Sudokuaholics Anonymous 11

Never give up on things that make you smile!

Julie - So sorry to hear of your husband's eye problems. I looked after a friend of mine with MS when she had her cornea transplant and it was very successful (although confronting for me to have to put eye drops in). You had a very trying time to see the specialist - I hope you are both managing well now. My son still has blurry vision and constant headache nearly 3 weeks after he was knocked unconscious. I feel so angry towards those responsible.

Thank you, Everyone, so much for the understanding and support! At first I hesitated to share my husband's story for fear of grossing out anyone. He is beginning to gain confidence in moving around the house. He will need to continue sleeping in a recliner until he returns to the local ophthalmologist in about 10 days, as the surgeon discouraged lying flat. He must wear a plastic 'shield' over the eye when sleeping and glasses when he is awake to protect his eye. Both the surgeon and the local ophthalmologist feel his sight will improve enough that he will be able to drive again, maybe by the end of the month, which is good news!

Cyn, because my husband's situation wasn't precipitated by an accident, we feel fortunate. I'm quite sure Col has dealt with far more, but hope all goes well with his upcoming surgery! I feel so fortunate that we live in a time and place that makes this kind of surgery and repair possible!.

Midge, I hope your son's vision and headaches are soon a thing of the past! Has he been to an opthalmologist or neurologist as follow-up to the attack? Hopefully a doctor can be of help if your son doesn't eventually have 'spontaneous' improvement without further involvement of a doctor or specialist of some kind! I assume he must have had a concussion.

I'm about t head to bed. I'm thinking of Everyone and sending healing energy, , positive thoughts, prayers, and {{{{{HUGS}}}}}

Thanks for the encouragement! Sleep well and/or have an amazing day!

I forgot to mention, thanks for a great TOPP, Cyn!

Julie, my son was robbed and bashed and then king-hit by 3 Africans. He was unconscious and has severe concussion and is having scans and MRIs each week - hopefully there will be no permanent damage.
That is good news about your hubby. Now I wish for improvement with Col's position.

Julie and midge, I hope your husband/son are all fixed soon!

Cyn, it seems like you are reaching near the end of your hassles! I hope...

Congratulations on your new family members Heidi!

I have potential new family members too. 10 and 11 year old chihuahuas. They are currently scared of my dogs but have only been here a couple of hours. Typing this is awkward as I have one on each arm.

Salsa won’t eat! Well she ate some cookie, but won’t eat food! Taco ate a tonne. No, we didn’t name them, but do like their names. Salsa was carried away by a hawk or an owl or something when she was young and has a scar where her skin was ripped away. No bare patches but a kind of lump that makes it easy to tell them apart

Suzy.... I have found that when a finicky dog won't eat dog food, canned cat food is irresistable. Try that for a few days, then start mixing it half and half with dog food. Slowly decrease the cat food until she's eating what you know she should eat.

The horses are STARTING to get over their fear of the alpacas. Yesterday we had to give up on trying to trim their feet because they were so afraid of the alpacas, who are in front of the barn, that we couldn't get them within 200 feet of the barn or alpacas, and they kept running away when we tried to lure them in closer. Today I got them within 20 feet of the alpcas!! I expect to be able to get them into the barn lot tomorrow. They should be fine when the blacksmith returns next week. Bribery with sweet feed works wonders.

Amazing the horses are afraid of the Alpacas Heidi. How are the collies coping with them? I imagine it is quite a circus at your place until they all settle in.
Suzy - how lovely to have another 2 dogs - do they have the attitude that usually comes with Chihuahuas?

Midge, I am so sorry that your son was attacked so viciously! What a horrible experience for him and for you. I'm glad he is being monitored frequently. I hope he will make a full recovery! Sending lots of positive thoughts for him!

Suzy, I hope all goes well with Salsa and Taco! It seems that Salsa has dealt with more trauma than Taco, but they both have apparently experienced some trauma since they are in need of a new home! Hoping all the pups find comfort with you and each other!

Heidi, I'm so glad you were able to offer a suggestion that might help Salsa eat. You have had plenty of experience helping dogs adjust to a new home and routine!

Hooray for your new family members, Heidi! It sounds like you're making progress in helping your horses become accustomed to the new residents! (I wouldn't have expected the horses to be afraid of the alpacas.) I hope you will get much enjoyment from the alpacas!

I'm about to head to bed. We had a meeting this evening. Usually we stay to clean up and put things away, but we had to get home for hubby's last drops of the day.

I hope everyone has a wonderful morning, afternoon, evening. Sending {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, healing energy, prayers, positive thoughts, and

Midge, I half expected snappy little mutts scared of everything, but they are pretty mellow. They snap at my original dog, but that would be because he chased them at their first meeting. I’m hoping it settles down with time

Hi Suzy - does this make 4 dogs now? Will be fun walking them on leads. Can you put a pic of them all on this site? Many years ago Gail told me abut the fb site but I forgot the details. So tired today - was awake all night with this blasted lymphodema in my legs. With a bit of luck the swelling will go away in about 6 months, so I am shutting up the Office and going home - too bad if we get any sample deliveries.
Hi MizT - hope you are on the improve.

