Coffee and...Part 19! :-D

Kooger, the fountain is wonderful,and the lovely young lady is a doll.

Laura, what a coup!!! Twenty five bucks and spitting frogs!! Congrats on your two test successes! You've had quite a good week, all told!

We got silly at the Jewel market Saturday....aren't these hideous?? But we laughed and decided to get them.

Not everyone's yard can look like a park.

Kooger, your new fountain is a treasure find for sure.
Lucky you ;-P

Thanks all - we ordered pizza and ate it outside under the tree - could hear the fountain - sweet, sweet music! Yeah, it really was a good week!! :)

m5 - love the whiskered one! lol

Hi everybody. Kooger, Oscar just knows how to take advantage of an opportunity! Cute guy. I have a yellow kitty too, mine is a female which I understand is rare. 5% I've heard. I'll post a picture of my Sweetie Pie.

It was a busy weekend. Yesterday I hauled a horse about 40 miles to ride with a friend. We got way up on a mountain and saw lightening across the valley so we decided not to go all the way to the top. We got back to her place just as the rain started. Hard rain! No close lightening though and we were thankful for that. Today I rode Patch for a short ride in the morning and Breezy for a longer one in the afternoon. In between we went to have lunch at the Chinese restaurant and when we got home our son and daughter in law had just arrived to help us put the shade cloth on the greenhouse. It is the shiny reflective kind and really makes a difference. Some of my plants have gotten sunburned so this will help them recover. It will stay on until about late October.

This morning I woke up to some electronic sound that happens when the power goes out. Phone I think, makes a beep. I waited with stomach growling, then finally I ate some granola, waited for the power to come on, it's amazing how many things a person can't do without electricity. So finally I just went riding. It turned out to be the fuse blown on the power pole. A guy in a truck with a bucket came out and fixed it, took him all of a couple of minutes after he got the truck next to the pole in the pasture. Now I know what to look for first when the power goes out. I thought it was the whole neighborhood until I asked a neighbor and their power had not been off at all. A bird landed in the wrong place and shorted it out.

Julie, your comment about the ladies loading up their horses made me smile since all of mine just walk right into the trailer without any fuss. It's all a matter of training. Lots of horses have loading problems, mostly human. I've had some with problems but it is pretty easy to train them to walk right in if they don't feel like they are being forced into it.

What is the Firefox thing? Do I need it?

I like the froggy fountain! A really great find. Cute kid too, where'd you find her?

Carol, tell me about funnel cake. I don't think I've ever heard of it.

Time for bed for this tired ole lady.

Good Morning Everyone!!

Darius - thanks for looking into that foxfire thing - I noticed the new wording the bottom. I keep going there, but nothing happens. I did read on one sight that it will not work on macs older than os10 - I have os9 - maybe that is the problem - what do ya think??? Again, many thanks for checking into it (my mind has been elsewhere this past few days!!)

Oh, you will never guess what we did. My sister and I went thru two bedrooms of clothes (mine after 33 yrs of working) I just couldn't get rid of 37 blazers, 43 prs of pants etc - I have never thrown out much of anything!! We have piles all over the house to go to Salvation Army. Now, my question is - how in the world do you figure out the 'fair market' value of this stuff? I kinda got cold feet - thinking - I could have a garage sale and recoop at least some of the money!! But after thinking about it, I decided to lug it off to charity. We file short form, so the donation won't do us any good, but I thought I would give the benefit to one of my kids who is struggling a bit. My sister has redeemed herself in my eyes=she spearheaded the 'get ride of the clothes' project. We laughed as we just had gotten back from a shopping spree - buying MORE clothes!!

Big warm up and humidy stuff heading our way - high 80 and low 90's. This has certainly been a crazy year for weather in Mich.

M5 - love those silly tree faces. made me laugh!

Oh Julie- a fountain - I think water features are so relaxing! Just sitting there listening to water splashing takes away stress (I think!) We have a pool, but listening to that just drives me crazy - all I can think about is the $$ we are wasting running it. DIL made me promise we wouldn't fill it in until they have kids (hope they get going!!)

