Sudokuaholics Anonymous 11

They shall grow not old,
As we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them,
Nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun,
and in the morning,
We will remember them

Lest we forget.

Very nice, Suzy.

Yep, Anzac Day here in Australia - Lest we forget!

Colin has recovered from his flu, which was bad, but made worse by him being a man. ManFlu is real. I think it's the need to be the centre of attention!
Anyway, he went back to work on Tuesday (after the Easter break) and Wednesday and did a full day's work on both days. He goes back to the specialist on Monday and will get a clearance to work full time again - and he's keen to do it.

Julie, I hope your hubby's health issues get sorted quickly, and that you don't get what he's got. I didn't get Col's disease, thank goodness.
Heidi, so happy that all is progressing well with the alpacas.

Heidi, hope your healing is progressing well. I keep wondering how you find time to tend your flock????? Dogs, cows, birds, and now alpacas...

Appropriate top, Suzy.

Lest we forget...

I don't have the alpacas yet. They won't arrive for at least another month. By then, I'll have even more energy. I'm feelong better every day, and now have more energy than I have had for at least 5 years.

Great news, Heidi !!!!

Whew!!! Today I “Cheated Death”, figuratively speaking.

REMEMBER: IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT PROBABLY IS…….

I answered a “Craigs List” ad for a motorcycle. Got a text back, giving me an email address for the seller with all the info.

Short version. The deal will be handled by eBay. The ‘’Statement’’ I received was a “work of art”. I didn’t suspect anything. The instructions said to buy eBay gift cards, for the payment value and email the claim # along with a picture of the card and the store receipt for the card purchase.
Fortunately for me, the store I went to was sold out. I called eBay for help locating another store to buy cards. The lady was nice, in that after explaining the situation, she didn’t laugh at me while she explained that eBay doesn’t do business that way.

Returning home, I reviewed all the emails I had and called eBay, again. Same answer.

Today the lucky Leprechaun was sitting on my shoulder. If I had been able to buy the cards, I would have been S O L…

To repeat my self - REMEMBER: IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT PROBABLY IS…….

Thank you for the Anzac Day remembrance, Suzy! Lest we forget!

Suzy, I hope you're doing well, and the pups have become good friends! Did Alie get the diferent job she was going to apply for (or thinking of applying for)?

saltie, thanks for your suggestion that hubby should consult his doctor. We are due for our annual physicals with our primary care physician in May. He also has a follow-up appointment with his neurologist and ophthalmologist. (He also has mentioned that his vision is getting worse.)

CynB, thank goodness Col is feeling better and back to work! I hope he get his clearance to return to full time work on Monday. Unfortunately, hubby shared his cold with me, so both of us are sneezing, coughing, and dealing with runny noses. I need to get to the store to buy more tissues!

Heidi, I'm so glad your recovery is progressing so well! It would be wonderful to have as much energy as five years ago!

DOrA, thank you for your excellent advice! Your experience sounds much like my hubby had a few years ago when he was trying to buy a part for recording something, I think. (Well, it was an electronic something-or-other.) He was instructed to purchase some PlayStation (I think) gift cards from Amazon. I was skeptical, but he couldn't find the parts he needed anywhere else. So, he purchasex them and sent them to the address given. YEP, he was scammed. Fortunately it was under $100, not that we couldn't use that $100 for groceries. We just felt lucky he hadn't been taken for more than that.

MizT, I hope you are finally getting some pain relief! We miss you!

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

Hi, Everyone!

Just popping in to send each of you wishes for a wonderful weekend and hope you are all well and rested! Sending lots of healing energy, prayers, positive thoughts, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, and

DorA, it’s been such a big problem here that there are actually warnings near where we buy cards. I have mixed feelings about the signs because they are high and the print is relatively small. But at least they try.

Alie’s new job is close to home and she usually walks . I’m saving a fortune on fuel, but I’m also staying home more. At least before I would stop at a store on the way home. She’s not getting the hours they promised, but gets 10 hours guaranteed a week

Greetings friends, checking in without reading except for this page. I am still having trouble with my back, leg and knee. I cannot tolerate the pain in knee to stand, and no waking at all. I am now seeing a chiropractor, first visit he helped a lot, I had a week of feeling better each day. Was not so fortunate second visit. I think it was how long I was in my power chair with knee bent, not a good position for me. I go back to pain clinic Monday and to chiro again Wednesday. Hope they can figure out something. Cannot sit here at desk top for long, cannot get to site on cell phone. think I need a tablet or something for use from recliner.

