AF Daily - Friday Sept 23

[ItsJustMe]

Good Mornin All!

Just rolled out of bed and getting my mojo lined up for the day. I have an early doc appt this morning then a fun filled day at the office. If I can slug through that then I will be on the upswing. After work I am taking Mrs. IJM out to dinner. Then we agreed that this weekend we are making no serious plans at all and are just going to do stuff around the house. That is the kind of weekend I like. I just want to make sure that I keep busy. No thoughts about the bottle?..

From yesterday?s post ? yes Pap ? she is a Brittany ? and I have three more that look just like her. She is the baby though. They range in age from 2 years to 13 years. Her name is Dixie and every time I sit down she is either in my lap or trying to get into my lap. As I write this she is curled up in the recliner next to me! And it?s funny but she actually gets jealous of Mrs. IJM. When we are setting together on the couch, she will take her nose and try to move Mrs. IJM away from me!

So time to hit he shower. I really hope everyone has an awesome, AF Friday. Talk at everyone later?..

IJM

[sunshine_gg]

AF Daily - Friday Sept 23

Good Morning, IJM!

Spaniels are lovely dogs!
Just a real quick check-in from me today - I have a 10 hour road trip ahead of me. Picking up Hydro cable and my horse stalls today. Whoohoo! Although, I absolutely detest long driving. But, oh well. Wish me luck!

And, have a fabulous AF Friday, everyone!

[greeneyes]

AF Daily - Friday Sept 23

Fabbies!!


*4 course meal warning*

IJM, you handsome devil you! Thanks for the start! I loved the way you re-routed yourself away from the jar shop and your presentation story was SO impressive. I get sweaty hands just thinking about speaking in front of people.

I want to wish Marshy a hugely successful party tonight and say that I'm so glad NXGF is in her life. I'd love to come to the party. Oh wait, I AM!! Popcorn and all. (smilie thingy)

And kaz, I'll be thinking of you today going to Helen's memorial. I hope that good things come from it in unexpected ways. :l Your photo compositon is awesome, BTW!

M3, I LOVE LOVE LOVE 2 of my yoga teachers. They are into it heart and soul and the classes have a puropse and are orchestrated to build up to it. And there is a life lesson that you take off the mat to each one. I know you'll be like that. What a wonderfully rewarding thing for you! :l (I'm going to run out of hugs, I can already tell dammit)

Big question for DG - can you study and watch figure skating at the same time? ;- )

Uni, congratulations on the new nephew! I wish I lived closer to the keys, I'd love to meet up. I hope you have a safe, easy trip and I know you'll enjoy one last little dose of summer!

Lav, how are you doing with the fam moving away? I'm sure that leaves an empty space and I'm glad you have curves now to help with that. :l

Det... stick fighting.... what can I say? :H (that's six - I'm out)

Cindi - check in will ya?

Treya, safe travels! You did a great job with the AF Italy! That's REALLY some impressive commitment. Bravissimo! Thanks for that informative article!

P3, I loved your story about your reconcilliation with your friend..... all that wasted angst.. tsk, tsk. ;- )

LVT, I'm amazed at how you cook big stuff for big groups. And on TOP of your already full schedule! And you're right, that IS what I would say about your son. ;- ) He'll learn and grow from all this, painful as it is at the moment.

Bean, thank you so much. It means a lot to know something you said helped someone else. Have you got a good solid plan for an AF weekend?

I'd love to hear from dog-lvr! Where are you?

Jenny be safe today whatever your plans may be. And if it's to be AF, remember you do well with no allowance of free time.

Sunny-butt, TWO peanuts?? I missed the second one. You've really had a lot of "stuff" going on over the past couple years - family relationships, your old house, a couple big losses of those you hold dear.. you're still on your feet with your boxing gloves on and I'm really glad to see you here. Here's your big girl pants :grannypants: Let's see 30 days and you can have anties: hahaha

Lav we're getting your rain, a good solid "wash away the tundra that was already sliding down the hill rain". We REALLY need it and I'm trying not to begrudge it but..... but.... this evening is the (drum roll) FOOD TRUCK RODEO!! I have wellies, but I can't hold an umbrella and a food basket and eat. Wahahhhh...... Maybe they'll postpone it.

Off to the hole to finish up. I'm going to get some accupuncture today for my roller-coaster neck. The chiropractic ajdustment was great but it needs a bit more. It was worth it though.

Have a fabbie friday!

[universal]

AF Daily - Friday Sept 23

Morning abbers! I was up again at 6:11 am. WTF! I do really think the B12 is working though on my energy levels which is good.

