Hi Everyone,

Today is my work from home day. Today I am actually getting to do it. I don't always get the option because of Management meetings I have to be at work to support. There is always one on the 1st Thursday or the month.

Then when my VP comes (and she is here next week for 3 weeks---Lord help me!) I have to be in the office every day.


Annie: Did the attitude stay around? I have had mine visiting me a bit more lately! ;)

I expect you might be dealing with some emotions since being at the viewing last night for Lou. Hugs to you my friend :hug:

Ceejay: Your are very busy with your family and that is so nice; but I'm glad you are taking time for yourself when needed. I saw your pictures on FB from the Moses show. It looks like you had a great time!

Laura: How nice that you had a offsite and were able to enjoy it. Sometimes work things are good and other times they aren't and all you want to do is put in an appearance and get out of there.

It sounds like this one you were able to enjoy yourself.

You asked about the direction we have gotten from LifeLock. They have told us to do the freeze but not to be concerned because they will continue to monitor for us and our level of plan with them protects us up to a million dollars and they would also do the work of anything we would need to have done to get things off our reports or with fake identities resolved.

I also have this with a Legal option I have at work. I was planning on cancelling Life Lock but with this going on, I think I will just keep both. The one at work costs me $8.00 a month but they don't respond as quickly as LifeLock. LifeLock is on it for us.

It cost us $50 a month (because we both have to have accounts with LifeLock--it is per person) but the piece of mind having it, has been worth it after what we went through last November.

Sadly these types of things will keep happening as we all seem to be "online" and now that a major credit bureau has been hacked and people have your social security numbers and other information like that, it won't go away, if can creep up at anytime.

So, I think about things like LifeLock as an insurance policy like you take out for your home or cars...you hope to never use it but it is a must have, because all it takes is once and then you know the value of it.

I would check in with what you have with Triple AAA and see what they have to say. Most important is how much are you protected up to if someone used that information to purchase things in your name--it is nice to know if someone is trying to use your credit but more importantly is how much would you be liable for if they did and is their coverage to have an expect to help you get things off your credit report or identity that shouldn't be there.

Because let me tell you, you are treated as the one who is fraudulent even though it isn't you. It is just your word against someone else.

Hi to Happy--I hope the trip is amazing!

Hi to Shad: I hope the work you are doing on the house is going well.

Morning all,

Got a list a mile long today so won't be on the computer for long. Just stopped to have some breakfast and watch a half hour show on tv.

The painting is coming along and will be finished in the bathroom tomorrow, then it will be the laundry. Speaking of that, my nephew, the tiler, will be back on Tuesday afternoon to screed the floor, and then Thursday to lay the floor tiles. Not sure when he will get back to do some wall tiles. Then he is done. The builder can then come back and complete the architraves on the doors and I can paint and put in cabinets and get the washing machine back in from the patio. Progress.

The garden is coming to the end of its production. I have planted beans today because they will be ready about the time I put the garden to bed for the summer. The bugs are already returning and are on the move into my tomatoes so they (the tomatoes) don't have much longer before I heave them out. I've shifted all the orchids out from the big tree in the front because it is losing its leaves and since we aren't getting any rain and the temps are rising, I thought they needed some more shade. So another job will be to screw some hooks along the side of the carport and hang them there.

Got a ring from a recruiter yesterday trying to get me to do some work for them. It would have been good, but I don't want to have to go to Centrelink (Social Security) and get my pension changed again. I've had enough of them lately. It all gets so complicated over here at times. Still I do appreciate what I do get (although I have paid in to it long enough).

Annie - if the tooth fairy is anything like me, she will have had a memory lapse. Geez mine goes walkabout every so often and she's older than me! :lol: You are not the only one who has to talk herself out of crap or doing something she doesn't want to do.
Your dinner sounded so nice. Sure you don't want to come down and cook mine too? I can offer heat, sweat and wind right now. Hopefully you can bring the rain down with you.
Hope the attitude has disappeared now. Waking up crabby doesn't do much for a good day.

Ceejay - Glad you enjoyed your night out at Moses. Sounds like you had a great time. The internet here cuts in and out from time to time - very annoying. It is getting more expensive and the service gets worse.
Hope you get to have some time with the niece. Sounds like she is trying to catch up with everyone she knows on a short visit. Guess it gets a bit trying for you trying to organise your day and time tho'.

Laura - I suggested to DS2 that he bring the dog here. Ruger is not used to being by himself all day and he will either get into mischief or try to escape when he gets bored. He has even figured out how to open my side gate here. Little stops that dog when he makes up his mind.
Skype is good for keeping in touch. I think it is small minded of parents to try to break up the children's relationships. Whether or not they get on with the spouse or grandparents or subsequent wives or husbands, the kids don't deserve to be split up and not be able to keep in touch if there was a good relationship going on.
Hope the turnover firm is now set straight and is doing okay.
I'm walking every second day still, bit hard at the moment as the magpies are swooping and it can be a bit dangerous. Bit like Alfred Hitchcock's 'The Birds'
That's a bit scary about the credit thingy. Had a bit of a scare myself a week ago, but it just turned out that I couldn't access my bank accounts because Microsoft had done an update that wouldn't allow access through Microsoft Edge but I could get in through Internet Explorer. Silly computers.

Susie - Your work always seems to be off the chain. Rather you than me. Congratulations on the 2.4lb loss. Well done. Not so much the home project queen, but catching up with stuff that should have been done years ago. It will all get done eventually and then I will sit back and say what next?

Hope Happy is having a good time away. She needs some downtime. It's all go in retirement.

And I guess that is about it for me. Coffee is done, breakfast is done, tv show is just about finished. Time to go do some more bits and pieces. Maybe I will find my eyeglasses today. Can't think where I might have left them and they don't appear to be in any of the places I have checked. Hope I haven't thrown them out with the rubbish - cos the rubbish man has just been! :faint: Sometimes I think I should just book a room in the nearest crazy place.
Have a good day. The wind is back now, so that will make life unpleasant in the garden. Back to painting. See you.

Stomach was in a mess from nerves last night. Ended up vomiting a couple of times. Man, I don't know if I can do this. Come on the 19th for counseling. Meeting with my AA sponsor at noon today to 4th step this issue, my resentments. HOpe it helps..

I've lost my post twice into thin air so I'll be back later. I'm upset about some things right now too. Will definitely having a talk with nephew.

Afternoon all.

Susie – I’m glad you got to do your work at home day yesterday – sounds like it’ll be a while before you’ll have another. == How did TOPS go? == The idea of lifelock is appealing because they would do the work for you if/when something happens that needs to be fixed or corrected. If it gives you peace of mind, the price is well worth it. Thanks for the information - good to know that a freeze was a good option. I was able to successfully freeze the other two major credit agencies yesterday, so I’m done with that. Though I did hear of two other minor credit agencies – not sure what percentage of the credit file business they represent and how many people they would have files for. Now I’ll get one credit report now, get another company’s report in 4 months, and the last one in another 4 months – I’m finally going to try and get on a regular schedule with that! I was also able to get into the free monitoring service I get through AAA, and it showed nothing amiss. I do agree, as you said that these types of things will keep happening. I do believe there will become a broader market for the type of protection offered by lifelock, and it will be another insurance policy of sorts that we purchase along with homeowners, auto, etc.

Shad – So you’ve decided to stay retired, lol. Just to avoid all the red tape, I get it – we have that in spades over here. == I guess you’re having to dog-proof the gate now…that Ruger is too smart for his own good! :yes: == Yikes, I would not be walking if I had birds diving around at me!!! Is it at certain times of the day?? Be careful out there!!

Annie – I’m so sorry the stress is getting to you. :( :hug: You know what’s good to alleviate stress…EXERCISE!! Just saying…. Maybe Susie and I should converge on you in Indy and we can all go to a spa for massages. :D :cloud9: I hope the session with the AA sponsor helps you and can carry you through to the counseling session next week. Get in touch if you want to talk.

Ceejay – I hope you get whatever’s upsetting you off your chest. Don’t forget that “me time”!

Happy – Hope you’re having a fantastic time!

=

I went to a Walgreens near the office after lunch yesterday and they had a lot of items on clearance because they're going to be remodeling the store soon. I was late to the game for a lot of the items (already sold out), but I did get three 3-packs of the brush heads for our electric toothbrush for a great price. I was happy, but my fingers are :crossed: the toothbrush doesn't conk out anytime soon, LOL.

