Monday's Air

[jaminkw]

Morning All! I missed the weekend and the pj party at Judy's. Darn, I do love pj parties. I have to say what's most on my mind as I write this morning is Donna and Judy with that storm coming through. Enough already. Seems you guys have had just about enough!

Another picture is stuck in my head--Annette, boot camp? Can you say Private Benjamin???? Oh, what we learn about each other here thru casual banter lol.

Stephanie, sounds like a great day yesterday. I loved having the kids here but was whipped when they left.

I'm a bit down and out that I've gained back three lbs of the 5 or 6 I'd lost and we're going on the cruise in a week. Guess it's a good thing and a bad thing. Don't think I'm eating much more but the running to the bathroom 5 or 6 times every morning has stopped and the lbs went right back on. My daughter who is big is very sweet with me and encourages me to adjust to being somewhat chubby now. She is a nurse on an oncolology floor and see the thin frail people who don't do well on treatment. She feels better with me having some weight on. Sigh.

Bud, hope you and Rose are both feeling better. And the fish kill, what was that about?

Don't mean to overlook anyone but I have to rely on what my frazzled brain retained from reading. Don't have time to go back and forth. Do know I missed reading people: Bruce, Diane, Eric, Ginny, Libby, Lily, ....Any other regulars? Hope you all get back. I'll be in and out as I'm going to try and pace myself through today. Lots of work to catch up on.

Have a great day everyone.

Judy in KW

[Bud Baker]

Good morning, everyone!

It was 64 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 74. The south wind this morning will become a north wind in a couple of hours as we have a front come in. That means I'll have a tail wind for my ride in both directions today. That's appreciated, since I'm trying to ride easy to not aggravate my shin.

MI Judy, Rose is better, although she still has a cough and congestion. Buying healthier food is definitely more expensive. Rose says she spends more on groceries for the two of us than she did for the entire family when the kids were at home.

Some of it seems crazy, too. Whole grain flour, which is processed less than enriched flour, costs more than the enriched. It's just because that's the way flour has been processed for a very long time, so that's how the big companies are set up to do it.

And the subsidized corn crops that make the not so health corn fed beef so much cheaper than anything else is maddening, too. We only eat beef a couple of times a week these days, but pay more for better beef.

KW Judy, the fish kill was caused by golden algae, an ongoing problem for lakes and rivers in the northwest half of Texas.

Time for me to get back to work. Have a great day, all!

[jaminkw]

Bud, I know what you mean about the price of eating healthy. I do a lot of fresh fruit and veggies and they are very expensive. We don't have any markets as alternatives either. Just the grocery stores. Meat is not as much an issue since we do a lot of venison. But Stan like variety so....

We have algae issues here in FL too but I think they are episodic.

Hey, where are the rest of you???? Hellooooooo.

Judy in KW

[Joppette]

I heard that helloooooo????

Well, it's unbelievable, but we got another record snow storm. Two major blizzards in the same month is just freaky. The last time it stormed like this once was 1978, and now two! My deck has snow as high as my hip, and I'm not short like KW Judy and our Becky! Sorry girls. I'm 5'7".

This time the storm came with ice, so theres almost 100,000 folks without power. Thankfully we are not one of them! I can only imagine what this will do to our Grand River! Just very glad I'm not one of those folks that live on the River and have to evacuate every year.

We missed you this weekend Judy! Sounds like you had a lot of fun though! I had lots of time on my hands because Randy went up north with some friends for an ice fishing competition, and with this cold, I didn't think I could hang with them. Glad I didn't go. They were out until 12:30AM, up at 8:00 and on the ice for 5 hours. That so would not have worked with me.

So we went grocery shopping. Bought huge amounts of fresh vegetables. Bud, we don't eat beef that much anymore. If we do, we like a fresh cut of good meat. But as I get older, my carnivore side seems to be subsiding, and I'm happy with fish, and veggies. I am just not a big eater anyway. But it is expensive for sure.

Well thanks to everyone that watched stupid TV with me this weekend. That was nice!

I'm feeling like I might survive this cold thingy. Sheesh! It's been 10 days. But today I felt like I turned the corner. My ribs are killing me from all the coughing, but they will heal. And I'm coughing a lot less, though I don't have my voice back!

I'm going to go try to do something, ANYTHING, today. LOL

MI Judy

[Annette]

I am recovering from the stupid movie weekend - it's all Judy's fault. Thank goodness this is a "holiday" for us. I was sitting here working (trying to make up a missed work day) and a lady from Social Services knocked on the door. Seems my mom had sent her my way after they talked. I am so very much over this whole nephew episode. As I was reading the court papers she pointed out that the kid has in actuality already violated the terms of the Court Orders - "Remain Drug, tobacco and alcohol free." - So I guess he will be going away in April. What a crock - there is no help from social services it is more a "CYA" (cover your a**) thing. If I was up this morning now I'm down. She asked me if I would take the kid in if grandmother was ruled unable to care for him - I answered truthfully and said no way. What a day what a day. I am glad that stupid television will revive me tonight - gotta watch a little "Bachelor". Maybe I will turn on a DVD for a bit first - it is a holiday for me after all.

