by how cheesy it was. But I kept watching it - maybe because I like the music.

Hello to the rest of you ladies. I'm going to get up and get a few things done. Be well.

Hello Everyone.

It's pretty much the same old, same old stuff going on in the area of Covid 19. Things are opening up in Ohio or will be soon. I just hope we don't have a surge and they want to close things down again. I have really enjoyed being home and the slower pace and I'm going to do my best to keep it slower where I can. I have already started saying "no" a lot more.......DH is a go, go, go person so he isn't happy with me, he is ready to run wide open.

We went to the 10 a.m. service for church today. I am not sure how many were there, but if I had to guess about 200. They had that in in 8:30 service as well and I haven't heard about the 11:30 service. Our Auditorim holds 1,400.00 so we had plenty of room to social distance.

On Thursday, I started PT on my left shoulder. It has been hurting ever since I had the issue where I had a small tenden spacer tear. That has all gotten better and they think I could have a small tear in my ratator cuff, everything looked ok on the Xray but to seea tear they would need to a MRI. I have lot of weakness in that shoulder so they think doing some PT will help lot and we will see how things are after 6 weeks of PT two times a week and I also am supposed to do them daily as well.

I'm trying to get my closet switched over to summer items and shoes. I put all my boots away today. I polishe them all up yeaterday before I put them away. I have my summer shoes already in the closet. I bought a few sandles at the end of the summer because of good sales so I'm in good shape there. I also put up all my winter sweaters and heavier leggings and such and the same with shirts and pants. Now to go through my summer things and figure out what I am keeping and not keeping. I did some online shopping for a few new summer items.

I am happy to report that I have lost 10 lbs of the 30 I had put back on over the past 2 years. I am working hard to get another 10 off but then end of June. We have a wedding to attend at the end of June. It is my BFF, Genny's son's wedding. It is going to be so much fun, as they are doing it in a Roaring 20's theme and has extended anyone attending to dress ot the theme if they wish. They will also have some prop things that people can put on at the reception. I found a really nice dress that isn't completely flapper but has that look and I found a fun flapper type headband to wear, along with elbow length gloves.

By the way, Genny has her yearly check-up at OSU this Thursday; if you can say a prayer for her that it is all good news. We are working on 3 yrs cancer free.

Hello to Jollygirl1! We have been a little quiet on here due to the pandamic but we do come post so please joing in.

Hello to Ceejay and Annie; I hope the both of you are doing well and would love to see a post from you both.

Also Hello to Shad and to Laura; Come post and update us on all you are doing.

Happy: That fall sounds so scrary! And it seems it might have done a lot of damage to the areas you are feeling the pain. Did you have a regular MD or a specialist check you out? I know it was hard to get a face to face appoinment but we are now seeing doctors accepting in person visits. Take care of yourself.

I think if I saw a bear as close as yours seem to get, I would pass out! I am happy to hear that your sister and family are doing better. I can't wait to see and hear what you think of the cat stroller that is coming!

I'll check back in soon

Morning ladies. Wow, looks like my last post was a long time ago! Sorry for being MIA. Just don’t have much to say. Just living Groundhog Day here, so I’ll get to personals and maybe I’ll think of something to report by the time I finish them.


Shad – LOL re doggy trying to hatch the seeds! Eeeew, laying in chicken poop mulch. Isn’t that just like a dog. == I think it would be cute to do a story about Teddy and his places within the family tree. I converted a VHS of family home movies to DVD (which had been previously transferred from the old film by my parents) and saw a stuffed toy that was sometimes mentioned in family conversations. Well before my time, but it was nice to see. == How was the Mother’s Day gathering? Everyone keep their distance? We’ve just had an announcement yesterday that in 9 days restaurants will be able to have outdoor dining open, with tables 6 feet apart. I’m not usually a fan of outdoor dining unless conditions are good (but usually there’s wind, blazing sun, heat, bug, etc.), but I’m at a point that it sounds good to me. == The people who are protesting the social distancing mandates tick me off, but I also try to understand that so many people are suffering financial devastation and are desperate to get back to work, get their businesses going, etc. The reason I’m able to take it (mostly) in stride is that I’m in a position to. I still have a job and I can do it remotely. I count myself very very fortunate. == So nice to hear that the sanctuaries are successfully getting animals ready to go back to their natural habitats. == Good job on the weight loss!!


