Sudokuaholics Anonymous 11

The thought manifests as the word, the word manifests as the deed, the deed develops into habit, and habit hardens into character. So watch the thought and its way with care and let it spring from love. (Budda)

Julie.... I have a simple solution. Put the puppy in her crate with an assortment of chew toys while you're recording your 3 pieces. That way, you control the situation, not the puppy.

I got impatient and put the Sun Conures in together last night. They're getting along just fine for strangers. There's been no fighting, which is a very good thing.

I could not sleep a wink last night. I'm congested, and every time I started to doze off, I'd have to get up to use the ladies, or stop a crazy dog named Daisy from barking right outside my bedroom door.

Heidi, you need your sleep. I hope the congestion clears up. Pleased the birds are happy together.

Heidi, I know I have posted since last Friday, It must have got lost in cyber space somewhere. I will help fill up the pages more. I did enjoy your newsy posts, please do not stop them!

Saturday morning, I got a lot done around here, I think I am finished with my flower arrangements under glass. I did find one more vase yesterday, and scrounged up enough flowers to fill it. OH I had a sack full still, but not a lot of roses, and the roses show very well, but I did find 3 nice ones, and then about 6 little sweetheart, tiny ones. I was happy with how it turned out. I dyed another batch hof the cellulose, and scented it, stored this in a pint jar with a lid. Plastic containers or zip lock bags lets the scent escape, and I was running out of glass containers.

When I got the glass pint jars box off the floor of my storage closet, I found it WET on the bottom. It looks as if my Christmas decorations box is also wet, but it is wedged back in a corner and I cannot get it out, bummer. Maybe when Tanya visits again, I can get her to help me check it out. I do hope things in there are not ruined beyond repair.

By mid day yesterday, I was achey, seems to be a pattern now. I have not figured the reason. I was in and out of bed or recliner until about 4, then I went downstairs to find someone to talk with. figured I could hurt and chat as well as hurt and sit here feeling sorry for myself, and the good conversation was a good distraction. I spent a couple of hours chatting with first one, and then added a second new resident. Carolyn is in building 2 with me, Dave is in building one. Yes, another male! He was in broadcasting here in Birmingham, although not long on the air before he went into management of a newsroom. But I could sit and listen to him talk for a long time, such a smooth deep voice. He is a very active 72 year old, and is already finding and joining activities, good.

A bit of a funny. Warner had been back in the library, while Carolyn, Dave and a rotating group of ladies chatted. As he came out, he stood watching us before I called to him to come join us. He came up, ws introduced to Dave, found out they knew each other from years ago. but the funny thing, to me, was Warner walked up to me, and put his arm around my shoulders, kind of pulling my shoulder closer to him. I did not think much of it till later, he often gives me a hug, but he stood there with his arm on my shoulder until I had to leave. when I told Tanya, she said, Mom, he was claiming you as HIS, sending Dave a message. Too too funny, these male characters.

Posting this fore I loose it, and I really need breakfast, then go to grocery. Will try to get back and read the rest of the posts and comment on them. I did read about Heidi's trip, Mama's dental procedures and June's newsy posts. Hugs to each of you, with extras, till later.

OK, it is later, and it seems no one has been around today. Hope the topsiders had an enjoyable Sunday.

I went to grocery and also bought a few pansies to put in a couple containers where the petunias are looking sad. Not tomorrow morning, must get that chest CT scan done the morning. Our bus is not back from the shop. About midday Friday I asked one of the staff if it would be back Monday. When they checked Thursday, the parts had not come in, so it is doubtful. Tanya is coming to drive me in my minivan, so I can have my walker with the seat. If I get tired walking, I can sit and rest. I could ask for wheelchair once I get into the building, but would rather make it on my own. Tanya went with me to grocery and nursery today. I spotted a container of pimento cheese, snd said at same time, I have been thinking about pimento cheese sandwiches hehehe, I had to read several lables to find one that did not have high fructose corn starch in it. I have made my own pimento cheese on occasion, never saw a recipe that included any type sugar! I found one, and we enjoyed our cheese sandwiches with some chicken veg soup for our lunch.


Heidi, it is hard to believe you found someone who shares so many things of interest, things you have in common. It is a small world, finding someone who actually lived in Costa Rica when you did, just because you both like birds! I do hope you got caught up on sleep after that long drive with an early start. How tragic to see such a terrible accident. I am so glad you were not involved in it. Thoughts and prayers to the families of those affected by it.

June, I am glad you endured the heat of the computer room to post so many messages to us, 'helping Heidi' Temps are back to early summer temps, humidity is up. I tried turning off the AC as it was a bit cool with it on, but the humidity is too much for sleeping tonight, it will go back on overnight. It will not have to be on much, but will cycle on when the temp gets up, that should keep the humidity down also. June, that spider in the kitchen, it will not eat much of your food will it?

