Good morning ladies,

Turned out to be a busier time than I had planned on - hence no check in.

Bingo went well Thursday night. A couple of people welcomed me back which was nice of them. It was super hot in the room - with the workers we had 70 people in there. We are in unusually hot weather right now - upper 80's when it should be in the 60's so it was especially hot in the room. It was muggy and humid outside so opening the windows was not an option. I was talking to my partner - the thermostat a/c was set at 71 but it was 78 and climbing. People were fanning themselves. I asked him where the a/c vents were and he went and looked and discovered they are on the floor AND someone had completely covered ALL the vents with papers and books so no air was coming out. He removed them and immediately you could feel a difference in the air flow and cooling. It even felt better in the warm kitchen adjacent to the room. The darn card players are the ones blocking the vents which is not good for the a/c system either.

Friday I told the girls in the office we should plan something fun for Friday so we planned a lunch. Realized it was the one year anniversary for us working there so we billed it as an anniversary lunch. We went to a local place and had a good time. We saluted ourselves and then ran down all the people (12) that had come and gone at the center in the year we were there. Pretty sad for the amount of turnaround. It was really nice, we vowed to do it again once a month. I wound up helping in the office longer than I planned so I spent a good part of the day there.

Saturday I was planning on hanging around the house but DH wanted to go out and wanted me to come with him. He had the picture that is my FB background printed and framed by this guy he is shooting pictures for. The guy has about 5 styles of frames and DH and I liked different ones so we went over to his place to get a better look. Then we went out for a drive and probably stopped somewhere to get lunch. I made some pork carnitas for dinner and also tossed this pork belly I had been brining into the oven to roast. It came out really good but being pork belly it is rich and fatty. There is lots of vitamin D in it though as the pigs spent all their lives out in the sunshine.

Sunday we got up early and went to the casino - it was bonus points day. We went to the breakfast buffet and then played for a while. I was lucky and won a couple hundred dollars to refill my "mad money" wad. For dinner we went to this cute farm restaurant not too far from the other farm we went to a few weeks ago. This farm was started in the late 1800's and was family run until sold a few years back by a couple who restored the place and turned the house and sheds into a restaurant and bar lounge. Across the field is a giant stone barn they rent out for weddings and events. It was warm outside but we went for a late dinner at 6:30 so it wasn't quite so hot. We were sitting on the porch enjoying a drink and the table next to us had 2 girls about 6 and 7 years old. The girls were remarkably pretty - will be gorgeous when they grow up. But they were running wild all over the property while their mother ignored them. They ran over to the barn and tried to go in. Fortunately the doors were locked so they picked up large stones and were SLAMMING THEM ON THE DOOR LOCKS. Seriously. I could see them clearly as could the parents no doubt. They kept doing this over and over. I was about to call the waitress over when DH said - just don't look at them so I said nothing. They came back and their father apparently saw what they were doing and told them in one of those nicey nicey voices that kids ignore - please don't do that. They shrugged and ran off to make other mischief and came back shortly with the rings from a ring toss game they dropped on the porch. As we were leaving we saw 2 boys who should have known better on the other side of the restaurant damming up a small stream which flowed around the back of the property. This is why I am not keen on kids any more. They do bad things which kids sometimes do but no one watches them, no one is allowed to say anything. Otherwise it was a very tasty and nice dinner - I had grilled salmon on a bed of salad greens and DH had a bison steak. As we were sitting there another couple drove up in a convertible sporty car and were seated across from us. She was thin, dressed in what I call "wealthy shabby chic". She had a summer shift type dress made from lightweight denim that you see in boutiques for $200. She had a lot of jewelry on - necklace, bangle bracelets, rings - all carefully chosen to look casual but you could tell there was a great deal of thought that went into selecting this outfit. She was with her husband who appeared to be a jovial sort of guy. He was yakking away and looking at things and carrying on a conversation most of which she did not respond to although she looked at him. We were in a very picturesque spot, it was a gorgeous day for sitting outside and the restaurant staff was super nice and friendly. A place where you just really enjoyed being. Except for this woman. He ordered a drink. She had ice water. He ordered a cup of their homemade delicious soup (ham and baked potato) as well as a side salad. He was eating away, smiling and talking and obviously enjoying himself. She stared at him, no smile and I saw her mouth moving and realized she was chewing her cheek. As we were getting ready to leave the waitress brought their food out - a big plate of ribs and fixings for him and a salad - no dressing for her. Just a bed of greens with dry chicken - of which she will probably only eat half. And the reason I say this is not being judgemental but it really struck me - here was a wonderful place to be with delicious food and she looked miserable - hangry??? Yes she was a tiny petite size 2 but if starving yourself is what you have to do to be that - how much enjoyment do you miss out on life? No thanks. I tried to make a good choice - but I enjoyed my dinner. I did have a drink - one lemonade with a shot of amaretto, had a nice salad that came with a citrus balsamic dressing - just a tiny cup I dribbled literally on my salad greens. We did try the fruit cobbler for dessert - not worth the calories in my opinion but it was a small portion which was good. Oh well.
After we left we drove around looking for picture opportunities for DH. He was looking for an old outhouse. We found some dilapidated buildings but no outhouse.

