Will you tell me something great that happened to you today, Part VII?

I GOT A JOBBBBBBB – it’s only for a few days (temp work) but I am SOOO happy!!!

@Samantha_Rae Congratulations!!

I woke up this morning.

I got to use Ellie’s stummy as a cushy-pillow, & she made me an omelette. Rachel called us for a few minutes (she’s camping). Mommy made chicken & salad for dinner. I also found out that cats have spikey dicks. I feel rather….enlightened.

We won and reached the quarter finals.

My son pooped on the potty 4 times! Now all he needs to learn is to get it all out at once.

I’m home visiting the parents and helping my mom out around the house.
I get to be with my babies, Pickle and Pumpkin, my pot bellied pigs. They live with my mom right now and the only way for me to see them is to visit home. I wuv my oinks. <3

I had a very successful garage sale over the weekend.
I’m having lunch with a friend on Thursday and I’m going to a petting zoo on Wednesday with another friend, both of whom I haven’t seen in months.

And in exactly a week I take my vacation to Michigan and Georgia to see two of my friends! I haven’t had a vacation in years. The word excited doesn’t even begin to cover it.

@Vunessuh -Can’t wait to see you!! :)

Hmmm,I don’t have anything for you yet,but the night is still young :)

@lucillelucillelucille Aw, you too! :)

I answered a Craig’s List ad for a job on a whim, and was offered an interview for tomorrow! This was a blessing because I’ve been looking for a job for over two months. I hope it goes well.

I think I might be able to help a friend out. Gotta make a few calls and send a few emails. I like being in a place to help others.

@Facade I hope your interview goes well. Good luck!

@Facade
Good luck then tomorrow!

The entire day sucked. I mean seriously. The only good thing about today is this beer I’m having.

Birthday :)
I got a birthday card from Pete with the best stamp ever. I love that boy.
And I got a book on Boba Fett My eyes are proof of how much sleep I haven’t been getting.
I’m now going to make myself a birthday cake. My actual dinner/party has been moved to tomorrow, so I get two cakes! I’m so happy today.

Happy Biethday, @rangerr !

Happy Birthday @rangerr!!

@Seaofclouds @rebbel Thanks!
@rebbel oops @rangerr! Happy Birthday!

@Facade – We were typing at the same time; good luck!

And happy birthday, @rangerr!

@aprilsimnel Thank you!

I avoided a migraine by taking a long, drool laden nap :)

happy birthday @rangerr….....i had agreat problem with my best friend :(

I took a much-needed nap.

Mt daughter and I dropped downtown for our fave bubble tea spot.

Thank you, loves. <3

My son just returned from his 3 week exchange trip to Germany. He had a great time, and was terribly spoiled by his host family. I’m so happy he had such a wonderful time. and happy to have him home again before he heads off for college in August. :)

Today was stupidly hot and muggy, so I had no choice but to take the kids to the beach. They met some other kids and immediately made friends, so I got to sit in the shade of my big rainbow umbrella with a new book (The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie) and enjoy the cool breeze off the water. I don’t swim in Long Island Sound because it never friggin warms up, but the kids don’t seem to mind.

Then we came home and made chocolate malted milkshakes, which might be my all-time favorite dessert.

I managed to turn a few negatives around. Always a good thing.
@Facade Good Luck witht he interview!
@Samantha_Rae Congratulations!
@rangerr Happy Birthday :)

I woke up at 8 (without an alarm) and was pretty productive all day. I also got to talk to my love quite a bit. It’s only 9:30ish and I’m super tired. Looking forward to sleep. :)

I started today with an awesome Spinning class then spent the rest of it with my boys!

I was in the backyard and my son was in the driveway talking to a neighbor girl that was in his 1st grade class. They are 7. She asked him ” Do you have a girlfriend?” and he replied “Yes, and it’s NOT you!” I heard her kind of making a “huffing” noise and they went on playing. It just made me giggle and I thought it was adorable.

I had 10 scouts thank me for planning and organizing their camp-out this weekend! They want me to do another real soon!! :))

Everyone in this very full house is asleep but me!

Drove my 2–3 time weekly 100 miles to visit Mom today. We did a little shopping than had lunch. Mom is 90 and she wears me out. Where does she get the energy! Wooo! than I had to drive home.

@Cruiser Wow. What a good feeling! It sounds like they had a great time.

Happy birthday @rangerr !!

@Symbeline Need to talk about it? or just need a ((hug))?

I’m getting reacquainted with Bauhaus and Siouxie and the Banshees as J can play her stereo as loud as she wants for the first time in her life.

I got news of a sort of vindication from something really bad that happened to me last month. It was a real relief because I didn’t tell anyone about it at the time because it was just so complicated and who would have believed me?
I also got some really great feedback at my new job.

I got my new camera :D

@bob_ That is so nice!

Now go take some pictures of a sandwich.

@jonsblond Thank you :D

Now go make me a sandwich so I can take pictures of it.

@Trillian Something bad happened to you? Need me to kick anyone’s ass? Cuz I will.

Had a mostly lazy day with my husband yesterday, who’s starting a new job today. For the first time in over a year, he seemed happy be be heading off to work. :)

@jonsblond Yep they had a blast and 2 kids got minor heat stroke and another is under Dr care for his over 200 mosquito bites and they can’t wait to go again!!

@augustlan You toally rock!

I have made plans to go spend the fourth of July on Cape Cod with my honorary aunt. When I called to ask her if I could come, she was so excited and said I could stay for as long as I wanted. It will be very exciting because my mom and I are most definitely apart of the family she and my mom have been best friends for about forty years so whenever I see her, her whole family scoops me up. I haven’t seen her son in about five years because he’s been away at college and I don’t get to see them too often but he has graduated and will be there this week. :)

As of yesterday, my mother is out of rehab., walking well and getting her bearings at her own apartment. She is willing to have a caregiver for two hours each morning and my sister and I get our lives back. So far, so good.

4 more days (possibly only 3) til I have 2 whole weeks off from work! During that vacation time, I will be going to Cedar Point! YAY!

Happy brithday, @rangerr!

I attended a course today on Communicating Assertively and learnt some rather positive things about myself.

@stranger_in_a_strange_land I forgot what it was already. If I can bitch, then it means I’m happy. So like I said in all those other threads like this, it’s good to be alive.

Just came back from the dog park with Rudy. There were 30 dogs there and when the new guy came running in and started charging at another dog, his owner yelled at him to back off. Her words “Bruce Willis, gentle”. I kid you not.

@Symbeline That’s OK, you can have the ((hug)) anyway.

Even though I had to have my cast replaced today (loose due to the swelling going down), I still had a great day. All my troubles seem to dissolve as I watch my niece happily settling in here. I’ve got a proper waterproof cast on my arm now, although I still have to put this plastic contraption over it when taking a shower.

Left-handed target practice for me this afternoon had mixed results. Jacqueline fired a handgun for the first time; she actually hit the target with her first shot.

We’ve got a bumper crop of early strawberries. Had some with cream and asti spumante for desert this evening.

I finally went to the doctor about this rotten cough and congestion. She said it was most likely my allergies, not a left over from the flu of the last two weeks. She also gave me two inoculation updates and scheduled a third. I hope the nasal spray works on the rest.

My partner and I went spent the morning target shooting out in the desert. We both enjoy drives looking out onto the desert (more when there’s some green stuff) and the off road part is like the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland. We get to enjoy silence together, the beauty of nature, some fun laughing and the concentration & release of energy at targets.

I had an amazing week!

I just got back from Fort Yukon, Alaska. The town is inside the Arctic Circle and very close to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. It is a very remote place, and is only accessible by air or boat. There we worked off of the Yukon river, conducting soil and vegetation surveys. We got an up close and personal look at the daily life of a native Alaskan tribe, the Gwichyaa Zhee (part of the larger group of Athabascan tribes). We were able to eat freshly caught pike and salmon, and even try some moose and caribou. I experienced my first official 24 hours of daylight, where the sun never truly went below the horizon. We didn’t actually see the animals themselves, but did see signs of bears and wolves nearby. Our boat pilot was an actual Eskimo, and regaled us with stories of his life, growing up near the Arctic Ocean. On a more negative side, the insects there were absolutely horrendous! Mosquitoes, deer flies, horse flies, and gnats (that would crawl up our sleeves or pant legs) were our tormentors. The entire week was spent without phone or internet access (which was quite peaceful), just camping out in the wilderness. It was an amazing experience!

Pictures

@jeffgoldblumsprivatefacilities That’s pretty.. and I’m jealous, and all that jazz… but I noticed the lack of pictures of YOU :D

This looks like a painting. Amazingly beautiful. All of it.

@jeffgoldblumsprivatefacilities – Oooooooooh! Wow!

@jeffgoldblumsprivatefacilities sounds and looks amazing! Thank you for sharing the pics. :)

I got a call from an old friend, asking if I wanted to go to dinner with her and some other friends. But I have night class. So I had to decline. She called me back a few minutes later and asked to go to lunch instead.
So I got to have lunch with a few friends I don’t see nearly enough.
Our herd thinned out after lunch, and I just spent the afternoon with the friend.

and then I had to go home to get my schoolwork, and then I had to go to night class where we learned about graphs. y=mx+b and all that good stuff.

