Fearless February

[dill]

Cyn, so sorry about your septic problems. What a headache!

Papmom, no the vet did not give her anything for the pain. He told me to continue giving her the aspirin and he gave me some glucosamine supplements. I don't know if she will ever heal. Keeping a dog from running is difficult. We left her in the garage yesterday when we took our walk. It was sad.

Lav, did you have a good visit with your grandson? Kylie is here still. I can't believe how early she gets up! I got up at 5:30 hoping to have a little quiet time with the computer and coffee. She got up at 5:40! I tried to get her to lie back down again but it was a no go. Sigh. She's a pleasant little thing tho.

Star, That must have been fun taking your grandson to the park. It was such a nice day yesterday!

Looks like a day of playing games indoors for me. The temperature went down over night and it's so muddy still. Have a great af Monday everyone!

[Lavande]

Good morning friends!

Cloudy looking here & some sort of precipitation is due later. I do plan to drive my granddaughter home this afternoon though so I hope it's not too bad.

Dill, the early risers are rough! It's just about 8 am & Lily is still sleeping so I feel fortunate.
Sorry about your dog, poor thing! My big dog has a hard time, she's very arthritic. I've added an omega-3 supplement this winter & I think it's helping to lube her joints a bit. It is rough watching our pets grow old.

Cyn, so sorry about your septic system. That stuff causes me nightmares
I hope they can find a quick & relatively easy fix! My daughter & family are experiencing a major clogged drain situation. Looks like they may have to dig in the street & work their way back to the house. Plumbers with big equipment are due to arrive today.

Papmom, your snow situation is just incredible! I know you are used to dealing with New England winters but GEEZ!!!
Stay warm & comfy & pray for Spring

OK, time to go feed animals!
Have a great AF Monday everyone!

Lav

[treegirl]

Morning all -

I was encouraged last night when not too much snow had come by 10 PM, but woke up to 7 or 8 inches this morning, with another 5 - 7 to come, so I guess our weather guy was spot on with his predictions. (I know I've spoken about our 'smallest-NPR-Station-in-the-nation' here, but it's so great to have them announcing all the local closures, and their programs/podcasts are fabulous. Best of all is a weather guy who is independent, and usually right on the money.) I'm grateful that I don't have to go out in this - we picked up all supplies yesterday, and who knows when our long driveway will be plowed.

How is it for you Pap? Snow day today? Great job with the de-cluttering and reorganizing! You must have inspired me from afar, I actually got a handle on my office, and bundled up all the old stuff to go into archive boxes in the basement. Now I can work on projects at least without a lot of distraction.

Lav - it occurs to me that it's best to stick the old cooking methods - like the French, braising everything in rich stocks (bone broths!). When you think of what it takes to make even a little bit of olive oil (I've seen the presses - amazing), it makes sense that it would have been used sparingly, and in a way that you can taste its qualities. So fascinating. I'm still making chicken for girl dog, and then doing a long simmer with the bones put back in. It makes a beautiful gelee combined with the chopped chicken. She loves it, and it looks good to me too! Good luck with the kiddies today - you are amazing.

Dill - if you have a second (which it doesn't seem like you do!!) you might want to google naturopathic helps for the ACL injury. Here's a site that might interest you: peterdobias.com. He's an holistic vet. You can also search 'homeopathic treatments for..." I've started using 2 homeopathic things for my dogs; anal gland support for boy dog (nothing else, including diet change has worked so far), and bronchial support for my girl. Both of them seem improved in ways that they haven't before, even with added supplements. Also, is there a vet anywhere near by that does underwater treadmill or swimming? Not sure if that is indicated for this injury, but you could check it out...

Star - wishing you a great week, and hope you find some more shortcuts! Check out 'Starter Vegetable Gardens' by Barbara Pleasant - it's on Amazon, and there's a Kindle edition. I like it because she talks about which vegies to plant, where and suggests second plantings in a season, and deck gardens. She has her own version of what you are doing, but you could just use those ideas in your containers if you like them.

Take care all - and good luck with all the kiddies, Lav and Dill!

I'm tracking the snow on the Adirondack chairs...here's from a couple of days ago...
snow chairs 2.jpg

[treegirl]

X-Post Lav! So sorry about your daughter's situation...wish the Inspector had caught the plumbing issues! I'm not sure about this guy trying to find the d-box in all of this snow...but i guess we have to try...

