I haven't gone native, just working out of town in a communications black hole. Hit and miss ability to log on, no access from my room, nowhere to sit where there is access... I'll try to write a post tonight and paste it in tomorrow; meanwhile I'll do as much as I can in the few minutes I've got.

Ceejay, condolences on your niece. But how lovely that they decided to approach it as a celebration of her life.

Shad, I'm pretty sure my avatar just says "April fish". sorry to be so boring.

Happy, it's good to hear that Mr Feral has not disappeared. Maybe he'll just heal as much as possible on his own, and continue on in his own raggedy, independant way. I'm glad he has found sanctuary on your property while he tries to recover. You're a very kind person; it's so hard to see helpless animals in pain.

Mel, it sounds like your visit with the nephew was really a good one. Which is a good thing, since it delayed our in-person meeting until my next trip to NYC! It would have been a shame to have accommodated him only to have him be a bad guest. And a month's worth of food from the kids! Fantastic! I assume there were no frapps in there..? Speaking of which, I'm glad to say that my curiosity finally got the better of me last week and I tried a frapp. I'm delighted to report I found it thin and boring, so at least that's one addiction I won't be adding to the list...

I'm here at this stupid golf resort in the woods for a week, although I'm hoping to make a quick trip home on Tuesday. I don't golf, and in any case the course is still under two feet of snow. There are only 3 English tv channels, one of them all snow, plus an audio-only versio of NBC... So far I've had a raging headache almost since the moment I arrived Friday evening. And then there's the no-internet problem. Grrr. I don't think I'll accept this contract next year.

Gotta go. Will try to post again tomorrow. Must go grumble at my colleagues some more.

Carla
Are you telling us you have had a better time getting your teeth cleaned lol.

Happy
So glad to see you have seen the cat. Would be nice if you could get him help but sure don't want you to hurt yourself. I love kids, covered in open pit lol. Really, I do like kids. The house was always full of kids when they were younger. Now their friends are still in and out. I do not like kids that yell and scream all the time. Would drive me nuts to have neighbors like that. George does not know he is a bunny he thinks he is a dog lol.

Mad
People frown on you running over the walkers lol. Make sure there are no witnesses lol.

Still alive and kicking gently. Leg is still giving me grief - I'm hoping this week will be better. Life is accelerating so I can't get in here often but do try to read. to all!

Where did he get that from? I don't recall you saying you had a dog. Sure he's not pretending he's a wolf? lol

Carla - and here I was thinking you had the glamourous life. Every once in a while you and Shad remind me that sometimes travelling is not all it's cracked up to be. Hope you are back with us soon.

Psssstt. 4 more days until someone's birthday around here.

Ruth - sorry the leg is still giving you problems. Think being in the cold has anything to do with slowing down the recovery?

Last week everyone was talking about the earthquake up north. Now they are talking about another one. Funny thing is - they are saying well - it can go either way - trigger a bigger one OR the last one settled down things and now it will be quiet. Geez, I coulda said the same thing.

Good morning Mel - come on out from that pile of boxes in the closet

Shad's probably towelling off from a good workout at the gym. She and Michelle are high fiving each other.

And I'm getting ready for another thrilling day at the computer

Happy Monday ladies...

I POSTED AROUND THE USUAL TIME 7:25. JUST ON THE DAYS I GO DOWNSTAIRS FIRST I POST LATER. EVERYTHING IS FINE...THANKS HAPPY I STILL HAVE SOME BOXRS FROM WHEN JEN AND I LIVED TOGETHER. DECORATIONS ETC AND I NEVER WENT THRU THEM JUST MOVED THEM OUT, DUSTED THEM OFF AND PUT THEM BACK. PLUS SOME OLD CLOTHES I WAS SAVING. TIME TO JUST TOSS. THE OFFICE IS THRILLED WITH THE COOKBOOKS! I EVEN FOUND BRAND NEW BRAS AND PANTIES IN THEIR ORIGINAL PLASTIC THAT I GAVE AWAY. I'LL NEVER GET INTO THEM. NOT SURE WHY I EVEN BOUGHT THEM! I HAVE SOME ARTS & CRAFTS STUFF ALSO TO SORT AND TOSS. GAVE THE YARN I HAD TO SOMEONE'S GRANDMA. SHE IS ALSO THRILLED.
SO YOU SEE THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING TO GET RID OF!
HAPPY MONDAY. I AM DOING MORE WASH!!

