Ann

So very sorry for your loss.

Linda, I think this is a great idea you have! I'd be happy to add any of my experiences with Hospice.

Which is worse..... No air conditioning in the summer or no heat in the winter?

Would you rather...... Have the power to fly or the power to be invisible?

((((((((((Grace)))))))))) It is so alright to "lose it" whenever you feel that way. It's not good to hold all this inside. I know that you feel you are carrying everyone on your own shoulders right now. That's normal for a caregiver. You just have to be able to say "NO" when you feel you are taking on too much. Often, others don't really have a clue what you are going through from day to day. Your feelings are so normal. I think all of us that have lost spouses have actually begun the grieving process long before we have really lost them. Just keep reminding yourself that you're strong and remember that God will help you through this. Remember that you have many friends here on this board that have lost a spouse and we are here for you. Also, remember what Katie said in her post to you. Your husband is still with you. Enjoy the good times you have together.

Linda...My heart goes out to you. You have done such a remarkable job of caring for your mom and being a wonderful daughter. Like others have already said, Hospice nurses are truly angels on earth. You have to remember that they deal with this same kind of situation every day. Right now is the time for you to get caught up on some well deserved and needed rest and take care of yourself. When you visit with your mom, please listen to what she is saying. What may sound like complete and total nonsense to you may give you some true insight to what your mom is experiencing right now. Hospice should have some excellent literature that explains this in detail. I will be saying prayers for you, your mom and the wonderful nurses caring for her.

So very sorry to hear that things aren't going well for your Dad right now. I know he will feel much better when his blood counts are back up. In the meantime, please know that I am thinking of you, your dad and family and remembering you in my prayers.

In this game you give two things to chose from and the next person picks which they think is worse. Then you pick two new things. Rules: No Back to Back posting Have fun! I'll start.. Which is worse: 1. Forgetting to set your alarm clock for work or 2. Having your computer break down

Ginny....I love your mole story. How very sweet of Earl to save you!!! Last year, I had these little monsters in the front yard. I bought these toxic little peanut shaped thingies and it seemed to get rid of them. But...now it seems that all they did was hibernate during the winter and then move to my back yard. I think I'll get out a shotgun and wait behind a bush...lol!

Can any of you relate???? What Women REALLY Mean We need = I want It's your decision = The correct decision should be obvious by now Do what you want = You'll pay for this later We need to talk = I need to complain Sure...Go ahead = I don't want you to I'm not upset = Of course I'm upset, you moron! You're ... so manly = You need a shave and you sweat a lot You're certainly attentive tonight = Is hanky panky all you ever think about? I'm not emotional! And I'm not over reacting! = I've got my period Be romantic, turn out the lights = I have flabby thighs This kitchen is so inconvenient = I want a new house I want new curtains = and carpeting, and furniture, and wallpaper..... Hang the picture there = NO, I mean hang it there! I heard a noise = I noticed you were almost asleep Do you love me? = I'm going to ask for something expensive How much do you love me? = I did something today you're really not going to like I'll be ready in a minute = Kick off your shoes and find a good game on T.V. Is my butt fat? = Tell me I'm beautiful You have to learn to communicate = Just agree with me Are you listening to me!? = [Too late, you're dead.] Yes = No No = No Maybe = No I'm sorry = You'll be sorry Do you like this recipe? = It's easy to fix, so you'd better get used to it Was that the baby?= Why don't you get out of bed and walk him until he goes to sleep I'm not yelling! = Yes I am yelling because I think this is important All we're going to buy is a soap dish = It goes without saying that we're stopping at the cosmetics department, the shoe department, I need to look at a few new purses, and those pink sheets would look great in the bedroom and did you bring your checkbook?

Speaking of those pesky moles above... Does anyone have any good ideas for getting rid of them? My Tanner Dog actually upset one over the weekend, got it above ground and Dick caught it. Ugh! My lawn is full of these tunnels. I've tried traps, pellets....need your help here!!!

