December Determination ~ week 4

[dill]

December Determination ~ week 4

Greetings all,

Yes, Star I have had more time to relax and to post since on break. I hope to become more regular at posting in 2013. As far as moods, yes, I have felt as you are describing. In fact I have been feeling pretty low lately. Perhaps it is the short days and lack of sunlight, but I am feeling not so much “empty” as frustrated and unhappy. I have many blessings in my life yet I have been focused lately on the things that are lacking or going wrong… the things I have no control over. Also there is nothing but bad news when you turn on the tv. Gloom and doom pervade the airwaves and seemingly the nation and the world. Yet, if I turn it all off and if I can turn off the chatter in my head, I can feel some peace. That is the best I can do right now. I understand your longing for grandchildren but with grandchildren there are also sometimes more problems. While my daughter’s child is in a wonderful situation, my son’s children are essentially living in poverty with my son either unemployed or under-employed with this bad economy and I see little hope.

LBH, I hope my trip is not quite as exciting as yours! I’m a bit too old for all that!

Chill, I’ll light a candle for your friend today too.

TDN I’m sorry to hear you are feeling so blue. Maybe it’s SAD? (Seasonal Affective Disorder) I had no idea you are nearing 60. I don’t know why, but I thought you were much younger than me. I turned 60 in April.

Pmom, what a story about your friend’s son! Oh My!! Glad he’s ok.

Rusty, Lav, nurdl, et al, have a good AF Saturday!

[Lavande]

December Determination ~ week 4

Looks like the snow has stopped - good.
My little dog is out romping & having a good time

Dill, the news has been getting to me as well so I'm trying to watch less. We can't do anything about the economy or anything else for that matter. But I've always be a hopeful person & I am keeping hope that things will turn around. I understand your concern about your son & his children. My daughter has been in difficult circumstances as well since they had to close their business & walk away from their investment But things are slowly starting to change for them. We can provide emotional support, a few $$ here & there & keep the hope

TDN,you are sticking with your Amoryn, right? I know I am!!!
I'd rather give up eating than my Amoryn :H

Speaking of eating.....
Just for fun I downloaded an Artisan Vegan Cheese cookbook today. It looks terrific & I've already gotten my culture started. I'll let you guys know how this works out. I really, really miss cheese in my life & the supermarket soy alternatives aren't fabulous. Here's the author's Amazon page:
Amazon.com: Miyoko Schinner: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle

I just may be giving everyone homemade vegan cheese for Christmas next year :H

[ThreeDogNight]

December Determination ~ week 4

DAMN!! This laptop has a mysterious key I seem to hit and it sends my post into outer space:upset: It started snoing here around 10:00 a.m., and as n:upsett supposed to start until 4:00 p.m. We must have six more inches. Closed the shop and I went with my friend (and her dog) to deliver flowers. First one was a half hour away, up a hill to some out-of-the way place where I can't believe anybody would choose to live! My friend was not so happy, as we should have charged more for delivery, and the plant itself was only $35.00. Then we had to come back to town to deliver an arrangement to a woman at a local market--only she had just left:upset: Drove to her house, but she wasn't home. Then to last stop for a woman whose husband died yesterday. Not home. Normally we call, but we figured in this weather she'd be home. So I have the vase and will have Mr TDN drive me over after church. And a neighbor called and asked me to replace her at the nursery group at churh tomorrow:upset: I was luky last week, with just two, but there will be a "full house" tomorrow! I DO NOT DO DIAPERS!!!!!

I am in a better mood today, for some reason. I took my Amoryn Lav--although I will not go so far as to say I'd rather take that than eat:H But I usually take a vitamin B-100 and Inositol in the a.m., sometimes a GABA, then a vitamin C a few hours later. I didn't take anything today, and felt better. Maybe it was the GABA? Anyway, I have not felt tired and have not been silent towards Mr TDN. I don't mean to blame him for everything, but he does get to me. He is going to turn 70 next week, and he has always looked ten years younger, but I think he is feeling old. Told me the other day that he is looking ugly and old! I do feel a lot younger than my age, and am usually told that I look a lot younger, maybe because I am small. but I feel old, too:H Getting back to the gym will go a long way toward helping that!

