Sudokuaholics Anonymous 10

Just dropping in to say Hello and G'Day and all the best to all of you!

We spent most of the day and into the night working on videotaping me playing all of the songs in Suzuki book one. It will probably take all of tomorrow choosing the best take of each and getting it on a DVD. Tuesday night I have to play a song from the end of book two on the performance class. It will probably be what I play for the solo recital for all of my teacher's students. I also need to concentrate my practicing tomorrow on what I'm supposed to have prepared for my Wednesday lesson, as most of the past couple of weeks has been spent on review for the videotaping. Crossing my fingers that it all goes well.

Sending {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, prayers, positive thoughts, healing vibes and for everyone!

Of course, I forgot to check numbers before posting. Here's a quote for today:

Kindness is not something that needs to have a value attached to it. Kindness is something that adds value to someone else’s life.

Saw Dana today. She's not in a good way. I worked out why she didn't tell us straight away. Her symptoms were like being pregnant, but with pain. She couldn't work out how she could be pregnant but, although unlikely, it wasn't completely out of the question so she didn't tell us. (my interpretation) Every time she bends over it hurts her to get up again... She has weekly doctor visits until they can get her a surgery date. Sensible girl asked to go to Wollongong for the surgery so she didn't get stuck with our local butcher.

Julie, I hope you are comfortable enough with at least one of the songs to share it with us...

Suzy - must be hard for Dana, feeling that way and still having to deal with a toddler! I feel for her. I hope it gets sorted sooner rather than later.
Julie - that's a big project with the DVD but will be satisfying for you when it's completed. Good luck and keep up the good work!
June, I hope today went well for you all.
Big hugs to everyone else, now that we're on a new page I can't remember what I read there - doh!!

Suzy.... That must have given Dana quite a scare, thinking she might be preggers again! Her actual problem isn't quite as life changing, but a lot more dangerous. I had numerous ovarian cysts, myself, and ended up being completely gutted. They had to remove both ovaries, tubes and the uterus. As long as they had me open, they took out my appendix, which was a mass of scar tissue. I have some idea of what Dana is going through, and I have a LOT of sympathy for her.

IH woke me up shortly after dawn to tell me that the men working on removing a row of ancient and dead oak trees (the trunks range from 4 to 6 ft in diameter.... they were here when Abraham Lincoln lived in the neighborhood) got their equipment stuck in the mud and needed me to pull them out with my tractor. This time of year, with all of our Kentucky rain, the ground is like a bloated sponge. So I fired up the tractor, hooked up my towing chains, threw her into the lowest gear, engaged the 4WD and differential lock, and couldn't move their equipment a single inch. So they've had to go get a huge tow truck with a lot more power than my 60 HP tractor.

I need to wake up completely, go do the banking for the Lions Club, then fire up the Bad Boy to mow a couple of lawns. IH is happy because he and our neighbor George got the new sump pump installed this morning, and he won't have to bail out the basement when it rains any more. Actually, George did the work, and IH handed him my tools.

You must be getting very proficient on the cello to be recording a bunch of songs, Julie. I wish there was some way to hear you. I'm impressed that you've shown so much dedication to learning and practicing. As CynB said.... Good luck, and keep up the good work!

The workmen returned with their big tow truck, and IT couldn't budge the stuck truck. So I fired up my tractor again, and we pulled together and finally got that truck unglued from the mud. The property isn't ALL that bad when it comes to mud. They just mistakenly backed into a drainage ditch that had many feet of soft sediment piled up by all the rain we've had this Spring.... and the last 100+ Springs.

Our lawn is mowed. That's something. I'm taking a break to rehydrate and cool off before mowing around the office.

The mowing is done. For this week, that is. That's the problem with mowing lawns. You keep having to do it over and over. But it beats the alternative. I couldn't imagine living without a large lawn.

