It's Spring! The Earth is Renewing Itself-Time To Plant To Grow and To Change...

[Gail Norusis]

Spring seems to have sprung in many parts of the country whether we wanted it to or not so I think it's time for a new discussion page. Yesterday was the first official day of spring I believe; even though most times in northern Illinois when the calandar says it's spring it still feels like winter. This year is quite different as we have been having summer like weather, and it will be interesting for us to track the weather patterns across our various parts of the country as the spring and summer progresses. Come join in everyone and share your spring thoughts and ideas.  

[Gail Norusis]

Hi Colleen,

Here we are on a new page in a new season. So far Brent is not taking shots he is on two medications one of which is an oral type insulin. It would be nice if he doesn't have to take shots especially since you are already pricking yourself twice a day to check your blood sugar. I wonder what you have to do to get one of those monitors that you don't have to prick yourself at all. I suppose they are not as accurate but maybe they are-after all they have that thing that they put on your finger(what's that called,Barbara?) to check your blood oxygen level,and they use those all the time in hospitals. He does have an appointment with the dietician when he can get out and about again. So we'll just take it one day at a time.

It would be nice if Melissa lived closer. I know it's hard lugging around all that baby equipment. Plus then they could just drop by for the day and not have to spend the night which would make things a little easier for you too. It's not that we don't love seeing them but it is a lot more work when people stay what with the extra sheets,towels ,cooking etc.

Do you take the ticks off the dog yourself. Abby had one once and I pulled it out but I made someone else take them off of me when I got two of them a couple of years ago. We've lived out in the country all our married lives and that was the first time I ever got any and that was the first time I found one on a dog too. However,if they're already out here I better put the dogs on a preventative. Especially because they don't get brushed on a regular basis as they are the types of dogs that get haircuts they don't really need brushing. Plus I just don't want to do the constant checking and those little buggers just freak me out! I would never be good on one of those shows where they have to touch weird bugs and stuff and even eat them. What was that show-oh yeah-Fear Factor-Gross! I didn't know that there were birds that specifically ate ticks-even the teeny tiny deer ticks? They don't seem like a bird would even be able to find them. Anyway,if you think of the name it would be nice to know-we would encourage them to come here.

I got my new dishwasher put in yesterday. I hope it works right. The installer told me that when he put the first one in he had to put in wood blocks to level it and this one he didn't plus the old one came with one of the plastic things that hold the top rack on broken-so it almost sounds like maybe the unit got dropped somewhere along the line. I'll run it after dinner tonight and see how things go. I bought some fresh walleye for dinner last night. It was so good just pan fried-love that! I decided a few weeks ago to try to serve either fish or seafood once a week at home. We have fish or seafood a lot when we go out but I don't cook it so much at home. Greg is a better fish cooker than me because he used to cook what he caught years ago so i got him to cook the fish last night. We weren't dancing on the stage at the concert. Usually Greg sings along to everything even when I don't want him too but he was very reserved at the concert until they got to Bohemian Rhapsody which he couln't resist joining in on and then after that they sing the sports anthem type songs like We Will Rock You and We are The Champions so of course he sang those especially because they sing We Will Rock You at Sox Park and of course he is a Sox fan and I am the Cubs fan.You should go with your daughters to the concert and leave Ron home to babysit. I wonder what reunion concert they are seeing? There seems to be a lot of people putting the band back together to go on tour in the summertime. I guess they get gigs at music festivals and such.

Poor Jenny,Lachlan has turned from a sweet little baby to a daredevil. She's been taking the kids to the park with all the nice weather and Lachlan is always running away and trying to do things that he is too young to do. Then they have to go home early because when she tries to stop him he screams and poor Kendall who is playing good suffers for it. It's always hard when the little one wants to do what the bigger one is doing but they are still too young to do it. I never had that problem since Brent and Jenny were only ten months apart so they were pretty much capable of doing the same thing at the same time particularly because Brent was a late walker and Jenny walked fairly early. Sometimes I am so glad i am the grandmother and don't have to worry about how to make these things work out. Especially when I go over to Jenny's and her neighbor is there with her two little boys and 3 out of the 4 kids are whining about something. I find I no longer have the patience to listen to all that whining. Sometimes I don't know how we did it when our kids were little-they really take up every minute of your waking day. I can't imigine why a 50 year old woman would want a baby. It's so much nicer now when you can love them and them give them back. Now I really appreciate that saying that you see on plaques sometime about if I had known how much fun grandchildren were I would have had them first.

