Now I really did it :((

[missy]

OMG Junie!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE everything about your beach house! Your taste is impeccable, classic, elegant, warm and inviting.
That pool is amazing and your view is TDF!!! I LOVE your porch and your beach and everything. It looks just like I pictured it honey and it is perfect!
Thank you so much for sharing the photos!



Yes I am with you and Jimmianne. In our minds we can be in the most lovely places. One of my favorite quotes is from Milton. In our minds we can make a heaven of hell and a hell of heaven. It sometimes helps me through challenging times.

It is in the mid 70s here and very sunny and warm and humid. I am enjoying the weather right now though I have big hair from the humidity LOL. I am rocking the look.

I saw the gastroenterologist this morning and the good news is that my biopsies are normal and the GI doctor says I can go back on the Oracea though we both think that is the cause of the burning all over my upper body. He said if I decide to go back on Oracea he wants me to first take Carafate an hour before I take the Oracea to coat my esophagus and see if that helps. I am not sure what to do right now but will mull it over.

The Rx for Carafate was not in stock at the pharmacy so I will probably be getting it next week. I am thinking I might just try taking the Oracea without it and seeing what happens. Not sure what the right thing is to do. Carafate will bind to the Oracea rendering it less effective and I don't think an hour apart is sufficient not to do that. Yet if I take it further apart it will not be as protective so you see the dilemma. The GI doctor looked it up and he said he thinks an hour apart is sufficient. And of course crickets from my dermatologist as I have now asked for a call back from him twice or three times and nada.

LOL the one bright spot of the visit is the nurse did weigh me and I haven't gained as much weight as I thought I did. I only gained 5 lbs from my last GI visit there 2 years ago. Not bad and I'll take it!

OK enough of that. Onto the beautiful weather today. I hope you girls are enjoying this and I hope Marcy your weather is calming down and at least all the snow is melted. You have your choice of beach houses to visit now with me and Junie ready for you whenever you are. Same for all you girls! (((HUGS))).

 

[rainwood]

It takes a LOT to lure me out of lurkdom, but I think you girls have done it! I usually just read this thread and e-mail with Missy sometimes so I know what's going on, but haven't waded in because I don't have a prayer of keeping up. I don't know how all of you do it! But the urge to jump in is irresistible today and I think it's because of your beach house, Junebug. How gorgeous! That porch is just calling to me. And I have a sense of what you're going through as I was responsible for making sure my mom was properly cared for (Alzheimer's) during the last part of her life. It's challenging beyond belief sometimes.

Missy, so glad the biopsy was negative, but it must be frustrating that you're back in the same dilemma as last time on what to do. Are you headed to the beach to see Greg's new space this weekend? He must be itching to get that workshop up and running!

Sharon, glad you're feeling better. My sister used to live in your neck of the woods but has spent the last thirty years in the retirement capital much further west. As the crow flies, she's not that far from me, but with the border and the ferry, it's an all-day excursion for either of us to visit the other.

Marcy, I admire your ability to deal with the snow. I'm a complete snow wuss, and even with all-wheel drive, leave my car in the garage until the last speck of snow has melted. Fortunately for me, we had almost no snow this year, but it was the rainiest winter on record which says a lot because we are known for our rain. And I think of you when I check where I am in the March madness office pool. I'm in 4th place even though I know nothing about college basketball and let the site put all the favorites which I then tweaked a bit based on totally random facts unrelated to basketball. The power of sheer, dumb luck.

Jimmianne, I admire your willingness to put your toe back in the dating waters. I'm a fairly recent widow (a year and a half yesterday), and I can't even imagine it. And I'm so pleased your DD is having a great time in France. My grandmother did the exact opposite of what she's doing. She was a Frenchwoman who married an American and moved here as a World War I French war bride. I can't imagine the culture shock she went through, but she left me with a great fondness for France. As for the language, I've had the best luck with a program called Instant Immersion that I bought at Costco. It's a series of interactive exercises where you both listen and speak, and it's all in French, no English anywhere. I thought it was great fun. almost like a game some of the time, and it really emphasizes the skills you need as a tourist to get by. I can tell you more about it if you're interested and I think it cost something like $40. But it doesn't come with a Frenchman!

I speak French better than I understand it and because I was around a lot of native French speakers when I was a baby, I have a fairly good ear for the accent, not native but pretty good for an American, so people think I'm much more fluent than I actually am and they'd start talking to me and I'd panic because they were talking so fast and I had no idea what they were saying. So I learned to say "I speak French a little and badly" to break the ice then muddle through in the language of their choice.

Scandinavia, I love seeing your photos and the thought of skiing into and out of your cabin! My husband was a fabulous skier - he was both an instructor and on ski patrol - when we met. I was never that good, but really loved to watch him come gliding down the hill like he was floating on a cloud. And I especially love the photos because my sister and I are headed to your part of the world this summer. We're taking our first trip together that's just the two of us to honor our mom who died last year. Neither of us have been to Scandinavia before so we're really looking forward to it.

So I've waded in! I can't promise I'll be as faithful as each of you every day, but I'll do my best.

Have a lovely weekend!

 

[missy]

Good morning girls and happy Saturday!

So lovely to see you here Rainwood! Don't feel any pressure to post regularly but just when you feel like it OK. And you did a terrific summary with your post so I think you are all caught up.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend on the island and have fun at the art show and looking forward to hearing all about it.

I hope the rest of you girls have a good weekend planned. Not sure what we are doing yet but yay it's the weekend.
Or as HRH Francesca says, what's a weekend?

 

[MarionC]

Rainwood. Nice to see you here.

What's a weekend? just another two days to wear my tiara! [right, Francesca?]

A dark and rainy morning here. Nothing but the daily chores to accomplish until I pick up DD at the airport tonight.
Then tomorrow art Roundtable.
I am having an issue because one of the women is starting to be rude and hurtful. She thinks it's OK to say whatever pops into her head and what's in there is not pretty. My only explanation is that she is developing dementia or else as she ages her true colors are coming out.
Sadly, she was my best friend for the past 12 years! and now I can hardly stand to be in the same room with her : (
It's sad. I keep remembering that saying..."What is it you thought needed loving?" It was easy to love her when she was fun, but I suspect now she needs love even more.

