I didn't get an e-mail! I want a cute kid e-mail!

Glad your hip is doing somewhat better, Willow. And congrats on eating the healthy breakfast and packing the healthy lunch. If you wake up for farting noises, you could never sleep in the same bed as my DH--you'd be awake all the time! What is it with men's digestive tracts?

Sunny, have a great time with Joe. Hope you get to do lots of fun stuff. I've heard lots of good things about the movie--mostly that it's very moving. Glad you're getting some sun finally. You must have taken ours. It seems to have disappeared.

I had my second physical therapy appointment. I'm faithfully doing the exercises, and she's going to do some massage on Friday (yeah!). It's such a pain in the *** drive downtown to get there and back, though. We have to go right through downtown Seattle. We left a little after 4:00 pm, which is a horrible time to try to get out of a city. Luckily, we decided against any major highways because it turns out there were accidents both ways we would have gone.

I've been bugging my Dad to get new shoes for quite a while. He was forced to get new shoes over a year ago because he was wearing bedroom slippers. Because his feet were swollen, we had to get him really big shoes so his feet could fit, but now that he wears compression stockings, his feet are back to normal (more or less) and it looks like he's wearing clown shoes. But he didn't want to spend money to get better fitting shoes. So the foot doctor told him to get velcro sneakers with removable inserts (they're going to put something called a "diabetic insert" in) and a wide "toe box." I don't think he's going to be able to do the velcro, though. You gotta feel for the guy. I think it bothers him that I have to wash his feet, help him with his watch (he can no longer snap it on), and now probably have to put his shoes on for him. At least with slip on shoes, and the extra long shoe horn we got him, he can put his own shoes on now. The doctors office must deal with lots of elderly people because they called me to tell me what they'd written on a note about the shoes in case my Dad forgot to give me the note. He didn't, but he easily could have.

Puss, Charlotte, Bluet, are you guys lurking and not posting? We want to hear from you!

So, .... where the heck is everyone?
I got a couple of notices back that the e-mail I sent was too big for some of the mail boxes. I think Bonnie was one of them. I don't know if Sheila and Puss and the rest got it or not.

That's my daughter-in-law sitting next to him with her arm around him.
Don't you just fall right into those big old brown eyes of his?

Work went pretty well today.
I used my cane, but it just seems so awkward. And it still hurts some whether I use the cane or not. It's very hard to get used to.
I have to work Saturday from 5 AM till 1 PM.

My son is coming down from the Twin Cities tomorrow afternoon and is staying overnight. I haven't seen him since Thanksgiving, so it will be nice.

He is the one who was divorced a year ago.
He has started dating a woman and it sounds like she's pretty nice. I hope so because he was really hurt last time.

I'm surprised that e-mail didn't get to you until this morning, because I sent it last night.
Geez, I didn't think it could mess up your e-mail deliveries. I better not do THAT again.

Well, I'm out of here and off to get my stuff ready for tomorrow.

Enjoy your days with your Joe. Try to stop in once in a while.

Hello to everyone , ( or, ANYONE) ELSE OUT THERE.

You posted while I was posting mine.

I don't know why you wouldn't have gotten the e-mail from me.
Maybe it went into your junk mail because maybe your account didn't recognize it as from someone on your e-mail address book.
Check out your junk mail or spam mail. If it's not there, I can try sending it again.
It's my little grandsons rendition of our local schools' victory song.
Let me know if you get it.

I am not very reliable lately, girls, so sorry. I have tried to post twice here and both times I have had to go and take a phone call! I saved what I had already typed the first time so am just going to test to see if it is still on the saved clipboard..here goes..

The world has gone mad over here! I have got three tulips about to flower - pretty red and yellow ones - before the daffodils!! Only one bunch of daffs is out, the rest are still in closed bud stage, really weird.
SunnyD, I'm glad you are feeling better after being so low, big cheers to The Angel for giddying you up! I know how you feel about not being able to reveal your downers to extended family members - my lot would probably freak out if the chief cheer leader (me) said she was cheesed off. I must admit, they would be justified really because I am usually high or very high (ha ha not in a manic sense, you understand - though my kids may not agree with that statement ha ha). I was not able to view your boys, SunnyD, the site said it was an invalid attachment when I tried.
Sheila - you are one clever missy losing that 'virgin' pound - I call my xmas extras the rogue pounds and I am still in rogue mode. Glad you liked my tale about the chef, it reminded me that the very next day...

