MVM MONDAY July 18

[zip2play]

Hi gang,
Ecch...woke to 80 degrees and 90% humidity, fog really, so it's going to be another misery. Bob insisted on running the dishwaser so I've got it rigged so the kichen is under negative pressure with a fan into the air vent and a curtain keeps it's air separate. All is well as long as the curtain billows slightly inward towards the kitchen. WHen the steam is released at the end it goes up the shoot....For showers (I take mine at the gym) The reversal of the same fan and a slosed bathroom door blows air UNDER the bathroom door and out IT'S vent...real Rube Goldberg here.

Water weight is holding to the two achey-breaky pounds but alas, my BP last night was more like 143/92 . I guess I am going to have to restrict salt. The nice thing about thiazides is that the salt takes care of itself. I'm committed to at least a 30 day trial with no BP drugs so all I can do is what I can do...and keep good records.

I'm getting interested in the growing story about ZACH. The NYTimes had a story in the Sunday Times Style section built around a blog of a 16 year old gay teenager in TN. His parents locjed him up in a Christian place that claims to get "cures." He continued his blog reporting on his "adventures" at the "Love in Action/'Refuge.'" I started gathering bits and pieces on the web and the story is getting bigger and bigger. The Christian "prison" shut dowm his computer use when they found out what he was doing so he's currently incommunicado. Tennessee officials have begun scrutiny of this group and have ordered them to stop claiming "therapeutic cures" since more than 80% are "gay agin" within 5 years of leaving...but HOPELESSLY screwed up as a result of the "torture." THis story will get BIG!

Linda,
It looks like you and Gerard had the joint all to yourself yesterday...was it closed when you snuck in or was business really that bad at the Carny. Did you see a "GEEK." (I've never seen one but Bob always talked about the guys who bit off the chickens heads! )

Just gym and gagging lollies today. Sorted the pantry yeaterday and found 3 big old cans of stuffed grape leaves (dolma) from the old days of INTERNATIONAL FOODS...Yummy for lunches!

to all!

[zip2play]

God,
It's up to 87 and outside is a brilliantly white-white FOG of steam. There are going to be people dropping dead on the streets if they venture out. I'm sure the fog is polluted enough to drop birds from the air!
Reminds me of the old lyrics from HAIR:

Cataclysmic ectoplasm
Fallout atomic orgasm
Vapor and fume
At the stone of my tomb
Breathing like a sullen perfume
Eating at the stone of my tomb

Welcome! sulphur dioxide
Hello! carbon monoxide
The air, the air
Is everywhere

Breath deep, while you sleep
Breath deep

Deep, deep, deep, cough cough

[LoveMontana]

Good morning Roger and everyone.

It's far too damned hot and humid here too, and to top it off, the noise pollution from the construction equipment next store is driving me NUTS! I guess they are covering up the new septic system and getting ready to drill the well. Hope the noise doesn't last all week

OMG Roger, Those parents and "Christian" prison people should be SHOT!! It's beyond my comprehension. How can people be so ignorant and cruel?

There were only a few people at the Strate show yesterday afternoon because of the heat, sun and lack of shade, but they do seem to pack them in at night.

Geek? No we didn't go to any of the shows but I didn't see anything like that advertised.

Yum, I LOVE Dolmatas, but prefer mine eaten on a beach in the Greek Islands. Pass the Metaxa please.

Off to Wally World to pick up some pictures I ordered on line at $.19 each. Didn't know I could access their one hour photo place on line. How KWELL!
Then to a wake for an old friend of G's parents.

Stay cool everyone.

[Jewels]

Glad you two like those grape leaves...not me! So you guy's just go ahead and enjoy them for me.

Sorry for all your high heat and humidity. We will get to 82° today so I'm assuming this is our summer??? Ok. I won't gripe. Better than 62°.

Linda I didn't know about the 1 hour photo online. Have done Costco but WallyW is much closer. Thanks for that tip.

About DD...guess we'll go to the wedding. I'm still not sure of it but think to keep some sort of peace we will. Nick will ask his counslor tonight if he thinks the judge would approve. It is mainly casino's and he's not allowed inside one. We'll see.
Now the other problem..she wants me to talk to her brothers and see if they can all come together and respect each other. I feel it's her place but she said she has asked a couple of times and got no response. My birthday party is coming up and I had already asked the boy's. Now do I ask her or not? ONLY if they agree. Not sure how I'm going to go about this. Any idea's my friends?

Off to do some errands today. Go through my closets should be on the top of my list but.....hmmmm it's sunny outside so....

Hi to all who follow.