Happy Saturday everyone. I hope to hear weekend activities reports that thrill and excite. lol

 

[missy]

Jimmianne, I aim to please and to that end I just got tickets for Fiddler today! Front row center aisle mezzanine woohoo!!! And even a little bit discounted as it is costing less than $250 for both tickets. So double yay! I have been wanting to see this production of Fiddler on the Roof for a while now but not wanting to go on a nice weather weekend and today is perfect to be going. Cold and rainy outside. Really happy with the seats we got at the price we got them. I only wish you girls were going with us. A true NYC experience.

When you all visit I am going to get tickets for a good show on Broadway (or a great off Broadway show). Hamilton is quite pricey right now but maybe by the time you visit it will be more reasonably priced. The last time we spent big bucks (over $500 for a show) it was for Book of Mormon and we were both disappointed. Not as great as the hype IMO. I have a feeling we are going to very much enjoy Fiddler.

I am sorry about your friend. That sucks. But I like the way you are thinking about it. She is most likely in a bad place right now and needs extra patience and love. Honestly while I get how frustrating it must be for you I also get how awful she must be feeling to behave that way. I mean while there is no excuse I am guessing (like you are thinking too) that she must be that much in a sad/scary/angry/unhappy place to be behaving in this way. I hope with your extra love, hugs and patience and support it helps bring her out of her funk and back to her sweet self. And if not well at least you tried your best. (((Hugs))) for being such a great friend to her.

I know you are super excited for your DD's visit back home and I am excited for you! Have a great reunion with her and we want all the exciting details please. How's the asscher ring design going? I really loved option 2 and know Tony is going to make it work and make it work beautifully.

Hope everyone is going to have a good Saturday and looking forward to hearing about the NIRDI weekend adventures.

 

[MarionC]

That's Great, Missy. I hope you and Greg have a blast!

 

[canuk-gal]

It takes a LOT to lure me out of lurkdom, but I think you girls have done it! I usually just read this thread and e-mail with Missy sometimes so I know what's going on, but haven't waded in because I don't have a prayer of keeping up. I don't know how all of you do it! But the urge to jump in is irresistible today and I think it's because of your beach house, Junebug. How gorgeous! That porch is just calling to me. And I have a sense of what you're going through as I was responsible for making sure my mom was properly cared for (Alzheimer's) during the last part of her life. It's challenging beyond belief sometimes.

Sharon, glad you're feeling better. My sister used to live in your neck of the woods but has spent the last thirty years in the retirement capital much further west. As the crow flies, she's not that far from me, but with the border and the ferry, it's an all-day excursion for either of us to visit the other.



How wonderful to hear from you RW! And your trip with your sister sounds wonderful--care to share a few details? I love to travel and love to hear about others' trips. Speaking of sisters, I was recently in Vangroovie visiting my own sister--it is such an easy flight and hopping on the skybus into DT convenient, makes me wonder why I don't go more often. It was a day trip and I saw a few grand sites (e.g. Hermes and Cartier ) and had a wonderful lunch at Hawksworth; but at the end of Feb, I was lucky in the mild (not wet) weather for that day. I also love Victoria, but my husband is not on the same wavelength there so I don't think we'll retire there as once surmised.

Anyhoo, my weekend will be rather dull--but I hope others have fun. Report back on the fun!

And I am sorry JA that your friends behavior upsets you and is unkind--it is sad when folks are no longer themselves. Hugs.

And JuneB--your beach home looked so cozy--I wanted to move it! I am happy you have a happy place to go!

cheers ya'll Sharon

 

[Scandinavian]

Hello from the mountains
Don't really trust the net here, so will split this post in several parts
Nice long skiing trip (cross country) today Wonderful sun, great snow, amazing dog The sky was a bit funny, two very big and dark clouds, but the sun was mostly right between them

 

[Scandinavian]

Thar rabbit picture is incredibly cute Missy! I love that rabbit A few years ago, I wanted to buy a baby rabbit. Even considered buying it. But could not feel a connection when I looked in its eyes - a total blank.. I know a lot of people love them so it's probably me - I'm a dog person, LOL. Cats hate me... I think... I love them but they can probably sense that I love dogs more.. so they put their claws in me. Talking of cats. That little royal miss of yours - oh so beautiful!! Such a princess - it's an outrage that such a beautiful little lady does not have her own tiara!! Come to think of it, neither do I. Hmmmmmmmmm.... "oh DH daaaaaaaarling...." Lol. I think she is very wise to borrow your pearls. I love pearls
Got these from my DH on my birthday last year

Anyone else love pearls? I have an amazing diamond heart with a pearl in the middle (necklace) will try to remember to take a picture and show you all when I get back home
Missy, glad you can use Oracea again. Fingers crossed for no negative effects..!! Keep us posted. Skii for hours today so hopefully good for developing some more muscles - re bikini ready, lol. My DH does not want me to loose weight, at least not too much - so I try to replace fat with muscles... LOL Hope you're having a good weekend <3

 

[Scandinavian]

OMG Junebug! That house look amazing! And the view!! I'm lost for words - I so love it Feels like a dream, I'm so so glad you got to go there for a mini holiday now - you so deserve it. You are way too kind re my family /parenting abilities. I do my best - and I could perhaps change to a less time consuming job, but I need challenges to avoid getting bored - I bore easily, lol. So I try my best and cross my fingers and normally we get through it all without forgetting anything .. lol. Forgot lunch for kindergarten one day last week when they should go on a mini hike, but it work out somehow just fine - the employees just laughed.. they like our youngest, he is very charming Can't get over that outside fire place of yours. In our extension / new house - will try to find picture!

 

[MarionC]

Alrighty! the plan is falling into place....Curby's cheesecake at Junie's beach house.
Candy will bring the wine.

