Now I really did it :((

[missy]

Good rainy morning girls. It seems all it does around here lately is rain rain rain and then more rain. Fits my mood. Slept hardly at all so my tolerance is pretty low and I am just hoping to make it through the day and in fact the next few days. (sorry for not being more cheerful this morning).

Junie I am so glad you had a lovely visit with your nephew and wife and baby and were able to babysit while they went out for some alone time. And I am very pleased you are going to enjoy the beach house this weekend. I hope it will be a peaceful and relaxing mini vacation.

Sharon, LOVE your dh's new bicycle. It is a looker. I am glad your dh is enjoying his new bike and yay for his joint replacement being a success! Wishing you both many happy cycling years.

Austina I am continuing to keep everyone in Manchester in my thoughts and prayers. Just horrific and there really are no comforting words that will make it better. A terrible terrible loss and when I watch/read the news it is overwhelming. Not a matter of if they strike again but when and where. I am happy they have caught a number of the terrorists involved though it seems like a never ending battle. It's like a bad science fiction novel where crazy is the virus and countless number of people are catching it causing their brains to snap infecting them with the need to cause harm and destruction to innocent people including children. And I truly wonder if the madness will ever stop and I fear I know the answer. As long as mankind exists the answer is no.
Hugs to sweet Dottie and big virtual hugs to everyone in England.


Phanie I am so sorry about your mom. How scary. Sending her bucket loads of healing vibes and I hope she recovers fully and soon. (((Hugs))).

Marcy sleep was once again elusive for me last night. Upset at all the recent events on PS and all over the world. I must do something to shut my brain and will look into Rainwood's wise advice. I haven't had energy to do anything about it though so have been procrastinating. Poor Marty. LA traffic. No fun. I hope the revising of your work manual continues to go well and that work days become less painstakingly challenging. I won't even go into my workday yesterday (not worth it) but will just say thank goodness the AC guy just happened to be in our building when I called the main company to let them know their fix wasn't working. He came right over and fixed the AC but told me we have a refurbished unit and will continue having issues and he is trying to see if the wiring is messed up. LOL I cannot make this stuff up yanno?

Oh no about your bracelet clasp. That sucks. Definitely be safe and dont wear it till it is fixed. I am glad you realized it before you lost it. I hate losing bling. I enjoy easy dinners too. In NYC as you know we have tons of take out options but honestly with my dh's mad cooking skills we rarely order takeout. I prefer his cooking to any takeout or even restaurant meals. Though we are due to a visit to Le Bernardin soon...

Kristie glad Maggie had a good day yesterday and I hope Maggie and Finn can mend fences. Sibling love isn't easy under the best of circumstances and add not feeling well to the mix and tolerances run low. I get that. And I dont have a favorite. I am their equal opportunity loving Auntie...just sayin

Rainwood, I cannot wait to hear the story behind "the show that shall not be mentioned" ticket lol. I could use an amusing story please. I hear some more good news is in the works about another NIRDI visit. Nice. And as you already know we are definitely looking forward to seeing you in the autumn. HRH thanks you for all your kind comments. She adores being adored.

I read The Year of Magical Thinking a very long time ago and in fact it is on our shelf in our library. I don't remember what I thought of the book and I think I will re read it. Thank you for your other book recs. I will check them out. Yes I want to help somehow too but I don't really know how. Except just to be there and listen to her and be a friend. There really is nothing anyone can do because we cannot bring him back. The new normal is hard to accept and only time can help. That and her family and friends just being there to listen and help in any way they can. I am glad you are OK and that it brought out more feelings of wanting to help vs feelings of sadness. (((Hugs))).

Callie hugs to you and your sweet fur baby and I hope your shoulder is feeling better. And boo to the stupid insurance companies. I just want to make them feel the pain we do because they are full of uncaring a**holes. TTYL.

Have a good day girls. Sending good thoughts and hugs to everyone.

 

[junebug17]

Hi nirdis!

Missy, so sorry you weren't able to sleep last night, I hope you can plug through the day and get a better night's sleep tonight. Not sleeping just really stinks, personally I have a really hard time functioning the next day so I feel your pain! It sounds like Rainwood has given you some suggestions that you'd be comfortable trying so I hope you give them a go soon. I hear you on feeling down and upset about the tough times people are going through right now. And this dreary weather is definitely not helping! I hope you can relax this weekend and find some things to do to cheer you up a bit; hopefully spending time with your sweet husband brings you some comfort and lifts your spirits. The nirdis are here for you! (((HUGS)))

Marcy, oh no to your bracelet breaking! Ugh, what a pain and I hope you can get if fixed soon. Sorry Marty had so much traffic to deal with, especially considering he usually doesn't experience it. Must have been very frustrating for the poor guy! Good for you for doing an easy supper, definitely nice to get a break from cooking and cleaning up the kitchen.

Rainwood, I'm so glad the weather will be nice enough to make it worth your while to head to the island this weekend. I hope you have a lovely and relaxing time. I think it's nice to get away, even if it's just for a few days. I'm really glad you weren't overly saddened and upset about PB's situation and I know what you mean about sometimes becoming a bit stronger after going through a life-altering experience. Big hugs to you.

Phanie, I am so sorry about your mother! I'm glad she's stable at this point and I'm sending good thoughts that she continues to improve as each day passes. I know it's stressful, especially since she's in another country. Thank you for the info, good advice. Hugs to you, and hang in there.

Calliecake, sending lots of healing vibes to you!

I hope everyone is having the best day possible so far!

 

[Scandinavian]

H ello fra the car! My mother i babysitting the dog, so we are driving down to the summer house - and back home again - today! The garden there is so beautiful now!

 

[Austina]

Good afternoon lovely ladies.

Thank you all for your kind words of support, it's very much appreciated. I must admit, that this latest atrocity has affected me more deeply than any other. We are used to being on high alert, even seeing armed troops and tanks at the airport, but I think the deliberate targeting of innocent children and young people, is just so shocking. I will be very glad to be getting away. In 2 weeks time, we arrive in Austin, and I can hug my son again.

Another beautiful day here. We are so fortunate living where we do, we have woods, heathland, a country park and Virginia Water right on our doorstep. VW is part of Windsor Great Park, 1000 acres of parkland and woods where we take Dottie, plus a huge lake. Spins are known as good swimmers - apart from ours She loves to paddle, but resolutely refuses to go deep enough to swim. It's easy to forget the rest of the world walking through the calm and quiet there.

