Now I really did it :((

[Scandinavian]

More pictures from that long story
Not able to charge my phone so update later!

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

LLJsmom, I think you hit the nail on the head for me when you described how you feel in crowds vs one on one. I am the same way. Too many people together at once in person are overwhelming for me and I prefer one on one (or at least smaller more intimate groups) communication usually. I feel energized one on one and exhausted when there are large gatherings and I don't get into any real conversations but just talk about superficial stuff. And those are very wise words about living in THIS day and being present in THIS moment. Thank you for sharing and reminding us of what is important. Be grateful for each day we are here and we are doing OK. Better than OK most of the time. (((HUGS))).

Kristie, copy that. Hope for the best but plan for the worst so you are always prepared.

Polished, I am glad you are finding comfort and support here. That is the main purpose of this thread. It's a warm and comforting place for all of us to come and share and vent and feel better. And the past shapes us in many ways and who is to say the horrors they dealt with during that uncertain and unpleasant time. I am glad you are getting to know your MILs granddaughter and she is lucky she has you and your dh and your children in her life now.

Junie, I hope you don't mind me sharing that I am thinking this all happened for the best. You had the finest of intentions and were doing everything you possibly could for your mother but then this happened and I feel it was meant to be. As you write your mother will have more to do during the day and will be mentally (as well as physically stimulated) and that is critical for staying well IMO. If our mental stimulation becomes stagnant so do we. She has too many limitations and changes in her health status for you to be able to do it all for her and provide the complete care she now needs. This NH will be able to do that because that is what they do. And you can visit her as much as you like. It is a win win situation. Let the professionals do what they do best and you can continue doing what you do best. Providing unconditional love and support and company for your mom. That is what she needs from you. And also she needs you to take better care of yourself so you can be there for her. Please make sure you are eating right and sleeping enough and taking care of yourself. Allow yourself enjoyment and time for yourself every day OK? I am glad you ordered some new shirts. It is always fun getting new clothes. And I hope you can bring Zoe back home soon and in the meantime I am glad she has a nice place to be with your brother but I am sure she will be overjoyed for you to take her home. ((((HUGS)))).


Marcy, I wish we could bike ride that late but the bugs eat me alive once dusk comes so we stick to after sunrise early morning for our hot bike rides. I am glad you enjoyed my sunrise and sunset pic from yesterday and I will share the sunset pic here since the other girls didn't get to see it. OMG I want my bangs back and I have been thinking of cutting my hair shorter too. Are we on the same wavelength? Glad you got some pretty capris. I'm with Junie. They are light and breezy and comfortable and I prefer them to shorts too. Though I know some people think they shorten the leg that is not true. It depends on the capris and if you get proper fitting ones they look good.

Oh no to your vision problems. Is this smoke related or something else? Please let me know so I can help you either way.
Sorry you cannot get groceries delivered. We can but I never use that service. I don't want my groceries hanging around in non temp controlled environments and I like to pick produce myself. And check expiration dates of other food before I buy. LOL can you say control issues. But that doesn't stop me from ordering most of my drugstore items online. Amazon and other companies have made me lazy.

Yay for your clothing haul yesterday Marcy and wow you are a good shopper. I need to shop with you. You saved a lot of money. More money for bling!

Scandi, another great photo. Waiting for your long story with anticipation and I hope you are having fun. I love boating and I love the sea. So peaceful and beautiful and alive. Problems seem less stressful when one is enjoying the sea.


Sweet Sammy was rolling around in our backyard last night during dusk and she looked happy and peaceful and that made me happy and peaceful. LOVE all the kitties. And no I didn't buy that mug or T Shirt but I should right? I should buy it for all the NIRDIs.

We woke up early again today to go cycling but I do have a bit of a rash from yesterday's ride so I am apprehensive but we are going for it. My body is just doing weird things and they are probably autoimmune related. Just taking it ONE day at a time and enjoying the moment though and not going to let worry and anxiety take over my mind. Thank you for the NIRDI wisdom girls and you know I love all of you. I hope everyone enjoys a lovely Sunday. Leaving you with my sunset photo from last night. (((HUGS))).

 

[missy]

Back from our early morning ride. It was worth waking up early. Hope you are all enjoying the day.

 

[Scandinavian]

Love the sea

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Junebug, that is a good idea to bring Zoe to your home. Very cool. I am delighted to hear you got to go to dinner with your husband and son. What a nice break for you. I am glad your brother came to visit your mom. That is wonderful your mom is being a little more involved with other people at the NH. It sounds to me like the NH is the best place for your mom right now. Missy already kind of said what I was going say. Things may be working out the way they should for you and your mom. You fixed up your house and planned out everything to take care of her at home but she had health issues that required her to have more care and attention. You did everything you could to give her a safe and comfortable place to live. As Missy also said being there for her will be very important to her; visiting her and checking on her while she gets the care and assistance she needs. I hope she continues to show improvement and will become more interested in social interactions at the NH. I think I’ll like capri okay - my legs are white so the more I can cover them up the better for everyone concerned. Most of my tops are more for fall but generally I get cold in AC so I’ll see what I want to pack when we get ready. That is great you ordered some new tops for yourself. A new outfit always cheers me up.

Scandinavian, great pictures. I’ll get to see the ocean soon.