Take care --

[papmom3]

Happy Monday!! Another snow day for me! I think we in higher ed in MA will be in for a rude awakening in March when we no longer have 3-4 day weekends! :hahaha:
Had a nice nite at my sister's last nite. Seafood chowder (light and heart friendly) with hearty bread in front of a roaring fire and watching the B's play (lose actually). Stayed until 9:30 pm which is unusual for me! Slow going home but arrived fine. Could not fall asleep until 2am-slept until 7:30. I've been foregoing the Ambien when I don't have to get up at a certain time. Hoping to retrain my body but it was a fail last nite!!
I've spent the day doing my taxes (decent return but only because I didn't work as much at the demo job this year) and trying not to look out the window. I think my neighbor was able to finally get the snowblower out of my shed and started although I don't see that he actually used it LOL!! Not looking until tomorrow morning! Not even sure I can get my car out of the drive if his 2 cars are there-Must get to quilting tomorrow!!! I think we've gotten about a foot where I am but just south of Boston they are expecting at least 2 feet. The Governor mandated that all state workers stay home except for emergency workers and strongly suggested that private companies allow their employees to stay home if possible. Despite his plan, the Boston mass transit system managed to strand hundreds of passengers for hours. Its an antiquated system and apparently can't handle these extreme cold temps. Will be interesting to see what happens to the system after this winter is over. Glad I don't work in Boston!!!!
Star-oh to walk in a park again LOL!! I feel like that won't happen until June!! Glad you were really able to enjoy your new home this weekend!!
Dill-ACL injuries in dogs are tough. There are some mild pain killers that don't compromise the kidneys and help to decrease anxiety so that restrictive movement isn't so stressful. Mickey is on Gabapentin, Tramadol and another one. One is an opiate, one blocks the pain pathways in the spinal cord and the last one tells the brain to just "Don't worry, be happy!!" I'm really hoping he'll be off all meds at the end of this month but in the meantime they keep him comfy and calm and aren't hurting him in others way like Rimadel can. I would ask your vet for at least Tramadol. You can get it at Walmart for less than $10 but it is a controlled substance so a written Rx is mandatory (not a call in). The homeopathic remedies are also worthwhile to check into. The ACL will heal on it's own with rest.
Lav-so sorry to hear about the plumbing problems at the kids' house. that really sucks and they have barely moved in!!
Cyn-I can't imagine they are going to be able to find the D-Box in all this snow!! Let us know what happens, OK?
Guess I will tackle the paperwork that has piled up on the desk and try to get it filed today. Also need to force myself to do a workout later on. I did force myself to water aerobics on Saturday and all the reorganizing and decluttering yesterday worked up a sweat. Just forgot to put the Fitbit on!!

[SnoopyC]

Good morning...

Pap, Cyn, the snow is out of control. Keep safe and warm. Pap, as you say, lots of time off, so that is the silver lining in all of this. Cyn, you have your supplies in, that's all you can do for now. I will check out the book you mentioned.

Dill, the cold weather came back here too. Darn, I really liked being able to be outside. I'm an early riser, but have not been up early with little ones for years. Lots of work, but lots of cuteness too.

Lav, your poor daughter, buying a house and having major problems. How awful, and how expensive. Hope this gets taken care of and the rest of the remodel is better. I have been watching some HGTV with remodels, and it is pretty common to find major problems in older homes. However, that does not help if you have the expense and the inconvenience. That is a huge reason we picked a newer house, we cannot fix much of anything. We needed our son-in-law to program our garage door opener. We are kind of pathetic.

I watched When A Man Loves A Woman, with Meg Ryan and Andy Garcia, about her journey through alcoholism. I forgot what a good movie it is. I know parts of it are unrealistic, but the self-hatred and blaming others was so meaningful. She had to work through that, on her own, to come to a place where she could have a relationship with her husband again. And her kids. And most importantly herself. At the end of the movie she was only six months sober, but had made so much progress. She was so angry for a while, confused, going through grief, wanting to drink, not wanting to drink, it was powerful. I think of the AA saying, to live life on life's terms, and that is what she had to learn to do. I also thought alot about how her drinking affected her kids, who were little at the time.

I am invited to a partyy with my daughter this weekend, where drinking is kind of expected. I told her that I am not drinking, and she shared that she does not want to either. She wants to feel good the next day. I can tell she is just kind of done with the whole party drinking thing. She told me she went last year and did not drink and had a great time. I just told her I would drive, and will bring a fun mocktail. So, there you go. Planning is so important to remaining AF, and being positive about the outcome. Not being deprived, but having fun, respect for yourself, and a great day the next day.

Have a good one.

[Lavande]

Good morning friends!

