WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR OCTOBER 2012

DeeDee2211

Good afternoon beautiful ladies:flowerforyou:

I have only about 5 minutes before a meeting, but I really wanted to say thank you for all your kind words, means way more to me than words could say!!!! I feel very blessed knowing all my friends on this thread....you're the greatest !!!

I will try to get back here tonight, I'm keeping the granddaughters so daughter can go to a hair appt., not sure what time I'll get home, hopefully not late!!!!

Linda yes, go duck hunting with your family, it'll be fun!!!

Drink your water:drinker: :drinker: :drinker: and log your food!!! Have a wonderful afternoon!!!

Hugs,
DeeDee

Laura80111

Hello everyone. Hope all are having a great day. I would love to know any strategies for avoiding overeating in the evening. I seem to have a serious eat till bedtime habit.

When the munchies hit, head to the computer log into MFP and head to the succss stories with before and after pictures....they always inspire me ...if they can do it so can I....AND YOU CAN TOO.

Laura80111

jolenec1

Hi Tekwriter.:flowerforyou:

I have the same problem. Now please understand that when I tell you this i am referring only to myself and there are no insinuations toward anyone, k? I had to admit something to myself...I have an addiction:grumble: :grumble: . I believe my problem is that I am a food addict. I told my doctor this and he just sort of blankly looked at me. Then he said we would run some tests and see if we could get to the bottom of things.:huh:

Turns out I do have a genitic predisposition to be overweight. He told me a truth...I CAN'T LOSE WEIGHT WITHOUT HELP!! :sad: :sad: That's where MFP and the invaluable advice of this ladies comes in . I was getting very low on morale. But since I have been posting and reading posts here. I feel better and I am motivated again. I thank you all for that. :drinker: :drinker:

Now all that being said, ( which I am sure it was TMI) when you start going on that eating spree at night. Try to stop and ask yourself, "Am I really hungry, or just bored, Or tired, or stressed?" If you can answer this question you can decide the best course of action to help keep yourself from the midnight raid on the fridge.

Also, try eating high fiber foods they will help keep you full longer.

We're all here for you.:happy:

llb405

What an amazing story! So much like mine, except I lost my parents.
I know exactly what that dark hole feels like. I'm so glad you made it thru and
enjoy your life!!

stardancer7

Just carved some time out of my day to catch up...I've been logging daily, but haven't had an opportunity to sit down and enjoy this thread for over a week. Now I'm a little teary-eyed and have been reminded yet again of how important a supportive social network is. This thread is such a rich tapestry of the real lives of wonderful women.

Our Thanksgiving dinner was lovely My FIL had not been having a great day, but having four of his grand-daughters there, two with accompanying boyfriends, seemed to raise his spirits. He was even laughing like he used to.

Today was 80's day at our school, so it's been a sea of neon, big bangs with side pony-tails, off-the-shoulder cut up sweatshirts and leg-warmers. Some of the clothing was definitely vintage--I taught their parents when they wore it back in '87 :laugh: I started my first class today playing the Whitesnake song that was the #1 hit in Canada for the week of October 10 1987...there were a few kids who knew all the words. My DDs were disappointed that I didn't dress up, but I still have 105 pounds to lose before I'm the weight I was when I started teaching. Besides--they stretched out my old leg warmers when they were little girls, wearing them as sheath dresses :laugh:

ellen

jb_2011

Good afternoonie :bigsmile:

I took a couple of pics of one of my garden plots today, thought you'd like to see. In the foreground of the second photo you can see a small section of the other plot, right across the lane. It's mostly planted in garlic now so it pretty much just looks like dirt with some dead green beans hanging around on a fence. Those are carrots and a few beets on the edge there.

I'm growing kale, chard, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts, peas, beets, romaine, red leaf, spinach, radishes, parsnips, carrots and there are a few ears of very late corn that might get a chance to mature. We'll see.

Ok, off to work, hope everyone is having a good day. jb

jolenec1

WOW!! How gorgeous! Great...now I'm hungry:bigsmile:

jolenec1

This really is a great story! I know I have posted a lot today, please forgive me, but this is for the dog lovers and those we have fighting the good fight... :drinker:

Lucky Dog....

