Best/Worse and what did I learn today?visit with friends...

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This message was edited Jun 8, 2010 9:16 PM

OH BOY I'M FIRST...

Now what do say..........................



Tubby

Best...stopping in to Bernie's and having an aft. visit after work

Worse: Ann came to visit, I could see she had been crying and I felt terrible for her..she went on to say her brother who had come down for 2 or 3 weekends to do the basement and get the house ready for their move called about an hour before she left the house with bad news..Mike was out fishing and she said thank goodness, it gave her time to talk to her brother Paul...Paul lives near Parry Sound, about 1 1/2 hr. drive from here...when he was visiting and doing the cottage work his wife was with him, she's a nurse in Parry Sound, anyway, she'd been coughing and was hoarse, Ann told her not to play with it and that she should go to a doctor...she did, they called this aft. to say she has lung cancer, not operable, they book appt. for this week also to have cat scan and other tests done on her head, Ann thinks the doctor might be checking for cancer there as well..she just turned 63 last week..Ann said she couldn't get her brother to stop crying..he doesn't want Ann to tell anyone or tell her girls, said they need time to deal with the news...Ann will tell Mike tonight, she's not sure how he'll take it, he's not been dealing with his own cancer, he's set aside that he has it, maybe that's not a bad thing, so not sure how he'll handle this news...to make matters worse, Paul had to put down their 14 yr. old dog today..not a good day for sure...Ann said she and Mike will drive to ParrySound tomorrow for a visit, said nothing they can do except provide hugs/prayers...more on their plate..so overwhelming for them..

What did I learn today...life is far too short...

You certainly are 'quick' Tubby..you must be feeling better...did you catch up on your much deserved rest since your trip..that is a lot of miles, how long did it take you?

Drats, went outside and picked more bugs, told Suzanne about them, she and Lenny have gardens of lillies, she told me that I must have bought a new plant and brought the bug into my garden, said she hasn't bought any new plants in about 3 years so hers are fine!

Who just called me in a panic, yep, Suzanne, said her lillies are full of them...

Around 91/2 hours......
But not bad to just sit (I'am used to that)....LOL




Tubby

hahahaha I sit all day too, Tubby ^_^

Tallulah

Did the Dr tell you that......................
My wheel chair tells me....................LOL
Or fall on your face.................



Tubby

Hello All !

Tubby & Susan beat me to the new room ! ♪♫♪♫

Thank you all for your words of encouragement. Today was better. Stacey...I wish someone would send that advice to my boss....that's great advice to incorporate the positive into the negative. I should do that.... Every time she says something negative....maybe I'll word it back to her.....and add in something positive.....

Stacey - that's good advice for me with DS as well. I Feel I've been hard on him lately. But as the saying goes... Be kind to everyone for you don't know what battle the other person might be fighting that day. (I can't remember the exact words).

Stacey ---that birdhouse is Gorgeous ! Did you make that!

So Glad to see nice long posts from Judy! Yup - DS looking for a job too. How's Breenie's job search ?

LK - I guess I just always assume we have the same weather ...only you get it a few days before me....but I guess you've missed these heavy afternoon Thunderstorms.... I think the plants are wishing the earth would dry up ....at least for a day.

Betty - So sad to hear about Ann's family. You know... back when Mom was getting her pancreatic tumor removed...her Alpha Dog died. My sis & I couldn't tell her while she was away at the hospital (sis was keeping an eye on her house and all 7 dogs)...but she came to stay with us right after her operation to recover. We had to tell her. Times like that are SO hard....

I'll try to pop back on in a bit....

Hugs,
Mary

Betty, so sorry to hear the sad news! Sending prayers, and hugs for all!
Sorry to hear about the nasty bugs in the lilies. YUCK!

Our soil here is what they call caliche. When it is dry, it is hard as concrete. No shovel can dig in it! When it is wet, it is a real heavy clay. All of my plants are in pots, or a raised bed. No room in the house for any plants, so indoor tomato's are out of the question. Just to darn hot here for them, They don't grow, or produce tomato's after it reaches 90. But I keep trying.

Rain is all around us, but only a 30% chance of showers here.

Tubby, how you doing today? Sounds like your in good spirits?

Have a good night everyone.

taters

I'll be fine....
Just have to get rid of this wheel chair....



