best/Worse/What did I learn today?chat with friends old &new

What terrible news 'M' 47 is so young, same age as when Roger died
It's no wonder you are all devastated and tears flowing..give Lorna a hug
Saying prayers for the family
One never knows

Wondered why I was so cold, see the thermostat says 67, dropped 3 degrees as Greg has it set at 70, hmmm hooe I don't have to call someone in to fix furnace if it keeps going down

Oh "M" - what a shame!!! My heart goes out to Lorna and all of you. Did he have a history of heart disease? Please give Lorna our sympathies.

Glad to read you were able to go to US Betty. You sure do great things for our economy. Thanks!!! Sounds like enough to play with for a while.

Well the last room - the sewing room is finally put back to order and I actually got to sew a block!!! It was so nice being able to sew again.
Pictures of all today - I promise....

Yes I worry about all of you, so boosting upyoureconomyis high on my list 😜

Gotto say though, went toq little shop, I mean little, there are bolts & bolts of fabric, beautiful fabrics, most $5.99-$9.99. Am going to shop there as much as I can. JOANNS has great deals but heck their coupons which ididnt read ie 20% off entire order didn't includefabrics nor thread..and the 50 off well not on sale fabrics so they putall fabrics 30 off

Barb,hipiw wonderful you are almost to where you want to be, looking forward seeing your block

Snowing and blowing here, just got in, bath waiting, will change the clocks then maybe go downstairs and cut out kits for the snowman runners..girls come Tuesday, will save time if fabric is cut

Took out spaghetti for supper, here is hoping noah likes spaghetti

Mel sent me a note yesterday, seems Greg got much too much sun yesterday, couldn't go out last night but she said she could lol. Sounds as though they are enjoying their time away

Marilynne, that is terrible news, sad to pass so young! Lorna must be so beside herself with sorrow, please offer her my condolences!

Betty, to echo Barb, thanks for the help with the economy, we can use as much as possible!

Pleased to obloge Terri!

Well I've told you all what im up to today as did Barb, how about there's tiyou

Ahhh know Debbiewill be enjoying smooches from her new best friend.

Sending prayers also for Lorna's boss and family. Much too young to have heart problems.

Glad to hear you have propane again Bev.

Todd spent yesterday cutting down all the weeds in the front yard. I have ordered two 8 foot raised beds from home Depot. I am going to put them in the front yard and move all my roses i have in pots.

good morning
Betty hope you got some sleep
LK that sounds like a big project. soon i will be battling weeds.
our weather is getting warmer. yeah !
M so sorry to hear of your friends husband. So young. sending healing energy and many prayers to you guys.
well savannah's sleep over didn't go very well. two hrs into it she called in tears wanting to come home. So off i went to go get her. Drove her to grandmas and drove back to Toms. Tim picked up the kids at grandmas.
going to head on over to Cookies in a bit after i finish my coffee.

Sorry to hear of Lorna's friend/boss, M. So young and with no warning.

We are OK here, except I need to apologize to neighbor Dana for blowing at her about four days ago. Her husband Tom ran over a couple of my plants and did not even take two minutes to straighten them up. It was the last straw in a month of too much abuse from people who just had to let me know how unimportant they think I am. Thanks again, Sue.

Lots of things blooming here and I have to go north in a day or two. Doctors, Irs, dentist and whatever else.

katie

Bet the above beds will look spiffy, did Todd not make them for the back yard a few years ago??think sometimes buying them from a place like Home Depot who makes them..what fun you will have filling them up with roses, so no more pots to bring in and out?

Had that happen often Sue, you'd think you had a free night, kids to enjoy a sleepover and then they fret, get lonesome and cry to come home..luckily you weren't too far away were you? Give Joyce a big hug and tell her I miss her.

Katie, seems we take everything to heart when we aren't feeling the best, guess we have to count to three and say this too shall pass. Dana must be feeling terribly upset as well..
When not well recently and something similar comes up I mentally think, not the room I want to be in so off it goes into the dark room, mentally think of closing the door and aha move on to the sunshine room.


guess the older I get and see how people pass on in early years and about my age I think like it is my last day on earth and I say to self 'today is all I have, do I want to go upset or leave this earth appreciative of family and friends, want to go smilling..not an easythink to do everyday but got to say gets easier every morning and I feel much better for it.

like this a.m., could hardly move, wish I had a binding to wrap around me so that it would hold ribs tight, sure did pull muscles and then read "M"s post, 47, wow, my ribs really aren't the be all and end all of my day, spring is coming and I'm looking forward to it

Woke to lotsa snow .. Gord was off by7am for the SHow, and Lorna was so upset she decided to get out early to plough ..
I shovelled and we have spent the better part of 3 hours messing around with the pups and cat and SNOW!!!