Thank you for the kid compliment @rainwood, but I'm a lady of a certain age! I'll be 58 next month and my little boy will be 34 in August. I hope PB's news didn't stir up awful memories for you, I can't bear to think of that time, even though I know it's inevitable

Your azaleas are stunning @Scandinavian, your garden looks beautiful.

Oh @marcy, how disappointing that your bracelet needs repairing, I'm so glad you didn't lose it, that would've been devastating.

Ugh at not sleeping @missy, I honestly don't think I've slept a full night since I was a child, insomnia is the absolute pits!

I hope the poorlies are all making good progress, and that you're having a good day.

A big to all those I've not specifically mentioned, I do enjoy reading all your posts very much.

 

[lovedogs]

Hi NIRDI's, I lurk but don't really post in this thread. I know many of you have been thinking of PB and wondering how we can help. I feel the same way, and want to do anything I can (even if small) to show her we support her. My post in her thread got removed for breaking the rules (so sorry, Mods!), but if you check LT you can see what I posted there in terms of potential ways to help. I know it's woefully inadequate (as is anything right now, IMO), but I felt it was the best I could do from across the US.
Thanks!

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Rainwood, Zit Alures - that is awesome. One of my favorite posts on FB was “Quit correcting my curse words you stupid piece of shut”. You know me well - I am quit concerned I’ll buy something else when I go back to the jewelry store. They may have those yellow sapphire earrings back in stock by then. Your husband’s 2.5 million miles is amazing as well. That is very decent the airlines transferred those miles to you. Good deal you are expecting nice weather for the holiday weekend. We are getting rain again tonight.

Missy, so you are getting rain too. As I told you ladies the other day; rain creates more work for me but our grass is sure green from all this moisture. Ugh to an awful day at work yesterday but that’s nice they looked in to the AC right away. Hopefully they get it fixed. Sorry you didn’t sleep well. If you find out how to shut off those dark thoughts and fall asleep let me know. I am yawning already and it’s only 7:30 here. I don’t think I fell asleep until maybe 3 or 4 then woke up at 5. I totally understand why you’d rather had Greg cook one of his delicious dinners than do take out. I lost my cook; he and I just aren’t eating at the same time or eating the same things right now. Darn. I tried to force bend my clasp last night - I did alter the direction it is pointing but it still won’t snap together. I’d best quit before I break the bracelet. I was going to wear my 2 carat bracelet today but it looked so tiny. See I do get DSS.

Junebug, I know - how rude of that clasp to decide it wanted to go a different direction. I have Tuesday off so I might run it down that day. Marty gets frustrated in traffic only because he can’t go faster than the rest of the cars. He was in the air force in California though so he should know what it’s like out there.

Scandi, beautiful flowers. Thank you!

Austina, I understand how this atrocity would deeply impact everyone in your country. It is so incredibly awful. Even the beefed up security must make things seem unreal. I remember the weekend after 9/11 we were camping and it was so bizarre to not hear any planes fly over except for an occasional military jet. It was quite eerie. Where you live sounds so peaceful and lovely. I bet your are very excited to be going to see your soon so soon. Good point about my bracelet; I’d rather it was just broke than lost. I’m already “broke” so I couldn’t replace it. Wonder how much I could get for some killer rabbits on Ebay?

Lovedogs, thank you for the information. I think it helps PB knowing how deeply her loss has impacted the rest of us PS world. We are certainly thinking of her and care.

I started my day being amused and horrified at a mistake one of our providers made. I was reading my emails about 7:15 and almost spit out my OJ when I read what happened. I finished my juice and headed for work because I was going to be the one who had to fix it. Let’s see if I can give you an idea without really saying what it was - they described something in a suggestive, descriptive adult nature that shouldn’t have ever reached our customers.

I met a friend for lunch today and it was definitely nice to get out of the office. Her dad just got laid off at work. My employees again demonstrated they will only stay in their seats and do they jobs if I zip tie them to their chairs. Too bad I can't do that. They've set low expectations and constantly rise to meet them. I have this list at work of obnoxious comments like that for performance appraisals. I’ll have to see if I can find it. Some of them are pretty funny.

Tomorrow is Friday and woo hoo a long weekend. Better yet Marty is on a plane right now and should be home by 11 or 11:30 tonight. Sounds like he isn’t going back next week but the week after and will probably stay 2 weeks then. I am just relieved he is so busy right now.

Take care.
Marcy Broken Bracelet

 

[Calliecake]

Missy, I'm sorry you will be have bad weather this weekend and thing have been so crazy at work. We are supposed to get rain this weekend too.

Marcy, Great News that Marty will be home next week. I'm sorry to hear about your bracelet. Hopefully they will be able to fix it quickly. You will never be able to say you are bored at work. If nothing else your employees are always entertaining.

Rainwood, My husband traveled about have the year for many, many years. Another friend of his has traveled much more. We all went on a trip together a while ago and they called him up to the gate desk before anyone boarded the plane. They took us on the plane and made sure we were seated and comfortable before they would board first class passengers. We were also the first ones off the plane. I was teasing my husband because he hasn't reached that status. I really can't complain because he keeps his status for life now. It is amazing how quickly you can go thru miles. So many family members asked for them too over the years. We did put a stop to that a couple years ago. It didn't seem fair that he did all the travel and everyone was using all the frequent flyer miles.

Scandi, Thank you for the beautiful pictures. Your gardens are beautiful. How is sweet baby "F" feeling?

Austina, I'm so sorry for what your country is going thru. Such a sad time.
It sounds like you live in such a pretty area.

Junebug, Have a great time at the beach this weekend. My husband and I were talking tonight about how we need to go on a trip if only for a couple days.

 

[Scandinavian]

Good morning girls!

Just wanted to stop by and say hello
Yesterday we went for a drive – down to the summerhouse and back home again. It is so nice there now! My mother and my kids are going down there for the weekend. But we have to stay home with furbaby because I don’t want to drive her that far yet. Actually, I don’t want to drive her at all. The stitches are obviously itchy, so when I don’t watch her, she tries to scratch them. Not good. Bad doggie. But she is so much better now! I hate to do this to her one more time, but at least the next surgery is several weeks away. Either in July or in October. (Hunting season in September, and there is no risk to wait until then, so the vet said she should be allowed a nice fall season We will do it in July if the skin is big enough yet then, but we shall se.)