Julie, I have never heard that girl scout saying, but yes, there have been times my bed was not large enough for my tiredness, or for my achies either, know just what that song means.

June, your grand doggie is not a bit spoiled, is she? cut up her meat? What meat is she fed? Does she have digestive problems? the only time I ever cooked meat for a dog was to make boiled chicken and rice for one with a bad tummy problem. My dogs growing up and the 2 I had once grown got dry kibble, and they were healthy enough.

OK, bed is calling me. Today has been a pretty good day, except for some sciatic nerve pain. Pain can sure tire you, at times, and this was one of them. Catch you sometime tomorrow if I can.

Hello, Everyone!

Thanks for the TOPP, June! Buddha was right; we really must watch our thoughts!

Heidi, I had thought of crating while trying to record. Hubby doesn't think it's fair to her. (He also knows how long it can take to get a recording I like. All pieces in a book must be video recorded, which the teacher will watch. She then submits it to 1 or 2 other teachers for critique. I might play through a piece as many as 10 or more times, then l watch and decide if I think it's OK. Sometimes, if I make a mistake in the first few measures, I immediately decide against it, even if it might be the only mistake in the entire piece.)

Heidi, I hope you have been able to get some sleep! Is the congestion better today? I'm glad the Sun Conures appear to be getting alone with each other!

MizT, it seems you have prepared a LOT for the sale! So sorry to read that the box for the glass pint jars and the box of Christmas ornaments were wet. I hope there's no damage! Any ideas on how they got wet? Hopefully, it's not an ongoing problem!

MizT, good luck with your chest CT tomorrow! I'm glad Tanya is available to help with transport!

I hope the pansies will make a good replacement for the tired petunias!

June, I am not fond of spiders, but tolerate them. The worst would be one descending from the ceiling right above me. On the other hand, if I see it coming and it doesn't startle me, it would be interesting to watch!

MizT, I think June mentioned that the dog has a severe underbite. That could make chewing difficult

I think we all do whatever is needed by our children, whether two-legged or four-legged. We used to mix 3 or 4 kinds of litter, because our cat was very picky. We also mixed 3 kinds of dry food. (Two of them were prescription foods - 1 was for possible kidney problems and 1 was for teeth and gum health.)

Midge, wee you able to get some alpaca wool at the craft show you went to?

It's time for bed. Sending healing energy, , positive thoughts, prayers, and {{{{{HUGS & JUGS}}}}}!

Dogs feel secure in a crate, and can be kept in one for many hours without it being cruel.I just don't like people who keep them in crates all the time, except to let them relieve themselves.

I slept most of the day, except for pit stops. The congestion is a little better. It's pretty much left the head, but I keep coughing up huge chunks. Well, better out than in.

Back to bed. The guy is supposed to arrive here in 5 1/2 hours to re-insulate the house. I'll have to get all the dogs locked up inside before he arrives.That includes giving him access to the garage, where the entry to the attic is.

Gekko my freinds.
Home, safe and sound. Will catch up on a few pages in the next day or two.
Luv and Jugs.

Hope that you enjoyed your time away Broni.
Julie, that is a lot of work getting the video done. It would be nice if we could all see it.

I caught the spider and put it outside on a tree. I would have been quite happy if it had gone into the pantry to eat the moths that have got into something.
Minnie is a very spoilt dog. The latest is I bought some 'heart smart' veal schnitzels, lightly cook one, cut it into small pieces and she eats it when we have our dinner.
The rump steak I bought for her finally got fed to the kookaburras. Tonight she ate some raw rump steak as I was cutting it for our stir fry. I cooked the veal, put a bit of the sauce from our meal over the veal but she would not even look at it. She would however eat the meat out of my dinner that had been marinating in soya sauce and sherry!

Sitting here, waiting for the men who are supposed to be installing the insulation this morning. They are late. I am NOT happy! I have to leave for a dental appointment in 4 hours. I don't know how long it will take them to do the job.

They just showed up. The job will take 4 hours, so I just called the dentist's and moved my appointment back a couple of hours.

Back from the dentist's. Oh well. I'm having MORE work done. It seems that I have a leaky crown which has to be replaced asap. They wanted me to come in tomorrow afternoon, but that's my epidural time. We had to put it off until Nov. 11th.