[BarbCO]

Morning to Linda, Roger, Julie and the rest to follow later!

Came home to a big fire burning in a canyon about 20 miles from here. The smoke is just hanging over us and they have warnings out for people with breathing problems. No outside walk today! It's so hot and dry here, we could use some leftover hurricane rain.

Linda, the pictures are great. What are the side-shows? Surely they don't have "freak" shows anymore with all of the disability legislation. Besides your mom and Gerald, that is one lovely skinny person in that picture. The place your mom has is beautiful.

When's your birthday Julie? I guess you will be ok with all of those candles on a cake. Here, we have a fire ban!!

Roger, the ZACH story is just like so many other " we will fix these people" stories. Just think about what we did to Indians, non-Christains, Jews, orphans, witches, and many more groups. Be just like me or else.

Picked up three more books at the library so I better run on.........

[Jewels]

Barb, hahahahahahah Aren't we all turning 62 this year???????? Unless you have skipped this year and are 63?????????????????

[shawneesioux]

Hi Y'all

HOT today again. Tomatoes are taking off their snowsuits, donning bikinis
Kaci's are ahead of mine, one almost ripe! That kid not only inherited my Green Thumb, she stole mine! We did a short Lunch and shopping trip today...I'm feeling better and more able to tackle serious Retail Therapy...while she's in the grips of First Trimester adjustments. Used to be me saying I'm tired.


LOL, Julie...NO, we won't ALL be turning 62 this year...I am still a child of 60. Then there's Jacki, who's soon gonna have a B-day, but still hanging on to very-low Fifties...Ginny is just beginning to reach adulthood, at what...40? (altho I swear she was born mature) ..
And what about Liz ??? Thirty-something???

Wow, sounds like y'all could benefit from a total group counceling Powwow; with a Talking Stick. (only the Stick holder gets to talk!!..) Then pass the stick, and LISTEN, no interruptions.

If your DD wants relationships with other relatives, she should persue it...I've tried to be the "glue" to hold family members together...wound up being the "fall guy" instead. If her DBros weren't responsive, it was their right and their choice. She has the choice to try again.

Just ain't no way in hell that ALL family menbers can all get along with each other all the time. I'm so glad to be OLD and have the balls to cut Toxic people out of my life, most of the time. Can't choose our Relatives, Thankfully we can choose our friends

Montana, THANKS for the great pics. Geez, WHAT are you holding?? Finally found your DMom...spotted white shoes, and worked upwards
HEY, that ol' Craftsman sure looks like mine.."Ol' Grey Guy" LOL, '86 vintage, 10 HP. Bob has tuned him up...says he's gonna sell him...LOL, we shall see if he can part with this faithful family member..
What a pretty area for the BBQ!

Gotta run..
HEY to ALL, hope to be back

[JackiCWa]

Hi everyone.

Blazing hot yesterday and today and we didn't get the AC put in the window.

We got the shed put up yesterday...no photo because it's just a boring garden shed. Finished it up about 7:30 then dragged as* inside for dinner and collapse. This morning at 7 I was out there to do some more digging so the doors could swing open. Ground had high spots. I dug out a nice rectangular area in front then filled it with gravel. Ughhhh, my afore mentioned as* is really screaming at me now. Dog tired and I bet it takes Roy and I all week to rehydrate our bodies. Something bit me on the hand yesterday....and it itches like crazy and gives me visions of flesh eating bacteria....ARRRGGGHHHHHH. I'm sure I'm over worrying.

Periodontist appt this afternoon. Yikers! I will have to have some oral surgery to try to halt some bone loss in areas around my teeth. Just waiting for the hard numbers from my insurance to decide which way to take this. As if there is any alternative. One-tooth Jacki???? Such is life.

We are going to have bbq dinner tonight...I ain't cookin inside in this heat. Have a good evening all.

[JackiCWa]

I took these saturday
Trying to figure out how to use my macro setting.

Bee on stokesia daisy



Closer look.



Mrs Reynaldo fuschia



my mixed coleus



close up of lavatera



an unnamed fuschia



acanthus (bear's breeches)

[Jewels]

Jackie, what great beautiful pics. Can I use them for my screensaver?

LOL Shawnee, sorry about the age thing. I was thinking of Zip, Barb, Linda and myself. I knew some others weren't as old as dirt like us.

Good advice on the family. I think you are right too. I told her to talk to her brothers but in her warped brain, she thinks she is blameless here. Not sure if I'll say anything to her brothers but if I do I'll just tell them, we have a truce for the moment and I mean moment.

[zip2play]

Oh Julie,
I think Barb just hit the roof. I don't think she's as old as we.

