Sudokuaholics Anonymous 11

Red meat is not bad for you
Fuzzy green meat is bad for you.

Little Ruby decided that I had to get up at 9 am instead of sleeping late. But I'm gonna fool her! I'm going back to bed soon.

Good morning all. Coffee is ready, help yourself.

Busy day today. First I have the funeral for Kim's mom. Later I have SIL and family coming for dinner. Doing ribs on the grill and barbeque beef sandwiches. Should be a nice evening after a rough day.

That meal does sound like good therapy, Tami. I bet Kim is grateful that you'll be there for support. Even though I've never met her, please give her an extra hug from me.

I started to mow the lawn... before it got out of control this time... and the sky opened up on me. The lawn sure didn't need to be watered, but the strawberries did.

Heidi, I will definitely give her a hug from you. She will appreciate it. The service was nice. The preschool that the mom worked for organized a balloon release. The kids wrote messages to Paula and they were released at the end of the service. It was a nice tribute.

Hi all.
Tami...what a nice send off.
MizT..thinking of those peaches made me hungry for some.
Cyn..Greg has cut down a lot of our trees,some for the same reason as you and others because of the mess they make, especially the palm trees. The dead fronds are huge and also drop the seeds making it a hazard to mow over.
Heidi..pity your break away was cut short but maybe you didn't mind.

Theresa...no wonder that you are frightened of storms. Renae doesn't like them either but I dont remember doing anything to scare her. I hate the smell of smoke as we had bushfires often when I was growing up.Funny how smells can bring back memories.

I have had 2.5 days off work.I was sick for 1 day but not allowed back for 48hrs incase I give it to anyone else. I didn't mind the break,in fact it was enjoyable. Caught up on some sleep. Back to afternoon shift today.

It is ages since I have posted. I have been reading but haven't had a lot of mental energy - not enough to respond to the posts in the way I would like. I'm still not where I'd like to be but figured I shouldn't leave it any longer.

Tami, I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. It will be so hard for her disabled daughter - and her husband who will now be sole caregiver... I think the funeral was today. Hugs...

MizT, Alie is a bit like you with the dark, though I haven't had to deal with it for a while. We used to light a candle whenever a storm started so there would be at least a little light if the power went off.

Theresa, your water fight story gave me a smile. So did your lonely song...

MizT, how is Chris doing? I hope she is recovering well and her patients were able to be covered while she is gone.

June, movie tickets are the same price for everyone here as far as I know. No child's discount anyway.

Midge, I'm glad your niece has her sport. Alie has her singing, thank goodness. I'm back several days so I hope your son is showing signs of improvement by now!

Nola, finally! I'm glad Paul and co will be settled again in the not too far distant future. I'm glad you got your bonus day off work!

Julie, I'm so glad to hear that, although you are busy and we miss you, you are doing fun, rewarding things!! The backstage tour would have been great.

Theresa, it's no wonder you are afraid of storms!! I used to stand my kids in the doorway or looking through a window and talk to them about how beautiful it was. (They were very nervous when we first got here because there weren't very many storms in SoCal)

Heidi, $80 a night would be on the low end of hotel prices anywhere I have stayed in Oz since we've been back. The caravan we stayed in in Moulamein cost $50.

Cyn, bummer about your tree!! I hated losing our big one. I almost would have rather lost the roof.

Brenda, hope your trip is nice and relaxing.

Busy week this week. Alie is doing a work placement at a blacksmith in Berry (half an hour from here) and she is having the surgery on her eye on Thursday. Of course this week would be the perfect week to be okay with not getting any work so what happens? I'm working Wed, Thurs, Fri. Hubby has had to clear time off with his boss to cover for me with the morning trips (I can still pick her up in the afternoon) and the hospital trip. I couldn't say no as the work will completely cover any out of pocket costs from the surgery. I can be there fairly early in the afternoon so...

Suzy, Chris has gone home to her apartment, and finding some tasks difficult with only one hand. she said wearing a bra is a no go, it really takes 2 hands to fasten. Opening child proof prescription bottles is another. Today she said, 'I know an injury with surgery is going to hurt. I know healing surgery is going to itch. Do they have to do it at the same time?'

Been checking on a neighbor, Myra, who has been so short of breath it was a struggle to do anything. we encouraged her to get to doc, she has a diagnoies and medication, but did not believe her doc that fluid around her heart could make her short of breath or that increasing her thyroid medication would be the cure. I did some talking with Mr Google and found some good information for her, patient education from Mayo Clinic, so trusted info. she understood so much better and was so happy with her doctor now. She just never thought that getting oxygen to the body takes more than the lungs, the heart has to pump it around, and fluid would interfere with that function. BTW Myra is already seeing improvement, goes back to doc Wednesday for a follow up visit.