Today we are planning on staying home for sure. Last night the bear made a visit and destroyed the feeders on the pole that I told DH to take down 2 weeks ago - I mean take them in at night. He is out looking for replacements. He is then going to mow the lawn and I have a ton of housework and laundry to do. I also need to go through my closets - clean out one of them with clothes I have not worn since I moved here and use that to store my winter coats and warmer clothing because I am totally out of room in my bedroom closet. That will be an ordeal.

I am working at the Senior Center tomorrow. I decided to go in on Tuesdays. They have a new complicated program for the bus scheduling that I will never learn if I occasionally use it so I will spend one day a week there - that is not as aggravating as working at the thrift shop so it will be ok. The hotel I swim at is booked completely for this holiday weekend so no swimming opportunities the early part of the week. I will go again on Thursday and again next Monday.

Ceejay - yikes - seems like the niece has gone off the rails. Sad that she will throw her life away. Has to be hard on your sister too especially with all the other worries. Sounds like you were able to make some good progress on the house. Good for you!

Laura - I can't believe how hot it is down by you. I'd be hiding in the air conditioned house!!! Hope you were able to find a few new pieces of clothing to supplement the work wardrobe. I just bought a bunch of casual stuff from Macy's who was having a good sale. I think I like their stuff better than Penneys - their blouses have been awfully thin with barely any seams sewn into them. Last 2 times I returned the stuff. I'd only shop JCP if I could go in the store. Did you figure out how to process the 3 invoices on the new system? That's kind of how I feel about the new software at the senior center. And my BIL was also complaining about a new system he has to use which eliminated all of their functionality they depend on It's funny you mentioned about the foot surgery not really being much of a fix. I got the same impression from the orthopedic doctor - yes, they can do something but it's probably not going to be that much of a success. So I hope it heals for you even if it's a slow process.

Hello to the rest of you chicks. Hope you are enjoying your weekend. I really should get off the computer before the day is gone.

Things with niece is not good but not as bad as I thought. Sis has put restrictions on her and since I'm involved in getting her to and from work I have to tell her no about stopping at certain places. I had no idea that she was doing that.
It's really sad that she put herself into these situations.
Sis said that there was a pipe that had rust in it causing water to back flow from the a.c.
I've been lazy today. I really want to work on my food intake this week. I've cooked pork chops and carrots in the crockpot today and went to the gym to work out for 35 minutes. Food, however has not been good until I heard from sis about niece.

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Happy
Sounds like you have had a very good week. I would like to visit some of those farms.

OH HO is it Tuesday/Monday...I will be confused all week on which day it is. Having both Friday and Monday confuses me. lol.

It was an ok weekend. Not sure why but was severely depressed on Sunday. It took most of the day yesterday to get in a better frame of mind. I know it is probably because of all the sad anniversaries coming up. Crying off and on mostly. How the heck do I quit thinking about it? I try to remember the great memories of Dad and Michael then I cry because I can no longer do these things with them. Hot mess I am. I try to remember all of those suffering right now. Especially my friend, Karen's hubby, Greg. Genny, Fe my SIL, on and on.

My bro and SIL came over yesterday. I served delish chicken salad made from scratch. Strawberry dessert, made with sweetener and no one even noticed. Served homemade coleslaw and onions/cucumbers slice in vinegar dressing. We watched Peter Rabbit even tho we all went to the movies to see it when it came out. It was a great time.

Did a little bit of scrubbing. My bathroom. Baseboards, behind the toitie, ceiling corners from webs of a cob. What is a cob? Laundry, cooking, and a bit of relaxing in the sun on Sunday. C has been working a lot lately, even the holidays. He has no time off. But does report in during the day<--requirement.

It has been three kinds of hot here. 94-98 degrees. The race was one of the hottest races at the Indy 500. It was 92-95, lots of heat related ailments at the track. The black top track was probably around 115-120 degrees. Way too hot for me. Can't believe I used to go to the track back in the day. I wouldn't go now if I had free tickets and you paid me. No stinkin' way. Too many people and drunks. Not a fan of people.

