Sudokuaholics Anonymous 11

'Don't let yesterday use up too much of today'
Where I found this said it was a Cherokee Proverb

HEADS UP...

Anyone using a Seagate external hard drive for their computer back ups.

After doing a fresh re-install of Windows 7, on my desktop PC, the Seagate software, that I used to back up my computer, before the reload, failed to work.

I contacted Seagate support for help. Getting to talk to them was relatively easy, however, (comma) I was told that their ''Dashboard'' ap no longer works or is supported.

GREAT !! My life history, pics, finance, etc. are in a back up that I religiously maintained, and now it is 'iffy' whether or not I can restore any of it.

I was advised the name of their new ap is 'Toolkit'. I haven't tried it - yet...

While I may try 'toolkit', I won't totally rely on it. I'll be looking for another way to back up my computer. REDUNDANCY IS GOOD...

Now we're going through several days of bitter cold... the ''feels like'' temperature won't be going above 4˚F / -15.5˚C for 2 more days. At least the mud is freezing for now. Sadly, once it warms up the rain will be back.
Tomorrow I have another pre-op appointment with the bariatric surgeon. This will be the last one with him before the surgery. I still will have pre-op appointments with the hospital.

Just a quick visit to say Hello and let you know hubby and I have survived another crazy week. There's another coming up in a couple of weeks, though. We had quite a bit of baby-sitting, which led to earlier bed times than I have grown accustomed to lately. Thanks for your concern, Heidi. I actually did get more sleep than usual.

Other than Heidi's post near the top of page 358, I only have had time to read DOrA's posts about the hound's second surgery. I hope it went well, and the recovery and leash walking also go well.

I hope to have more time to catch up on some reading tomorrow. I'm assuming I'll have nearly 2 pages of comments to read. In the meantime, Hello to Everyone! Please feel free to share lots of {{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}, healing energy, positive thoughts, , and prayers! Stay well and take care! Good Night!

Morning all!
I got up this morning just after Col left for work at 5am. I flicked on the TV to the 4 CCTV cameras outside only to find that Col was still there in the dark trying to change a flat tyre. I went out there with my car keys and sent him on his way in my car. As I told him, I can survive the day without my car. He can change the tyre this afternoon. Silly man!!

He didn't want to impose on you, CynB, and he respected what was yours. You've got a good man there. And he has a good woman.

CynB, I'm so sorry that you and Col are dealing with some unexpected turns and lots of frustration and waiting. Keeping my fingers and toes crossed that all goes well! I'm guessing that it makes good sense to bring a book or newspaper or smart phone with you to appointments at the eye clinic to keep yourself occupied while you wait. I hope the surgeons are top notch and can do whatever needs to be done in a timely fashion!

Heidi, it seems like the weather forecasters for your area are as confused as the rest of us. My guess is that either you'll get more rain or you won't, that it might snow or it won't, that it will get warmer or it will get colder. There, I hope I covered most of the possibilities!

Suzy, thanks so much for sharing MizT's TOS post here. I know Heidi appreciates it, and since I'm only getting back to computer access, it would take me forever to find her post there.

Heidi, I'm sorry to see that you lost another of the cows that Smokey attacked. I'm not surprised that you regret buying Smokey, but I know you were trying to save him and give him a life. There was no way to predict what would happen. I'm so glad Mike has offered to deliver cows to the sale barn. I'm sure he's very glad he can move his cows to your pasture, as I recall his previous situation was less than ideal.

DOrA, I really like your quote about laughter being better than medicine. There are some days that a little laughter can save from becoming very hard to deal with.

Suzy, I hope Alie is having a wonderful time in the Philippines! So sorry you have lost another post or two!

Heidi, so sorry the power outage hit when the temperature dropped. I hope it didn't take too long to warm up the house once the power was restored!

Heidi, karma is wonderful, isn't it? You were very patient and let it develop, so it's certainly your time to enjoy!