I did two BE workouts last night. Several of the exercises were not to my liking, so I subbed them out for others that worked the same body part.

Nothing much else to report. I watch the TV show “Younger” and dvr’d the season finale from the other night. It recorded something like an hour and 15 min, so I thought it would be a double episode or something. Nope. Regular 30 min episode of “Younger”, and then the premiere of some other show – trying to get me to watch it. Nope, not interested. And the Younger finale turned out to be sort of lame. This show lost some of its appeal this past season. We'll see about next season.

Nothing special going on this weekend. It’s going to be warm out, but I think I’ll try to get out on the bike again.

Okay, better get this posted. Have a great weekend everyone. :)

Evening chicks.
I'm feeling better about some of the things that happened yesterday but I'm still gonna talk to nephew. His behavior is getting next to me.
My niece should be back in Maryland. My sis and bil took her to ST Louis to the airport today. I love her but good grief I don't like the high maintenance of these young people.
Last week I sent off for my medical records from Jonesboro and got those today. Now I have that information to take to my new doctor in Springfield.
My other nephew that just had a break up went to take his daughter back to her mom' and the garage door was open and her oldest daughter's dad car was in the garage. He told his mom, my sis, that he is now ready to move on with his life. I just feel sorry for his daughter who just turned 7.
I went to the gym for the first time this week and my attitude changed afterwards.

________

Annie
Have you thought about calling the doctor's office and tell them your symptoms. Sending you good vibes and thoughts and are in my prayers.

Shad
Hope you got all of your to do list completed? I decided that I needed a me day.

Susie
Did you get a lot done today working from home. My sis will probably work on her patients charts tomorrow to get caught up.

Have a good night ladies.

Hi ladies,

Been on the run since we got home Thursday afternoon. The trip was nice. I had scads of trouble with my right foot which then affected my left old knee so I was pretty crippled. Had to sit in the car and read while DH climbed many stairs to hike out to his waterfalls. He got some nice pictures. I was reading "A Dog's Purpose" it's written from the perspective of the dog and is a great light read. We had a nice time and were able to come home before the drenching, flooding rains set in during the afternoon. It was really bad - we were lucky to miss it. Lake Superior is beautiful. We drove to the Canadian border too. We are officially a 5 hour drive from Canada.

Got home, frantic call from bingo - the other guy didn't show up. I was planning on being there anyway. Got there and my buddy was bleeding - he cut himself and of course never carries bandaids. He was late getting set up and was frantic because we had a surprise state bingo inspector on premises which made ME nervous too. But we got a good report in spite of a frantic night. Got up early yesterday to go clean cat kennels - they have 80 cats at the shelter. Kitten ABUNDANCE. Tonight we are meeting friends for pizza and then going to their house to play board games. The husband is under chemo and has not had a good year - drained of energy. They will be heading to Florida for the winter soon so we are trying to get together before they leave. We were also invited to go watch a friend's husband play in a band at a bar. Tomorrow I have an early morning meeting with the book people at the shop - there was a big fuss right as I was getting ready to leave on Monday night. So we will try and settle the dust. The furnace guy came yesterday to check out the furnace which of course was running just fine. It was also 82 degrees outside so of course no problem. We will see what happens next week when the cold weather moves back in. Next week is Senior Health Fair, I have to fill in at reception on Wednesday, Thursday bingo and Saturday is the Fall Festival - last hurrah for the season. We have rain coming in - will probably make an appointment to go store the boat, doesn't look like we will have any decent weather to go out - if it's not raining, the winds are too high. We would also like to catch an ATV ride or two before the rain takes the leaves out. And then there's that garage to finish going through...

Too much to do. :dizzy::dizzy::dizzy:

I am back to logging food on My Fitness Pal and trying to eat from a list of anti inflammatory foods. I really need to get this crippling arthritis under control. Bad when you can't walk.

Ceejay - my oh my - lots of things going on in the family! Is this the nephew that was separated from his wife? Laughed at your "high maintenance" remark. You noticed that too? :lol:

Laura - I hope you can get some bike time this weekend. My sister said it's very dry out so maybe the colors will take a hit from that? :(

Annie - I'm sorry that emotions are taking a toll on you. Always there to talk if you want to or maybe just listen... I'm sure there is a lot on your mind. :hug:

Shad - sounds like you are as busy as ever. I don't blame you for taking a pass on restructuring the pension. IF you did go back to work, within a week you'd remember why you gladly left in the first place :dizzy: :D

Susie - talk about a whirlwind - sounds like you will be in high gear for the next several weeks. Don't forget to make yourself a high priority among all the other demands!

Sorry to be so quick on the personals - DH wants to go and look at flooring so I need to get ready. Talk later!

Mornin Ladies

Ok weekend. Felt a little lonely and empty after meeting on Sat morning. Weird feeling after an AA meeting. There were a couple of very sad shares. One young girl relapsed for the 3rd time. She was so upset with herself and crying. We all hugged her and reassured her to just keep coming back and doing the next right thing. Then another girl was sad her momma had passed away the Sunday before however she did get to make amends to her prior to her death. Then I shared about Curtis and I which threw me into more sadness. BUT by afternoon I was doing better and in the backyard working on the new brick walk from the patio to the shed. Got the yard/trench dug out and evened up, plastic down and some sand poured. Got about 1 1/2 foot of the walk bricked but have decided to change the design up so will have to tear that out and start over. Didn't work on it after church yesterday because it was too stinkin hot and humid. Saturday was hot enough. I felt a bit weak and faint by evening. Wore a blister on my thumb from digging and got a 3" x 3" major scrape on my leg from a brick that flipped up-flew past my leg with a vengeance. Dang it anyway. Arms are a bit sore from lifting. Bad ankle is feeling it. All and all not bad for a 57 year OLD woman. This week is supposed to be rainy and stinkin hot. Don't know when I will get back out there but hope to get it done by Oct 1st. That is just a goal I set for myself.

Sam, boys and I went to a late lunch yesterday. Stopped by Menards (hardware) got some more sand and rock. I made a peach cobbler out of the peaches Cs mom gave us last fall that was frozen. Last bag and just wanted them out of the freezer. Curtis ate some of it last night and said OMG, that is crazy F....en good. Nice compliment. Sis was in agreement. She took some down to our neighbors that she has befriended as they are her age. It was a homemade recipe but did use a yellow cake mix. Kind of cheated. Simple recipe if anyone wants it. Laundry and that is about it.

Samantha has picked up babysitting for a new little one. She is a ginger and 18 mos old, Abby. This could get interesting as Royce is a ginger also. Hope my house is still standing when I get home from work. :) She may pick up a little 2 1/2 year old boy, George. They live next door. The mom has to find a job first. She has had several interviews and offers but the perfect job has not hit her fancy. Extra income for her. We did discuss Sam picking up and bill or two since I don't charge her rent. She said she was going to talk to us about doing that so she could feel like she contributes more to the household.

HAPPY...glad you enjoyed your time off of volunteering/work. You both needed time together. DHs pics on FB were absolutely beautiful. He always does a wonderful job with the camera. How was board game night with friends? I enjoy board games but mostly been playing with Sam and the boys. The boys change the rules some times. :) Other times I make them play by the rules. Hope the furnace magically fixed itself. Small miracles?? I will send Samantha up to clear out your garage. She has done miracles around our house. So much so that I have to ask her on occasion where something is stored that I would like to use. lol. Hopefully it is still around and not made it to recycle, thrift or the church.

CEEG...hope things are settling down for you with all the relative's issues. Good grief, we need no drama. I have enough for everyone.

LAURA...did you get your bike ride in this weekend? Nice catch on the sale at Walgreens. Regular priced stuff in both Walgreens and CVS seem to be ridiculous. Especially when you can get everything cheaper at Walmart.

SHAD...maybe you should put the recruiter's phone number on block. haha. Did you get any painting done?

Hello to all,

Hugs

Morning,
Happy
Seems like you are on the go all the time. Glad you enjoyed the get away even though you had some problems with the knee and foot. I enjoyed your dh's pictures. I've been posting some of my food on fitbit's web site.

Annie
Glad that you shared your problems with AA. That's a help. I need to do some yard work just haven't been in the mood. You are going to have to explain what a "ginger" is?