We had T storms today, I went to bed for a nap while it rained.

OH, did I tell you bout the water in my living room Friday night/Saturday morning? The air conditioner above was dumping the condensate water down inside the wall and into my apartment. I thought Gary had it solved, stopped, but today I found carpet wet on OTHER side of the room, bummer!!

Sorry, cannot sit here any longer, hips say NO, up now, move. More tomorrow, hugs to each of you with extras.

Went to the Cardiologist with Col this morning. It is as the radiologist said. A bicuspid valve trying to do the work of a tricuspid, plus damage from an infection, probably when he had Q Fever 10 years ago which went undiagnosed for 7 months. Another test to go and another visit back to the Cardiologist, who was lovely!! It will need to be checked yearly, particularly as the government has strict rules truck drivers. To get his clearance every year (for those over 50 as he is, 3 years for younger ones) he must have it checked.
So a bit more running around, more time off, but a satisfactory answer at last! And no medications, woohoo!

On the way home we called into a Native Garden Nursery for advice on how best to kill off the root of our tree. He was most helpful and also gave us a few ideas for replacement native trees with shallower root systems. We showed him a photo of the tree and it was a Ficus Hybrid - which explains the root system. He said houses 3 away from us would have roots underground from that tree!!

Hi everyone. I'm still alive but have been a no show here for a while. I seem to be busy doing nothing in particular.
Cyn, that's good news for Col.
Suzy, not so good news for Alie but glad it can be sorted.
Heidi, I hope everything works out with the horses.
MizT, keep moving (slowly if necessary). I like to hear about all your activities in your retirement home.
Tami, I was sorry to hear about Kym's mother. What a terrible shock for them all.
Theresa, I hope the weather cools down for you. I can't believe how much your weather can change from minus figure to high 30s. I'd hate that.
Hello to everyone else.

Kevin has retired but been getting over a virus and last week had an implant drilled into his jaw that took a few days to start to feel ok.
Today he was hoping to start one of his retirement jobs - installing new taps.
#1 son has broken up with his Japanese girlfriend. Do you know anyone who wants to buy a $5k engagement ring, never used?
#2 son will be helping his father around the house until more work comes his way.
I'm still at work but talking about cutting an hour off the end of each day and finishing at 3:30 but still having Fridays off.
MIL is still driving us crazy. I'm sure she is suffering from dementia. I said the last time I was there that I couldn't cope with her and will only probably go about once a month. She gets so irrational, crying about nothing, losing her temper and then accusing us of not telling the truth.... it's all beyond me, so I'll just let Kevin deal with it.
My mother is having a cataract op tomorrow and the other eye done in about 6 weeks time.
She has also decided that she needs to move to a retirement village since her neighbour is selling. Fun times ahead!
Maybe Kevin and I should do the grey nomad trip around Australia and leave the mothers to other members of the family!

Hi everyone. No medications for Col is good news CynB. Glad you found out all that info.
Hi Victoria. Wow must have been some engagement ring. Hope he can sell it.
I would imagine a jaw implant would take some days getting over. Ouch.
Nothing exciting happening here.
Just the menopauses driving me insane.
We did not go bush this weekend just gone but was glad off that as have just been feeling off.

Correction that is menopause, sheesh one is enough lol

Best start thinking about that dreaded eveing meal here. Enjoy your week.

Gosh my fingers keep making mistakes. That should be evening.

Hello, Fellow Sudokuaholics!

Interesting TOPP, Heidi; I would also prefer red meat to fuzzy green meat. Heidi, I hope you will be able to stay ahead of the grass this time. It seems like this summer is trying to make up for last summer's drought with plenty of rain.

Tami, sending more hugs for Kim and positive thoughts for her, her sister and their father. I suspect there will be some difficult coping. I hope the Dad can help with caring for the other daughter and it doesn't all fall on Kim's shoulders.

Nola, it's too bad that you were sick, but nice that you you had a couple of additional days to recover. The reasons for cutting down trees make sense. Are you considering replacing any of them with more appropriate species?

Suzy, you certainly have had a full plate recently. I hope all is well for Dana and Tahli and no more threatening comments. I hope Alie enjoys her work placement with the blacksmith! I hope all the scheduling works our with that and her surgery and your 3 days of work. It's fortunate that your hubby can take some time from work to help out!

