Absolutely AF August

[dill]

Absolutely AF August

Hello Friends,

I have clear skies here tonight! I should be able to view the "super moon"! Tomorrow morning, too because we are up early to drive for 3 hours to the baby shower. We'll spend the day and drive back home.

Sky, I didn't think you would have time to read at present! Just make a note for the future on those titles.

Lav, hope you had a wonderful day and got all caught up!

Papmom, So sorry you are feeling unsettled. I go thru times like that too. Hang in there and remember to breathe every now and then. Focus on the present.

I might not be able to check in tomorrow, so please all, have a great AF Sunday!

[papmom3]

Absolutely AF August

Evening all!!

Slow day at the demo-hate those. I really do best when I'm busy.

Lav-What a chuckle you gave me because you are so right but I had no interest in running when I was in my 20s. I had horrid shin splints in high school and everytime I tried to take up jogging again in my 20's I got them again so i just gave up. Probably due to immense improvements in shoe wear, I don't have them anymore and don't expect them to show up again so its now or never!!
I only dream of moving to FLA when it's -10 degrees out with 3 feet of snow!! I would be happy with coastal Maine as my retirement destination.

Star-if you and hubby can swing the house on the lake next year that would be so cool!! I hear the excitement in your post about spending time with your daughter!!

Dill-safe travels and hope the shower is lots of fun.

Another demo tomorrow-may be slow again due to the gorgeous weather. It's a late one too so Monday will come way too fast.

I'm going to try to get out at 7 am and run with Koby. I don't usually exercise on Sundays but I feel like I've slipped a bit in my eating lately so need to up the calories out.

I definitely felt better today. Not unsettled and the weird stomach chest pains I had yesterday are gone. I swear I have an ulcer. Some days are better than others and antacids definitely help. Will be interested to hear what my new PA says at the end of the month. The worst part about this is that I have to keep eating to keep the pain/hollow/hungry feeling away.

Ok, enough complaining about health problems! Time to get some sleep!!

[Stargazerlily]

Absolutely AF August

Good morning...

Another fateful day, dickering with the buyers of our home, but we finally settled verbally and will close this week. Everything I need comes to me in the perfect time/space sequence. Right? Just need to get the paperwork signed, sealed and delivered. More packing, selling more things today, getting rid of lots more. Again. I met a nice family at the ice cream place last night, (it made me happy to eat ice cream) and they were telling me they moved from a house to an apartment due to change of jobs. It was just interesting to me. Life is full of coincidences, right?

Lav, my parents started out just going to Florida for one month in the winter, renting a place to see if they liked it. I think that is a better idea than just moving there. My Dad did the same thing, renting for a year or two, then deciding to buy once he found a community he liked. But I know YB is an all or nothing kind of guy, right? Obviously you do not trust him and to give up your life would not make sense. I like how you put yourself first.

Dill, why a super moon? I was checking the beauty of the moon out last night, it was spectacular. Have fun at another baby shower? Are family having babies or just alot of people you know?

Pap, sounds like your stress is affecting your body. Me too. We both could benefit by focusing on peace, calm, and knowing that things work out. Sending you positive vibes. Living by a lake is a dream, I do not want to get in over my head or be crammed by alot of people as alot of lakes around here are set up like that. One house next to another, not for me. First things first, moving to an apartment and starting a new job. Hope your demo today is busy and time flies.

Hello to busy Cyn.

Have a great Sunday.

[Lavande]

Absolutely AF August

Good morning friends,

Just enjoying some coffee & waiting for my morning dose of Motrin to kick in - ouch!

Star, it's true ~ 'all good things in time'
That's what my Mom used to tell me & she was right! So glad things are moving along for you!

I no longer have any faith in the things YB says. I do know for sure that he is just incapable of ever being truly happy & satisfied. He says moving to Florida would make him happy but I know better. He has said that about many things (big things & little things) over the years. The big problem is he never changes his thinking or attitude. He doesn't know the real meaning of gratitude. If he got every last thing he thinks he wants he still would not be satisfied. I am no longer falling victim to his hype.
It is getting harder & harder to keep up with all the work involved here & we will have to move some day. I'll start looking for a nice granny condo :H
We will have a total of five supermoons this year with this current one being the largest! They are awesome to see

Papmom, I know you saw my sunflowers on FB. The largest one is at least 10 feet tall & I'm waiting for the flower to open. Looks like I'll be harvesting lots of sunflower seeds.
The symptoms you described do sound like that of an ulcer. Have you talked to the doc about that? Ulcer are usually treated with antibiotics & a proton pump inhibitor. Taking antacids for an extended length of time is not always a great idea. Take care of the little stuff before it gets out of control

Greetings Dill! Hope you have a safe trip today & enjoy that baby shower!