HAPPY~ I WAS WONDERING THE SAME THING ABOUT THE CAT. TRAPPING HIM MIGHT JUST MAKE HIM MISERABLE AS HE'S BEEN WILD FOR SO LONG. THAT'S A TOUGH DECISION TOO BAD ABOUT THE PLAY. YOU COULD HAVE FOOLED AROUND IN THE DARK WITH DH!!

CEEJAY~ IF YOU GET LONELY I'LL SHARE THE ACCOUNTANTS....THERE ARE 3!

MADCAT~ I HAVE BEEN OUT MORE THAN IN. BETTER TO BE IN THE SUN THAN ON THE PC! ESPECIALLY AFTER THE LONG HARD WINTERS OF THE FROZEN NORTH!

CARLA~ I THOUGHT I WAS SAFE LETTING THEM COME WHILE YOUR THOUGHTS WERE ON NOVEMBER
LITTLE DID I KNOW EVERYONE WOULD WANT APRIL! AND THAT INCLUDES THE NEXT VISITOR. HOPE SHE IS SUFFICIENTLY CALMED DOWN BEFORE SHE ARRIVES! SO SORRY ABOUT THIS JOB FROM HADES! NO TV NO INTERNET NO GOLF AND WAY TOO MUCH SNOW!!!
ANY GOOD MEN AT LEAST??? GET ONE DRUNK AND DRAG HIM HOME...HE CAN'T GOLF SO YOU CAN OFFER OTHER TREATS!

SHAD~ HOPE THE ARMS AND YOURSELF FEEL MUCH BETTER. THOSE SHOTS CAN BE A REAL BUTT KICKER!! BE GOOD TO YOURSELF

AT HAPPY AGAIN!! I SEE THE POST HERE!! AOL HAD A PAGE ON EARTHQUAKE STUFF THIS MORNING. SOME SEISMOLOGIST IN MONTREAL IS WATCHING THE ACTIVITY IN AND AROUND THE US.

RENNIE~ I MUST GO BACK AND READ WHERE MADCAT IS THREATIENING TO RUN OVER WALKERS. I M IGHT JUST GIVE HER SOME ASSISTANCE

Good Monday Morning to Everyone....is it Friday yet??

We had an aftershock last night at 1:30 am, yes I was awake for it. Some nights I cannot sleep well. Wasn't as fun as the last one tho. Today Sunshiney and 75, whew whooo!!

Diyana...How did the blood tests come back? I am sure awesome since you have been exercising, that helps a lot of things. Yes, bowling 5 games...and an after affect, my bootie muscles are quite sore. Kinda hurts so good type of sore. hahaha

Shad, Carla, Madcat...welcome back!! We missed you.

Happy...goodluck with the traps and catching Mr. Ferrell.

Ruthie...hope the leg gets to feeling better.

Hi to everyone!! Gotta go, my walking buddy is here.

Love and Hugs

Happy Monday ladies --

Sorry I was out of touch all weekend. I was super busy cleaning and helping DH with yard work to take advantage of the very nice weather we've been having. My blood test results were not perfect, but very much improved! My doc was VERY pleased with my weight loss and he said for me to keep doing what I'm doing and continue to lose weight and he probably won't have to put me on any medications for my diabetes. I went to the gym on Friday and Saturday, but took yesterday off as I had gotten quite a cardio workout just cleaning. I'm finishing up the cleaning today and will do more yard work later this afternoon.

Rennie - The solarium sounds like a lovely place for George to live.

Shad - Shame that the stewardess wouldn't just accept the fact that you didn't want chocolate and be done with it. Glad that the first aid kit and the computer made it through checked baggage okay. I hope your DS is feeling better. So your kitchen should be just about done, right? I'm so very excited for you!!

Patty - Great to hear from you! for getting up so darn early and doing morning workouts. I just can't bring myself to get up earlier so I can workout before work.

Mel - I'm glad you were able to enjoy some lovely weather too! After a long winter like the one we've had, it's lovely to see the sun and feel its warmth. I'm glad you had such a nice visit with your company. Good for you for motivating the seniors to get moving with Anthony. I hope your accountant day went okay. Hopefully you'll get a little time to relax one day soon.

Ellen - Sounds like you're listening to your body and taking care of yourself. Good for you!

Happy - I'm so sorry to hear that the agencies won't help you with Mr. Feral. Hopefully he'll let you close enough to help him. Sorry the play wasn't good. My DH has been to a couple plays in his life...he'll go to them if they are particularly silly/funny. As an example, we are going to see Spamalot (the broadway musical version of Monty Python and the HOly Grail) next week. He's a big time Monty Python fan, so he should enjoy it. I totally agree with you about screaming kids. Our neighborhood is full of kids playing and laughing, which is fine...but once they start screaming and whining, etc. for the sake of making noise, then they should be given a time out indoors. Maybe I'm a crabby appleton too. on your 4 year anniversary of quitting smoking! YGG! Good for you!!