Good to see you're doing ok Katie ..
Sue, my DGD is the same (or was) .. take her to a friends and inevitably she's want to coe home ..

Have some pics :-)
Lorna in her Mule that will be replaced this week
The dogs
The snow, The birds :-)

~M~

Thanks, betty and Marilynne. It's hard to get ready to go north, it's always tiring and I'm already tired. Lots of citrus blooming here. Surprise fragrances as I do laundry and other chores.

Not much pain but exhaustion and depression make up for it.

Dang.

katie

Dang is right Katie,methinks will get better, takes time after all you've been through.

M it's beautiful sunshine right now don't send the snow

My day is moving along, I went through my bee hives, and I have lost another one, from 6 hives last year I am down to 2. They are very healthy, lots of honey and bees but no brood. I didn't see queens either but will check in a few weeks again to see if there are any eggs....

I didn't really want to buy more bees this year, at over $100 a 3 lbs box with a queen, it is pretty costly. I'm hoping if they lay enough brood, I can split them into 2 boxes each, but that will be a while coming, fingers crossed.

I'm writing this during a lunch break, after I finish this post, I am going out to move some straw bales into the garden. I did straw bale gardening last year and it was very successful, I got a lot of tomatoes. The bales are under shelter now but I will set them out and start putting fertilizer on them so they break down in the middle, that's where the seedlings will go.
I started a few varieties of tomatoes and peppers, along with herbs and flowers. They won't all go into the bales, some will be planted around my hives for pollen and nectar when they bloom.

Then at some point, I have to start my taxes. Every year I end up doing them at the last minute and this year is no exception. I got an extension last year for the federal and forgot to do the same for the state so I got a penalty. It's the working from home that messes my schedule up, when I worked in an office, there was no pressure to do any business after I left work, but now I keep thinking, that if I finish one more thing, it will make it easier the next day. It's like sticking your finger in a dike, the flood only gets put off for so long before another crack opens, LOL!

Beehive workings sound so interesting Terri, the knowledge you must have to have to have hives. Was it a family business or you just took an interest..how much honey would you get out of a hive, I have no clue? Do wildflowers help with the bees? I understand we have a problem with lack of bees, guess perhaps all fertilizer?

Hay is hard to come by here, wouldntmind trying itout,mega work comes with it imagine


Still in jammies, Rita dropped in to check on me, had a nice chat, finished snowman runner kits for the gals, cooking spaghetti pack a sewing bag and head over to Noah. He has had friends in so I've been able to stay here and be lazy but it's earring time I need to move my butt, slow moving

Think my kitties are wondering what s the matter, I'm here, leave,back and leave again, I'm confusing them

HAPPY BEYOND BELATED BIRTHDAY BETTY!! I'm so sorry I missed it, learning this new job has really worn me out! It so positive and friendly! Working for a negative company got me down in the dumps and I didn't even know it! I hope Noah can regroup his negative thoughts toward his parents, his anger is definitely directed at them for some reason. I hope they have a wonderful time on vacation!

I need to seriously catch up!

Debbie what a cutie! I bet he's got you smiling from ear to ear!

Karen I hope you're ok! My goodness!

LK glad the shot worked!

Lol Sue, soon to be teens r such confusing years, I remember going to a slumber party( there were 6 of us) & we were gonna freeze these two girls bras, what we all didn't know is the 6 of us all were against each other & the mom of the house caught wind of it & froze everyone's bras. It was hilarious the next day.

M I'm soooo sorry for Lorna's loss, I'm sending up thoughts & prayers!

Marilynne - please pass my condolences on to Lorna on the passing of her friend/boss. So young......

Katie - awfully glad you are here, and glad you found yourself able to talk to Dana. It can be so difficult to see outside of yourself, but you obviously have a big heart and are a kind & loving person. I don't know if I would be able to put up with what you do - your health, the gov't, people who don't care for you. Thank God for people like Tony & Maria - they're God's gift to you, and make life more bearable.

I have some Great News - my friend Susan got her Passport! Her sister & b-in-law got it yesterday but never bothered telling her. Susan is flying here on Wed, and will arrive at 5:45 Calgary time. I am so excited!

It will be 80 degrees here today and I am taking the day off. I worked in the landscape yesterday with my helper and gardened mostly sitting on a movable bench. I walked the garden this morning, with very minor pain, and had a short talk with myself. I decided to not push my back and aggravate it and to give it a day of rest. Resting is one thing I do not do well. I have discovered the worst think for my back is sitting on my couch so I have many pillows behind me to keep my spine straight.