Hi there Cyn, hope you are well.

OK, time to hobble off for my day. Hopefully I'll get some answers & an easy fix for this foot problem tomorrow!
Have a great AF Sunday everyone!

Lav

[dill]

Absolutely AF August

Good Morning Friends,
We had a wonderful day yesterday altho the drive home seemed very long. I watched the clouds gathering as we drove along keeping in mind that it was the night of the super moon. By the time we got home there was a thick cloud cover that held thru the night, so I was prevented yet again from seeing the super moon!:upset:

The baby shower was absolutely lovely! It was from noon to 3 and there was loads of food. No spirits, not even beer. It was a family affair with children and husbands along for the ride. Star, the shower was for my niece. This is the one I am making the crochet blanket for, which I am not finished with but I did show her the work in progress!

Papmom, Lav, Star, have a wonderful AF Monday.

[Lavande]

Absolutely AF August

Good morning friends!

Dill, sorry you missed the supermoon. I had a clear view of it here this weekend
Sounds like the baby shower was nice. I'm sure your niece will appreciate the handmade blanket when it's done!

I picked a large tomato yesterday & felt compelled to weigh it - it was 3/4 of an ounce short of 2 pounds! Heirloom tomatoes grow quite big when conditions are just right :H
YB grabbed a shovel & harvested just one potato plant just to see how they were doing. I now have a dozen large red Norlands drying. There's another 50 feet worth in the garden to harvest!!!! Sounds like potato salad time - yay!! This has been the best growing season I can remember for quite some time!
I am heading to the foot doc this afternoon, hope to get some answers & some relief. Getting tired of limping around, that's for sure!

Star, I have no interest in Florida, never have really. I've been there plenty of times to visit people, go to Disney World & all that. I find the whole state is just too hot & humid & too buggy for me. It's just seems jam packed full of old people, I always found it a bit depressing
Our kids would never be able to get down there to visit & that would depress me so my thoughts are 'No Thanks'. YB thinks he wants to go there but he would have absolutely nothing to do. He doesn't play golf & how much fishing can one person do? He watches other people doing things that make them happy so he thinks he wants the same things - it doesn't work for him. He is actually happy doing what he's doing here but just doesn't know it (if that makes sense). Putzing around the house & the gardens is something he's always been good at & what he really needs to do. Staying physically busy help him stay out of his dark thinking.

Greetings Papmom & Cyn! Hope everyone has a great day & productive week

Lav

[dill]

Absolutely AF August

“It's so much darker when a light goes out than it would have been if it had never shone.”
― John Steinbeck

In memory of Robin Williams.

Greetings Friends,
Busy here, as usual. We are harvesting sweet corn and freezing it. So far we have 21 pints and 4 quarts and we are but half way thru!

Lav, that was a BIG tomato! And what a lot of potatoes! We keep ours in cold storage and they usually last until spring. Do you keep yours over the winter?

Star, you must be absorbed in "move" activities. Thinking of you and sending you energy, strength and calm!

Cyn, Papmom, greetings!

[Lavande]

Absolutely AF August

Good morning friends!

Very sad about Robin Williams. He brought happiness to the whole world but sadly couldn't find his own. He will be missed!

Dill, this has been one fantastic growing season, don't you think?
The corn sounds good, I may pick some up for freezing myself.
We haven't grown potatoes like this in decades :H I hope we can find some way to store them properly.

Well, I saw the Podiatrist yesterday & he's sending me for an MRI. He located a soft tissue mass in my foot which could possibly be the result of trauma (think large dog stepping hard on my foot)
I got an Rx for a better NSAID that is taken once/day. That's all I know for now.

Greetings Star, Papmom & Cyn!

Be well everyone!

Lav

[papmom3]

Absolutely AF August

Happy almost Hump Day!!

Lav-I hope that MRI is soon and that the mass is truly trauma. I will be waiting anxiously for the dx. Also hope the new rx helps a lot.

I have my physical on the 28th so figured I could wait until then. Some days are better than others. I know I'm overloading on antacids but hopefully I'm not doing too much damage in this short amount of time. They do seem to help.

Star-glad the setback with the sale got ironed out. I don't think I've ever seen a sale go completely smoothly. Hang in there, you are almost done.

Dill-glad you had a good time at the shower-been a very long time since I've been to one! Just don't get invited to anything anymore and it will be a while before any nephews have kids or even get married.

Cyn-how's the festival going?

