Annie - I am coming over - for some of that yummy sounding swiss steak and to feel what 59 glorious degrees feels like. I went out on the deck in a t-shirt to shoo the pig birds (birds that park themselves at the feeder and gorge and won't let anyone else have a turn) and it was heaven - overcast but about 34 degrees so I took a few good deep breaths of fresh air.

I take it those rocker shoes didn't help your ankle? I think the foot pain is worse than the knee pain. I have been taking a soak in a warm bath with Epsom salts and it seems to calm the pain a bit - might want to try that on your foot.

and I agree with Annie Michelle - it was an incredibly painful trip to get there but you seem so much more active and happy where you are now. I'd say you have found your happy place :D

Happy
I'm envious of all the wild life in your back yard. But it will not be long before Mr. or Mrs. bear will be back too. Hope the new physical therapist will help. You comment made me think of the phrase you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink.

Annie
Bless you. I can't imagine how much pain you are in with both the knee and foot. I've been thinking of a day bed. Maybe a twin bed to make into a day bed. If both sisters are at my house, I'll put one couple in a hotel room.

More personals later
It's a beautiful warm day with sunshine. And I'm trainee free for the afternoon. His child daycare called him and told him to come and get his son. He has blister's on his tongue. It's so peaceful. I'm enjoying it while I can.

Afternoon all,

Another quick post (since my social life seems to be picking up and I am going out again tonight)

If you want to see what our beautiful harbour looks like at any time of the day (probably only 6.00am to 9.00pm our time) then check here. http://metservice.com/towns-cities/w...ellington-city Scroll down the link and find the webcam - click on it for a full sized view. You can go to other places around NZ checking on the weather by clicking the link on the right of the screen.

Hope that works for you. Takes an update every ten minutes. You can see my apartment on the bottom right of the photo behind some trees - second balcony from the top looking on the left side of my building. My work place is just visible on the far left of the photo. So you see I don't have far to walk.

Gotta go. Few things to do before I finish for the day. BBQ for dinner tonight.

Morning all. It’s 37 F out there today, and sunny. Sidewalks are awful – icy and hazardous. I wore my rubber “zookeeper” boots today and was glad I did because there were a few spots in which the major puddles from yesterday had not frozen up overnight and I had to wade through because the snow on either side was too deep to walk through to avoid the water. I was wearing my other boots last night and was thoroughly surprised they didn't take on water going through those giant puddles. More melting on the agenda today, so I’m guessing more wading tonight. (Bf picks me up from the train but isn't always right there when I get off the train, so I always start to walk home.)

Happy – I’m so sorry your leg pain is so bad. :( How did the PT appointment go yesterday?? I think you should get some pills to get you past this!!! Any thoughts on seeking out a whirlpool to soak in? That just sounds like it would feel so good on the aches and pains. Yeh, I won’t let any drilling go on until I’m numb. That one time years ago was enough. Bf’s doc used some kind of new laser thingy to fill one of his teeth a couple months ago. Though his dentist also tried to tell him it wouldn’t be painful, bf still needed numbing. But bf said with this laser thingy there’s no drill sound, just some clicking. Huh. I dropped my coat off at the dry cleaner's shop to be repaired last night. It’ll cost me $15 and I’ll have it back on Friday. It wasn’t a major tear, just within one of the 4”x4” quilted squares. I could have tried to mend it myself, but it probably wouldn’t have looked too good. If I decide to replace that coat with another, I probably won’t be doing it until next fall, and in the meantime, I don’t want to have to live with a very visible, poorly done repair job smack on the back of my coat for all behind me to see. Re the turkeys - what do you mean that they need the stones to make their gizzards work?? Or are you just being snide about them chipping up your resurfaced driveway?? :lol:

