Definitely looks like a great copy of parts of Southwest Texas and parts of New Mexico. No wonder they use Canada to make "Westerns" set in Texas.

__________________
Judy
highest = 180, goal = 140
Every single time I put food in my mouth, it matters. No more fooling myself!

Peg, what a whirlwind. Whew, back and an offer.... That's a big contingency, IMO, especially if it's one of many. Big decision.

Shell, bless you for helping out the baby Martin. I'm glad your little flock has you to look after them. You just do what you need to do, sweetie, otherwise.

Donna, that's striking country! No wonder you don't want to move to a larger city, with such views. Thanks for sharing! So was that picture taken from the road that you drive in winter, the one that's so dangerous?

Judy, Olivia Grace! That sounds so lovely, doesn't it. Please remind me if Grace was your Mom's name? I think I remember that one or both of the middle names was a family name....CRS, sorry. Sharing your Mom's diamonds is absolutely lovely. They will be treasured for years to come. Can't imagine a better gift for Olivia Grace's Mom, either, on the day of her arrival. I really love that your family has so many keepsakes, in addition to starting new family traditions. I'm especially sentimental, I suppose, because I have so few of either (keepsakes or traditions).

I remember your son was considering a job change--the young are brave, aren't they! I know he'll do well.
_____________________

__________________
BC
LC Since 1998
Highest Weight 172
Current 104-108

Bright and early! Well, actually DARK and early. This is my day for brekkie first, workout next. I bought a tub of Sportpharma whey protein chocolate flavor at Costco the other day, and used a scoop of that in my OMM. Not bad--and twice the volume of the plain muffin. I have always liked the vanilla flavor whey protein for cereal, and thought the chocolate would be all right for a low-cal protein shake at lunch. As a shake, it's not a fabulous taste. But I'll drink it anyway. I have a lot of it now!

Donna, that is the Wild West! Only just a little north of the border. I can only imagine how the heat must sizzle off those rocks. Stay cool.

Same for everyone in the heat wave.

Judy, I'm so glad you got your new A/C up and running. The diamond distribution sounds lovely.

Peg, fingers crossed on the condo. I know you have to balance your desire to be out of there with the "impossible-ness" of some contingencies.

Alida, aaargh on the basement thing. Years ago, we had some sort of trench and shunts put in on the south wall of the basement to redirect a leak from cracks. Later, we had steel and concrete supports installed in the north wall. It was expensive, but the guy from the May Company did a good job. The house is still standing, and not leaking. Much. It's always something.

Judy, the CPAP business is on the upswing, I'll bet. Apnea is frequently (but not exclusively) a consequence of obesity, and with obesity on the upswing, voila--big business in breathing machines. CPAP machines are a lifesaver for anyone who needs one, so I hope your DH does well with the new assignment. I think that is pronounced "see-pap"? Stands for....?

The only keepsake I have from my grandmother is a pearl ring. When I was a little girl, I said, "Grandma, when you die can I have that?" Duh. Well, I didn't remember that, but she did. The pearl was liberated from an oyster in Japan by my parents--one of those "pick an oyster and see what's in it" deals--and given to my grandmother (dad's mom) by them. It isn't a perfect pearl at all, but I do love it for obvious sentimental reasons.

Enough stories. I'll sign on again once I'm at the office. Stay out of the blazing sunshine, ladies.

__________________
Barb L.
Atkins since Jan 2003
Maintenance as of 4/05


My Fitday Journal

Good morning!

I have to keep this short. Tomorrow morning the new owner is coming by with a gal who may be interested in buying the Etchlike dealership. Since all the Etchlike stuff is still at my house, I have to CLEAN!

Hmmm. Etchlike has been my baby for so long. Even if she was a bit neglected, I still have a soft spot for her. But truth be told, I will be glad not to do those installs any more ... or to hassle over design ideas. The decorative led business will go with it. Sigh. So many changes!

Barb, good luck with the car. I hope the offer will be a fair one! MORE rain predicted this weekend? Oh no. At least we have a new sump pump installed. Son Paul installed it. He also fixed that guttering in the back. Now I have this long stretch of WHITE gutter along a BROWN fence. when I questioned Bob about it, he did say brown was a color option for the gutter. SIGH. Guess what won't be painted for eons? Shut up Alida. At least it's fixed.

Peg, Good news on the offer! That was quick! But contingencies? Move out by August? Exactly WHEN is your preferred "move-out" date? You can counter-offer!

Judy, the earrings sound lovely! What a treasure for your family. And Olivia Grace is such a pretty name!

I have a friend (actually, an old boyfriend) who has sleep apnea and uses one of those machines. The only thing I remember him telling me was that he would never use it when, um, "entertaining" at night (he's single)!

Brenda, you sound busy!

Shelley, (((Hugs))) along with a (((Sigh))) for your busy work schedule. And bless you for saving the baby martin! Although I am thinking ... isn't it kinda late for babies? Maybe Martins have several hatchings? Or perhaps they are just late bloomers!

Donna, LOL. How much "warmer" can you go? 105 sounds impossibly HOT. And the picture is beautiful! What a fantastic view. (You are really getting the hang of posting pictures now)!

Teel and Rachel: What's happening? Rachel, I do hope your summer cold is history by now!

----------------------

To fix basement cracks only is now down to $1,200. Too much $$. I am so busy, I have to leave this to DH.

Buddy is taking a turn for the worse. I have to try to get him to the vet ASAP. But when????? What makes it so difficult is that he is very hard to catch and put in his carrier. SIGH.

That's it for the day. Have a good one! XXOO

__________________
Alida
5'1" ~ 59 years old
Highest weight: 165
Atkins 7/10/2004
160/126/125
RE-DO, January 2008:
167/162/135

Hi Gang!

Well, here's the deal. Buyers want to move in Sept 1st because they are renting now and want THIS condo to buy. They didn't give us a formal offer on price, but a "proposal" that: this will put 5K on deposit to go back to them at the close of escrow, or to us if it falls through; rent from us for 1800. until the close of escrow or 6 months guaranteed; contingent on their house selling. Their house in another State will sell for a whopping price (twice as much as we are asking for our condo!). They have two VERY interested buyers. One is a cash sale, if it goes through.

We're answering with: We will accept the contingencies if they come in at full price or very, very near full price.

Dh and I are pretty stunned because it moves up our moving date by about two months. He was awake worrying about where we will live. I was awake worrying about what we will live with for 6 months and what we will store! We can rent an apt. out there, no problem. His worrying is unusual. He is usually a very laid back kind of guy. Personally, I think it's kind of exciting.

Alida: Oh, I am sure that you are sorry to see the business that you have been SO good at go to someone else! Peace to you my sista! And, so glad that your ds got that leak fixed. Helps to have relatives that know what they are doing, huh? If dh picks up a tool, I run to see what he's going to use it on. Usually it's totally wrong! He has other wonderful characteristics, but he is basically not coordinated.

Barb: You are sounding chipper this morning. Glad to hear about the car. Hope you sell it for what you want. I think that driving in a convertible at any time of year if cool! I rented one last summer in Ca, remember? I loved it!

Shelley: Hey! Whatever works for you, sista! I lost a ton on WW years ago. In fact, I am a lifetime member. I've gone back to it over and over before I started Atkins. It think it is a good sensible program. But, just like me on Atkins, me on WW is the same: I'm a cheater. For some reason, I am better able to convince myself on Atkins that this is a lifestyle and not a diet. Go figure! When I really let myself think about it I think it's an excuse to cheat. Sigh. But, you go, girl. I'm right here to cheer you on. Just don't make yourself scarce on this thread, okay?? We're about more than food here, right?

Hey Donna! So, that's what it looks like? Reminds me a little of the wilds of Ontario crossing it on the Queen's Highway from New York to Detroit. I did that many times when I was in Seminary in New York and lived in Ann Arbor, MI. Good-o on figuring out how to post a pic! Now, let's see more of your life!

Judy: Olivia Grace! What a perfect name! For me (and for you too, I know) "Grace" has a double meaning. It sounds lovely, and it means that she is a special gift to the world. Of course, every life is, but "Grace" affirms it doesn't it?

I went on the Simplicity site to look for a costume for dgd and found the very one that she wanted: Ariel's wedding gown! And, just after I had talked her out of it because I couldn't find it anywhere! Of course it had to be one of the patterns that you can't order online, but I have the number and that is wonderful. I also found a bunch of other ones that will work. Thanks so much for that site!!

Bren: What're ya doin' today?

Rach: I hope that you are feeling better today. And, good-o on moving your room. I've done that too, and it feels so much better to be comfortable instead of suffering for the sake of the hotel employees! (Not that YOU would do that, but I HAVE, sigh)

Terry: I keep thinking about that wonderful garden tour of your HOA. Who put that together and who coordinated it? Such a good idea!! Do you have a manager on site? We don't. We have a Board, who, for the first time since we have moved here, is actually active volunteering to do stuff around here. But, since dh and I gave up trying to have socials for the complex, there hasn't been any kind of organized effort.

Well, I gotta go and clean up, start calling moving companies for estimates and map out a curriculum for tonight's class. Getting my hair "done" this afternoon, yay! I'll be BLOND again like in my picture. Last time she touched up the roots with the red color. It definitely dulled the effect of the blond. Can't have that if I'm going to CA soon!

Peace, Peg

__________________
"Live the questions and some day you will live along into the answers."
Rainer Marie Rilke

Atkins since 2003
5'8" 206.4/197/175
64-3/4 years young

Mornin' ladies. It's overcast here which will just hold the heat in. It would be so nice to see some rain. It's been over 2 months now since there's been a drop. Everytime the weatherman says it's going to storm, it clouds over and goes right around us. That's what I get for living in this part of the country.

Brenda: No, that picture is actually where we have our store. We live in Ashcroft but work in Cache Creek. I'll try and find a picture/postcard of Ashcroft and post it too. Of course, not all of BC looks like this. This is the only desert area, the rest of the province is dense forest and just gorgeous.

Peg: Good to have you back. And woo hoo on the "maybe" sale. I had a feeling it wouldn't take long to sell. I mean, who wouldn't want a place on the lake?

Alida: You are soooo busy. I miss your long newsy posts, and I'm sure I'm not alone. You have so much on your plate right now...can't dh help and at least take Buddy to the vet? Listen to me....I'm a great one to talk when my dh doesn't help with things like that either.

Judy: What a gorgeous name for your dgd. And making earings from your mother's jewellery is a wonderful idea. Maybe that's something I should consider with my mom's wedding rings. Not so sure I would want my dd to get her hands on something like that right now though.

Rachel:? Missing you again, girl. Hope you're feeling better now.

Shelley: Busy week for you too. Hope you're able to get some time for yourself and do your walking with your tunes. I'm still hanging in there with my walking, although I haven't seen a drop in the scales yet. It will come, I'm sure.

Guess I should get some work done around here before the temperatures start to soar. Supposed to be record highs this weekend...just what we needed for an outside wedding.

__________________
Donna
238.5/166.4/150
I will see my goal weight again!

Peg, I'm not going to try to sort out all those contingencies. But you can ask Rachel about how to live without your stuff for indefinite periods of time. Hope it all works out. Well, I know it will.

When I picked up my keys from the carwash guy this morning (the car looks so gorgeous I'm tempted to ikeep it!) I mentioned that I was planning to sell it. He said lots of people are trading down their SUVs for good sedans, and this one should be in big demand. So...I'm going to keep top dollar in mind this afternoon, and also be brave about trying to sell it myself if I have to.

Now...my leftovers lunch.

P. S. Weight Watcher members: what would be my WW "goal weight" at the age of 60, height of 63 inches? I'm a "lifetime member" since the invention of dirt, and wondered if I could qualify to attend free meetings at my office, if I should choose to do so for inspiration.

__________________
Barb L.
Atkins since Jan 2003
Maintenance as of 4/05


My Fitday Journal

Hi guys,
It's 106 degrees here at the moment....UGHHHH!!! We are under every *alert* you can imagine...watering ban, red flag fire alert, clean air alert....goodness. We are forecasted for this miserable heat until Saturday....then, MAYBE a break.
A 72 inch water main broke due to the hard and shifting ground; it was about 30 yards from my friends house. It is a total mess; her yard got flooded, and water came in her garage, nearly in the house, and almost submerged her airconditoner outside. Obviously enough damage to make her AC go out today...can you imagine? So now they have NO water, and NO AC. They are going to get a motel room tonight so they can at least shower and get a good, cool night's sleep.

Barb...WW *weight ranges* for someone 63 inches are 113 lbs minimum, and 141 lbs maximum. Big range there...LOL. I'd say you could slide on into a meeting with no worries

Alida...so glad to hear you got the basement mess under control. Bless Paul's heart.
Hope you never have to worry with that kind of disaster again...ugh!
How's Bob feeling? Hope he's getting stronger each day.
On the baby martins...the adults spend the first 2 months they are here, courting and nest building.(Apr and May). Then, usually they lay their eggs in June and the babies hatch out the end of June/early July; then fledge by mid to end of July. Then, they start migrating back to South America in the next 1-2 weeks. Usually by the first week in August, they are gone :(
Then we have to await their return in the early spring, around the 2nd week or so in March. They migrate back to the place they nested the year before, so we're hoping we'll get a big flock for next year. They are the most entertaining of all birds, IMO.


Bren...what up? Are you painting your little heart out? The thought of painting right now with this heat does NOT appeal to me. We usually open some windows to let the house *air out* when we paint, but I'm pretty sure I'd melt into a puddle if I had to do that right now. Hope it's going smoothly for ya!

Peg...wowzers! Again, the thought of moving during this heat wave exhausts me! OYE! Were there any more offers that were *doable*? I guess a person could get packed and moved that quick, but it would make me spastic I think...har! Good luck, darlin'!

Judy...lovely idea on the diamond distribution...well done! My grandmother B's first name was Grace. It would've been my middle name, but a girl cousin born a month before me, got it as her middle name. Oh well...that's how grace goes

Rach...yeah, are ya feelin' better? Inquiring minds want to know LOL. Hope you are much improved and back in the swing of things.

Donna...thanks for the peek at your part of the world. I wouldn't have thought that kind of terrain would be in Canada, but what do I know...obviously not alot! LOL! We have some similiar looking country here in SW Oklahoma, and boy do they get the hot weather. One of our SW towns made it up to 112 today! To hot!!

Teel...where are you and whatcha doin'? Hope you are well. I'm curious with the heat waves you have, do you have to do anything special to your pond? I would think maybe you'd have to add more water, or do you have something automatic that refills the pond if it goes below a certain level? Right now, being a pond dweller is sounding kinda nice to me! har!

We got our confirmation letter in the mail today for our cabin in the mountains...yay! I wish I could leave tomorrow! They are having a heat wave there as well, but *heat wave* there is in the 90's; still better than down here in the lowlands!

I had to take my new eyeglasses back. A small defect like chip appeared on both lenses...grrrrr! They are remaking them. Always something...don't we all know that!

I may get to be off tomorrow; right now, I'm on call, so I'll just keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best.

OK...a load of laundry needs to go in the dryer and another in the wash. Then I promised DH I'd help him lower the martin house and *evict* some nasty starlings that are trying to build a nest...aarrgghh!

Stay cool everyone and definitely stay hydrated!

later, chickadees!
(((hugs)))
Shelley

__________________
~~~~
Shelley
~~~~

Visit Kassie's Korner



Life deserves a treat now and again, but life also deserves being healthy[with required disipline] to make it worth living!

Gosh, Shelley - just today the eye doc's office informed me that my new glasses will have to be remade for the third time. That takes 1.5 weeks, but they asked the lab to expedite it, so I do hope I get them before I go to Canada. They have matching clip-ons that attach with convenient magnets, so I'm really missing them in this summer sunshine. My only other usable pair
with matching clip-ons has an older Rx that doesn't correct my astigmatism as well and they are also hard on the eyes for reading very long.

You asked about the pond. It's water is warm, but it seems to stay in a safe zone. It is shaded by a japanese elm in the afternoon and I've got a lot of lilies and other water plants that block the morning sun. Still, I need to add 1 to 2 inches of cool water to it every few days.

We are having a prolonged heat wave also. It's unusual for a heatwave to go more than 3 or 4 days due to the influence of the marine layer. But, somebody turned off the marine layer so we are sweltering. Still, it cools off at night, so I won't complain.

I'm going to go and see about re-sizing some of my photos from our long weekend in the mountains. I hope to post a few a little later.

__________________
~~~Teelbee
Back to GOAL!!!
start weight: 176/goal range: 137-134/now: 138
Reached goal in Aug. 2003 - 4rd year of maintenance.

Good morning, everyone. Can we agree that global warming is a REAL problem? I wish Congress would quit messing around with stupid stuff like flag burning and gay marriage and get on with forcing people and car producers to end our dependency on fossil fuels. AS IF. End of political message.

My own attempt to reduce fuel consumption (and other expenses) by selling a vehicle isn't over yet. Marty at Mazda couldn't give me enough money for my car, and explained why. He also gave me a lesson in Car Selling 101--really good pointers for advertising and dealing on my own. So...I'm going to do that. About time I did some grown-up stuff.

And speaking of grown-up stuff, I have to admit that recent insights here from the world of motherhood (except for Judy and the joy of being a grandmother) don't exactly make me regret that I never had children. I know, I know. Mostly we're here to get comfort for the tough times. But I also know how it is with parents: you get to feel guilty when your kids have trouble, but you don't get to take credit when they succeed. Strange, isn't it?? Well, hang in there, moms. Somehow life goes on.

Teel and Shelley--what's with the faulty glasses thing? Eyewear doesn't seem like the world's most complicated technology. What a hassle.

Donna, Peg, Rachel, Alida...hope today will be hassle-free for you. I'll be back later to find out.

__________________
Barb L.
Atkins since Jan 2003
Maintenance as of 4/05


My Fitday Journal

Happy Anniversary Barb!!!
Celebrate BIG!!!



Back later to chat...off to the grocery before it gets to be 100 degrees!!! ugh!!


S.

__________________
~~~~
Shelley
~~~~

Visit Kassie's Korner



Life deserves a treat now and again, but life also deserves being healthy[with required disipline] to make it worth living!

Shelley: Looks like you got the day off....how wonderful. Enjoy, you deserve it.

Barb: Happy Anniversary. Special dinner tonight?

Terry: When do you head over to Victoria? It's super hot here right now, but I think it's much cooler on the Island with all the water surrounding it. Tomorrow it's supposed to hit 112 here....wonder how many kids will be trying to cook eggs on the sidewalks?

Looks like everyone is busy trying to stay cool..me included. Takes a long time to water everything at night ....you can almost hear the poor plants slurping up the water.

The scale finally decided to be nice to me and drop 1 pound. I think the walking is finally starting to work. Funny thing is that my abs are so sore! I must be holding my stomach in while I walk, which is a good thing I guess. Might be a challenge to walk in the heat tonight, but I'll stick with it.

Off to work now....I might be able to pop back in later and see how everyone is.

__________________
Donna
238.5/166.4/150
I will see my goal weight again!

Morning girls............. Global warming??? We have something past that.... temp today is supposed to be around 103. The heat index will be about 107. There is a max amount of humidity that can be in the air when you get to about 100. We have that, too. Again, I'm thankful for the new air conditioning and it's ability to keep the humidity inside at a comfortable level.
~~~~~~~~~
Barb, Good luck with the car sale. We have sold four different vehicles in the last year. Don't be discouraged if you don't get calls immediately. I promise you will be able to sell your car and you should be able to get what you want from it. Heck, two or three weeks ago we sold my dad's 1995 Buick Electra Park Avenue Ultra for $5000. You just have to wait for the right person.

Shelley and Terry --- So sorry about your glasses. Thank heavens I can only remember one time that I had an issue with new lenses. They actually rotated the lens when it was cut. No wonder I couldn't see! Now, contacts.......... that's a totally different story.

Alida, How's Bob? I'll bet he is feeling much stronger with the improved blood flow.

Peg, Did the potential new owners accept you counter offer? When does your interim position end? Will you have to move before you both finish your summer jobs?

Donna. How about the plumbing at your place? Has the boss fixed it yet?

Brenda and Rachel ...... miss you both.
~~~~~~~~~
Today I'm going to be a lady who "lunches". I'm meeting a friend, then if I can stand the heat, I may do some shopping. Key factor in that statement is "if I can stand the heat." If it's too awful, I'll just come home and do the same thing I've done for the last few days --- read and sew.

__________________
Judy
highest = 180, goal = 140
Every single time I put food in my mouth, it matters. No more fooling myself!

How are you all doing? So far this summer, we finished one high school and two elementary school with our bar-coding project. We started a new elementary school yesterday. I generally get up betweem 3:30 and 4:30 am, drive 37 miles to swim, then work at the school for about 8 hours, then head home. In the free time I have, I have been working on a mosaic glass project for my DD. I have been covering a glass bowl that is 13" across and three inches deep. I attached pictures. The one with the design (#40) is the inside and the more random picture (#39) is the outside.

I hope you are all doing well. Crazy weather out here, but I'm sure Brenda has been updating you.

Take care.

Attached Thumbnails

   

__________________
Ilse

380/286(current)/154
5'6"
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible"
Walt Disney

Very pretty project Ilse!

Some days ---- like last week, shopping su@ked. Today was a good day............ 2 CUTE sweaters, a jacket, a pair of panties from Vic's Secret and a Brighton bracelet for only $28.00 out of pocket. (Ok, I confess to having a $25.00 gift cert to use on a big part of the bracelet.) Not a bad score as I see it.

Oh yeah....... I got a big bottle of contact lens solution, too. Still only $28 spent.

__________________
Judy
highest = 180, goal = 140
Every single time I put food in my mouth, it matters. No more fooling myself!