Clever old me, it was gone from the clipboard but I remembered I saved it to word though looking at what I had written, I really shouldn't have bothered. Willow, I hope you are feeling a bit better by now. You are a real trooper coping with medical ailments and working the hours you do and still getting involved with home projects and exercise - you put me to shame. SunnyD I hope you are continuing to feel better too, dear. Angel, how's it going you little site cheerleader? Better, I hope. Sheila, I don't envy you paying for a wedding, just hope your DD doesn't want a wedding planner like the one in the film Father of the Bride!! Lovely to hear that dad is still being dad, we love hearing about him.
I have had a busy week after work each evening on the telephone. Mum still every other night but not on a high any more - I am thinking she may have bi-polar or something, so up and down. I told her about my friend who may have lymphoma (she lives near my mum and she knows her) I thought it might make her stop moaning about small ailments (some imaginary, I'm sure) but she had the cheek to say yes, it was bad for my friend but in her own way, she has it just as bad. Words fail me! My friend has been talking with me most nights on the phone (we are 250 miles apart) and she has a lung biopsy tomorrow morning. She is a lovely person and I just hope it's scarring from a previous illness which runs in their family. Also, another dear friend who moved away last year has lost her beloved cat. This friend has no children so her two cats and two dogs are the babies and she is distraught. So, hope you forgive me for being absent this week and if I ever needed proof that my phone never stops in the evening, the frozen veg man and the household supplies man who both come once a month both commented this week that every time they call I answer the door with the phone, ha ha!
Hope everyone is feeling better and enjoying the start of spring - though we had snow flurries today and it is freezing here!
Best wishes to everyone x

Angel - so sorry, I missed your post there with the fabulous graphics. Also, Willow, I could not open your attachment, it tried to download but kept getting stuck. Probably my computer rather than your attachment!
x
PS Am ashamed to say I was persuaded by good friend and swimming partner (before we swallowed the anchor, that is) in work to try the Atkins diet as our tall, skinny boss (who doesn't need to lose an ounce) was on it and was flaunting her baggy trousers such was the huge loss in a week. I went along with it and lasted ONE DAY! Repulsive diet and I still have the grease smear on the roof of my mouth to prove it. This morning I rushed out to the lovely bakery and bought french rolls, low-fat margarine and apricot conserve and stuffed a huge gob-full down said throat...it was heaven!! Anyone else lasted longer than a day? It will be a long time before I eat another piece of cheese, chicken leg, boiled egg or pork chop!!

Oh, I really am losing it!! I thought I checked to see what page we were on here and thought it was page one. I did think to myself that no one has posted for ages and where was everyone for so long and it wasn't until I posted my stuff that it came up with page 3. I had missed all of page two and the posts before mine on page 3. I missed all your news and photos and graphics. So sorry, ladies, I think I need to go to bed because I am in danger of becoming a right moron (or maybe I am just a bit better moron during other times!!) Sorry for not noticing the missing pages and commenting on your new news.

Omigosh, I come to this forum and see a name I haven't seen in quite a while. Fatpuss, welcome back! So your phone is now growing out of your ear--that was amusing to hear that your frozen veggies guy and household supplies guy both commented on it. So do they come to your house to sell you stuff? Wow--I'm moving to England. Please tell me that doctors make housecalls!

Your mother needs a hobby or a boyfriend or something to do. My goodness, I bet you about bit your tongue off when your mother said that she was as bad off as your friend. I'm so sorry about your friend--I'll be praying that it's scar tissue and not cancer.

Tulips before daffodils--the world HAS gone mad! Must be global warming. I've truly never seen that happen anywhere. Are you sure those tulips aren't really mutated daffodils? I hope the snow flurries didn't hurt any of the flowers. We're starting to get cherry trees in bloom as well as the forsythia, camelias, etc. I don't think there will be another frost, but you never can tell.

Ha ha ha! I can just picture you running into the bakery as if your life depended on it. I know I couldn't do Atkins, but a lot of people are having great success. I like my carbs too much.

Charlotte, I wonder what the deal was with your computer. Wasn't it infected not too long ago? I wonder if that did something to it. Even though I'm married to a computer guy and am the mother of a computer guy, this stuff flummoxes me. I'm ashamed to admit when I encounter something strange, I yell for my DH.

(Oh, dang, my Dad just came home and turned the alarm system on while we're sitting back here. What is he doing??? Whew! My DH ran to the box and turned it off before he or the dogs could trigger the motion detector, which sets off the alarm and sounds like an air raid warning. If it ever actually goes off at night when I'm asleep, I'll probably have a heart attack and die and whoever is breaking in will get away with everything anyway.)

