Now I really did it :((

[missy]

Good morning girls and happy May1st!!!

Jimmianne, safe travels! And big hugs for a terrific trip!!! And I wish we were all joining you too!
And you know we all love you too! Meeting you in person was amazing (as was meeting all the NIRDI girls I have met so far-I adore all of you so much!) and I so enjoyed our visit together and I cannot wait to see you again!

Marcy LOL that was some afternoon meal you had and I am glad you enjoyed it. Yay for your sister and BIL visiting you and enjoying some yummy brownies after dinner. So glad your power came back on after 90 minutes. What a relief. Thank you for liking the bike handlebars. I think they are pretty cool. Also a relief that Marty won't be gone as long as you thought so yay for that!

Junie, YAY I hope you are having an amazing time at your beach house!. Yes we are happy to be back cycling but OMG my you know what is in pain. Hahaha sometimes I question my sanity re cycling but this year I won't overdo it like we have in past years. We didn't cycle yesterday because it was just too cold and windy and I am proud of myself for not cycling because in the past I would have fought the weather and been miserable cycling. LOL I guess in my "old" age I *am* getting wiser. I hope you enjoyed the rest of your weekend and I am looking forward to getting together!

Jaaron, how are you doing? Hope your recovery is going smoothly and looking forward to hearing from you. Sending more healing vibes your way. Which of the cluster rings did you end up keeping or did I miss that?

Hope all of you enjoyed the last weekend of April and have a great Monday! How the heck did Monday get here soooo fast?
Anyway enjoy and wishing a smooth and happy Monday to everyone!


Sharing a cycling photo from Saturday. It was a tougher ride Saturday than Friday because it was much windier but it was still good.

 

[rainwood]

I'm back!!! Need to pay bills, but wanted to say "Bonne journee" to Jimmianne. Have a wonderful time and swing the sledge a few times for me!!!!!

 

[missy]

Welcome back home Rainwood!!! We missed you and I am so glad you had a terrific trip!
Looking forward to hearing more about it.

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Jimmianne, let us know you reached your place in France okay. It sounds like that is where your heart is these days; you’ll figure out how to juggle both places or get a place on the beach. Who knows what will happen to any of us?

Missy, I love C&H and the snowmen ones are especially good. I also get a kick of his dad’s version of science. I’ve been eating normal meals since Sunday and I moved the remaining brownies to the freezer in the basement. I agree the bike handles are pretty cool; a nice bit of flare so you look even more cool when you are out cycling. Great picture of you and Greg out on your first ride of the year.

Rainwood, I hope you had a wonderful time.

Not much going on with me. I’ve been reading and working. I picked up a few more things at the grocery store tonight. Twice in one week. That’s ROUGH. My shopper is in LA.

My plan was foiled to torment Marty in LA. One of our contacts at work is in LA and I swore she was working in the same building he’s at; but even though it’s the same company her building is on the other side of the airport. I was going to have her buy some teddy bears and keep leaving them on his desk. That would have been so funny. Oh well, I can be amused just thinking about it.

Yes, it continues to rain / snow here this week. I think it’s warming up this weekend though.

Take care.

Marcy

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

Marcy that took a lot of willpower to put those brownies away in the freezer. But something to look forward to enjoying later.
Haha I liked your teddy bear plan and too bad it was foiled. Drat. Oh well another plan will come to you I bet. Glad you enjoyed my C&H contribution of the day yesterday. Sorry your food shopper is in LA. If Greg was away I would be having the same problem as he is the one who goes to Costco every week and often without me. Glad it will be warming up this weekend for you. The weather is crazy all over. No snow here but none too pleasant and I understand it was in the 40s and raining all week in Chicago so all our weather could be better. But it could be worse so as long as there is no death and destruction we will take it. Drive safely!

Have a good day all.
And just before I go sharing a little more Calvin and Hobbes Cheer.

 

[junebug17]

Hi nirdis!

Missy, great pic of your bike ride! Too bad the weather didn't cooperate but it was smart not to subject yourself to the bad weather. Love the Calvin and Hobbes cartoons, so funny but also such good observations about life.

