What a surprise. I'm the one to start the new month's thread. Happy May Day everyone.

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Judy
highest = 180, goal = 138-140
Oh, to be back at goal.....

A May Basket to everyone!

Yes, I'm sleeping in a bit later now that I don't have to squeeze in exercise before breakfast. It's looking like a beautiful day out there, so as soon as my OMM settles, I'm out for a run.

Elder care, and care for ourselves as we get older, is the topic of the day, it seems. My aunt was stoic in the face of my uncle's Alzheimer's, but it is a terribly stressful ordeal. It's amazing to think that this pervasive affliction has been mostly a personal and private issue up until quite recently. But then, I suppose more people are living longer than they used to.

Peg, are your chaplain responsibilities purely volunteer (as in unpaid?) What about supervisor? That's would be a huge thing to take on.

Brenda, I'll be interested in what you decide about the job. The elder care "industry" has significant challenges. Someone smart, capable, and experienced like you could make a difference.

Donna, speaking as a non-parent, I'm of the opinion that a 34-year-old doesn't need a birthday present from his mom. Send him a nice card.

Howdy to everyone. The newspaper has arrived, so it's time to check out the bad news of the day.

Back later!

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


My Fitday Journal

Up early here... couldn't sleep, thinking of what I needed to do today and here I sit

it is so windy ...

I bought a pretty hanging basket yesterday... yellow and orangey red flowers.. it looks so good, I may need another one. Told DH they were from him for Mother's Day.. wasn't that sweet of him

1st of May WOW... where does it all go.. but, spring is here YAY

Good morning ladies. The wind has finally died down and the sun is out...so far.

Judy: Thanks for starting us out with the May thread. One of these days I'll get up early enough to start a new month...maybe.

Barb: Yanno, I was thinking the same thing about not buying my kids bd presents anymore. A card should be enough...but, with what I've been through with my ds not talking to me, I don't think this is the year to push it.

Brenda: No, it's not pneumonia that I have. It's not in my chest. Strictly a head cold...the most miserable kind. My sinus' are totally plugged and it's very hard to breathe. I'm still waiting for the CAT scan that was ordered for me in November. Gotta love our medical system.

Shelley: Glad to hear lil' Kassie is doing better. Your story of her grabbing your ankles reminded me of when my ds was living alone in an apartment and snuck a cat in. This little guy named Stash for his black mustache had the neatest personality. He was part Siamese. I went to visit ds and as he opened the apartment door this little guy came dancing out of the bathroom on his hind legs with his paws waving in the air. He jumped all the way down the hall at me on his hind legs. I'm sure I almost wet my pants watching him. You had to be there!

Berta: Love hanging baskets. Love all baskets....just love flowers! lol I'm really biting at the bit here keeping myself away from the nurseries. The weather is just too crazy to waste money planting anything but I really, really, want to. My dh ordered me two huge baskets through our elementary school that has a fund raising by selling them. They really perk up the front of the house.

Last night was a repeat of the night before on the treadmill. I really, really didn't want to do it cause I was just didn't have any energy but I did it anyway. Actually, part way through I started to perk up a little. So, it was 35 minutes, 1.8 miles at 3.4 mph. I'm going to look for a new video I found out about called Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. It's supposed to be pretty intense, but you can see results in just 2 weeks. I'm ready to try anything...once.

This morning dh (who has a problem with his hands) grabbed my butt as I was walking by. All he could say was ...tight buns! Great...just what I wanted...I'm nice and tight somewhere that I can't even see it!! Why couldn't it be my belly?

And with that comment...I'm off to work. Happy May Day!!

__________________
Donna
238.5/163.5/150
New stats for a new start
in 2008

Hi gang!! It's been a crazy day. Charlie was up all night coughing and complaining of a sore throat. We had little sleep. Then I got the flu this morning and couldn't make my birthday lunch date with my mom and sister. We'll have it next week. Now Jay's stomach isn't doing to well. We just need DH to get sick and we'll be set. Little M was over and I called her mama to come and get her. I let them know I'm feeling much better and that I can watch her tomorrow. We'll just lay around and relax if we need.

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Happy Birthday Heather!!!


It sounds like it was NOT to fun of a day for you, though.
Definitely go out and HAVE FUN when you are feeling better!
SOOOO...FEEL BETTER SOON!!!


Well, quite a bit of whoop-la here as some tornadic thunderstorms moved though. Our tornado sirens went off, but all we got out of the storm was some marble-to quarter sized hail. (always good on a new roof!...NOT!)
The worst of the storms have now moved north and east of the metro, but a cold front coming in from the northwest may stir things up again after midnight...ack! Probably won't get much sleep tonight.
Due to continuous storm coverage, Ugly Betty and GA was pre-empted. Darn! Maybe I can set the VCR to get it later.

Tomorrow is a haircut and brow wax for me; highlights will probably be next week.
Kassie seems to be pretty much back to normal; a little off of her food, but she's not a voracious eater normally anyway.

Hope everyone is good! Hope for a longer visit tomorrow!

(((hugs)))
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!

Thank you!! Have a nice time getting pampered Shelley!

__________________

Happy Birthday Heather!



Random comments.............

• #1 --Over the last couple of days I have seen one of the paraprofessionals monitoring the hall during the state testing. I saw her once at the beginning of school and remember thinking that she was very very thin. I don't think I have seen her since. I couldn't believe it this week. She was the most serious anorexic that I have ever seen. The kid is about 25 and looks as old as I do. Really sad. Thin is good, but this is so far past thin that I doubt that concentration camp detainees could have ever looked worse.
• Random thing #2...... looks like my dad is possibly moving into another stage of Parkinson's. It appears that the slight dementia we have been seeing is moving into a full blown issue. Trying to talk to him each night is just about impossible. I'm not sure he even remembers whether I call or not.
• Random good thing............ tomorrow is Friday and state testing is over. I may not leave the house all weekend. But then again, I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't have to go to Dallas.

TGIF!! (so far this week, it's already been ABCD four times)

__________________
Judy
highest = 180, goal = 138-140
Oh, to be back at goal.....

Wild night in KC! The sirens were howling at about nine o'clock. But the real storm roared in at 1:30 in the morning--straight up from Ooooklahoma, I guess. No harm done as far as I can tell.

Judy, one more day in the school zoo! Hang in there. I'm so sorry about your dad. That's such a helpless feeling.

Happy Birthday anyway, Heather! Sounds like everybody at your house is laid low--or just trying to show you how much you are needed and appreciated by getting sick. Well, any day can be a celebration when you get well.

TGIF everyone.

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


My Fitday Journal

Feeling much better this morning! At least I'm just sluggish and not sick anymore. I'll take another exercise day off and maybe do some walking later. Nothing much and not to far but will be nice to get some fresh air.
-
Judy - Thank you! Sorry to hear about your dad. Hugs to you because I'm sure you worry about him. / It must be such a prison to starve yourself thin in fear of any fat. / Take care and I hope that you have a good weekend.
-
Barb - I heard on the news that there has been some bad weather. I'm glad to hear that you are all right.

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Sorry your birthday was such a bust, Heather. But, celebrate another day, just don't get another year older.

Storms were near us last night.. tornado activity sighted within 10 miles but it went north and east of us. All the hail etc missed us. I was wondering where I was going to stick dh if a tornado did come... thank you, Lord, no tornado.

Got the hair colored this week... it sure looks dark, the sun had faded it so much in Tx. Not as dark as my roots (not counting the grey) but kinda dark.

Alida... Where are you????????????

Judy.. sorry about your dad's dementia. Scary stuff and so frustrating. My friend's mother has dementia and doesn't remember calling her 10 or 12 times a day. My dh has been diagnosed with dementia.. just starting...hope it doesn't progress very far..
one day at a time.

Barb, glad to hear the was no damage in KC..sirens going off makes you wonder. Where do you go if there is a tornado?? is there a basement in your condo??

Well, up and at 'em. Hopefully I can get as much done today as I did yesterday.

Well.....SSSHHHOOOTTT!!!!!!!!! Lost a long post!!!!! Dang!!!!

Briefly...sirens went off here...BIG HAIL two different times. No damage in my area, but cars and property in the NE metro got *beat to smitherines*.

Judy...sorry your dad is failing. It's hard to watch a parent's health decline.
Sending you good thoughts.

Bert...I kinda figured you had a cellar. Nonetheless, it would be hard to manage a wheelchair bound person while trying to duck for cover. Hope you do not have to go through that again.

Barb..glad you guys didn't get any damage.

Heather...probably a good thing to take it easy today. Don't want any relapses for sure!

Off to walk, then clean me and off for a haircut/brow wax this afternoon...yay...because I am definitely falling into the *shaggy* category!

Everyone else...have a good Friday and a happy weekend!

(((hugs to all)))

s

addendum: Donna...I said in the post I lost...
WTG on the tight buns!!! It's always a good thing when your hubby pinches ya on the bum!

__________________
~*~*~*~
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!

I could have sworn that I posted yesterday, but I guess not.

Happy Birthday, Heather (belated) Bummer to be sick on your birthday.

Yes, Barb. The chaplain's duties are volunteer, as would be the Director of Chaplains. I am so glad that I don't have to do it anymore. I feel released! I do love the folks there, honestly. It's just getting there that is the problem. I especially love those with dementia. Though, I am not their relative.

I walked into a room with Mom (gone with dementia) and her daughter yelling with each other the other evening. I think I wrote about it. I thought about it alot later. It must be so hard to see your Mom fail and eventually not even recognize you as daughter. Her Mom was all over the place. She told her daughter that she was going to "tell her Mother on her." Huh? The daughter took it, but I could tell that she was mad. She or someone from the family stays with this woman 24 hours a day - in the Health Center!!!! I can't believe it. This is the place that they are supposed to go so the caregiver can have a respite. But, Mom "has never been alone," so they can't let her be alone here. Sheesh. Can you say a "fused" family?

Today I go back to the foot doctor. My foot really hurts. I can't imagine what it is that hurts so badly. Stay tuned.

Dh is gone for three days (comes home to sleep) to the Baptist convention (local) here. I have to give him kudoes for sticking in with them. He is a saint. He is doing everything that he always did, except he is chafing at the lack of energy. Ha! He has more energy than two of me!

I scored BIG at Chicos yesterday. Whoohoo! I also charged BIG. But, it's on MY card, so he will never know.

See ya later,
Peg

You guys are really getting hit big time with the weather and here I am whining about a little coolness in the mornings. Sorry. I don't know how I would cope with sirens blaring and huge hail storms. The only sirens we hear is on Tuesday nights at 7:30 calling the volunteer firemen to practise.

Judy: I do feel guilty now that I didn't do more info searching when my dad was alive. He had Parkinsons' as you know, but I didn't realize that it affected the brain so much. I guess I always thought it was just the shaking that was the worst. From what I'm learning now a lot of what dd went through .. things he said and did are now making sense. He never recognized me, but knew my dh. I thought he was just being silly. Now I know. I sure hope it won't get too bad for your dd.

Shelley: A pamper me day? Great! My favorite kind of day. I coloured my hair last night while running up and down stairs to do laundry and filing dd's final EI report online. Now I don't have to sit at the ballgames this weekend knowing my grey hairs were shining in the sunshine. lol

We got the episodes of Grey's and Ugly Betty last night. Wanna know what happened? I'll be out to town tomorrow so Happy Anniversary! (it's ds' bd too)

Peg: Let us know what the dr. says about your foot. Hope it calms down soon.

Berta: Just sit in the sun for awhile and the hair colour will lighten up. Funny...I've used the same colour for years and sometimes it comes out darker than usual too.

Well, last night was one of those nights when everyone wanted a piece of me. Dd needed her EI filed online, the dogs needed to be walked, the laundry needed to be done, grass needed to be cut, dh needed some paperwork done. All I wanted to do was watch my shows in peace and quiet. I finally got to sit down just as the music was starting for Survivor. Some days I think I should just move into the bush and not let anyone know where I am!!

We have to be up at 6 tomorrow morning to get to town for our first game at 8 a.m. Stupid time to play ball. But then the next game won't be until 2 so I will have a couple of hours to shop in between.

I've managed to use up just about my whole morning by talking to people so I think I should get some work done. Have a good weekend, everyone.

__________________
Donna
238.5/163.5/150
New stats for a new start
in 2008

In case of tornado, I'd head for the inside corridor of the condo. No windows. Totally shielded from outdoors, and not likely to lift off.

Peg, my mother in her last years didn't have dementia, but her depression was deep. It was still difficult to relate to her as "not the mother" she once was. I'm sure as a chaplain you take some of the pressure off family members, just by being a third party.

Berta, my husband was 13 years older than me, and "only" 74 when he died last year. He was quietly angry for a long time about the debilities of getting older, and sometimes I almost think he willed himself to check out while I was still young enough to get a fresh start. Who knows? In any case, I wish you patience and peace in the caregiving--and help when you need it.

I'm off to see my dad this afternoon--taking my trombone, my "axe" as the old jazz jammers would say. He's going to have his clarinet and sax at the ready, so maybe we can do a duet.

This windy and possibly rainy weather will not be a good fit for the Brookside Art Fair this year, but I'll try to get there.

See you tomorrow.

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


My Fitday Journal