Good morning whoever might still be around!

Charlotte, I hope all this custody/divorce stuff is cleared up soon, although it will probably always be worrisome when visitation is involved. Hey, did your son find a place for his horse? I hope so. I also hope the stress isn't wreaking havoc on your health.

So, my son called me Friday night to tell me that he'd been pulled over by police in five cop cars who all drew their guns and made him get out of the car. Then they handcuffed him and put him in the back of a squad car. He was there for an hour while they figured out that he hadn't stolen the car he was driving. His car was stolen several weeks ago, but recovered by police who told him that everything was okay and he could take the car. What nobody realized was that the thief (who was caught driving the car) had switched the plates for some reason. So my son was driving around in a car with what turned out to be plates from a stolen car. Once the cops figured that out, they removed the handcuffs and took the license plates. Since you can't drive a car with no plates, my son once again had to tow his car. So far he's spent about $800 on towing and cab rides because someone stole his car. I imagine he'll never get restitution either. He doesn't have full coverage (it's a 1990) so insurance doesn't pay for anything. At least the car is in good shape!

We planted some vegetable seeds and I filled a couple of containers with flowers plus planted some other flowers. I still have a couple of beds to fill, though. On Sunday we looked at open houses, which is something I really love doing. I always pick old houses to look at, but we did go to a new house that was built in an old style. When I have my own house again, I'd really like it to be an older house that needs some updating.

So who has cicadas? Yuck is all I can say!

I'm around, just not much to say recently.

It sounds like everyone is doing well.

I've been cleaning and freezing strawberries and rhubarb. I baby sat a few times in the last week.

My hip is improving. Still painful to walk on, but I'm walking almost normal now. New meds seem to be working.

I go back to work Wednesday.
Stupid Dr caused me to get 2 unexcused absences because she didn't fax a note to work like she said she would.

I was going to start exercising at the new place tonight but my son asked me to babysit. Maybe next week.

I went shopping tonight and got three pairs of capris and 3 tops.

Everybody have a good week.

Fatpuss is back in the house. I have just lost a long post here because my fingernail on little finger must have tapped a wrong key and the whole site just bombed out and lost my message - wahhh! So annoying!
I have been back for five days but this is the first chance I have had to post. Dh and I came down with an awful virus over there, think DH caught it first from someone on the plane going there who was coughing and sneezing all over the show and I caught it a couple of days later. Started with an evil sore throat which went to the chest really quickly. The Spanish doctor didn't like the sound of DHs cough because of his previous heart attacks and took an Xray. All was well there but he was given strong anti-biotics which attacked the bugs in the throat quickly. Because the chemists there give you the prescription back I was able to point to the bit with anti-biotics on it (didn't need the other stuff on it) and dosed myself up a few days later when I caught it. We still have hacking coughs even now so whatever it was, it was vicious ha ha. DD reckons the doc was checking for Legionnaires with DH as Spain is the one country in Europe that the Brits tend to contract it. It didn't spoil the holiday one bit though, thank heavens. We got to visit Granada and the Alhambra Palace (which is supposed to be closing to visitors next year as the experts say visitor numbers are damaging the structure). We also visited Seville (oranges falling off trees in the streets!) and Malaga. It was a last minute cheaper allocation of hotel on arrival and it turned out the hotel was one we stayed in about 12 years ago when our kids were little so bit like home from home for us.
Willow you have had a real hassly time between the doctor and work. Not enough you have medical problems to deal with that you have all that to contend with too. I really don't know how these malingerers manage to stay on benefits for most of their lives when, like you, the only time I go to the doctors I am treated like it's nothing. I doubt if my doctor would recognise me as it's been at least two years since I saw him but I didn't like his attitude when I last saw him. I hope they can sort some way where you can go on long term sick until they know the true extent of how debilitating your hip is (even though you can probably tell them!) How is your head and the shingles now? My dad had that on his back and shoulders and I know they can be excruciatingly painful.
Angel I am so glad your son got shared custody and how sweet was he to consider his wife over Mother's Day in spite of all she has done to him. Sounds like half share could easily become full custody if she messes things up with drugs so it's good news. Good news too that you are getting your house back to normal more now. Did your DS find somewhere for his horse?
Sheila it is so good to see you back here after your op. That must have been so nasty for you and I admire how quickly you were back to the usual routein. The wedding plans are going well, I think that was a brilliant idea to advertise for musicians and getting demo tapes - who would have thought of doing that?? Usually it's left to chance just by booking so well done, lady, I will remember that for the future. As for the gauze left inside your friend, a surgeon my daughter works with had to operate again a few days later on a man who had an instrument left inside for 3 days. He was livid with the theatre nurse whose job it was to count all instuments and swabs that go in and should be checked for coming out but their union is so strong she could not be disciplined even though she has a reputation for being lazy and on this occasion actually left her post and handed over to someone else as she had completed her allotted hours. What a scary episode for your son with the cops and guns. I have seen that on US reality TV progs here and I think I would die of fright if it happened to me. I am still not used to our cops wearing bullet proof vests and carrying machine guns at the airports only. I can't imagine the cops on the streets having guns.
Bluet I hope all is well with you and DDs and look forward to you being back here.
SunnyD I read the last few pages but you seem to be away. I hope you are well and that focussed outlook on the weight loss is still with you. I confess I put on 6lb during the holiday - unlimited food for the taking including full English fried breakfasts and desserts to die for! Hope to behave myself now I am back and haven't had any cake yet. My mother is cheerful right now, I hope it lasts but have a feeling it won't. Never mind, the break from the hour long nightly phone calls was nice.
Hope I haven't forgotten anyone, have a good evening everyone. x