Missy, darn those pesky bugs snacking on when when you go for a ride at night. The wasps were at the mailbox again today. I just left the mail there. I’ll send Marty over later. Ha! It’s usually breezy to windy here so that keeps the bugs down. The beauty of cutting our hair is it does grow back. I keep having bangs cut and like them but they make my forehead itch. Thanks for offering to help me with my vision problem yesterday but it was nothing - just me being a smart arse, I didn’t “see” me wanting to go to the grocery store but I went this morning. I am with you on being very OCD and picky on food and produce but yes if I can order things online I like to do that. I was quite the bargain shopper yesterday. Definitely save money where I can so I have more for bling or Porsches. That is awesome Sammy was so content last night. You should get that t-shirt and coffee mug; they are great. Sorry your body is doing weird things; hopefully it’s not something to worry about. Great photos of your morning bike ride.

I am getting ready for my vacation on the beach - I am watching all the Jaws movies. Ha!

I am able to check everything off my “to do” list today. Grocery shopping, laundry, make stuff for my lunch this week and pick up the obstacle courses around the house (aka as Marty’s size 14 shoes).

We are getting a strong thunderstorm right now. It’s raining and coming straight down inside of sideways. Strange. My car is in the garage so I’m good. Marty is still at the golf course but the clouds look like they are more by our house and north of town than by the golf course.

Have a fabulous day and ready or not when we get up in the morning it’s going to be Monday.

Marcy

 

[Scandinavian]

Birds at sea - far out - teaching the young ones to fish

 

[marcy]

Lunch time! The birds are finding the fish but who is bringing the chips?

 

[missy]

Good morning girls! It's Monday again and the weather is fitting for a Monday morning. Rainy and gray. I rather like the sound of the pitter patter though that is happening right now and find it soothing.

Marcy you are so right. Monday gets here no matter what we do and so fast too. Yay for your beach vacation coming up and how funny you mention Jaws. Greg and I love that movie and just saw it again this past year. Tell us more about your beach vacation because I can't remember if this is the family vacation get together. I am so glad you are going to get some R and R in this summer as I know work has been challenging and you need a nice break from the babysitting nonsense. Sorry those darn wasps are stalking you. Just let Marty get the mail from now on. Good for you for being so productive and efficient this weekend. You are always prepared and organized Marcy. Hope Marty didn't get too wet on the golf course and that the sideways rain and thunderstorms have calmed down but yay for much needed rain. See? My rain dance for you worked.

Scandi, haha I have the same scene right outside my window right now with the birds all lined up floating down the sea. Too bad my phone is downstairs or I would snap a quick pic. Next time. I love the wildlife that is all around us.


Our Monday is shaping up to be busier than normal. I am visiting my neighbor J today as she would like the company and is getting a change in chemo meds this morning. Her sister from Montana was visiting her for a long weekend this past weekend so she had company all weekend thankfully but her sister is leaving this morning. When we get back to NYC I will check in on her and visit her for a while and maybe brush Zeke too. I am hoping her appointment goes well this morning and that the treatment is working. Fingers crossed.

We have a late afternoon appointment with the Cablevision people since we are having some tv difficulty in NYC these past few weeks. Second in home visit in one week and I sure hope they can figure it out this time. Poor Greg has wasted enough hours with this problem via phone and in person with them and so far no success. He is working from home to deal with them today though I am not sure if they will show as they never called back like they were supposed to on Friday. Do you guys remember the "good old days" when TV was free and easy to get? Now it is so complicated with cable cards and connection etc that it seems much more a challenge for problem free tv. Sure we have lots more channels and options but it is more challenging actually getting them on a regular basis. Sigh.

Slept a bit later this morning as we are both pretty tired and we have a lot to do before we leave for the city so we are leaving a bit later than usual for a Monday. Hope you all have a great Monday.

 

[missy]

Of course being a daddy to a human baby is the hardest job (besides being a mommy that is) a parent can have so I am taking this mug as tongue in cheek but there is some truth in it. Especially if one is quite allergic and has been getting allergy shots for almost 2 decades just because he loves our kitties. That takes a special man IMO. Including an oldie but a goodie from 2009 I think when Francesca and Bobby were just babies.

Excuse the random thought for the day. Back to regularly scheduled programming.

 

[junebug17]

Hi NIRDIS!

Missy, thank you for your insight and input…my sister could have written your post. She has been saying exactly the same things. I will never feel good about any of this and my heart is heavy but I think I am starting to make peace with it. I can't tell you how much your support has meant to me during this very difficult time in my life. (((hugs)))

Love the pics from your bike ride - You're becoming a really good photographer! I'm glad you were able do some cycling in spite of the heat. Sorry to hear about the rash flare-up but I think it's great you aren't letting it stop you from doing things you enjoy. Your description of Sammy is so sweet, he sounds happy and I'm glad that it made you feel peaceful. Me too. You play a major part in his contentment, because of you and Greg he has food, water, and shelter if he ever needs it. You guys are the best.

I'm glad your friend had some company this weekend, and now she will have more with your visit. I really feel for her and I am keeping her in my thoughts.

And I feel your pain about the rigamarole surrounding the tv - omigosh we experience this kind of thing too and it is just maddening at times. Technology is great, but it seems the more technology there is, the more chances there are that things can go wrong with it, grrr. I hope it gets straightened out once and for all, ongoing issues like this are so frustrating.

Marcy, thank you too for your support…my family has been saying the same things as you and Missy. This is certainly a very trying time and I thank you for your help. xox.

I laughed when I read about your white legs - me too! Although, in spite of all the craziness of the past few weeks, my sister and I managed to have a little fun and we bought tanning cream and gave ourselves fake tans lol. Actually, it just gave me a touch of color, it's very subtle and looks pretty natural. I think we were just trying to distract ourselves from all the stress and tension. But I'm just not a fan of shorts, between my knobby knees and skinny calves it's just not a good look. I think capris are a great way to go for summer, light and airy but more coverage. I'm excited for you to go on vacation! You deserve a nice long break from work.