Okus- is funnel cake like those things they make at fairs??? I'm hungry right now and need to get something healthy..(2 pks of cookies in the freezer keep calling to me!)

Gotta get a moving - we are meeting folks, brother and sister for breakfast...

Sarv, you are right... Foxfire takes Mac OS10.1 or higher.

MaryE, Foxfire is a free Browser based on the same platform Dave uses for DG. It works much faster (and better) than Internet Explorer. A lot of folks who visit our Chat Room keep getting what's called "the revolving door"... that is, they keep getting bounced by IE and have to keep logging on to chat. No such problems with Firefox. I like it because it's fast (esp. uploads and downloads) and blocks pop-ups.

M5, love the tree guys. : ) Life is too short not to have lots of laughs.

I'm here...i think...DD has got the whip....working me to death...love it.....all is well....just checking in to say HI.......I see all is well...very glad about that....getting up at 6..............some retirement...LOL She's a ball of fire...

Hap

What's the matter Hap, DD won't let you use your own password on Dave's?

HeeHee

Molly
:^)))

Happy first day of freedom Hap - the family will all now think you have all the time in the world to do all their odd jobs!! I speak from experience here :>) Still its great to be wanted and a part of their lives, you just have to learn to say no sometimes.
Carol

Another beautiful day in the neighborhood, so much so that this morning I finished staining the first part of the arbor. The lattice on the right hand side is complete, now the in-fill has to be done, roof put on and left side wall built. Looks OK so far, hope it doesn't fall down before its finished. (hope I don't fall down before its finished)

Sarv
Funnel cake is a pankcake batter, forced through an icing funnel, into deep fat. Result is a spaghetti shaped deep fried pancake which is then sugar dredged, and yesterdays was served with strawberries and cream on top. They certainly do it at some fairs - Texas State Fair was where I had my first one, but that didn't have the strawberries and cream on top.
Today is one of those days 'when ya shouda stayed in bed' here. Just about everything that can go wrong has, starting at around 6am and not just for me, for DS and DH as well. I'm almost afraid to have my afternoon swim - I'll probably slip and drown, its that sort of day. Odd how it goes like that isn't it?
It's minor things for me and DH, but poor old DS has had a really rough day. Everything that has gone wrong involves a large bill to sort it out. Troubles always all come at once, sort of kicking a man when he's down!
Balvenie - you just seem to keep on doing new stuff - would you like to take a trip this way?? ;>) Thats a cool arbor your building!
Darius how is the house hunting going? Have you found somewhere to move to yet?
Julie are the eyes signed off now? It must feel great to be able to see clearly again. It will make your yard a whole lot more special.

Okus, so sorry to hear disaster has landed on your family....it does seem like it all happens at once. Hope it all improves soon. My DGS had one of those days recently, blew out two tires at once on his car, hit the curb, bent the frame, now it's junk. Before it was drivable junk, now it's just junk. I put on a pound just reading the description of the funnel cake...woooo! Sign me up for one!

Robert, the arbor is fantastic. Would you like to spend a week in Wisconsin? Don't fall down, we need one rational voice at the table! The blue is perfect! I want an arbor. Think I'll show this to DH and whine. LOL (Like that ever works!)

Here's the result of our trip to Massachusetts to get Frankie bred. Mulder did a good job, nine healthy goldens. Glad they aren't at my house !!! DD will be a busy dogmom, since Frankie is one "faucet" short, she'll have to make sure everybody gets their fair share.

Everyone is working but me, I hung sheets out this morning and then wasted the remainder of the day having lunch with friends and catching up on forums.

Aww, M5, the puppies are so cute (aren't they all)!

Carol, yes it does seem like some days are just one disaster after another. Hope it clears soon. No, I'm not doing any house-hunting. My landlord will be here soon and stay 2-3 months. Since I really like it here, I am hoping I can convince him I'm a tenant worth keeping by the act of replacing my heat source.

And Robert! I'm thinking I really like the blue stain. Waiting with anticipation of the finished arbor, so you musn't fall!