June - Minnie sounds like one very, very spoilt dog. Not like my Truman - he is so food focused he will eat anything (even the kitty litter which is so disgusting). You guessed it - he is one of those 'dirty' dogs and likes to roll and rub in anything gross. Can't get my head around dog crates - I suppose that is because we have so much space and freedom here. We have a stand-off every day- D's cat from the inside watching the dog outside through the wire door. Her cat is unfortunately an inside one - pure white with pink skin and can't go out in the sun.- leaves heaps of white fur everywhere. 'Brian' my iRoomba is in constant use. Hubby and 1 son back from Germany tomorrow - have enjoyed my small taste of freedom although I don't feel like I achieved much. Heidi - your tooth doesn't sound good if they wanted to fix it so urgently. Hope it is ok waiting that long. Julie - please post to your site so we can see (and hear) your work - it sounds fascinating.

Heidi - good luck with your epidural tomorrow - hope it is a doozy

This morning I was in and out of the CT scan room before it was time for my appointment even, yeah. Tanya came back here, to the apartment to wait for my call, because parking there is almost non existent and the traffic is terrible. A new multi-story building and parking garage just recently opened. They also put up huge signs in the middle of 3 crosswalks, within half a block of each other, that all traffic both directions must come to a complete stop and remain stopped if anyone is in the crosswalk. that has made bad matters worse. I think they need traffic lights, give the traffic some time to clear before letting more pedestrians cross. The whole place looks ill planned, very narrow roads with sharp turns to enter them, that snarl traffic even more. An auto that turned across our bow blocked both the inbound lane they were seeking and the outbound lane we were in. Traffic was at a standstill on the inbound cause so many autos were trying to get into the gated parking deck, it was taking forever for the gate to come down then back up between autos checking into the car park. In front of the building, the pricey valet parking attendants often leave autos parked in front of the building, because THEY cannot get the paying customers' autos into the deck. Then in the circular drive in front of the building, patients in autos will stop, while the caregiver hops out to get the patient into a wheelchair, or get out a walker, blocking the cars behind them, backing up the autos trying to get into the drove, blocking the intersection. One problem on top of another and then another and another. I am very happy to let someone else drive through there.

Our EP 14 passenger van is back! I hope it does not need to be in shop again. Some residents depend on the van for shopping. No grocery shopping for more than a week has been hard on them. I saw one friend walking back from the grocery, a very long walk to that store, carrying her 3 bags of groceries. I wish I had known, I could have driven her to the grocery.

More posts showed up after I posted mine. I will read those and comment on all I missed tomorrow. Hugs to each of you, with extras.

Hello, Everyone! It's time for me to head to bed. Wishing al of you the very best! Positive thoughts, prayers, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, healing vibes, and are coming your way.

One more week of daylight savings time here, we fall back to standard time next Sunday morning. I think I have mentioned that a few years ago our daylight savings was extended, 3 weeks earlier in the spring and one week more in the fall. My computer clock was set before that happened, and automatically reset my time last Sunday AM. I had to move my computer to Atlanta to have it display the correct time. Yep, set my time to Eastern to make it work for the week. I really like all my clocks to show the same time. I will hate the earlier darkness, and will be putting the small clear lights around my lounge window, in all the hanging plants as soon as possible That made such a difference last year, I was much happier after I did that when I decorated for Christmas. I left them up until spring, gonna start them early this fall.

Julie, it is not cruel to crate a dog. They still have the instincts of their ancestors, who hunted out a well concealed den, under a rock or root, or dug into a bank, for both safety and warmth. My dog would seek out her crate, I left the door open daytime, closed it when she stayed inside at night to keep a too big dog from wandering a too small house. Also closed it when guests came, and she agreed it was the best place for her. After she checked the newcomers and I welcomed them into the house, she headed to her crate.

Julie, yes, I have prepared a lot for the sale. So many here are either unable or uninterested in doing for the residents association. A few others feel 'entitled', they should come put their feet under the table every time food is served by the RA or anyone. They ask for seconds when there is not enough for everyone to have seconds. It is their right, you know, and they should NOT be asked to help. They would be first to tell you so too. So I do a lot to help out. I enjoy doing crafts, just no place to keep the items for myself once they are finished.

HEIDI, today is your epidural? Hope it is a doozy! and lasts for a long time. Your house should be much more comfortable this winter with the new roof and insulation there, and the insulation in the walls. Did they do blow in for the walls?

Midge, I do imagine your Romba is necessary with a white shedding cat. Those are very nice to have, I hope you enjoy having yours. So glad your daughter gave a home to a special needs cat. I LOVE white kitties, they are so beautiful.

