Bil has had 2 rounds of radiation and then got to come home Saturday. He goes back sometime this week to start his chemo treatments. prayers and good thoughts are welcome.
Our church has had it 22nd annual bbq Saturday to fund raise for a couple of charities. We raised around 2500.00 dollars. I helped to clean up even though I was not needed. I spent the night with sis and bil. Bil seems to be doing great as can be expected. At least in good spirits.
Ceejay, I am sorry to hear the news about your BIL. He will be in my prayers for healing and beating this cancer. You and the rest of your family are in my prayers as well as I know it is worrisome.
Shad: it sounds like you and your friend are having a great time renovating the bed room.
When I was reading about the group you have joined I felt like a lot of red flags were going up. Are you sure this is where you want to spend your energy volunteering? If you want to volunteer I see you doing it in a more hands on way. You loved renovation and gardening...maybe something in that direction?
Happy to hear the news that your blood work is coming back well....cancer free is the goal.
Anne, Happy and Laura, I am looking forward to hearing updates from you.
My Director is on vacation this week. I am so glad. Our meetings last week confirmed to me that I must get away from this guy and organization. I have found a role that is hiring and I will interview for it this week, it is an informal interview as the postinf isnt closed yet. I am working on the application. I hope in the informal interview to raise their desire to want me in the role. Your prayers are appreciated.
I lost .6 at TOPS on Thursday. As long as I am losing each week I am happy with my progress.
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Good morning ladies,
Quick post for me. Busy week ahead.
Ceejay - I too am very sorry to hear about your BIL's illness. They can do so much now, I hope his treatment is successful. Good thoughts and prayers to the family.
Susie - I'm sorry to hear about work. Is this a new guy that is the problem or are they just pushing too much on you with no support in the end. (You can tell that sometimes and kudos to you for anticipating and reacting to a no win situation). Will put you on the prayer list also for a good outcome. I have to believe you have an amazing reputation so something positive will come your way.
Shad - I was surprised about the volunteering - DIDN'T YOU READ MY COMPLAINTS about said subject matter??? Ok, give it a whirl. And at least say you tried. Something you feel forced into will not be very motivating anyway. But then again, you never know and often we meet some new and interesting people in places we didn't anticipate. Very good news about the cancer markers. I am most happy to hear that. My flower pots are doing well but I don't know about the garden. I have vines but no flowers on my sugar snap peas yet. The cucumbers need a shot of something. It is too cool I think for the bell peppers and tomatoes. We are low 70's during the day and 40's at night. Too cool on their own and too warm to be tarped. I told DH we have to think of something for next year.
Annie - how's the new job working out? Curious minds want to know.
Hello Laura
That's all the time I have for now so I'll post this and come back later tonight. Have a good week ladies.
I am on the recumbent bike this morming. I cant seem to get myself on the treadmill so early in the morning but I do the bike, a lot of times with my eyes closed...wouldn't want to do that on the treadmill. Lol.
I am having a good week as my boss is in vacation. Lol.
I almost have my application done for the role I am posting for. I have to hit apply before 11 pm on Thursday. I want to do it on Wednesday.
Happy: it is the same boss I have had for 3 years. We are in a very passive/aggressive type working relationship. He remins unsupportive of me and does not champion me.
I have read of some Org design that he is planning in July and I dont like the plan or work he has for me. None if it is in line with my goals or sets me up to succeed. I believe he is trying to take me out of the company by limiting my skills and opportunities for learning. It does however give a coworker of mine a great new path. He has wanted her as his assistant the past 3 years and I can see the handwriting on the wall. Time to move to where the manager has an opening and would chose. I hope they chose me. I am working hard on my application and connections to make that happen.
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Good morning ladies,
Kudos to you Susie for looking and anticipating and reacting to what looks like a not so great situation. VERY FRUSTRATING, I have to believe you are one of the hardest working people in the building and yet, someone does not recognize and appreciate it. As you say though, today there is much to be had with schmoozing and after my disaster with the Senior Center, I am still shaking my head that they pushed away talented people they NEEDED in favor of someone who caused trouble with just about EVERYONE but like you have seen they just liked and favored her so contributions and work ethic had no bearing. I do hope that you have much success leaving him in the dust ... I smiled at your comment about the recumbent bike and closing your eyes, I have done that on the treadmill but you have to go slow
Yesterday we went to one of these free dinner seminars. It's about injecting stem cells to repair tissue degeneration - like back and knees. Interesting but frighteningly expensive and of course because it's radical not covered by insurance. My other knee is really starting to give me fits - I don't want to do surgery. And my neck is also giving me a hard time recently. I went to the doctor finally - they gave me steroids (pills) which have done nothing). I have a physical therapy appointment on Thursday - she said my back muscles are stiff which I can accept because I know I am tensing from the pain. It's like sciatica - constant pain but higher up on the back. I do have / or had a pinched disk in my neck from long ago. We drained and refilled the hot tub and I sat with the jet pounding on my back. It felt better at the time but the next morning I was in even worse pain. I think the heat sometimes aggravates the inflammation rather than help it. No offers on the sale of our pontoon boat. It is still early in the season but I wonder if the boat will sit in the showroom when we would have been using it. Can't sell it if no one can see it though... We are having another cool summer it seems. The flowers are doing nicely but with temps in the 40's at night I'm not so sure how happy the vegetables will be. Sunday I stopped at the store and picked up a rotisserie chicken. Made a salad of tomatoes and mozzarella with fresh basil from the herb box. Yum. And did a fresh cucumber salad with dill that was really tasty too. DH said we finally have a flower on the sugar snap peas. The chive blossoms are bursting open now which will attract the bumblebees like mad so there will be plenty to pollinate my plants.
I think my frustration with volunteering and people in general has manifested itself into anxiety and depression of sorts. I find myself at times "going down the rabbit hole" as I call it, just a whoosh of an intensive feeling of claustrophobia or great sadness. I finally decided to discuss it with my doctor who recommended mental health therapy. It took 6 weeks to get an appointment because in our small town there is only one doctor medicare approved. After waiting 6 weeks, they called the morning of the appointment and said she needed to reschedule because she was ill that day. Next appointment in 3 weeks. 3 WEEKS, if I have to wait NINE WEEKS to see someone, I will be better off figuring out how to solve my own problems, wouldn't I? Well we are sorry but... Hung up and got a phone call 15 minutes later - amazingly there are 2 cancellations later that week, would I like one??? So I went open minded but I'm not so sure this will do anything for me. The doctor was nice enough but I am skeptical and not sure that their clinical diagnosis will be a good fit with my issues. I think I need to just walk away from what's bugging me and accept that I don't fit in today's world no matter how much I want to help. As DH says, they don't WANT your help and that is their loss so go have a good life doing what YOU want. I will give it one more appointment to make a final decision. I did walk away from the Senior Center finally. Was doing the newspaper for them but did not get enough articles and interest to put together the next issue. So that was an easy decision to hand off - if the people who get paid aren't interested, then it's certainly not worth my volunteer time to chase and nag them either. On the positive side I did sign up for a 4 week session in beginning watercolor painting that looks fun. There is a yoga study I am going to participate in from the University of Wisconsin to see the effects of yoga and fall prevention / muscle weakness. And there is an 8 week Managing Chronic Pain clinic I am also interested in. This is going to cover the warmer months of summer which does not leave much time for DH and I to travel but with my knee and neck hurting as much as they do right now, I am not interested in hiking trips for photography subjects which is what DH wants to do. Perhaps in the fall as there are still lots of lovely things to see.
And that's about all that's going on in my world. Going to get my hair cut this afternoon and tonight there is a get together for the thrift shop folks. I don't really want to go but I skipped last year's event and my absence was noted and commented on. I was upset and it was the first step of walking away. I feel like I have to go tonight. Will drag DH with me so I have an excuse to not stay.