Hi, Everyone! I hope you are all well!

I'm running on empty and about to crash for the night, but thought I'd pop in. Midge, I hope you get a good night's sleep!

Suzy, I'm glad Salsa and Taco are mello. Hopefully they'll forgive Gizmo for snapping at them when they first arrived. Enjoy their company!

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

Midge, if you are on FB and wanting to join the Sudoku Friends group, this is the procedure:

This is a Private Group. If you wish to join, you will need to contact Kathy from Valrico, Florida by Private Message through sudoku.com.au

So just go to 'Members', find Kathy, tell her who you are on here and she will help you with the rest. There are 121 members on there, including Suzy, Julie, Broni etc etc.

Julie, how is your hubby's eye going. I keep thinking of him - and you. While it's not life threatening, it is still not fun to deal with.

Thanks CynB - will do so.

Thanks for asking, Cyn! The gas bubble that the retina specialist had to put in his eye (that prevented us from flying home) is getting smaller, he says, so he can kind of see around it. That means he is beginning to see more with that eye. It is also less red, so it's easier for me to look at it and put in his drops. Through next Friday,(his next check-up with the local ophthalmologist) we still need to use 3 drops (2 of them are 4 times a day, and the other is just twice a day). He isn't allowed to drive until cleared by the ophthalmologist, so at least another week for that.

It's interesting - hubby has always seemed to feel that if the car is moving and he is in it, he should be driving. He has had to adjust his thinking. I have done much more driving,, for shopping, errands, doctor appointments, etc., sometimes while he stays at home & sometimes with him in the car. It just occurred to me that his attitude about not letting me drive may be connected to the fact that his mother didn't drive.

Midge, it will be great to have you as a fellow Sudokuaholic on Facebook. Some names may not be familiar, but you'll recognize many.

I need to get some things done, so I'll say Good Night! Thinking of everyone, including Heidi's new 4-legged family members and those who haven't posted much recently. Sending lots of positive thoughts, healing energy, , {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, and prayers!

Midge, usually once a new member joins the Sudoku Friends group on FB, Kathy will post that they've joined and many of us post a welcome and introduce ourselves with our real FB name and Sudoku name.
Mine is not much different, haha! Just my full christian name and my full surname which starts with B of course.

Julie, I'm glad the bubble is getting smaller for your hubby and his eyesight is getting better. I can imagine which eyedrops you are using but the names here would be different. I suspect one will be a form of prednisone?
Col had to get used to driving with me too as I had always sat back and let him drive, he had seldom driven with me and always used to get white knuckles from tension (so he said). I made it clear to him that he had no choice and I didn't need any criticism. He coped and never complains about my driving any more.

Midge, we'll be watching for you to welcome you to the Sudoku group on Facebook!

Cyn, you are definitely right about a form of prednisone! The surgeon prescribed one with a different name than the regular ophthalmologist usually prescribes, but it's essentially the same thing, I suspect.

It has been a long day, and I'm fading fast. Sending pleasant and positive thoughts, , prayers, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, and healing energy for all!

Midge, my name on fb is also my full name, rather than my nickname. It should be easy to tell which one it is. I took the photos of the dogs with my iPad and sudoku doesn’t like that format at all.

The little ones don’t seem to have been walked on a lead. When we put one on them they cowered to the ground.

Bribery works wonders for stress-free leash training, Suzy.

Off to town in a little while to buy bird food and a new wheel barrow.

Suzy, good luck getting Salsa and Taco accustomed to walking on a lead. I envision many tasty treats in their future.

Heidi, that's a good suggestion for Suzy. How are the alpacas doing? Are the horses becoming more comfortable around them?

Midge, when you get on Facebook, my actual name is Julie with my maiden name (that starts with a W) and my married name (that starts with a B). Have you been able to contact Kathy K F to be admitted to the group?

Lots of practicing to do, as the school year comes to an end. I plan to take 5 or 6 lessons during the summer and go to a week-long workshop.

Thinking of all our fellow Sudokuaholics and sending warm and healing energy, positive thoughts, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, , and prayers.

The horses are finally getting over their fear of the alpacas. Bribery works wonders. I've been feeding the horses some grain each day closer and closer to the alpaca pen. Today they ate right along the fence between the two. I will have no problem getting them up on Thursday.

The other day, while the hound and I were 'walking the line', I saw a couple of black bears cross the trail in front of us. They were about 100 yards out and moving at a high rate of speed, so it was only a one to two second glimpse. If I'd blinked I'd have missed them. Lots of rabbits and a variety of birds at the feeder.

The hound is 12 weeks out from his surgery, so the activity level is being stepped up to rebuild the muscle lost from inactivity. Soon to be no more leash. Hooray!

It's raining, Somewhere, today. Had two weeks of warm weather with the high temps in the 70-90 degree range, followed by a week and a half of rain / drizzle, with high temps only in the 60's. The weather guesser says it's supposed to dry out and warm up again soon.