Susie – Did you have your hair appointment? I think our salons are opening in 9 days, based on yesterday’s announcement. I have to get on the phone to make an appointment! == It must have been nice to physically be at the church service since that’s an important part of your life. == I’m glad you’re enjoying this opportunity to live at a slower pace these days. == How’s the PT going on your shoulder? == I’m with you on switching out the heavy clothes for the lighter ones. I think finally this weekend I can do a final wash of all the winter gear – jackets, hats, scarves, gloves, mittens. I’ve put some of my other winter clothes away in the under bed bins, but I’ll have to do the closet switch too. == Good job on the weight loss. I’ll have to venture onto the scale again soon. I feel like my muscles are firming up from the steady exercise, but it may not show much on the scale. == Prayers for Genny on her yearly checkup!

Hi Jollygirl1.


Happy – How are you feeling now that it’s been 2 weeks since your fall? It sounds horrible. I hope the inflammation and bruising have gone down and that you are forcing yourself to keep the leg/knee moving. So nothing in there is broken/torn? Just give it time. Maybe moving it around in the hot tub will be good for it? LOL, just picturing the kitties taking rides on your walker!! How is the cat stroller, or haven’t you been able to try it out yet? That can be part of your PT/rehab – just walking across the deck? == We also have a pair of cardinals that have been hanging around our lawn. At first I was only seeing the female and was worried something had happened to her mate, but I watched long enough that I did eventually see him too. I’m glad you figured out a way to keep your male cardinal from constantly attacking his ghost enemy in the window! == Have you made plans which trees you’ll be removing? I’m sure you live amongst so many it doesn’t feel horrible to remove some like it does in our area where so many ash trees had to come down due to the EAB infestation. Good for you with the hair appointment. I wonder how mine will be with any changes to the routine. Of course I almost never have anything special going on after my appointments, so I don’t bother paying extra for a style/blowout after my cut/touchup. They have a station set up for people to just dry their hair themselves, and that’s what I do just to get some of the wetness out. == I’m glad your sister and her family have recovered from the virus, and how about her FIL hanging tough at 87!! == Speaking of tough – if you’re hanging in there with your tooth pain and the leg/knee injury, you’re a tough gal and will be in it for the long run! == My foot’s been fine. It’s definitely shown improvement since being at home. I’m not walking a lot, but in the past couple weeks when I’m out for a walk alone (bf hates walking fast) I try to step it up and it feels pretty good. Maybe I have to wear my backpack to simulate my real life commute, LOL, but I’m in no hurry. We had a Town Hall meeting call for work last Friday and the big boss is in no hurry to get our corporate office back to the office – we’ll be WFH probably through the summer. Remote working is going very well for us and there’s no reason to take chances and all the measures needed to have people return to the office…especially since we have to rely on the building also taking proper measures – which still wouldn’t make me comfortable. And all that rigamarole would result in a loss of productivity to boot. Hey, did you hear that Willis/Sears Tower is still closed – day 4 I think – after some flooding on the lower levels took out the power to the building?


Hellos to Annie and Ceejay. I hope you’re both doing well. Come visit us! We miss you!


Ceejay – saw your peony pic on fb. So pretty! Yours is always further ahead with blooming than mine. It’s been chilly and rainy here, but I have a feeling with the warm temps forecast starting this weekend they will be coming along in a big way in the next week.

==

So…one thing I have to report is that last Saturday the waterproofing company installed a new window well and a new window well drain where we were having water getting in during heavy rains. So glad that’s done. And the guys dug down about 8-10 inches inside the foundation wall in our basement and found that we do indeed have inside drain tile (pipe) that connects to our sump pump pit so now we know for sure we have it! (Only took 20 years to learn that, LOL.) The new window well drain has been connected to that drain tile so all is good now. Even better was that the job was done on Saturday, just in time to protect us from all the rain we got the very next day. Yes, the big rains that’ve caused so much flooding in the central region of the country.

I was all excited to think our basement water problems are over, but I forgot that when we get really heavy rains we also get water that comes in through the firebox of our fireplace in the basement. The chimney shares flues with the upstairs fireplace directly above. We don’t get water in the upstairs fireplace. So perhaps it’s an issue only with the damper of the downstairs one. Sigh. Another problem to diagnose and resolve. That said, I’m still ready to get that area of the basement cleaned up and arranged so we can have a chill-out area down there. For too long we’ve had all the furniture shoved away from the problem area and haven’t been using it at all. Another project to tackle.

What else? Not much. Plenty of home projects still to be tackled. My seedlings are doing okay, but they don’t have a 2nd set of leaves yet, so I haven’t transferred them to bigger pots yet. I need to keep enough of them alive until that happens. I’m 99% sure those are the tomato seeds, so I might venture out to a garden center for another one or two veggies and some flowers this weekend. Not sure I want to endure the masses, so I’ll have to time it right.


