Good late afternoon, Buddies.  I went to SS and church this morning with Olyne.  Afterwards I didn't change out of my church clothing as Frederissa and her hubby were coming to pick me up for a gathering of Seniors who like me use their service for trips to hair cuts, groceries, doctor's appointments, etc.  It costs $250/annually and that is a real bargain for most people.  I only use it for hair cuts, dermatologist visits, dental visits and occasional shopping to pick something up at Wal Mart or Big Lots.  Tim wants to go to doctor's appointments with me and we go to lunch out on Friday, then he takes me to the library and to Kroger. 

The gathering was very nice and the hosts new home was very spacious and beautifully decorated.  We had a buffet of interesting dishes including desserts and hors' (sp?) doreves.  All were delicious and I won't have to fix a supper dish for myself this evening.  (Sharon you probably know all about correcting my mistakes!)

I hope you've all had a nice day.  It was raining cats and dogs when we left the party and my sweater and pants were wet despite using my umbrella.  I have things spread out all over the kitchen and laundry room. 

I'll be back tomorrow, Buddies.
Sue

Everybody's been quiet in here today - then finally Sharon and Sue showed up.  It's been really a "nothing" weekend here - but I got lots of knitting and TV done.  On Jean's recommendation (on the free Starz weekend), I watched a movie with Frances McDormand set in about 1939-30 London, called "Miss Pettigrew ..... (don't remember the rest of it).  It was delightful!

Today has been a grey rainy day - all day long.  The temp hasn't gotten above 60* and we've already had nearly 2" of rain.

Have a good week, Buddies!

It's been a quiet weekend here, too, and a painful one for me.  I don't know why all the joints are so painful today.  I awoke at 2:00 am with lots of severe, shooting pain in my knee, but it finally settled down with an arthritis tylenol and I could go back to sleep. 

I did get out with Ray to the pancake breakfast the Masons sponsor to raise $$ for the scholarships they give annually, and he stayed to work the cleanup shift.  I did take my car to the car wash which was so crowded yesterday and had about a half hour wait.  I take my IPAD and read while I wait.

Otherwise, I watched some of the Stanley Cup Playoff hockey games and read. 

Weather is to continue good all week.

jane

Monday Morning Sunshine to you all.

It looks to be a lovely day here.

Hope you all have a peaceful, healthy, and wonderful first day of this week.

jane

Good morning, Buddies.  Jane, I hope you're pain free today.  Nothing worse than joint pain. 

It's sunny here after a lot of rain yesterday afternoon and most of the night.  I need to get outside and pick up downed limbs and other bits of stuff that need to go to the curb.  My trash pick up has already been here, but I'd like to get the rest of it down to the curb today.

I'm expecting Tim sometime this morning and also Joe, my "bug" guy.  Tim is usually here by now and Joe told me he'd be here about 11:00.  He sprays inside and out and keeps the bugs out of my house.  He was traveling all winter and this is the first time he's sprayed since late last October.

I have the usual laundry and tidying up to do today.  Other than that, will continue reading a detective mystery I started yesterday.

Have a good day, Every Buddy.
Sue

jane, sorry the weather changes are giving your joints such fits, but it sounds like it's finally warming up for you.

Sue, good to hear you're getting some sunshine.

It rained all night here, plus this morning.  I now have 4.5" of rain in my rain gauge.  There'll be flash flooding in the area for sure.  Even with the rain, it felt good to get in the pool this morning.

It is cold and rainy here today!  We're expected to get about an inch, but it is supposed to drizzle all day today and most of tomorrow.  We need it, but I just wish it came at night.

I had to go to the pain dr's to have my stimulator reprogrammed.  Either she wasn't very good or was afraid to use a reasonable amount of strength. I had so much trouble trying to tell when it was on and off and where it was covering--kind of like at the optometrist who asks "Is #1 or #2 better?"  Anyway, she finally seemed to think she had it done right.  We'll see. I didn't get home till noon. I have to put in a couple loads of laundry but otherwise am going to relax.  Dinner is leftover beef & noodles from Sat. night. Jane, when you posted about fixing them, I got a craving!! Your breakfast sounded good too. I didn't fix much for supper because of the ham dinner  at church.

