Penpal match? Just turned 50, want to lose 75!

[Suji]

Hi You Two,
Long day yesterday-- but I got all the rest of my purchased plant orders in the ground--daylilies, crocosmia, lily of the valley and dahlias. Now it is time to prep beds for tomatoes since we put them in after Mother's Day. I still have swap stuff to put in and seedlings to transplant, but I can be more leisurely about that! Gotta start some squash under lights too.

My son arrived home yesterday about 2. SO, now we are a complete family unit again. He has to go back down to VT in July to move his stuff into the new house he's renting. He has a summer research gig lined up with our local private college. Not bad. :-)

Today is garden club--we're making hypertufa planters--and then off to a meeting at the historical society for the garden refurbishment there. Tomorrow I plan to put a second coat on the bedroom.

I have to figure out what to do for Mother's Day for my Mom--I usually send flowers. She's going to be here the week following so I'm wondering if there is anything better I could do...

Well, I need to go measure out the coffee. Regular grocery bill is going to go up with 2 more people (DS2 and GF who often eats here when he's home)!

Sue

[Dreamcometru]

Hi Sue:

The summer research thing sounds great for your DS. Congrats to him! DD2 was looking to get some type of chemestry related job for the summer, but hasn't followed through. She was looking at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. Hopefully next year since she will be a junior. She needs something on her resume. She's going to settle for working at the theatre again for this summer.

I'm not sure how my mother's day is going to go. I may have to go down to Eugene. If so, I will bring my mom flowers and stuff she can heat up for lunch on mother's day since I won't be home to have her over. I'm thinking of making some quiche's, fresh fruit and salad. That way it will keep over night and she can have it on Sunday. If I don't go to Eugene, I will have her over to my house for lunch after church. I don't know if my brother will step in so I have to plan accordingly. That just means my saturday will be busy getting ready. Oh well.

Have a great day.

[Suji]

Hi,
Got my walls done with a second coat, so now it's time to do the trim. Hopefully I can get this done on the weekend and spend M-F getting all the house ready for Mom's arrival.

Looks like rain and more rain for the next few days. Too bad, as I was gonna have the kids come out to slave at the farm for Mother's Day! (wink)

Well, I made the hypertufa planter. Unfortunately it takes something like 8 months to dry! Feels interesting to the touch and smells very earthy. You make it with portland cement, perlite, peat moss and water, then mold it by hand. It was like mud pies for grownups. :-)

I feel like I've got so much to do and so little time! The dust and silt from the great outdoors is all over the floors downstairs and it's going to take multiple changes of water to get the floors really clean when I mop. Otherwise, I'm just pushing fine mud around. This is a major issue since the earthmoving began outside. I begin to feel for the midwesterners of the Great Dust Bowl when they complained that the dust was always getting into their houses and made everything constantly dirty.

Well, I have to make myself settle and read the assigned book for the bookclub--Labrynth by Mosse.

TTFN,
Sue

[Dreamcometru]

Hi Sue:

We don't have earthmoving going on and I can't keep up with the dust!

Interesting, I've never heard of a hypertufa planter. Sounds like fun to make though.

DH has to work Saturday. Yay! That means I can get tons done around the house. DS will be away at a band contest. I think DD2 is coming home though, so that may hinder my plans a bit. I need to start making a list of what I want to accomplish. I have a lot of records that I need to go through and shred. Perhaps I can put DD2 to work doing that while she's watching TV. That way I can work on other stuff.

I'm also going to make my mom her sunday lunch even though I won't be there to enjoy it with her. I will make some for us though too. I dont have to leave for Eugene until around 2:00 in the afternoon. I want to get home by a decent time and we will probably take DD1 and her husband out for dinner while we are down there. DH may not even go, which is fine with me, then I can play all the tunes I want.

Hope you have a great weekend and a fun mother's day. I don't expect my family will remember me on mother's day, but thats the norm at my house. Maybe they will surprise me. I will let you know.