Midge, I hope the hot and humid weather eases, and the fires are far from you and promptly put out! I hope you enjoyed staying in the caravan with your daughter! Sometimes a change of scenery works wonders for the spirit.

Heidi, I'm glad you can ease into the special diet while clearing the fridge of things you won't be able to eat, at least for a while. I hope the diet does everything it needs to do to get you prepared for the upcoming surgery!

Heidi, thanks so much for calling MizT to check in on her, and for letting us know! I'm so glad she is OK and the tornadoes weren't too close to her.

CynB, I'm glad the doc is pleased with Col's eye and how well it's healing. I hope the laser procedure in two weeks goes exceedingly well and that all should be well for the cruise, as long as you follow the prescribed regimen for Col's eye drops!

That's a great TOPP, CynB!

DOrA, that is NOT good news about the Seagate external hard drive! Now I'll need to check what ours is. I can understand that a company would want to develop 'state of the art' equipment, but not at the expense of making previously developed equipment obsolete and unusable.

Heidi, I hope the pre-op appointment with the bariatric surgeon went well. He should be pleased that you have already begun the special diet.

CynB, Col is really a special and considerate person. Did he think that you might have something scheduled that would require you to use the car? I'm glad you were able to let him use your car to get to work and not worry about changing the tire at that hour.

MizT, if you should be able to get to your computer, I hope you are doing well and the pain subsides enough to make it possible to get around without relying on a wheelchair.

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

They were pleased that I've already started getting used to the special diet. It was a good appointment. I learned some useful stuff, especially about the meds I'm already taking. I;m allowed to keep taking them after the surgery, despite the clear liquid diet I'll be on... and I can take them mixed with a little applesauce! They said that the tiny bit needed won't cause any problems or side effects. Also, I am to drink a small bottle of gatorade 2 hours before the surgery (the one exception to the pre-surgical fast) to keep me hydrated and make it much easier to insert the IV.

I will be having one last dietary fling tomorrow. Some friends and I are going out for pizza. This particular place has the BEST thin crust meat lover's pizza, and my mouth is watering for it already. It'll probably be a year before I can risk cheating on my diet enough to ristka few bites of that pizza again.

Mike didn't get the calves hauled after all. The weather turned ugly on Sunday and we had snow, ice and high winds. We WILL get them moved this weekend if I have to make 3 trips to the sale barn myself (at an hour each way per trip).

Hope you enjoyed your pizza Heidi - and good on you for starting the diet early. I don't think I could cope with no fruit - my main diet. I wish I could have seen your face when you saw the For Sale sign - we say suck a lemon here to wipe the grin off before your face hurts!
Sorry to hear about your hard drive problems DorA. At work we had 6 hard drives all set up to ensure we had proper backups and there was a general fault and our IT guys told us they all went down at the same time. We were only able to recover a very small portion of our records. A lesson sorely learnt as I spent nearly 6 months trying to recreate the accounts for tax purposes. We now use different IT company. How is the hound now after the last surgery?
CynB - I can understand Col changing the tyre himself - it is hard sometimes to do what you were always able to do easily.
Julie - love reading your newsy posts, but what are you up to now?
Enjoyed the night and days at the van - read a great book (Lie Lay Lain by Bryn Greenwood), daughter and I had dinner at an Italian restaurant, solved problems, drank wine and did the op shops - perfect. Actually found a wine I am not allergic to so good times ahead!!
Suzy - when does Alie come home from her holiday? How is Dana going with her littlies? Has your new dog settled in well with Gizmo? Cheers to everyone.

I've told the surgeon and his staff that the hardest part for me will be avoiding the fresh fruit. I eat a more fresh fruit than any other food, too.

Heidi, your appointment was very informative! I'm glad they allow the GatorAde 2 hours before surgery.About 7 years ago I had surgery scheduled for 11:30 and no water allowed after 7 a.m. There was a huge delay; surgery finally took place around 5:30 p.m. and I had nothing to drink since 7 a.m. Getting the IV in was nearly impossible.

