Sudokuaholics Anonymous 11

Julie, the bin is collected quite early. In the past I’ve heard them heading down our street, remembered I haven’t put it out, and been able to rush it to the other side of the street for them to pick up on their way back. Dead end street so they come back up after a while. I realised when you suggested it that I haven’t heard them since I got my new night time pills. They must be working better than I thought they were. They’re not sleeping pills, he said they should help my nightmares.

Oops... boring topp.

You must look into other people as well as at them.
Lord Chesterfield

Daisy has improved to the point that she is eating 2 full cans of dog food each day! That makes me so happy. She isn't putting on any weight, though.

At least if she’s eating the weight loss might slow down. I don’t know what magic you are doing to get her eating again, but you are improving the quality of the rest of her life, no matter how short that is.

The magic is following doctor's orders. She's getting prenisone each day, which stimulates the appetite and slows down the cancer.

Had the epidural, came home and flat in recliner or bed since. Neighbor brought up my lunch for me, so I did not have to be up to go get it. Yes, having post epidural headache in spite of staying flat, drats. Walking is a bit easier, so perhaps this is working some. back to bed, more later.

I'm glad you've had the epidural, MizT. Hope you start to feel better soon. Big gentle hugs to you!

Ghost hugs, MizT. You can’t feel them, but they’re there, and not squishing sore bits..

Good news. The headache is just a temporary drawback to the good effects of the epidural. Just take it very easy for several days, MizT.

Howdy Everyone!

I'm sorry I set you up for a TOPP, Suzy. I hadn't been watching numbers and should have warned you or provided the TOPP. I definitely like your TOPP - probably better than I would have come up with last night!

Heidi, I'm so glad the prednisone is helping Daisy and that she is now eating 2 cans of dog food a day! As Suzy said, it no doubt is improving the time she has left! and at least slowing her weight loss.

MizT, I'm glad you had the epidural and have been taking it easy and trying to stay flat as much as possible. I hope the headaches are soon a thing of the past! I hope you feel better soon Sending cyber {{{HIGS}}} your way.

Thinking of all of you fellow Sudokuaholics and sending lots of gentle and warm {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, healing energy, prayers, , and positive thoughts!

Hello my friends.
Hope you are all well or improving.
Cyn, will give you a call in a week or two, bad reception where we are camping in Victoria, visiting my brother as he missed going to the Murray river this year.
Heidi, I also thought you were having the whole house rewired.
Midge, sorry you had bad weather in Qld, I have been enjoying pleasant weather in Jamieson.
Plum, good to see you.
Zusy, gotta love your neighbours...NOT!
DOrA, got a good laugh, thanks.
Julie, save your posts!
MizT, hope it's a doozy.

They’re here! I picked them up in moss vale because that saved them an extra bus and train. The way the lines work it’s that or take trains all the way to Sydney then down.

My present for Dana’s birthday was dinner at a restaurant hubby was planning to take her to, I didn’t go, just Alie and Dana. I had planned the kids dinner but when I pulled it out, Alie had been at it. Have I told you she has an eating disorder? Probably not. Might even delete that before I post. Or I can trust you guys not to mention it anywhere else. Anyway, it was getting late so I decided to do kfc drive through since they all like chicken. During the week there is nobody there late, tonight everybody and their dog was driving through. I hope that’s not a reflection of this towns idea of date night, drive through greasy chicken. It was 8.30 before I’d set them all up and got a plate for myself. No chicken for me, I don’t like Kfc.

After the obligatory hot chocolate, I finally got them to bed. I even sang them the song I always sang my kids at bed time. Gave them all a teddy to keep the bad dreams away. They were out in 5 minutes!

Tahli is sleeping with me. I’m not sure what Mum will think of that. If the other kids complain they can take it in turns.

I think my girls will be home soon, neither likes going out to clubs drinking. I told them to get a taxi so I didn’t have to get the kids out of bed.

Hey Broni, I hope you are getting some good camping weather!

I meant to mention that moss vale is two mountains away! Small mountains, but lots of curves and 180 turns...

I bet they were excited to see you, Suzy! And Bravo for taking the drive the extra distance. I'll bet Tahli liked sleeping with you. You probably ended up with a bed full this morning. We used to. We had a couple (Emily and Maddy) who used to crawl in with us during the night but in the morning their siblings joined them. I miss that now they've grown up.

We have had one nice family thing happen since Col had his accident. As the grandies have grown into teenagers, we have had fewer times when we all get together. There have been 3 Friday nights since the accident and each Friday night the family (or those available) have come over, picked up takaways on the way, and had an impromptu evening with us. It's been so lovely! I heard my kids discussing what we'll do next week. I think they may have realised that we are older now and nothing is guaranteed. And it's been a tonic for Col.

