@MusicCandy @SadMe70 A place to communicate

Hello,

Nothing much exciting to report this week. I held pretty steady on exercise. I drank most nights, despite my goals not to, but at least drank only a little each night. Last weekend I didn't do any cooking, so my meals were not the greatest. Today I do plan to pick some mint and make some juleps for Kentucy Derby Day. I don't care about the race, but I like a good excuse to drink mint juleps! I did get a short walk on Tuesday and one yesterday. I am hoping to get out tomorrow also.

We are down to the last month of school! Our last day is May 27, crazy early. We go back August 2, also crazy early! I will have my kids for only 14 more days of actual class. There are 3 Wednesdays where I will help with the horrendous state testing. The last Wed of the month, I'm not even sure what is going on. May 27, a Thurs, is a teacher workday and I will dismantle my hermit cave in the closet, return the borrowed table/chairs, and take my files and things back to my shared office. I don't know what next year will be like, but I am already grinding my teeth at the thought of sitting right next to the woman who STILL will not wear her mask over her nose.

I am starting to catch up on all my medical stuff that I skipped last year. I had my mammogram (normal) and this coming week will have my physical. Not sure when I will get the bloodwork done since it has to be fasting and I can't go in the morning until school is out, so I guess it will wait until then. Other doctor visits to come in the summer, but nothing set up yet except the dentist. So many medical things are so frustrating, I was pretty happy to ignore/avoid all that for a year, but I know I have to get back to it all. How annoying that your doctor didn't order the test you wanted! I hope you are able to get the tests and info you want through the online company.

Good job keeping up the 3 days off alcohol! That is a great accomplishment! I do well for a week or so, but then I am right back to breaking it, so I am happy for you that you have been keeping it up! I know it's so hard not to drink too much - I am right there with you. The best we can do is try not to do it too often. I got another book about how bad sugar is, which I haven't read yet, but I really want to talk myself out of wanting it so much!

I am glad you had good walks this week. The weather has certainly been nice! My mom has started going back to church in person too. I know that is important for you and I'm glad you can go back now!

You definitely do set a good example! I am always in awe of all the things you do. I could never keep up with you! Keep up the good work my friend!!

Just lost an entire message. Synopsis - Hang in there last month of school. Good for you getting your exercise - Rachael and I had a good week of walks. Kept up my wine at least 3 days off. I found that the " a little each night" was turning into more than a litte, and i wasn't even enjpying it. One night was really hard, but i talked myself into staying strong and drinking tea. but the sugar is another story. I've rad enought to know that it is really bad, but so far I havent tackled it. i just try to eat nough good stuff to not want as much - an apply every day and fiber salad/beans.

OK That much went through. My other daughter planned a day for mother;s Day this Thursday with yoga, massages and lunch. We are all vacinated now, so that will help with being more relaxed. I still prefer outdoors, especially with nicer weather. I do look forward to spending time with her, we don't get that much time normally with both of us being so busy. Starting in person piano with the little sister of my 9 year old student. It's so much easier to just write a noet on the page sitting beside her. They only live 15 minutes away so its not that much trouble. Fiance can take Rachael for a ride which she loves too. Easier shift at the hospital today so far after a terrible Thursday night. but, as I kid the docs who also say when it is crazy,drunk/complaining/loud patients - at least no one died so it was not that bad. Hope your week is fun and you can enjoy your animals. kittens anyone?

Ugh, I hate when that happens! I hold my breath every time I hit post.

My week was pretty uneventful again. I did my regular exercise, and ate well except for the usual culprits of wine and chocolate. I cannot seem to keep myself from drinking some wine almost every night. Last weekend I got out for just a short walk, so hopefully I will get a longer one this weekend. I walked on a little on Tuesday also.

Good job with the 3 days off still going strong! I eat salads for my lunch at work most days. It helps me get more veggies into me for the day. One thing I will really miss from this school year is the opportunity to eat lunch by myself. I stay in my closet and pace back and forth (about 10 feet) while I eat. It is a nice break for my body from the sitting. Plus I don't have to listen to my co-workers reading off whatever horrible news stories they find on their phones, or pushing cake and other junk on me.

How did your Mother's Day yoga and massages go?? Sounds lovely! Such a nice idea to spend time with each other to celebrate! I opted to combine Mother's Day with my birthday in a couple of weeks, so I won't be seeing my kids this weekend. In two weeks, we will get together at my son's house. I requested a homemade pizza party with games.