----------
I'm trying to get things back to normal. Yesterday was church. We didn't have a pianist for opening cause James was't there. And Mary the regular pianist goes home after choir practice. I told Tom, that I would play during opening next time James was absent. I really need to get ready on the organ cause the regular organist is still dealing with the cat bite. She will be have plastic surgery this week. The fill in does it when she can. We were with out an organist yesterday too.
Some one asked about the break up of the nephew. This is not the one who was staying with me but the one who broke his leg. I've enjoyed living up here despite all the family drama. My nephew that stayed with me thinks I want to be around him 24/7. I don't I want my quiet time. And he thinks that since his mom has money that I should have money and he wants access to that money.
I told my sis that my niece suggested that she would like to move back down here and live with me. I'm living in my niece's house. I told my sis I didn't think I could handle more drama. Plus she has a dog, 1 cat and a kitten. I'm not moving back to Arkansas but I did tell sis that I may have to move in with her in Branson.

CEEG....a ginger is a redheaded person. :)

Good morning ladies,

We are rounding the bend into autumn. Last of the hot days past us - yikes we were ALL complaining about heat and humidity and it was only 82 degrees - you would think we were living on the sun! Saturday afternoon I came home and had a few short minutes to call Momma. Sat on the deck to get some vitamin D while we chatted. I had black jeans on. Although I had my back to the sun, I felt my leg getting HOT. Uncomfortably hot. Only had 30 minutes to talk to Mom, hung up and came in the house to take a shower. Took my pants off and I had bright red streaks all in an area where the sun was beating down on my black pants. I do think I was in danger of serious burns. :yikes: Darn sun! :rofl:

Saturday I ran some errands and then convinced DH to come to the shelter with me to drop off some stuff as well as get a play with cats fix. We both had a great time with the little kittens playing and nuzzling us. I also got to spend time with my favorite cat - a long haired calico much like Shad's Sunday the cat - rather skin and bones because she has cancer and an autoimmune disease that causes her alot of pain. She is kind of shut down from lack of stimulation and pain but that girl sure does love to have her head and neck scratched. I spent about 30 minutes with her - I can't touch her paws or spine - she cries in pain but she can't get enough of the head scratching - butts her head against the kennel bars when I pull my hand away. So I was glad to comfort her. We did have fun at game night. At first I wasn't sure about the other new couple. The place we met for pizza was small and VERY noisy. She has a soft voice and I could not hear a word she was saying and she was kind of fussing because they did not have flavored lemonade or tea - it was a bar after all and I thought oh no, this is a needy one :rolleyes: Pizza was good, as we headed out the skies opened up with a pouring fire hose kind of rain. We stood under an outside canopy for about 15 minutes waiting it out (there was a line in the bar for people waiting to get in to get one of the few tables in there so we felt compelled to get up and out when we were done). We decided it was not going to let up so we made a mad dash to the cars and got wet only to find that by the time we started the car and got to the end of the parking lot to turn on to the road, the rain let up! We proceeded to our friends house for games and I was happy to be able to hear what L had to say. She was quite funny - warped sense of humor like me and we told bad jokes and had a lot of laughs and a good time playing the game Mexican Train. It was a nice evening. Sunday I got up early and headed to the shop to meet with the book ladies. The lady in charge is a bit of a stern task master. She has definite ideas of what she wants to do. I felt like a 3rd wheel and at one point she was barking orders at me - Happy! Come! Now! I thought - lady I am not your dog, don't talk to me like that. I worked for about 3 hours and decided that they don't really need me to be on the book team. They just need heavy laborers. Came home for a bit and we went to the casino for 10 times points night. DH had no money and I was lucky and won $200 on my initial play of $20 so I split my winnings with him as he sometimes does with me. He was able to play blackjack for all the time I played slots. I wasn't lucky again but was able to play for 2 hours on my winnings and so did he. We had dinner at the buffet - I love their prime rib of beef with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables. Don't know what they do to their veggies but they are always delicious. Came home, did a bit of tidying up and some laundry. Today I am going to make a menu with recipes DH pointed out and go to the farmer's market (soon to close up for the season) and pick up groceries for the week.

I am feeling sort of depressed myself. Not sure if it's the season or what. I am hurting a lot - the arthritis and inflammation is crazy and it's not even winter. I am also feeling kind of bummed about the way I feel I am being treated - don't get any respect or consideration at the shop so I am pulling away from that. And DH at times is turning into an old man - sometimes he has no manners as he embraces his old "fartedness" ;) and I get a bit sensitive about the way I perceive he is treating me. I just need to refocus I guess...

A busy week ahead - Farmers Market today, Senior Center Wellness Fair tomorrow, I have to fill in as a receptionist at the center Wednesday and Saturday is our Fall Festival in town - last chance to get a good gyro sandwich! :lol: Next week is even busier. DH wants to get back up north for another round of waterfall pictures with colored trees - not sure if there is anything but pines around the waterfalls - no color there. We are in for about 8 days of rain of some sort every day. I have too much going on to be away until mid October so I told him to pick a day to go by himself since I can't do the strenuous hiking that one has to do to get to see the falls any way.

Thank you for the nice comments on DH's pictures. I will tell him. And ... it's cool again and yes, the furnace is still not working correctly but the tech said he understood when it was very hot last week that he might not find the issue so to call back if that was the case. :dizzy:

Annie - I'm sorry you had a bit of a downer with your meeting. :hug: Must be
a very emotional time for you. :( Some days there is a lot of sadness to be shared. I'm glad you were able to burn some energy working in the yard. Sounds like it will be a pretty walkway when you get done with it. Be careful of those attack bricks!! :rofl: I laughed about your comment as to how much trouble can 2 ginger kids cause in a house - I guess Sam will find out :lol: Maybe she can hire herself out as a personal organizer - can probably make the big bucks doing that.

Ceejay - a "ginger" is what they call a red haired person. :lol: Why would you consider leaving where you are and moving to Branson? I don't understand.

Hello to the rest - got to leave and get out of here before the rain.

Morning all. Happy Monday.

Ceejay – Oy, a lot of drama in the family lately. The niece from MD wanting to move back into the house you currently live in certainly seems to be a fly in the ointment. I sure hope you don’t need to pick up and move again… == Gosh, the nephew wanting your money – he sure needs to be set straight. About the money and your “me” time. == Yeh, like Annie sadi - a ginger is a redhead. They use that term a lot in England…

Annie – Wow, what a lot of work on that path. All the digging! Good job. I hope you meet your target date, but just so it can get done before the weather turns. I haven’t wanted to do anything in the yard because it’s been so dry here lately. Any kind of digging or weeding would be difficult and more trouble than I want to go to! == Yeh, ever since we’ve been in the ‘burbs with a Walmart nearby, we don’t shop nearly as much at CVS or Walgreens. But downtown near the office, that’s what we have available.

Happy – Welcome back. Sounds like a nice trip in spite of the foot/knee problems. Good to get away, isn't it?? How did your kitties do in your absence? == I’m glad bingo was alright in terms of the inspection. Otherwise it sounds like it was sort of crazy. You mean there’s no first aid supplies at the bingo place?? Huh. == Too many cats & kittens at the HS. :( This is a time where we need Bob Barker with his public service announcements about spaying or neutering pets. == I hope the furnace is okay when you need it! == When isn’t there a big fuss at the thrift shop??!! – Sounds like you’ve got a busy week lined up for yourself. :faint: :goodluck:== The fall color around here so far is nice, but we’re just at the beginning. I hope it continues.

Hellos to Shad and Susie. :wave: Everyone have a great day!

==

I didn’t get out on the bike this weekend. It was pretty humid both days. And sort of hot – we had the A/C back on. I didn't do any workouts either. :( Back to it this week.

On Saturday morning I took my mom for a haircut and then to her village’s library for a library card. I really didn’t do all that much the rest of the weekend. Sure didn’t want to get out and do any gardening or yard work. Did a few loads of laundry. On Sunday I did some shopping at Walmart and Aldi. Snore.

That’s about it for me. TTFN.

Morning all,

Been busy again I see. So what have I been up to? Well the trees are all cut down and the bagman came today to take away the last of them. Now I am poisoning the stumps and waiting to be able to dig or pull them out. I've pulled out the cherry tomatoes - which are not cherry sized, they are bigger - and taken all the green tomatoes and ripe tomatoes inside. I made some mustard pickles yesterday with some of the green tomatoes, forgot to add the sugar to the spice paste and so it has a fairly acidic taste. Not bad but sharp to say the least. I also took a trip to the local strawberry farm and picked up some strawberries to eat and to make some jam with. That turned out quite well. I've also cleared out the rose garden, prepared part of the vege garden for summer (put to bed) and will plant some potatoes shortly. They will be the last plants to go in this year. I've also taken all the orchid baskets out from under the tree and hung them from the carport beams. Hopefully they will not get as much sun there and may give me some flowers at last. No rain for near enough a month now. You lot are all hogging it up there. Send it down please. Driest June on record, driest winter on record. There's no such thing as climate change - your president and my prime minister told me so. I'm still doing doggy day care and making his dinners for the freezer. And I am still walking at least 4 times a week. I've almost finished painting in the bathroom. One more coat on the windows and door frame and two on the door itself and it will be done.