Today’s my Friday! I’m taking a half day of vacation tomorrow morning and the (remote) office closes early tomorrow for the afternoon. The boss has already started his weekend – I’m kind of jealous because I know he’s probably headed out to his vacation home…but I think I’ll be fine if I can get out and spend a bit of time outdoors, be it the backyard or cycling around the neighborhood, a park, or a forest preserve bike path.


I hope you all are staying healthy and that you all have a wonderful weekend. Happy Memorial Day to all of us on this side of the pond.

Hello all!

I like the references to Groundhog Day. With the day to day uncertainty of what next, it has felt like I have had 936 Mondays in a row. Ah well. I am still working, and still have income. I can't complain.

Desperately trying to get back on track. Since graduation, I haven't been making healthy decisions for myself. I have gotten even more out of shape, and weigh more than I ever thought I would. But I won't give up.

Hang in there, everyone.

Morning all
Got up early this morning on a day when the dog was not supposed to be arriving but the son asked a special favour to have him for the day and said about the normal time. So they haven't showed up yet. It doesn't annoy me as I haven't raided the freezer for his food yet and I'm happy to be able to sit at the computer for a time and write a long overdue post.

Interesting times in the country these days. Our pollies shut the borders both internationally and internally to slow the progress of this dreaded virus. To date they haven't opened them back up again. Now they are arguing amongst themselves about whether or not to do so. WA, SA, NT are practically virus free now. They are allowing the population to roam their own State freely but not cross borders although there is talk of them allowing movement between the three. Here in Queensland we are allowed to drive 250km away from home and camp out or stay overnight to help wake up the tourist economy which is practically on it's knees despite our PM saying early on that small to medium businesses will get help and hasn't done so. The two most populist states of NSW and Victoria are carrying on because we won't open our borders and 'help' out our tourist industry. Yes well, they are still discovering clusters of virus in both states, both states are the greedy users of everything that the rest of us provide, take the biggest share of the economic pie and are the hubs of the international tourism entry points. Our premier is saying no, won't open our border with you since you are still dealing with outbreaks and since the borders have been closed, the police on those borders have stopped the flow of several $million dollars worth of ice coming from your state. Two reasons to need a permit to cross the river. SA and NT which border NSW and Vic have said much the same thing. So stalemate ensues across the land. This is all aside from the fact that the NSW border control and government allowed the passengers on the Ruby Princess to disembark and disperse to other places and across the world and so set off the large number of Covid-19 cases across the country and the world. Aside from that, our cafes are open for 10 guests at a time and most of them offer takeaways as well. We can have up to 5 people visit our homes at a time and go to the beaches etc as long as we practice physical distances. It's never going to be normal again, but it has taught a few people a few lessons in restraint and a groundswell of buy Australian for a time at least. Hasn't stopped the idiots - guess stupidity is here to stay. Some wear masks and some don't. I personally don't since they are only useful if you have the virus and it stops the droplets from leaking out into the open. It's not law to use them.
Anyway enough of that palaver.
I had a haircut last week. All normal there except for the fact that they can only have about 4 or 5 people in at a time due to physical distancing and they also must sterilise every basin, tool, chair, and change either apron or clothes after each client. And everything is logged on charts and computers. It felt good to have that lot lopped off.

Happy - bears in the yard - wowee. Hope all that bruising and pain is fading now. You've had a tough time of it. We've had birds banging themselves against the windows too, but since we put the plantation shutters in they have more or less stopped. Only seem to do it on windows that are not covered.
Good to hear that your sister and family are okay. FIL sounds like a tough old bird.
Nice that you are getting rain. We had a nice steady drizzle yesterday but the sun has returned today although the temperature is down somewhat - only got to 19C (67F) yesterday which is cool for us even in winter. Still if it knocks off some of the bugs attacking the citrus trees and the roses then I will take it.

