Now I really did it :((

[marcy]

Hi NIRDI’s!

Missy, summer must be here if you are in for a heat wave. We broke 70’s again today. Marty did come in a get a jacket though because he’s getting chilly on the deck. I definitely looked better 13 years ago than now but I’m still kicking. My tongue and tooth is better tonight; I finally was able to eat something other than soft food. I had fun with that text feature. I should snag pictures of all of our rings and try another version of NIRDI’s! I hope your appointment well. Sweet picture of Bobby. Adorable picture of Frankie over the iPad.

Scandi, I hope they figure out what is going on with your mom; the unknown wand waiting game is very frustrating. Sending her mega feel better dust. I would not go on vacation right now either. Thank you; those binoculars work really well. I would order in pizza for everything if NN quit.

Austina, sorry your life has been hectic. You’ll be relaxing soon in Austin. I couldn’t be so lucky that MM quits. I remain hopeful she decides to change or leave. A girl has to dream.

Sharon, that’s awesome you feel privileged in your profession.

My team moved to the cube farm today (or started moving anyway). I hope it helps all of them; being in a 10 x 14 foot room 40 plus hours a week with 4 other people would get on anyone’s nerves. My new team spent a lot of time training me today. It made the day zip by.

I lifted when I got home then we went out for supper.

Take care.
Marcy

 

[missy]

GM girls!

@Austina smart to have a clean house to come home to. Have a safe trip and see you on the other side.

@canuk-gal that is everything. To love and have a passion for what one does in life. Kudos to you for getting it right. It is what makes you so wonderful at what you do. Your compassion and skill make you invaluable to your patients. They are lucky to have you.

@marcy yes being alive and kicking is what matters. We aren't letting a little getting on in years keep us down. I am glad your tooth and tongue are better. Glad training went well yesterday and good luck with the cube farm move. May the rest of the workweek zip by for you and there is a holiday week coming up so woohoo shorter workweek for you Ms Marcy. Sweet you lifted yesterday and enjoyed supper out too. Nice way to end a workday.
And yes summer is here and in full force.
Love the idea of doing a NIRDI version with the rings Marcy. Great suggestion.

@Slick1 hope your procedure is going/went well and sending you good thoughts and hugs.

@Scandinavian continued good wishes being sent to your mom sweetie.

We had an easy trip to and back from the city. Traffic was moving and we made it each way in under 90 minutes by car. Not bad. Of course we left at 5:15 AM but still. And we snagged a parking spot right in front of the endocrinologist's office. Sweet. And no meter parking til 9AM so we didn't have to feed the meter either. The endo took me early at 7AM (appt at 7:30AM) and we were out of there by 7:30 and picked up Francesca's ashes from GSVH and then went home. It was a long morning. I won't have any results from the endocrinologist for a while so no news there.

Today we are going to have a bit of a bike ride in between Greg's work schedule and well the heat wave so not sure how far we will go. It is going to be a very hot day with no ocean breeze unfortunately but a west wind which is the hottest wind. We will see if we can get Days in there or not depending.
Forgot to tell you we hit 2000 miles on the bike so far this season.




Have a great day girls and hugs.

 

[Tekate]

@Calliecake Hola girlie!!!! thank you for all you wonderful remarks about our Autie, I have to upload a pix Cara sent me yesterday morning of her.. Ah my rings, one was a little baguette thing I bought when I first came on PS from B2B, the other was a 1/2 eternity that I bought in Austin at the now gone for good Americus Diamond store (there is one in San Antonio but they broke apart years and years ago) Americus was very good in the beginning but got shadier and shadier and finally went into chapter sumthin, reopened and closed again. If I remember correctly I paid for the 2 rings a little over 1K, so I wll keep looking but I also told John tht I needed a platinum or white gold diamond band to go with my new engagement ring and he said 'make it so' and I said okay for my bday in December, so if I don't find the 2 rings by then I will get another 1/2 eternity, I'm (for me only) not a fan of full eternity rings, I really don't like stones on palm side of my hand or on the sides, granted these will be no more than .50 ring(s cause I will get another baguette one for sure !) if I ever bought a honker of a eternity ring, it would be asscher or emerald cut diamonds, 4 carats and it would be the only ring I would wear, first of all I don't have the money and 2nd I think it would bug me endlessly) long story about nada sorry! I'm sorry I didn't see Apollo Callie, but I remember the day like yesterday, very very stressful and exciting time (ewww Chappaquidick, what a mess, how to be a creep, loser and shithead and still want to be president, poor character, not to say he wasn't a good statesman and cared for the lesser but his character and moral code was very flawed, and he lived with it for the rest of his life, as he should have) I worked with a woman as BSA who was bornin in '68 and she believed wholeheartedly that the moon landing was staged AND that oil wasa renewable source, I tried to show her where she was incorrect (dumb butt) but nothiing could shake her belief in what she thought about oil, she thought the 'oil hole' filled up again with oil because she read it on Drudge, avid Drudge reader that girl was ugh.. nothing could shake her belief in the absurd vs reality.. sad. otherwise she was a fun girl to complain about our jobs with so happy to read you like your job Callie, that is very important in life I think.

@Scandinavian sending hi's and hope your mom get's better soon and all her tests are done. The waiting always is stressful to say the least. Hope your kids and dogs are great, how is your house by the sea going? xo Scandi.

@Austina Send reports about the weather in Atown! have a good trip.. sending good and healing thoughts to Shirley Austina..

@canuk-gal Hi Sharon! hope all is well with you and the fam.

@marcy I showed John your telescopes and he said: "let's buy an RV and get a telescope like THAT" hahaha John wants and RV, I don't, I swear we are too old to driving around the USA with a dog, but who knows.

@missy Hi Missy, if you are seeing Austina give her a hug from me and I would love to see pix of Bubbalah and Bella! now that would be a rainbow show! Glad you made it into the city and back so quickly, are you planning on a ceremony for Frankie? we had a family get together and we all talked out our love and what Daisy meant to us, Mike had made paw prints of all 4 of her paws and gave us each one (so I have 2), I wrote a poem about Daisy, and it's in the basement in my papers but when I find it I will post it, I also have it somewhere on this laptop, just gotta find it. I Hope you didn't weight, and I hope the greyness you feel now can be countered with all the fun times with HRH and with memories, takes so long I know. My heart to yours and Greg's. xoxoxo

Yesterday I went to the beach with my girlfriend KC from high school, we went to Pine Point beach and ate lunch and talked for hours, I told her our plan to move back to Austin and she was awesome about it, and she said of course she will come to Austin and live with me in the winter I've been friends with KC since 1966, a looooong time. Cleaning crew came yesterday and all looks good here. Our electricity went off for about 30 minutes yesterday and John finally got to use the house generator! he was in heaven, he's got his toys and I have my bling. Yesterday at the beach a fog came in, it was really weird, sunny day but this fog rolls in and over us fairly quickly - within 30 minutes I'd say. KC has lived in Maine since 1987 so she is much more familiar with Maine weather and she said it wasn't unusual, seemed sort of scary to me! but fun of course and the pix of Autie is from yesterday morning, Cara sent it to me.

@Austina hope flights were good and you are in Austin now. Best of luck and love to you and Shirley, this visit will help you decide if she is really experiencing dementia or just lost in grief.

@Slick1 Schools out ! when are you getting your new to you ring from Redwood?

