@MusicCandy @SadMe70 New place to communicate

Sending hugs! 5 years of an online friend. Pretty cool. That is something to smile about :)

Hello my friend, I am starting off with very sad news. On Wednesday morning, my son dropped the dogs off early so that he had time to tell us that his wife had been pregnant. They planned to make a big announcement when they got home. She would have been a little past the first trimester, and they were waiting since she is high risk for miscarriage with her condition. Things had been going well and they had a beautiful video of the ultrasound with heartbeat. Then she went for a 9 week checkup and ultrasound, and no heartbeat. He was going to head over there on May 28 for 3 weeks and travel home together, but he left Thursday to be with her. She will have to have a D&C on Monday. I have thought and talked about this a lot in the last few days, so I will just leave it at that for now.

I was slightly better about food and alcohol this past week despite the sad news, though I missed some of my exercise. Yesterday was a great day though. I took off work for my birthday, and went to Leesylvania State Park in northern VA by myself. The park staff were incredibly nice, which has been my experience at almost all the state parks I have visited. I hiked on two trails, one that was near the water a lot (it is on a peninsula bounded by the Potomac and two large creeks), and one in the woods with historical sites/ruins. It was owned by the Lee family for a long time, and later the Fairfax family. There are home sites and a cemetery. It was just the peace I needed this week.

Tomorrow I will see my older son and his fiance. We plan to take a short walk, get sushi carryout and also pastries from an Italian place near his house. This is my last week of school. We have my son's two dogs. My mom was going to watch them originally. We are working on a plan to get one of the dogs up to her in PA in a day trip, and we will probably keep the other one for the month that my son will be gone.

I am sorry that you had a sad and depressing week also. I am glad that at least we both have someone who truly understands what it is like to feel that way. Things like not having the energy to log onto a website - some people would not understand how hard that is. I also understand about sometimes a walk does not give you joy. You just feel like at least you exercised for your physical health, but no mental benefits. My walk yesterday was much better, and I hope that you have had some since then that have been better for you too!

One thing after another is just how I feel about my health too. It is discouraging to think you are taking good care of yourself, and then some random problem pops up that you did not see coming. Is your vertigo any better? Did you see an ENT? I never found out what caused my six weeks of vertigo that started suddenly and ended just as suddenly, leaving me with ringing in both ears. The ENT said my patterns of symptoms didn't fit into the typical inner ear issues. Yay, I have special mystery ear stuff!! I hope yours has cleared up!

How is your left shoulder doing? I am glad your poison oak finally cleared up. I know that was tortuous.

The miscarriage news aside, I did have a better week than the previous two. I really hope yours has been better as well, my friend.

Hello my friend. Well, another week, another drama. My son had to leave his two dogs with us since he left last minute. My mom was supposed to watch them. Yesterday we set off for a day trip to PA to drop off the golden retriever with her, and were going to keep the smaller dog. The golden is very poorly behaved, gets into and eats everything. Just before we left, she ate something rotten outside. We got 90 minutes from home and she started having a violent seizure. We were 15 minutes from an emergency vet, thank God, because she continued to seize and thrash the entire ride there, for about a 30 minute seizure, when typically a seizure lasts a few minutes. The prolonged time led to her temp going from a normal of 102 to 108, which could have led to paralysis or brain damage. We had to leave her overnight and just got home from picking her back up. They said she is still having some minor tremors and we have a week's worth of meds for that, plus some emergency anti-seizure nasal spray since we are 45 min from an ER vet here, but so far seems ok otherwise. Now that she seems ok, I have to tell my son who will then have to tell his already emotionally wrecked wife. What a start to my time off!!

Other than THAT, I am doing pretty well. The last few days of school were fine. On the last day, the buses drive around the loop with horns blaring while teachers blow bubbles. I usually miss that because I usually have to be in the gym for parent pickup, but we did not offer that this year, so I got to be outside and it was SO cool. A sheriff's deputy led them off with her lights and horns going.