Hope the dinner party is great, Rusty!! The beef stroganoff sound good to me. We are having salmon and baked sweet potatoes, one of my favorite meals.

I am going to light one of my favorite candles for your friend, too, Chill.

Have a great AF night, all!

[papmom3]

December Determination ~ week 4

evening all.still snowing here. May have to bribe my nephew to come out again to shovel as I won't have the strength or stamina.
was able to sleep for a few hours this afternoon and I think the fever has broken.definitely don't have as much pain or nose swelling. all I can say is that it's a good thing I stocked up on tissues at BJs!
TDN- wow! What a day you and your friends had with the deliveries. you went above and beyond. oh and you're only as old as you feel. I wouldn't have guessed 60 either!
Been watching put bulls and parolees marathon all day. I do admire everything Tia tries to do and has done for these dogs. I know that because of her and her show I am not afraid of the pitties I meet at my demos now.
hmmmm, I feel another nap coming on.

[Lavande]

December Determination ~ week 4

Well, YB hung around here all day so he could use the snow blower on the driveway. He is sick with some sort of upper respiratory funk so I told him to skip it. Actually about half the snow melted off already, the rest is freezing up now. I don't care, I'm not going anywhere!

Papmom, wait for your nephew ~ bake him some cookies, brownies or something
The Pitt Bull who lives next door is a nice dog EXCEPT when another dog approaches. Karl ripped a large hole in the back of my BIL's Chesapeake Bay Ret that required quite a few sutures
Actually, my dogs don't like Jeb either. They get together & just bitch-bark him off the property :H
Hope yuo feel better soon.

TDN, thank goodness the diapers they use these days are real engineering marvels :H
No leaks, they can hold up for an hour long church service - don't change them!
Glad you are feeling leveled out. Now maybe you can get Mr TDN to consider taking Amoryn as well

There's been multiple power surges here this evening & I don't know why. it really wasn't that big of a storm.

[ladybirdheart]

December Determination ~ week 4

Ms. Pap so sorry you are sick; you are one after my own heart, I NEVER got sick on a work day; went twenty-five years at one job with so much sick leave accrued I got to "sell" a portion of it more than once. But on my weekends or vacation days I was, as they say in cowboy land, "all stove up and like to die". I learned early on to fall apart only when it was of low impact, and this ended up serving my employers well. You rest, curled up with all three dogs. I have a candle for your friend Chill, may she be free to hold the spirits of her children. TDN, what a lovely effort to deliver the comfort of flowers and plants in a storm. The beauty of flowers seems so unrestrained, immoderate, and diverse, they can transform a sad, scared, or angry person. In a similar frame, Rusty I think your advice to Star and to us all to do what we can to brighten our worlds was spot on, whether it is paint a door or save a pet, just the action takes the edge off. I would love to keep talking about this as I am always working to keep some sort of darkness contained. It sounds as though we all are. Long day today helping a couple of older gentleman friends in a town south of here bring their house into the wireless age, everything was in the box, new computer, TV, phone, tablet, music, modem, other modem, wrong box, missing box, some Windows, some Apple, the whole catastrophe. There was a lot of out of the box hand wringing and meltdowning. After not much sleep so I am going to make a light dinner and come to a major stop. Love, Ladybird.

[ThreeDogNight]

December Determination ~ week 4

Pap, I am sorry that you are sick. I hope you get better really fast. And hope the nephew came over to shovel you out. Take tomorrow to rest. Do the fur kids jump in bed with you?
LBH, that was a nice thing you did for the old guys today. I'm sure they appreciated it.
I'm in bed watching The Way We Were on TCM channel. Love that movie! My fifteen year old dog is with me. Mr TDN is watching some Rambo movie in the other room.
Snow has stopped, hopefully for good:H
Goodnight everybody!

[Rusty]

December Determination ~ week 4

Hi Lav, Pap, TDN, LBH, and Everyone,

The dinner party was great....everyone just went home. Good thing I am the youngest of everyone so no one wanted to stay too late.

Chill-I lit several candles for your friend. I will TRY and PM you a picture of my living room with the fire going, candles lit, and the Christmas tree. Same for Pap and LBH, who had requested pics of my decorations before. Sorry I am remiss in posting them.

