@MusicCandy @SadMe70 New place to communicate

Hello my friend, a pretty uneventful week here. I did my exercise and my yoga class, but no walk because it was raining on my walk day. I did pick up my chicks yesterday. It was hard to choose my 12 because they were so cute, I just wanted them all! I have six golden comets, which are a red friendly breed that lay brown eggs, and six Americaunas, which lay green eggs. I have a brooder box set up in the living room, and our border collie is quite interested in it!

How is your tai chi class going so far? I tried a class years ago at the YMCA but never ended up going back. That does sound like a great thing to do and get paid for it! My mom has participated for the last three or four years and some kind of longitudinal study of the elderly. They do an hour long interview at her house once a year and she gets $100. It’s part cognitive and part physical.

Lots of daffodil shoots coming up around here also! I used to have years ago. I should plant more. I love those.

Just testing before I write more

Seems like its working. Your chicks must be so cute. I remember gathering eggs at my grandparent's farm. I Really remember one day a snake in a nest. But you cant beat the eggs free range and fresh.

Good for you getting most of your exercise in. We missed a day of gym with the Wednesday night suppers at church, but the Tai Chi is going OK. Same as your mom for the research- they tested me both ways online and will do again after I think 12 weeks. It is easier each week and the instructor is very firm about good form, calling it out each time. They pay m after logging on and participating the 12 weeks. The weather is nice so Rachael and I did walk Friday and I hope to walk with her more now. 

I finally got back to my borderline usual weight and I'm fasting on Wednesdays, intermittent- and I think that is a good plan for me. I'm still having the low cal, low carb wine. I get depressed starting the day when I'm up more than I want to be.    Still- logging onto the Morning prayer getting ready to go with breakfast fixing and getting Rachael ready. I started after the Monk walk. That helps me too. 

Sunday is church and back to the routine. I hope you enjoy it too, and have some chai. Later, my friend.

Hello my friend, another pretty decent week. I have been controlling my alcohol a little better lately and have lost a pound or two. I did my morning exercises except for Friday. I had the day off, so I slept in, but then I did go walk for about 45 minutes. On Tuesday, I saw my two friends and we ended up walking 4 miles. There is a trail at the state park that goes down to the river, 2 miles each way. I hadn’t planned to go that far, but it was about 80° and turned out to be a lovely walk.

I bought corned beef yesterday and plan to make corned beef and cabbage this weekend. I couldn’t believe how expensive it was! I never buy big pieces of meat like that so maybe they’re always that expensive, but I suspect they also push up the price since it’s a holiday thing and they will probably sell a lot of of them.

The chicks are definitely cute, and growing fast. They have tiny little wing feathers coming out. I’m sure we have snakes coming into our chicken coop too, but luckily, I have yet to run into one!

I’m glad the tai chi is going well!I hope you, Rachael, and me also get to walk more now that it’s getting warmer and light outside longer!

Good job getting back to your usual weight! It does sound like your current plan is working well. I have been looking at morning Lenten prayers some mornings, but not enough. Some of them resonate with me, and others definitely do not. 

I just finished my chai. Getting ready to go outside to the animals. I also need to change the bedding in the stinky brooder box!

Hello my friend, another pretty good week here. We ended up having Monday off, which was ridiculous, because the storm never came. They used it as an asynchronous day so it still counts as a school day. I didn't do my video that day in the morning, but I did the rest of the week. My friends did not want to walk on Tuesday because it was cold, so I took a short walk by myself, and I did my yoga class. 

My meals were good, my alcohol was a little too much. Yesterday I ended up having a lot of sugar because a parent donated mini Bundt Cakes at work, then I went to the bakery to order my son a birthday cake and got two big delicious cookies, plus a peanut butter Easter egg. I didn't eat the egg yet, but I ate everything else last night.

Hello my friend, I am headed to visit my mom today! This coming week is my spring break. On Sunday both of my sisters will be there, and we will celebrate my sister's birthday with homemade pizza and homemade cake.  On Monday is our annual lunch in memory of dad, who died 9 years ago this March.  This May would have been his 100th birthday!