Weekend was pretty unproductive. Both demos slow and boring. My boss at my FT job is back from vacation. I still don't have much to do but luckily I'm off campus at a state wide meeting on Thursday and off Fri, sat, sun. The meeting Thursday will hopefully be a chance to catch up with the woman who is planning on retiring from UMass in the hopefully near future (remember I went out there in April for a "visit"). She wants to sit down and chat during our lunch break so I'm very curious about what she has to say. Friday is my breed club's specialty and I'll be working the sale table the whole day. Looking forward to it very much. Lots of gorgeous paps and hopefully puppies to love on. Sailing is on the docket for one of the weekend days if the weather cooperates.
One piece of good news tho from work: we're getting our raises!! I really didn't think it would happen because enrollments are way down and I am not in a union so it's totally up to the president to say yay or nay for the raises. We're getting 3% for sure and there could be an extra .5 to 1% raise based on evaluations. I'm hoping mine was good enough for the .5-only the superstars will get the whole 4%. The president even mentioned that they will control for those supervisors who are known to be super strict and harsh on the evals-thought that was very interesting. I think my boss falls into that category but because she gave me mostly neutral scores I don't think it will make a difference. She's smart, that's for sure. She knew giving me low scores would raise a red flag even tho I'm sure she wanted to on a few things.
Today I had an epiphany. I'm tired of living hand to mouth and since I won't win the lottery and can't cut my budget any further, the only option is to make more money. To do that I have to be willing to move up into a director's position. I need to "man up" so to speak, and have confidence in my ability to manage and see the big picture. I know for sure I don't want to be a director in a records office-I just don't have the passion for this part of higher ed. I would be OK with a position back in admissions, on the transfer side (how convenient that the Umass position is just that). So now at least I have a direction I can move in. The wall has gotten just a little bit thinner.
I'll say good nite now-my goal is lights out by 10:30 so I can get up at 5 and go for a run.

[Lavande]

Absolutely AF August

Good morning friends & Happy Hump day!

The rain has stopped, sure did get a lot yesterday. Waiting for the clouds to move out & reveal some sunshine later. My grandsons will be here from noon until 7pm, so I hope they can have some outside time

Papmom, I hope you get good news on the job front soon. YB is department director at the college where he works (he certainly has the personality for it :H)
Of course that means that he deals directly with & reports to the president & VPs. I won't repeat what he says about them :H
Have faith in yourself & confidence in your abilities! I really hope you get what you want

The MRI is scheduled for next Tuesday. My foot is not any worse or any better. The meloxicam is giving me some relief, better than nothing. This situation could very likely end up needing a surgical fix but I'm trying not to dwell on that prospect - yet.

Greetings Star, you must be busy! Hi there Dill & Cyn. Hope everyone is OK

Have a great AF day all!

Lav

[dill]

Absolutely AF August

Wow Papmom! Congrats on the raise! That is good news for sure, you can use it!

Lav, I hope you don't have to have surgery but if it resolves the foot issue, then what must be, must be. Hang tough.

I didn't mention that I was expecting a visit from my daughter and grandson. They arrived this afternoon. I spent the morning getting the guest beds ready and straightening up the rooms. Then off to the airport. We have been busy ever since, as you can imagine, but what a wonderful visit so far. Her birthday is tomorrow so we will have angel food cake, strawberries and whipped cream for her special treat!

We also have the "tree guy" scheduled for tomorrow. We've been waiting all summer for him to schedule us so we didn't tell him no, even tho it's in the middle of our visit. The kids will have a grand time watching the tree men work taking down a great big tree and grinding out several stumps.

Good to be AF and clear and present for these times with my kids and grand kids. It's a great gift and I am grateful for it.

[Stargazerlily]

Absolutely AF August

Good morning,

First chance in a few days to post due to the move, done successfully. Day started at 5 a.m., ended after midnight, but got it done. What a lot of work, and we had to get a bigger storage unit as we had way too much stuff for our smaller place. It is nice, my daughter came over and helped yesterday to put things away, break down boxes, and generally settle the kitchen and living area. I found the bank and grocery store, both really close, so that is nice. Lots of changes. Luckily it is quiet so far and I am getting used to living in an apartment after 30 years in houses. We have 15 steps up, so I am sure over time I will lose some weight and build up leg muscle tone. Went grocery shopping and had to lug all the stuff up the stairs. This is not for sissies, I can tell you that. It was so nice to have my daughter help me out, my grandson in my home, and to just have the changes made. My son is coming to visit today, about a two hour drive, and he will spend the night. Nice to have this time before I begin to work full time again to visit with my family, get settled, and acclimated to the new area. This is funny, my cat loves the new digs. She had a horrible moving day, locked in bathrooms so she wouldn't take off, but since then, loves the changes.

Pap, a raise, how wonderful. So happy for you.

Lav, know you are doing everything you can re: your foot. I was thinking about your comments about your husband, his level of dissatisfaction, and your wisdom in managing him. I am learning from you, as I do alot of the same. Managing, I mean.