It's great that the doctor acknowledged that you had already begun the diet, and that you will be able to continue with your current medications, even to being able to take them with a small amount of applesauce. The doctor seems to be one who treats the whole person, which is refreshing!

I hope the pizza was as delicious as possible. You're very strong and determined, knowing that your next taste of it may be in a year. Good for you!

I hope taking the calves to the sale barn goes well this weekend, and hope the weather doesn't make it more difficult than necessary.

Wow, Midge! How awful to lose 6 hard drives and all the information on them. All that redundancy wasn't enough to prevent the problem you faced of having to recreate records. What a headache!

Your weekend at the caravan with your daughter sounds like it was relaxing and enjoyable. And how nice that you have found a wine that doesn't cause an allergic reaction!

Suzy, I hope Alie enjoys every moment of her visit to the Philippines! When is she due home? I also hope Gizmo and Jasper are becoming friends.

Due to the craziness of last week, I didn't find any time to practice the cello. Unfortunately, during that time, the calluses on my left fingers have softened, and my right shoulder (responsible for moving the bow) has lost some of its stamina. This Friday my cello teacher has scheduled a Performance Class for her students, which I won't be able to participate in. (Since I don't enjoy performing, I'm not feeling too bad about it.) I really need to get some time to practice in the hopes of making up for the time I lost last week. I'm not sure when the next Performance Class is scheduled. The 'Spring Recital' has already happened - when we were in the middle of the Polar Vortex and outside temperatures were below zero F. One of my cello strings broke during that time. Since I didn't have a spare, I was unable to practice for nearly a week. I finally got the string replaced 2 days before the recital, so didn't play on the recital, due to the missed practicing time and being 'rusty' in my playing. (Again, I didn't feel bad about missing the opportunity to perform.)

I'm about to head to bed, as hubby and I have early appointments tomorrow.

Sending {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, positive thoughts, , healing energy, and prayers for everyone!

Heidi, I can certainly understand how hard it will be to eliminate fresh fruit from your diet. Will you eventually be able to reintroduce it?

Re: DorA and the computer. The good (?) news - I think I am going to be able to, eventually, get most of my files back. BUT, the recovery software has renamed most of the files with a sequential number. The only way to find out what it is is to open it. Then Rename or trash. I have found some files of which there are 12 copies. Financial records are mixed right in with tech manual pdf files, correspondence and jokes, all in one big folder. The batch I'm copying, right now, is over 200,000 files. Unfortunately I will have to wade through them to find the ''important stuff''. UGH !! Good thing I have nothing better to do - Yeah, Right...

The hound is doing well, following his surgery. Another week to go before the staples come out. Then a few days before he can quit wearing the e-collar. All outdoor activities, for the next 2 plus months will have to be on leash. After being able to pick and choose his 'elimination spots', he is definitely not happy having to perform that evolution on a short leash. He will get better. I keep telling him and myself, that...

Back from my long-anticipated pizza lunch, It was DELICIOUS!!! This was the last pizza I will have for a very long time.

I accidentally touched another page number when trying to scroll. I’m reading posts from June and Mamacita. I miss them

DOrA, good news that the hound is doing well so far! I hope he and you will both adjust to restrictions on his elimination locations and needing to be on a short leash when outside. I hope he understands that it's for his own good!

Good news that you are likely to eventually have all of your files back, DOrA, but what a lot of work it will take to locate them and sort them into manageable folders.

Heidi, I'm glad you had a chance to have your favorite pizza and enjoy it with friends. I know how difficult it would be for me and my family to give up pizza. You CAN do it!

Suzy, that must have been a surprise to land among older posts, but what a wonderful surprise that some were from June and Mamacita, two very wise and warm people who shared their wisdom and love with us.

