Newbies Nest

[narilly]

Re: Newbies Nest

So sorry about your mom NoraC, xoxo. That is really tough, good thing you don't drink.

Happy UnHung Thursday everyone. Grateful to be sober (for over 5 years now) and bright eyed and bushy tailed this morning (ok I know I am not a squirrel).

I was checking out the old Ladies on a Mission Thread today and, wow, we/I have come SO far. I copied this little ditty that I posted in December 2015.

Two years ago I started drinking during the holidays (Dec 2013) because I was not Really ready to quit. I totally remember NS 'reprimanding' me a bit afterwards and asking me 'Do you really want to quit Nar? Why did you have a glass of wine?" Ava, Pav, JVo all were there for me among others , I really needed that kick in the butt and all the other kicks I got until I quit in April 2014.

Time flies, everyone that is newly sober, keep after it, the days just add up. Focus on not drinking today and pretty soon you have 2 days sober, 3 days, a week, a month, a year... it adds up and it is Worth it! It is worth having your self esteem and self worth in tact. It is amazing waking up everyday remembering what happened yesterday and not having a hangover.

Sorry for everyone on the West Coast, it sounds so horrible. I have family in Vancouver and they are having a hard time too. Also the hurricane and flooding in the south, xoxo. Hang in there Wags, Lav, Pav, Byrdie, Ken, everyone who lives in these areas.

Hello Frances and Deedoo.

Hello G, I read the other day that you went for a swim and I am jealous. My pool is still closed due to Covid.

Ava, nice to go back to work a bit even if it is a bit scary.
Byrdie, your family story is incredible, you could write a book!

Hey Ken, 100 postcards to encourage mothers to vote? Wow, I had never heard of that before, that is a lot of work. I agree that it is important to vote.

Don't drink today, its gross!

[SHADES_of_IDAHO]

Re: Newbies Nest

Nora.. sending blessings your way to help you thru the loss of your mom giving you all that you need to sustain you thru this journey. Hugs Shades

Hello and blessings to you all.

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters on this Friday eve

When you hit retirement age every day is pretty much the same but I do remember looking forward to the weekend!

Shades, good to see you

NS, I have also switched over to the 3D style masks, much more comfortable. For the hospital they want the standard 3 pleated style but with elastic ear loops this time. They will use these masks for outpatients & visitors who show up without their own. The US should be producing masks & gowns 24/7 & not relying on shipments from China

Narilly, I had many quits but they only lasted as long as my mood did. This quit has stuck because I recognized the need to deal with my longstanding depression first then go for my final quit. That worked for me & I’m only sorry I didn’t figure it out sooner. The trick is being 100% honest with yourself, making a plan & sticking to it no matter what!!! You’ve done great yourself!

Kensho, I no longer have the energy to deal with patients (and I retired my license a few years ago) but I can sew my brains. Out when needed, haha!
Wonderful that you’re helping motivate voters, we really need them all in November.

Pav, glad your air quality is improving.

Wags, hope things are improving for you as well.

Nora, I like keeping my hands & mind busy so the masks are a good solution. Helps me & helps others at the same time. Hope everything is OK for you :hug:

Hello to the rest of the crew & wishing a safe night in the nest for all!

Lav

[available]

Re: Newbies Nest

Morning nesters

TFIF is all i will say. I spent most of the night tossing and turning wondering how i could be sick. if i say i have a cold i have to get tested so i go for a migraine now when i need a mental health day.

Lav, great work on your sewing, i love the ones mum made me. i went into the supermarket yesterday without my mask and pretty much got death stared. quickly turned and went and retrieved it, i just forget. after 8 weeks one would think i would remember. Our cases were down to 25 yesterday so i am hopefully we will go to stage 3 sometime soon.

My house will go down to 2 children in a couple of weeks. looking forward to it but it has been nice (after some adjustment) having my eldest daughter here. she was not used to being told what to do by her mother and our personalities are very similar.

Pav, i think everyday i should do some exercises to start the morning but then it flies out my brain off till tomorrow. i do love my daily walks though.

Nora, i hope you had a lovely time with your granddaughter, wow 2, she is growing up quickly.

take care and stay safe xx

[Pavati]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi, All:

Narilly thanks for dragging out that thread. You all (there were ladies and gentlemen posting there) helped me so much. I quit when I realized I had lost control. The year before I had decided to moderate, went for 30 days "dry" and then had intermittent periods of drinking a lot and not drinking - not a lot of moderating. I kept telling myself I just needed to slow it down so I didn't have to quit for good! I came her with the knowledge that I was going to go 90 days sober and then pick up as a perfectly "normal" moderator, but I knew if I said that I would hear something from Byrdie, Lav, and No Sugar. So I lied and said I was in it for good. I was here for three weeks, drank when I went to a concert, had the Thanksgiving Massacre, and landed right back here, hat in hand and head bowed, full of humility. I really needed to check my ego, check my perfectionism, check my need to control and just listen. Thank goodness you were all here to support.