I get my permanent crown this morning. Yeah! Then I am done until the next cleaning in September. I have to say this is the first dentist that the temporary crown stayed on until the permanent was ready. Both of them. He must use gorilla glue. lol. Anyway I will be glad when that is over.

Not doing personals today. Love and hugs to all.

Good morning ladies,

Hope you all had a nice weekend. I am off shortly to the Senior Center to work the day. It's been beastly hot - in the 90's today also and then we will get some cooling rain and temps tomorrow and Thursday. We are getting the property sprayed for mosquitoes today. They use a natural type of repellant which I am ok with. I told DH NO ROUNDUP on the lawn!!!!

Yesterday for dinner we had the warmed up pork belly and a pasta vegetable salad that DH was hankering for. It was a light meal but full of way too much salt and the scale showed it today. Back to drinking lots of water. We are going to have Italian Beef Sandwiches tonight from stuff I brought back from Chicago. And then I have 3 days of Hello Fresh coming so eating should be more in line with what it needs to be. We stopped at the grocery store last night - the tourists were flooding out of town. Slim pickins for many things but I was able to get the last coffee creamer (Vanilla - DH's favorite) and the fruits and vegetables I needed. Saw sweet corn but not watermelon oddly enough. The temps make it feel light August but it is still only the end of May. Feels out of sorts.

Hope you all have a good day. Will check in later when you guys post back.

Ceejay - best to make a plan if you want to get back on the good eatin' wagon again. Shop for it and stick with it. How did the pork and carrots come out?

Annie typing over my head Ok, I had to look it up. Cob web comes from - Cob, or coppe, is the Old English term for spider. I never thought cob webs came from actual spiders - I thought they formed from dust bunnies or something like that

I'm sorry you were bummed out. Yes for some of us it is harder to lose loved ones in our lives. I still get misty eyed thinking about my beloved MIL who we lost to cancer way back in 1979. And my brother who passed an unbelievable 20 years ago this year. And my dear sweet Daddy. We can't bring them back. Just need to think of them with love and hope that we will see them again one day. I guess when you get misty eyed, you need to go and hug J or R - someone who is still in your life. Losing people is one of the downsides of getting older.

Any way - good luck with the new crown. How nice to be done with the dentist. I have to call today and reschedule my appointment - thanks for the unintended reminder.

Now off to the showers for me. It's great that I can strut into "work" when I feel it rather than when I really should be there.

Just scratched my new knee. It's still a bit numb. 2 years after surgery you'd think it would be all back together again. I guess not. Or maybe he didn't do as good of a job as I thought.

I'm having some pain from the gingivitis this morning and last night. I've been doing what the hygienist told me to. Today I will not be eating or drinking any sugar to see if that is causing the problem.
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Happy
I agree that it takes a lot of planning to eat well. I'm going to have the pork for lunch and dinner. I will be in Branson in the morning till Friday or Saturday. Sis an hubby are going to Moss mt in Arkansas this weekend.

Annie
sorry that you have been feeling depressed. And yeah that the crowns have behaved themselves. hang in there, we are here for you.

Will be back later to see what Shad, Laura, Susie and Dee are doing.

Going to vacuum out the car and then see about getting the oil changed this afternoon.

Afternoon all. Quiet here. I think a lot of people take time off – the office is quiet, and the streets seemed a bit empty when I was outside at lunch time.

Ceejay – I’m sorry your niece has had a setback. I hope she can move on and get on track. == Yum, pork chops. I think we have some in the freezer. Waiting for the gas grill to be repaired before cooking them. Bf ordered some parts for it a while ago but hasn’t gotten to working on it yet. == Your upcoming trip sounds great – I’d sure prefer to look at a pretty garden and not my neglected one… == I hope you figure out the gingivitis thing - did the dentist advise you to brush your gums with baking soda/peroxide?

Happy – Sounds like a nice weekend. == Good for you clearing the vents at bingo so the ac could cool the air. Silly not to keep those clear. Does the heat go through those vents too? I’m surprised this wasn’t an issue sooner. But then again, we don’t typically get these kinds of temps so early in the season. == I ended up ordering a couple tops from JCP. Hope they work out.

Annie – Sorry this is such a hard time for you. Several big holes in your heart that hurt when missing loved ones. == I hope the temporary crown came off without too much trouble and the new one is perfect!

Susie – My prayers to Genny.

Hi Shad, hi Dee.
==
The rest of Sunday and most of Monday were uneventful for me. TV, reading. Laundry. The cable guy came on Saturday and switched us to different equipment. We no longer have landline phone service, but our internet is supposed to be faster and our monthly bill lower. We have to set up all the shows we were recording because we have a new dvr box. My exciting life.

