Now I really did it :((

[MarionC]

Good morning!

My young friends are here. We had a wonderful time last night sitting around the table talking & laughing, drinking wine and eating the turkey chili I made.
They have just gotten engaged and are so happy. I haven't seen them in two years and love having them back thinking of buying part of the farm to turn into a retreat/learning center. If they build here there will be four houses on the farm and it could be the beginning of a community. For me this has been the missing element. I love it here but it is too isolated.

Missy, can we get more information on the dog? You know there are collie rescues that will take the dog and even ship it to another part of the country. When I was a cattle-dog foster one of my dogs went to PA. Please tell your sister to look on Petfinders.com. 8 month old puppies are a pain, but so worth it. Even I am interested! [I must be madmadmad ] Let's help her figure this out.

 

[MarionC]

The collie is in good hands and several people are interesting in adopting him, so a happy ending for this boy!

 

[junebug17]

Hi all!

I accidentally deleted a long post yesterday (grrr) so this one is going to be a bit shorter, which is a good thing because I tend to ramble on anyway.

Missy, first of all I'm so sorry Sammy has an injured ear, but I'm hoping it's not as bad as it looks - minor cuts can bleed a lot, and he looks like he's doing ok. Sending lots of healing dust to Sammy and hopefully it's not a serious injury. I think I would leave the cage up for now - it's keeping the raccoons out and seems to be letting the kitties in. The raccoons will just devour that food so quickly otherwise. It sounds like these rescue people know what they're doing, and I would think when the time comes they will coordinate things with you - they have to take into account you're not living at the beach house right now. I understand your feelings about these kitties and totally empathize, just want you to know that. Try to hang in there, there is no perfect solution to this and you are doing all you can, so please try to get a bit of comfort from that. (((hugs)))

And I'm so sorry about the abandoned collie, I know this is an additional worry for you; I wish there was more I could do other than just offer moral support from afar. I'm hoping the thread you started will help, people are already responding with suggestions.

Good luck with your CE this weekend, sorry to hear you're on your own, things like this are better with company but hopefully the days will pass quickly.

LLJsmom, thank you for your kind words! I'm so sorry your father is having health issues that seem to be also affecting him emotionally, I think having health problems can just depress and wear a person down sometimes. And feeling down can keep a person from taking care of themselves. It's a vicious cycle and I've been experiencing this with my mother as well. Maybe at some point you could discuss the changes you're seeing with him - who knows, maybe he'll feel better just sharing how he's feeling with someone. I know a lot of older people have a hard time doing that though. Sometimes there's only so much we can do. You're a great daughter, and it sounds like you're doing all you can to support and help him. Hang in there, and big hugs to you!

The sentiments expressed in your post about your grandmother's hands are just lovely!

And I think you should definitely consider a new stone if that's what you're thinking you'd like! You have many more years to wear and enjoy your ering, why not make it what you really want? How's that for enabling haha!

Calliecake, I'm sorry to hear your furbaby is still under the weather, I'm really hoping she improves very soon. My sister is doing general renovations, but I'm wondering if she's going to need to look into installing bars in the bathroom my mother will be using. My mother will have a connecting bathroom to her bedroom at my sisters, which will work out well. No special plans for the weekend - in fact, I feel like I'm coming down with a cold so I think I'm just going to take it easy this weekend.

Marcy, glad you had a nice time going out with friends, and it's great that Marty will be home for the week. Sounds like things are starting to get chilly in your neck of the woods! It's good nothing is freezing yet though. We've actually had fairly mild weather so far, but it's only a matter of time before winter really kicks in.

Jimmianne, it's so nice that your friends here and you're having a good time with them, how great that they are engaged. It's exciting to think that you could potentially have neighbors and not feel so isolated. I really hope it all works out, it would be wonderful for you. I love your pic of the ceiling, so amazing! Oh, and my mother is 90 - so yes, getting up there but in general good health.

Kristie, how are Maggie and Finn doing? I've been thinking about them.

Well, I tried to not be as wordy and apparently I failed miserably lol! I promise I'll work on this

Have a good night, will see you all tomorrow!

 

[azstonie]

Hi Junie and All: thank you for asking about Finn and Maggie

Haven't had positive change to report until today, so here goes:

Poopapalooza2015!

Knock wood, I *think* the colitis is on the way out, both dogs. Fasting Finn 24 hours seems to have stopped his nausea and barfing. No mucus either end.

Now we are on the change in diet. I'm going with commercially prepared food. Orijen kibble and I'm trying out canned foods ftom the Whole Dog Journal list off approved canned food. They've liked the Halo line and I have some from Canidae, Blue Buffslo, and Taste of the Wild. I think the kibble issue is the Orijen kibble might be too big for them. I'm going to either break it up for them or buy a small breed kibble, Solid Gold and Halo make a small kibble.

So things are looking up, 48 hours no barf or explosive diarrhea. Some mild food strikes over the kibble. Glad tgry weren't underweight when this started.

I have no idea how those of you who are mons got/get through the stress of ill children!!!

Jimmieanne, I hope you're feeling better tonight, taking good care of yourself.

