Good morning, Beach Beauties! It's going to be well below freezing as a HIGH today but it will be sunny. (Please note that I am trying not to weather whine.)

This morning, Hershey and I start her first training walk for the MS walk the end of May. I registered her for 5K (3 miles) but hope she can work up to 10K. When we get the lab results on Monday, I am really hoping they show hypothyroidism as the medication will help her drop the weight.

This afternoon I'm off to The Mall to work the TheraPaws booth. We raised a goodly amount of money for the bulletproof vest yesterday just on walkby donations. The bank has a trust fund set up and people will continue to give. $2500 seems a lot for a vest but Sep of the Canine Unit needs one. He was in for a short visit - a wonderful looking dog who has that "cop" look in his eyes, controlled and on the alert. Not a furry cuddly bear like my Girls!

So....what's happening with you this weekend? Sit and chat a bit!

Sounds like some serious Canadian weather whinging to me, Ruthie.
Those training walks are going to be good for both of you! You're going to weigh less than me in no time.

I have just "lost it" for the second time in two days. Yesterday I "helped" my sweet neighbour yell at someone who was swearing at his mother because she asked this pr*ck to stop blocking their driveway. Can you believe it!? Someone blocks your laneway, and when they're politely asked to move, they start yelling and cursing?! He was driving a BMW, so I suppose he thought he was god, the arrogant little dink.
And this morning I was rude to someone in the journals because they were rude to someone here that I love. God, I'm right out of control. I wonder if I can salvage my soul today.

Marmacita, I hope your back gets better soon.

January, are you still hung over?

Must get coffee...

Good Morning Chickies!!

Well this is race weekend in Atlanta so hopefully I will be able to stay OP for the most part

Sorry to hear about the dreadful weather ya'll are having in Canada. This may make you whine Ruth; it's gonna be 65 here today and sunny The yellow bells are blooming; tulips popping outta the ground; birds singing.

Ellis: Ya know some times certain things just gets on your last nerve and you have one of those days. I can't say as I blame you though I'd have to defend my neighbor too if some bozo was rude to her when he was at fault. Ya know what you could do...... next time, just take a banana and put it in his tail pipe far enough so he can't see it; his car won't start! He'll have to have it towed. ....Or call and have it towed for blocking your right of way.
Can you tell I'm PMSing?? I hate it when folks are mean after you try to me nice.

I'll try to check in later today or this evening!

... a banana in his tailpipe... I love it, Nascar. You're a sweetie... thanks for being supportive. Enjoy the beautiful weather down there!!

Good Morning!!! I am so tired but couldnt sleep, go figure, lol.
I'm just waiting on sleeping beauty to wake up so we can hit a few yardsales! I saw several signs last night so I guess the season has begun! And I love to bargain shop, hit flea markets, yard sales, etc. Plus I need some new jeans and right now I refuse to pay full price since they may be too big before I could get the new price worn out of them!
I also need to clear all the limbs from my yard today so my son can mow (the weeds, no real grass yet). I think that will count as my exercise since I think I've pulled my hamstring!!! Let's just avoid the issue and hopefully I just overdid it yesterday! UGH!!!!
I hope everyone has an enjoyable day!! Talk to you later!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Traci

Good morning, Chickies--

Ruth, sounds like you're going to have quite a full plate this weekend. And the walk sounds like it will be a lot of fun.

Ellis--I understand how you feel about "losing it". I've come close a couple times myself, this week. In the case of BeamerButt yelling at a little old lady, I'd have really let loose on him, then I'd have called the cops. Nothing gets under my skin and makes me crazy more than elder abuse.

For myself, I have to go run a STAT this morning. It's at a nursing home in a really skuzzy part of town, so hubby is going with. The thing I love most about these stats, is they usually only take 2 hours and I get paid almost as much as a full day at the lab.

Went to a place called Chipotle for supper last night. You can create made to order burritos, tacos, or "bols". I had barbacoa (shredded, seasoned beef), pinto beans, cheese, and salsa...YUM and just the thing for someone watching their refined carbs...

Well, I need coffee...but I'll be lurking....

Mamcita

Mowing!! Traci, I hate mowing. I refuse to do it. My thinking is that if I leave it for long enough eventually I will win the argument to dig the boring chorey lawn up and plant flowerbeds!!

So much nicer.

Ellis, keep up the Cobra lady approach. There is too much emphasis on being polite and nice. Well, I suppose it is useful, but actually, I reckon accessing your fire can not be a bad thing, especially for those of us who suffer from depression in one form or another........think of depression as a swamp and then you see how useful fire can be.


Mamachita, what is a STAT? I like the idea of getting a days pay for two hours work.......

And Nascar, that banana is wicked! And what a good way to use them up when starting SBD. We will have to recommend it to all Newbies........that they go in to their fruit bowls, and take all the bananas round to the houses of people they think deserve a telling off, and sticking them up the exhaust pipes of the cars. Great. Good exercise too, walking around the neighbourhood doing that. And running away from angry BMW drivers....

Ruth, I am amazed by how much community work you do. Impressed. I would like to live in the sort of community which encouraged it. Someone near me has started something called the 'Save the World Club' which sounds like a good cause to me.....I hope to do a gardening project in the summer with the local kids through that. But generally I dont live in a good community area. The allotment people are good community types, but limited to telling me off for having too many weeds (I say green manure).

