Cough, cough Choke, splutter. Hard to breathe at the moment with all the bush fires around. I'm told the air in Brisbane is now worse than that in Beijing. Yikes :yikes: Still slight improvement on what we have had and the heroic firies (firemen and volunteer fire fighters) are getting some relief with new crews arriving from New Zealand, Tasmania, and the US. Thanks for sending us help, much appreciated. So far our fires have covered the entire eastern seaboard of Queensland and more in NSW and inland. Apparently 1,100,000 hectares is burning (approx. 2.5 acres to the hectare) which is more than burned in the Amazon. So this is a great loss to the lungs of the earth. They have also consumed several hundred homes and killed 4 people (that we know of) and countless wildlife some of which was critically endangered. And it is not just Queensland and NSW on fire, there are some burning out in the red centre and some in South and Western Australia. Only States not on fire are Victoria and Tasmania and they are getting snow blizzards and storms. Not a pretty situation.

Other than that, the painting goes on. Nearly done in the lounge and then onto the dining room and kitchen - which shouldn't take too long as there is not much wall, mainly windows and cupboards there. It's too hot to work outside so I go out there very early, water the plants and put out the rubbish and then come inside and work in here. Will be nice to get the painting off my list of things to do. It is getting smaller but I keep adding to it as well so that isn't good.

DS2 should be landing in Chicago shortly. Left here for SF yesterday afternoon. He packs like his mother, only more untidy. 11.6kg in his suitcase - which as I said left lots of room for him to buy me some presents. I hope he remembers to get something for little miss S for (that C word which should not be mentioned) and maybe I will need to remind him at some stage.

Annie - good to hear from you. Are you gaining weight because you have gone off the Keto diet. You did so well on that for a long time. I'm not much more than a flabby, fluffy mess either.
Just book something that takes your fancy for the summer break. Lord alone knows that families can never seem to come to a joint decision without derision, dissension, discussion or sulking because that's not where they want to go - but couldn't say where they did want to go.
Glad to hear the sil is doing okay and that C is behaving. Maybe he got a big enough fright to make him behave. :rofl:
Glad to hear the arm is doing okay as well. Seems to always take longer when you get a little older.

Laura - glad to hear the foot is coming along and that you are bearing up with being at home - can get boring when you can't move about too well.
I'm sure the DS will find something to do, just bothers me that he might get mugged for his phone or something, so I have impressed on him about walking down streets and not looking around him and staying alert. He's big enough to look after himself I guess. He has a list of things on his phone he wants to try to get to see. And he will look like the Michelin man getting along with all the layers he will be wearing. Going from 35C (100F) to 3F or whatever it is in Chicago today will be interesting for that hot house boy.
Meantime dog is missing him and is hot and bothered as well.

Happy - sounds like a nice time at the craft show. My friend in Arizona used to do the rounds of them - mind you she had a stall/booth whatever you call it, so she might have made a few dollars as well. Hope the bingo goes well for the restaurant and for the shelter and also for you.
You are doing the right thing about decluttering. A little at a time and get rid of what you have decided you don't need straight away. It will eventually get done and you don't get bored and fussed out over the amount of boxes or shelves still to do. I'm about to start on my pre retirement wardrobe when I get through the painting, and off it will go to the Op shop. I've also a box of computer gear which I can no longer use or need to use, and some books that are in good shape but the boys don't want them and I certainly don't so they are off to the Recycling Shed in the next couple of days.
Painting I don't mind but the prep drives me bonkers. :crazy: Nearly done now. So get all your prep done and I'll be over to paint. Then I can go over to Annies and paint her place and fix the doors etc.

Ceejay - hope the nephew is doing okay now. Does he do AA (alcoholics anonymous)? But at least he admitted to his fault this time and hasn't blamed anyone else - well it didn't sound like it anyway.
How's the hand coming along?

