Now I really did it :((

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Jimmianne, I think you’ll love an iPad. I have the regular sized and a mini. I use the mini at work and to take places. I am glad you found a driver drill that is gentle to use but will still remove your big rocks. It’s hard to say what I want the most for my swap shopping. I will post the picture of another bracelet I’ve had my eye on for several years. Decisions, decisions.

Jaaron, oh no to hitting your head and getting a bruise. Did you make up some wild story about how it happened? That is the same reason I don’t travel with Marty; what would I do for 9-10 hours a day while he worked? I don’t have enough money to go shopping that much. Good question about Marty traveling and his new venture. We talked about that at supper last night. It sounds like he’ll probably not renew his lease September 1st if he doesn’t have enough clients to cover the rent. I brought up again to finish getting his 2 certificates then see about getting on at a gym. I was an adjunct teacher at our community college for 21 years; I taught astronomy. Yes, I did learn many of the lessons learned over the years on my “children” at work. That one lady has been very happy and friendly this week; it is strange. If I got that promotion I would have my same team and another team. I have a yellow sapphire ring so those earrings are certainly high on my list. Your bracelet is beautiful.

Austina, everyone is welcome here. I enjoy hearing from you. That would be a major move for you but it would be nice to be close to your son. Those yellow sapphire earrings are the cheapest things on my list so I keep adding them in to whatever else I buy.

Missy, so when you say “how you doin?” I hear Joey from friends. Is that what everyone says? I honestly don’t like big studs (coverage) on my ears but I plan on trying those yellow sapphire halo earrings on for sure. I have the most rings, then earrings, and some bracelets and pendants – and you guessed it most of which I don’t wear. Right now I am rotating maybe 4 earrings, 6 RHR and wearing the same necklace and bracelet. You are right we see ourselves as we were yesterday. I don’t think I would have recognized this guy if I walked by him on the street. He was with his wife and daughters; they were very cute and the young one very talkative. We are having fabulous weather this weekend. I am looking forward to it. When will your rain move out of there? I think that’s great you plan to rotate your pretty new ring between hands. Either way it will be gorgeous to look at when you are wearing it. I love Tommy’s pose; that is fabulous. Your rings look gorgeous. There can’t be too much bling. Ever! I love to see your photos.

Yes, Missy and ladies – woo hoo the weekend is here. I was watching the clock for about 90 minutes today. Marty is playing golf both days this weekend then heading to LA late Sunday night. When he booked his tickets the travel agency they use made him pick the cheapest ticket which was a 10 pm flight. Grr. He’ll be beat on Monday.

I need to get laundry done and hopefully tomorrow one of my cleaning ladies is coming to clean for us.

I printed out a little picture of my EC ruby ring and drew a halo around it with a pencil; I might get a halo on my current ring. The ruby is only 6x4 mm and is a fabulous color and clarity. Since I like blues and yellows more than reds I want a slightly larger ruby but never like any they have; the halo would give me a little size. I guess I’ll figure it out Tuesday.

Have a fabulous weekend.

Stay safe from those thunderstorms.

Marcy

 

[marcy]

Here is my current ruby ring. The diamonds are 1/2 ctw.

The sapphire / diamond bracelet has caught my eye for years; I think it would look fabulous with the golf bracelet I wear all the time.

 

[Calliecake]

Missy, The DH won't let me have my hedge trimmer before Mother's Day. I wanted to use it tomorrow but my guess is he won't end up giving it to me until my shoulder is a little better. I'm not happy about this. I made the mistake of saying I was In pain this afternoon. When will I learn to keep my mouth closed.

Marcy, I can't wait see what you end up getting. Lets be honest, it's like you can make a bad decision. All the pieces you are considering are beautiful. It looks like you aren't the only one who will be having a husband who is golfing this weekend. The weather is supposed to be nice here so I'm sure mine will be golfing one of the days.

Jaaron, From what you described our husbands are feeling the same about their jobs. Mine also likes the job just isn't happy about the traveling. I can travel with him anytime I want to but like you, I don't see where it would be fun. He is in the office all day and then they have dinner meetings in the evening. He always says that I would be included at every dinner but in all honestly it doesn't sound like much fun to me. I had a great excuse for years as it would have been a pain in the neck when I was working. We got our furbaby right after I quit working and I then didn't want to leave her for a week. He jokes all the time that he doubts he will want to travel much when he retires. I really can't blame him as his travel schedule was insane for at least 10 years. I'm just grateful it has really slowed down the past five years. He only has traveled a few times per year in recent years so I really have nothing to complain about. If I ever get upset about it I think back to how it used to be and realize it's not a big deal. Are you doing anything special for Mothers Day?

Junie, Is your daughter coming home for Mothers Day? Do you have anything special planned for the weekend? How is the estate planning coming along? Do you have any plans to go back to the beach?

Poodles, Are you feeling back to normal yet? Your furbaby is a cutie.

Jimmianne, How is your project coming along. Is the stone broken up? Are you enjoying your time in France? One word of warning about the IPad. They are addicting. I fought getting one because I didn't think I would use it much. I could not have been more wrong about that. I now need a 12 step program for IPad addiction.

Austina, Your necklace is beautiful? Is your son currently in the US? Your furbaby is adorable.

Rainwood, I missed you. Have you been busy with work? I know it can be exhausting keeping up with everything when you return.

Scandi, I hope all is well with you. I have missed you hear.

 

[missy]

Good morning girls! It's a rainy Saturday but I am all snuggled in with the kitties and my dh enjoying coffee in bed.