Hello Everyone,
Still running back and forth from here to work to DD's. Tomorrow is two weeks since her surgery. The baby came down with an ear infection yesterday, and was taken to the doctor today. DSI has taken on the responsibility of meal making, homework and getting two older siblings to school. Today everything fell apart at work, our main printer failed and we aren't sure we can get parts for it. Payroll isn't done, nor the payable checks, nor the invoicing. I feel like I am falling apart. I was going to help DD tomorrow, but it looks like I will have to go to work. Take care Shiela, Charlotte, Fatpuss and Willow, I'll get back when I can.

Bluet

Glad to see you all back! Now, if we can get Jacquie here. SunnyD is posting regular on another thread. She may not have enough time for more. Seems to be pretty busy these days. Maybe she can come back soon.

Willow

You had me concerned. I knew you weren't feeling well. Also, your hip problems. What about the trouble with your head....did you decide it was shingles? Seems like that Dr could still send in a statement for you. I know that was so frustrating!

Sheila

That must have been terrible for your son! I can't imagine all those cop cars & guns drawn! I would have had a heart attack! And then, for it to cost him all that money!
Sounds like your garden is getting prettier all the time. I know how you feel about older houses...DH & I feel the same way. But, the remodeling stuff.....NOT!!!

Fatpuss

I missed you! Sorry you & DH were so sick...but, sounds like you had a lovely trip, anyway. Our son still has his horses here, just tied, so they won't get to ours. DH doesn't want any offspring yet. Maybe things will settle down soon, & DS can get him a place of his own with a small pastor.

Bluet

Glad to hear from you. Sounds like you're really being overworked! Take care of yourself the best you can. We're thinking of you.

Jacquie

We Miss YOU!!

Hey, welcome back, Puss! It sounds like you had a wonderful time, although what a bummer about getting sick. Do you both speak Spanish, or did the medical staff speak English? You guys sound like such world travelers that I'm thinking you do speak other languages? Hey, since you are our expert on all things British, what exactly is an English breakfast? And what is a "fry up?" I can visualize Judi Dench's character, Jean Pargeter, in As Time Goes By, telling Lionel she's going to do a "fry up." I'm glad you had a nice break from the phone calls from your mother. Have you planned next year's holiday? Which is your favorite country to visit? The only foreign country I've been to is Canada, which is only a couple hours drive from where I live. I remember one time I was in Victoria and was roaming around the residential area and saw an older woman in tweeds wearing a hat and carrying a cane. I was so enchanted! Just like in the English mysteries.