@AV_ hope you are having a lovely afternoon in Europe!

@Mamabean gelato! I have delicious gelato in Italy also, if you guys want to go to Italy in October DO IT! I would bet it will be a better time to visit than the summer. I love Italy, I love Europe actually, I love London, the British Museum, I love their tea! I have never had a bad experience anywhere in Europe. I'd go more often but I feel the summer is just tooooo crowded anymore to go, Salley has to be boarded and did I say it's toooo crowded? Next year our nephew is getting married in France so we all will be going to Provance for the wedding (I am pretty sure he's getting married in Provance, they are sketchy about details since they really don't want to invite all the cousins because of money but that would be a HUGE faux pas in the family so we shall see what goe down).. Right now I have a wedding 7/7, then we have a wedding 9/28 in VA, (2 neices) and next year 2 of my nephews are getting married, jeeze louise.. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods girl. xo

hopefully the sun will come out here in Maine, it was glorious yesterday. ETA: How the heck do I make pixes smaller? Jeez my caps on my teeth look horrible.

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDI’s!
Missy, I will have to work on a NIRDI’s filled with our rings. Bling central! Enjoy that warm weather! The entire team moved out to the cube farm today. It will take them a few days to figure things out but I think it’s a good idea. NN commented she is so happy she isn’t isolated anymore. She is more worried about socializing than working. Funny though she called in sick today. That’s great you found a free parking spot in front of the doctor’s office. Good luck with your test results. Hugs to picking up the ashes.

Kate, I am totally with you on an asscher or emerald cut band. Gorgeous. I have always loved them; that is some serious bling. Good idea to get a big scope and an RV. There were a lot of them at our annual star party for sure. One guy has an old, beat up Winnebago but is very popular since he has a 40” scope (same model as Marty’s 20” just larger). Lots of people do travel around in RV’s. How cool to be friends with KC for so long; that is very special. I bet John was thrilled to try out his generator. Our 5th wheel had one and it was awesome to be able to run the AC and microwave out in the wilds of Wyoming. There aren’t RV parks at those dark sky sites. Love the picture of you and KC; Autie is adorable - I love her smile.

Work was busy today so the day zipped by. Marty is enjoying warm weather on the deck. The puppy and Karl are keeping an eye on him.

Take care.
Marcy

 

[marcy]

 

[Austina]

Hello lovelies

We’ve arrived! Feeling pretty zonked as I’ve been awake almost 24 hours now. I was awake before 3am UK time, and now it’s 2.30am UK time.

We were sat on the runway for an hour and a quarter, the queue of planes waiting to take off was huge!

Flight was pretty uneventful, and for once, the food was actually edible.

I’ll catch up properly tomorrow, hope you’re all well

 

[junebug17]

@missy, sending lots of hugs and love, today was a tough day for you, and Greg too. And thank you for your kindness xoxoxoxo. Love that pic of Francesca, so so sweet. <3

I forgot to say I love the pics of the ferals...I feel a glitch in my heart when I see them but it helps me to remember they have food and shelter because of you and Greg - thank you so much for taking such good care of them. And Bobby really is handsome, I've always loved his pink nose. And congratulations on 2000 miles, that is fantastic.

@Austina, glad you arrived safe and sound! You must be exhausted, I hope you sleep ok tonight. Ugh, I hate waiting on the runway like that. Yay to the food being decent. Hope you have a great first day of your vacation.

@marcy, the rabbits should ask for their money back with interest lol. Sounds like your employees are enjoying their new found freedom...maybe NN is enjoying it a little too much ha! The novelty will wear off eventually (hopefully). It might take some adjustment but I would think they'll be more comfortable and relaxed out in the open. The flower and star texts are so cool. Your deck is lovely, such a nice place to sit and relax. Marty has no idea he's being watched, too funny.

@Scandinavian, don't stress about keeping up, this thread moves so fast! I just love hearing from you. I'm glad your mother seems to be doing ok, but sorry to hear they're still not sure what's going on. These medical worries are so stressful. Hopefully you and your family can come up with something fun to do next week.

@canuk-gal, ITA about Vegas, 2 days is definitely enough, I was completely overstimulated lol - it was so great coming back to my nice quiet house. Hope work is going ok for you, and you're having some decent weather.

@Tekate, Autie is just the sweetest, her smile just melts my heart. Oh my gosh, you have a bunch of weddings coming up...I have 2, one in mid October (niece) and one end of October (friend of dh's daughter). I'll probably wear the same dress I wore to two previous weddings...definitely getting my money's worth out of it lol. Truth be told I'm just too lazy to go shopping. Glad you had such a nice time with a dear and old friend. Sounds like a great day. Great pics of the beach and the two of you!

@Calliecake, hope you're doing ok, keeping you in my thoughts.

I got my hair cut and colored yesterday...love the color, and the cut is ok, I think she usually does a bit of a better job. Oh well, it'll grow in eventually. Other than that, nothing too thrilling, just the usual chores and a few errands.

Love to everyone!

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

@junebug17 oh yay for getting your hair cut and colored yesterday. It used to be such a pick me up for me when I would get my hair done. Haven't had it done for ages and ages. I feel like I look too. A mess. LOL. I really need to take care of this gray and my split ends. Wish I had someone I trusted locally to do my hair at the beach.

Thank you for your kindness and support and love throughout this ordeal. It is unreal that both Zoe and Francesca left us within 4 weeks of each other. Unreal. I am continuing to send lots of love and hugs and comforting thoughts your way. I so wish we lived closer because we could volunteer together. It makes a difference when you are doing it with a friend.

Thank you for your kind words about the ferals. We have a few new feral kitties and we need to trap and neuter them and release them if they aren't socializable. I made that word up I think lol. Anyway always new ones arriving. A little bit heartbreaking but we do what we can.

I find animal volunteer work to be rewarding but also a bit heartbreaking so if you do consider it be aware and prepared. The good outweighs the bad and you do get to go home and not live it every moment but I want you to know it isn't all amazing. But the good you do is really worth it and there are more great moments than bad when helping and socializing the animals and preparing them for loving homes is truly incredible and an act of love and kindness.

Anyway I think you would get so much more out of it especially now. It does help IMO being around other cats. I think you might remember (or not because it was a long time ago) when we lost Billy our beloved cat of almost 16 years we were devastated too but because he was older it was less tragic than the loss of Francesca and Zoe. Anyway Greg and I felt we were honoring his life and memory by saving another. And LOL turns out within a 6 month period we rescued 3 other cats after Billy died. Francesca was the first and then Bobby a few months later and then Tommy a few months after that. Crazy right? We had 2 cats Fred and Billy and when Billy died within 6 months we had 4 cats. But it helped us deal with his loss. We were honoring the memory and life of our sweet Billy by saving 3 other cats who all needed homes desperately.

Francesca was found by firemen in the middle of the street as a baby. Bobby had gone from foster home to foster home and he was difficult to manage and no one wanted him. And of course then Tommy came along and was 2 years old and a mouser at work when we found him under horrible conditions. All 3 of them we felt compelled to adopt and we never regretted it for a minute.