I went to the doctor today. Have a fasting blood test tomorrow and I spoke to the doctor about the problem I am having with my hands. After chemo last year I was getting twitching and tingling in the hands and feet. Horrible sensation just that bit worse than chronic 'pins and needles'. Anyway, although I was still getting the occasional twinge, I am now constantly getting pins and needles and aching hands. Doctor said there is wasting of the muscles in the fingers and thumbs. So I am off to see a neurologist as well sometime - if I am not dead before I get to see him/ her. They will let me know. I really don't know what to think. I don't know what I would do if my hands are out of action - I use them all the time. Anyway I am not giving in until they tell me I don't have hands anymore.

Happy - glad to hear that you had a good time away for a couple of days. Been enjoying the photos from DH. Pity the shop is causing so much trouble. Honestly you are all there as volunteers to help the animals not to establish a pecking order. You are wise to scale down your involvement.
I might have to come to the commune. I have legs that work well, but hands are not. You have hands and sore legs. I'm sure we can work something out.

Annie - I am sure that you will eventually work things out. Must come as a bit of a shock for you after some years of peace and tranquility. Not easy having 3 generations in one house either. I had trouble with two.

Ceejay - time to back away from that nephew. No way should you trust your future financial situation to him or anyone else if you are happy with the way it is going now. Geez I get cross with people telling me what to do with my fortune or lack thereof.

Laura - Tut tut - no exercise. That's not like you - our exercise queen.

I was going to do some painting. But the sun is in the bathroom now. I will go back to ringing insurance companies about my car insurance. Some of the premiums are horrendous so I have to ring around to get some quotes. I also need to talk to the telco and try to persuade them that I am a little old pensioner and therefore should be treated kindly with discounts. So I had better put my day to some purpose. I don't seem to have achieved much today. The dog is stretched out on the floor sleeping off the heat of the day. I should like to join him.

Good Morning Everyone...

Therapy went well this morning. We are going to try brain spotting with me. Not sure how to explain that. Might have to google it myself. Anyway ended on a positive note and feel like I can get past some of this crap fogging up my emotional warped brain.

Dinner was Keto spaghetti. I cooked a spaghetti squash that Sam and I used for our noodles. C had regular noodles. The sauce was very tasty. Also made ghetto garlic bread (hamburger buns smashed down with butter and garlic salt sprinkled then toasted in toaster). hahaha. Gotta love beaker food.

SHADDIE...geez I hope something can be resolved with the tingling in hands/fingers. That is awful. But yes, while at the commune maybe we can all put our body parts together and make a whole human that works. Bleh we have come to that. You are welcome to our rain. We had a downpour last night and it is sprinkling now and supposed to last all day long. Indy is actually low on the water scale and needing rain. Hard to believe. Love fresh tomatos. Yum.

LAURA...Yes too hot and humid to do anything outside. I do believe I melted somewhat. Do I need to come with MELLIE's rolling pin and get you back to exercising regularly? See when I don't do it at all there are no expectations from others. hahahahha.

HAPPY...Nice of you to split your earnings with DH for gambling. You are supposed to hit big so we ALL can retire at the commune. :) Just back away from the thrift shop. You don't need that kind of drama in your calm retirement life. I am sure you can find other things to do for fun. In the end no one will care how many hours you volunteered. I worry about you and your mental health not to mention you physical health. Special hugs sister. Will have to google Mexican train game, never heard of it. Hope your body is feeling better and less pain. Sorry you are a bit depressed. I am having a good day if you want to talk or text.

Hello to all. Hugs

Afternoon all. It rained overnight and that’s good because we really needed it here. Right now it’s overcast, still a bit rainy, and 90% humidity. Ick. I think it’s forecast to clear up later. And then we’re warming up a LOT - back to midsummer temps for the next several days. [Now that this post has been sitting here all morning, it is now afternoon and it did clear up and it’s very sunny. Probably steaming out there. Glad I brought my lunch to work and don’t have to go out in it. ]

Happy – Can’t believe you got sunburned through your jeans!! :yikes: == You keep trying to make the thrift shop thing work because they sure need your help, but it just seems impossible with all the personalities involved. You sure don’t deserve the poor treatment. I hope you can back away and retain the parts that work for you. Don’t forget: you come first!! At least the cat cuddling at the shelter is successful! :D You’re a good person to stick with all you do! God bless people like you! :yes: == Nice your winnings entertained you and DH for a good amount of time. == I’m sorry the aches and pains are bringing you down. :( I hope switching up your eating will help with that. How about the supplement regimen you started? Did you stick with it and give it some time to tell if it helped with the inflammation?

Shad – I’m sorry to hear about the problems with your hands! I hope the neurologist can help you. In spite of it, it sure sounds like you’re getting plenty done around the house and garden. And making me tired just reading it all, as per usual. == Congrats on getting the last of the trees removed! == I'm pretty sure Susie has become our reigning exercise queen! :queen:

Annie – I’m glad the session went well and you seem optimistic about it. When’s the next one? I’ll have to look up brain spotting. == The admin was talking about spaghetti squash too – definitely gonna have to pick some up. Only had it once or twice and like it a lot, just have to get it on the shopping list.

Hellos to Ceejay and Susie!

==
Okay, I did go down to the basement and did a BE workout last night. I had a sore shoulder blade, however, and that kept me from doing the pec exercise, but I did all the other exercises in the episode. After that I did a stretch workout from the Tamilee dvd I have. This one was a sitting stretch routine and it was good. After I was back upstairs parked on the sofa, I did put on the Yoga for my toes (the silicone gel toe spacers) and gave my toes a good stretch too.

Work has been some smaller projects/issues and sort of annoying in that they include a bunch of back and forth emails between multiple parties. Bleh. Oh well, it’s work, what did I expect? :shrug:

Okay, that’s it for me. Off to post. :comp: Everyone have a good rest of the day. ;)

LAURA....next appt is October 4th, then weekly after that. I am on a waiting list for next week. I feel positive. Do read up on brain spotting. I just did and it is quite interesting. Great job on getting you exercise in last night. I cooked my spaghetti in the microwave. It was a large/xl squash so I nuked it on 18 minutes. Poked it with a fork all the way around and up/down. Grateful to have jobs for sure. Been without a couple of times...not fun.

I need my chickie sisters to come and rescue me! I know my work is always crazy busy, but right now it is over the top!

My Director changed all his plan for Asia; still going but flipped where he was going first and last.

My VP is going back 3 days early so that meant switching all sorts of meetings around and she is on some sort of a restrictive diet for some test she is having and I have to check everything that she is eating and make sure it isn't on her "can't have list", She can't have things with iodine in it, or certain food coloring, nothing with milk in it and one and one.

I think I will be nuts before the next two weeks are over.

My focus is to just maintain for the next two weeks in the weight-loss area.

Oh and did I mention I had a major IC flare of the weekend and am still dealing with it as of today. It is lessening in intensity and I have myself all medicated up to get through it; trying to rest and get extra sleep when I can.

Sorry for no personals. Maybe in a couple of days. Please send me good vibes ladies!

OMGosh SUSIE....I pray you get through this work week mess and still be sane. Can't the VP do her own food? For Pete's sake just eat what you can and don't be catered too. As long as there is water and a little something, no one ever died from eating less. Sorry I had to rant for you. lol. VP-pull up your big girl panties and deal. LEAVE MY SUSIE ALONE... :) Maintaining is a great goal when life gets tough. Whether it be mentally or physically. Hope the IC flare is better or gone. Prayers for healing. Love you sister. Hugs

Jacob had scouts last night and got to launch his rocket. Samantha said he was jazzed about it. It had a teeny tiny engine on the rocket that he and Samantha built. When he pushed the button for the launch he had the biggest smile on his face. Chris did show up for the launch but left right after due to a basketball game. Some times I want to ring his neck.

C and I had a long talk while they were gone. I just don't know about him. He is really not the C I thought I married. His counseling starts next week. I probably shouldn't put so much hope and expectations in this helping him get his head on straight. THere is always hope.

If you get a chance to read up on Brain Spotting which was initially developed for those with PTSD, like for soldiers returning from Iraq etc. It has been found to help so many other areas for therapy.

Hello to all...

Make it a great day, I am going to try to make it great. Hugs.

Good morning fine chickie ladies,

I have a bit of time before I have to head out and go cover the phones at the Senior Center for a few hours while they have their Board Meeting. Yesterday we ran errands in town, stopped at the thrift shop - one of the errands. I sat and talked to a few of the volunteers. It was nice to talk, I felt no pressure to do anything of consequence except order some supplies. I did not partake in the big argument with one volunteer who works on clothing and *horrors* decided to keep a donated sewing box with supplies so that she could use it for repairs and such. Big fight because SOME people think we should sell everything that comes into the store totally ignoring that we need supplies to run the place :dizzy: Nice to sit there and get up and leave without a worry :^:

My former afternoon partner there decided she wanted to go to the senior center for Tuesday evening supper so we made plans to go. One of the servers is a really nice girl - I say girl because she is younger than me but is about 50 - sort of a bit on the simple side but a big hearted wonderful lady. She is getting pushed around at the center and DH felt bad for her. She said she saw a giant teddy bear at our thrift shop but it was too expensive for her. So after we finished eating, we went to the shop and DH gave me money for the bear. We came back and put it on her car hood (bonnet Shad ;) ) and parked off to the side to wait for her to come and see it. We had to wait almost an hour while they cleaned the kitchen and finished up. But she was sooooooo happy when she saw it. Totally worth it. I have to stop at the shop today before the center to go and pay for it. Was really nice of DH to do that.

It seems that if I remember (and I'm trying) to take my supplements regularly - they do seem to be helping a bit. Not a miracle cure but they are helping. I went and picked the last of my tomatoes and cucumbers out of the garden. Still lots of green ones there but I don't like green tomatoes - too crunchy for me. Will take the garden out on Sunday as I have things to do every day until then. Tomorrow we are taking a ride up to apple country to see if there is color and pick up some apples before the crowds hit for apple fest in 2 weeks. Cranberry fest is coming too. That's how you know autumn is coming here - even if the tree colors are not a give away.

Annie - thank you for sharing the brainspotting. I will check that out. Awww how cool for Jacob and his rocket. Too bad Chris is not as supportive. :( He probably would have been better off not having kids but the deed is done. It must be hard for you right now with alot of not very comfortable feelings on many angles. I hope you can work out your feelings with C - after 45 years together I can tell you that there are times in a relationship where both parties are not the same as what you thought. You have to search your feelings to decide if it's worth staying together and if you are getting something productive from the relationship. I send my prayers to you each night for grace and guidance. :hug: And while there is always hope, there is also a down side to starting over again. Why can't life be simple?

Susie - oh man - I don't envy you at all and I can imagine your pain. I CAN'T imagine being so pampered that someone is looking over my food to make sure I don't eat anything that makes me sick... :rolleyes: But yes, I have known management who expects that sort of treatment. :queen: Good luck with that. I am sure you are a master juggler!!! I just hope you have time for yourself to rest and breathe. Sending you extra oodles of energy girl!!! Make sure you pack healthy things to stay on track and don't compromise your own self. :hug:

Laura - my sister said it's hot and humid by you. Ugh - where is fall already??? that's good that you stretch your toes - believe it or not we do that at yoga - it DOES help to keep things flexible. Really it does. ANd good for you for getting a workout in. Do you do most of the cooking at home or does BF? Sounds like you need a new project at work to re-energize you!

Shad - I am very sorry to hear about your hands. I have heard that chemo can "settle" into body parts. I certainly hope this is not a permanent thing as you have FAR too much going on to be side lined. You are right - we will either have to have separate duties at the commune to make the most of working body parts OR we will have to figure out how to make one complete person :rofl: I am distressed to hear it is so dry by you. I remember the droughts and then they were followed by floods. The weather is so wonky. Mother Nature is not happy with what we are doing to Mother Earth I am afraid. How many orchid plants do you have? Send some pictures - I'd like to see them. Any time I see potted orchids I think of you.

Ceejay- I did re-read your post and now I understand it's the niece wanting to move back in her house. I agree with you - you have lived on your own for so long, and you don't need another person underfoot. I hope you can stay there and she changes her mind. Sounds like you are happy and busy and loving where you are.

Have a good one ladies. Time for me to hit the road.

Sis told me last night that she thought my niece would not relocate in this area but around Kansas City or St Louis. Thanks for the explanation of the "ginger". We have a little red head also, 3 year old Charlie.
Started my fall cleaning yesterday. Climbed up the ladder to get to the ceiling fan n the living room. Don't think it's been cleaned in a long, long time. I know I didn't clean it last year when I moved.

Annie
I'm going to google "brain Spotting". Praying things will work out for you. I can understand some things about bi-polar as my cousin has it. She's living with her sister in Texas.

Susie
Sending you good vibes these next few weeks. Think you shouldn't not be having to monitor you VP's food.

Hello's to Shad, Happy, and Laura. I'll be back this afternoon to finish comments

Oh and I forgot to add to all my mess....I am scheduled for a colonoscopy this Friday the 22nd. Bleh. Prep tomorrow. My friend Betty is taking me as Sam was going to but now she is babysitting with Abby and has Royce as well. Too much for me at the hospital. I just want PEACE and TRANQUILITY. How hard is that people. Quite hard I am afraid, look at the state of the country.

HAPPY...so sweet of you to give the teddy bear to the waitress. Doesn't surprise me that you and DH did that as you are both so very kind. Guess that is why I love you. Good Lord is that all they have to argue and fight about? A sewing box. Geewhiz. There are bigger things in life to worry about. Get a grip people. Not like she was using it for her own personal use. Take it easy and do have fun in apple country. Sounds like a fun trip.

Afternoon all. Went out at lunchtime. Wow, hot one today. Luckily there was a good breeze – not a cool one, but enough to keep me from completely melting.

Annie – I hope you can get fit in for a session next week, but at least you have another appointment the week after next. I scanned a site online about brainspotting and not sure I understood it much at all. My take is that they look for a physical reaction/response to traumatic/emotional issues/topics. And then they can try to access what they detected (a brainspot), even if the person has buried/blocked it? Very interesting. I wish you the best with this, and I hope C’s sessions are helpful to him. == Aww, so great Jacob enjoyed the rocket launch at scouts last night. What’s coming up next?? I didn’t spend more than a year or two in scouts, but have some good memories from it. Too bad Chris isn’t thinking about making shared memories like that.

Susie – It sounds like you are being given the ultimate challenges at work right now. You are a travel agent, meeting/event planner, nutrition coach – on top of all of your other responsibilities! Can’t say I’m not surprised that you have to check the VP’s food, but if it’s something being provided as part of the meetings, it’s not like she can run out and grab her own food… Good idea to just shoot for maintaining during the next grueling two weeks – you’re under enough pressure already. == I’m sorry your IC flared up, I hope the meds are helping and that it has eased up/faded away by now. Be kind to yourself!! Sending good vibes. :goodvibes:

Happy – I’m sure your donors would not object to their items not being sold if there was good use for them in the shop. I know I wouldn’t, as long as they weren’t being diverted to volunteers for personal use. Oh, what a sweet surprise for the senior center server! Very thoughtful of you. == Set an alarm on your cell phone to remind you to take those supplements! == Yeh, 90% humidity again today, and it’s getting up to 90 degrees. I’m trying not to mind this and enjoy the last of summer, but it definitely puts a damper on my motivation to do outdoor activities of any intensity. == At the moment, neither bf or I do much cooking, which I’d like to change. == Don’t worry, plenty of projects to tackle at work. Right now I’ve shifted to working on one of my performance management goals. And there’s also some things to plan concerning our office move – the contents of my workspace, as well as what’s in some of the department file drawers. Since I know I’ll be the one they ask re those files, I may as well come up with the answers while I have plenty of advance time to do it.

Ceejay - Good to hear your niece won't be wanting to move back into the house you live in! == Be careful on the ladder!

Hello to Shad. :wave:
--
I did one BE workout last night. Otherwise, nothing special. I’ll do some more exercise tonight, but will try to do 2 BE workouts instead of one. On Thursday I’m going to the health lecture, which will be about antibiotics.