Broni, that would be nice to hear from you.
Hello and have a good weekend to everyone!

Broni, Jamieson is such a pretty place. I have been going to Lake Eildon since I was 2 camping. Very different now as we 'camp' in a shed on top of a hill that looks out over 3 arms of the weir (one of them Jamieson). Our weather looks good for a while yet so hope you enjoy it. Mansfield is a nice town too. Actually rain was so bad we didn't even attempt to go to Bribie island to see our old nextdoor neighbour.
Cyn how lovely your family are gathering around each week for you both. Col must be frustrated with what he is unable to do as yet and to have company (besides yourself) gives you a break as well. Hope his perception develops as quick as possible for him.
So nice to read you are having a lovely time Suzy with your girls and grandies.
MizT - glad you finally got your epidural - hope it is a doozy. Your enforced rest must be driving you crazy, you have always been so busy.
Heidi - your new finches sound lovely- what a euphony of sound you must have in the mornings, nothing nicer than the birds singing at sunrise. Mu hubby is quite deaf and I get to enjoy the sound each day on my own. Hugs to Daisy.
Julie - I too enjoy your summary - as I seem to forget a lot of it by the time I get turn the page.
Unfortunately it seems it is my anti-rejection meds that have messed up my legs - always a hidden side-effect in these drugs. i have been told it will not get any better so I am going to ignore this and not accept it. Gong swimming. Cheers to everyone for a great weekend.

A quick update. Sciatic pain from back to toe is GONE, except for knee area, where it was always the most painful spot. today I remembered ice to neck for headache pain, and that is helping a lot. So next time I mention post epidural headache, everybody remind me to get the ice pack to neck please

I have put away the walker, can walk my apartment unaided. caught up on dish washing, even washed out undies at sink, put away laundry Vickie had done Wednesday. NOT all at one time but scattered throughout the day. I am very happy with results of this epidural. Unlike Heidi, I cannot tell if they are doozies or not, I am put to sleep for about 10 minuets. I do not even remember being rolled from table to wheel chair, and they really roll me over, one person catching my feet/legs, the other my shoulders, I was awake once and remember. I woke up in the recovery/prep area, with nurse patting my arm telling me to wake up. wish they would leave me alone for a bit longer, sometimes that is the only time I am fully without pain.

Now a few things to catch up on next week. Battery is once again flat. Earlier in week I went out to crank car to let it recharge battery, ooops, too late. I think it is time for a new battery, I do not remember buying one for this vehicle I have had about 5 or 6 years.

thanks for the hugs and good wishes, love you all. Hugs till next time

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend, as it is Friday evening here.

Broni, it's great to see a post from you. Enjoy time spent with your brother. Wishing you much good weather and wonderful times while camping!

Suzy, how wonderful to have Dana and your grandies! Will they stay all weekend? Meeting them so they wouldn't need to do the additional time, extra bus, and train was so thoughtful! Especially when it meant driving through and around two mountains (even if they're relatively small). It must have been nerve-racking!

What a thoughtful birthday present for Dana - dinner with her sister at the restaurant chosen by their Dad. Even though KFC wasn't what you had originally planned for the grandies' dinner, I suspect they really enjoyed it. At least if KFC was busy, you know the food was freshly made. Then having hot chocolate, the bed-time song you sang for your girls, and a teddy for each of them for bed! What a great grandma you are!

CynB, it's wonderful that much of your family is gathering every Friday evening for dinner together. I can't begin to guess who enjoys it more - Col, you, or the family members who are available to gather. It could become a wonderful tradition!

Hi, Midge! How frustrating to hear that your anti-rejection drug are messing up your legs. It's great to have them, but they do bring their side effects. I wonder if they might be the explanation for hubby's problems with his feet. One more question to ask at his next follow-up visit.

Thinking of everyone and sending positive thoughts, healing energy, , {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, and prayers.

When you have had as many epidurals as I've had.... just over 70 of them... you'll be able to tell how effective they're going to be, too, MizT. I'm so glad that you're much more comfortable now.

Kids had a big day today. Although they went to bed relatively late last night, almost 10, by 6am I had 3 in the bed with me. That would have been great if I hadn’t been awake until 2. At 11 we went to the baseball field. The kids got to bounce in a bounce castle. Get their faces painted, and then they did the presentation. The guy who did the presentation got very emotional. He told us beforehand that he always knew there would be a time the club lost someone significant, he just thought it would be further into the future. The kids then went to town to have lunch with a friend. They moved to Sydney, but came down here to see Dana and the kids. We met Dana and the kids at our brand new Korean BBQ and had a delicious belated family birthday dinner. They got home and took Gizmo for a walk. Now they’re in the bath. They’ll be leaving early tomorrow morning. We’ll be up by 6.30 at the latest.

