Sudokuaholics Anonymous 10

Mamacita, life has just progressed with not a lot happening. I have looked after Laura some weekends and part of school holidays. Played my usual Tuesday lawn bowls. I did manage to be runner up in the club singles championship and I was very excited about that as I have never been much of a sports person.
Rolanda had a trip to the west coast. She stayed with Cynthia in Brisbane and Gail in Melbourne. She stayed with family while in Sydney and we all had we all had Sudoku gatherings to meet her. Great fun. I will have a chat with you one day when you are on Skype.
Bowling in Club Mixed Pairs today (with Hubby).
Laura goes home today and back to school this week now the holidays have finished.

Was not watching the numbers.
'Relive joyous moments to carry you though trying times.'

OHHHH, I like that top June....even if its a second post. Congrats on playing well and coming in as runner-up in the clue's singles championship...quite a feat for someone who's 'not much of a sports person', and you had every right to be excited. The Disney show sounds wonderful and I think it was extra special for you with Laura being chosen to be part of the show as it was for Laura.
Will enjoy chatting when we catch up with each other, but I won't be on Skype for the next couple of days,but anytime after that will be aware when we see one another online.♥

Just got back from rescuing IH. His cousin Don had just had some bulldozing done a couple of days ago, across a gully, to enable vehicles to cross. Since then it's rained and the clay soil was deep mud. IH decided to drive across it today and got stuck in his 4WD truck. On a steep hillside. The mud was really deep. All he could do was borrow Don's truck and drive home to get me to pull him out with my tractor. I had to drive 8 miles each way to do it. But I did pull him out. I was a little annoyed to find out that when I was pulling, he had his truck in neutral so I was not only pulling dead weight, but I was also fighting gravity. It's hard to believe that anybody has so little common sense.

OUIMA, lets see what I have been up to. My sister had shingles, I went out 2 or 3 times to help care for her while her hubby was away building their daughter a house. she had a mild case, but bad enough to encourage me to get the shingles vaccine. I do not want that. Been over a month and still she has the 'ouchie tingles'. She is able to stay alone now, at first was so tired and gorked on pain meds we did not leave her on her own.

I took a fall 2 weeks ago when going to car to leave sister's house. Tiny step up from sidewalk to drive, and I tripped over it. No major damage, just shook everything up a bit.

At last I was notified I am officially on the waiting list for Episcopal Place, the subsidized senior housing I want. Wait time is about 12 months. Unfortunately the time from turning in my application till they got around to approving it, over 4 months, does not count as part of the wait. Slim possibility I could be called earlier, if they need low income residents to balance their ratio, some percentage has to be low income.

I had a huge yard sale, made some cash, sold one of the vehicles and got myself one a bit newer vehicle. I love my 2006 Kia Sedona.

That should have you caught up with me.

Oh Heidi - lucky it wasn't me you had to tow out, I would probably have done the same thing. I just had to get Col to explain it to me! Now I know for future reference - however I am never likely to ever be driving somewhere that I can get bogged!
June, how lovely for Laura to be chosen to be part of the show - it's as if there were some guidance from above.
MizT - I missed the bit about you finally getting notified that you are indeed on the list. It seems a long time to wait but at least you have a time frame.

Mama - my life continues on it's fairly boring routine. The excitement for me in recent months was a wonderful holiday in Tasmania, which may have been before your accident. And then the visit from Rolanda - she stayed with us for 4 days, we tried to show her around what is usually a beautiful part of the world but unfortunately the weather was not good. We did have a Sudoku gathering at my place with all the usual Brissie people - Broni, Vicki, Kerrie (k), Shar, Martha and Katitude - see photo on my page. Otherwise all is well with Col and I and our family.

Greetings friends, a cloudy cool day here, with a thunder shower that popped up a while ago. today was food bank day, not much of interest there. I am thankful for what we do get, but there is less and less each month. I have enough corn to last months and got more. Might better hang on to it, corn may be scarce and high priced if the Midwest does not get major rain soon.

BEAN, sorry whatever it was did not work out for you. better luck next time.

GAIL, I hated painting woodwork also, you are not alone. you are getting it all done, though, good for you. Glad one oat did this last room, that always helps.

BRONI, OUCH, that kicking bed frames sounds painful. I hope foot is much better soon. Do you need to have it checked by doc?? Thanks for the idea of each of us catching Ouima up on our doings while she was away.