Nice steak dinner out with friends...it was my birthday dinner from Bob. See, we BOTH procrastinate. Of course, for me it's usually YEARS later.

Storm clouds threaten but it's still sweltering and gooly humid but my fast trigger finget hit the A/C button before the door slammed shut!

Oh, my REAL trigger finger cured itself with a little help from an experiment of mine. Saved a doctor's visit!

I bought THE AUDUBON GUIDE TO MUSHROOMS for our trip and Bob saw a guy at Barnes and Noble reading a bird guide. He mentioned we were going to Plum Island and the guy went completely NUTS. He said it's the best birder location in the United States so we will bring a couple bird guides from the library.

[Jewels]

Geez, where did I get that...Barb forgive me!

Heading to Mt.St.Helens tomorrow. Our friends that moved to Conn. are visiting family in middle Oregon so will meet them on top of the Mt. for a picnic. It's about 3 hours away for us. So don't expect any blabbering from me tomorrow. Just in case you miss me.

[JackiCWa]

Julie, thank you and yes, you may use any you want for your screensaver.

[OrchidCactus]

Hey gang,

Just a quick run through for me tonight......

Love the pics, Jacki and Linda! Wow on the macro lens, they sure are fun to play with.

Julie, you are not the peacemaker, that's up to them. If your DD wants to keep trying, let her.... no one can change any one else. If the whole family wants to try counselling to see if there's hope of reconcilliation, then do that. Like Shawnee said, being the 'glue' turns you into the 'fall guy'. Julie takes care of Julie FIRST! *putting cyber 2 x 4 away* Oh, and

Off to feed the kids.........

[LoveMontana]

Ginny, I totally agree with your advice to Julie.
Give those fur kids a hug for me.

Jackie your pictures are awesome!!! I just may use a few for new avatars.OK?

Julie enjoy Mt St. Helens and your get together. If you are ever east to see those friends, you MUST stop by here. We would put you up for a few nights.

Shawnee, LMAO. Now I have a mental image of tomatoes peeling off snow suits and putting on bikinis.

Gotta love those old Craftsman. They sure served us well, eh?

Barb, OMG that fire is far too close. Got my fingers crossed for you and get the hell out of there if an evacuation order is issued, PLEASE.

Yes they do have "freak shows" but don't call them that now. They call them "Human Oddities"


Where are Liz and Susan?

[Jewels]

Thanks my friends, I will take your advice. I knew the answer but just needed some backup.

[shawneesioux]

Hi again

YIPPIE for you Zip, on curing your Trigger finger! No more "mis-fires" and , and shooting $pendy pills into the toilet

Jackson, GREAT shots, really pretty! The huge leaves on the Bears Breeches always stun me, they look shined and polished.
Loretta will be beside herself ..ALL these future Scrresavers and Avatars to choose from

How did the perioD appt. go?

Barb, sending big RAIN thoughts your way, 20 miles is too damned close. Yeah, I think there's one more episide...I liked each one better progressively...but they really aren't as nitty-gritty, vicious as Life really was then.

Hey Godiva, what's your hurry, galloping thru here like the Storm Troopers are on your butt
Hugs to all the Pups.

Y'all ready for a MIDNIGHT RAID on Jacki's pretty flowers? I'll sidetrack her wicked watchPup StarTunia with hugs, while y'all snatch up bouquets.


Julie, hope ya have a super time re relatives, friends, St Helens picnic.


Montana, the ol Craftsman isn't as noisy as the JD !

Hey to SuSUN, Liz...miss y'all here

Loretta, and blessings

[BarbCO]

Morning you oldies but goodies! I'm ONLY 20, in mind, with a multiple of 3 plus 1 !!!

Fire is getting under control but the smoke is enough to kill one. We need some RAIN badly. 103 today and 104 tomorrow with a real cool down of 99 after that.

Julie, ditto what everyone else said about DD and family. There are nine of us and whenever someone tries to get ALL of us to get along, that person ends up with mud on their face. It ain't going to happen!

We can pick our friends, we didn't pick our family! I'm not FRIENDS with all of my family. My mom thinks that we should all be friends because we have the same parents. I disagree.

Jackie, just simply beautiful pictures !!

Linda, human oddities? That sounds worse! I can't imagine that shows can get away with it now days.

Shawnee, I agree on the "real" life of the old west. "Deadwood" was on HBO and we got the DVD's for Season 1. Now, if you can take the language, that really shows life in a lawless town. Since it takes place in the Black Hills with our lust for gold, we also have the ruthless execution of the American Indian from those darn hills!

Nothing new, strange, or different here. Keep cool and have a good one!