Marcy I love your ruby ring and I think it would look amazing in a halo. I'm thinking a dramatic halo more like a cluster ring making the diameter of the ruby ring even larger than a regular non cluster halo. Sort of like the size of those diamonds on the band of that ring. Maybe a bit smaller. Picturing it now and I think it would look fabulous. That is a gorgeous bracelet. A golf bracelet-I never heard of that but I am not well versed in bracelet terms. Thank you for the lovely compliments. I think the ring is gorgeous and the quality of the OECs amazing. I am very pleased with it. Now just hope I will enjoy wearing it haha. My eyes are always bigger than the reality of the situation but hey we are PSers aren't we? Oh and to answer your question yes it sounds just like Joey on Friends...Hey, how you doin? And as Greg reminded me this reply is usually in response to someone else asking how are you. That is why the emphasis is on the "you".

Junie Happy Mother's Day weekend my dear. What are your plans? Are your children going to be around? They have the best mom ever so I hope they have something special planned. Sending you big hugs and happy Mother's Day wishes.

Callie, I am with Jeff. Just wait on using your Mother's Day gift until your shoulder is better OK?

Jimmianne, get the iPad. I LOVE mine and use it often. While I prefer my laptop when posting the iPad is great for IG and short posts. So much better than the phone IMO. Now, where is our limestone rock photo please...
Happy Mother's day to you! Is your DD celebrating it with you? I know you are in France but you are still (sorry haha) American.

Scandi any updates on the house? We all miss you here and I hope things are progressing smoothly. Happy Mother's Day to you though I am not sure it is celebrated outside of the USA and every day should be Mother's Day anyway. Just wanted to send you hugs and love and let you know we are thinking of you.

Have a lovely Saturday girls!

 

[Austina]

Good afternoon ladies.

The day started horribly with lots of rain, I think it headed over the Atlantic, but the good news is, we're due for a mini heatwave next week (anything over 70deg C is considered a heatwave here )

Your Ruby is a beautiful colour @marcy and would certainly suit a halo, quite unusual here to see an EC stone.

Yes @Calliecake, our son has been living in Texas for 5 years, unfortunately he didn't get his green card till 2 years ago, otherwise he could've been a citizen by now and we would be ready to move. Austin is infinitely better than his previous home in Thailand. Not that we don't love Thailand and their gracious people, just that his home had hot and cold running cockroaches

I can certainly second that iPads are addictive @Jimmianne, I'm on my second and rarely use my Mac these days.

My husband travelled extensively during his working life, mainly to all parts of Africa, often including dangerous places where he needed an armed guard to accompany him. I'm glad those days are over, it was always a big worry, but he enjoyed his job. I don't like to disillusion you, but since retiring, he still loves to travel!

We are having a quiet weekend, and I shall be cooking a curry this evening.

My lovely girl and I wish you all a great weekend, whatever you're planning.

 

[missy]

Good afternoon to you Austina. Love the photo of your sweet girl.

 

[missy]

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy Mother's Day filled with love. I am going to share the Mother's Day poem I wrote for you girls last year. Hope you don't mind me not writing a whole new poem. Sadly no biking for us this weekend as last year's Mother's Day weekend but still so fortunate to be surrounded by the warmth and love of the NIRDIs and want to wish you all a very happy and healthy Mother's Day weekend and many many Mother's days to come.

Dearest NIRDIs today is Mother's Day
so it is time for a poem
And there is no better time to just say
wherever you are, wherever you may roam
You are all so very amazing in your unique special way
I have to share my thoughts with you all on this Sunday in May

So generous, so giving, so loving and kind
Full of love and sweetness and support that just shines
You have daughters and sons, kitties and dogs
even ponies and birds, goats and a few hogs
Not to mention killer bunnies, huggable teddies and more
It's a wonder the NIRDIs have any time for bling shopping online or in stores

It's all about priorities of course and when it comes to that
The NIRDIs have it straight and that's just a fact
Cause while bling is really special
and brings joy and sparkles galore
There is no love like the love
between mother and child that is for sure

So on today of all days it is a good time to say
hey NIRDI mommas hey NIRDI kids you know come what may
Your moms and kids will always be here for you no matter the day
good or bad, happy or sad, blingy or not
You and your NIRDIs moms, daughters, sons and the lot
Are all so very special that words cannot ever impart
The love you all share the bond that is tightly knot

Thank you NIRDIs for sharing your days
with us all in this thread and also beyond
all the posts and the texts and the conference calls too
day in and day out with a bond that is strong
Though we are not your blood still like a family we feel
We are close and loving and indeed share a bond that is real
We know not only does blood make a special relationship that's true
And there is no better example than the love we share with the loving NIRDI crew
And I know you are waiting for me to bid you a fond and loving adieu
For you have places to go and people to see so I need to end this poem boohoo

First if I may add some thoughts that are sad
but thoughts too that are happy so full of love that is rad
I know there are loved ones who are no longer here
People and animals we love so much and so dear
Some recently gone and some many decades ago
the pain the sadness yes but happy memories never go
Yet the feeling of loss is at times still so strong
The relationships so right they could never be wrong
Loving children, siblings, parents and furbabies too
A wondrous family, many memories all the years through
Generations of love to hold close to your heart
Family will always be a very special part

While some of our dearest are passed and now gone
Their memories are dear and will always live on
The time we had with them never long enough for sure
Worth the pain we feel when they are gone their love evermore
Missing them terribly during special occasions and throughout the year
but those memories we hold close to our hearts are so dear
though they are gone in our hearts and minds they are still near