Marcy, I guess the news about Marty's trips to Australia is good news, although a month is a long time to be away from home. It's nice your sister and dh stopped by, it gave you some company while Marty is away. Too bad your joke didn't work out, but I hear you, sometimes it's funny to just think about doing it lol. Glad to hear the weather is supposed to improve this weekend.

Jimmianne, thinking of you…so glad you are getting to spend time in a place you love so much. I hope you are having a great start to your time in France. I understand it's hard right now to figure out how to be content while you aren't in France but things will work out. I'll miss you, I hope you can check in once in a while!

Jaaron, I hope your dental work went smoothly.

Welcome back rainwood!

We had a good time in SC, it was very warm and we were even able to go swimming, so that was fun. I hope everyone is having a good day so far!

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Missy, my teddy bear plan would have been awesome but oh well; I can save it for another day. Yes weather is definitely spring-like everywhere. Hopefully it's not a bad tornado season; I know we've had some severe damage some places and already some tragic deaths. Love your C&H comics. I like the saying about how the little things take up the most room in your heart.

June, Marty has been gone 4 and 5 weeks at a time before so I know I would be fine even if I didn't like it. Keeping his job is more important than me being a baby about him being home. A few years ago I bought another Kay's teddy bear and was going to send it to his hotel in Atlanta with candy and a card and have them leave it on his bed while he was at work on Valentines day. They sent him to Brazil instead and luckily I hadn't mailed the package yet. Oh well. That's nice you had warm weather in SC and even went swimming. Fun!

Work was hectic and I had to work about 10 minutes extra. A friend of mine was meeting me at home at 5:30 but my car seemed to manage to get home by 5:30. She had a bottle of Chardonnay with her so we each had 2 glasses of wine. That was a bit much on an empty stomach but I enjoyed visiting with her. She and I worked together at my old job (I've had 2 full time jobs after college - not including teaching). After she left I had some raw veggies while I cooked some potatoes and grilled a steak. I generally don't try to use our gas grill because I'm afraid of blowing something up but I had Chardonnay courage going on there. Our grill is hooked to the house so I'm worried I'll leave it on or do something stupid with it.

I was going to do a batch of laundry tonight but I don't feel like it now. Ha!
Take care.
Marcy

 

[rainwood]

I was going to respond to everyone before I left for work this morning, but managed to accidentally install an adware program called Mackeeper, which is just this vile, annoying thing and spent the next hour trying to get rid of it. I then came on this evening and there was still stuff happening because of it but I'm hoping I've got the last traces of that stupid thing off my computer. Ugh. I thought I was updating Flash Player (which seems to happen a lot) but it switched me over to something else. I'm usually very careful so they were really, really sneaky on this one. There are lots of complaints about them on Apple support boards so I'm clearly not the first person to get sucked in.

I will try to catch up the next few days, but wanted to let you know where I was. After 20 years of wanting to go there, I finally made it to Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico. I guess you could call it a spa but it's a lot more than that. There are all sorts of exercise, wellness, and arts-related activities in a beautiful setting. Much to my surprise, it was even more amazing than I'd hoped. Not only did I get a week-long respite from gray, drippy, cold weather, but I ended up changing my perspective. It's hard to put into exact words, but I feel so much better about my life and what I want to do with it. Not in some cultish, religious way, but I've already transformed how I eat (I've gone off grain and sugar entirely because I wanted to), have gone back to yoga, and am dedicating more of my time to the creative things that make me happy. I've been so much more productive since I came back and happier too. One of the side effects is it reduces my screen time so I haven't been on PS much since I came back, but I will try to keep the NIRDI thread because all of you are part of what makes life good. I'll drop some other online stuff.