I am intrigued by a 3-D mask. Do you all look like weird monkeys? I have a colleague who is VERY large and his mask doesn't fit his face really. Do you every make large ones? I wouldn't want to be the one to tell him he needs to go up a size. I do worry about his overall health.

I agree, Byrdie needs to write a book. So much intrigue... That 23 and Me has led to some interesting dinner conversations...

I have enjoyed the morning yoga, but I have to get up so early to do it and get to work it is annoying. If I had one more hour to sleep it would be perfect...

TGIF. SO ready for the weekend. I have a hike planned if the smoke stays away. And as Narilly says, I won't drink. It is disgusing.

Pav

[narilly]

Re: Newbies Nest

Happy Un Hung Friday everyone!
I agree that the 3-D mask sound intriguing, I am going to check that out. I keep buying masks so I have to slow down, there are so many cool ones out there.

I am glad it is the weekend too- mostly because you all are happy. It is not much different for me at this time.

It is interesting to go back and ready how we used to think and how far we have come. Crazy how we used to lie to ourselves and everyone else so we could keep drinking. I remember 'pretending' I was sober on the threads, lol. The only person I was hurting was myself.
Hope you can go on your hike Pav. I am going for a bike ride this afternoon with my friend from high school.

Don't drink today. xo

[deedoo]

Re: Newbies Nest

Evening all, sorry for not continuing to post each day but I have been flat out painting and by the time I finish up its straight to bed. Hopefully from next week on I'll have more time as I only have til Monday to finish up glossing the wood. The real painter comes on Tuesday to do the walls and ceilings and put up some wallpaper but to cut down on cost I'm painting all the wood myself. Nora so sorry for your loss. I'm away to read a few more posts to see what everyone has been up to.

[Byrdlady]

Re: Newbies Nest

Nora, I’m so sorry to hear that you lost your mom. Losing a parent is so difficult, no two ways about it We are thinking of you.
Glad it’s Friday, but I don’t know why, since I don’t have a job! Even still, it’s not a ticket to BoozeVille. Hope everyone has a great weekend. Nothing is made better by drinking! Byrdie

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters,

I have an unexpected guest for the weekend, my younger grandson. He’s 9 1/2 so he entertains himself, all I have to do is keep him fed. Haha!
We just took our walk down the road to see the horses, it was nice to have company

Ava, I just heard on the news that the Covid case #s are going up all over Europe as I expect they will here as well. Just be careful friend & keep that mask handy.

Pav, if you want an extra large 3D mask for your friend I can send you one. I made a few for my husband but they were actually too big on him so he wouldn’t wear them. He has a big head so I thought it would fit, haha! Hope you enjoy your weekend!

Narilly, I never thought I would have 11.5 years AF when I started, I was pretty much a mess. I just kept at it, letting the months & years pile up & have zero regrets! I just wish anyone out there who is undecided would believe that it is possible to have a good life without AL. We have given ourselves a wonderful gift!

Dee, good to see you & hope your painting continues to go well too!

Byrdie, looks like they may be some tropical storm activity heading your way again. Ugh, this year needs to end! Stay safe!

Hello to all & wishing everyone a safe night in the nest!

Lav

[Guitarista]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hola evabody,

Nora you are in my thoughts. Condolences to you and family.

Yo Nar. Correct! I swim regularly in the bay here. The council are doing some work on the local beach front dredging sand in from the sea floor onto beach to make the narrow strip of beach wider. Interesting work. The result is murky water for now, but i can still jump in further along and git my fix!

Did i see Little beagle pop her head in the other day? Wowza! Hi LB! How are you?

Anyone heard from Jvo?

Take it easy and have a peaceful weekend out there.

[available]

Re: Newbies Nest

Morning nesters

Nar i meant to say that i miss loamers also. Funny how we tried to keep lying but the oldies could pick us out. I am helping a friend at the moment and he is nearly 5 months sober, it reminds me that we all started somewhere and that accountability is so important.

I was talking to a guy on a dating site the other day and he said we would have to catch up for a drink, i told him i would love a coffee, he then said a coffee and then a red wine. told him i didnt drink and didnt hear back. oh i had to laugh. This alien doesnt have to drink to have a good time.

Nice to see you G and thanks for checking up on me, work kind of gets in the way of life atm and there isnt much else to do. i do walk every day (psych's orders) and meander to the shops every few days. Trying to slow my online shopping down now. my new fav is the outdoor pergola so i can actually sit outside. i did buy an outdoor setting but the table legs dont match up and a seat so they are resending parts. Some gardening for me today i think. Heard nothing from Jvo G, i always hope she is not drinking and enjoying sobriety like we are.