Thursday was the last day, and Friday I started my diet, with the plan of losing 14 pounds (that would be the 9 I gained in the last few months, grrr, plus 5). So far that has gone well. I exercised both mornings, and took a short walk on my driveway last evening. I did not eat much yesterday or today because my stomach has been upset from the stress! I almost couldn't drink my glass of wine last night, but I powered through :-)

I have 3 doctor appointments this week. First an orthopedist for a lump on my palm on the ring finger tendon. Next my first gyn checkup in 3 years (oops), and on Friday my molar extraction in prep for an implant later this summer. I still need to schedule the eye doctor and possibly dermatologist, plus I have my dental cleaning later. I like to say that my summer job is "medical patient."

It sounds like you had a good time with your daughter! We did spend a lot on sushi also, two big platters. The gifts sound really nice! I hope her bf comes through soon!

I am so glad to hear that your ear cleared up, and without having to go to the doctor! Fingers crossed that your home treatments continue to work. I know it's a pain to have yet another thing to do to keep yourself healthy. How are your shoulders?

It sounds like you have been very busy at work, having to work 2 departments. I am sure it is hard to switch shifts too. I hope you did have more help this week!

How is everything else going with you? Did you get some nice walks lately? Are you able to eat ok with the changing work schedule?

I hope you are well, my friend!

Hello, I finally had a week with no trauma! We delivered the dog to my mom last weekend, and she seems to be perfectly fine. We have kept the smaller dog and he has been no problem at all. My DIL is posting lots of nice pics to FB of the various trips they are taking with her family. It looks like they are doing some fun stuff. I hope she is being nice to my son. I send pics of the dogs to them and my son responds every time. She responded once with one line and otherwise does not respond. I just don't know how to handle her and create a good relationship.

I had my molar extracted last Friday and he had trouble getting the whole thing out so it took a long time. I was on the nitrous so I did not mind, but my gums have HURT so much since then. I took a ton of ibuprofen and tylenol which I hate to do. I finally got an oral gel two days ago so I could target the painful area without taking meds. The gel has dire health warnings on it too, sigh, so I used it sparingly but it was such a relief! Today so far the pain is tolerable with no gel. On Tuesday I am supposed to get the stitches out.

I saw the orthopedist's PA for the lump in my hand, and she agrees with my primary that it is a ganglion cyst. Because it actually shrank some since I made the appointment, I am opting to get compression gloves and massage it. It is not bothering me too much now. If it gets big again, we can try aspiration, and last resort is surgery. The xrays of my hand do now show arthritis, which I have thought was the cause of my hand pain for the last 4 years, but the xray back then did not show any. I guess it is for the best that I have not been milking goats for the last 2 years! The compression gloves are supposed to be helpful with that too. I am going to try to get those when I am in town for my dental appt on Tuesday, then we will see if I can stand to wear them at night!

Except for the 2 days after my tooth extraction, my food and exercise have been good. I have already lost a few pounds. I did expect the first few to come off quickly once I was not stuffing junk in my mouth all day! I think I might get one or two more off fairly easily, and then the rest will be slower. I am trying to lose 14 total.

I love the Alexander book! My little sister had it and we read it a lot growing up, so I got it for my kids when they were little too. I love how the author got her son to let her use his name! Go Mom! I did not try to walk my son's golden for the same reason you mention. She does have a harness that I went over to his house to get, but I still don't trust her. I have walked the little dog once.

I am glad your shoulders are doing well! I hope you can keep up with the exercises! I am no longer doing most of the ones the PT gave me last summer, but I do stretch it every day, and so far I don't think I have lost any ground. I am sure it is hard to get anything done for yourself with those long shifts! You continue to amaze me. I have so little energy anymore, I can't imagine working such long hours.