Glad to see Heidi posting and getting more energy. Need to find more about alpacas.Happy that Allie's job is close and you are saving on fuel costs, but Suzi, you need to get out. Maybe pick one or two days a week for going to the shops? DORA, glad you did not find the cards and escaped that with your funds intact. Julie, sorry to hear your hubby is having health problems, hope they are resolved soon.

All knee sill tolerate, back to recliner and book. Huge hugs to each of you, till later.

MizT, so nice to see you post here but sorry to hear that you are still in such pain. I hope your visits to the pain clinic and the chiro next week will bring on some relief for you. That is a good idea to buy a tablet. While I still prefer my laptop, I can access everything I need, including Sudoku on my tablet.
Hugs to you and everyone else on here.

Hi, Everyone!

Suzy, I had no idea that the gift card scam was so widespread. I must admit that I have never seen warmings posts around where they are sold, though.

Suzy, I guess Alie's new job is both a blessing and not so much. It's great that it is close enough for her to walk and has greatly reduced your fuel bill! On the other hand, her previous job kind of encouraged you to get out, and it's easy to stay at home if there is no reason or incentive to leave the house. Also, it's not right that they aren't giving her the number of hours originally promised.

It's so great to see you post, MizT. What's not great is that you're still having to deal with the pain in your back, leg, and knee. It seems like more research is needed for doctors to find the cause of the pain and treat the cause, instead of only addressing the symptoms. Here's hoping the return to the pain clinic on Monday and the chiro on Wednesday will finally produce some much-needed pain relief! A tablet may be just the thing to allow you to visit here without needing to sit at the desktop. Have a great week!

HI, Cyn! I hope Col's visit to the ophthalmologist produces the desired results this week! I hope both of you stay well!

We discovered this afternoon that 39-month-old grandie can say 'ophthalmologist.' We were doing FaceTime when I mentioned to D that hubby's ophthalmologist had returned our call about some vision concerns. Grandie asked, 'What is an ophthalmologist ?' and pronounced it correctly!

It's time to check on hubby and get both of us to bed. Sending healing energy, positive thoughts, , prayers, and {{{{{HUGS}}}}} for everyone!

Glad to see Mizt posting and hope Drs can help find out was is causing so much pain. Also Heidi feeling so much better.
Good topp Suzy. One day I will never forget. This year I went to the dawn service, came home and watched Gallipoli service, saw our football team win at no. 1 son's place. After we left (about 9pm) he walked up to the local shops and was robbed, bashed and king-hit by 3 Africans - all of this 200 yards from a large police station. When he regained consciousness, he made it to the police station and they sent him by ambulance to Melbourne. Home now but not o.k. I dread to think what we are leaving our future generations with our non-existent integration /immigration policies.

Oh, no, Midge! How awful for your son! Was there no one around who witnessed it and called for emergency responders? It seems surprising that no one saw what happened or saw him lying unconscious and reached out to help. Does he know how long he lay there unconscious? I hope he will be able to make a good recovery! What a terrible thing to happen! {{HUGS}} to him and you!

I'll be off to bed very soon, as we have another early morning. Sending healing energy, prayers, , {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, and positive thoughts to everyone! Good Night!

What a nightmare, Midge! I hope they catch those slimeballs and throw away the key.

Tomorrow we start work on getting the area for the alpacas ready. I want to keep all the horse and cattle areas intact, so I'm renovating the area where I used to have dog kennels and runs into alpaca night pens. The outside runs have been removed already. The 6 inside kennels are 6 feet wide by 16 feet long. Those will be changed to 3 pens 12 feet wide and 16 feet long. The floors have to be replaced, and the doors switched to something usable by alpacas instead of collies. The outside holding pens, which were used for sheep, need to be cleaned up, and the working chute removed. We have plenty of time to get the work done.

Heidi, how exciting for you as you make preparations for the alpacas' arrival. (Well, hopefully exciting for you, but a lot of work. But I'm certainly excited for you!)

I'm off and running (well, walking somewhat quickly, all things considered). I need to go check on hubby.

Sending good wishes, healing energy, prayers, positive thoughts, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, and to Everyone! Good Night!

I’m so sorry that happened to your son midge. In my town it would have been white guys high on ice.