Pap-I hope that you start to feel better soon. Good comfort TV....Pitbulls and Parolees. I watch Hoarders. Too close to home for you, though, huh, with your friend?

TDN-oh what a cr*p day you've had. No, I don't do diapers anymore either. When the six of my twelve nieces and nephews came along, I said, "I'm done." I saw your post on the mysterious posts that disappear. I HATE WHEN THAT HAPPENS. So here is what you do....highlight your text and hit Control C (copy) so then if your page gets all funky or takes too long to think, and you are finally back to the Reply To Thread page, hit Control V (paste). Hope that helps.

LBH-I never needed sick time either, but when I was on vacation, that's when I got hit with the worst viruses ever.

Lav-what are you doing tomorrow?

You guys, I'm exhausted, but I will try and post pics tomorrow. Night night.

[Catbuddy]

December Determination ~ week 4

Hi my fellow abbers,

I'm back, after almost two weeks away visiting family. It would take pages to share it, so I'll just share some high points. I told folks that I gave up AL, which was met with joy, confusion and distance, depending on the person. I never brought it up, just when I was offered wine (daily), I would say I don't drink anymore. I was universally told that I have changed, exude a calmness and a sweetness that folks responded to. But best of all, on my last day, my dear sister, who dubbed me "Catbuddy" when we were teenagers, expressed an interest in our supplements strategy. FINALLY. It's been two years, and I'm guessing, over 100 lbs since she started drinking after five years of sobriety. Her health and marriage are in the toilet. I so want to help her. At the end, as I was cleaning the kitchen, I told her about my rock bottom. I think knowing how bad I had become (stage 3), she knew I would not judge her. So the door is open. I know she has to want to quit to do so, and I know she doesn't want to quit right now. But when she does, there is a way.....

I also started a new hobby, crochet. It will be fun to do something with my hands at night. Scarves, anyone?

Cat

[Lavande]

December Determination ~ week 4

Good frosty morning December friends!

Brrrr, it's seriously chilly this morning but the sun is up

Welcome back Cat!
So glad to hear your trip went well for you. I'll just bet your sister will be doing a lot of soul searching now. You have shown her a great example
I will gladly take a crocheted scarf ~ body sized :H

Nothing big in the plans for today, think I may start putting decorations away. Next week I may be busy with other stuff, who knows?

I have been quietly concerned about my oldest brother the past few days. He was whisked off by ambulance & admitted to the hospital several days ago with severe breathing problems. He apparently has been bleeding internally, was not aware & is now receiving blood transfusions. All this was likely caused by the anti-clotting medications he has been on for so long

I am determined to not place myself into the hands of the medical community. I am willing to make major changes & try to preserve my own wellness. Dropping killer habits, moving into a healthier plant based way of eating, exercise & meditation & good vitamin/mineral/herbal supplements have all helped me a lot. My goal for 2013 is to continue on that path

OK, off to feed & water chickens. Have a great AF day everyone!
Lav

[dill]

December Determination ~ week 4

Welcome home Catbuddy! That is awesome about your sister. It?s hard to share the depth of our addiction, even with trusted individuals so it is a true gift you have given to your sister. I am confident she will one day made good use of it. Soon, I hope.

Lav, thanks for responding to my worries about my son and grandchildren. You are so right that we can help in lending emotional and $$ support which is what we have been doing. I guess it is the bleak outlook for the economy that is troubling me the most and that I have the least control over. There is a whole generation of young people that are facing such adversity now. I do try to keep the hope alive.

TDN, use Rusty?s method of copying before you hit the 'post quick reply' button. I often do. Another way around the problem is to hit the ? go advanced? button before you send. If you have been unknowingly logged off but you hit the ?go advanced? button instead of the ?post quick reply? button, it takes you to a re-log in page. When you log back in, your post appears in full in the advanced window.

Pmom, ?Pit Bulls and Parolees?? Is that a tv show? I have a healthy respect/fear of pit bulls. Ironically our Tessa is part pit bull! She is very sweet natured and I have a new appreciation of the pit bull as a result. It?s just that IF they bite, which is always a possibility with any dog, the damage is so much more severe. They can?t help it. That thought keeps the fear alive. I am glad your fever broke and hope you feel better fast.