I am going to my mom's this coming Thursday for 6 days. I am mostly looking forward to it, but we are going to a restaurant for my aunt's 85th birthday and I am already anxious about eating out. The area is back to high COVID transmission, but everyone else who will be going eats out anyway except for me. Two days ago I went to the drug store and grocery store and did not wear my mask, to test myself out. I saw no one with a mask in the first store, and one person in the second. People are not being careful at all anymore and it makes me nervous. My friend from work who had a minor stroke in April just had her two sons and husband test positive. I am not sure how she will avoid it with 3 positive cases in the house. Her husband has heart problems and will have to have infusion therapy if he gets too sick, as will she if she gets sick, because of her poor health. It's still here and it's still making people sick!

Good job losing that pound! I am proof that 1 pound can turn into 2 (or 9 for me!). You are so smart to try to keep steady! I did that from Oct to March but then lost control. I know it is especially hard with your schedule, so I am proud of you for sticking with it and getting that pound off!

Were you able to get your crown ok? Dental work is so expensive. I am grateful to be able to get this tooth of mine fixed, because my dad had hardly any teeth when he died, and I saw how hard it was for him to eat. I want to preserve mine the best I can. I could have left the molar socket empty, but right now I can afford to get the implant for a new crown, so I'm doing it.

Is your vertigo still happening? I was never sure exactly what mine was, but it started randomly and stopped randomly about six weeks later. The ENT was not sure either, but as long as it stays away, I am not going to worry about it! I am glad that your problems have been one at a time too!

I have been drinking too much, even while taking those meds which I know is a big no-no. I should drink herbal tea too, but I just keep going back to the wine or bourbon. The animals did not like that one super hot humid week, and neither did I! Their pen has a lot of shade at least. They are happier this week.

I am glad you are getting your walks in most days! I took a long one on Wednesday, and am planning to go today to a different park. I am glad you can take Rachael to enjoy the waterpark! I am with you on not going during the midday sun. I can't take that anymore myself. My mom used to sunbathe a ton when I was growing up, and she's had several cancerous spots taken off her legs/arms in the last few years.

I hope you did not have to work so much OT this week! I will probably not write next weekend since I will be at mom's, so I will check in with you in two weeks. I hope those weeks are good ones for us both!

Hello! I had a lovely trip to visit my mom. I went Thursday to Tuesday, and one sister was there Thursday to Sunday. Mom made me a lemon meringue pie for a late birthday celebration on Thursday. On Friday, the three of us went to a park that has a lake and kayaked for an hour and a half. On Saturday, we met my other sister, her husband, and our aunt at the restaurant. So far I am not sick, but I am also not in a hurry to go back to a restaurant again! After dinner we went to an escape room, which was just our group in the room. I have done that only once before and am no good at it (less good after two cocktails at lunch). My sisters and BIL go a lot, so they have more of the right mindset of how to approach it, but it was fun.

On Sunday my sister and I put together a wooden swing and frame for mom. She had one for years that finally rotted. The two of us are not at all handy and the instructions were not great, so it took a long time and various mistakes, but we got it together! All without yelling and cursing that would have been involved if I did it with my husband. One of the best things of the week actually, was being around calm people with no stress.

On Monday, it was just mom and me, and we went on 3 short hikes at 3 spots that are not far from her but we had never been to. Two were in the woods and so quiet and peaceful, with few people on one and absolutely no one on the other. The terrain was hard for mom though, with rough footing, so we just went a short way on each. The other was a rail trail, which was far easier for her, but very crowded and lots of bikes which we both dislike. It was good to get in some exercise since I had pie, cake, or brownies EVERY DAY while I was there!!

Tuesday morning, mom and I went to a topiary and flower garden that is not too far from her and is on my way home. I have been there several times but not for years, and it was a lot of fun. The flowers are so pretty, and I like the topiary.

Since Tuesday, I have been trying to get back to a more normal routine of exercise and eating, to drop the few pounds I put back on while I was away, and get back to losing more. I was able to get some raw Jersey cow milk near mom's, so I have been making some cheese this week and plan to make more today with the rest of the milk.

I got my stitches out of my mouth before I went away, and that helped most of the rest of my pain go away. I am still chewing on the other side because touching it is still a bit tender, but it otherwise is not hurting. I have another checkup this coming week, and they will remove a membrane that is in the socket. At some point they take a fancy 3D xray to see how the bone graft is doing, but I am not sure if that is at this next appointment.