Same sort of justice for them too Suzy. My daughter's friend was killed by a driver who was out on bail, unregistered car, high on ice and he got 7 years jail, good behaviour 4 years. Her family got life. Our judicial system is pathetic.
Heidi - I love alpaca wool. We have a farm near us but unfortunately they don't sell to the public. Exciting times ahead for you,
Julie - hope hubby is feeling better and you don't get what he had. Sounds like a line from a movie!!

HI, Everyone!

I'm just popping in to say Hello and Good Night! Life is crazy, and I need some sleep. Sending healing energy, {{{{{HUGS}}}}, prayers, , and positive thoughts to all!

Hello and Good Evening from Illinois.

I hope everyone is well! it must be a busy day for everyone. Please take care of yourselves!

What a busy day! I had string orchestra and a cello lesson at two different branches of my music school. That's not unusual, but the fact that hubby couldn't drive was unusual. I'm running on fumes tonight because it's nearly an hour drive to one location, about 1/2 hour between locations, and over an hour drive home. That amounts to 3 hours of playing music and 2 1/2 hours of driving., (Often, I get a couple of quick naps when hubby is driving.) So, I'm off to bed soon.

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

Thunderstorms and pouring rain now.... just as the ground was finally starting to dry out. They're calling for rain and thunderstorms tomorrow for the Kentucky Oaks and Saturday for the Kentucky Derby. Should make for interesting races.

Heidi, do they ever postpone the races because of bad weather and track surfaces?

Hubby and I are certainly keeping out of trouble; it has been another very busy day with lots of phone calls and research.

I hope everyone is well! Thinking of all of you, including MizT, Midge, saltie, DOrA, Heidi, CynB, Suzy, and anyone I've missed. Of course, I'm also including Tami and Broni, though it's been a while since they visited. Hoping all of you are well or improving!

I just realized it's nearly 9 pm. I don't know where the time has gone today, but I should have eaten dinner a few hours ago.

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

The hound has had his nine week post TPLO surgery check up. The bone has healed. Now it's time to rebuild the atrophied muscles. Swim therapy, tomorrow. He thinks swimming is OK, but the incentive treats are good...

My favorite for the Kentucky Derby , Omaha Beach, has been scratched. He developed a lung problem yesterday afternoon, I really have no second favorite. We'll see how the horses run tomorrow, and see if someone excells.

The KY Derby has never been postponed for any reason. It's been run in thunderstorms and once, in my memory, under tornado watch.

The Kentucky Oaks was an interesting race. The heavy favorite (Bellafina) never clicked (but rallied a little to finish 5th in a field of 14). The second favorite (Jaywalk) came in 13th.... and the one listed as 14th (Positive Spirit) clipped heals with another horse and fell at the start (both horse and jockey came out of it unhurt and even unbruised). The winner was a lovely black filly named Serengeti Empress, off at 8-1 odds. She was my second pick in the field. One thing I really liked was that the winning trainer, one of the few I really respect, expressed concern and relief about the fallen horse and jockey before he said a word about his own horse's win. He has his priorities straight.

DOrA, good news about 'the hound' and his good check-up! I hope he does well with his swimming therapy! During our 19+ year old cat's final months, we often saw dogs walking on a treadmill in water when we took her for vet visits. I suppose that may work similar muscles. Our vet said she had even used it with cats, who tolerated it. Again, I suspect treats might have been an incentive. They could use as much or as little water as needed, and adjust the temperature. We found it interesting to watch.

Heidi, that's so encouraging to hear that the winning trainer for the Kentucky Oaks race has his heart in the right place and expressed concern for the horse and jockey that fell! It will be interesting to see how the Kentucky Derby goes tomorrow.

The last few days have been crazy, and the coming week doesn't look any better. I haven't even had time to take my cello out of the case since getting home from my lesson on Wednesday. So, in case things get any busier, I just want to let all of you know that I may be absent and/or not posting until things settle down a bit.

Thinking of everyone and sending positive thoughts, , healing energy, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, and prayers. Feel free to share! I'll pop in when I can. Good Night!

I will be picking up my new alpacas next weekend!!! It's gonna be a mad rush to get ready for them in time.

DorA, great news! I didn’t do any therapy with Gizmo when he broke his leg, other than running around the yard with him. Well, he ran, I encouraged. He’s doing really well though. He was limping a few days ago for the first time in weeks. We think he overdid it that day.