CeeJay - Sounds like the service was nice. I prefer celebrating the person's life and sharing the happy times with others. I hope your work week goes well.

Madcat - I totally agree with you about how wonderful spring feels after a long winter. Funny to think that we had snow and sleet last weekend, and this weekend I was wearing shorts!

carla - I hope the rest of your week goes better.

Ruth - I hope your leg feels better.

Annie - I didn't feel the aftershock, and I'm glad of that. After living in California for most of my life, I've had my fill of earthquakes.


Well, my dogs are outside and barking like crazy, and I have to finish cleaning the bathroom. Then the house will be ready for DMIL, and it'll be off to the gym and grocery shopping.


Have a great day everyone!

Just popping in to say hello--Nothing going on. Still enjoying th quiet.

di
He is as spoiled as the cat and the dog lol.

Melody
A lot of walkers around here, at the park, use the bike trails because there are no walking trails. The bike trails use to be walking trails lol.

Ruth
I know the healing process after that surgery can be long and hard. It was for my mom. Just keep your chin up, you will be better little by little. Do you feel better now than before the surgery?


Happy
We have a 14 year old lab and a 13 year old Persian/Manx cat. We have ( gave some away ) 6 dwarf hamsters and the lop rabbit. I have no idea where he got it but if he thinks he is a wolf he better stop being so darn small and quiet lol.

Quick flyby for me today as the kitchen men are due to arrive in just under the hour. I ned to shower and get breakfast asap. Is putting Kitchen and Men together in a sentence an oxymoron?

Painted myself to a standstill yesterday but eventually got it all done plus a huge laundry mountain moved and by the time the ironing and folding got done my back was telling me all about my day. The painting is not perfect but it is a lot better than it used to be and most of it will be covered by the new cabinetry. Why paint it I hear you ask, well like a lot of things in this house, it was never done previously and the results of unpainted plasterboard and steam, heat, cockroaches and ants have taken it's toll on the condition of the walls. So to ensure that I don't have to take things down and re plaster or re wall at a later time, the walls and ceiling are now covered with a sealer binder paint and a waterproof top coat. I was going to put silicone sealer along the base of the walls to see if I can put a stop to the entry of ants and cockies but ran out of time and energy so it hasn't been done. I will have to spray from the outside as I always have. In order to save a fraction of the cost of wallboards, the builders have left a small gap at the bottom of the plaster board. No doubt at the top too. You only see it when the skirting board comes off. Grrrr.

Okay. I am out of here. Shower, dress, breakfast before they arrive and then keep an eye on proceedings. Who knows what I might learn! Be good and don't forget to sweat.

ANNIE~ OMG! MORE SHAKING?? COME LIVE BY ME...THE ONLY THING SHAKING HERE IS ME WHEN I READ YOUR POSTS! ARE THEY EXPECTING MORE?

MICHELLE~ CONGRATS ON THE BLOODWORK!!
WITH THE WAY YOU ARE WORKING SO HARD AT YOUR GOALS, THOSE RESULTS WILL GET BETTER ALL THE TIME. GOOD NEWS ABOUT THE MEDS TOO! WOULD BE SO GREAT NOT TO HAVE TO TAKE THEM LATER ON! VERY NICE TO HEAR THIS.

CEEJAY~ ENJOY THE QUIET!

SHAD~ WHY DID I HAVE THE 21ST MARKED ON MY CALENDAR FOR YOUR DEPARTURE?? I MUST NOT BE READING ALL YOUR POSTS RIGHT CAUSE YOU ARE STILL IN YOUR PAINTER'S OVERALLS IN YOUR OWN KITCHEN ONE DAY I WILL GET THIS ALL TO RIGHTS!!
GOOD LUCK WITH THE CONTRACTORS!! TRY NOT TO BOX THEIR EARS IN ANY MORE THAN YOU HAVE TO!

RENNIE~ WE HAD WALKING PATHS AND NOW SOME ARE BIKE PATHS IN OUR COUNTY PARKS. THE SENIORS THOUGHT STROLLERS AND KIDS WERE BAD BUT THE BIKES ARE ANOTHER STORY ALTOGETHER!

I HAVE FINALLY RUN OUT OF STEAM. FELT IT COMING ON YESTERDAY WHILE WASHING. TODAY IS A MELIDAY! DOING NOTHING AT ALL BUT WATCH TV. I HAVE A SET OF DVDS OF SPIN & MARTY...AN OLD B&W WALT DISNEY SERIES FROM THE MICKEY MOUSE CLUB ERA. I CAN WATCH THEM AND DOZE IN THE SUNLIGHT LATER ON!
HAPPY TUESDAY!