Susie - glad to hear that you are slowing things down a bit. If this enforced halt to life has the effect of taking some of the tension out of just living, then so be it. We are having a problem over here in that people are discovering they don't need all the things that they were being told they had to have through advertising. So shopping will definitely change here. I can see all shops developing a physical presence and an online presence if they want to survive. Seems the churches have gone with the times so why not shops.
Hope the PT works on the shoulder. Seems an awful lot of tears in tendons, did you have a fall or dislocate the shoulder at some time?
Well done on the weight loss. Never an easy task, I often ask myself why it is so easy to put it on and so difficult to get it off. I swear some of it has set into concrete.
Good luck to Genny for her checkup. Mine is the 3rd June. Not expecting any change from last time which is just GREAT

Laura - the days just get past me too. I think I am busier in retirement than I was when I was working. So much to do.
Working from home suits so many people. I know I was more productive doing that when I was working for BHP up in Indonesia. Two weeks up there, two at home and writing the documentation. I enjoyed it.
Families are interesting things. You find out such a lot by watching old movies of them, doing a bit of research etc. The bear project has been fun.
Good that you got that home maintenance done. Even though it probably cost a bit, it's better than a basement full of water and floating objects. We rarely have basements over here so don't have the problem of weeping tile and window wells, however when the rain comes down in great torrents as it does from time to time, we do have flooding problems in many parts of Aus. 2019 and 2020 have been disastrous what with floods, fire, and now plague.
Happy vacation day. Have a good one.

Jollygirl - good to see you back and posting. Great news that you are working and have income. Not everyone is so fortunate. 936 Mondays Retirement can be a bit like that.
Weight loss is the hardest thing - seems like it sets itself on your body and only very hard work and dedication will shift it. Good luck with that, keep charts and diaries of what you have eaten and when the crisis points come. Working at home is a real road block. That fridge is just a couple of steps away. Keep posting and letting us know how you go.

Okay, time to get dressed and get into my day. Don't have to water today at least. That'll be a relief for my water bill. Then I am off down to the Hyperdome to get these wretched glasses changed. Stupid multifocal lenses. They are only good as far as distance goes. I have to take them off to read, and to see anything in the middle distance is sometimes good, sometimes bad. I'm going to get them converted to single distance lenses and transitional so I can use them as sunglasses as well, and not wear glasses for inside or working around the house. Things are getting back to normal in the medical world as I have an appointment to meet with the medical staff about scheduling a colonoscopy, my cancer check up, and a skin check up all in the next three weeks. By the time all that is finished I should be back to hating the medical profession again. I quite like them at the moment.

Good morning ladies.

The ordeal with the fall continues. As the bruising slowly faded I still had a lot of swelling, my leg got "hard" and it was really painful to the touch. I had a lump on my ankle that was particularly painful. I had more problems standing than I did right after I fell. Fortunately I did have a long standing appointment with my doctor scheduled for last Thursday. The leg was turning red - sunburned like and I was worried about a clot from all the bruising. They did an ultrasound - no clot thank goodness. I do have cellulitis - an infection deep in the underlayers of the skin. Bacteria that typically lives without issue on top of the skin without trouble causes big time problems when it gets under the skin via a break. I did have a scrape on my knee when I fell and the skin broke. They made no attempt to clean it when I was in the emergency room. It wasn't bad but the skin was peeled back and broken. I did wash my leg after I got home but by then there was plenty of time for bacteria to enter by the time I attended to it. The doctor gave me a strong antibiotic which took about 3 days but is helping. The tightness is diminishing and so is the swelling in the foot. It will probably take the full 7 day course of meds and perhaps a round 2 to clear it up. I have had this before. I should have recognized it but it was masked by the other injuries. I still can't stand for a long period of time but am feeling better than before. As for my knee it is still quite swollen and black and blue. She said that is from the bursa sack (bursitis) and she will have to insert a needle and withdraw the fluid but doesn't dare now until the cellulitis clears as that would introduce more infection deeper. So I have a follow up appointment on Thursday and we'll see how it goes. So right now ankle and knee are giving me grief. I have been in constant pain of some sort since February and I am so ready to be done with this all.

We are inundated by all the "weekend warriors" up here from the neighboring states for the holiday weekend. ATV (all terrain vehicle buggies) are ripping up and down my quiet road. A bunch of influential people with money I have heard want to open all roads to ATV traffic. They are mixing in with cars and causing a hassle. I must have had 250 of them pass by yesterday and I was gone for part of the day. Have ruined my peaceful woods with all their noise and constant flow back and forth. Does not make me a happy girl. While people are walking around in great groups, at least when they go into stores most of them wear masks. We took a ride to the home improvement store to look at some deck furniture and they had a big sign - all MUST wear masks or please come back another day or let us shop for you. Paper disposable masks were being sold for $2 to cover their costs. I applaud them. Cases are rising as more people are travelling about. They will be in trouble if they try to go to the hospital here. There are growing hotspots in the cities where these people are travelling to here from. I hear bars are crowded. I would go to a restaurant that had outdoor seating but DH said he does not want to go into a restaurant yet.

