Senior Golden Sneakers - November 2010

tlp8rb

He also said that the vocal chords may just start functioning over time. So, bottom line, it is still a wait and see. Neil said last night that he was so scared that his voice wasn't going to come back.

Gayla, I've just finished going back and reading many of your posts so I would better understand what is going on with Neil. I didn't go back to "birth" but am assuming Neil is your son. It sounds like he (and you) have had more than your share of experiences with doctors and surgeons.

Are you familiar with the experiences the singer and actress Julie Andrews has had the past few years? After undergoing surgery on her vocal cords she thought she would never be able to sing again. The headlines were full of stores about law suits against the doctors, the end of her career, and on and on. To make a long story short, she has just released a new album. I haven't heard any of it but guess it must be good enough for people to buy or it wouldn't have been released. Perhaps Neil can find some encouragement in her story.

You mentioned that he is moving back into "his" home and in back-reading learned that it is a group home. This is an area where I do have some experience. My cousin, Barbara, has lived in a group home setting for many years. She was institutionalized for a long time; tried living back at home with her mother after her step-father passed away; and then found real happiness and wonderful friends in a four-resident group home. She was soon doing things for herself, assisting in decisions about herself, and developing a wonderful, if unique, personality. Out of love, my aunt had been doing so much for Barb that she never had to develop those skills.

Knowing only what I've read in your posts, it looks like things are moving in the right direction for your son. Hope I haven't stepped over any lines in sharing the above. May God bless you all.

isandi

Hi all,
Freezing here today......68degrees burr.......stop laughing, I had to wear a jacket!

My daughter had her interviews yesterday. She will not know anything until close to Thanksgiving. The whole family has mobilized... the boys are 18 and 21 and are busy STAGING their rooms for the house to go on the market. The youngest is youngest started work today at Walmart in hopes he will be able to transfer down here and the oldest is looking at best buy with the same idea! Sure hope that she gets the job and the house sells!

Went to Curves again today, this makes 3 times this month...asked them, isn't that what you said...3 times a month? now i am done for the month.....doesn't seem right! lol

barbiecat

:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: hi everybody---nothing new here today----not so windy but getting colder---I went for a walk with my regular Wednesday walking partner.......I recently zipped the quilted lining back into my winter coat so I was nice and warm.


:flowerforyou: I saw the doctor yesterday and reviewed the results of my blood test......all is well......they'll be scheduling a colonoscopy sometime soon.

:flowerforyou: with line dance in the morning and walking in the afternoon followed by taking the dogs to the dog park, there was no time for making applesauce, but I'll be back to it again tomorrow......I'm so glad we have a big upright freezer :bigsmile:

:flowerforyou: Gayla, I'm so sorry that the news about Neil's voice is so discouraging......another surgery certainly doesn't sound like a good solution....it's good that he wants to go back to the place where he was living.

:flowerforyou: Marie, I'm sorry that the scooter chair isn't doing what you had hoped.

:flowerforyou: Jeffrey, my friend who had knee replacement surgery said "knee replacement is not for sissies".....I'm glad to hear that you are on the path to training again.....how great that you have continued to lose weight even during this time when you haven't been so active.

:flowerforyou: Sandy, I think Marie is right that one restaurant meal won't hurt you if you go back to sensible eating right away the next day......i hope is was enjoyable for you and worth all the calories.:bigsmile: :bigsmile:

Sandydur

Happy Thursday!! We changed our card game to today this week as one of our players was busy Tuesday. I did win $100 at bingo last night, so maybe my luck will continue. :bigsmile:

Our luncheon date was great, good drinks, good food, great company. My weight stayed the same so I am very happy, if it stays until tomorrow I will change my ticker.

Gayla, hoping it is God's will that Neil get his voice and swallowing back to normal, continued prayers are being said for him.

Sandi, good job on going to curves, keep up the good work. I bet you are really excited your family is moving near you. :flowerforyou:


Barbie, whenever you talk about all your exercise I get tired, do you ever just sit and relax?? :laugh: :laugh:

Marie, you are such a nice person, always thinking of others.