@jeffgoldblumsprivatefacilities Great pictures. Made me homesick for Alaska.

Took a walk to the beach and the park with my son and his family. It is such a treat to have them here after two years apart.

I have an early shift at work which means I’ll be home by the time I would normally be getting ready to start my day, it’ll be like a day off! I’m going to get on the nearly new treadmill my mom scored on Craiglist, maybe put the dogs on for a little jaunt too.

I made four 16×16 favicons today and enjoyed making every one of them.
Now I’m waiting for a call from you-know-who. <3

@chels: Voldemort?

I’m heading to up North to the cabin with my main squeeze. Will be back Monday.

Happy Canada Day to all of my fellow Canucklehead jellies! And, Happy 4th to my yankee jellies!

We’re helping my kids move into their temporary “forever” home today and my house is emptying out of all their stuff!

My tomato bushes have dozens of hard, little green knobs. The rabbits haven’t learned yet to climb the deck steps.

@janbb: Does that mean they’ll be neighbors of yours? How wonderful.

No – they’ll be neighbors of yours; moving to NY state but only two hours from us.

My main squeeze and I just purchased two tickets each – Silversun Pickups, manana. The Dead Weather at the end of Ju-ly…..

@jjmah <shakes fist> I’m jealous!

Gin and tonics on the beach and I’m feeling no pain.

I took all three kids with me shopping, made three stops plus put gas in the car, and when I got home they were all still alive and I was still sane. There may be hope for them yet. I shouldn’t include my daughter in that, because she’s the oldest and knows better. Those boy, though…yeesh.

My husband just called to say he’s working late today BUT might only work a half day tomorrow. If he’s home early enough, we’ll go see The Last Airbender!

I’m mixing Gin and tonic (that’s scary) and just looked down to my hand to see half of a Hersey’s bar that I don’t remember eating. Oh, happy day.

@KatawaGrey Precisely ;)

I tried unsuccessfully to get some work done today. Now I’m sucking down a few Labatts and watching pretty ladies do pretty things with flowers and water.

I worked three hours for one of my old teachers today. It’s the third day I’ve done this and I’ve made 60 bucks so far. In addition to the ten dollars an hour she’s giving me, she also keeps pushing the most delicious food on me. Here, take some of this sweet bread. Take these fresh raspberries I’ve just picked. I saw this bag of cookies and had to buy it for you. It’s quite nice working for her because we also have wonderful conversations, and I’ve found that she shares an awful lot of my reservations and annoyances about my high school.

@stranger_in_a_strange_land: I’m thinking attractive neighbors gardening or else a very strange sex show.

Drunken wrestling with McKenna.

@jjmah Wait, what?

@KatawaGrey My niece, business partner and her girlfriend doing gardening.
@bob ROFLMAO

Took my fluffy new cat in for a clip..he looks so cute!

He is fascinated by his now skinny tail which is usually a 6 inch wide plume.

Chasing his tail and when he stops the girl kitty pounces on it equally intrigued. lol

Bought a bunch of new bedding and a cool crazy green, yellow and blue paisley comfortor. My bedroom looks sooo inviting…can’t wait to snuggle in the new luxury!

It’s July, but it was so pleasantly cool today that I was able to open the windows rather than run the loud, annoying window-unit ACs all day. I also vacuumed all my hardwood floors. Between that and the fresh air, the house feels great!

@augustlan Yes, the weather the last three days has been so balmy and perfect.

@bob_ lmao!

Today was the first day in over nine weeks that my sister and I didn’t have a morning phone call to discuss my mother’s status. I also spotted Milo peeing in a loose pile of duff in the woods; less litter during the summer. Now I know why.

I saw a young red fox run across the road this morning.The sightings never get to be old news.

@gailcalled

Great! A reprieve from your duties…you deserve it!

I saw a mountain lion slinking across my lower pasture in the trees the other night, there had just been the new twin fawns looking for a drink at the little creek at the bottom of my little canyon, hope they got away in time.

@Coloma: The fawns here are very skittish and always have their mother acting as a decoy. Of course, mountain lions can stalk both upwind and without a sound.

I have heard about reported sightings; one recently from the UPS guy who goes on the really remote and underpopulated back roads.

Once the deer are all mature, I practically find them on my porch having breakfast. They no longer are scared of any loud noises. it is unnerving.

I woke up without a hangover after seriously imbibing last evening. My niece got into the peach schnapps is is now nursing “un grand mal tete”; that 80 proof stuff is sneaky and she was swilling it like Kool Ade.

@stranger_in_a_strange_land

Aaah..to be young again ey? lol

I threw a huge party last summer…‘Burning Goose’..with 2 live bands and tons of food and booze..OMG..stayed up til 3 a.m. took me days to recover! haha

I’m home alone all weekend. This is wonderful… it truly is.

The kids and I picked some raspberries and made raspberry lemonade. Having three kids to squeeze lemons made it very easy. ;) Of course, the kitchen looks like it was hit by a lemon hurricane, but I’m ignoring it for the moment!

I got a date for my promotion interview. I think that’s a good thing even though I am bricking it now!

I just got the news that Schwarzenegger declared that I get to earn $7.25/hour since California has not passed a budget yet! Woohoo!

My gf is on her way to take me out to lunch. Woohoo!

We’re driving to Point Reyes to see a concert tonight. Woohoo!

I’m lovin’ being with my kids and Jake. Together for a week and still got along! Their new rental in the countryside is terrific with great walking from the door. My son and I took a hike/rock scramble this morning up the hill behind his house. Glad to see I could still do one.

My girls are back from a week at the beach with their father. I’ll have them all to myself this weekend! :)

We’re heading out tonight to camp at the ranch. Fishing, 4 wheeling and campfires. Can’t wait! Everyone have a safe weekend! :)

My cow who I have raised since she was born just had her first calf. He’s healthy and from the pictures I was sent, he’s gorgeous. I’m going to meet him tomorrow.
Life is beautiful.

I took my kids to the town fireworks tonight. The fireworks are shot off a barge out in Long Island Sound, so we (along with a gazillion other people) spread out on the beach to watch the show. My kids spent the first couple of hours before the fireworks finding their friends, swimming, and playing in the sand. It was very relaxing, and I love the party atmosphere at the beach on fireworks night. Now if only I could figure out a way to teleport us all home instead of dealing with the mass exodus traffic, the night would be perfect!

@MissAusten

Sounds great!
It’s only 8:25 here on the west coast, and your fireworks are already done!
I’m still watching a beautiful sunset on my deck.

I just came back from seeing SilverSun Pickup and held my own with the boys in the mosh pit. This little chica pushed the big boys back.

@jjmah So you like it rough, huh?

Not great.

Not great at all!

Squeezing honey on my toast when I see that it is full of drowning ants.

Goodbye honey bear. lol

So much for a bedtime snack…pffft

just giggling with my son

@Coloma Eeewewwwwww!!!! Although, I bet in some places honey-covered ants would be considered a delicacy.

@MissAusten

Maybe if you are an ant eater! lol

Germany pwned Argentina 4–0. Ain’t nobody cryin’ for you Argentinaaaaaaa!

I really, really don’t want Germany to win. Really.

The whole she-bang, I mean.

My bf came home all smiley and told me he’d been talking to his mom about how great it is to be loved and how sometimes he feels like he falls in love all over again. Neither of us is young so we kind of crack each other up when we get all snuggly and puppylovey.

@Neizvestnaya

Hey celebrate…that you arn’t so jaded that you CAN still give your love freely!

THAT’S a rarity for many once bitten, twice shy types. lol

Ugh..woke up with what, I am pretty sure, is a sinus infection.

Been feeling funky the last few days.

Figures…lol..soo..laying low babying myself til the end of the weekend.

Cancelled my dinner plans cuz I have a fever and feel so crappy.

BUT…a restful day of movies and peace, and bonus…my house and yard and everything is in perfect order…sooo, can feel crappy in peace. haha

My gf and I stayed home from the show in Point Reyes. Instead, we drove into town and parked by our new house (renting) and walked all over town, hand in hand. We stopped for a free concert in the park, ate fish & chips at an English-style pub, chased that down with some frozen yogurt, then got similar tattoos! The tats are written in sanskrit (a beautiful, but dead language used mainly in yoga). My word is “seva”, which means “selfless service” – giving to anybody in need while expecting nothing in return. It is how I live my life, so it made sense for my first tattoo.

We’re having a Lord of the Rings movie marathon, with my husband, my kids, my step-son & his fiancee, and their little ones (sleeping). I’m just waiting for the pizzas to be done and then I’ll join them. LOTR weekend for us!

@augustlan I’ll be over in 20.

My whole fam damily is home this weekend – including my younger son’s girlfriend. They are all sitting on the back deck, drinking beer and talking. Jake is asleep in his portacrib. What a sweet time of life to be having!