Everything is covered in ice around here - not good! Think I'll just stay put today & get some thing done around here.
I need to give my sofa cushions a thorough cleaning anyway. My grandson suddenly & violently threw up all over the place last evening, ugh Poor kid seemed fine one minute then sick the next! Grateful that I was able to get my granddaughter home yesterday afternoon before the boys came over, geez!

Star, we all can't possibly know how to do everything - thank goodness for Google & Youtube, Ha Ha!!!
It's always nice to have the younger generation around for back-up when needed. I hope your cold spell doesn't last too long, getting tired of the weather myself. I hope you & your daughter enjoy yourselves at the party sans AL. I am so grateful to be done with all that, I'm sure you are too.

Greetings to the snowed-in Papmom & Cyn! Hope you are both OK & keeping your heads up!!!!
Hi Dill, how's your doggie feeling today?

I hope everyone has a good AF Tuesday!

Lav

[dill]

Hello Fearless Friends,

I tried to get on earlier but couldn't get logged in. Now I just have enough time to check in and say I hope everyone is ok.

Star, that was a very interesting anecdote you shared about the party you went to with your daughter. I hope she chooses to step away from alcohol and can avoid the misery that we all went thru as our drinking escalated over time.

Cyn and Pap, keep warm and dry! Thank you, and Lav too, for suggestions regarding Tessa. I am looking into them for her.

I'm going to check out that movie, When a Man Loves a Woman. I think I saw it a long, long time ago. I saw one more recently that was a classic: The Days of Wine and Roses. It was a realistic and tragic story about a pair of alcoholics that met very young and married. Their drinking escalated as the years wore on. The ending was very sad. It was an excellent portrayal.

Have a great AF evening.

[treegirl]

Hi all -

Well, miracles really do happen! In the middle of the snow-storm, with big machinery and determination, the boys found the d-box, and sure enough it was frozen. I made an expedition to the shed through thigh-high snow, kicking 6 feet of snow away from the side of the door so that I could get in and get my garden hose...we connected it to the house hot water, ran it out to the back yard and he hosed the darn thing down. It started working!! Now the back yard is all torn up, there are bales of hay over the d-box, one part of the fence is completely gone (to get the machinery in), and the whole thing is an eyesore. But who cares?! The septic is working! Showers, laundry, do the dishes! Here'a snowy pic of the small machine having its way with the back yard...
septic hunt2.jpg

Then of course as soon as the guys left, we noticed water coming in around the kitchen windows. So I got out and raked (again - hadn't gotten to that side on Sunday), and miraculously that stopped the leaking. Today we had other guys come and shovel off most of the roof -- there were drifts 4 ft high in parts of the roof, and the entire roof line is icicles, so hopefully we'll forestall any ice dams this way.

Lav - ice, eeek. I'd still rather have snow. Sorry about your kiddo and the getting sick - boy sound like that happened fast.

Dill - hope you are doing OK

Star - spring will return! Just keep looking at those garden catalogs

Pap - we ended up with about another 12 - 14 inches, but it came over a day and a half, so didn't seem to terrible. Except that there's no place to put it any more...oh well! Good luck with the pups, hope everything keeps gaining ground.

Happy Tuesday all - happy AF life --

[Lavande]

I'm not bragging - just happy that the temp went up to 40 today so all the ice melted - yay!
I hear we are due for sub-freezing weather this weekend though.

Cyn, WOW, glad you got thawed out but sorry about the damage. Living without a septic system is really like camping, huh?
Well, the yard & the fence can be repaired first thing in the Spring, right? Good that you found someone to clear your roof. I saw a piece on the news about people's roofs collapsing, yikes! Glad you are safe!

Dill, the 800PetMeds website has a lot of good info about their OTC products for dog arthritis - that's what I give Maxie.

Happy to say that I managed to clean & air out my funky sofa cushions, Lol.
I just checked with my son & he says EB is just now starting to feel better & keeping some fluids down - geez. The germs this winter have been pretty nasty. I'm sporting a bit of a cold now myself but not a big deal.

C'mon Spring

[SnoopyC]

Good morning...

I always struggle in this part of the winter...it's February and winter has gone on sooooo long. Snow, ice, cold, illness, enough. We are all ready for a change in the weather. Not going to come any time soon, though. We are going into the deep freeze starting tomorrow. Valentine's Day is supposed to be especially tough, to I am cooking in, staying cozy and warm.

Lav, sorry you are fighting a cold. Me too, the neti pot is really helping though.