 

[Scandinavian]

Similar to the fire place we have ordered, only we have not ordered a corner but a straight wall version

So happy you like my new bag / purse

 

[MarionC]

Similar to the fire place we have ordered, only we have not ordered a corner but a straight wall version

So happy you like my new bag / purse

very cool!

 

[Scandinavian]

Thank you so much Jimmianne! I trust you girls to give me your feedback through this building process! And I remember you Jimmianne saying you like interior design so I'm counting on you to not get too bored with me I'm so very happy that your DD had a good time! I've been thinking about her so much lately. I'm really bad at being away from my (now) DH - after we started dating, we were supposed to spend chistmas apart with our repective families and then get together for new years. Total disaster. I was so miserable he came on the night bus because there was no available plane tickets, lol. After that we have pretty much been together. I read your post on the other thread regarding SO's that Missy started. I'm so sorry your DH is not here with you anymore. You are an amazing mother and know your daughter really well and you do an amazing job to keep her as happy as can be!!!!!! I do not know what I would ever have done without my DH and I can only hope I would be as strong and supportive as you are! Btw: think I read somewhere that you are having an exhibition? That us soooooool cool Do tell!! Can you share any pictures...?

Edit: you are a good and true friend Jimmianne, but I do not like that friend of yours.. plass kick her very politely in the lev from me.. if people are rude, that is one thing, but if they are bordering on downright evil, ... One of my friends turned very religious many years ago, and the rst of our friends would start calling if we invited then to se if she and her husband was also invited before they would accept the invitation because they wanted to avoid them because they would say such hurtful and inconsiderate things - not rally about religion? Just that they portrait that they were soooooool much better than everybody else... Presents for example. Bought her a birthday present and was ridiculed for spending money on such capitalistic traditions. Refused to open it. Oh well. Life is too short. Stopped inviting them. I still miss the friend she was before. But I guess not inviting people is hader in an art roundtable I really hope you get your old friend back. I know how much that sort of stuff hurts. Hugs.

 

[Scandinavian]

Hello Rainwood!
I'm kind of new here too as you probably know Wanted to know how Missy 's leg was doing as I broke mine two years ago - and here I am, lol. Please (!!) let me know if I can make any recommendations re Scandinavia! I know the place quite well, lol. Where are you going? What are you planning to see? Thank you for such lovely and nice comments

All the best! S

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Scandinavian, sounds like your winter is coming to an end soon. I wish ours was. That’s great your kids have several places and family members they can spend time with. That is very special. I would imagine your electric car especially since it’s not 4WD isn’t always practical to use. My car honestly does great in snow or else I’d be car shopping. Your pearls are really pretty. I hate to hear how your friend changed so much too.

Missy, good point men want to feel useful. I do have earphones and listen to music or TV at work and I think I’ll get some of those Bose noise cancelling earphones. Marty has a pair for airplanes. I might try them one day before I plunk down $300 for them. I bet all your kitties would keep those killer rabbits in line. Good plan. I get text from those killer rabbits too. That is a fabulous picture of the rabbit with his big leaf. Francesca looks fabulous in your pearls. We are going to have to keep those 2 away from our iPads. I am relieved and delighted to hear your biopsies came back normal and the doctor has a plan to get you back on your medicine. Yes you and Junebug both have beautiful and inviting beach houses. Sweet. Yay for getting tickets to Fiddler.

Jimmianne, great idea to buy Francesca some jewelry that Missy could borrow. I like how your mind works. Yay for a clean house and your DD coming home. I am delighted she had a good time. Sketching sounds like a terrific way to start your day. I hate to hear an long time friend has turned kind of nasty. You are right she probably needs your friendship now but it’s hard to say why. Our plan is working getting the NIRDIs at the beach with wine and cheesecake. What else could we want?

Junebug, Marty got to play golf today even if he drive to Colorado. Has your DH been out for a game yet this year? That is funny about the setup at Costco - Sams Club has the TV’s right as you come in the door and the jewelry counter is right by it. I found those mini cheesecakes came out of the freezer just fine and the are small enough it doesn’t take them long to thaw out. Your beach house looks wonderful and I love the beach picture. I would hate to leave there too. It looks so beautiful and restful there.

Hi Rainwood. I am so sorry to hear about your mom and husband. Hugs to you. Sadly I have become more of a wuss with snow but at this point in time I have to live with it. Glad to hear you are doing well in the March Madness pool. I am dreading the upcoming NHL and NBA playoffs. Ugh.

Sharon, the trip to visit your sister sounds like a very nice time. I am glad it’s an easy trip for you. Dull weekends are often good for you too.

Busy weekend. Last night we had pizza, drinks and played games with friends. Today was my cleaning lady day so I took off when she got here and had coffee break with my dad’s buddies. It was nice to catch up with them. We talked about 2.5 hours. Marty played golf. I came home and worked on the club newsletter and laundry. Marty and I went to supper and then wandered around Kohls for a while. We rented Sisters tonight. Don’t waste your money on it - it has its moments but it wasn’t great.

Speaking of iPads. Marty’s new one got delivered today but I didn’t hear the doorbell so i just found the delivery notice on the door. Our doorbell is way down the hall in our “guest” wing side of the house and I have the TV a little loud playing oldies for the cleaning lady. She used to clean with her Grandma and that is what they always listened to while cleaning.

Have a great Sunday!
Curby / Marcy

 

[Scandinavian]

Good morning from the Scandinavian mountains
I can see that doing updates on my phone is not too compatible with making dinner etc. LOL to an extreme amount of typos and autocorrect changing words... Hopefully you get the meaning behind it all. Should have done a review before posting.. So now - breakfast without typing.... Hope you will all have a wonderful Sunday! Hugs!!

 

[MarionC]

Marcy,
Needless to say I was hesitant to spend $300 on those Bose earphones.Tony raved about them so I took a chance. Now they are an essential of life! Truly amazing technology.

What do you think iPads? another "must have" thing?