We just got back from the carnival at the Mall. I got pictures of the first time I saw my grandson on the rides, but he has apparently been to a carnival before. He climbed over the barrier into a game booth, picked up a ball and threw it, before anybody could catch him. Everybody laughed and laughed. The 1 year old slept the whole time

I went shopping and got a bunch of brand new socks.

Is there any feeling better than putting new socks on cold feet? I submit that there is not.

@jeffgoldblumsprivatefacilities Yes, there is, but let’s keep this thread PG-13.

@bob_ I meant putting the socks on after that, of course. Perhaps even while enjoying a sammich. That is a combination full of win.

@jeffgoldblumsprivatefacilities Now you’re talking.

@augustlan I woke up this afternoon (yes, we slept in) and thought about suggesting a LOTR weekend to my gf. Luckily, she had something even better in mind. I’ll keep it PG-13 for @bob_ though. ;-)

I’m celebrating my first 4th of July. =)

Cool, @jjmah! Are you one year old, or did you immigrate?

I’m a Canuck, celebrating it in Michigan with girlfriend.

Fireworks in my town.
Despite a minor delay by delay I mean they set the school on fire…. the show was amazing.
I fucking love fireworks. I fucking love America. And I fucking love beer.
And you guys.
i love you guys too.
Lets get married.

Tonight was okay. Had a shot and a beer with my parents weeeird. Tomorrow is Dorney Park with the familia which will be a lot of fun. Also tomorrow = booking flight to England for my 21st biiiiirthday! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!

Our pyrotechnics display went off beautifully. I had set up everything in advance and didn’t try any tube reloads (very difficult one-handed). Kept it very simple; 8 mortar tube shots in 4 colors interspersed with 100 rockets. All done in half an hour.

Yesterday my husband I went to one of the best weddings ever. Outside ceremony, right on the water, tons of great people, lavish (but not uptight) reception in a huge mansion also on the water, open bar, partying with the other wedding guests in our hotel until three in the morning. Well worth the hangover.

I also thought of some lovely jellies when we all yelled “Mazel tov!” during the wedding ceremony!

This morning we slept in then dragged ourselves out with friends to a great breakfast at a little hole-in-the-wall diner. When we got home, we learned our kids had been good for their grandparents. If I can sneak a nap in, life will be perfect!

Family cookout today. Aunt has her pool open and there are 4 coolers of beer.
It’s gonna be a good day despite the 2646254263723 degree weather.

I’m worn out like a lazy gate after my weekend in Lakeport (we opted to stay home instead of going up North). Last night, we celebrated the 4th on the beach. Bonfires, guitars/singing, plenty of adult beverages (good scotch), a little skinny dipping, then $500 worth of fireworks that exploded into brilliant colors right above my head. This morning, Nikki and I slept in, then got up and had our freshly, hot brewed on the deck All was quiet except for les petit oiseaux.

Nikki’s neighbor kid writes and sings. Here is his myspace page. He’s only 19. Not bad. I like Autumn Rain. :) We were singing with him.

I’ll have you all know that I am deeply disturbed that you all are able to TASTE all the good food you write of here! lol

F—K…nothing worse than a sinus infection…yippee..I get to have my bland carrot, OJ, protein powder shake…gah! I need nutrition but nothing sounds good.

Bah Humbug!

Oh well..bonus…I’ve dropped 4 lbs. always a silver lining. haha

I got to talk to my husband on webcam for about 6 hours last night. He actually had a half day “at work” and was able to get some downtime. We haven’t been able to talk like that in months!!

@Seaofclouds That must have been great!

@rangerr Is that Fahrenheit or Celsius?

@janbb It was. Things like that make this whole deployment thing a lot easier. I am in complete awe of the women that had to go through this back before the internet, when phone calls were very limited and mail took forever to get there. Yes there are still some women that have to deal with that (and I’m in awe of them as well) depending on what their husband does, but it’s a lot less often.

Went to Dorney with the family today. My sister and I hit three coasters within like an hour.. There was no more than a five minute wait for each of them (everyone else was too busy at the waterpark!) The temp hit a high of 104 degrees.. IT WAS SO HOT. But hey, I survived and don’t even have a really bad sunburn :D

Four different people complimented me on four different things. Out of the blue. It caught me totally off guard and changed my entire outlook for what I imagine will be a good long while.
Apparently, I have a kind and beautiful smile, I have sparkly eyes, pretty hair and a great complexion.

Considering I’ve been feeling like a troll lately, exhausted, stressed and my hair is still more fried than it should be from having to bleach the red out… I felt fucking amazing.

Sometimes, it helps to just be told you’re pretty.

@asmonet: Forget all that superficial stuff. I think you’re smart, clever, funny, original and part of the gang of adopted fluther daughters that I treasure. (Milo, however, thinks you are gorgeous and wants to know whether you miss him or is that just a sardine in your pocket?)

@chels That sounds great! Short waits times are awesomem, especially in the summer.
@asmonet It does feel great to get nice compliments from people. Perks your day right up, huh?
I finally found my bank card after a week of searching. It was at the gas station where I last used it. I thought I called the gas station, but it wasn’t the one I went to apparently.

I’m looking forward to seeing Lesley Garrett in concert this evening.

Another day off. I love my holideeeeeees!!

I went to court today to find out how much I have to pay in spousal support to the ex. $1138/month (good thing we don’t have kids). Luckily, her lawyer entered my paycheck info the lazy way, which saves me almost $200/month! I love getting little surprises like that.

@asmonet I’ve always been in awe of you, chica. I think that you’re brilliant. And, beautiful to boot!

I got 86% for my last essay and the comments were very complimentary too, which makes all the difference

@ru2bz46 I’m glad you had a nice little surprise like that. 200 bucks can go a long way, save it if you can.
@lynneblundell Yay! Great job.

I had a bloody perfect weekend with hundreds of jello shots, great friends, swimming, fireworks and fabulous food. Then today I finished a short story I began just last week! I expected it to take a month

@lynneblundell Congrats!!
@free_fallin Sounds like a great weekend!

As for me, I’m on cloud 9 right now. I just got a potential date for when my husband will be home. While I know it could change (and will most likely change several times between now and then), it just feels so absolutely wonderful to have a date. Before now, it was all just guessing, now there’s a timeframe to look forward to (even though it’s still months away)!

I traveled two hours to a book signing by an internet contact of mine, and we met in person after six years of getting to know each other. It was very rewarding.

I just got back a 96% on my course paper. My first grade in a civilian course in 24 years.

I found out today that I horse I thought had passed away is still very much alive and kicking which was really nice news to hear. Also, I booked my dogs in for a session at a dog swimming pool.

Dying over here…the only great thing is that my next big job is not slated til early next week.

The WORST allergy/asthma attack of the decade, not sure what the hell triggered this, maybe the major weedeating scene last week by my gardener.

On inhalers and antibiotics and prednisone and just completely flatlined.

Sucks the big banana..but…at the rate I am going I’ll probably make 10k by midnight. haha

I am sooooo frusterated….I am not one that takes sitting down all day lightly. lol

Thinking I could just hop on a plane to a better climate for a few days..like Tahiti! haha

@Coloma Isn’t this thread supposed to be about great things that have happened? None of your last post sounded very great :(

@Leanne1986
True…but…it is GREAT that I have space this week..so…one GREAT is still great! LOL

my mum bought me four new beautiful dresses to wear on my holiday :-)

I was sent this video of my lady playing guitar. I’m recording and was feeling no pain..

I found the answer to a very important question.

@breathe What, what? Shaaaaare! XD

I received some really kind words and pm’s from fellow Flutherites. I’ve been down lately, so it really made my day.

Just got back from spending some time with my aunt and her kids on Cape Cod. It was a helluva lot of fun and I got to meet some wonderful people. There is also a new kitten of hers named after me and my mom. :) One of the cats had only one kitten so her name is my last name because she’s one kitten born to single mom like me.

I have also learned that I should never drink vodka again.

@bob_ I am sorry bob, but I don’t understand what it is you are saying?

Washed my hair and showered in the ice cold garden hose on my very private patio overlooking an empty mountainside.

Shampoo and the works…brrrr…but feels sooooo good!

Helped my poor allergied out head too!

A back to nature shower. :-)

@bob_ I read it again, I understand. You want to know my question was and what my answer was don’t you? Okay, I will tell you, I found out I am not pregnant. I already have 4 little girls and that is all I ever wanted. Now somebody is going to have to do something. And it is not going to be me. lol

I got to finally go indoors, and get out of the torrential downpour that has been going on for the past few days. It’s good to be dry. Also, I was able to sit down for a while and watch some sea otters at play. It was incredible! Sorry, I didn’t have my camera handy.

@jeffgoldblumsprivatefacilities It’s great to read your posts.

I got to help my daughter-in-law out taking care of Jake while my son was away giving a talk. Babies are great but tiring! Between the work and the heatwave, I lost two pounds this week!

I am up to six minutes as of this morning of having the 5 lb. weight hang off my left leg. (I’m supposed to be doing 15 minutes, but I am up from 3, which was all i could do the first time).