Willow, are the strawberries and rhubarb from your own garden or a produce market? I'm curious what you do with the rhubarb. My DH is so fussy about food that I haven't had rhubarb in a long time (nor Swiss chard, squash, any kind of greens, etc., etc.). My Mom used to just cook it and put sugar on it. I don't think I've ever had rhubarb pie, but it sounds good to me. Dang--I was hoping that your doctor would have cleared stuff up with your work. I hope that doesn't give them ammunition to terminate you or anything. I'd be ticked off royal. I hope things are going better at work today.

Charlotte, I love that signature graphic. It's so cool the way the pen writes out your name. Where did you get that? About remodeling, the only way I will do remodeling anymore is if we hire someone. I promised my DH that he would never have to build a deck again (that was our second house--a three level deck that an architect friend designed), paint a house (we just painted last year), or add on a room (we did that with the first house we bought). I also said that when we move again, we're going to hire movers to do all the work. When work moved us a couple of times, the movers did everything--that's the only way to go! Of course, that means he's going to have to make a LOT of money!

Back to weight lifting yesterday for the first time since my appendix surgery. My arms are really sore. We also went back to water aerobics, which made my arms even worse, but a "good" worse if you know what I mean. Did I tell you that I had my swimsuit stolen the last time I was at water aerobics? I made sure to keep it with me this time. Swimsuits aren't cheap, and I don't want to have to get another one.

Hope everyone is having a good Wednesday!

Bluet it is so good to see you back here though you sound like you are in the middle of a whirlwind right now with domestics and work problems. I know it is silly telling you to take it steady but we don't want you getting run down and prey to virusus etc. Poor little babe with an ear infection too. Good job SIL is housetrained, I would have had to get someone in if left to my DH to cope - I signed myself out of a Bahrain hospital on the second day after a caesarian section I had that much faith in DH to cope with an 11 month old, ha ha.
Angel, your place with lots of horses reminds me of the High Chapperal TV programme, it sounds idyllic compared to city and town life I have lived. I had to laugh over your DHs comments about not wanting any offspring! It never would have occurred to me that the horses would get up to some hanky panky!
Sheila, the doctors at the clinic in Spain spoke excellent English with US accents! I believe that the staff at the big free hospitals there don't speak English very much.
Despite the travelling I only speak a little French and Dh moderate German. We Brits are bad that way, we expect everyone to speak our language. My DS is reasonable in French and fluent in Spanish - studied it until he was 18 and spent 4 months in Mexico. DD speaks good French and German. Of all the nationalities I admire for multi-linguistic skills I think the Dutch are amazing. Dutch friends say they have to be as no where in the world does anyone else speak their language, ha! "A full English breakfast" as it is called consists of bacon, sausage, fried egg, baked beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, and finished off usually with buttered toast and marmalade (type of bitter jam/jelly from oranges). Heaps of calories and saturated fats, yummy though. I suppose I have seen more countries than the average Brit but only because of DHs job I think. Living in Singapore was a central place for travelling to Thailand, Borneo, Africa, Bali, Indodesia, Malaysia etc. I think Vietnam was my favourite, especially the south which used to be Saigon, the people are lovely and the landscape beautiful. I know the US is a massive county and I suppose you could travel round it for a life time and never cover all of it. I have never been there or to Canada. Today my daughter and her boyfriend booked their holiday to the US. They will fly to Las Vegas early July and hire a car and travel to San Francisco etc. Seems only her boyfriend can drive there as she is under 25 and hire companies insist on being 25. I am trying to persuade her to undertake a drive in wedding whilst there as the thought of going through all the planning that you are doing scares me to bits! Have you tried rhubarb crumble? It's a base of stewed rhubarb with sugar and topped with a mixture of butter rubbed into flour and sugar added and baked in the oven. Served with custard (think I explained custard here before) it's lovely. I didn't know you had started weight lifting as well as the water aerobics, well done. I am doing no exercise now but trying to keep away from the cakes and biscuits. Lost 3lb of the weight from Spain but that took no effort on my part as I didn't have the breakfasts and desserts all laid out for me ready for the taking!
Willow, about the lumps on your head; a colleague at work was telling me today about a mutual friend whose husband's head broke out into lumps the other week. The local doctor checked it out and said it was unlikely to be anything bad and gave him some medicated cream. Cream didn't seem to be doing any good so our friend took her DH to the hospital and the doctor asked if he was under any stress lately (he is) and thinks it is that. No real answers but I thought of you and if it is stress related then you have certainly had enough of that to cover ten heads! Hope you are trying to take it easy.
Jacqui - hope things are going ok for you and look forward to seeing you back here when you can manage it.
SunnyD, if you are reading this, you are missed!