Everyone have a wonderful day and let's remember to thank those Veterans for a job well done. Thank you guys and girls!!!

Sandy

delraybuzz

:ohwell: Another quick read day; can't figure out where the time flies, but doctors, fitness centers, labs, ????? Anyway, enjoy reading all your posts, celebrating the good things and commiserating with others. Adore Connie's hounds, and Barbie's poodles, and you know which one of yours reminds me of my mini (14" at shoulder" ) Coco and her daughter Gamine. Always adored chocolates, and the standards are WOW!
Gotta run,...and tomorrow is busy, too, but maybe Saturday will slow down and I'll have time to shmooze!: flowerforyou:

Lafla

Hi everyone from cloudy Saskatchewan! I will take some snowy pictures for you, Marie, after the next big snowfall. I know you like the snow ---- from a distance! ;o) My dil has just started selling Mary Kay so I was at her home for her first ‘show’. It was a lot of fun and I hope I have found something for my terribly dry face. I have tried so many things that I ultimately find I am allergic to. These products are unscented and supposed to be non-allergenic. It is hard to tell right now as I am already having head cold symptoms and have been using antihistame for that. We are back to their house for dinner tonight. I always looks forward to a turkey dinner and of course spending time with them.
I watched the end of the Remembrance Day Service on TV. My Mom’s brother was killed as a prisoner of war just after D-Day. This was always such a tough day for my Mom and I think of her and my grandparents as well as the uncle that I never had the privilege to know. What a sacrifice so many young men made for our freedom. Thinking, too, of Beth today and wondered if she has deployed. Has anyone heard from her?

I think Neil is happy to be back to his home although frustrated with the difficulties in communication with people there and with me on the phone. I think it will get better as we all adjust. The staff don’t seem to communicate that well and the message that the day staff got was that all his liquids had to be thickened (which is correct) but she thought that meant he could only have liquids!! He called me, sad and hungry and I had a hard time figuring out what was going on. The staff person got on the phone and told me what he was trying to say. Once she got it straightened out she said she had just made an apple crisp and asked if he could have some. Of course! He called me later to say he loved the apple crisp, one of his favorite desserts. I can see this is a learning process and will not be easy BUT we will get there! It is so hard to let go. . .

Marie – You are such a sweetheart, Neil loves getting mail. I did send you a PM but forgot to answer you about the sports. Being a Canadian his favorite sports to watch are hockey and curling. This year he has become more interested in football but like me he will watch almost any sport. He loves Rodeo and wrestling (if that is a sport) which is the only thing I will not watch with him. I am talking WWF not amateur wrestling.

Connie – What a thoughtful and encouraging post. You have certainly not stepped over the line. I am more than open about our struggles with Neil’s health issues. He can be trying at times because of frustration and inability to express himself but he is a wonderful young man. He is the one in the community that everyone knows and loves. We are so fortunate for that. I knew about Julie Andrews vocal chord problems but I had not heard that she had her voice again. That truly is a wonderful thing that she is again able to share her wonderful voice. I will share that with Neil. Thank you, too, for sharing your personal story. You are a terrific addition to our little group here.

Sandi – I am so hopeful that your daughter gets the job she wants. How wonderful for her, her children and you!! I had a good laugh about the Curves, reminds me that I need to get back there.

Barbie – Walking with a friend sure makes the time go faster. Have you got all those apples turned in to sauce now?

Sandy – Yeah for the win and yeah for the loss. Proud of you! Thanks, always, for the prayers.

Buzz – You are such a busy gal. Hope the medical appts are all ok.

I have written a book. Hope everyone else is great – Barb and Jeffrey, Ellie, are you out there? Take care all and keep smiling. Gayla

Sandydur

Gayla, I am heading out the door but in answer to your question, Beth has not deployed and might not have too. She is on facebook, make her your friend. Beth Marcotte Rice

barbiecat

:flowerforyou: Sandy, I don't sit still too much but when I do, I read, knit, make beaded sun catchers, watch TV and play with my pets....I've been doing less on the computer lately because the wireless connection isn't working on the laptop and Jake uses the desktop a lot.