[Dreamcometru]

Hey Sue:

I hope you had a good mom's day weekend. I spent mine on the road to and from Eugene. It was nice going down because I was by myself and cranked the tunes. DD1 and her DH took me out to dinner. I got a quesadilla burger which was plenty filling. It did have that burrito shell thing, but the rest was okay. I gave my fries to SIL, so I didn't do too badly without ordering salad.

I finally got some instruction on how to make new screens for my windows. With DD2's help, we managed to make one for the front bay window with the pet resistant screening. It looks so nice. You can't even tell we made it from scratch. The old frame was bent to pieces from the cat's weight. So we had to make the frame too. But yay, another project done, albeit time consuming.

I got through about half my big flower bed. Next week I hope to buy some soil and plants to put in. I guess I have to take my mom to do the same and my nephew will plant them. Last year I had to plant them so I hope he takes it on this time.

Still lots more to do. I wont ever get it all done but if I take it in small steps, I will get there.

Have a great day!

[Suji]

Hi Leslie,
Yeah, I did have a nice Mother's Day. My eldest son made dinner.Got lots of extra hugs. DH and I went to 2 antique malls and came back with a fine Victorian oak dresser with mirrir and a bedside stand for the spare bedroom. THen, DH sneaked back and purchased a painting that I had been admiring for about a year. It's of an attractive lady circa 1920's posing for her portrait with her shawl and pearls.

Yesterday we got about 2 inches of rain. THis morning is the first sun I've seen for a while! SUpposed to reach to 70 perhaps. My starter plants are suffering from the wind and cold, so I brought them inside. Now they are sun deprived. Can't win!

I've been cleaning and doing MORE cleaning. Got to do the bathrooms today and mop. Everyone needs to work on their own BRs and then the downstairs. Hooboy. Lots of mopping to do down there! The main family room is like 700sf of linoleum! And like I said, all the silty stuff blows in outside through the sliding door screens. At least I am getting my exercise!

TIme for DS3 to head for school!

Sue

[Dreamcometru]

Hi Sue: Our weather person is predicting low to mid 90's by the end of the week. Yay. Finally. We have had one of the coldest springs on record.

Your antique furniture sounds wonderful. How thoughtful for DH to go back and get the painting. On a couple of occasions I've seen paintings I would love to have but they were pretty spendy at the time. Then when I go back to get it, it was gone. So great move on DH's part.

I have to take my mom to a medical procedure tomorrow, so I'm not coming in to work. She should be done by noon or slightly later, but you never know and if it goes after 1:00 its not worth coming into the office, so I took the day off. Perhaps it will give me a chance to do some additional yard work.

Have a great day.

[sleepysue07]

Hi Sue and Leslie!

I'm still here lurking. I am still not on the wagon, actually I feel as if it ran over me and is now long gone. People keep saying that I look like I have lost weight which I have not.

Oh my but we are having a terrible thunderstom right now. I am afraid. I hate storms. They say that this one is particularly slow moving too, how fortunate for us.

I spoke to my sister today and my brother in law is in very poor condition and she is about to ask for hospice. He has liver cancer and I am so sad for them today.

I will try to check in tomorrow, there is a lot of lightening right now and I am going to shut down the computer.

TTFN!

Carolyn

[Suji]

Hey Carolyn and Leslie,

I don't mind T-storms, but in Texas I was always afraid of storms turning into tornados. Certainly turned me into a sky watcher!

I am sorry to hear about your BIL. I am glad there is a thing like hospice. It was good for my father and mother in law when they got to the last stages of their lives.

I'm not on the wagon either-no (recent) gain and no loss either. It seems like my weight probs are mostly in the butt and stomach these days. Sigh.

I've got to work on my MBR today and start on the downstairs. Gonna set my DS2 on his bathroom and bedroom and whatever else he's willing to do.

Grass is so high here and we need to spray the weeds that are coming up next to the house and in the driveway. THe weedwacker won't work--can't even get it to start up. We just bought it last year for crying out loud!!! Darn grass is knee high in back and on one side. Also the bittersweet vines are growing back. Grrrr.

Well, I'd best eat breakfast and get to work. Got t o be at the historic society by 1:30 so I need to make progress!