The animal rights activists here are pushing to have greyhound racing banned. There’s hints that if they succeed, horse racing is next. Published statistics on the number of race horses that die every year sort of hints. The only race I’ve ever followed is the Melbourne cup, but my brother’s in-laws are heavily into racing. Sad story, my SILs uncle was a jockey. When he was 19 he was caught fixing a race and suspended. He got addicted to cough medicine. When the shops in town wouldn’t sell him anymore, he walked to the next town to get it. That’s about 20 kms. Still in my “city” though. He’s in his 60s now and has been addicted to heroine for a long time. He gets clean for a while, then gets bored, he says, and uses again. I haven’t seen him since his family kicked him out of his mother’s house for beating her up. I think she’s in her 90s now.

My husband’s sister died this week. She was the same age as my mother so would have been in her 70s. She has been an alcoholic most of her life and lost two of her children to alcoholism years ago.

I’m going to an air show tomorrow! My friend I can’t say no too bought me a ticket and guilted me into going with her husband so she didn’t have to. She is the one who didn’t just bring food when hubby died, but sat and ate it with us to make sure we ate. Clever of her because most of the other food we were given went into the freezer and was eventually tossed. She knows I’ve been isolating myself and invites me out for lunch whenever she is free.

Suzy, Lucky you. Sounds like a good friend. The ones that are willing and want to spend time, when we need company (whether we know it or not) are ''KEEPERS''.

Where the hound goes to swim, there is no treadmill. They are really spendy, and where we go is a 'start up'. The owner is a certified pet physical therapist. Where we are going the pool is about 8 by 12 and has water jets to create a current. So far, just swimming laps. He gets a treat now & then...

I can see that Heidi may be 'scarce', for a while, what with the preparations for the soon to arrive Alpacas.

Just when guys thought it was 'safe' to take significant others, to Home Depot... (this from my brother)

I gotta stop going into Home Depot!
Today (well, actually yesterday) we were isle surfing in Home Depot. I needed to go there to pick up an online order that was delivered to our Home Depot store. It was a package of drywall shims that are needed to “smooth out” the framing and allow the drywall to be installed with minimum fluctuations. This is the third package of shims that I purchased – they are great!
All went well – until Lisa became Free Range and started looking around. We landed on an isle that had ceramic tile at 49 cents per square foot. I had been thinking that stick-on “asphaltic” floor tiles. (This is the type that we installed in our existing cabin floor.) I thought this product was the cheapest. But at 89 cents per square foot, not so.
So I thought – daughter and the girls are coming up, I should install a floor covering in the bathroom before they show in July. All good – EXCEPT. Lisa thought that the tiles would also look good in the kitchen area. I thought (at 49 cents) – OK. But then there was scope creep.
Lisa’s definition of kitchen area was not just where the stove was but all the way down to the archway. This includes the bathroom, the walkway, the pantry, and the kitchen area. I swallowed hard and said – OK @ 49 cents well, I guess, OK.
The next problem. The tile weighed 35 pounds per 10 square feet. I figured the number of tiles to be 370 square feet. So I needed 37 cartons of 10 square feet per carton. I did the math really quickly – That is still less than $200 less military discount. So – OK (still).
But this became 37 cartons at 35 pounds per carton. Again, I did the math – 1,295 pounds! I started to swallow even harder.
The end result was to place two layers of tile in the back of my new Subaru (that I am sure it is rated for 1/2 ton plus capacity). Well if I have three 200 pound persons in the back with luggage – NO PROBLEM! (I think my reasoning sucks at this point!!!)
End result, got it all in the car and we were heading home. BUT . . .
I then realized that, even though I had great thoughts – I should not install the tile until the drywall tape and texture is done. The corollary – What to do with the tile. At 35 pounds per carton, I could only place one carton on the floor without overloading the floor at 40 pounds per square foot. So where to place the tile – the obvious place was in the garage. So the lawn mower was moved to the external shed (that I am still surprised survived [in one piece] last winter’s storms).
I guess bottom line – I “saved” money. But at what cost . . .
But bottom line, I still need to put in a temporary floor covering in the bathroom under the toilet. I guess finding a product at 49 dents beats one at 89 cents. Well, I guess.

In case anyone is interested, Tacitus is my pick for the KY Derby. It's raining, like usual, in Kentucky, and the track will be muddy. Tacitus likes running in the mud. He's bred for it. He has a good post position and some serious speed.

DOrA... items like that are knon as loss leaders. They're priced so low that they lure buyers in who end up spending a lot more than they plan to because of the ''great deal''.

Maximum Secirity won on a sloppy track.