Now finally lol I will bring it to a close
Mother's Day is a good time to say in loving prose
Happy Mother's Day dearest NIRDIs far and near
know that we love you and hold all of you so dear
Roses may be red, violets may be blue
But love for mothers and their kids will always be true
Not to mention all the love the NIRDIs share too

Hopefully the thoughts I was doing my very best to convey
came through loud and clear and know this is from my heart that I say
A home is a home wherever you have loved ones who are there for you
Love can be long, love can be lasting and still love can be new
And to that end please know you are all so very dear
so loved by so many who are far and who are near

Hoping your day is full of happiness and joy
Enjoy all your loved ones, no need to be coy
Loved so much by those whom you adore
Wishing you love and contentment for the year and more

So yes we will bid you
a very fond and loving adieu
have a very special day extending the whole year too
See you later, see you tomorrow but goodbye for right now
and please for goodness sake enjoy all the yummy mother's day chow

LOVE you NIRDI Moms and daughters (and sons) alike
Now it's time for Greg and I to get on our tandem bike
Happy Mother's Day!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Austina]

That's lovely @missy, thank you for posting.

Our Mother's Day is always in March so I get 2, lucky me

Happy Mother's Day to you all tomorrow, enjoy your special day, whether your 'babies' have 2 or 4 legs.

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs! Happy Saturday.

Missy, I love your Mother’s Day poem. It is wonderful. Thank you!

Callie, I’d be with your DH about the hedge trimmer and your shoulder. I hate to hear you are having shoulder pain. I hope it gets better soon. I would be happy with any of my choices and I wouldn’t take Marty’s bet that I will come home with something completely different. I am glad to hear you are going to have nice weather this weekend too. Golf season is here for our DHs. If only our traveling husbands went somewhere another NIRDI lives; that would make going on that trip worthwhile.

Missy, I am glad you are snuggled up with your kitties and Greg on this rainy day. It’s abnormal for us to be having nicer weather than you; but right now it looks gorgeous outside. LOL on a golf bracelet – I meant gold. LOL. The halos they have to add to rings are the smaller 1 pointers but if I go that way I’ll see what they have. The OEC’s in your cluster ring do look like really great diamonds; I am sure you’ll enjoy wearing it often. I can hear Joey saying that now.

Austina, I love the picture of your girl. She is a real cutie. Oh no to starting the day with a lot of rain. I see Missy’s nor’easter could bring 2 inches of rain or more. I really like the EC ruby but want a little more size on it. It’s the smallest RHR I own but honestly the ruby and diamonds have even bling factor I don’t mind it. I think adding another mm or so with a halo would make it a bit larger on my hand. I doubt I’ll ever luck in to finding the same quality and shape ruby in a larger size. Oh no to living with so many cockroaches. I wouldn’t like that either. Sounds like your husband would have many interesting stories from his travels. Marty went to Ethiopia and Uganda. Uganda sounded a bit scary; they had to travel with armed guards and everyone had AK47’s. One of his most unusual memories was when he was in Serbia that had a full-blown military parade that Putin attended. They had tanks, missiles, rockets, etc. rolling down the street.

Marty is playing golf today at the country club. I hope he has fun. The public course he plays at had a tournament today so they asked a friend to sponsor them on for the country club.

I had to dial in and do some work last night and this morning. They had connection issues to our applications this morning so that took a while.

My Saturday cleaning lady isn’t working out so well today. I got up early for her to be here at 8. She kept texting me she’s be late – first 9, then 10:30 and now she’s here at 11:20. Oh well. Not like I had major plans today. I’ll have Marty take me to lunch. Ha!

I am watching Princes Diaries. That is a cute movie. Plus Julie Andrews had big bling since she’s a queen.

Have a fabulous weekend.

Marcy

 

[Calliecake]

Happy Mother's Day weekend everyone!

Missy, Thank you for the beautiful poem. I hope you get to cycle at some point this weekend. I received a lecture as soon as we hung up this morning about trimming the bushes. It seems you and the DH agree on what is best. I'm just glad I got the hedge trimmer I wanted even if I can't use it right away.

Austina, Thank you for posting another picture of your beautiful furbaby.
She is so precious and truly is a lovely girl!!!! How old is she? Two close friends of mine have moved to Houston Texas in recent years. One of them has some really entertaining stories! Does your son enjoy living in Texas? It will interesting to see if my husband changes his mind about travel once he retires.

Marcy, I hope you have a lovely weekend and get to plant flowers. I had to make arrangements on Friday for the Greenhouse I purchase my flowers from to make my potted plants up for me. As you can imagine I'm not thrilled to have someone else making them but the doctor advised against doing yard work right now so I'm trying to not be upset about it. They were so nice and said they would even deliver them to my home and set them where I would like them to be for me. I guess it really does pay to frequent the same stores. The owner could not have been kinder when I told him my dilemma. He took one look at me and said I know how much you love gardening but it's really not a good idea to hurt yourself over it. Please let us help you this year. His dad started the garden center years ago and helped me so much when I first started gardening 25 years ago. He passed away a few years ago.

 

[Austina]

Our girl is almost 7, although she's only been with us just over 4 years. She came from a home where her owners had allowed their dachshund to terrorise her since she was 8 weeks old. They came home to find blood everywhere, our poor girl was all chewed up, so they took her to the vet and told them to put her to sleep fortunately the vet rang Spinone rescue to ask if they'd take her. Spinoni are known for their non aggressive nature, they are extremely docile and placid. It's totally incomprehensible to us that they could dump her. As a result of her early life, she was extremely withdrawn and frightened. She didn't seek any affection from us at all, obviously having previously received none. It's taken us a long time to bring her out of her shell, although she is stilll nervy and timid at times. She is terrified of loud bangs and fireworks. She also doesn't know how to play with other dogs, you can see she'd like to join in, but is very hesitant.