One of the things I did while there was take a photography workshop just using my iPhone and it really helped my change how I see things with a camera. I'll give you a few glamour shots of the place:

The ranch itself is gorgeous:





The food was beautiful too. This is what I made from the salad bar the last day (they frown on using cell phones in the Dining Room or any public place so I snuck it in at the end):


And I took a photo expressing how people feel about the place. Most have been before, many of them many times, and you often have to book far in advance to get in. I've booked for next year and will be bringing my sister. But this is how we feel about the Ranch:


I was going to give some examples of how my photography has improved, but it's getting late and one of the things I'm doing now is getting to bed at a reasonable hour so I'll try to post again tomorrow and give some examples but also catch up with everyone.

 

[CJ2008]

Good morning girls

How are you all doing this morning.

I'm up sitting here having some rye bread (OMG how come it took me so long to discover rye bread. SO SO good and so much more satisfying - as in filling - than regular bread. Now I just have to find one that is 100% rye which has been confusing since labels make it sound 100% when it's not. But for now I'm definitely sticking to this one, it's one I get sliced at Whole Foods) and tea and feeling like it's going to be a good day even though I'm a little tired.

rainwood it was so nice to see you, and I loved reading your post. I am so glad that you finally made it to the ranch and that you enjoyed it even more than you expected. It's always a little scary when you have high expectations for a place and so disappointing when the anticipation doesn't match the reality. Glad to hear it wasn't the case this time. And I'm so happy for you that it did you good. I am interested to hear what you mean by going off grain and how you plan on doing it (would that include rye because I'm kind of addicted to rye bread right now lol but that WAS an attempt on my part to start getting away from wheat.) Computer issues are such a pain in the butt - can take days to resolve - hate it when it happens. Hope your malware is cleared up.

And of course, lovely pictures. Looking forward to your post showing the differences between your "old" technique and your new one would be interesting to see the changes.

marcy hello how are you? I think where we last left it we were talking about wine. I like reds. Mostly Malbec, but sometimes like "lighter" wines like Pinot Noir or Sangiovese, especially lately. I love that your friend showed up with a bottle and glad to hear you didn't blow anything up. I'm the same way with our grill. It's not hooked up to our house, but I'm scared of it anyway. Plus it is HOT. I think in all the years we've owned it I've used it like twice.

So glad to hear that Marty's trips won't be as long as you first thought.

Hope you don't have to work a minute extra today. Hugs.

jimmyanne hope you are enjoying your long awaited trip to France. And hope whatever issues you have going on are resolved soon so you can get out of survival mode.

Looks like if we NIRDIs ever get together one bottle of wine for all of us will do!

And I'm with you and with rainwood being a NIRDI is awesome. I too love you all.

missy I felt the same way about the eBay guy. Thankfully he didn't bid on the shoes and I would have gone through with the sale if he had, but I'm just glad he didn't. When I ship things out I use my home address and I would have felt funny about it. Not to say that it makes it more likely the guy is a psycho because he has a fetish - but the sexual overtone adds a layer to the sale that I don't want to deal with.

Glad your water heater was fixed even at $4500 later. It was so funny to read how Greg went all top of the line with it. Makes sense to me. Glad you were able to let go of the problem and go out cycling and that all your possessions were intact.

Loved seeing the pictures of you guys and of little Fred. Miss seeing HRH.

june glad your mini trip was fun. Hope everything is good with you.

OK girls I wrote a lot more than I had planned for and I'm running late.

Hugs to you all.

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

Junie, I was happy to hear things are going well for your son with his musical career and it is a very exciting time for him. I am so glad you guys had a wonderful weekend in SC and got to go swimming! And then came back to winter here lol. Supposed to be rainy for the next few days. I am trying to get in the mood for our gala this Saturday but so far I am not being successful. Especially because getting all dressed up and going out in the rain isn't my idea of fun. I'd rather be kicking about dressed more appropriately for the inclement weather and take a romantic walk in the rain. But it will be nice to see the dinosaurs so I am holding onto that! Just know I am thinking of you and your estate stuff and hoping it is coming along!

Marcy How nice your girlfriend met you at your house after work and that you made it on time despite staying a bit late. Good car. And good for you making yourself a proper dinner without Marty there. 4 or 5 weeks is a long time but I expect the homecoming is that much sweeter when he is away for a long time. And you are right. It is better than the alternative for sure. As much as I fantasize about (Greg especially since I am on my way very soon) being retired I don't think I am ready for that mainly because of financial concerns over anything else. I have no doubt we would find enough interesting things to do in retirement. Yay for your spring weather.