My week was pretty good.  I did my regular exercise, a pretty long walk on Tuesday with my friends, and yoga.  This coming week I know I will exercise very little if at all, but I will get back to it after break.  I know I will eat and drink a lot at mom's too, but the rest of the week should not be too bad.

I actually have a social engagement during break also! The kindergarten teacher that I have worked with for 11 years asked if I wanted to go to the movies. She wants to see Project Hail Mary, which we both read and liked a lot. I have not been to a movie since before COVID, and I mostly only went with my boys (which meant all superhero movies). This woman is a fantastic teacher and I have learned a LOT from her, and I like her, but how will I do in a social situation?? I just hope she does not invite anyone else!!

I didn't realize you had a couple of boats! I would also enjoy a river trip or other short excursions.  We had a boat when the boys were little (which has been sitting and rotting in our yard for 20 years now, with the trailer rusted and disintegrated), and we did have a lot of fun just right around here. I'm not sure I would want to do a longer trip either, especially if it involved open ocean.  That would scare me.

I hope your cold has cleared up! Just in time for allergy season!  My eyes have been dry and itchy periodically, and I can't figure out if it is from pollen or another gift of perimenopause.  I have had the problem longer than I think pollen would have been around, but it's not every day. I'm glad you got that nice long rest! Your body must have really wanted that, especially after not feeling well. 

What did you end up doing for Rachael's birthday?  My son's birthday is Tuesday.  He is having some friends over this coming Saturday for a daylong board game marathon of some big, involved game.  They are going to break for pizza lunch, and I'm taking a German chocolate cake over from our local bakery.  So I'll get to have a little visit with him.  And I'll eat pizza and cake two weekends in a row! His wife's grandmother's birthday is right around now, so they are having a joint party for her and my son today.  It is up at the clubhouse at his mother-in-law's development way up by Dulles.  I am soooo glad I had an excuse not to go to that, since I am driving to mom's later this morning.  Driving up 95 and 495 (strike one), going to a fancy party at a clubhouse (strike 2), with people I don't know and her mother who is tall, skinny, glamorous, retired high-powered CFO with whom I have nothing in common (strike 3!!). Instead I will sit in my PJs with no bra, drinking wine with my mom and sisters!  

I hope you have a great week, and Happy Birthday to Rachael!

Hello, party girl!

just testing.

It sounds like a very fun and busy week for you coming up. . Good to see you are getting some exercise. We had our normal routine last week too. We walked an hour Friday, and it was just right weather. I don't have allergies, thank God and the cold went away after extra rest and time. 

I took treats to Rachael's Day Support so she had a good time with her friends and staff. Her Dad and Abi will have a pizza party tomorrow. One of my sisters sends her a cute card that plays a song and she carries it in her purse all year, plus a gift card. It means a lot to me when she remembers. The other 2 may send a card, but the most specual one is from the sister a year behind me in age. I hope you have a great (braless!) time with your sisters and your mom. 

That other party does sound absolutely dreadful on every level. The driving alone would be a no go for me. Take heart though since it looks like the well-heeled family will pass it on to your son one day. They won't be something you have to worry over for finances at least. I am holding my breath that Rachael's benefits don't get cut so that issue won't be a burden for Abi one day. 

Its Holy week and I only have one service on Wednesday that I am participating in and it's just reading and singing. No setting up for a dinner. I did get to take communion to a lady that I was going to her house, and now she is in a memory care unit in a beautiful facility. she looks and acts so much better. Before, she was sitting in a la z boy all day and looking frail and not alert. This time, she was engaged in the community room and getting therapy, like a new person. It was good to see and be with her.