Thinking of all my wonderful nirdis and I hope you all have the best Monday possible! <3

eta - missy, just saw that mug, that is too funny! I think I'll get it for dh once Zoe is here haha - Great pic of Greg, I agree he is very special and a true cat daddy!

 

[Scandinavian]

Hello from the car driving all day today as the last part of that very long story - coming up tomorrow

 

[Scandinavian]

Present from DH full story tomorrow

 

[junebug17]

Present from DH full story tomorrow

Gorgeous Scandi!

 

[azstonie]

Scandi, love it, bringing the bling and the wildlife pics and the vacay pics too!!!! What a pretty pendant

 

[Calliecake]

Beautiful Necklace Scandi! I can't wait to hear all about your trip!!!

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Missy, Jaws is a great movie; the follow ups not so much. I am looking forward to not babysitting for 2 weeks and of course being on the beach. I hope your neighbors treatments are helping her. I bet she enjoyed having her sister come visit. Rats for having TV problems. I hope they get it fixed. Woo hoo you slept in today. Greg is an awesome Cat dad. Love the pictures!

Junebug, I am glad you are starting to feel at peace about your mom. There is no good answer to a such difficult situation and I know how heart wrenching it is to deal with. I wish I had the words to help you feel better; you are in my thoughts. That is funny you and your sister got some fake tans. Living at high altitudes where we have thin air I’ll probably not even burn at sea level. I sure get easy sunburns here.

Scandi, you are a long story tease. I can't wait to hear it. I love your new pendant. It’s gorgeous.

Hi Kristie and Calliecake.

Marty made some beef parmesan for us for supper. I had some linguine with Alfredo sauce and Marty had green beans. That should cure me of my chicken parmesan craving for a while. This time we used tenderized cube steaks; they worked well.

I worked on procedures this afternoon. Snooze fest there.

Have a great evening and Tuesday.
Marcy

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!


Junie, Hugs and hoping yesterday went well. It is all working out for the best. Your mom is going to get the excellent full time care and stimulation she needs and you are going to get to supervise to make sure it all goes well and visit her spending quality time with her without all the extra noise. Win win and I am continuing to send good thoughts your way and healing vibes your mom's way. Hoping your mom is continuing to improve with each day.

Marcy, boring is good at work sometimes especially when you deal with enough excitement there due to your immature employees. Glad dinner was enjoyable and your upcoming beach vacation sounds wonderful. And yes Jaws is a wonderful movie. I never saw any of the follow up Jaws movies. And based on your review I don't think I ever will.

Scandi, lovely necklace. Neck shot please?



OK so what a day yesterday. Got back to Brooklyn and unpacked and visited my friend J for a few hours. She is in good spirits and now has an aide with her 16 hours a day so yay for that. This is her on treatment week so hoping she doesn't get to nauseous and can keep food down. She cut her hair very short since she is expecting it to all fall out soon. Zeke is doing better but still has a small area of matting but would not let me brush him at all yesterday so I didn't force the issue. He was not in the mood and it was warm in the apartment (all of our apartments as when it is that hot outside it isn't that cool inside with wall units in a brick building). We had a good visit and I am absolutely keeping in close contact with her. She needs a lot of support and friendship to get through these upcoming months and I am pleased and grateful I can be there for her.

So then I went back to my apartment where of course Cablevision had still not shown up. They always come at the last minute of the time window LOL. Anyway bad news. The Cablevision technician arrived and he did a few tests and determined that we had inferior grade cable wire throughout the walls. Long story short when we moved into this apartment we hired SuperCharged Electric who was very expensive (but we thought worth the cost) to rewire our whole apartment since we were doing a gut renovation at the time. So we paid to rewire the whole 2500 square feet inside the walls so we had no wires showing. That included all the cable. For not just TV/Cable but Internet and Phone. Well yesterday the Cable technician said it was inferior grade cable and now it was failing 12 years later because they used inferior quality. Greg was so angry. I don't even know how to describe accurately how angry he was and probably still is. We paid a premium for this company to come in and rewire everything and drill holes all over to properly do the job and make it neat too.

Now we either have to hire Super Charged Electric again to redo the job and drill all over the apartment replacing the inferior grade cable with good quality or let Cablevision do the job but they don't do it from in the walls and instead run cable all over the apartment outside the walls.Greg hates that option but we cannot and will not rehire Supercharged Electric who did a shitty job to begin with and charged us top dollar. I mean we paid for the job to be done right in 2004 by the owner Vinny and only are now just seeing they did a terrible job! Greg is calling them sometime today when he has time (he didn't want to call yesterday even if it wasn't too late which it was but because he was so upset with them) but he doesn't think they will offer any satisfaction. And now Greg is telling me he is too busy to call them today. Oy. If I was handling this I would call them as soon as I could this morning but I am not going to micromanage this and just going to let Greg do it on his own schedule. Men. Sigh.

Right now we have a tentative appointment with Cablevision tomorrow to rewire the whole apartment (a whole day job) and once again Greg has to work from home. He is so unhappy about this for the aesthetic reasons of having wire all over but I feel we have very little choice right now. The Cable tech made it clear that this will only continue getting worse with the whole system failing and even more importantly according to his tests he is quite surprised our internet still works. It showed a huge fail on his equipment and I saw that with my own eyes yesterday. Might explain why I often have issues with getting a connection. Harrumph as Francesca would say.

The aesthetics can be fixed at a later date and we just might end up getting another electric company to rewire from the inside as we hired Super Charged Electric to do all those years ago. Just really crappy of them to use inferior grade cable.
SHAME on them. They probably didn't think we would still be here over a decade later.