Last night after getting DD to her house safely, I watched a lot of videos about "Helper monkeys" that assist handicapped people. Very interesting to see their intelligence and loyalty. They are very intense and busy little animals : ) They look like great companions, but I think for most of us they would drive us crazy.The families who have them say they make a world of difference.

Scandinavian, bring on those decor photos!

Missy, how was Fiddler??? Did you and Greg love it?

Sharon and Junie
I "spoke" with Orsi and she is doing well.
LLJsmom - are you there??? Howz life?
AZ - miss you!

here is my funny little house before additions, then the beginning of changes, then as the walkway is being built. It was great to come home in the dark to a well-lit walkway last night instead of walking on muddy grass. Progress!

 

[missy]

Good morning girls! It's a cold and windy Sunday here brrrr high of 40 with NW winds of 20 mph. Is it Spring or Winter?

Sharon, I hope you are feeling completely better now and enjoying the last half of the weekend. I too love Victoria. Why is it that your dh doesn't want to retire there? I have often thought it was a perfect place to live in retirement. Land of the newly weds, flower beds and well you know lol. I'm right about there now lol.

Jimmianne, ooh how exciting. You have so many good things happening at once. Your DD is safely home, your new neighbors will be living there soon, the walkway is almost done and your new setting will be ready in a short while. Lots of good things!
Have you made plans to see your new gentleman friend again? I would absolutely love having a helper monkey or 2 as a companion but seriously so glad they help people in need with what they do so will let those people enjoy them. We are lucky and fortunate that we don't need that kind of help. Love that sweet red house. So pretty.

Marcy, yay glad you are getting the Bose noise canceling headphones. I have heard they are very good at what they do. Sometimes I prefer silence to everything else including music. It can be so relaxing especially when we are assaulted by noise from all directions and often we are not even consciously aware of it. It can be stressful. Yay for Marty's new iPad. So did the delivery person leave it at your door or just the notice? At our beach house they just leave everything on the doorstep even if we are not home. Sounds like you are both having a good weekend. I bet Marty is glad to be playing golf again.

Scandinavian, love your beautiful sky photo. Just gorgeous. And love the new fireplace you ordered. Everything is coming together and so exciting isn't it? I hope you are enjoying the rest of your lovely weekend in the mountains sans children and that you are getting some great skiing in too. Beautiful birthday pearls. Lovely. I have many pearl necklaces and earrings and bracelets even but I rarely if ever wear them. For some reason I went on a buying spree without really being a pearl wearer. Maybe one day. The only other pearl necklace I don't have that I want is a blue akoya pearl necklace but the one I want is pricey and I am not sure I would get much wear from it so holding off for now. I like your plan of replacing fat with muscle. Good idea. I will try that too.


Rainwood, I hope you are enjoying your weekend on the island and that your weather is continuing to be wonderful. Thinking of you and sending (((hugs))) your way.

Fiddler was terrific. One of the best musicals I have ever seen. I saw Fiddler on Broadway a little over 10 years ago and I think this production might have been even better. The beginning song and dance Tradition just blew us away and the show continued to do so from there. I highly recommend this if anyone is in or visiting the NYC area while this production is continuing. Amazing and we had a great time. Such a coincidence because that very afternoon my sister and BIL took my nieces to their very first Broadway show. Matilda. They all had a super time. They were in first row orchestra and loved where they were sitting. So funny because I would hate first row orchestra and feel our first row center mezzanine on aisle seats cannot be beat for the location. Anyway it was funny we were all seeing shows Saturday matinee yesterday just a few blocks from each other. We didn't meet up as we didn't have enough time before the show and had plans after. But I liked knowing they were right there when we were.






I took one quick pic of the stage during intermission for you girls. Sorry this is the only photo I took.




It was windy and rainy when we went yesterday but by the time we got out it was sunny and cool. The perfect Saturday.

Girls, I am having such weird symptoms and am scared to start my Oracea again. IDK what to do. I am also concerned to start the meds my GI doctor prescribed so holding off on doing anything because I am paralyzed with indecision. Anytime I eat I get an uncomfortable full feeling and honestly have not been able to enjoy eating lately at all. This makes me very sad but more worried as to what the heck is happening. It's not like I am not being proactive but the doctors cannot seem to figure it out and neither can I. So just in a holding pattern for now because I don't know what to do. Just sharing my concerns. I don't expect you girls to have any answers and thank you for listening.

Today we are not sure what we are doing. As I wrote above it is freezing here today. We will visit the rescues and then we will see how the rest of the day unfolds. I hope all you girls have a fantastic Sunday and sending hugs your way.

 

[junebug17]

Hi girls!

Missy, I'm so glad that your biopsies came back normal, great news! But I'm so sorry to hear about the discomfort you're feeling right now - you are certainly doing all you can to try to figure this all out - and it's beyond frustrating not to be able to pinpoint a specific reason for your symptoms. I can see how you'd be in a quandary about how to proceed with the meds, especially now that you're experiencing this discomfort. I don't know, I'm thinking that if this full, uncomfortable sensation after eating doesn't ease up in the next few days maybe you should contact the GI doctor. I so wish there was more I could do for you, I know you are distressed. Even though we are dealing with totally different issues, I understand that feeling of things not being ok and feeling upset and scared, and just unsure and anxious. I get it. I'm hoping that just sharing this with your nirdis gives you a little comfort and relief, and please continue to share how you're doing and feeling because we care so much. Big giant hugs to you my friend, you are in my thoughts.

Thank you for the nice words on the house! It is different from our house in NJ in many ways and dh and I like the simple and clean feel of it and we really like all the interior design choices. The house in NJ feels more like home though, which I guess is understandable since we've been in our NJ house over 20 years and the beach house is so new and I haven't' spent much time there.

So glad to hear you really enjoyed Fiddler! I love that musical, it must have so amazing to see it. Thanks for sneaking that pic! How fun that you ran into your nieces, sister and bil. I'll bet they loved Matilda. Your nieces are adorable and the city looks so fun and exciting.