I scheduled a vacation for Monday. :)

That’s about it for me. Make it a great day. :spin:

Momma said there would be days like this but must it last forever???

Afternoon all. Hot and humid today. I brought my lunch today, and I didn’t go outdoors to eat it. Farthest I got to being outside was to pay a bill at the Citibank in our building lobby.
==

Annie – I hope your day got better. :hug:

Hellos to the rest of you. Hope you’re all having a good day.

==

I got home from work yesterday and found bf had sent me a text about a half hour before. Mom wanted us to go to dinner with her at the restaurant in her community. Too bad dinner only goes from 4:30 – 6:30 pm. I got home around 6:15, so it wasn't going to happen that night. We’ll plan to go next Wednesday, and I’ll get the earlier train home so we can get there before closing time.

I did one BE workout last night. Good ab routine in that episode, and my abs are feeling it today. For dinner, we had broasted chicken from a local place. So good!

Tonight’s I'm going to the health lecture at the rec plex.

That’s about it for me, so I’m off to post. :dancer:

Winter must be coming even though it's 82 outside right now - DH is putting up the hand rail on the deck stairs for me.

Annie - dropped something in the mail for you today. It's just a tiny little thing for the boys - hope it makes you smile :D

We didn't go to the apple country today - color was only about 15 percent. We will wait till later. So instead it turned out to be a very busy totally unplanned interuppted day. I am now legally licensed to sell liquor in my town, specifically at the Senior Center. I'm not sure about this - they think it will increase bingo attendance. I am fearful...

Anyone want to give some kittens a good home? We have too many. They are mostly all adorable.

Laura - I hope you have a nice dinner with your Mom - those places make pretty decent food. Will be nice to spend time with her.

Annie - I hope life gets better and you find something (like a giant pillowcase of cash or something) to make your life a little easier. :hug: Good luck on the colonoscopy - you are doing a good thing for yourself even if it's uncomfortable.

Ceejay - Be careful on that ladder!!!

time for bingo. Talk to you later. :wave:

Good morning all,
About to leave for my stint at the Senior Center in a few minutes. I'm hoping it will be a quiet day :crossed: although really strong thunderstorms are about to hit. Have a good weekend everyone. I will check in if I can.

Morning all. Just went to a presentation about generational diversity, and the speaker was really good and I found it very interesting. I was born in the last year of the birth year range that is typically considered the Baby Boomer generation and I felt like there was a lot of both Baby Boomer and Gen X with which I identified. Of course, these groups are generalizations of massive numbers of people, so everyone's personal experience/situation may differ in a multitude of ways.

Annie - Hope the colonoscopy is going/went well. Take it easy the rest of the day!

Happy - I hope you have a quiet day, and that you don't have to be out in the t-storms. :rain:

Hellos to the rest of you. :wave: Have a great weekend!

==

I went to the lecture about antibiotics last night. It was okay, I'm not sure how much I really learned. I feel bad saying this, because I really like the woman who presents these lectures and know her from being in exercise classes she teaches. But I do wish I could be getting more out of them. One interesting thiing was a list of medicinal foods, including those that boost the immune system. I believe the next lecture is about gut health, and I think there might be an outside speaker presenting it, so we'll see.

Nothing going on this weekend except having breakfast tomorrow morning with a former co-worker. He frequently complains about the younger generations he works with, so I was thinking of him during this morning's presentation, LOL. If the powerpoint of the presentation is made available to us today, I'll send it to him. :D

Otherwise, it's going to be very hot today and the next several days, so I suppose I'll focus on getting things done inside the house this weekend, ever thankful for a working A/C system.

TTFN.

Hi girls :smug:
Being gone from you'all for so many months this year it will be impossible to read through your posts. Maybe...possibly you'all could catch me up with the highlights of what happened with each of you ;)

Oh Laura :hug: Thank you for the thoughtful notes & emails you sent me :hug: Your family & friends are Blessed to have you. Since l wrote you back last month, my nerve problems in my face have multiplied through my face & into my eye sockets, pretty scary not knowing what's causing this. Hopefully there is a specialist that can diagnose all my symptoms so I can start to recover soon. I try to stay calm by blaming it on allergies, but I know that's not the truth, I've also felt the same sensation in my leg. I get labs done next week for my yearly pap physical, so I'll tell my doctor in 2 weeks about the latest problems :( Also go talk to the neurologist again to explain Clearly without the medical terminology my brain MRI results to me now that I'm not emotional. I hope that my thyroid is back to normal now, so I can stop that daily pill because my thick hair is thinning/alopecia :( & I told you I gained about 10# this year from pills. Everyone here is losing weight except me, I'm in the 150's now :o

That's why I've been embarrassed to come back to my friends here. My Dh & my doctors are the only people that know I'm messed up... My 2 sons say to me whenever I have a medical problem, "mom you're old" so me & Dh stopped sharing medical probs, except unless I get something genetic. Of course I'm older than them, I'm the mom & I gave birth when I was 21 & 25 yrs old, duh :dizzy:

So please fill me in girls on your 2017 :hug:

PLease add me to your church prayer list, I need His mercy & His precious healing.

Love & hugs :hug: Dee

ps: my email changed 2 weeks ago.

Hello Everyone!

Thank you for all your supportive comments concerning my crazy work life.

Things improved some with the food issue for my VP. Really she isn't the sort of person that requires a lot of "hand-holding" and if she were living here (as she used to), she would be cooking things so that she could bring them for herself.

So, she and I talked about that and for this week before she returns to Singapore (she has decided to cut her trip short and only stay 2 weeks) she is now staying in a Residence Inn that has a kitchen and she can cook.

I did help her out by doing some grocery shopping for her based on the list she has as to what she can eat and got it to her new hotel and put away in her kitchen. She texted me today and told me she was so thankful for all my help and that she was making ahead breakfast and things that she could bring to work with her.

I also worked with our onsite catering and the head chef and dietitian have worked out menus for all the meetings that require lunch or breakfast and we have all that in place.

It is going to make the week so much easier for me to not have to deal with daily. Just a little behind the scene work and seeking other to help out and it all came together. So, now I can concentrate of work I need to complete this coming week.

I had a .4 lb loss at TOPS. Small loss but I was happy as I didn't really workout this past week and I didn't keep track of my food. I am feeling better with the IC. It finally started feeling normal on Friday.

This post has been all about me. I'm going to end this post and do a separate one for personals.

Dee: It is so good to see your post! I am so sorry for all the medical things you have going on. It has to be a bit scary to feel the way you do.

I hope that you can get what you need medically to get back to feeling like yourself.

I will put you on our prayer list and I'm praying for you.

As to catch you up on me: I have done well with my lower fat diet and exercise and I've lost 65 lbs since December 26, 2016. I feel great and I went from a size 24/26 to a 18/20. I'm not done yet..I want to get another 20 off this year.

Annie: I hope all went well with the colonoscopy. I need to do mine...most likely next year. I know that prep is awful as I remember when my DH did his 2 yrs ago.

I think that it is good that you and C could sit and talk. Be patient dear friend....counseling takes time.

I think Happy was correct about there are times that come in marriage where we don't feel we know the other person. But it's a choice as to if you both want to put in the effort and get to know the people you are now (we all change somewhat over time..because life happens and it brings change). Hopefully with the changes we go through as the years pass we can still see the "core" of what brought us together.


Laura: How was your breakfast with your friend? Did you get a lot of things done in the house? It is extremely hot here in Ohio and I was miserable today when DH and I were out and about doing some errands.

Ceejay: I'm glad that you will be staying in your home and don't have to move. I'm jealous that you have started your fall cleaning...I'm so behind and I need to get to it.

Shad: I am sorry to hear about the issue with your hands. I feel it is after effects of the chemo. Hopefully with time it will subside.

Happy: your story about the lady and the teddy bear just made my day. What a very endearing kind thing that you and your DH did for her. This world has so much wrong with it, but things like what you guys did gives me hope that as a society we aren't all over the edge. :hug:

I am headed to bed...it's been a very busy and HOT day here

Dee
So glad that you are posting again. Hope the doctor's can find a cure for you soon. I've been in Missouri for a year since retirement. Life is busy with family and I'm loving it.

Annie
Do you have the results of your colonoscopy?

Susie
Thanks for explaining about your VP and her food. Glad that she worked out some of her food herself. I'm extremely glad to get to stay in my home. I do like it here.

