Thread: April Tracking

Sunday morning. Planning to go see my dad this afternoon--it's been weeks. The last time I saw him in person was the day the doc told me Larry was probably not going to make it, so that was quite an emotional conversation. I think today we'll just go to the Wal-Mart.

Saturday was a good day. I enjoyed my workouts, then did a few errands, and puttered around the house. Things stay fairly tidy when it's mainly just me, especially in the kitchen. It's still frustrating for me to watch him eating and moving far too little. It's a kind of chicken-and-egg situation: he can't/won't do helpful things because he feels crappy--and he feels crappy because he can't/won't do helpful things. I'm sure those of you who have been in his situation can appreciate the dilemma. I'm trying to stay out of it, and be supportive at the same time.

Donna, I hope things continue to go well for your dd. I know what a heartache that is for you, going on for a long, long time.

Peg, it's hard for me to imagine what it's like to live with chronic pain and fatigue. It takes a lot of courage, and you show that consistently here. Dh hasn't mentioned alcohol at all, and in his current condition, previous rituals or habits seem only remotely relevant. Time will tell.

You're all in my thoughts and prayers daily.

Hi guys,
I'll try and jump back in here. Had a few bad days...ack! Work was intense last week, then with this horrid weather, I'm thinking I may have had the onset of SAD. I've never really been one to be affected by the weather that much, but this past week made me want to hibernate away from everything LOL!
The sun is shining this morning, and I've already been grocery shopping and I'm thinking a walk will be on tap for after lunch(d@mn the heel of course!)

Peg...about your 3x5 card topic...since I have a grandson that plays(played) little league it concerns me also about how at such a young age these kids are nearly brainwashed to have *killer* instincts, competition wise. My dgs ASKED his mom to drop little league(he wanted to do karate, which is the activity he's in now). Luckily, the coaches he had when he played ball were NOT the *macho man* type. It's a shame that your dgs coach isn't emphazing TEAMWORK instead of TEAM PRESSURE. When it stops being fun for the kids, that's when it's time to step back and look at another sport or activity, IMO. If the only thing that's drilled into these kid's heads is winning, they will grow to hate the sport in a hurry. I think someone should tell that to the coach! EOR!(end of rant)

Bren...Glad to hear your weather is not to bad. I think the east coast is getting the BIG WEATHER this week end...a nor'easter, I heard. How was your dinner date???
I think we may do our dinner date tonight; if not tonight, then tomorrow night for sure.

Judy...did you guys get by with no storm damage, I hope? I got a chuckle out of Lexie being a scaredy cat. Our border collie was the same way...he would just about shake in his boots when it stormed. We would let him stay in the garage when it was BIG WEATHER. I was trying to oust him after a storm and I guess he didn't think it was really over, and he barred his teeth and growled and snapped at me! The only time he really scared me; I thought I was surely going to get bit. Needless to say, he made his point...he got to stay in the garage a few hours longer

Barb...hope things are getting back to a little more *normal* for you. Hopefully Larry will *turn the corner* soon, and get some energy back. You are right though about his *chicken and egg* dilema. The more he can do for himself the better, especially in the moving/ambulating area. As you know, with muscles...if ya don't use 'em, ya lose 'em. Still sending good thoughts and vibes to KC!

Alida...hope you are feeling better. Don't think twice about staying home on Monday either! You certainly don't need a relapse. Glad you were able to get some meds for your hip and back. A painless night's sleep is something we take for granted sometimes, I think.

Donna...hope you are having a good weekend with your baseball buddies. You are entering your *busy* season, with yard work, ball games and such. Have fun!

Nita...what's up for you this weekend? Hope it's something fun!

Heather...busy as always, I'm sure. Hopefully, you guys will get some spring weather before long. Bet your kiddos are ready for some outdoor play time

Teel, Rach, Bert...missing you all! As always, hope you all are well.

No particular plans for us today. I'll probably take a walk, as I mentioned, then do some housey *stuff*, iron some scrubs, etc. I'm working Monday and Tuesday this week. Later in the week, I will probably go shopping for some summer clothes for dgs. DD said he's about to outgrow everything! He's in the *beanpole* stage...LOL...all legs and skinny! Hopefully he'll not have to deal with weight issues when he's grown.
Food is not high on his priority list...he would rather play or read. Now, if I could just take a few lessons from him on that...LOL.

Have a good one, everyone!
(((hugs to all!)))

Hi guys, I'm going to just stop in quick and then take a nap. Had 13 little kids (2&3 year old Sunday school class) for over an hour and 1/2. They were pretty good but still wore me out. So thankful to be apart of their lives just a bit each week helping teach what is so important to me.

The birthday party last night went wonderful! The kids had a great time and I got to spend time with people from my church. My DH said everyone was nice and wouldn't mind seeing them again. He was so angry before we got there because I think he was afraid everyone would preach at him.

Tonight I'll try to stop back in but DH has some TV shows we recorded we're going to get caught up on. Scrubs, The Office, and new Stargate episodes. Sundays he has promised just us and says he'll go to bed with me this night. We don't usually go to bed the same time because he is a night owl and I'm early to rise type so this will be nice.

• We are safely back from Dallas.......DH is home
• All family members in Dallas (which includes both the north and east of the city) had tornado warnings and had to "take shelter" on Friday.
• The storms didn't get to me until about 11:00 PM.... Lexie and I managed with no problems. Actually I was so tired that I just rolled over and went back to sleep during all the thunder. Lexie did some closet hiding and bed sleeping to handle her fears.
• No damage for any of us
• And tomorrow............we're off again.

Peg: Interesting topic. I've raised 3 boys and sometimes it just doesn't matter how you decide to raise them..they will either do what they want or they have to go with the flow. I "knew" somehow that my ds would be a big boy. By grade 5 is he was almost 6 feet tall. I think there is nothing nicer than a big, gentle man and that's how he was raised. He was taught to hold doors open for women, to use his manners, and treat women with respect. Also, I hate to see men fist fight and taught him that. Don't get he wrong...he was no wimp. He also excelled in sports....basketball, baseball, karate, bmx bikeriding etc. But, because he was the biggest kid in the class, all the bullies wanted to fight him to prove they were tougher. I got so bad that they were hiding in spots and jumped my ds on the way home from school. And, when he came home with a split lip, and broken glasses.....he blamed me, cause I taught him not to fight. (I never said not to defend yourself). So, it's a tough world out there and like I said, all we can do is guide our kids in the right direction and hope they listen.

Barb: Your dh has been through so much. Are you sure he isn't depressed and that's why he won't eat or try to get any exercise? I'm sure glad that you are able to get out and get some respite from it all.

Judy: Glad to hear that you weathered all the storms. Bet, Peg would have loved to hear the thunderboomers.

Brenda: Thanks for the info on the mp3 players. I'm beginning to think it's all above me. I know a young fellow who's dad is on our ballteam and I think I just might take it to him and have him show me what to do. Maybe my old walkman wasn't so bad after all?

Heather: Love the little smilies you have in your posts. Nice that the party went so well.

Alida: Feeling better? Sure hope so. Back to work tomorrow or are you taking another day off?

Shelley: Two days work for you too....hope the weather is okay for you.

****
Well, it was a busy weekend for me. We went into town on Saturday and went to the Home and Garden Show. It wasn't what we were hoping for and we were disappointed. But, I did manage to buy a new dog brush that gets wayyyy deep down into the fur and gets rid of all the thick winter fur. Maybe there won't be so much fur around the house now. There were a couple of booths set up with pet foods and both wanted to give away free samples. It was sad to see them both running each other down by saying they sold "bad" food. Best to just stay away from them both.

Then we went to our team potluck. I managed to stay away from the pasta salad and the other things that weren't on my woe. But...well, at lunchtime we were starving so the only thing to have was a hot dog or hamburger. I had a hamburger and no...I didn't throw away the bun. Then for supper...yup...hamburgers again. *sigh* no, I didn't throw away the bun. Saturday morning I weighed in at 159.5 and this morning...162. I've been really careful today so maybe it will be gone tomorrow? I'm sure it's water cause my hands are swollen.

I took the scrapbook to the potluck and it was so much fun to watch everyone take turns looking at the pages and laughing at some of the things I had done. Then afterwards all the women wanted to know where I come up with ideas and how they could get started too. I guess the time I spent on it was well spent.

Today, after doing housework, I got back to staining the fence. One more section in the backyard finished. I'm pretty sure I'll sleep well tonight cause I'm pooped! Just two big gates to do and the backyard is finished. Then it's on the frontyard where I only have the other sides of the gates and a fence down one side and then my wishingwell. It's going to take awhile though cause dh starts playing all starting Monday so it means two nights a week we have to drive to town starting tomorrow.

Dd is doing good...so far. She went back to work on Friday after more than 2 weeks off. Poor girl was so nervous. She didn't know what to say to her regular customers so I told her it was none of their business. Just joke with them. So...when they asked where she had been she told them she heard they had won the lottery and she was home packing waiting for them to pick her up. It worked and she had a good night. I also took some films in to be developed and there was pictures in there that she had taken....one of them is when she was drinking and she looks just awful....and then there is one I took on her birthday and she looks gorgeous. Maybe that will give her some more incentive not to drink.

Okay...this is turning into a book. But, seeing as it's the Stanley Cup Hockey Playoffs on tv...it doesn't look like I'll be watching Desperate Housewives tonight. Back to my book....talk to you all tomorrow.

Happy Monday everyone. That's putting a cheerful spin on it. I'm going to try to resume something like a "normal" schedule this week. But nothing feels normal. Donna, I'm quite sure that dh IS suffering from clinical depression, and has been for many years. In the past, I've secretly asked his doc about prescribing anti-depressants, but the patient's self-reports didn't support MY reports, and I don't suppose the doctor could ethically prescribe something for a situation not in evidence. Argh. I asked the doc about this again while dh was in the hospital. Right now, because of the liver damage, they're reluctant to add medications to his system--it would be hard to predict the effects, and possible toxicity. So...the vicious circle continues.

I got up way early this morning--waked up by a restless dh and a noisy cat. The cat got tossed in the basement, but I took pity on dh and let him have the bed all to himself. I knew I wouldn't be going back to sleep, so I went to my workout room and walked three miles with Leslie Sansone. Not quite the same as sleep, but beneficial anyway.

I had a good visit with my dad yesterday. The lady at the Wal-Mart nail salon gave him a leg massage that looked like heaven. I'm thinking it's time for me to call my massage person for the full-body treatment.

Back later to see what's up. Or who. Take care, my dears.

It's gotta be Monday! My day just isn't going well...yet. Last Thursday I told the boss that the cartridge in the fax was running out and it wouldn't make it through the weekend. He argued. I got in this morning to a fax machine full of faxes....all blank pages. This isn't just a couple of faxes....50 or more. Now I have to figure out who sent them and get them to resend them. Arggghhhh. I have to say he took my screaming like a man and left for town with his tail between his legs. Plus....I get a morning without him!

The scale was definitely unkind to me this morning. My fault entirely. I'll blame the hamburger (with bun) that I had the lunch on Saturday and add to that the hamburger (with bun) that I had for dinner on Saturday. Not good choices, but I thought it would be better today....not enough water I guess. I'll see what happens tomorrow.

Tonight will be our first ballgame in town. It's cloudy, cold and windy. Figures! Maybe I'll just sit in the car and they can keep score for themselves. I sure hate to be cold!!

Barb: I can understand the dr. not wanting to give Larry anti-depressants without him knowing. Surely, there would be something he could give him now? But, then with everything going through the liver it could do more damage. What about a shot? Poor guy...going through so much....and you...going through even more. (((hugs)))

Peg: Have fun in the desert. (oops, typed dessert first time

I saw on the news that the weather in parts of the states is just terrible! Just getting hammered. Hope none of you are getting much of it.

Just about lunchtime so I've gotta go. Just wanted to say HI.

Been AWOL a few days. I took Friday afternoon off to clean house. I had already scheduled the time off, thinking ds & family would be coming to spend the night, but they changed their plans, came Saturday a.m. early. But I got the cleaning out of the way.

I had a very nice visit with my dil and dgd Saturday. Dh & ds went to a hamfest together. We found out that ds & dil have been approached about adopting a baby boy, by the grandparents who have custody of him. His mom is a drug addict, the baby was taken away from her. He's 2 months now, and so far no major health problems have cropped up, other than stiff legs. They are mulling it over. Ds told dh that they are thinking about it. From what dil said, it sounds as though her heart is set on it. She was talking about buying a crib, and if there is a baby shower, getting lots of diapers. They are considering fostering the child first, and putting aside the funds they would get from the state to put toward the adoption cost. She is concerned about her age - she's in her early 40s. I don't think age matters, if you have the energy to raise a child, and you are a good parent, then what does age matter?

Sunday we just chilled out, got caught up on some chores, got my flowers potted and on the porch. The black walnut tree next door has new leaves, so that is an indication (at least, according to my neighbor) that it's safe to plant tender items because spring is officially here.

On that Google Map thing, if you do it in reverse, London to NY, they route you via France! Oooh La La!

After catching up on all your posts, I find I do not have time to respond individually, but hope you all have a good Monday, and a great week.

Hi guys,
I'm one *whupped* pup....LOL. Today was pretty busy at work so it did go by fast. I had a totally sleepless night...I'm not kidding...looked at the clock almost hourly and when I wasn't looking at the clock, I was tossing and turning trying to make my *nest*...LOL. Oye! I pray I sleep tonight...my eyeballs feel like they have a beach's worth of sand in them

It was a beautiful day here weather wise, but a tragic day in West Virginia. My heart goes out to everyone involved. We may not know exactly what happened for quite a while. Can you imagine being a parent of a student there, or a spouse of a teacher, or having any loved one there?

Sorry for the short visit this time...I'm headed for a hot shower, jammies, and I may just go to bed before it gets dark! har!
My boss asked me if I would work Friday also; I said yes.(what was I thinking?????)

Anyhoo...thinking of each and every one of you guys with a smile on my face

(((much love and hugs to match!)))
me

Tuesday morning:
Yesterday I worked early and went home early. Turned on Oprah, only to hear the tragic news from Virginia. The world has never been a "safe" place, but it never seemed so randomly terrifying as it is now. In spite of my conviction that parenthood is the most significant and sacred responsibility of the human race, I'm constantly grateful that I decided not to do it. I'm also grateful that I'm sixty, not sixteen.

Nita, good luck to your loved ones in the matter of the new baby. That sounds like a very complicated situation, and I hope you'll be able to steer them to the best possible legal advice.

Speaking of "steering," dh refused the visit from the physical therapist yesterday. He's doing things "his way," and I continue to stand by. Donna, I'd never consider giving him a medication he didn't know about. I only hoped the doctor could elicit enough information from him personally to diagnose officially what I observe daily. Didn't happen. I have an appt. with the nurse practitioner this afternoon for my "yearlies." You won't catch this one neglecting her well-being, physical or mental.

Heather, how was your Sunday tv "date"? I'm married to a night owl, too.

Well, time to clean up and get going. Be well, my friends.

Good morning!

Sorry I was AWOL for a few days. I am spending my "well" time trying to do some work at home to catch up on a few hours.

Know that I am following along ... more later. XXOO

Will catch up when I get back but wanted to post this quick.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnSFfYz4bXI

It's my little boy. Unfortunately it was to big to send in an e-mail so we had to start a public youtube account. Hate that but we want to share this with family and friends.

Be back later!