Have a great day,Colleen.

Gail

 

[Debbie Striblng]

Ah yea, I'm of that same thinking on what 50 year old would want to have a baby? Ugh, just thinking of that makes me want to put my head down for quiet time.

I'm alive! With sparkly clean ceiling fixtures, Yahooo and Yippee Skippee! One more thang off my list that was bugging me every time I looked up. I've unsubscribed to a boatload of companies that became email pests, so now my emails are manageable again, finished my tax booklet and took that package into my CPA, Yahoo again...and my Cottage Farms Hybiscus came...looking less that what the Q photo showed but I did expect that due to my Ornamental Pink Grass, (only I have 5 that lived Gail'ster)...so they've been transplanted and are in my kitchen window trying to get perky. I think I head them screaming a wee bit inside that cardboard box from the cold!

Your weather is crazy! Our weather seems normal for this time of year, and my friend in Ann Arbor was not to pleased to have to hunker down in the basement last week due to the tornado warning's, What is Mother Nature up to now? I'm prepared for the ground to heave ho but the sky to swoop down to get me....not so much!

Oh, Colleen and Barbara, with those two husbands you best hope neither begins to watch that new reality show Preparedness Preppers Something or they'll be building emergency bunkers next with all their "treasures" for when the earth and all US residents have some melt down due to the economy or Mother Nature raising her ugly head. Now those TV reality boys are into much more than being "content" or collecting, seems to be a Manly Man Cave, Use all my Tool's and Boy Scout learning's deal to me so they are really attracted to this entire idea. Guns galore, canned chili galore, and Fire, What's a guy not going to LOVE? Somehow I doubt they've thought through being in a small enclosure with chili and wives and children for days on end. I think I'll take my chances on the outside with all the folks having a normal meltdown. And Barbara, DA CANNON again? Man's dreaming of menacing some THING, he has to be watching one of the new gun shows for sure, we are at my house.

Once again, I love reading everyones stories and adventures, you girls are simply The Best. The White Dove so amazing, the non-dancing but singing Greg, the 80 year old at a Rock Concert who was not rockin out..., Debra and her take on '"contentment"....Sue getting the fastest line at the Grocery Store...all good things to celebrate or at the least have a little chuckle about...Da Cannon...and one more Tractor part...somehow that reminds me of Steve Martin and his old routine....That's all I need...one more rusty tractor part and That's all I need, well, maybe this old hat someone lost in the middle of the road...but then That's all I need...and on and on our lives go. Each one of you sustains me in a way I cannot express...thank you one and all for sharing your stories, your lives. That's all I need, well, maybe years of more stories and then, That's all I need...but then maybe some Sparkle...and That's all I need...well of course then I'll need some Shine to go with that....

Here's hoping everyone finds that thing, that one thing that makes you think....That's all I need...

Hug's,

Debbie

[Barbara Smith]

