[annie175]

I cannot take one more sad thing. My favorite brother the one in a band, has found out he has advanced prostate cancer, very aggressive growing. It has spread to lymph nodes and two ribs. Not a good prognosis. When I think I have no more tears left, I lose it and bawl for hours. Signing off for now cannot see for the tears

[happy2bme]

Oh Annie - I am so sorry to hear about your brother. Keep hope alive. Sending lots of healing prayers to him and comfort to you.

[diyana]

Annie - I am so very sorry to hear about your brother. Sending prayers for him and you and the whole family. I love you, sista.

[Laura705]

Annie, I'm so sorry to hear about your brother! How devastating. My thoughts and prayers are with you & your family.

[ceejay52]

Annie
So sorry to hear about your brother. Sending good vibes to both of you and prayers for you brother.

[ceejay52]

It's cold and icy out there today, but I made it to work. I'd gotten out yesterday to get the car ready for work this morning. It had about 1.5 inches of ice. We had more sleet over night so it was to do all over again.
More later.

[Shad]

Morning all,

Annie - I am so sorry to hear about your brother. I wish him all the best and hope that the medicos can do something to help him get well. It''s been a very long hard year for you and your family. Please look after your own health and welfare like never before.

Michelle - I see on the news this morning that the job count is on the rise and unemployment is falling in the US. Hope that brings you some luck in the job market. How is Santa's paw and what happened to it. I don't think you told us that.

Susie - hope everything is going okay for you and your DH. I guess you are very busy tying up loose ends before Christmas.

Ceejay - Ice? Oh yuk. I used to hate it on the car. Took so long to get it off and keeping it off was a nother thing as well.

Laura - hope you have missed the worst of the weather. I saw on TV how Dallas/ Fort Worth have been copping it. I know that is a long way from your place, but I never thought they would get snow and ice down there. No idea why I thought that. They get snow in Arizona, why not Texas.

Happy - the pictures look postcard pretty, but I will leave you to the frozen shut windows, iced up doors and slippery steps and pathways. It's all yours. It was good to chat on Facebook the other day. I can't really ring anyone at the moment - there will be a landline phone in the new place but for local calls only. I will have to get my family to ring me at the number.

I have a new apartment and am currently shifting in - should be wholly there by Thursday. Then I will give the keys o this apartment back. and it will be in a cleaner state than when it was handed over to me.

Apart from that there is not a lot to report. My niece still hasn't come to light with this baby. I had lunch with her & M yesterday as well as my sister and M's sister and brother in law.
The weather still sucks with all the wind and low cloud. It is supposed to be fine and calm by this afternoon. Well hallelujah. I sincerely hope the wind goes away. It is driving me crazy.

So I will catch up with you lot later in the day as I can.

[diyana]

Hi everyone -

On the agenda for today is...get the Christmas cards done. The job situation has been kind of confusing...so I'll try and explain.

I have been received three job offers, and am still hoping to be offered the job I really want (I will hopefully hear tomorrow or Tuesday).

1. I was offered a job about 45 min. to an hour away doing everything for a company's website (programming, design, online marketing). I started that job last Thursday. They keep the office VERY cold because to turn the heat up would literally bake the owner's office and his wife's office. I know it's very cold in there because I am NEVER cold and I was freezing. It's not a horrible commute in the morning, but it's very difficult coming home. This position offers NO insurance, and one week vacation only after 2 years of employment. I know it sounds horrible, but I'm planning to leave this position as soon as I can. It sounded much better in the interview than it really is. I literally just started this position to give me a little income until I can start another job.

2. I was also offered a long-term (probably 5 year) contract with the Federal Government in San Francisco. I would most likely take BART (a high-speed train) to get there. It will probably take 60-90 minutes each way to commute, but at least I only have to contend with traffic to and from the station. The pay is VERY good and even though it's a contract position, they offer insurance, vacation and other benefits. I have to wait for a background check to go through as I need security clearance. This could take approximately one week, so I'm not sure of the start date.

3. I was also offered a short-term contract with Apple. It's only 3 months and starts on Jan. 5. The pay isn't great, and no insurance and no benefits. On the positive side...it's Apple...and it might be a way to get in the door and it's close (not as close as position #4). Still mulling this one over.