Annie – So glad you’re getting your shot for that ankle today!!! I hope it zaps that pain away and you don’t have to even think about your ankle!!! :yes: And that you get a good night’s sleep tonight. The Mr. Deeds movie I saw was the original VERY OLD version, 1936, starring Gary Cooper. Not the Adam Sandler version. Haven’t seen an Adam Sandler movie I liked since Happy Gilmore. Not that I’ve seen many Sandler movies in my life – he just isn’t my cup of tea at all. And I don’t even know how he gets movies made anymore, I hear nothing but how horrible his movies have been as of late. Anyway…I liked the first half of the 1936 version well enough, but the last part was very mediocre. If I’m going to watch another Gary Cooper movie, it’ll be “The Pride of the Yankees” and/or “High Noon” – neither of which I’ve ever seen. In fact, Mr. Deeds was the first Gary Cooper movie I’d ever seen. That guy was one tall drink of water…

Ceejay – Glad you had part of a day that was free of the annoying trainee. His poor kid though – blisters on his tongue???!!! :yikes: Besides scalding it with hot food, what would cause that???

Shad – Thanks for posting the link to the webcam. Will check it in a couple hours. Still an ungodly hour in NZ as I write this. I think you need to put something very bright and visible out on your balcony so we can spot your apartment in the webcam, LOL. A friend of mine worked at a university in FL that had campus webcams and I once made her go out to one of the webcam spots at an arranged time so I could see her “live” back in Chicago, teehee. Have fun going out tonight. I’ve been feeling antisocial and skipped the movie last night and sent regrets for the usual movie group Oscars party coming up Sunday after next. Just not up for it this year. Kind of looking forward to sitting at home, comfy on my own sofa and watching it by myself or with BF.

Hellos to the rest of the Worldlies. :wave: Hope you're all off to a good start of your day.
=

Nothing much to report on my end. Finally took my coat in to get repaired and picked up the rx. Ho hum.

I’ve chosen my next fitness challenge: 30 day easy push up challenge. It starts with 3 pushups on day 1 and ends with 20 pushups on day 30 with the usual rest day every 4th day. Link here: http://30dayfitnesschallenges.com/30...-up-challenge/

It says “easy” but doing them in the standard/military style, it will be very difficult for me. I've never been able to do more than one "real" pushup, and never in really good form. I’m sure I will need to do a hefty portion of the challenge using the modified “knee” version. But I will give it a go!

That’s about it for me. Back to work, it won’t do itself! ;)

Good morning ladies -

I awoke with a headache so I knew that it rained overnight. Probably more like a drizzle though...but enough to get the streets slippery.

I'm going to try and catch up on personals sometime today/tonight. Right now, I've got to get some graphic design work done.

Much love to all,

Morning girls,

Regarding the turkeys, cement chips and gizzards. No I was not pulling your legs... :^: "Some animals that lack teeth will swallow stones or grit to aid in digestion. All birds have gizzards, but not all will swallow stones or grit. The birds that do, employ the following method of mastication: A bird swallows small bits of gravel that act as 'teeth' in the gizzard, breaking down hard food such as seeds and thus helping digestion." The birds walk along and peck, peck, peck. They are pecking for seeds, bugs and tiny rocks. The stones they ingest eventually pass through their digestive system so they have to constantly eat more. I guess to them there is no difference between a piece of gravel and a cement chip. The chipped driveway also holds pockets of melted snow water so they get a drink and help their gizzards at the same time. This is why I am glad we have the internet so I can learn these things. :)

Yesterday was a beautiful 41 degrees and sunny. I was walking around in a polo shirt and cardigan. It was WONDERFUL. Today is more of the same and tonight they are predicting blizzard conditions as a fierce storm moves up this way after midnight. We might get 9 inches of snow. DH is out chopping snow along the driveway to make room to plow more. I offered to help him but he said it's wet and heavy because it's partially melted and lifting and throwing would not be good for my knee.