Rainwood, welcome and please just jump in whenever you can! This thread moves quickly and I fall behind a lot myself. Thank you for the nice words about the house, I'm very happy the pics lured you in haha! It is a very peaceful and calming place - and it was very hard to leave!

Thank you for your compassion with regard to caring for an elderly parent - I teared up a bit just because it's comforting to know that someone understands. I am truly sorry for the loss of both your husband and mother, these past few years must have been so very difficult for you, you have my deepest sympathy and I am sending you thoughts of comfort and peace.

I'm very excited about your trip this summer! It's great to have something to look forward to, and Scandinavia is such a beautiful and amazing place!

Jimmianne, I'm sorry to hear about your friend's recent personality change, it must be very distressing and puzzling to you. You are a good friend and I'm hoping she will become a little more pleasant to be around soon.

And I like your plan Candy! Junior approves and hopefully we can all meet in SC someday lol!

So glad to hear Orsi is doing well, I was just thinking about her! I'm thrilled dd ended up having a good time and is now back safe and sound. I'm sure it's great to see her again.

I LOVE the pics of your farmhouse! So pretty and picturesque! The walkway sounds like a very helpful and welcome addition.

Very interesting about the monkey helpers - I had never heard of them being used to aid disabled people before- sounds like they make a real difference in peoples' lives and gives me another reason to love animals!

Sharon, thanks for your compliments on the house! Your trip to your sister's sounds like a lot of fun - I smiled when I read you wonder why you don't do it more often, I feel that way too when I get myself moving and do something a little different from the norm. So glad you are bouncing back from your illness, hope you feel better with each passing day. And yes, it was a quiet weekend for me too, but sometimes quiet is good ha!

Scandinavian, I'm so glad you like the house The bad news is that beach pic is not the view from the house lol - the good news it's only a very short walk to the beach! I LOVE the fireplace you've picked out, it's beautiful! I'm glad you're enjoying your ski weekend, it sounds like a nice get away. Your pearls are gorgeous! I love pearls but I only have a imitation necklace at this point (poor junebug haha!) - but I do have a pair of genuine pearl studs that I wear often and I love the classic, clean look. I can't wait to see your necklace, it sounds beautiful!

Marcy, our Costco is set up just like your Sams club! the first thing you see when you walk in is the TVs lol. It sounds like those bose headphones might be just the ticket for you at work, it's good you can try Marty's before making the investment but I think they will make a difference. I'm glad Marty got a chance to play golf - actually, dh is back at the beach this weekend for a golf outing with some buddies. The weather turned out to be better than expected and I'm glad - he loves golf so much that I'm happy whenever he gets a chance to play. I'm so glad you got together with your dad's friends, I'm going to bet it's really nice for you to spend time with people who knew and loved him and I'm hoping it brought you some comfort. Your get-together with your friends sounds like it was a blast! Very thoughtful of you to play music your cleaning lady enjoys, but I'm not surprised by your kindness

Ok, well, I've written a novel but as usual I'm sure I missed some things…thinking of all my dear friends and hoping you're all having a great day!

Oh, here's a pic of one of dh's golfing buddies It looks like he's smiling, yikes.

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Scandinavian, hello from windy Wyoming. I did enjoy seeing a lot of our mountains in the distance today on our road trip. I didn’t answer this yesterday but I have some pearls but honestly don’t wear them. My aunt game me a strand of pearls for Christmas one year. Her sister was a stewardess who flew in to Hong Kong so she bought all of us strands of pearls for Christmas one year. When Marty was working in Hong Kong he got me some earrings, bracelet and necklace and then I bought a ring after he brought them all home. I wore them maybe twice. I like them but they don’t sparkle.

Jimmianne, thank you for the feedback on the Bose earphones. I am going to borrow Marty’s to try at work tomorrow. I 100% am in the camp everyone should own an iPad. I have 2 iPads. A regular one to use at home and a mini I use at work and bring home every weekend. No offense to anyone who has another brand of tablet but IMO the ones I’ve used aren’t anywhere nearly as nice as the iPad. That is interesting about the helper monkeys. Yay for getting your daughter safely home. I love your home and I am excited for you to have that nice walkway. Glad to hear that Orsi is doing well. I have been wondering.

Missy, as I told Dee Jay yesterday I didn’t send my cold and snow to her in Chicago because we still have it here. So No I didn’t send the wind and 40 degree weather your way either. Marty loves his noise cancelling Bose earphones. He uses them on planes. The UPS driver left the attempt to deliver notice on our door. If I’d opened our front storm door I would have seen him come up to the door but it was closed. I kind of remember hearing a noise but thought it was an alert on my cleaning lady’s phone. I am delighted to hear your enjoyed Fiddler and your adorable nieces enjoyed their first Broadway play as well.

Junebug, I think Sams Club and Costco are very similar. I’ve only been in Costco a few times. I will be anxious to see what I think of Marty’s earphones. That is great you husband got in some golf this weekend. I am always glad Marty gets out and plays too; it sounds like both of our husbands really enjoy it. Does your husband get all frustrated if he thinks he didn’t play well? Marty sure does and I try to remind him even a bad day of golf is better than a good day doing anything else. BTW Marty often sees deer on the golf course and they have seen a bear or two on our course here but I don’t recall anyone every seeing a crocodile. I would have screamed like a little girl. How are the plans coming along on moving your mom? I as always think about the challenges you are dealing with. Hugs to you!

Speaking of pearls one year for Christmas Marty bought me a white and black pearl bypass ring. I was taking a turtle neck sweater with ribbed cuffs off and the cuff caught one of the pearls, snapped it off the ring and we both watched it arch across the room about 7 feet and go right down the furnace vent. You could hear it roll through the furnace ducts in the basement. Marty went down, got in the ducts and found the pearl. Mind you I couldn’t have made that shot getting a pearl down the vent for a million dollars if I tried. I took the ring back, they remounted it for me and about 10 days later that same pearl fell off again. I took the ring back and asked they add a basket setting to hold the pearls. They did a beautiful job on it, the pearls looked really secure and the next time I had the ring on I was sitting by the window and sunlight caught the white pearl at an angle and I noticed they scratched the pearl up adding the basket settings. I took the ring back again and got a refund. It was mall jewelry need I say more?