Bf still hasn’t fixed the brakes on my commuter bike. I’m really tired of hearing all the excruciating details, I just want him to buy new ones and get on with it. He’s very biased against my commuter bike (past and present ones) and doesn’t like spending money on it, but in reality, that’s the one I used the most. I pointed this out to him and I think he finally realized he did that. Sigh.

Food wasn’t good for much of the past week and this weekend (which I know because I’m still logging everything). The scale was not happy when I stepped on it yesterday morning. I don’t know if it was up because I’m retaining water from the heat or from whatever weird hormonal cycle I’m going through, or just too many calories in and not enough out. Regardless, I’m going to try to increase my workouts this week and work on my calorie intake. That said, I have a couple personal lunches out this week.

The admin assistant is out of the office this week, so it’ll be boring. But it’s a good opportunity to be more productive too.

That’s about it for me. Let me get this posted.

Wonderful Wednesday to you. I need to get back to being more positive or at least faking it til I make it.

Last night was uneventful. Leftover chicken salad for dinner. Didn't do any laundry. Pretty much lazy.

Will come back for personals.

Hugs.

Annie
It is okay to have a lazy day.

Laura
Thanks for the tip about baking soda a peroxide. It really helped.

Happy
Ouch on the knee. hope it feels better soon.

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Didnt do much last night. Woke up at 6.30 this morning. I heard the cat playing. I'm getting ready to go back to Branson for a couple of days. will be taking the cat if I can corral her.
I did go to the gym yesterday and rode the bike for 30 minutes. Then I did 4 machines for 10 minutes.

The new crown is perfect! Fits like a glove. and oh so pretty gold, matches the other one!

CEEG...glad the gums are feeling better. How well does the cat ride back and forth? or do you cage her? Good job on the exercise.

LAURA...psh on men getting things done. I have hired out the last 3 things at my house. A guy in the neighborhood is pretty handy and always willing to do the work for a few bucks. Very reasonable. Get those brakes done Mister!

HAPPY...hope the owie on the knee is feeling better. H*ll getting old. Is it worth it? Sometimes I wonder. Geez no wonder it was so hot at bingo. Now you will know first thing to go check the vents to see if they are covered before the evening gets away from you.

Hello SHADDIE!

Hi SUSIE...still praying for Genny.

Hello DEE..

Hugs all.

Happy hump day to all of you.

Annie – Yay that the crown fits nicely. Don’t wanna lose that precious metal, haha.

Ceejay – Glad that the baking soda/peroxide worked for you. I worked part time in a dental office during college and saw that recommended. That said…that was a LONG time ago and you should probably check with your own dentist to see what he says about it! == Hope you can corral the cat for your trip to Branson.

Hellos to the rest of you!
==
I’d stayed up too late on Monday night and late yesterday afternoon I hit the wall. Went through the end of the workday and my commute home like a zombie. I skipped exercise and went to bed early.

I woke up with a horrible sore neck this morning. I have no idea why I would've stayed in a position that did that. Weird as it sounds, I have woken up from sleep and found myself with my head turned away from my body. I have a feeling I normally wake up and change positions, but maybe I was just sleeping too deeply last night. Anyway, I didn’t have time in the shower this morning to let hot water hit that area for a while to ease the pain, so it’s still sore.

Bf finally figured out what was going on with the rear brake on my bike. At long last. Now he just has to finish up the front one. He is replacing the cables. I think we’re in for rain today and tomorrow, so being without the bike for the next couple days is no biggie.

Okay, nothing more to say except have a good day and stay out of trouble!

Hello All!

As you know my world has been a bit topsy turvy since last Friday with Genny's health situation. She continues to be in ICU on a vent to help her lungs heal and figure out if this is chemo induced pneumonia and or bacterial. They should start getting the culture info back tomorrow.

I am taking a vacation day tomorrow and going for most of the day so I can see the doctors and such. I'm giving her husband a break so he can go to her work and get things going with the disability and such.

Thank you all for your continued prayers for her.

I did manage to read a book over the long weekend. It felt good to relax with a book. I read a book by Joy Fielding titled The Bad Daughter. It is fiction and kept my interest.

Anne: Nice to hear the crown is now in place and doing well. Sorry to hear that you were dealing with some depression over the holiday weekend. Sometimes when I am out of my routine I can get that way, especially with missing people.

Ceejay: I am glad your teeth are feeling better. Keep working on the food and exercise, it will pay off.

Happy: How many times a week are you doing the pool workout?