 

[junebug17]

Thanks for the update kristie, I'm glad Maggie and Finn have improved and I'm hoping very strongly that they continue to do well. Fingers crossed they do ok on the new diet. So sorry you and Bob have been dealing with this too, I really hope things are back to normal for all of you.

 

[azstonie]

Junebug, how is Zoe????

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!
Day 1 of CE down and 2 left to go. Woke at 4:30 AM as I have an early and long day today so just a quick drive by post.

Jimmianne, thank you so much for doing what you did yesterday. I will keep you all posted as my sister doesn't know anything yet about the dog. She will be at work today and I hope to find out the details and hoping the dog has a forever and good home to go to. My sister told me she would still take a pic and send it to me and I will share it here. You are such a sweetheart to have done all that yesterday. Thank you!

How is your visit going?

Kristie, fantastic news! So pleased for you and the fur babies. Hoping it all continues. I enjoyed our poop chat yesterday LOL. Still waiting for pics...


Junie, thank you for sharing your thoughts. The beach camera has been down for over 24 hours now so no clue what is happening there unfortunately. Have the cats been able to get inside the opening, have they all been able to eat etc. Greg is going this morning as soon as he drops me off to CE and I am hoping he can fix the cameras and he will replenish the food. Thank you as always for all your good thoughts and support.

Please keep us posted about your mom. And I too, as Kristie asked, would like to know how Zoe is doing. Hope she is well!

Callie, I hope your sweet girl is continuing to do well!

Hugs to everyone and enjoy your day! Wish I could have a few of you keep me company IRL in class today but don't be surprised if you get a few texts from me while I am trying to stay awake LOL. Internet connection in class is spotty but does work occasionally.

 

[MarionC]

Missy,

I hope I don't see the photo of the dog! I would have to go get him! and I think by the time I got there he would have been adopted.

The visit with my friends is going so well. I love having them here. They took me out for breakfast and guess what? The gentleman I met - 6 months ago? and wanted to go out with? He was there. I just walked up to him, handed him my business card [which has my PS quote on it] and said, "I think we should meet for coffee & talk!". haha how's that for subtle. He said he would love to and will email me about getting together new week.
Also, I had all the windows in the house cleaned.
So - it was a really good day. Friends & I walked in the woods, drank wine & talked about a property "deal", looking at the plats and tax bills, etc.
They are so excited about buying property and are deciding between that horrible old house and an area further back in the woods. It would be amazing to have them near me.

Missy, you will be happy to know that a bird woman is coming to see your little parrot today. Since I can't bear to take him an hour in the car to the vet, he will at least get a health evaluation from an expert bird owner. He still doesn't say hello aunt missy but I know he would love to see you anytime.

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

Jimmianne, yay, so glad the visit with your friends are going well and I hope they become your neighbors. And double yay on your gentleman friend. Woohoo! You go girl! I am so proud of you for being brave and taking the initiative!

How did Puff's home visit go? Does he like her? And let's get going on getting him to say "I love you Aunt Missy"...cmon I know he does now he just has to say it. I'll go first. I love you sweet Puff boy.

Good news yesterday in the poop department from the PS furbabies. Hoping that continues Kristie and Callie.

Greg fixed the camera at the beach house yesterday but a few hours later when he was back in NY it went down again and is still down. He is going back today after he drops me off at CE but I am not that hopeful about keeping it working so we have to get a new one. But we won't be able to get a new one before he leaves the beach house today to come back to NY and I was really counting on it to keep tabs on the cats to see if someone is not getting the food etc. Plus he made the openings a quarter inch bigger to 3.5 inches square so now I don't know if those darn raccoons are getting in there and eating the food. Le sigh.

Today is day 3 of my CE. OK I can get through this. Enjoy your Sunday everyone and hugs.

Leaving you with a pic of the Collie puppy. He looks big but weighs about 35lbs. Look at that sweet sweet baby. I just want to hug and kiss him!

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Callie, I hope your furbaby is feeling better and perking up; but that is sweet she just wants to be with you. I am fairly certain my old employee and his new boss will be butting heads in no time. I will be amused. Yes, his new boss knows what to expect. It is nice to be enjoying some warm weather this late in the year.

Missy, I hope someone adopts the collie puppy. You certainly tried to find it a good home. Hugs to you for caring so much about the kitties and puppies. I agree there is no point is changing ourselves to suit others. I hope you had a nice time this weekend at the CE event. I am sure you made new friends.

Jimmianne, I am glad you had a great time with your young friends visiting. That will so nice to have a community there - some company, friends and neighbors. Sweet. That’s great you saw that guy and gave him your business card. Nice to have clean windows.

Junebug, I hope you aren’t coming down with a cold. Just a change in the weather brings on those new seasonal viruses. Did you take it easy this weekend.