The physical therapist was interesting. He's a young guy and we talked about a lot. Said there isn't anything he can do for the arthritis and I am too young to have knee replacement right now. (I was DELIGHTED to be too young for anything at this moment :D ) He talked about options for that in the interim but they would have to be pursued with an orthopedic guy. He did check me and I have some knots in the muscles along my leg and butt. That we can work on and those are giving me pain in the hips, knee and foot so there are some options for relief. He wants to do something called "dry needling" which is acupuncture-like only in that they insert thin, sterile needles into your skin. The point is to elicit a twitch response which unkinks the knots. Supposed to be very effective since it can get deep into the muscle as opposed to tradition massages or manipulation. Is it painful? That is relative - the needles are thin, it's like a pin prick and some people find the twitch sensation uncomfortable but it only lasts a second or two. I am nervous about him hitting a nerve - that is really painful if you've ever experienced that. I also wonder since I have a good layer of fat on my leg - how deep will he have to go? (pulls out needle the size of a knitting needle :yikes: :lol: ) I am going to give it a try. He wants to see me twice a week for the next 4 weeks. I do feel badly that DH has to do that much driving but as he says - what else does he have to do and besides, up here you have fewer choices and must go farther. DH wondered why I just didn't get my knee replaced if it's that bad but I explained that even the PT said it's not something you rush into as surgery has it's own complications. I also reminded DH of what a horrid patient I was after bunion surgery and did he really want that again? He said he'd put me in the man cave, turn the heater on and bring me meals 3 times a day and I could complain all I wanted to the squirrels and the birds. :lol: I am an awful patient - no tolerance for being immobilized.

Lastly as I was watching the evening news last night at the end of the weather segment they mentioned that the Northern Lights were flaring and should be pretty good. So I watched for them out the back window. It's rather hard to see with the screen in the window but just as I was getting ready to turn in, I went outside and there they were. It was going on 3am. DH told me to wake him if I saw them so I did. I'm not sure I would have gotten out of a warm bed to go stand on a frosty deck but I have learned when it comes to nature - often you only have one shot at something and don't let the opportunity pass you by. They weren't as impressive as the pictures you see up closer to the artic circle but you could still make out the bands of light that faded in and out - like pale green fingers reaching from the horizon over the trees up to the heavens. It would have been better looking if we didn't have such a bright, almost full moon out but we stood out there for 20 minutes and watched. The stars were nice and bright also.

Michelle - sorry you are not feeling well today. Hope the headache passes and you have an interesting day with the graphics work.

Laura - Glad you were able to get your coat fixed. I agree - have it done by someone who might be able to make the repair as invisible as possible. I know you are a good seamstress, mine would look like a Frankenstein zipper :lol: My sister was talking about how much snow you got the other day (well actually Orland Park got the most of anyone) but it was also sloppy, icy and slippery. good thing you have good boots. Don't care what they say - you need rubber boots for water - leather doesn't hold up that well. It's crazy that one needs 3 kinds of winter boots - one for watery conditions (heavy sealed rubber), one for powder snow (flat bottom) and one with a good heel for digging in on old, rutted snow. How fun to stage your friend so that you could see her on the webcam. Thanks for including the push up challenge. I was thinking about that recently - because of my knee it's awkward getting up from the floor and I have realized how weak my arms have become - I could benefit from the strength improvement of pushups. I will check that out.

As well as your webcam video of the harbor Shad. Thank you for including that also. I can't say enough how much I love the picture of you with the salad bowl your nephew posted. It's just such a happy, happy picture - and a wonderful looking salad too! You are looking wonderful.

Ceejay - I agree that one of the best parts of living up this way is the abundance of wildlife. The bald eagles are returning and yesterday on the drive home we saw one sitting at the side of the road eating his dinner and saw another sitting in a tree waiting for his to crawl by. I will never get tired of that sight. I'm sure it will be hard to train the new guy the right way and then have them disregard you and do their own thing but you have to learn to shrug it off. How are you doing on your bike exercising? Are the spring flowers starting to appear out your way?

Annie - I hope the ankle shot gives you some relief. I can totally relate to wanting to hack off the offending, painful part but there's an old joke in the office about "we hired you with all your parts and expect you to keep them". ;) Starting to notice too how the weather really affects the aches and pains.

