Hey! I have no snow or ice on my sidewalk and part of the bed AND the snowdrops that were covered yesterday are BLOOMING! :encore: It's here! The geese have been flying and hollering all day - they are going the right way too! Hersh and I are still working on the snow and ice on the deck but the BBQ is now liberated. Maybe I'll crank it up tomorrow. :) :) :)

Will try to catch up tomorrow.

Fire up that grill Ruth. Yum :T

I accidently took 2 allergy pills before we headed off to the Humane Society. I've taken 2 before but never during the day. Usually they don't affect me - ie. make me drowsy but while one doesn't bother me, 2 sure do. I have been desperately trying to stay awake all afternoon.

It's 8pm here and I may have to pack it in and go to bed even if it's still a little light out. I told DH I might wake up at 3 if I went to bed now and he said, what's the problem with that? No problem UNTIL I start banging around making coffee and cleaning while you are trying to sleep, eh?

I'm too tired to even sit at the computer here so I'm going to put the last of the fresh produce away and it's off to bed for this chick. See you in the morning...

Oh and GO MEMPHIS TIGERS :cheer: :yay: They won their college basketball game today and advanced to the final two for the championship game on Monday. Set a new college record for most games won in a season also. It's nice to see the city united in something they can be proud of that doesn't involve biggest drop out rate, most crime, biggest corruption or things like that :lol:

Morning all,
Just got home from a trip into the Riverside markets in town and breakfast with friends. I had a very nice, non diet friendly eggs benedict with smoked salmon. And some Gunpowder green tea. Why is it called gunpowder - dunno! Went around the markets, bought a couple of things, sampled a couple of things, admired some things but not the prices and came home.

Ruth - hey spring is here - Yahhooo!! That'll put a spring in your step.

Happy - Go Tigers!!!! Hope you sleep deeply and happily all night long. :woohoo: Pity they don't pep you up. Think of all the chores you might get done on a high!

Mel - not getting excited yet. Too much to do for that. Oh and I found a paytv channel that had Rick Steves Travel docos on it - and then I forgot to watch the darned thing. Have to check it out again another time.
Enjoyed Dr Dougs newsletter.

And now I need to go get changed. Package up some parcels, wash down some paintwork, throw out some junk, go round to the DB2's place and get the lawn mower back, mow some lawns and clean up around here. You get to play and you get to pay. Never ending is it?

SHAD~ I WAS LOOKING AT JAKARTA ON THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SITE. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT INDONESIA??? WHY WAS I THINKING YOU WERE A LOT MORE CLOSER TO "HOME". :faint: THE ONE PICTURE I SAW AT DUSK WAS GORGEOUS. I HOPE THE TRIP WILL BE WONDERFUL. IF NOTHING ELSE, IT WILL GET YOU ALL DUSTED OFF FROM THE SANDING AND PLASTERING!!!

RITH~ SO GLAD SOMETHING ELSE IS BLOOMING BESIDES ALL OF US!! :rofl: ENJOY THE GEESE! AND THE BBQ~ :hun:

HAPPY~ OMG! :yikes: IF I TOOK TWO OF THEM I WOULD BE COMATOSE!!! I CANNOT IMAGINE HOW YOU FELT WITH 2!!!! I HOPE YOU GOT A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP AND SLEPT THRU!! :hug:

:wave: TO ELLEN AND CEEJAY AND ALL THE OTHER CHICKS.

VERY QUIET HERE. THE GRANSON IS REFUSING TO WAKE UP TODAY. I EVEN LEFT THE CURTAINS CLOSED SO HE CAN SLEEP. HE TOOK ONE LOOK AT ME AND HID HIS HEAD UNDER HIS WING. HE'S ALSO ALL FLUFFED UP. MAYBE HE'S NOT FEELING GOOD. WISH HE COULD TALK......OR MAYBE NOT!!!! :rofl:
I WILL BE SPENDING TIME WITH MY NEPHEW AND HIS WIFE STARTING THE END OF THE WEEK. SO I MIGHT BE A BIT SCARCE NEXT WEEK. WE WILL SEE. THEY ARRIVE IN NJ ON THE 11TH. :faint:
HOPE ALL OF YOU ARE ENJOYING YOUR WEEKEND. I HAVE BEEN PUTTERING ABOUT. NOTHING TOO ACTIVE. I HOPE TO GO TO THE MALL ON MONDAY. I'LL SEE IF THE BACK IS UP TO A BUMPY BUS RIDE. I ALSO NEED GROCERY SHOPPING ON TUESDAY AND DON'T WANT TO SCREW THAT UP. JEN AND RICHIE GOT THIS WEEK'S LOT.
BEST GET SOME OATMEAL AND PEDAL A WEE BIT.
STAY WELL MY CHICKIE FRIENDS. :hug:

Spring has sprung here too. I worked but the kids played outside ALL day yesterday. They were muddy little monkey's when I got home!

Food for Thought........

By Marianne Williamson

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone. And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others”.

DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED....BUT THERE IS AN ALL DAY EVERYTHING EGYPT THING ON THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL STARTING AT NOON.
GOING TO SET MY VCR AND USE IT TO PEDAL WITH OVER THE SUMMER!! :belly: :ebike:

Ruth
I saw a field full of geese last fall. If I had a camera I would have stopped and made a picture. We don't see that sight very often.

Mel
Thanks for thinking about me. I cleared out my safe spot in my closet just in case I had to make a dash for it. The lightening did sound a little close but the weather person lifted the warning's for our area. I didn't sleep well that night.
Maybe the grandson is hinting that you do the same thing.
I told the dell rep that i'm in the wrong business. He laughed.

Shad
You make me tired just reading what you have accomplished each day.

Carla
Come out, come out where ever you are.

hello to the others.