We had a busy weekend. Yesterday while shopping for groceries at about 11 am Marty says he wants to go look at an Apple watch. We didn't get on the road until after 12 but it was a lovely day to go to Denver. I swear EVERYONE was on the roads and in the stores; it was worse than Christmas shopping. We finally ate at Wendy's on the way down because all the restaurants we picked were crazy busy. We got to the mall about 2:45 and didn't leave until after 6 with at least 1/2 of that time waiting our turn at the Apple store. I actually didn't buy a darn thing. I had Tiffany's clean my band. They wouldn't clean my ering since it wasn't from them but agreed to check my prongs for me. However the lady helping me kept picking up my ering by the diamond. Really? You'd think someone working at Tiffany's would know better than that! Those dozens of tiny sparkle lights in the ceiling of Tiffany's really made my rings come to life. I browsed their display cases but didn't try anything on while I was there. I tried on fat or bypass solitaire rings at John Atenncio and almost bought a new Tumi handbag but decided to pass on that as well. I was considering a 4th gen iPad mini for work but the clincher on that was it wouldn't fit my current Tumi case so I said no thanks. Now I have more money for sapphires. Sweet.

Kristie, I am glad to hear you are having progress with Maggie and Finn. I hope it continues. Poor little guys.

Today we met my sister and her family for dinner about 50 miles away. It was a nice outing. My nephews 2 older boys are definitely teenagers now. They sat through the entire dinner with their headphones on and texting. The younger boy is way too interested in life and not missing anything. He kept the conversation going with the rest of us.

Have a great week.
Marcy

 

[MarionC]

Here is my dream kitty...https://www.facebook.com/oregonzoo/videos/vb.80229441108/10153118108006109/?type=2&theater

Missy, is your brain still working OK after all that CE??
It's hard to sit still that long.

Marcy, how lucky to get to TIffany's!
I don't get it either. After Tony sized and/or engraved my rings and SUPER cleaned them I showed them to the associate jeweler and the first thing she did was rub the tops of the rings. I couldn't believe it and told her to STOP! then tried to be a little jokey because I reacted so strongly but please - what is up with that?!
DId you happen to read my little thread about using hydrogen peroxide with dawn for cleaning diamonds. It is the best thing I've ever tried - It makes them "jeweler clean" [pre-top rubbing of course] but I posted a thread to see if anyone thought it could harm the metal.
I would think not...I diluted it quite a bit.

So, I have two blings in the works from Etsy. One is a vintage station necklace that looks a little different & I like it a lot, but I am getting more photos of the diamonds today. The other is some crazy 1800's jumble of diamonds... Just the wonkiest old thing. It was love at first sight - and probably no one else on earth would want it. LOL
Since I never heard back from LAD about setting the asscher, I wrote to VC about a setting I fell in love with over the weekend. I thought I was going to do a fantasy ring with Tony, but the VC is so wonderful. I'll know more after I get the quote! haha

So, Missy, the Puff report: He is in excellent health and his behavior indicates that he is bonded to me and quite engaged, confident and happy. While we were having wine he sat on the back of my chair being part of the conversation, then suddenly got on the table, ran over and bit me. LOL My little sweetheart.
How are things going with your animals??

 

[missy]

Hi girls! I'm really exhausted after waking up at 4:30 AM for 3 CE days in a row and not sleeping too well last night but just wanted to say good morning and I hope everyone had a good weekend.

Jimmianne, looking forward to seeing your new bling. You definitely had a more exciting weekend than I did LOL.

That was a love bite our sweet Puff gave you yesterday. I love it when my kitties do the same. As long as no skin is broken that is.

Greg got the cameras working yesterday (for now) and added the basement camera to the kitty feeding area view so no more basement surveillance for now but back up of the kitty view. Yay Greg! I went through all the pics from through the night and no raccoons seem to have made it in but the cats and the possum had no problem. Fingers crossed this continues. I am nervous about when the TNR is going to happen. Very worried about having to make them go through all that. Adding a pic of the possum eating with the kitty in the cage. Adorable. And Sprite was in the cage much of the night eating away. Made me very happy. I am sharing pics of Sammy and another cat eating last night and this AM. Lots and lots of pics but just randomly sharing a few of them.

Marcy, glad you had a lovely weekend. It was nice seeing my former classmates. Fri and Sat there was only one other person from our Optometry class (our class had 63 people in it and graduated 60 I think) but Sunday wow. There were 10 colleagues from my class attending the CE on Sunday. That's a lot (percentage wise) of people from my class and it was great catching up. Many of them have children in their early 20's already. How is that possible LOL.

Here is an end of the day Sunday picture (and most of us are pretty exhausted as you can imagine being in class for so long and from so early). What a crew. It is not a flattering pic for any of us but hey we made it through haha. 2 of my classmates who were there that day missed that impromptu picture unfortunately as they had already left. Lucky them haha.

My closest friend Tom is behind me in this pic. We have been best friends since 1985. OMG I should post a pic of when we were younger. Haha that would be funny to see the contrast b/w then and now

 

[missy]

OK found a pic of the 3 of us from 1990. Haha the 3 musketeers.
I think we were in California in this pic on one of our trips.
OMG look at out haircuts and clothes. Gotta love the late 80's/early 90's styles. NOT.