Darius, ply your landlord with all your good cookin and he'll do anything for ya!!

Oh, M5, those puppies are precious. I just love pups and kitties and would take a zillion home, but DH doesn't like any animal - just manages to put up with our cat. But he was wiping away the tears when we lost our last cat (I think he just says he doesn't like them!!) But he won't let our cat on his lap etc.

Okus- oh, I've had funnel cakes - just never with fruit on it. I LOVE them..We get them at the fair, but never at a restaurant!!

Bal, everytime I read about all the stuff you are doing, I get whiney with my DH. Saying "couldn't you do this and that?' He rolls his eyes and asks where I am getting all these ideas!!

Worked in the garden tonight and got mighty sweaty. DH was in the pool and I decided to join him. Can't believe I've been in twice already this year = I usually don't go in it at all!! It felt freezing cold - but the thermometer said 79 deg. Really cooled me off and felt refreshing!!

I keep opening up my armoire and looking at how neat it is! Wonder what I should tackle tomorrow!!

Hello again. The day is about done and so am I. My day was full but I can't point to one thing that got finished, as usual. I did a lot of watering, some weeding, visited my neighbor and brought home some of her surplus plants and a basket of plastic flowers for my front porch that she was tired of, etc, but didn't get to go riding because the day got away from me and before I knew it I needed to be cooking dinner. I fried enough chicken for another dinner and put a butternut squash in the oven to bake at about 250 for about 3 hours, and we had some fresh tomatoes that I grew in the greenhouse. A pretty easy dinner that allowed me more time to play outside while part of it cooked.

Today got pretty hot and even with the reflective shade cloth on the greenhouse the exhaust fan ran until after 8 pm. Our attic fan ran most of the day too. We don't have air conditioning but the attic fan comes on when the attic reaches 90 and it keeps pulling in cooler air from the north end of the house and forcing the hot air out the south end and it really helps keep the house cool. The roof is shiny unpainted steel which reflects a lot of heat too. We open the windows to let in the night air and close them in the morning when the temp inside and outside are about equal, and keep the blinds pulled on the sunny side of the house to help keep the heat outside. We don't have traffic noise here so only hear birds, frogs, cows and sheep, and a few coyotes singing. Early on summer mornings we hear hay balers. The hay needs to be baled with just the right amount of moisture so it will pack together but not enough to cause it to get moldy. Early mornings are good for that if there has been some dew overnight. We don't always get it and our humidity can be as low at 10%. Dry! Our nearest neighbors are half a mile away so we don't hear any dogs barking most of the time, just ours now and then if somebody drives in. Our outside dog is getting kind of deaf so he doesn't hear a lot of things he used to bark at. Ahhhhhhh, it is great to live out in the middle of nowhere!

Tomorrow I need to ride Patch for about an hour in the morning before I go to town. He is recovering (hopefully recovered) from some pulled muscles so I need to put him back to work slowly. He did fine yesterday.

The forecast says it will be near 90 tomorrow! A week ago we were just nudging the middle 50's and I was wearing a jacket part of the day because of the wind and rain showers and wondering if summer was ever coming. This sudden summer is a lot of stress for the newly set out vegie plants and some have croaked already. I watered everything again today (a daily chore) and put grass clippings around some to keep the soil a bit cooler and even over the top of others to shade them while they get their roots established, better late than never. It got windy this afternoon so that stresses the plants too. They have trouble keeping up with lost moisture. Some days my eyeballs dry out between blinks and it feels a bit like putting my head in the dryer when the clothes are dry. Desert gardening has lots of challenges! On the other hand, jeans will dry on the line in a couple of hours!

M5, what a cute bunch of puppies! Will they all be sold or some kept? Do you get one?

Carol, the funnel cakes sound yummy, I will have to look for them when we go to the county fair. Usually I am gone to an endurance ride on fair weekend, so will have to find out if I will be here when it happens. The neighboring county fair is also a pretty good one for a small (in population) county and with two to choose from sometimes I can make it to one of them. Part of the fun of the fair is all the good eats!