Laura: Glad your bike is almost fixed. How is a commuter bike different than other bikes? If it rains and you don't ride the bike, how do you get to the train station.

I wish I could go shopping with you at JC Penny. I love to shop and I like to shop there. I find they have nice tops for work.

Shad: I don't blame you for not climbing the later anymore. I feel ok going up, but down the ladder takes a bit more concentration and a slower pace.

I am writing at lunch time and I need to eat my Weight Watcher Smart One meal....and get back to work.

Ok now my bit of a sore throat has turned into a full fledge cold. Feeling like poo today. Got two more compliance training to finish by June 8. These are very tough ones as I do not use/work with/educated for/or even slightly think about these two. So my day is cut out for me. bleh. Not wanting to even be here today is making it harder.

Last night I fixed crustless pizza for Sam and I. C had the Pot Belly subs that were left over from a noon meeting in the conference room yesterday. They were free for the taking so I did. Even had chocolate chip cookies for C and the boys to go with. Then I just lounged around till about 8:00 and went to bed. Couldn't get to sleep so I laid their til about 10:00 before falling asleep, woke up at midnight, couldn't get back to sleep so went to the couch for further tossing and turning. Needless to say I am very tired this morning. Now that it is very hot out our office is about 63 every day. I freeze and have also started using my space heater again. I call BS.

SUSIE...glad you could relax with a book for a bit. I am not a shopper and do not like it either. Still praying for Genny daily. My list of prayers grows almost daily. My 12 minute commute to work is not long enough for all my prayers. Glad you can be there for Genny and her DH. Hugs to you my friend.

LAURA...glad BF is working on the bike. We have had and are getting the rain from Alberto as you are getting. Sure is hit or miss. Last night I heard one thunder and one lightening then about a 30 second downpour and that was that. Weird. All this weather and especially Hawaii's mess is scary. Sorry you are feeling the achy neck from the strange sleep position. I do that too, especially when I go to the couch.

Hello's to the rest of you! Praying for a better day for all. Hugs

Good morning ladies,

Got about 10 minutes to post then I have to get ready and head over to the pool. Trying to go twice a week. Because of the holiday Monday (and crowds at the hotel) we skipped that day - the girls went Tuesday but I couldn't because I was working at the Senior Center. I saw them for lunch and they said the pool was really nice and warm - I hope it stays that way. It was cold last week but they were probably changing the water out anticipating the weekend crowds. The girls said they drained and refilled the hot tub because there were so many people on the weekend.

First we were in dry drought, now it's rain, rain, rain. We got hail the other day - deck looked like it snowed on it. DH said he might call the insurance company. This is the 3rd hail storm we've had this spring. Weather sure is nuts.

I'm looking forward to being home this weekend. Supposed to be awful rain storms so I can plan on staying home and getting chores done.

Annie - I'm sorry you are sick. I really think summer colds take a bigger toll on us than winter ones do. Drink some tea with lemon and a touch of honey - I know that's not keto but the honey is an antibiotic and will sooth and help your symptoms so for this purpose it's medicinal. Yay on the free subs - it has been a long tradition that we in the office reap the benefits of leftover lunch meetings. We of course liked some places better than others. And at least the food did not go to waste. Glad your dental work is over for now. I hear you on getting old is h**** - I have to admit, I too wonder if it's worth it. A lot. A LOT.

I hear you on running out of time for prayers. My list is getting long too and I usually say mine when I get into bed. I try to put the most needy first because often I will fall asleep before I am completely done.

The horrible drivers have returned to town. Can't believe the number of idiots who are pulling out right in front of you, cutting you off and there is no one behind you so no need to do that. And on top of it we were coming home yesterday and there was a jerk tailing us. There's a cranberry field just off the main road and a creek runs through it. There are many turtles in the creek and sometimes they cross the road. For some reason people love to intentionally aim and smash them. Such was the case last night as there was one easily avoided and the person behind us intentionally ran over and killed the turtle. I wanted DH to stop and I would have gone on a rage but DH knew me well and just said people are a holes now a days. I was sad and angry at the same time.

Susie - I am sad for poor Genny and her struggles. She's in my prayers too and I hope she has the strength to fight this off. You are a good friend to her.

Laura - yarg on arguing with the BF about fixing your bike - sometimes I get really frustrating trying to justify things with DH. Boys and their thinking I hope your neck feels better - I often wind up in wierd sleeping positions - not sure if it's dreaming or what but it can really mess up your day when you're all twisted up!

Ceejay - I hope you can get kitty in her carrier. That is an adventure and they KNOW what's going on well before you try it! Good luck!!!!

Time to go squeeze into my swimsuit. Have a good one.