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Jimmianne, I like looking at the jewelry in Tiffany’s. Their haloed yellow diamond rings are so gorgeous. You would honestly think jewelers would know better than to pick up or touch the gem or diamond. I had a lady one time keep putting her finger right on the table. I wanted to slap her hand but I am too polite to actually do that. I did see your thread and was quite interested in your results. The lady at Tiffany’s told me my ring was very clean but I know when I get jewelry cleaned in a store they do look better. I have a jewel jet and notice a difference when I use it as well. I recall some trade people on here even saying rubbing alcohol works well too. I am anxious to see your new bling projects. I am still on the fence about ordering that garnet ring. I have a IMO very nice EC ruby with diamond accents but the ruby is 6 x 4mm. It’s rich enough I don’t mind the ring on my hand but I worry if I get a 5 x 7 EC garnet I’ll start thinking the ruby is too small. They had a larger EC ruby but it wasn’t a very nice ruby. I love that Puff is a little tease sometimes. Of course I don’t want you getting hurt when he bites you though.

Missy, I hope you rested up today and took lots of naps snuggling up with your cute kitties. Great pictures of you and your classmates plus of course of the cute kitties. I have absolutely nothing exciting happening on our front porch but when we get snow out there I’ll post a photo. It’s nice being able to see outside though, huh? Especially at the beach house for you. 80’s hairstyles. Ha Ha. They had presence anyway. Is your weather still rainy and chilly? We had rain this morning.

Today was work work work aka talking to brick walls and then all of a sudden it was done. Marty made soft shell tacos for supper. I am stuffed. I usually eat 2 hard shell tacos so ate 2 soft shell and that was way too much. They were tasty though.

Marty finally got our home phones set up to email us voice messages so I told him he can add telephony experience to his Linked Inn profile. Ha ha.

My bears have been threatened so I have to call the “rabbit food” for a week or they are going to disappear. It’s going to be rough.

Have a great evening and day tomorrow.

Marcy

 

[LLJsmom]

Hi NIRDIs,

Missy, so the kitties are getting to the food it seems. That is good news. And the possum isn't hurting them either. I hope the raccoons are staying out though. They are so tough and I don't want them to hurt the kitties. Your pictures from optometry school are so cute and fun. Great that you all try to keep in touch. It's funny how those things seem more important as we get older. I never cared in my 30s but now it seems like a good thing. Any news from the TNR lady? Btw, that collie is beautiful. So glad you helped it find a new home.

Jimmianne, I'm excited about your bling projects. Can't wait to see what you have in mind from VC. Btw, your marquise is just gorgeous. Are you wearing it regularly? And how is Zoe?

Marcy, kinda weird that it is so busy. Are people Christmas shopping already? Did Marty end up getting the Apple Watch? I really like the work days that fly by. For me it's either feast or famine. Super busy or slow... Wendy's? I haven't had a burger in a long time. I want in and out now. . CA burger chain. It's really quite good!

Callie and Kristie, I hope your fur babies are all better and doing well with the meds and new diet. Hugs!

Junebug, how are you doing? Your mom? My dad is on a new regimen of antibiotics. It's a lot to write about and it depresses me to really think about it, but we are hoping this is the first step to healing his body.

Thank you everyone for comforting about my son. I know I have a tendency to freak out and overreact. I will try to stay calm and trust that I reared him well. And I can't stop him from growing up. I think that is the biggest shock to my system, that he actually is maturing. I miss him and am so afraid to lose him. Typical mom of almost teenager stuff. BRB.

 

[MarionC]

Marcy, Did Marty get the watch? coincidentally I was checking them out [for the first time last night as I went to sleep] due to an ad popping up on my phone and they look like fun.

Ah - my bling projects are dissolving. The VC, a rose cut halo with plain shank, is 7.5K. It is quite beautiful, but I will look at other options.
The eBay ring was already sold. They accepted my offer, then several days later wrote to say that it wasn't available.
haha thwarted!

Missy,

All your photos are great. "The CE Survivors" and the little kitty and possum eating dinner together. You friend looks like a wonderful person, so kind.
Have you recovered from the torture of CE? congratulations! it's done!

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

Marcy, sorry work was a drag and like hitting your head against the brick wall. Hate work days (or any days) like that.

Your EC ruby ring sounds beautiful (love a rich red ruby) and think the size is lovely.

Cool that Marty was able to set up your home phones for those email messages. One day I want to know how to do that. Right now I am still waiting for my iPhone and in the meantime I am messaging Greg on my iPad and it goes to his iPhone and I also get all his text messages on my iPad. LOL it is too funny and confusing too. He can have no secrets from me right now till we get that straightened out haha.

I don't care for the way that salesperson handled your bling or took care of you at Tiffany's. The nerve. What is wrong with them and what ever happened to good sales service? Yummy I love soft shell tacos. 2 doesn't sound like too much to me.

Did Marty get that watch? Keep your bears safe and those killer rabbits away Marcy! Hmm wish I could send your killer rabbits after our raccoons and have your bears join our feral kitties so everyone can be happy and safe.

LLJsmom, yes the raccoons are my worry too but so far so good. I don't want to jump the gun and say the cage is keeping them out but I just went through the hundreds of security pics from last night and no raccoons appeared to be in the cage eating. Just the cats and one possum woohoo. Though I was upset with Sammy around 5PM last night as he chased Squirt away from the water. Bad Sammy. I just don't think they are together like I originally thought. Squirt is so small I thought he was Sammy's baby. Guess not. TNR lady news below.