Mary, you have gotten so much rain this past 6 mos or more!  Glad you enjoyed your swimming.  When it is cold out, that's the last thing I want to do.

Sue, hope you get your sticks, etc, collected. Nice that you have decent weather today.  Your luncheon sounded nice.  The correct spelling you were trying for is "hors d'oeuvres".  I know it is a hard one to remember.

Have a good day everyone.  Sharon

I have a dental appt. tomorrow for a cleaning & suppose to have x rays . I'm going to try to get out of the x rays . I have had  many x rays , scans & mammograms in the past few months I think its too soon .  Then Thursday I will see my primary dr .

Alpiner....I’ve postponed them, too, when I’m just not in the mood or think it’s just too much.  They have never found anything on those dental xrays, and that bothers me. 

Jane

Beautiful Tues. here. 

Mary....gads, you’ll have to have water wings with all your rain.

Ray’s gone out to golf, and I’m in cleaning mode still.  I feel much better today...joints aren’t screaming.


Jane

We have dental appts on Thursday.  I onlly get xrays every 18 months because I have so many crowns & there aren't many teeth that can get cavities. I haven't had one for a long time--peck on wood. John, however, has had to have several fillings replaced and cavities filled, so he's still on a yearly schedule.
I don't blame those of you who reject the xrays.  If xrays do cause cancer, I am surprised I'm not riddled with it from all the CT scans and other xrays I've had.  MRI's don't count as they are magnetic.

I've got the last load of laundry ready to put in the dryer and then I'm done with that for the week. I need to write my church articles, but other than that, I don't plan to do too much today.

Jane, nice that Ray can play golf finally. Hope you get a walk in.  We are supposed to have scattered showers today, but so far, not. 

Mary, are you just saying "Glub, glub?" Or have you dried out some.

No other news here.  Sharon

It's finally stopped raining, and we've even had a few off-and-on minutes of sunshine.  My rain gauge holds 6" of water, and this morning, it was full to the top.  I'm sure we had more than that because it poured buckets after dark last night.  There'll be lots on the local news about places that flooded - there were already roads closed last night.  I'm sure we'll wish we had some of this come August.  And I wish I could share some of it with family in Southern California. 

My husband is working with our insurance concerning the ER dr. that admitted me in February .  She didn't have my insurance information & YIKEs !  It was over $1,000 & I only saw her once .  I really don't remember her , so I must have been unaware .

alpiner, I hope you get things straightened out with your insurance.  ER charges are always astronomical.  In the first months of any year, there's always the deductible to be aware of, though.  Good luck!  How did your dentist visit go?

Sharon, have you gotten any help from getting the back thing-y adjusted?  I hope so.

Hi Every Buddy I have invited a friend named Conny to join us here, She is going to have a double mastectomy on May 3rd. Prayers welcomed of course. She is having a double because she doesn't want to do chemo or radiation.

I've been busy and just haven't posted because I was taking a break from  spending so much time on the computer. Doing emails and checking Facebook is about all I've done for a few days. I have wasted way too much time  on this machine. Other things need doing around here.

I am doing well and my Tai Chi class is growing I  now have 8 victims oh students that is. 

Hooray for your growing class, Marilyn!  And, of course,  your friend is most welcome here.  We're looking forward to getting to know her - even if we wish it were for another reason.

The dental appt. went fine , I wasn't scheduled to have x rays after all .

Alpiner...yep, ER visits are very costly.  Hence the push to get everyone to have insurance so they're not running to the ER with every cold, sinus infection, earache, etc., but to go to a regular doctor.  For those without insurance, we all end up paying, of course.

Marilyn...We'll be welcoming to your friend, of course.

Sharon...Good to have the laundry out of the way.

Mary...yikes...what a lot of rain, you've had.  Yes, CA and TX would welcome some of that.

A bright, beautiful day here, and I'm off to bridge in a couple of hours. 

Yesterday I got the back of the house and kitchen woodwork washed and windows cleaned.  Friday, it's on to the dining room.   

Hi Gals, well, we definitely got our share of rain last evening in addition to the off and on rain we had for 2 days.  Don't know how much we got because we get a different amount than Charlotte. They said they expected to total 6" also.  Lots of flooding in NC. I-77 where they had construction work going on was flooded and traffic was practically at a standstill for hours.  So glad we weren't using it.