With such strong love comes strong grief but I don't want to miss out on the love and joy because of the pain and grief when they are gone. And knowing we are making a difference in their lives and giving them a great life makes it somehow bearable when we lose them. Just giving them a chance when they had none. My thoughts only and every one is different and there is NO right or wrong at all. It's what is right or wrong for the individual. I think volunteering a few hours a week would fill your heart with joy and love again Junie and make you feel a little bit better about your devastating loss. Zoe knows how much she was loved and adored and you and your dh gave her the world. Please know how much of a difference you made in her life and know that for her time here she had unconditional love, comfort and all a kitty could ever want. (((HUGS)))).

@Tekate aww Autie is such a love and beautiful girl. Love all your photos. Yay for having a lovely day with KC and yay for your dh getting to use his toys and for the generator working. That is always a huge relief when the power goes out and the generator actually goes on. Sweet electricity. And AC. Whew. You look great in the photos. I love seeing your happy joyous face dear Kate the Great. I love large photos so please don't make them smaller. My old eyes cannot see smaller. And I love seeing your beautiful face. Hope your Maine weather cooperates today and that you are continuing to have a marvelous time. I am glad you had such a lovely memorial for Daisy. Greg is making a wooden urn for Francesca's ashes instead of the wooden box they are in now. He did the same for Billy. And we have our own special ceremony of sorts. No one but Greg and me and the other kitties because we were closest to her. I did lose a bit of weight but don't worry about me. In time I will gain it back. Grief messes with us in many ways. I am eating though so do not worry sweet Kate and thank you for your kind concern. Not seeing Austina this visit but if she wants to come to NJ beach house she is invited (though not sure we would be great company yet) @Austina fyi. XOXO

@marcy that would be lovely. Let us know if you need photos of our rings. I know Bubbalah's photos are everywhere so I think you are probably good on that issue haha but please let us know if we can help. And no pressure. Only if you want to and have the time. Glad NN was MIA yesterday. And guess what? Today is Friday so woohoo. Thank you sweetie for your hugs and love. Appreciate that. What are your weekend plans? Love that photo with the puppy and Karl and Marty in the background. (((Hugs))).

@Austina welcome to the USA and glad you arrived safely. Hope you had a great night's sleep and chat with you later. XO.

@AV_ hello there sweet friend. Hope your week is going well. Please let us know how things are going. Sending you hugs.\

@Mamabean I used to like gelato till we had it for 21 days in a row when we were in Italy and now I sort of can't stand it lol. Too sweet for me. What's happening by you? How are you doing? I have a feeling you are having a lovely time enjoying your bling.

@Slick1 how did it go? Hope all is well and woohoo it's summer vacation. No longer matter what day of the week it is.

@Scandinavian thinking of you and your mom and hoping things are going smoothly. Love and hugs.

@Calliecake hoping that kidney stone is passing very soon and you are continuing to feel well. XO.

We had a good ride yesterday and did get to enjoy Days ice cream though it was a busy work day for Greg. He manages things very well and luckily everything got done including a nice ride with ice cream. We got the same flavor. Coconut milk Lemon Raspberry. So refreshing especially on a hot summer day.




Sunrise this AM. Another hot hot hot day.




Have a wonderful Friday lovely ladies. (((HUGS))).

 

[missy]

The box Greg made for Billy. He made it from Mahogany with maple trim.

 

[AV_]

@missy I am quite over my head with two bits of work each of which would be quite allot all by itself. Then, I should publish & cannot bring myself to go through the usual motions (conferences & drafts, then paper), it all looks bad unless it is one's job so that the formal requirement absolves nonsense (not applicable); just found out of a nicer way - so I need another life!

 

[missy]

Happy Birthday sweet Austina dear
Wishing you health and happiness all through the year
May your day be filled with love and joy
May you know how much you are adored

You deserve all the happiness in the world
You are a very special and lovely good soul

Hugs and happy birthday wishes
From all the nirdis and ps sisters
Sending you love
Today and always
Big hugs
See you later!

 

[Tekate]

@Austina I am so happy your trip wasn't toooo stressful. One time we sat on the tarp in Australia for hours because the computer system was out in London... crazy times. I hope you are having a wonderful time time in Austin, I am sad we wont catch up there but hopefully in the future. I am n support of Shirley and you and I so hope it turns out to be depression. huge hugs, love and love to you. HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUSTINA!!!!!!! I HOPE TODAY HAS BEEN WONDERFUL AND YOUR HAVE BEEN SHOWERED WITH THE LOVE AND AFFECTION YOU GIVE!!! XO

@missy Hi Missy, have I told you lately that you are the best? Such a hard time to go through Missy, such luck that t is you and Greg. My heart to yours and always. Thank you Missy girl re: Autumn.. that baby holds my heart in her little hands. Mike sentme a vanishing video this morning, ugh I have to talk and ask him WTF is that??? I really and truly and ultimately love Missy that he starts every video with "hello baby, hello my baby Autumn" he loves her, which in turn makes me deliriously happy because he was loved so the same by John and I, that he can continue this love is a testament to the goodness in life I feel, so thank you my dear Missy, thank you so much. (((MISSY))). Holding you closely Missy and feel your sadness and utter loss, you Missy and Greg are up people and I know Frankie was an up kitten, I sometimes wonder HOW we can get through these painful losses. You and Greg have hearts of solid gold Missy, there is a way and I am sure you are fnding your way. Mucho love.. and more than that... Ice cream and love to you sweetie, and of course peace of heart. xoxoxoxo Missy if I've never told you (ha!) you are so special, and my life has improved from the moment we all met.. Your work with ferals and adoption Missy is something that I aspire to.. all love to you Missy the Marvelous! xo

@AV_ a BUSY life is a good thing! you are just so lucky girl! and a wonderful friend! must be bedtime n your neck of the earth's woods! xoxoxo


@Calliecake how are you doing? how is all things in your neck of the world? xoxoxoxo

@Mamabean @Slick1 @Scandinavian @canuk-gal Hola ladies!!!! hope all is well and sending mucho love to you all from Maine! xoxoxoxo

not much new with us, we went down to Danvers MA and went to Costco, John got oodles of wine/whiskey and food! Sure and begorrah! we had a fun time.. We will be hitting up Atown at the end of July! will be missing Austina but we hope to meet up on the next round!

happy weekend to you all my friends!

Kate

 

[MamaBee]

@Austina Happy Birthday!!! I hope it’s been the best! xxxooo
I’ll be back tomorrow..I’ve been on PS but haven’t read too far back. My next door neighbor/ friend was in a head on accident. She has broken ribs and a broken wrist. Her airbags totally surrounded her and protected her from being killed. They did, however, hurt her and break her ribs. The police said she should never have walked out of her vehicle. She has a Volvo..and supposedly one of the few cars made of steel today. She’s unmarried and older than me so she needs some help.
I’ll catch up tomorrow morning..I miss you guys! I want to see what you’ve been up to! xxxooo

 

[Austina]

Hello lovelies

Thank you so much for the lovely poem and beautiful sentiments @missy. I feel very lucky to have stumbled across PS and to have met you. I’m now officially an OAP! How on earth did that happen? Colin in his usual way, greeted me this morning with “Happy birthday you old bag”

Billy’s casket is just so beautiful, you can see it’s been made with love. I’m so sorry that yesterday was such a hard day collecting Frankie’s ashes. When Harry died, we decided against a casket and had his ashes put in a biodegradable pouch. We were completely re-landscaping both front and rear gardens and decided to place him in the garden and plant a ligustrum over him. I like to think he’s still part of something living that I can see and appreciate.