Our son loves living in Austin, he has acclimated very well, and has a lovely girlfriend who we like very much. I think Austin is perhaps not typically Texan, if that makes sense, being a university city, it has a young vibe, and there's always lots going on there. We have friends who live just outside of a Fort Worth, so we catch up with them whenever we visit, although they have visited us many times, as they love coming to England. We will see them next month when we're in Texas, they have a new puppy, which they'll bring

 

[missy]

Good morning girls and happy Mother's Day!

First a shout out to Scandi. If everyone can spare some dust and good thoughts for her pretty dog please it would be greatly appreciated. Dearest F we are sending bucket loads of healing dust and healthy vibes your way. And big hugs and much love to you both.

Austina, Marcy, Calliecake, thank you for liking the poem and I really need to write a new one with some changes but glad you enjoyed it as is. I have little energy lately so thank you for overlooking that and not minding.

Marcy yay for amazing weather by you-you deserve it and hope you got to do everything you wanted including planting flowers.

Callie, yes I am with Jeff and please tell him he may call me anytime to get me to help him with his stubborn (but amazing!) wife. XOXO.

Austina, I dont know your real name but OMG just realized Austin Texas and your online name Austina are very closely related. I am guessing that is on purpose. I too have heard Austin is really lovely and unlike some other areas in Texas so I think you will enjoy it there. Your sweet dog is such a beautiful baby and it breaks my heart reading what she endured. How lucky for her you saved her and please give her big gentle hugs and kisses from me. So happy you rescued her and are giving her a wonderful amazing life. (((HUGS))).

Junie, so glad you are planning a wonderful day with your family and yay for the sun coming out finally despite it feeling like Winter outside. Oh well. At least it isn't as wet as yesterday! Enjoy and big hugs to you.

We are going to see my mom later and I wish all of you a lovely Mother's Day Sunday!!!

 

[LLJsmom]

Missy thank you for sharing that poem again. It is wonderful. You are so gifted. Have a wonderful day with Greg and your furbabies.

To Moms of all, two legged and four, or more, have a wonderful day. I wish you good weather and blessings.

Austina, just read about your doggy. Hope she feels loved and safe with you. Poor thing to have endured so much.

I'm going to relax and do very little today. My poor DH worked hard all day yesterday preparing dinner for our Moms and he is wiped out.

Much love to you all.

 

[junebug17]

Hi Nirdis! Happy Mother's Day to all mothers of children, furbabies, and bears in cute clothing lol! I hope everyone has a relaxing and lovely day.

I'm so behind that I'm sure I'm going to miss something or someone and I'm sorry for that but I will try my very best -

Missy, your poem is just beautiful, thank you! Happy Mother's Day to you too, you are a wonderful mother to your furbabies and the ferals. You have made such a difference in their lives and your kindness and caring makes the world a better place.

I'm so glad you decided to keep that gorgeous cluster ring! I keep looking at the pics of it, those diamonds are just amazing!!! .

Love the pic of Tommy, he could be Zoe's brother lol! They have the same coloring, although Zoe looks a little chubbier ha!

Hope you have a wonderful time today with your family!

And I'm sorry to hear Scandi's furbaby isn't doing well and I'm sending lots of good thoughts for a speedy recovery.

Austina, your girl is adorable! So, so sweet - thank goodness the vet had the foresight to call the rescue and this sweet dog found her way to your home and your heart. I think it's wonderful that you will so much closer to your son, you must be really excited! Your tanzanite pieces are gorgeous, amazing color and cut, what a joy to look at them.

Calliecake, I'm so sorry about your injury! I know how much you love gardening and I'm so sorry you can't do it right now, but I'm glad you are taking it easy and giving yourself time to heal. Hugs to you, I hope you're able to go back to your normal routine soon.

Poodles4me, your furbaby is the cutest thing ever! Love that smile! I'm so glad the acupuncture is working for her and she's doing well. I hope the antibiotics have kicked in and you're feeling much better by now.

Kristie, so glad to hear Maggie seems to be doing better. I'm sorry Finn seems to be losing his hearing, poor little guy. Exploring different locations for retirement sounds like fun. It's too bad Canada doesn't seem to be an option but hopefully you'll find someplace you like here in the US.

Marcy, it's a shame your employees are continuing to be a handful, I'm sorry. But it's great that your boss gave you good feedback, it's encouraging and I hope it works out that you get a promotion. I really enjoyed seeing all your options for new bling! They are all beautiful choices, hard to pick just one lol. I'm drawn to a bracelet for some reason. I do love the idea of haloing your beautiful ruby. The contrast between the red and white stones will be gorgeous. Lol to a golf bracelet! I was thinking "now that sounds very interesting!"

Jaaron, sounds like you have had your hands full lately, I hope it's been a manageable "busy" as opposed to a stressful "busy"! Your new bracelet is STUNNING!!! I really, really love it…I've been thinking about a diamond bracelet for myself and this beauty is making me want one even more!

LLJsmom, I'm so glad you are relaxing today, I admire you so much for all you do and you so deserve a little downtime. Have a wonderful day!!!

Jimmianne, I am so glad you are checking in! I miss you but I am so happy you are enjoying yourself and having a great time.