Going home from the summerhouse yesterday, I was trying to post pictures for you girls (sorry for the double spam), when my DH threatened to kill me. You are probably wondering why, as he is normally quite nice to me LOL. Might have something to do with me jumping out of the car in the middle of the highway. Oh come on! Who has not done that before??? I even told him that I was going to do so, so the car had almost stopped when I did! I do hope you know me well enough to wonder why. All of a sudden, we saw a dog (Irish setter, you know, the red ones) running in the middle of the road. And it was so scared, so it did not try to get to the curb, just to keep running as fast as it could. So off course I went after it. Good thing I had my sneakers and not heals. LOL. Stopped the traffic. Got the dog. Found the owner. Went back to the car (my DH is smarter than that dog, so it was safely parked on the curb). Then I had to face DH. LOL. He was not so happy with me. Something about bad example for my kids… (they were in the car with us..)… But please remember that this is Scandinavia before you judge me to harshly. Just one lane each way, so not all that dangerous. Annoying though that the cars are much more ready to stop when I run around in the middle of the road than when it was just a dog…

Kristie, I'm counting on you and your love for Finn and Maggie to side with me on that one....

Callie, I just can’t forget those miles! And I totally agree with you! Those miles are yours! Well, maybe yours and not your husbands. After all you did all the waiting, lol! Have you bought a new dress? Pictures please

Missy, thank you for the mug shot, that is perfect for my evil plan I do love to torment you, lol. Oh I do hope you are a curious and nosy kind of person so that this will annoy you tons! LOL you know I don’t mean that! Were you able to get a good night’s sleep? And how are the ferals? And your eye? And Saint Greg? My parents always side with my DH, very annoying. Good thing I can normally get DH to side with me… LOL.

June, hope the beach will be wonderful! At least here the weather this weekend should be amazing! They probably loved lunch without the baby – I remember the feeling, LOL.

Rainwood, a new upcoming holiday sounds like fun! I do love holidays

Austina, terror is horrible. I totally understand how you are feeling. The stoic attitude is the way to go in my opinion, but that does not make it any ounce less horrible at all! I will never understand how people can be so cruel. Nor how they imaging such actions will be helpful.

Marcy, I think my life would be a lot less entertaining without your employees! At least they make my colleges sound wonderful, lol, something they could never accomplish on their own. Stupid bracelet. Do you think you have offended it somehow or is it just being a little brat? Gotta love pizza.

Jimmianne, miss you, hope you are having a wonderful time!

Jaaron, how are you? Nose above water is important, remember..? LOL a saying here; “do you have your nose above water?”.

Furbaby sends her love to all with (their own) fur, and especially to Maggie, even if she does not want it

 

[azstonie]

Hi NIRDI Babes! Greetings from the Not-Hot-Enough-To-Swim-In-My-Pool Phoenix metro area!

One of the rare Memorial Day weekends that I'm not swimming with the Westies and the DH! Its going to be a long weekend without that pool as its really too hot to do anything else except drink and now that I have a face that flushes easily, I won't be doing THAT in any meaningful way.

Maggie had acupuncture yesterday, the vet could still not get to the right knee. I'm not sure if it was because Maggie would not be put in the position to present it OR it was too inflamed and painful, or both, but I'm not taking anything less next week. Bob is going to come to the appointment to help get that knee treated.

Maggie did enjoy acupuncture and electrical stim to her back and shoulders and head, though, as well as a top notch massage, hahaha.

Austina, God Bless The Brits! Horrible horrible incident. I loved the video of the Queen visiting survivors in hospital. She is amazing. I also loved that the girls showed having their chat with her clearly were thrilled to be meeting the Queen.

Rainy, the ladies have *always* loved Finnie Boy, always! He is truly a lover not a fighter, which is why the neighborhood cats would get away with smacking him across his nose! Finnie looks forward to meeting you. Maggie says she will do her best to win you away from Binn (she calls him Binn to tick him off). I hope you're having some good long weekend weather to enjoy.

Marcy, phooey on the bracelet finding breaking. Its always some damn thing, how hard is it to manufacture a finding that works!

Jimmianne, do you have a hardhat a la Francaise now????? How are the language classes going? My high school French teacher used to tell me that the French were a hard nut to crack because of all the regional accents and idioms---the Parisiennes looked down on the country folk and vice versa, when it came to grammar and accent. I have never met better grammarians than the French except for the Austro-Germans, they win on that!

Junie, have fun this weekend! Watch for those gators, okay????

Scandi, OF COURSE I side with you over our DHs who wish we would not assume responsibility for other people's dogs! Irish setters, OMG so beautiful but honestly SO DAMN GOOFY TOO! I grew up with a lovely Irish setter several blocks away from my house including a terribly dangerous and fast street with lots of traffic and almost no visibility. This setter would somehow cross that street without getting hit and I would see it in my front yard. Would leash it up and walk it home to its owners, seemed to happen weekly. That dog had wanderlust but it would RUN LIKE HELL away from me when I would go out to get it. I'm so glad you were able to locate the owners of 'your' Irish setter. I used to judge people very harshly when their animals would go walkabout, now that I'm old and tired and I understand that $#it happens. I'm glad to hear that Fifi is on the mend and very solid now. Good news!!

Missy, have fun at your party and I hope you continue to feel better regarding the dizzies.

Callie, keep babying that shoulder, okay?

Poodles4, have a great weekend with those adorbs dogs!!! I wish Canada would've had me but I'll have to content myself with living close to the border and making regular visits!

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Callie, yes I am rarely bored at work. My employees irritate me and amuse me often at the same time. I did jump in and help them get the last minute updates done so we could leave early. I am glad your DH put a stop to giving other people his miles. It’s like winning the lotto; everyone expects something from you and then it’s never enough. How is your shoulder doing? I hope it is feeling better. I think a trip for you and your DH would be nice.