I am confident your son will do well in the relationship arena LLJsmom. Don't worry. You did an amazing job teaching them and you are always there for them should they need assistance/advice etc. Which at this age I am sure they will need and it is nice they have you as their mom because you are a loving, supportive and wise mother and they will always trust and rely on you when necessary knowing you are there for them.

I hope your dad does well on his new round of antibiotics. I am keeping him in my thoughts(((Hugs))).


Jimmianne, how frustrating! They accepted your offer and then went back on it saying it was no longer available? Sounds like they did something underhanded. Please share the ebay seller because I will be putting them on my list of do not buy from these sellers.

I am sure other bling will materialize though so no worries. Just not meant to be.

I have recovered from CE thanks. Now I am dealing with much nervous worry about the TNR. Joanne (the animal rescue person) was supposed to do it today but never contacted me to get the food up and away from the cats so I knew that was not going down today. I emailed her last night asking about what her thoughts are about the date of the TNR attempt and she said not sure maybe this weekend and to take all the food away Thurs night. That sucks because we cannot get there Thurs night to bring the food up (need 48 hours according to Joanne of no food access so they are hungry enough to go into the trap). Greg was there Sat and Sun last weekend and is there right now actually too because he had to meet with the HVAC guys. Sooo no way we can get there Thurs night.

Plus another worry is if she traps them on the weekend what happens to them until the vet can see them during the week to perform the surgeries? I don't like a weekend trap because too much time they have to be in the trap IMO. I also reassured her that I am paying for everything because she brought that up again. I already told her a few times I would be covering all the bills. The cost adds up for 5 cats but that is absolutely fine with me. I just want to take care of them, get them their vaccinations including rabies and neuter them so there are no more babies. The cat litters multiply so fast for feral cats and I cannot bear the thought of more kittens struggling for survival outdoors. Makes me feel so horrible thinking what they all have to go through.


I emailed her can we talk and she said maybe tomorrow. I really need a conversation rather than handling all this via email. So I need to chat with her and find out if there is another date she can do it. I appreciate her doing this for me but she does seem a bit unreliable and also I am so concerned about how is she going to get them all? Once one is trapped the others will stay away. So I need to talk to her to see the plan. If she has to do this 5 separate times there is no way it is going to happen I feel. Too difficult and she does not live right next door but instead at least 30 minutes by car I think. So difficult all around. I am very nervous about my call with the animal rescue person Joanne today and not sure when she will be calling so just need to be available whenever that is and hope it goes well.

One day I would love to be able to come here and say girls all is well on my end and share happy news instead of always coming here and crying about something or other. Wouldn't that be lovely?


OK please NIRDIs can you share something happy and lovely with us all? Anything?

 

[Calliecake]

Missy, One of things I know about raccoons, not sure if this would apply to feral cats, is if they have been trapped before they will go into the cage again. I don't think this will be an issue as your kitties have been going in the cage but if they see one getting trapped will they stay away? I agree with you about them probably not being able to trap them all. This woman can't even commit to coming out once let alone driving out five times and they kitties can't sit in the cage for days without having food waiting for them to arrive after they have been trapped. I'm very interested to hear what she has to say today when you speak eith her. I know I have been reading your posts for a long time when I immediatley recognized Tom in the picture. I noticed the picture before reading the post and thought Oh, there's Tom. You can tell what good friends the two of you are form your posts. My furbaby seems to be doing much better now. The medicine worked and now I just have to wait and see how she does after tonight when she is finished with the medicine.

Marcy, I'm sorry things are still a little challenging at work. It's times like these that you are just so thankful for a weekend to get away from it. What have you decided regarding a new ring? I was laughing reading your post about having more money for new bling, sweet! Nothing to brighten your day like new bling!

Jimmianne, Your newly set Marquise is gorgeous! I love it with the band but it would also be stunning all on it's own. Why have you not posted any pictures here of ring? I can't believe the ebay seller accepted the bid and then backed out. Isn't that against ebay' rules?

LLJsmom, I hope this antibiotic works well for your dad and he gets to feeling better quickly. Are you getting really excited about your trip. I can't wait to hear about the race and all your jewelry shopping with Missy.

Junebug, How have you been? Is your mom get used to the idea of staying with your sister. How is your brother doing?

Kristie, I know you are busy preparing meals for Finn and Maggie. I hope things start to improve quickly and know I am here for you whenever you need the support, day or night.

 

[junebug17]

Hi all -

Missy, I'm so glad that Greg figured out how to get cameras on the kitties, he's awesome - and it looks like the crate is keeping those raccoons out Sorry for the added stress of trying to arrange the TNR, it's great the rescue woman is willing to help but I hope she works with you to make all of this go as smoothly as possible. I wish there was more I could do to help, please know I'm with you in spirit and I admire you very much for doing so much to help these kitties. (((hugs)))

Glad you made it through your CE - that must have been a long 3 days, so hard to sit for that long without falling asleep . So nice some of your colleagues were there. Love the pic, you look beautiful - your friend Tom looks like a really nice guy. Great pic from the 90's too…you look the same except for your hair!