We had a bright orange Baltimore Oriole bird fly up on our deck. They are attracted to the color orange and were checking out our orange flower baskets as well as the hummingbird feeders but they are too large a bird to eat from there. I went into the house and cut an orange in half and put it out on the railing but by then the bird had flown off. DH had an oriole feeder in the garage he dug out and I quickly made some syrup and cooled it but the bird did not return. Hopefully it will come back - such a pretty bird but way too skittish for DH and his picture taking.

We were supposed to get rain - we need it - very, very dry here. We got a few drops last night, nothing of significance and this morning's storms took a sharp right and passed us by. Tomorrow is a strong chance of rain. Of course, it's a holiday and everyone wants to be outside.

We went out looking for patio furniture for the deck yesterday. The new thing is "conversation groups" a cluster of couches, comfy chairs, loveseats and tables with an indoor / outdoor rug underneath. Like an outdoor living space. DH still wants a dining table. We saw 2 sets we liked but have the problem of where to store it. I suggested to DH that we put a storage shed off the back of the deck under the trees which would save his back from dragging it across the yard - besides with a 3 car garage, boat shed (and no boat) and a very large man cave we are sorely out of storage room. I could and probably should clear out the 3rd bay of the garage but DH keeps the trash and recycle bins in there out of the way of the bears and we have the treadmill in there so not enough room for furniture even if I got out the couple of random boxes. We also have shelving to store our winter garden pots and such - provided DH puts them there in the fall and does not leave them out in the yard. I am waffling between wanting something vs the little voice in my head that says to conserve funds this year. I myself don't care about eating outside but DH wants to. Last night we took our supper outside which was pleasant but I reminded him this is short lived, the mosquitoes and flies are about to show up soon. As we were finishing dinner the gnats started gathering. DH said an outside fan will keep them away. He planted several pots of flowers and they look quite pretty so aside from the ATV noise, it is quite nice on the deck right now. Birds abound and we have quite a few returning hummingbirds and giant bumblebees that as bees go, look too plump to be able to fly. We have 5 bears - a big daddy who is a loner and Mom and 3 kids. DH takes the feeders in at night now. Before they come out in the early evening. The birds are not happy about that

Not much else to say at the moment.

Good to hear from you Shad. My-- it sounds like there are many similarities among our countries. We have issues too with the larger cities grabbing more of the state's share of the pot which like us here is detrimental to the smaller, more rural communities. There are many arguments about the tourist trade and economy vs the scientists advice of staying close to home right now. We are fortunate that nothing seems to be as bad as the initial outbreak in New York City although there are some towns warning that they are about to run out of hospital beds, especially as they are opening them up to elective surgeries again. It's a huge economic, complicated mess to untangle. I'm sure the wisest person alive does not have the correct answer. Very sad. Good luck with getting the glasses sorted out. I have several pairs - it's what works for me. Sunglasses with distance and mid range, mid range regular lens for the computer and reading or seeing my phone and one pair of multifocal that I pretty much bent when I fell so I have to twist them about to see Your are right. They don't seem to work for very long when you get them. Are you enjoying the garden bounty or is it too soon to harvest yet? I'm very glad to hear the animals are recovering from the fires. Is there still a fire danger?

Jollygirl - I think we are all more hairy and raggety and weighing a bit more than we were at New Year's. Somehow being at home hasn't helped.

Laura - I would be happy to continue working at home and not commuting. Little difference between sitting on a train and being on an airplane. Perhaps a bit more fresh air circulation on a train. And... how do you do social distancing on elevators in a sky scraper? Probably best to be home. I'm glad your foot is coming along. That's funny about putting the backpack on walking. I imagine many things will feel different IF we ever go back go to "regular life" again which I'm sure won't be for a while. I hope that the window well fix takes care of the flooding issues. You have been getting some heavy rains - or at least my sister has down south. How is your Mom doing through all of this? Are you still the prime "mom-sitter"?

Susie - congrats on the weight loss. It's been a bit more difficult during these unsettling times and occasional shortages so great job? Do you find that you HAVE to incorporate at least 30 minutes of exercise each day in order to lose? I'm glad you are taking time to evaluate and prioritize your time. It's hard to learn to say no but with practice you can. Sometimes we give too much and it's about balance. Is DH any easier to live with or still carrying on about retiring? Do you miss getting all dressed up while working from home? I do - not to go to work but just to get a little more nicely dressed to get out of the house.

Hello to Annie and Ceejay

I'm going to post this and go tackle a project, still debating if I want to go up to Duluth to look at more patio furniture. Enjoy your weekend!