Scandi, you were a hero jumping out to rescue that Irish setter. Phooey your DH wasn’t thrilled with how you went about it but I wouldn’t expect you to do anything else. A sweet fur baby needed help. I am glad my employees can help make the people you work with look good. I definitely am glad I am able to laugh about some of the things they do. Like Missy says - you can’t make this stuff up. My bracelet is being a brat. I showed it who was boss this morning though. I got out my 2 carat bracelet and my ruby bracelet to wear. When I went to put on my diamond bracelet I thought “hum, that clasp is bent just like my new bracelet”. I put it on, can’t get the clasp to go in so I keep pushing it together. Finally get it in, snap the little hook and it wasn’t until I saw it in my car on the way to work that I realized I put on my new bracelet, not my old one. Of course Marty might have to break it to get it off my wrist tonight but hey I wore it today. Maybe my employees get their trouble shooting skills from me.

Kristie, phooey it’s still not hot enough to swim there. Oh no you can’t drink this weekend. I might have to pick up some Freakshow. I am delighted to hear Maggie was up and about today. It’s great she enjoyed the acupuncture. I was thinking the same thing about the Queen. She runs circles around Charles and her grandkids. Always a gracious lady and let’s face it she’s got some jewels.

I left work at 3:21 today. I’ll take any day that I can leave work early. Woo hoo!! We had lots of last minute updates and I “helped” my team do them for 2 reasons - I didn’t want to have any errors or have to fix them later this weekend and I wanted to get out of there early.

We have a nasty looking storm rolling in right now. Dark, dark skies, low clouds and change for heavy rain and hail. I told Marty he should head home. He is down at his gym.

Have a fabulous weekend.
Take care.
Marcy

 

[missy]

Good morning girls. I cannot believe it's the Memorial Day weekend already. Happy Memorial Day weekend and I hope everyone is having a nice time so far.

Rainwood hope you are enjoying a wonderful island weekend and that everything is working smoothly. May this be the perfect getaway this weekend.

Austina, it is so beautiful where you live. Love the description thank you. Hope you are having a lovely weekend despite the awful attack and that everyone by you is doing well. My heart is so heavy with all that has happened and I can understand how you feel just because when 9/11 happened it was surreal and felt like we were in a nightmare for months and months though each week it got a little better it was still felt traumatic and nightmarish for a long time to come. And in fact I still flashback to some of those horrible events. And knowing at any moment it could all happen again well it is the not knowing that makes it scary. But yes of course we must carry on and live in the moment. Still not easy to do when so much is happening. (((HUGS))).

Scandi more hugs and love to you and F. Glad she has enough time to recover before her next surgery. And I would have done the same thing. We both stop for stray animals or animals that need our help. DH fully on board. But be careful OK? Thank goodness it was a happy ending for all!

Junie I hope you are enjoying your lovely beach house this weekend all comfy and cozy with your dh and just relaxing and enjoying the peacefulness of being at the beach.

Callie hope your shoulder is doing better and I am so sorry about the insurance company aggravation.

Marcy dont worry. I know you will get the bracelet fixed this coming week and be able to wear it soon.Hope work doesn't bother you at all for the next few days. Yay for leaving work early yesterday.Glad you stayed inside during the potential hail event last night. Did Marty come home early? Hope the house cleaning goes well today.

Kristie so glad Maggie is doing better. Sorry the pool is not warm enough but with your outdoor air temps I might just jump in anyway to cool off despite not being as warm as my parents pool which is basically kept at hot tub temps. Nutz. Sometimes a pool can be enjoyed as a refreshing dip vs a hot bath lol.

Jimmianne bonjour! Hope all your construction projects are going well and you are staying safe. (((Hugs))) from America. Are you spending the weekend with your DD? Are they coming and staying at your chateau?

I will post a few pics in a few minutes. Must get more coffee.
In the meantime a big hello to Sharon, Poodles4me, , CJ, Lovedogs. Thank you for stopping by Lovedogs and sharing with us. And if I forgot anyone else a big hello to you too and I didn't meant to leave you out. Know I am sending you all virtual big hugs and lots of love.

 

[missy]

OK so here are a few photos I took yesterday around 7/8PM. See how light it still was at that time? Gotta love the late Spring!

First up view of the backyard from living room window. See the pretty clouds and how lovely the light is at that time of day?





Next is a hazy city view. Verrazano bridge included. It actually didn't rain here but it was quite humid. Look at the clouds. Pretty.




And lastly a photo of one of our (many) new ferals. She/He is on top of one of the shelters we bought/Greg built for them that we didn't think they ever use...but perhaps they do. We will have to re-investigate that issue. In any case see how peaceful she looks? Greg says he often sees them playing outside happily and peacefully on our property. Like they don't have a care in the world. That makes both of us very happy. Though they may be here a short time (life of a feral is very hard) we want to make that time for them as happy as possible.




Bye for now girls and have a wonderful day.

 

[azstonie]

Missy, that shelter Greg built practically disappears in your yard, but the ferals still know its there for them, niiiiice.

Rainy, I'll email ya later today with the lab info. Highly recommend it; its also good for the latest science-driven results on all things health/illness.

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Happy Memorial Day weekend. Hugs and a great big thank you to those who served our country and are no longer with us; also those who had a loved one in the service as well. The cemetery was very busy today. My parents are in the veterans section and someone put little flags by all of their headstones. It looked nice. I picked up some red, white and blue carnations wrapped in a plastic flag to leave on their headstone.

Missy, I am glad you got in a nice bike ride today. I hope you had a fabulous time at the party. Marty didn’t want to try and bend my bracelet. I did put it on and got it to close but I still think I’ll go get it looked at soon. I’ll see how I do getting it on tomorrow. Great views of the water and the city. Pretty colors indeed. You are right that feral kitty looks quite content. You and Greg gave them a better life than they’d have otherwise. That is awesome.

Kristie, did the pool get warm enough to swim yet?

My house is clean. Woo hoo! The cleaning lady wasn’t downstairs very long at all and came upstairs and asked me how many days Marty had been home - I said he was down there all of one day since your sister was here. She was done quickly.

I ran my errands after she got here, stopped somewhere to eat breakfast and got home about 11. Marty’s golf course had some worst ball tournament and all those tournament players were supposed to be on the course by 9:30. It was such a slow way to play that it took Marty and his friends 6 hours to play 18 holes. He was pretty frustrated by it all. We were both starving so we met a Chilis and inhaled some chips and salsa while we waited for our food.