MizT, so glad you're feeling better and able to move around and do things!
Suzy, sounds like they've fitted a lot into the few days they're with you. Happy memories for you all until next time.
Midge, sorry that those drugs have messed up your legs. Side-effects can be awful. Enjoy your swimming.
Big hugs to everyone!

We have a (sort-of) family related tragedy unfolding this weekend. My son-in-law's nephew, who is 16 was in a bad accident in the early hours of Saturday morning. His 18 yo mate drove them at high speed into a tree. The mate escaped with minor injuries, SIL's nephew is on life-support which will probably be turned off this morning - Docs give him no chance of survival. My SIL's family is devastated naturally, made worse by the fact that in recent years the boy had many problems and was basically at war with everyone - his mother, his grandparents, my daughter's family - his only other close relatives. Our Maddy in particular is incredibly upset because he had victimised her so much at school and she never understood why. They were in the same grade and school. At the hospital last night, many of his friends tried to console her and convince her that he really did love her. It's such a sad messy end to what has been an ongoing drama in the family. There are many reasons why he was like that and a lot of them were not his fault. I won't elaborate, even on a private forum like this. I just feel very sad for a boy who I have known all his life and for the family whose lives will be sadder.

Cyn, my heart is breaking. They will be extra sad because they never got the chance to resolve any issues. ❤️

What a tragedy! My heart is breaking, too. The poor boy never really had a chance at life. Maybe it's good that his emotional pain is over. We don't know the situation, but he sounds like a very unhappy person.

Distraction anecdote: I followed a truck home over the mountain from the Valley, as it is known locally. It was scary stuff as the driver seemed to think lane markings were optional. Several times he only got into his own lane because cars were coming. Other times he was damn lucky nobody was coming because he was on blind corners. I kept a good distance behind so I didn’t become collateral damage if his luck ran out. In town his driving wasn’t much better, straddling lanes again at times.

He's been pronounced dead but is being kept on the machine until the transplant team come to collect him. A little bit of him will live on in the bodies of those recipients.

That's a good thing, CynB. He will be saving the lives of others, as well as part of him living on.

At least he will make a difference, I wish he’d had the chance to do it alive though.

Another distraction anecdote: yesterday I was reversing out of my driveway with the kids in the car and all of my ‘it couldn’t happen a third time’ thoughts were squished by the poor dead cat on the front path. The owner found it before I got home. I was really glad the kids didn’t see it. So, still no cat for me...

Just a quick Hello and Good Night. WAY too late here!

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

Greetings friends. I have only read this page, so if I missed anything important, sorry.

Suzy, sounds like you had a full weekend with the grandies and your daughters. You really had your adventure driving over the mountain behind that truck driver. Glad you made it OK.

CynB, so sorry to hear about the accident and death of the young man who is a connection to your family. How strange that the driver escaped with minor injuries, but his mate was fatally injured. Just the way it happens sometimes, it seems. It is good that his death is not all to waste, since organs will be transplanted. A big thank you to his parents for that.

Still problems here with the knee, but everything else is SOOOOO much better. I need to phone the clinic tomorrow to see what can be done about the knee. It is time to get summer flowers into containers, and cannot do that with a bum knee.

I am once again so angry with the crew who does lawn care here. They mowed down about 50 feet of BLOOMING violets this week. I have encouraged these to self seed, multiply, to keep down weeds, be a natural mulch, and every year those people manage to do something to them. thankfully they left the shorter area of them along the parking lot wall alone. I hope even though they got the blooms, the leaves will come back for the ground cover under the roses.

I have Asiatic lilies coming up in containers from last year, and Easter lilies coming up among the violets they did not mow. Same ones they DID mow last year just as they were about to bloom.

So good to be able to sit at computer chair for longer now. Easier to get into and out of shower, stepping over rim of tub. No longer in dresses because I could not bend knee, lift leg to get into slacks. Life is much improved!

Hugs to each of you, with extras, till next time.

, Everyone!

MizT, how wonderful that most of your sciatic pain is gone! That will make a huge improvement to your quality of life. I'm sure we will all try to remember to remind you next time to apply ICE to the back of your neck to alleviate headache pain after an epidural. I know you have so many things you need and want to do, but remember to take it slowly and easily. I hope your knee will begin to show some improvement!

MizT, if you must replace your car's battery, I hope you can find a good one that is reasonably priced!

MizT, who is in charge of the lawn care crew? Can someone speak to the crew to explain where they should mow and what areas they should leave alone? At least they didn't mow down everything! Can you enlist someone to make a few signs indicating which areas should be left unmoved? Are there high school students who volunteer in order to get credits for graduation? Perhaps they could undertake the making of clever signs.

Heidi, how are you feeling! I hope you're getting some quality time for yourself. I hope Daisy is doing as well as can be expected. Have all of the birds acclimated to their new surroundings?