How is your new student doing? I am sure it is much easier in person! When I hear our band teacher in her room trying to teach online, I imagine how difficult that must be! I'm glad you are still giving lessons - I know how much you like that, and it keeps music in your life!

Sorry to hear you had such a terrible shift! I can imagine there are too many of those. I have a friend who just graduated from nursing school at age 57 and is now looking for a job. She is looking at hospitals in Philly where she went to school, because they offer 12 months of additional training, and she feels she needs that after having lots of classes online instead of in-person due to the pandemic.

Despite not having any baby goats this year, I continue to resist kittens!! I am going to go out and feed them now, and brush them a little - the male is shedding and he loves to be brushed. The girls like it too even though they have much lighter coats. They just like basically getting a good scratch.

Have a good week, and I hope you are still enjoying the benefits of your massage!

I completely forgot to write yesterday!

Your Mother's Day outing sounds wonderful! I am glad you had a chance to do it. I hope the deep massage loosened you up! I hope the potential kitten homes work out as well! I think this is a good time for people to be thinking about getting new baby pets. I can just imagine how adorable they are in the playpen!

I lost 4 chickens this week to an unknown predator. We have a trap out now, and hopefully won't lose more. I was getting tons of eggs and was moving them all, so it's a bummer to have fewer eggs now. The other pets are all fine. I had a good and mostly uneventful week. My highlight was on Wednesday. I got out of work at 12:30 because I was only there to help with the online kids coming in for in-person state testing, and they were done by then. I went to the state park and hiked to the most popular spot in the park, which is on the river. I hardly ever go there, even during non-pandemic times, because it's where most people go, and you know I like my solitude! Well, there was nobody there at 1:00 on a random Wednesday!! I laid down right in the sand and soaked up some nice sun while listening to the waves. It was a little chilly from the wind, but such a treat! I stayed there an hour.

There is another trail that goes to the beach also, and I wondered if it was possible to walk down the beach to the other trail, but wasn't sure so I didn't try it. I asked a ranger when I got back to the visitor center area. Turns out you can do it during low tide. There is a cliff on the way, and during high tide you can't get past it. This Wed I will probably get out early again, so if the weather and tides cooperate, I am going to do it!!

This coming Saturday is my birthday party with my sons and DIL. The other son 's gf can't make it. We are having a homemade pizza party and I am so excited! They are all fully vaccinated now too.

I hope your week has been lovely! Sorry for not writing yesterday. I know you might not see this until next week. I will probably write on Sunday again next week, because I want to tell you all about my party! After that I will get my act together and write on Sat mornings again!!

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Cool beans for you getting a nap in the sand by the river. That sounds like nirvana to me. Such a nice treat in the middle of a work week. So sorry about the chickens though. I hope thetrap works. Fiance tries to trap all the raccoons that keep nesting in his ongoing projects in the back yard and in the boat that will one day get fixed. There is a protected lowland,creek right next to my house so i keep telling him her will never get them all. but he does trap and release them by the river so that's not too bad a deal for them.

We didn't do anything new last week, except I am working on some legal papers, for my estate and to protect the assets from going to Rachael and she would lose her benefits. Work benefits has a legal plan that helps with the cost so I figure I need to go ahead and do it now before something happens, and i do plan to retire - in 2 years if i can make it that long.

Fiance just cleaned out another house for his realtor friend after i told him to please stop that. He brings the stuff to the dump, goodwill, or my house/ backyard to sort and possibly use some of it. They do pay him pretty well for doing it, but the stress on me is the unorganized piles and time to go through it. The only thing out if this last run was a lot of unopened cleaning supplies, laundry and dish detergent - stuff like that. He has no more room anywhere to sort it out of the way and it gets on my nerves and gave me a headache. He was explaining that to his friend, and he wrote me personally a check for 100 dollars. Still--- just say no next time.

Rachael and I did get in our walks and the weather is nice. A good friend's daughter , about 30 years old, committed suicide after being depressed all year. Her sister was a classmate of my other daughter and I taught piano to the young lady who just couldn't hold on. I'm praying for them and asking what we can do. I can't imaging how you get through it.