Sue

[Dreamcometru]

Hi Sue and Carolyn:

Carolyn: I'm so sorry about your BIL. This is such a sad time. We found the best we could do was make MIL as comfortable as possible. We had hospice nurses and a family member was by her side 24-7 for the last week or two of her life. It is a tough time. I wish your sister the best so she can get through this and I wish your BIL comfort.

I did manage to get some yard work done yesterday. We have a long driveway to our house which is on a flag lot. The weeds and grass by the sides tend to grow like crazy. I finally went out and pulled out all the long grass and then soaked the area with roundup so nothing further will grow. If I don't see any progress in the next few days, I will zap it again. I also got the back grass cut. Oh I need new blades so badly. I've still got to fininsh the beds. One of my rose bushes has nettles growing all through it. Its a good thing roses are hardy, otherwise it would be choked.

I haven't managed to stay true to LC for quite some time. Now the gains are catching up with me. I'm so sad. On the upside, DH, who is vey obese, started LCing with me in January. He has kind of fallen off lately though, but he had a dr. appt yesterday and has lost 51 lbs!!!. I guess that makes up for me not losing any.

Have a great day. We are in for a few hot ones. Yahoo!

[Suji]

Hi,
Another rainy day! I got up at 1:30am hearing the rain and our monitor said it was coming down 1.75 inches per hour! A downpour. Of course it slowed greatly after that and by this morning there was half an inch, but a light steady rain has begun again. This will make around 15 weeks where the weekend is rainy. Mom comes tomorrow up from SC and she complains of the chill. So, I hope she has some appropriate clothing for "cold Maryland".

My DH is still suffering from this ongoing congestive cough though it is nothing like it was at its worst. Just the hacking and gagging at certain times of the day is getting to me. Nothing seems to make it go away completely so far.

The house is looking good at last by which I mean straightened, mostly decluttered and clean. I'm going to take an oil painting over to a framing shop and have them do a gallery wrap today so I can hang it in the bedroom. PLus I have a few last minute errands to run before Mom arrives tomorrow.

THe thing I hate the most is finding parking at the airport and then getting her to the car as she has to be wheeled by an attendant. I can't imagine her trying to walk in an airport as she can only make it about 30 feet before she collapses into a chair huffing and puffing.

Leslie--that is great about your DH losing! Why is it that men seem to do so well on LC, I wonder?

I have not seen nettles for years, but I sure remember my first encounter with the stinging type. I thought I'd stumbled into a hidden wasp nest at first. Yeowch. Boy, It's easy to remember that feeling and it was around 40 years ago!

Hi Carolyn!
Later,
Sue

[Dreamcometru]

Hi Sue:

We are in for a day in the mid 90's today. Sorry you are having so much rain. Yah, nettles. My cat gets into them and I always have to pick them out of his coat.

So this weekend a friend of mine wanted me to go to this local yocal parade with her. I usually only go if DS or DD1 was marching in it, but she wanted me to go with so I will. I've got so much to do at home, but when do I not have stuff to do at home. Otherwise, the boys are taking the boat out on Sunday. That may give me some free time to get some work done. I'm not going with them because they are taking off early in the morning. I take my mom to church, so that's out. So hopefully I will make some progress.

I hope you enjoy your visit with your mom. Yah, my mom can't travel alone for the same reason. She can't walk very far without having to rest. The airport here is actually quite user friendly except in high times like spring break, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The short term parking is marked so you can read the sign to see if there is a free space down an aisle. Its so cool. Computerized parking. Who would have thunk it?

Hope you have a great weekend.

[Dreamcometru]

Hi Sue:

Whoaaa, it was way too hot this weekend to work in the yard. No excuses either, it just plain was. We have a window AC, it doesn't put out much, but certainly helped.

I rode my bike down to the little podunk parade. I had a blast riding. I do much better when I have a destination. Here all ages and sizes of people ride so I didn't stick out too badly except for my bike is kind of hard to miss because its so unusual. I have got to get back to riding. I absolutely loved it even though it was so hot.

