Sudokuaholics Anonymous 11

''Encourage your child to have muddy, grassy or sandy feet by the end of each day; that's the childhood they deserve.''

~ Penny Whitehouse

Thunder the Tundra is ready!!!! On my way in the rain to get her.

Tomorrow I'm taking Robert in for an eye exam for his glasses. Once he has them, he can get his Jeep ready to drive again, and I'm done chauffeuring.

The rain from Ida is already done. I see at least 6 inches of water in everything! That's a lot of rain in a short time.

Robert was told that his eyes aren't stable enough yet for glasses, so he still needs a chauffeur. And it might be a while yet.

Eyes are tricky little things. I hope Robert eyes stablise soon to give you a break, and him some freedom once he can drive himself everywhere.
Col had his injection, no change - it seems all the injection does is give him a headache and bloodshot eye for days and then nothing. One more in October then hopefully that's it whatever the outcome. His mental health can't take much more of this. He's long since given up hope.

It could be a LOT worse for both Col and Robert. At least both of them can still see.

Yep, that's right! It is what it is. And Col knows that. I think he's just had it with all the procedures that have no effect. Obviously the back of his eye is too seriously damaged to ever repair enough. If the doctors would just admit that, he'd be fine and accept it as it is.
I meant to say yesterday - great TOPP!

Great TOPP, Heidi, and perfect illustrations!

I'm so glad Thunder is back at home with you, Heidi!

So sorry Robert's eyes aren't stable enough for him to make the transition back to driving. I hope it will happen soon!

That's a lot of rain, Heidi!

CynB, Col's readiness to accept things as they are is a good sign. It has been a LONG ordeal for him!

Heading to bed. We've had an interesting few days and little sleep.

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

Rain is due to start up again in a couple of hours, and run through tomorrow. So i'm getting all of my feeding chores done early today. I'd rather not get soaked through again. I just have to let old Buddy out of his stall and put out a hay roll for the ancient crippled cow (and for the calves we're weaning next weekend). She has 3 weeks left. Next weekend we're weaning 2 of Mike's calves and sorting out an older heifer that belongs to a neighbor (she jumped the fence to get bred by Mike's great Gelbveih bull instead of the neighbor's ugly bull). The ancient crippled cow has a real talent for settling down weaned calves and teaching them to eat without their mamas. Mike intends to sell those 2 weanlings (1 steer, 1 bull) after 2 weeks, then we're going to put that old cow down. She's still enjoying a decent quality of life since I have her locked up in a small pen with shade, hay, grazing, water and daily grain feedings, and she isn't required to walk more tham 45 feet. But you can hear her joints grind and grate when she walks, and she walks on 3 legs 'cause she can't put weight on one. It's about time to end her discomfort. Her problems are all due to extreme age. There's nothing more that can be done for her.

I'm glad the ancient crippled cow is still able to serve a purpose the next few weeks and that she will then no longer need to deal with the discomfort of her grinding and grating joints. I hope she enjoys her time helping out the young weanlings.

I hope everyone is enjoying (or had enjoyed) a restful weekend! Thinking of Everyone and sending , healing energy, positive thoughts, prayers, and {{{{{HUGS}}}}}! Take care and stay well!

I meant to post this here yesterday...

This is an ABC News story I would like to share with you, partly because it is a great story, but mostly because of the
background video graphics. They are an excellent illustration of the country and they hint at the type of station work
that I enjoyed during my 'gap years'. Those years brought me back close to my childhood and were a great relief after
years in hectic IT Support in Sydney. It was after the gap years that I moved to Rockhampton to prepare for a reasonably
quiet retirement.

As always, check for and remove any spaces that appear in the link.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-04/queensland-outback-property-cattle-woman-lara-statio n/100379774

Last night, when I went out to the barn about midnight to give the kittens their last feeding, I spotted an opossum eating my cat food! So I set the live trap and baited it with more cat food. When i went out this morning, I'd caught it! I was especially concerned because the young turkeys now live loose in the barn. They refuse to go back in their pen to sleep, and they'd make tasty meals for 'possums. The opossum is now dead. I can't believe how many of those buggers I've caught in that barn!!! You'd think that there'd be none left in the neighborhood.

Saltie - thanks for that link. What a strong, interesting woman she is, doing it on her own and with 3 young children. For this city girl, it sounds so daunting. I love the Wetlands and have put that in my list of 'must visits' when Col retires and we can hit the road.
Heidi, I feel for the poor old cow with her grinding joints (have some myself, particularly my knees). She has done a good job but I'm glad she will be put down peacefully soon,
Hi Julie - nice to see you.

