Sudokuaholics Anonymous 10

'At Christmas play and make good cheer, for Christmas comes but once a year.'
Thomas Tusser

Two things to get me in the Christmas spirit = a quote and a cute avatar!

That IS a cute avatar, CynB!!!!!

Okay, I'm going christmassy too. This one is thanks to Susan from Queensland...

Just popping in to say hello! I need to be up by about 6:00 to get to the location for blood and platelet donation.

Sending lots of , {{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}, healing vibes, prayers and positive thoughts for everyone!

Are you giving or taking, Julie?

Coffee is ready, help yourself. I guess I need to get into the spirit of the holidays also as Chanukah starts on Saturday. It is early this year.

I need to unload the hay that I moved yesterday, then do some bush hogging before we load up the calves at 1 pm. IH has the demented idea that the cows will love it.

The plan changed and we took the calves down to the sale barn first. On the way back we picked up some horses which were going to Anita's for training. Now I'm gonna rest a little, then feed the hay and bush hog before the rain starts.

It's raining here, Heidi. It has melted all the snow we had. Not Christmas-ey at all!

Well, I've been putzing around long enough. I need to get some work done.

Gekko my friends.
Wonderful weekend at the Ute Muster, Pete won 1st prize in the classic ute competition. It was 45deg on Saturday way too hot and little shade.
Hope you all have a great day.

Congratulate Pete for me, Broni.

The hay is unloaded and fed, and the little bit of bush hogging I had to do is done. I also tagged a newborn heifer calf. She's the 4th late Fall calf born. The main calving doesn't start for 2 1/2 months.

As I finished up, it started to rain outside. Very lightly, but I suspect it will pick up.

I'm back!!!! Tami is here and just got my computer up and running. I will try to stop in and say hi when I have time.

Hi Bobbie! Great to see you back.

Wonderful to see you back Bobbi, can't wait to hear how you have settled in to your new home.

Speaking of home, hubby and I are on our way back home. Just did our first driver change, I piked after only an hour and half, last night was quite late and we set off at 6 this morning.
Just briefly, the wedding was beautiful, but I will fill in details and add photos when I get home.

Love and hugs to you all xo

Greetings friends, dropping in to say here I is hehehe

forget what I have said and what I have not, so skip over if it is repeat news.

Joy came over last night, we had dinner, she picked up some paperwork she needed to get a contract written for sale of my old abode. hope to have that back this week and to buyer, so she can start making her payments first of the year. she also took home either for her use or for storage some things I did not need. Lots of cables and extension cords, speakers and mouses for computers splitters and such, some old phones, forget what all, clearing up room in my storage closet. It is geting full of CHRISTMAS! I did not see need to return boxes of tree and decorations to Joy's only to bring them back first of the year to take it all down, so they are in there. Daughter Tanya is playing SANTA, ordered my gifts on cyber Monday when there was free shipping almost everywhere, I have 4 packages already arived. she said 3 more comming. I am spoiled. Al always made sure I had lots of little presents to open, I loved the excitement of unwrapping, and hunting for the one special gift amongst all the little stuff. Joy and Tanya are doing this for him now, making sure I have gifts to unwrap. I thinks me girls love me

Did I say my tree is up? I still need to get ribbon for the bow on top and streamers that hang down the tree, just have not made a trip out. Too hurty, just cannot shake this hurt. Shoulders have joined back and hops, and just now getting out of bed (yep, napped all afternoon) noticed elbows have joind the party, not fun.

tomorrow, Monday, going for first PT in the pool, if I can manage the long walk to get from parking to pool. Not good planning to have such a walk. Being submerged in really warm water will be good incentive to get me there.

Application to the pool at the health club with request for a 'scholarship' has been faxed, Shannon, the services coordinator did that for me. doc has already sent in his approval.

Tomorrow is payday, I made another month to the end without running out of cash, love when that happens

I have read, but medicated enough that my brain is a seive, and even that is not enough to be comfortable, bummer. So I will go and take another dose and hope for better results this time. Sorry no comments to your posts but I did read them.

OH, must say HI BOBBIE!! We have missed you while you were moving.

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

Morning all!
Hi Bobbi - glad you're finally connected back on the net from your new home.
Tricia - sorry for the 'hurties' - hopefully you can make it to the pool, sound like it would be very therapeutic.
Gail - pleased the wedding went well. You and Scott take care on your trip home.
Broni - congratulations to Pete!! He would have been stoked.
Heidi - glad you got those calves down to the sale barn.
Love and hugs to all!

I'm planning an escapade for June. My mare Sere is due to foal in late May, and I want to breed her back a month later. I've decided on a very special stallion. Cushti Bok (Romany for ''Good Luck'') is the very first Gypsy Vanner ever seen by an American, and the very first Gypsy Vanner stallion imported into the US. In the Gypsy Vanner registry, he's the first one ever listed. He's also considered by the Gypsies to be the finest Gypsy Vanner ever born. His owners/importers have now seen pictures of Sere (and agreed with me that she's gorgeous) and have agreed to breed her to him. And because he's located in Ocala, Florida, and I'll have to drive her all that way, they offered to knock $500.00 off the stud fee. He is located only 12 minutes drive from the home of the friends that I spent Thanksgiving with, so I can stay with them. My traveling companion Anita wants to come along.

http://www.gypsygold.com/thediscovery.html

This is the story of the discovery of the Gypsy Vanner horses, and of Cushti Bok in particular. And yes, I was at Equitanna when the Gypsy Vanners were introduced to the world. That's where I fell in love with them.

Absolutely beautiful horses. How long does it take to drive to Ocala?
Had an awful night on Sat. Received a phone call from the police looking for one of my sons at 2.30am - they found his car abandoned at a local hoon area in the hills near us. An hour later there was banging on our front door but I couldn't answer as I was hooked up to my cycler. My big brave guard dog let the police into our yard and didn't make a sound! Police left a note on the front door. Son helped out at a 1st birthday party in the afternoon and stayed the night so didn't notice his car was missing.I was finally able to contact my son about 10am to tell him his car had been stolen and towed.Still waiting to find out how much damage the little s%^&s did to it. Hope the same happens to these kids when they are older - maybe they will realise how rotten they have been!! Hubby slept through it all - typical. Also just found out my cousin passed away - she was only 49 from 'C' in her eyes. Sadly left 2 young boys. Her mum and brother both passed away a few months ago - a terrible time for her family. Now I've offloaded this, I feel better - sorry.

Oh, no Midge. You don't need all this drama in your life.

FIL update. The oncologist got all of the test results, and there is no sign of the cancer anywhere in his body. Apparently, it was only in that finger so far and by removing the finger, they got it all. This sounds like a weird kind of cancer.

Oh Midge - as Heidi said - too much drama for you.
Sorry to hear about your cousin, and her family, and leaving 2 little boys - that is so not fair!!
About those idiots who stole your son's car - at least it was only the car and they didn't do anything to him! My heart was in my mouth until I read it all. How many of us have worried about the dreaded knock on the door in the middle of the night! Shivers down my spine!

Good Evening, Everyone! I'm going to try to read a page or two and comment tonight! I hope everyone is well!

Thinking of Nola and Judy! It's so great that Judy can be where Nola works, making visits easier and helping Nola feel reassured that Judy is receiving adequate care! Nola, we may not mention it often enough, but you and Judy are often in our thoughts and prayers! {{{{HUGS}}}}

Congratulations to Rolanda and Peter on getting moved into the new house and giving back the keys to the rental! You must be thrilled! I hope many happy memories will be made in your new house.

Brenda, I hope you and hubby have many enjoyable miles of driving with your new/old car.

Tami, I'm glad the court experience was positive!

I'm sorry to hear about the unpleasant extremes of weather some of you have been experiencing.

Heidi, I'm glad you were able to get the calves dewormed and sorted. Anita is a good friend to make her larger trailer available to take the calves to the sale.

Suzy, hurray for being booked to teach nearly up to the summer break! I'm sure the additional income if of help this time of year!

Hubby does the majority of driving, especially anything more than about 20 minutes drive. We both tend to need a stop every couple of hours, which is a good excuse to stretch the legs!

Brenda, I wish Celia's family would step up more and be of help to her! It seems that they're letting things fall back on your shoulders.

Tami, sending prayers, positive thoughts and healing vibes for your cousin Marlane!

Heidi, I'm sorry to hear about your neighbor's passing. It sounds like it was the best thing, but that doesn't make it any less difficult.

June, thinking of your MIL and glad to hear that she has improved. Sending patience for you as you must deal with your SIL.

Hubby has asked that I quit typing, so I'll say good night. Sending the usual thought, prayers, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, etc. Good night.

Quick update - police won't release my son's car as they want to fingerprint and test some of the articles in it. He had his clothes with fake blood on them from the last 'Zombie March' held in Melbourne a few weeks ago......

Quick visit as I'm going out for Xmas dinner with my coffee friends but I just had to share my daily anecdote with you. It should give you a good laugh...

Year 11 Math class: One of the kids joked about not having to do his work because the world was going to end. (I believe he was joking)

I laughed and said, yeah the imaginary planet Nibiru is going to hit us.

One kid indignantly shouted 'How do you know it's imaginary?' He was serious!

I said well, for one thing, if it was real and was going to hit us in a couple of weeks, you and I could see it now. 'What if it's on the other side of the world?' again shouted.

Well the world is turning so are you suggesting that it is chasing around us hiding from us... (Should have just said, well there are people there too, but the forgetting that the world turns just grabbed me)

The kid who started it all is laughing with me...

Then a girl pipes up, 'But what about the Roman calendar ending?'

I said, it's Mayan and you have a calendar on your fridge don't you. Does the world end when it ends? It's the same with the Mayan calendar, it's just the summer solstice, same as our calendars ending in December, their calendar ended on a solstice.

'It's ROMAN!'

It's Mayan m-a-y-a-n.

'Calendars usually have January too'... (like that makes a difference!)

ROMAN!!

So at least 2 of the kids in that class believe the world is going to end in about 2 weeks. Sad really, but their arguments were funny.

I'll have to be late... Oh Midge! The police are going to look very stupid, at least you have that... not much when put into the perspective of all the stuff going on though. I want to cry about the young children... HUGE hugs!!!

Lachlan got the job!!! So proud of him. It may only be McDonalds but that's a start.
He went to the orthodontist on Friday and they want to do $10,000 worth of work on him - teeth that haven't developed properly or growing in the wrong direction - after the initial costs, it will cost them $240 per month for 2 years for braces. He wants to pay half of that from his meagre wage (um, at this stage anyway, whether it lasts, I don't know).

$10,000!! and then a further $2888 in the next 2 years. I'm sorry but that is ridiculous. Are they going to give him a brand new brace every month and is it made out of gold. How are ordinary people supposed to afford those prices.
Two of my kids had braces and it didn't cost me a penny as they were needed and not for 'cosmetic' reasons.

Brenda - yes, it's ridiculous, we have Medicare (Universal Health Care) but nothing for dental, or at least nothing for orthodontist. Karin and her hubby have Private Health Insurance but the amount of dental that it covers is ludicrous. The total cost will be $10K, including the monthly payment - which is probably just the cost of a monthly visit to the Orthodontist!!

Midge, I am pleased you were able to feel better after you had posted here.
I feel for your cousin's family. The young children will cope if they have a loving father and lots of family support. I do hope their grandmother will be there for support. (I lost my daughter last year leaving a daughter almost 6). Please you must take care as you also have many health issues.
Tricia, I do hope the pain goes away. It does sound as if you are going to enjoy Christmas.
Suzy, I do hope you can get a school next year. do you know of any vacancies comming up?
Good on Lachlan getting the job. Sorry about all the work that has to be done on his teeth.
Heidi, you are going to have some beautiful Gypsy Vanner horses. Do you think you will eventually make some money by selling some of them?

I have heard from Nola and she said to say Hi. She is very busy and has to also keep all the extended family up to date with all the news. She has been doing some reading but has not had time to comment. We all understand.
Judy is settled in where Nola works and it means Nola can see that Judy gets her meds before the pain sets in. As Nola knows the Nurses it means that she feels she can trust them to look out for Judy.
on a brighter note it looks as though MIL will be going home with her daughter on Wednesday. SIL has said she does not need help from us and has even said she would take her Mother inher car rather than the ambulance. Not sure how she will get her mother up the stairs but that is her decision!!!

June, I can see another Rolanda's mother's saga coming here. Remember Rolanda's brother and wife decided to take her mum out of hospital/care. It lasted a couple of weeks at the most. I only hope that your MIL is not hurt (I don't mean physically) in this decision.
I lost a long post earlier, not sure what happened but it would have been something I did!
Richard and I went to the cinema yesterday to see Skyfall, we don't go very often but really enjoyed it. Better still I didn't have to cook yesterday as we ate out after the film
((HUGS)) Midge and family you have had a lot to endure lately.
((HUGS)) to everyone no matter what you are going through in life at the moment.

I drove the new/old car today. It's not too bad to drive once you get used to the fact the brakes are not as efficient as modern cars. The heater takes ages to warm up which is a problem at the moment as we are suffering some cold temps. We have insured it so that our son can drive it as he is the only one in the house without access to a vehicle at the moment. Richard will take him out for a test drive soon (mainly to give him a refresher course as he hasn't driven for nearly 3 yrs) Andrew has never driven an automatic before so he will have to get used to that too.

I had one of the best night's sleep that I've had in a loooooooong time. Hit the pillow at midnight and went out like a light until 10:30 am. Usually I'm up several times during the night. I actually feel refreshed!!!

IH is going out of town later today and will be gone until Friday evening. This will be a good week.

Suzy.... Funny story!!! Kids think they know so much, and it's amusing to see the huge gaps in their knowledge. You may have trouble with some of them for the next 8 days.

Hello everyone.
As you can see,I am posting for the first time in ages. I hope you are all coping with the day to day activities of what life holds for you. I do read, and think of you all.
I haven't been to sleep tonight,still worried about Judy.

I have missed birthdays,special events and wish I had more time to visit and reciprocate to comments. Eventually I will get to have a good chat on SA when time permits.

Thanks to Suzy & June for listening to me via email. I know you all have Judy & I in your thoughts.

Nola, you and Judy are always in our thoughts. You have a hard road ahead of you and I wish there was something I could do to help. HUGS.

My daughter had two incidents happen to friends on the weekend. The husband of someone she went to elementary and secondary school with died of a brain aneurism - it was very sudden. D is at the funeral right now. I am waiting to hear from her to see if I need to pick up the grandies after school. The husband would have been about the same age as my daughter (36). How sad.

Another friend she went to secondary school with, her father was seriously injured in a hit and run accident yesterday while walking his dog. Neighbours noticed the dog on its own (which it never was) and went to investigate and found the man lying on the side of the road. No word yet on how he's doing, and no word on locating the vehicle that hit him. There is no excuse for not stopping!!!!

Hi everyone, read all your news and send good thoughts to all who need them. Please add me to that list today - had some very worrying and upsetting news yesterday ...