Rainwood, thank you for sharing more details about your trip though I have to say it sounded amazing even before you shared more photos here. What a wonderful respite and place to continue your healing journey. I am so pleased it was even better than you expected and yay for already booking next year with your sister. We won't invade but wouldn't it be fun to do a NIRDI getaway there one day in the future? It wouldn't take more than 3 or 4 days for me to drive there I think...

It is impressive how changing your diet gave you a whole new energy and positive outlook on everything. Food really is the source of many of our ills (emotional and physical) and so many things we eat are like a drug habit that is incredibly hard to break. I try to eat healthfully but I know I am not perfect. I cannot give up my awfully unhealthy drink (Crystal light) no matter what I do. I am trying (and have tried) so hard to just like plain water. That would be for me the single greatest change I could effect in my diet I think. That food photo is making me very hungry right now at 6:50 AM. Yummmmm.

I am super impressed with what you have done and how you have transformed your life for the better in such a great way. So happy for you and I know this is going to sound corny and I also know that is not your thing but allow me to just say for a moment my heart is filled with love and happiness for you dear Rainwood. You are such an incredible person and that is all I will say so as not to embarrass you. (((HUGS))).

CJ good morning! Oh I love rye bread but I have given up all bread due to my rosacea and it has helped. I cannot eat anything like that anymore sadly but like rainwood I have food sensitivities. I think if you don't you are ok. It all depends on what you and your body can process and handle. I am glad you can enjoy it! Haha glad the ebay guy didn't bid. Creepy encounter. Have a great day and I hope we catch up later.
Just for you I am adding a photo of HRH. She sends her purrs and love to you CJ and all the NIRDI girls.





And the quintessential HRH Francesca photo with her Harummphing us in that elegant way she has.




and lastly her wearing her crown.




Have a good day girls!

 

[CJ2008]

Hi HRH!

thanks for posting missy

 

[missy]

You are very welcome CJ! HRH loves sharing her photos with you and the other girls.

Oh and just wanted to add that Greg called La Roche Posay yesterday about the issue I was having with their moisturizer dispensing and the pump breaking rendering the moisturizer useless and they said they are now aware of the problem. Yay! Because when Greg called them last year after it first happened to me they said no one had complained about that and now they admitted yes there is a problem and they are working on fixing it. Woohoo!!!! I really hope they can figure it out because it is the *only* moisturizer I have been able to use without reaction since my POD outbreak in 2014 so I am relieved at least they are aware there really is a problem and they are trying to fix it. And they are sending us a check for a refund on the moisturizer where the pump broke (not the bottle I dropped- that was cleanser and that was *all* my fault. But the moisturizer where the pump breaks and you cannot get anything from the bottle) just this weekend. So that is good too because this stuff adds up and when the pump stops working that is money down the drain.

Thanks for listening and have a wonderful day!

 

[CJ2008]

Yay so glad you're getting that refund AND that the company's going to fix the issue

By the way the Dermo cleanser is by far the most gentle least stripping cleanser I've ever used. Nothing - including cleaners labeled for babies that have no fragrance, etc. - is as gentle as this cleanser.

 

[azstonie]

Greetings NIRDI Babes: 100 degrees yesterday, 102 here today (burb of Phoenix). The pool is now 81-82 during the day so its time to open SWIM SEASON a la Kasa Kristie! Can't start soon enough, as I'm really knocking myself out trying to help Maggie The Westie with her arthritis. (She failed to benefit from tramadol, the go-to pain reliever for canine arthritis.) Having her in a warm pool, getting exercise will really help her anxiety, which has been through the roof and results in her attacking Finn terribly. He's a real sweetie, never EVER bitten or gone after anyone or any other pet, and when she attacks him he just tries to get away, although she typically CORNERS him and he has nowhere to go, poor boy. I've set up a pen in my living room and when she goes after Finn or even 'starts' with the hard stare at him, in the pen she goes. It's helping her understand which behavior she needs to control and it saves Finn from getting the $#it kicked out of him on a daily basis. I hate having Westie Fight Club in my house. Horrible.