Potential home for ONE of the kittens next week. They have to go somewhere soon - its too much work trying to feed them, change litter box, make sure they get exercise and don't get lost under the cabinets when they are playing. The charm is wearing off under the extra work. Looking for more ways to spread the word, but I noticed there are a lot of "free" kittens on FB. That time of the year. I hope you have a fabulous birthday party. My sister in FL has a birthday this wek, and I sent her a certificate for TOMS shoes. i love mine and they give back to the community - Also some Burts Bees and a package of soap that creates mobile showers for the chelters. I thought it was appropeiate to pick gifts from companies that give back profitt. - we have so much , its great to share. share the love with your family today, , and HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Hello! Sorry for not writing last weekend. My wrist started hurting on Friday and got worse over the weekend, and I don't even know what I did to it! It is feeling better now thanks to an anti-inflammatory, more on that below.

First though, my birthday party! For a surprise, my husband got my mom, sisters, and brother-in-law to also come to my son's house. I had no idea! My DIL made up two lovely platters of cheese, crackers, veggies, etc.. My mom got my favorite cake from our local bakery - chocolate mousse cake. Plus we had the homemade pizza. We played games and just had a wonderful time!

On Monday I had my appt with the ortho for my shoulder. Based on the MRI from last year that suggested some tears, my pain, and my decreased mobility, he thinks it's a rotator cuff issue. He gave me a cortisone shot and put me on a high dose of naproxen for 1-2 weeks. I don't like taking meds like that, but I have to admit it's nice that my wrist pain went away, and my hands hurt less! I start some PT next week also, and I have to take it easy on the shoulder for a month or so, hoping the tears will heal. I really, really hope all this will take care of this shoulder and I can be done with that particular problem!

Another good side effect of the naproxen is that I am afraid to drink while I am taking it, so I'm going to have 1-2 weeks enforced sobriety! I am trying to use that as a kickoff to maybe losing some weight this summer. I gained even more in the past month, so I'm 20-25 pounds over where I should be. I had been planning to ramp up my weightlifting days this summer, but I need to lay off that to heal my shoulder, so I'm hoping to use a combination of my usual cardio videos and walks.

I started off with a walk yesterday to the river at the state park. This is my third week in a row walking down there and finding nobody else around! Yesterday it was because it started raining when I got there. I took a path that got me halfway there through the woods under cover, and by then the rain was basically stopped. However, I guess everybody else cleared out because I was alone again, and all but one car was gone when I got back!

I was pretty nervous at the grocery store yesterday with at least half the people not wearing masks now that restrictions are lifted, plus feeling like someone might make a comment to me for having mine on. I have a few things I want at Walmart, but not sure I am ready to go there yet! I am just not ready for "normal" activities yet!

You are smart to get your paperwork in order now. My parents did that as my dad declined, in case he had to go on Medicaid for LTC. I would kind of like to put our house in my name for the same reason, since my husband is a lot older, but we haven't done it.

I feel you about your fiance bringing stuff to the house. My husband is like that too. When his mom died and we got inheritance, we bought a shed to replace one that had been crushed by a tree, plus a bigger building for stuff he had in the house, tools etc. Well nothing got moved out of the crushed shed, and now both buildings are full. When he retired I got him to move his "office" out of my living room so I can move around in there again, and into the boys' old bedroom, which is now so full you can barely walk into it. I hope you have better luck than me in getting him to stop!

I am so very sorry to hear about your friend's daughter! I can't imagine the pain that causes to everyone, and the pain she was in herself. I don't know how I would get through the loss of my child.

I love your idea to give gifts from companies that give back. I use Burts Bees stuff because I like the ingredients. I do hope you find homes for more of the kittens soon. As you said, I'm sure the charm is wearing off by now!

Today is not good for walking, but I hope you have gotten some good ones in this week!

Hello! Well, I have gone on a diet. Since the naproxen forced me to not drink, I used that as my kickoff. I have been using a website called net diary that lets you log food and exercise. It sets a daily calorie goal based on age, height, weight and your weight loss goal (I set mine as 20 pounds). My base allocation is only 1256 calories! That is VERY hard to stay under with just my meals, which are very healthy for the most part. I get 107 bonus calories for 30 minutes moderate cardio video, and 257 for a 4 mile slowish walk, so I am earning my chocolate that way. I finished the meds yesterday, and my plan is to split the bonus calories between chocolate and wine, either alternating days or having half each. I have lost 5 pounds in a week. I actually expected that big initial drop as I reined in my crazy amounts of treats and increased my exercise, and I might even get to ten, but then I suspect it will get very hard to lose more. I need to get off what I can before I go back to work Aug 2 because I will not have nearly the same amount of exercise time then.