Speaking of being 'put down peacefully'. Our State Government is introducing legislation this month to be voted on by Parliament on Voluntary Assisted Dying. 'Voluntary' obviously being the word. I am all for it. I read about a woman who got 110,000 signatures on a petition to be tabled. She has terminal cancer and even if it gets passed it will still be too late for her. But she's been brave enough, strong enough and determined enough to have her voice be heard. I admire her so much and wish that she had the choice now.
I don't know whether I would do it but I would like to know that the option was there.

I'm about to fall asleep at the computer, so posting without reading. Sending healing energy {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, positive thoughts, prayers, and for Everyone!

Having problems keeping solid food down. I can handle things like protein drinks, flavored gelatin and frozen yogurt, and some fruits, but that's it. So I'm sticking close to home, doing bare minimum, and taking it easy. AND KEEPING HYDRATED!

Hope you are starting to feel better Heidi. It's more than 24 hours since you posted how unwell you are feeling. Thinking of you and sending healing vibes.

It is getting close to the 20th anniversary of 9/11. The shock of that reverberated around the world. It is one of those 'what were you doing when....' moments.
We were just about to go to bed and stopped to watch, laugh at and be appalled by The Jerry Springer Show. We saw some words come across the bottom of the screen about a plane hitting one of the twin towers. We switched to CNN because our local channels hadn't picked it up yet and were just in time to see the second plane hit. Absolutely surreal and unbelievable. We continued to watch during the night here in Australia and saw the towers fall, heard about the pentagon and the other plane that went down. By that stage they knew that a fourth one was coming and heading towards Washington. Those brave people on that flight who brought the plane down into a field instead of a city. So many stories and sights from that day that we will always remember, even we people from other countries.
I remember Kennedy being assassinated, I remember Armstrong walking on the moon, I remember the Berlin Wall coming down and the day Princess Diana died, I remember the tsunami that sadly killed 250,000 people - but this stands out as the most shocking event I've ever seen, by far.

Hi, Everyone! Thanks for sharing that link, Saltie! What an interesting and challenging life for her and her children!

Heidi, those darn opossums sure like to keep you on your toes! I'm glad your young turkeys are safe for now! I hope you'r feeling better now, Heidi!

CynB, each of those events has triggered deep feelings for many of us. I suspect 9/11 will be difficult for many!

I'm off to bed. Too many early mornings and late nights. Thinking of Everyone and sending healing energy, prayers, positive thoughts, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, and for All. Stay well!

I'm suspecting that this is all part-and-parcel of the ear infection that won't go away. I'm no longer vomiting, but the ear is really bad right now.

Heidi, I hope you will feel much better soon. You could well are right that it's connected to your ear infection, but it still needs to be take care of. If only all of our good wishes could improve your health! Please take care of yourself!

Thinking of Everyone and sending many positive thoughts, healing energy, prayers, , and {{{{{HUGS}}}}} for All!

Nothing much going on here. I hit the feed store today for an assortment of feeds: one equine senior, some sweet feed for the alpacas, feed for poultry, dog food and more canned cat food for the repidly growing kittens.
We're going to be working the herd on Wednesday.... sorting out Mike'e 2 males to wean then sell, sorting out the visiting heifer and castrating another bull calf of Mike's that he has decided he doesn't like enough to keep as a bull after all. None of mine require anything, except one needs a new ear tag.

Greetings, Everyone!

Heidi, you must be feeling somewhat better to have been able to go out and purchase feed for many of the animals. I hope all goes well on Wednesday when you and Mike work the herd!

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

Just dropping by to say Hello and Good Night!

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

I lost Sandy this evening. The cancer had gotten bad, and I was thinking that her time was getting close. Then yesterday, she and Dawn got into a fight (Dawn is trying to become dominant dog) and in Sandy's weakened condition, she got bitten several times. The shock from the bites was too much for her, and she passed away at the Vet Clinic where she was rushed immediately after the fight. At least Mike the Vet kept her comfortable and pain free at the end. I just wish I had been with her when she passed, but at least she had been sleeping.
I can't stop crying.

I'm so sorry to hear about Sandy's passing, Heidi. I'm sure she (and Mike) knew you would have wanted to be with her. How unfortunate that the fight for dominance precipitated the bites and shock. Sandy knew she had a special place in your heart. {{{{{HUGS}}}}}

Thinking of Everyone and sending the usual good thoughts and vibes. Take care, Everyone!