Bob is at a conference and so far he's won a lot of raffles and door prizes: A Stanley tools set (oh yay lol), a $50 gift card to Bass Pro Shops (warmer, LOL), and today a GoPro!!! Now yer talkin'! He'll probably be banished from next year's prizes and raffles if he wins anything else!!

Missy, you and Greg 'need' a GoPro for when you are tandeming!!!

Speaking of GoPro, I bought a dashcam for my car after last year's unpleasant encounter with the police. Now I'm covered, I can prove the event/s and what I said and did. It mounts on my windshield near the rear view mirror, turns on with the car/off with the car although if someone hits or even jostles my parked/at rest car the camera activates. It saves "events" so you don't have to worry about losing valuable video or stills (it also will give you stills). About $100 on Amazon, you need to buy a vid card to format for it, but still a fabulous way to keep you and your record clean as a whistle.

I'm getting ready to buy the third band for my stackers. I have the platinum/sapphire from Israel Rose, the Gabriel & Co sapph/diamond/white gold I bought on preloved, and I'm thinking the 3rd band should be diamonds. I'll grab a pic of the first 2 that I have so you guys can see, then anyone who sees a possibility for me out there, or if you have a recommendation I would love that. I don't 'see' like the pros around here do and you'd be saving more jewelry box prisoners to let me know which way to go. The sapph plat band is just about 3 mm, the G&Co band is 2 mm.

Anybody getting any bling? Rainy? Missy? Callie? Junie? Scandi? Jaaron? CJ? Marcy you are off the hook for your recent amazing pendant

 

[azstonie]

HRH is a beauty queen. She GLEAMS. I love her funny little lips, that kind of Mona Lisa smile she has!! Does Frankie watch Kelly in the mornings or is that her mommy???

 

[missy]

HRH is a beauty queen. She GLEAMS. I love her funny little lips, that kind of Mona Lisa smile she has!! Does Frankie watch Kelly in the mornings or is that her mommy???

Haha that's all HRH Francesca. I never watch TV in the AM. Just have it on for background with the mute on. Just got home and I am mourning right now because of the health care bill. OMG.
Oh and THANK YOU!!! For you know what! Just got it. (((HUGS))).

 

[missy]

Yay so glad you're getting that refund AND that the company's going to fix the issue

By the way the Dermo cleanser is by far the most gentle least stripping cleanser I've ever used. Nothing - including cleaners labeled for babies that have no fragrance, etc. - is as gentle as this cleanser.

YES! So glad you love the Dermo Cleanser. It is the ONLY cleanser I can use. I apply and gently cleanse and use cotton rounds to remove the dirt and then I spray with Avene thermal water after and use the cotton rounds again to gently dry my face. Glad this cleanser is working so well for you too!

 

[azstonie]

Rainy, gorgeous pics. You were already a fine photographer. Looking forward to seeing your new and improved pics, they will be amazing! The food looks great there. I'm so glad it lived up to expectations and then some. I think a "hard thing" about being in our 50s and 60s is that so many things/people/experiences/places might disappoint, particularly if we've been anticipating for any period of time. I'm super guilty of this. And of course, I have a lot of disappointment, dammit! The DH has fun everywhere and most people don't get under his skin, he says its because he has extremely low expectations I like places like Rancho La Puerta with their hands-on creating because one of the first thing we 'take away' from kids in school is creating with their own hands and hearts. So I love a place that has adults creating and getting back in touch with the tiny spark of brilliance within everyone.