Thanks to all who asked about the estate…unfortunately things are still somewhat stalled on the sale of the house, trying to get things going but not really making much progress…kind of a mess right now and I'm pretty stressed about it but things will eventually get settled. Thanks for the good thoughts.

My daughter is coming today, and I think the plan is to go out for an early dinner - dd made reservations so we won't have a long wait, which is nice. Honestly, I'd be happy just hanging out at home with the family but the kids wanted to take me someplace, very sweet.

Oh, I've been meaning to post these pics of dh's golf game in SC - it's like he was on a nature walk! Yikes to that gator

 

[Calliecake]

Scandi, I'm sending love and dust to you and your beautiful baby. I know how much you love this sweet baby, as we all do here. Hugs, hugs and more hugs Sweetheart.

 

[canuk-gal]

JUNEBUG--that picture of the gator was TOOOOOO funny! And sorry for your Estate issues--we've been there. Very time consuming (and at time feeling ALL consuming) and stressful but eventually things resolve and settle down. I know that sounds trite when you are in the thick of it.

Healing vibes across the miles to Scandi's pooch.

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs! Happy Mother’s Day!

Callie, that is wonderful the greenhouse you buy things from planted your plants for you. It does pay to be a frequent and good customer. That is sad to hear the original owner recently passed away; but nice his son is continuing on with the business. I hope you feel better soon but take it easy until you are ready to garden again. I will plant my flowers in about 3 weekends. We usually get one or two more freezes in May and early June.

Austina, your fur baby’s early life breaks my heart. I am so glad you guys gave her love and a good home; she deserves it. Have fun visiting Texas next month. My nieces live in Houston and love it down there. They went to Texas A&M for grad school and one of them got her doctorate there. Quite a change for farm girls from rural Wyoming.

Scandi, thinking of you and your sweet fur baby. I hope things get better.

Missy, I hope you had a nice visit with your mom today. Is it still raining?

LLJsmom, I think you deserve a quiet, relaxing day. You seem to always be on the go. I played a bit with foil today to see a small halo around my ruby – thanks for the idea. I worry the halo head will cut off more light than the 4 prong mounting and make the ruby dark.

June, I showed Marty the wildlife on the golf course yesterday. We see geese, ducks and deer on our course; with a rare but occasional bear.

June, I am leaning towards a bracelet myself. I think the halo would look good with the ruby but it sure has a lot more metal around it than my current 4 prong mounting. I can take my diamond dangles with me and if they have a larger but equally nice ruby I can trade up for very little out of pocket money. It honestly doesn’t look bad as is and I only wear it once a month. I tend to wear my blue sapphires or my EC more than anything. We could invent a golf bracelet that keeps your score. Good plan. I hate to hear you are having issues with the estate; it can certainly be a bumpy process. No one seems to make it easy for you. I hope that gets settled and smoothed out soon. That’s sweet of your kids to take you out for supper.

Hi Sharon.

It’s not quite as warm or sunny here today but not bad. We got up and went to breakfast about 7. Marty had a tee time of 8:40 and naturally the restaurant messed up our order and we waited almost 30 minutes to get our breakfast. Marty ate and dashed off; I stayed to finish my breakfast and pay the bill. I went to the grocery store and took some flowers to the cemetery.

I got the rest of our laundry done and Marty got home a little after 1. He cooked us some steaks and asparagus on the grill and we had a dish of strawberries with it. He’s heading to Denver soon to meet his sister for supper then on to the airport.

Have a great week.

Marcy

 

[azstonie]

Jaaron, your Art Deco bracelet is TDF. Love it!!!! Have you cleaned it yet? Its amazing how dirty even unworn jewelry can get. I bet this bracelet just CALLS YOU OUT from across the room when worn, its so blingalicious and diamond-ie. Congrats. Score!! More pics if you ever have them to share. Don't sell it to your jeweler!!!!

Hydrotherapy. We start swim season for Maggie and Finn (my male Westie) as soon as our pool is consistently above 82 degrees, 84 is optimal and 88 is FAB-U-LOUS. 90 is great for me but my DH thinks its too hot at that temp,

Acupuncture: Monday, May 22 is her first day for that. It takes 2-3 sessions for 3-4 weeks.

Maggie's Regimen:
Adequan injection weekly. Definite benefit.
Glucosamine/chrondroitin/MSM/boswellia daily.
CBD oil twice daily. This has had an amazing result for her pain and anxiety.
Gabapentin three times daily. Not sure if she is getting a benefit from it.
Galliprant once daily. The newest/latest/greatest NSAID for canine arthritis. Has virtually no side effects. Maggie is on day 3 of this. She is more fluid with gait but still has trouble getting up from laying down.
Zyrtec: Allergy itch.
Allergy immunotherapy injection weekly.

Its complicated enough that I had to make myself a spreadsheet. And Finn's regimen is a little different, he's not on the Galliprant, he's still on Metacam.

Poodles4, if your Mitzi cannot really tolerate liquid Metacam, you might consider trying Galliprant. Galliprant was R&D'd for dogs who cannot tolerate NSAIDs. Galliprant targets 1 pain receptor instead of multiples. You can buy a 7-tablet bottle and give it a go without investing in #30 tablets. As I understand the study results, its best to give it on an empty stomach as opposed to with food. I've done it both ways with Maggie and didn't see much difference in pain relief. Maybe I'll note more as my trial period for Maggie continues. The maximal pain relief level is at about 2 hours. It is quickly excreted in bile (liver), urine and feces so it doesn't hang on super long in their system (that's a good thing IMHO).