Thank you Puss, it was so kind of you to remember me in your post today and to wish me well. Today was not near as bad as yesterday, but still we are getting further behind at work. Ran all our programs and printed them on plain paper at the other building that has a decrepit printer, that I wouldn't dare to try to print forms on (payroll checks, invoices etc.) The maintenance people ordered an interface from somewhere out east today to be overnighted in. Maintenance people's office is out of South Milwaukee so, I don't plan on having a printer tomorrow, unless he makes it up here late in the day. I typed all the payroll checks by hand this afternoon and the girls typed the invoices, so they could be mailed out. Ran back and forth to get our printouts from the other building (about a mile away) through out the day. Tomorrow we will deal with the accounts payable checks. I had to put the accountant off too, because I can't print any ledgers if I don't have a decent printer.

I won't get to help DD tomorrow either, because I will have to be at work. Just hope she doen't try lifting the baby by herself. DD is not allowed to lift anything over 15 pounds for 5 weeks, and little grandaughter weighs 20 pounds already, she will be eight months old next week. With her ear infection she wants to be held or walked with all the time.

Puss, I glad you had a marvelous time in Spain, sorry about the virus, never fails though. You certainly have been to many countries. I have only been out of the US once when we went to St. Lucia.

Sheila, we will have to see some more of pictures of your garden and yard. Our gardens are just getting started now. I bet it feels good to get back into your excercise routine.

Willow, hope you are feeling better, your new medication sounds like it is helping. Ugh to your doctor, you deserve better. We make a lot of rhubarb custard pies here and sometime combine strawberries with the rhubarb. DH loves rhubarb custard pie.

Charlotte, you are so sweet, thank you for remembering me with a message in your post too. I am glad we can be here for you, and for one another. Prayer is important and all encompassing and I know you do a lot of praying. All will be well. I wish your family happiness and peace.

Well, I gotta go guys, I am over tired and depressed and the best place for me is in bed.

Take care all of you.....

Bluet

Just a quick post today. I'm going to take one of my granddaughters for "just a day" for the two of us. I do that with them, when I can. I try to give them individual attention. Especially the three oldest that live close by. They'll be grown & gone before long. Amber is 11...graduated from 6th grade yesterday. Her sisters, Jessica (12) & Tasha (15) will be next. They had school today.

We're going to get our nails & hair done, eat lunch & do a little shopping! This is something I've done since they were little. They were so close in age, it was hard for me (with back problems) to handle all three...so one at a time. Then, when they got older, we started days out, instead of at my house playing.

My Remicade is starting to wear off. Had a very bad night. I get a treatment next Thursday....I'll just have to hold on until then. I take my Methotrexate shot tonight, so maybe that'll help me.

Bluet...I'm sorry you're depressed & feel bad. I know, only too well, that feeling. Get better.

Willow...Hope your doing better with your job.

I hope all of you have a good day. I'll try to post more tonight....if not, I'll be back tomorrow.

Sheila...You can get your signature at: http://www.quill-signatures.com/quill.html

Fatpuss...My goodness, you've been around! Must be an interesting life. Well, if our horse ranch was on TV....it would be a very miniature pastor with 4 horses. I suppose we could name it "Mini-Chapparel!

Hi, everyone--

Shoot, Bluet, I missed your first post--I'm so sorry! Sounds like you've been incredibly busy and very stressed. I hope you're taking good care of yourself, although if you're overtired and depressed it sounds like you need a break. I hope you can take sometime to yourself and relax soon.