Heidi, so sorry to hear about Sandy but pleased that the vet kept her comfortable to the end.
Hi Julie and everyone else - where are you all?
I have no news here, life goes on, Covid goes on, restrictions go on. Although our state has it under control for now, they are warning us that the Delta strain will eventually hit us like it has the southern states, and are encouraging us all to be vaccinated. By the end of tomorrow, all of my family but 2, will have had at least their first dose. Maddy is reluctant to because she has 'heard' through the usual conspiracy rubbish on social media that having the vaccine could affect fertility. It doesn't! I keep finding approved scientific denials of this and sending them to her. Hopefully she will come to her senses. And Chloe, at 15 is now able to get the vaccine but it will be her mother's decision. So who knows? But her mother would have had to be vaccinated, she works with vulnerable elderly people and despite her many dreadful faults, she is kind and dedicated to these people. Shame she couldn't extend that to her daughters.

It's weird being the same age as old people.

When I was a kid I wanted to be older... This is not what I expected.

Life is like a helicopter. I don't know how to operate a helicopter either.

It's probably my age that tricks people into thinking I'm an adult.

Never sing in the shower! Singing leads to dancing, dancing leads to slipping, and slipping leads to paramedics seeing you naked. So remember... don't sing!

I see people my age mountain climbing. I feel good getting my leg through my underwear without losing my balance.

We all get heavier as we get older, because there's a lot more information in our heads. That's my story and I'm sticking to it...

CynB, at least most of your family is vaccinated. I hope the Delta Variant steers clear of everyone!

DOrA! It's good to see your post, and it's a good one! Certainly worth the wait!

Thinking of Everyone and sending , healing energy, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, prayers, and positive thoughts for all! Take care and stay well!

Not feeling talkative. Sandy's passing hit me really hard.

We're working the cattle tomorrow afternoon. It should be interesting since thunderstorms are predicted for tomorrow.

Thanks for the laughs DorA, I identify with them all!
Cyber hugs to you Heidi, it is hard to lose a pet and you love all of yours so much and so well.
Hi Julie - busy life as usual.

Thinking of you, Heidi. We know this is a difficult time. Hoping tomorrow goes well for working the cattle.

A few more the ''seasoned'', among us, can relate to........

Zero year birthdays become increasingly difficult to cope with as the first integer increases, after a ''certain point''.

I came. I saw. I forgot what I was doing. Retraced my steps. Got lost on the way back. Now I have no idea what's going on.

If you can't think of a word, say 'I forgot the English word for it..' That way people will think you're bilingual instead of an idiot.

I'm at a place in my life where errands are starting to count as going out.

I don't always go the extra mile, but when I do it's because I missed my exit.

I don't mean to brag, but I finished my 14-day diet food supply in 3 hours and 20 minutes.

Having plans sounds like a good idea until you have to put on clothes and leave the house.

I may not be that funny or athletic or good looking or smart or talented. I forgot where I was going with this.

I've got all the cattle caught. I had to outsmart them in the rain, but thanks to redoing the feeding area to free up a corner gate, I got 'em all. They're in the holding area now waiting for Mike to arrive. He should be here in about an hour.

After all the work I put in changing around the feeding area, adding latches and putting in new corral panels and gates, it all paid off today. Working the cattle went so easy that Mike was in shock. What normally took nearly 2 hours only took 20 minutes.... and nobody, not cattle or people, were stressed.

DorA - I can identify with all of that - I must be very 'seasoned'.
Heidi - I'm glad all of your hard work paid off and all went smoothly with the cattle.

DOrA, those all sound WAY too familiar. I'm apparently of a 'certain age.' Maybe we're all well seasoned. Thanks so much for sharing!

Heidi, I'm delighted that all of your hard work in redoing the process for catching and working the cattle has paid off big time! Hooray for you! And hooray for getting the task done so quickly and almost effortlessly!

We had to request an extension on our taxes this year because of all the time I wasn't able to work one them in the spring. Now, they're coming due and I'm frantically trying to get everything together. I sure hope we don't need to do this every year. Have I EVER mentioned that I hate working on tax preparation?

Thinking of everyone and sending lots of {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, healing energy, , prayers, and positive thoughts! Take care, Everyone!

Spending a quiet day today. I just ran a couple of quick errands and returned the wayward heifer to it's owner.

Julie, it sounds like your taxation system over there is way more complicated than ours. We have a Government site to which we all have individual password access. Our employers enter our earnings and amount of taxes paid for the financial year (July/June here). Any other earnings like bank interest or credits, stocks and shares are also entered by the facilities involved.
We can prepare the rest ourselves online or go to a tax agent. Basically all we need to do is to claim any deductions we can claim like work-related costs, personal payments to super funds, charity donations etc. That said, we still haven't done Cols for this year because we are waiting for a confirmation letter by snail mail from a super fund. They are always so slow. Sigh!