Today is my last day at work before I take a weeks holiday! I have completed everything that I need to do so I can go away with peace of mind and enjoy a much needed break!

@marinelife: Wonderful news. My motto is “Every ounce counce.” I went from ½ lb. weights very gradually to 5 lbs. for upper body work. It took me a year. I say “Yay for us.”

Every therapist worth her salt says to overide her instructions when your body tells you to. So the last adage from Gail’s Almanac is “Listen to your body.”

The temperature has dropped to a frigid 85˚ F. Such a relief.

I got my new iPhone in the mail!

@gailcalled Yes, we are down to a paltry 94 for a high today. It felt much better yesterday afternoon when I went out than 100 did.

I had a date with a very lovely lady.
We met in her office.
She cleaned my teeth, took some x-rays.
We scheduled another date for 6 months from now.

And with my confidence restored by sparkling clean teeth, I confronted the terrifying pharmacists at CVS, and finally got a new inhaler for my asthma (After a year and a half of relying on an inhaler which was running on empty).

I had a bowl of granola, blueberries and yogurt to celebrate (suggested to me by our lovely and talented shilolo).

Yeah, I live a super exciting life. and tomorrow I get to get up at 8 to chauffeur my dad around for a few hours.

I got a thank-you e-mail from my son for the “invaluable help” we have been to him and his family the last few weeks.

@Sarcasm

Cheers to inhalers….grrrrrr! lol

My partner and I celebrated 1yr of being together by sharing a day off, wee! We had a leisurely lunch, scouted a new neighborhood for rental houses, ran errands, got manicures & pedicures, played, napped and then got dressed up for a very nice dinner out.

I’m heading up to Northern, Michigan for the weekend.

Have a great weekend, jellies!

@jjmah Enjoy it.

I showed J how to set up the tractor to till the different vegetable rows. She takes such joy in learning new things. I see her self-confidence growing every day, I’m so proud of her.

I got to spend an extra day with my my grandson. His parents cannot control him, so when he acts out, they send him to me. The two of us spent a quiet, relaxing day in his playroom, where he played with his giant legos, and I read a book.

I’m moving into a new house with my gf today!

It’s raining. A long, slow rain that is so desperately needed.

@marinelife Oh – you are so lucky! It is just teasing us so far here.

22 people came to a belated birthday party for me last night! Yay!

@aprilsimnel Yay for you – that must have been fun!

It is raining here also. I am about at the half-way point geographically between @marinelife and @janbb. I noticed also, when I got up, that I had slept through last night’s power outage, so that was nice. And I was able to recycle my external modem and reconnect to the internet without tech support. Mirable dictu.

And there was a whole new set of texts about mysogeny and misanthropy. Fury makes many people very eloquent.

@gailcalled GA for mirabile dictu!

@gailcalled

Passionate righteous anger certainly does lend itself to eloquence. lol

Peaceful morning on my hill, still recovering from the allergy onslaught of this past week.

Out of town friends coming tomorrow to celebrate the one year anniversary of the ‘Burning Goose’ bash I threw last year which culiminated in a romantic encounter between one of my best friends and lead singer of one of the bands I hired.

Burning Goose the sequel is in the works…bringing together happy ganders and gooses under the stary skies of my mountain. :-)

Today I’m making up a BLT dip to take to my husband’s great aunt’s 90-something birthday party tomorrow. Does that make any sense? There are big dark clouds moving in, and I hope they dump all their rain on us!

Also, my sister-in-law emailed me to ask if I want to see “The Girl who Played with Fire” at the art cinema tomorrow. I was happily surprised, because she was very disturbed by “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and I didn’t think she’d want to see the sequel. I can’t wait!!

I struggled with an issue of conscience and self-respect won.

I got called into one of our stores for some extra hours and my partner just made his first sale of the day.

It’s finally raining here. It feels like a long overdue orgasm.

It’s a boy..no, it’s a girl. Wait. It’s Milo’s first hairball. My daughter never mentioned this (although Harp did).

@gailcalled I miss Harp.

Oh, me too. Even my son, who is rarely on, said “What happened to that really smart guy who used to be on?”

I miss Harp, too. He’s doing very well with his new endeavors, though!

Spending a lazy Saturday with my husband. All is right in the world.

After a struggle with guilt issues, I’m going on my first official “date” since Meg’s passing.

@stranger_in_a_strange_land :D

@stranger_in_a_strange_land

You go guy! That is SO AWESOME!

Live, LOVE…she’d have wanted that for you!

@stranger_in_a_strange_land Wonderful news.

@janbb re: Even my son, who is rarely on, said “What happened to that really smart guy who used to be on?”

I miss @The_Compassionate_Heretic too :)

I miss @knotmyday too.

@Neizvestnaya We were talking about Harp, but we all have people we miss.

I miss @Sarcasm too.

I miss John Lennon too.

Lots of things have been happening so I’ll update.

Went down the shore this week with my mom, sister, and littlest brother. We got a hotel, hung out at the beach, did fun things at the boardwalk (sorry, no fistpumping was involved), saw fireworks, etc. It was a lot of fun!

Booked my flight to England. I’ll be headed there on the 26th, and I’ll get there on the 27th which is a day before my 21st birthday. I’m so excited <3.

We’re still waiting for paperwork, but hopefully we’ll get something back soon.

Today was okay. I am super pissed at my not-so-best friend Lisa (we’ve been friends for like 18 years). She said some stuff that was really disrespectful, and that’s just not cool.

Other than that, I’m enjoying summer and am getting SUPER tan.

I went to Connecticon today to meet up with an internet friend of mine with whom I have been speaking for seven years. We’ve texted a bunch and he even created a facebook so that we could see pictures of each other he’s since become addicted like me :P. He was an absolute pleasure in person and we had a grand ole time. Even the friends he was with were nice, mature folks who I got on with quite well.

Also, Connecticon itself was a blast! There were a number of people in the coolest costumes and we went to a couple cool seminars and even saw a group of comedians. We’re planning on going in elaborate costumes next year. :)

Awesome 7 a.m. over this way!

One of those perfect sunrise summer mornings, my plants and flowers are going wild in this heat and my heirloom totmatos are growing about 6 inces a day.

Friends dropping in for a little picnic on my hill this afternoon, and GREAT..I can finally kinda, sorta, breathe well enough again to get outside and have a bit of fun after the allergy/asthma attack of the decade!

Breathng is GOOD! ;-)

Today, I woke up and checked Fluther. I came back here and saw all the nice things people responded to me with. Starting the day off right! :D

Also, my brand new kitten, Sweet Dee woke me up by licking my nose and purring. :)

@asmonet

Awwww..kitten!

Went for a nice walk along the bay after consuming breakfast from our new discovery – the best bakery in Monmouth County. I am seriously considering compiling a book entitled Forty Hikes within a Two Mile Radius of the Flaky Tart.

@janbb

Like the title!

The flaky tart…haha

Free Slurpee day.
Hit twenty-seven 7–11s.
I ‘frew up rainbows.

Slept in with smiling snuggle buddy, slow yummy breakfast and then off to work in a great mood.

I’m keeping my ass outta trouble.

When my husband woke up Sunday morning, I had yet to go to bed. He offered to make breakfast for me, even though he wasn’t hungry. He served me perfect over-easy eggs and delicious crispy bacon, with toast. Sat with me and drank his coffee while I ate. I love that man.

@augustlan Aren’t we just the luckiest people we know – my husband does the same sort of thing

We enjoyed our date. Dinner then a chamber music concert. We wanted to go dancing, but it would be awkward with my arm in a cast.

I’m having very mixed feelings about this. My relationship with Meghan developed over several years. This young lady wants to push things faster than I feel comfortable with. She’s also been in a traumatic situation and I think she’s very vulnerable emotionally; the last thing I would want to do is seem to be taking advantage of her. My support and protection are unconditional, I’m not sure if she really understands what that means; every other man in her life has either abused or used her.

We’re getting professional counseling on this, first appointment is this afternoon (the counselor is Megs former practice partner). I hope this will benefit both of us, as I’m confused about this also. So far, I’ve just followed my instincts about “doing the right thing”.

@stranger_in_a_strange_land Counseling sounds like a good idea. You may forget that you are very vulnerable too.

I’m doing my best to keep my head above water.

Man, my family is being tested right now. My Mom would be so disappointed and her heart would break for some. I feel helpless when it comes to my sister. I want to help her because I love her so much, but, I can’t enable and I can’t take away her suffering.

My heart is huge and right now it hurts.

@jjmah (((((Hugs!)))))

@jjmah Sending you gentle thoughts.

@stranger_in_a_strange_land

Wow..from a first date to counseling..that is moving fast! lol

@jjmah Sending you caring thoughts. Hang in there, sweetie!

@jjmah I’m so sorry for you guys right now. Sending you love.

Yesterday we celebrated a friend’s thirtieth by going to several local wineries (ok – we only made it to 2, but they were lovely.) We sat on a deck and watched a storm come in over the vines, and then went to the Japanese steak house for Hibachi!

And then this morning, we finished the carpet job! Huzzah!

@Coloma I’d actually arranged for the counseling (for her) about a week ago. We’re just expanding the scope a bit.

An old friend who had been on the outs with me called and we had a great reconnecting talk.

@stranger_in_a_strange_land

I wish you all the best! :-)

<—is worth it, folks.

Snuggle buddy said he wanted to take me to an optometrist to get contacts or eyeglasses, whichever I want. We had a nice breakfast after and then drove around looking for houses :)

Still under the weather over this way..BUT…my clients are sick too…so, postponed their house till the 22nd! Yaaaay….!

Right now it’s Fudgecicles and ceiling fans….aaaah….it’s all good! ;-)

Jenny (me) and Maddie (my seven year old niece) just brought home a homemade apple, nut, caramel pie for Papa for his 73rd birthday. Happy Birthday, daddio!

Made a brunch date with a friend and my mom. Dim Sum is best when there are three or more :)

I am officially a second year medical student!!!!! Being almost never on Fluther was very crucial to this goal, sadly. I’ve missed you guys.

@PnL * * * Y A Y * * *

Had a great lazy/productive rainy day in the house with my husband, mainly doing separate activities with occasional breaks for chats.

@PnL Mazel tov!

@PnL Congratulations!

My husband went with our oldest son to his registration/orientation at Western Illinois University. Jon sent me a text today, asking me to look at housing in the area. He loved it there. Small town located between two beautiful state parks. Just what we love. Since we are going to lose our house, what do we have to lose? Change is a good thing, right? I’m starting to get excited about our possibilities, and we won’t be far from our son. :)

@jonsblond =)!

Finished moving into our new home. Enjoyed breakfast (and lunch and dinner) on our back porch, then went to Tool concert. I love my life. I’m proposing on Saturday…

@ru2bz46 Wow – that is so cool!

@ru2bz46
Hurrah!

@ru2bz46 So exciting… good luck!

Thanks for the support, all!

We had all nine teachers for the new yoga studio over to the new house last night for a meeting to discuss the flow of our team-taught free class on opening night. It was so hard not to explain why I needed certain conditions met (so my surprise proposal could have maximum effect). It will be an honor co-teaching with two of my favorite teachers, let alone proposing to one of them…

Enjoyed a great hour long talk with my 22 year old daughter this morning. She is dying for me to come over and spend an afternoon watching movies with her.

I am so proud of my girl, and sooooo thrilled at our adult friendship.

Whew…we made it to the other side and she is such a delight! :-)

@Coloma Isn’t that the best feeling in the world!

@janbb

Yes it is!

I introduced Jacqueline to baking this morning. With only the recipe and a bit of coaching she turned out six perfect loaves of whole-wheat bread; The Cornell Recipe . She is so proud of herself and I’m so happy at her accomplishment.

I bought a big box of Krispy Kreme donuts!

I didn’t hit the deer, the rabbits or the very baby turkeys who strolled in front of my moving car, I found my keys, which I had lost for three days, and I also found a piece of my dust buster that I had dropped into a large rhododendron bush.

I also had a long phone call with my daughter.

I was honest about an issue with a friend and I walked two miles in the heat to pick up my car whose air conditioning is now, it is to be hoped, repaired.

I woke up sore from crunches and push ups. My bf goaded me into doing some exercises alongside him last night which felt a little awkward but now that I’ve done it then I want to do more. I have never wanted to exercise in front of anyone aside from teammates or platonic friends so this is an ego progress for me.
We um… we did some yoga poses and stretches recommended by someone :)

Way to go, @Neizvestnaya!

@ru2bz46
I’m scouring youtube for some R.W. stuff. We are progressing in this house. Mom is on the treadmill every day, me every few days and soon a stair stepper machine will come. You helped a lot with the changing mindset, you know. I can I say I know some people who look as great or even better now than when they were teens.

I found a cute apartment today and if I get it, I’ll be moving in the first of Sept. It’s so me.

Today, I went to my mom’s high school reunion with her. It was so much fun! For a while, the only non-classmates that were there were me and another woman’s husband, who was also the only man it was an all-girls school and we had a grand ole time chatting in the corner. Shortly, we were joined by another husband and the three of us delighted to see our respective people having fun with others they hadn’t seen in almost forty years. I got to meet a bunch of wonderful people and had some great conversations and nearly everyone came up to me to tell me that I look exactly like my mom. When it was time to leave, my mom and I walked to the subway with one of her old classmates and the woman’s son whom she was trying to set me up with. He was very cute and struck up a conversation about dogs with me, but I have a boyfriend and he’s a bit old for me anyway, but it was a flattering thought. :P

And, even better, my jelly shirt is on the way! I was thinking about ordering one when I became a mod but then our lovely @augustlan informed me that moderators get one free! I am quite looking forward to receiving it. :)

Today, I got a report where a third independent party referred to the department I work for as one of the best in the country at what we do :D

@bob_ Wow! Great work. Now that deserves a sandwich.

My partner expressed wanting me to be healthy 20yrs from now. I hadn’t an idea he’d thought seriously of us as that longterm of a couple. It’s what I want but I wasn’t sure about him. Trusting in someone else’s feelings is kind of scary, in good ways too.

I leave tomorrow morning for Colorado for a week.
I’m beyond excited to get away for a while.
Plus I get to see my church camp partners-in-crime again!

Repeating my good news; I got a clean bill of health from my oncologist this morning. 14 years now. He was so nonchalant that we talked about astronomy and the Greek language, his native tongue. Ya sou.

So great, Gail!

We had a lovely family day today. Took the kids to visit my husband’s great aunt, who happens to live on a beautiful beach. Relaxed on the beach, then took our crabbing gear to a nearby lagoon. I think my kids could spend the entire day just catching crabs. Even though it was high tide (not the best time of day for crabbing) they caught 5 or 6 crabs. One was almost big enough to eat! We weren’t planning to eat any of them anyway. The fun is catching them, and then we let them go.

After that, we hit Dairy Queen, went swimming at my in-law’s house, had dinner with them, went home threw the kids into bed, and cracked open a couple of beers. It was a hot, exhausting day, but very much worth it for all the fun we had!

I love where we live. My kids have always lived near beaches and probably take it for granted, but getting to do things like this with them is so much fun for me. I want to call my parents and yell at them for making me grow up in the midwest!

I got to see Ted Leo today at the Coney Island Siren Music Festival! It was free and my pals and I were in the front!

I got to hang out with my best friend (whom I don’t see very often) for several hours last evening. Catching up and laughing out loud ensued. :)

I had a nice party night with friends I don’t get to see all that often.

I was just given another almost dead mouse (or 7/8 of one). I find it distressing to dump the little guy, who was still twitching, into the woods.

My mother found her lost keys on the cord around her neck, where they belong. When I visited yesterday, they were not there. I crawled along miles of carpet, nose to nap,searching for them My ma cannot remember how or where they were found.

Yay!

Getting my AC repaired after issues in this heat wave out west the last few days!
Thank God for the cold hot tub!

Minutes til the big test….let there be cool air again, please oh please!

My best friend proposed to his lady love and she said YES! Went to another friend’s bday party and had a great time. Bf and I spent a really nice late evening together unwinding.

I proposed to my lady love and she said YES!

I was teaching a portion of the opening day yoga class at her new studio and brought all 50 students (mostly friends of hers and/or mine from the yoga community) to one knee (for those who do yoga, it was Crescent Lunge with back knee lowered and hands at heart in prayer). I then did a “special call/response chant” and had the entire class repeat my proposal one piece at a time. When it was finally obvious what I was doing, her eyes became saucers, and she dropped to the floor. The class erupted in applause, and love poured forth. Without missing too many beats, I went right back into teaching. Twenty of us went out to dinner afterward and celebrated TWO events, instead of just the studio opening. :-)

Congratulations, @ru2bz46. I wish you ad your love much happiness together, and that the studio flourishes!

Wowee, whoaee @ru2bz46! Mazel Tov for sure.

L’chaim :D

Great responses, @janbb and @Neizvestnaya…after all, she is of Jewish ancestry. ;-)

Congratulations @ru2bz46! She is a lucky lady. :)

@KatawaGrey :-))

Congrats @ru2bz46! Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. :)

Vulture buyers/realtors started calling to make appts. to view our home in the 11th hour and if the bank has a tinkling of interest then they might approve a short sale if there are offers.

You are too sweet, @augustlan.

@Neizvestnaya The key to a successful shortsale is a good agent who specializes in them. Shortsales, in general, have a 15% – 20% chance, but specialists can have up to 80% success. Based on that, I found a specialist and I have one home about to close and am listing the other this week.

Yay!

Getting my car back after a week of mysterious issues that have finally been resolved!
My mechanic is THE MOST awesome man of integrity, always goes the extra mile for me and I trust him implicitly. Not to mention we have the greatest rapport..too bad he’s married.

He always jokes that if he wasn’t he’d scoop me up in a heartbeat! lol ( Flattery WILL get you everywhere! haha )

Picking my car up in an hour and then a much needed harcut and color and THEN, an afternoon lunch and movie with my daughter!

A GREAT day on the horizon!

@ru2bz46
All researched, done and soon to be done.

My day was wonderful. My sweetheart took me for an exam so I can get new contact lenses and eyeglasses.

Well, I came home which was the highlight of my trip to visit my grandmother. Usually, my grandmother treats me very well indeed, I am the only one in our family who likes her and who she seems to like but these past few days were just awful. These awful friends of hers and their lovely sociopath son were there and she holds them in higher regard than any of her family. I almost left yesterday, but my mom begged me to stay so we could have breakfast with my aunt today. I was feeling particularly spiteful this morning and contemplated selling the old, diamond ring she gave me.

I also got to meet my cousin’s girlfriend who is awesome. I hope they get married and have lots of babies.

I got some new kick ass shoes!

I’m almost 8 months smoke free now :) Cold turkey!

@meagan

Way to go!

Ugh..smoking, took me several tries to geet that monkey off my back permanently.

Cheers to you!

Good going @meagan ! I’m 2 weeks into my fourth try.

We got a dog yesterday. She’s my first dog since I was a toddler. I love her.

She’s a 35 lb 1 year-old black lab who is very energetic and wants to play with the kitties, although they don’t yet want to play with her.

We went on 2 walks last night.

:)

A busy but fun weekend coming up with work etc.

Had a great time last night at dusk on my lawn on the hil,l sitting with the geese in the twilight while the new cats raced up and down the trees pretending to be wildcats. lol

My yard is magic at twilight!

@Cupcake A new dog – what fun!

I went to the beach today for the first time this summer; it’s been too effing hot so far. Today was perfect and my friend and I took two swims in the wonderful, glorious, refreshing briny deep!

I taught a yoga class last night with a playlist consisting of Primus, White Zombie, Rob D, Prem Joshua, MC Yogi, Pink Floyd, Richard Cheese, and Black Sabbath. The class loved it!

I just downloaded an mp3 album from Apocalyptica just before leaving work. I was afraid I wouldn’t have a chance to listen to it in peace for a while, but good fortune shined on me! My car is in the containment zone of a suspicious package, and I am waiting for the bomb squad while peacefully listening to my new treasure. :-)

My mind seems to be clearing a bit now, 3 days after general anesthesia. The docs are puzzled and want to do tests, scans, etc to rule out stroke or liver trouble. As long as I can think and move, I’m thankful. Instead of a cast, I’ve got a metal framework on my arm with wire coming out of it, looks like a partial Borg assimilation .

I told myself it was okay to spend my day off doing nothing very productive.

I found a teeny tiny watermelon on my watermelon vine!!! It’s less than half an inch long at this point, but I’ll be staring at it every day and willing it to grow bigger. I don’t know who was more excited, me or the kids.

My husband is out of town, which is always hectic, but my in-laws watched the kids for a while this afternoon so I could run errands alone. Then they fed us pizza for dinner. Now the kids are in bed and I am going to watch a movie my husband hates! :)

My doctor gave me a shingles shot and said I’m doing good and keep it up. I still need to lose about 40 pounds, and 50 would be even better.

@MissAusten Kewl, ours are about baseball size now, all the vine plants fascinate me. Make sure you keep them off the wet ground as they mature. We use old pantyhose for that.

@stranger_in_a_strange_land I’m very jealous. I will try the old pantyhose, and keep my fingers crossed that the watermelons will have time to ripen before fall!

I am watching “Nine,” which I have wanted to see for a long time in spite of the poor reviews. I saw it on stage years ago and loved it. Sadly, but not surprisingly, the movie is not very good.

First of all, I just saw Inception. All I have to say is that you haven’t seen it, GO SEE IT NOW DON’T WAIT. You will gasm in some spectacular way.

Second of all, I wanted to share something with all of you that my aunt told me while we were visiting my grandmother.

A little back story: Above, I told you that some awful people and their sociopath son were staying with us this weekend ugh. Well, this son of theirs is the only person on this green earth who truly scares me. One night, my mom was spending the night out with a friend which would leave me alone in the room right next to the one he was sleeping in. I asked my aunt and she said I could sleep in the extra bed in her room. We did not think he would try and hurt me necessarily but neither my mother nor I wanted to take the chance.

When my aunt and I were hanging out on our computers before bed, she said that she thought if this guy tried anything, I’d “turn him into hamburger.” This guy is almost literally twice my size and my aunt was in the military for ten years. After she said that, I felt like I could do anything. :)

@KatawaGrey Thanks. J and I plan to see that on Saturday if I feel well enough to go out.

I had the most amazing week of my life.
I’m too exhausted right now to tell any stories, but I am back home :)

@rangerr Say no more, Colorado will do that to you. glad you had a great time!:)

@rangerr Good to hear that my state and town treated you right. :)

@jeffgoldblumsprivatefacilities I wish you were home! I fell in love with your town. I’m moving in with you when you get home. We can go hiking every day.

@rangerr Deal! But first, we need to stop at New Belgium (the birthplace of the JGPF name) for a free beer sampler.

Feelin’ groovey this morning!

Finally got about 9 hours sleep after running on about 6 for the last week.

Put the critters to bed early, mad geese that like to swim til at least 10 o’ clock on these hot nights and said F—K it to waiting up for the cat kids to come in.

Left the kitty door unlocked and yep, my raccoon friend did come in and eat all the cat food, but…oh well…it was worth it going to bed at 9:30 for the 1st time in weeks. lol

I can get out of bed without falling down.

My best friend didn’t get blown up. There was a bomb scare at his job site because someone left a box out in the parking lot. Deadly package or box of free kittens? What a way to find out.

My sister-in-law came over with a silly card game for the kids. She had dinner with us (maple salmon, rice, broccoli, and fresh fruit!), and then we sat around playing “Sleeping Queens” until the kids went to bed. Then we played Scrabble, and I learned that at the end of the game any tiles you still have are subtracted from your score. I never knew that was a rule, but sure enough…and if not for that, I would have won! Grrrr! It was a nice evening anyway. :)

After a stressful week at work, I took my best friend to dinner to a fancy place, because she is moving to another city. We talked and talked, and I had the best steak of my life.

@bob_

Steak sandwich? lol

I watched my bf fall asleep with a smile on his face while mumbling something good about his job and this morning we both woke up smiling. It’s been a rough road to get to enjoy this feeling of calm, hope and happiness.

A great morning, saw a mama Grey Fox and her 2 kits on my road as I was leaving for my weekend job.

The babies, about the size of a small cat ran straight up a big Oak tree!

Amazing how foxes can climb like cats!

Had a banner day at the river store.

Busy, busy, busy and so much fun to carry on with the tourist crowd and local bargain hunters!

A big Luau theme party going on at the River Shack cafe tonight and had lots of requests for crazy Hawaiian shirts, plenty of vintage designs so the party goers were happy!

Love the rafting crowd, reminds me of my wild white water days and happy that this years fatalities are down from last. Although a young woman lost her life a few days ago, tossed out of a raft without a helmet and was pummeled on the rocks. :-(

It’s a wonder I made through my daredevil days. haha

Tomorrow is a home design finish up in the city.

Whew…my life, hyper drive mode or sittin’ on the deck staring at the trees.

Right now it’s Corona time and have some local white corn steaming…mmmm!

Less than two weeks until I go camping with Pete :D
…and uberbatman and trance24. (:

I went for a nice long drive to clear my head. I love driving more than pretty much anything. It’s a shame that I can’t do it for a living.

I AM THE KING OF THE WORLD!

Okay, I just won at Risk.

I just got back from Denali National Park, Alaska. Wow, wow, wow. Words don’t begin to describe how incredible this trip was.

First of all, the park is massive. It’s larger than the state of Massachusetts, and is home to the tallest mountain in North America, Denali (AKA Mt. McKinley, but you can’t call it by that name to an Alaskan resident! It’s sort of a sore subject up here.) There is only one major road in the park, and it is not accessible by private vehicles. Only park shuttle buses are allowed to ferry passengers from one end of the road to the other. But, the park is completely open to foot travel, so I just picked a spot to have the bus drop me off, and then hiked for a while.

While hiking, I saw lots of interesting and unique landforms, plants, rivers, and ecosystems. But of course, the animals were the main attraction. During my hike, I saw 16 different Grizzly Bears, herds of Caribou, Moose, Dall Sheep, Golden Eagles, Ptarmigan, Marmots, and loads of other, smaller creatures. Then, near the end of the day, I had a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

I was watching a mother Grizzly and 2–3ish year old cub wander along, when all of a sudden, they stumbled across a pack of wolves. The bears were very surprised, and immediately on the defensive. It started off with two wolves charging out at the bears, and when the bears didn’t back down, the whole pack (6–7 wolves) jumped up and started to chase them off. The young cub was pretty fearless at first, but when the whole pack started in, the mother bear encouraged him to leave the area. I couldn’t quite tell, but I think the wolves had had a recent kill, and were defending the carcass. That’s probably what attracted the bears in the first place. The whole interaction lasted about 15 minutes, but it felt like hours. I sat there for awhile afterwards, just trying to take it all in.

Picture of Bear/Wolf standoff
Sorry about the small image size; you’ll need to zoom in quite a bit. They were a good distance away, even for my telephoto lens. But, it was quite a sight to see through binoculars.

The only downside to the trip was that it was too cloudy to see the 20,320 ft tall mountain, Denali. Even so, it was still an experience I will treasure for the rest of my life. :)

More pictures from DNP

@jeffgoldblumsprivatefacilities

Awesome sightings!

I have yet to get to Alaska, maybe soon!

Wow, wolves and Grizzleys and I got excited about seeing a mother fox and her babies yesterday! lol

Have you ever watched ‘Grizzley Man’ about Timothey Treadwell living with the bears in Alaska?

I loved that guy, he was nuts but sincere, foolish but courageous too. Good documentary!

@jeffgoldblumsprivatefacilities is more brave than I. I was stationed at Ft. Wainwright (Fairbanks) for 3 years. Never hiked in the bush without a rifle. Saw one grizzly at 50 yards; smart bear, understood English. I explained to him that I had no desire to shoot him, “go your way and I’ll go mine”. He got up on his hind legs, looked at me, looked at the Sako .375 H&H, then trundled away. Bro Griz is very intelligent and reasonable, if you have a good bargaining position.

My grandmother was in good spirits when I visited her in hospital this afternoon. She had a heart attack last week but (fingers crossed) is on the mend. I will be staying with her when she comes out of hospital (which will hopefully be tomorrow) to give her and her dog some TLC until she is healthy again.

Awesome morning up in my zone!
Maybe some thunderstorms coming, good & bad with the potental for lightening strikes and forest fires, but…cooler and cloudy and so nice!

Delay on my work til tomorrow soooo, basking in my morning glory of having all the farmy chores and watering done for another day. lol

The full moon is going to be spectacular tonight, having my daughter and her boyfriend over for dinner and a cold hot tub moment as the magic moon transforms my yard into sheer magic!

Stood out on my deck last night around 11pm and took in the beauty of the light and shadows falling across my wooded pasture below the deck…just sublime!

I woke up to face a 12hr shift and noted though I was beat tired I was still feeling everything was going to be okay. There’s something about seeing my mom bustling about happy and my bf doing his thing happy that rubs off on me.

My ankles don’t hurt since I didn’t wear flip flops today. They hurt yesterday from wearing flip flops briefly the day before. I know; I’m falling apart

@Aster

lol Aging is not for wimps.

If I start to lean on the pillows during a movie I am out like a light.
It can take me 3 days to finish a movie sometimes. hahaha

I had a wonderful afternoon taking tickets and making change at our local Historical Society’s annual Blueberry Festival. It didn’t rain, the birds that the falconer brought behaved themselves, the faithful stuffed themselves on blueberry pancakes made by the fire dept. and the sheriff had to chastise only one person (who left his dog in the car; the dog barked and barked and barked).

I love have dozens of acquaintances to chat with, only one person gave me a $100 bill for a
$6.00 ticket and only one woman got vertigo and passed out. A good day for old-fashioned values. And I was able to remember where I had parked my car, rather than waiting for everyone else to leave.

I bought a blue pinstriped suit, 50% off XD

Which means I can now retire my formerly-favorite blue Italian suit… sniff sniff

My fiancee and I are eerily close, though we have been together a relatively short time. We’ve been starting each other’s sentences, not just finishing them. Anyway, we actually had a shared dream and woke up to tell each other about it. Too cool!

@ru2bz46 I know just what you mean, it’s like magic.
@bob_ It’ll be all right (pat on back). Here, have my pastrami on rye.

Despite the arm troubles, I’m ridiculously happy.

This is the first time in over a year that I’ve gotten a full nights sleep before I have to get on a plane! Leaving for England today!

Was getting a sore throat and earache. I took this new Silver Sol liquid and sprayed some in my throat twice , in my ear once and I’m well today. Also took 2 teaspoons of it by mouth 3 times.

We started remodeling the kitchen today.
Apparently they started knocking down walls and cabinets at 9, but I didn’t wake up until about 10:30. This is a good sign.

Despite the lack of food in the house, the youngest guy who is working here is quite adorable.
These two weeks might not be so bad.

@rangerr : Keep in mind that the cutie pie is probably earning $25/hour and that you are not paying the bill (or are you?)

@gailcalled My family splits everything. “You live here, you help here.” Either way, he’s nice to look at. But he knocked over my tea pitcher that was on the back deck. I might be changing my mind soon.

This happened yesterday because this is the first chance I’ve had to be on fluther since then.

I met a long lost internet friend. We had lunch and went to a theme park. And because of the visit, I got to get in some great driving time.

Went on s hike snd stuck my hands and face in a waterfall! So deliciously cold. Having a great time on the woods.

@janbb Hurray for the woods!

@janbb: They have woods in Jersey? There are waterfalls in Jersey? Are there ticks in Jersey?

@gailcalled Heck yeah there are ticks in Jersey. Jersey is actually gorgeous when you go farther north (like where I am).

My husband came home after a four-day business trip. We had a relaxing morning, he left for a couple of meetings, and is will be home early so I can leave the kids with him when I run to the store. I think there’s something wrong with me because I love grocery shopping.

And…..it’s TACO NIGHT!! :)

I was dissapointed to find out that my grandmother wouldn’t be coming home today from the hospital fingers crossed for tomorrow but I enjoyed a nice walk with the dogs which helped clear my head a bit and then I went to the hospital where Nan and I put the world to rights for a couple of hours.

I saw a pair of shoes I wanted online. They wanted $90 for them but they said to make an offer. I made one: for $40, knowing they’d refuse but they accepted. And shipped today, too.

My partner thanked my mom for spoiling us with all the delicious gourmet looking meals she sets out for us when we get off late from work and made her feel like a million bucks.

@chels: I do know about the gorgeous parts around Princeton and the Delaware Water Gap. It is just all those suburbs and the views from the Turnpike that are disheartening. I remember when Atlantic City was fun… before the casinos.

My guy is back with his brush-hog and may actually finish the job without the blade breaking.

I got a JOB! It’s full-time, and it’s with FLUTHER! You are looking at your full-time Community Manager. :)
Now I can pay my property taxes. Whew!

@augustlan: Well-deserved. Do you get a special uniform and cap?

Thank you, Gail. I’ve got the shirt, waiting on my cap. I just hope it’s not the poo hat.

@augustlan: I’d forgotten about that. Hasn’t it worn out yet from overuse?

@augustlan Congratulations!! You’ll need a 9 foot bullwhip to go with the shirt and cap~

@augustlan congorats!

Ttonight was beer and movie nigh with my frriends. FUn was had by us all.

I realised just how much people care today. People who I didn’t expect to hear from have been calling and texting me to make sure I am coping ok and that my Grandmother is on the mend. It’s nice to know that I am not as isolated as I have been feeling and there are people I can turn to for help whilst I am caring for my Grandmother.

Also, the hospital have indicated that she may be allowed to come home today but I am not getting my hopes up just yet.

@augustlan Congrats!!

I am so excited!

Have been invited to go on a Lake Tahoe cruise with Max Baer ( Jethro from the Beverley Hillbillies ) this Sunday!

A ‘heapin’ helpin’ of hospitality from a genuinely nice guy!

I hear tell that there is a surprise prank in store for us friends and aquaintances…..what could it be!

Not to mention he makes a mean BBQ sauce!

Yeeeee Hawwww…......:-)

I wish I could edit my post now! I hate seeing typos made because I was drunk

Yesterday, I saw Despicable Me and had lunch with my mom and boyfriend. I think he was a bit overwhelmed she talks more than I do but he seemed to have a good time and enjoyed the movie.

We had two 8 point bucks wandering around behind our house this morning while I was weeding the garden. I took a moment to enjoy their beauty. This is the type of thing I will truly miss if we have to move.

@KatawaGrey What a great movie. I loved it!

@free_fallin Drunken Fluthering, FTW! :)
@stranger_in_a_strange_land & @MissAusten Thanks!

I love how our community manager encourages drunk fluthering. teehee :D

@jonsblond She didn’t mention this, but a little birdy told me that she now gets commission for every quip that she censors. And drunkenness leads to a lot of offtopic or poor quality quips. SHE’S ONLY IN IT FOR THE DOLLARS, MAN.

@Sarcasm She owes me a drink then, damnit. I’m sure I’m responsible for many of those quips!

Ha! If only that were true. But I’ll buy you a drink anyway… I bet you’re fun to drink with!

I just went and saw Iron Man 2 at a two dollar theater with my friend and his brother and we had a great time. I’ve met my friend’s brother previously and I didn’t like him much but it turns out he was just acting like an idiot with his friends. He is quite a nice and interesting young man. He even brought out his snake out for me to hold and he promised he would call me when he was feeding her next.

My boyfriend paid me a visit today. I was worried that I wouldn’t see him until I came home from looking after my grandmother but it was such a relief to see him. I could get used to living in the countryside that surrounds my grandmothers home if only he wasn’t so far away.

My favorite kinda day!

Had the house cleaned this morning and my gardener buddy coming to do some major yard stuff and bring a truckload of sand for the goose corral.

Just got in to my immaculate little bungalow, aaah….so nice!

Bought the cat kids a crinkle tunnel, a new chirping chickadee catnip toy and a nice new brush!

They are lovin’ the tunnel of fun! haha

All that’s left on my list today is a quickie run to the local resort market for beer!

Gotta have beer for my hard workin’ mowin’ & blowin’ bud! lol

My mother is on fluther! She just created her profile and is so excited! Be nice or I’ll knock your head in! ~

@KatawaGrey Yay!

A kids’ arts agency that I volunteer for had a party to thank us for our service. Part of the fun was a private tour of Gracie Mansion. Fortunately for us, NYC’s mayor doesn’t live there (He has a swank townhouse over on E. 74th), so we got to see the entire house.

I didn’t experience something yesterday that, due to the effects of a traumatic event, I typically would have under similar circumstances.

Ahhhhh… I must be improving.

I got the sutures removed from my arm and an x-ray of the wrist. I’ll find out tomorrow about the bone healing. Docs never did figure out why I had that trouble after the surgery. A lovely young lady is happily caring for me (and I for her).

@stranger_in_a_strange_land – Yay! for the last bit!

I’m going to a midnight showing of Dinner For Schmucks tonight. I adore midnight showings. It’s knowing that the theatre will be filled with people and that’s always such a great environment.

This happened yesterday, but it’s still making me laugh. Late in the afternoon, I sat down to see what was happening on Fluther, and had a note pop up saying I had a question that needed editing. I was very confused, having not asked a question for quite a while.

Then I saw the question. Apparently leaving the Fluther main page up while you’re still signed in makes it all too easy for your 11 year old kid to ask a question even though she knows perfectly well how to google it. It’s cracking me up because I keep wondering if anyone saw it and thought I’d suddenly forgotten how to use Fluther.

So anyway, today is a baking day. I was asked to bring a honey ricotta cheesecake to a cookout tomorrow, and my daughter is making toffee bars all by herself while I hover around pretending not to watch her.

Just got back from the gym. Eyeballed extremely hot personal trainer (not mine).

The weather is great! The weather is great!

Yay…a great day!

Back in the web of communication after on & off ( mostly off ) phone and cable issues on my hill.

Had full restoration sometime during the night woo hoo!

Also a clean mammogram…the breasts live to sag on! lol

My fiancée and I started humming the same tune at the same time out of the blue.

My last two phoebe babies fledged this morning and were better able to fly than the first two, who, I believe, were some night predator’s nosh. MIlo chased around after them and got a good exercise unit.

Their new ability to fly from grass to tree branch and Milo’s bells saved them.

Less than one week until camping with my favorite Jellies.
And less than two weeks until Star Wars Celebration V. I’ve also found out some bigger news about what I’ll be doing there. I can’t wait to share.

Just got back from London for my birthday with you know who. It was SO MUCH FUUUUUUUN.

@chels London? Did you see the Queen!? Oh, wait, nevermind XD

A great morning, already been out and picked up paint samples from a line of metallic interiors by Ralph Lauren.

So excited…going to do a big accent wall in my asian/ethnic eclectic themed living room in a metallic ‘golden candlesticks’ and my bedroom in a metallic ‘Moss Mousse.’

Can’t wait to see the results!

@bob_ No, I wish ;). We did however visit a bunch of places.
We did the London Eye, a riverboat cruise, the London Dungeons, went to the jewelers to see a ring, had some good food.. Went to Buckingham Palace and did a tour of the state rooms.. and did a bit of walking around. We’re going back the next weekend for a day and we’ll probably be seeing Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament :D

After being depressed about losing my mom’s house, my real estate agent/friend found me a rental home that’s everything I could want living where I do and more. The house is in the area my partner’s children made friends and lived a long time until the parents divorced and moved away so if we move there now then the kids will have private rooms, huge yard, pool, etc. and they’ll be able to see their old friends again. It feels good to think everyone in the house is going to get something better than they’ve had in a long time.

I am now officially in a relationship :D

@Neizvestnaya I’m so glad that things turned out well for you. Must be a huge relief.
@bob_ Congrats! I wish you well.

Three words.

Key Lime pie!

I saw a very good friend of mine tonight who’s moving to another city. It was very exciting to see him because I haven’t seen him in a while and it’s the first time I’ve seen him after his surgery. He was born with virtually no chin and the surgery was to have his chin extended a few centimeters. He was so happy with surgery and described to me all sorts of perks that we full-chinned folk have that he can now enjoy. I’ll miss him when he moves but he is not so far away that visiting is too too difficult. It was wonderful to see him. :)

I took all three girls with me to the grocery store for a big shopping trip. This is normally a nightmare, but today they were all so sweet and helpful! I was having a bad fibro pain day week, and of their own volition, they were massaging me in the middle of the aisles, following behind me and rubbing my back as I hunched over the cart. They picked up the heavy stuff, loaded the conveyor belt, carried all of the groceries in while I sat and recuperated on the porch, and put all the groceries away for me. I felt so guilty about relying on them so much, but they pooh-poohed that away and told me to stop being so silly. I love those girlies!

@augustlan How sweet! You do have some great girlies. :)

My boating plans have been bumped up a week due to friends coming down sick, BUT…perfect..as other good freinds are moving back to the area after being away for the last 4 years.

Sooo…it’s all great!

Was torn about missing the big move in day, and seeing their new house, but now I can show up with dinner and be an extra helping hand even though they have hired a moving company for the bulk of things.

Taking a nice picnic type dinner of chicken salad, deviled eggs, a cucumber & tomato salad and the leftover, to die for, key lime pie I served for friends last night! lol

Oh man…Monday is gonna be a fast day methinks!

@augustlan : My girlie is like that, too. Grateful for lovely children!

@py_sue: Thank you so much. My relief will come when I watch my mom smiling as she starts to decorate with me, my bf comes home from work to sit outside with his shoes off, smiling and his kids are playing in the pool with the dogs. Me, I’ll wait for that Calgon moment in the bathtub of bubbles, flowers on the window ledge and champagne chilling on the counter.

I’ve been in the best mood ever for a few weeks now.
It’s STILL GOING. I have so many awesome things coming up.
My parents are still gone for the week. The house smells like pot, but I’m in too good of a mood to care.
And it’s so close to camping time that I’m going to explode from being excited.
It’s ridiculous. I love you guys.

@rangerr We love you too! And Febreeze is your friend.

I took my fiancee to a Scorpions concert (80’s metal band for those out of touch) last night. Metal is the farthest thing from her type of music. Turns out she had a fantastic time and even liked most of it! She copied two of their songs from my collection to her playlist based on hearing them last night. One of them is now “our song”. ;-)

A couple of months ago, I got an email through Flickr from someone asking permission to use one of my photos for Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine. The photo featured my son holding his insect collection and would be for an article about starting such a collection. After googling to make sure the magazine and person were real, I replied with permission and attached the photo.

I never heard back, so didn’t know if they decided to use the picture or not. Today when I checked the mail, we had a big envelope with three issues of the magazine. There was my son and his collection staring back at me next to a very nice article! He was so excited and thinks he’s famous now (even though his name wasn’t mentioned!). I’ll have to get it framed for him!

The weekend hedonism cycles back into disciplinary mode.

The champagne and wine is gone, the key lime pie is gone, the bbq chicken, beans, potato salad and chips and salsa are GONE!

The friends are gone, or I am gone from the friends….an austere breakfast of yogurt and white ice cicle radishes. lol

@MissAusten: That is so cool! Good on your son!

My mom dyed my hair a bright purple today and it looks pretty cool. I’m heading out to go to a friend’s bonfire pretty soon where I’ll get to show off my new hair. :)

A friend and I went for a walk on the boardwalk and had ice cream sundaes. Hot fudge and talking does much to dispell a funk!

@MissAusten That is sensational. Thank you for sharing with us

@KatawaGrey and @YARNLADY Thanks!

l’m using my friend’s Droid to type this and now I want one!!! This is an excellent phone and I can flutter anywhere! Also, we are at a bonfire and we made smores.:)

My bf’s parents took us out sailing on their boat. It’s been about a decade since I swam in a lake so it was a real treat even though I am lobster colored now. For us it was like a big kids play day, we really needed it.

A mutual friend of my fiancee and me opened a yoga studio about the time she did about a mile away. In order to demonstrate the non-competitive nature of the studios, a big-name local photographer wanted to take some shots of the two of them together. Some of the photos are going in a new online magazine! She looks so beautiful in the preview shots.

Not great.

The eerie, diffused, weird orange light of a wildfire has fallen across my space.

Calling the fire dept. now to get the scoop.

Entering that stressful time of year up here, keeping fingers crossed.

@Coloma- my fingers are crossed.

@Coloma The fire map doesn’t show anything. I hope it’s correct.