:flowerforyou: I get up early every day because the dogs need to be walked and the cats walk on me to tell me that they want their breakfast and they want to go out. After I walk the dogs, feed the cats, etc, then I do yoga before I eat my breakfast.

:flowerforyou: Gayla, I still have a box and a half of apples in the garage along with a pumpkin and a big squash to cook and freeze......I do a little every day.

:flowerforyou: We're invited to have dinner with friends tonight and they requested that I bring roasted vegetables so I have tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash, sweet onions, and red peppers

:flowerforyou: I worked outside for over an hour because it was sunny and fairly warm.....an hour later when I took the dogs to the dog park, it had clouded over, the temperature had dropped, and it started to rain.....I'm so glad i wore my warm coat and gloves.

Now I have a cat in my lap and dogs poking me with their noses......they all want all my attention.:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Jake45

Barbie sent me here to see the cats then left me alone and penniless so to speak, by not stopping what she was doing and showing me how to get to the cool stuff. Do you think it's because she knows that I will forget as soon as i get off this thing?
Anyway it's getting cold in Northwest Washington. We're going to friends tonight and they historically keep their house approximately 30* cooler that the outside temps. so it's long-john time for us old folks.

Just wanted to drop in and say hi to you all. So be safe and remember that water is your friend.
jake

tlp8rb

Barbie sent me here to see the cats then left me alone and penniless so to speak, by not stopping what she was doing and showing me how to get to the cool stuff. Do you think it's because she knows that I will forget as soon as i get off this thing?

Just like a guy. You sound like my DH who, when faced with a new digital scale this morning (directions laying nearby) opted to use the old one that isn't always accurate and often doesn't tell the truth!

Anyway, it's nice to meet Barbie's other half. It was interesting to read (in your profile) that you travel to different golf courses in your motorhome. There are some stuning places to golf here in the Ozarks, we're only a few hours from Branson, and while we can't offer a sewer hook up, we do have power and water available and lots of places to park. Come on down!

CALIECAT

Jake====== I got a chuckle out of your post. Very funny this morning It is raining cats and dogs here today. brining in cooler weather

Barbie I love your new Kittys where did you find them?

Connie you better watch it or you will have us all down there.Branson is one of my faverite spots. My daughter and I was up there last year but too late to see all the fall colors.

Gayla, how is the boy this morning? I have been looking for a design to do Neil a get well card but guess what..... I have forgotten how to download them on a floppy dish. So Alice will have to give me some lesson Sunday when she is out

Lafla

Hi everyone! Neil is in a better humour this morning. He called to say sorry that he was so cranky. He didn't need to, I knew how frustrated he was with the communication problem while we were out for dinner. Gregg just called me to ask if I wanted to go with him to the Yevshan Ukrainian Folk Ballet as Sasha is sick in bed with the cold he had earlier in the week. Of course I will go with him. Sounds like a nice evening. I am going to get my haircut in an hour so I should find something for lunch before I go.
Marie -- Neil will love his card. Thanks for caring.
Take care everyone. Gayla

barbiecat

Marie, here is the link to the kitties and other characters

http://www.freesmileys.org/

I got the information from Barb who posted it on another thread.

Sandydur

I have to show off my Daisy............

She was playing with my step son's dog yesterday and came home limping, she wouldn't put any pressure on her left front paw. I called my vet at midnight but he is out of town until Monday. We were really worried about her and this morning she was putting pressure on her paw and seemed much better. I called my nephew who is also a vet (more for birds) and he told me to give her bufferin 2x a day. I have done that in the past with my other dogs so I knew my doctor would approve. If she is still limping Monday I will bring her in for xrays. These little darlings give us as much worry as our human kids. :laugh:

I had a service man here today to put in a new thermostat for my furnace, I wanted one that was automatic, that would switch from a/c to heat without changing the control. He didn't bring the one I wanted and he claims this one is still very good and cheaper.
He charged me over $300 and after he left I looked it up online and I saw it for $90. Why do some people rip off senior citizens?
My husband said that I must be wrong and this is a better thermostat but I am not convinced. I probably won't confront him with my findings, but I still think he took advantage of us. :explode: I am not good with confrontation and that is why I get so angry.