Happy
How did your day at the senior center go? I enjoyed the story about the woman and the teddy bear also.

Laura
I'm ready for some cooler weather. It's hard for me to breathe in the hot, humid weather. Have you decided to do the exercise video's instead of going to the gym. How is your foot?

Shad
How are things going with you?

------
This week I've been doing some deep cleaning and changed out three pot/can lights in the ceiling. Still have one more of those to do. I don't like getting on a ladder but it has to be done to reach the ceiling fans. I'm tired of my nephew using toilet paper to roll my bedroom ceiling. My sis saw it yesterday. My nephew and sis came by to measure my windows for new screens. I'm wanting to air out this house.
We had book club today after church. It was a very good discussion.
Been having more problems with my stomach. I'm making an appointment with he doctor to see what can be done or what should be done.

How much can a heart take.....My SIL, the one in Illinois, my brother Chuck's wife has just been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Most likely started with a tumor in her lung. Is not detected in her brain and few other areas. Doesn't look good. Prayers please.

One of the softball mom's from Samantha's fast pitch days, lost her husband to cancer on Saturday. Viewing Wednesday night. He had jaw cancer from chewing.

On to better news....my colonoscopy went well. No polyps. Don't have to go back for 10 years which is not long enough. Prep was awful of course. Went through 8 pairs of undies and 7 nightgowns. (some were t-shirts).. I do have diverticulosis. (the pockets but not the infection). I have never had any issues with it and didn't even know I had it. Doc said I may never. People over 50 seem to have a bit of this as they age. Body parts giving out I guess. :) It is more hereditary than caused by diet. Doc also said the old you cannot eat popcorn or seedy foods is just an old wives tale. Hmmm.

So I have decided that my head is not ok or not ok with the entire C. It is a daily thing whether it is or not. Mostly what I chose to be when I wake up, sometimes. Yeee

Worked in the yard quite a bit both Sat and Sun. Church was great and C went also as did Sam. The boys were at scout camp. The service was directed directly at C. Funny when you attend how it applies to your life.

Bout it for my weekend life.

SUSIE...Great job on the loss at TOPS. I got down to 156 just prior to colonoscopy. But once I started eating I went right back to 160. That might be my staying point. WOuld like to master 159 so I can say I am in the 150's lol. Work sounds like it will get better after VP leaves. Thank you Jesus.

Hello DEE....sorry to hear of all the health problems. On my prayer list for sure and hope you get some relief soon. This past year...geez...let's go with weight. I am finally at goal 160. Went on the keto way of eating Feb 11 and lost the remainder of the weight to get to goal. Now maintaining.

CEEG...don't like doing anything that involves a ladder. May the force be with you. What did you mean by nephew using toilet paper to roll your ceiling?

LAURA...hope you enjoyed your breakfast with your friend. It was way too hot to do anything outside this weekend.

HAPPY...no pillow cases with $$ in them. Bummer. lol. Now you can sell liquor. OMGoodness now they will depend on you more because you have your license. Hope not. The hole gets deeper. :)

Oh just got a call from my therapist. I can start this week instead of next as they have an opening at 10:30 today.

Chat later girls. Hugs

It is also detected in her brain and a few other areas.

Hi guys,

So sorry I have not been posting regularly. Life is chaotic at best lately. I am in debilitating pain for weeks now with I think it's the arthritis. I can barely walk and my whole body just hurts so badly it's messing with my head now. I try to keep plugging along but it's rough. And there is plenty to take my mind off things. I looked at October's calendar and there is literally only 2 days - both Sunday when I don't have anything at all going on. I have volunteer commitments, I am taking a bunch of classes (fun stuff - writing, cooking, yoga) and I am trying to squeeze a small visit to Chicago for my Mom's birthday although the airlines is dicking around with seating - it looks like there are seats available but when I go to book - no dice. :mad: Deep breaths, just work through it.

So last Friday I went to the Senior Center. Got an earful to say the least from each of the people who were there. What a mess of things. We had bad storms, the power blipped completely off for a couple of minutes. Computer rebooted and it's password locked and I have no password. The person I was covering for left a phone number although she was out in the woods hunting and might be in a dead zone. Called the number - it's been disconnected. Really? You JUST left that note 2 days ago. Ok, well I can't do a thing without the computer as I need it to schedule bus rides, check on things to provide answers to callers and finish the forms I was working on. :dizzy: The other girl tried to text her - I'm wondering then why don't you give me that phone number???? Eventually the girl came in to get her paycheck and gave me the password. She mumbled something incoherent when I said her phone number didn't work... I took 71 phone calls that day. Went home tired. We went out to dinner at a newer place that has bad food - too bad, they are in a great location but this is the 3rd time we went and the food is not good at all. Saturday I worked half a day at the shop - we had our fall festival and it was beastly hot and humid. People were coming into the shop where we had the air conditioning on and were loving it. We sold alot of stuff. My buddy was soooo grateful I came in to help him both of us have bad ankles and he said he'd have been crippled if he worked alone like he prefers. I took the last amount of strength I had to hobble the 2 blocks down to get a gyro (one of my favorite festival treats). Brought back a Philly cheese steak sandwich for DH and ate a bit of my gyro and then iced my screaming foot. Sunday I prepped dinner ahead of time (grilled chicken), made a vegetable gratin from eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and garden tomatoes with parmesan cheese. It was good but didn't bake long enough even though I followed directions. I cut up a watermelon I bought last week - that was good and refrigerated it. Did 3 loads of laundry and some cleaning and then I went outside to rip out the last of the garden as it is turning cold and rainy today and through the week. I wanted to go to the casino for 2 hours for a special thing they have going on and was hurrying in the garden. Didn't get quite everything done but DH ripped out the cages he carefully built for the strawberries we never got to eat because the blasted hail destroyed them!! :mad: He took out the cucumber plants too - I salvaged a few smaller ones, will try and make refrigerator pickles with them. Had to shower after the garden work so got to the casino a bit later than planned but had an entertaining 90 minutes and walked out 4 dollars ahead of what I walked in with and gained about $30 in free play money. :lol: Came home and prepped dinner sides while DH grilled chicken and put my gratin in the oven. Was just starting to eat when Sis called to chat so I never did get to finish my dinner. As I was cooking DH had the football game on and I could hear a very faint beeping. Made me crazy so I turned off all the fans and tv and it appeared to come from the basement. My upright freezer that is PACKED with over $1,000 worth of food was sounding the too warm alarm. Temp was 26 degrees (F) - should have been negative 5 degrees. Things were still frozen but I have no where to store all that stuff. And it was 8pm on a Sunday night. And I was hurting. I went to bed depressed and feeling bad and tossed and turned most of the night. Today I have to myself other than I have to go out and get my eggs I ordered from the farmer's market. This is the last market day of the season :( The day started with unexpected phone calls - one from the senior center - did I know what happened to... :no: Didn't see it. :shrug: Then I got a call from a chatty volunteer who wanted me to put out an email asking for baked goods for an upcoming fall festival where we have a booth for the Humane Society. That was a 35 minute call. THen DH is asking me if I called for service on the freezer :dizzy::dizzy::dizzy: let me have coffee and wake up!!! I did find some diagnostics for the freezer - it's usually a fan that blew - that is the repair for 70 percent of the time and it would be faster for DH to fix it himself than to get a repairman out here. So I ordered the $45 part and paid $26 to get it shipped here tomorrow. Thankfully the freezer is holding at 25 degrees so I think everything will be ok although I will have to empty at least half of it so DH can get at the back inside of the freezer to replace the fan. I am supposed to work with my friend at the Thrift Shop tomorrow morning but I don't think they will deliver the part until the afternoon so I can probably still manage that. I don't want to open the freezer until I know we have the part just in case it can't cool back down.

Annie - I'm sorry that you have such sadness in your life right now. I wish the sun would shine more on you :hug: As for C - you need to sort your feelings - I hope that therapy can help you with that task - though I do understand the fluctuation of feelings from one day to the next. I'm glad they were able to work you in for an earlier appointment. Bummer on the diverticulosis diagnosis BUT at least you can be aware of it and deal with it. I too read that all too often people avoid all fiber and seeds when first diagnosed because attacks are horrible. However, you do need some of that to keep the colon cleaned out so it can go too far with avoidance. They recommend that people test the waters were certain foods to see what creates a negative reaction but to not avoid fibers and seeds totally. I tried that conversation with my Mother but 2 months later she is still telling me NO WAY although we ended the conversation long ago. I think you are more reasonable. I smiled at your remark Anne, yes - it pays to be INCOMPETENT!!! :rofl: I always said the reward for hard work was MORE hard work - Susie is a prime example of that as are YOU :D

Ceejay - I didn't understand what your nephew is doing with the toilet paper and your ceiling? :yikes: Be careful on that ladder. Sorry to hear about your stomach issues - are you sticking to your eating plan?

Dee - I am very sorry to hear of all your medical issues - will keep you on the prayer list - hope you can find some comfort. :hug: Rest assured that not everyone is losing weight here on the site. I am struggling myself but I wanted to say that NOTHING should EVER be a reason to feel ashamed to not come and post here. We are supportive and caring and you are always welcome, especially when you need a soft shoulder or some encouragement. :hug: I do hope things get better for you.

Susie - I'm glad your IC has calmed down. That was very kind of you to help the VP by shopping for her. So much better than she was not the kind to demand things, instead was grateful for your help. I hope that things can get more calm and normal this week. Congrats on keeping to the plan in spite of all of the chaos - it seems to me that this time of year as we head into winter, the body wants to store those extra calories and I say NOOOOOO. I have enough padding thank you :rofl: Thank you for your kind words about the teddy bear story.

Laura - back when I was working I attended a lecture about generational diversity put on by a 20 something up and coming fellow at the company. He was sincere and we all liked him BUT I could not help feeling that he was drinking the kool aid that the company wanted him to believe - that all of us - young and old - were equally valued. :lol3: :rolleyes: Sorry - yes I am jaded - when you get to the section of the boomers where you become invisible to be pushed out the door, you tend to get that way... BUmmer that you didn't get much out of the antibiotics lecture - was it too generic or just not any real information outside of common knowledge? You should elaborate on the comment form so they get some good feedback.

Well I think I'd better get moving. Heavy rain is supposed to move in this afternoon and I want to get to the farmers market and back home before that begins. Would be nice if I could finish cleaning out the garden too before it makes a big sloppy mess. They have huge big pumpkins for only $5 at the market. The deer LOVE pumpkin but we haven't seen any of them in about 4 or 5 days. It IS hunting season and they could be hiding from the Elmer Fudd's in the woods. I wish they'd all crowd on our property and the empty lot next door - DH would defend them. I do hope Chuckie the buck makes it though another year. He is pretty clever about hiding and mistrusting humans other than DH.

Anyway - happy start to the week.

Almost made it through the work day. I have about another hour.

I AM getting on the treadmill or bike tonight. I took a whole week off and it was good that I did with the IC flare but my body is saying MOVE!

Saturday we closed on the refinancing of our home and the home equity loan. My home equity loan check gets deposited on Thursday. I have called my contractor to let him know. I want to get the things I want done by the end of October.

I was going to hold off on having the kitchen painted until spring..but then I thought, wouldn't it be nice to have a bright newly painted kitchen when I'm inside all the time...so I'm adding that to the list of things. I'm ok if it gets done in November.

I still haven't figured out what color I want the storm door frame to be. I have to figure that out so I know what color I want my existing door painted.

I need to find some time to go with my contractor to Lowe's. Maybe next Thursday on my work from home day.

It was and still is super hot here! Saturday it was just miserable.

Annie: I'm glad they got you in to an early appointment. I'm also glad to hear that the everything with the colonoscopy went well.

I am sorry to hear of the sickness and deaths of those close to you. :(:hug:

Happy: I'm sorry to hear that you are dealing with pain and stiffness. It make is hard to get things done and you have a lot of things on your plate!

I hope you can get someone out to look at the freezer soon.

Ceejay: I hope you can get into the doctor soon to see what is going on with your stomach.

I am a bit confused about the bath tissue being rolled on the ceiling.

Hi to Shad, Dee and Laura.

Haven't done a whole lot today. Trying to upload a picture and still haven't figured out doing this.

Okay some of you techi's I need help in removing that post at the bottom of the forum page.?!!!

Which post on the forum page Ceejay!

Hi girls,

I think what Ceejay is talking about is that she tried to insert a picture into her signature on 3FC. She needs to go in and edit her signature and delete the HTML code that is in error. It's at the beginning of her signature and starts with "[SIGPI]" it should be SIGPIC not SIGPI - either correct to the the right name or delete the code altogether. And then SAVE the changes on the signature. She will have to delete the bad code before she can try and upload a new picture because while it will let you click the INSERT PICTURE button twice, it will give you an error because it inserts the code twice. I don't have enough time to step through this right now as I have to get ready and head off to the thrift shop in 30 minutes.

The part for the freezer should be coming today. :crossed: that it fixes things. I hope. :crossed: I told DH to call me at the shop if the part comes early, I will have to empty at least half of the freezer - I hope not all of it - so he can get to the panel to get to the fan. Tonight we have an "Attracting Birds to your Feeders" class at the local junior college tonight - DH is hoping to get some tips on attracting a pileated woodpecker to our yard. I hope this won't be a lame class. Tomorrow I get my hair done and we have an evening class with our favorite chef. Thursday I have a team meeting at the shelter (hoping it will be productive) and then bingo at night - jackpot will be over $1,000 but several of the regulars said they won't be able to make it for various reasons so I don't know how busy it will be. Also the Packers are playing the Bears (football) so we can always drum up some fun in the way of friendly rivalry. OMG - I am so STUPID. I grabbed a handful of my supplements - about 12 pills and absentmindedly just popped them all in my mouth at once and took a big swig of coffee. What an idiot!!! Thankfully they all went down smoothly.

Susie - did you get on the treadmill last night? How nice that everything is a go with the refinancing and you can proceed with the home improvement projects. I know what you mean about the painting. I have been stymied for well over a year as to what to paint the inside of our house. We have a very large, open floor plan - 2 floors high and I can't decide on a color at all. I want a warm color because it's cold up here but the colors I like are more cool tones. I was debating about grays which are the new "it" color although I am not trendy at all and not sure how well gray will go with oak trim. It's a hassle, isn't it? :dizzy:

Annie - when are you getting a counselling appointment?

It appears that the heat and humidity from the Gulf area has finally moved on - we are back to seasonal temps in the 60's and rain. Everyone is tired of the wet weather. We are supposedly at about 50 percent color change, not sure if the leaves got the message. I see a lot of dull spotty yellows. Maybe we will try and take a ride out somewhere this weekend to check things out.

Time for me to hop in the shower. Catch up later with the rest of yous :wave:

Happy
Thanks for the help. I've deleted that picture. May put it on FB. Hope you are feeling better.
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Think that my stomach problem is due to the fact that I've become a coke-a-holic. I don't drink much water any more. So today that will change. I still need to get my flu shot so I will keep my doctor's appointment.

Good Grief. Life....

SIL has non small cell lung cancer which has metastasised (sp) to the brain and other areas. This can be targeted whatever the H that means. It still doesn't sound good. My research (internet) says 6 mos to a year. Who really knows but the MAN! Still waiting on updates from my brother.

C is refinancing his house to include a couple of large bills that will give us relief. Just playing the waiting game with the mortgage company and appraiser.

Therapy was yesterday. It was ok. The approach was good (brain spotting). I think I talked more than I would of if approached differently. I don't know. I just want to be a better me. Yeee

HAPPY...OMG the boys loved their gift. Jacob's eyes got bit as saucers and he started wiggling his loose tooth so he could use the container. How cute. Thank you so very much. The card was perfect and just what I needed. You are such a wonderful friend. I am sad to hear you are in so much pain right now. Could be the weather changes with the arthritis. Are you doing a packet of gelatin every day. It seems to help me. All the pain does not go away in my knee but I can certainly tell a difference. Good grief, all your volunteering jobs are certainly giving you a run. You do know STRESS can make ole Author flare up. Sounds like you have too much stress in your daily life. Now the freezer. What the heck else? Did the fan part fix the problem? You have 1000$ in meat in your freezer? Holy cow. You cannot buy anything else til you use up at least 3/4 to all of what you already have. Insert rolling pin here. :) Hugs, Love and Healing to you sister.

SUSIE...I am glad you are feeling better and getting back to your exercising TONIGHT. :) Must be the season for refinancing. Hopefully we can get a closing scheduled sooner rather than later for his house.

CEEG...hope your tummy gets to feeling better. YOU KNOW BETTER THAN TO DRINK SODA! Insert another rolling pin here. :)

Hello to all...it has taken me forever to get here today. So much to do.

Hugs.