Greetings friends. After a restless night, I slept in till NOON. I DO not think that has happened before. With doc permission, I have started very low dose prednisone once a day, mornings (it keeps me awake if taken full dosage or evenings)to see if we can put a stop to this ongoing fibro flare. Even with my small dose, I am so jittery today. You can rest assured I only do this treatment if the flare is really long lasting. The treatment is almost worse than the illness. I hate drugs and medicines, but the ongoing pain is worse. OK, enough of venting, but it does help to have a safe place here to do that when needed. Thanks to each of you for being you.

A lovely warm spring day today. I think our warmest this spring, temps made 80 today. They drop back to low 70's and some 60's after today.

I think I am now officially the 'plant lady' here at EP. I went downstairs to pick up my lunch and to water the plants on tables, under cover, as the others had plenty of Rain Sunday with that storm system. While there, Jean, the author of the play the EP Players presented recently, asked me if I might be able to plant some 'yellow flowers that smell'. She had bought them as a prop for the play, and did not have a container to plant them in. I told her I could find something I thought, so she went to retrieve them.

OH such sad little marigolds, still in the 4 packs, tiny amount of dirt, and about half of them shriveled from lack of water. They were not crispy or brown, but I told her it was doubtful those 4 would survive. The other 4 were looking OK. So I mentally picked a spot for them in the garden.

then Nancy who is 'in charge' of the garden asked me where she needed to plant that geranium. I told her it needed sun. Three other people have told her it needs sun also, maybe she will believe and get it planted now hehehe. Nancy then said that the location I wanted for the marigolds would not be a good idea, some wildflower would be out soon and take up all of the sunny space. OK, I need to remove the pansies, they are not doing well in the sun, May is the latest I have ever kept Pansies in Alabama, and only then in total shade, so I ripped out the ones in my pot that looked worse, and put in the marigolds.

Nancy keeps saying she wants to give up being in charge of the garden, she just cannot do it any more, but she just cannot give up control of it either. I will figure a way to work around her. Maybe we should give her title of garden consultant and that would do it??

There is an old concrete flower pot sitting empty in the shade part of the garden. I have some coleus that need a summer home. I think I will put them in there. These coleus are ones I 'overwintered' on my window sill. They were HUGE when I moved, and many branches broke trying to move them to my sister's deck. All the broken ones came with me, I rotted them and planted. When they got too leggy in the container, I ripped them out, took new cuttings, rooted them again a

Thought that might run a little long, and it did. Here is the rest of it.

When they got too leggy in the container, I ripped them out, took new cuttings, rooted them again and potted them. Those are the ones that now need a home. Joy and sister Edna both took huge plants home for their garden. I once kept coleus like this for 5 years, rooting, planting, re rooting, to keep them over winter.

Goodness, it is dinner time, and I never had lunch. Guess that happens when you stay abed till noon hehehe. Time to eat some more beef stew, that has been sooo good, and lasted so long too. I was very glad to have it, just heat and eat while I have been so achey. I hope to get back sometime tonight and comment on posts. I got carried away with the garden report. Blame it on the drugs, if they do not make me sleepy, they loosen my tongue (or fingers)

Hugs to each of you, with extras. Till later.

Did I break the site? Looks like it has been hours since I posted. OK, your turn now, I am off to bed. Hugs.

Sorry.... got to watching DVDs to relax after the mowing. I'm running later than usual tonight and have still to feed and water the birds. At least IH is off to the plant tomorrow for 2 days. Or so he says.

Greetings, Everyone!

Suzy, poor Dana thinking it best to tough it out at first. I'm glad she'll be having weekly Doc appointments, but certainly hope her surgery can be scheduled soon-ish! She'll probably be needing quite a bit of help. Is she able to pick up Thali?

Heidi, I'm so glad you were able to get the mowing done, but were you able to get some rest? I'm glad the large truck was able to be removed!

MizT, I'm quite sure the site is not broken. We're just stunned at all the ways you find to volunteer to share your expertise and bring joy to your community! I hope the daily small dose of prednisone will do the trick and help you return to normalcy! Gentle {{{HUGS}}}

The recording is finished (I hope), if teacher approves. We will take what we have to her at my lesson tomorrow. Since we have an old video recorder and computer, my teacher will use her equipment to put everything in order, then submit to another cello teacher for evaluation. I think I get the recording back when they are finished. Then we'll see if we can find a way to post it (or at least a song or two) here.