The back on track program yesterday was difficult. When I got there I was the only female with 14 men. My anxiety went into high gear as the majority of traumas that I have faced in my life were due to men. (assaults etc). After about a half an hour I went up to the moderator and explained my dilemna and she allowed me to sit with them and not at the table. I was still in panic mode though with severe anxiety until about 3pm. But I made it. It basically just taught us about how to estimate your blood alcohol content and other options besides drinking and driving etc. The thing that really surprised me was that I was the only one to admit to being an alcoholic and the only one who was abstinant. Every one else there is still drinking or intending too. I can't decide any one elses fate but I found that sad.

Today is lazy - there is rain in the forecast, I wanted to walk to the store however that looks like it may not happen now. Not sure what is in the plans for today, however I know a nap is in my near future!

Sunny, good to see you back. Bean, have a strong plan for this weekend okay?

Happy to be AF!

Love,
Uni

[greeneyes]

AF Daily - Friday Sept 23

Uni, that is tremendous that you made it through the program and didn't flee. :goodjob: and here's a :l since I have a brand new 6 on each post.

[Doggygirl]

AF Daily - Friday Sept 23

Good morning fABbies!!! IJM, thanks for getting us started. Wow you and your doggy look awesome!!! funny - Mr. Doggy's older training dog also gets jealous of me. He always wants to situate himself between me and mr. Doggy!

Sunny it's so good to have you here with us. I used to have a Standardbred and we showed in the "Road Horse" division in the American Saddlebred show world. Riding him was like flying with the wind. All the ladies at the farm where we rode said 'riding him is better than sex.' You are so right - no chance to be anywhere else but "in the moment" on a horse. Travel safely today!

Greenie - wow - the tundra sliding off the hill?? :egad: that's a lot of rain! I am still trying to figure out how I will be watching figure skating AND doing homework! :H Less than a month to get that sorted. Another good reason to get that term paper done early! Have fun at the event tonight. Get someone else to hold your stuff and your umbrella (over YOUR head of course) so you can eat.

Uni - CONGRATULATIONS on making it through that long day despite the high anxiety. You have come SO far in your AF life. I am so proud of you!!!! On the other people with DUIs - it really is amazing how deep our denial runs, isn't it. For me it wasn't DUIs, but I sure had plenty of other HUGE warning signs going on that I ignored for years and years. I hope anyone in your class who really does have a problem finds sobriety before anything tragic happens.

LVT - I am so sorry for your son. I have faith like Greenie that these things happen for a reason. And as always - he is the important one - not anyone else's opinion about any of this.

Well - I gotta zoom out the door. Already caught up on the book keeping for the week since the dogs woke me up about 4AM. One thing is for sure.....

Oh Det. Looking at those birds reminds me that I'm glad in the human species, the females have makeup.

DG

[Kaslo]

AF Daily - Friday Sept 23

Good morning Fabstinencics.....Thanks for all your well wishes re today.

Just a quick note, mainly to Uni, as I rush off. Congrats Uni on making it through the meeting. It sounds like a dreadful experience, and not what the organizers intended for you. As someone who works in a male dominated field, I can relate to your sqeamishness. The thought of sitting amongst 14 guys, all of whom are still boozing at a meeting like that makes my blood run cold.

Todays day in Grand Forks for Helens memorial luncheon is, well something I am kind of dreading. My family from my dads first wife, i.e my biological mother (died a few years ago at 90) and my siblings are pretty much completely dysfunctional, in so many ways, its not worth listing them here. For most of my life it has been a blood sport for all of my sibs to make fun of me, and single me out for ridicule, and especially to make me feel like it was my fault that my dad left my mom and the whole dairy farm thing fell apart, because I was born... I am 6 to 10 years younger than my sibs. So my brother is going to be there, and one thing I am a bit worried about is my brother always, without fail, says something hurtful about me in front of other relatives in social settings, usually its demeaning and sarcastic, about what a pain I am, etc. He does it to give me a shot, one more time, and he loves to do it. (He also does it because I was the only kid in the family that my dad did not beat mercilessly, he actually LIKED me, so there you have the reason). ANYWAY...I have to try and remember this is about HELEN, and not me, or my brother, and not react to him in front of other people.

I have two black and white pictures of my dad and Helen. They must have taken them of each other. They are in identical white house coats. She is standing in front of a christmas tree, and he is sitting on a couch. They look insanely happy. I am going to take those with me and look at them in order to try and keep things in perspective.