I am glad your appointment on Monday went well. Sorry you had to do it after a long shift with no sleep! I'm also glad that you were able to sleep once you got home. Hopefully things will go as well when you get the permanent in!

I hope your shoulders are still doing ok. I try to stretch my chest muscles each day because they are super tight and my PT last summer felt that was contributing to my shoulder pain. The lump in my hand is almost gone! I ordered the gloves anyway, which are coming on Sunday, since the xrays showed that I do have mild arthritis. I will see if I can stand them at night and maybe that will keep it at bay. I ordered two sizes each of two brands that were well rated in a review article. My hand size, of course, was right at the border between the two sizes, so I figured if I'm going to do it, I might as well get the best fit, which means trying on both sizes. Once I decide, I just have to get myself to pack up the extras and send them back.

It's great that you are still getting in most of your walks! The weather has been pretty good lately, not too hot or humid mostly. I took a long walk yesterday and really enjoyed it. I'm glad you enjoy yours as well, it's such great exercise and a mental boost, plus something nice to share with Rachael. I like walking with my boys, but that doesn't happen much any more.

I know you want to get that stubborn pound off. I completely understand that, and the frustration when it won't budge. Stick with it, because your hard work is keeping you from gaining additional pounds. I'm glad you got to have some "down time" with your fiance, plus sleeping in and a swim on your own! The mental breaks are just as important for losing weight. I'm glad your vertigo has been better too! That messes everything else up, so I hope it stays away!

The documentary on spies sounds interesting! I have been enjoying a show on Netflix called Somebody Feed Phil. The guy travels around the world and eats all kinds of interesting food, right up my alley!

I hope your week has been good, my friend!

Hello! Not an eventful week here. I got my second Covid booster yesterday. I debated and finally decided to do it. Today I am feeling wiped out and a little achy, but better than the last time. Also a little sore in the lymph nodes in my arm pit, which happened last time but was much worse then.

Exercise and eating are so-so. I dropped the few pounds I gained on my trip to mom's, but haven't budged since. My husband and I are going away next Sunday for a week, so I will probably eat some bad stuff then too (I am planning on taking some of my cheese, for starters!). I am not making as much progress as I did last summer, when I exercised or walked a LOT.

I did get a nice walk Thursday, though not where I had planned. I really want to hike the Billy Goat section A rock scramble trail at Great Falls, plus I really love seeing waterfalls. We set out, got stuck at the 301 bridge for 25 min barely moving, then turned around and decided to go through Fredericksburg and up 95. We saw a big backup on 95 on the GPS, so we abandoned the whole plan and went to Crow's Nest, a nature preserve where I have hiked before.

Did Rachael end up getting Covid? How is your ex doing? My mom was also 82 when she was home alone and pretty sick with what we assume was Covid back in Dec, so I understand your worry! I hope everyone is on the mend by now!

I am glad you got your crown. I had another checkup with my oral surgeon, and he removed the membrane that he had placed above the bone implant. Now the gum is healing, and I have yet another checkup at the end of the month. I signed up for a Flexible Spending Account for the first time, and it is active as of yesterday, so I will use that to pay for the rest of this tooth work. They load the whole amount in advance (I chose $2000) and then I pay it off month by month pretax. I am not sure how much that actually saves me, but I guess any savings is useful! I could probably use new glasses, so if there is any money left on the FSA after the dental work, I will go to the eye doctor.

I hope your week has been good, and that everyone is healthy and Covid-free!

Hello! I am getting ready for my vacation. Long to-do list today, and the majority of the packing. We will leave tomorrow morning, do one park on the way down, hit the grocery store, and be at the cabin around dinnertime. This week was pretty good with food and exercise. I know I will be bad this coming week, so I tried to rein myself in this week!