My boss is not going to like the long list that I've left for him. Some are messages. One is from a customer that called twice about a man hole over flow. Sometimes that is just to get the guys to move a little faster. I sent the stand by person out but he said that the pipes were still full of rain water/run-off. The lift stations just can't handle this much. She got smart and said that she would contact the Mayor. She'll have to do it tomorrow. He has an unlisted number. But I'm used to that. It's part of the job.
L has made some boo boo's on the paper work in which she is going to correct not me. She may have the boss fooled, but not me. Next month I do soil conservation stuff. You can not fake you way through that. I caught her in a lie this morning and she knows it. I'm speaking out in a nice way from now on when she does this stupid stuff.

Morning all

Mel, Indonesia consists of a archepeligo (sp) of over 13000 islands and Jakarta the capital is on the island of Java, Bali is a small island off the other end of Java. They speak hundreds of dialects and it is interesting me as to how I am going to communicate with the population at large. I've borrowed the nieces phrase book and am busy practicing hello (salam) and p*ss off!! That doesn't appear to be in the book. It's north of the Equator - just and will be hot and probably humid (oh yuk). But I am looking forward to it. Meantime I am trying to get ahead of the stuff here as well. I may have to take a trip to Melbourne next week to sort out some stuff and to Townsville for a day (if I can get a reasonable price fare) because I have a friend up there who is very sick and may not have much longer to live. I'd like to try and see her again.

Today will be busy again as I didn't achieve as much as I wanted to yesterday, the rain poured down and the lawn was a b*tch to mow in between rain showers. But it did get done. Our local council is having a clean up of big rubbish stuff this week so I got some of the old kitchen out there and I am hoping to get some more of it out there before they arrive. They said the pick up would be the 7th but normally they take about a week to go around the entire area, so I may yet have time. That's what I will be doing next anyway..

So forgive me if I don't do personals at the moment. I've been to the gym, burned off about 570 calories on the bike, elliptical and treadmill, sweated buckets. And now breakfast is finished I'd better go get something else done.

Good afternoon ladies!

Sorry for being a no show all weekend...the weather was just too nice to be on the computer. I got some housecleaning done, but not as much as I would've if it had been cold and rainy. I just had to be outside enjoying the sun and 60 degree weather as much as I could! I went to the gym on Saturday morning for cardio and weights and I took today off. It's TOM and it's a doozy this time around! I hope I'll feel better by tomorrow evening so I feel up to a good cardio and weights workout at the gym.

Have any of you been watching "I can Make You Thin". It airs on Sunday nights. I've recorded all the episodes (except the first one which I missed). I haven't watched them yet, but I want to. I was just wondering if any of you had seen them and what you thought.

Ceejay - That's great that Dell was able to help with your computer problems. When is your nephew's wedding! Awesome goal setting! YGG!

Ellen - I hope your back is doing better and that you had fun at your DH's nephew's wedding. Glad you had a chance to enjoy your nice weather.

Ruth -- I'm so sorry to hear that it's snowing by you! Hang in there! Spring just got to Wisconsin, it's got to get where you live sooner or later. Okay, I just read your post from yesterday afternoon --looks like spring is starting to arrive for you after all! Yay! I hope you were able to grill out. We grilled burgers and brats tonight for dinner! Yummm!

Rennie -- Don't ya' just love that spam?! I was getting so much spam on my Yahoo email account that I switched to Google. Now, I don't get any spam! Good for you for eating fish. I'm not a big fish eater....except the occasional Friday Fish Fry and only if they have beer battered haddock. I don't even want to try and figure out how many points in that!! :lol:

Shad - Funny how for folks there 60 degrees is cold, where we just had our first 60 degree days and there's people in shorts and tee shirts! Thanks for explaining what your work background is. It sounds great! And you obviously have a great reputation! How wonderful to be recommended for the job by so many people! Shad, I am so sorry to hear about your friend. I hope you can get to visit with her.

Mel - You go right ahead and brag! It's absolutely okay for us to pat ourselves on the back! YGG! That's wonderful that you'll be debt free soon! You should feel very proud!! :congrats: I wish I could say the same. DH and I have a few more years (at least) to go, but we chip away as much as we can. Thanks for calling me an inspiration. I so hope my blood tests go well this Saturday! And that the doc is pleased with the results. I am definitely pleased with how I'm feeling and that I've lost 22.5 pounds so far. Mel, thanks for posting the Dr. Doug newsletter!

Happy - Hope you had a nice time at the Humane Society caring for the kitties. I hope you're feeling better after your allergy pill sleepiness. I'll cheer for the Memphis Tigers, too!

Holly - I'm glad spring has sprung for you!

Hope everyone is having a nice evening!

:wave: Spring is still springing. The well in the back garden is overflowing and adding to Lake Ruthie in the dog and side yards. I may need to get a "lad" to open up the culvert so it drains away. The snow mountains are still around but shrinking. (I wish I was!)

Back a bit later to read and post. I need to crank up my morning while I still have the enthusiasm. I'm dragging a bit these days with a rather swollen knee.

CEEJAY~ YOU SOUND SO POSITIVE NOW WITH THE JOB AND SPEAKING OUT. GOOD FOR YOU! STAY STRONG SISTER! GLAD YOU CLEARED YOUR SAFE SPACE AND EVEN HAPPIER YOU DIDN'T NEED TO USE IT!!! I HEAR THE TORNADO LANDED IN A TOWN THAT BEGAN WITH A "B". :yikes:

SHAD....I AM SO SORRY ABOUT YOUR FRIEND. :hug: HOPE YOU GET TO SEE THEM TOO.
I MUST HAVE BEEN ASLEEP WHEN I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING SOMEWHERE "SOUTH" IN AUSTRALIA. THEN I SAID ...WAIT A MINUTE....LET ME GOOGLE THAT. :faint:
rofl: YOU ARE "FORGIVEN"....NOW GET BACK TO WORK!!