It's late, and I'm tired. I've been doing some of the work that needs to be done to prepare for our upcoming tax appointment. This is not a fun time of year, and it's exceptionally busy this year, so will be full of pressure to get things done.

Sending warm thoughts, healing energy, prayers, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, and for all of you!

So Alie, who was born in California, has just felt her first earthquake - in the Philippines!

Wow, Suzy! I hope it wasn't a very strong or serious earthquake. I haven't heard anything about an earthquake today, so hopefully it was mild. Hoping it wasn't scary for Alie!

How are things going for you while she's away? I hope Gizmo and Jasper are becoming friends!

I'm rapidly running out of energy tonight, so I'm off to bed. Sending healing energy, prayers, positive thoughts, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}}, and for All!

It was a 6.0 earthquake. She was shocked that the house swayed rather than shook

Gizmo and Jasper aren’t best friends yet, but they can be in the general vicinity of each other without attacking. They actually play outside together

That must have been a fascinating experience for Alie. I've been thru several earthquakes of that magnitude (and one greater) and thought them really cool. Of course, I wasn't in a tall building any of those times, but I did experience pictures falling off the walls and stuff falling off shelves. I had a friend who worked about 15 floors up, and he said it was crazy, with how much the building swayed.

Surprise, surprise. We're having a thunderstorm right now. It rained yesterday, a little, but it's making up for lost time today. After today, we're supposed to have a whole 4 days without rain. I'll believe it when I see it.

I might experience my first quake, hopefully a low magnitude one, in NZ in a few weeks.

Suzy, I was thinking of June yesterday when Stella and her hubby arrived in Sydney. I think they are the first Sudoku visitors to Sydney to miss out on a welcome from June. I was pleased that Kate took over the reins. Even when she was ill, June still had Albany Anne to stay with her. Anne did keep offering to stay elsewhere, June wouldn't hear of it.
I won't be here when Stella arrives in Brisbane - on the day we fly to Sydney but it appears that Broni in currently home so she may meet up with them. Just bad timing for Stella and I to meet.

Suzy, interesting experience. I felt a very mild earthquake once - just some swaying. There were about 7 or 8 people around a table in a restaurant. Only 1 other person noticed it. All of the others didn't. Hubby and kiddos were at home. He felt it (on the second floor of the house. They didn't (playing in the basement).

Heidi, I hope you actually get 3 or 4 days without rain!

CynB, I imagine you and Col are getting excited. I wonder if you'll feel an earthquake while in NZ. I hope all of your preparations are going well!

It's much later than I thought, and tonight is the time change to Daylight Savings, so I really need to get to bed.

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

An ex boyfriend of mine was staying on the 19th floor of a hotel in downtown LA when they had an earthquake. The tall buildings are designed to sway so they don’t break. Apparently it was pretty terrifying.

He called hubby, fiancé at that point, and he explained the building codes and why my ex didn’t need to worry

“Interesting “ things I’ve heard about the Philippines. Intermittent internet, though wifi is everywhere when it’s working, intermittent power, and, wait for it, intermittent water.

Babe Ruth's last surviving daughter just passed away at 102 years old.

Suzy, very interesting story about your former boyfriend calling your hubby (then fiancé) to ask about the safety of the multistory hotel during an earthquake. So, apparently being higher above ground magnifies the earthquake's effects, which is kind of what we guessed when kiddos in the basement didn't feel anything.

Wow, Suzy, what a reminder that not all of the Philippines are equally advanced in technology and infrastructure. I hope Alie is enjoying herself nevertheless! I'm guessing she might be glad to get back home when her holiday is over.

RIP to Babe Ruth's daughter. Whet advances she must have seen during her lifetime!

Heidi, did you have a rain-free day today? Fingers crossed!

Sending positive thoughts, healing energy, , prayers, and {{{{{HUGS}}}}} for everyone!