Tubby

Morning, it's a rain day today and bit on chilly side so must go look for something warm and toasty to wear..you know it's one of those dreary days when you just don't want to get out of bed...

Just peeked outside and everything is just so green, even the dried up grass is starting to turn green so that's a plus.

LindaKay never heard of caliche soil..hard gardening then...when I was on the lake I had a beautiful veggie garden, Roger would do down the crops..we'd have hundreds of jars of goodies for winter eating..do miss his chilly and mustard beans...maybe when the beans are out I'll get his recipe and make a few batches..they were my favorite, boys would be thrilled if I did! You must have plants/shrubs though that love the heat and flourish? do you have any photo's of them? Mary was saying she gets much the same kind of weather as you, hmmm got to look at the map and see where in lign you both are..been to Baton Rouge before, Jimmy Swaggart Ministry University and Complex was there, had a tour then off to New Orleans I went...

Tubby wow 9 1/2 hr. drive .. hard sitting for anyone.. think the drive to the re-union at the end of the month from my house to Cookie's house is 9 1/2 hrs. but I'll be able to break mine up with stopping in Buffalo to pick up Crissy...will be a lot shorter with our non-stop gabbing going along...do hope you chatted up a storm to keep Shirley company...

Susan, how's the weather in your neck of the woods..

Betty

Yes but it wasn't a long time..
I think we talked enough.....LOL


Tubby

OMG Betty - I just read about Ann's SIL and their dog. I'm so sorry to hear all this. Do you think it would be okay to call her just to give her someone to talk to or should I wait? Has my last card arrived yet? I'll get another off today as well. I wish I could just hold her close for a moment to let her know she and all her family are in my heart and prayers.
Please let her know I'm thinking of her today....
We have the boys overnight tonight as it is our daugther's anniversary. Don't know what they are doing but I'm sure it will be fun..
Busy day with Norm's sister today so must get going. She will be here soon. Have a great day all.....

Barb, did she ever completely finish her afghan, if she has, bet it's displayed in a place of honor...

I'll d-mail you her telephone number, know it will be an emotional day for them both, her having to tell Mike last night and then both going up to Parry Sound to visit with them...

Mike and Ann were at their niece's wedding on the weekend and Ann said last night that Mike was upset and hurt, that almost everyone coming to talk to him spoke to him in a manner that showed they didn't know if they'd ever see him again...

As for the card, no it hasn't arrived as yet..

Edited..almost forgot to say have fun with the children, and yes, it's always a fun time having grandchildren around...what will you plan? Hope their parents enjoy their outing... Did any of the seeds you and your grandson plant come up?

This message was edited Jun 9, 2010 9:11 AM

There are several native bushes that do well here. We have the mesuite tree, the purple sage, and lots of cacti and rocks. If anyone has a nice lawn, it is because they brought in lots of top soil to fill it in. Lots of people just don't bother with the lawns, or the do the zero scaping, and have lots of colored rocks and cacti.

Caliche: Most people who live in the drier parts of Texas are familiar with caliche. It’s that white soil that you commonly see. In some places the white soil is soft, and other places it’s almost as hard as rock. The soil is white because it’s mostly calcium carbonate, the same mineral that makes up limestone, and scientists call these “calcic soils.” Calcic soils form in desert areas where the rainfall is low. The rainwater is absorbed by the soils, but the soils are so dry that the moisture stays in the top few feet of the soils until it evaporates or is taken up by plant roots. The rainwater has minor amounts of calcium carbonate, either particles that have dissolved in the water or tiny dust particles, and the calcium carbonate is left behind in the soil when moisture is evaporated or used by plants. Over many years so much calcium carbonate is added to the soils that they turn white. Over thousands of years so much calcium carbonate is deposited that a rock-hard caliche is formed that may be several feet thick.


This is a picture of the rio grande river. It is about 5 miles from my house.

Now if I drive about 80 - 100 miles North or East, then it starts getting nice soil, and lots of green shrubbery every where, but here it is dessert, and HOT!

LK-I remember when we lived in AZ it was similar. Except it was clay. But most people had a few cacti and then had rocks instead of grass. What is zero scaping? I've heard if xeriscaping, using native and low water usage plants, but not the other...

Mary-I decorated the birdhouse, but didn't make it from scratch...