Puss, has your DD been to the U.S. before? Please tell her that summer in San Francisco is cool, and Las Vegas will be burning hot so plan accordingly. People often go to San Francisco in the summer thinking it will be really warm, but the sea causes moisture that makes fog, and more often than not it's cool and foggy. But, hey, anything can happen so who knows? If she decides to come to Seattle, she and her BF are welcome here, and we'd be glad to take them sightseeing. Don't forget that July 4 is our Independence Day (I'm betting you learned about that in school, too. ), although I'm sure all the casinos, and wedding chapels, will be open. Yeah, a nice drive-through Elvis chapel sounds good right about now. Hey, rhubarb crumble sounds yummy.

Charlotte, "just the two of us" day sounds wonderful. You're creating such wonderful memories for those girls. I'm sorry to hear that your medication is wearing off. Chronic pain is such a bear.

My Dad had a colonoscopy done today. Getting ready for it is such a big ordeal, and even worse when you're almost 88. He was so funny when we went to his cubicle at the hospital to get him. He said they hadn't done anything yet. Since we watched them wheel him away, we knew he had, but he just didn't remember it. The nurse said the staff calls the medicine they give "milk of amnesia" and it was so true. We had to show him the pictures of his colon so that he could realize that he actually had the procedure done. On the way home, he saw a restaurant he likes and said he'd like to go there for dinner. My DH and I kind of looked at each other and said, okay, we'll see how you're doing at dinnertime. Dad says, "I'm fine!" Well, it's about dinnertime and I went in to see if he wanted to go out. He doesn't remember saying that, and he's definitely not feeling like going out. Just as we thought. He had two tiny benign polyps removed, but they did discover his muscles are really loose, which is why he's having some problems. Got a prescription for a gentle effective laxative and I'm going to secretly sprinkle his food with Benefiber (doctor said to) so we'll see if that helps. Okay, enough about that!!

Told my daughter today that she needed to start getting on the stick and doing some of the stuff I asked her to do with regard to her wedding. I never wanted to plan a big wedding, my own or hers, and I don't like having to make all the decisions for someone else's wedding. Too much responsibility--what if they don't like it?

My friend with the heart problems is going in on Tuesday to get her second defibrillator implanted. Thanks for all your prayers and good thoughts. She's hoping to feel better soon. She's getting the three-pronged device, which is better than the two-pronged one they originally implanted so maybe the stray gauze was a blessing. The first one that they removed cost $38,000 so I wonder what this one will cost. I wonder if Medicare will collect from the bad surgery team who left in the gauze?!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

A beautiful Sunday evening here. Had a good day with my granddaughter...other than locking my keys in my car! Oh well...we just shopped while waiting for DH bring extra set of keys.

DH had his 55th birthday yesterday! Cooked him a special supper & a coconut cake. It's his favorite....always wanted fresh grated coconut. I'm not able to grate anymore, with my RA hands, but I think he likes the cakes...at least I make the effort. Poor thing, his first cousin died of a heart attack on his birthday yesterday...only 40 something. It was sudden & didn't even make it to the hospital. I felt sorry for DH trying to make a go of his evening after that. Now, we have a wake & a funeral the next 2 days that's a 2 hr drive one way. So, I won't be here for a couple of days.

Sheila

Glad your dad's colonoscopy turned out well. Yes, I've had a couple of them, & the amnesia stuff is amazing! I almost drove DH crazy the last time asking him what time it was when I was waking up. He kept saying 2 minutes later than the last time you asked. The time before that....my neice drove me home, & I asked her to stop at a car dealership on the way home. My DH & I had been looking at a car & considering it....I had the salesman to draw up the papers, bring them to the car, & I signed them! It's been the best car we ever owned!
Keep pushing your daughter. Time for the wedding will be here, before you know it!

Hello Willow, Fatpuss, Bluet, Jacquie...have a great Sunday evening!

Hi, all!

I'm glad you had such a good time, Charlotte. Oh, man, locking your keys in the car--glad your DH was available. That definitely makes things memorable. What all did you end up doing? What a sad thing to happen on your DH's birthday. I'm so sorry. You know, it's kind of weird, but a good friend died on my mother's birthday (which is 9/11 by the way), and my mother died on the birthday of another friend. Makes birthdays rather bittersweet. Coconut cake--yum! You know, I've never had fresh coconut cake. Bet it tastes great, but I think the packages stuff tastes wonderful, too. Ha, ha, ha!! I wonder if you could have returned the car if it was a lemon, saying you were "under the influence" when you signed the papers!