MIdge, thinking of you and your family. Hope your son's health is improving.

MizT, I hope Chris is able to find ways to cope with one hand. If surgery will be required, she'll have even more time with her hand in a cast, so hope she can work things out!

You are such a good friend to the other residents! How nice of you to be checking in on Myra and helping her to understand her doctor's orders and encouraging her to follow them. Hopefully the water problems in your apartment can be worked out and SOLVED so that worry can be removed.

Cyn, I'm glad the news from the cardiologist is acceptable and Col won't need to take medications. An annual checkup shouldn't be too much of a problem, I suspect. What a great idea to consult with people at the Native Garden Nursery. It seems that the tree you had to cut down had a VERY aggressive root system. It sounds similar to weeping willows here. Their roots seek water, so often pose problems for sewer or septic systems.

Woo Hoo, how nice to see you, Victoria. Seems you have also been very busy and much going on with your family, as well. I can't tell from your comments whether your son's break-up with his girl friend might be viewed as a good thing or a very difficult situation. My thoughts are with you and your family. Also, seems you have a lot to deal with between your MIL and your own mother. I hope her cataract surgery goes well and is successful!

It's time to call it a night. Take care, Everyone. I'm sending the usual {{{{HUGS}}}}}, prayers, positive thoughts, and healing vibes for all.

HI, Viv! I'm sorry I have probably missed you. You posted while I was typing. I hope you've decided on something delish for the evening meal. Enjoy the rest of the day! Good Night from here.

I'm back!

MizT, bras aren't such a horrible thing to have to do without... Everything comes in child proof containers these days though. I'm so glad you could help Myra. It's good to question and make sure they are right, especially when you're talking more meds. But then you have to have the tools to do the checking - or a friend who can do it for you!

Bummer about the water. I hope that is fixed quickly so you don't end up living with mould.

Cyn, I'd say that was as good news as you could get with a biscupid/tricuspid and an old infection! yay!

Vicki, after seeing the teacher with the mouthful of implants I think I'd be avoiding them if I could. Though as false teeth is the alternative, maybe not.

I don't think I'd cope with your MIL, but I also feel bad for her. Life must be hard when you are losing it.

Viv, just pretend you are posting from your phone, then you can make a bunch of mistakes...

Julie, you did it again. I hope you get a good night's sleep before doing something really fun and interesting.

Alie's first day at the Blacksmith went well. He was very pleased with how quickly she picked things up. She always does if she's interested. She did make one mistake dyslexia related, but only a little one. Her biggest problems were she wasn't strong enough to remove the old thingy to put the new thingy on the grinder, and she couldn't read the microwave to put her cup in it (they are kept in there to protect them from the blacksmith dust stuff). She was very dirty when I picked her up. A good sign.

*reach the microwave

Morning all. Coffee is ready, help yourself.

Tricia, ask at the pharmacy. On some of the OTC medicines, it is possible to 'break' the child-proof cap. I know how to do it but I can't explain it. Does not work on all. I learned trick many years ago when I worked in a drug store and had to break them for customers.

Suzy, glad that Alie found something she enjoys. Welding actually sounds like it could be fun and I would like to learn it also

Welcome back Victoria. You have been missed. Please stop in more often to visit.

Morning all. Today hubby and I have our 38th anniversary. On the weekend I think we will take a day trip to Kingston, one of my favourite cities.

Our pharmacy puts non-childproof caps on medications if we request it. All my meds come with these because I have trouble opening childproof caps with my arthritis at times.

Vivacious Viv, I hate having to plan and fix meals. Hubby is a meat and potato kind of guy, so it's not difficult ... I just don't like to do it.

Hi All,
Busy doing nothing much but thought I'd drop in and say hello. Still have a few errands to run and then will finally finish my ironing that I had been putting off. I did do most of it the other day ,so just a few more things and I can call it a day. I dislike ironing, but dislike wrinkles in my clothes more...so I still do this horrible chore. My granddaughter simply smiles as I grumble...lol.
So good to see you Victoria...and look forward to more visit as you are able.
Tami, not sure I sent condolences to you and your friend Kim...I know how difficult it can be to adjust to an unexpected loss, particularly one's mother. Please express my feelings to her with a shared hug or two. Glad she has folks like you who are there for her.
Happy Anniversary Theresa and Mr Theresa...enjoy whatever celebrating you fit in...always good.
Cyn..wha hoo...news is looking good for Col and I'm sure you both are filled with relief that you can now move forward w/o greater concern of a second shoe dropping.No additonal meds is also good news.
Suzy...did you just pull a Julie on us?? Lots about others but little about how you are after so much stress...hope you have the good kids at school this week with so much going on
Nola, hope you are well rested and fully recovered..I don't envy you working those changing shifts...hard on many, but One does what one has to do.
Happily the weather has finally stopped being oppressively hot and is just a nice summer hot and rain is once again falling softly
instead of in raging torrents....and I can find lots of enjoyable things to do both inside and out..
With nothing but good healthy thoughts and wtg's for all of you, I'll say so long for now and ask only that you be as good to yourselves as you are to others until we meet up in our next posting...Peace.