Dill, I hate when it is hard to get on this site,but it happens. The party is this weekend, we have discussed it already. My daughter is very aware of what she wants and has been for some time. I am happy she is willing to talk about it. It is interesting, some of her friends like to drink, others, don't. It is all OK. I think as time goes on it can get uglier. I have seen Days of Wine and Roses, what a good story, so true, so sad.

Cyn, so glad they fixed the septic. My goodness, what a pain in the neck. In the midst of winter, all you want is water, warmth, and the basics. Great you noticed the leaking, we didn't last year and had water damage. Too much snow is just too much snow.

Pap, how you doing up there? Back to work?

Glad it is Wednesday, enjoying a strong cup of coffee, warming me up and waking me up.

[Lavande]

Good morning friends & happy Hump day!

Goodness, what a night!
My son ended up taking EB to the ER last night for dehydration. Poor kid was 24 hrs into this virus & still unable to keep any food or fluids down. They gave him some medication & later some fruit punch. The last I heard he was keeping that down. Man, I've heard of a lot of people being hospitalized due to this particular virus, kids & adults alike. Not sure if they were sent home yet - waiting to hear.

Hi there Star, Dill, Papmom & Cyn!
I'll check in later when I know what's going on. Have a great day everyone!

Lav

[treegirl]

Happy Hump Day all -

Goodness Lav, what a scary story about EB...so glad that they got to the ER and got care. Sure hope the little guy perks up soon - that's scary. I hope you have built up immunity to these strong bugs - I'm sure eating cleanly helps keep you strong.

Yes, septic et al is a pain, but hey, it puts it all in perspective. We don't have to do outhouses, keep warm by woodfire alone, do laundry in washtubs, our houses are insulated. Sometimes when I think about it, the conveniences we have are absolutely amazing. And I think of so many people in other parts of the world that struggle to just get firewood, or clean water. It's all at the top of the Gratitude list for me today.

As I was standing at the kitchen window contemplating how to handle the 10 foot piles of snow on the deck (previously on the roof!), I happened to hear a installment of one of my favorite 'journals' on our little radio station. There's a farm in NY state which is run by 2 New Yorkers (no kidding - one has an architectural antiques shop in Wall Street, and the other has a thriving law business) - no idea how they do this farm, which specializes in heritage turkeys. Anyway, today's story was a real heart-tugger - about a sheep - and I thought somebody might want to listen to it, but if you're like me, get out the hankies. Here's the link to the podcast page: click on 'Agriculture' in the left-hand column- the story is about 'Sultana'. http://podcasts.am1020whdd.com/~am10...hows/index.php

Don't despair Star - at least all this cold is not coming in December or January -- we are on the move OUT of the winter zone. I was astonished this morning at how light it was at 6 AM, and yesterday despite the cold, the sun felt so warm on my skin...AND the latest mercury retrograde ends this morning. So, whew, glad that's over.

Lav - hope you feel better soon! Dill and Pap - wishing you good luck with your pups - sending healing thoughts your way.

Thinking of Sooty today, wondering if she is still walking her cliff paths ---

[dill]

Cyn, I appreciate the podcast link and will definitely follow it. It's funny you inserted it bc I was going to ask you how to get to listen to your little radio station. I thought it would be fun to hear a regional broadcast and get a flavor of what goes on in your world. I sometimes listen to a local station in New Orleans to hear what my daughter is hearing. It's really great that we can do these things, thanks to the internet.

Lav, so sorry to hear about EB! Hope he is feeling much, much better. We are supposed to see the 40's today too, but I have my doubts. Still, I'll take it. I think we're heading down to 0 this weekend at some point. Come on, Spring!

Star, Still on the pink cloud of your new home experience? I bet you will be for a good long time. I think it is fantastic that you and your daughter can speak openly about her choices re: alcohol. She sounds like she has a good head on her shoulders. When I was her age I didn't really have a clue that my drinking would morph into the problem it became. It snuck up on me! I thought I could control it. I suppose that is a common story, eh?

Hello Papmom, hope all is well and your paths are cleared of snow.

Nothing really going on here today, I'm just enjoying a quiet day and grateful for it!

[Lavande]

Good news!
I didn't know when I posted this morning but EB was already home
He was given medication to stop the nausea & vomiting & a liter of IV fluids for hydration.
I baked some fresh blueberry muffins & took them over to him this afternoon. He looks a little pale but overall not bad - phew!!! I hope that's it for this winter!!

Cyn, I will listen to your podcast first chance I get - thanks! I heard a story on NPR this week about a NYC cardiologist buying a farm somewhere in NY so that his patients can have access to fresh, healthy produce

Dill, I just heard that the polar vortex is coming back & Monday we will have -25 wind chills - geez