Great looking arbor, Robert. When you said you were painting it blue I had my doubts but the color is great! I remember you posted pictures of the exterior of your house and I think I remember blue trim? Right? I looked again at your picture but can't see any trim on the house.

Darius, I hope you can convince your landlord that a good renter is worth keeping. If he has had some bad tenents maybe he will see that he should replace the heater.

Well, goodnight, my eyes are trying to close and I'm loosing the battle.

G' Morning everyone.

Carol, I hope *this* day finds all the problems that started yesterday, left with the stroke of midnight. I hate it when bad things keep happening to everyone around me.About the eyes...thanks for asking. :-) They are doing very well now. I'll go back to the doctor in a week for the final exam and will be able to get my glasses fitted with new lenses. (YIPPEE!!! I'll be able to see the computer screen without having to tilt my head to read through my old bifocals! Talk about a Pain!)

Darius, I'm hoping you'll be able to work something out with your landlord, too. You really don't need to go through another winter like the last one.

Funnel cakes! (Yummmmmm! I like them with powdered sugar served up on paper plate and eaten while trying to watch where you're going. (I think the last one I had was at 'Rondezvous' trying NOT to watch a fat white man walk around in a 'breechcloth' trying to *act* like an indian...trust me...that's NOT a pretty picture. LOL But it's certainly something a person doesn't forget.)

M5, 'daddy' did a beautiful job with those babies! I just love the one laying with his/her feet stretched out behind it. That's the way our 'Major' used to sleep. You just gotta LOVE those Goldens (If you don't want to *shoot* them before they settle themselves down at about age 3! hahaha)

Mary, I can sympathize with the 'sudden summer' routine we both seem to be living through. Wasn't it only a few weeks ago *I* was complaining about how *cold* it was??? Now the temps and humidity have been so high that I can't manage to work outside past 10:30 in the morning...at least not in the sun. And if I *do* stay out...by noon I can be found sitting on the north side of my house dangling my feet in my DGD's plastic 'pool' (I pretend I'm there to keep *her* occupied...yeah, right! :-D)

Robert...GOOD job! I wish *I* could have painted my arbor a "color" but with no mature trees (other than the white pines that border our property) mine sticks out like a sore thumb. (I'm still going to paint my glider purple...even if it kills me! LOL) I just love those pictures in magazines where people have done unexpected things with the structures in their gardens.

Sarv...couldn't help but grin at your remark about having to look at the organization you've accomplished. LOL Sounds just like me. I'm always *amazed* when I manage to get something cleaned up or out...it takes me days to STOP looking at it. :-D

Oh...I have to tell you guys that the diapers and moisture crystals that I used in my containers are working fantastically!! Last year I was watering the pots, containers and window boxes at least once a day if not two or *three* times. This year, even the smallest ones are staying nice and fresh for at least 3 days...and the larger pots are going 5-7 days on a single refill. Now, THAT'S pretty amazing. Especially when they're packed with a lot of plants!

Well...I'm headed outside while it's still cool enough to pull some weeds.

Hope you ALL have a great day!

~julie~

It's my day off - first things first - coffee, good conversation and what's on the counter today?

Robert - love the blue arbor! You can make me one any day. :)

Puppies are absolutely adorable - I always love the way puppies squeak/grunt when they're little.

More storms yesterday and half the night. Tornado warning just north of us in the mid afternoon - right where two of our sons were working - putting up a grain bin. DS said it was spooky - the wind was so bad they couldn't hear each other talk but no tornado. Guess is was a bit farther west, thankfully.

Lots of phone calls to make today. Yuck!! Still no info on my 'green card'. I went online and checked the status there, last post was Jan. 7 which said it takes 30 to 60 days to review and make a decision on a reopened file. I think that's gone by...

Also, haven't received my passport nor our marriage certificate from Canadian gov. and that has to be in to the Netherlands Consulate in Chicago by June 30 so I have to try find a person that knows something - two different offices, of course.

And I have to find out what our new health insurance plan covers because I got a letter from them that I do not agree with.

And our server is having some issues, can't open things some days so have to call tech line and change some settings -I was told yesterday when I called them from work. DH wants me to list two things on ebay for him

And I have to call and see if his aunt has gone to glory - her 9 kids are all here (very scattered - Alaska, Calgary, TX, MN, IA, CO) Its her birthday today - I always remember to send her a card cuz it's also our oldest son's 25th.

Since almost every dish in the house is dirty, I better get that done too. lol

Yesterday my supervisor met with me, I am done probation, got a 25¢ raise, I can start using my vacation time (19 hours accumulated so far) and can earn an extra 50¢ an hour every month I earn over 90 points (five different areas are scored and totaled). Hurrah!!

Have a good day all!

Kooger...Congrats on passing that 'probbie' status! And a .25 raise is SUPER! Sorry to hear you're still having trouble with that green card. (Glad your boys were out of harm's way with that storm. I'd like to have some rain here, but I'd rather water the plants than deal with my fear of tornados. ;-))

~julie~

Hi, GOB's... Looks like everyone is okay with just minor problems for some.

Not much new here. My weight is down over 1/3 of my goal and my spare tire is slowly deflating; got my hair cut (too short) and thinking of lightly coloring it. (I was a light strawberry blonde.) A few new clothes come after meeting 2/3 of my goal, and when I reach my ultimate goal, I have plenty of clothes that size, Feels good to have jeans and shorts loose already!

I've had a little flurry of orders from my member store and need to get more raspberries for vinegars. It's almost fresh raspberry and South Carolina peaches time here, YEA!

Darius! That's *fantastic*! Congratulations, lady. It's always nice when we lose enough to have clothes fit loosely. That's the way it was for me last year. This year....well...uh...LOL...it's amuch different story! :-D

~julie~

Whooooooooooooo! Hot here too. Got the sprinkler going on the side where the "grass" is drying up, Looks like some of the bad horsetail is dying....and the Jap beetles are back, along with a parade of snails.....took care of that this morning too. I know it's better to water in the evening, but it was supposed to rain last night. Promises, promises. Was supposed to rain today too. Nada. Pffffffft.

Yup those pups are adorable all right and nary a one will enter this house!! She gets about $800 each, so I wouldn't be eligible.... not only because I wouldn't pay that for a dog, but my idea of a fun day isn't scooping doggies donations off the lawn. Not to mention an outright rebellion by the five feline mafioso....... I do get to play with them until they leave their mama though and that pretty much satisfies my doggie fix. Then when I get home I get all kinds of hissy "what do you smell like" reactions from the herd.

Birds in the birdbath this morning were making such a fuss, all five cats were staring out over the deck door and getting all excited, poofy tails and chirps. By the time the birds were done, there was NO water left in the basin!

Kooger, you must have endless stores of patience dealing with the slow-as-molasses-bureaucracy....unbelievable how terrorists can get in North America without any question, but legitimate residents have to jump through hoops. And a big cheer for the raise...you're aren't going to blow it all on plants are you????? hahahahaha

My approach to cleaning, Sarv, is far less ambitious than yours, I like to do a clean up when it's really a mess, so that I can admire the contrast!! And, I do go back from time to time to view the finished product! I'm disappointed at my DH's lack of admiration for the result though....I suppose he'd just live with the messy stuff, since he never notices dirt and never complains....LOL Therefore, it appears that I am doing such things for myself, and not him. (Ahhh, a moment of insight. At my age!!)

Mary, I agree, Darius' cooking should turn the landlord into a lamb...unless he grew up on fast food and the only vegetable he has a close relationship with is catsup. Good luck Darius, I'm sure the change in heating source will alleviate some of your breathing problems. I did the hair thing this week too, not the cut, just the color. DD did my roots last week, and I tried a different shade which turned out to be too ashy, (read, "if I wanted gray hair I would just quit coloring it") so I redid it myself yesterday and now I'm back to streaky butterscotch....

Now I'm going to go iron, a necessary evil when you insist on wearing 100 % cotton shorts and tees. Around the house I go wrinkly , that way, my complexion matches my clothes....but for golf I have to be more presentable as the other women dress far better than I, thus raising the bar of my personal standards....

Hap, I've been checking out Posypeddlers garden project, WOW!!! That fountain was a prize, the garden looks fabulous, I told her a while back she should enter it in the Tribune's garden contest, I'm sure she'd win. It is stunning!!

"streaky butterscotch".....my FAVORITE color! LOL My hair bleaches out any color I put in it in this FL sun. This month, being a heavy plant buying month, decided to just color and not get the haircut. By this time my hair was bleached white with gray roots. UUGG My DD picked up my coloring, I used it, took off the towel and my hair was white with white roots! THEN I read the color on the box. DUUH So.....I now have a box of my favorite butterscotch standing by.

Darius, seems like if he's such a tightwad he would recoginze the improvements you have made at your own expense and REALLY want you to stay!
Pati

M5- reading your posts always make me laugh!!! I try do that often at my age!!

Just got back from the beauty parlor (hmm are they still called that??) got a hair cut and decided not to have it styled- they raised they prices AGAIN! Just a cut - thank you. I even highlight it myself since I retired. Beautician told me how to do it so I avoid a disaster. Sometimes it is real light - other times darkish - always a surprise!! My friends can't believe I do it myself - Heck I get it cut every month, so the streaks don't last long.

Decided to rototil the garden - after unsticking three stones the darn thing died. I chucked it down and left in a huff. DH can deal with it....

I need to fertilize the brugs - haven't done it since they got planted out - shame on me. The only thing I have done is dump the stinky swamp water from the pool cover on things. In fact I haven't fertilized a thing yet this year!! Everytime I carry the big watering can for any time at all my hands swell up and my fingers ache so bad that I can hardly stand it. Heck when your body falls apart.

Got some wheat wrap things and just had one with cheese, onion and lettuce with horseradish dressing. Man was that tasty!! Topped it off with 4 choco grahams -= yum... Darius = congrads on the weight loss. How are you doing it? I am into clothes that I haven't worn for several years - it is fun! Like a whole new wardrobe! I opened a closet (that we cleaned) and gasped when nothing tumbled out onto the floor. Still enjoying having a little extra room...

Gotta boggie- going to the funeral parlor and need to get cleaned up. I just hate going to those places- never know what to say and always end up sobbing like "I" had lost the person. I'll never forget the time our neighbor passed away and I sobbed so hard the wife had to help me out!!! Funny looking back on it, but my DH was mortified at my actions!! (also cry at TV weddings and funerals LOL) At my dad's funeral I chewed gum so loud and fast that the old aunts came over and 'talked' to me about how it was improper!! Funny how ya remember stuff like that.

Well, gotta go - Paul Harvey is talking about what to eat to avoid Alzheimers...seems like everyone has their own 'prevention' stuff!! Think I'll just have some of everything!!

Hey, Sarv, I've been using the Loreal Colour Experte (doncha love it when they fancy up the names!!) which is a kit with the base color, and the streaking stuff included. Comes with two sets of gloves, everything you need, and it doesn't destroy your hair. There's often a $3 coupon in the paper coupon sections, or sometimes one in the box!! I do it myself because I got sick of paying a salon $70 to get an unsatisfactory color. Ooops, I mean Colour.......

What am I doing back here? I was supposed to be ironing. Procrastination RULES!!

Not a lotta luck on the phone this morning. After 20+ minutes on hold at the USCIS (new name for the INS) I got a lady who told me what was on my case on the website - which I had read months ago already. She didn't know anything else so sent me on to the next level - a little shorter wait, and found out it is still under review. Duh! I wanted to know why it's taking far longer than the 30-60 days it says in the letter they sent but she didn't have an answer for that. Dh wants to go visit my DB in Edmonton in Aug. but I don't see that happening...can't take the chance of not getting back in.

Went the rounds pushing number 6 then nu 3 then nu 1 etc etc with the Authenication office in Ottawa and ended up with a live person - but it was in a military office. lol He suggested I try again - we had a good chuckle over it. Then I tried the passport office - got to the right office, in the right language, but the nu of people holding had filled up the nu allowed in the queue line so I was told to try back later. No progress there! Gotta tell u guys, besides these slowpoke INS guys, the US gov is absolutely fantastic at getting forms done in record time. I had the documents back from the US State Dept. Authenication Office in less than a week!!! Now that's service. Doubt if there's a country in the world that can match them in efficiency. Too bad there's too much red tape tho. :)

As I was having my coffee, UPS pulls up and I had to sign for a letter. It's from the Netherlands Consulate in Chicago and they would like to know if I would like to extend the period to obtain necessary documents for another 13 weeks as they have not received all those required yet. YES YES YES! So I just have to send them a letter by June 30th requesting an additional 13 weeks - wow just what I needed to take off some pressure! That letter is leaving by FedEx tomorrow after work. lol

Now to the health insurance people ..... dreading that call.

darius - good job! (on the decreasing) Picked up a bag of whole flax at HyVee yesterday. $2.77 for 1.5 lbs. Is that high? Think it would be cheaper in a health food store?

Laura, that's a decent price for flax, I think. I haven't priced it in a long time and won't be back at the health food store until after July 4th.

Yea! for the extension from the Netherlands Consulate!! Red tape is the PITS.

Amen! what a surprise that letter was! I've spend well over $1200. already on getting all the forms and trips to Chicago and Minneapolis. I'd hate to not go thru with it now.

Second DS now wants his Canadian citizenship papers - he's working for a guy putting up grain bins and they have a big job in SK or MB in Aug-Sept. Our kids are automatically Canadian citizens, since I am, but they have to apply for Proof of Canadian Citizenship - filling out the forms. The other guys are getting work permits but if he gets his forms in, he doesn't need a work permit and can work either side of the border without hassles. ARGGGG! guess who's filling out more forms.......

......back to the phone.....

Hi all, whoopee!,the world is back on an even keel today, though yesterdays problems will take a while to fix.
Kooger - you'll need the patiece of a saint for all that dealing with government departments and their phone systems. Just keep going you'll get there in the end!
Way to go Darius - it gets encouraging when you start to see the difference in the mirror and the clothes you wear. Keep up the good work.
Those pups brought back memories, I used to breed and show goldens in the UK. Puppies are adorable - but boy are they hard work. People used to wonder how we could let them go, believe me when you have more than one, by the time they get to 8 weeks and those needle teeth are into everything, you are counting the hours till they leave!!
I've never been able to clour my hair - it was so dark nothing took and I figured I'd look silly blonde. There is a grey patch on the crown now - looks like a halo if the sun shines on it I'm told - well it hides the horns from view anyway. The rest is still pretty dark, so it will be a while yet before I can do the blue rinse bit If I ever go truely white I always thought I'd try a pink rinse just to be different!!
Out in the yard this morning I found the remains of a bunnies nest under one of the daylilies. Babies had all gone but not long ago T think, it was only a foot or so from my veg patch and I've been stomping around there everyday and didnj't notice a thing. Saw the big rabbit many times and chased her away - thought she was veg hunting but she was probably nursing her young!
TTFN of to see to a weed or two.
Carol

More good news - DH's sleep study will be covered by insurance - whew! It was $1500. so that 's a big WHEW! since they want another study done. His O2 level dropped into the 80s and they did not like that at all - so they want another study with O2 on all night. Scheduled for July 16th.

Lousy storm last night knocked over my delphs - boy that ticks me off! They were just starting to open - about 8 or 9 spires. I tied them up with bamboo sticks and baler twine. Hope I get to enjoy the blooms still.

Laura, Hope your DH does okay with his next sleep test. Better to know now, and to take preventative actions.

I've wondered if I should have a sleep test done. They did an overnight test with an O2 monitor recording and I was fine without O2 recently. So maybe what I thought was perhaps apnea was just stress to the lungs during my down times..

Yeah, wouldn't be surprised about that either, D. Do you think they're doing better - that's what was on my mind earlier today - wondering about ur lungs. Think the weight loss helps?

Laura, I think several things help. One is not having to use the heater. I'm sure the (small so far) weight loss helps, as it reduces the fat pushing on my rib cage. Plus, I'm more active in summer. I've been off O2 since early May, and off the inhalers too.

They found a spot on my lungs 5/24, CT Scan indicated a polyp but we are watching it closely.

Good that u can go without the O2 - not so good about the polyp. Didn't know one could get them in the lungs. Did they do a CT to see how they were and then saw it? Can it develop into something worse? (gotta hit the shower....hi ho..hi ho...its off to work I go....)

' morning folks!

In case you're wondering...it's my week to babysit again. Every day is different because my 2 older DGD's are taking a bit of the heat off this old granny by watching the baby up to the time of her morning nap. She sleeps on the couch while the younger of the two girls (13) watches TV til the baby wakes up...we have lunch, then go out to play in the wading pool for an hour or so. THEN the older DGD (17) comes and takes Angel back to her house for the rest of the day. Granny gets to have the rest of the hot afternoon to do some desperately needed (and carefully done!) watering.

Does anyone know how to do a RAIN DANCE that leaves out severe storms??? We could sure use a volunteer here. M5...Could you try playing golf EVERY DAY for the next couple of weeks? :-D (To tell you the truth, I don't see *how* you can take this heat well enough to PLAY in it! ;-))

Time to get something done! See ya later!

~julie~

Oh Julie!! If I played golf every day I wouldn't be able to walk!!! I am subbing on another league tomorrow, and playing in my regular league on Friday.... they are predicting rain, no wait, they cancelled that....again!! I'm sprinkling like a madwoman because everything is dry dry dry. Went out this morning and hacked down a volunteer bush (tree) that popped up in the side garden, blocking my view of some asian lilies that I put in three years ago. This is the first year they've really taken hold and I would like to enjoy them without that shrub blocking the view. It has taken so long to get this area established, and it still looks sparse, but finally, most of the perennials have taken hold. Still wanting to add something along the border, but can't decide what to put there. The cheap roses from Home Depot have mostly succumbed to the Japanese beetles, or winter freeze, so I'l need to find something hardier that will bloom and add a little color. I usually put a couple big pots of flowers in the coaster wagon but didn't get around to it, yet. Any suggestions?

Have an outing this afternoon at the zoo, with all the other retirees/quarter century employees which is a fun get together. The food is usually good, and it's nice to see some of the people you've worked with for many years. We all look just the same...not a day older...LOL

Not supposed to be quite so hot today and I'm hoping that they are more accurate with the temperature than they've been with the rain predictions. Farmers will be complaining soon if we don't get some rain to help the crops. Think I might stop over at DDs to peek at the new puppies, although they are not much fun until they start staggering around and looking for attention. Mama Frankie is doing fine, having had a c-section rather than squeezing them out one by one. And maybe I'll get that ironing done today, since yesterday kind of slipped away and I never got to it. Never put off until tomorrow what you can put off until next week.

Anyone notice they are stocking pomegranite juice in the fruit section of some super markets? I'm tempted because I usually do the peel, and squish to get juice which I use to brighten the flavor of raspberry or blackberry jelly. Talk about labor intensive....this looks like a better option but I'll have to read the label to see what kind of unpronouncable chemicals they may have added to it. I might be back to peel and squeeze....!

OK, off the chair and into the shower. Gotta move the sprinkler too. If it goes like it usually does for me, that might be a simultaneous operation. I try to remember not to move the sprinkler when I'm dressed up and ready to hit the road!! What's for treats today? I haven't been baking anything this week, but I'm sure someone has....

Look what was on the bird feeder!! (I know, I know, sprinkler, shower, ironing......)

M5, I have some of that pomegranate juice in my frig. It also comes bottled in 4 other flavors, Pom-Mango, Pom-Blueberry, Pom-Cherry and Pom-Tangerine.

They have a website: http://www.pomwonderful.com/
Some good sounding recipes there, too.

edited to say the POM juicebottle says "Ingredients: pomegranate juice from concentrate and natural flavorings"... Nothing else.

This message was edited Jun 22, 2005 4:18 PM