Putting it all in perspective of course I realize it is not such a big deal at all. Just frustrated that even when you hire who you think is a good company and pay top dollar you still get screwed yanno? I mean we had the owner Vinny who seemed like a stand up guy do the work and were happy to pay a lot for it so it was done right. Of course we feel betrayed and stupid too for trusting that he did the job right when he clearly did not. Thanks for letting me share our frustration and anger with you girls. It helps to get it out.

Now moving forward I just hope Cablevision does this job right and we have internet and cable reliably from hereon in. Internet and Cable is critical for us and I just want to get this issue fixed. I am gun shy however and hope the whole house rewire goes smoothly tomorrow. Fingers crossed.


Have a good day girls. Leaving you with pics of the kitties from yesterday's visit with J. In order from top to bottom pic. Yoshi, Theo and Zeke.
Wishing you all an efficient and happy day.

 

[Scandinavian]

Hello and good "morning" from work

One self-centered post comming up... now LOL:

So for the longs story, that you have all been so kind and patient to wait for Marcy, you are so totally right, I being a complete story tease! I did mean to post a bit of the way along the way if you get my drift, but it just never happened! I have been so very busy, so I do hope you forgive me when you hear the story . So - first things first - we were as you know in Kristiansand to experience the pirats and the animals last weekend. That took a rather sudden stop when my dad called me, and asked if we were still in Kristiansand. Yes. So I knew right away that something was very wrong, because he knew that I was "busy" and he never calls like that in the middle of the after noon when I'm obviously in the middle of something. Or actually in the middle of the line to see a show with the children, they drive you through the forrest and there is a fairytale that is played along the way But no fairytale that day, at not with a cookie baking fox.. So on to the real story. Out of the line, and what is wrong?? Well, he started by saying that he was OK. Really not a good sign when someone starts by saying that, now is it... He had had a bad fall on the boat (down the stairs) and landed rather unfortunately with his ribs against the table and cracked rather a few of them. So he was in "a bit of pain, but OK". Obviously not OK, as I could easily hear on his voice, and as he was resorting to calling me. He hates to ask for help. (You might remember that he sailed home after first dislocating his shoulder and then fixing it himself a few years ago.) So. Where are you?? And then faith was at least a little helpful, he was only 1.5 hours away by car. So as he said that he was able to get the boat to shore, I told him I was coming and to sit tight once he had dropped anchor. So I hurried to the exit, and found my way to the boat. He was so not OK. The ribs were so smashed, you could feel the broken edges. And he was soooooo green and gray I almost started laughing. Why? He wanted me to go to town and get some painkillers so that he could stay on the boat until it got a bit better. Well, kind of hard to get your hands on morphine or similar without actually being in pain yourself - doesn't quite work like that... lol. So I called one of my best friends who is an emergency doctor, and had her tell him in no uncertain words that he needed to go to a hospital. He did not agree. But I'm just as stubborn as he is, rescue was called, and showed up within an hour with two medics and two rescue people by boat. Hah. Stubborn people can be quite difficult, but I'm good at not listening. And there really was no choice. He was not able to sit up again as he had laid down whilst waiting for me. Took quite a dose of opiums just to get him on the stretcher, he was starting to black out from the pain. So no-go on staying on the boat alone for a few days. LOL.

One of the medics was a woman, and whilst I would never say any harsh words against that off course, we as women do have one serious disadvantage (on average I mean) when it comes to pure brute physical strength, don't we? Lifting someone off a boat and into another is a different ballgame from carrying someone on a road... Oh so heavy. I'm very happy I work out. So 5 people later, he was in the ambulance heading for a hospital and x-rays. Still protesting off course, but I just told every body to not listen. Hah. I win

So - next step - anchoring the boat properly, and closing it down. Getting the children home to my mother. Getting me to the hospital. The hole thing took quite a lot of time and effort and so many hours in a car I stopped counting.

Gotta go now - so I'll just say - to be continued

Please forgive typos and language, I'm so lost for time, but I will get back to you and all your wonderful posts and pictures!

 

[junebug17]

Hi girls!

Missy, so sorry about all the aggravation with the cable wires, it really is so frustrating to have work done,and pay a premium, and then find out that the job wasn't done properly. For now is sounds like your best option is to run the wires outside the walls, at least you will have a good connection that way and your tv and internet will work properly. I don't blame you for not wanting to deal with the original company. Hang in there, I know it's a real pain.

I'm happy to hear your friend now has an aide, that's great. It's really thoughtful of you to make such an effort to visit her and support her through this very hard time, I know it will make a difference in her life. I'm continuing to keep her in my thoughts, and I hope she tolerates her treatments well this week. Love the pics of her kitties, they are all so sweet!

And thank you for the encouragement missy, you are such a comfort. Thanks for the good wishes for my mother, she's improving a little but still not able to move without supervision and assistance.

Oh Scandi, I am so sorry about your father's accident! I know how stressful all of this is, and I hope he's comfortable and that he heals quickly and has a smooth recovery. My gosh, I think I finally found someone more stubborn than my mother… your father! I can't believe how hard he resisted going to the hospital. The poor man must have been in so much pain. Thank goodness you are stubborn too, and yes, it was extremely obvious (probably even to your father although he'd never admit it) that he had to be brought immediately to a hospital. It's great you were fairly close and could get to him quickly. Hugs to you, I know there's a lot involved with having someone in the hospital and I hope you are finding a little time to rest. You are a busy woman with a lot going on, make sure you take care of yourself too.