Alie is having a fantastic time. She was desperate for a shower the last time the water went out. They’d spent two nights sleeping on floors at friends of the friends she is travelling with, with no opportunity to shower. They drink water from bottles so it’s really only bathing that is affected when the water goes out. She would also love some alone time, but they follow her everywhere. She did finally get to ride on one of the motorbikes with the wooden boards to sit on attached to the sides (aeroplane bikes she called them) and was jazzed about that.

Did You Know?
Saddled with 270 tons of unsold turkey during Thanksgiving, a Swanson executive froze and sliced the birds with veggies on a tray and billed it as best consumed during “I Love Lucy.” The result? The First TV dinners!

Two whole days without rain!!!!

I am now on the pre-surgical diet designed to shrink my liver. If the surgeon opens me up and the liver isn't sufficiently shrunk, he'll just sew me up again. And he will refuse to operate again. So I have to be very, very careful.

Suzy, I'm so glad Alie is enjoying her visit to the Philippines!

DOrA, I didn't know about the origin of 'TV dinners.' Interesting!

Hooray, Heidi! Two days without rain! Good luck with the pre-surgery diet!

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

The hound is having his 2 week check up following the TPLO surgery. He is supposed to have the staples removed. Hopefully, in a few days the ''e-collar'' will be a thing of the past. He has been very tolerant of the collar and hasn't abused the time without the collar on by attempting to investigate the surgical site. GOOD BOY!
The short leash when outdoors must continue for a while...

Follow up - Staples were removed. As long as the hound doesn't become obsessed with the surgery area for another few days, he won't need to wear the e-collar, except overnight. Yea for him. Yea for me. Muscle rebuilding walks, short ones at first start now...

Hi, Everyone!

DDIrA, good news for you and the hound. Staples removed! Elizabethan collar only necessary over night! I hope everything continues to go well and you and he can soon be both relax and enjoy some beautiful spring weather and not worry about dealing with a short leash.for walks. I hope the recovery continues to go well!

Thinking positive thoughts for everyone and sending prayers, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, healing energy, and !

I’m drinking wine even though it violates my only on the weekend rule. It’s the two year anniversary of my last date. Hubby and I decided to celebrate our anniversary early in case he wasn’t well enough after the surgery to celebrate on the day.

Bittersweet moment, Suzy.
Haven't posted here for a few days. Nothing much happening except that my granddaughters must have decided that they'll miss me while I'm away. Two of them (Maddy and Emily) showed up to my Art Class yesterday and sat in with all the oldies learning how to draw. Then I got home, Col said that he thought we should go out for dinner. Not going to say no to that. He dropped me off and then went to park the car. He took longer than I expected, then came in with Hayley who had come over by train to see us and surprise me before we go away. Love my girls!!

The Gift of Time

The last wishes of Alexander the Great.........
On his death bed, Alexander summoned his army generals and told them his three ultimate wishes:

1. The best doctors should carry his coffin...

2. The wealth he has accumulated (money, gold, precious stones) should be scattered along the procession to the cemetery....

3. His hands should be let loose, so they hang outside the coffin for all to see!!

One of his generals who was surprised by these unusual requests asked Alexander to explain.

Here is what Alexander the Great had to say:

1. “I want the best doctors to carry my coffin to demonstrate that in the face of death; even the best doctors in the world have no power to heal...'

2. “I want the road to be covered with my treasure so that everybody sees that material wealth acquired on earth, will stay on earth...”

3. “I want my hands to swing in the wind, so that people understand that we come to this world empty handed and we leave this world empty handed after the most precious treasure of all is exhausted, and that is : TIME.'

We do not take to our grave any material wealth. TIME is our most precious treasure because it is LIMITED. We can produce more wealth, but we cannot produce more time.

When we give someone our time, we actually give a portion of our life that we will never take back. Our time is our life!

The best present that you can give to your family and friends is your TIME.

May God grant you plenty of TIME, to share with all.