Gail, you must have been reading my mind, because I was just about to ask you to start us up a new page to get us swinging into spring and summer; and lo and behold you did! It is so hot here and then you add quite a bit of rain that came with the heat and our grass is about a foot high. Poor Neal is mowing right now. We had to take the mower a couple of weeks ago for it's "annual physical" and since it's not possible for us to have just a normal mower like normal people it cost an arm and a leg since we needed new blades this year. I'm not sure if I had know those many years ago how much it costs for upkeep of acres of land that I would have done this; but then I do enjoy the little isolation it affords us. And like you said, Gail, that Jerry could be doing lots of other things besides collecting stuff; so I count my blessings for that. I don't seem to ask myself why I bought another pair of shoes when I have perfectly good shoes in the closet. Guess it's just all comes down to what we each consider our treasures. I am so proud of Joey and all the hard work he has done to Paw Paw's house. They started the painting yesterday, and it is looking so nice. It reminds me of a little dolls house, and it is the perfect size for one or two. Joey cried a bit yesterday when he and I were looking at what he has done. He said "Mom, I can't smell Paw Paw anymore"; and as silly as that sounds, I understood. We had all the windows up and of course the paint smells like well, paint and Paw Paw didn't want us to open the windows and air the house out although it really did need to be. They have cleaned and cleaned. The cemetery still doesn't have his headstone up yet. Guess it just takes a while. Since he was a WW II veteran; they provide the headstone. Gosh, we miss him. Oh, by the way the thing you wear on your finger at the hospital is called a pulse oximeter. It gives your heart rate and your oxygen saturation level. We also had a specialized syringe that we drew arterial blood samples and it gave us immediate blood oxygen levels which were indicators of impending "crashes" even if the one on your finger gave an acceptable level. We have a niece who was diagnosed with diabetes when she was 8 and she has in internal insulin pump. She is married and I'm concerned for her if she becomes pregnant. She is what is called a "brittle" diabetic; who has quick spikes or dips in her sugar levels. Joey's good friend who was recently diagnosed is doing a lot better. He was not eating right at all and ended up hospitalized and had retained so much fluid that his kidneys were almost shut down. But that scare has him following the dieticians rules and he is doing much better. On another subject; most of the plants I have ordered in the past didn't survive; so as tempted as I was to order the hydrangea and the jasmine; I didn't. My ornamental grass never turned pink; in fact; it looked like a weed. So I plan on getting a couple of things as the garden center and just putting it on the patio and see how that turns out. I'm also in the market for an urn type of planter to go on the steps leading up on the front porch and put something that will bloom all summer and in to the fall there. Any ideas anybody for a flowering plant that requires very little attention but comes back each year without having to be put inside during winter? Don't think I'm too lazy but I have considered one of those artificial topiaries for the Q that has lights inside it. Talk about your low maintainance ha ha. I have two of the hanging light baskets on the back patio and I just love them. That little twinkle of light is so pretty in the evening. Debbie, I have purposefully kept Jerry away from the "doom shelter" people shows. I remember as a child people who built bomb shelters since we were all going to be destroyed in some horrible way; and how we used to have to go in the hallway at school and cover our little heads for disaster drills. My moms sister who lived close to Little Rock Arkansas had a tornado shelter in their yard. I can see something like that since our homes don't have basements; but those doomsday people scare me. I just have a feeling that people since the beginning of time have been scared of some apocalyptic event that would blow us all to kingdom come. Bet seeing a T-Rex got the old cave man/woman's attention; and yet we as humans decided to go connect atoms and all sorts of things. I don't know why, girls, but I just got the sudden urge to take a nap. I don't hardly ever do that; but I am beginning to listen to the old body more lately, and think I may take it's hint. So before I drift off; thanks again, Gail, for bringing us into a new season and new adventures. Here's my question to ponder. If you could go anywhere in the world (for free of course, this is a dream) where would you pick and why? Here's to your dreams, may they all come true. Barbara

[Colleen]

Hi Gail,

 Brent is lucky that he only has to take the pills. That is what I do and it is much easier. The only time I have taken the shots is when I was pregnant with Melissa. THe doctor did not want me to take the pills for fear of the affects on her. I think Brent will do fine. He will catch on to the fact if he does not take care of himself that he will be in trouble and that will change his mind really quick. I have not heard of one where you do not have to prick your fingers. They talk about the ones that you can test on your arm but that is just as painful as the fingers.  I know in Japan they were working on a lazor meter but did not hear what happened with that.  It may have been destroyed when they had the earth quake.  That one would have really been nice but I bet it would be really expensive.  It would be nice to have something that would not stick you. I have been doing this for over 30 years and it is a pain in the neck. Sometimes they make me check mine 3 times a day but not very often.

 Yes I do take ticks off the dog. Ron and I both do. We are use to it because of all the ticks we have around here. We have had to take them off of the grandchildren after they go out in the woods. One thing we have learned is that if you put a little alcahol on the tick before you try to take it off it makes it easier. It helps to have them loosen their grip. I really do not like bugs being all over the place but do not back away from them I  have to kill them.

 I hope you new dishwasher works for you this time. It does seem like there had to be some type of problem with the old one for it not to work. That is so aggrivating to have that happen with a new machine. I do not like fish that much. Once in awhile I do like shrimp or lobster. The only problem with that is it is too expensive to buy and cook. It is better if you go to a restaurant to eat that.  We use to like to go to Red Lobster but it changed hands and it is not as good now.

 You just have to wonder what happens to these sweet little kids and they  get close to 2. They turn into completely different people. They go from being so good to causing  you too have a stroke thinking they are going to kill themselves. I am like you. It is nice to play with the kids and send them home with their mom's and we can rest. I could not chase these kids around all day and night.  It makes you wonder how we did it when we were younger. It seems like they just zap the energy right out of you but I guess we were younger and could handle it.I wonder why women that old would want to have children. They just do not know what they are asking for.

