Sudokuaholics Anonymous 11

''The right thing to do and the hard thing to do are usually the same.''

Steve Maraboli

I don't know what to say, Midge, except to try to give you the gentlest of ((( HUGS ))). I can't believe all the awful stuff you've been going through. You have my utmost respect for your inner strength.

I like that quote, Heidi...

Heidi, that wedding sounded really creepy. How can women, in this day and age, comply with stuff like that? Obey??? My first wedding was in 1968 and I insisted that the minister delete that from the vows. My eldest granddaughter has a birthday this month, I bought her a 'Fight like a Girl' coffee mug with caricatures of well-known Australian women - politicians, activists and journalists. She is strong and knows her own mind these days after a few bad relationships. She is now with a guy who loves and supports her. I expect them to marry after she graduates at the end of the year. Very proud of this girl.
Midge, you need some good luck! Life is not fair sometimes. Sending cyber hugs.

Health/Medical issues all round:
Squishy thing today and second Covic booster tomorrow for me.
Colin has all sorts of half-year follow up appointments with his oncologist and surgeon - it is 3 years soon since he had the bowel cancer. I think they will send him for a colonoscopy as well. He's just had the blood tests and CAT scan. I am always on tenterhooks until he gets the results.
And my sister, her husband and our grandie Maddy all have Covid.

I forgot to add, that among the groom's fathers rantings was garbage about women's role on Earth was to serve and support her husband in all things. The minister echoed that and embelished on it. Terrifying that people still think like that. And that ''man'' raised the groom. He had to have brainwashed his son into those beliefs or it wouldn't have been included in the ceremony. I can see only a future of abuse if my friend's daughter doesn't wise up and escape.

We're getting intermittent thunderstorms right now. There IS a tornado watch out, but it's north of us this time.

Thanks Heidi but I feel I am no different to anyoe else. I spent a lot of time in the children's hospital with our first son and so grateful my problems are so small.
Like the quote too - it is a bonus when the right thing to do isn't so hard.
How has Carmela settled in?
We are approaching winter here - sorry to see the end of summer although it wasn't a very hot one this year.

That wedding sunds horrific - can't understand that anyone would agree to 'obey' unconditionally. Don't like their chances of a happy relationship.

As I said, that ''ceremony'' sounded like something out of the 18th century, or before, when women had no rights and were treated as chattel. The bride is only 19, and is really a sweet girl, and I don't think she understood what was being said fully. I think she was just thinking about being married and didn't understand the oaths. Maybe she thought they were standard.

Hi, Everyone! Haven't had much time to get to the computer these days. And when I do, I don't stay long. I think the neuropathy in my hands is getting worse. I hope everyone is well!

CynB, I hope all of Col's check-ups go well!

Hoping everyone dealing with COVID improves quickly!

Heidi, when is Carmela due?

The wedding ceremony sounds like one our D told us about. I can't remember what religion the groom was. His new wife seems like a sweet, timid young lady. Our D reacted the same way you did. It seems like the grooms involved in these 'ceremonies' are firmly planted in a previous century. I feel sorry for both brides.

Time to head to bed. Thinking of Everyone and sending healing energy, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, prayers, positive thoughts, and for All! Stay well!

Wow! Rich Strike wins the Kentucky Derby at 80 to 1 odds. Where is that time machine when I need it?

Where is Heidi?
She hasn't been here since the 5th.
Nor have I, even though I have meant to,
I hope all is well with her.
Maybe she went to the Kentucky Derby??

Sorry. I'm still under the weather with body aches, and am spending a lot of time trying to sleep through it.

I hope you'll soon feel better, Heidi! I hope you can get lots of sleep and soon be back to normal!

Thinking of Everyone and sending , {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, healing energy, positive thoughts, and prayers. Stay well and take care!

Thanks for letting us know Heidi. It was just so unusual not to see you here for days.
Get better soon. Best thing for you right now is to so what you are doing. Rest up and sleep.

'do' not 'so'

HAPPY

Still achy all over, but mostly back and legs. I probably need an epidural. I'll call in next week and schedule one if I'm still hurting this much.
I've pretty much slept through the past 3 days.

I just hit the feed store..... for $600 worth of feed. Now I have to unload it, then mow the lawn before the rain starts around 4 PM. Maybe I'll mow first. After that, I'll take tomorrow off and rest up. Whether I'm in pain or not, chores have to be done.

I got the yard and drive areas mowed, livestock fed, and all the feed unloaded from the truck before the thunderstorm arrived. I also got the first batch of fresh strawberries of the season picked! There will be a LOT more of them ripe in the morning... at least a gallon of them.... with many, many more coming on. I'll have plenty to give to friends and eat myself, as well as to freeze. These plants produce all summer long, until the first freeze. They really like their feedings of alpaca droppings.

Glad to see you back Heidi!
Those strawberries sound yummy. The area I live in called the Redlands (now Redland City and very urbanised) used to be the 'salad bowl of Brisbane'. I remember as a child driving down this way, where my Dad grew up on a dairy farm, to buy fresh fruit and vegies. The real treat was when strawberries were in season and Mum would buy a big brown paper bag full of them. That night dessert would be strawberries and cream or ice-cream. A wonderful memory. Those we buy these days are not so flavourful, probably kept in cold-storage like everything else.
We still have a strawberry festival with strawberry eating contests - apparently my husband won when he was a teenager. Didn't know him then.

You just can't beat field fresh fruits & veggies...

My back is killing me! Fortunately, Pain Management had an opening this Wednesday at 8:40 am for an epidural. That's only 41 hours from now.