I did go to an allergist to get some food allergy testing done, to see if that is the culprit for my hand pain. I had a bit of a wheat allergy, but I don't eat much wheat. Besides the big 5 allergy causers (milk, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts), they had me pick 20 foods from a list that are things I eat a lot. Of those, I had very mild allergies to about 6 of them. The doctor said he is not even sure those are credible results because my type of hand pain without any gastro issues after eating don't really indicate an allergy. He suggested I don't eat them for a month and see how it goes, and if I still have had pain, just eat them like normal. Of course, right now I have NO hand pain because the naproxen knocked it out, so maybe it won't come back anyway?? Also, I started PT on my shoulder. Two visits so far.

Ugh, jury duty. I'm so sorry you had to sit through that! It doesn't even sound like the kind of case that should have had a jury. We took someone to court years ago who rear-ended us and it was just the judge. He ruled in our favor, because like the one you saw, it was pretty clear! Hopefully you won't get called again for a long time. You have enough to do already!!

Your walk at Maymont sounds nice! I have not been there. I know what you mean about kayaking. I loved when we would go, but it sure was a lot of prep and cleanup before and after. Lots easier to just put yourself in the car and go! Ugh about the cleanup issues too. Yesterday I steam cleaned my living room floor, and I had to move two file boxes of my husband's that have been sitting there for about a month. I crammed them back into his disaster of an office. I also had to clean some of his crap off my coffee table. Don't even get me started about the outside. I hope yours makes more progress than mine! Mine doesn't actually get rid of stuff, he just crams more into the outbuildings or wherever he can.

I have not been back to a store again but I really need to go, maybe tonight. I have just not wanted to go places full of unmasked people. The only other places I have been in the last couple of weeks were medical offices and people had to wear masks there.

Did your 2 kittens go to their new homes? Any prospects for the others yet? Were there 5 of them? How about mama?

How is your friend Helena doing? My friend lost her husband this week. He went into the hospital in May 2020 with meningitis and could not kick it. For a whole year, he had recurring infections, a couple of strokes, and the kidney transplant he got 9 years ago started failing so he was back on dialysis. He spent more days in hospitals and rehab than at home, and his family could not see him most of that time due to COVID. They brought him home Sunday for hospice and he died within a day. He was only 48 and they have a 16 and 12 year old daughters. I only met him at their wedding, but she was a good friend from childhood and I feel stunned and full of grief for them. I count my blessings every day, even more since COVID started. So many people are losing so much.

I hope that your shifts have settled in, and that you and Rachael have gotten some nice walks! Have a great week!

I am so sorry for your frien'd husband dying at that young age. It was such a terrible year for anyone who had to be hositalized. It must be so hard to be sick and know you re coming to the end and leaving two daughters at that vulnerable age. I will say prayers for all of them. Helena was the young girl who died - Beth is her mother. they are having a Memotial Service later in June. I got her a massage certificate and a card. The least I can do to help her get a little respite.

Good for you making the diet decision and getting going with it. i'm terrible with food/ exerise diaries. I start out good then I forget to enter it, and then just make it up so its really not helpful. I hope you do better with the program and it sounds like you are off to a fantastic start. You are right - you can't expect to lose that much every week, but it does give you some momentum and hope to keep it up. I don't know what to say about the hand problem. Stopping some foods sounds like an educated guess - try this and maybe it will get better! I actually hope it does for your sake.

Kittens - we started out with 3 newborns,the mother and her sister. 2 babies gone so looking for a home for the baby and the mother has to go somewhere too. With Fiance's cat in an uproar, it will be enough to keep the sister cat who is very docile and good with Rachael - but we will still have to have one in the house at a time. fiance put up a fladpole and an American flag, and one N. C - for me! That was sweet and I am a little easier to live with if he tells me the plans he has for the clean up that day by day and what he gets done.

I have a check up coming too and my only real issue is the cholestrol. I found a lipidoligist in richmond and made an appt wit her in august. My NP can'etbe an expert in everything and I'm such a health nut - at least I will alreday have a lot of years of lab wotk for her to review and give me some advice, I'm just borderline for a statin and I'd like an expert opinion on that.

At work, and it hasn't been too bad so far but i have a case now so signing off. Take care of yourself, my friend.