It's time to head to bed. Sending lots and lots of {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, prayers, healing vibes, positive thoughts and for Everyone!

Heidi, vdV commented on the other site that the dissertation is off to the publisher. He expects at least 3 months for it to be evaluated.

Take care and sleep well!

Hello everyone, I hope you're all well. :)
I see Dana is feeling lousy, poor thing. I hope the surgery is soon - it's awful when you just feel bad all the time. ♥
I haven't been doing anything much, though I've started shopping again. Also spending WAY too much time on another site ...
Oh, should mention that youngest daughter has moved back home! The people she'd moved in with have been real pains and she can't get any study done so she's moved upstairs. (It's kinda nice having her back ...)
Going back to driving is also good, but I seem to have a lot of trouble making decisions - what to have for dinner being the main one!
Well, fairly dull story, but there's not much happening here. Hope you all have a great day. :)

Evening all,
I met Dana for coffee today. She seemed a little better, but Tahli is a real handful. She's actually being a bit of a brat. I wonder if she's sensing something, or if she's just being a brat?

Julie, congrats on getting it all finished. I hope you are able to share something with us. I'd love to be a part of this journey of yours...

Ouch Heidi. At least Dana only has one so far...

The towing would have been quite a show. I would have liked to have seen that. I bet the air was blue!!!

MizT, I hope you are able to nip this flare in the bud and don't have to be on the prednisone for long! Sending cyberisone (no side effects), though only anecdotal evidence for its effectiveness.

I hope the marigolds bloom and grow - now I've got that song going through my head. Bloom and grow foreeever. Not marigolds but...

If you make Nancy garden consultant you will be doomed to referring to her for every single planting forever.

Judy, no story is dull. Hubby has given up asking me what I feel like for dinner because what I feel like is always something very simple that doesn't actually feel like dinner to him. Now I just buy whatever meat is on special - or something for a treat (like a really nice steak, if I can find a good one for under $20 a kilo, getting harder to do).

I'm glad your daughter moving home is a good thing. Big hugs.

Judy, I hate making decisions about what to have to eat or make for dinner and there is nothing wrong with me (well that's my opinion the rest of the family might disagree). Actually I have had a really stiff and sore neck for a few days, I can turn it to the left no problem but it hurts like h*ll turning to the right so that makes driving a little difficult.
We are well into a declutter of an outbuilding which needs to be demolished. Most of the stuff in there is junk so is being taken to the dump. This building is 16' x 14', whoever built it was an idiot. They put a damp proof course in but then rendered over it so the damp travelled up the walls, now the roof, which we repaired 13yrs ago, is rotten. We have decided not to spend any more good money trying to rectify the problem. We are going to have it pulled down and replace it with a log cabin with decking in front for our garden table. I would like to have the whole back garden sorted out but having three dogs is a problem as that is the only garden in which we can have them running free.
((HUGS)) to all who need them or want them.

Did I understand that right? Are we gonna have a vdVPhD? If so, COOL!!!!!

I don't have as many worries as you might think, planning meals. IH rarely shows up when he says he will, but will eat ANYTHING, so I've learned to try to figure out what I'm in the mood for, and fix enough for 2 or 3. IH eats a LOT. That way, if he doesn't turn up, I have leftovers that I really enjoy.

I woke up this morning with my head congested and a VERY sore throat. I need to look and see if I have something to numb the throat. Swallowing HURTS.

Hi all. Busy few days. I have been reading but forgetting to post.

Heidi, hope you are feeling better soon. If I lived closer I would make you a big pot of chicken soup.

Suzy, Tahlia is a brat?? I thought that is normal at that age It could be that she is sensing Dana's pain. I hope she gets the surgery sooner rather than later. Not fun being a mommy and not feeling well.

Heidi, I agree, it will be cool to have vdvphd on the site.