Just in case you haven't learned anything amazing today...... A mole can dig a tunnel 300 feet long in just one night! A cockroach can live several weeks with its head cut off - it dies from starvation! A crocodile always grows new teeth to replace the old teeth! A group of geese on the ground is a gaggle, a group of geese in the air is a skein! A hard working adult sweats up to 4 gallons per day. Most of the sweat evaporates before a person realizes it's there, though! A hedgehog's heart beats 300 times a minute on average! A hippo can open its mouth wide enough to fit a 4 foot tall child inside! A hummingbird weighs less than a penny! A 'jiffy' is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second! A lump of pure gold the size of a matchbox can be flattened into a sheet the size of a tennis court! A quarter has 119 grooves on its edge, a dime has one less groove! After eating, a housefly regurgitates its food and then eats it again! Apples are more efficient than caffeine in keeping people awake in the mornings! Bulls are colorblind, therefore will usually charge at a matador's waving cape no matter what color it is -- be it red or neon yellow! Camels have three eyelids to protect themselves from blowing sand! Cat urine glows under a black-light! Dogs and cats, like humans, are either right or left handed... or is that paws?! Every time you lick a stamp, you're consuming 1/10 of a calorie! Human teeth are almost as hard as rocks! Human thigh bones are stronger than concrete! If you counted 24 hours a day, it would take 31,688 years to reach one trillion! Most lipstick contains fish scales! No piece of square dry paper can be folded more than 7 times in half! Nose prints are used to identify dogs, just like humans use fingerprints! One ragweed plant can release as many as one billion grains of pollen! Over 10,000 birds a year die from smashing into windows! Over 2500 left handed people a year are killed from using products made for right handed people! Porcupines float in water! Skepticisms is the longest word that alternates hands when typing! Smelling bananas and/or green apples (smelling, not eating) can help you lose weight! The average ice berg weighs 20,000,000 tons! The average life span of a major league baseball is 5-7 pitches! The average person has over 1,460 dreams a year! The Earth weighs around 6,588,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 tons! The electric chair was invented by a dentist! The longest recorded flight of a chicken is 13 seconds! The most used letter in the English alphabet is 'E', and 'Q' is the least used! The opposite sides of a dice cube always add up to seven! The original name for the butterfly was 'flutterby'! The placement of a donkey's eyes in its head enables it to see all four feet at all times! The poison-arrow frog has enough poison to kill about 2,200 people! The sentence "The quick brown fox jumps over a lazy dog." uses every letter of the alphabet! The sloth (a mammal) moves so slowly that green algae can grow undisturbed on its fur! The state of Florida is bigger than England! The sun is 330,330 times larger than the earth! The world's termites outweigh the world's humans 10 to 1! There are more than 10 million bricks in the Empire State Building! Thomas Edison, lightbulb inventor, was afraid of the dark! Windmills always turn counter-clockwise. Except for the windmills in Ireland! Your heart beats over 100,000 times a day! You're born with 300 bones, but when you get to be an adult, you only have 206! 101 Dalmatians and Peter Pan are the only two Disney cartoon features with both parents that are present and don't die throughout the movie. 142857 is a cyclic number, the numbers of which always appear in the same order but rotated around when multiplied by any number from 1 to 6. 142857 * 2 = 285714 142857 * 3 = 428571 142857 * 4 = 571428 142857 * 5 = 714285 142857 * 6 = 857142 A barnacle has the largest penis of any other animal in the world in relation to its size. A dragonfly has a lifespan of twenty-four hours. A duck's quack doesn't echo. No one knows why. A female ferret will die if it goes into heat and cannot find a mate. A flush toilet exists that dates back to 2000 BC. A fully loaded supertanker traveling at normal speed takes a least twenty minutes to stop. A 'jiffy' is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second. A lion's roar can be heard from five miles away.

Just found this. Author unknown. Hope it's not a repeat. THE BATHING SUIT Only girls would really understand this! (It is a true story written by a lady to her friend after a swimsuit shopping expedition). "I have just been through the annual pilgrimage of torture and humiliation known as buying a bathing suit. When I was a child in the 1950's, the bathing suit for a woman with a mature figure was designed for a woman with a mature figure- boned, trussed and reinforced, not so much sewn as engineered. It was built to hold back and uplift and it did a good job. Today's stretch fabrics are designed for the prepubescent girl with a figure carved from a potato chip. The mature woman has a choice - she can either front up at the maternity department and try on a floral suit with a skirt, coming away looking like a hippopotamus who escaped from Disney's Fantasia - or she can wander around every run-of-the-mill department store trying to make a sensible choice from what amounts to a designer range of fluorescent rubber bands. What choice did I have? I wandered around, made my sensible choice and entered the chamber of horrors known as the fitting room. The first thing I noticed was the extraordinary tensile strength of the stretch material. The Lycra used in bathing suits was developed, I believe, by NASA to launch small rockets from a slingshot, which give the added bonus that if you manage to actually lever yourself into one, you are protected from shark attacks. The reason for this is that any shark taking a swipe at your passing midriff would immediately suffer whiplash. I fought my way into the bathing suit, but as I twanged the shoulder strap in place, I gasped in horror - my bosom had disappeared! Eventually, I found one bosom cowering under my left armpit. It took a while to find the other. At last I located it flattened beside my seventh rib. The problem is that modern bathing suits have no bra cups. The "mature woman" is meant to wear her bosom spread across her chest like a speed bump. I realigned my speed bump and lurched toward the mirror to take a full view assessment. The bathing suit fit all right, but unfortunately, it only fit those bits of me willing to stay inside it. The rest of me oozed out rebelliously from top, bottom, and sides. I looked like a lump of play dough wearing undersized cling wrap. As I tried to work out where all those extra bits had come from, the prepubescent sales girl popped her head through the curtains, "Oh, there you are!" she said, admiring the bathing suit... I replied that I wasn't so sure and asked what else she had to show me. I tried on a cream crinkled one that made me look like a lump of masking tape, and a floral two piece which gave the appearance of an oversized napkin in a serviette ring. I struggled into a pair of leopard skin bathers with ragged frill and came out looking like Tarzan's Jane pregnant with triplets and having a rough day. I tried on a black number with a midriff and looked like a jellyfish in mourning. I tried on a bright pink pair with such a high cut leg I thought I would have to wax my eyebrows to wear it. Finally, I found a suit that fit ... a two piece affair with shorts style bottom and a loose blouse-type top. It was cheap, comfortable, and bulge-friendly, so I bought it. My ridiculous search had a successful outcome! When I got home, I found a label that said, "Material will become transparent in water."

Where To Live After Retirement You can live in Phoenix, Arizona where..... 1. You are willing to park 3 blocks away because you found shade. 2. You've experienced condensation on your butt from the hot water in the toilet bowl. 3. You can drive for 4 hours in one direction and never leave town. 4. You have over 100 recipes for Mexican food 5. You know that "dry heat" is comparable to what hits you in the face when you open your oven door. 6. The 4 seasons are: tolerable, hot, really hot, and ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!! You can Live in California where... 1. You make over $250,000 and you still can't afford to buy a house. 2. The fastest part of your commute is going down your driveway. 3. You know how to eat an artichoke. 4. You drive your rented Mercedes to your neighborhood block party. 5. When someone asks you how far something is, you tell them how long it will take to get there rather than how many miles away it is. 6. The 4 seasons are: Fire, Flood, Mud, and Drought You can Live in New York City where... 1. You say "the city" and expect everyone to know you mean Manhattan. 2. You can get into a four-hour argument about how to get from Columbus Circle to Battery Park, but can't find Wisconsin on a map. 3.You think Central Park is "nature," 4. You believe that being able to swear at people in their own language makes you multi-lingual. 5. You've worn out a car horn. 6. You think eye contact is an act of aggression. You can Live in Vermont where... 1. You only have four spices: salt, pepper, ketchup, and Tabasco. 2. Halloween costumes fit over parkas. 3. You have more than one recipe for moose. 4. Sexy lingerie is anything flannel with less than eight buttons. 5. The four seasons are: winter, still winter, almost winter, and construction. You can Live in the Deep South where... 1. You can rent a movie and buy bait in the same store. 2. "y'all" is singular and "all y'all" is plural. 3. "He needed killin' " is a valid defense 5. Everyone has 2 first names: Billy Bob, Jimmy Bob, Mary Sue, Betty Jean, MARY BETH, etc. You can live in Colorado where... 1. You carry your $3,000 mountain bike atop your $500 car. 2. You tell your husband to pick up Granola on his way home and he stops at the day care center. 3. A pass does not involve a football or dating. 4. The top of your head is bald, but you still have a pony tail. You can live in the Midwest where... 1. You've never met any celebrities, but the mayor knows your name. 2. Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor. 3. You have had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" on the same day. 4. You end sentences with a preposition: "Where's my coat at?" 5. When asked how your trip was to any exotic place, you say, "It was different!" AND You can live in Florida where.. 1. You eat dinner at 3:15 in the afternoon. 2. All purchases include a coupon of some kind -- even houses and cars. 3. Everyone can recommend an excellent dermatologist. 4. Road construction never ends anywhere in the state. 5. Cars in front of you are often driven by headless people

If you could have any view in the world visible from your bed, what would it be? Tell us what you would be seeing?

Good one, Larry!!!

YES, I'M A SENIOR CITIZEN! I'm the life of the party..... even if it lasts until 8 p.m. I'm very good at opening childproof caps... with a hammer. I'm usually interested in going home before I get to where I am going. I'm awake many hours before my body allows me to get up. I'm smiling all the time because I can't hear a thing you're saying. I'm very good at telling stories; over and over and over and over... I'm aware that other people's grandchildren are not nearly as cute as mine. I'm so cared for --- long term care, eye care, private care, dental care. I'm not really grouchy, I just don't like traffic, waiting, crowds, lawyers, loud music, unruly kids, Jenny Craig and Toyota commercials, barking dogs, politicians and a few other things I can't seem to remember right now. I'm sure everything I can't find is in a safe secure place, somewhere. I'm wrinkled, saggy, lumpy, and that's just my left leg. I'm having trouble remembering simple words like....... I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps. I'm sure they are making adults much younger these days, and when did they let kids become policemen? I'm wondering, if you're only as old as you feel, how could I be alive at 150? And, how can my kids be older than I feel sometimes? I'm a walking storeroom of facts..... I've just lost the key to the storeroom door. Yes, I'm a SENIOR CITIZEN and I think I am having the time of my life!

Senior Wedding Jacob, age 92, and Rebecca, age 89, are all excited about their decision to get married. They go for a stroll to discuss the wedding and on the way they pass a drugstore. Jacob suggests they go in. Jacob addresses the man behind the counter: "Are you the owner?" The pharmacist answers "Yes." Jacob: "We're about to get married. Do you sell heart medication?" Pharmacist: "Of course we do." Jacob: "How about medicine for circulation?" Pharmacist: "All kinds." Jacob: "Medicine for rheumatism, scoliosis? " Pharmacist: "Definitely." Jacob: "How about Viagra?" Pharmacist: "Of course." Jacob: "Medicine for memory problems, arthritis, jaundice?" Pharmacist: "Yes, a large variety. The works." Jacob: "What about vitamins, sleeping pills, Geritol, antidotes for Parkinson's disease?" Pharmacist: "Absolutely." Jacob: "You sell wheelchairs and walkers?" Pharmacist: "All speeds and sizes." Jacob says to the pharmacist: "We'd like to use this store as our Bridal Registry!"

Look at the baby eagles from the live webcam in Vancover. So entertaining. http://www.infotecbsi.com/wildlife/

Hey guys. Take this test to see if you can match wits with third graders??? http://www.pibmug.com/files/map_test.swf

There was a preacher whose wife was expecting a baby so he went before the congregation and asked for a raise. After much discussion, they passed a rule that whenever the preacher's family expanded, so would his paycheck. After 6 children, this started to get expensive and the congregation decided to hold another meeting to discuss the preacher's salary. There was much yelling and bickering about how much the clergyman's additional children were costing the church! Finally, the Preacher got up and spoke to the crowd, "Children are a gift from God," he said. Silence fell on the congregation. In the back pew, a little old lady stood up and in her frail voice said, "Rain is also a gift from God, but when we get too much of it, we wear rubbers." And the congregation said, "Amen!"

A woman walked into the kitchen to find her husband stalking around with a fly swatter. "What are you doing?" She asked. "Hunting Flies" He responded. "Oh. Killing any?" She asked. "Yep, 3 males, 2 Females," he replied. Intrigued, she asked. "How can you tell them apart?" He responded, "3 were on a beer can, 2 were on the phone."

After living in the remote wilderness of Kentucky all his life, an old hillbilly decided it was time to visit the big city. In one of the stores, he picked up a mirror and looked in it. Not knowing what it was, he remarked, "How about that! Here's a picture of my daddy." He bought the "picture," but on the way home he remembered his wife, Lizzy, didn't like his father. So he hung it in the barn, and every morning before leaving for the fields, he would go there and look at it. Lizzy began to get suspicious of these many trips to the barn. One day after her husband left, she searched the barn and found the mirror. As she looked into the glass, she fumed, "So that's the ugly WITCH he's runnin' around with!"

OXYMORONS >> >> 1. Is it good if a vacuum really sucks? >> 2. Why is the third hand on the watch called the second hand? >> 3. If a word is misspelled in the dictionary, how would we ever know? >> 4. If Webster wrote the first dictionary, where did he find the words? >> 5. Why do we say something is out of whack? What is a whack? >> 6. Why does "slow down" and "slow up" mean the same thing? >> 7. Why does "fat chance" and "slim chance" mean the same thing? >> 8. Why do "tug" boats push their barges? >> 9. Why do we sing "Take me out to the ball game" when we are already > there? >> 10. Why are they called "stands" when they are made for sitting? >> 11. Why is it called "after dark" when it really is "after light"? >> 12. Doesn't "expecting the unexpected" make the unexpected expected? >> 13. Why are a "wise man" and a "wise guy" opposites? >> 14. Why do "overlook" and "oversee" mean opposite things? >> 15. Why is "phonics" not spelled the way it sounds? >> 16. If work is so terrific, why do they have to pay you to do it? >> 17. If all the world is a stage, where is the audience sitting? >> 18. If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular? >> 19. If you are cross-eyed and have dyslexia, can you read all right? >> 20. Why is bra singular and panties plural? >> 21. Why do you press harder on the buttons of a remote control when you > know >> the batteries are dead? >> 22. Why do we put suits in garment bags and garments in a suitcase? >> 23. How come abbreviated is such a long word? >> 24. Why do we wash bath towels? Aren't we clean when we use them? >> 25. Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle? >> 26. Why do they call it a TV set when you only have one? >> 27. Christmas, what other time of the year do you sit in front of a dead >> tree, and eat candy out of your socks?

((((((Karen and Faith)))))) Although I can't seem to believe that Dave has been gone for a year, I am glad that you were able to recall some really happy memories yesterday. I think it's great that Faith is adapting well and isn't crying anymore. I'm sure that her Daddy will always be watching her from the stars. You know, I like to think Dennis is among the stars. I sure do hope he and Dave have bumped into each other. They would have really "clicked" as they definitely seem to have the same humor. I have seen that commercial and have to say I agree with Dave!!!