I played bridge and had lunch this morning/noon and just got home.  Had a decent day and came in in the middle I think--nothing spectacular!  Our opponents bid and made 6 NT on the last hand!! We had next to nothing to oppose them.

Had a phone call on the machine from my dentist that I needed to take an antibiotic tomorrow before my cleaning. I had forgotten completely, but I only have to take it an hour before my appt. so they are calling it in & I can pick it up on the way and take it then.

Tomorrow afternoon, I'm taking Bunny in to have her salivary gland checked and probably aspirated.

John and I went over a bunch of financial stuff yesterday that he simply doesn't seem to remember from one minute to the next.  He has always just counted on me taking care of everything, but now at our ages, he is finally realizing he needs to be on top of things too--just in case. We're also going to go over our wills and trusts and write out questions or changes that need to be made and then I picked up a business card from a nearby lawyer. When we get the prelim done, we'll call for an appt.  I also have a call in to our financial advisor to discuss some changes that need to be made before fall when John turns 80.  There's always something going on that one needs to take care of.  I would love to have a totally free day.

Jane, you must have the cleanest house in IA!!  I see things that need to be done, but unless my cleaning girl can do them, it's hard for me to get them done.  My girl is bringing her daughter to do the windows next week, so I'm thrilled with that.

Marilyn, I know what you mean about the computer stuff eating up your time. I'm bad about that and have been trying to cut back too.  Congrats on the growing TC class. We'll be on the look-out for your friend, Conny.  Prayers going out for her.

Mary, I hope you haven't had any flooding in and around your apartment.

Alpiner, glad you didn't need xrays.

Have a good rest of the day. Sun is shining brightly here.  Sharon

Sharon, there's been flooding in the area (interstate ramps and underpasses, local roads, etc.), but none in my immediate area.  Our building is built into the foot of Signal Mountain, so any local flooding would be below us in any case.

I think I'm about to finally get the last of my financial stuff with my financial advisor, so I'm relieved to get that off my shoulders.  I got my will and various other documents rewritten a year or so ago, so that's taken care of.  I used a lawyer who does mostly elder work and was recommended by my financial gal.  Margaret (Jean for backup) has the responsibility for all the legal/financial stuff, and Sue (Kate for backup) for all the medical stuff - and everybody (especially me!) is happy with that arrangement.

jane, you're so good to get all that stuff kept up-to-date.  It can get ahead SO quickly.

alpiner, glad your dental appointment went well, with no x-rays.

I went for my mani/pedi this morning - always a treat.  No discount on the pedi, but it doesn't take quite as long, either.  After that, I went to the garden center and got some bedding plants.  Our weather guy finally said we were out of any frost danger, so it was okay.  I just plant a couple of small racks that hang over the railings of the deck.  I got some salvia, verbena, Dusty Miller, portulaca, and sweet potato vines.  They're crowded in, but I like them to fill up the space.  Margaret will bring me a lot of hanging baskets.  The lady bluebird has really been busy on my mealy-worm-feeder.  Seems soon for her to have babies - maybe she's just building up her strength.

Mary, I'm buying some flowers tomorrow.  Glad you aren't under water!! As to the bluebirds, they should be breeding now.  In HH, they lay eggs by the end of Feb, and here, they seem very active. I don't have a nest to check though.  Usually, when they start eating the mealy worms and suet, they are either laying eggs, feeding mama or the babies. Wish I were nearby to enjoy your bluebirds and flowers on your deck.

We had our wills, etc. done in HH, but there are a couple changes that need to be made and also to check on whether everything is compatible with current law.  Brian is our general executor and Melanie has the health POA and Lori is backup to both.

TTYL  Sharon

wow..Texas weather...90 degrees yesterday...rain and some hail and wind today...and 70 degrees now.....Hi to everyone reading hope you are having a great day..Darlene

Good evening, Buddies.  I did chores and took a walk this morning before showering and dressing for bridge this afternoon at Terri's.  Carolyn picked up me and Helen (our 99 y.o. member who has been in the hospital recently.  She is now home, but is still a lousy bridge player!).  We had our usual 2 tables and I enjoyed the outing.