We were on the road by 9 am today. We went to a golf course in Colorado so Marty could practice at the range. I was going to set outside on the patio and read. I found a nice spot with my back to the sun and started reading and someone came on the patio to smoke and sat right by me up wind from me. Sigh. I went inside and sat in a nice "den" area and read for about an hour.

After that we met my sister and her family for a Japanese shrimp dinner. It's a fund raiser each year for their local Japanese church. They order me take out from an Italian place.

After lunch my sister and BIL followed us about 30 miles north of there to a gem and mineral show. It was okay. They had a black light display with about 40-50 rocks with florescence. That was pretty cool. Only 2 vendors had faceted gemstones and 1 had about 40 diamonds. Of those 3 places the only nice thing I saw was a cushion cut red spinel. But I told myself "must save money for my sapphire upgrades".

After the gem show we went to the outlet mall. Marty had supper, my BIL had a bowl of soup and a salad and my sister and I had gelato.

Now it's 6:19 and it's the first time since i got off work Friday I have nothing to do and no place to go. Sweet.

Have a great evening and day tomorrow.
Marcy / Curby

 

[MarionC]

Ms.Curby, loving to read your post just before heading for bed, blurry-eyed and in need of sleep.
Enjoyed the pearl story it made me laugh when I got to the end. What a gem of an adventure. lol
Sorry the gem show wasn't OTT exciting, but the black light display sounds like fun.
You are a good girl to save you money. Maybe you will be a good influence. I just got my Visa bill and between the custom ring down payment, paying my Perfect Circle yearly bill and all the other nonsense I've been up to, I had a bit of sticker shock.
Time for a financial diet this month!

Alligators can move really fast - don't ask me how I know : ) but I think seeing a bear would be worse! How can one concentrate on hitting a golf ball with all that wildlife

Goodnight
"see" you all in the morning.

 

[rainwood]

Hi, NIRDI's!

Missy, I'm so sorry the right path isn't clear on whether to take or not take meds. It must be so frustrating! And not wanting to eat is no fun either although I would probably benefit from that more than I care to admit. Glad you liked Fiddler. I haven't been to a Broadway show in ages, but have a great fondness for the front row because of what happened to us in London. We went to get same day half-price tickets for 'Oklahoma' and had a choice of either the last row or the first row. We chose the first row. Hugh Jackman was playing Curly (this was back before he became really famous), and partway through the show he sang a number sitting on the edge of the stage. He was so close, my husband could have reached out and touched his leg (but didn't). He wasn't too pleased that some of Hugh's spit also landed on him a couple of times, but I know there are lots of women who would have taken his place!

Jimmieanne, you have such a warm and welcoming house. It makes me want to walk right in. And glad your daughter is back. Is it Lyons where she stays? I haven't been there, but hear that it is a really great food town. Most of my time in France has been in Paris, but I'd like to get out to the countryside more. Most of France is rural and small towns, and I'd like to experience that too, but it's just so hard to resist Paris the few times I've been there! And I hear you about the credit card bill shock. I've gone a little nuts this past couple of weeks so I'm going to have to throttle back too.

Sharon, I love Victoria too. If they'd just start treating their raw sewage that goes out to our shared waters, they'd be perfect! Expensive, but perfect. People are starting to move to Victoria because Vancouver real estate is absolutely crazy. I doubt my nieces will ever be able to afford a house at the rate the Victoria market is appreciating. But I've also loved when I've been to Alberta. One of our favorite vacations ever was hiking in Banff, Lake Louise, Yoho, Moraine Lake, and Jasper. We did a Backroads trip which is my idea of hiking where you stay at a nice hotel at night, and the guides carry lunch and snacks for you. And we learned to glissade which is sliding down the snow in your hiking boots. It was a great time.

Junebug, I'm so glad we don't have those scaly creatures like your husband saw at the golf course! I have deer at the weekend house which chomp on everything I've ever planted, but at least they won't bite my leg off! And caregiving for parents is both humbling and guilt-inducing. I always felt like I should be able to do more, humbled when I hit my limit, and guilty that I often would have preferred to do something else. And I often felt like the worst daughter in the world. My mom only lived with me a very short time after her husband's death, and I quickly realized that she would have to go to specialized care immediately because if I took a break for even 5 minutes she would head for the stairs (of which I had too many) and would do so multiple times at night when I was trying to sleep. And my house was 20 feet from the sidewalk and another 5 to the street where she could wander off in 4 different directions. It took a couple of tries, but I finally found a really wonderful place that gave her far better care than I ever could. I still felt guilty because that's just part of the package, but I found some peace in the notion that I'd done the best I could. It might not be the best anyone on the planet could do, but it was the best I could do and that's all you can ask of someone. It took a LONG time for me to learn that lesson, but it has saved my sanity more than once.

Marcy, don't you love how smokers just know who's going to be most annoyed by their smoke and then sit by them? Yikes, but it was good of you to wait around while Marty played golf. I took exactly one golf lesson because that's all I needed to realize that game is hard, hard, hard. Every time I thought I had a great swing, the ball went about 10 feet. And every time, everything felt completely wrong, the ball went a couple of hundred feet. And I love how you go to a different state to do all this. I'm hours away from any state border so I get a bit of a shock when you mention going to Colorado to shop!

Scandinavia, I'm really excited for our trip! We fly to Amsterdam and spend a few days there, then take a tour. I usually don't do tours, but we decided to go sort of late and I don't have time to plan a trip myself. Plus, they do small groups, pride themselves on traveling thoughtfully, and leave lots of time to explore on your own. We start in Stockholm for a few days, then head to Copenhagen, then a small Danish island, then Oslo, Bergen, and the fjords. We'll then fly back to Copenhagen for a few days on our own, then fly home from Amsterdam. I can't wait! I'd love any suggestions you have!