MICHELLE~ WOW 22.5!!! AND GOING STRONG!! GOOD LUCK FOR THE BLOOD TESTS. I AM SURE THEY WILL GO WELL THE WAY YOU HAVE BEEN GOING! AS FOR THE COMPUTER....FRESH AIR AND GETTING OUT ARE FAR MORE IMPORTANT....ESPECIALLY NOW THAT WE CAN ALL USE A DOSE OF SUNSHINE :sunny:

I CANCELLED TODAY'S TRIP. HOPING I CAN GO TOMORROW FOOD SHOPPING. AS I BENT DOWN TO WASH MY HAIR, I GOT DIZZY. I MAN STILL FEEL THE EARS FLUID AND WILL TAKE STRONGER SINUS STUFF TODAY.
THE PC SCREEN IS MAKING ME NAUSEOUS TOO!
HAPPY MONDAY! :moped:

RUTH I AM SORRY TO HEAR THE KNEE IS SWOLLEN. :hug:
HOPE YOU GET THE LAKE DRAINED :swim:

Howdy chicks,

Sorry I wasn't on much over the weekend. Been kinda busy. I had some things that come :censored: or high water were GOING to get done before Sunday's end - and they did. The weather is brightening up and there is lots of yard work to be done but after last week's deluges everything is too wet and soggy to do much. Lottsa new stuff this weekend. My new glasses came in. I'm trying out single line bifocals in the computer glasses to see if I can read a book better with them. The progressive lenses don't seem to work too well, I wind up taking my glasses off to read which is a pretty sad thing considering how blind I am. Got some new "regular" glasses too but when I tried them on, the right lens seemed fuzzy. They checked the prescription and it turned out they ground the LEFT lens wrong. Don't ask me why the right eye seemed fuzzy then :dunno: But now they have to remake the glasses which is another 2 weeks. Cute frames tho. Gots me a new gun too. DH bought me one with a laser sight so I don't have to squint to see the sight. I never, ever thought I'd be toting a gun in my life. Such are the times we live in. :( Getting a new front door today at the house. Not sure I like the color or the grain on it. But it's really hard to tell from the samples they give you. New foyer floor will go in this week too. Then it will clash horridly with the wallpaper and DH and I will start bickering about what should be done next. He wants to do the kitchen, I said today - let's just yank the wallpaper out of the kitchen and foyer and just have someone come in and paint. (Will need someone with scaffolding for the paint job so we might as well just hire someone). But things are getting done and that's a good thing. Spring sprucing :D

Ruth - take care of that knee - sorry to hear it's giving you grief. I love your new avatar. Is that from your yard? So now you have "lake front property"? :eek:

Mel - hope you can find something to dry you up. Darn sinuses sure are a pain in the pattootie, aren't they? Sorry to hear that the PC is making you sick too. :( Go rest yourself up. :hug:

Michelle- glad you finally got a touch of nice weather you way. And on the weekend too where you can actually enjoy it. Didn't that grilled food taste GOOOOD :T I love spring - those first few peeks of warmish weather are so energizing and the air smells so good - wish I could bottle it into perfume :lol: I have not seen the I Can Make You Thin series tho some people were talking about it on 3FC. Congrats on the 22.5 pounds down! You're doing great.

Shad - I know you're kidding but I really had to laugh at you trying to figure out how to say p*ss off in Indonesian :rofl: Wow - this assignment sounds so exotic for some reason. Hope it turns out well. I must admit, I wouldn't have the slightest idea where to begin. I suppose the first assignment was something you were familiar with and you just grow your confidence from there? When will you be starting the new gig? Gunpowder green tea - I looked it up and it's named so because they roll the tea leaves into pellets that resemble buck shot. I have some jasmine tea - my favorite that are called "pearls" but I'm sure look very much the same.

Hi Ceejay - seems like you have your hands full at work. Are you getting a lot of flooding up your way? We've been getting alot of rain but I think more has gone up your way.

I have to agree with Dr. Doug - get outside and get some sun on your face and breathe in some fresh air. Go take a walk around the block and enjoy some of the spring flowers.

I'd best get on with some other stuff now. Hello to all the chicks including the ones I didn't get to personally. Have a good Monday :wave:

Happy Monday.........

What a lovely weekend we had. Bargain of the weekend...went to a neighbors garage sale and got a Schwinn LIKE NEW 12 speed bike with shocks on the front for....get ready for this.... 5 bucks. I rode my "new" bike over the weekend, cleaned out the flowerbed, took Hella Bella for a walk, and got all my laundry done. It is quite beautiful today also, so took a 20 walk at lunch. (two others went with me), had a salad from the salad bar in the cafe, and here I am..

MEL...Thanks for sharing the newsletter, it is very inspirational.

Ruthie..Throw a garden burger on the grill for me, I will be right over.

Happy....How was your sleep? Blissful?? Did prince charming kiss you awake? Dreamy??

Shad..Your day in town sounded like a lot of fun. Take me with you next time.

Diyana...we are on similar schedules...I am due to start any day now. Oh boy..can't wait. Seems like every other month is a really nasty one.

Holly...your time of year.Spring..outside and planting. DS had a friend till up a spot in the backyard for a veggie garden. DS is supposed to be pulling out two shrubs and getting dirt ready for flowers today.

Ceejay...I can put up with most anything, but not liars. Was married to one for 21 years. Won't do that again.

Lunch is about over, have a marvelous evening ladies.

Hello to all I missed.

Love and Hugs

Finally, a cup of Earl Grey and some time to read this page at least and catch up a bit.