Austina, "Keep Austin Weird" is my friend's favorite bumper sticker, I met her in Juneau, Alaska, and she of course was from Austin. I love your Spinone and I'm horrified at what happened to her during her puppyhood. What is WRONG with people? I had a dachshund when I was in elementary school and although I loved Heidi very much, I have to say she was vicious with other dogs and frankly most people. My parents love dogs (and cats) {one of their few redeeming qualities} and I can say with assurance that Heidi was never abused, treated violently or roughly by any of us, she was just extremely possessive and didn't want any of us touched or approached by anyone outside the family. She bit my little friends, she bit the mailman, etc. I feel for your Spinone. How wonderful that she has ended up with you and your DH, though. She looks like a wonderful girl, she looks very happy. Since you have your plan in place to come to the US, I am going to hold all good wishes for that move. Texas is quirky. I think the English tolerate quirk very very well. I think Austin/thereabouts could be a very nice place for your relocation. Every time I've been to Texas, and I've been many times, I think most Texans are extremely polite people. Certainly more polite than people from my homestate of California.

A big thank you to all of you NIRDIs who help me with Maggie (and really my other problems too). I really respect the intelligence and life experiences of the NIRDI pack (and PS in general) so I value it. Congrats to all the NIRDI moms on Mother's Day.

 

[marcy]

Kristie, that's great the pool is getting warm enough for all of you to use. I can see why you'd make a spreadsheet to track everything for Maggie and Finn. Sending all of you hugs and PS dust for continued improvement for Maggie.

Marty is on his way to Denver. I am making my swapping shopping list and checking it twice. I narrowed it down to the things I absolutely don't mind trading in and what any combination of bracelet(s) will cost me (one combo includes those yellow sapphire earrings). Then I made a list of combined trade in value for the things I would trade in towards something new. I'll be in and out of that store in no time. As long as I don't look at anything else. I have decided I'll keep my ruby the way it is hoping some day to find an equally nice but larger one.

 

[CJ2008]

Hi girls

Was going to stop in to just say hi and wish you all a Happy Mother's Day and as I skimmed quickly I saw that Scandi's doggie isn't doing well. Sending you and your furbaby tons of hugs and dust. Please keep us updated.

 

[rainwood]

Hello, chick-lets!! I've been a terrible NIRDI lately, but will try to make up for it a little bit.

Missy, I hope you had a great day with your mom on Mother's Day. Thanks for the lovely comments on IG. I'm really enjoying it, and trying to take good photos every day really does change your eye and how you see the world. And I hope you feel comfortable taking the first steps we talked about. Being able to sleep well is a gift you need to give yourself. It will make EVERYTHING better.

Junie, I'm not sure I'd want to golf on that SC golf course your husband does. I'm okay with dodging wild turkeys (or whatever those big birds are) even though they can be mean, and I'm okay with a turtle, but I draw a big fat line at alligators. If I am close enough to take a photo of a free-range alligator, I'd want to run!! I wouldn't be able to concentrate on hitting the ball because I'd be looking around all the time for gators. Yikes!! I'm sorry that the sale of your mom's house is stalled. Sometimes, you have to wait for people to get out of their own way (and yours). Hope you had a great Mother's Day dinner with your DD.

Jimmianne, I'm so relieved the French decided not to go down the same dangerous road the US did. Huge sigh of relief over there, I imagine. And congrats on getting the right power tool. Power tools mostly scare me although they do make a demo job go way faster. And this next thing is just for you. I was at the grocery store and a woman was asking one of the produce guys about these giant radishes that turned out to be called watermelon radishes. I know the French grow something called breakfast radishes that they eat with butter (maybe for le petit dejeuner even) so I decide to try the watermelon radish the French way. It was pretty tasty although I love anything with really good butter on it. And since I'm going grain-free these days, there isn't much to put butter on. Here is the radish:



And here is my breakfast:


You should see if you can find breakfast radishes at the market. I know they have great butter because the French pride themselves on their butter. Viva la beurre! If you want to follow me on IG, shoot Missy an e-mail and she will tell you my IG name. You wouldn't be able to guess it from here.

Scandi, I'm so sorry to hear about your fur baby being sick. My fingers are crossed that she gets better.

Kristie, I'm glad that some of the steps you're taking are helping Maggie feel better. I don't know if it's the same for dogs, but my DH took gabapentin and it did little for his pain but the schedule for titrating off of it was really long. So if you don't think she's benefitting much, you might want to talk to the vet now about how to wean her off it. And you know what I hope you're doing in your spare time!!!! Research, research, research.

Marcy, I didn't get a chance to tag along on my DH's business trips very often (plus he mostly went to the same 3 places, all of which I've been to more than once), but when I did, I really enjoyed it. I still remember a great trip to NYC where the wife of one of his colleagues and I rambled all over the city, seeing everything we could. I played tour guide even though I 'd only been there once before. And I loved that the hotel room was being paid for by someone else. You might want to reconsider going along one of these times. You might have a great time!

Jaaron, that bracelet is gorgeous!! What a great, great buy!! And I think you should also tag along on a few of DH's business trips. There's lots to do on your own. I'm finding out more and more about that now that I'm going to be a solo traveler.

Callie, I've had trouble on and off with my right shoulder for years (probably somewhat rotator cuff related) and so has my sister. I found that doing Iyengar yoga where it's all about the proper form and staying in the pose for awhile (instead of the flow type where you're constantly moving from one position to another) really helped. I've had shoulder problems again since I stopped doing yoga and keeping my shoulder happy is one of my motivations for starting again. I was having a little trouble with my shoulder when I went down to Rancho La Puerta and, on the first full day, I did a water class where you do lots of moves with these giant web gloves on to increase the resistance and cardio. And I just HAD to do what all the younger, fitter people were doing plus I was having fun. By the time I got out of the water, my shoulder was in agony. Fortunately, I had a therapy session scheduled for that day where he spent 90 minutes hitting the pressure points and doing deep, deep tissue massage on my right shoulder and neck and even some on my left. It hurt like h#ll the whole time, and later that night I felt like my shoulder had been a boxer's punching bag for that 90 minutes, but by the next day my shoulder was way, way better and I haven't had trouble since. You might want to consider trying something like that. And thanks for missing me on the political threads. I've put a number of people on ignore so I probably don't even see some of them! And I decided that it was mostly a waste of time because I was either preaching to the choir or to the politically deaf. I'd rather spend that 5 minutes sending an e-mail to the Deputy Attorney General (or maybe he's the Acting Attorney General for this as Sessions has supposedly recused himself) urging him to appoint a special prosecutor.

CJ, glad to hear from you. Hope all is going well. Very sweet that your DH cooked for the mommies!

Austina, I've been to Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio, but never Austin. I've heard it's a great city whose only downside is that it is surrounded by and is the capital of Texas! But if you're going to be in Texas, that would certainly be my choice. And having your DS close by will be a great benefit. Your dog is super cute!

LLJ's Mom and Sharon, hope you're doing well and that you had a good Mother's Day.

Poodles, cute doggy!

I'm om the island today and tomorrow. I'm meeting the architect and contractor on my project Monday so we can put together a budget. Life remains good, I'm still doing grain-free and low added-sugar (it's been a little over 2 weeks). It hasn't always been easy, but it's been easier than I expected. And I definitely feel better. Not as in life-transforming, whole new person kind of way, but I do have more energy.

Happy Mother's Day to all!!

 

[Austina]

Good morning lovely ladies, I hope you all enjoyed your Mother's Day.

@Scandi, I hope your doggie will get better. It's so heartbreaking when they are ill, you feel so helpless that they can't tell you what's going on.

Oh my goodness @junebug17 that gator

I have seen those bumper stickers @azstonie, I think we've been to weirder places than Austin on our travels

Ouch @rainwood, your shoulder problem sounds awful, i hope you can get some help and relief.


I don't know where the heatwave's got to, the north west and west of the country have been battered by heavy rain and winds and we've had rain this morning which resulted in a soggy walk and frizzy hair, ugh!

Thank you for all your lovely comments on our beautiful girl. We feel we are the lucky ones to have been entrusted with her care and rehabilitation. She continues to grow more confident, which is a joy to see. She has the kind of face and big doleful eyes that make her look sad, but she's a happy girl.



A big wave and hi to everyone, hope the day has good things in store for you.

 

[Scandinavian]

Hello girls!

I’m back, I hope! I have missed you! Before I start (trying) to catch up, let me just ask for some good thoughts for my little furbaby, I’m so worried about her. The vet found a few lumps in her stomach, or more specifically in the mammary glands (?) on both sides, and its almost a year since she was in heat, so not a big chance for old milk residue. So they did three biopsies, and the results were not good. So now she is scheduled for surgery on Friday. She is only 6 years old, and they think they found the tumours super early, because they are really small. So she should be fine, except for having to have surgery. But I’m so stressed about this, that the day the biopsy came back I managed to start crying whilst on the phone four times.. and no, not with family… I’m soooo professional… LOL but not funny. So I haven’t really been able to do much except worry for a few days. I hate this. Please think good thoughts and say something encouraging.

Hugs.

EDIT: you girls are the best. I can see that you are already sending us good thoughts.

 

[missy]

Good morning girls. How did Monday get here so fast?
Scandi sending you more good thoughts and healing vibes for F and keeping her in my prayers. Thank you for the update and we are all sending buckets of good luck for her surgery this Friday! Love you and love her sweetie and we are here for you. (((HUGS))).

Rainwood all I can say is YUMMMM. That looks delicious. I love all your photos. Not just saying that.
I haven't done anything yet about what we chatted about but it is on my to do after my procrastination list is exhausted. LOL. And honestly I am stressed right now so not thinking about my fitful sleep. Eye issue so once this is resolved and all OK (and hopefully it will be fingers crossed) I will tackle the sleep issues. Thank you for caring and for also taking so much time helping me.

Marcy wishing Marty safe travels and a good trip. I love your ruby ring and that is certainly not settling in any way. Sounds like you had a good weekend complete with good weather. Glad you enjoyed and I hope the killer bunnies gave you a day off yesterday. Hugs to the teddies (and bunnies ok ok) !

Junie glad you had a good Mother's Day weekend. And I am with you. Happy to just enjoy some time at home with my loved ones. And I am with the others. No alligators for me please. That is one terrifying golf course haha. OMG. I love the photo though and I have nothing against alligators per se. Just don't want them near me. But he looks like an adorable fella he does. But I know his teeth and grip are strong and well in a fight I am not sure we can take him. Please tell your dh to be careful!
I am sorry about the estate issues and I hope it all gets sorted out soon honey. (((HUGS))) and good thoughts your way.

Sharon, hope you had a lovely weekend.

Hello CJ, hope you had a nice weekend.

Callie, talk to you later and I am sorry I am going to miss our daily AM chat and I texted you.

Austina, I just love your precious pup and thank you for rescuing and loving her and also for sharing her here with us.

Hello K, Hugs to Maggie and Finn and all the fur babies. Hope they showed their mommas a good day.

So I have been having an eye issue the past 6 days and hoping it would resolve but since it has not I am seeing a retinal specialist in about an hour and a half. Someone I don't know because this AM I couldn't find the new phone number for my previous retinal guy and I called the center where I refer my patients (and where I used to go but the retinal specialist moved full time to the NJ office so I dont see him anymore) and as luck would have it the new retinal specialist is in today and graciously will squeeze me in today. So I have a feeling I might be there a long time today since I am sure she has a full schedule and I am new to her but just hoping it isn't anything serious. I was waiting as long as I felt I could because being in the field I didn't want to overreact but after 6 days no abatement I decided I must be proactive and so I called. Please wish me luck and I will let you girls know how it goes. I am nervous but hoping for the best. It is always something isn't it?

Hoping everyone has a good day.

 

[Scandinavian]

Missy, tons of good luck, I'm so sorry honey, you really don't deserve any eye issues!!

 

[Austina]

Oh @Scandinavian what an awful worry. Everything crossed for the best outcome. Try not to think the worst, although I do know how difficult it is to keep positive.


Good luck with the appointment @missy, I do hope it'll all be ok, sending positive vibes across the ocean.

 

[junebug17]

Scandi, I'm sorry to hear this latest news and I'm sending lots of good thoughts and positive vibes to your furbaby, and you too. It's good that this was caught early and the prognosis is encouraging…I feel in my heart she's going to be ok! I know this is really worrisome, please know all the nirdis are here for support and comfort whenever you need it! Sending you lots of hugs, hang in there.

 

[azstonie]

Scandi, so much dust and love to you and Fifi. We've all helped each other shoulder the burdens that come from loving our pets and loved ones, let us be there for you that way, okay? We get it. Fifi is not old, she's in excellent health, and she has a family who will be able to give her the maximum help possible right now.

Missy, lots of dust to your poor eye.

Junie, those are SOME golfing partners for your DH! The turtles are fine, but in terms of those birds and the gator? I bet he doesn't dally, he probably takes his shot and MOVES ON!!!!

 

[Calliecake]

Missy, So glad we were able to talk today. Sending lots of good dust your way!!! Thank you for holding my hand while I waited for my test results and for always calming me down. My husband asked me to thank you too!!!!

Scandi, I'm so sorry and feel your pain sweetie, Please know we are all here for you. As you know we love our animals the way you love your baby. I'm still sending lots of healing dust your way and want you to know the hospital I take my baby has many dogs who are receiving cancer treatments and they are living happy lives. They have a very large oncology department. I know you are scared but doctors can do wonderful things. Sending lots of love and prayers your way. Hugs, Callie

Rainwood, Thank you for the shoulder recommendation. I'm glad your shoulder is feeling better. I need to go for a scan and they have given the go ahead to start Physical Therapy once they figure out what is going on. When I was working I always had aches and pains but once I stopped working nothing ever hurt. I was concerned because the pain wasn't getting better. Hopefully it's nothing serious and can be fixed easily. I'm just mad because I love gardening and was advised against making all my potted plants this year. I usually plant them this time of year and am having to have the greenhouse do this for me this year. In the whole scheme of things I'm making a big deal out of nothing. I still miss you in the political threads and as you know there is always something going on that I would love to hear your opinion on. If you would have told me 5 years ago that I would care this much about politics I would have thought you were crazy. But then again we have never had a lunatic like this one sitting in the White House.

Austina, Did you have a nice Mother's Day? Thank you for posting another picture of your beautiful baby. I'm so glad she ended up with you as her mom and is getting a much deserved wonderful life. My husband and I got our dog 6 years ago and it was the first dog we had in our married life. We love her like a child. I was not able to have children and wished we had gotten a pet when I was going thru the infertility struggles. It would have made those disappointment much easier. My sweet girl can brighten any day. She is an 8 pound maltipoo who loves nothing more than being cuddled.

Junie, I LOL when I saw the pictures of your husband's golf adventure. Heck it seemed more like a day at the zoo. I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day and was glad your daughter was able to come home. Did you have a nice dinner? We took my parents and my brother and his wife out to dinner and had a great time.

Marcy, I hope you are having a wonderful day at work today. I'm glad your weather has been nice. How long will Marty be gone for on this trip? Your ruby ring is beautiful.

 

[missy]

Hey there girls. Looks like my vitreous is once again (this time in my left eye) in the process of detaching from the retina.
The retinal specialist examined me very thoroughly and right now the vitreous is in the process of detaching from the retina and I have a HUGE floater right in the middle of my field of view of my left eye that is obscuring my vision making it challenging but fortunately the retina is intact as of now.

I have to see her again next Monday because complete posterior vitreal detachment is a process and if there will be retinal involvement 90% of the retinal detachments happen in the first 2 weeks of this process and though it could happen months down the road the greatest likelihood is within the first 2 weeks. So it is a waiting (and hoping the retina does not get involved) game. I am relieved but not fully relieved until I know I am mostly out of the woods.

Thanks for all your good wishes and company and just going to add a PSA here. Please make sure you have yearly eye examinations with your eyes dilated and that includes scleral depression. And of course get yourself to your eye doctor stat if you have any sxs of increase in floaters or any flashing lights ever (unless you have been diagnosed with visual migraines) since flashing lights are usually not normal and could mean retinal involvement.

Scandi sweetheart thinking of you and F and sending more healing dust, good thoughts, and lots of love and hugs!
Hope everyone is having a good Monday!