My sister has a romba, and it can be programed to turn itself on and clean. I think her's cleans at 10:30 on Mondays and Thursdays. Funny story, while they were out of town for 3 weeks, they had a power outage, trees down on lines from straight line winds during a storm. No damage done thankfully on their property. The other night, sis woke to hear what she thought was running water, a LOT of running water. Her first sleepy thought was hubby had flushed toilet. Nope, he was sleeping soundly beside her. So she decided she must check, did not turn on lights so not to wake that sleeping hubby. As she exited the bedroom, the noise was coming toward her, with a light shining low. Only took a couple seconds to realize it was the roomba, cleaning away. No one thought to reset its clock after the power outage. hehehe. Scared her enough to trigger the fight or flight adrenalin dump, no getting back to sleep that early morning.

What a day! No epidural. IH messed up on my health insurance so I wasn't covered. I couldn't even see the doctor to reschedule it. I had to make a new appointment to see the doctor so he can schedule the next epidural. That appointment is next week. Lord knows when the next epidural will be. And I DO need it.

After some discussion on the way home, it's been decided that I'm going to be taking care of my own health insurance from now on. I've wanted to do it all along, but IH claimed that our accountant told him that it should be done through his business. And IH only listens to people who have balls.

Off to the Lions Club meeting. I thought I was going to miss it because of the epidural.

Hello all.

Got my flu shot and a pneumonia preventative shot which the doctor recommends for diabetics. This was during my regular three month appointment, so it saved an extra visit. Had blood work done yesterday and my blood sugars are the best they have been in years ... must be the insulin injections. My blood pressure was also normal, so my doctor was pleased.

I am getting a new stove, washer and dryer. Although my dryer is working fine for now, the other two appliances are slowly dying. My daughter got me a special deal for all three together, with free delivery. Delivery is usually $50.00. I will need to use her negotiation skills in the future. Hopefully these will be the last of these 3 appliances that we will ever need to buy (fingers crossed). All 3 are over 20 years old, so I can't complain.

Theresa, congrats on the great report you got at the docs. the insulin and your better eating habits are working for you, if numbers are that good. Having BP also decrease is consistent with having the blood sugar under control. Keep up the good work, I am proud of you. I know it is not easy, but benefits are worth it.

Heidi, it takes work to get your health insurance messed up. Whatever did Gil do to get you dropped? Not pay the premiums on time? I am so glad you will have that under your control now. wish that Gil had to have his back hurting for the longer time, instead of you. Do you have enough pain meds to last till you see the doc? I am glad you were able to get appointment in a week. When I was trying to get appointments as new patient, it took a lot longer than a week. I do not really understand why you had to get appointment to get it scheduled for the epidural, they know you, have your records. anyhow, good luck in getting the next epidural scheduled soonest. I will throw cyber rocks at Gil. It will not do any good, but will make me feel better

Tomorrow another doc appointment, this time with the ophthalmologist to talk about catarac surgery. Bus is running a regular schedule tomorrow, so I can go in my chair, which is easier for me.

I got a few of the bags for sachet made today. I also finished the new patient forms I will need tomorrow. I have difficulty holding a clip board and writing, nd some things it is easier to print out from files I keep on my computer, like medication list, allergies, and hospitalizations and surgeries. Easier for me to do at home sitting at my desk, and it is more legible too hehehe.

Hope Heidi enjoyed the Lions Club meeting, and that Theresa will enjoy her new appliances. When will they be delivered, Theresa? What was the highlight of the meeting, Heidi?

Getting sleepy, past time for bed. At least I do not have to get up too early in the AM, I leave here at 10 am, and it will not take me long to shower and get ready.

Hugs to each of you, with extras.

Only 5 of us showed up for the meeting. We got a lot done, considering that. We're having our annual chili supper and silent auction on Nov. 8th, and REALLY have to start moving on it.

Just dropping by to say Hello and Good Night!

Positive thoughts, , healing energy, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, and prayers for all!

Heidi, good luck on your silent auction Nov 8. That is the day of ours, also, so hope the good luck spills over for both of us

I am up, showered and shampooed, dressed for my doctor appointment. The van is back so I have transportation. It has been raining, but rain is over now, was just a nice sprinkle for about an hour or so. I hope this doc is as nice as she looks in her photo online. Only need a bite of breakfast, and set to go.

OH, I did get a call that the cat scan of chest showed NO CHANGE of the spot they have been watching, and I convinced PC doc there is really no need to continue these. It has been watched for 3 years, the pulmonologist I was sent to see 6 months ago said if no change this time, no need for further exams. I forget who asked about it, Julie perhaps, but I am happy to report this is all OK.

Till later, Hugs.

I spent a very unpleasant night with my back and legs hurting. I suspect some of it might have been psychological, since I didn't get my much-needed epidural yesterday.

I posted a picture of my youngest two cats ... kittens that we could not find homes for. We are keeping them.