Well, we had a great weekend. On Saturday, we did something we love doing. We went on a tour of 9 gardens in an older area of Seattle. So we got to see the outside of old houses, and we got to wander around people's yards. Wonderful! We talked with these two women who were so creative with their yard. They'd found some cobbler's forms made out of brass (or some metal), and used them as stepping stones in their yard--isn't that clever? Plus they'd set aside a corner of their backyard for a raised bed veggie garden, and they used old water troughs for the beds. Even though it was pouring down rain most of the time, we had such fun. On the way home, we were hoping that it was raining where we live, but it wasn't. Isn't that funny? Pouring down rain in one section of town, and nothing in another.

On Sunday we went to a nursery we hadn't visited before and found a bunch of stuff for the planter "boxes" on the side of our yard, plus I planted some more veggies. I found a dwarf cucumber that I ended up putting in a pot so I could put it in a sunnier area. So if everything works out all right, we'll have tomatoes, radishes, beets, carrots, beans and cucumbers plus some herbs. While we were at another nursery, the owner said something about putting down cardboard to get rid of the lawn area and then covering the cardboard with compost. We'd used newspaper in our front yard, but liked the cardboard idea a lot better. So this morning while we were walking the dog, we noticed that several people had set out cardboard moving boxes to be recycled. After we got home, we took the car and I hopped out and removed the boxes from the recycle (it's garbage/recycle day today) and put them in the trunk. I felt a little weird, but I figure the people were getting rid of the stuff anyway.

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Some weird weather in places--hopefully nobody is affected by it.

Dear friends - just a quickie and I will get back with more tomorrow. Reason I am so exhausted is we adopted a pair of brother kittens aged 10 weeks at the weekend from the cat resucue centre and they have been running riot since they arrived. I swear having two babies within 11 months was easier than this, ha ha. So cute but energetic is not the word. DD leaves tomorrow evening leaving just me at home (DS left for London last night and DH left for a month in Azherbyjahn (?) this morning. I don't think I will need to diet with these two! Tons of fun they are but where they get the energy from for such tiny things I don't know.
I promise to read the mails I have missed and get back tomorrow. Willow, your warning couldn't have come at a better time - my vet warned me about anti freeze and I always wondered how on earth an animal would willingly drink it and now I know; it's logical if it is in cleaning fluid.
x

Dear Bluet, sounds like you are having a living nightmare right now with chaos in the office and your mind in turmoil worrying about your DD with the baby. If your DD is anything like you she will be very sensible and won't go against doctor's orders if only to save you from worrying about her. You can't be everywhere at once and can only attend one thing at a time. If I were to open a business I would poach you from your present company because you sound the most conscientious person I have ever heard of - just ask yourself this question, would your boss be as worried about you and your welfare as you are about his affairs? Please don't get so stressed that it pulls you down, nothing but a terminal diagnosis is worth hitting the deck over, everything else can be solved given time. I believe St Lucia is beautiful, I had a colleague in the 70s who had friends with a villa there and they used to go to visit often. Please consider your self during this hectic time - I know I am only echoing what your family are probably telling you already.
Angel - how prophetic are you posting those two little kitty logos before I got these little brothers? I think it's a wonderful idea you have giving each GD a day to themselves and doing 'glamorous' grown-up type activities. I never had a grandma but I would have loved to have had what you do with the girls. I am sorry that the Remicade is not lasting long again, I don't think people like me without ailments realise how very lucky we are compared to those who live with pain daily. I am such a wuss that I would be a right complainer if I had to put up with pain and discomfort and I know I would not be as cheerful as most you girls on this site. I had to laugh about your tale of buying a car whilst 'under the influence'! Thank heavens the salesman was not a dodgy dealer and the car turned out to be a good one. As for locking the key in the car, I did that with DHs years ago at a drive in carwash place 10 minutes before a potential buyer was due at the house to see it. I had to call out the rescue service we were members of and the chap opened the door via a clothes hanger down the window! How burglar proof was that? I was a little late getting back home but the man wanting to buy it wasn't put off and was pleased I had cleaned it ready for him. My DD would love your place with 4 horses and I think you should re-name it mini Chapperal, brilliant name. Happy belated 55th to your DH, but sad news about his cousin. Goes to show that we should all try to live each day like it is our last I suppose.
Sheila, Dad is wonderful, such a game old boy and what a loving and patient daughter you are with him. I had to smile at him not remembering he had had the procedure etc but I know it must get frustrating for you at times yet you are so caring - evidenced by you and Dhs patiently explaining to him over the fence and shed business. Bless him. I would take it as a great compliment that your DD trusts your good taste in letting you decide things over the wedding because at her age I know i wouldn't have liked my mother's taste. Thanks for the tip about San Francisco being chilly in Summer. My DD has not been to the US before but her boyfriend has and loves it. I told my daughter and she was glad of it. Seems they arrive on the afternoon of the 4th in Vegas so won't be much affected by it I guess. When she told my mother she said "oh, is that wise? Won't there be some anti-British feeling there on that day?" My father always said she remembered things he was supposed to have done wrong for years after but this is rediculous, ha ha. We like Americans in our family, when we were in a resaurant in Vietnam an awful British couple were being really loud (well she was, she was like Lady Muck being terribly, terribly British, my dear) and asking the waiter for something 'typically Hue" (district of Vietnam). The kids and I caught the eye of two men in their early 30s who could hardly contain their laughter and we got chatting to them. They turned out to be a gay couple who ran a restaurant in San Francisco called Peaches and they were really lovely guys. I had to assure them that not all Brits were so nightmareish, ha ha. Sounds like you had a good time garden viewing, I love other people's gardens. Like you I have some veg planted, 3 tomatoes of different variety, one cucumber, some red onions, few lettuce and a bell pepper. All very small scale in my greenhouse and not on your scale.
My DD left this evening to drive back up North and I will miss her. While she was home she washed her and my car, mowed the lawns, did the housework when I was at work and generally fussed round me like an old hen, such a sweet thing and a born doctor. She gets her final results on the 11th next month then she is fully qualified.
The kittens are lovely, they wear themselves and me out but they flop out asleep often while I clear up the messed up magazines, right the ornaments etc before they wake again. Great fun! I thought I would name them Frank and Jesse after the James gang but no one in the family agrees.
Willow I hope you are ok and not in too much pain right now. I thought of you tonight as I mopped the kitchen floor and found one of the kittens messing about with the mop afterwards. Although it was just washing up liquid I took no chances and put the mop out of reach.
SunnyD I know you are really busy right now but just stay well and post when you have the time.
Jacqui I hope you are ok and things are going well for you right now.
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Good afternoon, everyone!

Your kittens sound like such a handful, Puss, and such fun. What colors are they? Have you decided on names yet? I like Frank and Jesse--what did the rest of your family come up with since they didn't like that? Kittens are so much better in pairs, I think. They certainly entertain themselves well. Too well. . . When I lived in Idaho, I used to foster cats and kittens a lot. Every spring, summer and fall we'd have litter after litter of kittens. It was such fun to watch them grow. I'd have to take them back to the shelter at 8 weeks (or when I had my own rescue, I'd adopt them out then after they were neutered). People always would say, I'd want to keep them all, but I'd think, man, you've never had 5 kittens around all at once! Your daughter sounds like a jewel, by the way. Better keep that girl around.

Not much happening here. Our plants are happy because it's been raining all day, a nice drizzle, sometimes a heavier rain. We had a hard workout at water aerobics today. I love the fact that I'm working hard, but not sweating. Plus I get to take a shower there and have them pay for the water. The Y has great water pressure, too, so I just stand under the showerhead, turn it up as hot as I can stand it, and let the water hit my sore muscles. Normally I wouldn't be caught dead naked in a public shower, but most of these women are older, and a lot more saggy than me so I figure if they can do it, so can I.

Hope everyone is enjoying their Wednesday!