Dill, have fun with your daughter and family. How great. It is interesting to watch a big tree come down. Hope your weather is as beautiful as ours has been. 70s and sunny. You can't beat it. What a great summer weatherwise, for me at least.

I was thinking that I have a fresh start in my new life and want to be my best. What changes would you make if you moved, were starting a new job, and looking to make new friends? Feedback if you please. Thanks.

Have a great day.

[Lavande]

Absolutely AF August

Good morning friends!

Thursday already huh? Slept well last night after a 9 hr marathon day with my grandsons

Star, you made your move - awesome
I'm very happy for you! You really do have a fresh start in life & that's terrific. You can do & be anything you want! I wish you the very best with everything & be sure to enjoy that new grandson!

11 years ago YB shattered our chance at a new life in a new home, new jobs, new location & all that by announcing to me 10 days before the move that he was in an 'inappropriate relationship' with a so called friend of mine. Yeah, I almost didn't move here with him He really knows how to destroy happiness. I look to my kids & grandkids for authentic relationships along with a few, well chosen friends. The best way to manage YB is to keep him at a safe distance I'm afraid. He is what he is & I can't change him but I can protect myself. I absolutely have to protect myself!

Dill, enjoy your daughter's visit & time with your grandson!
Hope the birthday tree work is fun & entertaining too :H

Papmom, hope you have a great day! Greetings Cyn!

I picked & peeled 15 lbs of tomatoes yesterday. Today I am turning them into sauce to freeze in quart bags. I really don't enjoy the canning process. There's another million lbs of tomatoes still out on the vines :H
I made some garlic mashed potatoes last night (dairy free) with the red Norlunds we harvested - delicious.
Well, I am on call for possible kid watching duty again this afternoon. My son has a mandatory OT situation at his job in DC. The guys all work together to try to accommodate each other but sometimes he just gets stuck.

Beautiful weather today - enjoy it everyone!

Lav

[papmom3]

Absolutely AF August

Hoo boy what a deluge we had last nite!! Very scary driving home-really couldn't see more than a foot in front of me. Luckily the more east I went the more the rain lessened up so by the time I got home it was manageable. Today dawned cool and clear and stayed that way. It's a delicious 60 degrees right now with a nice breeze. DD and I went for a delightful walk/run when I got home at 7.

Star-I think that you deserve a fresh start in all ways. To celebrate and to really get into the new life, I think you should get a hair cut and color, pedi/mani and treat yourself to a couple of new outfits. That's what I would do so that my first day on the new job I would be the most confident I could be because I knew I looked and felt my best. It sure sounds like the new digs will suit both you and the kitty. What a nice treat that your son will be coming for a short stay and that your daughter was so close she could help unpack. I thing all the stars are alighning for you.

Lav-Well, that certainly kind of explains YB. I have every faith that you will protect yourself first and foremost. If he wants to be in your life it will have to be on your terms. If not, well, florida can have him right?
I've never seen a million lbs of tomatoes!! :H If you want to send some of that sauce up here, feel free!!
I really really hope the MRI only shows soft tissue injury and that no surgery is needed. fingers crossed!!

Dill-what kind of tree is being taken down and why? This is what my brother does for a living although his days of climbing have been decreasing and consulting increasing. its a good thing. Your grandkids will be totally enthralled!! Happy Bday to your daughter!!

The meeting today went very well. I had a chance to talk to the gal from UMass and she told me she finally settled on next May/June as her retirement date. She also told me some other interesting things and I'm more determined than ever to apply for her job when posted. It will be hard waiting until then when I thought it would all start this fall but good things are always worth the wait.

Tomorrow is my breed club's specialty so I will be busy busy all day. It should be lots of fun. Can't wait.

Have a great nite's sleep everyone!!

[Stargazerlily]

Absolutely AF August

Good morning...

Lav, thanks for the support throughout this move. It has been a challenge, to say the least. I have been out of my mind part of the time, finally sleeping better, and really like the new apartment. Isn't that weird? My husband wants a house right away again, but I like this, no worries, less to clean, no yard work, yet nice landscaping, my son and I went to the pool, walking if we want on the grounds. We are close to everything, and I just feel OK, even more than OK. I was so saddened to hear YB's actions before you moved 11 years ago...devastating to you. Love the way you took charge of your life, in all areas. You are amazing Lav.

Pap, I would love to get a pedi-manicure, so would look into it. Had my hair done a few weeks ago and bought some new tops before I moved. I have to see what the culture is their, formal or informal, and proceed accordingly. But, great minds think alike, right?

Dill and Cyn, hello and looking forward to hearing from you when you have time. August is moving along. Have a great day.