Happy Anniversary, Theresa. I hope you both have a great day.

It's pouring here. What a surprise. Of course, I need to go outside and bring in some dog food. I store it in the back of my truck where critters can't tear open the bags. My truck has a topper, so it stays dry.

I went to move the RV, only to discover that it has no life to it. Nothing. I don't know what's happened. It still has half a tank of gas, I left no lights or switches on, and it's NOT in gear. I hate having to call the dealership and ask them to come out in the rain, but I have to start getting it ready for the return trip to Florida. I go back in 2 weeks, or so.

Heidi, sorry that the rain is adding to your woes today, but as you already know, it would have been worse if the RV wasn't in your yard, just a phone call away from help. I do hope whatever has happened will be an easy and complete fix.

At least the RV is under full warranty. Whatever is wrong won't cost me anything. And it got me where I had to go and back home safely before shutting down, so I know it's got a good heart. I agree with the Native American belief that anything that's made for a purpose is alive. I have yet to drive a vehicle that doesn't have it's own personality, good or bad. This one I like.

Theresa, Happy Anniversary. Hope you have many more wonderful years.

Mamacita, I will pass along your condolences to Kim. Kim and her mom are both wonderful people and good friends. Paula was the type of person that once you got to know her, you had a friend for life. She will truly be missed.

Happy Anniversary Theresa!
Welcome back Vicki!
Tami, not sure I've said it before but sorry about your friend's Mum. I think you said mid-60's, that's my age, too young to go!
Heidi - hope the problem with the RV is simple!
Suzy - glad Alie enjoyed her first day at the blacksmith.
Hi to Julie Viv Nola and Mama as well.
Quick visit this morning, I'm off to the movies again today. Last week 'The Lone Ranger', today 'The Heat'.
Ok, OK and the Royal baby has been born, maybe the hype will stop after we know his name and see a pic of him.

I have a dental appointment tomorrow morning (FINALLY getting that temporary tooth replaced with a permanent one!) so I'll stop at the dealership on the way back and talk to them about the problem.

All they say is that it's a boy, and he was born at 4:24 pm.

I read he was 8 pounds, 6 ounces.

Morning all,
Happy Anniversary Theresa! I hope you have something planned...

Mamacita, I need to do a bit of that pushing of the hot slidy thing since I will be working for the next 3 days..maybe.

Oh, just realised that, with the time difference, HRH shares a birthday with mum. A news story I read had a link to a story: Dianna's former body guard reveals how the baby will be raised. How the heck would he know??!!

Am so over this royal baby already-- couldn't sleep last night and there was nothing on the radio but talk about him growing up, hair colour, etc. Wonderful for them but let's get it into perspective.
Suzy - so glad Allie is enjoying her work experience - it will help her confidence a lot. We are all good at something that is quite unique to each of us.
Good luck at the dentist Heidi - I don't envy you. Sorry about the RV but just as well it went to sleep at home rather than on the highway - especially as you haven't got your cell phone handy.
My 3rd son is getting better- not legionella - he has a particularly nasty pneumonia that is going to take several months to fully clear. He is not contagious so is back at work with us for a short time each day.
Victoria - what a time you are having. Hope your son is o.k. - better now than later. My MIL was similar to yours. Dementia is very hard to deal with. I found it easier to cope with her when I saw her more often. If I couldn't visit her, I would make a quick phone call each day - she seemed to remember more this way.
Happy Anniversary Theresa and many more to come.
Have read but can't recall much - maybe I am getting like the MIL........

Gekko my Friends.
Know I have been MIA and do apologise, but have been reading and had responses galore at the time.
Have been really busy with the end of year stuff and a few personal issues...not mine but others.
Will not even attempted to respond but will leave you with this thought.
'Shed the guilt - find satisfaction with whatever you are doing at the moment'
Luv and Hugs.