Eating food that is good for you - vegetables, less beef. Well I like my beef well done (that way there is no red meat!!) LOL. I am from Texas so I could eat a hamburger every day - me like beef. Vegetables - well I do like a stuffed baked potato and just leave the whole stick of butter please. I will order a salad first but why fill up on that when the steak is coming. Yep, as you can tell I am a healthy eater.

I think I may not be the only one goofing off today - the air is a little slow - speak up everyone.

Annette

[Joppette]

Well, I'm forcing myself to take a break. I'm still on the EVTBT but I must admit something that I find painful to admit.

House cleaning is DEFINITELY exercise. Prior to retiring, I was a Sales Executive with AT&T. I had a 18 state territory, and was on the go constantly. We hired a housekeeper back then to come clean every other week. It happened because I'd fly home from a week's work, and spend Saturday and Sunday cleaning and doing laundry. My husband said it was ridiculous to work so hard and then have to work all weekend.

So I was still working when we built our dream home. I would not have built this large home if I was the one cleaning that. I can guarantee you that. But I was still working, making really good dough, and I knew that we'd always have a housekeeper.

Fast forward, we've been here 7 years. And now due to life circumstances I have to clean it. So today I began with the master suite bathroom..........

I spray Dow Bathroom cleaner on the mirrors! I know it won't clean mirrors, but accidently did it. That almost made me cry, as I realize how rusty I am in this area.

We now have new rules for the bedroom suite. NO FREAKING DOGS!!!!!

Another new rule.....I never really studied the physics of how a man relieves himself. Never thought I needed to. Now that I've been on my hands and knees scrubbing the toilet, and the floor AROUND the toilet. I need to understand the physics of how a man relieves himself. Seriously. Does it need to drip dry? Because I now know where the drips go, and all I can say is SERIOUSLY??????

LOL

Expect more cleaning stories as I humble myself and re-learn how to do all of this.

All I can say is wow.

MI Judy

[Annette]

Poor Judy - I feel for you - I am so lucky that Keith is a better cleaner than I am - I have been a slug for the last year. But you have advantages that you have to learn to take advantage of - especially now that you have those two volunteer days freed up. We do not want to bring on the pain again so please take things slowly. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither does cleaning have to be. You have to divide it up to make it easy on you. Big house clean everything once every 2 weeks. You can make things easier if you keep a roll of paper towels in the bathroom - tell them if they sprinkle when they tinkle to be a sweetie and wipe the seatie. They won't but it may make them watch what they are doing. Don't overdo - just make a steady dent in a specific order and repeat. Make a list - and check things off if some weeks are busier than others it may take an extra day but if you work the list you keep a schedule.

Most of all we need you to take care of you - we don't want to worry about those horrible spasms!

Annette

[Snowflake]

LOL - Judy (MI), I'm not vertically challenged, I'm 5'5", about average, but hubby is 6' and son is taller than me, meaning both of them have a wider wing-span then me, so they do the reaching and smooshing of spiders on the ceiling.

Oh, we could so do "the world is my urinal" comparisons, Judy. May have to PM you some of 'em! Never buy the cute little rug that goes around the toilet - or maybe you should, since you can toss 'em in the washer!

We spent the morning grinding deerburgers. Still have about 30% of the deer to process, just took a while to get it skinned and quartered yesterday with the wound it received when it side-swiped the truck. The left side of the rib cage looked like it had taken cannonball fire, hard to skin with bone fragments, etc., everywhere. The boy and I will be doing the two front quarters, hubby is working, yesterday being his first day off in a while. Snow ain't dumb, had the man do the bigger quarters, and the one with the most damage so I didn't hear about salvaging (or not) meat that should have been dumped.

...and I am no longer even "in like" with snow, it can stop until Christmas Eve, I'm good.

Sad state of affairs, I was thinking if I caught the flu the world seems to be passing around, I'd have a jump start on a diet and could then continue... I really need to go to Bud's house and borrow a cup of ambition. I have a treadmill, can see it from here, and there it sits! Same with the Wii fit.

Ready for spring, spring, spring! Tired of wearing a coat, jacket is fine, coat is getting heavy...

[jaminkw]

Judy, I pitched a fit once about Stan (age 70 this Friday) finally retiring. Then I think about things like the cleaning lady. I remember telling him once that if I ever had to give her up, I'd go take a job at Kmart making just enough to pay her. He hasn't retired yet but Annette, if he ever does, he cleans better than I do too. I agree with you though that Judy needs to take it slow and easy. Pace yourself Judy.

Becky, thank goodness Stan shoots, cleans and dresses his deer in Ohio. He has buddies there and they all work together. Give us deer meat even if he doesn't shoot one. He has gotten really good at preparing it and makes awesome sausage.

What exactly is vertically challenged? Don't know but am sure I am. Was 4'8" all my adult life or at least that's what I claimed. Now I'm 4'6.5" but I think they are

measuring me wrong.

Have to admit, I am exercising again so if Bud has to miss a day and it's one of mine, I have you ladies covered.

Judy in KW