My weight is still holding down to my goal but I am still waiting until Monday before changing my ticker. I have been going over my calories a little, because I haven't done any exercises the last few days. I hope to get on that bike today, but seems there is always something to do to stop me. :grumble:

Will check in later.

Sandy

weaklink109

Sandy,

I am glad Daisy is doing better today.

Regarding your thermostat. Did the tech charge you $300 just for the part, or did that include labor? If the bill is not broken down separately for those items, I would call the company and ask what you were charged for just the part, and also ask what the hourly rate is for labor. You probably have a good idea how long it took him to do the work, so you will be able to tell if he fudged a little on the labor.

If there was an excessive charge for the part and/or the labor, TELL them what you told us. Most places are willing to make an adjustment on a bill to keep a customer and avoid negative "word of mouth" getting out.

I don't know what is involved in servicing your particular heating system, how complicated the wiring might have been to access, etc. to install the thermostat, but it is YOUR money and YOU have a right to be satisfied with what you spent for what you got.

Don't think of it as a confrontation. Think of it as an educational experience, so you will know whether or not you will be calling that company back in the future. Good luck,

Barb

tlp8rb

Barb,

Excellent advice to Sandy. Too many of us sit silently by because we are afraid to hurt someone's feelings by asking questions.

She needs to keep in mind, too, that many service companies charge their hourly rate garage to garage. In other words, if the company is on the other end of town and it takes them an hour to get to your place, that's an additional two hours round trip.

Sandy, your Daisy is lovely. I have a friend who lives in Libertyville (former classmate) and he has two Old English Sheep Dogs. They sleep with him. Is it any wonder his wife lives in California??? Strange arrangement but it's been working for them for over 20 years. She comes to Illinois for a week every other month and he goes to California for a week every other month. Different strokes for different folks.

Got a question for all you veterans. Do you count coffee as part of your 8 glasses of water? I know coffee isn't water, but it is made from water. I've been counting my glasses full of ice tea and hope that's not wrong. If I drank 8 glasses of water on top of the 3 or 4 16 ounce glasses of ice tea I drink every day I would be floating. I'm in the Ozarks, after all. We must have our sweet tea (even when its sweetened with Stevia) Now that ice tea season is drifting away, I'm wondering about coffee.

Also - does everyone's weight fluctuate during the day? I weight one thing when I get up, and a half hour later weigh a half or full pound more, and that's before breakfast. Wish I knew more about how my body works.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone. It's been beautiful here (70s) all week. I hope it holds.

Lafla

Sorry, tried to leave you something from Facebook and it won't let me. I will try later. G.

Sandydur

Connie, if your friend has had Old English Sheepdogs most of his life I probably ran into him at certain events. Years ago I was involved with the Old English Sheepdogs of America Club and we planned many events together. My favorite was the picnic with all the dogs. They had games and contests, it was just so much fun.

I guess because this guy was recommended from my groomer he is not the regular service guy. He lives down the street from me and has dogs of his own which we talk about so he thinks he is a friend not a regular service guy. He put in our new A/C this summer and we were so happy because the guy before him just couldn't fix our old air and didn't recommend a new one. My husband seems to like him and I think what I am going to do is call him and tell him what I saw the thermostat being sold for, maybe he himself is the victim of a scam. I know you are giving me the right advice, it is just so hard for me. Does that you give you an insight to how I have been an enabler all of my life. sigh...............

And Connie, when I wake up in the morning I basically almost strip down to weigh myself. After I have my coffee and breakfast and go back to the scale, I am as much as two pounds heavier. I always count the first weight as my weight and that is why I want to lose an additional 5 pounds under my goal, for that fluctuation.

Barb and Barbie, I want one of those dogs, how do you get in on here???