And I understand what you're going through trying to plan a remodel. We built both our main house and the weekend house, and most of the design fell to me, especially on the weekend house. They were 25 years apart, with a few remodels in between, but still challenging. Here's the kitchen. The architect thought I was crazy wanting it to be the biggest room in the house, but it's where everyone hangs out when they come over so I'm really happy with it. You can't tell from the photo but the island is 8 feet long, practically the size of a real island!


And here's what I get to look at out the windows:



I went to the weekend house the past couple of days. It's the first time I've been here in a couple of months, and I've kind of been dreading it because it's the first trip without my wonderful yellow Lab Nina who is my avatar. She passed in the middle of March, and it's just so different there without her. I know it will get better, but she was part of what made it so fun to be on the island because she loved the water!

Have a great Monday, everyone!

 

[Scandinavian]

Rainwood, I'm so very sorry that you have lost your dog. I had a golden retriever when I was younger. The pain of loosing them is beyond belief. We have an English setter now, and I think that she is the only thing that truly helped for me. But it took a while before I was ready for a new dog. Many hugs!!

 

[MarionC]

Rainwood, I am so sorry to hear about your dog. I know she loved it there and loved being with you there.

wow! what a kitchen. Indeed you have a real island in the middle, worthy of it's own name! : ) I love seeing the NIRDI habitats.

To answer your question, my DD divides her time in France between Dijon and a small village in the SW called Montreuil-Bellay, about a 3 hours from CDG airport.

Today is my yearly physically, which I have not had in three years : )
I am suddenly having a lot of hip pain, but I think it is from sitting cross-legged at the computer too much, but other than that and the %^& skin issues I feel great.
and tomorrow I think I am going to buy a tractor [[[sigh]]] after putting it off for 15 years. The time has come. My gourd-art friend told me what was required to prepare the garden for gourds and it is not going to happen without a tractor. I am sure I will love it, but the excitement level for having a new toy is just not there. Perhaps I will be happily surprised when I see what a good helper it is. It can be my monkey
So, I am the boring NIRDI today with all this mundane stuff.

Happy Monday!

 

[missy]

Good morning girls! It's a rainy cold Monday here but it is comfy and warm inside and I am enjoying reading all your updates.

Junie, Ooh that alligator is adorable though I do also know (and like Jimmianne I don't know how I know LOL) that they move fast so please tell your dh to be careful! Your beach house is a dream. A lovely and real dream and I am so thrilled for you and your dh that you have such a lovely home by the beach. Makes me happy thinking of you there relaxing and enjoying it my dear friend.
Thank you for your comforting words. (((Hugs))). I hope your mom is doing well and that this week is a good one for both of you. Sometimes when my brain goes into overdrive I think about how challenging life is and how through it all if we are lucky enough to grow old it gets even more challenging. Your mother is so lucky to have you but I know it takes its toll on you and I am keeping you always in my thoughts hoping things go as smoothly as possible with this next transition.


Curby, perhaps you did not but it is still quite cold here. Brrr. How's the weather by you today?
I am glad Marty got to play golf yesterday and that you joined him and got to relax a bit but wow how rude of that smoker. I mean I know it is within his rights to smoke outside and all but since you were right there couldn't he have at least asked or perhaps moved when he realized his smoke was going right into your face? IDK maybe I am being mean or difficult but I think he was in the wrong. You were there first and he should have been more courteous. IMO. Just because something is legal doesn't mean it is right. Your Japanese Shrimp dinner with your family sounds delicious. I got a bit confused though. Did you have that dinner or Italian takeout? Good for you for not buying anything at the gem show since nothing was jumping out at you spectacular. It sounds like you had a full and fun weekend and I am glad you at least had some quiet to yourself time last night.


Jimmianne, oh what fun, you are purchasing a tractor! Is it a new one or a used one? Can you lease one or are you definitely buying one? I am imagining they are quite pricey so just thinking of more cost efficient options though I am certain you have thought about all the options and are doing what is best for you. Good luck today with your "annual" physical. I'm glad you are going though these days I have less and less faith in the doctors in general. They are great when you are healthy but if you have something that is not jumping in your face diagnosing itself it is a challenge. At least that is my experience these past few years but I am jaded so don't listen to me. I am sorry about your (hopefully temporary!) hip pain and of course as you know those darn skin issues. Good luck today and I hope you are completely 100% healthy.


Rainwood, WOW, your beach kitchen is GORGEOUS. You and Junie have the most spectacular kitchens.
My dream kitchen truly. And I LOVE your view outside. Gorgeous and serene. Thank you for sharing the photos.
I know how hard this weekend at the island must have been being your first time back there without sweet Nina. I hope you enjoyed yourself though missing Nina terribly. It will get easier with time but I know how much you are missing her and I am so sorry. Sending you (((hugs))) and love sweetheart.

Oh I am with you. I cannot sit in the first row orchestra. My neck would be too uncomfortable. I only go to a show if I can get front row mezzanine. I am really picky that way but having sat through a show or 2 in my teens and twenties where my view was either partially blocked or my neck uncomfortable is just not worth it for me. LOL on the Hugh Jackman spit. I am with your husband. Would not have liked that.


I cannot wait for you to enjoy your trip with your sister. It sounds fantastic and the perfect getaway. I agree with you about the tour being the best way since it is sort of short notice but also because it is a small group. And since you will have lots of time on your own for you and your sister to explore it will be perfect and so much fun and much easier doing it this way. Hoping you have a terrific trip!


Scandinavian, how was your mountain getaway weekend? Hope the kids had fun with the grandparents and great grandparents and hope you and your dh had a wonderful weekend.

Have a great Monday girls.

 

[missy]

Sharing pics from yesterday. First one is from the beach house security camera. Last 3 are from where we were in Brooklyn yesterday. The other side of the bay. Across the bay in the first photo you can see Brooklyn and Manhattan. You can also see how cold and windy it was here in Brooklyn and at the Jersey shore yesterday. Same as today. Very crisp and pretty though.

 

[azstonie]

Hi Everyone! I'm still in kitchen/bath remodeling HELL but its time to start living some semblance of life again so I'm back with my NIRDIs.

