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Monday, May 1, 2017

Financial Planning.....


by Dianne

 Dan was a single guy living at home with his father and working 
 in the family business.

 When he found out he was going to inherit a fortune when his
 sickly father died, he decided he needed to find a wife with
 whom to share his fortune. 

 One evening, at an investment meeting, he spotted the most
 beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her natural beauty took
 his breath away. 

 "I may look like just an ordinary guy," he said to her, 
 "but in just a few years, my father will die and I will inherit $200 million. 
 Impressed, the woman asked for his business card. 
 Three months later, she became his stepmother.


 Women are so much better at financial planning than men........

183 comments:

Just_Lin said...

Dianne LOL That was a good one.

Well, my daughter and I got home last night. It was a long ass day. I forget exactly how long the flights were but the one from Paris to Charlotte was almost 9 hours long and then the one from Charlotte to San Francisco was another 5. Plus, that second leg of the flight was delayed by 2 1/2 hrs due to construction on SFO runways.

Anyway, I had a wonderful time on the trip and saw a lot of things. I always thought it would be neat to be able to see the Roman Coliseum and place my hand on it's walls and I did that. My grandfather came from Paris so I always wanted to visit that city and see its sites and now I have. I must say some of the trip was pretty difficult for me and my sciatica. It was walking, walking, walking, on uneven cobblestone streets. I thought it would kill me the day we visited 3 medieval villages outside of Barcelona. Not only did hips and legs kill me that day, but so did the bottoms of my feet. Add to that the fact that I got some upper respiratory thing on day 4 of the 18 day trip. I am still coughing and blowing my nose. My daughter came down with it the day after me and is also still sick but she's not as bad off as me as I have COPD so my lungs are really a weak spot for me.

Seven days of our trip was a Princess cruise and was on their gorgeous new ship, the Majestic, which is the largest in their fleet. We had one "at sea" day on the ship and that's then they play Bingo. I actually won for a change. I won $337!

Mary/MI said...

Bwah ha ha!!!That was funny Dianne!!!

I survived Karaoke/DJ night lol! The crowd was big, but thankfully well behaved!
I rarely sing unless someone request a song to hear me sing. When the "older" crowd is there, they almost always request me to sing their favorite oldy/country songs.

Jim helps to set up and tear down the speakers. He's not to knowledgeable on my Karaoke
set up. It requires a lot of cables and wire hook ups to my computer,mixer,2 computer screens,etc. I sometimes wonder how I keep everything straight lol!

Our next gig is an annual Karaoke contest. I keep saying it's my last year doing it, but here we go again! It is held outside after the Memorial Day parade.
Many years ago I won 1st place, when someone else was doing it. It is usually very hot and almost always under the threat of rain and windy. Once in a while we donate our time and money to their local charity fundraiser. I think I will let them know this is our last year, and donate our last pmt to the charity.

As you may know, I have gotten poison ivy!! I was cleaning out a small area of my flower bed. Last fall a friend gave me a few stater plants. I put them all in one spot and hoped they would take by this spring. Most looked good. I pulled what I thought was a long vine/weed! As soon as I pulled it I wondered if it was the ivy weed. I forgot all about it until the blisters started showing up. It was a warm the day I pulled it, so I was wearing shorts, short sleeves and sandals, and no gloves!!
An accident waiting to happen :(

I have tried different remedies on different spots, just out of curiosity. The best was using Dawn liquid detergent and very , very hot tap water.
Jim said he just used the very hot sauna when he got poison ivy, I doubted him until I tried the hot water. If my other spots flare up I may have him light our sauna lol.

Mary/MI said...

Hi JLin!! Welcome home! I so envied your trip and loved the pics! You looked so beautiful in the Eiffel Tower pic. Wow on the cruise and winnings! Your exclamation point at the end of the $337 first looked like $3,371 ! <----- notice I put my "!" far away lol!!!
Get plenty of rest!! I remember all the walking and dragging luggage. It didn't help that I was with 2 20 somethings gals who walked very fast lol!

Dianne said...

Welcome home JL.. we missed you a lot. Really enjoyed the pictures and so glad you had fun. Sorry you got sick. I think you get sick bugs easy when you travel. Hope it didn't mess up your trip. It seems like you were gone for a long time. I wouldn't be able to do a trip like that with all the walking. I think it might even be hard to push my chair over the cobblestone. Good win on your bingo. Did you play slots too? I'm drawn to them. How was the cruise? I'll bet you rested today. Did you have plenty of clothes?

Mary, glad your dj night was with good people and that you had fun. What old country songs do you sing? I'd sure like to listen to you singing. How are your itches doing? Better?

It's really nice that you donate your money for the contest.

Today I pulled out all of my coach purses to just see what I have and organize them on my shelves. I forgot about some of them. I think I. Done shopping purses for awhile and I have wallets to match each purse. I'm styling!

Barb, what's up gal?

Just_Lin said...

Mary I'm sorry about your poison ivy. I guess you'll be keeping your eyes open for it now that you know it's around. I don't remember ever having it but I understand you can get it from your dog's fur if they have been exposed to the plant's oils. Many years ago when my kids were little, my mother was visiting and took the kids for a little hike. They were gathering wild flowers and my mother ended up with poison oak or poison ivy on her inner arm. Boy, was she miserable with it! Thankfully, the kids didn't get it.

Speaking of dogs..... My dog is still at my daughter's house and apparently my dog and one of hers has been skunked. I'm supposed to pick my dog up tomorrow and I sure hope the smell isn't too bad as I'm already having enough respiratory trouble with my cold and asthma as it is. I have a little bit of codeine cough medicine that I've used the last couple of nights to help me sleep. I actually have a doctor appointment Thursday so maybe I can get more. Being able to rest at night really helps.



Just_Lin said...

Dianne When you have so many Coach purses and wallets that you have to get them out and organize them, that makes you a serious "collector". I can't be bothered to have more than one purse at a time except for an evening purse for special occasions. Right now I'm loving my Travelon travel purse that I bought specifically for this last trip. There are places on the side to carry a water bottle and small umbrella. A special place for my Kindle or for a tablet. A place for the passport and credit cards. It's so organized. I think it will become my everyday purse from now on. Oh, and the zippers lock easily and it also prevents scanners from being able to steal your credit card info. Do you have a special travel purse?

I think you're right about me getting sick when I travel. It sure seems that way, lately. I guess I get run down from so much activity and not enough rest. Plus, my asthma makes my lungs vulnerable. I probably should have been using lots of hand sanitizer. Between my age, my asthma, and my weight issues, I don't have the best stamina. By the way, I lost a few pounds while on the trip. I never passed up dessert so I attribute the loss to all the walking.

Oh, I lost more in the slot machines than I won by playing bingo. LOL

Mary/MI said...

I am still itching! I know it has to run it's course, but I need it gone now lol! I was going to travel to a graduation picnic Fiesta in Indiana. My Great niece is graduating from high school, and her Mother, my Niece is celebrating finishing her nursing degree. She has been a nurse for many years and always continuing to advance in her career She was at one time head of ER. I am sure I would be miserable traveling that far!

I spent most of today in my eye specialist office. It was supposed to be a simple laser treatment to relieve the pressure in my eyes. They only did one today. Well, after the procedure my eye pressure was higher! I had to have drops put in, wait 20 minutes and get checked again.. still high, so more drops and another 20 minute wait!
Finally it was low enough for me to leave! I have to go back next week for a check up. I may have the other eye done, not sure.

Dianne said...

Wow, Mary you're spending time at drs like I've done. It sure gets old, doesn't it. Sorry you had issues today. Also so sorry your still itching. I wonder how long until it will stop? That's a shame you have to miss your trip. It probably wouldn't be too fun though. I go back to eye dr on Friday for hopefully my last checkup from my cataracts. It's been drug out since my left eye has been bothering me and the reaction I had to the drops. LOUIS is still seeing double in one eye and supposed to hear from eye surgeon to fix it. I guess he'll call if it bithers him enough. I have reminded him over and over. He remembers when he goes shooting.

JL, did you get your smelly dog back? How was it? I hope not too bad. How are you feeling? I do have a travel purse but not as snazzy as yours sounds. I have one for car travel, one for cruise plus evening purse. I got a new cruise Purse this time. I guess I am a collector. My daughter and granddaughters will have something when I die!! Did you get rested up? Wow...that's great that you lost weight on your trip and enjoyed eating too. i don't think that will happen to me on our trip. I wish!! Let us know how dr appt goes tomorrow.

Kayla is a couple of weeks from graduation. We are so happy. We really didn't think we'd see this day over the last year. She goes to prom on Saturday night.

Barb, how are you feeling? Just a few days until your trip. Did you find any other shows? I saw Elton john had to cancel.

I go for my mammogram tomorrow and then hair color/cut. Trying to plan out nails, pedicure, and hair with vacation is hard to work out.

Just_Lin said...

Mary Your eye appointment didn't sound fun at all. Did they give you an explanation as to why the treatment worked exactly opposite to they way it was supposed to? I have a doctor appointment today. I have had an upper respiratory thing since 4/16 (Barcelona) and I am exhausted. I actually slept for 12 hours last night and I feel like I could go back to sleep again right now. Unfortunately, I can't due to the doctor appointment. LOL

In the old days, one would put calamine lotion on spots of poison ivy or poison oak. Do they still use that?

Just_Lin said...

Dianne My dog smells slightly of skunk. Fortunately, it isn't too bad or else it would set off my asthma. She sleeps on the bed with me.

So glad to hear things are going well for Kayla. That's wonderful. Hopefully, Jake-ass is long gone out of her life now.

I had to change my hair appointment to next week because of being sick. My white roots are looking pretty obvious as it is. I'm finding it harder and harder to camouflage my thinning hair. Ugh!

Just_Lin said...

Barb Where are you?

Mary/MI said...

My blisters/rash don't seem to be in a hurry to go away!

JL, Yes, Calamine is still around along witha whole slew of so called "reliefs" in lotion,gel and spray forms. I finally just wiped them all off and put cold compresses on the spots and left them alone to dry out naturally. The itching actually is not as bad now. It just has to run it's course, which is usually 2 or 3 weeks!
I didn't get an explanation about my eye pressure. I was later only seen by his assistants. I see he scheduled me with a different Gr for next week, which is strange!

Dianne, I have a big purse collection too. I have no idea where that fetish came from lol! I know I get a bit disgusted when I see woman with filthy purses! The worst are the ones who have light colored cloth type purses and have stains and dirt all over them! Ick!!
I did think of you when I was being kept at the Drs office lol!

Jim's friend that stays forever is visiting tonight! Bless his heart, Jim scooted him out the door and took him to the VFW. They have been gone a long time. I sure hope he can shake him when they get back! Sometimes he follows Jim in and stays till after midnight! I think Jim must be trying to wear him out lol1 We will see. It hasn't helped before!

sacBarb said...

J/L, Here I am! Sorry I've been MIA. I don't know what is wrong with me, but I have been so tired lately. I sleep in until 9 or 10 and take a nap in the afternoon and I've been going to bed at 10pm, which for me is really early! I've got a lot to do before I leave for Vegas on Monday and I'm not getting it done.

Sorry about Ursula getting skunked. Our cocker spaniel got sprayed by a skunk one night. He came in the doggy door and looked like he was spitting. We were laughing for about 30 seconds until the smell hit our collective noses. I shoved him back out the doggy door and put the barrier on it so he couldn't get back in. Since it was about 11 pm, we made him stay outside all night and in the morning I made Chad walk him up to the groomers, which is about three from the house. I followed them up there and gave Chad a ride back home. I didn't want that smell in the car! Even though the dog was in the house only for 30 seconds at the max, the house smelled like skunk when I got home from work that night. Luckily, that was on a Friday and we opened all the windows and left them all open the whole weekend. Plus, we sprayed a lot of room deodorizer all weekend. The groomer got the smell out of the dog's fur and he smelled good when I picked him up at the groomers.

sacBarb said...

Dianne, I'm so glad that Kayla is going to graduate. It sounds like she has turned a corner and is doing much better.

sacBarb said...

Mary, Next time we have a blogger meet-up, you are going to have to sing for us!

How's the poison ivy? Is it gone yet? We have a lot of poison oak around here and at the river. Each of my kids has had it at least once and it wasn't fun! But like J/L said, we put calamine lotion on them and it helped with the itch. I always kept it in the house.

Mary/MI said...

My itching has not gone away!The only spot that is clearing up, is on my left ring finger. It's weird that that was the only finger to get it. My waist, knee and arm are still a bit angry looking. I have been having to wear mostly light sweat pant type clothes because I can't stand anything on my waist.I have a tiny spot on my neck and under my boob :(

SacBarb, I wonder if all the crazy up and down weather has anything to do with your feeling tired? I have been sleeping in and generally feeling like a 90 year old! Our weather goes from sunny to cold and rainy. I always feel more energetic in warmer weather.
I finally took Zoie for a long walk today. I have been laying low since this crazy poison ivy showed up! I kept her away from anything even resembling ivy!!

Dianne said...

Happy Birthday JL!! I hope you enjoy all your celebrations today. Lots of meals out. What did the dr say Thursday when you saw him? I hope he gave you something to be feeling better. If I was close, I'd be taking you to lunch...darn it.

Mary, you are really having a rough time with this itching. Maybe you should go to the dr and he could help it get better sooner. It seems like it's taking a long time. I'm sorry you're not feeling better. Good thing no dj this weekend. You'd be singing that old song about poison ivy.

Hi Barb......yes, we are so pleased with Kayla. I guess Jake saw a picture of Kayla with her friend ( guy) and threatened yo kill the family. The mom called police and supposedly he's back in jail. I think that picture was intentional in my mind as she seems to not make the full break and that's playing with fire. Tonight is the prom.

sacBarb said...

Dianne, Is the restraining order still in effect? He needs to stay in jail for a long time. These short stints don't seem to have had any effect on him at all!

sacBarb said...

J/L, I hope you have been celebrating your birthday in a big way.

sacBarb said...

Mary, I agree with Dianne that you should go to a doctor about your poison ivy. I bet they have something that will help heal it faster.

Just_Lin said...

Barb For the second time in the last few days, I slept for 12 hours last night. I can't get over how tired I am. I'm still recovering from all of the activities during the trip plus being sick on top of it. Maybe today I'll just stay in my robe all day, watch TV, and sleep. That sounds very appealing right now but I'm only on my first cup of coffee. Maybe I'll perk up after I've had two.

Just_Lin said...