The collie is so beautiful, I'm encouraged to hear that people are interested, I am so hoping she finds a forever home soon.

Jimmianne, sorry the ring fell through - I find that sometimes vendors just aren't very organized. Lucky (or maybe unlucky lol) for us there are plenty of other rings out there. The necklace sounds beautiful, keep us posted. The VC setting sounds gorgeous, but yes, quite pricey

Glad to hear Puff is doing so well, even if he's a little stinker sometimes lol.

Good to hear you're having such a good time with your friends. And good for you for making the first move with the guy you're interested in, I'm very impressed and I think it's wonderful you just decided to go for it!

I saw your ring cleaning tip and I'm going to give it a try - I googled it and other sites have suggested hydrogen peroxide diluted with something else as a jewelry cleaner, and so far I haven't read anything that says it's harmful to gold or diamonds.

Marcy, I'm glad you had a nice time getting together with your family, so nice to do that once in a while. You certainly had a busy weekend! A long shopping trip always wears me out. How odd that the salesperson at Tiffany's would touch your diamond like that. Your ruby ring sounds beautiful, any chance of a pic? The soft shell tacos sound delicious, I probably would have eaten 3! Now I want one, maybe I'll stop at Chipotle on my way home lol.

LLJsmom, I am really hoping the antibiotics help your father, I'm thinking if he can feel better physically his spirits will improve too. Please keep me posted, I will be so happy if his health improves. I hear you on getting depressed if you think about things too much - a thread has been started on caregiving and I can't seem to muster the energy to contribute to it right now. ((((hugs))))

As for my mother, she's doing ok - no major issues lately thankfully and she seems to be comfortable. Thanks for thinking of her.

You must be getting excited about the Marathon! I'm so disappointed I can't join you and missy on Friday, I'm at my mother's on Fridays and for now I think I should just stick to my regular schedule. It's going to be so much fun checking out the bling at the vendors you're going to.

Kristie, thinking of Maggie and Finn and hope they're doing ok. Zoe the cat is doing well, she's usually very sweet, although she has her moments! She's a lap cat and purrs a lot. She's also spoiled rotten lol.

Not much new with me, just plugging along and taking one day at a time.

Hope everyone is having a good Tuesday so far!

ETA: Callie, we posted at the same time lol - not much new on my mother going to my sisters, sometimes she says she wants to go, other times she doesn't. We're backing off on talking about it with her for now, not really sure what's going to happen at this point. My brother seems to be doing ok but the situation is still not great.

 

[LLJsmom]

Hi girls, sometimes it's a lot to even think about or bring up stuff that you're dealing with. Junebug, I haven't posted in that thread either. It's enough to occasionally mention it here bc it makes me think about it and makes me sad. My parents say I don't like to deal with reality. I think I am too practical. If thinking about it doesn't change anything, why think about it at all if you aren't dealing with something that requires your immediate attention, ya know. Maybe I get depressed too easily. I need to be tougher.

I've been thinking about my marathon and kinda trying to decide whether I am going for a time goal or if I want to run it to enjoy it. I think the reality is that if I don't try for my time goal, I may not enjoy it. The hard part is the decision to run hard and NOT give up during the hard miles. If I think that I am defeated, I will be. But it takes courage to hope, to hope and try your best knowing that it may not happen. Anyway I have trained hard and I want to try. So barring any strange events I will go for it. I have a friend that just ran the Denver marathon. After training at sea level, she ran 26.2 miles at 5600 feet, in 78 degree heat, with hills, and a lingering cold. Honestly I don't think I could have done that. But she had he courage and toughness to finish. She is normally a 3:11 marathoner which is really fast. She finished this in 3:50 which is her slowest time yet, but she finished anyway. That is courage. I would have called uber at mile 5.

Jimmianne, I forgot to mention before that I admire your courage to go and give that guy your number. You go girl!! Let us know if you guys end up meeting.

Missy, I'm starting to feel like my trip to NYC is real. Getting excited.

Callie, I would love to visit San Diego. It may be in the cards next year. Maybe I will run he LA marathon. My friend recommends it highly. Then we could meet up in SD.

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

LLJsmom, I want to try and In and Out burger sometime; I’ve heard of them. I have no idea why the mall and roads were so busy on Saturday; it was kind of strange. It had been cold all week maybe the warm weather got everyone outside. Marty did get the Apple watch and really likes it. I hope the antibiotics work well for your dad. I am sure it’s hard to watch your son grow up. He knows and I know you are a good mom and will be there to help him through his teenage years.

Jimmianne, the Apple watch is fun. Marty is really enjoying it. He likes that he can be on a phone call and can answer a call or text with a message off his watch. He likes that he can track his activity on it. Darn it that your bling projects are dissolving; the lucky thing is there are always more projects around the corner.