Thank you @Tekate, I’m looking forward to meeting you one of these days, I know it’ll happen. It’s HOT, HOT, HOT here. Just think, not that long ago, you wouldn’t have been able to see how quickly Autumn is growing and changing other than from photographs, now via the internet, you can see her, and it won’t be that long before you can talk to her and interact with her when you can’t actually be with her.

Goodness @Mamabean, it sounds nothing short of a miracle that your neighbour survived. I hope she makes a full and speedy recovery.

Nothing like a cut and colour to make you feel human again @junebug17 , sorry you’re not thrilled with the cut, but as you say, thankfully hair grows quickly and I’m sure you look lovely anyway.

I’m glad you’re enjoying some warm weather at last @marcy, your winter has really dragged on this year. It looks like those 2 are plotting some devious plan to get Marty

I hope you’ve got some relaxation planned for this weekend @AV_ , sounds like you’ve got a lot on at the moment.

Thank you @Calliecake, so much of what Shirley is saying and doing is exactly what her own MIL went through. I’ve just found out that Bob made their son promise that they wouldn’t put Shirley in a home. I’m beginning to think that Bob had an inkling that he wouldn’t be around long, shortly before he died, he sent us a very sentimental email, which was quite out of character for him.

It’s been quite eventful today, Colin and I went to HEB this morning so that I could get used to the car, then we were all going to Costco. Adam has a KEVO lock on his door, we went outside to get in to the car, he locked the door and it went berserk. He couldn’t unlock it via his phone, and neither of them had their keys. So we were stuck outside in the heat, waiting for an emergency locksmith to come to try and open the lock on the door from the garage in to the house. The good news is that the lock couldn’t easily be rekeyed, so is quite secure, but he did finally manage to make a new key and we got in. We then went to Costco, Adam got a 17lbs brisket to cook for Sunday, as we’ve been invited to Kim’s Mum’s house.

We’ll shortly be going out to dinner, a lovely Thai restaurant near the house.

We’re both feeling pretty zonked, I was wide awake at 3.00am, and eventually got up at 5.00am to make a cup of tea.

Hopefully I’ll sleep better tonight.

TGI Friday

 

[marcy]

Happy Birthday Austina!

 

[junebug17]

Hi all...somehow it got late all of a sudden, and I'm a little wiped out but wanted to check in quickly...

@missy, yes, I might look into volunteering somewhere, just have to make sure I'm ready; as you said, it can be hard sometimes. Maybe after some time has passed I'll be ready to adopt another kitty, we'll see. it's so great that you rescued all of your sweet kitties from such terrible lives and I can see how doing that can give one a lot of comfort. And it does comfort me that at least Zoe had a good life, she never would have survived living on the streets. My vet told me she always makes sure she has two cats so when she loses one she is never cat-less lol...and she immediately gets another one. Thank you for your kind words, (((hugs))). Sending you lots of love too. The box Greg made for Billie is absolutely beautiful. I'm glad you got out and had a good ride, and some ice cream... it looks really, really good lol. And what a gorgeous sky, those colors are amazing.

@Austina, I"m sorry I'm so late in wishing you a Happy Birthday! I'm glad you could spend it with Adam and Kim and I hope you enjoyed your dinner out and had a lovely birthday. And hopefully you managed to get some sleep!

@Mamabean, I'm so sorry to hear about your neighbor's accident, so scary and thank goodness it wasn't worse but I know she must be very uncomfortable. It's really nice of you to help her...I'm not surprised though, you are such a kind and giving person.

@_AV, good luck with your work, and I hope you can take a break this weekend and enjoy your beautiful weather.

@Tekate, sounds like you guys are all set after your trip to Costco! Your son is a fantastic father, you must be bursting with pride. You did good Mama! <3

Nothing much going on this weekend...we're leaving for Vermont next Wednesday to visit dh's brother and wife, they have a summer home there. We're going to South Carolina from there. I'm trying to be organized so I'm beginning to at least think about what I want to take rather than wait until the last minute like I usually do.

Sending my love to all the wonderful nirdis! Xoxoxoxo

 

[Calliecake]

Happy Birthday @Austina!!! I hope you are having a great time with Adam and Kim. I’m sure you could have done without being stuck in the heat waiting for the locksmith today. Someday you will all have a good laugh about today. I hope you get a good nights sleep. Don’t you just love jet lag?

How sad about both Shirley and Bob. The fact that Bob sent the out of character email does make you wonder if he knew he wasn’t well. Are you seeing Shirley next week? I’m sure her son and DIL are glad they have you to talk to. This has to be overwhelming for all of them.

@missy, I hope you have been able doing well and are feeling a little better. Greg will make a beautiful memorial box for Francesca. it will be a labor of love and give you another reason to fall more in love with him when you see it. The box he made for Billy is beautiful. You idea of giving another cat a wonderful life a perfect way to honor Billy was such a lovely idea and a good way begin to heal your heart. I love this sentiment. Our furbaby’s are never forgotten but sharing your love with another animal helps the new furbaby immensely. When I explained your thoughts to my Stepfather, it made him want to rescue another dog. He is very happy I told him your story and your thoughts. It’s has helped him so much to have another animal to love and take care of.

The past two days have fallen into the you can’t make this stuff up category.
We had an awful storm Wednesday night. There was a lightening strike that hit very close to our home. We went to make sure everything was okay around the house and smelled smoke in the a portion of the house and the garage. We see no fire or smoke in the house or garage but worry it may be an electrical fire somewhere. We called 911 and very quickly a fire dept CAR arrives. All the fire trucks were out due to so many calls. It isn’t a good feeling when you think you may have a fire somewhere in the house and a car arrives. The fireman said he thought the problem was the sprinkler system box which is attached to the wall between the house and garage. While he is saying this the air conditioner unit outside all of a sudden sounds like a 747 is flying right next to our house. Fireman runs outside to check that and says there is no actual fire anywhere. Yesterday the air conditioner repair came to check it out. He wasn’t gone more than a couple hours and then the kidney stone starts to feel the way everyone describes how painful a kidney stone is. They hurt like hell. Today we had the sprinkler repairman come out twice and the internet/streaming guy was here for a few hours. It’s been a busy couple of days,

@Mamabean, I’m so sorry about your neighbor. I hope she recovers quickly.

@Tekate, Aren’t these baby pics just the greatest? Autie is adorable!!! I love all the smiles at this age. It has to be something special to hear your own child talk to and about their own babies. It’s been so sweet hearing my nieces talk about their babies. My niece that lives out of town is coming in for a few days in a couple weeks. We are excited to see them. DH also jokes once in a while about getting an RV. I remind him that I told him while we were dating that my idea of camping is a Holiday Inn. He is a travel snub. He’s all talk and I doubt he would ever really want one.

@junebug17, Do you have any plans for this weekend? I’ve had friends say the same thing about Vegas when they were young. One of my friends goes every year and loves it, Her family meets up there and they have a great time for a weekend. The kidney stone is now being painful like everyone describes them to be. DH wanted to take me to the hospital yesterday. The pain meds are helping some. I keep hoping it will hurry up and pass.

Marcy, How did things go at work with the new group? When I was in my thirties there were four of us who worked in a pit like you described. We had the best time. It was a stressful job but we were always laughing. I guess it helps when you all really like other.