Hi to everyone else I may have missed. I do think of all of you often, I just forget to post.

Still feeling crummy. Oh well.

Just dropping by for a brief hello!

Judy, none of my siblings can make a decision about dinner, myself included. It can be frustrating when we're together. Luckily, if we're in our home town, we can all go to Manny's and get tacos and/or pizza and/or broasted chicken (recently added to the menu). Manny's is about to celebrate its 40th year, so I'm guessing there may be other families like ours that can't make a decision.

We'll find out at my cello lesson next week if the project was acceptable - and hopefully get the DVDs back.

Sending lots of positive thoughts, healing vibes, prayers, and {{{{{HUGS}}}}} for all to share!

Bean, hope you are having a good day.

Hi everyone..Hope all is well with most if not all of you.
Bean, Sure hope you are celebrating with gusto...of course everything you do is with gusto, but I hope today is really special for ya...Happy , happy day,month,year oh heck, life!
Heidi, Sure hope you start feeling lots better and sooner rather than later.
Julie, Good luck in getting high grades for your cello project and looking forward to hearing all about the recital. I know you will be great, even if you don't think so.
Judy..join all of the folks who are well versed in how life is full of avoiding, or have difficulty when trying to make decisions...especially when it comes to preparing meals of any routine fare ...I lead the group I believe...lol. Good to see you posting...and you too Tami..I've missed hearing about your teaching adventures...and remembering why I'm glad to be retired...lol.
Suzie, I so hope Dana is able to get the needed surgery soon and is able to heal completely, but I also hope that you don't attempt to help her out so much that you put yourself at risk...do be careful..I worry and I know I'm not alone.All the best to all of you as you move past this health hurdle.
My son and family will be here tomorrow and the memorial is Saturday, so I will be pretty busy with family this weekend...looking forward to the joy as we gather to 'walk my niece upstairs'...on her way to meet the Master. I will get all of your good thoughts and wishes with me, so until we meet again...Later Gators...Peace

HOW did I miss Bean's birthday???? I'll blame the fever that I still have.

At least it's still your birthday here, so... May this be the start of the best year of your life, and may each succeeding year be better than the previous. You deserve it, my friend.

Mama... thinking of you and your family this weekend. Try to make it a celebration of your niece's life. There's a lot to celebrate. She influenced and affected a lot of lives in a positive way and she will live on in everyone's memories. Tome, a life is successful if you've left the world a better place than you found it. From everything I've heard and read about your niece, she had a positive influence on a lot of people. She was loved by family and friends. May her family and friends find the peace that she's found. ((((( HUGS )))))

I got hay fed to the cows and horses. This may be the last hay feeding of the spring, since the grass is growing well, and we're turning the herd into a fresh field on Monday, after we work them. The calves are gonna be having a rough time, since we're gonna be castrating them. Instead of feeding all the ''Rocky Mountain oysters'' to the dogs, I may keep some and fry them up for myself. I keep hearing how tasty they are.

Have I grossed EVERYBODY out?

I'm trying to decide what I want for supper. It has to be bland 'cause the tummy is still upset. Maybe fish sticks. Or hamburgers.

Grossed me out a bit, Heidi, but I have a weak tummy when it comes to things like that.
It has been very quiet in here the last few days, and it's we Aussies that have been missing.
Maybe they don't have much to report.
My cousin Jimmy is still going, been in hospital and now being transferred to a nursing home to see his last days out - it won't be long now. I feel sad but want him to be painfree and at peace.

Cyn,I understand how you feel about your cousin. It is hard to see those last days linger when they are in pain.
Heidi,I have not tried prairie oysters and cannot eat heart, but I do eat all other offal.
Julie, I am sure you will do well with your concert and the DVD. You will have to put your best song on Youtube when you get the DVD back so we can all see it.