Anyone who has pets will really like this. You'll like it even if you don't and you may even decide you need one!

Mary and her husband Jim had a dog named 'Lucky.' Lucky was a real character.

Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they would warn their friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy. Inevitably, someone would forget and something would come up missing.




Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky's other favorite toys. Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box.

It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her she was going to die of this disease......in fact; she was just sure it was fatal.

She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders. The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky. A thought struck her....what would happen to Lucky? Although the three-year-old dog liked Jim, he was Mary's dog through and through..


If I die, Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought. He won't understand that I didn't want to leave him! The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death.

The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks. Jim took Lucky for his evening walk faithfully, but the little dog just drooped, whining and miserable.

Finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn't even make it up the steps to her bedroom.. Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap.

Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn't come to her when she called. It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed.

When Mary woke for a second she couldn't understand what was wrong. She couldn't move her head and her body felt heavy and hot. But panic soon gave way to laughter when Mary realized the problem. She was covered, literally blanketed, with every treasure Lucky owned!

While she had slept, the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement bringing his beloved mistress all his favorite things in life.

He had covered her with his love.

Mary forgot about dying. Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking further and further together every day. It's been 12 years now and Mary is still cancer-free. Lucky. He still steals treasures and stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure.




Remember.....live every day to the fullest. And never forget....the people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care for us.

If you see someone without a smile today give them one of yours! Live simply. Love seriously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.



A small request


All you are asked to do is keep this circulating.

I pray for the cure of cancer.
Please support research.

All you are asked to do is keep this circulating, even if it is only to one more person, in memory of anyone you know that has been struck down by cancer or is still fighting their battle. ___________________________________________________________________________

Laura80111

Jolene excellent story and thank you for sharing:flowerforyou:

junekaatz

Happy sunny Tuesday my friends,

I had to go way back to remember what my October goals were and I have to say, at mid-point of the month I may have lost my way…

October goals:
-To look down and only see my bust and not my Buddha belly sticking out beneath.
-To buy new pants for my New York trip in a size smaller
-To start arm exercises with soup cans if necessary, as it looks like the flood boxes won’t be opened anytime soon.
-To be better about drinking water when the temperature drops (it’s so easy when it’s hot outside.)
- Return to meditation to counteract the negative effects of work.

I have spent the good part of this afternoon in my garden trying to make amends for scarfing that chocolate bar last night. My son brought it home because I had been so good about the carrot sticks at the football game. Sigh…. that was the point dearie, but there it was and I caved because I had been thinking about chocolate ever since the game! lol!

For three solid hours I have been digging, pulling and adding nutrients for next year so I could get my bags of tulips planted before it snows. I have only made a dint in the amount of work that the garden needs. jb_2011 I am impressed with your graden plot, very nice!! I managed to move a few things; got my delphiniums in, replanted my primroses from the planters to the garden (they will survive unless it gets freaky cold) and feel ready to keel over! So much quack grass has snaked its wormy way through my garden patch that it is quite a job getting it out … then I realized that it is exactly that way with my new boss! She is the quack grass in my mind!! Hahahahah!

Someone just asked me how many sleeps till New York and I replied I didn’t know but there were 42 fabric shops in the garment district with MOOD (from Project Runway) topping the list. Then I thought, how many sleeps (lol!) is it? It’s like 12 days away! aughh!! I’m not ready! I haven’t even given any thought to evening wear becasue I don't need it at home! Its cocktail dresses for the fall convention and evening gowns for the spring convention (not worried about spring yet) so I had better dust off my LBD to see if it needs to be replaced! And here I was just concerned about a pair of pants.

I just got a phone call THEY FIRED MY BOSS TODAY!!!! I am going pour myself a glass of wine to celebrate. Hallelujah!
Be back later, I have a little celebrating to do!

Cheers,
Kate

wessecg

For the first time since I started this weight loss journey, I truly didn't want to log my food. I have been home sick and have been a snacking machine. Then to top it off for dinner I made my favorite Thai food, and ate 4 of the six servings!!! Thankfully for fitbit it still says I have calories left to eat, but I know I ate about 500 too many.

Wonderful posts on her by the way. I am beginning to realize how many blessings I have in my life.

Great garden.