Susie - You are wishing your life away. Winter may be cold and wet but at least it cuts down the breeding of flies and other bugs which annoy the heck out of us.
Glad to see you are painting as well and the house is like mine and in complete disarray. There is only one bathroom here too so we have to take turns when I have visitors. When the bathroom was redone, I had a porta-bathroom in the front yard and it had shower, basin and toilet. Glad that I only needed it for a week - the dash to the loo was something else particularly in the middle of the night.

Okay, that seems about it for the time being, Now I had better get on with the last major wall of the lounge room and get the prep underway. I'd like to have it all done by next weekend. On the 15th, the family will descend for the Christmas feast since many of us will be out of town for the actual day. Hopefully we will be finished with the fires by then and will be able to light the bbq to cook some of the stuff. I haven't counted how many this year yet but it should about 16 or so I guess. Lots of fun.
Oh yes, the cat got an infected tooth and it had to be extracted. Off to the vet with him for the day and $829 later I got him back. He'll be sleepy said the vet. He won't probably want to eat said the vet. He will appreciate water said the vet He will appreciate a calm and peaceful place to sleep said the vet. He shouldn't go outside said the vet. Yeah right. Get him home and he makes straight for the food bowl - nothing there and I get a look that says he is about to ring the RSPCA to claim abuse. I feed him some soupy stuff and strain all the solids out of it so it is liquid and he sups the lot. Then he gives me the look again, so I do another packet which is almost gone before I get the bowl on the floor. Then I get the look again so I give him the fishy solids that I had strained off. That's gone in less than a minute. I give him biscuits, they are gone just as quick. He then curls up on the mat and washes himself. And then bolts out the door into the night and I don't see him again until he lets me know that daylight is coming and he needs more food. The dog is pleased to see him home so they thunder up and down the hallway chasing each other.
Wait until I see that vet on Monday again.

Just thought I would post this. Not a usual sight in suburban gardens.

Good Morning!

Still fighting this freakin cold. My upper lip and nose is likely to crack off. Boo hiss

Shaddie….what an adorable pic of the koala. Samantha is in love with them. The fires are awful in California too. Hard time getting them contained. Then Cali had a school shooting yesterday. Things are just getting worse in the world. Geez by the time you get done painting at your place, then Happy's place and get to mine, I will have a lot longer list of thing for you to do. lol.

Hopefully I will feel much better by tomorrow. My nephew, Eric is paying for a night in the Hilton Garden Inn for a girls weekend for Cindy (his mom), me, Sam and Meghan (a friend of Sams). Eric has to stay one night at a Hilton property to keep his points. He has a massive amount of points so he doesn't want to lose them. He suggested us doing this as he had no need for a Hilton before Dec 31st. Like yeah we will do that. Eric travels for his work a lot. He gets points for company paid hotels, flights, etc. He has been in the last year to Brazil, Russia and many US cities. When he goes to foreign countries his stays are the max for a visa (90 days). That is a lot of points. He typically goes a couple of times to Brazil or Russia. He leaves for Brazil in December for at least 2 days. ANYWAY, we are going to dinner and a movie, stay at the Hilton then do brekkie in the morning. What a nice treat. The only thing Eric asked of me is to make him his own container of my salsa. Wow done!!!

Hello to everyone, healing prayers to all that need them.

Oh and SHADDIE...I am still doing KETO. Just have not been as strict about it. LAZY keto. Feb will 3 years. I am going to knuckle down on it soon. Maybe after all the holidays. Senseless to try now.

Morning
Things it the fan yesterday with nephew. He wasn't going to work, wasn't going to out patient therapy nor to AA meetings, and him staying home was getting next to me. He claimed to be sick on Tuesday but he was drunk and yesterday I told him I was going to go to Branson for a couple of days. He asked if I were afraid I would get sick I said no, it's from your actions. He knew at that point I knew he was drunk. Dah how long did he think he could hide it from me. He made up his mind yesterday afternoon to go back to rehab. He called them and they readmitted him and even bought his plane ticket down there. I took him to the airport, and the were to pick him up.