Good morning chicks,

Good grief Mel - Spin and Marty? I thought Tim Considine was cute. Hard to believe he's like almost 70 now Enjoy your Meliday - you deserve it!

Shad - as for men in the kitchen - well - most great chefs ARE men surprisingly I agree with you - probably a very good thing to paint and prime the walls. I noticed a bit of a gap below the skirting in the foyer too. Just assumed it was there so as to give a bit of space for the house settling - never gave a thought as to cutting corners on construction. Or maybe the walls are just slightly bigger and they didn't want to bother taping and mudding up the extra length. Good job tho - quite the workout!

We had a lop too Rennie - sooooo darn cute!

Glad to hear your tests came out so well Michelle - all that dedication has paid off. Sometimes we need that motivation - glad you heeded it instead of running the other way. Enjoy the nice weather - even if it does mean working in it

Annie - if you think about it, you are doing modified squats in bowling - with a weight to boot - don't know that I could have done 5 games myself without flinging my arm down the alley too

Not much else to report on. Lots to do at work this week - got very disrupted last week with meetings, prepare for meetings and moving cubicles. Of course no real work got done last week and everyone is looking for everything - like I was sitting there watching TV and eating bon bons last week. Argh... so off to work I go and channel the frustration into power walking or something.

Have a good day to those I didn't get indies to.

Hello ladies --

Back at work today, but it was sure nice to have a couple extra days off to get things done around the house and yard.

Rennie - Sounds like you have a houseful of adorable, lovable critters. I love bunnies, but my dogs are so hyper that DH said they'd probably scare a bunny to death. So I enjoy the bunnies I see at the County Fair and watch with delight as they do the Bunny Steeplechase races where young 4H girls have trained their bunnies to jump over small hurdles. It's adorable.

Shad - I hope the kitchen installation went well! Sounds like painting areas of the wall that are hidden is a very wise decision! Good for you!

Mel - Thanks for your nice compliments! My hemoglobin A1C (which is an average of your blood sugar over 2-3 months) went from 6.5 down to 6.1. Normal is less than 5.9, which is where my doctor wants me to be (hopefully by my next visit). I should be able to do this, if I keep doing what I'm doing and maybe cut back on 1 or 2 servings of carbs. My nutritionist said I should try for 12 to 13 servings of carbs a day (a serving is 15grams), and I probably go a bit over that. So I'm gonna start gettin' real with the carbs and not just count points. Enjoy your relaxing and MEL-low, Meliday!

CeeJay - Enjoy and savor the peace and quiet!

Happy - Thank you for your support! Being diagnosed with diabetes was in a weird way the best thing that ever happened to me. It jolted me out of denial (that ain't a river in Egypt) and kicked me hard in the arse to get really serious and diligent! As a result, I'm feeling better every day and have more energy to enjoy life. It was great working in the yard this weekend and yesterday! I totally enjoyed the sunshine and worked up a great "glisten" as my trainer calls it (he says women don't sweat - to which I remind him that I sure as heck do!). I hope your work day/week gets better. Go for a terrific Power Walk to vent your frustration. My company is starting a walking club from 7 to 7:45 am twice a week starting on May 1st. I'm definitely signing up! That way, if I end up going fishing or chatting with MIL rather than go to the gym, I'll still get my workout in. And if I go to the gym anyway, I'll be burning even more calories.

A big to everyone! I hope you all are enjoying your day and your week!

Love and hugs,

A quick hello from the wilds of Quebec. Finally got connected to the net after about 40 min of trying, then 15 verrrry slow minutes reading my emails, and now there's no time to chat before getting back on the job. So a will have to suffice.

Mel, enjoy your day.

Shad, good luck with the kitchen men!

Di, bravo on the improved results! We should all be following your example!

Happy, I see you're enjoying the job as usual. How's Mr Feral doing???

Gotta go.

Carla
Glad to see you at least got on the net.

di
Our lab is old so she doesn't bother with the rabbit. Heaven knows what a young lab would do. Probably want to eat the thing lol.

happy
Funny to watch the thing run around the kids in circles like a puppy.

Melody
The paths have become a real problem. The strollers were a bother but hey everyone likes to walk. The bikes are another story, they run people right over lol. I loved spin and Marty. Thought the shows were great fun. Ok I am older than I am I think lol. I don't tend to like much of anything on tv anymore. I love the older stuff.