@av, How on earth did you manage a four hour commute every day. That had to be an exhausting day.

@Slick1 I hope you are enjoying your time off now.

@Scandinavian Continuing to send healing dust to your mom. The waiting feels like torture. I hope your mom gets good news soon and your family can put this behind them. Thinking of you.

 

[missy]

GM girls!

@junebug17 you are so right. And lol about your veterinarian. I agree one should (if one can) have 2 cats but not for the reasons your vet said but more because cats are very social animals and love the company of others and love having companion kitties as well as human companions. But yeah the reasons she outlined make sense too. I had one cat at first...when I first adopted Buster from the ASPCA. Then after a year my sister sat me down and said Missy you really need to get another cat so Buster is not alone as much as he was since I was in my 20s and working and going out. So somehow I then ended up with 3. From 1 to 3. And then as you know Greg came along and after we got married we managed to adopt 4. Anyway it is a process and if and when you are ready you will rescue another. I will add that when Billy died Greg didn't feel ready but after 3 weeks I knew when we laid eyes on Francesca she was the one and I said to Greg she's the one. And he acquiesced despite not being sure and the rest is history. He fell in love with Francesca within a matter of hours I think.

You are such a good soul Junie and please be kind to yourself during this challenging time. Sending you lots of love and hugs and healing vibes for our broken hearts.

@Tekate oh Kate the great my sweet kate. Always such wonderful kind comments. You are a love. I want to give you big hugs and we are looking forward to seeing you again. And I am with you what is going on with a vanishing video. No no no any video with Autumn must be kept forever. She is a real cutie pie and sweet baby. I can tell from her photos what a love. Yes that is what life is about. Family and good friends and strong connections and the next generation and so on and so forth. Surrounded by love and adoration. What else could a girl want? Autie is one lucky baby to be born into your warm and loving family Kate. And add Costco to the mix and you have perfection.

@Austina dear Austina so glad you had a lovely birthday. I am looking forward to seeing you again one day in real life. Our first visit was cut short by my not feeling well and I am looking forward to making that up to you guys. I know you are going to have an amazing visit with your son. I am very sorry about Shirley and it is a no win situation.

LOL you got to go to Costco too. I am feeling left out as we aren't going til next week. But oh my what an adventure before you got there. Alls well that ends well but no fun getting locked out of the car. Or house if memory serves me correctly. How nice you guys are cooking a brisket for Kim's family and I hope you have a wonderful time with them.

How nice you brought Harry back to the earth. For our first few cats we buried them but somehow it feels right to keep Francesca's ashes with Billy's ashes. IDK. What I really want is to have them back with us.

Hope you are having sweet dreams Austina and wake feeling refreshed.

@Mamabean hello there sweet Joanne. How are you? What is new with you? I feel we haven't caught up in days and hope all is well and that your family is well and you are enjoying the weekend. Sending you love.

@marcy dear marcy how are you and what are your weekend plans? Did NN show up to work yesterday? Hope the move went well and everyone is settled in comfortably. We are predicted to get hail here this afternoon so naturally I thought of you. LOL.

@missy I am quite over my head with two bits of work each of which would be quite allot all by itself. Then, I should publish & cannot bring myself to go through the usual motions (conferences & drafts, then paper), it all looks bad unless it is one's job so that the formal requirement absolves nonsense (not applicable); just found out of a nicer way - so I need another life!

Dear @AV_ I am sorry work is overwhelming right now but I am sure you will rise to the occasion (any occasion) and I know it is your passion so if you indeed had another life it wouldn't be the one you were meant to live and love and enjoy. With great pressure comes great results at times and things will calm down. I know I would not be one for academia just because of the pressure to publish but I feel this is such a passion of yours and you cannot help but succeed at any endeavor you are passionate about. But yeah wouldn't it be lovely if the nonsense didn't get in the way. Hope this weekend is one you can just relax and enjoy dear AV.

@Calliecake oh no what a stressful few days honey and I am relieved everything checked out in the house. How scary the firemen had to be called. Fire, smoke all not good but glad all is safe and sound at home. AC and sprinklers all ok. But oh no to your kidney stone acting up. I am so sorry and hope it passes very very soon and the pain goes away immediately. Ugh. Sending you buckets of healing dust.

Thank you for letting me know our experience helped your stepdad. And that he rescued another dog. Yes, nothing takes the pain of losing a beloved fur baby family member away but saving another rescue does help ease the pain somewhat and give meaning and a sense of purpose to the loss as well as honoring the beloved past fur baby. Sending all of you good thoughts.

@Slick1 relieved all went well and continuing to keep good thought for you that the ret of everything goes well too. Have a wonderful weekend sweetie. (((HUGS))).

@Scandinavian sending more healing vibes your mom's way and hugs to you.

@canuk-gal have a wonderful weekend. (((Hugs))).

We had a good ride yesterday and will be heading out for a shorter ride today because of the predicted inclement weather arriving in a few hours. And then most likely heading into Brooklyn as I ran out of some of my meds (who knew we would be here for all this time). I am not looking forward to going back to Brooklyn with all of Francesca's toys scattered about. Dreading this trip very much.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Caturday Saturday and sending you all hugs and love.

Ice cream at Days yesterday.

 

[Scandinavian]

Good morning girls!
Please forgive typos, the spell check is stuck in the wrong language.. and really not helping at all..
How is it that Missy beats me to say good morning??? LOL I need to get up earlier. But today I have been good actually, been to the gym and now I'm at work! And that on a Saturday! Should have a reward, lol.
My mother is okay for now, just waiting on news. So I'm (we) are taking her and my grandmother and the children and the dogs away for a few days (Sunday - Tuesday). If I dare leave the house. Think I'll have someone housesit.. Yesterday was a little scary. Not really scary, just heart pounding furious kind of upset scary. LOL I'll explain. (But first: Missy can I move in with you this summer so we can go get ice cream all day every day?? Looks soooooo good!! Kidding. I don't eat ice cream. The sugar makes me break out. Have to keep a good diet to be able to wear sun cream LOL the fun of being blonde..) So to yesterday's drama. Car driving up to the house. Me going to the door, expecting someone to be (i) lost or (ii) selling vacuum cleaners. One man in the car, one kind of looking in the kitchen windows. "Hi, was just wondering if someone was home". Me, yes… What can I help you with…? Long story short, they pretended that they were from a government agency thing that wanted to deploy heart starters in all homes across the country. For free, of course. He became quite aggressive when I had no interest in leting them in the door. Shouting that I was threatening them (just because I might have mentioned the dogs, lol). So I called the police, naturally, but because the car was parked so that it was impossible to read the sign, and you know, they left, there is nothing they can do except write it down. Did offer to send a car, but what good would that do? Just hope that I was bitchy enough to make them target someone else… Or go hide under the rock they came from. That would be better. Would not want anyone else to get robbed either. Lots of construction sights have been robed lately, but just for tools and stuff at night, no confrontations or houses or anything like that. Such times we live in. I think I'll start training Krav Maga, just to feel better. Can't exactly go full "house on the prairie" and open the door holding a shoot gun either LOL LOL LOL (we live in a very quite and safe and rural part of the world).

So. Again. Sorry for the bla bla bla.

@Calliecake So scary with the almost-fire story! At least, was the fireman handsome? Only positive I could find..

@missy, you are so good at getting out on that bike! Really! Pats on the shoulder and high fives to you!