DH is doing good.

Marilyn, that is a lot of snow. I feel so bad for Lorna's loss of her boss and friend. A heart attack at that age is usually fatal, especially in men.

Katie, my husband, a few years ago, backed his car out of the garage and went to far and broke a pot full of blooming flowers in the bed that runs the length of the driveway. I said something to him and he said, "It's only a pot of flowers". You must understand, most people do not understand about our plants. They probably think w are talking to ourselves wen we are talking to our plants.

I have columbine blooming.

Betty, when did you hurt your ribs. You need to go buy yourself a spandex. That will hold your ribs in and relieve the comfort.

Barb, so glad you have your house back in order. I bet you feel great pride when you enter the room and see all you have accomplished. The less clutter, the less cleaning.

Crissy, so glad you have a positive work place. Negative people bring everyone down with them. And I am totally with you on the taxes. I have everything I need in a basket at my feet and I plan on getting everything ready for the accountant some time this next week.

If I missed anyone, I apologize. I need to get off of here and starting cooking dinner. We are having short ribs and they need to simmer quite a while.

Sharon

Nice to see you Crissy, Joel's all better? And it looks like you've a job you've wanted for forever, always a bonus when it includes nice people

I can see you dancing Sue, how wonderful all is a go for Wednesday.looking forward to hearing all about your trip.

Sharon, Gordon had given me those 5 bags of fabric, left them between the entry coming into the basement to air out so when I carried them and an old sewing machine in I think I tepweeked it.

Once I went through it all I put what I wouldn't keep back into garbage bags..then the garbage men come Tuesday but I can only put out 1 bad, I had 3 so off on Wednesday morning to fill the big green bin next door..in order to put it in I had to hold the lid with my right arm (lid of the bin weighs a ton) then with my left arm lifted those bags into the bin with left arm, must be 4'high, and while doing so pulled the muscles..my fault so I will put up with it, big sigh

Reading about being propped up with pillows I smilled, here I am sitting on the couch surrounded by cushions on all sides..does feel good doesn't it.

How right you are,mwe give names to our pretties, ask them how they are doing, share our ups/downs while most people think they are but a plant,to some even a weed.

Karen how are you feeling, gaining strength now that the stitches are out..know that hubby of your is taking excellent care of you

Me thinks barb is still in the sewing room.

Kyle came up for a bit but Moah had made plans to go out for a bit, nice for him I guess but he forgot to tell grandma so here I am on my own, sewing a binding working myself into a tizzy because he didn't..also from time to time think I was married at 17 and here I feel he should tell me his every move and he's 17 but under the circumstances I fret

Hope he is not late

Betty - I will let you know about her trip.
We're planning on going to Kananaskis country, and also to Banff on Saturday.
For sure I'll make her some Nanaimo bars, and find some Beaver Tails. Going to make her an old family recipe - Whipped Shortbread.
And, of course I'll take her to Timmies lol

This message was edited Mar 8, 2015 7:43 PM

I'm sure she will be thrilled, band, what a fire

Calling it a night, noah is home with McDonald's in hand, was at a friends then went to movies..

Good luck with your bees 53. My man friend is a bee keeper also. BEV
This I found in a small tree one time. Henry has lost several hives the last two yrs.

Wow, great photo Bev, not knowing anything about working hives, would they have belonged to a hive?

Betty, the bees are just a hobby, we got about 2 1/2 gallons of honey out of 4 hives this past year. I enjoy watching the bees and put in a lot of plants for them. Ladt year i planted a lot of Vipers Bugloss, it has such a beautiful flower, pink and blue!

We also have about 3 acres planted in white clover for them. I try to keep plants blooming throughout the growing season for them. The hardest time is in August, when its so hot and dry here, sometimes i feed them to get them through that period. I dont think anyone has really figured out what the issue is with the Hiney bees dying in such large numbers, the hive i opened today was empty except for a small handfull of bees, yet had plenty of honey. It was on a long bench flanked by the two strong hoves so i think the numbers were just too few for them to keep the hive warm enough to survive this past month.

Wow that was a nce wild hive, 62! I've seen a few hives like that before, nothing but honeycomb, honey and bees hanging in a tree. I havent seen any that survived very long though.

Betty, can understand your worry about Noah, especially in light of his recent problems. I think sometimes we'd feel better if we could wrap them in bubble wrap to protect them from lifes harshness but that can't be, we have to let them out to find their own way. Sometimes it works out well, sometimes it doesnt but its their life and its all in gods hands. All you can do is pray, watch and advise

HURRAH!!
It's 23F already .. dark, but, not freezing cold !!