There are indoor 'outdoor' projects. The 40 year old tractor is having the steering 'tightened up'. A bunch of disassembly, and cleaning will be followed by reassembly, when new parts arrive. Buying older used equipment always means some repairs required, but as long as I can do the work, myself, it is cost effective. Besides, the new equipment, like newer cars, has all that electrical / electronic stuff to go 'ten toes up'. On top of everything else, it keeps me from spending my money ''foolishly''.

It's raining here today. We've had nearly 2 weeks without rain so we got the pastures fertilized and seeded, and a lot of our neighbors got their first cutting if hay up. Everything smells fresh and clean right now.

Heidi, good work with the horses! They'll soon be best friends with the alpacas! Hooray for the rain! An occasional, well-timed rain is far better than indiscriminate and too often rain!

DOrA, I'm glad your view of the bears was brief and distant! Also, good news that the 'hound' is progressing post-surgery. But, I'm glad he was still on a lead when you saw the bears! From the sound of things, you are a 'Jill of all Trades!' Good for you! Your reasoning on spending money is spot-on in this economy!

Time to head to bed. Sending healing energy, prayers, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, positive thoughts, and !

Lovely early summer day here today. I planted a couple of double hollyhocks in front of the house and enjoyed just watching the alpacas and horses. This is the first time in years I've felt up to planting flowers. My life is really turning around.

Midge, I have sent you a message about joining the FB group, Kathy is having trouble finding you.

Kathy just changed the sudoku page from secret to closed. It should be searchable now.

I tired myself out today. First I voted in the State Primary election. Then I sprayed a LOT of herbicide on Poison Ivy, Buttercup and Pokeweed. The last 2 are highly poisonous to livestock. Then I worked on clean-up in the horse barn to get ready for the blacksmith on Thursday. She will be delighted at the improvement. It'll make her job much easier. Now I have to take the trash out to the road (2 full 96 gallon cans), then feed and water the birds. Long day, but I've been pacing myself. And I have NOTHING to do tomorrow. Maybe I'll just lounge around and read.

Have you got Salsa eating enough now, Suzy?

Heidi - love reading your posts of what you are now achieving since your op. You must be feeling so good.

Hi, Everyone! Thank goodness I could get here this evening. For the past 2 days, my computer has been telling me that it was impossible.

Heidi, what wonderful news that you are feeling so much better! Enjoy this time of your life!

Midge, I'll look forward to seeing you on the Sudoku Facebook page! CynB, thanks for following up with the message from Kathy.

Suzy, thanks for letting us know the the Facebook page has been changed from Secret to Closed. (I'm not really sure what the difference is, though.)

Heidi, you have had a very busy and fulfilling day. You deserve to have a restful day tomorrow! I hope you enjoy lounging around and reading! It sounds wonderful!

We have also had a long day here, and I really need to get to bed. Sending healing energy, , positive thoughts, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, and prayers for Everyone!

I got the horses up!!! They're locked in the barn lot waiting for the blacksmith to arrive. She'll be here at 8 AM, and I'm rarely awke that early. They have plenty of water and grass to last them until the morning. I even got halters on 3 of the 6. And only got my foot stepped on once.

It’s a beautiful day, 20 degrees (68F), sunny, and I’m wearing a dog blanket.

Heidi, I bet if you’d known how much better you’d feel you would have had the surgery years ago! I wonder how often you’ll need the shots now?

Julie and Cyn, how are your hubbies?

Salsa is eating fast now. I guess getting hungry because someone ate your dinner for you taught her a lesson. She still isn’t eating quite as much as Taco, but she’s eating plenty. I thought it would be the other way around because she’s actually chubbier than Taco

Hi, Everyone!

Suzy, the temperature sounds good. I think we hit 82* F today - after 50* F yesterday. I'd prefer a more gradual change!

Now my computer tells me it can't open the Smilies. GRRR!

I'm glad Salsa is eating better now. I guess it wasn't a problem for Taco. Do they share a food bowl - or just help to empty the other dog's bowl?

Thanks for asking about hubby, Suzy. He's doing pretty well. He decided he could start driving again. He'll see his local ophthalmologist on Friday. He's expecting he'll need a new prescription lens in his glasses for the affected eye. When that happens, we're going to have quite a bill, as he is thinking he wants to get transitional lenses, which darken automatically, though he really didn't like them about 15 years ago when he had them. He also wants to get prescription sun glasses with just the correction for seeing distance. Meanwhile, I was going to get my new glasses (first time progressive lenses have been prescribed, so more expensive) just before everything started with his eye. So my glasses were put on the 'back burner,' so to speak. The thought of buying 3 pairs of glasses isn't pleasant.

Tomorrow we have appointments with the dental hygienist. At our age, that often leads to a new or replacement crown. We'll see what happens.

I'll be heading to bed soon. But first, here are some positive thoughts, healing vibes, prayers, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, and for Everyone! (Hooray, the Smilies opened this time!