I am trying to spend a day here and there with my DIL before I go back to work. Yesterday she, my other son's fiance, and I went to a local historic home. The man was an artist so there is also a studio full of his beautiful paintings. We took a short (buggy, humid, spiderweb filled) walk. My DIL and I went back to her house and had one of our "tea parties." She has some nice loose tea blends from a friend who used to have a shop in Richmond that closed a few years back, and we always have some kind of pastry with it. This time my son had made us a cake, and they got cannoli. So, yesterday I was bad, but that was my whole lunch, so I only went up a pound.

I went to Natural Bridge three years ago. I really enjoyed it! I think we went on the path you are talking about, because my husband's scooter could go on it. It went under the bridge and ended at a small waterfall. I will visit 6 parks that are south and west of Richmond on this vacation.

I am so sorry to hear that you got COVID! I know you have been so careful. That is awful that you don't have the paid COVID leave anymore. Ours ended back in March. I felt like if they were not making people wear masks, they should continue the COVID leave. Did you make it through your other shifts, or did you have to take some of your sick leave? I hope you are feeling better now! I'm glad to hear that Rachael and her dad are both better.

Did you go see fireworks on the 4th? I have not been for years because I don't like the crowds or traffic. About 5 years ago, my son lived where we could see some of the Fredericksburg ones from his yard, so that is the only time in maybe 10 or more years that I saw any. I am happy to stay at home. Any marriage proposals??

I may miss writing next weekend, since we will get back Saturday evening, and I don't know how together I will be on Sunday!

I hope you are feeling better, and at least you will have some good immunity for a while!

Short and simple for now, and I know you will be away for a wk. - your park and cabin plans sound perfect. I did work all my shifts, and basically laid around all week, so not like me. We did go to the pool 2 afternoons with Rachael which she enjoys so much. It was relaxing for me too- and bonus, I could get some shoulder exercises in the water. I usually do them on our walk, but no walks last week.

It seems like you and DIL and your son had a nice time with tea and cake ect. I can have a nice cup of tea anytime myself. I am drinking a lot with this cough, it seems to help some and I added honey for the cough. Everyone I know who gets BA 5 says the same thing - tired and coughing. It is so contagious and being careful only goes so far it seems. I think they should continue the COVID pd. days for healthcare workers especially - but they don't care. They say come in to work if you don't have a fever, but when I had the positive test done here, no one even took my temperature. I have one more double shift this week-end and then I'll have another 4 days to rest. So far, i'm making it if it doesn't get too crazy and I can put my feet up between patients. That's my perk for working nights alone - day shift can't do that.

I hope the trip is as great in every way as you deserve. No rush to chat back - enjoy to the max.

Hello! I have been home from vacation for a week, trying to lose the four pounds I gained! I did not hike enough to offset the amount of bad stuff I was eating, like M&Ms and items from a wonderful little bakery we found! On our first full day, we had a double whammy of my husband's mobility scooter and our vehicle both breaking down. Lots of irate phone calls to the VA, the scooter company, the mechanic who supposedly fixed the vehicle the previous week. Then lots of being angry with each other by way of blowing off steam. The scooter people came all the way from Fredericksburg, decided it was too hot to try and fix on site, so they took it with them and he had no way to get around all week. That made me feel guilty about my hiking, so except for Friday, I took short hikes at each place. On Wednesday, the owner of our cabin, who knows some mechanics, looked at the truck for a few hours. He and my husband found multiple wires/cables not reconnected properly, very sloppy job by the other mechanics. Then a mobile mechanic came that evening and worked on it for several hours, finally finding an additional problem that was messing us up, then would not accept payment because he saw my husband's disabled veteran tag. So after being angry with all the people who would not do their jobs properly, we were humbled and grateful to the two men who spent so much time helping us just out of the kindness of their hearts. We had a good day Friday, and then came home Saturday.