Wish me luck. I am not even tempted to drink, now. More than ever.

Kas

[Lavande]

AF Daily - Friday Sept 23

Good late morning Abbers!

I've been running late all day.......but still getting stuff done!

IJM, nice pic! How much does your doggie weigh? My Swissy tries to climb onto my lap but fortunately she is not able to haul her giant ass all the way off the floor :H

Wishing Sunni safe travel today!!!

Greenie, sure hope you don't miss the food event this evening due to rain - it coming down big time here right now. Ouch on the rollercoaster neck!

Uni, how unfortunate that you were made to sit through that meeting all day yesterday! But you did it & it's over now, be proud

So Doggygirl used to be Horseygirl?

Kaslo, thinking about you & hoping today goes as smoothly as possible :l

Well, I've kept myself insanely busy doing everything & anything this week to keep from dwelling on my daughter moving. They left Monday afternoon. I just can't be a baby about this & risk feeling sorry for myself because that has always been a huge trigger for me. I'm OK & will remain OK.
My grandson's christening is Sunday & it looks like the outdoor luncheon the kids are planning is not going to happen ~ crappy weather. I'm going to plant some better ideas in their heads today. That's what I do best!!!!!

Have a good day y'all.

[Determinator]

AF Daily - Friday Sept 23

Aloooha FRiday AB-a-doooooos!

Kas, wonderful to see you taking steps to be positive during such trying times. Yer a rock.

Uni, B12 rocks eh? helps you to sleep soundly for sure (at least it does for me, along with mag).

I'm working tomorrow but it's at Tahoe and it's a K9 event. so that's not bad eh? I've got camera charged and ready to take some fun pictures.

a couple days ago I made dosa from scratch, it's a traditional Indian food similar to a crepe. yummy and exotic. and last night I started my first batch of DIY kimchi! wooooo! I'm on a roll.

lets do this weekend AF and have a good time doing it

be well everyone

[greeneyes]

AF Daily - Friday Sept 23

Det, please share your kim chee recipe (if it works out, of course :H) Did you bury it? Tomorrow sounds perfect for you!

lav, come visit greenie if you get lonely. You can bring all the animals.

We bailed on the food truck rodeo. There are a million little insignificant reasons and I would have gone downtown if my friend wanted to go but she fizzled too. Those trucks are around town anytime and there's a festival right up the street from me and another one sunday downtown and those two things are only once a year opportunities. Maybe I'll go up to the festival street dance later and eat from a food truck there and watch people. And then again maybe not.

[Doggygirl]

AF Daily - Friday Sept 23

Kas - I love that you are being proactive and have a plan to stay centered no matter what happens. :l I hope this all ends up being a positive experience honoring Helen.

((((Lav))))) I wish I could give you a Star Trek style transporter!!!! Bless you too for finding positive ways to deal with your sadness. I bet the alternate meal plan for Sunday will be spectacular from the seeds you plant.

Wow Det. You are a MASTER CHEF!!! I'm right there with ya on wishing all of us a happy AF weekend!

I went for a walk in the neighborhood today, as I've been doing so much since spring. Well, it finally happened. There are LOTS of people in this neighborhood that own various bulldog breeds. As a dog person, I can respect people's right to own whatever breed of dog they want. But let's face it. Odds are that a bulldog (or a german shepherd, or a doberman, or or or) presents greater risk than a golden retriever (or a shitzu, or or or). And of course there are always exceptions in any breed. But I think you get my point. A dog that presents higher risk of biting someone due to their very nature requires more security. That is all. One of the bulldogs finally got loose and chased me down the street. Actually, I never "ran" - wouldn't dare turn my back on this thing. All I could do was keep staring it in the eye head on and moving one step forward, two steps back keeping it scared enough of me to stay at least a few inches away. SCARED THE CRAP OUT OF ME. Not sure what, if anything I will end up doing about it.

At least these days I don't panic and over react to stuff. I can calmly think about it, talk about it, and process it. I don't have to be dramatic and I definitely don't have to get drunk. What a miracle that is!

One thing is for sure..