Here's my 2 cents on your stepdad's birthday. I like the card idea (you're so thoughtful!), and I think you should write the note, but say on there that you know this is what your Mom would say if she could. That's so unbelievably wonderful and sad that he sits by her bedside and holds her hand for hours each day. I wish everyone could have someone to love them like that.

Well, the wedding is planned for about 60 people. The fiance swears that 40 people will fly to Seattle for his wedding. I don't know if that's true, but that's what we're planning. I set a budget and also told them that if they decided to have a smaller wedding, I would give them the rest in cash (up to my budget amount). They'll have to pay for anything over that amount. Frankly, I wish they'd just do a really small wedding with less than half the people and take the rest of the money and use it for something useful. But I did give them a choice, and I will pay what we can afford (but no more!). And yes, yes, yes, Charlotte, I would love for you to tell me what you did--please, please, please. We do have to plan in advance because both of them are going out on their ships all the time and are out of contact. At some point, my DD gets deployed for six months, and her fiance will, too.

I was so incredibly sore after my physical therapy session. I couldn't believe it because I didn't do that much--very small movements and not many of them. I move much more in aerobics. It must just be the muscles the PT is working with are ones I don't normally use or something. Feel better today than last night.

Hope everyone is having a great Thursday!

Sheila, you brought memories back 20 years with your tale of DD and the alarm. When my kids were very small we had a house where the alarm had a direct link to the local police station and a few times they had raced out when I accidentally set the alarm off (the police stopped doing that service nationwide shortly afterwards, ha ha). One day my elderly in-laws were visiting and just as they were leaving and I was opening the front door for them, my FIL asked what the big red button beside the door was. My 2 year old son gave him a demo by pressing the panic button and almost gave the in-laws a heart attack as the alarm started screaming fit to wake the dead! The police wouldn't accept a telephone call in case you were being held by intruders and forced to phone them to say all was well so I had to wait for the police car to arrive and explain the false alarm.
Yes, we have people selling and delivering door to door in the UK. The frozen veg man is quite a classy supplier - sells all manner of frozen foods and ready meals (think it's a French or Dutch company) and leaves a catalogue for next month's order. He is quite expensive but it's quality stuff. The other man also leaves a little catalogue and his stuff if household cleaning stuff or plastic ware. You get into a situation where you buy a little something even if you don't really need it right then.
I think you are planning the wedding in the right way, DD has a choice now regarding size of wedding or money surplus. Things are different in my house, in my day my father paid for my wedding as I was earning very little (2 years out of school) but when my DD gets wed she will be earing more than me and more than her father (when she starts earning in August she will be on more wages than me). Also, after 5 years of supporting both her and her brother at med school, I think they both know they have depleted most of our savings, ha ha. Keeping three households, four cars + annual car tax, insurance, etc etc etc has not left room for a wedding in the next 5 years!!!! I was looking forward to keeping half my wages come September but now DDs car has been stolen (still no sign of it by police) DH and I decided to buy her a nice, much newer one as a graduation present. SHe is totally adamant she wants to pay us back when she starts earning but it's only a bit on down payment of what she will get when we pop our clogs and I always feel you need money when you are young, not middle aged or eldery.
Must dash to work, best wishes to everyone. May not be able to post tonight as DS is home for weekend and my friend is hoping to be home tonight after her lung biopsy this morning.

Hi, ladies!

Yup, Puss, your kids will be able to afford putting you and your DH up in the honeymoon suite on your next anniversary! I'd expect big birthday presents from them in the future. They're very lucky kids to have had such great support from you and your DH, and it sounds like they know it. I'd forgotten about the stolen car--I'm sorry that the police didn't find it. Getting her a new one is a great graduation present!

I'm praying that the lung biopsy shows nothing wrong. Let us know!

I had another session of physical therapy, although it was mostly a massage. The physical therapist is a pretty good masseuse. I cancelled next week's appointments because I really didn't want to go at 9:00 am (screws up my aerobics schedule), and because I've got enough to work on until my next appointment the middle of March.

We're taking the dogs to the vets tomorrow. It's time for some more bloodwork, and I'm worried about my old dog. Although she's now two meals in a row with no trouble, she isn't wanting to walk more than a block, which is so unlike her. And my other dog has started coughing a lot more. He's also kind of ballooned up, both of which could indicate heart problems. Hopefully, it's nothing. They're both old dogs so I know I can't have them around forever.