4. The position I really want is doing graphic design, website design and programming, and social media/online marketing and e-mail marketing for a company in San Jose. It's only about 10 min. away from where D lives. The pay is good (not great like the position with the government in San Francisco), but still good, and they offer GREAT benefits. I had a second interview with them on Friday, and they've contacted my references. I'm hoping to hear good news tomorrow or Tuesday.

So I'm currently employed at Position #1, am hoping to get Position #4. If I don't get Position #4, I'll either take Position #2 or #3. Confused yet? I know I definitely am.


I'm really not sure what happened to Santa's paw. A couple weeks ago he started limping, then not putting any weight on his left hind paw at all, and it was very painful for him to let anyone touch it. He started on an antibiotic ointment which didn't help. Then after a week, I went back to the vet and got him some antibiotics and a disinfectant foot soak. He's doing a little better. He's walking on it more, especially outside on the cold grass. I have an appointment for a re-check at the vet tomorrow evening. I'm hoping he continues to improve.

=======================
To all of my sisters in the Northern Hemisphere, please stay warm and safe. This is brutal weather you all are having. Don't go out in it unless you have to.

Annie - I'm so sorry to hear about your brother. Sending healing prayers to him, and much love and prayers to your whole family. Stay hopeful.

Happy - Definitely stay warm. I hope you don't have to go out today. I love all the Mel moments you and Shad are sharing. One thing I wanted mention regarding the rubber door stop freezing. That used to happen with our cars. But if you rub a bar of Ivory soap on the rubber/weatherstripping, the door shouldn't stick...or at least it would stick less often. It worked with our cars anyway. But it has to be Ivory soap and the liquid Ivory doesn't work.

Shad - Glad you found an apartment and are starting to move in. What did you mean by your niece not coming to light with the baby? Glad you had a nice lunch with her and your sister and others.

Susie - I'm sure you're busy getting things ready for your DH's procedure. Sending hugs.

Laura - Are you getting all the snow or just cold?

Ceejay - Ice is the worst. Between doors frozen shut, all the scraping off the windshields and then losing control while driving. Ugh. I don't miss that at all. Stay warm, and stay inside if you can.


I've got to run to the store for my step-mom. She's got a bad cold, though she keeps downplaying how bad it is. Anyway, I told her I'd go to the store and get her some Nyquil and Coricidin. Then it will be finishing Mount Washmore and doing Christmas cards.


Much love and warm hugs to all,

[annie175]

Thank you ladies for all you thoughts, prayers and hope. Just a very sad weekend with a lot of tears. We did get out tree but my heart and spirit was not in it. C did most of the work.

[ceejay52]

The roads were more clear this morning. I'm thankful. They are predicting snow flurries for this afternoon. I'd rather have snow than ice. The cities street crew has done an awesome job and so has the Arkansas Highway.
dept.

Annie
You have a good man to help put up the tree. Did you get the real one?

Michelle
Keeping your fingers crossed for the best job opportunity.

Laura, Susie and Happy

Nothing much going on this week. Trying to stay warm.

[Laura705]

Morning all.

Michelle - hope your stepmom feels better soon. Fingers crossed you get the offer on #4! We didn't get any snow until yesterday, and it ended up being about 3-4 inches.

Shad -i hope the new apt is a better (bug free) place for you. Yeh, Dallas got a bad deal with this storm. I don't envy the southern states with their tendency for ice storms. My sil & nephs in plano have had several roofs replaced due to hail damage. This storm had damaged a couple of their trees.

Ceejay- Glad you made it to work safely. Hacking away at your icy car was probably a good workout!

Annie - Very sad weekend indeed for you. I hope there's some options available that can help your brother.

Happy- Hope you & dh & the kitties are all warm & snug in your home in the woods.

Hi Susie!!
****
Sat. AM I Did laundry & put my boiled wool cardi in some dk brown dye in hopes the shade is better than my prev. attempt. Also did 2 BE workouts. After that spent more time in the car shopping for shoes & clothes for the upcoming vow renewal ceremony we're attending this weekend.

Back soon - the train's pulling into the station.
---
I'm back!

RE the shopping - we both needed shoes and bf needed a new pair of dress slacks. My shoes in my size required us to pick them up from another store, so more driving.