Marcy, thanks for the good thoughts, they help me a lot. You dinner sounds delicious, I love alfredo sauce. I hope your work week is off to a good start.

Gypsy, thinking of you. (((hugs)))

Sharon, I've been thinking of your mother, I hope she is recovering and feeling better.

LLJsmom, hope things are going well for you.

Hi CJ!

Jimmianne, hoping you are feeling ok and dd is making out ok on her trip. Thinking of Pom too.

Rainwood, I hope you are having a blast!

Ok, I have to call the social worker today and I've been putting it off, must stop procrastinating and just get it over with. Have a good day everyone!

 

[missy]

Oh no Scandi! I'm so sorry about your dad's accident and thank goodness he has you. He is no match for your stubbornness!
Sending him healing vibes and hugs.

Junie, good luck calling the social worker today. I hope she/he is super helpful and that it goes well. Hugs and more hugs.

Gypsy, CJ, Sharon, Orsi, Jimmianne, and everyone- I am keeping all the NIRDIs and NIRDI loved ones in my thoughts and prayers as always. (((Hugs))).

 

[Scandinavian]

Tale of the donkey - part 2:

I have nicknamed my dad "the donkey" over this story. So now my doctor friend - who I called to help me convince him that he really did need to go to a hospital - is now calling me and asking how the donkey is doing. A lot of fun To me at least. My dad didn't think it was quite as amusing when I told him, lol.

Do you have the expression "stubborn as a donkey"? That is something that we say here where I live. I think it is because of an old children's tail about a donkey who refused to pull the cart. So the police made the man put the donkey in the cart and pull the whole thing himself because the donkey and cart was blocking traffic, lol. Oh well, I really do think he deserves being called the donkey over this one...

So back to business and the tail of the donkey. When I finally go to the hospital, my dad was very happy. The x-rays showed that "nothing was wrong", well except from the obviously broken ribs, that is. So he had persuaded the doctors that he could go home! In the middle of the night. He was sitting in the waiting room waiting for me. Oh my. Such a donkey. And now you will appreciate how well I know him and how stubborn he is. There is a reason why it took me a "few" hours to get to the hospital... I know him. And I knew I would be taking him home. So a car was a good idea. Would have been quicker to take a plane home, but that is how he is. I knew he would want a car, so that he was more "in control" of the journey, if you know what I mean. So car it was. The problem was that he was still in a lot of pain, even with all the morphine they had pumped into him. So despite sickness medications - which they had also given him - he kept throwing up (so sorry for the details) the whole way home. So we had to stop a lot.. And the throwing up made the pain worse off course, so the stops became ever more frequent... He really is a stubborn donkey. But I will give him that. He did not complain one single time. He is a strong stubborn donkey with a very high threshold for pain. So we got home in the end. As I knew we would.

I do hope you have forgiven me for calling him the donkey by now and kind of understand why...

Back home, he kept throwing up, off course, needed more painkillers. Or, more specifically, needed to keep the ones he swallowed for more than 15 minutes.. lol. What to do but laugh. But we were able to get some stronger sickness meds in the end so that solved it nicely.

Now he is much better. One week later, and he is walking around quite well and only winces when he coughs.

However, I was not going to let him go get the boat and sail it home and it really needed to be collected, we left it at anchor in a natural port in Norway.

So - Friday - new very long drive.

To be continued

 

[Scandinavian]

Marcy, I always love reading your daily report! Without knowing your work day and dinner, I would be lost. The sad part is that I'm not joking.

Missy, your pictures are so wonderful! You take really good pictures!! Please keep them coming! I'm always looking forward to seeing them! And to hear about your day and kitties! Oh Missy, what a mess, I do hope it has been fixed today!!

Junebug, good luck, fingers crossed for you! Yes, I guess my dad can give anyone competition in the stubborn department, lol. But he does listen to me when he knows I will not back down. So he is not really difficult.

Kristie, Callie, thank you! You are always so kind

And all of you! I just want to say! I was reading another thread about who is the nicest on PS. Well - it is you girls off course! But Missy, you know you will always be special to me, as you was the first to really welcome me here! But seriously, you girls are so amazing and I'm really grateful that you have included me here!

Gypsy! Are you ok honey? I have worried about you this weekend, probably without cause, but just got a feeling of worry. So I hope you are ok. Please let us know if there is anything we can do if you are not. And I did mean that you can come and borrow the summerhouse anytime!!

And yes - off course you can all bring your pets!! And you Jimmianne, please bring the horses also, even if you consider them farm animals and not pets! The people we bought it from had horses there, so no worries! We have a barn and everything! And there really is a lot of space outside, so the dogs can play and chase the cats until the cats get bored and start chasing the dogs... Not like a farm, but quite a big green lawn for a house (at least here), about 3 acres. So come on over that tiny little water thing

Jimmianne, hope things have improved with DD and Pom? Thinking of all of you!

LLJsmom, yes, children really can be a handful in every way of the word, can't they I'm very grateful that both my mother and my father helps out on a daily basis

CJ I totally understand you, I also want to be private and anonymous here! So I don't show my face in pictures.. It is online, after all.

 

[azstonie]

Scandi, stubborn old farts, I know them well Good luck with your donkey, at least he called you, right??? Broken ribs are amazingly painful. So so painful. They are dangerous because they can puncture a lung, so I hope your DonkeyDad remembers this when he thinks he'd be fine to work around the boat, etc etc. And those painkillers, SHEESH, there's the nausea and then there is the CONSTIPATION! Its a thrill ride from start to finish! If you go see him and he's still taking those, take him some stool softeners, he's gonna need them. Your gut motility is slowed/stopped by the opiate so sometimes you need to talk a walk and drink some coffee or tea to get the gut moving again. I hope he heals up fast.