Well done Ceejay. There is nothing you or anyone else can do for him, he has to want to do it for himself.

Annie - by the time I get my list done, I may well be old and feeble. Not that I am much better than that now. Hope the cold is getting better, take your vitamins and ignore it. Daresay the weather is not doing much for you either.

Okay, well sanding the walls beckons today. I'll have some breakfast first and some more fluids, then tackle the sander, (not using the big sander today, the walls are in pretty good shape surprisingly), Wait for the dust to settle, clean up and mask up the floor and skirting. So tomorrow will be first undercoat, and if I get that on early enough, I can do the 2nd in the afternoon. Then I can do the small amount of work in the dining room and kitchen and the house apart from 2 bedrooms is painted. I haven't painted the two bedrooms because I am going to get some renovations done in there. No point in doing the painting only to have to do some more after the work is done.

It's going to be another hot one. :cry: Sigh

Good Morning!! OK afternoon here now.

Cold is much better this week. At least I can breathe and no sneezing. Still a bit more to go to be completely better. YaHOO

Cindy got a good report at doc yesterday. Still a bit of fluid in one lung but all and all much better.

Our girls weekend was great. Went to eat at TGIF then to see the movie Last Christmas. It was good but kind of sad. We got back to the hotel at 10 pm and went promptly to bed. hahahaha. The continental breakfast at the hotel was delish. Fresh fruit of all kinds including, strawberries, blueberries, cranberries. Oatmeal if you like. Waffles, yogurt, muffins, omelets, coffee, juice and on and on.

Curtis got some shelves built in the laundry room so that should help out with some storage. He did a very nice job.

SHADDIE...wish we had some of your hot and trade you for some of our cold. burr.

CEEG...good for you sticking up for yourself and not being an enabler.

LAURA...how is your recovery coming.

HAPPY...and the teeth?
SUSIE...work?

Chat later ladies.

Nephew is trying to come home. His insurance is not going to pay. Sis told me do not give him money or buy plane ticket for him.

Annie
Glad you enjoyed the girl's night out. I love breakfast buffets.

Hello's to every one else.

Hey everyone. I could have sworn I posted more recently, but I guess not. I had my cast/splint removed last Thursday. Boy is my foot ugly! Bruised, swelling, ugly black stitches. The muscles of that leg have atrophied from a week of not using them and that looks ugly too. I've had some tingling from the healing of a nerve that runs near the incision, and there's some numbness too. The tingling has mostly eased off, waiting for the numbness to go away.

On to personals...

Susie - How did the painting turn out for the kitchen cabinets and the vanity? What colors did you use? I'd love to see before/after photos! I'd like to paint our cabinets, but I'd really rather replace them altogether. The boxes are original to the house, and they were re-faced along with the door and drawer fronts by the original owners. The boxes were refaced with a veneer that's come loose in some spots and even chipped. Every once in a while I glue it. Anyway, I don't think the veneer would look good if it were to be painted.

Annie - Glad to hear your arm is completely healed now, and that your cold is mostly gone. I suppose that's one good thing about me being at home right now - not coming in contact with too many germs! Your girls weekend sounded fun. It was nice of your nephew to give you some points to use for a hotel. Been so long since I've been to the movies! Some good ones are coming out now... For now, I plan to watch "Brittany Runs a Marathon" this weekend - it hits Prime Video on Friday. And of course I'm watching some Hallmark movies...

Shad - I've heard about the wildfires in your country - so sad. How's the painting going - almost done? Having all this time at home, I feel kind of bad about having done zero work on the house in so many years. I suppose the last thing done was the new front door and new garage door a couple years ago (I think). I really want to repaint the LR & DR... the current colors are warm, but now I want light and bright... Hope your son is enjoying his visit to the US. If he's here in Chicago this week, at least the temps are not as extreme as last week. Poor doggy missing his dad.

