Sudokuaholics Anonymous 11

As a single footstep will not make a path on earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind.
To make a deep physical path, so we walk again and again.
To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.
Henry David Thoreau

Midge, I agree with June! You are an inspiration! Roll on transplant list!

Mamacita, great news that Jazz has settled down. That is amazing!

June, your social life is great right now! Especially the bit where you got to see your son.

Heidi, ouch! Sending vibes into the ether that your dentist has a cancellation.

Over the page...

Expensive day today. We did all the party shopping, plus the stuff we need for the week. I suspect we've over catered, but I'd rather that than be short.

I had my shoulder shot. So far I can do more without hurting myself, but my range of movement is still restricted. The guy today told me that for the first 12 hours I'm feeling a local anaesthetic, the steroid won't kick in for 48 hours so there will be a gap in the middle. No physio for a month.

Lowest overnight temp in a while, with very ow humidity. It is our gift from Hurricane or tropical storm author, who just made landfall in North Carolina. It will be cloudy and cooler today.

We have a BBQ lunch today, catered by one of the local BBQ restaurants. they have really good food and the BEST key lime pie, but we get a cookie for desert, not the pie, DRATS!One of the owners of the restaurant had an aunt who was resident here, and they have been very nice to us with reduced prices for our lunch, paid by the residents association.

We have about 3 new residents, I have met two of them. Kirk is the most interesting, he is one of the 'little people', and is confined to a wheel chair. He seems very outgoing and personable, I have enjoyed chatting with him.

Still no rain. I watered in ground flowers with soaker hoses Tuesday. they get water if we go a week with no rain, and it has been about 3 weeks with no appreciable rain here. It is easy to water now, except for the new flower bed at the alley. I have to run 2 hoses to get water back there, one that belongs to the maintenance dept and my light weight, shrinks when empty hose. So that makes it much easier. That 75 foot hose will fit into a shopping bag and I can lift it with one finger, that light weight OH, the cleome are growing, I need to transplant some of them where they came up thick, to a spot where none came up. Perhaps late this afternoon when it is shady there.

OK, back to bed for me, it is too early to stay up, but I did get to open my windows for a few minuets to get some fresh air, unusual for July. also unusual for July, I still have pansies blooming! A couple of the containers looking a bit ragged, I should pull those up and replant with the begonias I have for that. I just want to see how long they will continue to bloom, this is most unusual.

HEIDI, ouch with your tooth, I hope you do not have to wait too long for an appointment.

Suzy, I am like you, I had rather have too much food on hand for a party than not enough. You can always freeze leftovers for another day. Hope the party is a great success, and you be careful with your shoulder while it is numb, and do not over do activity.

JUNE, nice TOPP today.

I read one page back, but have forgotten what I read. If I try to go back I will loose this, so know I did read your post even if I did not comment.

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

I hope all the topsiders have a marvelous 4th of July.
I'm going to my friend Donna's family's party, where I go every year. At least we've all gotten too ''old'' to play volleyball all day. It had gotten to be a rough game. Every year, somebody broke a bone. I broke my ankle playing there in '99. That was the injury that started my weight gain. I made the mistake of quitting smoking while laid up, a day or 2 after the accident. Then my thyroid joined in and quit on me. I gained about 100 pounds in a few short months, and have been unable to lose a single pound since then. What lesson did I learn? I still occasionally play volleyball. I NEVER recommend that anyone quits smoking unless in the peak of health.

Today has been a day of mixed feelings...I touched on it in my status comments on the other site. The 4th of July is a big, well celebrated holiday here, but was the holiday was the least favorite holiday for me. I have never really thought about it much as to why this day didn't sit well with me, but this morning I was reading some articles about the holiday on facebook and came across a speech given by Frederick Douglass in 1852 about the Meaning of July 4th for The Negro. I had read or been exposed to this speech while in school but had little memory of it, but decided to do so today....and ended up with my socks knocked off, to say the least. It sent chills up my spine to see so many similarities in the world today. Yes, I can acknowledge gladly the many changes that have brought about improvement, but the stunning part for me is that here in the U.S.A, I see so many trying to take us backwards to the dark days that we fought so hard to leave behind. This is not just happening here, but around the world, and as we 'celebrate our freedom', many are being imprisoned on trumped up charges. Inequality is rampant and women are far too often still being treated as second class citizens...my heart is heavy! At the conclusion of the speech, a ray of hope was given in the form of a poem written by Wm. Lloyd Garrison. I will not add it here, but will recommend any who may be interested to check out the speech and the poem. You may understand a bit more about me. Peace

Amen, Mamacita.

Popping in to let you know our schedules are getting back to something approaching normal, and I hope to be able to drop by daily.

Sending lots of , positive thoughts, prayers, healing vibes, and {{{{{HUGS & JUGS}}}}} for each of you!

It's very loud here right now. Alie's 18th party. Tents have been erected to prevent drink driving. 18 is the legal drinking age here.

Hi everyone.
Suzy. I hope Alie and the guests had a great time at the party.Seeing the different names for produce in other countries was interesting. How did the injection work out?
Mama, that was quite a speech.Mankind has a lot to be ashamed of and probably all countries are guilty of dreadful treatment towards each other. Thanks for posting it.
Julie, it will be a welcome change for you,to have some 'Me time' and to visit here more often.
Heidi, I feel so sorry for you having dental problems again.If its not one thing, its another.Hope you can get it sorted quickly.
June,you are such a hands on Grandmother.Laura is very lucky to have you both to take her to all these places and events.I hope your pain is also under control.
MizT, the garden must be beautiful with all the time and effort you put in almost daily. We have finished mulching the biggest part of ours and it looks quite good. Things will be slow to grow though in winter,except for the flowers in pots, and of course the roses that I pruned. New shoots are everywhere.
I had a concern with chest pain yesterday and spent the day in Accident/Emergency. All good now. Better to be safe than sorry. All tests came back alright but I have to have an electrocardiogram and stress test to be sure. They let me go after BP came down and the pain was gone. It could have been angina or reflux. Greg went home while I had the tests and Sonny (dog) was most upset when my car arrived home and I didn't. Greg said that he cried at the door for ages while waiting for me.
Has anyone heard how Cyn is?
I am off to a warehouse this morning that is closing down, in the hope of picking up a few bargains for the garden. Pots,more solar lights etc, so I had better get moving.
Take care!

A bit of excitement here this afternoon. A tradesman tried taking his truck with ladder racks on top under our parking area, the one under the second apartment building. His ladder caught the sign telling him clearance and ceiling tiles started falling from the ceiling onto parked cars. He got out of truck and looked over situation, got back inside and tried again. More scraping and groaning as more tiles came down. He got out again and looked at it, got in and tried to back up this time, again caught ceiling tiles that came down. Two autos were damaged, one having it's windshield broken, plus the damage to the ceiling of the building. Police have been here for over an hour writing up damage reports and someone was taking photos of the damage. The driver's supervisor came out also, both those trucks still here, but the driver is not in evidence. I would say he probably lost his job today. Police have at last left, our director has left, things back to almost normal now. You can never tell what will happen around here.

That does sound like it was fun to watch, MizT... especially if your car wasn't involved. That driver deserves to be fired. It's not that hard to turn around back there and head out the other way, that doesn't have an overpass.

I've been moving hay today, and stacking it in barns. I finally quit for the day since the A/C in the tractor cab wasn't working... and it's about 90˚F today. I've been cooling off in the house for a bit, then I'll work on mowing the back yard lawn.

Morning everyone.
I know it has been forever since I was last here
Winter has definitely 'settled in' here in Perth.
WET, WET or WET! supposed to be a storm heading our way (again) today.

Sunny here and about 18*c. I have just mulched around the primulas and watered the garden.
It was cool this morning so we all slept in. Laura did not get up till about 10.30am.

Rolanda, try to stay dry. I hope the rain is falling in the catchment areas, so it will be available come summer.

June, it sounds like you got a lot done in the garden. How old is Laura now? is she getting that preteen 'sleep in' age? All my girls went through that, was so hard to get them up and going during that stage.

Heidi, what was so amusing to me was he kept doing the same thing over and over and was surprised it always had the same outcome. No, my car was nowhere near, all the way across parking lot, against the garden wall. It was difficult finding the people whose cars were involved, because no one was in the office to look up recorded tag numbers. It sort of went by word of mouth, OH, that is Ed's car, and that one is Pat's, until they got the owners of all the cars involved.

I kept wanting to tell him, when he was only half way in the garage opening, let the air out of your tires and back out. That would have given him a couple inches less height, to get back out. but I figured he was not going to listen to me, so I just watched.

Several people called the after hours emergency number, the answering service, and she kept telling us she had left a message for Tim. Wrong Tim, we needed the director, not maintenance, but it was maintenance who at last notified the director and got him out here. Answering service is not worth much, all they ever do is call maintenance, no matter what you tell them.

I have not got much done today, It was overcast, and warm. I did not even go outside today. I washed out a few tops and capris, have them hanging to dry in bathroom. I find it easier to wash a few things in the sink than to go to the laundry. I cooked pork chops with carrots and those were very good for my dinner. Finished a book I just could not stay with lately, so perhaps the next one will be better. I kept finding myself back in bed, I napped the afternoon away. You would think I should catch up on sleep one day, but I am very sleepy now and it is only 9 pm, early for me usually. but I am going to call it a night.

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

Gooday Rolanda. I was only thinking of you yesterday. We could do with a bit of your rain!

Hi, Everyone! Sorry I can't stay, read & comment! Life is busy, but good.

Prayers, {{{{{HUGS & JUGS}}}}}, positive thoughts, , and healing vibes for all!

Well I'm shattered. The shot didn't work.

The party was good.

My brain isn't working, I'll try to comment later.

Suzy,,what a real disappointment for you and what happens next. Back to the Dr I presume.
Best wishes that you can get some treatment that helps.
I am glad that the party was good.It would have been a tad cold outside but the younger ones may not have noticed while having a great time.
Hi Julie, its good that all is fine.

Not all shots work as advertised, Suzy. Sometimes they don't hit the exact millimeter that needs it, and sometimes we don't rest as much as we should afterwards. I really sympathize with you.
I didn't get the rest I needed after my last shot, and I'm now at an 8.5 on a 1-10 scale. Moving hay across a bumpy field yesterday was the worst thing I could do. I spent most of the night at a 9, and pain pills did nothing. So I'm heading back to bed.

Same old, same old here. I went to the eye surgeon this morning and I am now on the waiting list for cataract surgery. I jokingly said maybe my right eye would be done by Christmas and he said, 'You never know.' I guess it's a question of hurry up and wait. I really wouldn't mind being able to see without this constant blur, and without the headaches.

The kittens are now almost two weeks old and so adorable. I have posted pictures on the other site, and hope to post more soon.

Theresa, I missed the photos of the kitties on TOS, I must try to find them. How many are there? Kittens are always so cute. Good luck with your cataract surgery, I hope you are not waiting for too long.

Sooner or later I must have cataract surgery also. I am not looking forward to it at all. Last November the eye doc said I would barely qualify for the surgery, so I have some time before it is absolute necessity. First I have to get used to the idea.

The veggie man and Lisa both came today with veggies. Lisa is set up to accept government issued coupons as a grower/seller, but only a limited selection. today I got tomatoes and bell peppers from her. She does not grow any fruit, so went to the veggie man's truck and bought grapes and peaches, bananas and pears. I should have enough to last a while, what with the squash and green beans I got last week. Dinner tonight was steamed green beans, carrots and pork chops, with lemon ricotta pudding for desert and a huge glass of half tea, half lemonaide, it was all yummy.

HEIDI, how long till your next epidural pain block? I hope it is not long. I can only imagine what that bumpy ride on the tractor did to your back. I hope some bed rest will get the pain down to a dull roar at least. Huge gentle hugs coming your way.

Suzy, I hope the doc can find some treatment that will help your shoulder. Boy this group is falling apart. We need to start our own day care with massage therapists and other good treatments to get us all to our best. Hope you are feeling some better today.

Nola, good to see you drop in for a visit. Hope all is going well in your corner of the world.

I am off to wash up my supper dishes and then take bedtime meds. Then if I fall asleep watching TV, it will not matter. Hugs to each of you, with extras.

Just dropping by to say Hello and hope everyone is well or getting better! Busy days and nights here.

{{{{{HUGS}}}}}, prayers, , positive thoughts, and healing vibes for all!

Thinking of you Heidi and hope you get some relief in bed if you can sleep.
Hi Julie, thought your schedule was less busy LOL
Theresa, hope you dont have to wait too long for the cataract surgery. Can you put pix here of the kittens for those who aren't on TOS? Would love to see them.

Nola, I don't know how to post pics here, but when I get a chance I will try. There are 6, 4 orange, 1 black and white and 1 black. they are 2 weeks old today. Two of the orange ones have extra toes. I don't know if I mentioned it here, but I took the mother in a few days before the kittens were born. She was sleeping in the fort attached to the play structure in our back yard. Now all we have to do is find homes for them in a few weeks ... we will probably end up keeping the mother.

The mother cat belongs to a neighbor who does not look after her ... this is at least her second litter. These people know I am the go-to person in the neighbourhood when it comes to missing cats, but they haven't enquired at all. The mom is a sweetheart and such a good mother.

MizT I have been dreading the surgery, but the surgeon put my mind at east a bit. I will be awake for the procedure, but I really won't know what's going on. Apparently it's the same as when I had the angiogram - I was awake but I don't remember it. I can't stand the thought of anything coming near my eyes. I am such a wimp!!!

That should be 'ease', not east. Everything is kind of a blur.

FIL is still at his home. He was offered a semi-private room so he could be with MIL, and he refused. He is bound and determined that he is going to die at home. I can understand how he feels, but it makes life difficult. MIL is also kind of unhappy that he would prefer to be at home alone instead of being with her. Life does have its moments.

One day a week I look after the grandies for a whole day now that it is summertime ... and today is the day. I find it a very long day and I'm exhausted when I get home.

It is with great happiness, joy and excitement to announce the birth of my Grandson Felix Forrest. Born 8th July, 4.16pm (Perth Time), 3.44kg.

Congratulations to you and Peter on becoming Grandparents, also to your son and his partner on becoming parents. Wishing the new baby a long healthy and happy life.

Congratulations to all, on the birth of Felix Forest. I know you are excited. Have you seen him yet, Rolanda?

Thanks Brenda and Tricia

Tricia. No we have not. We will go late this afternoon /early evening when Peter gets home from work .
I am sooo looking forward to have a snuggle with little Felix .

Just a quick hello and good night after a late meeting tonight. Another on the schedule for tomorrow. It's a darned good thing we're retired!

Sending {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, positive thoughts, prayers, , and healing vibes!

Congratulations Rolanda to all your family with a new addition of a lovely little boy.
Our hearts just melt when we see them for the first time too.

Suzy and Heidi....I have been watching for a post to see how you are both going. Lots of good wishes coming your way.
Theresa..we can feel real empathy for the elderly and family, when the decision to go into care is threatening. No one wants that, but eventually circumstances might prevail. It is a sad time of acceptance or the hope that they wont live that long. ( My Dads words).
What will be, will be.

This evening we have been to a Gang Show concert. It is put on in a local theatre by the Scouts. Laura was in three items before interval. The younger ones then get sent home. Laura will be 9 next month. It is a lot of fun and good experience. I am off to bed soon as we have not put the heater on tonight and the house is a bit cold. The electric blanket has the bed nice and warm. Up earlier tomorrow as I have an appointment with the pain management Doctor.

Suzy, the injections I had in my shoulders did not work completely but the did make some improvement. I do hope you find you find some improvement over the next week. Heidi, Theresa, Midge, Tricia, Julie, Nola, Cyn, Broni, Rolanda, Mamacita thinking of you all. The warm bed now beckons.

Photo of Grandson with his Oma on my page

Congrats on the new grandson, Rolanda. Off to look at him in a minute.

I'm feeling a tiny bit better today. The last 2 days were agony. Pain pills did not work. I moved the next epidural up as soon as they could squeeze me in.... unfortunately, the first opening they had isn't until August 12th. I'm off to the pharmacy to get more pills. Life is SO fun when you're in pain.... NOT!

Morning everyone.
Thanks Heidi.
Little Felix is gorgeous. Certainly has his Oma wrapped around his little fingers. We had a very long cuddle last evening

We missed a very good chance of rain today. A state wide t storm was falling south, looked like it could not miss us, but it dried up before reaching us. Rained as close as 10 miles north of us. We had a nice cool breeze from the nearby rain, though. I enjoyed being out and watering all the in ground plants today.

Mary was back at scrabble today, just 2 weeks after her shoulder surgery. It did get to bothering her before the game was over, though, I could tell. We had a nice chat about Lynn's Birthday party. Her daughters are giving a high tea to celebrate her 75th. Gloves and fasinators appreciated, but not mandatory. I have neither. I do have a hat with flowers, will wear that. someone found gloves at a local consignment shop, perhaps I can get over there for a pair, if I just knew where it is located. Maybe Mary will feel like riding with me and giving directions.

I know there will be scones and finger sandwiches and tea, and little cakes. One of her girls will take photos of everyone all dressed up. this Saturday at 2 pm, I must not forget!!

Rolanda, I loved the photo of you and little Felix Forest. Did I say my BIL is named Felix? He does not go by that, but his middle name. Those are the only two I know named Felix.

Heidi, I am so sorry your pain medication is not working. It is a long time till august 12. I ddo hope pain gets better in the mean time. Huge hugs, very gentle ones. to you.

Suzy, I hope you will see some improvement from your injection. I am so sorry it did not work as advertised.

June, I am glad you enjoyed the concert that Laura was in. I thought she was older than 9, she seems so grown up in some of the things she says and does.

Nola and Julie, it was good to see you pop in for short posts. I hope both of you are doing well.

It is time for bedtime meds and to climb into my nice clean bed. My housekeeper changed it yesterday, nothing as good as a crisp clean set of sheets and pillow cases.

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

Hi, Everyone! Just checking in to say all is fine, but busy.

Sending {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, positive thoughts, healing vibes, prayers, and