  We did our running to day for the week. Ron is sleeping it just took it all our of him going with me. He had to buy fence wire and posts for the ghinnias(sp). We have to put the fence around a tree so they can roost if they do not want to roost in the pen.  He is turning one of his storage buildings into the pen for the birds and now he said that he needs another shed. So we will see what happens.

 Well that is all that is going around here.  So I guess we will go and get some things done around here. Will talk to you later.

   Colleen

[Colleen]

Hi Debbie,

 Ron has watched that show and he thought that they were all a little crazy.  If the end comes I do not want to have to shoot people to keep from sharing food with people.  I do not want to be one of the only ones left on earth if everyone else is going to dye.What would be the point. The other ones that are left with you would not be pleasant people to be with if they are that kind of people.

 I am glad that I found out about ordering flowers from QVC.   I thought about ordering some the other day but if everyone is having that much trouble then I do not want to buy some and have trouble also. That is one reason why I like chatting on here. You can get all kinds of info on all the items and find out what they think. It can save money this way. I do not know about sending the flowers back if they do not bloom. I am afraid that they will not refund your money.

  Ron is taking a nap today so I have some time to myself. It was a surprise when he fell to sleep.  He is getting old when he needs a nap in the middle of the day when all we did is go shopping.  He is the one who is supposed to be in good health. I guess it is from taking naps.

  Well I guess I will go and see what kind of trouble I can get into. Have a good day.

        Colleen

[Gail Norusis]

Debbie Striblng said:

Ah yea, I'm of that same thinking on what 50 year old would want to have a baby? Ugh, just thinking of that makes me want to put my head down for quiet time.

I'm alive! With sparkly clean ceiling fixtures, Yahooo and Yippee Skippee! One more thang off my list that was bugging me every time I looked up. I've unsubscribed to a boatload of companies that became email pests, so now my emails are manageable again, finished my tax booklet and took that package into my CPA, Yahoo again...and my Cottage Farms Hybiscus came...looking less that what the Q photo showed but I did expect that due to my Ornamental Pink Grass, (only I have 5 that lived Gail'ster)...so they've been transplanted and are in my kitchen window trying to get perky. I think I head them screaming a wee bit inside that cardboard box from the cold!

Your weather is crazy! Our weather seems normal for this time of year, and my friend in Ann Arbor was not to pleased to have to hunker down in the basement last week due to the tornado warning's, What is Mother Nature up to now? I'm prepared for the ground to heave ho but the sky to swoop down to get me....not so much!

Oh, Colleen and Barbara, with those two husbands you best hope neither begins to watch that new reality show Preparedness Preppers Something or they'll be building emergency bunkers next with all their "treasures" for when the earth and all US residents have some melt down due to the economy or Mother Nature raising her ugly head. Now those TV reality boys are into much more than being "content" or collecting, seems to be a Manly Man Cave, Use all my Tool's and Boy Scout learning's deal to me so they are really attracted to this entire idea. Guns galore, canned chili galore, and Fire, What's a guy not going to LOVE? Somehow I doubt they've thought through being in a small enclosure with chili and wives and children for days on end. I think I'll take my chances on the outside with all the folks having a normal meltdown. And Barbara, DA CANNON again? Man's dreaming of menacing some THING, he has to be watching one of the new gun shows for sure, we are at my house.

Once again, I love reading everyones stories and adventures, you girls are simply The Best. The White Dove so amazing, the non-dancing but singing Greg, the 80 year old at a Rock Concert who was not rockin out..., Debra and her take on '"contentment"....Sue getting the fastest line at the Grocery Store...all good things to celebrate or at the least have a little chuckle about...Da Cannon...and one more Tractor part...somehow that reminds me of Steve Martin and his old routine....That's all I need...one more rusty tractor part and That's all I need, well, maybe this old hat someone lost in the middle of the road...but then That's all I need...and on and on our lives go. Each one of you sustains me in a way I cannot express...thank you one and all for sharing your stories, your lives. That's all I need, well, maybe years of more stories and then, That's all I need...but then maybe some Sparkle...and That's all I need...well of course then I'll need some Shine to go with that....

Here's hoping everyone finds that thing, that one thing that makes you think....That's all I need...

Hug's,

Debbie

[Gail Norusis]

Debbie,

For some reason when I try to reply to someones's posting it keeps telling me that the maximum characters is 4000 when I don't even have 4000 characters. I don't know where that came from all of a sudden.