I got towels and sheets washed today plus put out a red tablecloth with red or off white place mats. It was the best I could come up with for Memorial Days colors.

Have a fabulous weekend.
Take care.
Marcy

 

[missy]

Good morning girls! Happy Memorial Day weekend continuation...the good weather has held out so yay for that and even though tomorrow is going to be a washout I am very pleased with having 3 days in a row of decent weather! And I hope you are all enjoying this holiday weekend with your loved ones. Thank you to all those who have bravely served our country and to those who risk their lives everyday in the service of this country...Thank you!!!

Marcy thank you and I am glad you have a clean sparkling house now. We had our crew here Thursday and came back to a nice and clean house too though with our 4 fur babies it doesn't stay that way for too long... I think it was wise of Marty to not try fixing the bracelet if he had misgivings. Leave it up to the expert this Tuesday. It will be here soon enough. I am sorry Marty's golf game was a bit frustrating and I hope today is a better day for him and golf.

Kristie thank you. Greg told me some sad news that he hadn't shared before. He hasn't seen our original 3 ferals from last year for a long while now. I am sad about that and that is all I am going to say. I know we are doing our best but it isn't good enough but realistically I know we cannot save the ferals by taking them in and keeping them safe. They would be miserable and it wouldn't work. But their lives are so short out in the "wild". OK no more dwelling on what I cannot control. I hope Maggie and Finn are continuing to do well.

We had a good bike ride yesterday (and got to stop and see a lot of furry friends too so bonus) and I am in a lot of pain to prove it lol. Remind me why I love cycling so much please?
Last night's party was a lot of fun and I enjoyed seeing everyone and actually did make the rounds so to speak and got to chat with a lot of people. We are heading out cycling soon because it is going to get very windy here by noon so have to get a head start. And then we have to go to Costco because we had no time to go Friday or yesterday and they are closed Monday for the holiday. So it's a busy day. Hope you are all enjoying the weekend!

And of course a few photos for your viewing pleasure.

Wearing our Memorial Day Weekend Red...today I think we will wear Blue


16 week old puppies!!!


PUPPIES continued!!!


Wearing Memorial Day Blue last night




and ok of course for PS I must include one bling shot...



Enjoy your Sunday and be safe

 

[junebug17]

Hi all!

Missy, beautiful pics of the water and the kitty. You and Greg make such a difference in their lives. Love the pics of you and Greg, you both look great. Those doggies are so cute! I'm so glad you're getting some cycling in. Thank you for the bling pic too, those earrings are stunning!!! I'm glad you had a nice time at the party.

Scandi, thank you for the beautiful pics of the flowers! So so pretty. It was really nice of you to rescue the loose dog and I'm so glad you were able to locate the owner. Very happy to hear F is doing well, and you are doing a great job caring for her and making sure she leaves those stitches alone. Hugs to you, I know it's been hard.

Austina, so nice that you live so close to such a pretty and serene place, it sounds really lovely.

Kristie, I'm glad Maggie did well with the acupuncture and good idea to enlist Bob's help next time to get to that troublesome knee. Keeping her in my thoughts and hoping this new treatment helps. And I hope you can all go swimming soon.

Marcy, sounds like you've had more than your fair share of aggravation at work lately and I'm glad you're getting a break from it all. I'm hoping you can get your bracelet fixed soon so you can wear it with no worries - frustrating to have such a sparkler and not be able to wear it! I told dh about Marty's golf game and he totally gets it! Drives dh crazy to have a slow game.

Lovedogs, thank you for the info and please join in!

Dh and I are having a nice time at the beach, the weather has been great. My sister and her husband are here too. Went out for dinner last night with them and had lasagna - it was delicious. I went to an exercise class yesterday and I am really sore today, I used muscles I didn't even know I had lol.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend!

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Morning ya'll! Happy Memorial Day weekend! Nice pictures MIssy and glad your beach trip is going well JB. And i recall those 6 hour rounds Marcy--not with fondness!

Had a long ride yesterday in the heat--thoroughly enjoyed it! My husband is getting obsessed with biking gear/clothing now--the same way he was about golf stuff. eyeyiyi. That said, I got a very cool Specialized merino wool shirt was kept me cool and dry yesterday (and fashionable) and a Pearl Izumi jacket for windier days.

cheers--Sharon

 

[Austina]

Happy memorial weekend lovely ladies.

Thank you so much for the photos @missy , your view is lovely, one you must never tire of. It's so sad about the kitties, but please console yourself knowing that they experienced kindness and care from you. Sometimes it's just not possible to do more. So glad you enjoyed the party and your ride, I'm hopeless, my balance is terrible! It's very obvious from your photos, what a great couple you and Greg are.

We have friends who live in Phoenix @azstonie, they escape to Tahoe for several weeks in the summer, to get away from the heat. They've asked us to join them, and hopefully we will sometime, just difficult to book the doggie sitter in high summer.

Oh @Scandinavian, what a good job you caught the setter before any harm came to it, they are a bit bonkers. We see several regularly, one in particular has taken a real fancy to Dottie, but she wants nothing to do with him. He's a persistent devil!

How lovely to be at the beach @junebug17, hope the weather stays good for you.

Isn't it a great feeling to get all the household stuff done and dusted @marcy, just wish it would stay like that!

Yikes @Calliecake, your airline reward schemes are so much more generous than ours. My DH travelled all over Africa for 25 years and only managed to get gold status once! BA are real tightwads with their loyalty points.

So glad we weren't traveling this weekend, BA systems went down yesterday resulting in ALL flights being cancelled. Poor people stranded and who knows when they'll get rebooked.

The terror threat has been stepped down a notch, thank goodness, it's very unsettling being told it's not a case of 'if' but 'when'. Lots of big events went ahead this weekend because people refused to be intimidated.

It's been a hot few days, but thankfully it's just started to rain, so hopefully it'll clear the air - we're just not used to this heat!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend, a big to you all.

 

[Calliecake]

Austina, My husband was just telling me he is glad he wasn't traveling this week and what was going on with British Airways. My husband had traveled a lot for close to 10 years. Mostly to London but also had many trips to India. We were talking about it this morning and I thought it was only 5 years. No wonder I was tired of him traveling, Most of his travel now is to London which makes me uneasy with everything that is going on in the world. Anytime anything bad happens in London it hurts my heart.