Dianne Well, I ate my way through my birthday. My friends, John and Jane, took me out to brunch. They are also going to take me to The House of Prime Rib in S.F. on the 16th as a birthday treat. My husband and I would go there on special occasions. Last night my friend, Kathy, took me to dinner. The original plan was to go to Benihana which I LOVE, but I decided I didn't want to sit at the hibachi table with strangers in case I had a coughing fit and I also felt too tired and decided I wanted to do something close and easy so we went to a nice little restaurant here in town. We went back to her house later for birthday cake and coffee with her husband. I must say, I was treated very nicely on my birthday.

I am now on antibiotics and waiting for results of a chest x-ray. I also had blood drawn the other day and have the results but not the doctor's remarks about it, yet. I didn't see any surprises. I'm still on the very highest edge of normal for glucose and my cholesterol is good but my good cholesterol sucks. It should be greater than 50 and is only 36. What would help? Drinking olive oil? LOL

Just_Lin said...

Mary Because of Dianne's comment, I now have the "Poison Ivy" song running through my head. LOL I'm sorry that is still plaguing you. The part on the waist must really be bothersome. Maybe you should go to the doctor. I know it's a pain in the butt but maybe they have something that works better than over-the-counter stuff.

Mary/MI said...

I had a horrible night last night! I can't believe the only spot to be healing is my finger!The knee and waist are the worst because they keep getting rubbed by my cloths. I prolly should run around nekkid lol! I may take your advises and go to the Dr. next week.I have so much coming up in the next 2 weeks! I don't have time for this!!

I'm glad you had a good Birthday JustL. I sure hope you start feeling better soon!
I had that song running through my head for a long time lol!!

Dianne, I don't know Jake-ass, but he sure does scare me! I hope he doesn't eventually go "postal". I know, that when my ex realized he no longer had control of me, he went berserk! I was afraid of him until he passed away last year! He was a Jekyll and Hyde
type of person. He could put out a sweet front and fooled a lot of people, but underneath, he was a volcano ready to erupt!

We are under a freeze warning tonight, so I have put off putting out my hanging plants. I bought a few because they went on sale. Matthew has been taking over my flowering bush trimming chores, including putting out 15 bags of ceder mulch around them. He knows I am leery of getting into more nasty ivy! So far he hasn't seen any. I may have pulled the only poison ivy plant left. Yay me!





Dianne said...

Hi..nice to see everyone on the blog this weekend. It's always fun to see what's up with all of you. I sure wish we lived closer...at least two of you do.

Yes, Jake-ass is crazy and scares us too. The restraining order is still in place but I don't know how much water it would hold with her responding to his texts. I got mixed up on prom...it's next Saturday. Kayla's last day of school is Friday...that the Lord!! I think her friends mom is going to file a restraining order against Jake too. She's not real thrilled with Kayla right now under the circumstances of Jake threatening them.

Mary....GO TO DR!! This has gone on for too long. You need to listen to your fellow hooters on here. At least you didn't get our big snow we had a week ago for a day. It's pretty here with 80's and some rain...just enough to get car dirty. Yup, keep those plants inside. We are going from air conditioning to heat...crazy.

JL, it sounds like you had a fun birthday and still celebration to come. Yum. a prime rib house sound really good. Makes me hungry right now. You need to celebrate all month...especially while you're still young!! I think you still might be younger than me. Let us k is his your test results come out. I had a mammogram last week and they made me nervous as she kept taking pictures over and over of the right side. My dr called on Friday though and said all was good. It just is scary.

Barb, guess you leave tomorrow. Check in if you get a chance. Have a great time and win big bucks and enjoy your show(s). I'm sure you will. I'll bet it's getting hot there now but at least not like summer. Will be anxious to hear all about it.

Went for Chinese last night and brought a lot home so guess what LOUIS is having for dinner tonight? He finishes up school on Friday and the off for the summer. He's looking forward to it.

That's about it....did some laundry and filing tonight...so exciting.

Dianne said...

Whew..I wrote a lot!

Just_Lin said...

Dianne It's not helpful that Kayla responds to Jake-ass on her phone. I do understand it is hard to ignore texts coming in, though. I'm sure he's expert at pushing her buttons.
Would it help if she changed her phone number or would he just get it from someone else? Is it possible to block things coming from a specific number? I don't know but maybe she could look into it.

Just_Lin said...

Mary Does your rash hurt? I don't understand how it got in so many places. Are you sure that some of it isn't Shingles? Please go to the doctor.

Just_Lin said...

Barb Are you packing? That concert is going to be so much fun. Play an Ellen slot machine for me. Do you have plans to do anything else while you're there?

Mary/MI said...

SacBarb, I am feeling a lot better today! I have had shingles, very painful experience!
Since then,Jim & I have had our shingles shots.
The areas are still red and tender, but not itching as bad.

JustLin, the rash just itches. It does hurt a lot where I covered a big spot on my
waist line because it ripped my skin every time I moved. I didn't realize that until I took the bandage off!. I put some Neosporin on it and is a lot better now.

Today I signed Queenie up for obedience class. I would love to bring her in more, but she doesn't mind very well and teases Zoie too much. I hope they can train Jim while they are at it lol! He lets her get away with too much.

Dianne, I love Chinese! It is hard to find a really good place around here. My favorite is Lemon chicken. I am fussy about the egg rolls. I don't like them all mushy.
I go to have my eyes checked tomorrow. I sure hope I don't have problems this time!

Dianne said...

Hi...be careful Mary ..I had a shingles's shot and then a couple of years later got shingles. They said it was milder because of the shot but still.....I'm glad ur better today. We have a pretty good Chinese by us. We just get too much there. I can't eat it close to ww day because of the salt. Hope your eye appt goes better this time. I still have one more for these darn cataracts.

We had a horrible hail storm here today. I had been at lunch where the big part was but I got out of there early. Thank goodness. There are a lot of broken car windows all over town. One mall even had the roof cave in on Greeley about an hour from here. We had some rain but nothing bad. I Made sure I was home and in garage before the storm rolled in here.

JL, no it's not good at all that Kayla responds to him. She had him blocked but then took the flock off. She says she has him blocked again. She can't seem to get away from him. Scares me. Im just looking towards the 25th when she graduates. I think we will all breathe a huge sigh of relief. How are you feeling today?

Barb, guess you are winning big bucks tonight. My friend went to a Derby party and won $6400. She had bet $600. Wow..lucky. I'd be off shopping. Hope you really have a good time and are feeling better to enjoy yourself.

Mary/MI said...

I wonder if you can have shingles and poison ivy at the same time?
The area around my waist looks more like shingles, where the other areas are more
blister-like.
I think I will skip lunch with my friends tomorrow. We are meeting at a place over an hrs drive from me. I would be traveling the farthest. I would not like my belly to be crunched up that long!

My Dr appointment was only an hour. My reg Dr was not there so I had one of the other ones check me out. She put the eye drop in my eye. I asked her why she put it in my left eye, when it was my right eye lol! She looked a bit embarrassed and put it in the right/right eye! My eye pressure was lower, but she would like it a bit more lower. I go back at the end of the month.

Dianne, I heard about the hail and wondered if you were out and about!

Just_Lin said...

Mary I'm sure it would be possible to have shingles and poison ivy at the same time. The poison ivy could have compromised your immune system, allowing the shingles to rear its ugly head again. Please see the doctor.

Dianne said...

Mary, I see that JL and I are going to have to come there to drag you to a dr. It won't be pretty and you will be responsible for all our costs since we there to enforce health care on you!!! Now does that encourage you to go on you own? Seriously, we are concerned about you.

That would not thrill me that the drops were in the wrong eye. I'm glad they weren't doing a knee replacement or something!! Grr on drs !!!

No, thank goodness I was out of the hail. Terrible damage to so many. Today I was driving home from lunch and a big truck came by and a rock hit my windshield. Well, a hole with little lines coming out showed up. I figured it would be weeks to get it fixed but place is coming over tomorrow morning to fix it. We've used our car insurance twice in the last two weeks and they have been great. We just signed up with them a couple of years ago.

JL, when is prime rib night? Are you feeling better?

Mary/MI said...

I know I am being stubborn about going to my family Dr. I promise if not improved by tomorrow, I will make the call, so don't hit the airport yet lol!!!

I didn't do much today except take a load to the recycle place. Jim went to the Casino so Matt and I ordered pizza for supper.Matt put up our new tv antenna and put out new cable because Queenie annihilated the old one.It goes to my kitchen tv that carries local channels. He also ran a new line to our spare bedroom so I will have something to watch when Zoie and I need to get away from Jim and get some sleep lol!
Our temps have been in the mid 70s. I put out some hanging planters now that the frost warnings are gone. I tend to get carried away in buying too many flowers,then spend a long time watering them. I will see if I have better control this year lol.

Just_Lin said...

Mary Okay, we're going to hold you to that about going to the doctor. How's the rash today? Aren't you glad we don't live closer? We're nagging enough from far distance. LOL

I love how you and Matt get all sorts of stuff done when Jim is gone. That reminds me.... Right before my trip, my stove decided not to Bake any more. It is gas and works fine for Broil but absolutely nothing goes on in the Bake mode. I need to see about getting it fixed. I'm assuming something needs to be replaced in the control panel as the igniting element and gas come on fine in the Broil mode, just not in Bake mode.

Just_Lin said...

Dianne It seems you've been getting some interesting weather lately. So far this morning, it's kind of gray from the marine layer hanging over us. I was glad it was a clear and sunny day when Jodi and her daughter made their quick visit. It was a gorgeous day to see the ocean and it was her daughter's first time seeing it.

My dog accidentally bit me on the thumb yesterday during a game of Keep Away. Boy did it hurt! One fang punctured the side of my thumb and the other fang hit me right at the cuticle. I bled some under the finger nail. I guess I shouldn't be telling you this a you are not an animal person. She didn't mean to do it. My dog walker is in North Caroline right now playing with young tigers. I'm jealous. She has many years experience handling wild animals so she gets to do a lot of cool stuff with them.

Just_Lin said...

Barb How was the Cher show? I bet it was fantastic.

Dianne said...

JL..OUCH!! I hope the dog was sorry. That's literally "biting the hand that feeds you". I keep asking u if you're feeling better but you don't reply. Im assuming that means you are almost all well now from you trip sickness. We are having crazy weather. Woke up to drizzle this morning and then about noon it turned to beautiful sunshine. I had my car washed so hope it stays nice for a few days.

Barb, u should have used my driver guy in Vegas....no lines. He would have taken you anywhere you wanted to go. Sounds like the show was really good. She sure looks good for 70.

Mary, well, how's the rash today? I have my bags packed.

Dianne said...

My son took me to lunch today for Mother's Day. It was so nice to spend some time with him. I put a picture of us on FB. He's pretty cute eve if I'm a little biased.

LOUIS was gone overnight to Breckenridge for meetings and came home tonight. They gave him a beautiful swivel clock inscribed to him for 20 years at the college. It's very nice. I went to dinner while he was gone.

It won't be long until my vacation. I wished I was already packed. You know how that goes!

Just_Lin said...

Dianne That was a very nice photo of you and your son. I think that's the first time I've seen a photo of him. He's a very handsome fella.

I have a technician coming this afternoon to check out my phone and internet service which has not been working 100% the way it should ever since I signed up with them. If I answer my landline phone too soon, there's static on the line. If I stream movies for too long, I lose internet connection. If I watch TV and am recording a different show at the same time, there is some intermittent interference on the picture. It's annoying.

Did I tell you that my oven stopped working on the Bake mode? I need to find a repairman for that, too.

Dianne said...

Hi everyone. .....well, yesterday was Kayla's last day of school and she has passed all her classes. Tonight is the prom. I posted some pictures on FB. We are so happy that this has all come to this after the last horrible 14 mos. She graduates on the 25th and then a party on the 27th. Thank all so much for listening to me, praying for Kayla and just standing by me. It really means a lot.

i don't think Jake is completely gone. I guess his grandparents made him leave again and somehow blames Kayla for that and continues to threaten her.

Today Barb and I went to my good friends retirement party. We were flattered as it was all family and us. Very nice day.

Barb, you're back, right? Anxious to hear all about your trip. All the details, please. How was the weather there? Did you feel good, I hope so.

JL, did you get the oven fixed yet? I hope it's just a part. How about the phone and internet? We had a guy come today and install new smoke alarms that last for ten years and then you replace them. No battery changes for those ten years. They were $35 each and then he installed them for us. Plus he fixed our backdoor as the springs broke. He's reasonable and can do everything. He even dusted way up on those shelves ten feet up. Very dusty over the years.

Thank you for the nice compliment about Todd. I always have pictures of his boys but never of

them all. When we were at lunch I thought it would be a good picture of mom and son. I always love those lunches.

Mary, I think I saw you at a shower on FB today. You looked very nice. What's up is in your life?

Happy Mothers Day to you all

Just_Lin said...

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, HOOTERS!

Just_Lin said...

Dianne All my issues with phone and internet seem to be resolved. I wish that guy was also an appliance repairman as I would hire him to fix the oven. He was really thorough and courteous and obviously knew what he was doing. I still need to find someone to deal with my oven. I assume it is an issue with the control board (maybe just a fuse) as the oven works fine in Broil mode it's just that nothing happens anymore when I push the Bake button.

My daughter took me out for a delicious dinner last night. I had a lovely salad with strawberries, feta cheese, candied walnuts and vinaigrette dressing, then a main course of filet mignon with peppercorn/brandy sauce, house potatoes which are kind of like au gratin potatoes, and creamed spinach. Tuesday I'm going to the House of Prime Rib so I will have to get serious about WW again after that.

I went to my second painting class yesterday and that was a lot of fun. I wish they were held more often than once a month. I had only signed up for these to classes but they run until August. I need to go to the Parks and Rec building this week and sign up for the next couple of classes.

Dianne said...

Happy Mother's Day to all of you.

JL, your dinner sounds wonderful. I love creamed spinach. You will have to tell us your meal at the prime rib place. Went to breakfast with Tammy, James, Emilee and Louis. We then went to movie to see Snatched. It's with Goldie Hawn. She's still cute. A very funny movie
Kayla as with the prom kids at her dads. I guess she had a good time last night.

I'm glad you are enjoying your painting class. You will have to show us some of your paintings. I'll bet they are really nice.

Mary and Barb, hope you are having a nice Mothers Day.

Mary/MI said...

Hi there! It looks like everyone had a great Mother's day!
I cooked chicken and dumplings.
Zoie has been having terrible itching ! She has been so miserable! All I could think, was that I had changed her food. Same brand, just different mix, grain free chicken and peas. I took her off of it and bought what she was eating before. So far she is doing better.
Speaking of itching lol, I am a lot better. My arm still itches a bit. I did make an appointment with my Dr for tomorrow just in case it didn't go away. I think I will cancel.

Mary/MI said...

Dianne Who was the cute guy in the picture with Kayla?
I see you were with a cute guy too :) That was a sweet picture!
I am so glad Kayla will be graduating. Jake needs to get on with his so called life and find some gal who can put up with his crap if that's possible!