Missy, are you and Greg on the same iTunes account? That is all I can think of about messages going to each other’s devices. Is you iPhone on order? Marty did buy the watch. It’s great how all of his devices sync together. I should send the killer rabbits to get rid of those raccoons. I have to refer to my teddy bears as “rabbit food” for a week or they will start to disappear. I picked on Marty once too often last night. Ha Ha. Glad you didn’t see a raccoon on the security camera last night. I hope things work out with the rescue lady.

Callie, I am glad to hear your furbaby is doing better. I am leaning towards that ring I posted; it’s very affordable - garnets are like that. I might order it this week. I agree there is nothing like new bling to brighten our day. Is your husband still playing golf? Marty has been getting in a game or two since it’s warm for October.

Junebug, I do okay walking around malls but just standing somewhere (like the Apple store ha ha) my bad feet and knees start talking to me. Advil helps but it kind of wears me out too. I can't find a picture of my ruby ring but I'll look for it. I swear I would eat tacos, pizza or burgers all the time but of course I know I can’t. It is probably a good idea to not keep pushing your mom to go to your sisters; I am sure she is thinking about it.

I met Marty for lunch today; it was nice to get out of the office. We had a small supper since we had a big lunch. Work was really busy again today but I’d rather be busy than bored. I’ve been starting my day at work by finding a Far Side online and emailing it to a guy at work who loves those comics as well. It’s a great way to start the day.

Take care.
Marcy

 

[marcy]

Better yet; here is my thread for my ruby ring. https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-ruby-rhr.189758/

 

[azstonie]

Turd Talk a La NIRDI Pets:

Today Finn had great poops. He ate his food. MAGGIE had terrible poops and did a food strike! She is my chow hound, she will eat ANYTHING that is not nailed down fer crap's sakes. Nope, not gonna eat the Orijen Senior Kibble today! Nuh-uh. (She barfed it last night after eating her dinner portion AND Finn's dinner portion and I'm wondering if perhaps barfing that kibble twice put her 'off' of it. I had Cesaer salad last New Year's Day and I think the dressing was spoiled, I got sick a few hours after eating it and suffice it to say I have not had a Cesaer since. Maybe Maggie is the same way.)

I hope you guys are all doing okay. LLJs, not sure what is the situation with your DFather but I hope the new antibiotics work for him. Poor guy, sounds like he has been through it.

Junie, hang in there. Pet sweet Zoe and make some ring boxes, heehee!!! We want to see them in additional colors, you did a great job on yours.

Marcy, thank you for keeping the economy going in Denver!!!!

Jimmianne, delish marquise ring, just delish.

 

[MarionC]

Turd Talk a La NIRDI Pets:

Today Finn had great poops. He ate his food. MAGGIE had terrible poops and did a food strike! She is my chow hound, she will eat ANYTHING that is not nailed down fer crap's sakes. Nope, not gonna eat the Orijen Senior Kibble today! Nuh-uh. (She barfed it last night after eating her dinner portion AND Finn's dinner portion and I'm wondering if perhaps barfing that kibble twice put her 'off' of it. I had Cesaer salad last New Year's Day and I think the dressing was spoiled, I got sick a few hours after eating it and suffice it to say I have not had a Cesaer since. Maybe Maggie is the same way.)

I hope you guys are all doing okay. LLJs, not sure what is the situation with your DFather but I hope the new antibiotics work for him. Poor guy, sounds like he has been through it.

Junie, hang in there. Pet sweet Zoe and make some ring boxes, heehee!!! We want to see them in additional colors, you did a great job on yours.

Marcy, thank you for keeping the economy going in Denver!!!!

Jimmianne, delish marquise ring, just delish.

love it! Congratulations on the FInn T's! I SO understand...the moment my horse got better I emailed a photo of "guess what" to her. It was exciting beyond words to have a health pet after all the struggles. So, now what about Maggie?

edit: I had my first hair cut in 10 years that was more than a trim. She cut 4" off the bottom, deeper bangs up toward the crown and cut side fringe. It was fun! Now, as well as feeling FREE, I can make an antennae for picking up good vibes LOL

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

Jimmianne, LOVE your hair so much! Gorgeous bangs, gorgeous texture and gorgeous color.
And I love your marquise ring too.

Callie, I am so glad your sweet girl is doing well. Fingers crossed it continues. How do you like that picture Tom sent me yesterday? He is loving Chicago and I wish you could meet up with him there as I know you guys would click immediately. He is a huge sports fanatic and that is why he is there. Some game or something going on. LOL he travels all over to watch sporting events live. That is where we are very different.

I have to go through last night's security pics to see if any raccoons made it into the cage last night. The cats were eating almost around the clock during the day and evening before I went to bed. I am so worried to have to take their food away for Joanne to attempt to trap them. She said she will probably only be able to trap one at a time meaning a lot of visits and taking their food away again. I hate this but I would hate more having lots more kitties being born under those conditions.

So as you know Joanne did finally call me yesterday afternoon but I did not hear back from her yesterday after we spoke confirming or canceling that plan. She had to check it out with her rescue partner and make sure we could get vet appointments for them so I am hoping that since she didn't call back we are on for this Monday to attempt to trap the feral kitties. That means I have to take all the food away Saturday AM as she wants 48 hours of no food so they are hungry and go into the trap.