Anyway,I'll try again. When I bought those ornamental grasses I had visions of beautiful pink plumes swaying in the breeze. Instead I got several little clumps of grass that were all brownish. So please take a picture of your pink plumes this summer and post it here so I can live vicariously through you.

I find those survivalists to be a bit paranoid at best. We have a guy in our neighborhood who I hear has an arsenal in his house. I know he target shoots out back of his place as he once told me. I'm glad that we live far enough down the road from him that neither we or the dogs are within his line of fire. Everyone else out here keeps their homes and grounds looking nice and he is back in the woods and his house look like it's going to pot. Hopefully he never totally loses it and runs around shooting up the neighborhood as he is a bit of an odd duck. It's a bit different than Greg shooting BBs at the heron out of our bedroom window.

Did you watch the Quacker show yesterday? Only one new thing there. You are probably all hunkered in to watch Judith today. I know there are lots of hours of her coming up. Have fun. You'll be able to see all the jewelry sparkle much better with your clean light fixtures. Have a good weekend.

gail

[Gail Norusis]

Hi Colleen,

I thought I saw one of those meters where you don't have to poke yourself advertised on TV or maybe in AARP magazine. Anyway,I'm sure they are expensive but maybe covered by insurance-I don't know. Thirty years is a long time to be doing that every day but I guess you have to be grateful that we live in a time where there are meds. to control diabetes. I'm sure years ago they didn't know what was wrong with people when they had it and probably had no medicine to control it either.

I can kill spiders and wasps but ticks just gross me out. We put the dogs on a new medicine for the ticks now that is compatible with the Sentinel that they take for heartworm. Rocky didn't mind it at all but Belle is so sensitive to everything that she hasn't wanted to do anything since we put it on her. She's not sick because she still eats and went on her run with Greg Wednesday and Thursday nights but she just must not like the way it feels on her fur so then she won't do anything but lay in her bed. She was like that when she was spayed and when she had those teeth removed. She just came home and didn't want to do anything for a week. This is going to be a long summer if she does this every month when we put this stuff on her. Maybe I will give her a bath later today and see if that helps.

Well I guess spring is here for good as all the trees are now budding and daffodils are blooming and bushes are flowering.I would say that this is about a month earlier than all this stuff usually takes place. it is going to cool off next week but it will still be in the 60's and 70's for the end of March. Quite unusual.

The new dishwasher works fine now. I think the first one was damaged in some way. Not only wouldn't the water drain out properly but then the dishes wouldn't dry either because when it went into the heated dry cycle it was like steaming the dishes because there was still water in the bottom of the tub so the dishes didn't dry properly either. The new one is much better. Finally.

Colleen,from the sounds of it I see a new shed in your future. Sounds like Ron needs a new one to replace the one he gave to the birds. You know what they say,"you can never have too many tractors or sheds." At least he has given up feeling the side of the refrigerator so you can be thankful for that. We have no plans for this weekend which is just as well as I feel like I might be coming down with a cold-my chest is feeling congested and I have a cough and am sleepy. So I have stored up on my new favorite medicine-mucinex- that stuff rally works well on coughs and congestion-better than the prescrition cough medicine that I have If you ask my opinion. Have a great wekend.

Gail  

[Gail Norusis]

Hi Barbara,

I think you would miss all that land if you didn't have it. It's nice to own one's own little corner of the world and like you said it provides a buffer from other people and other homes. It sounds like Joey will have a cozy little place to live when he is done. With all this talk of fleas and ticks it set me to wondering how Ellie is doing with her heartworm as I haven't heard anything for a bit. I'm assuming she is cured or whatever they call it with this disease. Pretty soon we will need health insurance for our pets as the cost of treating them is getting so high. When I was at the vets the other day I overheard a phone conversation about someone on a fixed income that  had brought their six year old dog in to be put down because it had heartworm. From what I gathered the vet  and one of the workers in the office are treating the dog for free. It kind of made me chuckle because our vets come off as really tough guys from the farm and such but I guess underneath it all they are tenderhearted.

Barbara,we have friends who have a daughter with an insulin pump and she had a successful pregnancy even though it was considered high risk because she was also in her late thirties at the time. She just had to have her pregnancy more closely monitored  than most woman but she had a very healthy baby boy and she is fine too.

I'm all for low maintainance at this point in my life too. I have some of those lit hanging baskets and they are very cute and one doesn't have to remember to water them which is always a problem for me.