Hi Terra and Susie. :wave:

I called the Thrift Shop and spoke to the co-ordinator and said if we indeed get blizzard conditions I am not going to attempt to come in. He was good natured about it - said he was cancelling the senior bingo for tomorrow also. That means I will also miss yet another yoga class too and more importantly find out if they are planning on continuing for another session (most likely so). One can't trust the weather reports - often they are more wrong than right and if it's not too bad I will venture out but I am keeping my options open. I also have a book that is due at the library tomorrow - it's a new book so you can't renew the lending period. I can either try and power read it today and pay a late fine if I can't get there tomorrow or just turn it in unread today. I should have paid more attention :dizzy:

Anyway - on with the day. Have a good one everyone.

Morning all,
Been up since 4.30am and baked a cake since there wasn't a lot else to do. I had a good time at the nieces place last night and as Happy said the rascally nephew from Aus posted a couple of photos of me on Facebook. So much for his promises. Just because he takes a good photo, doesn't mean that everyone else does. I may just get some of my own back today since he is supposed to be going to Auckland today to compete in an Outrigger competition but Wellington is completely fog bound. This is something that doesn't happen very often, since Wellington is known as the windy city and fog doesn't stick around wind. However we have had some very warm dry days and yesterday afternoon the sea fog rolled in and then it covered the land. Today our neck of the woods is truly Aotearoa (Land of the long white cloud)
Barbecue last night was good. I made the salad and sorted the bread and stuff. The niece sorted the sauce and dressings, the nephew-in-law did his whirlwind act on the steaks, chops, chicken and sausages and my sister set the table. The rascally nephew took photos of all of this activitiy. Dang kid - well possibly not kid since he is the oldest nephew and this year will turn 42 or is it 43. Certainly doesn't look it. I did a lot of walking yesterday up hills especially. Don't see anything on the scales tho'

Happy - sounds like the new guy is fairly thorough. Hope he can bring you some relief. Can't say I blame you for not going into the shop in blizzard conditions. Hope the yoga does carry on, since you will need more than one series to get the muscles limbered up and moving. That was one thing I loved about Body Balance, it gave me back flexibility and that was entirely due to the yoga and tai chi components..

Laura - hope all this cold and snow and weather go away for you soon. You'll be needing another cruise shortly.

Ceejay - maybe the new bloke will settle down shortly - maybe not.

Hi to Annie, Susie, Terra - :wave: :wave: :wave:

Hi ladies,

Yesterday I learned that one of my ex-sisters-in-law has cancer in both her breasts. Thankfully, it's just Stage 1. It was caught very early. She'll be having a radical double mastectomy in two weeks, and depending on whether or not it's in her lymph nodes, she'll either have radiation or a combo of chemo/radiation. So sad that she has to go through this. She's just 45 and has a young son. But at least it was caught early...thanks to her being diligent about self-exam and annual mammograms. She is the 2nd of my ex's sisters to have breast cancer. The other sister had a mastectomy 7 years ago.

I forgot to thank you all for the nice compliments about the video. My friend was really touched. Happy is right...my friend whose birthday it was and her husband are two very dear friends. We've been friends for nearly 35 years! At the party, two friends of ours played guitar and sang. These two friends performed at my first wedding in 1982. Among the songs they played was the couple's favorite song ("You Take My Breath Away" by Tuck and Patti - you can find videos of the song on YouTube) which they played 20+ years ago at their wedding. Tuck and Patti started as a local Bay Area act, and my friends and I would get together and go see them perform in small cafes 30+ years ago.

And Annie and Happy, you are both right. I'm a lot happier now than I've been in a long time. :D It's good to be around family and friends and to spend time focusing on what makes me happy.

========================

Terra - Your dog is adorable. There are a lot of chihuahuas in the city where I live, ranging in size from 3 lbs to 10 or 15 (some are a bit chunky). That's cool you've been with him so long. I've been with Santa (my 8 year old white miniature Schnauzer) since he was 2.

Ceejay - Twin beds and/or day beds are good. My step-mother has a day bed/trundle bed (where a second mattress slides underneath and can be pulled out if a wider bed is necessary). Great news on getting a refund from State and Federal! I still have to get my taxes done. I think I finally have all the paperwork. My taxes are a little more complicated this year due to working in two states. Oh

Susie - I hope your DH's doctor appointment about the prostate stones goes well.