Hope things are going well for the rest of you lot. Have a good week ahead.
Thank you for all the prayers and positive thoughts.
Bil had his first round of chemotherapy today--5 to 6 hours worth. Sis said that he is resting but did feel a bit nauseousness this afternoon. They gave him something for that but didn't get to the pharmacy to pick it up. One of his friends will do that for him tomorrow.
Will not do personal right now but will later
Lets try again. Bloody internet and cloud whatever is not doing its thing.
This is a photo of a sulphur crested cockatoo eat a mandarin which it has pinched from the tree next door. Normally they come and sit in my big tree, eat a bit of the fruit and then drop them all over the yard. You have to be careful you are not in the line of fire. Enjoy your laugh for the day.
The past few days have been very busy at work. We’re doing a request for proposal for services our department uses. I now have a tall stack of paper/binders related to this RFP on my desk. We had oral presentations from the three finalists over the past three days. A lot of information being presented in a two-hour time period, so we scheduled just one per day to avoid overload. But it still happens… I’m glad this part of the project is done. Now we’ll call their references. That’ll be another time sucker-upper.
Other than that, nothing much going on in my world. At work, the boss is giving the admin grief over working at home due to medical issues. I feel so angry at him for her. The broken record - boss is adamantly against work from home. Admin doesn’t want to be on short term disability (less pay and boring to be at home doing nothing, and she is easily able to work from home – she just has to stay off her feet). He treats everyone well except his own employees. I find his demeanor/attitude very off-putting and it gets my back up when I interact with him – makes me react in a less than desirable manner. I’m not looking forward to having to deal with him when I choose to have this foot surgery.
Ceejay – I’m so sorry to hear about your BILs illness. I hope the treatment is effective. My thoughts are with him.
Susie – Good for you being proactive about your job prospects. I’m in the same boat as you with the boss issue. I watch our internal job postings, but honestly there’s not much that I’m interested in and/or qualified for. It’s not a huge company like your employer where there are certainly more opportunities for movement (assuming this position you’re applying for is at your current company). Enjoy the rest of the Director’s vacation time, LOL. Keep up the good work with the WL!!
Happy – Congrats on acquiring the land next to yours! At times I dream of living in a place set in the middle of a large plot of land where it’s surrounded by nature and I only hear the only the sounds of nature. Yesterday was one of those times – get home from work, settle on the sofa for some relaxation and that’s when there’s someone out there mowing their lawn. Sigh. Anyway, enjoy the extra acreage and being able to keep the hunters out! I first experienced asthma symptoms after a ride on the bike path. Just inhaling all those allergens… I hope your sister feels better now, I know how that is. I’m sorry you’re having all the aches and pains. I think the stress you’re dealing with about the volunteer stuff doesn’t help. I say give the mental health therapy more time. It’ll be worth it if it can help you get past the bad feelings and move on with your life by coming to terms that the volunteering wasn’t working for you or the organizations in spite of giving it your all (and more!!) and it didn’t work out (like your DH said – they don’t want your yelp, it’s their loss). Sounds like you’re really getting to work with focusing on you - watercolor class, yoga study, etc. Good for you!
Shad – Sounds like the reno work is more fun with your SIL. How is the Probus club? I googled it and saw it’s somehow related to the Rotary organization, but was still wondering if it’s for charitable purposes, or is it more for getting retired people like yourself together for social/recreational purposes? Or a mix of both?? Fantastic news on the cancer markers!!! Woohoo! Love the pic of the cockatoo with the mandarin!
Hi Annie, how goes the new job??
Okay, I’m gonna try to get this posted now. We have the summer solstice tomorrow and it’s anything but summery here. More like a mix of San Fran weather (foggy, chilly) and Seattle weather (rain). Anyway, everyone in the Northern Hemisphere enjoy the longest day. Shad, it’s your shortest day – now they’ll get longer.