Hey everybody. Dog days of summer.

Missy, we have cable outlets that were added in our house at our direction when we built it. And we've changed how we live in the house so most of those outlets were no longer applicable So Bob tunneled the cable we did need to run behind our baseboards and in some places it is indeed exposed. My eyeball stopped seeing it, its white and blends with the baseboards. I agree with you and Greg, visible cable is not optimal but what are ya gonna do? At least the Millenials who will wind up buying our places won't see it/care anyway. Its just us.

Junebug, hang in there. You and your sister and brother have done a yeoman's job here and for quite some time. I'm glad you're going to bring Zoe 'home.' She is such a sweet little kitty. She must wonder where her Junie has gone?

Marcy, cheers to 2 solid weeks of beach time!

Not much to report on my end. Finn is having dental surgery at the canine oral surgeons/dentists. He is 13-1/2, he last had dentistry 2 years ago. I got called for federal jury duty next month I know its selfish but the courthouse is in downtown Phoenix, there is NO parking in the downtown area, and its so effing hot here that even if I catch the lightrail over in Tempe I'm still going to be nervous and beyond hot as its 108 in the mornings in August. And I don't want to serve on a jury because I don't believe in the justice system. Listen to this: IN MY JURY INSTRUCTIONS THEY SAID WHAT TO WEAR AND IF YOU DON'T WEAR WHAT THEY SAY YOU DON'T RECEIVE YOUR JURORS STIPEND! I would show up looking appropriate but it kinda burns me up they assume people won't. Maybe people are wearing some crazy stuff to jury duty? They said "no plastic shoes!" WTH? I guess they mean flip flops. I've never wanted a pair of crocs until I was told I can't wear them

Bob planned a trip to San Diego in September and it'll be the first long weekend/vacay in several years. Please send dust that the dogsitter does not cancel on us

 

[Calliecake]

Oh my gosh Scandi. Thank goodness you are a stubborn one. Your dad would be back on that boat if it weren't for you. I can only imagine how painful the car ride must have been for your dad too. Every bump must have been torture for him. If your roads are anything like ours there were probably many bumps! I also can't imagune how painful it would be to throw up with broken ribs. Your poor, poor dad. I understand about you saying you have to laugh. Sometimes laughter really is the best medicine at least for the relatives of the sick person. My mom, niece, SIL and her mom and I were all joking for over an hour about how HOT my brothers transplant doctor was. Of course this was going on while my brother was in surgery. Probably not the most appropriate time but at least we weren't just feel scared for a short time. How is your mom doing? She must have been worried sick about your dad. Thank goodness you were able to step in and get everything taken care if properly. Never a dull moment. I hope your dad is feeling more comfortable now and he is just concentrating on healing. I'm glad you are back Scandi. I was anxiously awaiting your post today and honey you never disappoint!

Missy, I'm so glad your friend has you. You truly are one of the most comforting people I have ever meant and I know you are doing her a world of good. I love you Sweetie.

Gypsy, I hope you are feeling better honey and that your mom is impoving. I think you made the correct choice about not filling your mom in on everything you have been going thru. You have quite enough on your plate without throwing that on it too. I'm also glad you have John to help you through this. How is your mom doing this week?

Junebug, I could not agree more with Missy regarding this is the best for your mom. On top of making sure she is safe at all times she also will get mental stimulation in her day to day interactions with various care takers. She may actually make a friend or two which will also be good for her. I hope you are coming around to feeling better about the decision your family made. You are correct in there is no perfect solution. My thoughts are always with you.

Rainwood, I hope you are having a wonderful trip.

LLJsmom, Your stories about your kids always make me laugh. You are such a good mom.

Marcy, Your vacation house looks spectacular. Who wouldn't want to be there! A beach and none of your employees to bother you has to sound like heaven to you!

CJ, I hope you are having a good week.

Kristie, I hope you are having success with getting Finn's procedures scheduled.

 

[azstonie]

Calliecake, I examined Finn's chest cyst this morning and its gone And its not inflamed or ruptured, it just reabsorbed into the surrounding structures. Cysts apparently can do this, OR they can explode and spread infection throughout the animal. So if it does not show up in the next 2 weeks I can rest easy its gone.

Now its just a question of the dental surgery and at least that's only scheduling two people, the oral surgeon and the anesthesiologist.

How's your sweet sweet pup doing in the summer heat? I hope she's keeping cool inside!

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Missy, I watched your Bea videos on my phone, iPad and laptop. She is so pretty. I am actually starting to look forward to our vacation. Even with the in-laws all there. Too bad I have to fly to get there and back. I hope your friend doesn’t get too nauseous from her treatments this week. That is nice she has help now. Oh no to the inferior wiring that company used. I hope Greg get’s some compensation from them and I’d sure be reluctant to have them fix it. What a mess and hassle for you. I understand not wanting wires everywhere. I hope the Cable company does a nice job for you tomorrow. Cute kitties.

Scandi, I hate to hear what happened to your dad. It sounds very painful. He sounds stubborn and sure resisted going to the hospital. Made me think of the black knight in Monty Python’s Holy Grail. “Merely a flesh wound” and “I’ve had worse.” I am glad you got him to the hospital and taken care of even thought he didn’t want to go. I hope he gets better soon. I won’t hold it against you for being a story tease but of course I’ll give you a hard time because that’s the way I roll (Marty ALWAYS says I am not hip enough to talk that way). Your vacation certainly turn out to be very relaxing for you. Too funny you nicknamed your dad Donkey. We kind of have a similar saying here. He certainly is tough and I hurt for him thinking about him getting sick on top of the pain. OUCH!!! I am glad he is better. Awe, thanks for saying you like my daily recap. I agree all the NIRDIs are wonderfully nice ladies but Missy is the best. I hope you get the boat home safely and without incident.