 

[missy]

IG Alert! Adam finished "my" ring. So excited but nervous too. I am going to check it out Monday.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTrxx5yF-QM/?taken-by=oldworlddiamonds

 

[missy]

Rainy, gorgeous pics. You were already a fine photographer. Looking forward to seeing your new and improved pics, they will be amazing! The food looks great there. I'm so glad it lived up to expectations and then some. I think a "hard thing" about being in our 50s and 60s is that so many things/people/experiences/places might disappoint, particularly if we've been anticipating for any period of time. I'm super guilty of this. And of course, I have a lot of disappointment, dammit! The DH has fun everywhere and most people don't get under his skin, he says its because he has extremely low expectations I like places like Rancho La Puerta with their hands-on creating because one of the first thing we 'take away' from kids in school is creating with their own hands and hearts. So I love a place that has adults creating and getting back in touch with the tiny spark of brilliance within everyone.

OMG that is so true. You and I and the other girls have higher expectations than many people and that ends up with us disappointed a lot. Greg OTOH isn't as critical. He always says it isn't easy being me and seriously I wish I could be more lighthearted and take things a lot less more seriously than I do. I am working on it but it's tough.

Sorry for the multiple posts this afternoon. I just am reading posts in a choppy way and doing a million different things right now!

 

[junebug17]

Will be back later but wanted to pop in to say…Missy, your ring looks amazing!!! So excited for you to see it in person! Adam did a fantastic job

 

[missy]

Will be back later but wanted to pop in to say…Missy, your ring looks amazing!!! So excited for you to see it in person! Adam did a fantastic job

Thank you Junie! I am nervous because my hands are so huge and worried how it will look on my man hands but fingers crossed! It is different and I like that and it looks pretty on his IG photos. He is a doll. He asked if it was OK to post on IG and I was like YES please! I want to see it haha. Adam is a saint.

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Rainwood, that’s great your trip turned out to be better than expected. I love your pictures! They are fabulous. The flowers have such vibrant colors and how cool the cactus is heart shaped. Good luck getting rid of the malware.

CJ, I am doing good. How are you doing? I am glad you found some rye bread you really enjoy. There was a local restaurant that had the best rye rolls and I search for the taste in rye bread all the time. I’d go there weekly just to have a cup of homemade soup and a homemade rye roll. I like Malbec quite a bit so we could spilt a bottle of that for sure. It’s good to know I’m not the only one worried about using the gas grill. That has always been a Marty chore.

Missy, I know you aren’t excited about going to the big gala this weekend but you and Greg will be the best-looking couple there and Bea will be shiny. Life is good. Have fun and we’ll look forward to some pictures. Hopefully the weather isn’t too bad for you this weekend. I understand completely about the financial side of retiring. I figure I will work as long as I can stand it. If we end up moving though I might just retire. Hard to say what will happen. Hi to HRH; she is looking glamourous as usual. That’s really nice you are getting a refund on your moisturizer and they are working to fix the pump. Ooh, your new ring is gorgeous. I bet you are anxious to see it and try it on this weekend.

Kristie, I can’t believe you are having 3 digit temperatures already. Yeah for the swimming pool being officially open. Poor Maggie and poor Finn. I am sure Westie watching is a full time job. That’s great Bob is so lucky winning door prizes. He should go buy a lotto ticket. I like the idea of getting a diamond band for band number 3. What style are you considering?

Marty got upgraded to first class on his flight home. He must be collecting those miles again. He stopped for supper on the way home but should be home in about an hour.

I posted a picture of some of my bears on the love seat today with a caption “Marty’s coming home”. Marty’s replay was “Cool . . . pillows”. His sister chimed in and said they look like target practice. They’ll both pay.

I stopped and had a strawberry waffle for supper. It just sounded good.

Tomorrow is Friday. Woo hoo!

Have a great day.

Marcy

 

[rainwood]

Hi, all!

Missy, your ring is so unique and cool!! I hope you love it!! Adam is the best, isn't he?

One of the things I've changed is not to get so bothered by things, and to focus on the present moment, what I'm doing right now, and finding the good in that, and actively seeking out what makes me happy. I knew all this stuff, but it seems to have just happened rather than me working at it so hard (which means you can't keep it up). One of the speakers said something that really resonated with me - "A wandering mind is an unhappy mind." So I'm trying to do things that fully engage me and stop doing multiple things at once as a distraction where I'm not really fully engaged in anything. It's a cliche, but it ties in so well with other things I'm now doing that it all seems easy and simple instead of a struggle and a list of things I "should" do. If that makes sense. And a NIRDI GTG at Rancho La Puerta would be great!! You'd love it. It's all vegetarian except for fish or shellfish for dinner every other day. All sort of different exercise.