MIssy, I am so glad you were able to get some cycling in this weekend and that you had a great time at the party. I knew you would have fun once you got there and can understand not wanting to be stuck in the car for a few hours on a holiday weekend.

Marcy, Was Marty able to fix your bracelet? Did he golf a lot this weekend?
I was very surprised that my husband had golf scheduled for only one of the days. We had my niece yesterday and he even planned around that so he could be with us in the morning. That little one was so much fun yesterday. She is definitely going to be a good shopper and definitely knows what she likes. She walked into a store and fell in love with a fluorescent orange dress. So you can guess what I walked out of the store with. After that we spent an hour in Claire's picking out jewelry for her to wear. Her eyes lit up like saucers when she stepped inside Claire's.

Sharon, It sounds like you have also been bitten by the cycling bug. It's great exercise. Think of all the extra calories or glasses of wine you can have.

Junie, I'm glad you are having a great weekend at the beach and that you were able to spend time with your sister and her husband. I was saying yesterday that I need to join the gym. It's the knowing how much everything will hurt after I go that is holding me back. All the weight I lost last year is back on, plus another 10 pounds. I need to do something fast as I have closets full of clothes and nothing that actually fits.

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Missy, well at least we both had a clean how even if it’s brief. Of course homes are meant to be enjoyed and that means messes, right? I hope today goes better for Marty at the golf course today. I haven’t heard from him yet. You and Greg looked great in your bike gear and in your party threads. I am so glad you enjoyed the party last night.

Junebug, it sounds like most golfers hate playing behind someone that is slow. Marty was not happy went I met him yesterday afternoon. We have to leave at 4 today so hopefully he gets done in a more timely manner. Of course right now it’s 5 hours after his tee time. I am delighted you are having a nice time this weekend and catching up with your sister and BIL. Lasagna sounds really good. That’s nice you went to an exercise class. Muscles do have a way of letting you know you woke them up.

Sharon, i can imagine waiting at every hole on the golf course gets old. That is great you enjoyed a long bike yesterday and good deal you found the perfect cycling clothes to wear.

Austina, I am glad you aren’t flying out to see your son right now. It sounds like a major hassle right now. I saw the threat level was dropped; I think everyone is still going to be uneasy. I keep reading the stories about the victims; so many wonderful people lost. Very sad.

Callie, Marty didn’t want to attempt to bend my clasp. I can get the bracelet on and it seems tight and snug so maybe I’ll see how it goes for a few weeks. It is definitely not the way it looked before. That is so cute about your niece’s eyes lighting up when she went in to Claire’s. She is going to like shopping for sure. I bet she loves her new dress. I hope your DH enjoys his one round of golf this weekend and that it doesn’t take 6 hours to play.

Callie and Junebug, mentioning the pain of exercising reminds me of that joke about the lady who gets a personal trainer for her birthday and she’s so excited. She absolutely loves the first time then it soon turns in to she wants to kill him. It’s pretty funny.

It warmed up enough today I cranked on the AC a little while ago. It’s cooling off again soon so I’ll turn the heat back on before we go to bed tonight.

I had to dial in and fix some things this morning. It took about an hour. One of my team did something wrong that is breaking an automated query which in turn generates reports. I can’t find what it is and I’m not going to work Tuesday so maybe they’ll have to fix it themselves. Ha!

Have a great evening.
Marcy

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Marcy--sorry you had to work on your long weekend off. You must get tired of always being on call.

CC--I have been riding all my life and it is such fun. My DH is unable to walk long distances or hike or ski due to his arthritic feet, but can play hockey and cycle. I don't play hockey so, he is now rejoining me on our bikes and remembering the pleasure if gave us when we cycled as a family. And yes the benefits add value in so many ways.

Hope everyone is well. We had the best of the hot day and cycled (14K) and I walked to the market. Watched the sailboats and kayaks. All good.

Thanking our US allies and friends--who serve/served.

cheers--Sharon

 

[junebug17]

Sharon, it's great you and dh are enjoying the cycling - and in style too! I'm glad your dh is able to go bike riding. Happy to hear you had.a lovely day.

Callie, I have been eating non-stop since I got here, and I am sure I have put on at least 5 pounds! It's ridiculous. Why is weight so hard to get off and so easy to put on? So cute that your niece is already a shopper, and I wouldn't have been able to resist getting her that orange dress either!

Austina, it's terrible the airport was shut down, what a mess and such a hassle for all those poor travelers! Hopefully the rain will cool things down for you a little.

Marcy, ugh, so sorry you had to deal with a work issue on your day off. Lol to hating the personal trainer - that's kinda how I felt towards this exercise instructor haha!

We're heading home tomorrow - luckily will have some time to walk on the beach for a bit, maybe go for a bike ride - it's been a nice little getaway.

Have a good night everyone!

 

[azstonie]

Missy, I missed the portion re the Originals. Perhaps they found homes. No one could have done more than you and Greg.

 

[Scandinavian]

Hello and good morning!

Furbaby is doing very well, probably due to all the diamond dust you have sent her My mother is furbabysitting today, so I'm at work, trying desperately to get some work done. I do think that is what you are supposed to do when you are at work... ?? LOL

Just wanted to say that I'm sorry about the ferals Missy, but you never know. They might very well turn up again, or they might have found some nice old lady with a lot of tuna outside her door

Kristie, sending a lot of the dust received for F to Maggie.

All you cycling makes me feel like I need to exercise more. The summer is .... soon .... and thus bikini season. (And no, girls, you never get too old for a bikini! Swimming in a dress really is very uncomfortable... LOL). So for your entertainment: I have even bought a new one from Heidi Klum. It really is sooooo wise to buy a red one when you really just want to blend in... Not... LOL:



I will try to give you all the proper attention that you deserve to all your wonderful posts tomorrow. Please forgive me until then.

Hugs!

 

[missy]

Good morning girls. It is a rainy stormy morning at the beach but it was luxurious for us to sleep in and the torrential rains made it sweet to snuggle and stay cozy in bed sleeping a bit later than usual.

Sharon, I am glad you and your dh are enjoying cycling together. And yay for lovely cycling clothing. I know you are looking fab as you are cycling because you have style. Cycling is one of the activities my dh and I also enjoy together (which you probably already know lol). I hadn't cycled for years before I met Greg in the nineties and our first few months together he got me back into it and I never regretted it. Well maybe a little when I had my accident but thinking about it nah because I would have never grown close to you wonderful ladies so it was worth it. Life is for living and doing and enjoying and stuff happens. Gotta make the best of it and meeting all of you and becoming friends is certainly one of the high points of the last 3 years for me.