Broni, thinking of you and your ouchy this morning xoxo (let's move that bed frame!)

MY MOB AND ME, by Gail, for Mama :)

As you may have picked up Mama, I have become a house painter, luckily only one house, mine, and it's a big job! Whilst the house is nothing grand, it does have seven 'bedrooms' (most are delegated to other uses these days) and three large living areas!
The main reason for so much activity around the house is that we are hosting this years annual outlaws gathering (hubby's family) in October, and as we have lived here for 10 years and done nothing, the house was looking very tired and drab. It's coming up a treat :)
ps I am very well, just had a health check up and apart from my weoght and a few diet issues, I am Aok. Dietary issues are being dealt with and I am slowly and steadily losing weight.

Hubby is well, maintaining his dialysis routine and coping admirably. He has declared he hates painting, so that is why I have taken up that challenge. We have also been hard at work in the garden, so Team ScottGail are on target!

Jed (son) and his gf are status quo, nothing much changes there!
Chloe and her fiance have moved to Darwin, about 3000km away, so he can work with a flight charter company to get his flying hours up so he can become an airline pilot and Chloe transferred with the company she was already working for. Miss her terribly ♥
Beth was recently promoted and is now an Area Manager, overseeing 6 clothing retail shops.
Hannah is doing a one year Art course at trade school and loving it. She has several ideas of which way she would like to continue, possibly fashion designer or interior designer, so we shall see...

And that it it in a large nutshell.

Hi all. Just a quick stop in before bedtime. Went out to dinner with two other families. My niece met as at the restaurant. There were 5 parents, a 21 year old niece, three 15 year old boys and one 11 year old. Noisy, but fun. One set of parents are taking all the boys, including Dylan, for a sleepover in a few weeks. In October, that dad is going to take the three 15 year olds to a college football game about 5 hours away. Andy will take Dylan for a guys night out and the 3 moms will be having a girls night. I can't wait for those two nights.

Hello, Everybody! I think I ran out of time before visiting yesterday. Hopefully I can catch up with reading and commenting before I turn into a pumpkin!

Hooray, Heidi! Your rain post was a perfect TOPP for page 466!

Tami, thanks for the update that Mama's granddaughter will be staying with her for a bit. It puts our minds at ease!

Mama, I can totally understand your overwhelming desire for a shower and shampoo! It's one way to tell when someone is on the road to recovery. Usually someone who is really sick doesn't even think about it. However, it's wise to be sure your granddaughter is nearby and could hear you if you should call for help! Not only do you have fantastic children, it seems your granddaughter is pretty special, as well!

MizT, I hope the bath using Dawn detergent helped put an end to your kitty's fleas!

Tami, I'm so glad you were able to help MizT straighten out the problem with her tiny font size! I wouldn't have had a clue how to fix that!

Heidi, how inconsiderate of IH to leave without telling you when or where he was going or when he would be back. While it must be enjoyable to have him out of the house for a while, does it ever make you nervous, wondering what he's up to?

Bean, I'm so sorry I wasn't here when you needed my fingers and toes crossed. Next time be sure to give us all advanced notice, please! Seems this was just not the right opportunity this time.

Gail, you are inspiring with all the work you're doing in your house. I'm looking forward to photos, especially the cream walls with the navy blue woodwork!

Broni, I hope you didn't break a bone in your foot! Have you iced it? Be sure you're remembering to take care of yourself!

Tami, you got a lot accomplished this morning - eye doctor AND groceries!

Mama, I hope Jazz's oral surgery goes well!

June, Laura and her friend must have been thrilled to be chosen to ride in the 'cup cake' as part of the Disney on Ice show!

June, both posts are appropriate for a TOPP! Thanks! What wonderful advice: 'Relive joyous moments to carry you though trying times.'

Heidi to the rescue again! Seems little common sense is a thread that runs through many posts dealing with IH. It would seem that having a multi-hour soaking rain might be a clue that mud would be deep and impossible to cross. At least he didn't have the parking break set on his vehicle as you pulled!

I'm enjoying the updates, everyone, even though I've been reading all along!

Tami, sounds like a wonderful weekend for everyone! Has a date been chosen?

Update from Illinois: My cello lessons continue, though we've been so busy since summer arrived that it's a struggle to practice more than 7 or 8 hours a week. That's frustrating, since I had been practicing 2 or more hours a day. Also frustrating is that I haven't been able to squeeze in time for water aerobics for a couple weeks; with travel to and from and shower after, it amounts to just over 2 hours per session. Hubby and I

I got long-winded and ran over. Here's the rest:

Hubby and I are continuing our involvement with our wood working club. This year's goal is 1000 pens for the Pens for Troops program. Hubby has made more than 100, and I have made 6 so far. We're on the committee for a 3-day seminar in early August (about 200 attendees and seventeen demonstrators). D#2 and her hubby (1st anniversary coming up in early August) have moved from Texas to Chicago. She had a job, and on Wednesday he signed a contract to teach middle school social studies at a parochial school in Chicago. While they were staying with us and waiting for their furniture to arrive, D#1 and her 3 came for a multi-day stay as well. They had not seen each other since the wedding. I think that pretty well catches you up!

We had an early morning to help with a 3-hour mentoring session for our club, later met with the club president to turn in dues paid at our last meeting and get a check for deposit for the seminar T-shirts. The order will be turned in Monday. Hubby and I (probably me by myself) will fold all of the T-shirts (about 12 dozen will be ordered) in the 2 or 3 days between when they are finished and the seminar starts.

And now, it's pumpkin time and I must get to bed. Sending an abundance of positive thoughts, prayers, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, healing vibes and for everyone! Good Night!

Oh, one more thing. We finally got some rain last night! Woo Hoo!

CynB... The thing is, IH gets his vehicles stuck regularly in areas he shouldn't be driving in, and I've had to tow him out more times than I can count. This isn't the first time I've had to pull a stuck vehicle up that same hill. The last time it was his tractor that was stuck!!!! The time before that was also his tractor, but that time the the front axle and wheels had fallen off, and I had to pull it up to level ground so the repairman could safely work on it. His miserable tractor is just 2WD, so it can't handle mud or steep slopes. Now it can't handle anything. It hasn't run in 3 years. He has gotten trucks stuck fairly often, until he got this truck. I MADE him get a 4WD this time. But now he thinks that it can do more than it can. Regular car tires don't have the traction of brand new tractor tires.

Off to bed. I might feed IH to the dogs tonight if he snores too much.

What a good idea this was to start the ball rolling here for Mama this way.. I have been MIA so much over the last 6 months that I have found it VERY helpful..I will be back to respond in kind later

Finally..I think I am up to date with reading...
Good afternoon everybody..
Thank you all for your commiserations.. distress/disappointment is easing.. takes a lot to keep a good bean down.. and as for a bad bean..tis almost impossible..

Oh Heidi.. shaking my head..
Broni do take care ..please.. glad the bed is moved!
Gail looking forward to that hug..as for all those terrible jokes... LOVE em :)
June how absolutely wonderful that was for Laura.. how special she must have felt. Dousn't make up for the b'day party tears but it all helps balance the harsh reality that is life..
Looking forward to Nola's update..seem to have really lost where she is at with my infrequent visits..
Tami is wicked.. a bit like me.. poor Lachie has to cope with almost 90kgs of dog's when I send therm in to wake him..the funniest sight ever is him doing pushup with the pups helping.. not only does he have to lift his own weight but it is made more difficult because he is laughing at their antics..

So good to read everybody else's posts that I haven't mentioned.
I'm now off to find the pooper scooper.. I think we must feed these dogs too much..if the amount if picking up i do is anything to go by..
Then I am going to get into some goal making.. like you 3 lists Gail - need to flip back and see what those headings where again - with Lachie at school this week I have the opportunity to make some noise and get some work done around here. I work best accompanied by loud music that I can sing along to.. not exactly on the agenda when I'm trying to be quiet, keep the dogs quiet etc during the week so that Lachie can sleep. Good news is he maybe cutting back to just working a 5 day week.. that will give us both a full weekend.. his hours impact on me in many ways as well. First thing I will be doing is jumping on the train and heading up to check out my sisters new house for the weekend.
Love you all..Ciao

Evening all,
Very tired here. The birthday party was a success though. They were very uncomfortable and very cold (as we had told them they would be!!) and had a ball!!! And that's the last time we do that! Dana did it for her 18th, Alie for her 16th - not happening again! The camp site must be 500m from the house, so a km walk to do anything...