The rivers here are really high right now because the mountains had such a heavy snowpak. The melt off causes them to rise. The boys had trouble in the river with the boat because it was raging and the boat is really small. For the next couple of weeks, they need to keep it in the lakes.

IThey were talking about going to this lake that I love, but I told them we need to wait until later in the year because the water would be too cold. We'll see.

DS's car wouldn't start AGAIN today. I'm ready to take it to the dump.

Have a great day. Let me know how your weekend went. Hi Carolyn.

[Suji]

Hi Leslie and Carolyn,

My mom arrived on Saturday. I haven't seen her for more than a year. She's gained more weight and her edema is even worse. She sits so much she is getting a balding spot where her hair and the chair make contact. She can hardly bend her knees as the swelling is so bad--her legs look like those old fashioned piano legs. This was from cellulitis infection more than 10 years ago which made this edema complication. Anyway, she can't walk well as it is like dragging heavy weights and it bothers her back. Plus one of her shoulder rotator cuffs is wonky. If she falls, it is really hard to get her up. Still, she has/ought to exercise or she is just going to keep gaining and her circulation will be worse. I can see why she has become so depressed--it doesn't seem like there is any way out. I am elevating her legs while she is in the chair and will keep after her for sitting down type exercizes at least! I have her for 2 months tp try to improve things. All suggestions welcome!

Meanwhile, we are gaining on our rain record--just 1.86" off from setting a new one. My friend at the farm is gnashing his teeth. He is getting a feel for just how different one year can be from the next in gardens. I hope to get up there with Ma on Thursday--one of our first clear sunny days!

My Sis, Ma and I will be leaving on Friday for NY--a family reunion. I'll be gone until some time Monday, so I will be spare with writing for a few days. I've been running all around trying to get things together for the trip. I actually bought pants that are too long--unheard of! (Long Elegant Legs pants are like 36-39" long!!!) So, now I have to find a tailor quick!!!

Talk to you later,
Sue

[Dreamcometru]

Hi Sue:

I'm glad your mom had a safe trip. Wow, she's staying with you a long time. I hope you are able to make some progress with her. My mom's mobility is her hinderance too. She can't hardly walk down the hall way without having to sit down. She uses a wheel chair throughout the house. She has everthing within reach of her chair so she doesn't have to walk or stand up. She's had to have visiting nurses to take care of the sores on her bottom from sitting so much. She's also had physical therapists work with her to get her moving.

I know there are videos of chair exercises people can do. The only thing is you have to start with only a couple of minutes a day and work up from there. But something is better than nothing.

Wow, New York. I hope you all have a great time. My kids have all been to New York, but I've never been. I've never been on the east coast. I've only been as far as Illinois.

We got the rain today. Complete turnaround from this weekend. It rained so hard this morning, DH is home, of course, not working. Oh well.

I can relate on the tall sizes although I never get something too long. I've recently bought two pairs of pants that were long enough when I bought them, but after I washed them, they are way too short. I'm thinking of cutting them off and making shorts.

Hope you have a wonderful time with your mom.

[sleepysue07]

Hi girls! I have caught up by reading all of your recent posts. I have been working a lot lately. I am off work today and have done nothing! I am about to force myself to get busy though. I am constantly fatigued these days. I'm sure that my weight has a lot to do with that.

Sue I hope that you all enjoy your trip to New York. I've also never been to the East coast.


I don't really have much to tell. I am still not LCing. I haven't gained or lost a pound either.

DS1 who is home from college, and DH had a tremendous argument on Tuesday and I thought they were going to come to blows. I am afraid this may turn out to be a long summer.

I spoke to my sister yesterday and she finally has hospice helping her out, as well as friends and church members from their former church which is an hour away from where she lives now. My nephew told me this week that he is going to go and stay with them until his father passes. His is very big and strong and will be able to help my sister get him up and down. I am thankful for all of this because up until now Jackie has been doing it all alone and I have worried so. I would love to help her more, but I am almost six hours away.

I am off all weekend even Monday! Yay! I am planning to work in the yard and do some sewing. I am sure we will go to see the new Indiana Jones movie as well. I am a huge Harrison Ford fan.