Cheryl

mch1956

I am having another great day. Love the sit-stand desk. It has a motor that raises and lowers the surface so I can stand and work my at computer, then if I prefer, I can lower it to sit and work. I would post a picture if I knew how to post a picture, I am still learning how to post comments. I did tai chi this morning with my dr Paul lam DVD, tai chi for arthritis. Tai chi is a slow, measured movements to relieve stress, build strength and balance. It is a form of martial arts that I find perfect for my age and limitations. We stay one our feet, upright, safety is a big part of doing tai chi. Try googling dr Paul lam to check out tai chi. The only disappointment I have with the fitbit is that it doesn't tracking Tai chi very well. This morning I did tai chi for 45 minutes and fitbit counted only 82 steps. Oh well. After work today took a bike ride with GS in burley, had a good ride, not any more weeks of evening rides before it the time change and early darkness.
Keep coming back and sharing, there is great strength in sharing this journey,
Mary

kathyszoo

Jolene-Thank you so much for that story! It brought tears to my eyes!

Mary-I too have Dr Paul Liam's Tai Chi for arthritis DVD! Unfortunately, since my toe surgery, I haven't been able to do it but looking forward to getting back into it. Another good DVD for arthritis is Take Control with Exercise. It is endorsed by the Arthritis Foundation and includes range of motions exercises. Pretty slow paced but that works for me at the moment.

JB-Love your garden!

lizmil79

Good Evening Ladies,

Just finish reading all of the new posts! Wow amazing! Today was volunteer day so lots of walking again not as much as it has been I walk for about an hour. Which I was really glad our weather is changing here and I am feeling it. My joints are just hurting today, So going to go ti bed early.

@Linda, @ Lila -- I think it is getting use to the George Foreman grill. I may not have pick the right one out for me. I cook chicken and it taste find. But I think I should have maybe got the one with temp control and removable plates for easier cleaning. I bought it cause I believe it will be a good tool to use for healthier eating. I just need to get use to it.

Well I will reply more tomorrow. I am going to wrap myself in a blanket and read my book.

Wishing everyone a good night Take care.

Liz

mazaron

Hi ho, Tuesday Oh –

Went to the School Board Office for a meeting today (1.5 hour drive each way) something I used to do weekly or more often when I was a principal. Now it’s a novelty, and I managed to slip into a dress shop and pick up two more shirts to complete my down-sized winter wardrobe. :bigsmile: Go me!

Thank you all for your sympathy and practical advice about my itches and rashes. I know it’s not shingles. How do I know that? :ohwell: I’ve had shingles. Twice. :noway: Didn’t think that was possible, did you? Had measles and chicken pox when I was a kid too. Rashes and me, we’re old buddies. :grumble: The Aveeno lotion and spray on Benadryl are quite effective and I am determined the worst is over.

Here's a follow up to the mention of the poison ivy blister on my breast. My breasts are noticeable, one might even say substantial, for a woman my size. Years ago the maintenance crew were doing a summer painting job on my school and the one fellow came in to tell me about the graffiti they had found on an outside wall. "It's about you," he said. "Oh?" I asked, not wanting to sound too worried. I figured I knew what to expect, but what he said completely cracked me up, "It said MRS COBRA HAS BIG BOOBS!" :laugh: "Well," says I, "there's a kid stating the obvious!"

I didn't get any exercise today, what with driving and all. Well, I could go out now for a walk now, but here’s the story. J’boy likes to watch videos and games on my laptop while he’s doing his math homework. I think that might be the reason he’s a bit panicked about being behind with his Gr. 10 math assignments. So, I figure, as long as I have the computer he can’t be distracted from his homework. :bigsmile: So I am doing him a favour, right?

Lila, did you get that cracking thunder & lightning storm on your side of the mountains this morning? Felt like the beginning of winter to me. Whitewater, here we come.


Congratulations Mwheatcraft on your weight loss – count that Skype feedback from your dear daughter as a gift for sure! Your BIL sounds like a challenging guy. How’s your sister feeling about things?

Eating at night…oh yeah, it’s a tough one. Sometimes I just go to bed and play Whirly Words on my iPhone to keep my hands busy and my mind out of the fridge.

Ellen, the mental image of little girls wearing ‘80’s leg warmers as sheath dresses…:laugh:

JB, your garden is beautiful. Wow.

OK, maybe I will take a chance and go out for a walk after all. I'll hide the laptop.

Nancy

Sasha4427

‘Evening all you wonderful women. Hope your days were all good. Mine started out with a bang – huge wind, rain, hail storm and power outage from 6 until ~9 am then the power went out again at 1 and stayed out until 5. Everyone (except for Public Works guys) got a short day, impossible to do much without power, phone or computers. How limited we are now – lol.

Nancy – the above should answer your questions. I understand Elkford got a bit hit and there is now snow on the Paulson and the Salmo Creston (just because I have to go to Cranbrook for Thursday afternoon and most of Friday). Sorry to hear you’ve had shingles twice, once is quite enough. I ended up with it on the inside of my fingers as a new mom and I couldn’t believe how painful it was. I was told that it is a hangover from the chicken pox that I had really badly as a child. Both of my kids had chicken pox a few times – evidently never had enough pox to build up an immunity.

JB – your garden is beautiful – made my day to see that gorgeous display of vegetables. And so neat – wow. No wonder your meals sound so good; having those vegetables must truly inspire your cooking. I love the flowers mixed in – are they marigolds to keep the slugs away?

Ellen – I had totally forgotten about leg warmers until you mentioned them. They probably looked a lot better as little girl sheaths than leg warmers anyway. I remember as a kid putting both legs in one pyjama leg, tucking the other one in and pretending we were mermaids. How’s that for a strange mental picture.

Liz – I used my very old fashioned Foreman for salmon tonight and it was great. I always sort of worried about getting it wet but now I run it under the hot water and use a brush and haven’t really had any issues with it. I did have a big one with the removable and reversible plates but gave it away. It was more work than I needed for just grilling. The little one I have holds 2 chicken breasts or one really large steak (which I don’t eat very often and it’s usually a really little bit of steak) and now I know it holds a very decent sized salmon filet. What are you reading?

Mary – that sit stand desk sounds really cool. I’m going to look them up online.

Cheryl – I stay away from Thai food as I too would scarf down the whole meal regardless of the amount of servings just because I love the flavours. So if you had calories left over, it couldn’t have been that bad….

Kate – sorry to hear about your boss (NOT). Good thing you didn’t know about the firing until after the gardening.

Glenda –I get the treadmill delivered tomorrow so I am excited. Really it’s for later in the winter when I only take the dogs out for a couple of short walks instead of what they really should have. That should be one of my goals – to get the dogs out for longer walks. My little next-door neighbour (well, not so little - she's 14 and much taller than me) walks them everyday for me as well but I’m sure they wouldn’t object to more time out. I understand your gift moment because after the storms and power outage etc. I was on my way to the next town to pick up meds for my dog and the sun broke through and everything was just golden for awhile. You can’t help but smile and marvel at the beauty. But I know I’m probably not going to feel quite as moved as I rake up the 17 or so bags from my huge maple tree. I swear it’s 3x the height of my house.

Amanda – yes the mammo is not pleasant but at least it is does serve a diagnostic purpose. Hope it’s not too uncomfortable and that the results are just fine.

Lynn – wow you certainly get to it when you decide to redecorate. I’m sure that will help with the sale.

Linda – good old Queenie also used to haul my sister and I out of the river by our bathing suits when we went swimming too. She was probably the best babysitter we ever had. And a wonderful temperament, but labs are like that. I hope I don’t feel the treadmill is a dreadmill too (I had a BowFlex that was mostly used as a ironing hanger because I hated it so much).

Thanks to all of you who wished me well with the cold. It’s dragging its feet going but I think I’m almost over it. I usually get one lousy cold or flu at the start of the winter then fine for the balance, so I hope this is it for this season.

I think I’ll take a hint from Liz and curl up with a blanket and my book. The book club choice was How to be a Woman by Caitlin Moran and I have to admit I’m struggling with it. I don’t disagree with the feminist sentiments whatsoever, but I’m having a real challenge with her strong language. And I’m really NOT a prude but it’s pretty rude.

Bye for now, hope everyone has a good sleep.
Lila

tiarapants

Good morning ladies

I thought I'd just pop in before I go off for my weekly therapy session. After that I'm going to visit mum in law in the nursing home, then visit one of my friends who is in the middle of another round of chemo for her breast cancer, followed by collecting my dad and taking him shopping. How nice it is to have a day off from work!

Not sure why, but I'm feeling leaden again today. It doesn't help that I have a bad split in my heel - I seem to get them every autumn when I change from summer shoes to boots. I slathered my feet in cream last night and slept with plastic bags on them covered with a pair of socks. It sounds mad, but my podiatrist cousin suggested it to me years ago and it does help.

I'd better get moving - lots to do!

Have a good day my lovelies.

Love to all.
Amanda x

janemartin02

Happy hump day!
had a great day with my grand daughter despite the wind.We pretended we were blowing away,went to the park,fed the seagulls and just had a great 3 hours.Gotta love grand kids.
Back to pt today,but my knitting group 1st.
hugs
jane m

DeeDee2211

Good morning beautiful ladies:flowerforyou:

Welcome to all the newbies:flowerforyou: , come in often and chat with us!!!

Jb Your garden is absolutely beautiful!!!

Cheryl Hope you`re feeling better:flowerforyou: !!! When I`m sick, the tought of food makes me sicker:sick: ! I too love Thai food!

M BIL sounds like a real slug . I have no words of wisdom for you though, that is a touchy situation to be in:frown: !!!!

Jolene Loved the Ode to a Mammogram and Lucky Dog! Thanks for sharing!!!

Ellen I remember the 80`s oh so well, such big hair and big shoulder pads I had:laugh: . I bet your girls looked so good in their leg warmer sheaths:laugh: !

Kate Woo hoo, no more quack grass taking over your mind!!!!

Nancy I love reading your posts, they make me laugh:laugh: !!! Hope the itchies are on the way out!!!!

Amanda Have a wonderful day off!!!

JaneMartin Sounds like you had lots of fun with your granddaughter!!!

I will get back hopefully today and respond to more, this is all I`m remembering at the moment:embarassed: !!!

When I got to my daughter`s house last night I found she had omitted to tell me the little one who is 6 was sick, fever and had been throwing up:sick: , she is a cranky little thing when she doesn`t feel good:devil: . I borrowed Kate`s description I called her little crankypants:laugh: , that did get a laugh out of her, however she was very clingy and wanted me to hold her and play games with her, which of course I did, and gave her lots of kisses! I was exhausted when I got home, ate a nasty frozen chile relleno for my dinner, and then went to bed!!! Of course this morning I feel kind of gross, now is that because I actually caught her bug, or is it because I have a 4pm meeting that turns into a dinner tonight and I really don`t want to go, :sick: or :devil: ? I guess I`ll just wait and see what progresses through the day.
Hope all you beauties have a fabulous day!!!! Drink your water:drinker: :drinker: :drinker: and log your food!!!!

Hugs,
DeeDee

mwheatcraft54

Good morning, everyone! Happy Hump Day. Nothing too new to report – decided to try to “reset” my mind re: my sister and her family, letting go – we’ll see. I also started getting up an hour earlier (well, not really, I’m usually up then anyway) to work out so can get an earlier start on the day in general. I have lots to do – have two costumes to make for the little one and some major house and yard work, so just need to add that extra time to my day.

JaneM, enjoy your time with your granddaughter! It is indeed precious.

Jolene, lol at the ode:laugh: .

Jude, Welcome and pull up a chair and sit a while (or run in place) – we’re a fun bunch:flowerforyou: . I work for home as a telecommuter, have for several years, but it started as an office job. My company has telecommuting jobs to start, but a lot of them involve traveling and specific degrees. What’s your background?

Cheryl, Hope you feel better soon. There’s some rule about when to rest and when to push on through – I’ll try to find the link for you.

Tekwriter, I agree with everyone else – the best bet is to stay busy (or even get out of the house). Crochet or knit, do cross-stitch or really any hobby, exercise(yes!), do not sit in front of the TV (stand or ride a bike/treadmill if you have one), don’t allow food in the TV room, have a hot drink. I fold laundry at night too – although I’m pretty efficient at it so it doesn’t use up a lot of time. When I first moved in with DH and his family they were all in the habit of eating before bed. In my house we had never done that – generally, it was dinner, occasionally a dessert and occasionally popcorn, but no snack before bed routine. They would actually eat something right before laying down. I couldn’t believe their stomachs didn’t explode. I can’t say what really did it other than lots of talking about how bad it is to eat right before bed, then not buying their “before bed” treats (if it’s not in the house, you can’t eat it, another idea), then having them brush their teeth after dinner . . . eventually they stopped. Good luck and let us know what works for you!

DeeDee, you enjoy your time with your granddaughters too! I’m so jealous.

Ellen, glad you enjoyed your Turkey Day (is it a turkey day in Canada too?) and that your FIL was able to enjoy himself. How fun doing 80s day! I lived it – and loved it. LOL about the leg warmers:laugh: .

JB, thanks for the pictures! It’s kind of like what I imagined. What is growing on the vine trellis towards the back? It appears you’re doing mainly square-foot plots, yes? I have the book and try to follow it. A few years ago I decided I really wanted my garden to look like Meryl Streep’s in “It’s Complicated” – she had a beautiful garden (even if totally fake), so I outlined my big squares in timbers and put in stone pathways with a row of blueberry bushes randomly on one side. I’ll try to rummage up the pics at some point. I put up a fence this year because the deer were eating all the plants down to nubbins:grumble: , and I’m slowly investing in the metal poles recommended in the SFG book. We had a terrible tomato crop this year – my neighbor said his was bad too:frown: . I have marigolds that came up as volunteers this year – I just left them and by the end it looked like I was primarily growing marigolds . Might have to rethink that next year . We’ve been inundated with stink bugs this year – I’m hoping for a better year next year.

Jolene, that story made my cry, whether it’s true or not .

Kate, I have a question for you, and it’s just food for thought: if your goal is “To look down and only see my bust and not my Buddha belly sticking out beneath,” are you doing anything to accomplish that? Gardening is good (the getting up and down is good for the abs). If you have time and ability, maybe you can try to add some ab exercises too? It will help a lot in shrinking that belly, as will cutting out some carbs if possible. Ooh, I just saw –hallelujah, you’re free:drinker: :drinker: :drinker: !!! Yay for you!

Cheryl, Ooh, I love Thai food . Hopefully you made your Thai dish as a light dish and can fill up on healthy calories. You’ll be fine.

Mary, I’ve heard that about the fitbit, that it doesn’t track exercise very well:ohwell: . You might try a heart rate monitor to see how many calories you’re burning. I imagine it’s not a lot – I know generally something like yoga only burns a couple hundred calories/hour, so I guess Tai Chi is similar. Bike ride on a bicycle? Sounds fun! We don’t have room on the tiny, windy roads in my neighborhood for bike riding – have to load the bikes on the car and drive to a place where we can ride.

Liz, I’m really impressed with your volunteer days:flowerforyou: . They sound like a lot of fun.

Nancy, is that a new picture? You look mahvelous:flowerforyou: !!! Yay for the smaller shirts – and occasional board meetings! I LOLed about doing your son a favor:laugh: . My sister – she’s not one to complain (honestly, she’s a saint). However, I do know she hits her tipping point occasionally, lately more often than not. There’s only so much she can bear, right, and I think that may be part of why it’s bugging me so much. I honestly think she deserves a great life. Does she think she has a great life? She’s pretty complacent about hers, so I guess she’s OK.

Lila, Add a cup of tea to the blanket and book:sick: . The book doesn’t sound like it would be my cup of tea either – I’m OK with feminist ideals to a degree – but not radical by any means. I wonder why she felt the need to use strong language?

Amanda, therapy – physical? Hope recovery is going well. And what a busy day for a day off! You’re a great daughter for making it all about the parents and ailing friends. Ouchie on the split heel:frown: ! Yes, do keep some good salve on it. Those things can take forever to heal (no pun intended) .

DeeDee, Oh no! Poor crankypants granddaughter. I sure hope you didn’t catch her bug, but it sounds like you may have.

Well, I’m off to another con-call – yay. I hope everyone enjoys their day with less wind and more sun.

Cheers,

M.