I'm scheduled to work tomorrow. Thought I was going to get out of it as it's a pupil free day and I thought maybe he had made a mistake. No such luck.

June, how exciting!! I'm so glad Laura got that excitement to lift her spirits. It made me grin so wide to read about it!

Gail, you are making me look critically at the walls and trim in this house... Stop that girl! No don't, I'm enjoying reading about it all and if it motivates me to do something here, that's not a bad thing.

Tami, your dinner out sounds like fun, but maybe not as much fun as your 2 days coming up... Something to really look forward to!

Mamacita,
The first half of this year was pretty tough for me. First my teenager had a baby and just a few days later my mother called to tell me she had cancer. I took off to Melbourne and was with her when she had the brain tumour removed. We knew that was just a quality of life thing as the cancer was all through her body. All up she lasted less than a month from the phone call. I spent close to 3 weeks of that time visiting her every day.

I thought of you often during that time. More than once I thought 'what would Mama say?' and knew it would be something inspiring and just thinking about you made me feel better.

The good news is that my grandie is doing well and I'm working a lot. Including for the next 2 weeks. Dana starts TAFE - to do the equivalent of finishing high school - next week. That will be tough for her, but worth while..

Isn't it amazing when we look back on our lives that things don't seem so bad...it is life.
Keep the commentaries up my friends I for one am enjoying reading and remembering.
Love and Hugs.

Suzy, so pleased the party was a success. Teenagers do not feel the cold when they are having fun.
Lost the bowls game big time. The other team were just too good.
Got Ken in the garden this afternoon and the crepe myrtles have been pruned.
For the Aussies: Sarah De Bono was singing at our local shopping centre yesterday Laura had seen quite a few episodes of The Voice so I asked her if she wanted to wait and see her. We were three levels above the stage and after less than two minutes Laura (and I)had heard enough. Laura's comment was that it was too loud and she could not understand a word she was singing!

Hugs to you all. I am off to bed.

Good very early morning (for me) to all. Hope all is well in S.A land.
As Broni said, these commentaries are so wonderful. Broni, so glad you started it and everyone has joined in.
Of course certain items make me want to say a word or two.....so, MizT, so sorry about your fall, and glad it wasn't more serious...do be careful. I'm really happy you are on the list for the place you wanted and will keep fingers crossed for an earlier admittance date, but as has been said, you at least have a frame of reference which can prove very helpful.
Gail, you remain one busy lady as is your family....but those cream walls will blue woodwork sound fantastic..can't wait for the photos. You go girl!
Suzy, I'm so sorry that your mom went so quickly,perhaps too quickly for you to wrap your head around it, but am very grateful that God didn't let her linger too long for her sake. Sending you an extra bunch of hugs and kisses to help sustain you as you work through your loss.Without saying, my condolences are included.... you know deep down, that this will pop up to hit you when you least expect it, but just remember that your mum in in God's hands now and in that world,life is good...it's this world we need to work so hard to conquer our problem.
Stay strong,but do take time to morn fully when it comes full force.
Meanwhile, live and enjoy what this world continues to offer, and it sounds as if you are doing that.....and do remember June's beautiful top 'Relive joyous moments to carry you through trying times'. Can't beat that advice with a stick.
Peace and love to all...so glad to be back.♥♥♥♥

It's feels so complete to have you back Mama ♥

Rosemary/Wangaratta's mother passed away today after illness :'( ♥

Sad news, Gail.

I updated Mama on Skype. Briefly, things with IH never change, just the details. I had surgery on my leg... hardware removal... after screws started coming loose and one started coming through the skin. My leg had been very painful for quite a while, and I was hurting so much that I was having to spend time in the wheelchair. My leg healed quickly and it now feels better than it has in 5 years. I'm back to fooling around with the horses again, which is my first love in life.

Well nothing really exciting or sad has happened in my life since you were here last Mama. My youngest daughter has finished university and has now earned herself an BA Honours degree in Religion,philosophy and ethics. She is working nights in a care home at present. We have a new puppy called Pip (after Philip Pirrip in Great Expectations by Dickens. Pip was born on the 200th anniversary of Dickens' birth which is also my daughter's birthday.) Pip is a tricolour Shetland sheep dog.

A very warm sticky morning. My larger AC unit has died, the compressor will not come on today. I need to find out what size this one is and then buy a new one to replace it, oh bother. No way around it though, impossible to stay here with no air. I am just glad I am able to find the purchase price for a new one.