Tim called before I left and asked me if we could eat lunch and go to Kroger tomorrow instead of Friday.  He has some business to attend to then and needs to go out of town to do it.  I'd planned to get my haircut tomorrow and had requested a Senior Friend to take me to Great Clips, but called the secretary and she found one of my church friends who will take me for the haircut about 9:00 on Friday a.m.

I've been watching TCM this evening and am going to bed now and read.  Good night, All.
Sue

Good morning, Buddies.  I'm up early, breakfast eaten and cleaned up, and a load of wash almost ready for the dryer.  Tim will be here to go to an early lunch and grocery shopping.  I hope to have the laundry dried and put away before he gets here.  I've postponed my haircut until tomorrow morning.  A Senior and Friends volunteer will pick me up and take me to Great Clips which is in the same parking lot as Kroger.

I have a lot of paper back books that one of my cleaning ladies brought on Tuesday.  I've picked out the ones I want to read and have a pile of them on my kitchen table as Tim may want to read them.  If he has already read them, he'll probably take them somewhere to donate or store them in their basement until his next big sale.  Sometimes he just donates them to different organizations, like Salvation Army.

I hope all are well and that today is a good one for Every Buddy.
Sue

We've got rain again today.  It's appreciated since I got my bedding plants put out yesterday.  It's just the two small rail-planters, but I like having them.

Since yesterday, I seem to have found a natural squirrel deterrent.  I have two bluebird houses - both occupied.  One of the males is quite territorial, and has been dive-bombing the squirrel - even when he tried for the other feeders (with sunflower and safflower seeds).  And actually ran him off.  I'm cheering him on!   

Morning, Babes.

The landscape people are here, and they’re busy doing the cleaning up and trimming and getting the big honeysuckle hedge trimmed back, etc.  There are two plants that need to be replaced and they will pull those and have ideas for what they will put in there to deal with the shade.  They are a month behind, they said, because of the cold and snow.

A fellow Ray knows brought his car over to see if it will fit our garage.  It does, so I think Ray will be wanting that model now.  He has the smaller version now.    Men and their cars!

Jane

I had an appt. with my primary care dr. this morning regarding a chest  x ray , , lab results & my oxygen level .  The chest x ray was okay , I had seen the results & wondered about a word in it . The dr. said it wasn't a tumor but scar tissue from having had pneumonia ( I have had it several times over the years ) . The lab was okay & he said steroids had some thing to do with elevated sugar level . He has said in the past he isn't concerned with it .  My oxygen reading was 96 !!   A far cry from 88 a few weeks ago & I can get off the oxygen !! 
The oxygen equipment will be picked up on Wednesday !!

Hooray for the good reports, alpiner!

Hurrah for the good reports, alpiner!  Yep, steroids do raise blood sugar, but the steroids are necessary for lots of conditions. 

Good news, Alpiner.  Congratulations!

Jane, were your landscapers able to come back and finish your job?  You have mentioned having more snow since coming home from your winter escape.  We had much more snow than usual here in Auburn this winter, but it looks like spring has finally sprung.  My azaleas have all finished blooming and were lovely this spring.  Now I have a big crop of weeds all over the place.  Every time I'm outside I pull a few more to take down to the curb for the trash pick up on Mondays.

Alpiner, hurray for the good reports and getting off the oxygen!  You've made good progress recently.

Mary, lucky you for having both bluebird houses filled.  I have one out back, but haven't seen any bluebirds.  I do have cardinals nesting in the vines along my fence, so hope to see the babies, soon.  Both male and female cardinals have been picking up seeds from my feeder--mostly on the ground as a pesky squirrel comes down the big cedar tree and taps the seed release.  The cardinals and the squirrel seem to be able to feed at the same time.

A Village Friend picked me up at 9:00 to take me for a much needed haircut this morning.  She took her recyclables to the recycle center and my hair was much shorter by the time she came back.  She's also a church and women's basketball friend.  I have paid an annual fee into the Village Friend's organization for the past 2 years.  They will take me wherever I need to go, but Tim takes me to my GP appointments and my cardiology appointments.  Village Friends take me to haircuts, eye and dental appointments.  Village Friends has been a great help while I'm still unable to drive.

Have a nice day, Every Buddy--and a nice weekend, too.
Sue