Today is Kentucky's primary election day. We have quite a few primaries, but the most interesting one is for our second Senator. Rand Paul (YUCK) is up for re-election, and I hope we can get rid of that slimeball. I don't know if he will lose the Republican primary.... but it would be wonderful... but I'm hoping we can field a strong Democrat to beat him in November.

We have our Federal Election this Saturday (21st) although we can pre-poll. We have already voted. The main aim (for me) is to get rid of our encumbent Prime Minister who has alienated Australia with most of our allies, he is a slime ball and has protected those of his ministers who have been accused of harassment. He has promised the nation so much through our bushfires, floods and Covid and not followed through. It seems, by the polls. that the opposition has the numbers to win. But last election showed that as well and he still got in. Watch this space on Sunday morning. Fingers crossed we can get rid of him!

I've had my epidural. It was a good one! Off to bed now.

My next door neighbor's eldest son ran for State Representative in the Democratic primary yesterday. This was his very first election and he won by a 70-30 landslide. He's one of the nicest guys imaginable, and full of common sense. VERY well respected. Now he has to face the incumbent Republican in November.... who, in my opinion, is incompetent and lazy.

I had a bad night last night. Yesterday evening, as I was feeding the cats and poultry before shutting down for the night, the Buckeye rooster decided to attack me. I had blood streaming from 10 slashes to my legs! It took a while to get the bleeding stopped, and I treated the cuts with antibiotic ointment and bandaged them. My legs were aching all night long and made sleeping very difficult. As soon as I can catch the rooster, he's a goner. He crossed the line.

We're having intermittent thunderstorms today. My strawberries needed the watering, so it's a good thing.

I need to go to the feed store tomorrow for feed for the new bull and the alpacas. I really should have gone today, but I'm not up to the drive yet. I have just enough to get through today.

Heidi - I hope you catch that rooster quickly and easily. What an awful thing to happen!
It's been quiet on here this week, where is everybody?
As promised, it is Sunday morning here and we have a new Prime Minister. This one has good intentions and a working man's ethic. I doubt it will be easy for him. (His name is Anthony Albanese and the opposition ran their campaign on the slogan - 'It won't be easy under Albanese'!) They may be right - for themselves - because he promises to institute an Independent Crime and Corruption Commission. Those fat cats should be shaking in their boots this morning.

I wish him luck, CynB. I just hope he lives up to his intentions.

I picked up the bare minimum feed that I needed today. Just 50 lbs of dog food, 100 lbs of sweet feed (cattle and alpacas) and 35 lb of scratch grains. I would have gotten 50 lb bags of that, but the store only had one 35 lb bag left. I can pick up more elsewhere on Tuesday.

That nasty Buckeye rooster has met his maker. Revenge is sweet!

Yay! Glad you got him, Heidi!

As the Monty Python crew would say..... ''He's pinin' for the Fjords.''

'Fried Chicken'...

Too old and tough for fried chicken or roast chicken .

I'm getting so excited for our break away in Cairns. We leave on Monday and back home on Friday 10th June. I'll try to keep in touch but I don't know how good the resort's wifi will be. Hopefully these days and in an international resort city like Cairns, gateway to the Barrier Reef, they have wifi under control.
We have got all our medical tests etc done and dusted. All scans clear. All jabs, both Flu and Covid done, for both of us. Now to catch a plane full of people with germs. Over 2 years of being wary of crowds makes that a worrying prospect, but we can't stay home. A week or two ago we went to a concert full of people. We survived. I have booked us in Business Class, first time ever! Because the airlines are trying to get full planes again, the Business class price was good - so I took it, There and back! This is our treat holiday after 4 years of dealing with Col's health issues!
We intend to make the most of it!

I see that it's still quiet on here. No Julie, hope all is well with them. She posted on FB yesterday so that's good.
I miss all the people who used to come here. I see a lot on FB, I wish they would call in here too.

Don't forget to bring along a good supply of top quality masks, Cyn-B.... just in case.

I got some old hay remnants cleaned up and dumped in the compost pile, a fresh roll of hay put out for the Red Angus bull (Packer) and his 2 companions (cow #12 and her heifer #44), fed them their grain, and got the tractor put away before the sky opened up and the rain started pouring down. So I didn't tear up mud while doing it. Good feeling of accomplishment. We're planning on working the whole herd in early June and putting the bulls in with the cows. Packer will get my cows and one of Mike's. His Black Angus bull will get most of the rest of his cows except for 2 which are going in with his Hereford bull. Those calves will be Black Baldies (white faced blacks). We'll run them as 3 separate groups for a month, then put everyone together for clean-up in case one bull has fertility issues. After that, Mike plans on selling the Hereford. He was an impulse buy anyways.

I forgot to mention yesterday's excitement. I collected eggs in the morning, cleaned and packaged them, then took my extra eggs to the food pantry. When I got back home, I spotted Mike's 2 bulls in with Packer and #12. The 3 bulls were having a shoving match, and since Mike's black bull is the biggest, oldest and most aggressive, I was terrified that Packer would get injured before getting even one breeding season in here. The black bull had torn down a section of fence (5 board) and smashed the boards to get in with my Red Anguses. I grabbed my bull whip and gave the black bull a couple of cracks on the butt to get his attention, then was able to sort Mike's 2 bulls into a smaller pen while I repaired the fence and re-inforced it with a metal cattle panel. Then I got everybody back where they were supposed to be. Fortunately, nobody was injured. Once I get Packer bred to my cows, I can relax a little and let the bulls work it out for themselves.