Suzy, it sounds like your grandies (and Dana and Alie) had a great weekend! I hope you were able to enjoy some of the family time, too! Hopefully the return trip taking Dana and her 3 back home went smoothly! Did you need to drive through the mountains again to get them to Mossvale? If so, 2 round trips is probably more than you care to do again any time soon.

CynB, condolences to you and your family and to the family of they young man. What a shame that his life was ended so young and before he had a chance to try to get his life straightened out. I hope the fact that his organs will be donated helps to give some closure to all involved. It's a very selfless act and can have a huge impact on the lives of the recipients! Sending lots of {{{{HUGS}}}} and to be shared with all who knew him.

Thinking of everyone, sending {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, healing energy, prayers, , and positive thoughts to be share freely!

Daisy seems to be feeling great. She's gotten playful again, and is eating 3 cans of dog food each day: two 13.2 oz cans and one 22 oz cans. I just wish she would put on weight.

I've been sleeping excessively again. I have work to do, but am not getting it done because I've been sleeping through daylight hours most days.

So sorry CynB for the loss of such a young boy. He will become a 'hero' to his recipients. The Donor and Recipients group on FB may give his family some consolation.Through this site many have been able to be in contact with recipients/donor families and this has helped many with their grief.
Great news MizT - now for the renegade knee to be silenced!
Julie it seems it is the Tacrolimus and cortisone that have caused the problems - hope your hubby is not on these - they are not very nice.
Daisy reminds me of our old cat - the constant food helped a lot and she had a reasonable quality of life for a long time so long as we kept her food bowl full.
Glad you had such a lovely time with your girls and grandies Suzy - is Dana happy she has moved? I hope it is all working out for her and the littlies.
Our horse came 4th on Sunday - had Luke Nolen (a top jockey) on her and he did'nt know she doesn't like to be next to the fence - grrrh - next time....

Hi, Everyone!

Heidi, that is fantastic news about Daisy! It's wonderful that she is enjoying her life and has found an appetite. If she continues to eat well, she may surprise and actually gain a bit of weight. Now we're back to thinking about you. Does your extreme tiredness indicate a need to return to your doctor? Please take care of yourself.

Midge, hubby took Tacrolimus for about 6 months after some (unrelated) major surgery. He was told they didn't want him to be on it for a long time. He has taken Prednisone for years, though. We knew of some of the side effects, but apparently not all of them.

Midge, so sorry your horse came 4th. I would have thought the jockey would have known she didn't like to be next to the fence. I guess he'll know if he ever has another opportunity to ride her.

It has been a quiet day here today. I hope everyone is well and having a great day! Sending {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, positive thoughts, , healing energy, and prayers. Take care, Everyone!

Greetings! I'm just popping in for a quick visit. I'm hoping to get to bed earlier tonight. It looks like everyone has been busy today. I hope it's busy in a good way!

I hope everyone either stays healthy or gets healthy! Along those lines, I'm sending healing energy, gentle {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, positive thoughts, , and prayers! Hope to see you all tomorrow!

With this post, I think we're just 3 away from a new page.

MizT, I’m so glad you are feeling better! Better than you were at least.

Heidi, I’m glad Daisy is doing better. I hope your sleeping gets back to normal soon!

Midge, that jockey let you down. Wouldn’t a top jockey expect to ask questions about a horse before a ride? But 4th is still good. It’s horrible that it’s your anti rejection drugs that are the problem! you can stop taking them. If it had been almost anything else!

Dana and the kids are loving their new home. The school is incredibly supportive of Tahli, particularly since they have discovered she is smart. She gets extra work etc so she doesn’t get bored. Daniel is loving his preschool, and Issy is making friends at playgroup. Dana is living with three at the moment and looking for a place to rent herself. She looked at a place and put in an application. Later that day she was in the local store and an older man started talking to her. She told him about looking at the house, he asked her questions about her plans, a nice chat. Turns out he’s the owner of the house! Small town. Unofficially she has the house.

My neighbours are SOL this week. Alie cleaned her room and we couldn’t even fit all of our stuff in it.

‘It’ is the bin.

While Daisy is doing well, Willow is not. Her arthritis has taken a serious turn for the worse. She's in a lot of pain. The Vet Clinic is closed today. I will be taking her in tomorrow to be put to sleep. I can't stand seeing her suffer like this.
Willow is a 12-13 year old rescue who has/had one of the happiest dispositions I've ever known... especially with her background. She was one of the smooth collies we got from a puppy mill we shut down. By the time she was 2 years old, she already had 3 litters of puppies! And she had a serious case of mange. She was starving for affection when she was rescued. I was taking in 3 older collies from that puppy mill, and when I saw Willow, I begged to adopt her for myself. She's been a wonderful member of the family for a decade.