Thank you all for the loving thoughts and hugs that have been sent my way over the last few weeks.
The funeral went very well. It is hard to be very sad when someone has had a full and happy life. We are just sad for ourselves because we will miss her. My MIL had requested (about two years ago) that she just had two bunches of red roses on the coffin. One bunch for her daughter and the other for me. It was such a wonderful gesture and brings tears to my eyes every time I think of them. I have them in the lounge room in a lovely crystal vase.
I did make big booboo. I asked SisIL if I could make the 'Sincere Thanks' cards. It has given her the opportunity to put me down as much as possible. Among other things my name was not to be included. As you can imagine I have made separate ones for Ken and me.

Cyn, I do hope your cousin can make an easy and rapid transition. Noone needs the pain of cancer, it is a monster.

Mama, thinking of you and your family this weekend. Walking your niece upstairs, I like that way of thinking.

Heidi, hope you can soon knock that fever, it has been around far too long. Not sure I could do the Mountain Oysters, but you must let us know what they really taste like. Hope you have good instructions in their preparation. It is good you foresee the end of putting out hay. That will give you more time to mow grass hehehe.

BEANIE, I said Happy Happy on the other site, but neglected to do so here. Hope it was spectacular.

My youngest (step)daughter needs your prayers and good healing thoughts for her mother. She is again in hospital, seizures, pneumonia, and they just found a mass between lung and spine. But she has regained consciousness and recognized her aunt who was there, that is an improvement. Joy is having a hard time, with her Mom being so unwell and just far enough away she cannot go see her until weekend.

Julie, I do hope your cello instructor is pleased with your video you turned in. Hope your recital goes smoothly, when did you say it would be?

It was much cooler and a bit damp today, with a breeze. I went out to water flowers and sit on deck and got cool.

OH JUNE, such a hurtful thing for your SIL to do. I do not understand how anyone can be so thoughtless to a family member. I think you have the best solution, just send out your own cards for you and Ken. People who get both will see at a glance what she has done. Hugs to you dear, you do not deserve this treatment.

Hugs to each of you (seems I forgot them on the previous post) with extras. Till later.

Fellow Sudokuaholics! I am here earlier than usual because we have a very busy day which starts early tomorrow. I had planned to get back to some cello practicing after dinner, but I'm in the midst of doing multiple loads of yrdnual. I'm afraid I'd be up and down the stairs more than I would be practicing.

Mama, we will be thinking of you and your family this weekend. It seems there is much in your niece's life to celebrate. May the happy memories be the most prevalent! What a wonderful thought, that you will all be 'walking her upstairs.'

Heidi, I hope you will soon be feeling better! What a nice thought that you won't need to be feeding hay for quite some time! I don't think I would join you in the meal of Rocky Mountain Oysters, but as long as I don't need to be present, the choice is yours.

Cyn, continued prayers for your cousin Jimmy. As it seems that his time is nearing, my prayers for him will include the wish for a peaceful passing when the time comes. {{{HUGS}}}} to you and your family!

June, I am relieved that the funeral for your MIL went well. At least your SIL apparently didn't decide to create a scene. I'm so sorry that she still feels a need to put you down for your offer to make the 'Sincere Thanks' cards. You are right to send some specifically from you and Ken. How rude that she thought your name shouldn't be included!

MizT, will be sending positive thoughts and healing vibes for Joy's mother and warm {{{HUGS}}} and positive thoughts for Joy.

Yesterday spring (well, actually more like summer) arrived for the day with temps in the mid-80's and beautiful sunny day. Today temps fell back into the mid- to high-40's and the day was damp and gloomy with rain off and on. At least we didn't get the snow that fell on states to the north and west of us! I can imagine that you got cool sitting on the deck today, MizT!

Sending lots of {{{{{ H U G S }}}}}, healing vibes, positive thoughts and prayers for each of you!

An enjoyable evening at the Bowling club BBQ. I won a prize in the weekly Mother's day raffle (a wooden cheese board with some cracker biscuits etc) and a breakfast tray (eggs sausages and bacon) in the raffle of the night.
Loving thoughts for Joy. Also for all the other people with people facing illnesses.
Yesterday I felt I needed a change of scenery so went to the flicks and saw 'The Big Wedding'. Just what I needed. Lots of laughs.