Betty-I didn't think the reunion was so far for you, but then I remembered that my 5 hrs was to Barrie, not to your house and Joyce lives 2.5 hrs S of me-sorry-had a Duh moment;)

LK-have you ever thought about trying those upside down bag thingies for tomatoes and hang them from your porch?? Do you know what I mean?? I can't think what the name of them is off hand.

Poor Ann & Mike-when it rains, it poors huh?

Morning everyone else;)

Linda Kay, just got to come and visit with you to see that view for myself..it's gorgeous...when I visited for 2 weeks in Texas I didn't see any of this beauty, of course I was on the main highways .. it was the oil spill along the coast..stayed in Galveston where it was hit the hardest, hardly a soul in town so moved downward and spent time in Padre Island then up to Dallas (yikes talk about highways and traffic) then we worked our way home...saw more of the ocean and commercial side of Texas I guess..was enjoyable..Roger and Harvey weren't travellers so my girlfriend Barb and I went and enjoyed, even crossed the border into Mexico at Matamoros - now that was an experience..sure wish I knew you all then..

Stacey, yes, it's a long way away.. that's driving time, not stop and see and enjoy time lol..with Crissy getting in at 1:00pm so by the time we get settled into the car it might be close to 2:00 pm. I'm not so sure that we'll drive part way, maybe sightsee then get a hotel room and be fresh to arrive on Friday...we'll see what Crissy wants to do..she might want to drive straight through..I'm game for anything...might just do some research today and see which route I'll take and what there is to offer that we could see...

Crissy, have you been this way before?

Stacey, your right it is xeriscaping, rocks and cacti. I just spelled it wrong.
I have the topsy turvy bags, but it is still too hot here. Can't have them in the house, cause they leak real bad when you water them. Not enough sunshine.
Betty, it it's own way it is pretty here. I just really miss the greenery up North.

ooo-just a thought since they seem to be all the rage:) I just thought zero scaping was some new way to garden.

LindaKay, where did you live before, where NORTH?

Michigan

Right, now I remember, not that far from my neck of the woods..that's where you were hoping to travel to wasn't it? wish you could!

So do I!
I will get there some day.

Betty I am so sorry to hear that bad bad news, many thoughts and prayers are going out to them. So very young, but Lung Cancer took Dave's friend Jeff what, 2 months ago, he was only 46.
Oh No Betty, Dave is a neat freak and won't let me hang onto a stuffed animal. Both his parents are hoarders and he is an extreme opposite.

LK that's gorgeous, but I am not one for living in the desert, I don't like dry conditions, I like trees, mainly cause I can breathe so much better!

Betty oh fiddle I have to look at a map. lol I have not been north of Central Kentucky or of North Carolina on the East side of the United States. I have a lifetime goal to visit all 50 states before I die, so far I've been to 15 I think, the furthest north I've been is Wyoming to Yellowstone Park when I was a kid, and Nebraska when I was 19. Extreme southern Missouri, and central Kentucky. This is going to be a huge treat! I love sightseeing. Dave's not much into sightseeing so much so I never really get to.

It's taking me an hour to post this lol!

Well LK, come on over to my neck of the woods, I have tons and tons of trees and greenery to share!

You'd do well with me then Crissy, nothing I like better than to jump in a vehicle and go where gps brings me..lol..just ask Debbie...

Debbie will be back tomorrow from her Florida vacation, can't wait to hear about it, sure hope she's had good weather..

If there was another word for 'bored to death' I'd be using it..have done not one thing today, hard putting in a day like that..

Crissy, you've given me something to do, will check to see how many states I've done...need something to keep me awake

Not dry here. Today is 86 degrees, and the humidity is 76%. Very hard to do anything outside. I just wish it would rain!

Can`t win LindaKay, it rained all weekend, yesterday, today, calling for more tomorrow and then again on the weekend...no happy medium..

Crissy, just counted, that took all of 2 minutes lol..I have done 30, most of them I have managed to do extensive sightseeing, have not done the west coast...

LOL I've done mostly the west coast! Funny how that works depending upon where we're from.

guess if we combine both our travellings we`ve done the entire states..

JUDY...Congratulations....go Black Hawks...just had to come downstairs to post...know you and your family were watching the game..tense for sure few tense minutes for sure...never awake at this time of night but just had to watch this final game....bet they are partying in your neck of the woods..