Jenny lives in an older home and she actually has a bombshelter in her basement built by a previous owner in the fifties. Once again,I steer away from those doomsday people. I feel that if the end is coming it's designed to take all of us anyway so what's the use of being prepared when it's a situation that no one can prepare for. Plus,I kind of feel sorry for those people because their whole lives revolve around fear and this is what they are teaching their children too. Bad things happen even to people who are prepared  and they are missing so much of life because of their fears.

Now I couldn't decide on just one place to see so I have a few. These were the first places that popped into my mind so after pondering the question for a bit longer I might have a totally different answer. First in honor of the desire of my youthful self to be an archaeologist I would have to go see the pyramids of Egypt and travel down the Nile and see the museums. Second I would like to see Poland,the land of my ancestors.I don't know what specifically I would see there but I would just like to get a feel of the land and if Greg was with me we could go next door to Lithuania and he could do the same. Lastly I would like to see  Russia and the treasures in the Hermitage. It's such a vast land I don't know what else I would see but ever since I saw Dr. Zhivago in the sixties I've been fascinated. Then to top it all off I would go to New York and see a half dozen Broadway plays. I feel like I could go on and on as there is so much that I have never seen-I may change my mind about this list tomorrow.

Have a good weekend,Barbara.

gail 

[Colleen]

Hi Gail,

 We had a storm here last night. We were not expecting to have one. We had hail that was pea size but some areas had hail as big as golf balls. I have not heard if there was very much damage or not. They do not report about our area on the news. They will tell that they have large hail and that's it. Our dog woods and red buds are blooming now and they are so pretty. It is about a month early for them. Everything is really coming out early this year. I hope that this means that the vegtable gardens are going to come out really good this year.

 I will be so glad when the elections are over. I am tired of hearing all the negative ads. It would be nice if for once they would just talk about what they are going to do for the country and be honest then just talk about each other.  I guess that will never happen. Sometimes they will give a speach and they have not said one thing that helps me to make up my mind.

 We have not been doing much lately. Ron has been having trouble with his ear and it is driving him crazy. He said that it sounds like people are talking to him but from a distance. I feel sorry for him when he has that trouble. I wish they could do something for him and find a way for him not to go thru this anymore. They had to remove his ear drum years ago. We were hoping that it would be the end of it. Oh well it never pays to think that way.

 I am glad to hear that your dish washer is working. It would be nice to be able to use it and not have to wash dishes by hand. It is nice now that Ron has stop feeling the appliances. We do not have to go thru the whole they are too hot there is some thing wrong with them. The puppy has really made a difference in him. He goes out side just to play with her and try and teach her to fetch. That is funny to watch.

 Belle will get use to the new tick medicine. Lucky use to be the same way. We would put it on her and she would roll around on the ground and when we would turn her loose to run she would go to the neighbors and jump into their pond. But after awhile she got use to it and did not go thru that any longer.  She was so funny. We still miss her a lot and think about her and how she would be enjoying the new puppy. She would be teaching her all types of things.  Either that or she would be jealous.

 I have visions of sheds all over the back yard and junk piled from floor to ceiling. Tractors all over the yard and snakes nesting in them because they are never used. We will be the only house in the country that people are complaining about all the junk we have in our yard. It does make life interesting though.

 Is Greg's golf course finished now or will he have more work to do to it this year.  I know that their is always maintance on that and making sure that the grass is growing just right. It must be nice that he can practice at home instead of going to the course all the time.

  Well I better go. I need to start lunch and do not know what I am going to fix.  Maybe we can just eat leftovers from last night.

  Have a good day.

   Colleen

[Barbara Smith]

Gail Norusis said:

Hi Barbara,

I think you would miss all that land if you didn't have it. It's nice to own one's own little corner of the world and like you said it provides a buffer from other people and other homes. It sounds like Joey will have a cozy little place to live when he is done. With all this talk of fleas and ticks it set me to wondering how Ellie is doing with her heartworm as I haven't heard anything for a bit. I'm assuming she is cured or whatever they call it with this disease. Pretty soon we will need health insurance for our pets as the cost of treating them is getting so high. When I was at the vets the other day I overheard a phone conversation about someone on a fixed income that  had brought their six year old dog in to be put down because it had heartworm. From what I gathered the vet  and one of the workers in the office are treating the dog for free. It kind of made me chuckle because our vets come off as really tough guys from the farm and such but I guess underneath it all they are tenderhearted.