Marcy how did yesterday go for Marty on the golf course? I am sorry you had to dial in for work this weekend. You are always so diligent and responsible and I hope that the people in charge know how lucky they are to have you. I hope today you aren't bothered with anything re work and enjoy the day with Marty. We had our AC on yesterday too though it was quite chilly during our bike ride yesterday morning it got warmer as the day went on. I was cycling with 5! layers on yesterday lol and looked like a stuffed sausage. Comfort over appearance I always say but I do my best to combine the 2 but being cold is not an option. I hate being cold and I hate being hot. You know I am the goldilocks of everything.
LOL that is a funny exercise joke Marcy.

Junie yay for good weather for you guys at the beach! And so glad you are enjoying the company of your sister and BIL. And good for you for joining that exercise class. Have a safe trip home today and big hugs to sweet Zoe. And thank you for the comforting words.

Austina I am glad the terror level has dropped. I heard this morning that British Airways had a power outrage and that messed up travel plans for so many people overnight. That really sucks. I cannot believe in this day and age still so many (avoidable IMO) delays happen while traveling.

Callie come here and I will be your exercise buddy. You know I will be a tough drill master just ask Greg hahaha
Glad you enjoyed time with your great niece and that you are enjoying time with Jeff. I love holidays because our dhs are usually home and we can just have some uninterrupted time from work to spend with them without any (usually) work emergencies interrupting. Fingers crossed.

Kristie thanks for your comforting words. They are ferals however and would not be able to be house kitties ever. If they would have been able to be house kitties they would have already had loving homes believe me. Sprite was at Ann's home for 4 months while nursing her kittens and Ann tried her best to domesticate Sprite to no avail. 4 months of trying her best to make Sprite into a domesticated house kitty but Sprite would have none of it. It was heartbreaking for all of us when she freed Sprite after all those months because Sprite just wanted to be free. And now most likely Sprite is gone. We had seen her and Sammy and Squirt for months and now nothing. The original 3 have disappeared and I fear they are gone forever. Just facing facts. But it does not mean I am not heartbroken. I am. Greg kept it from me for the past few months because he didn't want to upset me but now that we are at the beach house he had to tell me since I wouldn't be catching glimpses of them anymore. So sad.

Sammy last year.






Sprite and Squirt in the backyard just last year


and look how tiny they were when we first started feeding them.






OK no more talking about the ferals. Thank you all for indulging me and listening. Greg requested that I please stop crying about them so I will just force myself not to think about them. Of course I am praying they are OK despite all signs not looking good. Maybe they are OK and maybe we just haven't seen them on the camera.

Kristie how is Maggie doing today? How is Finnie boy? Hoping they are happy and comfortable and that all the treatments are working well.


Scandi so happy F is recovering so well! And soon enough she will have her final surgery and recover well and then be done with all her medical treatment and go back to being her happy completely healthy self! That is a nice red bikini. My bikini days are over but I know you have a lot of bikini life left in you...You Go Girl!

OK leaving you with my stuffed sausage cycling photo from yesterday. Wearing 5 layers but in my defense it was chilly. 60s with a brisk east (cold ocean) wind and I was quite cozy and comfy with my layers. It's so funny how we are all different with temperature tolerances. Greg was comfy in his cycling shorts and I was covered from head to toe. I am definitely more the exception with that compared to most people. Most of the cyclists we saw yesterday were not as warmly dressed as me. Oh well. Viva la difference. Look at how blue and crisp the skies and ocean are...it was a beautiful day. And today is my recovery day as I am still in a bit of pain. I haven't quite figured out the saddle situation for me yet. I changed my saddle because the one I had been using for thousands of miles was quite done so I needed a replacement. But I am not sure it is the one for me. It can be challenging finding the right saddle.



Happy Memorial Day and again thank you to all the brave young men and women who serve our countries all over the world. Thank you!
Enjoy the day girls! (((HUGS))).

 

[missy]

Marcy, I know your birthday is tomorrow but because we are all (well almost all-not all-sorry Scandi any other NIRDIs who are working!) off today I decided to share your birthday poem a day early.
From last year's poem. Thank you to the other girls for giving me the idea to start saving the poems. So here goes dear Marcy. Our beloved NIRDI from Wyoming. We love and cherish and adore you and wishing you a very happy healthy birthday tomorrow and a very happy healthy year to come.


Tomorrow is the birthday of our sweet Marcy dear
That's right can you believe it has been another year
On this special day we just had to come and say
How terrific you are in so many different ways

You are warm and caring, sweet and kind
Always here for your friends no matter what the time
Day or night, at leisure or at work
Your NIRDI responsibilities you never ever shirk
Always there to lend a helping hand and sympathtetic ear
you're a treasure and a find and you are our very own Marcy dear

Those killer bunnies and darling teddies are lucky kids for sure
And then so is your darling Marty your loving spouse evermore
But we are lucky too your NIRDI crew and for this we must shout aloud
Dearest Marcy with all your generosity and kindness you make us so very proud


You love the stars and the sky and beautiful gemstones too
Diamonds and sapphires, emeralds and rubies, so deep in color and hue
Their beauty and dazzle are truly something to behold
But cannot compare with your inner beauty when truth is really told

So we come together to say out loud
How much we love you dear
You are our friend forever now
Not just online but truly and for real

Happy Birthday sweet Marcy
Wishing you all the very best
Not just a day filled with laughter and love
But lasting the whole year plus

Hoping we have many decades and more
To say how much we truly care
And also just a quick warning
Be careful of those killer bunnies over there


Happy birthday today and sending you lots of love and hugs
From the NIRDI girls, the teddy bears, the bunnies and the whole crew
Today is your special day but with you here with us every day is special too

Love you Marcy!!!
We really really do!!!!!

XOXO, NIRDIs.

Love you sweet Marcy!!! (((HUGS))).

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

I just wanted to say I am remembering and honoring those members of the service who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of our country. Also a big thank you to all the current and past members serving our country. Big hugs to you and your families.