@junebug17 Perhaps adopting a dog... at least it will not remind you directly of Zoe... (you know I love dogs..) And think of all the pictures you could post for us! (again, sorry, you know I love dogs..)

@Austina Happy Happy Happy birthday !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@Tekate Such a cute baby!

@marcy How are Marty and the gym and everything? No Myrtle is a good day, yes?

Hugs to all!

 

[Tekate]

@missy I think one should have 2 cats also, they are socializers and hang out together, a dog is a member of the pack so you are their connection. You are the sweetest and kindest and wonderfulest girl I know Missy, the dust sure settled around you and Greg and your family, lucky us! you guy just throw that dust to all of us all the time. Sending you some thoughts of peace Missy, you are are logical and you are human and you love.. my mother always said time heals all wounds but she's been dead 19 years and I still live, but not the same as b4 and when Daisy dog left I lost a lot of me, never to get back, so my mother would also say to me "Catherine pick yourself up and move ahead" (my mother, to my mind, NEVER said anything but sayings, must have been her Dad whom I never met as he died 3 months b4 I was born because my grandmother never said things like this)... we pick ourselves up and move on but at times the journey is so lonely.. that is why we have each.

Ice cream looks fantastic..

Yes Missy, Autie is the best, she brings light into our lives, we feel lucky for sure.

I suppose I can easily share thoughts because it's easy to want to help someone, but hard to do, but with Francesca's toys maybe you can think of the happiness she had with them, when Daisy died we took ALL of her things to the animal shelter in Austin, Mike was appalled and he rescued her food bowl, but I loved that pup with all I have and I hoped that all the love we gave her could move to another dog looking for a home, not to say you have to do that, but it was the only way I could cope, thinking the good things, not my broken heart. We are due for rain today also. Rained last night but yesterday was hot and humid.

@Scandinavian Whoa girl, that sounds hellishly scary, my dog would not protect me, she's trained to love ALL people and if she's scared she stands behind me or John.. Why else would those men want to come into your home except to rob! my gosh.. so sorry. man the world get's scarier day by day. sending love. and I so think you are so lucky to have your mom and grandmom! enjoy them!!

@Calliecake Wow Callie that was scary stuff, glad there was no fire. And ALLL those service people coming to your house must have made your head spin...!!!!!! Have awonderful time Callie with your niece Callie, what would the world be without a niece? I have 7 nieces and 7 nephews 2 grandnieces and 3 grand nephews and I love them all.. the nieces are so different but I love them! lucky us huh Callie? we are. And Callie, take care with the stone, if he get's bad, get them to laser it or something! I think pain is overrated. xoxoxoxoxo

@marcy Hi Marcy, waaay back I was in a room with 4 women at IBM and all we did was talk all day lol.. each one of fus aced the wall but we got a lotta chatter in! hope you are doing better with your group.

@junebug17 Hi June! sounds like you are gonna be a traveling lady! sounds fun and excitingreally. Jeez I always pack the minute b4 leaving, I hate it, I always bring too much I love Vermont, it's so green... fall there is 10000X more beautiful than in Maine, all those maple trees, spectacular. sending love June..and hugs too..

@Slick1 HI! you all getting bad weather too? I have to go to the grocery store and it will probably be raining and full of vacationers, ugh.. oh well that is what happens when I read a reci pe and say Oh! I have majoram! and don't look, I do not have marjoram... life. happy summer girl! xoxoxo

@Austina right now it shows 27C in Austin right now, warm but I've been told that it's been 38C for a few days last week, that's hot. Right now it's 33C in London so they are getting some heat also, but Paris seems crazy right now.

So you went to HEB, I'm jealous, HEB is the best grocery store I have ever had the luck to go to for years, up here in Maine they stink. Produce is soooo expensive here (as is taxes, and hair dying, stying, yard guys etc etc).. I know it's because it's the south and near Mexico. But one thing I will be happy about for sure is going to HEB again. You have had your share of stress and sadness lately haven't you! jeez. I hope you can get a better picture of Shirley and where she is emotionally and if she has Alzheimers. Bob may of had an idea his wife was starting to fail a bit and it sounds to me like he had suspicions of dying.. Have a great time in Atown, I'm happy for you and green! xoxoxoxo

@Mamabean love your pixs girl! hope you are having a wonderful Caturday! sending oodles of love and happiness to one of the nicest people I have met here in PS.. these NIRDs, they are the best.. xoxoxoxo Joanne.

To everyone I'm off the Hannafords to get my majoram and a Bermuda onion. going to be making gyros so I have to have that majoram! (and onion!).. sending huge big hugs to you all.

Kate the GREat!!

 

[MamaBee]

Good afternoon girlfriends!
@Austina..I’m glad you arrived here safely. Do you feel somewhat adjusted to the time difference? You must be so happy to see Adam and Kim...Have they done anything else to the house since you visited last time? That is a whopper of a brisket! I think you mentioned that you were going to cook it and bring it to Kim’s parents house. How are you going to cook it? I used to make brisket all the time when I lived in Missouri. I had a pool there and would have a bunch of girls over that loved to eat so I would make brisket..
The more you talk about Shirley..the more I think it’s way more than the stress of missing her husband. I was just talking to someone the other day about dementia. Lots of people get angry and combative when they’re in the midst of it. I feel really bad for her son and daughter in law...I can’t believe you got locked out again..and it wasn’t even your house...If I remember last time it was in the freezing cold and this time in the blazing heat...Have a wonderful weekend!
@Tekate Where are the photos of EVER? Please ask John to take a few! I love your photo with your friend. Autie’s smile makes me smile so much when I see her photo...She is so cute! I think she looks like you! I’m so sorry you lost your bands. I’m hoping they will,show up..Your husband is wonderful about you getting new bands. He’s very involved and interested in your bling. My husband gives me the mad money but doesn’t care what I get. I wish he took an interest but he isn’t interested..I put my rings and earrings on a cabinet in my kitchen so I can enjoy looking at them when I’m not wearing them. My husband and mother look at me like I’m from out of space. I’m so happy I can come here and you guys understand my love of bling.
@Calliecake I’m glad you didn’t have a fire but that must have made you so frightened. You sound like me with all the people coming to do things to the house. We’re still trying to figure out where our leak is in the basement. My husband wants me to get someone to take the deck apart near the house to see if it’s the bolt that’s attached to the deck structure. What a headache..I just had the landscapers do my bushes too but it’s been raining a lot so it won’t be long I’ll need them again..I’m so sorry you are getting the pain now..but maybe that means it’s moving out... I hope the pain medication they gave you gives you some relief. I’m happy you love your Macan..I can't get it because I can’t put down the back for Bailey. I have to fit my mom, David, Bailey and all our stuff to get to Maryland. Ever since my neighbor walked out of that accident I’m thinking about getting a Volvo..I’ll have to check the safety ratings..
@Slick1 I missed where you are getting bling! What is it? I bet you are so happy to be off for the summer! What are you planning to do?
@junebug I’ve never actually been to Vegas outside the airport..Many years ago we were flying to California to visit Scott who was interning that summer. I was sitting with David in the very back of the plane which was the size of a puddle jumper. My husband was on the other side of the aisle in a single seat. I’m a nervous flyer..so I was listening for sounds. All of a sudden I heard a sound from the engine. I told my husband that I heard the engine make a noise..He laughed and said there was nothing wrong with the plane. A minute later the captain came over the loudspeaker to say that we lost one engine and were landing in Las Vegas. I thought we were going to die. My husband turned to me and said this doesn’t look good Joanne. We did land..obviously..hahaha...and I was amazed that the airport had slot machines! When we met Scott for dinner I had a big Gin and Tonic and got myself silly. My son still talks about it and can’t stop laughing..
@missy Wow! 2,000 miles is unbelievable! I’m glad you’re getting out and continuing to do things that you love. I know your hearts are breaking but you have so many people and kitties that love you...xxxoooo I’m wondering if you are having the same bad weather now. It got so dark and windy..They're forecasting hail! I hope you are inside and not cycling. I might lose power so am sending this and starting another one! I can’t tell you how dark it is!