I hope your week is going well and I miss really chatting with you. I am sorry the last few days have been so busy for me and I want to talk soon. (((Hugs))).

Junie, thinking of you and your mother and all that you do for her. As I read that thread (and it is hard to read) about being a caretaker for one's aging parents I thought once again how challenging life is and how strong one has to be in life. I hope your mom will visit your sister and enjoy the change of scenery for all of you because I think it is critical for you to have a break from all you do for her. I know it is from love that you do all you do and I hope it all works out. Hugs to you and sweet Zoe.

Marcy, I am glad Marty loves his Apple Watch. I have never used iTunes but Greg occasionally does. We use Tidal for music streaming for most of our music. I will check out iTunes. It's funny because I haven't fully used everything Apple has to offer and am still learning despite being an apple owner since 2008 (I think it was 200. I have my iPhone on order and it is not due till Nov10-17. A long wait since I ordered it from the Apple store over a week ago. I am getting the 6S plus in silver with 64GB. Greg got his last week. He has the 6S in 128GB because he streams a lot of music etc. Yes please send those killer bunnies here to take care of all the wildlife that is disturbing my feral kitties.Thank you for linking your ruby ring thread. Off to check that out after I post here. I love the Far Side. What a fun way to start out your workday.

LLJsmom, you are very wise. I too need to be tougher in many ways and feel I get depressed too easily. Sometimes I feel it is genetic and sometimes I feel I am being weak and need to just be strong and hold it together and be grateful for all the good things even when there is a lot of other noise all around affecting how I am feeling. I wish I could just not feel things so acutely. My heart hurts when I think of all the troubles and hardships and challenges others go through and then of course when I think of all the poor animals out there fending for themselves during brutal conditions.

I love what you wrote about your thoughts re the marathon and I love reading everything you post and I find myself always nodding in agreement. I think you should go for it because you are right. You will enjoy it more that way I think. Hope and courage are linked and you have both of those in great quantity. Kudos to your friend who ran the Denver marathon in those conditions. Very impressive. Just like you are! Very much looking forward to your visit.

Hope your dad is feeling better!

Kristie, waiting for the furbaby poop and food update this morning. Hoping Ms Maggie is feeling all better and that Finn is continuing to do well. Once again I am sorry about texting you those pics yesterday haha. You know you could easily blackmail me with those but that's how much I trust you. Now if I had texted you that 20 years ago it would have been much prettier to look at so once again my apologies.

 

[missy]

OK just went through all the security pics from last night overnight to now and OMG I almost had a heart attack cause at first it looked like the raccoon was inside but no he was just on top of the cage! But there was for the very first time a skunk eating the food. Oh no. Then Cats eating all night and our one and only possum too. Sharing a few pics. One with Sammy and who I think is Fresca eating inside the cage together. And of course sharing the raccoon on top of the cage pic.

 

[missy]

Can only fit 4 pics per post. Anyway Greg and I have suspected that there are 2 cats who we actually thought was Sammy but not entirely sure. One skinny and one not so skinny so I think we might have more than the original kitties we thought we did. But not sure. Sigh.

 

[missy]

Sammy as the sun is setting. And a couple of Squirt. I know Sprite ate yesterday but I cannot find the pics and I am running out of (actually am out of and running late now) time. So many pics are generated each day by the security camera.

I ordered the feral kitty villa last night for help with sheltering the cats. We already have the kitty tube and Greg plans on building something good for them as well but wanted to have it just in case. It takes them at least 18 days to custom make so hoping the kitties remain safe and dry while we are waiting. And that they actually use it for protection from the elements.

Oh and I spoke with my sister yesterday to find out if there was any more info re the Collie and she said there is a waiting list of people interested in adopting him. The pound has to wait till Friday and then hopefully release him to a loving new home. Fingers crossed it works out for that sweet sweet dog!

 

[LLJsmom]

Hit and run.

Just gotta say...skunk??! Ok, have a great morning!

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Kristie, I am with you and Maggie; if something makes you sick you sure don’t enjoy eating it again. I am glad Finn is doing better today and hope Maggie will be a lot better soon. I didn’t do much for Denver’s economy last weekend but Marty did his share. He is really enjoying his Apple watch.

Jimmianne, isn’t it great how a new hairdo can brighten your day? You look great.

Missy, I think 2008 is about when I got my first Mac too. The 128 gb phones are usually in stock around here too; I don’t think most people want to buy the most expensive phone. Marty is like Greg though - he needs that size for all of his music. I can’t believe it is taking so long to get your phone. Glad to see the kitties are eating. I am delighted to hear your sister said there is a list to adopt the collie.

LLJsmom, I hope you are having a great day.

I was busy at work so my day flew by. Marty and I ate supper at a nearby sports bar. They have the best little pizza. They aren’t greasy at all. Now we have lunch tomorrow too.

I need to do some nagging this weekend and get Marty to blow our sprinklers out. They are still coming on about 5 in the morning and this morning the sidewalk was solid ice from the sprinklers running. Yep, he is a procrastinator.

Have a great evening and Thursday. I am off to look at garnet rings. Maybe I’ll order one.

Marcy