Junebug, I hope the meeting with the social worker went okay. I am glad your mom shows some improvement. Is the NH she is at fairly close to your house? Have you worn your EC ring lately? I saw one in a store the other day that reminded me of it and thought I’d ask.

Kristie, sadly it is the dog days of summer so summer will be coming to an end soon (and of course that makes me think about the dog star - Sirius). I miss teaching - occasionally. I can’t say 2 weeks on the beach will be a bad thing. Ugh to getting called for Federal Jury Duty. Is that one that if you get picked you serve the entire 6 months? I wonder if by plastic shoes they mean those jellies that used to be popular? Kind of strange. How exciting you and Bob have a trip to SD in September. Sending mega dust to your dogsitter to not cancel on you. I am glad Finn’s cyst is gone; I hope his dental surgery goes well.

Calliecake, I agree laughter can always help ease a tough situation. How are you beautiful flowers and roses doing this summer? Mine have kind of wilted up a bit with the heat here. You are making my vacation sound even better - no employees. I should leave my cell phone home. Ha!

I had to go to work early to get a last minute update done before 9. I kept thinking about it last night so I didn’t sleep well and got up early. I am yawning already and it’s only 7:30.

I kind of had a queasy stomach this afternoon so ate toast and a peach for supper. Marty made us a dish of strawberries with whipped heavy cream for a dessert. He is out for a walk right now.

They have a remount show at the jewelry store where I bought my thick RG / WG band so I might go look. I might look at a simple RG mounting for my light pink sapphire. That mounting is uncomfortable. It’s a knife edge and I don’t care for it. The diamond accents with it were earrings that Marty bought me after he bought my ering. Little did he know how many more erings and earrings he’d be buying me.

We get off at noon tomorrow. In the morning I am going to watch the Thunderbirds perform from work and enjoy a nice blueberry pancake at our company pancake breakfast. Marty is coming out to enjoy the show as well.

Have a great evening and tomorrow is hump day. Yippee!!!

Marcy

 

[Gypsy]

I am here. I REALLY don't want to worry you all, and I am SO sorry I have been. John's job messed up my health insurance, so I am late on my infusion since I don't have coverage right now (ARGH!!!!!!!). My body is just WRONG as a result. Everything is hurting at weird times, my body feels heavy, and my joint aches are starting to affect me wanting to go anywhere. It's causing my mood into a pretty deep funk. Working very hard to get out of it but it's a real struggle right now. Feeling very... I don't know. Depressed I guess. I am having trouble focusing on things that I normally love: reading, the beach, cooking. None of it is appealing, I'm distracted (have dinged the car twice while driving), and stressed and unfocused. I have some phone interviews this week. So we'll see how those continue to go (had two today). I am just trying to force myself out of the house once a day. Even if it's to get a tea somewhere, or just sit on the beach.

Just struggling right now. Staying busy, so I am distracting myself by seeing friends and job searching, and stuff. But I am just rudderless, and it's really doing a number on my head and my mood. I am SO lucky to have you guys and all my friends. Everyone who knows what's going on has been very supportive and I really appreciate it.

EDD is taking forever with the unemployment benefit processing so I am worried about money all the time. And I just want to scream.

So... not really in a head place to post too much, because I really don't have anything positive in me right now. All my positivity is for John who is having health issues of his own and some adjustment pains with his new job. And my cup is so empty right now that just that is draining me to zero.

Things will improve, I know that, but right now just at a low point. Sorry.

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

Gypsy, honey, I am so sorry you are going through a challenging period right now and especially that you aren't feeling well health wise and that John is facing health problems as well. No wonder the cup feels empty. Hoping that your health insurance gets restored ASAP and that you can start your infusion treatments again soon. Once you start feeling better and John gets his health issues under control everything will be better. Please don't add us to your list of worries and stressors. We are here to listen whenever and however and you don't need to be concerned with us. And there is absolutely no need to be upbeat here or apologize for being depressed and sad and no need to add positivity or anything else like that. Just be yourself and feel how you are feeling. I am sending good luck dust for your phone interviews this week and bucket loads of healing vibes to you and John and tons and tons of good thoughts and (((HUGS))). Once again I wish I lived closer to a NIRDI instead of thousands of miles away but I am close in spirit and I hope you can feel my love and positive vibes.


Marcy, you are too kind but I am very pleased you enjoyed the Bea videos I sent to you guys last night. I took them for Patty yesterday but then read her thread was going to be closed so I sent them to you girls. As you can see both Tommy and Bobby got into the action LOL. I wish we were allowed to share videos because that really is the best way to judge an OEC besides seeing it in action in person. Oh well. Boo to having to go to work early yesterday but yay for getting out early at noon today. I hope your tummy is feeling all better now. Enjoy the blueberry pancakes this morning and the show.


Kristie, glad Finn's cyst is all gone woohoo. Sending him dental dust and hoping is teeth issues are taken care of as soon as possible and that he is not in any discomfort. I shared with Greg what you told me about the cablevision but he thinks this is our best bet. Sigh. We will see. I hate that I am not more optimistic but only time will tell. I am apprehensive about having our walls drilled into today and what I am going to come home to later. Fingers crossed.

Callie, time just passes so fast especially when we are chatting. OMG hours fly by. Crazy. I love you too sweetie. (((HUGS))).