Happy - Sounds like you had fun at the craft shows. Fudge!! I'm jealous. I hope the bingo goes well at the new locations, and that it's not a ton of work for you because you have your hands full with kitties and cats!! How are your teeth? Bf is having a crown replaced and is currently wearing a temporary. He's being careful with what he eats. I think he's getting the permanent crown later this week. Yeh, my doctor did mention doing some PT after a while. I want to get back to exercise! Yes, I'm getting restless at home. I'll be working at home soon enough though.

Ceejay - I hope your nephew works things out. It's difficult for everyone.

I get my stitches removed next week Tuesday. And I'll get the dr to release me to work from home. It's slowed down at work as it usually does at this time of year, so I think it'll be boring regardless of being at home or at the office. Oh well, that's life.

Okay, that's about it. TTFN!!

Good morning all,


The days have been just FLYING by. The kittens sleep with me for body warmth and tend to wake me around 5:30 or so. Sometimes I can pass them off to DH and get a little extra sleep, sometimes not. Before I know it, it's evening once again and another day wasted it seems.


In short:

- kittens are doing well. Fun but a handful. Not so easy to feed 4 cats 3 different types of food. The kittens will eat anything and everything, the 2 older cats are not that interested in food so it's been a challenge getting everyone taken care of. I am constantly mixing up their names. I guess it's good I didn't have 4 children :lol:

- lots of drama at the Thrift shop between my former partner and the new lady who took over my spot and is doing an excellent job. I have stayed in the loop just so she doesn't get too discouraged. I am moral support. She will be leaving in 2 weeks for 4 months to snowbird and it will be interesting as chaos will reign all over the land!

- I officially quit bingo at the senior center. All they want me to do is call and I don't like calling and because the law requires you to hold the ball in the air, visible to the players - that simple movement for 3 hours really stresses and strains my back. It is ridiculous that I pay $75 a week of my own money to have a therapeutic (and painful) massage to loosen tense muscles and then undo it on Thursdays. I am however going to run bingo January to May at another place for the benefit of the Humane Society. I will be the banker and records keeper so it's a limited chunk of time and no strain on the back. I am doing it as a favor to friends who own the business we are doing it at as well as the Humane Society. I am still on the Board of the Shelter but in a specific role now. DH will help me so that works ok.

- I am muddling along with the teeth. The partial is loose and eating is a challenge. Often I take the teeth out at home as I am afraid of stressing the new crowns. I see the oral surgeon on 12/3 to determine the next steps. I think the extractions are healing well although I am numb along the "mustache line" on my upper jaw. Not sure how long that will last, hope it's not forever. I am eating less but not losing any weight. :(


I can't believe next week is Thanksgiving. This year has gone so quickly. With 3 rambunctious cats, I don't have to worry about decorating or putting a tree up. Will just decorate the mantle and buffet with a few favorite decorations. Won't even do the lights and garland on the stairway because I'm sure that will be far too attractive to bored cats.


Laura - I am glad your surgery went well and you are progressing nicely. Yes, don't pay much attention to your skinnier, hairy leg with the ugly black stitches! You WILL return to normal. You said a piece of the cast was bothering your heel - hope that resolved itself. Sounds like you are getting around well and are not too compromised.


Ceejay - as is the case with any addiction, the person needs to hit point where they are willing to change. That is very often very, very painful for those around them. Stand firm and do not be an enabler. It does not mean that you don't love them but they have to want to change and that is difficult but is doable.


Annie - glad Cindy is recovering nicely. How are you going to use the shelves in the laundry room? We need to re-do ours and I have not come up with a cabinet configuration that I want - DH is getting restless. I can't help it that we have limited cabinet options!!!!


Susie - second me on wanting to see pictures of the new renovations! Did you open your holiday box? If so please share the details...


Shad - thinking of you sweating and painting as I look at the white stuff outside here. Wish we could trade some of nature's elements. Cute picture of R in his pool. He looks happy he has a thoughtful grandma LOL. How did DS like his USA visit so far?


Sorry to be short. I have a hair appointment shortly and need to get presentable. There is only a little bit of snow out there but I am not confident driving in it. Winter... ugh.

Sorry to be mia again, however I am so close to finishing painting walls that I just keep on with that. Sure trim and doors still have to be done but that can now wait until after Christmas. I have lots of other things to do. I have however managed to get all but one C present (there's that word again) so that's not too bad going for me. Usually I'm racing around last minute trying to figure out what to get them. Only buying for the children - 5 at the Christmas lunch and little miss S at Christmas. Family is growing too darn big.
It's still hot and steamy and no sign of rain in sight. NSW had some the other day but it only dampened down the smoke and embers flying in the wind. Fires still burning in many places but mostly now under control. Something over 200 homes lost in Queensland and NSW and only 3 deaths. The firemen and women will only be wishing for a quiet, sleepy Christmas I bet. Fire crews from NZ and USA are here helping out. Big thanks go to them for that. Now if only our politicians could get on with the job as well as they do in the spirit of co-operation and well being. Stupid boring, middle aged, white men who have no idea how the other half live.

Happy - DS2 is enjoying his USA holiday. He has seen a lot of things in Chicago although he says much of it has been shut down for the winter - shops along the river walk and beach etc. But he went to the free zoo and other places and apparently I now have a 'cool grandchild in Chicago'. I'll see if I can attach the photo. There you go. At the bottom of the page. Currently they are in NY.They get home tomorrow.
Its good that you quit the shop and bingo, but this is what happens when volunteers are treated badly. They get up and go and don't have to give notice. Treat them right and they stick around for years.
You will be happy when all the dental work is finished. Such a long procedure. I don't understand how they can get away with a couple of weeks treatment in Thailand or India when it takes months in a western world.

Laura - Healing sound perfectly normal from your last post. Hope it looks a little better now. No doubt gently walks and massage will get rid of the atrophy and bruising will go when it is ready.
Are you working from home now?

Ceejay - hope the nephew is settling down at the detox place now. Of course he wants to come home. Addicts always chose the easiest way out of their problems and that only leads to more addiction. It seems the whole world population seems to be suffering from some form of addiction these days. Don't let him come home. He will never be right, but if he can stick it out he can still live a reasonable life. We are dealing with a terrible case of a mother of two little girls leaving the babies in the car and going inside and topping up on ice (the drug) which sent her to sleep and the babies died of heat exhaustion while locked in the car. Outside temps were in the 30's (90+F) and rising. So the car would have gotten to at least 20C higher than that. Doesn't take long to kill. She's now up on murder charges.

Annie - glad to hear the cold is getting better. Hope you don't give it to the rest of the house and it goes round and round for the entire winter.

Okay, well that's about it. :wave: to Susie. Hope you are feeling better too. I'd better get on with my coffee and then tackle the last of the sanding of walls. Can't wait to put the house back together again and the furniture in place again. Have to admit it has been worth it though, the new colour looks cool and refreshing.

See you.
PS - my 'cool' grandchild could do with some new teeth Happy. Maybe we should direct him/ her to your dentist

Nephew is back among us. He has spent 3 days with me but he needs to go back to mom after the holiday's. His wife is getting ready to move in the new house and he's helping her move things into the garage. They close on the house on December 3. He is under the illusion that he will get to go home when they are in the new house. Don't think the wife is ready for him to do that yet.
Bil started a new chemo treatment Monday which is supposed to be more tolerable. He's been doing better this week. He'll have at least 2 more after this. Then decided what to do next.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Ceejay - hope nephew doesn't relapse now that he is home and figures out he will not be going to the new house just yet. Also hope the BIL shows improvement on the new medication

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

:turkey:

Happy Thanksgiving
:turkey: