lilyjohn

Good morning everyone or should I say good afternoon to most of you. I went off on the bus to get a few things at the store. I was supposed to pick up one of my meds but decided sense I don't need it today they can hold on to it for a while. I just don't feel up to staying out for so long yet. Beautiful weather but it felt hot to me. I guess I am still pretty weak for staying in so much and not walking. Walked around the property a little this morning then had to do some walking to get from bus to store and then across to catch the bus on it's way back so I didn't have to wait an hour. Sounds like everyone is keeping busy. Judy MI glad to see that you are in better spirits. Annette glad to that you got a break over the weekend. I hope all goes well at the hearing and you will not have to be so stressed about all of that. Judy KW isn't there a pier or something on the island where you can go sit with a fishing pole? Eric can't wait to see your pictures and Bud you need to be careful out in that heat. Sara it was so good to see you post and learn that you are feeling some better. I hope that continues even with the chemo. ts my son in South East Louisiana told me yesterday that he is picking 3 buckets of tomatoes a day. He is putting them up in jars, making tomato juice and making homemade sauce and putting it in jars too. There are still plenty of strawberries in the stores here but most of our local strawberries are finished until the fall berries come in. Well it is time for lunch and then I have to do some dusting. I think I will use a damp cloth so I don't stir it up. I feel myself needing to sneeze and that starts a coughing fit. Just one little tickle in the throat and look out. I have to get rid of some of this dust even if I only work at it 5 minutes at a time. So I am out of here. Have a great day everyone.

Maybe this is what you need to tell him. Men don't get it as easy as women do sometimes. You have to tell him right out what you are going through. Tell him how afraid you are of what lies ahead and how you are thankful for all he has done for you in the past but now is when you need his support more than ever. Tell him with his support you have a better chance for a good outcome that will not have to change your life to the extreme that he is afraid. It is so hard and it is easy for me to set back and give advice but I remember too how hard it was for me to talk to my husband from the heart. It just never really happened.

Katie has posted about her dragonflies and some of us have told of our "signs" that we feel come from our departed loved ones. We haven't done this in a very long time so I am suggesting that we start a tread about those signs. I know there are many new people who really are at lose ends after losing someone they love. I think a tread like that will give them hope and also make them not afraid to accept a sign when they get it. So I am asking everyone to post what you feel is your sign from a loved one or if you have not had a sign yet to post what you would associate with a departed loved one. This usually gets very interesting. I love the stories and seeing others help to validate mine.

Boy this is a busy place for so early on a Saturday morning! I guess before we get started I will add something to give a laugh before getting into the serious things. My granddaughter Alison posted this on facebook this morning. She is quoting my 4 year old great grandson. Cy in reference to a possible bee sting on his arm: "Mom, somebody stuck me. It was either a chameleon, or a dinosaur. I think it was a chameleon." Becky you sound like me when it comes to fishing. I learned very early to bait my own hook. I never minded the squished worm or the slimy fish. I was always afraid that any amount of time that I had my line out of the water the " big one" would come along. My son used to tease Denis. He would come to the house and say "Dad I need to borrow a rod and reel, but I don't want just any rod and reel I want Mom's because it knows how to catch fish".I had quite a reputation. Wish I could go this year. The lake has plenty of water and I am betting the fishing will be good but it is 20 miles up a mountain road and the buses don't go there. Oh well. Judy I am so sorry for what you are going through. Being a caregiver is very difficult even during the best of times. I know that I lost patience with Johnny a few times and I also know that I missed a lot of things that I should have paid more attention to. Like Ronnie I will always have a small amount of guilt and wonder if I had not missed so much if we would have had more time. Never the less I know that under the circumstances I did my best. There are some people who just can not handle taking care of someone who has health issues of ANY kind. Then there are those who really know how to milk it when they are sick. I am speaking from experience. I always say that my husband was a good man. In many ways he was but he had some very serious flaws. It was those flaws that made my life less than happy for all of those years. I nursed him through 2 back surgeries and numerous bouts of muscle spasms of the back in a time that those things were treated by keeping the patient in bed most of the time. I waited on him hand and foot and he used me as a stability to pull up on when he had to get out of bed. I am sure that many of my aches and pains today are a result of those times. If he got a cold he went to bed and needed to be waited on. I know that a lot of that was my fault because I never protested. I always just believed it was my job. It wouldn't have been so bad if when I was sick I got the same treatment but that never happened. If I got a cold or the flu so what.I had a family to take care of. When I had something hurting if I said anything he would always come back with the comment "you just think you know what it is like to hurt". In other words because he had a bad back nothing I had could ever be that bad. I fell sitting down and bruised my tail bone so bad that I could hardly walk. His solution was to ignore it until my son came one day and chewed him out for not saying anything. After that he grudgingly did a few things when the kinds or grand kids were around. The point is some people are just not compassionate. As long as it is not them hurting they don't want to deal with it. I would say that is just a flaw in their personality, my son in law would say it is because he was an *ss. After Denis died my kids pretty much forgot all of the things like that. My grandkids worship his memory. This last year while I was there one day my son in law told me that he wished he could tell them what Denis really was like. I told him no. There is no harm in the kids remembering him with love and not seeing those bad sides. Telling them anything different would only hurt them. Life is tough sometimes. Decisions can tear your heart out but sometimes you have to start thinking of you first. I think you should have a long talk with Randy. Tell him how hard all of those things are for you and how much you appreciate all he has done for you so far but that really need him to see you through what lies ahead. Maybe then he will see how selfish hie is being. After all it is not as if you asked for all of those things. I will keep you in my prayers. I know how hard that has to be for you. Judy KW nice to see you on line so early. I hope all have a great day. I think I will take the bus to WalMart when it starts to run at 10am. I need a couple of things and really need to get outside for a while. I am hoping that my cold is finally starting to go away.

I think I need to start proof reading everything that I write. I get in a hurry and either hit the wrong key or leave off letters. Hope my ramblings made sense.

Good morning. Wow Judy MI I sure wish I had some happy things to talk about but I have been pretty much home bound. I guess I can say that I am slowing getting better. My biggest issue is the soreness in my sinuses and also my back. I am hoping to find the energy to go outside for a while and enjoy this great weather before it gets too hot. It is perfect right now. There was a lady on the corner selling cherries the last time I went out. I may try to walk that far and see if she is still there. I love cherries and of coarse they are supposed to be good for gout. Maybe if I eat enough cherries I will be able to eat some shrimp without triggering another attack. Sorry that your evening was marred by so much heartache Judy. As I said yesterday Uncle George passed the day before yesterday and one of my neighbors is still hanging on but like Uncle George she is pretty much consumed by cancer. It is just never easy. Bud nice pictures and nice to see that your story mentions you are a lung cancer survivor.I know that you enjoy the riding and I know too that the exercise is good for you. Just be careful in that heat. Nice Crappie too. That is some good eating fish. I considerate to be just a huge version of a perch but that is my favorite fish. My daughter just posted a picture of my granddaughter with a very large cat fish and a good size perch. They must be out fishing Bay Wallace back of Houma. My son went again over the weekend and he and his son in law had over a 100 nice perch. That lake is very productive for perch and alligators. Part of Swamp People is filmed in that general area. Judy glad that you are home and feeling better. I was surprised to see you back on facebook but that is a sure sign that you are getting better. Annette I think you need to start a mantra and whenever you are dealing with the get repeat it over and over " I will not strangle him, I will not strangle him, I will not strangle him! Oh what the hell maybe it will". All kidding aside I hope that your weekend will be a good one and that your mom will improve enough that you can relax a little at least while the kid is gone. That organization may be just the ticket for him. Some of them do some really good things with kids. I know that I am missing a lot of people here but I think I will settle down to the news and then see what's for breakfast. Sure hope I can go outside later. Will skip Bingo because I don't want to put my cold germs in a close up room. Most of my neighbors are in their 70s and 80s and even 90s and have health issues. The last thing they need is for me to share my cold germs with them. Besides they keep the recreation room closed up like a dungeon and I crave fresh air. One little cute thing I guess. Johnny's daughter posted a cute thing about their little 3 year old girl. She was cleaning the fridge and Analyse asked what she was doing. She told her that she was cleaning the fridge because it was really dirty and Analyse said " it is because boys are pigs that it is dirty". Need I say that she has 2 older brothers.

Good morning. My problem was not lack of sleep. I couldn't stay awake yesterday evening and then slept all night except for bathroom trip. I get a cold so seldom that I really don't do well with them. I had a fever last night too, that is something I seldom have as well. Anyway the fever seems to be gone this morning and the cold feels like it is breaking up. I am just sore everywhere from coughing so much and blowing my nose. I plan on staying down most of the day. I do have to go out this morning to pick up the brown bags from Senior Nutrition Center. Kim is going to drive me. The people who were supposed to take over the job are busy, one with eye surgery and the other with her sister who is having surgery. Not looking forward to going out. Judy I can relate to the muscle spasms. I have had spasms in my sides for years. Sometimes just stretching in the bed will set one off. Very painful. I also understand the feet problems. I have bone spurs, a bum ankle that lets me wear on flat soles and ingrown toenails that I am planning on seeing about as soon as I get through with my blood tests that are due this month. Foot pain keeps you from doing a lot when it flares up. Judy have a safe trip home. I hope that your oxygen situation will be straightened out this time and that you will not need it much longer. I think I had better go lay back again while I can. Take care everyone.

Thanks everyone for caring. I know that I have serious allergies and the cottonwood trees are throwing off their fuzz. Looks like a snow storm outside my window Still I think that I have come down with a head cold too. I have that cough that tastes like cold, if you know what I mean. Walking could have something to do with it Annette. I go out early in the morning when it is cool. Everyone else says it is cold but I find it warm. Get hot walking with the cold temperatures on my skin. Not the best day today either. I just found out that Uncle George passed away today. We have all known it was coming but still it is never easy. He was married to my ex husbands aunt. For over 50 years I have thought of him as my uncle. Really a nice man. Even sadder he passed on my daughter's birthday and he is her Godfather. She and her husband and daughter were on their way home from their vacation when she found out. So sad. She says now every year on her birthday she will remember that it is the anniversary of his death. Well got to run and see about my lunch. I have a small pork roast in the oven and I want to cook some apples to go with it. I hope all goes well for all of you today.

Where is everyone this morning? I didn't sleep well last night. I woke up during the night with a cough and my head feeling awful. Turns out that my sinus problem was the beginning of a head cold. I don't get colds too often so when I do they hit me hard. I don't guess there will be any walking this morning. I would try but I know that the coughing would be worse trying to walk. Cough is not really a congested cough. It is the tickle kind caused by sinus drainage. Anyway guess I will stick close to the house and see how I feel later. Judy and Sara I hope that you are both feeling a lot better this morning. Judy I know that your good news will help you to feel better faster. Eric you must be marking the days off on the calendar now. I know that I am getting excited about my daughter and granddaughter coming here next month. This year is really flying by. You will have been here and be back home before you have time to even think about it. I just hope that you can relax and not be worried about Sally and what she is doing the whole time you are gone. She will just have to take responsibility for herself. It is hard when someone seems so hell bent on self destruction. but you can't stop it even when there. Having you gone may actually make her have to take responsibility for her actions. Bud be careful out there in that heat. My son and granddaughter have a yard service company in southeast Louisiana and I worry about them working in that heat all summer. I know that I am forgetting several people but my head is pounding and my mind is not working too great. I guess I will get off of here and see if the sofa will be comfortable for the day.Have a great day everyone.

Great news Judy. We needed that today.

Good morning everyone. Bright sunshine here for the first time in days. Yes Bud you are probably right. I heard someone say that they saw on the news that we should be 103 one day next week. Oh well I guess I will start walking at daylight. I did have a fairly long walk this morning. Maybe a mile round trip. I had planned on doing a lot of walking today. I was going to take the bus to get my meds then on the way home get off and walk to WinCo for a few groceries. It is in a different direction and on another bus route though not too far away. I would have to take my little cart and that can be tricky pushing it when it is empty. Would have been alright on the way home. The problem with doing it that way is that I woke up with what appears to be the start of a head cold or maybe a sinus infection. I have been spending a lot of time in doors because of the rain and everyone has to have the heat on and I tend to plug up when it comes on. So not sure if I picked up germs on the bus or in the what to me is overheated rooms or if my sinus is protesting strongly to the cotton wood fuzz that is flying through the air. Good news is my neighbor offered to take me to the pharmacy and grocery. No extra walking today but maybe I will feel better tomorrow. Annette I think Becky has a good idea. Could solve yours and Eric's headaches for a while. Heck if you have the handcuffs just lock to the beds and pretend then are locked together I am shocked at saddened to read of Patti passing. I had no idea that she was so near the end. I have been going only to facebook and here to this forum most of the time. I guess I miss a lot that way. Sometimes it is all I can handle. Selfish I know but that is just the way it is. My heart goes out to her family. Judy saying lots of prayers for you to not only get rid of the O but for tests to show major improvement. Well Kim called ready to leave so guess I had better run. Hope I didn't forget anyone.

I am so sorry to read about the loss of your mom. My thoughts and prayer will be with all of you. She did win like Nick said because she got to live to see the one thing that was so important to her.

I don't even know how to start what I am thinking. I don't come here often any more. I try to stick to the Just For Fun forum. Somehow that seems safer. Still there are times like today when something hits me. I'm not completely sure what started it but I am thinking it may have been Randy saying that he went back to the chemo building. I try to block those memories out along with so many others. Randy I am proud of you and please don't think I am blaming you for my rambling thoughts today. I went back to the place where Johnny had chemo just a couple of weeks after his death. Part of the reason was to test myself. To see if I was capable of functioning normally. The main reason was to drop some papers off. Not to them I didn't dare but I left them laying in the bathroom hoping that some of the patients would find them. Even at that early stage of my grief I knew that that attitude toward lung cancer had played a major roll in his death. I had written a paper about how that attitude needed to be changed. I wanted people to know how important keeping hope alive is and I wanted it to get back to those people there especially that nurse that I had trusted so much. The one who I will always know started the process that cost me the love of my life. It was pure torment going in there. I felt like I was wearing a suit of lead and when I got back to my car I had to sit there and cry for a very long time. I was so alone and there was no where to turn. Johnny's grandson was born just 15 days after his death. A child that he had looked forward to so much, the child that he wanted to share with me because he loved me and my own grandchildren were so far away. Because Valerie had a C section that was giving her serious problems she had to go to her doctor. Johnny Ray was working so I piled her and all 3 of the children into my car and drove her to her appointment. I had no idea when we left her home that her doctor's office was next to the hospital where Johnny had died less than 3 weeks before. While she was inside I sat in that parking lot with the two oldest children and looked up at the window to the room he had been in. Every memory from that last weekend bombarded me. If ever anyone could describe a situation as a living hell, that was one. Later when the children needed to use the bathroom I took them inside. On the way out I saw the oncology department. I knew that the same doctors who had treated him so poorly were there. If not for the children I would have probably ended up spending that Christmas in jail. I wanted so much to go in there and demand answers, answers to questions that at that time were only half formed in my tormented mind. So now here I am going on 9 years sense those heartbreaking days in 2002. Most of the time I do very well. I tend to keep busy. I tell myself it is because I like to do things and that is partially true but deep down I know that when I am not busy doing something, when I let myself think the pain will come and I am right back in that parking lot reliving the nightmare. I think of Johnny everyday. Sometimes the memories are of those last 5 months we shared. Other times it is the memories of when we first met, when I was but a very young girl and he captured my heart forever with a song and a smile. I should have so many years of memories to go back to but I don't. Fate took us in different directions. While I was married and living far away thoughts of Johnny would cross my mind and I would push them down inside of me. He was somewhere in the depths of me and his memory had to stay there too. Still somehow I always knew that he loved me. No matter what life threw at me somehow it was the strength of that love that helped me get through. Sense his death I don't ever push him down in that place so deep again. I talk to him and I know that he is still with me in so many ways. He is so much a part of me, he is like the blood that flows in my veins and the air that I breath. He holds my heart with every beat it makes and he is part of my dreams both when I am awake or sleeping. I know just as I did for all of those years that he is there, that his love for me it there. I never question it and I know that even now that is the strength that gets me through each day. Still there are times when those memories come calling and I ache to see his smile and hear his voice. I long to feel his touch and see the light in his eyes. My need for him is such an all consuming pain that it becomes a physical pain. If it were not for all of you despite all of the many good neighbors that I have I would feel just as alone as I did that day in that parking lot after leaving that chemo clinic. Knowing that there are those of you who understand who have felt some of the same things that I feel brings me comfort. I try not to bring this here too often. I see so many who are so new in their grief and I don't want to dishearten them. I don't want to bring down those of you who are fighting the cancer and live in fear and dread each time a test comes. I try to be considerate of all of you but there are times when I just have to let what is in my heart and mind spill out. I can think of nowhere other that with this " Family" of mine to do that.

Good morning. Another dreary morning here in Northern California. Just a light mist falling but enough to keep me from going out to walk. I am always afraid of slipping when the pave is wet like that. More so with a mist than a real rain. It is supposed to clear up and get warmer but they have been saying that for several weeks and then it is changed. I am afraid that when the rain finally does go away we will go straight to the 110s from the 60s and 50s. I was going to go out on the bus but decided against it. My medication is ready but can wait until tomorrow sense I still have enough for a few days. Not sure what lunch will be. I would probably have eaten out if I had gone and I really need to eat some of the food I have here. Just not in the mood to cook so it will be something quick. I have been spending a lot of time reading and my poor old eyes get to where they say "enough already". I just love to read but spend far too much time without giving my eyes a break. I wait until all is so blurry that I can no longer make out the words. Judy and Becky I would be so frightened if I did things and couldn't remember doing them. Are you sure it is not some of your medications doing that? Some of the adds for medications frighten me and make me think the problem. is better than the side effects. Bud I can't believe you are still riding in that heat and humidity. I know how it is. It can go months without rain but the air still feels saturated. I will NOT complain when it gets up to a nice DRY 110 this year, if it ever does Still saying a prayer for all of you who are facing tests and results. Also keeping your family in my prayers Judy and that the oxygen situation is taken care of soon. Still can't forget Annette either. I think by now I would have been pulling my hair out and possibly the kids as well, not to mention telling more than one official what I think of them Bruce I never visited Seattle either and I lived just South of there. If it is anything like the area where I lived it is a beautiful place. Well off I go for now. Will try to decide if I am going to read or do something else today. With Karleen gone on vacation most of the things that take up so much time have been put on hold.

Wow after our slow day yesterday everyone is up and about early this morning. Annette I don't know how you cope with all you do. I feel that there is someone who could be helping you but don't know how you will find that someone. In the meantime you will certainly be in my prayers. Judy MI I remember times like that with my husband. He didn't have to be drinking to sound like a jet taking off. The grandkids said that he could turn the ceiling fan without it being turned on. The drinking times made it worse too. I am hoping that when you go for your scans you will find out that the cancer is not back but a mistake. Judy I know that you have been down and don't feel like the hat fits. I hope to see you in something even more amazing soon when all of the cancer has had it's butt kicked. Trip to Seattle may be just the thing to lift you up. I hope you and everyone else have a great day. So far here no rain but it is supposed to storm again today. Sometimes I think they really don't know what is will do. The forecast seems to change hourly sometimes. I will check back in later and see what else is happening.

I had someone send this to me a year or so ago. I really enjoyed it and hope I am not reposting something that everyone is tired of. Long ago and far away, in a land that times forgot, Before the days of Dylan, or the dawn of Camelot. There lived a race of innocents, and they were you and me. For Ike was in the White House in that land where we were born. Where navels were for oranges, and Peyton Place was **Word not allowed**. We learned to gut a muffler, we washed our hair at dawn, We spread our crinolines to dry in circles on the lawn. We longed for love and romance, and waited for our Prince, And Eddie Fisher married Liz and no one's seen him sense. We danced to Little Darlin, and sang to Stagger Lee, and cried for Buddy Holly in the land that made me, me. Only girls wore earrings then, and 3 was one too many, and only boys wore flat-top cuts, except for Jean McKinney. And only in our wildest dreams did we expect to see, a boy named George with Lipstick, in the land that made me ,me. We fell for Frankie Avalon, Annette was oh so nice, and when they made a movie, they never made it twice. We didn't have a Star Trek Five, or Psycho two and Three, Or Rocky-Rambo Twenty in the land that made me, me. Miss Kitty had a heart of gold, and Chester had a limp, and reagan was a Democrat whose co star was a chimp. We had a Mr. Wizard, but not a Mr. T, and Oprah couldn't talk yet, in the land that made me, me. We had our share of heroes, we never thought they'd go,at least not Bobby Darin, or Marilyn Monroe. For youth was still eternal, and life was yet to be, And Elvis was forever in the land that made me, me. We'd never seen the rock band that was Grateful to be Dead, and Airplanes weren't named Jefferson. and Zeppelins were not Led And Beatles lived in gardens then, and Monkeys lived in trees. Madonna was a virgin in the land that made me, me. we'd never heard of microwaves, or telephones in cars. and babies might be bottle-fed but they weren't grown in jars. And pumping iron got wrinkles out, and 'Gay' meant fancy-free and dorms were never co ed in the land that made me, me. We hadn't seen enough of jets to talk about the lag, and microchips were what was left in the bottom of the bag. And hardware was a box of nails, and bytes came from a flea, and rocket ships were fiction in the land that made me, me. Buicks came with portholes, and side shows came with freaks, and bathing suits came big enough to cover both your cheeks. And coke came just in bottles, and skirts below the knee and Castro came to power near the land that made me, me We had no Crest with Fluoride, we had no Hill Street Blues, we had no patterned pantyhose or Lipton herbal tea, Or prime-time ads for condoms in the land that made me, me. There were no golden arches, no Perrier to chill, and fish were not called Wanda, and cats were not called Bill. And middle-aged was 35 and old was forty-three, and ancient were our parents in the land that made me, me But all things have a season, or so we've heard them say, and now instead of Maybelline we swear by Retin-A and they send us invitations to join AARP We've come a long was baby, from the land that made me, me So now we face a brave new world in slightly larger jeans, and wonder why they're using smaller print in magazines. and we tell our children's children of the way it used to be, Long ago and far away in the land that made me, me.

Judy I love the hat. I looks like it was made for you! Allergies are a year round problem for me. When it Louisiana it was the mold spores and here it is the pollen. Allergy medication I take year round sometimes seems to make it worse. I think it is because anything that says non drowsy works backwards on me. I think that many are out enjoying the weekend after so much bad weather everywhere. I really haven't looked at the weather channel today. Then too it is the weekend after Social Security Checks. Many are out shopping. I am glad I did mine yesterday I don't relish the idea of running in the rain, even a light one to get to the bus stop. Yes the mall is only about 1/2 mile from here but I seldom walk there. I enjoy the outside and don't feel like I am leaving home to walk if that makes sense. I would also have to take the bus to get there now and the bus doesn't run until 10am on Saturdays. By then I have had time to get some of my housework done and feel like reading instead of walking Now I will try to post something I came across. I tend to save things that I like and revisit them again. Have a good day and stay cool and or dry whatever applies to where each of you are at this time.

Good morning. I thought I would open the air this morning sense I was MIA yesterday. I just had to take time to read all of the posts from yesterday. Annette it is good to see that you still have your sense of humor with all that you go through each day with your mom and nephew. It is always better to laugh than to cry. What good would crying do anyway? Judy my heart goes out to your sister and to you. Any loss is heartbreaking but she has lost so much and to be ill herself makes it worse. I hope that she will cope enough that her health doesn't suffer. As for you, I am so sorry that you didn't lose the oxygen. I too can't believe you can't get a portable. I see portables now that don't even have to go in to be refilled. They have someway of renewing the oxygen at home. As for the chemo Johnny still went while on oxygen so I suppose it is alright, Then again his so called doctor did so many screwy things I can't say it was alright for sure. Eric I have this picture in my mind of you standing in front of the mirror drawing your plastic gun. In my picture you are not wearing a cowboy outfit but your new kilt and your lungevity t shirt along with the cowboy boots and cowboy hat. So throughout the day when I look out and see the gloomy skies I will bring that picture to mind and I will laugh and chase the clouds away. Seriously I can only imagine the fun you are going to have and am jealous that I won't be able to join you in meeting so many of our friends across this country. Bruce I think the problem is that somehow our weather got switched. It is cool and a light mist falling here this morning. We had two beautiful days or at least partial days but here we go again. This is the craziest weather for this time of year. More like it should be in late February or early March. In fact in March we had our highest average temperatures this year!! MI Judy looks like you had some pretty rough weather yesterday. I hope you all got through it safely. Bud hope all the test come out great. I had to lower my blood pressure medication. When I started walking everyday and being more careful with my eating habits my blood pressure dropped. Now it averages about 110 over 65 each morning. Of coarse if a doctor or nurse takes it it will go up. Even knowing that I have white coat syndrome I can't seem to shake it. I just know that I am forgetting someone and am so sorry. I don't mean to slight anyone. Looks like it is going to be one of those days somewhere between a light rain and mist.I am temped to go walk outside a little but not go far. I hate walking inside the stuffy buildings. I hate having the heaters on all of the time. When everyone else is freezing I have my windows open. When they have on coats I am in short sleeves, sometimes shorts. Anyway a walk awaits me be it outside or in. Hope all is well with everyone. Have a great day.

Hi Eric sounds like your trip will cover a lot of area and different kinds of areas. I have traveled a lot in this country but missed a lot of the places that you are going. You will find that each place has it's draw backs and some have their own unique beauty. I lived in Washington for a while but never went up to Seattle. Washington is a very beautiful state. I hope you are all doing well today. Judy I know you are waiting to be untethered. Hope that is soon and Annette I hope the kid will give you a break for a while. Sara that must have been an awesome experience tossing out that ball. I hope too that the chemo is not causing you too many problems. I know I am forgetting many of you this morning but trying to hurry. I want to go for a walk while it is not raining and then catch the bus. It will be my first time out on the bus sense laying up my car. Pay day is not until tomorrow but I am out of so many things I need to go for a few while the weather is not too bad. There is a lot of walking between the buses and where I need to go. The weather is so crazy they really don't know what it is going to do. One time to another they change the forecast.I can get a few things today so if the weather is too bad I don't have to go out again until it is better. Crazy weather again. A tornado was spotted down by Marysville yesterday evening. No a big one and no reports of damage but it is still very rare. Last week there were six spotted by Chico and 2 touched down and caused so barn damage and uprooted thousands of almond trees. Still can't complain it doesn't get nearly as violent as it does back in the Eastern and midwest states Well I am off for now. Have a great day everyone.

Annette I wouldn't mind having that extra 10 degrees as long as it is dry. The cold really doesn't bother me that much. I seem to breathe better. I have terrible allergies and also tmj . Those two things keep my head plugged up a lot and it you add a stuffy room it really does a number on me. Too many years in the humidity of Louisiana have made me appreciate just about all kinds of weather that does not include huricanes and high humidity. Sounds like a very good idea the Boot Camp thing. I don't know how you hold on and do all that you do for your mom and him and still work. Believe me when I say that getting to that burn out stage is very dangerous for all of you. I hope you can find a solution to some of your problems soon. Have you talked to Social Services about some of those things? They should have some kind of program that will help you. I found out too late that there are resources but it requires a lot of searching and I didn't have the time so I know that you don't. Alan I have come to believe that we are put where we are supposed to be for a reason. Just ten short years ago I never would have believed where I would be now or all of the things that have come to pass in my life in this past 10 years. I have lost a lot but I have also gained much. So I take it one day at a time and leave the rest to God knowing that He will put me where I need to be when I need to be there. What else can we do? I tend to worry and fret about things but that is my nature. Life is life and sometimes we have to roll with the punches. Anyway just short walks for me and back to my reading. Take care all.