I forget where you are going on your trip. How cool your hubby got that awesome gift!

sacBarb said...

Happy Mother's Day Everyone. I went to a concert of Chamber music today with Sharon. We got the tickets a long time ago and I didn't realize it was on the same date as Mother's Day, so Dean and I are going to celebrate next weekend.

Mary/MI said...

JustLin, I'm glad you got your phone and internet fixed. I use my duel oven a lot. It would drive me crazy if it quit!
Zoie has accidentally bit me a few times. I have learned not to play too rough with her or to be careful when taking a toy from her!
Your dinner with your daughter had me drooling! That's my idea of a perfect meal!
I went back to the top of this blog and re read what you wrote about your trip. It brought back so many memories of my trip there, especially the walking lol! I remember very well the cobblestones!I hurt like hell and lived on Motrin, but I would do it all over again! This time with someone who would walk a little slower lol!
I have seen the adds for painting classes around here. I have been tempted to go, but I am so, not talented that way! I would go with you though :)

Mary/MI said...

SacBarb, I almost stepped on you lol!
I love chamber music! Hell, I love pretty much any kind of music, well, except rap crap or head banger stuff.

sacBarb said...

Dianne, Your son Todd is very handsome. Maybe it's the name. I have a handsome son named Todd, also. LOL I'm so happy for Kayla that things seem to be going well for her. Sharon and I did have a great time in LV. Cher was fabulous, as expected. She told us about the weekend she turned 40 and how different it was than when she turned 71, which is her current age. She ended by saying "what is your Granny doing, tonight?" She changed costumes for every song, except two. Her dancers entertained us while she was changing and they were very good, too. There were people of almost every age in the audience. A lot of cotton tops, like us, and a lot of young people, too. While we were waiting in line for a taxi there were three young girls in front of us that were still singing her songs and gushing about how wonderful she was. By the way, Dianne, did you tell me you had a driver guy in LV? If you did, I didn't remember. We did wait in a seriously long line, but the Monte Carlo hotel people were really good at organizing the cabs and people and it didn't take very long. However, the cab driver we got was a grouch and he didn't know where we were going because we told him we were at the Grand Desert Resort and we didn't say Wyndham Grand Desert. He kept saying "where?" It was kind of a downer to an otherwise great evening!

sacBarb said...

J/L, I am sorry I missed your birthday. It sounds like you had a good celebration. I wasn't on Facebook at all, except for posting the night we saw Cher and the one post when we saw Mat Franco. I remember seeing him on America's got talent and was very impressed and glad he won, but he was even better in person. The resort gave me a voucher for a free show and we debated about seeing him or one of the Cirque shows and we were both so glad we chose to see him. He is really amazing. I'm not much of a gambler, but we had some time to kill so we both put $20 in a penny slot machine,and it kept us both playing for about an hour and a half before it was gone. I cashed out with $.05, because, contrary to the name 'penny slot' the minimum bet was 30 cents. I gave the cash out slip to the woman sitting next to me.

We had great weather in LV with temps in the 70s the whole time.

sacBarb said...

Mary, I agree with Dianne and J/L, you should go to the doctor about your poison ivy to be sure that's what it is.

Mary/MI said...

SacBarb, I loved her concert too! I went about 10 years ago. She mesmerized me! She is such an icon! I think over half the audience was gay lol! The gay community loves her. I loved watching them dance to her music.
Her costumes were pretty risque back then. I was wondering if she still did that. I would, if I had her body lol!

Just_Lin said...

Dianne These two painting classes I went to were about painting with water colors and had to do with teaching various techniques using a Japanese brush which is really a remarkable brush and can do all sorts of things. It really wasn't about painting a painting so much as practicing using the brush to do different things with it such as making leaves or a water effect or one stroke to make a tree trunk with shading included. The next class we will be using acrylic paints.

You and your daughter got an extra gift for Mother's Day just knowing that Kayla graduated. Yippee!

I've been wondering about that movie. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Just_Lin said...

Mary I love chicken and dumplings! I haven't made it in years. I made a "mess 'o kraut" as my grandpa on my mother's side would have said; pork ribs and potatoes in sauerkraut. I was having a hankering for it ever since being in the Alsace region of France. It's next to the Swiss border and has German influence. Little did I know that it was once part of Germany before it was France, then Germany controlled it during the war, then it went back to France again. You can go to a restaurant there and find escargot and sauerkraut on the same menu.

Yes, the cobblestone streets make it extra hard for us folks with walking issues. Anytime your feet are angled to the left or right, it throws off the hips.

Just_Lin said...

Barb Welcome home! I'm so glad you had such a good time at the Cher concert. She is definitely an icon, that's for sure.

Thank you for the birthday wishes. I'm finding this one to be pretty traumatic. The last time I was this disturbed by a birthday was when I turned 21 and realized I was officially an adult and my childhood was behind me.

sacBarb said...

Mary, Yes, Cher wore some very revealing costumes and they all looked great on her! Her dancers are great and entertained us during every costume change.

sacBarb said...

J/L, I'm sorry this was a traumatic birthday for you, but I understand. I am a little traumatized about this year's birthday. It's hard for me to believe I am really this old! For years I didn't think about my age, but lately, it is really bothering me. Maybe it's because I have more aches and pains than I have ever had.

Dianne said...

Hi...JL.."I'm not sure of your age but I was 70 in November. It was hard and it's still hard to tell someone my age. I have a hard time believing it myself. I'm like Barb, it's the aches and pains I don't like either. I guess I remember my parents being this age and now it's me!!

It sounds like you were on a cooking frenzy the other day, JL. How was prime rib night? I think it was last night.

We went clothes shopping for louis tonight for a nice sport coat for the cruise. He won't rent a tux anymore as they never seem to fit. I'm ok with it , especially for Alaska. It seems a little more casual. We ended up with the cost, shorts, shirt and tie. He's lost 35 pounds and is kind of in between clothes that he has at home.

I had a good day at ww today. I hit 36 pound loss and got a couple of charms they hand out..finally. I can tell in clothes but not to look in mirror. It's kind of discouraging but we both have a lot to lose. I'm still riding my bike very night and off soda. I'm very nervous about vacation in two weeks.

Mary, how is the rash? Did you end up going to drive or not? I guessing no. What's new your way. They are once again predicting snow for tomorrow and Friday. I hope not. I really hope not for next weekend as it's Kayla's grad party.

Barb, any other trips planned? Are you rescheduling your retreat? I know you really enjoy going.

Just_Lin said...

Dianne This was my 70th birthday, too, and I'm finding it kind of difficult. In my 60's, I could still think of it as late middle age. Not at 70!

Congratulations to you and Louis for the weight loss. Way to go! I don't know how much soda you used to drink but that's a lot of empty calories in that. Now that I'm done with my birthday celebrations, I need to get serious about WW again. My prime rib dinner was great, by the way. We started with cocktails so I had a Bloody Mary. For dinner, I had the house salad which they dress and mix at the table. I had my favorite cut of prime rib which they call the English Cut. It's about four very thin slices covered with au jus. I also had creamed spinach, baked potato, and yorkshire pudding. Coffee and a little ice cream with hot fudge sauce was a perfect way to end the meal.

I am finding this print to be smaller than usual and I don't find any way to change it. Do you think it is, too? Do you think Tina changed it?

Just_Lin said...

Barb I have a feeling I'm not going to like the sound of any birthday numbers from now on. LOL

I was awoken today by my dog vomiting bile on my bed. I popped up faster than if it was the alarm clock. LOL When I went out for prime rib with John and Jane the other night, John purposely got a cut that included the bone so he could send it home for my dog. I let her have it yesterday afternoon and, even though I took it away before she actually started eating much of the actual bone, I think it was the culprit for her upset tummy. She sure enjoyed having it, though.

Just_Lin said...

Mary Waving a wing at you. I saw you posted some of your vacation pics. Are you getting the travel bug again? Maybe my future trips should only be to places without cobblestone streets. LOL

Dianne said...

Hi..well, it's been snowing hard all day here with a lot sticking. We have about 4". The trees on the green belt right behind our house are all broken and down. It's supposed to snow until tomorrow night and then nice all weekend. I feel bad for all the outside graduations tomorrow. The schools are scrambling to find places for them. I'm glad ours is inside next week. We still need nice weather for the party n next Saturday. We usually don't often get snow in the city after a Mothers Day but.... I don't like it. I had two dr appts of opposite ends of town and it wasn't fun driving everywhere. I couldn't cancel though as it would take too long to get in again.

I was released by the eye dr today. My left eye isn't seeing as great as my right but both together are really good. No more glasses just readers. JL, I don't notice if the print seems smaller as I always enlarge it to read it. I'll mention it to Tina.

JL, your dinner sounds wonderful. Yum yum... I would have enjoyed every bite. That's too bad about your dog. Yucky on your bed. Hope he's feeling better and no more throw ups. I was drinking about 3-4 sodas a day with the refills at lunch it added up. I treat myself every once in awhile but not often.
I was thinking you were a year younger than me but only six months. It is hard not saying 60's anymore..I completely agree with you.

Barb, I see you were at a show today. You know with all, the shows I e been to, I've never seen that one. Do you've seen it four times? I'll bet you can sing every song. Hope you had fun.

Mary...missing you

sacBarb said...

Dianne, Yes, Today was our last show. It was the fourth time I have seen Phantom of the Opera, but it has been about 3-4 years since the last time. The first time I saw it, Sharon and I took a Sports Leisure Bus trip to San Francisco to see it. It was really nice because we had lunch at Fisherman's Wharf before the show and they gave us wine on the bus ride back to Sac. My son got me the CD for my birthday in October and we went the following January, so I listened to it every time I was in the car for three months and yes, I knew all the words to all the songs. There are a few shows that I don't mind seeing multiple times because I like them so much. Jersey Boys is another one and it's on our schedule for next season. We just renewed our tickets.

We are going to try to reschedule our retreat for sometime in the fall and if that doesn't work, maybe early next year. Fall usually is a busy time for everyone because of the holidays, so it may not happen then.

sacBarb said...

J/L, I know how you feel about leaving your 60s. This year I will turn 75 and thinking about it as 3/4 of a century is really daunting! I remember when I was in elementary school and talking with my friends about how old our parents were and they were only 40ish then. The closer I got to 40, the younger it seemed. Now, I can't really say that! Plus, as I get older more people I know are dying, because we are all old! My Uncle Mike's partner passed away the day before I left for Las Vegas and it did put a damper on the trip. I'm worried about Uncle Mike because he and Jim were together for over 50 years and Jim was the caretaker in the relationship. Jim has been ill for about four months and he went downhill fast. Jim was 84 and Uncle Mike is 92. My cousins and I don't expect Uncle Mike to last long without Jim. He has a lot more health issues than Jim had.

sacBarb said...

Mary, I hope your poison ivy has cleared up. I have enjoyed the pictures you've been posting. I have noticed that you have also been posting on Herman's pictures. I am amazed that they are actually walking that Camino trail. I wouldn't have been able to do that at any age.

Mary/MI said...

Hi gals! I have been busy. I have a Karaoke job Sat night. I needed to upgrade my system, add music, file music and make sure all my equipment is ready to go!

Jim finally bought a fenced in kennel for Queenie. I got my patio back!! Jim was so frustrated. She got out 3 times tearing at the bottom of the fence! He spent a lot of money on it. I told him he should buy the heavier panels, but they were a bit more expensive. We wound up adding some of Zoies kennel panels all around Queenie's pen. That made Zoies pen smaller, but it was kind of big anyway.

Hooray, my poison ivy is all clear!! My skin is still a bit tender, but so much better! I cancelled my Dr appmt.

Our temp dropped like a rock! Air condition with the upper 80s Now in the 40s!! No snow Dianne!! Keep it please! We are supposed to get rain. I hate moving my equipment when it's wet out. Moisture is not a friend of electronics, especially my speakers!

I better get to bed. I have a lot to do tomorrow. Sorry I didn't comment to each of you. Love yah!!

BTW,I will hit 70 in Dec, so I am officially still in my 60s lol!!

Dianne said...

Well, I guess we are pretty darn close to the same age with Mary being the baby. See, that's why we watch out for you...you're our baby!!

I'm checking out the weather for our upcoming trip. It's really hard packing for the cruise and then 8 days on the road with such different weather. I'm kinda of organizing a few things getting ready to pack. We leave in ten days. I really need my nails done but trying to hold off until next Friday. They will not look pretty for graduation but they will for the party. Oh so many decisions.

Mary, I hope you don't get our snow. It was a lot and miserable and 29 degrees yesterday. It's only sprinkling rain off and on today . I went to lunch with one of my long ago bosses. We try to meet every couple of months. I even paid this time!! He always does so thought I'd treat. I then met louis at our financial person to understand these 70-1/2 withdrawals you have to do at my age. I also need to be reassured I don't need to get a job. I'm a worrier especially when it's spend money vacation time.

Mary, have fun at your job tomorrow night. When do the dog classes start for Queenie? So glad your rash went away.

Barb, I love a Jersey Boys too. We saw a show in Branson about them too. I love the music. I'm really sorry about your uncles partner passing away. Boy, they have been together along time. It's sad after so many years and at their ages.

JL, is your dog feeling better? No more throwing up?

Just_Lin said...

Barb I'm so sorry about the passing of your Uncle Mike's partner, Jim. 50 years is a long time to be with someone. Do your cousins live close to Uncle Mike so they can keep an eye on how he's doing?

My friend and former boss, Mel Turner, passed away while I was on my trip. He was the former mayor and current councilman of Citrus Heights. He had been doing so well on experimental treatments for his pancreatic cancer right up until the time that he wasn't. He was only 67 and was just such a very neat guy. We worked together in the 70's and 80's for a county-wide crime prevention program that worked with all the police departments. In fact, Mel is the one that hired me. Boy, we had some good times. Working with the police departments is how I meant my second husband.

Just_Lin said...

Mary Yay for the rash being gone! Was it a miraculous recovery so you wouldn't have to go to the doctor? I know I've had a few of those. Just when the doctor or dental appointment finally arrives, the ailment has suddenly resolved itself.

Queenie sounds like a handful and probably needs a lot of activity. Some dogs are just wired that way. She's still pretty young, though, right? How old is she? Are she and Jim going to go to training classes? It's equally important for the human as for the dog. The rest of the family will need to learn whatever Jim does so things are consistent with the dog.

Good luck with your gig tonight. Hopefully, there will be no rain on you or your equipment.

Just_Lin said...

Dianne Your trip is coming up fast. Making decisions about what to pack is always difficult. I know I would have changed a few things about what I took and didn't take on my last trip. Generally speaking, I was warmer than I expected to be in Barcelona and colder than I expected to be in France. Thankfully, I had brought a black cardigan as well as a light black jacket because I was wearing both at the same time in Paris.

I've been through the Panama Canal before but I've recently been looking at a Canal cruise that stops at Limon, Costa Rica, where you can get an excursion to go to a sloth sanctuary. I'd really like to see that. It's a round trip cruise from Ft. Lauderdale.

I finally got my nails done yesterday. They were starting to look pretty bad but I put it off because of my injured thumb where the dog accidentally chomped down on me. She is fine, by the way. She was fine that same afternoon. No more vomiting.

Dianne said...

Hi..Boring day. I'm waking up so darn early every day lately. I've been awake since 7:30 with nothing to do all day. I got a few chores I've been putting off done, went to grocery store for couple of things, vacuumed car..that's it..,my lunch date got sick. I am meeting barb at the movie at 5:30. This time next week I'll be complaining not enough time to pack. Lol.

JL, I struggle always with packing and I do need a jacket for Alaska but don't want to take up too much room in suitcase. I'm taking one long sleeve heavier shirt for excursions. We've always been so lucky with weather in Alaska. I hope that luck stays with us. I do take gloves though. I remember one year needing them. So, you are already looking at your next trip? I think a river cruise would be fun.

Next week or rather this week will be busy with graduation and party on Saturday. Ive got a pretty full week planned. Louis went shooting today or. Would have drug him out!!

Mary, how was last night? Looks like a lot of songs were requested. Did you have fun? Did weather hold out?

Barb, what are you doing over the weekend? Anything fun?

Dianne said...

Cute movie ...everything, everything. A for sure love story. Not many people there. We enjoyed it. Went and had a sandwich afterwards and then home. It's been a long day. I didn't even have a nap.

What's everyone doing?

sacBarb said...

J/L, I do have some cousins that live near Uncle Mike and they have been taking turns going over to see him. The caretakers are very good with him and he does like them so that's a good thing, but the family stays in close touch, too.

One of the Jennifers lives in Citrus Heights and she mentioned her councilman passed away and he was pretty young. That's only three degrees of separation between you and Jennifer. Small world!

sacBarb said...

Dianne, Dean took me to lunch at Outback Steakhouse and a movie today for Mother's Day because I couldn't go last Sunday. We went to see Snatched with Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn. It was pretty funny. Neither the restaurant nor the theater were very crowded and Dean said we should celebrate a week after Mother's Day every year and avoid the crowds. We had no trouble parking and no waiting for lunch and hardly anyone in the theater.

How long are you going to be gone on your trip? You probably told us, but my memory is so bad! I have always wanted to go to Alaska, however the older I get, the less I want to travel. I was happy to get home from Las Vegas.

sacBarb said...

Mary, I'm glad your poison ivy has cleared up and you're feeling better. When does Queenie start her classes? I hope she does well in them. A friend of mine has two dogs and she went to obedience classes with both of them. One of them got it very quickly and the other on didn't do as well. She had to work a lot harder with that one at home.

Dianne said...

Hi Barb, we went to see that movie last week and I enjoyed it too. I thought it was pretty funny. Our theater was sold out. Glad you enjoyed your Mother's Day today.

We leave on the 30th and come home June 13. Our cruise is from June 2-9. I'm looking forward to it. Always ready to get away. I think it's harder to travel too. I'm so glad we r not flying. It's just getting harder on louis with the luggage. I'm not much help.

Dianne said...

Barb..we r up late

Mary/MI said...

I survived the weekend! We decided to set up our equipment early in the afternoon, to escape the rain. It was a calm night until after 10:30. I start looking at the clock after that lol! Peeps are fired up and ready to sing about then. It was some gals birthday so you can imagine the shenanigans! I do appreciate the extra money especially since this is auto ins. month!

Barb, So sorry about your Uncle's partner passing! I don't know him, but I feel sad for him :(
Queenie and Jim started their training 2 weeks ago. It's once a week with the first day being mostly discussion, which irritated Jim because he had to stand with her for the whole hour! He is not a patient man lol! I have to admit though, he does have trouble with his legs.

JustLin, LOL @ "miracle cure". There is a lot of truth in that!
So sorry about the loss of your friend. I guess at our ages, we will be seeing more. Two of our friends passed last week, both from cancer! They weren't close friends, but locals we have known for years. Still sad to see. BTW, Queenie is 8 months now.
I tried walking her with a leash yesterday and she nearly tore my arm off! She is very strong! We are surprised that she wont do her "business" in her new kennel. We are thinking it reminds her of the place we took her while on vacation. They must have had similar kennels with doggie doors. Jim is sure getting HIS exercise taking her out to do it. It is less mess to have to clean out!

Dianne, we didn't get the snow thank goodness, just low temps and rain.
I'm like you. always ready to get away! We will be going to Vegas sometime next month. We are also going on a bus trip on Father's day to Detroit Tiger stadium. It is with our UAW Union bus. They are always fun. I like going with people I used to work with!
You can bring your own drinks and they play games and shoe movies.

Have a great week all!!

Just_Lin said...

Dianne Well, most of my days are boring. I did get a lot of work done around the house on Saturday which felt good, especially getting my bedroom straightened up as it has been a mess since returning from my trip. Sunday I went out to breakfast and did a little grocery shopping, played with the dog and binge watched a favorite show I can get on Amazon. I kept meaning to set aside time to do something artistic like practicing some brush techniques but that didn't happen. Today I did go up to the Parks and Rec office and sign up for the remaining 3 monthly painting classes. The weather has been gorgeous.

I've been on 3 river cruises and they were great. Two were on the Mississippi and one on the Columbia River. They were on paddle wheelers which are charming and a lot of fun. The ships are small so there's no casino but the entertainment was great and so was the food.

Just_Lin said...

Barb I had been wondering if you or your friends knew of Mel since his city was up there near you. He was only 67 and a very healthy and active guy. I'm still kind of in disbelief about it. He left CAPTURE to move up there and work for the AG's office where he stayed until he retired, eventually running for local office.

I didn't watch the music awards show last night but there was a lot of talk on TV today about how great Cher looks and how she always puts on a great show. I wish I would have had the foresight to take care of myself as well as she has. Then again, her career required her to stay in shape and dance and keep moving and mine required me to sit on my butt most of the time. LOL

Just_Lin said...

Mary I don't know if this will help, but when I first started walking my dog, i'd have the leash wrapped around my hand many times so she would be forced to walk right beside me and not ahead of me. She's really great on the leash and others have remarked about how good she is. I hope Jim sticks with the training even if it is annoying. LOL He will have to pass on what he learns so you will all be on the same page and not confusing Queenie.

It sounds like you have some fun things set up for next month. I've got nuthin'. LOL

Dianne said...

Hi.... I didn't watch the Billboards but saw some pictures of Cher and she looks really good. I can't stand the music on that award show ...except the country. I'm just not much of a tv watcher like I used to be in the old days. I turn it on when the 10 news comes on and off when it's over. LOUIS is a huge tv watcher.

LOUIS brought the suitcases in today and he's abut half packed. I didn't even open the suitcase yet. I will in a couple of days.

JL, were the roms on a river cruise about the sane as a regular cruise? I think it would be fun. Glad you got signed up for painting again. It seems as though you enjoy it. Now you have to practice so you will be at the head of the class!

Jake has popped his rotten head up again with threatening messages to Kayla , Tammy and her dad. Her dad and Kayla took them to the police yesterday and they copied them. They were very scary. Supposedly, the is another warrant out for him today. I guess the restraining order is still in effect too. I'm sure he will skate on this too. I just wish he'd fade into the sunset or somewhere. Andy had the police at his house too yesterday with his threats.

Mary, it sounds like your night was kind of fun the other night. I wish we could come and see you perform. Is Jim going on your bus trip or just you and your friends? That will be fun too. It seems like you haven't been to Vegas in awhile.

Barb, are you still planning on a new roof this summer? I think you said before that you were going to get it when they weren't so busy.

Not much else going on.

sacBarb said...

Dianne, Yes, I am getting a new roof. They will start at the end of June or early July. I don't have a firm date yet. They said it would take four days and maybe an extra day to install the solar tube. I think I told you guys that the guy next door is having a new roof put on his house and then he is putting it up for sale. Well, he is such a cheapskate that he is having this man and woman do it and I think they are some of the homeless people that were living in his backyard a while back. Well, these people started the job about a month ago. They took off the old shingles and put new plywood on, so far. They work a day and then they don't come back for a week or more. We had a few days of rain and they had to put plastic over the whole roof. They were up there doing that at midnight the night before the rain was expected. At this rate, it won't be done until Christmas! LOL

sacBarb said...

J/L, I didn't watch the awards either, but I saw pics of Cher and she wore that outfit when we saw her. Her stomach is flat as a board!

I wish I had your talent for drawing/painting. My Mom and sister both have painted using acrylics and even oils. Somehow, that gene complete missed me!

Mary/MI said...

Dianne, I am the same way about packing. I usually wait til the last minute! Once in a while I grab a bunch of cloths I might wear on the trip and pile them on the bed in our spare bedroom. As it gets closer to my trip I start sorting them and tossing what I don't need.
I hate that Jake won't get out of Kayla's life! He sounds a bit off!
Jim is going on the bus trip too. He is a big sports fan!

SacBarb.I sure hope your neighbor knows what he is doing, hiring two non professionals. I am sure they are not bonded/insured! If they get hurt he will have a bigger problem than a leaky roof!

Justlin,Jim went to another obedient class with Queenie tonight. I don't think he has the patience to train her. He is impatient with the speed the class is going! I think he expected Queenie would zip right through and graduate summa cum laude in 3 wks lol!
I will try walking her the way you mentioned. Can't hurt!
I didn't see the full awards. I just happened to be channel surfing when I noticed Cer singing. I watched her and turned it.

Oh Lort I have a busy week end! Fri and Sat. I have karaoke/DJ gigs, Sunday I help serve lunch to American Legion people who go around 5 cemeteries doing a military ceremony.Our Ladies go to two of them then rush back to set up their meal. That will take a bit out of my day. Monday I do the annual Karaoke contest after the Memorial Day parade. It is usually hot, windy and rainy! I sure hope not this year! I keep saying it is my last year doing the contest, but here I go again lol! I was kind of hoping they wouldn't call me, but Jim said he saw their week-end festivities flyer and noticed we were included in there,before they called lol! Oh well.

Time for bed. I hope I sleep better tonight. I seem to have insomnia lately.

sacBarb said...

Mary, I think you are so right about the people doing the roof next door. When they ARE there, I keep watching and thinking 'someone is going to fall off that roof.' My manicurist is looking for a house to buy in my neighborhood and I told her about the one next door when the owner first told me he was going to sell it. Yesterday I told her it probably wasn't a good idea to even consider buying it. I doubt if they even have a permit to do the roof, which means it won't be inspected.

Just_Lin said...

Barb I did some painting with oils when I was younger. That was before acrylics came on the scene. Acrylics have become popular as it is much easier to clean up. I used to have a set of oil paints but I have no experience with acrylics.

Mary has a good point about liability regarding the roofing of the house next door. Maybe one of the workers actually has some experience roofing but that doesn't change the liability issue. I wonder if your neighbor is paying by the day. The workers probably only show up when they run out of money. A while back, I mentioned a house that's a couple of blocks away that is in terrible shape and on the market. Well, I walked by it the other day and saw that someone had bought it and it now has a new roof (there were no tiles at all previously). Anyway, it currently has a purple driveway and the house is a bright turquoise with red trim. I wonder what the new owner will paint it. It needs a lot of work, is only 3 bedroom and 1 bath and still sold for $715,000. Unbelievable! I will be interested in seeing how it looks when they get it in good shape again. I wonder if the new owner will live in it or flip it.

Where are you having the solar tube installed?

Just_Lin said...

Mary It sounds like Queenie needs a lot of activity. What breed is she? I'm sure you told us but I forgot. Maybe she should be out in a field working herding sheep or something. I hope Jim sticks with the training. He needs to realize it's going to take time with her. He should pretend he's dealing with a toddler. LOL

No wonder you aren't sleeping well. You have a lot going on. I see you will be working this holiday weekend. Some people enjoy their holidays a little too much. Here's hoping people behave themselves at your gig as well as on the road and that you have pleasant weather.

Just_Lin said...

Dianne I was so hoping that Jake-ass had moved on but like a bad penny, he just keeps on turning up. What a moron he is to send threatening messages. Hopefully, they are just desperate and immature attempts to get Kayla to do what he wants. I hope she is seeing him for who he really is now.

I don't know what to say about the size of cabins on the paddle wheeler as compared to a cruise ship. It really depends on what size cabin you normally get on the cruise ship. The last few trips, my daughter and I have been in mini-suits so that's pretty roomy. Otherwise, I've always been in cabins with balconies. Because of the design of the paddle wheeler, all cabins have balconies. They are decorated so cute. It's like a step back in time.

Dianne said...

Well. Today was the big day. Kayla graduated. It's been a very long road and I thank all of you for being so supportive to me. It really means a lot. I got a little weepy a couple of times watching her she's worked hard to catch up and accomplish this day. I can breath a sigh of relief.
We went to brunch after wards. Her prom friend was with us too.

Now...if we could just get Jake-ass to be gone. I think she finally sees the light as each text is sent to the police by her. He just scares me. She's going to a couple of parties tonight and I worry with him roaming around.

I woke up today with a very painful eye, a slight cough and a scratchy throat. My dr is gone but lucky enough to get in with another this afternoon. I have pink eye! I left with prescriptions for eye drops, prednisone and anti-biotics. I told her I cannot be sick with a two week trip coming up do she loaded me down. Dang!! This eye is awful. I've never had this before now

Barb, won't you be glad when that neighbor is once and for all gone? I think that roof might have more leaks when they are done. I don't think I'd be sending anyone there either. I'm surprised the city has never done anything about that place.

JL. Wow that is some price for a purple house. i think that's when I'm glad to live with an HOA. Ours is pretty flexible but we are all old people living here. I'm glad for that too I think I'd like to try one of those cruises maybe I will see if I can get a brochure on them.
Are you all done celebrating your birthday?

Mary, you are going to be really busy for the whole weekend. I hope your weather stays good. We are getting rain and don't want it for Kayla's party on Saturday. If you have to sing each day you're going youre going to be hoarse by Monday night. I hope you have some fun and no rowdy people. I think you might have to go to dog training classes with Jim.

I have busy day tomorrow...lunch plans, hair and nails. I've gone four weeks on nails and that's too long.

Dianne said...

Well, I got everything done today. My friend for lunch got times mixed up and was an hour late. I'm so glad to get everything else done.

My eye is better but not great today. I still haven't started packing. Well, I did pack two pair of shoes. I'm hoping my hair stays in for party tomorrow from being fixed today.

Nothing else. Weekend plans anyone? Besides mary

Dianne said...

Me again just rambling to myself. Where u all? Today was Kayla's party and it went off without a hitch. It was a really nice party and a good turnout. It rained for part of it but finally the sun peeked out. Quite a few went outside in the 50 degree weather. I think she had a nice time and left near the end for another party. Of course that always worries me. I trying to sort of pack sorting thru my bathroom bags downsizing. I think I saved too many hotel lotions.

Hope you are all ok and relaxing. I know you're not relaxing, Mary. Check in guys if you get a chance. I'm getting tired of my own company.

Just_Lin said...

Dianne LOL @ getting tired of your own company. I haven't written because I haven't done anything worth writing about. I was extra lazy yesterday and just binge watched some show on Amazon.

The company that ran the paddlewheel riverboat cruises went out of business after Katrina hit. One of their boats was saved as it was doing duty on the Columbia River at the time. It's called Queen of the West (I've been on that one) and is now owned by the new company, Americancruiselines.com. It only holds 100 guests so feels very intimate. They have one other old-time paddlewheeler, Mississippi Queen which holds 150 quests. They have other riverboat cruise ships but they don't seem to be decorated in the antique style. The cruises are more expensive than big ocean cruise ships but the setting is so intimate it has a totally different vibe than big ships. They also have themed cruises like "Civil War" or "Nashville Country and Blues", etc.

How in the world did you get pink eye? I hope it's feeling better.

I'm glad you had mostly good weather for Kayla's party. What are her plans now?

Dianne said...

JL, she's enrolled in cosmetology school and starts the first on November. She will work full time until then and I guess get an apartment. Andy's wife set up a college fund for her so I hope down the road she considers it. The school is $4000 a month. I can't believe they charge so much. It sure didn't cost that in the old days.

The dr said my eye could have been a cold in it. It's better now but using the drops regular on both eyes. It was miserable that one day.

I am slowly packing and not doing a very good job of it. My back is bothering me today for some reason so it's hard to stand to pack. We went and bought two new bigger suitcases. It's hard because we have our road trip one and the cruise one plus we both have cpaps which take up the whole bottom of a suitcase. It's just frustrating to me.

We went to breakfast this am and then I did a final run for a couple of items at the store. I guess I'll keep,packing tonight and hopefully get a lot done before tomorrow.

I wonder why the paddle-wheeler costs so much more than a regular cruise? Just because it's smaller?

Well, back to the grind.

Mary/MI said...

Checking in
All went well both nights. We went over our 4 hrs both nights. Always "just one more song paleeese!" The place was crowed and making money, so we stayed. I got embarrassed a few time when they kept saying how much they liked me there. Even the bartenders complemented me before we left. It did make me feel good though!
We are still trying to squeeze in a Vegas trip next month. We only have one open house, but it is of my favorite Great Nephew. He is not only super handsome, but smart and excellent at every sport. I have put up pics of us, if you can remember a tall handsome smiling blond :).
We did 3 memorial services today and then fed the many who did the ceremonies.
The weather turned out beautiful! They had predicated rain, but it never showed!
One more day tomorrow to get through. We set up our canopy about 10 am. The parade is at 12:30.The Karaoke contest is right after. I like to be set up early to be able to park my Jeep near, also to make sure everything is working and I didn't forget anything! If it does rain we will go across the street to the place I have been working the last two nights.

JL, our dog is a black Lab. She is getting big and VERY strong! When I walk her I take my walking stick. She knows not to jump, or run up on me from behind when I have it. I have never hit her with it, just use it as a barrier between us. She seems to understand that.

Dianne, I am so happy that Kayla has graduated! It has been a long road for all of you! I am glad my little prayers helped a bit!!
Sorry about your pink eye! I swear you have the worst luck before your trips lol! Get better Lady!! BTW, my mani/pedi is over due too!

sacBarb said...

Mary, I'm sure all those compliments are well deserved, especially because you usually stay over your scheduled time. I hope they gave you a big tip! I saw a commercial today that made me think of you. It was a dog food commercial showing three doxies on a tread mill. It made me laugh at first, but then I thought, "that would be a good thing for Mary do do with her dogs, especially in the harsh winter weather. LOL

sacBarb said...

J/L, I tried to picture a turquoise and red house with a purple driveway and I almost gagged and then to get that much money for it is hard to believe, but you live in a location that people will pay that much to live there. Update on the roof - not a thing has been done since I last wrote about it. The owner told me they were doing the roof for labor and materials, so I know what that usually means, but I'm not sure, in this case, what it means! Knowing what a cheap skate he is, I can't imagine he would trust them to charge him only for the hours or days they work. They started this project over a month ago, and have physically been there about five days and none of those days have they been there over four hours. One time they were there at midnight, on the roof, with no light, stapling plastic all over because rain was predicted for that night and next day. My roofing project will start in late June or early July and will probably be done before the house next door. Actually, mine will take 4-5 days total. The solar tube is going to be installed in my bedroom in the area where the sink is. Currently, there is a globe ceiling fixture and the solar tube will replace that light. My bedroom is so dark because the carport is directly in front of it and I have to turn the light on even during the day. The solar tube will make it brighter in there during the day.

sacBarb said...

Dianne, Congratz to Kayla on her graduation. She seems to have realized what a jerk Jake-ass is. What I don't understand is why the police aren't doing more to protect her from him.

I always take all the sample size bottles from the bathroom when I stay at a hotel. I never use them because I like the brands I use, but I collect them and give them to our local homeless shelter. They really appreciate it. I also take any soaps that I haven't used. I started doing that when I as working at the Governor's Office because I did a lot of traveling.

sacBarb said...

I spent Saturday and Sunday with the Jennifers making cards and eating. Saturday we had a delish trip-tip steak salad with blue cheese and vinagrette dressing and Sunday we had a bow tie pasta salad with huge shrimp and an herb/lemon dressing, both made by Jenn B. I brought a crusty Italian bread and homemade garlic/Parmesan butter to make garlic toast in the broiler and true to form for me, I almost burned it! But we ate it anyway. We each brought a project for us to work on and we discussed what our Christmas card will be this year. We are meeting again in July to start on Christmas cards.

Dianne said...

Well, here's an update. Jake was arrested last night in another county for sexual abuse of a minor and posting naked pictures of her. They went to tams house to see if they had any idea where he was but didn't know. Police called Tammy and said they found him at Walmart and arrested him and who knows what from there but we think that is a felony. He is such a piece of s***. Maybe now we won't have to worry about Kayla as much hopefully. I hope he doesn't get out of all this again. He has so many restraining orders against him. Kayla last heard from him on Friday and sent the text to the police.

Barb, I don't understand why they don't take any action against him either when they have everything in writing from him. It's so wrong.
Yum, it sounds like Jennifer is a good cook. You are making me hungry. I went for Chinese food for lunch today. I ate too much but now I'm hungry again.

So, it's Christmas Card time already. I'll be anxious to see this years card as they are always so beautiful. That's a great idea to take those hotel things for the homeless. I will do that this time. The Holiday Inn Express uses Bath and Body Works and the same type I use
but I sure don't need all of those here

Well....Im all packed. Both suitcases. Our one for the road and the one for the cruise. Boy, what a job. I dread all the laundry when I come home. I wish ship had laindry facilities as I'd use it.

Mary, how did today go? No rain? Hope it was some fun for you too. You will be pooped tonight after you're busy weekend. It's really nice that you play extra for these places.

JL, my eye is much better each day. I have one quick load of laundry to do now and that's it and it's very small. I just don't know how you packed for your whole trip. I'm sure I have too much...as usual. Oh well. Wait until LOUIS lifts the suitcases. He will not be cheery.

Well, time to wash my clothes and make sure my house is presentable.

Dianne said...

Whew...sorry I wrote so much. I should break it down like you do Barb. Maybe next time

sacBarb said...

Dianne, I'm so glad your eye is much better so you will be able to enjoy your trip. I had to learn not to over pack because I'm the one that has to lug my suitcase and since the fibro is mostly in my arms, they have become very weak. Luckily, when I stay at a timeshare, they usually have in-room washer/dryer set ups. So when we were in Australia and New Zealand for a month I packed enough clothes and underwear for about a week and it worked out well.

I'm also glad Jake-ass got arrested AGAIN! Sexual assault is a serious offense and especially with a minor. I hope Kayla realizes what a POS he is and won't succumb to his 'charms' again! I hope they keep him for a long time. Unless there is a serious consequence for his behavior, he is going to continue to behave like an ASS!

Mary/MI said...

Well gals, I survived the Karaoke contest! Not a drop of rain, just heavy winds.Thank goodness our canopy was tied down to the out door stage, or it would have been in Kansas for sure! My puter monitor blew over a couple of times. I had to duck tape it down!
Jim was not moving fast enough for me this morning so I told him I was going on ahead and set up without the canopy. He could set it up when he got there. I am such a bitch boss lol! Honestly I have warned him not to touch my puter during shows or contests, just help load and unload! He did it anyway when I turned my back to talk to someone. Bam, the screen went blank! I had all the contestants installed by age and line up.
I was finally able to bring it back up just as I had it! Meanwhile the singer is waiting for his song to come up! He tried to put music up for singers and was constantly losing the "pointer", so I had to intervene! He finally gave up, sat down and drank a beer lol!!!
We were lucky that a few guys, my so Tony incl. helped us tear down and load up to come home.

SacBarb, I LOL, at your thinking of me that way! Actually Zoie loves my treadmill....when I am on it! If I am on it without her, she barks until I let her on lol!!

Dianne, I am so glad your eye is better! Wow, Jake has gotten himself in quite a bind! Let's see him get out of this one!

Sad to say some women never learn! We had a weird thing happen today that reminded me of Jake. A cute gal was singing when some young guy, prolly her boyfriend,obviously drunk, yelled at her "bitch get off of their, get down NOW!! He started to climb up and 3 or 4 guys grabbed him and quickly made him disappear. I have been worried about her!

JustL, where are you? I am personally looking forward to a boring week as you say yours is lol!. I do have a Eye specialist appt tomorrow, then I can chill! Jim is going to the Upper Peninsula with my girlfriends Hubby.We always look forward to them leaving, as they rarely go anywhere without us lol!!

I am exhausted! I have taken my shower and watching the Tigers trying to lose the game!
Have a great week all!!!

Just_Lin said...

Mary Here I am! I'm exhausted just thinking about all you did during the weekend. Boy, it sounds like it was quite windy to be knocking over your computer screen. Good old duct tape sure is handy. I guess Jim wants to feel like he's still part of the whole gig but how frustrating for you when he always messes things up. He doesn't seem to understand that you need his brawn, not his brain. LOL It's a beautiful day today but the whole holiday weekend was overcast, breezy, and cold.

That's funny that Zoie barks until you get off of the treadmill. Queenie could use some time on it to get rid of some of that excess energy.

Just_Lin said...

Dianne Jake is such a POS. He is showing Kayla over and over again how he feels about females, ALL females, and I hope she has finally gotten that. I wonder who his grandma blames for this current situation he's in. Of course the adults in his life have contributed to who he is as a person. Too bad he wasn't taken away from them when he was little and before he got so screwed up.

For my last trip, my daughter and I each took one large suitcase and one small carry-on. Although, she helped me when needed, I knew I needed to be able to handle my own luggage when getting on and off the train. Going on the ship complicates things as you need stuff for "formal" night even if they aren't super formal anymore. In retrospect, there were a few items of clothing that I never needed. We did do one load of laundry on the ship. My contribution to that was just one top I had spilled something on and some underwear. I'm surprised that your ship doesn't have a laundry facility as it seems most of them do. You might want to double-check that.

I'm glad your eye is clearing up nicely before your trip.

Just_Lin said...

Barb The food you ladies had at your card making session sounds soooo good! I love pasta salads and yours sounded so yummy. I have a repair person coming this afternoon to check out my broken oven. I suspect it will be a case of "I have to order a part and come back another time". We shall see. I miss not being able to use the "bake" function of the oven.

It will be interesting to see whose roof gets done first; yours or your neighbor's. The solar tubes will make a big difference. It took a while for me to get used to the addition light as I would automatically reach over to turn the light off during the day. LOL

That's a great idea about the little shampoos and conditioners. I never use them and I never take them, either.

Dianne said...

Here we are all checked into our hotel in Seattle ready for our cruise tomorrow. It's been fun driving here. Our weather has been nice too except for some rain sprinkles off and on. Yesterday our temps went from 95 to 60 degrees. Today was only a four hour drive to get here. We are right downtown and close to the harbor but we didn't want to venture out and get lost tonight so we just ordered salad and pizza and had it delivered. We are meeting my cousins for seafood on the pier next Friday so we will still get to enjoy the area. It's so pretty in oregon and Washington....Wyoming not so much. I hope everything goes smooth for the cruise. I'm such a worrier.

Kayla is being promoted from food runner to server at her job. She's in training now and is very excited.

JL...what happened on your oven? Did they fix it or order the part? I've only used mine once in two years on my new stove. Haven't even had to clean it!! Now my microwave is a different story and crockpot. Those people of Jakes are now raising off and on the 11 year old brother. The mom left when he was very young. The dad is like Jake I think so grandparents step in every now and then. The dad is married with another kid too ..nice family. I will check again on that laundry on the ship.

Barb, I've been busy gathering all the bathroom items for the homeless. I make up little kits to hand out at car stops so now I'll include these in my kits. Thanks for the great idea. I hope the cruise has them too. I think your sky lights sound great.

Mary, are you having that boring week you wanted? I'll bet not. Jim sounds like quite the helper. Does ever sing too. Maybe the two of you do a duet?

sacBarb said...

Dianne and J/L, I have been saving the little bottles from hotels since I started working in the Governors Office in 1985. The department I worked in funded Victim Services and Public Safety programs and the employees donated a lot of stuff to help the programs. A lot of us traveled quite a bit for our job so we would always take the stuff provided by the hotels. Sometimes the housekeeping employees would give us extra beause they knew we donated the sample bottles to Domestic Violence Shelters and Homeless Shelters. I also Donate all the clothes I get rid of to the Women Escaping A Violent Environment (WEAVE) thrift store. They give the women a voucher to shop there for clothes when they have job interviews and also to equip their housing and get baby/children's clothes and toys when they finally get away from the abuser. Most of the women leave with their children and only the clothes on their backs.

Just_Lin said...

Dianne My oven is fixed. Yay! I must admit I was a little surprised when I opened the door for the repairman and it turned out to be a repairwoman. LOL It required replacing a part but she had one in her truck. Actually, the first part she got from her truck turned out to be defective but she had another one, luckily.

I'm glad you had a pleasant trip to Seattle. Enjoy your cruise and enjoy the food on the cruise, too. WW can wait until you return home.

Just_Lin said...

Barb That sounds like a great place where you donate your clothes. I haven't heard of anything like that around here. Maybe there is one in San Francisco. Does WEAVE come and pick up or do you take it to their establishment?

Dianne said...

JL....ok , I just checked and none of the RC ships have laundromats just laundry services. Darn it

sacBarb said...

J/L, I take the donations to the WEAVE thrift store. I'm not sure if they have pick up service. I load up my car and they usually have someone there who helps unload it if it's a lot. I usually have a trunk full. A couple of years ago I went through all my Christmas decorations and gave some of the ones that were still in good shape to WEAVE. The one thing they won't take is linens. I had a ton of sheets and they were taking up a lot of room, so I decided to keep only two sets for each bed in the house. That way, I will have on on each bed and one to put on the beds when washing the first set. I had about 4-5 sets for each bed and I don't know why. Anyway, WEAVE wouldn't take them at that time, so I gave them to the Church for their homeless shelter. I don't know why WEAVE wouldn't take them. I would have thought they would be happy to get them, especially since some of them hadn't ever been used.

Mary/MI said...

SacBarb. I have never heard of "WEAVE". I will check and see if we have it in Mich. I have a bunch of unmatched sheets. Jim is a "restless leg"sleeper. I have had to replace the bottom sheets because he either wears them out or rips them from the corners!

Zoie and I have been getting a lot of restful sleep lately! If Jim falls asleep before I go to bed and the snoring/talking/yelling starts, I grab my pillows and Zoie and head to the spare bedroom lol! He went with his buddy for a couple of nights to visit family up North about 500 miles, so we had the big bed all to ourselves :) . I was always worried of hurting his feelings by using the spare room, no no more! I now get up a lot earlier and get things done!

Dianne, I now you will have a great time! I hope we hear from you! Will you be taking pictures?

JustLin, Yay, your oven is fixed and by a repair-lady! I use my oven quite a bit. I am sure if I lived alone, only my microwave would get the work out lol!!

Today I did some grossery shopping and got a pedicure.I didn't get my mani, because I am letting my bails "rest" lol! I read on Dr OZ's site, that if your nails keep chipping and cracking they may need a rest from all the polish and remover. I am trying it. It's a bit odd though, that my toenails never chip???

I am happy to say I will be having a quiet week end!
While Jim was gone we cleaned out his side of the garage, tore down a nasty cupboard that was full of out dated crap. Matthew built him a table to cover his large generator. He usually puts tools and other crap on top of it and then cusses when he has to use it. Matt also built a little shelf to put two of the small power drills where we can easily get to them.
Jim showed up "tipsy" from his trip. All he could say about the little shelf was, " will I be able to open the door with it there?" I swear. I think Matt looked a bit peeved, no thank you at all! I gave him a good scolding about that!

I know, I am a big nag lol, but I sure enjoyed my 3 days of a smoke free home!

Thanks for letting me vent! Not that you had a choice lol!!
Have a great week end!!!

Dianne said...

Hi....we are in Juneau. The weather is 56 degrees but not too bad out there. At least we missed the rain. The sun is peeking through too. I had on a long sleeve shirt and a kind of heavy windbreaker. We rode a huge tram to the top of the mountain. We shopped and got al that done with and then had some crab nachos...yum. We ad to take the shuttle to town but had my travel chair with us.

The seas were very rough yesterday. A lot of people were very seasick. We were fine..thank goodness. I'm not doing too well on my ww plan. I'm drinking bottles of water during the day and at dinner but then I break down and have a coke or virgin pina colada. That's probably worse than a coke. There's a Ben and jerrys on board too. We haven't been to any shows yet. We were set for anytime dining but got it switched to the 8:00 seating at a table of eight. I like it better. We have already met so many nice people from everywhere. Today we met a family from right by our house. Small world. We met two lovely sisters from Ireland also.

Today louis went to get a Starbucks and the casino as I got ready. He came back smiling He had won $1200 on a penny slot playing 80'cents on the second pull. I tried to get him to split it with me but no luck...he did give me $100. We have a perfect room right by the elevator and big since I get handicap. We don't get a balcony in Alaska as we don't use it. I rent a scooter ahead of time which helps a lot on these big ships. Ok...better go. Glad the oven got fixed so fast. Mary, I don't think even knows you're gone until morning. We've found wecsleep better like that too although we have a king bed here and that's nice.

Just_Lin said...

Dianne I'm sorry about the rough seas. That's no fun. I'm glad you didn't get seasick because that's even less fun. The very first cruise I went on was a Caribbean cruise and we skirted a hurricane. That was a very rough ride for about 24 hours. I was loaded up with Dramamine so it didn't bother me. It was literally so rough that I recall holding on to the side of the bed that night while lying in it.

Congrats to Louis on his big win! I shared that story with my daughter and her response was, "Why doesn't that ever happen to us?" My thought, exactly. We play in the casino every night but never win a jackpot. We just win enough to keep us playing for a while.

My daughter and I went on that tram in Juneau, too. I recall an eagle in a cage up there who was there because someone had shot one of his eyes out. Is he still there? I don't know how long eagles live.

Just_Lin said...

Mary I get a kick out of all the work you and your son do while Jim is away and not able to interfere. While the cat's away...........

It looks like Karina is moving back to Michigan again Is Dearborn anywhere near you? I'm too lazy to look it up. LOL

Don't feel guilty about needed to get some restful sleep at night. It's absolutely essential for your mental and physical health. Does Jim use a CPAP machine? It sounds like it would be good for him to have one.

Just_Lin said...

Barb Some places won't take linens and I think there are health concerns about it. Bedbugs, lice, or just for the same reason as they wouldn't want someone's underwear. Some places won't take stuffed animals for the same reasons, plus they're probably really germy.

I enjoy looking at the birds that come to eat the seed and thistle that I put out but it's kind of distressing to see the ones that have some kind of problem. Right now I see one little bird that seems to only have one usable leg. I wonder how long he'll last. I guess what I don't know doesn't hurt me. Lately, I've had a lot of birds flying into the window glass. So far, they've all been able to recover and fly off.



sacBarb said...

J/L, Before I had all the windows replaced with double panes, the front of the house had windows that had a mirror affect on the outside. It reminded me of the opening scene of the TV show Dallas that was popular in the 70s I think. Anyway, birds would fly into the windows quite often and we would find them belly up in the flower bed. We figured that since the windows reflected the trees in our yard and across the street, they thought they were flying into a tree. When I had the windows replaced, I did not get the same type of window hoping to spare the birds. So far, so good! I have not found a dead bird in the flower bed since.

I heard some noise outside this morning. When I looked out the kitchen window, there were two people on the roof next door and it appeared they were working. It is only three hours later and they are gone. That roof is never going to get done!

sacBarb said...

Dianne, Wow! Louis is very lucky. When I was in LV, I put $20 in a penny slot machine and it kept me playing for a little over an hour, but the most it ever got up to was about $40. I have never been lucky in gambling except when I was in the Super Bowl pool after my husband died and I figured that was his luck.

What a good idea to rent a scooter for the ship. Can you also take it off the ship when you go on excursions? I may have to start thinking about doing that when traveling. I can't do a lot of walking.

Dianne said...

Barb, yes you can take the scooter off I pay extra for insurance but then don't take it off We use the travel,chair. There were a lot of scooters on the train today. We're in Skagway and took a four hour train trip. Very pretty and interesting history. It's pretty chilly out there today. If that darn wind didn't blow. Brr and I'm never cold.

JL, we are never lucky gamblers either. This was a special win day yesterday for louis. He tried that machine last night but nothing. We have a table with eight people for dinner. We are enjoying a couple from Australia and they already invited us to come stay with them. Guess tonight we had better get there names. Lol.

Boy, karina really does some moving. I wouldn't like that at all. Yes mary, will that be close to you? It would be nice if she was close.

This will be my last check in until Friday when we get off ship. We are at sea for two days and then Victoria for a day. Have a good week.

sacBarb said...

Mary, How is Queenie doing with her training? Or should I say, how is Jim doing with his training? LOL You are so lucky to have your son to help you get those things done. My oldest son lives close, but his wify keeps him very busy on his days off, so I hate to ask him to do anything for me. I am lucky to have my next door neighbor who helps me, though I hate to ask him too often. I took him to lunch on Friday as a thank you for feeding my cats while I was in LV.

Just_Lin said...

Barb I also have double pane windows. The issue seems to be that there is a straight view from outside my back window through the dining and living room and out through the front windows. If I have the drapes fully open on those from windows, the birds think they can fly through my house from back to front. It seems to be less likely to happen if I only open the front drapes half way. There's no window covering on the large back window that looks out over the back deck. That's why I put birdseed and peanuts and shallow water dishes out on the deck in the first place........so I can see the birds and squirrels.

Today is another June Gloom day but last weekend was pretty nice and sunny so I decided to give my dog a bath. I do this on the back deck. As soon as the dog sees me reach for the hose, she grabs her favorite ball/toy that is there and "rescues" it by escaping with it down into the yard. I set the nozzle on a strong, thin stream and start moving it back and forth across the yard as she can't resist chasing it and trying to bite the water. I then use the stream to lure her back up to the deck and after she chases and bites the water a while longer, she is completely soaked and ready to get suds up. She's really good about standing still while I work up a lather on her. For some reason, I wasn't able to get a good lather going this time and the shampoo seemed unusually thin. After, working it for a minute or so, I took another look at the bottle and it was not her shampoo. It was her ear wash solution. LOL After bathing her with real shampoo, rinsing her off is another game of chase and bite the water. By the time she's done with her bath, she's exhausted. LOL

Just_Lin said...

Dianne I went on a train ride there, too, but I don't remember it being 4 hours long. Maybe it was and I just don't remember that. It seems like it was a couple of hours long. Perhaps there is more than one version to choose. I really enjoyed it except for the story about Dead Horse Gulch. :(

You mentioned earlier that there were sisters from Ireland. I spent some time with a couple of sisters from Ireland during my last trip. Wouldn't it be funny if it was the same two sisters? I spent some time with them because the three of us declined to go underground into a tight small space with narrow steep steps of a Roman mausoleum. The mausoleum/burial part of it would have been interesting but being down there in a confined space was to claustrophobic for the three of us. Did you know that the average height of a Roman soldier was only 5 feet tall? Thinking back to Biblical times, I wonder if Goliath was just a 6 footer. LOL

Mary/MI said...

Wow, I had some catching up to do!

I am getting senile! I forget that I haven't been in here lol!

Karina will be about 2 1/2 hours from me. I am in the middle of the mitten. She is way east of me. She loves to drive so I am sure she will be visiting.

Dianne, what a great trip you are having! I still can't see me going anywhere cold on vaca lol!

JLin. OOPS, on the shampoo mix up lol! Zoie would get very impatient with me! She loves her baths,but tries to get out of the tub if I take too long! She lets me brush her teeth, but I better be fast ha ha!! Our weather has been cool. The rest of the week will be scorching hot! Not much else going on this week. I can't believe how much better I feel, getting solid sleep! It is nice not waking every time he goes to the bathroom and Zoie attacking him when he gets back in bed lol! I doubt he would wear the CPAP. I have told him he needs to get tested at one of those sleep clinics.

SacBarb. Birds used to fly into our big picture window. I finally hung one of those cut glass ornaments on a string from the rod, right in the middle. It seemed to help. Now I have sheers that we keep closed and no problem now.

Jim is still grumbling after the training class. This time he made me laugh. He grumbled " I guess I am supposed to be practicing with her". Duh!! He is supposedly a smart man. Worked as an engineer for 36 years at GM. Common sense alludes him....a lot! LOL!!!

I had a 1:05 appoint. to get my eyes laser ed today. 45 min and still waiting I went to the desk and asked if there was a problem. She looked for my chart annnd said I was next in line. I watched two more people get called and was about to reschedule, when I was finally called! Got some preliminaries done and put in another room. 35 minutes later I flagged a gal down and asked if I should reschedule! She took off running and I was called into another room where the procedure would be done. In walks my Dr and his assistant. "Where were you Mary? We lost you! Who put you in THAT room?" I did my best to either not scream at them,or die laughing! I was out of there in a half hour, but my whole afternoon was shot!



sacBarb said...

Mary, You seem to have the oddest adventures! Getting lost by the medical staff is certainly one of them. It's a good thing you have a good humor. If that happened to some people, the doctor and his staff would be listening to a tirade. I remember one time when Chad was sick with a fever and sore throat and I took him to Urgent Care at Kaiser. We even had an appointment, but after waiting for over an hour Chad started to get grouchy. I asked how much longer it would be for him to be seen and they told me he was next. But, as happened to you, they took two or three more and still hadn't called Chad. At that point he told me he was going to answer to the next name no matter what it was! I said that probably wasn't a good idea because they would probably be looking for a woman who was waiting for a OB/GYN appointment.

sacBarb said...

J/L, I'll bet that in addition to Ursula being exhausted after her bath, you are, too! We had a cocker spaniel for 16 years and because he had to be groomed he was also bathed at the same time, so I have never bathed a dog. The most I did for him was to drop him off and pick him up.

sacBarb said...

Dianne, I hope you are having lots of fun.

Just_Lin said...

Mary That was a really long eye appointment. It's a good thing you spoke up. I wonder if they would have closed up for the day and locked you in there if you hadn't made yourself known. LOL Was that appointment for cataracts? I know I have cataracts and I keep wondering if I should start thinking about doing something about them. I am hesitant as my mom ended up with complications and ultimately with very diminished vision in one eye. Maybe I wouldn't need glasses to read anymore if I did get the work done. I don't know. I pretty much wear my progressive bifocal glasses all the time even though I really don't need them for distances because it's easier than taking glasses on and off all day long.

LOL @ JIm not realizing that he should be practicing with Queenie. I think that's called "wishful thinking".

My dog is weird. She sleeps on the bed with me and usually remains there when I get up in the morning and start my coffee. When she hears me open the back door, she gets up and walks out to the back deck then down into the yard to do her "business". If, however, she gets up and is in the kitchen before I open the back door, she goes bounding out there barking like an idiot. I think it's to scare away any imaginary thing that might be there before she has to actually confront it. I guess she figures if I had the door open before she got up, that I already scared away anything that might be lurking. LOL

Just_Lin said...

Barb I got up at 7:15 today which is so not like me. I have a painting class today at 11:00 and am looking forward to it.

The weather has been pretty sucky lately....June Gloom. We actually had some rain on Thursday.

When I walk the dog, I walk by that horrible turquoise and red house with the purple driveway. I think I reported that the roof has now been replaced and I can hear someone doing work inside. It will be interesting to see how it ends up. I wonder if it will all be done before your neighbor's new roof. LOL

Just_Lin said...

Dianne I see that your cruise has concluded now. I hope you had a good time.

Mary/MI said...

JL, I don't know the name of the procedure, but I had a laser punch holes around the center of my eye to help relieve the pressure from my glaucoma. It worked on the right eye so I was getting my left eye done.
Zoie rarely gets up before me. She waits until I use the bathroom and then barks to go out. She used to just jump off our bed, but now that I am in the spare bedroom she barks for me to get her down or up, which is funny because the bed is actually lower than our other bed. LOL!!

SacBarb, lol,@ the OBGYN comment! Sometimes I wonder if any of these Drs. ever have to wait long for appointments they have. I have a feeling they would not be amused if left in the waiting rooms very long!

Dianne, I see you are in Yellow Stone and on your way home. Now to unpack all that stuff and wash wash wash! Glad you had a good time. I am still waiting for pictures!

Dianne said...

Hi..WE HAD A GREAT CRUISE. The only rain we encountered was in Vancouver but by the time our tour came it had stopped. It's been drizzling off and on since we left Seattle. We are in Bozeman, Montana tonight and it's going down to 37. I still have our air on in the room. Had a good fried chicken dinner tonight. I do restaurant research around the hotel before we travel and then check them out on trip advisor. We will go to Yellowstone tomorrow for the day. We get home on Tuesday. The couple we ate with on the cruise gave us their information and we tended an invite to stay with them. I wish we could one day go to Australia. They were delightful.

We had lunch with my cousins in Seattle and that was really nice too. We've had plenty of seafood. I had

Dianne said...

Escargot every night on cruise. The stupid writing before this published before I was done.

JL, since my recent cataract surgery..I still need reading glasses but not any others anymore...neither does louis since his was done. How was your painting class? That would have been really weird if those were the same Ireland sisters. They were probably 70's and looked like twins to me but they weren't.

Mary, I went to a primary dr a long time ago and when I opened the door they all had their costs on going home. It happened there twice ..i don't go there anymore. They did feel terrible though. He said he'd never done that in 30 years. At least I had my clothes still on!!!


Barb, How's that guys roof coming along? Probably nothing new on it. That scooter on the cruise was so helpful. I got onE in Vegas last December too. It was a lot less money in Vegas that the cruise..but worth every penny. There were a lot of thEm on the cruise. Louis is. Coming home with $1800 from his winnings on the cruise. I broke even so I played a lot for seven days to not lose anything We seemed to be in the Casino a lot. The bad part is they allowed smoking in a large part of it.

The Ice skating show on the ship was really good. We hung out watching the karaoke after dinner at night. We also went to some shows before dinner. We even went to the mall part to a loud street music party. Louis was thrilled...not , but he's a good sport. I wanted to do the YMCA song. Lol.

Well, time for bed. I seem to nap a lot in the car too.

sacBarb said...

Dianne, Update on the roof next door - They worked on it on Thursday only to put plastic on because it rained. The weather people predicted it on all the Wednesday reports but they didn't show up until it had already started raining. I haven't seen the owner so I don't know if he is aware of what's going on, or rather what's NOT going on. I have thought about calling him and asking him how much longer that mess is going to be there, There are tools, and various pieces of wood all over the roof, plus packages of roofing shingles. The wind blew some trash from the yard into my yard and I just threw it back.

It sounds like you had a good time on your vacation and Louis really scored at the casino.

sacBarb said...

J/L, I'll bet that house will be done before the roof next door is done! We had rain here on Thursday, too. I had to drive in for a short drive to the bank. I was going to do a couple more errands, but I didn't want to drive in the rain any more than absolutely necessary. I actually had to put the heat on in the house.

sacBarb said...

Mary, My cats escort me to the bathroom every time I go. I take a very strong diuretic and it's is usually very 'active' in the morning, so all of us go to the bathroom a lot. LOL It doesn't matter where they are in the house, they come running when I am on my way to the bathroom. In my mind I imagine them saying, "Oh, she's on her way to the sandbox, we have to go with her!" LOL

Just_Lin said...

Barb That's a funny picture; you and your kitty parade going down the hall. They're probably hoping you're going back to bed. LOL

I went to my art class yesterday and that was a lot of fun. I didn't produce any masterpieces but I learned a lot. I find this experience to be almost meditative. It's good for the mind and spirit to get lost in a creative project. I wish I would have signed up for classes long ago. After class, 3 of us went with the instructor to have lunch together and a local little pizza place. It was enjoyable to get to know the other women a little better but something one of them said really put me off. She's a nurse and a private end of life caregiver for a very wealthy family. Anyway, this particular patient will be around for a few more years but is in such a poor state as to require skills that she has. So she was complaining about that person's two cats. She doesn't like cats at all and these cats meow a lot, apparently, and she said they remind her of people on welfare who are always whining and want to be fed but don't want to work for it. As someone who was once very downtrodden and very poor, I was once that person using food stamps at the grocery store so I found that comment to be extremely offensive. The conversation was rapidly moving on so I didn't bring it back around to that subject but it really bothered me.

Just_Lin said...

Dianne It sounds like you had a wonderful vacation. Did you sign up for another one before you got off the ship? Louis's winnings would make a nice deposit on one. I wish I could remember the names of the Irish sisters that I spent some time with. They could have been around 70 and were both blonde. I know they were continuing to travel for a while before going home. I really liked the Australian couple we had at our table, too. They were very friendly and outgoing.

My daughter got me to try escargot on one of our trips. Never again.

Just_Lin said...

Mary That is so funny that Zoie won't get on or off the other bed by herself even though it's lower than your other bed. I think she has you well trained. LOL

Maybe you and Karina could meet half way for lunch once in a while. That would be fun.

sacBarb said...

J/L, I would be very offended by what that nurse said also. When I was pregnant with Chad we decided I would quit work early because Dean had been the only child for almost 10 years and I worked that whole time. We thought it would be nice if I could spend some one-on-one time with him before the baby came into the family and got most of the attention. So, I quit working for the state and took what money I had in my retirement account to pay off our car and some other bills that would allow us to live on Bob's check. The weekend after I left work and spent the retirement money as planned, Bob's was playing baseball with some of the 18 year olds he had coached in Little League and tore ligaments in his leg sliding into home base. That landed him in a full leg case and he was off work for five months. We only had a house payment ($110.00), utilities, and food to pay for but disability benefits wouldn't cover all of it. We went to the Social Services dept. and asked if we could qualify for food stamps because we didn't need more than that. We did qualify and I used the food stamps until Bob could go back to work. We actually qualified for more than food stamps, but we only took the stamps. You may get another opportunity to address the topic with her.

Dianne said...

Hi.....We are in Jackson Hole, Wy tonight. We were in Yellowstone today. We were lucky enough to see the mama bear and two cubs running thru the meadow today. I didn't get good pictures as there were a lot of people on the side of the road. It was quite a sight. It's cold here. It was 46 today and our jackets are packed in Our cruise suitcase. Too hard to get them. It's very crowded here and no parking do our big dinner was at Dairy Queen tonight. I dread to weigh when I get home.

We did some shopping in Yellowstone. I think we are done now. I had to pick up something for the boys. It's hard to know what to get them.

Barb, I think I'd call that owner if I were you. Maybe he doesn't know what's going on especially since trash is coming in your yard. That's irritating!!

JL, I wish we would have put his winnings down on another cruise. Louis is very protective of his money he won. I was lucky to get $100 from him. I would like to do the Australia to Hawaii trip for 15 days. I think louis is ready to go home. I'm ready to jump on another ship. He gets tired of loading and unloading the car.

Mary, I'll bet if you didn't help Zoie up she would find a way.

Dianne said...

In Rawlins, Wy tonight. Wind is horrible all day. 50 mph gusts. We stayed in for dinner as we were sick of the wind. We will be home tomorrow night. I have a bad cough. I had it before we left and dr put me on drugs but still have it. I feel fine but it's very annoying. I was able to get a dr appt for Friday am. I think I'm even ready to go home although I could jump a ship again in a minute.

Dianne said...

We are home. I'm m do glad we stayed that extra night last night in Wyoming. We stil for t get home until about 3:30 and we had to go to go to the post office, grocery store bank and car wash. Now the fun starts. I'm on my second load of clothes washing with any more to come tomorrow. Louis is pooped from not only driving but loading and unloading the car. We have a bucket of mail to go through too. I need an assistant. I drive some but not much. I get sleepy fast in the car.

Kayla is all unpacked in her new apartment. She is thrilled. As far as we know, Jake is in jail he bonded out once Garda ad now he's in another one for breaking the restraining order. The urge read the Texts he's been sending Kayla and was not happy. He was on video and Kayla got up and spoke.

I may be repeating myself so sorry if I am.

Anyway, we are glad to be home until tomorrow and then I'll be ready to go again!! Lol

Just_Lin said...

Dianne Welcome home. It sounds like Louis needs a vacation due to your vacation. LOL Getting all unpacked and doing laundry and getting everything back in its place is not the fun part, that's for sure. When I return from a trip and pick up mail at the post office, I tend to take it over to one of their tables by a recycle bin, and sort it there so I don't have to take all the junk mail home with me.

Wow, Kayla is in her own apartment already. Does she have roommates? I know when I first moved out from home, it was with a girlfriend. I really, really hope Jake-ass stays out of her life. Will she be working and going to cosmetology school?

Just_Lin said...

Barb I don't know if I'll ever see that particular woman again at a painting class as they are all individual classes and she hadn't been to the two others that I had attended. Even if she is, I won't bring the subject up on my own but will say something if the conversation goes in that direction again. This didn't happen during class time and it was unusual for us to go out to eat together afterward. During class the conversation is all about the painting and mostly between us individuals and the teacher, not too much among us students.

So far, it's looking like a lovely day today. Yesterday, I took the dog to the vet's as it was time for an annual exam and I needed to get more heartworm meds and flea and tick stuff for her. I also got some tranquilizers for her for the upcoming holiday. The other night after the Warriors won the championship, there were just a few celebratory explosions in the neighborhood but it took two hours for the dog to get over it. She is just so miserable with all that; needing to stay right next me and shaking.

Just_Lin said...

Mary Hi! Whatcha doin'?

sacBarb said...

J/L, Our cocker spaniel was spooked by fireworks and gun shot noises, too. If thunder shirts were available then, we didn't know about them, so he would sit so close to me, he was practically on my lap, and I would literally cuddle him. I felt so badly for him because he would shake, too.

What do you think about Bachelor in Paradise? I heard there may be a law suite against the show for allowing that behavior and providing the alcohol that prompted it and maybe against DeMario for taking advantage of Corinne in her altered state. It was compared to the Bill Cosby case. They gave out the alcohol and Corinne said she didn't remember what happened after that. Of course, I don't believe Corinne. She is a gold digger, imo.

sacBarb said...

Dianne, Welcome home and to all the after vacation work. I'm glad you had a nice time. I don't have any trips planned until October when I'll be going to San Deigo. Todd and Vicki are hosting the family reunion this year. I think he is kinda excited about it and for the family to see his home. It's actually gonna be on my birthday. I think Todd picked that date to kill two birds with one stone. He can host the reunion and celebrate my birthday at the same time.

Has school already started for Kayla? How long is the cosmetology course? I always wished we had a hairdresser in the family. My mother was one when I was a very small and she had her shop in our living room. I was only about two or three, but I remember her washing my hair in the salon sink and I also remember she had one of those old perm machines with all the cords hanging down. We moved to California when I was four and she went back to being a seamstress.

Mary/MI said...

We have been having quite a heat wave here. I keep hearing that we are getting rain, but get nothing. Our grass and garden could use a good soaking.
I walked out back, in spite of the high humidity. I had my head down looking at my phone (I always take it with me in case I fall and can't get up lol). I heard a loud thunder and thought I was going to get caught in a down-pour! I turned around and saw a pick up hauling a large hay trailer coming at me. I got out of his way. As he went by I told him that I thought he was thunder. He was a cutie and had a sweet laugh :). The farmers are trying to beat the "threat" of rain. My neighbor the tree farmer rents out his land way out back to farmers who need to grow crops/hay.

I had lunch with my retiree friends today. The snow birds are all back, so we had a good crowd. I find more of them are not making the trip back south, as it is getting harder to drive down there, or they have ailments that makes them have to stay close to home. On the other hand, a few have sold their homes up here ans moved down there permanently. I think we will continue to ride out the Michigan winters. BOO!
Sunday we go on a bus to the Tiger ball game, Wed.Hair appt., Thurs. back to eye Dr, hoping they don't lose me again lol, Fri. an open house and Sat. is VFW burger night. Not sure if we will be working it or just eating lol!

Jim and Queenie have one more training lesson. I fear they are going to flunk lol!
They were training the dogs to "lay". Queenie was the only one who wouldn't.

I just poured myself a glass of wine and going to relax before bedtime.
Hugs to you all!


sacBarb said...

Mary, You have such a full schedule. Maybe you need to have one of those flags on a long pole like the kids used to attach to their bikes so the people at the eye doctor can see you among all the equipment, etc. and they won't lose you. LOL

Mary/MI said...

SacBarb, you may be right, or maybe I should get a chip put in lol!

Jim got a call this morning saying one of his good friends Richard,had passed away. He has just one old high school friend left that he used to hang around with. He has friends from the VFW and work, but not many from his circle of high school buddies. He and his wife Gloria, flew to Vegas with us to be our witnesses when we got married.
Gloria passed away from cancer many years ago.She made one more trip to Vegas with as, but was so sick she didn't leave her room very often. I sat with her to keep her company. She was a sweet lady. To be honest, Richard was a bit of a jerk, but had a soft spot for his family. On our trip to Vegas after she died, I was walking out of the restroom when I spotted something on the carpet. It was a key chain with words spelled out in wood, "GLORIA". Freaked me out! I left it there. I just couldn't bring myself to pick it up! Crazy eh?

I have to make a Vet appt. for Zoie next week. For some reason she is losing hair around her eyes. I was concerned at first, it was just a small spot under her eye. Now it's around her other eye. I hope it's nothing serious. I know the tree farmer sprays his trees so I keep our walks to a limit because she is so close to the ground.
Say a tiny doggy prayer for her.

Have a great week end !

sacBarb said...

Mary, I hope Zoie's vet appointment doesn't show anything serious. We had a black lab many years ago and he started losing hair around his eyes and the vet told us it was mange which can be serious. They gave him a shot and sent us home with meds to give him and an ointment to put on the spots where he was losing hair.

Just_Lin said...

Mary I'm laughing at the idea of you having a long pole strapped to your back with a little flag on top.

Poor Zoie. I hope it isn't mange because that can be a pain in the butt but so glad you are taking her to the vet so you can get a handle on it ASAP. It's a good thing she doesn't want anything to do with Queenie as I do believe mange is contagious.

I'm sorry to hear about the passing of Jim's friend. I remember at my 50th high school reunion in 2015, there were so many remembered on the In-memorium table that it was kind of shocking.

By the way, that was kind of weird about finding the Gloria key chain. Maybe she was just giving you a little wink. Maybe she even helped you win a jackpot. That was kind of you to spend time with her when she wasn't really feeling well enough to enjoy the full Vegas experience.

Just_Lin said...

Barb Regarding the Bachelors in Paradise mess: why am I not surprised that this incident involved DeMario? After being kicked off of Bachelorette, they should have steered clear of him. But then again, he's one of the ones that viewers love to hate. Ratings! It really screwed over everyone else, though. (Bad use of words.) People took time off of work and made all sorts of other arrangements in order to be there to film that show. They must all be pissed.

After all our June Gloom, we are having a sunny weekend. It's probably down-right hot where you are. My allergies are really acting up. I've been sneezing and have an itchy throat. The itchy throat is SOOOO annoying.

Just_Lin said...

Dianne Where are you? Are you still unpacking and doing laundry. Doing laundry is on my to-do list for today. Yesterday I washed the car. I didn't do it very well but it does look better than before, at least. I should just break down and take it to a car wash so it could get done properly.

I'm seriously back on the WW plan again and my numbers are inching down. Tonight I am going out to dinner with my friends, John and Jane, as it is John's birthday. I think I'll be eating a lot of points tonight. LOL I had to go to a wine specialty shop in a city at the other end of our county in order to get John a German beer that he really enjoyed when we were at the House of Prime Rib for my birthday. Apparently, this German company exports very little of their beer and so it can't be readily found. I got him six bottles and I know he will be very happy with that gift. It's so hard to buy for men.

sacBarb said...

J/L, I agree it is so hard to buy for men and since I have all those boys, I often end up getting a gift card for them. It's especially hard when they don't live near and I don't know what they have or really need. The beer is a perfect gift as he doesn't have to 'need' it but you know he will enjoy it.

I hate that the network is more interested in ratings than the the cast members on Paradise! They give them as much alcohol as they want because it lowers their inhibitions and that's how incidents like they are dealing with now, happen! I agree that the others must be pissed!

Dianne said...

JL, here I am. I'm sort of unpacked at least the suitcases are but half of it is on my bed. We got the laundry done and now I have another one last big load. I don't which I hate the most....packing or unpacking!!!! Our house looks like a trash can to me with gift bags all over, etc. I haven't even gotten to them yet. I bought my self a new cute watch and pinky diamond rings. They were half price so I treated myself. Those I have unpacked...of course.

JL, good luck being on ww again. I can't remember if I told you I only gained two pounds on the trip. It shocked me as I ate good on the cruise and lots of fried chicken on the road trip. I did try not to drink too much soda and had water with me at all times. It might have helped.

That's a great gift you got for your friend tonight. I'll bet he will really be surprised. You are very thoughtful. Enjoy your dinner. It was 95 here yesterday. That's too hot for me. Zona said it's going to be 122 there.yuck!!

Mary, so sorry about Jim's friend. Sad to start losing friends. We had quite a few at my reunion too. That's really strange about the Gloria key chain. I believe in those signs. Very strange

I went to a friends 45th bday party today with barb. It got kind of windy and a little rain but nit enough to go
inside. It was at a bar/restaurant. I knew a few people there.
We are going to my uncles tomorrow for a Father's Day BBQ. It's about an hour and a half drive.

Barb, what are you doing this weekend?

Dianne said...

Remember when we used to march? I was just thinking about it so I've marched to 160 now.

Just_Lin said...

Dianne Congrats on your march! LOL Yes, we are out of practice with marching. In real life, I used to march in parades; first as a tween as the majorette in a city band and later as a flag twirler when I was in high school. Now I'm lucky to make the circular walk around a couple of blocks in the neighborhood.

It's going to be warm here today, too. Of course, it won't be that bad here on the coast but much worse inland where my kids live. I've lived here so long now that I can't take the heat anymore. When I was a teenager growing up in southern California, we would lay out in the sun bathed in baby oil mixed with iodine to give us a good tan. The color was probably akin to a beautifully roasted turkey. LOL I can't image purposely frying my skin now.

Dianne said...

JL, I used to lay out like that too and regretted it when as an older person I developed melanoma and had to have surgery. Very scary. I was even in hospital twice with sunburns. I also was a majorette. We have lots in common except you can walk further than I can !

Just_Lin said...

Barb It is so difficult to buy presents for guys. I usually resort to gift cards too, these days. I was glad to be able to do something different for my friend, John, and he really was happy to get the six beers. He can have one the next time he's sitting at home watching the Giants lose. LOL

I'm sure the Paradise situation will make the "powers that be" rethink how they run that show. Everybody is an adult and I'm sure all the participants signed waivers up the ying yang, but still.... When things get out of hand to a possible criminal level, it's time to rethink how they operate. We've seen how sexually aggressive Corinne can be and DeMario was definitely the wrong guy to play that game with. I don't want to blame the possible victim but DeMario really may have thought all was fine, given Corinne's behavior in the past.

Just_Lin said...

Mary Have we lost you again? I'm going to sit on a branch away from you guys as my allergies are really acting up lately and I'm doing a lot of sneezing. My itching throat is very annoying to me.

You really do have a lot going on this week. The only thing I really need to try and do is get my nails done. Oh, and I have to have a service technician come back out for my stove again. The screws holding down the "floor" of the oven didn't hold. I remember that the female technician that was here before had a hard time getting the screws to go in right but she thought she finally got it. Well, apparently not.

Just_Lin said...

I just realized that the service appointment for my oven isn't until the 27th. So I've got absolutely nothing going on here this week. I should really play with my paints. I say that to myself every day and I keep not doing it.

Dianne said...

Looks like the Rockies are doing a number on the Giants today. BBQ over and was fun and shady but still warm. I stuck to my water all day but we did swing by DQ on our way home. They were very crowded. Doing my last load of wash tonight. My family today has three German Shepards and I have that darn dog hair all over me. I don't like that at all. We undressed at the door!!!


JL, guess you can't use oven again for awhile. I need nails done tomorrow too. Three weeks is long for me. Glad your friend liked his beer. How was dinner?

Yahoo...mary..Where are you.?

Just_Lin said...

Dianne Actually, I can use my oven and I probably will use it today. The bottom of the oven is in place shielding the heating element and gas flames it just isn't screwed down. The result of that is that several hours after using the oven, there is a very loud bang caused from that metal sheet cooling and contracting. I don't see what harm could come from using the oven since nothing ever sits on the floor of the oven. I have some overly ripe bananas and was thinking of making some banana bread today.

I still haven't gotten around to getting my nails done. Maybe today. They look pretty crappy when I look at them closely.

Dianne said...

I got my nails done Monday. Tomorrow is hair day and then I'll be all caught up. I finally finished laundry. I now have to go thru gift bags this is taking forever after being gone two weeks.

Too hot to turn on an oven here. 99 yesterday..we broke a record.

Mary/MI said...

On my way to bed, but someone who shall go nameless 9Dianne) sent me a nagging message lol!
I finally got my roots covered. I made my apppt. for 5 weeks instead of 4 and I was looking ghastly! I usually make my apppts right after I get my hair done and for some I forgot last time. By the time I got around to it I couldn't get in when I wanted. My roots turn a screaming bright silver! I may get my naills done this week. They still look bad, but I can't stand their looking "nekkid" LOL!
We have an open house Fri, and Sat we volunteered our DJ/Karaoke for a ....get this... memorial service/celebration of a local who passed away recently. I will tell you his crazy story later. It is true. You find out a lot about family when one of them dies especially if he married a mail order bride a few years ago! I will tell you how it all comes out, as some of them were told they were not welcome at the gathering.
I need to get to bed. I am pooped!

sacBarb said...

Mary, Your DJ/Karaoke gigs put you in touch with a lot of interesting people and situations. I love hearing all your tales.

sacBarb said...

J/L, I will not be turning on my oven for at least the next couple of weeks. We have had record breaking high temps for about a week now. We aren't as bad as AZ, but it was 109 Monday and I think it was 111 yesterday. Today's high was 106. I went gross-ry shopping last Tuesday and I bought 12 little individual cartons of ice cream and thought I'd eat one a day. Well, they are all gone as of yesterday. I just can't have ice cream in the house. I'll just have to stick to ice water to cool off!

I heard today that Paradise is going to air as scheduled in August. They resumed shooting today, but no word if Corinne and DeMario will be back.

I have been hearing banging from the house next door since about 7pm and it's 11:15 now and they are still on the roof!

sacBarb said...

Dianne, Tell us all about the goodies in the bags you've yet to unpack. I love hearing about what other people buy. :)

Just_Lin said...

Mary I always make my next appointment while I'm still at the hair salon, too. Otherwise, I would forget. When I've had to reschedule for a week later due to being sick or something like that, I find that thet extra week really makes a big difference in how noticeable the roots are. I don't usually make appointments for my nails as I live close by and can pop in and ask if they have time for me. They usually do but sometimes, like yesterday, they are so busy that I don't even bother asking. I was eating lunch in the same shopping center today so popped in to see if I could get nails done today. They couldn't do it right at that minute but they could do them at 4:00. That worked out fine for me so I now have decent looking nails again.

It sounds like you are going to have some stories to tell after this weekend. Family dramas are something else. I have a feeling that the mail order bride did not get a lot of acceptance within the family.

Just_Lin said...

Barb I don't blame you for not turning the oven on with those temps you are having up there. It's been bad where my daughter lives and also my son. He sent me a pic of the thermometer yesterday; 112. I'm so glad I don't have that kind of heat here. I guess if i lived in it, I would be more used to it and it wouldn't bother me as much. One thing I'm still having a lot of trouble with is my allergies. They are in full bloom. It's been a long, long time since they were this bad.

I did hear that Paradise has resumed filming. Even individually, we could have guessed that DeMario and Corinne were going to be trouble. I got a new People magazine today and apparently Carly and dorky Evan will be exchanging vows on Paradise. I wonder if his kids will be there, too.

Just_Lin said...

Dianne Hey, are you still working on dealing with the gift bags? Are these gifts you are handing out now or are you saving them for the Christmas holidays? If you are already shopping for Christmas I may have to smack you. LOL

Dianne said...

Ok...my gift bags were mostly for kids and grandkids. A few friends with little things. JL, I have a present for Christmas for each of Louis's kids. Smack me!!! I bought myself some jewlery too. A few earrings, etc. my cleaning lady kept our plants so I bought her some candy from Alaska.

It's 58 degrees today and I'm loving it!! It's been 99 most of the week so this is a welcome relief. It's not even raining..just cool. I think it will last for the weekend.

I make hair appt a month in advance too. I always make nail appt a few days ahead because I go to the same person all the time....for years. I can't go over four weeks on hair or I look bald. I was having a burning itchy feeling two months ago so my girl puts a packet of sweet and low in it and it doesn't itch at all anymore. Very weird.

Mary, so tell us your crazy story. Anxious to hear.

Mary/MI said...

We went to my Great Nephew's open house tonight. It was 5-8 We left an hour early and got there over an hour late! It was at a Baptist church gathering room. We Googled the directions and the map took us all over town! There were 4 places with the same addresses! Evidently, they used to have a smaller church and camp grounds all of which were under the same address and we visited at least 3 of them before stopping to ask directions. It seems there are not too many church goers in that city lol! I finally went into a gas station/party store and saw a line of people checking out. I announced to all of them "Does anyone know where the new Baptist church is? I almost laughed at myself!! A few knew and a sweet old lady said to follow her, she lived in that area. Well we followed her about 5 miles to their home and they told us which way to go from there. Man, were we way off! We are not amused with Google maps! I told my Gr Nephew's Mom,about it, since it was the address she put up on FB. She felt bad, but we all had a great laugh about it.
Tomorrow is the Memorial thing. I will tell you how it comes off. I sure hope non of the uninvited family tries to cause trouble!
Jim finally graduated from his flip phone! We got him a small IphoneSE to see how he likes it. So far he has not thrown it in the river lol!!

Time for these old bones to get to bed....

Dianne said...

Things are sure quiet on weekends on here. Everyone must be having so much fun!!! I finally put everything away from my trip. Kitchen looks clean again. Had a nice lunch today with my late husbands daughter. It's always so nice to see her. She reminds me so much of her dad. Yesterday went to breakfast and the cheap movie to see that one where the three guys rob a bank. Morgan freeman, Michael Caine and Alan Arkin. It was pretty funny and cute.

Mary, yea for getting Jim away from a flip.phone. how's he doing with the new one by now? Howwas the memorial? Hope it went ok. Boy, you need navigator on your next car. I use mine all the time, although probably wouldn't have made a difference with all those same addresses. Crazy.

We made reservations for august to go to deadwood, SD., for three days. It's a gambling town so we will stay ther for the duration. One day we will go to Mt Rushmore and look around. I want to go to Bear Country there too. It's all in rapid city, sd. , so only an hour from where we are staying.

JL and Barb.....hello

Just_Lin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
sacBarb said...

Hellooo Dianne, here I am. Nothing much has been going on here. We have had some terrible heat, but it is cooling down a bit now and for the next 10 days, at least. There is more roof work going on next door, but they still have a long way to go before it's finished. My roof replacement has been scheduled to start July 26. They had to extend the date because of the heat we had the last two weeks. I guess they can't work in 109 to 111 heat. I have decided to have three more solar tubes installed for a total of four. My house was built in 1964 and the rooms are pretty dark so I have lights on during the daytime a lot. I'm hoping the solar tubes will help with that.

sacBarb said...

J/L, This should be a big week for the Bachelorette. They will air tonight and tomorrow night. I am ready for her to get down to the final four, already, and that's still a long way away. I think I'm a little bored with this group. Dianne, are you watching the Bachelorette?

sacBarb said...

Mary, How was the Memorial? I hope it went well. I have decided to get a new or sorta new car. I have a lot of arthritis in my neck and it is really hard for me to turn all the way around to back up, so I want to get a car with a rear view camera. I am going to look at CarMax. Three friends have bought from them recently, including Kathy and Randy, and they all got a 2016 car with low mileage, and the same warranty as a dealer gives, but cheaper. So I'm going to see what they have. I don't exactly know what I want and they have a lot of different brands, so I won't have to go from dealer to dealer. I checked their web site and they have a ton of newer cars with under 10,000 miles.

Just_Lin said...

WE STARTED NEW BLOG THIS MORNING..