DG

[Determinator]

AF Daily - Friday Sept 23

Doggygirl, do you carry pepperspray? it's a really good dog deterrent and will not cause any permanent harm. I gave a can to a nice couple that did a lot of jogging in the neighborhood once a few years ago and they placated my concerns by taking it but didn't think they'd ever need it. they used it the very next day to stave off an attack by a huge unruly dog that got out of it's yard. they were so grateful and became the biggest proponents of pepperspray and started giving it as gifts to their friends.

well I must say I'm getting pretty stressed out with work. biz is slow, tensions are rising and the economic outlook is worsening. looking forward to an outside tradeshow tomorrow. a chance to clear my head and get some fresh air and sun.

be well friends

[Lavande]

AF Daily - Friday Sept 23

DG - you need to take one of your dogs on your walks with you!
I used to take Maxie with me but I can''t anymore. My walk is 2 miles & hilly & her arthritic shoulders just don't hold up. Believe me, you don't want to have to try to carry Maxie home :H
I enjoyed walking past homes with friendly horses, lots of cornfields & seeing the large cattle/sheep operation at the end of my road. I stopped walking because I encountered a nasty dog a few times myself
My SILrecently trained two full grown English Mastiffs - 250 lbs each! Why do people have dogs like that??

Still raining like crazy here - wish it would go somewhere else - yuck!

Det - enjoy your day tomorrow, sounds great

[papmom3]

AF Daily - Friday Sept 23

Wow DG-that was scary!! It's my biggest nightmare and why I'm so hesitant to walk my dogs these days. If you can't carry pepper spray maybe carrying some yummy treats to throw away from you might work if this ever happens again. But I agree with Lav-why don't you take one of the GSDs?
BTW-my sis is in the Chicago area this weekend for a getaway with a special group of college friends called the Sistahs. They all turn 50 this year so decided to descend upon the one in the group who can never go to their 4x/year getaways in New England. Not sure how wild they get anymore but a good time will be had by all without a doubt. Don't envy them on the planeride home with hangovers tho. Been there, done that. Yuck.

Greenie-I saw something on FB about a Road Kill festival in W. VA. I'm sure it's not the same as what happens in your town right?

Det-hang in there buddy and enjoy tomorrow. You can't go wrong with all those dogs around! I hear ya about the job worries. Cross that bridge when you get to it and remember, everything happens for a reason.

IJM-DD has to be on my lap at all times as well but he's just a peanut at 18lbs :H Sure growls nastily at the other pups if they even come near me tho. Short of dumping him of my lap, I haven't found the solution yet.

Kas-I hope today went a heck of alot better than you thought it would. I loved your idea of bringing those photos with you. I hope they gave you a great amount of solace. You are such a strong lady-I so admire you!

Uni-Ugh. What a horrible meeting you had to go to! But you came out unscathed and stronger for it!! So proud of you! You can hold your head high as you were the star pupil in that room!!

Oh Lav, I'm so sorry Monday finally came. I can only imagine how sad you are. And this damn rain doesn't help!! I hope Sundays happy event will not be rained out. I can't bear to put the AC on again but I might be forced to- it's so frigging damp!!

Who did I miss? Any word from Cinders Det? Hope she's OK.

I will probably not go to the agility seminar tomorrow morning if it's still raining. I'm a bit surprised they haven't cancelled it yet. I just won't risk DD or I slipping and getting hurt. It will be nice anyway to have 2 whole days to get this house sparking clean and organized as starting next week my free time pretty much goes away. But in it's place? $$$$ !

[Doggygirl]

AF Daily - Friday Sept 23

Wow. I'm exhausted and actually getting really sore. I think from the tension.

Det - pepper spray is something Mr. Doggy and I talked about this afternoon, and that's probably the way I will go with this. He also offered to go shoot the dog right now, but I said we should hold off on that.

I'm glad I did not have one of our dogs with me. That would have been excessively bloody. This was also not a dog looking for treats. I am very, very grateful that I have learned a little bit about these dogs from watching/listening to the training Mr. Doggy does on Saturdays. At least I knew better than to turn my back on the SOB. Well, just B actually. And sometimes the females are the worst. One of our training friends who breeds bulldogs had to put one of his champion females to sleep after she had her first litter. She came up in his face one day. He wasn't going to take the chance of that ever happening to him or anyone else again. The female I had the run in with today had the appearance of one who had a litter not too long ago.

There was some other strange stuff about this experience. Things happened so fast, but there is a small part of me that wonders if this woman let the dog loose on purpose. I really don't want to believe that, but while this whole thing was going on in the street - her dog barking and snarling and me screaming at the top of my lungs - she pulled out of the (already open) garage door in her car. I thought she was coming to get her dog (by this time we were a ways down the street). She went the other way and out of the subdivision. With the garage door wide open the whole time, there is no way she didn't hear the screaming/barking. I really can't imagine that's what happened, but I just wonder at the strangeness.

Very freaky. I hope I don't see a strange dog's teeth that close to me ever again.

DG