Rainwood, so good to see your avatar and posts on PS again! I love your kitchen, so beautiful So sorry about your wonderful baby, its terrible when we lose them.

Junie, your beach house is AMAZING. Um, that is no beach shack!!! Love the color scheme and decor.

Candy, you have the stripper pole and your tube top/Daisy Dukes collection out in the barn!!! You cannot fool us

Curby, get the blizzard burgers going, we'll be there shortly!!

Scandi, love your pics and your sweet sweet dog.

Missy, great pics of the ocean/beach

Callie, I'm sending you the Hamster Wheel Pack of Hagen Daz and a gross of loose nails!

Sharon, hang tight up there in The Great White North!!

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Jimmianne, I am glad to hear I provided your a good bedtime story yesterday. We often talk about that pearl flying across the room. You probably couldn’t drop the pearl in the vent if you were right over it. The shot of a lifetime, huh? The blacklight tent was awesome. I had on my EC but I couldn’t get it close enough to catch any of the UV light in the case. I should have taken a picture. Darn it! I hate when that VISA bill comes calling. I typically put our jewelry (Marty’s watches) on our credit card then pay it off over a few months. Our Christmas purchases took me about 4 months then I paid it off because that was enough! We use our credit cards on trips, Sirius renewals, etc. things like that. I don’t think I’d like to see an alligator or a bear when I was out playing golf. You will probably start thinking “how did I live without a tractor?” I might be a good tractor driver - no curbs. Good luck with your physical. I hope you studied for any tests they give you.

Rainwood, it sounds like you’ve been many wonderful places on vacations. Big hugs to you on the challenges you faced with your mom. It is so hard to decide you just can’t do it and make those difficult decisions. The big thing is you don’t want them to get hurt because you can’t give them the care they need. My mom was in really bad shape for about 3 - 4 years and my dad was her care giver and it really took a lot out of him and away from his life. The summer she got really bad she kept falling and he couldn’t get her up by himself anymore and he finally told her I just can’t do this anymore. They took her to the hospital and she only come home again a few weeks that summer. She never wanted to end up in a nursing home and she didn’t thanks to him. She was in hospice 3 days but was already in a coma then. I tried to help as best I could but my husband wouldn’t let me take care of her alone because there was no way I could help her get around or pick her up if she fell down. I also have frequent thoughts of guilt or wish I’d done something different or more for my parents. I also know my parents well enough to know they wouldn’t want me to think that way. Smokers seem to find someone who dislikes smoke just like a cat is going to pick out the one person in the room who isn’t a cat person. We are only about 10-15 minutes from the Colorado border and we can get to Denver in about 90 minutes (less when Marty drives). I love your kitchen; it’s huge and fabulous and the view is gorgeous. All of you NIRDI’s have such great places to come visit. I am sorry to hear about your lab. I am sure she loved being at the beach house with you.

Missy, I knew it was crappy there today - the Yankees game got cancelled and they are playing a make up tomorrow at 1 pm ET. See I know more about sports than I ever wanted to know. Our weather was gorgeous here today. Only breezy and in the 60’s. Wind is kicking up again tomorrow though. No grilling for a few days. That guy who lit up his cigarette was probably 5 feet from me and there were about 5 or 6 other tables out there in an area maybe 18 x 25 foot. I’m like really? Right here? Too bad I didn’t have a Killer Rabbit with me; I could have had him hiss at him. Ha! I can’t eat shrimp so everyone else ate the shrimp dinner but my sister picked up spaghetti and meatballs as take out from a local restaurant. They have great spaghetti sauce so I don’t mind. I love your pictures from the beach house. Very pretty.

Scandinavian, it is so hard to lose a pet but I think getting a new pet can help ease that loss. Is it snowy or sunny there today?

Kristie, yay I am so glad to see you here. What is going wrong with your remodeling? I thought you were close to be done. I’ll get those blizzard burgers going. The big drift from the 2 week ago blizzard is down to about 15 inches now and someone drove through it since I left for work. I did ask Marty if that was him. He denied it but I’m not convinced.

So everyone is commenting on the alligator. Too funny I called it a crocodile. To us folks in Wyoming all reptiles look alike to us.

When we were going up to Glacier National Park their website had lots of warnings about bears. I’d been teasing Marty for weeks about I was going to keep my eye on him when we were there to make sure he wasn’t putting some bacon in my pockets. We stopped in Bozeman to see an old girl friend of mine and I relayed that story to her and she looks at Marty and says “bears really like apples.” I’m like thanks! Of course Marty pointed out he didn’t need to attract bears because he was sure he could outrun me. Brat!

Speaking of Marty being a Brat. He sent me a text saying he was hovering because they returned his iPad. I bit hook, line and sinker. He’s drawing on the iPad with the Apple pen right now. It’s pretty cool. I used it briefly.

How did my day go? Good question! Marty asked me 3 times what I wanted for supper and each time I answered with some alcoholic beverage and he quit asking. Need I say more?

Have a great evening and day tomorrow.

Marcy / Curby

 

[rainwood]

Missy, those look like quite the whitecaps around Lady Liberty. That must have been quite the chilly walk!

Kristie, thanks for the welcome. I want to thank you for the Woebenzym recommendation I still take it more than 3 years after my ankle break. Every once in awhile, I try to stop taking it and quickly realize how much good it's doing me, and start up again. I'm glad to have the opportunity to thank you directly. And my condolences on the remodel being a hellish experience. Kitchens and baths are so hard. I need to do those in the city house and I keep burying my head in the sand, hoping everything will last a few more years.

Marcy, working in a cubicle does have its challenges, doesn't it? I haven't used the Bose headphones, but my husband flew a lot and he swore by them too, just like Marty. And taking care of elderly parents is just tough. I don't think anyone goes through it without a fair amount of guilt and feeling inadequate.

And thanks to everyone for the compliments on the kitchen at the weekend house and the condolences on Nina's passing, I really appreciate it! Here's a picture of Nina on active treat alert: