Chat Cafe
Options
Replies
-
Linda, have a good day travelling and moving your van. Glad you liked the Wattle Flower and also glad you got your share my pics with your granddaughter! That's lovely.
Judith, I will also catch up in the Prayer thread. Yes, you did tell us there was a new cancer. 😔 I'm sorry you are in such pain. Hugs. 🙏
Marilyn, hope you are doing better. 🙏
We're in Mt Isa. Mt Isa is a mining town - Copper, lead, zinc and silver are mined here. It's surrounded by hills in a vast plain. There's a lake nearby called Moondarah. We lived here 1962 - 4 and 1968 - 9. Dad was first a geologist here, then a mine manager. I did some of my primary schooling at Happy Valley but my old high school has been repurposed. One of our old houses in Brilliant Street is still here, 62 years old, and has been a little revamped but still looks good. I can't find the other house we lived in so maybe it's been demolished. There used to be a red and white smokestack at the mine and it is still there, but a much taller silver one is also there now. The red and white one is smoking in this picture:
Here are some of the hills coming into town:
And for those that like maps:
We're still a long way from home but at least we're in our home state!
Have good days, everyone.
1 -
Evening Hello All
Linda, have safe travels as you prepare to move your trailer to the place it will be parked over the summer months. I am excited for you to spend the summer where you so enjoy.
Susan I so enjoyed the Map especially I saw names of places that are memorable to me in places I have lived on the other side of our world. For example, Brampton, we have Brampton in Ontario Canada, my Dad and his wife lived in Brampton for years after moving from the Greater Toronto Ontario, then I saw Richmond, here in BC we have Richmond BC, then Hamilton, after my birth in Toronto and at aged 2 I moved to Hamilton Ontario, Sunshine Coast is a part of BC.
Thank you Susan for posting the Map; loved the pictures posted here. So interesting reading about the Mine and where you lived at aged 4 and 9 years old. I am sure you were going down memory lane! Especially looking back 62 years of history! So neat the Red and White smokestack at the mine is still in use as you pointed out the smoke coming out of that very smokestack. The hills coming into town and the sky with such fluffy
☁️ clouds is so neat to see. Thank you for sharing your travels in your home state.
Marilyn, my prayers continue for you!
Calling it a night all! Good Night and God Bless! 😴🙏🤗
P.S. I posted a detailed update a little while ago in the Prayer Request thread on what is currently going on with me.0 -
Susan - I love to go back to see where I lived many years ago and see how the town has changed. My little town is still small but does have a traffic light rather than a four way stop it had when I was in elementary school. There are a lot more houses surrounding the town and the house I grew up in was scheduled to be demolished. We were there 11 years ago and it was in bad shape then but we were able to see it. Do you have any friends still living in your child hood town? What town do you ive in now? Can we see it on the map?
Judith - We worked hard yesterday putting the pavers down for the trailer but did not have enough so will go back tomorrow to finish it. They are so heavy (31# each and we need 44) that we can not carry all of them at the same time in the truck. The ground was really wet so I hope they do not settle too much when the weight of the trailer gets on it. We had a college student go with us which was nice to have a strong back to help us. My daughter and I did what we couldbut most of the work was too heavy for us. Tomorrow should be an easier day since we have the ground leveled.
Marilyn - how are you doing?
Today our daughter and grand kids are out at Glenn's sister's house. They have a bunch of new baby cats that they are loving to play with. They barely have their eyes open so they are not very old. It is from a ferral cat so she hid them inside of the hedge near the road. I hope the kittens do not get out on the road that is so close.
Yesterday was Glenn's 71st birthday and his sister turns 69 today. We are going to Texas Roadhouse to celebrate her birthday tonight. We actually went there on Sunday for Glenn's birthday so we are going or a second time tonight. I m glad that we like that restaurant.
1 -
Happy Birthday to Glenn and his sister, Linda! Oh, I would love to see the baby kittens. I hope someone rescues them. What a treat for your grandchildren. No, no one I knew as a child still lives in Mt Isa that I know of. The town I live in is Caboolture, 50 kms North of Brisbane in the SE corner of the state. It isn't shown on the map but Brisbane is there.
Judith, I was 8 when we first arrived in Mt Isa and 15 the second time. It's hard to do the maths! I was born in California but Qld has become my home. I moved around so much and had 9 schools in 3 different countries. It6 rare I get to go back to my childhood places because of that, so it's nice to be in Mt Isa for a couple of days. I have checked the Prayer request thread. Sending you love and prayers.
Marilyn, missing you and hoping you are getting better.
1 -
Quick post today. We're packing up to drive 300+kms to Kynuna. All is well though I kind of suspect we'll both get Lyn and Greg's colds. Hard to avoid each other living so close together all the time.
I'll leave you with some beautiful Zinias growing in this Mt Isa caravan park. My mother used to grow them when we lived here though she preferred pink ones. The butterfly is a bonus for the first photo.
Here's a pink one 💗
1 -
It has been a very busy day at the mountain property and we are still going strong. S'mores is on the schedule n xt. We travel to Denver tomorrow with a stop in Frisco to have my hip evaluated. I will try tomorrow to catch up with you all.1
-
Linda, that is such hard work for you and Glenn putting down all those pavers especially when the ground is wet. Glad you have a college student to help when you are back to finish up. Please wish Glenn a Happy 71st Birthday 🥳 and his Sister her 69th Birthday 🥳 Glad you have a nice restaurant you are enjoying to celebrate both birthdays! 🎉🎂 safe travels back to Denver!
Susan, it’s so nice you can go back to your childhood homes and visit. Glad you are enjoying being in Mt Isa for a few days. Love the Caravan Park you are in now. The gorgeous flowers you shared here are so beautiful. I have grown Zinnia’s the “pink” ones. The butterfly was a bonus to see, his black wing span with white dots stood out amongst the pink flowers. Safe travels as you are on the road again.
Marilyn, you are missed and of course we are holding you up in prayer. 🙏0 -
I found a map that shows how the US and Australia overlap. I thought it might show you how big Queensland is, compared to where you live.
We still have some travelling to do before we're home June 15th but the days are ticking down fast now. We'll stay home about a month then travel up to Cairns to see our daughter and her family. Then we'll stay home from about August and see how long it is before we go off on another trip! Lol!
Kynuna is the place Waltzing Matilda was written. Banjo Paterson played the flood damaged piano in the hotel. Plenty of other bards and poets have signed their names on the hotel walls and the names haven't washed off in the floods. It's a tenacious, musical little town! Colin, Greg and I had a steak dinner amidst the history yesterday as the sunset lit the sky. Lyn stayed in the van. She is still recuperating. We'll drive on to Winton today.
Judith, glad you enjoyed the Zinnias and butterfly. I am still praying for you and won't stop.
Linda, I do hope your hip evaluation goes well and you get a chance to come back and tell us how you are. It's a busy time for you though so I'll be patient! Praying for you too.
Marilyn, 🙏
0 -
Yesterday was much too busy for me but the grandkids had a great time. We spent a lot of time at the property re-doing the pavers and still have some work to do. The grandkids were entertaining themselves playing in the water from the spring that is in a holding tank for the cattle when they come up the second week in June. One of the big tree limbs we have accross the big tank to keep the cows from trying to get into the tank to drink, fell from its place and cracked the edge of the tank. Our nephew will bring a new tank when they get the cattle up. The crack in the tank goes about 1/2 way down the tank so it does still hold some water. Since the cattle have not been there to drink out of it yet (deer and elk do enjoy a drink from it occassionally) algae growns on the top of the water. We call it "mermaid hair" so the grandkids scraped the algae off and tried to make little waterways in the ground where the water was pouring out of the tank.
After we finished there we had a women's midweek that was a fun time. We all were given paints and canvas squares and told to paint a picture but not to tell anyone what it was. About half way through, we passed our canvases to the person to our left and they finished the picture trying to imagine what we were trying to paint in the first place. We then took home the finished picture we started. It was a fun activity with some having a lot more talent painting that others. The snacks were to be tropical so I made Tropical Banana bread. It had pinapple, bananas, pecans, and coconut. It tasted pretty good but baked too long so I had to cut the sides and botton off of it. I ran out of time to get it baked (I miscalculated how long to do it) so I had to turn off the oven and let it bake as the oven cooled off while I was gone. That was not a very good idea but it was all I could do unless I missed the birthday party I was telling you about last time I was on here.
We left early to go to the orthopedic office and actually got there about an hour early. We never know what the weather will be like and since it is a three hour drive, we wanted to make sure we got there. I wish I could have slept another hour but that was not to be. Hehe The doctor said I have stage three arthritis in the hip (the most severe there is) and bone spurs and cysts in the bone. Steroid injections would not help but would make it worse so surgery is in my future probably in mid-September since the Summer is so busy and we have a conference to go to the first week in September. They also checked out my knee and they said that it is probably causing part of the hip pain because one leg is shorter than the other from the worn down cartilage caused by the arthritis. They gave me a brace that costs $1800 dollars but we are pretty certain insurance will pay for most of it. It will help reposition the knee so it is not bent out like it is now causing me to look "knock-kneed".
Susan - thanks for the illustration of the size of Australia. I really enjoyed the zinnia pictures. We grew them when I was living at home and always got the packages with different colored flowers - red, yellow, orange, pink, lavender, and white. The butterfly was pretty also. I hope Lyn gets to feeling better soon and you and Colin do not get it.
Judith - I look forward to reading your journal and how God has worked in your life.
Marilyn - as always praying for you also.1 -
Evening Hello All,
Linda, your bread sounded so good. You will have to make it again when you have more time. The ingredients are all that I like. Too bad you had to cut bottoms off and improvise but by what you said it still tasted good. Sounds like it was a fun day for the grandkids at the property. Hope the brace helps your knee. And so sorry you are looking at surgery so sorry about the cysts and bone spurs and that you need surgery. I will keep you in prayer. Hope the pain is not too severe my friend!
Susan, loved these latest pictures, loved how the sunset lit the sky, it was spectacular! The Map was very interesting to see. Thanks for sharing. Will continue to keep Lyn in prayer as she recuperates and Greg also! Safe travels my friend.
Marilyn, I continue to think of you and keep you in prayer. Trust you are doing better.
Love you all, thanks for all your prayers and kindness. Good Night all! 😴❤️🙏0 -
It was wonderful to be able to sleep in today after getting up early yesterday, traveling and having my doctor appointment. I did have a disturbing dream during the night and I did wake up discouraged even though I knew it was not true. In the dream I was in a foreign country with a group but they left me and I could not find my way around. When I asked questions, people get mad at me and tell me I am stupid. One person told me that if I can not find my way around I am too imature to be traveling. This is a reoccuring dream I have but it involves different situations but the same idea. I don't think dreams mean anything but my brain is just rearranging thoughts and puts them together in odd ways. I think I was thinking about my friend who just left her husband for safety reasons. He was very angry and abused both hshe and her children. She is now safe with her mother and is urging her husband to get counseling and medication evaluation from the Veterans Hospital. He has PTSD from being in the war and can become unreasonable.
We had a thunder and lightening storm last night but today the sun is shining and it is warming up. We are taking the day off to rest today. We will do a few things but no pressure to get things done. I want to work on my quilt project so I may spend some time cutting out blocks. I was going to do that last time we were in Denver but never got to it. Today is a good day to start working on that fun project.1 -
Greetings - thought I should at least say hi as it has been a bit since I posted
I had my surgery for the fisquala on May 16 - 2 weeks ago - and my arm is rather bruised. Changed the banadage today - looks like it is healing ok but it is sore. Get the stitches out next Wednesday.
On Monday I had blood work done for the Kidney Doctors. I called my doctor to get the number and it is now 13 - yeah!!!! In February it was 8 and they were talking that I would need dialysis if it got to 6 and they predicted that would be soon. In March they tested the blood again and it had gone up to 11 so feeling good then. And now it is up to 13. My prayers are that it will continue, even slowly, to go up higher - would be overjoyed if I could get it back up to 30 ( normal is 60) but the Lord is in charge.
The last 2 months have been rather difficult - me with my kidney problems, then our sweet male dog (12 years old named Toby) started showing signs of being ill. His skin coloring has gone from white to black - he looks rather funny - and it scratches constantly. Anyway the vet gave some medicine plus special shampoo - he has had 6 weeks of meds and now can't have any more. We had him back on Thursday and this time I went with Norm to talk about what is happening. Norm tends to feed Toby table food which is not recommended. Vet was not aware of this so reinforced to Norm that Toby has to have only dog food - and we have now put him on a low carb food which Toby is having a hard time to enjoy - he wants his table food. Vet also gave him a shot that last one month to help with the scratching = it has been really difficult watching this poor dog scratch so much. The shot seems to be working as he is only occasionally now scratching. They want to to blood work to see what is going on but we are going to have to postpone that treatment - since March we have spent just over $1000 between Toby and his sister Bella.
About Bella - what a sweet dog she has been - she is a Pomerain and very much a diva. Anyway one week ago (Tuesday) we needed to take her to the vet as she would not walk on all fours - the one she would not put weight on we could pull and do whatever and she never yelped. $193.00 was the cost of the visit with meds as he said the knee was out of joint. Two days later (Thursday last week) at noon she was walking across the living room floor to follow Norm and she yelped and down she went. We picked her up held her for a bit, then set her down - and down she went - she couldnt stand on her back legs yet you could touch them without her complaining. So off to the emergency vet for her - only to be told that her low back had slipped out of joined and that she had no feeling in her legs. Surgery was pricey ($1000) and not guaranteed she would walk (she is also 12) so Norm came home with no Bella - was so hard to put her down.
And honestly I think Toby is nearing the end but we don't like to talk about that as it was hard enough putting her down. Toby has been grieving for Bella the last week but we have been spending extra time with him to help him during this time - he has gone on many car rides and 3 walks a day - and yesterday he started to show us how much he appreciated all of the attention.
Anyway that is what has been happening here - praying that things will settle down and get back so some kind of normal. The Lord is good, He is holding us up during all of this -
1 -
Marilyn, it is so good to hear from you, especially about the improvement in your kidney function numbers! Ibdo hope surgery was successful and the cruising goes down soon. I am very sad to hear about the loss of Bella. I know how much it hurts to lose a faithful friend. It's good to hear Toby is responding to your TLC and the Vet's treatments. No wonder you have been unable to post till now. 🙏
Linda, you have also been through some medical trials. So sorry about your pain. It's good that they can do something about your hip and knee, but it will still be a bit of an ordeal to go through. I hope you get that surgery date soon so you can start planning for it. The rest of the activities with friends and family sound like lots of fun! Well, except for the split tank. I'm praying for you.. 🙏
Judith, glad you enjoyed the stories and pictures. Colin actually took a couple of the last ones. I'll let him know you enjoyed them! I hope your pain has lessened these last few days, though I know it might not have just yet. I'm praying for you, too. 🙏
Unfortunately, Colin has the cold. He started coughing yesterday. I'll do my best to keep well but It's hard to do when living so close.
There's a rain band right across Australia and it rained all night in Winton. It wasn't heavy rain but it has left a few puddles this morning. When we arrived yesterday afternoon it was still dry so we got set up just fine. We leave again tomorrow for Longreach. I thought we might explore some of the Dinosaur trail today but Colin is pretty sick, so probably we won't see much of Winton. The only 'dinosaur' we're likely to see is this one at the caravan park!
Yesterday's drive from Kynuna was pleasant. We passed some interesting hills after getting through lots of grass plain country. We saw Emus but my clicking finger wasn't fast enough on the draw to capture them on camera.
This area floods pretty easily so we will keep a good eye on the weather1 -
Marilyn - It is so great to hear an update from you! I am praising the Lord that your kidney numbers are going up! I pray that they will continue up so dialysis is a long way away or never at all. It sounds like your fistula is healing. Can you feel the activity under the skin? Our kidney doctors described it as a washing machine feeling. It is amazing how the body can heal after this type of surgery. I pray for comfort for you with Bella's passing. Twelve years is a long time to live although I know you have not had her since she or Toby were babies. Skin itching problems are common here with our dry weather. I am glad that you have a vet who can give injections to help the itch. Animals are so uncomfortale when they do not understand why their skin is so itchy and that if they scratch too much, it can cause more harm.
Susan - I am sorry that Colin is now having cold symptoms. It must be a very nasty strain of virus to keep your friends and now Colin down for so long. I hope you do not get it but as you said it is so hard when you are traveling together in a small space. The dinosaur in the trailer park looks pretty big and scary. I am glad it is not real! I hope the rain does not cause problems with your travel or keeping the dogs clean. Mud seems to really stick to dog hair.
Judith - I pray you are doing OK and having a blessed weekend.
Today we are packing up my husband's curio cabinent that he keeps his old books in. Our daughter is coming over to help pack it and put it on the truck to take back next week. I have not had time to work on my curio cabinent yet with the grandkids at our house last week and our trips to the mountain property. I will try to work on it when we get back next week. I am also trying to cut out squares for my quilt that I have put off so long. I cut out over 100+ squares yesterday but quit when my hands got tired.
Looking forward from hearing from you all again.0 -
Good morning from Winton. We had a medical day yesterday. Colin went to the hospital and saw a Dr there. He had various tests then they gave him an antibiotics script. They don't think he has anything sinister, but we persuaded Lyn to go there too and she has pneumonia. They want us to go to Longreach as the hospital there is better equipped to handle Lyn if she gets worse, so we are driving there today. After recuperating there a few days, Lyn and Greg say they will head for home. I think that's for the best. Lyn has antibiotics too.
I am still OK but not convinced I won't get this bug. Am looking after myself and Colin seems not too bad. I am glad he got antibiotics before it got too bad.
So we are packing up again.
We did get to see a tiny bit of Winton yesterday. They have a statue of Banjo Paterson in town. Col and I took each other's photos there.
Linda, hope today goes well for you with the curio cabinets. Mud was sticking to my shoes yesterday and we needed to wipe the dogs' feet every time we walked them. When their feet are really dirty, I wash those feet. It's sunny today but there is still mud and rain puddles around.
0 -
Evening Hello All
You can read the full details in the Weather Thread.
We are under a Heavy Rainfall Advisory, flash floods etc.
Susan I am so sorry to hear about Colin getting the bad cold and now on antibiotics and Lyn having pneumonia and Greg still under the weather. You said Greg and Lyn are heading home. Hope they both get better soon. Probably the best for them to be home and close to their family doctors. going Praying for each of you and hoping you don’t get what’s going around. Loved the pictures you both took of each other in front of Banjo Patterson in town.
Linda, safe travels as you take the Curio cabinet to your home. Glad your daughter came to help load it on the truck. Wow, over 100 squares of material you have cut for your quilt you are going to make. That is a lot of work.
Marilyn, Praise the Lord your numbers are coming up Will continue to keep you in prayer. So sorry to hear about Bella passing. It’s so hard to lose our Fur Babies: they are Family.
Not sure if any of you are under Weather Advisory but with Heavy Rain I Need to get off here and call it a night!
Good Nite God Bless 😴🙏❤️
0 -
Judith, glad your weather advisory is over and hope there was no severe damage to you or yours. I know the uncertainty of what is coming can be stressful.
Colin and Lyn are needing a rest today and I feel like I am getting their virus so I am resting too. Greg is out and about somewhere. We're at Longreach now and the temperature feels colder here.
We had news that our 15 yo grandson cracked two or three vertebrae in a dirt bike accident yesterday. 😳 We've spoken to the family and he isn't in too much pain and can walk, but he needs to see an Orthopaedic surgeon for a check up. I hope it doesn't lead to li g term damage. Would appreciate prayer about that.
1 -
Susan - Oh my! This is a serious virus that Colin and Lyn have. I am sorry that Lyn will be going home but she has been through a lot during this trip. She came back quickly from having surgery when you were in Tasmania and now she has pneumonia. I pray that the antibiotics do help quickly with the two of them. I assume you will continue your trip until mid-June. We will be praying for your grandson's healing. Hopefully there is no permanent damage. How old is your grandson?
Judith - Prayers for your weather and the flood warnings. We are having snow runoff with lots of heavy activity on the rivers. We saw several people in rafts doing down the Colorado River when we came over. They looked like they were on pretty rough water.
We had a meeting at 6pm with the elders and staff to talk about how to reach out to the younger generations. They look at things much differently than we do and we need to know how they think. We also were talking about how to get more men involved in coming to church. It was a very interesting conversation.
1 -
Evening Hello All,
Susan, I am so sorry to hear about your 15 year old grandson who cracked 2 or 3 vertebrae in the dirt bike accident. Such a serious injury. So glad he is walking and not in too much pain. It’s good he will be seen by an orthopaedic surgeon for evaluation. Trusting he heals and recovers quickly with no complications. My prayers are with him. So sorry Colin has the virus and Lyn with pneumonia. My prayers are with them both. It’s probably best that Lyn and Greg are heading home now. They will be close to their Doctors and familiar medical care as they need it. Hope you and Colin enjoy the rest of your travels and enjoy Longreach. Please keep us posted on how your
Grandson is doing.
Linda, it’s good to have these meetings to discuss ideas how to best reach the younger generation. I agree, they do think different than we do these
days. Way back I remember when I lived in Ontario our Church always found it hard to get Men out to Church and to various groups we had during the week. Always interesting conversations but always needed.
Marilyn, thinking of you and holding uou up in prayer. Take care and God Bless.
Thank you for all your prayers regarding our weather. We didn’t get the floods in my area but we sure had heavy rainfall. My garden yard and patio area outside door is saturated in water, it’s still running off into the ground but I’m concerned in the amount of heavy rain. Thanks for your ongoing prayers! 🙏✝️❤️0 -
Judith, sorry to hear about the amount of rain you have had. Too much of a good thing is bad! I hope it starts drying out now.
Linda, you're right about Lyn's health, but at least she did 6 months on the road which is what she wanted to do. Once she is healthier, they will probably go away again.
Our 15yo grandson is doing alright. (He will actually be 15 in a couple of weeks so is really 14 right now). His family will do a good job taking care of him, I am dure. Thank you for your prayers.
Marilyn, thinking of you and hoping you continue to have good news about your health.
0