Leslie, I can totally relate to the shrinking pants. I bought two pair about a month ago and the same thing happened to me, even though I followed the care label to a T. It's so irritating! I am only 5'6 and I still have a hard time finding pants with long enough legs. If my pants don't fall well below the ankle I wont wear them. I can't think of many things that are more uncomfortable than pants that are too short.

Well, I had better go. Sue have a safe trip!

Carolyn

[Suji]

Thanks, Carolyn!
I am leaving a list of things for my DH and DS's to take care of while I am gone. It's nerve wracking to worry over all the little things!

Well, 12 chicks hatched!!! I will have to take some pics before I go as they grow so fast. They squat down like little yellow melting marshmallows! I've never had that good a hatch, though most of them are Buff Orps and only 2 cochins hatched. I'm still running the bator in case of late ones.

I am still trying to get stuff ready. We've been shopping for food to take to the reunion. Geez. "Love" to drive 6 hours and then have to prepare things in someone else's kitchen for the next day! Got to bring chairs too. PLus, Mom gets cold, so blankets! WHat a production...

I want to dye my hair before I go and need my son to help. I don't like the grey/blonde grow outcombo so I'll go back to a darker brown than I have been using. Lt brown just washes out to insipid quite soon.

Well, best check on Mom!

Prolly write on Tuesday as we leave tomorrow.

Sue

[Dreamcometru]

Hi Carolyn and Sue:

Hope you have a fun trip Sue. Its amazing how long it takes to get ready for something like that. It hopefully will be a good outing for your mom.

Lt. Brown, huh. I've stayed with dark brown. I also like the root touch up. It gets me through another 4 weeks without having to color again and is so quick. DD2 colored her hair blond. I'm not sure what possessed her to do it. She didn't like it and colored it back to a light brown. Now it looks brown, orange, blond and dark brown. She really needs to redo it again.

Carolyn: I'm about to give up on DH and DS. They fight all the time. And each provokes the other. DS is to stubborn to just behave and DH is too stubborn to overlook it. Last Friday I came to a house in turmoil. I was really sad. DH wanted to go out on the boat Sunday and won't alone, so he started talking to DS again. Its ridiculous. Yah, definitely a long summer. I hope DH has to work a lot. That's the only thing that helps keep the arguments at bay.

Congrats on not gaining anything. I hope to get back down to siggy weight soon. I remember when siggy weight was five lbs less than what I show now.

Sue, DD1 has chicks in her class room but I'm not sure what kind or if they even hatched yet. I will have to check with her. Congrats on your new babies!

Have a great day!

[sleepysue07]

I need to do my hair too. I love the dark browns, but they seem to always wash out so soon. I don't know why, but my hair won't hold color very long. I bought a box about a month ago and haven't done it yet. I have to have help with it and DH is working so much that when he is home I hate to bother him.

Congrats on the chicks Sue! I can't wait to see a picture.

Right after I typed my last post today we had a power outage, and it has just come back on. We are in the mid 90's today, so it is fair to say that it has been a fairly miserable day. But at least it will be comfortable tonight. My poor dog played in his pool most of the day, and the indoor kitty just tried to sleep through it, poor thing. It's really cute now that the air is back on the dog is laying in front of the air conditioner on his back sacked out!

Our cat has three of the cutest little kittens I think we have ever had. I will try to snap a picture the next time she brings them up to the house. They are in the barn most of the time I think. This is her first litter, so we will have to have her "fixed" soon. We don't want her to have any more.

Well, I have to go now. I need to do some of the things I planned to do earlier today before the power went out.


Carolyn

[Dreamcometru]

Hi Carolyn:

Ewwww, power outage in the hot weather. Icky. Here's one for you. If we had a power outage, we'd be cold because we are still running our heaters out here. Its amazing how unspringlike our spring has been. We had last weekend in the 90's and then it went back to cold again. We've had the heat on in our house for three days now. I'm still wearing sweaters and jackets to work. I bought a couple of really pretty spring blouses because I'm comfortable wearing them without a jacket now, but I can't because its too cold. I wore one on Monday and ended up wearing an old sweater all day that I keep in the office to stay warm.