I have mostly eaten better this week, and did some exercise, including one very hot walk. Yesterday I spent some time with my daughter-in-law, trying to strengthen some bridges before I have to go back to work. While we were out, we walked past an ice cream parlor and she wanted to go get some. I was planning to get a single scoop, trying to be a little bit good, but she ordered a banana split. Well, I couldn't let her feel bad about getting a big sundae with me getting one scoop, so I got a hot fudge sundae! Wow, was it yummy!! So my current weight goal is to at least END the summer where I had hoped to start it, back at the weight I hit last October after losing 20 pounds. Then maybe I can finally start losing those other 5 pounds??

This coming week I have my dental cleaning, a checkup with the oral surgeon, and the cats have a vet appointment. My pap was abnormal, plus I have a polyp, but they could not get me in before I got back to work, so I am taking off on day 3 back to work. I took that because it was the first appointment I could get, and was at least before the kids come back, but later I counted the days and I may be right in the middle of my period and have to reschedule. I am not rescheduling yet though, since my last two cycles were 23 days and then 35, so who knows when the stupid thing will come this time. I am so tired of it!!

Are you feeling better? I know you did not really get a lot of chance to rest since you still had to work. I hope you are recovering now and not feeling too bad! I hope your shoulders etc. have not flared up to give you extra problems meanwhile! I am glad you were able to get to the pool to do the shoulder exercises.

Did you get any walks this week? It has been so hot, I have not felt motivated to be outside much. I am planning to go to the farmers' market this morning after I feed the goats. I have not been all season. I stopped by the veggie stand that I normally go to instead of the market, and they were closed. Normally they have the shed open even if there is only a little bit of stuff in there (it is self-serve, honor pay), but the door was shut and locked. I hope the guy is ok and will be open again soon!

I hope you are feeling better and getting back to your usual activities!

Hello my friend! I had a pretty good week. I mostly ate well and exercised most days (all indoors, no walks). I got my teeth cleaned, checkup with the oral surgeon, and cats to the vet for way overdue shots. I go back to the oral surgeon in early September for some fancy (not covered by insurance) 3-D xray to see how the bone is coming along, and if it looks good, they will schedule the implant.

I also went to the National Museum of the Marine Corps with my DIL and other son's fiancee. We tried to think of something indoors to do, and one of them suggested there. I would not have chosen it, but I ended up really liking it. It's a great museum, and so full of stuff that I doubt we saw even half before we were worn out. We saw the exhibits from the formation of the corps in the 1770s (way earlier than I realized!) up through WWI, and briefly went through the Korean era section. I need to go back and do WWII to present, though I suspect even that will take more than one additional visit! There is an atrium with aircraft hanging, and you can go up to different levels and view them from different heights from the walkways around the edge. I highly recommend it!

I am glad to hear that your bloodwork results were good overall. I know you are working hard at eating well and exercising, so hopefully your cholesterol numbers aren't too far out of line! (I hear red wine is good for that!) I think you are smart to get checked every year! I hope your fiance's results are good also, so he can get his dental procedures done!

I hope you got through those 7 shifts ok! So does that mean you did 2 shifts on 2 days? Wow! You continue to impress me with how hard you work! I really hope you have recovered even more from the COVID, and are feeling less tired, or at least after all those work shifts that you got to rest. One of my friends who had COVID had the taste issue too, and even my friend who had a stroke did not want to eat/drink certain things afterward (like coffee, which she loves). It's so strange what things in the body can be affected by things that don't seem related.

I am glad you are enjoying the pool. I bet evening is a great time to be out there, when it's not so hot. It sounds so peaceful to just float. I'm so glad you and Rachael have that available!

Your jam sounds delicious! I did get a couple of squash from the market last week, but no tomatoes. Our plants finally have some, and they are slowly turning red. We got a ton last year and canned some, and they were SO good when I used them to cook over the winter, I had hoped to do it again this year. I'm not sure we will get enough though. I have red bee balm and comfrey just so I can watch the pollinators on it, so I know how you feel about watching them on your mint and other pollinator plants!

I go back to work on Monday, and will meet the new principal. We have a lot of new teachers and paras too. I'll give you a report next weekend!

I hope your week has been good, and that you are feeling well!