Shad, I'm sure you will figure out the necessary phrases to deal with the native. I have a few French phrases that really dealt with the beggars in Tunisia. Um - eggs B. with salmon doesn't work out for me although I like the components. There's something about fish and eggs.....

Mel, sorry you are under the weather and missed your Mall outing. I hope it works out for tomorrow. Wonderful news about reducing the debt load - I've been there and know how it feels from both sides.

Ceejay, if you guys run out of water, I can send you some from Lake Ruthie. One year my side yard was so deep, we had wild ducks swimming in it.

Diyana, I am very impressed by your exercise regime. I did watch part of ICMYT last night but didn't learn much new. I am a professional dieter - too bad I'm not thin too!

Lake Ruthie is ebbing and flowing. It partially dried up overnight as the water soaked into the ground or made its way to the culvert and thence to the creek a.k.a.crick around here. The temps are up to 60ºF this afternoon, more snow is melting and the level is going up again. My sump pump is running every five minutes. Noisy but when you examine the alternatives.... That's one of the reasons I have a generator in case we lose power. The basement did flood about three years ago and it was a terrible mess.

My new neighbours' dog got loose this morning and showed up at my doorstep after they'd left for work and school. They seem to know where to go! She's a lovely and small Husky with one blue and one brown eye. I put her onto their closed porch. I didn't notice they had garbage there so there's a wee bit of a mess now. However, it beats the mess of scraping your dog off Highway 42! I've not met them yet but will go over once they're home and explain. Some intro! Nice dog and gets along with Hershey. She was also very obedient when I called her so I don't know what's with them.

As forecast, it's clouding over but no white crud is predicted. This HAS to be Spring!

:wave: to those I've missed. Have a nice evening - or morning, in Shad's case!

Hello ladies! I have made it back! The wedding was much fun...and DH and I got to show off our salsa moves. LOL Rested yesterday at mom's and the boys/men went to play baseball at the park. Felt a little ill, had pressure in my ear...is feeling much better now. Will go shopping with the kiddies tonight, and off for a small dinner out. DH is at the White sox game with a friend, so won't be home!

Will hop on later to talk to everyone...sounds like you all had awsome weekends!!!

Morning all,

It's early and it is cool. I'm sitting here with a jacket on - mind you I should be able to take it off in 10 minutes or so since the sun will be up by then. I am going to do some plastering before I go to the gym and then will do the shopping on the way back. Nothing like planning your journey is there? I am doing weights today so won't be as sweaty as the cardio trips.
Yeterday I chucked out some more of the old cabinetry and we are now down to the sink top, small amount of counter top and two cupboards plus the old stove. In the next couple of days we will be feeding off the barbeque and tv dinners since there will be nothing to prepare food on or with. The microwave lives on the dining table in the lounge and you can hardly move in there any more. Wonder if rationing will help the weight???
I found yesterday that I am not going to Indonesia until the 28th, that gives me another week of breathing space and I'm thinking I will need all of it.

Happy - Most of the people I will be working with will be Australian or NZ or South African. I know that none of us actually speak the Queens English, but we can normally understand each other. This is an entirely different type of project from normal. For a start, at the moment there is no mine - therefore no miners, admin staff or mining management. The people we are about to educate are the people who will be setting up the mine. I'm trying to sort out a few words of Indonesian so I can check things out at the markets and shops etc. That's if I ever get the time to go there.
What ever makes you think I have the slightest idea where to begin???? It's only because I have worked for this company so many times now, that I know they have a tried and tested format to their projects. Not always perfect but at least the framework is in place. Yes, your confidence grows from being familiar with the company and its culture. And for those bits I am not confident about, you swallow your doubts, check out the educational books and just close your eyes and go for it. Never let them know you are not 100% certain of your abilities, but don't lie either. That's my motto anyway. I will ask questions to get an idea of what they want to conduct analysis on, and the expected outcome and make it all up from there. Lets face it, you conduct a training needs analysis to determine who needs what. I just hope they don't want me to do the role mapping as well. That could be fun!
Thanks for the explanation on Gunpowder green tea. Now I know why it didn't blast me into the day.

Mel - I probably confused you when I said I have to go to Melbourne next week - that is south, but Bev, my friend is in Townsville up north and if I get there it will be a one day trip - up in the morning back in the evening. I checked out the frequent flyers bookings yesterday and there are several flights I can take as long as I don't want to travel between Friday and Monday. Which suits me just fine. I just have to work out whether she will still be in hospital or they have sent her home for the time being. Thanks for the loving thoughts.

Ruth - see we knew spring would come one day, and that you would be whinging about the amount of water or mud around the place. Make up your mind, do you want clean cold snow and ice or dirty muddy lakes of water?? Hope the knee is better today! Love Eggs B. but don't eat it too often as the salt in either the ham or the salmon has a detrimental effect on the body and besides which, there is enough calories there to feed the starving Biafran population for 3 days. The neighbours dog sounds nice. DS2 is making new dog noises from time to time, but I keep telling him that he can't have one until he starts working reasonable hours since I am not going to be home to look after it and dogs do not look after themselves.
You are drinking Earl Grey and I am drinking Lady Grey. Nice!!!

Annie - pack your bags, just get yourself over here and I'll take you out to breakfast on the riverbank. Bring your purse, shorts, walking shoes, bikini and towel. We will have us some fun.

And with that, it is time to go mix up the plaster, take off the jacket and get moving or I will still be here typing away after the shops have opened. I can hear some American bloke giving me the latest Hollywood b*llsh*t on the tv and know that it is getting later and later. Lets not waste the day.

Sorry I haven't posted in a couple of days. Spent all weekend doing this and that and then the weekend was gone lol. Funny how that happens. Was real nice out so the house got a good airing. Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

Di
If you don't eat any fat for the rest of the year lol you can have that battered stuff lol. I wasn't much of a fish person either until I tryed it lol. Easy to toss in a pan and fry and I seem to love the stuff these days.