Fiance is making a bit of effort to get some things moved out of the yard which is an improvement, There's so much, but at least he is starting I really don't know some days if he is just not able to get moving with no energy, or not motivated. I know it seems like I'm nagging all the time, but it has to get done. We have several boats actually and the big one is a sailboat he got on a bargain that needs work. But also a couple kayaks and a canoe which is easy to put out in the river for a day like we used to do before the stroke. I did enjoy just that ,packing a lunch and just taking it easy.

Work was very busy last night and I'm back today hoping for some rest time. I know you will be living it up a few days, so get back to me when you can, no rush. Enjoy. Happy Easter my friend.

Hello my friend, I had a good week mentally speaking. I arrived at mom‘s on Saturday. One of my sisters was already there and we made a nice dinner together. On Sunday mom made the pizza dough and we made delicious pizza. My other sister, her husband, and my aunt came and we celebrated one sister‘s birthday. Mom had made a delicious cake also.there was so much pizza that I ate it for three days. My system was not accustomed to such an influx of heavy bread, but I did enjoy it! We had a lovely lunch out on Monday and memory of dad. Mom and I had short walks together each day with her dog. As always it was a lovely visit and I hated to leave. 

on Wednesday, I got a Cortizone shot in my knee, so I’m hopeful that I will be able to take some walks on hilly trails without pain now that the weather is nice. On Thursday I went to the movie with my teacher friend. I was glad to have read the book because I think that helped me understand the movie, and I did enjoy the movie. We did not have lunch or anything, so the actual socializing was minimal, so I enjoyed the whole outing.

Yesterday I cleaned out my hay barn and re-organized it. That was very satisfying, especially since I got some nice fresh air. I brought the chicks outside in a little mobile pen for their first field trip. They are getting big enough to get stinky in between weekend changes of their bedding. I hope to put them outside soon. They are almost fully feathered, but the temps at night are going into the 40s this coming week I think, so maybe one more week.

In about an hour, we will head to pick up the cake at our local bakery and go to my son’s for his birthday lunch. We won’t be there long since they are just taking a break in the middle of their board game marathon, but it will be very nice to see him.

I’m glad that Rachael had a nice birthday! How lovely of your sister to send her a fun card that she enjoys all year long! I’m sure that does mean a lot to you that she not only remembers but makes an effort to pick out something that Rachael will truly enjoy.

I’m glad to hear about the lady doing so well at her new facility. One of my friends is getting ready to help his dad move to one. The dad lives with an elderly girlfriend who has her own problems and can’t really take care of him, so he sits in a chair all day long too. It looks like he will have a lot more to do at this facility.

I’m glad to hear also that your fiancé is making an effort to clean some things up. I can’t remember if I told you, but my husband started taking those weight loss shots a little over a year ago. I don’t agree with that sort of method, but it has worked wonders for him. He has lost 150 pounds. His knees and angles are still shot so he still can’t really walk, and he’s still fairly heavy, but he has more energy, so he has been using his scooter outside to start working on various projects. Some of them have nothing to do with cleaning up the tons of junk here,but some of them actually do.

We have kayaks that we got when the boys were little and used a lot back then. No one has touched them in years though, and they are sitting in the woods behind the house getting filthy.My son and daughter-in-law are planning to get a pick up truck, and at that time they say they want to get two of the kayaks. I hope that they do, so that someone uses them. 

 I’m sitting out by my animal pen, appreciating the beauty of nature all around me.

Have a lovely Easter my friend!

Hello my friend, I’m getting ready to head to my son’s house for a cookout to celebrate my daughter-in-law’s 30th birthday. There will be a lot of people there, so IHello my friend, I’m getting ready to head to my son’s house for a cookout to celebrate my daughter-in-law‘s 30th birthday. There will be a lot of people there, so I am bracing myself for socializing.

my week was good, food not too bad, I skipped alcohol for three days, but drank way too much last night. I got all my exercise in, plus my yoga class, plus two walks. So far my knee is doing pretty well with the walking. I’m getting some weird pain under the kneecap that I didn’t have before, but the pain at the meniscus has been very minor.

Nothing much else is going on here. I hope you are well!