Did you know Judy 5 of those players are from Canada..lol live in B.C. just had to add that..guess if my Toronto Maple Leaf's can't make play-offs I can share in your glory..lol

This message was edited Jun 9, 2010 11:21 PM

Hello To All;

I've really got to STOP staying up this late! But since I'm 'here' I'll chat. LK - I LOVE that pic... really beautiful.... I'm used to 'flat' land... we don't have many hills here in Louisiana or my home state, Florida....

Your pic reminds me of bringing the family to Red River New Mexico for Snow Skiing... we landed in Alberquerque (BAD spelling!) and we rented a car and drove in......

Wouldn't it be fun to play a game... "List every state you've visited"?!~???!?!?!

HOWEVER.... How do you list? If you drove through a state but didn't actually stop then you didn't really visit it... ALSO... if you lived in a state but were too young to have memories of it? I know Betty can figure this out.....

I was born in GA, (no memories) moved to FL, moved to CA, moved to FL (other side), college in MS, job training in IL, drove through MI and visited Windsor Ontario, back to IL, Drove to New Orleans, LA, lived in subarb, moved to Baton Rouge. (Vacation will add some states).

Hugs,
Mary

Sounds like fun Mary, might be an opportunity to go down memory lane, to what we were doing and why when we were travelling, sometimes reasons for travelling aren't due to vacatining..you just gave me somethng to do at work today lol..bet that Judy is tired this morning due to celebrating the Hawks win...I was so wound I didn't fall asleep until about 2, watched most of the celebration..

Judy, after saying 5 players were from B.C. area I watched where each came on and said where they were from and who their hockey hero was...did you know another 6 players come from within 50 miles of me...in fact one right from Barrie, one from Orono and one from Newmarket, Orillia and Toronto..no wonder I was cheering them on

Can't remember but in the old days (imagine being able to say that) weren't the team members from the state or province the team was in? that was back I guess when there was but 8 or 10 teams, could be possible, another thing to research this a.m.

Sun is trying to come out, hope so, grass is starting to get spongy..yippee today is payday and I go sketch painting tonight..still not sure about tomorrow at Paul's..his wife Wilena has been really under the weather and he's been home most of this week with her so perhaps we'll make my sewing his project next week..

Coffee and breakfast time...

Gab later

Congratulations to the Blackhawks!!!! It was a long time coming Sorta like when the Red Sox won the World Series after 86 years!!!!! Of course, had the Bruins been in the playoffs this year my cheering would have been different. Heehee...
Off to shop for grandson today. He has been asked to join the high school band (he is in middle school) for graduation excercises tomorrow night. He was told yesterday he needed to wear khaki pants and a red shirt. Does he have them? NO. Mom is working full time and has baseball practice after school so Papa and I will go do the shopping.
The fact that the stores are 25 miles away is why Mom doesn't have time to go. And the fact that Michael's is next door to the clothing store may have influenced my decision to go too.
Hope everyone has a great day~~~~~~~

Morning everyone.
Betty, sure hope it starts to warm up for you. How is your garden doing? Bet things are blooming all over the place?

LOL Barb, let's hope you have time after shopping to do the aisles of Michaels NOT that you need anything right...congratulations to your grandson, bet he's thrilled to be part of the band..

49 years I believe it was Barb since Chicago took the cup!

LindaKay, my gardens are lush and green, think because we had spring/summer weather late March/early April the plants are confused, usually all bloom about same time to really have an inpact, so far different plants have bloomed and flowers spent but not all, guess I'll be enjoying each as the bloom in their own time...but yes, everything is high, strong plants .. I WANT flowers! lol

Crissy, you know in all our planning I not once asked you if you had a passport???? tell me you do, please/please!

Suzanne was at a foot Dr.'s this morning, the girls are doing banking for Paul so I'm alone until around 10..feet up, movie on, is there any other job quite so filled with pressure..lol

^_^
Woke up this morning without coughing, cuz the Dr prescribed a puffer for me cuz of my chronic bronchitis. Yikes on the cost!! $166 for the puffer (Advair), and the air chamber and antibiotics brought the total to $240+ Good thing I have medical!
I can breathe now ^_^ ^_^