So today I am off to the lottie to do some spring stuff. Actually I did not do enough through the winter and at some time I have to wash the greenhouse down which is a cold wet and rather miserable job. Might see if I can get someone to do it for me ( ). Then I have a chicken to roast this evening, which I shall stuff with tarragon (bought some for that pencil lead recipe which I am planning during the week) and maybe lemon too. And purple sprouting broccolli and leeks (can we have leeks? I am on phase.........umm.......two I suppose). And round courgettes (now there is a story.......I bought a packet of seeds for rondo di nizza courgettes and have not started them yet (they are spherical courgettes/zuccini) and then saw them for sale in my local supermarket! Grrr...thought I would be unique).

Hooray the postman just arrived with an Amazon parcel with Karen Armstrong's new bood The Spiral Staircase........it is her memoir. She started off as a nun (catholic I think) and left eventually and pursued an academic career and she writes brilliantly on faiths and religious tradition etc. But this book is her own story of spiritual unfoldment. Cant wait to get stuck in. Some of the women theologians around at the moment are FANTASTIC! Her, and Elaine Pagels, and Karen is it King? who is at Harvard.

So there we are. Love to everybody.

xx

Whaaaaaah! I wanna go to the allotment with Clovey!

You would be very welcome Ruth......we could do some gentle hoeing, some seed planting, and settle down for a nice cup of tea in the greenhouse listening to a nice radio play.....

Hi Chicks Love the banana idea! Give em' **** Ellis!

hope the hang overs & bad backs are on the mend!

Yesterdays snow flurries are gone and today is quite nice, windy but nice. All you Canadian gals feel free to whine about the weather, I honestly don't know how y'all do it.

I'm off to get paint for my living room...........

Hi everybody--

Well, first I will go to the office today, when I finally get around to it (it seems to be easier to find a square tuit on Saturday mornings). Before I do that I am going to fix some eggs with feta cheese.

I have a lot of work this weekend as I am in the middle of a very big trial that will consume most of the rest of this month's weekdays.

This is day 6 of SBD for me and I haven't cheated once. However, my scale is somewhat untrustworthy and I can't tell if I am losing or not. This is somewhat disappointing as I believe that I may only have lost 1-2 lbs this week, if that. I think I will buy a digital scale.

I have a sneaking suspicion that my portion sizes may be too large... I am going to try to work on that over the coming week.

And, tomorrow I am doing some public radio work, my "spare time" hobby.

Good Afternoon ladies. I have been having problem with the wireless access point in my house so I couldn't get my laptop to connect yesterday. So today I broke down and am using the desktop, but I did spend all last night cleaning in this room so that I could sit in here w/out freaking out about the mess. My DH does not keep the computer room clean at all!
Ruth, all your (and everyone else's) talk of gardening this last week has made me want to try my hand in it. This will be the first season that I have my own property and can actually do some gardening. I definately want to do veggies, but I also want to re-landscape my back and front yards. My backyard is approx 5,000 sq ft and my front yard is approx 7,000 sq ft. Or at least that is what the people that wanted to take care of my lawn for me said. But they were expensive and we just can't afford it so I am gonna do it myself. I don't know where to start though. Does anyone know any good web sites for planning a garden and landscaping, etc. I got my better homes and gardens mag a few days ago and they have a beutiful hybrid rose in it that you can only get thru them and according to the ad only this year. I just don't know if I should try my hand at roses yet. I hear they are very finicky. My dh wants to do a deck and gazebo in the backyard, but how do you keep plants from growing like crazy under a deck? I mean you can't get under there to mow it. Hope you chickies all have a good weekend!

Oh, I forgot to tell you guys a cute story. I babysat my godson, Owen(10 mos old) yesterday. My puppy absolutely loves Owen and is always licking him in the face. So yesterday after my friend dropped him off my husband set him on the floor to say hi to the puppy, and of course the puppy went right up and licked him in the face and then sat down in front of Owen. Owen giggled, grabbed the puppy by the collar, pulled him over to him and started licking the puppy on the nose! Isn't that too cute!

Hi Everyone--

Clovey, to answer your question. STAT is short for the Latin statim, meaning "immediately". I had to run out to a nursing home and do an urgent blood draw on a patient.

Mamacita

Good afternoon everyone! I just got done watching the movie "School of Rock" with Jack Black. It was so cute. I am a band and music junkie. In fact I'm going to a local concert tonight and my boyfriend is in the living room playing guitar right now. Thank God we don't have neighbors. Or should I say neighbours for all of you Canadian and UK gals. How many calories do you burn in a mosh pit for 3 hours? I know I'm usually drenched in sweat after the first set.

I just got my midterm grades for my religion class and it's over 100%. I am so happy. Now I just need to do two more tests and start my final paper. For the paper I have to go to a religious service of a different religion. I don't know if any of you know much about South Dakota, but the two religions are Christain and Prodestant. Gives me a good excuse to go to Minneapolis next weekend. I'm going to a Mung temple. I don't even know what that is. Then I have to do a 10 page paper about the experience complete with pictures. At least my mom has a digital camera I can borrow.

Nascar-who is your favorite driver? It's a constant battle at my boyfriend's house every weekend between the Dale Jr., Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson fans. I haven't really gotten into Nascar until this year. Hopefully we'll get to go to a race sometime soon.

Jennie-I usually go to Discovery.com for any decorating tips. That Rally Round the House show is about landscaping and I'm sure they have design and landscape ideas. I think its under the TLC link.

I better get going. I better get something to eat before the show, and maybe spike my hair up into a mohawk. Just kidding.