We had a couple of sun breaks today, which was nice. My DD called from Virginia after she got back in port. She said when she had liberty at one of the places they went last week, she saw a guy she thought she knew. Turned out it was someone from high school, and then they both bumped into someone else from their high school. Quite the small world.

I lost .4 pounds this week. I knew I couldn't sustain 2+ lb. weight losses for long, but it's kind of disappointing. I'm thankful I didn't gain, though.

SunnyD, I'm interested in hearing how you liked Mel Gibson's new movie. It's become quite the controversy. The last I heard one woman died while watching it. Be careful!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Friday!

This in my morning message from Dr. Weil;

Today's Tip: Plastic's Bad Rap
Plastic has many terrific uses, but as a food protector plastic should be used with caution. DEHA [di-(2-ethylhexyl)adipate], sometimes found in cling wrap, as well as other chemicals commonly found in plastic are potential endocrine disrupters, and can negatively influence hormonal activity. While studies are underway to determine the health risks associated with plastics, it is best to avoid buying foods that come in cling wrap (if you do, transfer them to a different storage container once you get home), and avoid contact between cling wrap and foods that you cover. Never microwave in plastic, and don't let cling wrap come in contact with food while it is being microwaved.

I'm off to work now.

Good Morning SHEILA,

You asked what I thought of the movie "The Passion". Below is what I wrote for the other thread... I hope and pray that I do not offend anyone with my words. You and the others have a Great Weekend - my Joe is home and we have much to do, so I won't be on much (just checking in will be all) till Monday.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Fatpuss...soooo glad to hear from you! Sorry about your friend. Also sorry your mother said that. She just doesn't get it, does she?! I don't know what physical illnesses she may have...but, there's so much in life that she could have, if only she would reach out and grasp it. I don't mean to be down on her. It's just that there are so many people in the world that would like to be able to do as much as she can, & have the caring children that she has.
I got a call from my aunt 2 days ago. (My daddy's sister) She's from Georgia. Has been through several surgeries for cancer...that she hasn't even told me, or my sister about. She was told last week that she will live maybe a year if they do chemo. She told the dr no chemo. She would live the rest of her life with the best quality of life she could. Chemo would only keep her sick. If the Lord wanted her, she was ready to go. Only thing, she wanted us to know. Hasn't complained all this time. Just wanted to tell us, because she loved us. Didn't ask for anything. She DID make the comment that she wished she could watch my TV program I sing on. That she would have been supporting me, by watching etc, if she could get it. I've started taping my programs to send to her....sent her an inspirational poem the next morning. Going to keep them in the mail regular to her. Planning on visiting her this summer.
I guess what I'm saying....we only go around once in life. I want to make the best of what I've got. My body is ill & weak. But, my heart says I've still got a lot to do. I've got a lot of respect for my aunt. No pity wanted....just love.
I didn't mean to write you a book.

Sheila...thanks so much for the advice on the card. You're right, & I'll write it that way.
About the wedding... Find you a wedding director. You may have time in the beginning to direct, but as time gets nearer, you'll be too busy. Then at the wedding itself...you couldn't do it. Directors take a LOT of the work off of you. They can be a friend or relative who won't charge much, if anything. Or may be a professional. (never used professional) I don't know what a professional charges, but, if you can't find anyone else, well worth hiring. Just be sure it's someone who knows how. There's very few families who haven't had SOMEONE who's directed a wedding. They can give you a lot of the advice, also, that you're needing now.
If you don't have much time for talking with your daughter (or, if you do), have her to write down all that she desires....the first choices, second choices, & third choices. She needs to put down EXACTLY how many are going to be in the wedding, itself. Are there any specific songs, etc. At my daughters' weddings, there were friends and relatives who were happy to sing, play the piano, serve at the reception (which we'll get to later) Of course, write down the colors. Don't just have conversation about it...get it on paper! It's almost like a business deal! Mother I TOLD you! NO daughter, you DIDN'T tell me! If it's on paper, in her writing.... It also helps you to remember, you're going to have frustrating days. Have I discouraged you yet? Seriously, I don't mean to. But, you do need to know these things, to make it go smoothly. One other thing...see if there are any special wishes of the groom's family. If it's going to cost much, they need to know they'll pay for it. Mostly, though, it's just a real nice thing to do.
I'll continue later. These things should come first. Oh...do you know where it will be yet? I know I posted it before, but it may be on the posts that I lost. If it's suppose to be near the water....is there a lake, park with water, etc, nearby? These are beautiful places for weddings.

Hello Willow....hope you're feeling well.