I hope to work in the yard big time this weekend. Not a very fun memorial day weekend, but worth it. I love it when I have tons of flowers, so I gotta get busy. Summer is almost here and I still have a bed of weeds. My roses are choked out with weeds too.

Oh kittens. Please take a picture. I sure wish I could have another kitty or two. Hey, since I repaired the screen on the front window, my kitty hasn't jumped on it once. Hmmmm.

Hope you and Sue have a great weekend. Sue enjoy NY. I should have you send me a souvenier.

[Suji]

Hi Carolyn and Leslie,
We're back! I am soooo tired today. Traveling and staying someplace other than home can be exhausting. Not much is getting done today, I can tell you.
My father, brother and niece came along earlier than anticipated. I don't know what their schedule is as my dad is hot to get back to his woodworking shop to make a bowl. He needs to have his things to work on to keep happy, I think. Today, he is sleeping in a chair out on our porch making up for the weekend.

We had 2 back to back family reunions. It was interesting and strange to see how much had changed since I last saw people 5 years ago. It was also an emotional reckoning of memory with the way things are now since seeing our old 1840's homestead and how the new owners had changed things. Yikes. To them it was a new slate.

I have yet to get out to our farm and have LOTS to do!!! Yet, the ground is still too moist to work. Drat. I think we'll take everyone out tomorrow unless there is a plan to leave in the morning for SC.

Meanwhile, my Mom has her oxygenator and (I think) her leg pump for the edema problem that they brought along, so hopefully we will work on her.

I am glad to be home!
TTFN,
Sue
(Chicks are growing fast--must get pix!)

[sleepysue07]

Good morning! Sue, I am glad that you enjoyed your weekend. I know about the "emotional reckoning of memory" my old homestead caught fire the year after I sold it and they completely changed the look of the house. I cannot even drive down the lane without crying. The woman I sold it to has very odd taste.

Well, I did work out in the yard some this past weekend. I came in contact with some poison sumac, and a twig which I managed the trip over, then lodge into my middle toe. As of yesterday it has become infected despite my best efforts to keep it clean and medicated. I am suspecting that I didn't manage to extract all of the debris. So I am sure I will be seeing the doctor sometime today.(this is what I get for gardening in flip-flop sandals.)

Leslie, I cannot even imagine having to run the heat at this time of year. We have been sweltering here in Texas. Although the house is actually cold most of the time. If I sit still for long I have to cover up.

Have a great day girls,

Carolyn


Well, I'm off now to get ready for work

[Dreamcometru]

Hi Sue and Carolyn:

Our weekend was a bust. It was too wet to do anything. We got more rain this month than we have had all year. Its ridiculous. Anyway, more rain expected for today. That means I didn't get my beds done. I would try to work between rain storms, but also had constant interruptions.

We decided to replace a TV that got broken over 2 years ago. It was a big 32 inch screen and we had plopped a little portable 12 inch in its place for the longest time. So DS and I went shopping. He's so stubborn, he wouldn't settle on anything but GIANT. So we went home. DH then went with me and we bought a really nice flat screen, but thought it was smaller than it actually was. Its huge. DS didn't want the one we picked out when he and I saw it at teh store the fisrt time until we got it home and set up. His eyes got big and he was so happy. So in the meantime, we also had to purchase a tv stand. It took me and DS 3 hours to put the stupid thing together. Then, the next day, the TV in the other family room blew up (its really old). No joke. So now we have to purchase another one. I guess the good thing is we won't have to buy those converter boxes for analogue tv's. Oh well. Thank President Bush for the tax incentive check because that's what we used.

I ate terribly this weekend and my weight went way up, so here I go again. I got the south beach supercharged book from the library. I'm going to do a little reading, but kind of liked the sample menues, so I want to give it a try.

Sue Glad you made it home okay. Family reunions are so fun. I hope to see pics of the chicks soon. My mom still lives in the house I grew up in. I know its going to be painful once we have to sell it. Hopefully that's a long ways away.

Carolyn: Ooooh I hope you got some remedy from the doctor. Infections can be really tri