Shad - Good for you on walking so much! The Petone fair sounds like something I'd really like. I love craft fairs with homemade items. I'm going to have to see if I can find the photos your nephew posted. :rofl:

Happy - So sorry to hear about the arthritis in your knee. Bummer that the PT can't help the arthritis, but at least he can help with teh knots in your legs and butt. I think you should try dry needling. I've had acupuncturists hit a nerve (and it hurt, but only for a few seconds). Your PT is right...knee replacement surgery should not be entered into lightly. Not until you're really, really limited by the pain. My ex had to have his knee replaced at age 40. He could barely walk anymore. It took him several months to recover from the surgery, and there are risks of complications (my aunt's knee replacement didn't take well, so she has to have it redone). The problem with my ex replacing his knee at age 40 (even though he'd put it off for several years and couldn't wait any longer), the artificial knees only last 15-20 years (maybe longer now) and he'll likely have to have another knee put in when he's in his 60s. I've been recording the Olympics and fast-forwarding past the stuff I'm not interested in. Thanks for the tip about the cold water rinse for red tones. I'll try that. I really like a little red tone (strawberry blond) because it actually plays down the rosacea on my face. Chronic pain does suck. Big time. During the day, take an NSAID called Mobic (it's a prescription) for inflammation and pain relief in my back, and at night I sometimes take a muscle relaxer and/or a prescription pain med. How wonderful that you got to see the Northern Lights. We had them occasionally when I lived in WI, but not nearly as spectacular as the ones in northern Canada.

Annie - I would be more than happy to do a collage for your brother. Absolutely. You can either e-mail me the pictures or mail them to me. Don't send a memory stick though. A USB drive would work. The memory stick you sent me to put Mel's photos on...I don't know how to "attach" it to my computer. What I'll do about Mel's photos is burn them onto a DVD or a USB drive. I hope the shot helps relieve your ankle pain. I'm going to have to look through your cookbook for the swiss steak recipe. That sounds so yummy!

Laura - So sorry to hear about your coat. That's good that the dry cleaner can fix it fairly cheaply. Crazy that your dentist wanted to drill without novacaine! :yikes: That's a shame your friend D wasn't able to do the excursions. That's why I want to lose weight and get my back better. I really, really, really want to hike all the glorious trails in CA. Good for you on the pushup challenge. I don't know if I could do more than one military pushup, but I can do several of the modified "knee" versions. Good that you have the zookeeper boots to get through the puddles and slushy muck.


Ok. I've taken a long enough break. time to get back to work.

Love and hugs,

Afternoon
I decided on getting a twin bed to act as a day bed. But first I have to get rid of something and that will be the shelves. They aren't that good so I'm thinking of dismantling them and taking them to the curb or bringing them to put in the dumpster here at work. I also need to dispose of some books and pack away or find a home for some African knick knacks. My sis brought back the knick knacks (animals) from Africa. I will probably pack the knick knacks away for now. I'm not sure if I'll have room for them if I move.
I'm at work so I'll be back later.

Hi Everyone,

I kept meaning to post and now here it is Wednesday and I haven't posted since Sat or Sunday?

It is a bit quieter week at work this week. My boss made i to China and got the 72 hr visa so he got in and will go to Manila on Friday and then be able to come back into the country with his single entry visa. I'm so glad we were able to make it all happen. And I am happy to have some time to get things caught up and not have to deal with his calendar and just having him there daily where I am "on call" all day long.

I made it to the Y last night and got a 30 min workout in. Tonight I came home and sholved leaves for 45 min. Why am I shoveling leaves? Well, the city never picked them up at the curb and then the snows came and they kept pushing them and the snow close to the curb and now they are there and on the sidewalk. I couldn't get them all cleaned up--some are frozen but I got 2 bags full of them. It is a mess that is for sure!

Ceejay: sounds like you are starting spring cleaning early! :)

Happy: I have similar knee problems to yours, only in my left knee but that is enough. It can really wear me out sometimes. I hope the physcial therapy will help you...it sounds really interesting.