Barbara,we have friends who have a daughter with an insulin pump and she had a successful pregnancy even though it was considered high risk because she was also in her late thirties at the time. She just had to have her pregnancy more closely monitored  than most woman but she had a very healthy baby boy and she is fine too.

I'm all for low maintainance at this point in my life too. I have some of those lit hanging baskets and they are very cute and one doesn't have to remember to water them which is always a problem for me.

Jenny lives in an older home and she actually has a bombshelter in her basement built by a previous owner in the fifties. Once again,I steer away from those doomsday people. I feel that if the end is coming it's designed to take all of us anyway so what's the use of being prepared when it's a situation that no one can prepare for. Plus,I kind of feel sorry for those people because their whole lives revolve around fear and this is what they are teaching their children too. Bad things happen even to people who are prepared  and they are missing so much of life because of their fears.

Now I couldn't decide on just one place to see so I have a few. These were the first places that popped into my mind so after pondering the question for a bit longer I might have a totally different answer. First in honor of the desire of my youthful self to be an archaeologist I would have to go see the pyramids of Egypt and travel down the Nile and see the museums. Second I would like to see Poland,the land of my ancestors.I don't know what specifically I would see there but I would just like to get a feel of the land and if Greg was with me we could go next door to Lithuania and he could do the same. Lastly I would like to see  Russia and the treasures in the Hermitage. It's such a vast land I don't know what else I would see but ever since I saw Dr. Zhivago in the sixties I've been fascinated. Then to top it all off I would go to New York and see a half dozen Broadway plays. I feel like I could go on and on as there is so much that I have never seen-I may change my mind about this list tomorrow.

Have a good weekend,Barbara.

gail 

[Barbara Smith]

Gail, I started to reply to your message about where you wanted to travel and this thing cut me off too with the 4000 character maximum and wouldn't let me send you the message. What is with this? So I will try again. I was telling you that our son Buddy has been to the pyramids of Egypt, Poland, Russia and in fact the only country he has not been to is Africa. It is so facinating to listen to him tell about things all over the world; I sort of live vicariously through his travels. He talks about the beautiful gardens in Japan, and the golden towering buildings of Russia, and how the Eifel tower of Paris is lit up like a Christmas tree at night. And then we have pictures of him standing on the wings of the F 15 fighter jets and the wings are about 30 feet off the ground, and that scares me to death. When I dream of places to see I seem to keep wandering back to the Alps where the Sound of Music was made. I just think it would be breathtaking to stand there as if on top of the world and look down at the clouds forming below you while your feet are still firmly planted on ground. I also have dreamed of Figi. There is a beach there that you rent for just you and they bring your food and you live in a bungalow built out over the water and it is like your own private island. I can't imagine the tranquility that must flow through you as you stand there gazing out on the blue of the ocean and the colors of the sunrise or sunsets. Ah, one can dream. Hope this comes through to you, and that your sniffles go away. Your poor puppy dog just doesn't like medicine. We still have Ellie on the 30 days of antibiotics and then 30 days off. That goes on for a year. Her last check up still showed heartworms; but they "haven't gotten any worse" so we take that as a good sign. She is such a sweet loving little thing. And she acts like she feels good; but I don't care what we try to hide her medicine in she knows it is there and spits it out. She loves attention, and puts her sweet head in your hand and just lets it sit there. I talk to her all the time about being careful. Oz is doing well. He has lots of trouble getting his back end up when he is laying down; but he still trys to be the "leader" of our pack. He only has two teeth now; so we feed him ground up really soft food; but he still wants what the others have too. He has always been kind of selfish. It hurts me to see him struggle to try to get up if he thinks someone has something he doesn't. He can't eat milkbones anymore; so I give him a piece of cheese. It's sort of funny to see him snarl at one of the other dogs and there are no teeth there. Guess the saying "the body is willing but the flesh is weak" applies. We are taking each day as it comes here. Some are trying to say the least; but life really does go on. In it's own way, that makes me more aware of the cycle of life, and how this will apply to Jerry and me as well, and how we can help our family. It's rather hard to think about but necessary. Well, I am going to put on my Quacker shirt that says my idea of cooking is ordering in and my new straight leg Dream Jeannes and go to the utility company and change over from Paw Paw and Jerry to just Jerry and Joey. Hard to do; but must be done. Take care everyone. Barbara