I had planned to go to Joy's house today, we were going to cook dinner together. Not sure if that will happen or not, now. I am waiting on a friend to come over and help me determine the size of this unit. I certainly do not want to buy one that is not large enough.

SUZY, who will be minding the baby (never can spell her name) while Dana is in school? is there a program to provide child care for her?? I hope Dana does well in school, and gets her high school equivalency finished quickly.

BEAN, I can just see you singing along to music as you do your chores, might as well get some enjoyment from it!

Good Morning Mamacita, it is soo good to have you back and joining in the conversations.

JULIE, so happy you got some rain. Hope you get a bit of rest, you are going non stop with all you have planned.

I am off, need to contact Joy, tell her about the change to our plans.

Hugs to eah of you, with extras. till later.

I just got back from doing my good deed for the day. Don was upset because the tractor he bought from me wouldn't start. He was convinced that the battery was dead. So he and Gil drove to town to buy a new battery. All without checking with me. When they tried to start the tractor again, it still showed no life. That's when I interfered. I know that tractor. It's reliable. When it has problems they're almost always due to operator error. So I went over there and discovered that they'd left the PTO gears engaged. I disengaged the PTO and the tractor started up immediately. NO tractor will ever start if the PTO is on. It's a major safety precaution built into all tractors. It's kind of like a riding lawnmower.... it won't start if the mower blades are engaged.

My neighbor George decided to find a home for his chickens... 5 hens and 19 pullets. He needed the space to expand his handyman construction business. So I took them all. I did have the space. They're an assortment of breeds: Barred Rock, Americauna, White Rock, Rhode Island Red and Comets. The pullets should start laying in a month or so. I'm going to have more eggs than I can deal with, which will make the dogs happy.

Nap time. It's still raining on and off outside, so I can't get a whole lot done. And I'm trying to figure out how much of a leak I have in one of my truck tires. I filled it up a little while ago, and in a few hours I'm gonna see how much air it's lost. If it's a goodly amount, I'm going to slime the tire.

Hi all. Sorry that I didn't get here earlier. We left early for hubby's softball game but it started to rain just as we got to the field. After a few minute downpour, they cancelled all games for the day. Field was already too wet to be safe. Came home and have been trying to amuse the kids. It is now clear so they are outside playing basketball. I have a roast in the oven and will roast potatoes later to go with it.

We have just finished our dinner of slow cooked lamb shanks done with red wine and rosemary. If I say so myself they were delicious, the meat dropped off the bone. I made plum crumble with custard to follow. Too stuffed to do much more this evening.

Hi all.

Gee. I have to be reminded about how long you have been gone Mama, to know how far to go back with what has been happening with the family. It must be a few months now since the accident.
Hubby Greg, is off work at the moment because of all the rain.He does casual soil testing.
Son Paul,is train driving during the sugar cane crush,also delayed by the rain.Haven't asked him,but think he is now divorced and they share the 3 boys between them while both working. I caught up with his ex recently and we had a lovely chat and lots of hugs.
Daughter had a scare when baby climbed onto the pool cover when the gate was propped open but all well now.
I finally have a full time nursing job where I have been for the last 17 yrs.Had the usual winter cold.
Judy (sister)still battling cancer and chemo.She had a real down episode but has rallied and enjoying life again. The last lot of treatment hasn't made her anywhere near as sick.The next lot of treatments can be here in Bundaberg and not in Brisbane which makes a huge difference as it is about a 4 hour drive south and away from her animals and lots of family.

All good here.

Today is the 1st of 4 days off in a row.I will look after the baby from lunch time so Renae can do some casual work. Baby has cold sores making her contagious so cannot go to daycare with her.Renae turned 36yrs yesterday,so I called in after work for some birthday cake.Baby (I dont name her as she is fostered)was so grizzly and miserable.She must have about 8 surrounding her mouth. The chocolate cake was all over her face & clothes,and in between eating she would smile then a minute later she is crying.The joys of motherhood.

I cancelled my mammogram appointment a few weeks ago as I couldn't face it.Too much going on with Judy.Will re-schedule now I feel better.Have Dr appointment Thurs for scripts.
Desperately need to get my hair cut and could not get in convenient.

RIP to Rosemary's Mum xxx