I've been to the gym. They have new fitness machines. I finally figured things out with out having some one to show me.
Later this afternoon I started in on the brush pile from when I cut back some bushes.. They are going to the curb tomorrow.
My BIL called my sis for her to come home today. I think he's having side effects from the chemo. I really feel for him. He's such a great guy.
Lost a pound at weigh in this morning.
Laura and Susie
Hope things get better at work.
Happy
Wow more land. I know that you will preserve it for the wild life;
Shad
The cockatoo's are funny to watch. Just be careful while outside.
Location: A beautiful and peaceful place in the woods
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Good morning ladies,
Not much going on in my world although been busy. I am doing Physical Therapy twice a week for 3 weeks for my neck and back strain. They said it's weak muscles from poor posture. The guy who evaluated me is a bit of a cocky kid. Forgot to LISTEN and / or CARE. It's annoying. We had our first summer festival of the season this weekend and the massage place did chair massages for a $1 a minute. I got a 15 minute one and it worked wonders to loosen all the tight spots in my back. Was way better than P/T where all they did was give me exercises that made everything hurt more. Medical care sucks lately. After P/T today I am going to the thrift shop to help a friend inventory and unpack an order of our logo clothing. The main person who does this is in Alaska on a cruise and P is by herself and I like her so I will help her with this daunting task. Problem is we are so full at the store there is no room to work. Tomorrow I go back to the dentist who evaluates what's going on in my mouth and what to do next with my 4 front teeth. I have gotten used to the new bite. Now we will see if my front teeth tightened up enough so that they can do crowns instead of implants. I am taking a painting class next week and starting a yoga study and a chronic pain workshop. The gardens look great, weather is finally warming up and we have seen peeks of the momma deer bringing fawns out in the woods. We sold our pontoon boat and that will pay for the land we want to purchase next door. Even if we don't do anything but let the forest grow there, we will still get more out of the land than this boat. Not our wisest purchase...
Hope you are all doing well. Come out of the weeds and chat a bit and let us know how you are doing. Gotta go get ready now.
Ok, give it a whirl. And at least say you tried. Something you feel forced into will not be very motivating anyway. But then again, you never know and often we meet some new and interesting people in places we didn't anticipate. Very good news about the cancer markers. I am most happy to hear that. My flower pots are doing well but I don't know about the garden. I have vines but no flowers on my sugar snap peas yet. The cucumbers need a shot of something. It is too cool I think for the bell peppers and tomatoes. We are low 70's during the day and 40's at night. Too cool on their own and too warm to be tarped. I told DH we have to think of something for next year. 
I do hope that you have much success leaving him in the dust ... I smiled at your comment about the recumbent bike and closing your eyes, I have done that on the treadmill but you have to go slow 
So I went open minded but I'm not so sure this will do anything for me. The doctor was nice enough but I am skeptical and not sure that their clinical diagnosis will be a good fit with my issues. I think I need to just walk away from what's bugging me and accept that I don't fit in today's world no matter how much I want to help. As DH says, they don't WANT your help and that is their loss so go have a good life doing what YOU want. 
I will give it one more appointment to make a final decision. I did walk away from the Senior Center finally. Was doing the newspaper for them but did not get enough articles and interest to put together the next issue. So that was an easy decision to hand off - if the people who get paid aren't interested, then it's certainly not worth my volunteer time to chase and nag them either. On the positive side I did sign up for a 4 week session in beginning watercolor painting that looks fun. There is a yoga study I am going to participate in from the University of Wisconsin to see the effects of yoga and fall prevention / muscle weakness. And there is an 8 week Managing Chronic Pain clinic I am also interested in. This is going to cover the warmer months of summer which does not leave much time for DH and I to travel but with my knee and neck hurting as much as they do right now, I am not interested in hiking trips for photography subjects which is what DH wants to do. Perhaps in the fall as there are still lots of lovely things to see. 