Rusty, I?m so glad your dinner party was successful! How many folks did you have over? Did you serve any alcohol?

LBH, brightening our world by good, positive actions is definitely a way to stave off the gloom. Thanks for reminding of that. ?Idle hands are the devil?s tools? comes to mind. Even if one doesn?t actually go out and do mischief, the lack of constructive activity can lead to boredom, dark thoughts and moods that spill over into everything.

Have a peaceful AF Sunday, all.

[dill]

December Determination ~ week 4

X-post Lav!(again). Sorry to hear about your brother. I share your fear of possible health issues and will join you in trying to live a healthy lifestyle in 2013!

[Stargazerlily]

December Determination ~ week 4

Good morning to all...

Thanks for the feedback, the mood has passed, as all moods do, given enough time. I think part of it is after holiday blues, and coming to terms with other things. It really helped to get feedback and to understand that many of us feel less than sometimes.

Someone asked if I have pets. Yes, embarrassingly, four cats. It was only supposed to be two, but ended up more. And as cats live amazingly long, I may not be getting any other pets in this lifetime. I love them, and keep busy taking care of their needs and playing with them. Anybody see that show Cat from Hell? It is great. Rusty, I watched Hoarders before and felt so bad that the individuals are so anxious and live in such filth. True mental illness in my opinion. Pap, I did not watch Pitbulls and Parolees, but a similar show where inmates get kittens. Great idea in my opinion, just don't know what happens to the animals when they get out.

Chill, I too lit candles in memory of your friend. Hope you are doing OK. Grief just needs time, lots of time. We are all here for you, so post away if you like.

Lav, I like the support here too, and giving support. Sometimes I too get tired of taking care of everyone and everything.

Pap, sorry you are sick. So many have been ill, that I took Lysol to work and sprayed everything down. Take care of yourself and rest.

We have at least six inches of snow, it was beautiful last night. Only a few more days for the tree and lights.

Rusty, the dinner party sounded fun, and I love Beef Stroganoff. I am happy with the way my house looks, would like to update the kitchen at sometime.

TDN, it is nice getting to know you. Changes are hard and getting life together not always easy. Long term marriages have their ups and downs, that is for sure. Lots of struggles recently over here, but just have to get through it. Have been down this road before, and it is always tougher in winter to get along.

Catbuddy, it is great that you are a source of info for your sister...when she is ready, you are there.

To all, have a great day.

[ThreeDogNight]

December Determination ~ week 4

Good morning!

Lav, so sorry to hear about your brother. I sure hope he gets better. Sounds frightening. I know you are(were) a nurse, so know the medical community, and I agree that we are better off trying to stay healthy and avoid meds, etc.

Star, nice getting to know you, too, and appreciate the wisdome of your posts. And happy to know that your mood is getting better Feel the same way here. I hate the ups and downs, but I know that's life.

Pets--if the name DoggyGirl hadn't been taken, I would have chosen that! Have always loved animals, and have helped with my humane society until about to years ago when some bad things were happening. I used to run the dinner auctions w
and other events and served on the board (mistake!) for a couple of years. And I helped with a rescue group until I lost my license. That's how we got our two surviving dogs. The one we lost recently was not a rescue. I also sold to the pet industry for a few years, and got to meet wonderful customers. I miss that. I learned a lot about natural pet health, nutrition, etc.
Used to have a cat, who lived to be about 21, but haven't adopted another one, as our dogs like to chase cats:H

Mr TDN has done the driveway and is going to drop me off at church and then go and deliver the flowers we couldn't deliver yesterday--and then hit the dump!! he usually goes to church, but is complaining about a cold. Men are wimps when it comes to their health-IMO!

Thanks for the suggestions on not losing posts. Will try those.

Back later, and wishing everybody a great AF day!

[Guitarista]

December Determination ~ week 4

ThreeDogNight;1434385 wrote:


I am going to light one of my favorite candles for your friend, too, Chill.

Done.

Hi folk's. Some of you sheila's are 60? Geez, never would've believed it!

Get well soon Pappy. Hope your bro will be ok Lav.

On the tail end of a little fever here myself, but i can't complain.

Wishing everyone a safe, sober, magical, happy and healthy New year.

G bloke. Yo! :h