Kristie, have you thought about acupuncture for Maggie's arthritis? It did wonders for my fur baby's mobility. I though she would hate it because she didn't like anyone touching her legs and she was very particular about who could pet her. But by the second and third visit, she'd see our wonderful vet and just flop into the position. It really helped her quality of life. And you're right about the creativity at the Ranch. It touches something we all want and need. One of the things recommended from the photography workshop was to take photos every day and post them on Instagram. In a year, you'll have a photo journal of your life and recognize your personal shooting style. I'm doing half of that, and will do the Instagram half once I get the app to cooperate with me.

Doing something creative every day makes you see the world in a different way. When you use a photographer's eye, it can bring you into what's going on around you rather than separate you if you come at it the right way. So today, rather than say I should go out for a walk for some exercise, I was thinking I can't wait to get outside and walk around so I can take photos, something I love to do. And I had some wonderful conversations with people simply because I was stopping to look at things and maybe take photos. I stopped to admire some scarlet red rhodies and ended up having a conversation with the woman who lives there. She told me the huge old tree in her yard was planted by her father. I will think of that every time I walk by that beautiful old 70 or 80 year old tree now. I know some of this will wear off over time, but I'm trying to preserve as much as possible because it really does make life better.

Junie, I'm glad you had a wonderful weekend at the beach. You certainly deserve it!!

CJ, I just decided to go off all grains and most added sugar when I came home because I wanted to. I knew life would be better if I did so I just did it. That would include rye. The hardest thing for me will be rice because I eat a lot of Asian food, but I'm doing this for 30 days and seeing what happens. I've also made some other changes because I really want to get healthier and fitter and lose weight. It's somehow more internal this time - less of a "I should" and more of an "I want." It's a huge difference.

One of the things I've discovered is that getting healthy is a different path for everybody and you have to listen to your body and what makes sense for you. So I'm going back to the way I used to eat when I was thin which means not eating breakfast. For so long, the general wisdom has been that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so I started to eat it but it just isn't important for me. And that's when I started gaining weight. I can so easily skip breakfast, and prefer to, because I'm not a morning person, I don't get hungry in the morning and I feel better if I don't eat. For some that sounds unimaginable, but that's how my body works best. And if I eat breakfast, I am HUNGRIER for lunch than if I skip it. Sounds crazy, but that's me.

And it turns out some of the experts are coming out in favor of it and calling it something fancy like intermittent fasting, but to me it's just not eating breakfast. It wouldn't work for most people but it's relatively easy for me. And going off grain and sugar has been pretty easy BECAUSE I decided I wanted to. So I don't see it as giving things up, but trying to get things I really want, like being healthier and losing weight. That's a HUGE attitude adjustment I wasn't capable of and didn't understand before. It takes planning to change eating habits, but I've not been tempted so far. I have pistachios and parmesan crisps for snacks if I'm hungry and I've been making tacos with romaine leaves instead of corn or flour tortillas. I actually prefer them that way now because I can eat more of them without feeling stuffed which means I get more of the filling which is my favorite part anyway. I eat meat or fish and vegetables and have fruit for dessert and a small piece of chocolate if I want it (sometimes I don't!!!) I've been doing the no breakfast thing most days for the last month and the no grain, low sugar for 5 days and I've lost 10 pounds and not felt deprived. I have a lot more poundage to go, but this seems like the right path for me. You'll figure out the right path for you.

Marcy, I'm sorry Marty is gone for so long, but it sounds like you know how to make it work. I hope better weather is on the way. We have had 2 days back to back that were over 60 degrees for the first time in 7 months. Maybe it's headed your way! Mexico was dry and sunny and not too hot, perfect for a respite, but the night I came home, it was raining and the cool dampness just felt so good. Like I was back where I belonged. I'm sure I'd have been grumbling about it if I didn't get that week of sun, but I really did feel like I was home as soon as that cool air hit me.