CALIECAT

Barbs===== I like your little dogie running around. He will be chasing barbiecat little kitties. So cute

barbiecat

Sandy,

this is the website

---

there is a section of the list called animal emoticons

---

you copy the forum code and it posts the little animal in motion.

http://www.freesmileys.org/





That is a beautiful picture of Daisy---thanks for posting it. :bigsmile:

weaklink109

^Looks a little like Daisy....




As you can see, Marie's post gave me an idea....LOL

BTW, Sandy, I forgot to say what a beautiful pic of Daisy you posted.

Barb

Sandydur

I did it, just didn't read the directions the first time, thanks Ladies!!

tlp8rb

Just testing

Sandydur

Connie, love the little hamster on the treadmill.

Finally back on track with exercise today. :blushing:

Rainy day here and once I get organized I think it will be a good afternoon to catch up with my DVR. Although I might run to Sams Club and get my Christmas Cards, they have such pretty ones. I also have home movies to transfer to DVD, so we will see.

Hope everyone is doing well and has a great day.

Sandy

CALIECAT

Sandy I sent you an PM but look like you have not read it yet. It was Neil address at his new home. i Just thought you would like to send him a card. gayla said he loves to get mail~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~. Marie

I have not figure out how to get me a doggie.

Sandydur

Sandy I sent you an PM but look like you have not read it yet. It was Neil address at his new home. i Just thought you would like to send him a card. gayla said he loves to get mail~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~. Marie

I have not figure out how to get me a doggie.

Marie, I did not get your PM. Are you talking on MFP or on Facebook? I would love Neils address but would prefer it privately.
Can you send me a message on Facebook?
Thanks,
Sandy

Lafla

A very quick Hi before I hit the hay. It has been a terrible, no good, very bad day here!! I told my sister I alternated between crying and being catatonic. I am, of course, exaggerating. But not by much!! Neil was having a very sad day and kept phoning me demanding to come home. I knew that I couldn't respond to his demands but I just wanted to go and pick him up. He sounded so sad and pathetic. I also know full well that he has bad days here as well. Once he settled down a bit I suggested that we go to a movie on Sunday. I wanted him to know that he could get control on his own and at the same time not reward his bad behavior. It will be an opportunity to get out without coming home. I know some think I am too easy on him and likely others think I am too hard. I just have to do what I have to do, I guess. Later this evening he called to happily tell me that there is a rodeo here next weekend. I am really hoping his buddy wants to go to the rodeo!!

Sorry for the whining, it will get better. It always does. Thanks Marie and Sandy. I will send you his address on Facebook tomorrow, Sandy. I don't want you to feel you have to send him mail but he will love it.

Good night. I hope you are all sleeping soundly. Gayla :brokenheart:

CALIECAT

Sandydur

Happy Sunday!! At least I hope it will be a happy Sunday for ALL of us.

Gayla, how heart breaking to hear you and/or Neil are so sad, I really wish we could do something to help you, but prayers are the best we can do. As the enabler of a son who is in recovery of addictions I honestly know how hard it is to say no to our children. When they are hurting or in trouble our instinct is too rescue them, which really is the wrong thing to do. :ohwell: As long as you are sure there is no abuse at Neil's home and you are comfortable with the care he is getting, you have to let go. Not to say that all those tears are warranted because believe me I cry at the drop of a hat. :sad: I hope today is a better day and the future brings more relaxation in your life. You really need to go forward with that trip of yours and take time for yourself. :flowerforyou: I will love sending Neil cards to help cheer him up and let him know how much we think of him and want good things for him.

Marie, not sure what you were doing with your photo bucket, but love the picture. Thanks for the address, I will send a card today.

We are going to a little charity benefit for my friend this afternoon and my sister will be joining us so I am looking forward to a fun afternoon.

I am still maintaining my goal weight, so I think it might be time to change the ticker. I will do it in the morning if it stays the same after today's benefit. :laugh:

Have a great day!!

Sandy

CALIECAT

Hey I was just learing again how to send photo.. Now if I don't forget. Which now days is so easy to do.