Sharon, I do get very tired of being on call. However based on how much Marty used to get called when he worked for the same company; I have it easy. That poor man never had a full night’s sleep without having something come up at work. I am ignoring my email tomorrow. I am glad you and your DH can enjoy riding bikes together. It sounds like you had a really nice day.

Junebug, I hear you on weight being so easy to gain but so hard to lose. I swear I can walk by chocolate and it attaches itself to my hips. Good plan to take a nice walk on the beach before heading home today. I told Marty yesterday if we win the lottery I want a place overlooking the beach on the west coast so I can watch the sunset every day. I think he was very surprised by that. He wants a place on the golf course. First we have to win the lottery. Details, details.

Kristie, I am glad your pool finally warmed up enough for a swim. Sweet.

Scandi, I am very happy to hear your fur baby is doing better. Thanks to your Mom for babysitting your sweet fur baby so you can get some work done. Great looking bikini top. Love the color.

Missy, darn that you are having rain but nice you got to sleep in. I plan on doing that again tomorrow. Great perspective about life is for living and doing and enjoying things even though stuff happens. Marty did have a better day at golf. I guess a lot of people complained about how slow that tournament was so they started with worst ball off the tee box then switched to best ball. I dialed in to work again today. Grr. I spent about 90 minutes this morning trying to find how we broke a query that runs every 4 hours. I tried a few things and one of them must have worked because the report came out at noon. I runs every 4 hours and I hadn’t had one show up since Saturday morning. I’m with you in comfort over style. I put on so many clothes when we are out star gazing at night I can barely bend. But it helps keep me warm. I think I’m am a Goldilocks too and I don’t have a wide tolerance either direction. I cranked on our AC a while ago. Big hugs about the ferals; always remember you give all those kitties a way better life than they would have had otherwise. I hope you find a saddle that is comfy for you.

Thank you so much Missy for the birthday poem. I love it. I really appreciate all of your kind words.

We had a nice dinner last night with my sister and BIL. I took my sister my YG green sapphire bracelet and gave it to her as a present. It was in my swap shopping list but I knew my sister would love it since she has several green sapphires that color. She was going to pay me for it but since she gave me that one sapphire and has that clump of tailing from the Yogo mine, I told her it was a present.

Marty always takes a killer rabbit on a road trip and puts it on the dash; so I wrapped a teddy bear up in my sweater to take with me. I didn’t fool Marty for a minute - it’s kind of like smuggling a throw pillow out in a sweater. I set him on the console and Marty kept knocking him in to the back seat. At one point I got myself laughing so hard I couldn’t breathe. I kept kind of having the bear nod his head or tap his feet to the music and I am so bad at that I started to say “He has as much rhythm as I do” but I couldn’t get that sentence out without laughing. Marty had me put Best Buy in the map on my phone and set it as a destination so then I had the teddy bear watching the map and using his paw to point the direction Marty should turn. Marty told me I need mental help but hey I was amused. I am so easily entertained.

We had rain and small hail again today. It looks like another round of rain is coming our way right now.

I baked a roast and baked potatoes for supper. I figured since I was home today I should actually cook something for us to eat.

Have a great evening.
Marcy

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!
Marcy, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

First of all yay for sleeping in and being off today on your birthday! Glad you enjoyed a lovely evening the other night with your sister and BIL and how sweet of you to give her that YG green sapphire bracelet as a gift. We had some rain yesterday too but no hail and I sure hope you don't have any more of that hail. Glad Marty had a better golf day yesterday. Boo to more work on your birthday and holiday weekend. I am sorry about that and I hope you have someone covering for you today so you can just enjoy your birthday in peace. LOL to the bears and bunnies and Marty and being easily entertained. That is a very good trait.

We are in the process of ordering a few saddles to try out. It is getting to be expensive but I hope to find a solution to the comfort issue and you wouldn't believe how many different saddles there are on the market for women. Fingers crossed I find the right one sooner rather than later because as you know cycling season is quite limited by us.

Have a wonderful day girls and enjoy the week. Only 4 more days till Friday...

And Marcy a big birthday bear hug to you!!!

 

[Austina]

Good afternoon lovely ladies and a very big happy birthday @marcy, I hope it proves to be a great one.

Your road trip antics sound hilarious

Weather here has been sunny alternating with rain and hail, very strange.

Glad the furries are all improving, always a relief when you know they're really on the mend.

Fun and games here this morning. I got ready for Pilates, but couldn't open the gates. I asked DH to try the opener from inside, nothing. He came out to override the electrics, but still couldn't get the gates open. He then rang the man who came last time, but he's away till next Monday. He then looked up some other companies, clicked on a link to a site, and got a Turkish flag with Turkish Hackers flashing at him. He quickly closed it down, but is now worried, so I sent out an SOS to DS to call as soon as he's up. We did get someone out, who discovered a slug had shorted the circuit board. Thankfully it's all sorted now, but cost several hundred pounds to fix
I must dash as I have some parcel's to take to the post office.

Have a great day everyone

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Missy, thank you for the birthday wishes and bear hugs. That is pretty cute. I did totally enjoy sleeping in today. Funny story on work - everyone’s password expired yesterday so all the employees were locked out today. I couldn’t check my email if I wanted to; I’ll have to call IT tomorrow and have them reset it for me. I hope you can find a saddle that is comfortable; touchy pain is no fun. I know it’s only 4 days until Friday. I love short weeks.

Austina, thank you for the birthday wishes. At least taking a bear with me on the road keeps me from wanting to pick on Marty. He frowns on that while he’s driving. One time I was trying to flash him in the eye with my diamond and let’s say that didn’t go over well. So it’s more safe for both of us if I have a teddy bear with me to amuse myself. Holy crap for not being able to open your gate to get out this morning and yuck it was from a slug shorting out the circuit board. I am glad someone was able to come out and get your gate open. I saw where BA still has a ton of luggage from the cancelled flights. What a mess!

I have had a nice birthday. Sleeping in, goofing off and we are going out to supper soon so it’s been a nice day.

I kind of tweaked and bent the clasp on my bracelet more last night and I did get it to hook all the way and snap in place. I will continue to make sure it is tight and then have them look at it the next time I’m in Denver. If it wasn’t safe to wear I would have run down there today.

I got the June newsletter done and posted. Progress!

Have a fabulous evening.
Marcy