Thanks for telling us about the Northern Lights. They are something I have always wanted to see.

Shad: thanks for providing the link to your area, I can't wait to check it out.

Laura: I think I'm going to do that push up challenge with you. I might have to do wall push up and knee bent ones, but I'm going to try it.

Michelle: I'm sorry to hear about your ex-sis in law but glad to hear that they caught it in the early stages.

Annie: How is the ankle feeling?

I'm going to say good night and get my kitchen cleaned up and head to bed; I am really tired!

Hello ladies...

Got the shot, ankle is somewhat better today, at least they are not calling me limpin Igor! lol Not a whole lot can be done and eventually the shots won't help.

CHELLE...I can send a USB drive, no worries. The swiss steak recipe is not in the cookbook. I will post it here later.

HAPPY...it is 60 and thunderstorming here today. Snow is melting and the city is one huge lake. I may just start eating pebbles as I rarely see a fat bird. lol. Of course I would have to learn to fly for exercise. lol I have some rain boots but my feet freeze in them. I need to get snow boots.

SHAD...thanks for the webcam site, I will be checking it out later.

CEEG...put the company in the twin bed and you stay in your bed.

SUSIE...glad the visa all worked out for your boss. Good on ya for going to the Y.

LAURA....sometimes I wish I had better skills like sewing, and would love to learn to knit. I know how to crochet.

TERRA...how are you today?

I must say I have been in a frenzy the past week or so. Humana had a re-org, positions cut, and now everyone, including my management has to re-apply for our own positions, PLUS anyone in the company can apply for the position. So several things...don't know if my position will be reposted, don't know if I would get it even if it were, and they will be offering new salaries for all positions, which most likely be cut. I am very unhappy with many things this week and trying to pull myself out of it, hence lack of posting here. Sorry to be a HUGE Debbie Downer.

Hugs

Annie
Hugs, you have been through a lot lately. Glad the ankle is feeling better. We're supposed to get thunderstorms this afternoon. It's very windy.
If she comes back she will get the twin bed.
I haven't heard from her either.

Susie
Shoveling leaves is a first for me. Never heard of it so thanks for explaining it. Good job on going to the Y.

Laura
I'm going to start a challenge but, like Annie I'll have to do either wall push ups or counter height push ups.

Happy
Didn't really know what dry needles was until I read your post on FB. sorry
you are in such pain.

Michelle
Hope you headache is better.

Shad
I'll check out the web cam later. What a neat idea!

------------------
I need to go to Wally world for a few items sometime this week end. Been under a lot of stress this week. We've been having trouble with a valve at work. I'm getting to old to be running up and down the stairs and climbing over the pipes.
Need to get up and get started with the house work.

Good morning ladies,

I'm so glad it's Thursday. This week has definitely felt long (probably due to a very busy and fun weekend, rather than a relaxing weekend). Tonight, I'm going to a workshop, and tomorrow night is poker. Saturday, I'm taking Santa to the vet since he just started limping again. Poor little guy.

=======================
Ceejay - A twin bed is a good option. A good place to dispose of books is your local library or a senior center or a thrift store. I hope you have a good day at work.

Susie - Glad your boss' trip to China and Manila got sorted out with all the visas, etc. Good for you for getting to the Y last night! :bravo: Shoveling leaves sounds like quite the workout too!

Annie - Wow, 60 degrees? That's almost as warm as it is here! I hope it doesn't cause flood damage.
I'm so sorry to hear about the re-org at your work. That's awful to put people through that stress! It's bad enough when companies do layoffs but to make them apply for jobs they're already doing - that's just plain wrong. You are definitely NOT a Debbie Downer. That's what we're here for...to cheer each other on in the good times and support each other thruogh the not so good. I'll pick up a USB drive this weekend and put the Mel photos on it.

I'm going to sign off for now. Lots to get done today.

Much love and many hugs,

Forgot who mentioned about the trainee's baby. He had cut his molars and bit his tongue.