Hi to everyone else!! I need to go make dinner, but will start with a few of my photos based on what I learned in the workshop. One of the things was to start shooting your subjects in a different, more unusual way, and have a specific intent for why you're taking the photo you're taking. So here's the fountain shot I would have normally taken, splitting it in half for more interest.



And here are the shots that are taken with a different eye, my intent being the play of different textures and colors:


The active side of the fountain:


And the outer reaches:


And this last one is trying to capture the exuberance and movement of the water without taking a video:


The point is to do something more eye-catching, something that will draw your attention in a deeper way rather than just be pretty. I'll do other more specific examples tomorrow if I can.

 

[azstonie]

Hi Rainy and All: Maggie starts acupuncture Tuesday afternoon. I love what you wrote about Nina's appointments, Finn did the very same thing too, flopped down in the room and said "Massage me and stick me with those needles please!" I think its why he's still with us at 14-1/2, his pain receptors were dealt with. Maggie starts doxycycline (antiinflammatory, protects the cartilage and other structures she still has) and Galliprant (Jan 2016 approved for canine arthritis, basically no side effect profile) next week. She takes hemp oil (cannabinoids and terpenoids) twice daily. I give her Assisi Loop treatments 3x per day.

Last night on TV a door knock happened on "Big Bang Theory" and Maggie attacked Finn. Referred aggression. I wish she'd just run to the front door and kick the snot out of it like a normal dog.

105 here today. Bob returns home from the conference this afternoon.

 

[MarionC]

Too much to catch up with right now but wanted to say. Rainwood your trip sounds amazing! I'm so glad you have a new perspective on life. Very happy for you. Wow those photos. !!! You are an artist
Keep talking about it and describing your intentions, ok? You are on to something and I want to hear more.

AZ enjoy that nice "warm" Weather for us, ok?

Another item that caught my eye was the brownies in the fridge. I'm going to my fridge right now to see if by some chance they magically made it to a certain fridge in France haha

I have been working so hard
Like a crazy person. I don't know why but I am so happy here it's like all my brain cells light up at once.
Hugs, nirdis!

 

[rainwood]

Bonjour, Jimmianne! I'm so glad you've found your happy place. We all need at least one!

 

[junebug17]

Jimmianne, so great to hear from you! And so glad you are in a place where you feel so happy and content!

 

[missy]

Hello girls!

Bonjour Jimmianne! So glad you are loving being in France and feel at peace and content. That is everything. (((Hugs))).

Rainwood, LOVE your photos. Yes, Adam is the best.

Marcy, Junie, Kristie, Callie and LLJsmom, thank you for your time this afternoon as always.

Marcy, aww thank you for your kind words. Hardly but hopefully we will look at least acceptable LOL.
Yay for Marty getting a first class upgrade and woohoo for Friday!
If you retire I think you would enjoy it. I really do.

Also want to send a big thank you to a few other amazing PSers (who don't post regularly here) who spent time with me helping me today! You rock.


I am leaning towards keeping it and will probably resize it to my right hand ring finger though I originally wanted it for my right hand middle finger the knuckle is proving too sensitive to put anything over it on a regular basis darn sensitive hands. It just happens to fit my index finger of my left hand but I won't wear it that way as it competes with Bea but just for illustrative purposes including some of those pics too. Any part of the ring touching my skin including the shank is platinum and the top is oxidized silver and gold. Here are some rainy day photos. Thanks for looking and as always I welcome any advice.

Have a good Friday night.

 

[iLander]

WHY are you even hesitating? IT'S SO GORGEOUS! (sorry, I yell when I'm excited) That is a world class beauty. Seriously, I love it. Right hand ring, absolutely. It's a beauty. I like the black, I like the stones, I like the classic setting, the finger coverage, I like everything about it. Seriously. Drool and I'm totally jealous. Don't give it another moment's thought, just enjoy it.