Junie, how did everything go yesterday? How is your mom feeling? Thinking of you both and sending more (((HUGS))) and healing wishes.


Scandi, hope your dad is steadily improving and he is lucky he has you in his life. That is for sure. Sending healing vibes and good thoughts his way. (((HUGS))).

Rainwood, hoping you are having a blast and enjoying every moment. Thinking of you!


Have a good day girls. Hope I have internet (and TV and cable) when I get home from work today and tomorrow so I can post here. If you don't hear from me you will know something went wrong. But thinking optimistically and hoping today goes smoothly for all of us. (((HUGS))).

 

[Polished]

Good evening everyone.

Oh Missy - that Tortoiseshell, second kitty down is the spitting image of our Tigerlily, when she still had her heft. Tigerlily died just over a week ago. She was 17, so a good age. She'd had had kidney disease but we'd had our doubts that that was what killed her. She'd had none of the symptoms that cats are supposed to have as the disease progresses. Perhaps it was a heart attack. It had really been business as usual for Tigerlily that morning - a double breakfast, followed up by a good lap of the water that I had freshly put out for our two gold retrievers. She then went up to our bed for her morning snooze. When I came back mid morning I discovered she'd died. She'd been a great family pet.

There was one moment I found touching a day later. The two dogs were used to getting the leavings of the cat's dishes occasionally after they had finished their own breakfast. On this occasion they both looked over to the cat's area and then both at the same time put their heads down and held this doleful position for sometime. They have never done this before. The cynic in me could say that they realised there were no longer going to be any leavings from there for them but there honestly seemed to be a genuine awareness/sadness/paying homage feel to it. Love my boys. I know elephants grieve (and need to be allowed to go through a process with it) but I don't know about dogs.

 

[junebug17]

Hi girls -

Missy, fingers crossed everything goes ok with the cable issue and that you don't lose your internet and tv.

Things went ok with the social worker, she was helpful. I guess my mother is feeling ok, but she's not eating. The aides keep telling me, as if I can do something about it or get my mother to eat. I can't. I try, believe me. Her appetite wasn't great before the hospitalization, but better than now. She is willing to drink Ensures. I spoke to her nurse yesterday and she said the doctor is aware of the situation. For now they are giving her more ensure and will consider an appetite stimulant if she doesn't start eating soon. I don't know, not feeling great about anything right now. Thank you for asking <3

Gypsy, thank you for checking in even though you're going through such a rough time right now…I hope by asking about you I didn't make you feel badly, that's the last thing I want to do. I just want to let you know that we are all here for you, whenever you need to vent or share your feelings. I do understand that sometimes it's hard to gather the energy to even post. I feel like that too these days. I'm really sorry you're not feeling well physically. It is SO hard to handle the other stressors of life when you're feeling so lousy and I totally sympathize. I hope the insurance gets straightened out very soon so you can get some medical attention and at least start feeling better physically so the other stuff doesn't seem quite so overwhelming. It's understandable you're feeling depressed, and I know sometimes it's just so tough to pull oneself out of a funk. I can relate. Please post whenever you feel you need to, and no pressure if you're not up to it. (((hugs))). You're in my thoughts, and your husband is too. I hope he starts feeling better and can work though his job issues. Starting a new job is so stressful, I feel for him.

Scandi, wow, it's been a difficult week for your dad, and you! I'm really glad he's feeling better, recovering, and more comfortable now. We have a saying "stubborn as a mule", so basically the same thing lol.

Kristie, sorry Finn needs dental work and I'm sending lots of good thoughts that everything goes smoothly. Glad to read a cyst he had seems to have been absorbed, one less worry whew. Ugh, sorry to hear about jury duty, it does sound like a big hassle. You made me laugh -"plastic shoes" and wearing crocs lol. It's pretty depressing that people have to be told what to wear to things like this, obviously it's enough of an issue that the courthouse has to have rules about it. Nice you have a vacation to look forward to, glad to hear it! Yeah, I keep thinking Zoe the cat is wondering what happened to me, I'd really like to bring her to my house soon.

Marcy, the meeting with the social worker ended up going alright. The rehab center is close by, about a 15 minute drive from my house. I'm sorry you had a bad night's sleep because you were worried, that is the worst. I hope your stomach is feeling better. I think a rose gold setting for your pink sapphire would be great! I encourage it lol. Have a good time watching the Thunderbirds and enjoy the pancakes. I'm glad Marty can join you. It's great you're getting excited about your vacation, it's good to have something to look forward to. I haven't been wearing my rings a lot lately but I do pop on my EC ring once in a while, it does cheer me up a little!

Polished, oh no, I'm so sorry about the sudden loss of your sweet kitty. What a difficult thing for you to experience, I'm sending lots of thoughts of comfort and support to you. I think dogs are very intuitive and I have a feeling your dogs can sense there is something different in the house, and yes, that their friend is not there and something sad has occurred. Please give them a few extra pets from me. Hugs to you, you're in my thoughts.

Calliecake, thanks for your kindness sweetie. Sometimes laughter does take the edge of of the stress and tension…it was nice having my sister here for company, I'm on my own now here and I'm doing ok but it did help to have some support.

Nothing really new to report, I'm hanging in but if I'm being honest I'm feeling sort of overwhelmed by everything right now. We are trying to decide if we should move my mother to the NH we have chosen and have her finish out her rehab there, just to make the switch sooner so that she can start adapting to her new environment. Ugh, just lots to think about and I'm feeling crappy about everything. My apologies in advance if I don't check in for a while, not in a great place right now and just don't have much extra energy but please know I'm thinking about all my nirdis. Thank you so much for your support and good wishes!