Shad, forgot to mention - good thoughts for your friend. :hug: Have a safe trip and a good visit with her. No matter what you say, I still see you brimming with confidence as you go about your lesson plans. All you need is a wooden pointer to swing ;) Sounds like this will be an interesting stint.

Shy - you can cut lots of calories by baking the breaded fish instead of pan frying. Just can't get enough of the stuff myself tho I prefer it baked, broiled or grilled. :T Yum, yum, yum.

Annie - Actually I sat in front of the TV just to check the weather and 90 minutes later I woke up, wide awake and messed up my sleep though I did get up early enough to enjoy the day. WOW - a practically new 12 speed bike for 5 dollars! That is the bargain of the year woman!!!!!! Good for you, especially with the weather starting to break. Perfect time to get into riding. And I meant to tell you that I do enjoy your occasional glimpses into life after WLS. I appreciate your candor because darn it, sometimes we want to ask but we are just shy about it :o

Ruth - I once knew a person who had a husky with a blue and brown eye - really pretty dog. You're a good person to take the puppy back home.

whoo hoo - salsa dancing Ellen. What fun!

Well - the guys who came to install the door are still working here. And there's nothing but a big gaping hole in the wall. It's great that they are so meticulous but I'm getting kind of nervous that one of us is going to have to sit in a chair in the foyer and keep guard all night. :rofl: At this pace they will be setting the door in oh, about Wednesday afternoon. :dunno: Since I can't fire up the grill for dinner yet (would be rude to eat in front of them), guess I'll go clean the car out...

Hi Ladies. I dropped off the face of the Earth for a bit again. My friend, who I have mentioned a few times here, finally lost her battle with cancer on Thursday night. It's sad but she put up an amazing fight and went out with dignity, in the company of good friends. Needless to say I feel a bit sidetracked on the whole diet and exercise thing... even though it's the one situation I actually have any control over. I'll be back once things calm down a bit.

mad
I am sorry sorry to hear of your loss. Will keep you in my prayers.

happy
I don't add any calories at all to fry it. I use a spray oil that has no calories or fat or anything else. I never worry about calories anyway. I have a heck of a time getting in 1200 a day most days even thou I eat the required amounts of the four basic food groups a day. I just tend to naturally pick foods that are low in calories. I generally never bread fish. I like the taste of the fish and don't want that taste covered by breading.

Madcat - I'm so sorry for your loss. You were a good, supportive friend to her. :hug:

Madcat, I'm so very sorry to hear your sad news. :cry: I think your friend was very fortunate to be surrounded by loving, supportive chicks like you. :hug: :grouphug: :hug:

I read a newspaper article today about a new book, "Kluge, the Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind". It claims that our brains are 'an ill-assorted collection of poorly matching parts, forming a distressing whole' - or a kluge (rhymes with stooge). Because of evolution, we have both an ancestral or instinctual way of thinking and a modern and reasoning side, and the two are in constant conflict, which tends to make us a little stupid. Why am I babbling on at you all about this here? Well!!! It's because it turns out it's not our fault at all that we can't resist fries and watch too much tv - it's all because our pesky ancestral brains insist on living in the moment and seeking fast-fix pleasure. So no more guilt, no more talk of failure: chalk it up to that pesky kluge brain, and hand me another :censored: ! ;)

Madcat~so sorry about your friend. Many hugs and prayers for you and her family.

Well Carla - thank you for posting that for us. I feel better now. Next time my mind races off somewhere and I fight like crazy to control it, I will just throw up my hands :dunno: and yell Fergin' Kluge! :rofl:

Our Memphis Tiger basketball team lost the championship to Kansas. It was a good, heart in the mouth, up and down aerobic, went into overtime, great game between 2 well matched teams. Kansas earned the win, even if it would have been nice to see this town celebrate :cry:

If you can believe it, the door people were finally packing it up at 9pm tonight. And they STILL aren't done :yikes: The door is in (precariously glued) with a deadbolt in and they need to finish framing the thing tomorrow. I was getting a bit antsy at 3pm that they were still here. DH was giving me the "take a chill pill" look. But aha. By 7pm HE was getting all freaky. I had the basketball pre-game on and he kept coming into the living room clutching his throat. I was starting to think I had to make up the guest room for these guys :lol:

And I really wanted to wash my car too. The inside is all shiny clean but the outside is covered in an array of circular tree pod things, yellow pollen and lots of guano (if you know what I mean ;) ) The guys had their big old truck and trailer taking up most of the driveway so I couldn't clean my car. I refuse to go to work with it looking that way so I will be the crazy woman out with a hose at 6am tomorrow when it's bloody 48 degrees out hosing down my car. :mad:

But... I will not complain. In honor of Madcat's friend - who seemed to persevere though all kinds of trying times, I will honor her memory by trying to be like her. I will make tomorrow a good day - not yell at people on the road, give someone a needed hug or a kind word and will attempt to do some good as I walk this earth tomorrow. Because that's what touched me as Madcat spoke of her and couldn't we all do with a little bit more of that kind of behavior in our lives?

Good night ladies, sleep well.

Madcat..so sorry for your loss.

Good morning ladies -

Yesterday was crazy busy all day long...so I wasn't able to post. I really didn't want to go to the gym (TOM blues)...but told myself that I should just try 20 to 30 minutes of cardio. I ended up doing 45 minutes and felt much better afterward.

Ruth - Glad to hear snow is starting to melt for you. Is your lake deep enough to fish in? :lol: I hope your knee swelling has gone down and that you feel better today. Good for you for taking care of the neighbor's dog. I did that last summer with a dog that showed up in my yard. I didn't know whose dog it was, but I put a leash on it and walked to every house in the neighborhood until I found its home.

Mel - I sure hope you feel better today. My DH just got over the sinus/ear/dizzy stuff. He took a really strong decongestant and the doc put him on antibiotics too.

Happy - Good for you for getting so much accomplished. I've got progressive bifocals too, and for small print, etc., I can read it better if I hold it up close and don't use my glasses. :dunno: Wow, you got a gun. I hope you get the necessary training from your DH. I understand that these are the times we live in. I just think I'd be too chicken to have a gun. That's great you're getting your door...but too bad the samples aren't really true samples of how the doors will look. weird. It took them more than a day to install the door?! Sheesh!! Sure hope they finish the job today! What kind of floor are you putting in the foyer? I agree with you...if the new floor will clash with the wallpaper, take down the wallpaper and paint the kitchen and foyer a nice complementary color. You are right...the first grilled food of the spring/summer tasted wonderful. I'd been craving a bratwurst cooked on the grill for days, and it was so good. I had it without the bun and with some honey mustard. :tasty:

Annie - What a great bargain on your "new" bike!! Sounds like you've been able to enjoy the nice weather - it's supposed to rain here today and then they're using the "s" word for this weekend, but I'm staying in denial...I don't want any more of the "white crud" as Ruth calls it.

Ellen - So glad you had a great time at the wedding and got to dance with your DH.

Shad - I really admire your confidence to be able to go into situations and take charge. I know Happy has that kind of confidence too. I'm still working on developing that so that I am able to do it more consistently or at least not wear my lack of self-confidence on my sleeve like I sometimes do. It's good that you'll be working with folks who speak English, and I'm sure you'll do fine in the markets. About 25 years ago, I went to Hong Kong to visit my parents when my dad was working there. And even though the vendors in the markets spoke little English, we were able to communicate enough so I could buy stuff! :lol: I hope you're able to visit your friend and spend a few hours of quality time.

Rennie - It's wonderful the first time you can open the windows and give the house a good airing! We did that this weekend too!

Madcat - I'm so sorry for your loss. :hug: My thoughts are with you and her family. I'm going to join Happy in her decision to make today (and every day - hopefully) a good day to honor your friend's perseverence through difficult times.

Well, gotta get started on the day! Let's all have a terrific Tuesday!

Good morning chicks,

Well I got up at 6am - it wasn't too cold out and washed my SUV. Looks so much better now and I had something accomplished before 6:30am :D That's a change!

The door guys said they would be here at 7:30 to finish up. I think they mean "here" being that they are somewhere in town and not at my door as I thought. This is how service people work in the south so it doesn't do any good to complain or get fussed up.

Michelle - DH and I had to go through training and take a test to get our licenses to carry concealed weapons. I wouldn't have it any other way - a gun is far too dangerous to take lightly. So everyone within a 500 mile radius can rest easy that I'm not going to Annie Oakley up the place :lol: I'm glad you got to go to the gym - getting up and getting there is half the battle. Lots of people - myself included - will be like :kickcan: don't want to do it. Well ok, just do 10 minutes. And then once we get into it, we complete the job. Even as adults sometimes we have to treat ourselves like kids :lol:

I saw an article on the Internet that if you get married, you gain on average 7 hours of extra work just having a husband. And it's more if you have children. Guys drop an hour of work by having a wife which I find hard to fathom - if the wife picks up the cooking and laundry that's more than an hour right there. :dizzy:

Time to head off to work. Go off and do some good in the world today and if you see my door guys on the road, tell them to get a move on over here - much obliged ;)

Happy - Good for you for getting your car washed before going to work! YGG! I know I wouldn't have the ambition to wash my car before work (unless it's to drive through the car wash!) :lol: I'm glad you got the appropriate training and that you aren't gonna go all Annie Oakley and that you and your DH aren't gonna Bonnie and Clyde all over town! :rofl: I definitely have to treat myself as a kid sometimes to get me to do what I'd rather not. I saw your door guys on my way to work. They said they took a wrong turn at Albuquerque (a la Bugs Bunny). How they found themselves in Wisconsin and what they were doing in New Mexico when they were supposed to be in Memphis, I'll never know! :dunno: :dizzy: :rofl: I told them they'd better get a new GPS so they don't get lost again and they'd better get a frassin' move on over to your house.

madcat
so sorry to hear the news of your friend. she most diffinately was a fighter.
((hugs))

Carla
Now I know what's wrong with my brain.

Happy
I'm impressed with you at getting the suv cleaned before 6.30 a.m.

Hello to Michelle, Ellen, Mel, Shad and Ruth and Holly. Hope I haven't left any one out.

We've just had a little shower but the worst is yet to come. I really need to get some things done whenI go home tonight.

Good news is that I don't have to train L anymore. I'm so excited. I told my boss that I have to keep reminding her to do things and that I have to keep checking her work. It's like she doesn't really want to do the job. But she wants the day shift. I also told him I didn't trust her and until she can do the work without trying to cover up the mistakes I can't trust her. Enough is enough. He still wants her to do the paper work. I told him that this paper work has to balance not force it to balance.

Kind of quiet in here today...

Thanks for the reminder about the rain Ceejay - looks like it might track south of here and we'll both miss out. The lawn is still a soggy mess from last week's deluge. I'm glad you don't have to train your co-worker any more but sounds like she's not out of your hair completely. :(

Thanks for sending the door guys back my way Michelle. They took all day to finish up what should have been done in a few hours. DH was watching them and said he isn't at all happy with the job they did. Tried to put the door frame up crooked which didn't sit well with him at all. That's cool that you've been to Hong Kong - I didn't know that. Have you done other travelling outside of the U.S.?

I'd better get off the computer and go fire up the grill before the clouds come in and rain on my parade and my dinner :lol:

:wave: to the rest of the chicks

And I am holding to my promise to be a good person today and it SURE AIN'T EASY :rofl:

SORRY GALS....I AM PRESSED FOR TIME. THE ELECTION IS THE 15TH AND THE SENIORS NEED HELP WITH FILING FOR THEIR IRS STIMULUS REBATE CHECK BEFORE THEY MISS THE DEADLINE. ALL **** IS BREAKING LOSE OVER HERE. ONE GOOD THING....I FORGOT MY OWN PROBLEMS :rofl: :rofl: WILL TRY AND CATCH UP THURSDAY OR FRIDAY. TOMORROW I AM GOING OUT TO BUY THEM A DVD PLAYER. THEN I WILL WORRY ABOUT GETTING MY MONEY BACK! LOL THEIR VCR IS EATING THEIR OLD TAPES UP!!! :faint: ONE GOOD THING....I WENT GROCERY SHOPPING AND GOT THAT DONE. WILLY CAME IN AND HELPED ME CHECKOUT AND PUSH THE CART. AT LEAST HE CAN SEE WHEN SOMEONE REALLY NEEDS HELP TOO. SOMETIMES I GET LONELY BEING THE ONLY ONE AROUND HERE!! :dance: TRYING TO GET IT ALL DONE BEFORE MY VISITORS ARRIVE!
LOVE TO ALL. STAY WELL AND I SHALL RETURN!

Good morning everyone,

Well for what is left of it anyway. Woke up with a very bad headache this morning, grabbed a cup of tea and 3 panadol, came here to read the posts but felt very wierd so went back to bed and 3 hours later I came back. So todays plans are a bit of a washout and I think I will just swap today with tomorrow and go on from there.

I managed to get a flight to Townsville for Friday - morning flight up and and last flight home. So I will spend the day with my friend, well as much as she wants to spend anyway. She is now carrying oxygen around with her and is confined to a wheelchair. She tells me it is not a permanent feature, her carer says the outlook is not good. I'll know more on Friday no doubt.

Happy - sad that the door fitters are so slack and also slaphappy. Makes one wonder if there are tradesman out there who give 100% to their work and who actually care. I can understand the DH's frustration as things that are not level and true will always cause problems in later life.
I'm afraid it was probably my fault that the guys ended up in New Mexico as I found them in Moorooka and pointed out their mistake. However due to accent failure and cultural misunderstanding they ended up in NM instead and Michelle chivvied them up from there. Good thing you have us chicks looking out for you. However if I had known what they were going to do, I would have lit a fuse under their unloving butts while I was at it! :mad:
Another 7 hours of work just being married?? No wonder I felt tired all the time! And you really do know my friend that guys don't cook (or at least don't often clean up after themselves) and the laundry consists of one load of towels, sox, work gear, designer undies etc all in one load and then left in the basket to dry - one hour would be more than it takes.

Michelle - I don't always have the confidence or cool that I convey to the rest of the world. Often I am a mass of indecision, fear of failure, lack of confidence. A lot of people seem to think I can do more than I have done. I hide a lot of it really well and I am prepared to work very long hours to prove myself wrong to myself. Don't know if that makes sense. Taking charge as you call it is often a matter of bluff. I know I can do it, but I don't always have the confidence to do it. When I began to do this job, I made some awful, awful mistakes. The lady who was mentoring me was a very patient and very knowledgeable lady. I learned so much from her. I've used her principles and apply them to myself and try to treat my mentees as she did me. It seems to work most of the time. You need to work on hiding the lacks but not lying about it. I found that if I gathered the courage and realised that I did not know everything there is to know and went and asked the questions, life became much easier for me.
People in markets the world over know what they are selling and for how much. It is really amazing that in that situation, you can communicate with sign language and laughter. Works everytime. They want to sell, you want to buy, where there is a want there is a way. But I always find it nice to be able to mutter a couple of words to people in their own language. Most seem to appreciate the effort even if the accent is excrutiating. Others who might not be so nice, are not sure how much you understand and therefore are sometimes more scrupulous when dealing with you.

Carla - I will not hand you another :censored: - get up out of the chair and get it yourself. The exercise will do you good. Do I have to come over to emphasise the lesson???

On a funny note: I heard on the news today that John Cleese - British comedian and now living in California, thinks he should support Barrack Obama because he has a sense of humour but it needs bringing out somewhat. Lord help us!!! A comedy candidate for Pres. John Cleese for those who may not have heard of him, was in Monty Python, A Fish called Wanda and is Basil from Fawlty Towers. He was also reputed to have written the letter to the United States following the somewhat dodgy election of George W Bush and the muck ups in Florida with the voting. It was hilarious. He actually denies writing the thing however.

Having said all that and sadly now feeling sick again, better take myself off to mope around and do something else. See ya!

A beautiful day today, high 50's. Although I did work, we finished early. :woohoo: I actually came home, bundled up well, and took the dratted cat out to the patio for an hour. (I was sorry I dodn't have a camera - there's still some ice and snow on the patio, and the back lawn is mostly white. A very photogenic backdrop for my handsome boy with his red harness and leash.) He was absolutely beside himself he was so happy. Poor baby - I'm still undecided about sending him off to a new outdoor home.

Mel, have you considered getting the old dears a DVD/VCR combo? I have a Samsung combo and I love it. They cost about $100 max, and up here they're still pretty available at most of the big box stores. One less piece of equipment to dust, and besides, I have a feeling one of these days VCR's will disappear, and you did say theirs was eating tapes...

Happy, your story about the door installation gives me yet another excuse to put off having renos done... Thanks! ;) As for the gun... maybe it's just because I'm Canadian, but having handguns around just gives me the willies. When I went to see my brother in New Orleans he had a probably illegal loaded gun in a drawer in his living room, scared me s***less. The night he died I made his best friend take it away immediately, just didn't feel comfortable having it in the house. (It didn't help that he lived above a dive bar in the Quarter, and there was always the chance word had gotten out that there was morphine in the house...) It's kind of funny in a way, since my dad was involved in competitive target shooting when I was a kid and there were long guns around the house - unloaded and properly stored, of course, like yours.

Shad, sorry you're under the weather. :hug: The Jakarta contract sounds like a nice change after Perth! And you can talk about bluffing all you want, but if you didn't get the job done you wouldn't be at the top of everybody's list. I do, however, know what you mean about confidence being a big part of success. When I'm working I always sound like I know what I'm talking about - the biggest bluff of them all...

Gotta go - I feel a wave of kluge influence washing over me. :D :D

Carla
We let the cat outside with us sometimes. He isn't at all sure he likes grass over carpet lol.

Shad
Hope you start feeling better and hope you have a great time with your friends.

Happy
The more we hear about your house being redone. The more I am glad we are doing this all on our own lol. Sure hope things get done for you.

di
Not only does exercise make us feel better. We feel better when we know we are doing something good for us. Hope you have a nicer day tomorrow.

cee
Good for you. You have to stop letting people make you crazy. You did the right thing by speaking up about the woman.

Happy Hump Day Ladies.........

Dismal morning supposed to be sunny by this afternoon.

Shad...hope you are feeling better by now, and have a safe trip on Friday.

Carla...our weather stinks. It was 72 yesterday, today 60, and 42 and snow flurries by this Saturday. No wonder people are sick so much in Indiana.

Diyana...you keep inspiring me to exercise, hopefully it will kick in and I will actually do some. ;^)

MEL...goodluck with the seniors.

Ceejay...good for you for speaking up about L. People like that make me crazy. I tell them, for crying out loud....TAKE NOTES and refer to them. That is my pet peeve.

Happy..anyone that can get up and have their SUV washed by 6:30 am is my hero. Rock on sista!!

UPS..Glad you had fun at the wedding.

Things are peaceful on the home front for now. Going to lunch with a buddy from my previous place of employment.

Hello to everyone..........

Have a marvy day.

Love and Hugs

Where the heck have I been? I'm sooo behind again and will probably miss folks.

Madcat, I was so sorry to hear of your friend's death. I am glad you and her other friends were there for her. I've been through that several times and was always glad I did what I could to be supportive.

Happy, the darned door thing sounds like a real hassle. Good thing the DH was there to supervise those jerks.

Shad, you never get sick! I hope this thing passes quickly. Tea and reading always works for me.

Ceejay, glad you seem to have resolved the L. situation. What a loser!

Carla, our Marigold was an indoor cat for most of her life. She really got into country life when we moved here and even stated hunting chipmunks. She still insisted on using the indoor kitty litter, however. City girl!

My neighbour has just arrived to finish cutting up a tree for me so I need to dash. Waves to all, especially Mel who needs to ask for help more often.

Good morning ladies --

We're halfway to the weekend! Yay! I didn't get to the gym last night. I had a really bad day at work and was just too exhausted, so I relaxed with DH and the DPs (Dear Puppies). I plan to go tonight to do some cardio.

CeeJay - I hope the situation with your co-worker improves and she starts doing her work correctly so you don't have to worry about her anymore.

Happy - That's a bummer that the door guys took two days to get the door done, and then didn't even do a good job. Other than Hong Kong and Canada, I've only traveled in the U.S. DH and I want to go back to Canada next year to go fishing. How about you? Where have your travels taken you?

Mel - That's great that you're helping the seniors file for their IRS stimulus rebate. My DH is helping his mom. I know you're really busy, but I hope you're taking some "Mel Time" too.

Shad - I hope you are feeling better. That's wonderful that you will be able to go see your friend on Friday! Thanks for all your wisdom about conveying confidence to the world. I have a feeling that the confidence you convey is not a bluff at all. As for me, I'm not a great bluffer. I definitely do ask questions and learn from mistakes. I just sometimes wear my frustration on my sleeve. More things for me to work on improving. :) You definitely are correct, if you can say a couple words in a native language people do appreciate it. Of course, when I went to Montreal and said "Bonjour" to someone, they proceeded to ramble off in French at lightning speed. And I had to fess up and admit that the only French word I know is "Bonjour" and how to count to 10. :rofl: Spanish is the language I learned in High School and College and although I'm not fluent anymore, I'm fairly conversational. Funny you mention John Cleese! I love John Cleese! He's really funny! In fact, in a few weeks, DH and I are going to see SPAMALOT a broadway show (in Milwaukee) that's based on Monty Python and the Holy Grail. DH and I are big Python fans! I also like watching the Michael Palin travel shows...informative, interesting, but with a bit of humor!

Carla - When do we get to see photos of the kitty? Good idea for Mel about getting a DVD/VCR combo. We love ours too! Handguns give me the willies too. But if people are responsible gun owners like Happy, then that's cool with me.

Rennie - Great to hear from you! You are right about exercise making us feel better physically, emotionally and mentally. I'll get back on the cardio machine tonight.

Annie - We're having a rainy week and maybe the white crap this weekend. I'm so OVER sn**, I can't even say the word. Enjoy your lunch with your friend!

Ruth - That's terrific that a neighbor is helping you with your tree. It's wonderful to have nice neighbors. I'm really lucky - my neighbors are great, as yours are it seems.

A big :wave: to anyone I may have missed.

Wonderful Wednesday Wishes Everyone!

Di
I don't generally workout on the weekends but this Saturday we are going to the zoo. We will walk 6 to 8 hours so I think I will have enough workout for the whole weekend lol.