 

[MamaBee]

@marcy I laughed when I saw your pic of the bears watching Marty relax on your deck. The scenery must be so beautiful back there..I’m so hoping Groucho is really writing her resume and she leaves...You must have been beaming when she called in sick that one day. Marty’s opening is coming soon! Is he excited? I laughed when you wrote you would find people to go to his gym! You could stand outside and twirl weights like people do with signs when it’s tax season and they want you to come in and let them do your taxes. I don’t know if you have that near you but we do..
@av You sound like you have beautiful weather..still needing a sweater. You sound like you have your hands full with work..At least you can walk those beautiful trails and wipe away the stress.
@Scandinavian That must have been so frightening to have those men at your door..I’m glad you’re okay. Do you have cameras outside? My Bailey gets ferocious looking when he doesn’t know you but wouldn’t bite anyone. He looks like he will so that’s helpful. I wish he was more laid back. We have to put him in our bedroom when people visit or he will bark and try to jump on them. I did the training with him, medication...nothing works..He saved me twice by just doing his bear routine and barking when I was outside at night walking him in Maryland. I think I was targeted to be robbed..I don’t walk him at night anymore. I’m glad you’re safe..
Bailey has been asking me for attention so I’m going to give him his love..
Have a great weekend!

 

[missy]

Good morning girls! Happy Sunday.

@junebug17 hope you are enjoying a lovely weekend and doing well. Thinking of you and sending hugs and love.

How is it that Missy beats me to say good morning??? LOL I need to get up earlier. But today I have been good actually, been to the gym and now I'm at work! And that on a Saturday! Should have a reward, lol.

Girl I am up by 4 AM generally for the day. If not earlier. I don't think there is a way to beat me to the punch lol but I would rather be sleeping.

Missy can I move in with you this summer so we can go get ice cream all day every day?? Looks soooooo good!! Kidding. I don't eat ice cream. The sugar makes me break out. Have to keep a good diet to be able to wear sun cream LOL the fun of being blonde..

Yes you can and you do know they have sugar free ice cream. I cannot have sugar free as it gives me abdominal pains and distress but they have an ice cream for every need. Gluten free. Dairy free. Sugar free. Just not all together. And I feel you. Many foods cause me to have bad reactions and that is why I am generally following the Auto immune paleo way of eating. Not for sissies. And this brunette burns like crazy as you know so I am never without either my parasol or sunblock or something to protect me from the UV rays. We gotta keep our skin safe right?

Oh honey that was so scary what happened to you. Do you have security cameras on your property? I would never answer the bell (if greg wasn't home) without checking the security cameras and knowing who it was. Please be careful and yes alarm and do what you need to do to keep you and your homes safe. Sending you hugs and love.

We aren't riding as much as we normally do as we have lots of things happening which I will explain at a future date and Greg is working from home and work is very busy so sadly not getting to ride very much at all. But we do what we can and that is all we can do.

Enjoy your mini vacation with your family and I am continuing to hold good thoughts for your mom. Hugs.

@missy I think one should have 2 cats also, they are socializers and hang out together, a dog is a member of the pack so you are their connection. You are the sweetest and kindest and wonderfulest girl I know Missy, the dust sure settled around you and Greg and your family, lucky us! you guy just throw that dust to all of us all the time. Sending you some thoughts of peace Missy, you are are logical and you are human and you love.. my mother always said time heals all wounds but she's been dead 19 years and I still live, but not the same as b4 and when Daisy dog left I lost a lot of me, never to get back, so my mother would also say to me "Catherine pick yourself up and move ahead" (my mother, to my mind, NEVER said anything but sayings, must have been her Dad whom I never met as he died 3 months b4 I was born because my grandmother never said things like this)... we pick ourselves up and move on but at times the journey is so lonely.. that is why we have each.

Ice cream looks fantastic..

Yes Missy, Autie is the best, she brings light into our lives, we feel lucky for sure.

I suppose I can easily share thoughts because it's easy to want to help someone, but hard to do, but with Francesca's toys maybe you can think of the happiness she had with them, when Daisy died we took ALL of her things to the animal shelter in Austin, Mike was appalled and he rescued her food bowl, but I loved that pup with all I have and I hoped that all the love we gave her could move to another dog looking for a home, not to say you have to do that, but it was the only way I could cope, thinking the good things, not my broken heart. We are due for rain today also. Rained last night but yesterday was hot and humid.

Sweet Kate the great you always know just what to say. I agree with all you have shared with me. I am so sorry for your losses and my heart goes out to you. No matter how many decades have passed the losses feel fresh too much of the time. Yes the pain dulls somewhat but it is always just below the surface. My grandma died in 1992 and Billy in 2009 and both losses still at times pain me deeply. But yes I can remember the happy times and good memories without as much of the pain so it gets easier. Though there are times it is very hard still. And of course Francesca's loss is great and painful and not a day passes we are not crying over her loss. Our poor baby went too soon. We miss her so so much.

Autie is a joy and a light and would make anyone feel better about anything. She is a blessing and I am so thrilled you have her and your family and Autie are very lucky indeed to have you Kate dear Kate the Great and generous and kind and loving and all that is wonderful Kate.

@Austina hope you are having a lovely time and have caught up on your sleep.

@Slick1 hope you are having a fun weekend and feeling good.

@missy Wow! 2,000 miles is unbelievable! I’m glad you’re getting out and continuing to do things that you love. I know your hearts are breaking but you have so many people and kitties that love you...xxxoooo I’m wondering if you are having the same bad weather now. It got so dark and windy..They're forecasting hail! I hope you are inside and not cycling. I might lose power so am sending this and starting another one! I can’t tell you how dark it is!

Oh my I hope all has calmed down by you weather wise Joanne. Our skies got super dark around 6PM last night and all of a sudden crazy strong winds and thunder and lighting and yup you guessed it. We lost power. Anytime there is a storm here. Power goes kaput. Thank goodness the generator kicked in and there is always abut 40 seconds or so where my heart is in my mouth not knowing if the generator will kick in and it was temperature real feel of 104 degrees F at 6PM last night so you know if the generator did not kick in we would have had to gather everyone up and leave for AC. No way could I breathe in those kind of temps. Thank goodness the generator went on and AC was restored. And then power in the neighborhood was restored at around 7 or 7:30 PM so not too bad. But you never know how long the power will be out. JCP&L had a lot of customers without power for too long yesterday and I want to know why we are always losing power when there is a storm. But I digress.