I still have to make sure I have a good pair of pantyhose, preferably control top! Do they even still sell pantyhose? I've never liked the "no hosiery" thing and will be ignoring that.

When we finally got home I walked doggy in the dark and of course the flashlight I'd brought with me went on the fritz. I used my cell phone's flashlight app. I don't like to use it for a flashlight because the dog tugging at me while I'm trying to both pick up after him and hold the phone so I can see what I'm doing raises the possibility of me dropping my phone. That night bf had a few friends over , so I watched tv in bed and promptly fell asleep.

Sunday I woke up at a reasonable time and by 8:30 I'd decided I better get some leaf-raking done. This week is the last week of free leaf pickup! Our tree out back isn't done, but I still bagged 4 yard waste bags of leaves. Towards the end it was flurrying. Yep, that's us, always one step ahead (barely) of the next thing.

Puttered around the rest of the day doing more laundry, talking on the phone, walking the dog and reading. The snow fell in earnest, but it was nothing like other areas with the ice and large accumulations, thankfully.

Movie night was changed to tonight. With this cold, I really think I'll skip it. Maybe. The movie "The Book Thief" was chosen and it's at the theater near the house, so I might be changing my mind as I type this.

Everyone have a good day!!

[happy2bme]

Hi all,
Man I HATE waking up to an alarm in the morning. So glad those days are over. I think that's the biggest deterrent to me going back to work Especially with it being cold and us getting more snow last night. The winds are moving in and it's going to get rather blustery as the temps drop down again. DH is out plowing, he requested some cheesy cream of potato soup which I am cooking up for him.

I made it to the podiatrist again today. She tweaked my orthotic again. Seems I have 2 problems on either side of my feet which contradict each other - fix one and it aggravated the other. We'll see if it helps any. I have messed up feet. Should just strap on boxes which contain down pillows.

Things are finally calming down I should do cards and a tree but I'm losing my festiveness. Not sure if DH wants to trek out and get a tree - I wonder what they cost. Heck, I live in a forest of trees, we should be able to go and cut one down but I hate to kill a tree besides the ones out my way are 40 to 80 feet high which is a bit bigger than I need.

I also need to make some room in my closet for the winter fleece shirts and sweatshirts I just bought. Guess I can fold up and box away the thinner summer t-shirts and relocate the dressier clothes I stopped wearing.

Laura - that movie The Book Thief looked quite interesting. Let us know if you see it - not sure it's coming around here yet and that's not the type of movie that would interest DH. I see that Captain Phillips is due to come out on Pay Per View shortly and I wanted to see that one too. Must be the week that flashlights died as the reliable one I've carried in my purse for years finally blew a bulb or something and petered out too. I totally agree with the danger of using your cell phone as a flash light while walking Coal. Better to get a cheapie with a wrist strap.

Shad are you moved into your new place yet? Nice of you to leave the current place much cleaner than how you found it. Are the winds still blowing hard? I'll bet the niece is anxious to deliver the wee one.

Ceejay - glad the roads have cleared and the weather warmed a bit. Kudos to you for getting around in it. That's good to hear the highway workers were in front of the storm taking care of the roadways.

Michelle - good luck with the job hunt - hope you find something that sticks. Sounds like a short commute is your top perk.

Annie - how are you feet doing? Sending prayers for your brother. I know it's hard but maybe this is the time to spend some extra special time with him and let him know how much he is loved and supported.

Timer just went off so the potatoes are done. Time to go make some soup. Later chicks.

[Shad]

Morning all,
Left work at lunchtime yesterday. Nothing to do for a time. Everyone is too busy to give me something to do. Hopefully today will be better.

A Mel post from way back in May 2012.

SORRY THIS IS ANOTHER QUICK POST.
I'LL BE BACK SATURDAY OR SUNDAY TO POST PERSONALS AFTER I READ.
RIGHT NOW THINGS ARE A FRASSING MESS AND THE BLDG IS IN TROUBLE.
I JUST CANNOT LET THIS HAPPEN AND NOT HELP OUT.
SOMETHING HAS TO GIVE AND IT'S GOING TO BE SHOPPING & THE COMPUTER.
JUST TILL THE WEEKEND. I THINK THE WORST WILL BE OVER BY THEN.
JKEN & RICHIE ARE DOING THE COOKING & THE SHOPPING.
I Am taking friday afternoon off and giving jen the phone.
the big boss said it's the least he can do.
i am determined to speak with shaddie if it kills me!
and that is just what i told him too.
oh crap....i lost my caps!!!!!!!!!!!
I AM TAKING NOTES OF EVERYTHING I HAVE INSIDE MY HEAD AND MAKING 2 COPIES.
ONE FOR MY IMMEDIATE BOSS AND ANOTHER FOR A LOOSELEAF I BEGAN AND NEVER FINISHED.
MY HEAD IS FILLED WITH BUILDING INFO THAT SOME OTHER'S DON'T EVEN KNOW.
THEY STILL DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO EXTRACT A PERSON POUT OF A DISABLED ELEVATOR

THAT IS ONLY ONE EXAMPLE AND NOT EVEN TE TIP OF THE ICEBERG
SO IT'S TIME FOR ME TO FINISH THE "HANDBOOK" AND BEGIN THE REAL JOB OF UNBURDENING MYSELF OF THIS MESS AND PUT THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US. THERE IS NO OTHER WAY. IT'S TIME.
I COULD JUST SIT HERE AND CRY BUT THEN I CAN'T BREATHE!
THIS IS THE HRDEST THING I HAVE EVER HAD TO DO.
GETTING A DIVORCE WAS EASIER THAN B REAKING THESE TIES.
OK....OFF TO THE SHOWER AND THEN SOME QUIET TV. NOTE IS ON THE DOOR. DON'T BOTHER ME TILL THIS MESS IS OVER. LOL
THE REINSPECTION IS NOT UNTIL JUNE 20 SO WE HAVE PLENTY OF TIME TO GET EVERYTHING DONE. AND WE'RE GOING TO NEED IT BECAUSE THE HELP WE HAVE A RE CLUELESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LOVE TO YOU ALL IN THE MEANTIME AND WILL CHECK BACK IN OVER THE WEEKEND.
OH....OH...... ONE GOOD THING FOR ME....THE BOSS IS GOING TO HAVE A MEDICAL ALERT BUTTON HOOKED UP TO THE ALARMS SYSTEM SO I CAN WEAR IT WHEN I LEAVE THE APARTMENT TO GO RUNNING AROUND TO THE TENANTS. HE'S TAKING NO CHANCES THAT I WILL BE ON THE FLOOR AGAIN WITH NO HELP!! THE BLDG IS PICKING UP THE TAB FOR INSTALLATION AND THE MONTHLY FEE.


SHAD......MY FRIDAY ARVO THE PHONE WILL BE TURNED ON, I WILL HAVE FOOD AND DRINK READY AND THE DOORBELL SILENCED!!!!!! sSEE YOU THEN!


This is how I remember Mel. Full of concern for her fellow inmates.
To tell the truth, I can't remember if we spoke then or later. It was probably one of the last conversations we had. It may have also been the 3 hour marathon one.

Anyway, I'd better get on. I got up early this morning and stripped the bed in the apartment I am leaving. I put the linen in the wash and cleaned the ensuite out. I brought most of my gear to the new place.All I have left to do now is to finish sweeping it out, pack the last of my clothes and food and wash the kitchen floor. It's cleaner now than when I went in.

So I'll be back later with personals. I'd better do something here I guess.

[annie175]

CEEG....we did get a real tree...it is tiny. Only about 4 1/2 ft tall and maybe 3 ft wide at the largest part. Sure smells pretty tho.

LAURA...the snow is pretty for about an hour, then I am done with it until next year. Now we have dirty smooshie snow, very ugly.

CHELLE...anxiously awaiting your interview decisions and offers.

SHADDIE...glad you found a new place to roost, hope this one suits you better than the other one did.

HAPPY...much too cold where you are, just stay in a snuggle with DH and Kittos.

Hi SUSIE!

Lobster bisque from our little Ruth's cafe downstairs, it is quite tasty but a little on the salty side.

That is about it for me. Have a good one!

[Shad]

Happy - typing away on top of me I see.

Nearly done with the old flat. Niece still hanging in there although they won't let her go much longer.