I admire you Pav for doing yoga. I am going to sit and do an exercise and eating plan over the weekend. i need to get my shit together.

Hope you are well Nora.

take care and be safe. xx

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi everyone,

finally emerging from the hazardous smokey haze...

We got rain today and that has helped the air start to clear here. I also received an unexpected gift from a student -- an air purifier. It was such a great surprise! We got it up and running right away and within an hour or two could tell a difference.

Kensho - I would love to hear about the postcards you wrote - did you sign up somewhere to get a list of names, or how did you know who to write to? I would love to do the same.

Ava - yes, keep your mask handy. We here in the U.S. can tell you how quickly case numbers spike when things start to open up.

Nar - so nice to see mention of the LOAMers and that thread. I was only part of that for a short while but it was a really great group.


I have to say that tonight is the first night I really wished I could reach for a drink or 5. I'm devastated by the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the ensuing divisive political steps already set in motion. I've developed huge respect for her and her work, so the grief is expected, but I'm almost despondent over how this is already being parlayed by the politicians in power to push us farther to the right as a country and to undo several critical social justice advances of the last 50 years. I can't say anymore because I'm livid, disheartened, and have nothing constructive to say about that tonight. As a friend of mine wrote, "Tonight we mourn, tomorrow we fight!"

And I don't drink, so I'll be fighting sober -- much more effective!

Stay safe everyone and happy weekends to you all.

[NoSugar]

Re: Newbies Nest

You know, Wags, last night I wanted to take a hot bath, listen to old sad music, drink, and cry. I did all of them other than drink. An Edna St. Vincent Millay poem posted by someone for RBG finally released the tears like wine used to do.

Dirge Without Music

I am not resigned to the shutting away of loving hearts in the hard ground.

So it is, and so it will be, for so it has been, time out of mind:

Into the darkness they go, the wise and the lovely. Crowned

With lilies and with laurel they go; but I am not resigned.



Lovers and thinkers, into the earth with you.

Be one with the dull, the indiscriminate dust.

A fragment of what you felt, of what you knew,

A formula, a phrase remains,—but the best is lost.



The answers quick and keen, the honest look, the laughter, the love,—

They are gone. They are gone to feed the roses. Elegant and curled

Is the blossom. Fragrant is the blossom. I know. But I do not approve.

More precious was the light in your eyes than all the roses in the world.



Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave

Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;

Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.



I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned.

[narilly]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good Morning everyone- Grateful to be un hung on a Saturday morning. This was definitely the day I used to be hungover every week. Friday always meant drinking and 'enjoying' myself, celebrating the oncoming weekend. Unfortunately I would be hungover for the first part of the weekend and sometimes the whole weekend. I spent so many years saying I would quit or moderate, my old self would have been surprised that I actually quit and wake up every morning with no hangover.

Byrdie, those Fridays are certainly not a ticket to Boozeville! G, by the way, I am totally jealous of your swimming in the ocean, my swimming pool is still closed.

RIP RBG :heartbeat: I was sad to hear of her passing last night, she accomplished so much in her life. Thanks for the poem NS, what an amazing woman. Wags I am sure RBG would be glad you did not reach for that glass of wine and since you don't drink, you don't want wine anyway
Lav, your life sounds awesome and it is so nice to have your grandson visit.

Dee- thanks for checking in, you are doing great. Keep adding up the sober days!

Ava, who needs that guy! I was thinking that back in the day if a guy told me they didn't drink I would have skidded them down the road. I could not understand how someone would not drink. Wow, what a change eh? Now we actually say "I don't drink" (right Pav?) and we are not sorry to say it. I am so glad you are so strong in your quit.

It is smokey here today and we are being told to limit exercise. Stupid smoke.

Don't drink today everyone, it's gross. xo

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters,

I almost cried when I heard that RBG had passed. She’s always been a hero to me, someone I highly admired. It is so sad to think that her hard work could be undone by this pack of wolves currently in Washington
Had a great afternoon, we met up with my daughter & granddaughter so we could all hop on a hayride at an orchard. The kids had a lot of fun & I found wearing a mask on a hayride means you don’t sneeze, haha!

G, hope you’re enjoying your weekend!

Ava, can you search for a dating site for non-drinkers? Is there such a thing? Might be worth your while
I know a lot of us have been spending money on things for our homes this year. My husband just had a 55” TV delivered today. We definitely did not need that. Haha!!

Wags, glad you’re OK & that gift was so thoughtful!
My daughter was still in high school in ‘93 when RBG became the 2nd woman on the court. I remember the discussion we had about how she was going to do so much for women’s rights & how lucky we were. She will be greatly missed!

NS, thank. You for the poem :hug:

Narilly, keep yourself safe from the smoke. I hope it clears quickly!

Hello to everyone & wishing a safe night in the nest for all!

Lav