We did get to cycle a bit yesterday but only for a few hours and then headed to Brooklyn where it was hard seeing all of Francesca's toys laying about. Very hard. We got my meds and checked on the mail (our super had put all packages and mail in our apartment and what needed to be refrigerated he refrigerated for me and I am so thankful to him) and then headed back to the beach. Traffic sucked but it is what it is and we made the trip and got back in one piece so that works for us.

Today we have to take care of some important matters so not sure we are going to get to cycle today and then Greg has a number of work calls tomorrow throughout the day so not sure what cycling we can do tomorrow either. But taking things one day and one hour at a time. Fighting depression as best as I can and trying not to snap at people because lately people are bothering me more than usual but we know why that is. It is because I am so missing our dear daughter and stupid actions get on my nerves more than usual due to my overwhelming feeling and my tolerances being exhausted. Present company completely excluded. You girls are the best and always cheer me up and make me feel better. Just knowing you are all such good souls and loves and kind people. Thank you for being here and for everything. (((Hugs))).

Sharing a pic of our newest feral kitty. Awww precious sweetie. So small.



Have a wonderful Sunday girls!

 

[missy]

From our drive to NYC and back yesterday. 98 degrees outside at noon.

 

[Scandinavian]

Afternoon ladies!
Hope you are having a nice weekend!

@missy, I'm sorry going back to Brooklyn was (must have been) so hard for you! I really truly hate such things. I try to not think about sad things and then it just hits me right smack in the face when I have to do things I have not prepared for, because I have been trying to not think about it instead of processing it. At least you are a grown up. I hope you will feel just a little better soon.

Re security cameras. Let's just say we went from no security to state of the art lets see what money can buy security within the day. It is just not normal to have anything like that here, but I want it anyway. At least that will make me feel like the children are a little safer. And I would hate to have anyone break in when we are on holiday. But apparently throwing money out the window at security firms can buy all kinds of sensors that will tell us long before anyone is close to the house. Wildlife excluded LOL. That was also an available feature LOL LOL LOL. Of well. At least their service is good. Did I tell you that I triggered the alarm down at the children's school a few weeks ago?? Oh that was fun…. Wanted to survey (LOL) the place before a summer party thing that one of the parents' work groups were responsible for throwing. (One of the things that has taken so so so much time - apparently a party for over 1000 people takes some organising... Who knew?? LOL So I had borrowed keys. And all was good… Until the alarm went off quite loudly…. Then, not so good. But at least I found the phone number for the security company on the door. "Hello…. " They were nice, but quite insistent that I provide them with a pass word. So weird… Not. LOL. But I did not have a pass word… But they gave me 10 min to get it Which I did. So all is well that ends well!

@Mamabean Glad you had your dog with you!! Mine are nice dogs, but they don't take anyone yelling at me or anything like that, they'll even go between my DH and me if he is joking and trying to pick me up.. LOL. My babies. Do you have a picture of your dog? I love dogs.. What kind do you have?

@Tekate Please tell me about the dog in your profile picture? Sorry for the all-dog post LOL. But I really do love them so!

@marcy, Forgot to tell you: You are so good (!!) for lifting, and so often!

Hugs!

 

[Austina]

Morning lovelies

The little feral is just a baby, poor little mite Sounds like you had quite the day of it @missy. It’s so hard to keep seeing things that remind you of your precious girl, and I do remember coming across a toy that had got under a sofa and bursting in to tears. There is no time frame for grief, it takes as long as it takes to come to terms with loss. I’m glad your generator kicked in quickly, that kind of heat is suffocating. There is obviously a fundamental problem at the power plant if this happens every time there’s bad weather. We had just got to bed last night when there were almighty cracks of thunder, of course, Colin didn’t hear a thing. I swear he’d sleep through a bomb dropping beside him.

We actually felt worse yesterday @Mamabean and were barely able to keep our eyes open in the evening. We just about made it to 9pm, well I did, Colin had already dozed off several times. Volvo have always had a reputation for building sturdy safe cars, so I do think it’s worth checking them out in light of what happened to your neighbour. I hope she’s feeling better as the days pass. Adam used to sous vide the brisket, but he now has a smoker, so prefers to cook it in that, he said it tastes better. We always thought it tasted fantastic, so it’ll be interesting to see if we notice any difference later.

That was really scary @Scandinavian, they were obviously up to no good, so I’m glad you’ve installed security for your peace of mind. We’ve never had dogs that were aggressive, but our Old English Sheepdogs had very loud barks, and we’d train them to bark on command, so if someone came to the door I didn’t like the look of, they would bark and scare whoever was there. I would open the door, and they would stand across the threshold barking, and the person would ask if they bite, and I would reply “not if you stand still”

I’m sorry your kidney stone is playing up @Calliecake, I hope you can pass it quickly without too much pain. Thank goodness there was no fire anywhere, what a scare that must’ve given you. Thank you for my birthday wishes, we’re already laughing about getting locked out, although I know have a key, so hopefully it won’t happen again. As you can imagine, we’re anxious about our visit tomorrow, but we’ll take whatever comes.

We’ve had torrential rain during the night @Tekate, not that Colin heard it, but it’s stopped now thank goodness. I hope it stays dry tomorrow because I don’t fancy driving all that way in bad weather. We are beginning to think Bob must’ve known things weren’t right with him, and Shirley told me there was no apparent reason for his massive low, as he’d eaten, but obviously hadn’t processed the food. We are big fans of HEB, and there are 2 very close to the house. One is very new, bigger and brighter, and the original on the 71.

I hope you enjoyed your meal out yesterday @marcy and are relaxing over the rest of the weekend.

Bling? Bling? Did someone say Bling @Slick1 ? Are you holding out on us? I hope the school holidays are off to a good start for you.

We have been discussing Shirley’s situation with Adam and Kim, and told them that we do NOT expect them to take care of us, and wouldn’t put that burden on them. Kim told us that they want to take care of us, and the reason Adam is working so hard on his app is to ensure that they can care for us when we’re old. I’m beginning to think I must’ve done something right with that child of ours and there’s me thinking all these years I’d been a terrible mother! We are both so touched that they feel this way. No news on a wedding date yet, just a vague “sometime in 2021”. I get the impression that Kim’s family are getting the family equivalent of Bridezilla, and it’s getting her down. We’re seeing them later, so if asked, I shall be making it quite clear that we only want what Adam and Kim want, and will not be putting any pressure on them to do anything else.

Kim and I will be making samosas later, I made the filling yesterday, so just the assembling and cooking to do before we go to her Mum’s place.

Big wave to all the lovely NIRDIs, have a peaceful day

 

[Scandinavian]

That was really scary @Scandinavian, they were obviously up to no good, so I’m glad you’ve installed security for your peace of mind. We’ve never had dogs that were aggressive, but our Old English Sheepdogs had very loud barks, and we’d train them to bark on command, so if someone came to the door I didn’t like the look of, they would bark and scare whoever was there. I would open the door, and they would stand across the threshold barking, and the person would ask if they bite, and I would reply “not if you stand still”

 

[MamaBee]

@Scandinavian Here are some pics of my Bailey! His ears have a life of their own. They don’t usually stand up at the same time...only when he’s trying to understand what I’m saying. It’s like he’s trying to pick up reception!

 

[Scandinavian]

@Mamabean Oh hello there Bailey! I love you! <3 Those ears must be the cutest things ever !!!

 

[Austina]

Brisket’s ready