WE have hunny bee folk around the area, all are having problems with their hives and production .. something to do with a particular type of fertilizer .. think it sounds like 'Nicotine" ?
Awful ..

Funeral of our old neighbour today, still waiting to hear when Lorna's boss will be buried.
Am making supper for his wife and 2 kids and taking it over when we go to town, just have to find out where Stacey is ..

Waving HIYA ..

BBL

~M~

Finally!!!
Old living room/kitchen
Table replaced and microwave moved
Recliner/computer desks gone - new loveseat/new computer desk
Sewing room changed/new design wall is on left
Stockings done for my brothers and their wives for next Christmas

Hard to believe how long it took to get this all together. Just happy I can sew again!!!!

omg Barb, love the changes, so modern and so much more room..I'm so happy for you
all you need are those 2 sweeties sitting with Norm on your new settee

Big smile showing 2015 pressies, great to be on top of Christmas right

Glad you can sew as well

called the girls this a.m. to tell them snowmen kits await them

Now that my son Bob (the girls Dad) has changed jobs we see them a lot more often.. I'm loving it...

Hi Marilynne,

Neonicotinoid insecticides are said to be part of the problem. They mess around with an insects memory, so the worker bees, who are the older bees can't find their way back to the hive. The poisons are banned in Europe but the lobby in the US is pretty strong so nothing has been done here yet to stop them.

Love the changed too Barb!

Barb, that looks so nice!!! Love it and it looks so bright and cheery too. Those little girls
look so happy.

LindaKay...my amaryllis is finally blooming! This is the first I have grown, so didn't know much.
Once I did it "the right way" it really took off. Will post pictures as it opens up.

Adjusting to a pup in the house. Oh how I forgot so fast...I don't know.

He is sweet as anything, but we are working through some fears of doors/stairs and a certain black cat. lol He is sleeping on my foot under the computer desk right now.

Debbie

Glad to hear it is about to open. Can;t wait to see pictures!
Give Sammy time, he will adjust!

The amarylis and the paths DH plowed thru the yard for the dog. Is literally circling the yard and some through the middle.

Nope, he doesn't like dogs at all. He is a cat person and just doing this for me. lol

we will be in fine shape won't we if we start killing off all the bees with our toxins

now look at that runway Debbie, can't say Paul doesn't like dogs, me thinks it's his way of showing he does without saying so

love the amarylis, I usually have one every year but don't this year, they are so very pretty!

how many demerit points does one get for hanging up on ones mom????

That is a beautiful Amaryllis Debbie. Glad to see Sammy got a runway plowed.

Betty, what is your Mom doing now?

Barb, everything looks so nice.and I love the stockings.

It may not be demerits...depending on the reason, Betty.

Sweet pup Debbie..can hear the happy in your posts.


Found this article interesting. I knew they were looking at neonicitinoids as a cause in hive decline, but seems it is just a possible factor. European ban was a 2 year hold on using neonics. Seems there are a lot of interesting results on use of that class of pesticides. It does not hang in the nectar/pollen/flowers as was first thought.

The Bee Mites and an infection of the respiratory system coupled with the extremely cold winters of late and the constant moving of hives seem to be taking a toll on the population.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonentine/2014/02/05/bee-deaths-reversal-as-evidence-points-away-from-neonics-as-driver-pressure-builds-to-rethink-ban/

Betty - no demerits - surprised you hadn't hung up on her before lol
Debbie - Beautiful amaryllis!! adorable pup :-) looks energetic and gentle

I've got mega stuff to do before Susan arrives - extra keys for the house, etc! If she's in the motorhome and needs to come in during the night, we want her to have keys to get in.
busybusybusy....... and Excited!!

Debbie, maybe your H likes you. You can love individuals but not like them. I tell my DH, I will always love you but some days it is difficult to like you. Pretty bloom. I have about 5 plants now outside. They bloom in mid May.

Barb, what a difference. With my DH using a walker, I have had to do some moving of furniture. Because, if it is in the way, he will just run into it.

I got up at 8:30am, fighting the time change. I know that sounds late for you guys but I do not go to bed until after the 11pm news. Now that summer is on the way I will start to get up early to garden in the cool morning air.

My back is better again today. Just a little twinge every once in a while.

Betty, some one needs to kick your butt. That is something stupid I would do. I called my grandsons the other day to help me bring in grocery shopping. First time I have ever done that. They were so delightful and so helpful and said "Grandma, we will always help you. I never think to call them. You should do the same with Noah. "Noah, Grandma needs your help lifting something to heavy for me". Then wait for him to come over to do it. The waiting is the hard part to learn.





Ba