Good morning. Judy I am so sorry that you have this new tragedy in your family. My heart and prayers are with all of you. Annette your situation is so bad that I wish there was a way that I could do something to help you. I know how hard it is being a caregiver for one person but adding that responsibility of your nephew sounds like more than most people could handle. You deserve a lot of credit for holding on. Most people would have probably turned him over to the authorities by now and let him meet his fate in their hands. The one thing that you do have on your side is that we are here to " listen". That in itself is a big deal. Eric you must really be getting excited as your visit draws nearer. My daughter and granddaughter are coming to see me in July and we are all very excited about that. What cities and states are you going to visit? Bud hope your weather is better for bike riding than mine is for walking. I can't believe that we are starting the month of June with temperatures in the 50s and rain and thunderstorms each day. Did I go to sleep and someone move me to another state Katie it is always good to see you here. I hope your weekend didn't get too messed up by the problems with the boards. I know that you are proud of your son. I think I would be like you though, doctor yes, law enforcement no, too dangerous. Good day to all and those I may have missed. I guess I will get dressed and see if I can walk a little outside before the rain starts again. Waling inside just doesn't thrill me. I hate the stuffy buildings and love fresh air.

Judy I am so sorry. My heart goes out to you and all of your family. Please don't feel bad about what you said. I really believe that things happen the way they do and it the order they are supposed to. When my youngest brother died at 37 years old the first thought I had was that he would be the first because he could never have dealt with losing a family member. Within just a few years of his death we lost 2 more brothers and my mom.I know that I was right. There was no way he could have coped. My prayers for all of your sisters family and for you.

Sorry I missed you Paulette. You can sure have those hot and humid temperatures. I will be glad of our cool ones remembering how hard that heat is on me.

Good morning everyone. What crazy weather everyone is having. It is hot and dry in places that are usually wet. It is wet and cool here where we are normally having some days in the 100s and starting our long dry summer. Bruce we could probably ship you some rain. I went for a short walk this morning because I felt a few drops of rain. Usually that wouldn't bother me but the temperature felt like it was December I like the cool weather but this is beyond cool. Bud good that you can keep riding but be watchful of that heat and humidity. It can be a killer. Don't know if you saw the post where I mentioned my son's fishing trip. He lives in Southeast Louisiana. They haven't had any real rain in months but thought the flood waters would spoil all of the fresh water fishing. Not so. He and a neighbor went Sunday evening and caught 150 perch the size of his hand or bigger. Needless to say I hope there are a lot left in his freezer in December Judy so nice to see that you are getting around so well. Just don't push it. You want off of the oxygen and over doing could make you have to have it longer. Annette my heart goes out to you. It is hard enough taking care of someone you love who is physically ill but when their mind is messed up and they take it out on you it is so much harder. I am sure it would be a lot easier if the kid wasn't there. Shame there is no other family member to take him for a while and give you a break. As for your mom remember the old saying " you always hurt the one you love". Bruce you can have some of our rain if you can find a way to get it there Sara it is good to see you here. I just wish you had no reason to be here. We try to lend support as much as we can and hope that you will find that we do. Hope you are 100% soon and the chemo kicks the cancer's butt. Oh well my book is waiting so have a good day everyone.

Sara your story is so sad and so frustrating. It is so hard to believe that in this day and age Lung Cancer is seldom detected until in the later stages. I was a caregiver not a patient but I found this wonderful place and now the people here are like another family to me and so many others. So I will say welcome to the family and like so many others I wish you never had reason to be here. Also the same goes to the other Sarah. Please keep us up to date on what is happening with you and do go to find the just for fun forum. Sara I know that you already have and that is great so am hoping that Sarah will join us there too. Just remember what Judy said. One of the most important tools in fighting lung cancer is HOPE. I saw first hand what hope could do and what taking it away could do. There are so many here who have had stage 4 and are still here. Many still fighting and others who are stable or show NED. God bless.