Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
Comments
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The most glorious moments in your life are not the
so-called days of success, but rather those days when out
of dejection and despair you feel rise in you a challenge
to life, and the promise of future accomplishments.
--Gustave Flaubert -
Another beauty of a morning here and it will get into the 70's. I'm just going to say AHHH right now because I'm going to love it. Work this morning, but that is ok. Dh has to take his truck into the shop. Not happy about that as he will keep my new car while I'm at work. Sounds horrible of me, huh !!! Well, I've already given him his instructions about where to park in parking lots if he goes where there are some. Not to get it dirty since I went to the car wash yesterday and to be on time to pick me up after work.
All that said I likely have to thank him that I have a new car since his old truck has always used up the budget for car maintenance and my old Blazer ( 2004 ) just never got enough to keep it going. I had suggested that maybe he should retire his truck and get something else, but instead when my Blazer needed ( absolutely couldn't go any longer without ) some major things --- it got retired.
Anne, I'm hoping a new day will have you able to get through the maze of difficulties that you are having. Some things are not fixable sometimes, but hopefully there might be a 'reasonable' spot so I'm hoping it shows up.
Thinking today about Puffin as well as Sandra and Mike.
Joan, you are on my mind as well.
I guess I just want good things for all of my friends ( Carole, Linda, Sunny/Chevy, bonnets, termite, Norma Jean, Wren ) and just each and every one and so I keep all kinds of wishes stashed that I think about in the morning when I come here. You are all just the very best.
Blessings,
Jackie
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Jackie- thanks for the support. As far as the wedding and cost of hotels, looks like most of my kids will go home after reception. Rob's wife can't drink because she is pregnant so she will be the designated driver for them. Neither of them are usually big drinkers, but I am not totally sure of Rob this time. Bob was Tm's father, but Rob is his Daddy. He taught Tim everything he knows about sports, coached him in soccer, baseball,flag football and basketball from the time Tim was old enough to play on the local teams until he reached middle school and was on the school teams. At that point, Rob stopped coaching but never missed a game, unless he was sick or away. So it's kind of like he is not only Best Man, but father of the groom. My guess though is he will be very careful with his drinking so he can make sure everything is going well, and even more important is that his wife could go into labor at any minute at that point. Jamie's husband doesn't drink at all, so it is just Nancy and Tracy. I get a room with the wedding, so Tracy can share my bed, and our neighbors will be there, and since Dave is head of nursing in the ER, his wife will have no more than 2 drinks early in the evening. So Nancy and family will ride with them.
Jamie and the kids came by as she picked them up from school. I got my baby cuddling time and helped Jamie give her a bath. I helped Kayden with his homework then we ate and went to Victoria's soccer game. At the soccer game, Jamie said Tracy told her she hasn't had a drink since Nancy left! I pray, pray, pray that is true. She was very pleasant when she got home from work and found not only Jamie, but her friend here as well. She accepts Jamie is going to be here at least once a week to do laundry, but the friend being here every time Jamie is, is getting old.
I got two nice tops last weekend that will do for the showers (bridal for Nissa and baby for Anna) but still need something for rehearsal dinner, and something formal for the wedding. I dread the thought of shopping for the dress. I am very much a jeans and tee shirt kind of girl, and I am at least 40-50 lbs heavier than I would like to be. I did go last weekend and bought a wig, because there is nothing I can do with my hair to make it look good. They are having people at the hotel the day of the wedding, and with enough "product," skill and time, they could probably get it to look okay that day, but I can't afford to have that done for the showers and rehearsal dinner.
And Rob's wife thinks it would be best if Rob stays at our house while she is down, because she can sleep in with her mom and Lu will have her own room. Rob asked what they would do if she went into labor during the night- would they wake Lu up and take her to the hospital, or would he have to go from here to pick her up, adding at least 45 minutes to the trip? He suggested that it would be much better if Lu stayed here with him, then she could stay asleep and he could meet them at the hospital. She was astonished that he would van suggest taking Lu from her- he said, that's exaCtly what you are doing to me. He said they could all stay here, and Rob and Anna would have their own good sized room, and Lucia would have her own room, without displacing anyone.
As my kids have said many times- we could beat the Kardashians in a reality show, no contest! I have gotten used to having to assure people that the stories I tell, are, in fact, the whole and honest truth without exaggerations or embellishments.
Anne
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oh the good old days when most of us just eloped. Lo
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Right you are, mhmama! And they weren't so long ago. We gave each of our three daughters beautiful weddings, and didn't come close to spending as much as the bridal gown cost in this one. It is going to be the most expensive and high class wedding I have ever been to.What hurts me is that because they are paying for it themselves, they have decided on who will be there. That's fine, but I asked for 3 first cousins, who live in Fl, to be included. Six people- they say they don't know them well, so they aren't invited. I'm sure it bothers me more than it does them, but it bothers me. I have not been able to suggest any of my friends who have watched Tim grow up from infancy. Somehow, along with a lot of things, we have not passed on family ties and an honoring of family just because they are family. They did invite my 2 sisters and 2 brothers only because I knew 3 out of the 4 would not attend, and the 4th one is part of the bridal party. I have learned to pick my battles and this isn't one I choose to fight. I absolutely adore the bride and feel so blessed that Tim has chosen her. I was kind of worried about some of his past girlfriends, I couldn't approve more with his choice. I will enjoy the wedding and not focus on who is not there.
Anne
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Isn't THAT the truth about a JP? We didn't have very much money.... Just enough to get me a pretty "sheath" dress... And a suit from my Aunt for HIM! We got married at a JP.... And it was perfect. My Mom flew into town for the "wedding"... We were Soooooooooo happy and blessed!
We even had to wait until after the week-end, to go get DH's drivers license! He had too many tickets, so it was taken away.... So then we went up in the mountains to a little cabin... I cooked corned-beef & cabbage.... Hah! That was our honey-moon!
We started out with nothing.... even all used furniture for our little 2-room apt.... My Grandma bought us a box of groceries.... but all we had was each other... That was over 57 years ago.... We made it work, because we didn't know how to do any different.... Just knew we didn't want marriages like our folks had.... We were just 20.... Had been "going steady" and "engaged" for almost 2 years before that.... But we did it!
For our Daughter's.... we helped them out as much as we could.... but they paid for their weddings.... I cooked all the food for the receptions, did all the silk flowers.... but we didn't have to borrow any money to get them hitched. We just didn't have the money......
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I have seen two very expensive weddings in the last couple of years and both ended in divorce within 6 months. Unfortunately both girls have the same mother and insisted she pay for these weddings. Mother is working 2 jobs to pay for them. Sad, but whose fault is it?
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mhmama -- that is sad that a mother is having to work to pay for the folly of her girls. I certainly hope she has told them the next wedding ( if it comes for either one ) is on them. She likely wanted to be like any other parent and provide what we all came to see ( more so in these latter yrs. ) as sort of the expected actions that most parents take.
Some children/females want to do things 'their' way all the way and take it upon themselves to have full control by footing all the bills. My daughter did it that way, and that was good because elsewise it would have been a VERY small wedding. In some ways, it would be nice to see traditions change a bit into less showy and expensive --- but many still wouldn't be happy. We forget that sometimes the less planned events reward us with a lot more happiness anyway.
Jackie
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We were married at home in my parents living room. I had a white lace dress and we each had one attendant. My college roommate played the piano. Afterwards there was cake and punch. I would do it exactly the same again. We've been married 56 years.
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Wow--just had to catch up on over 150 posts! I was in Europe for 10 days during IL's wild weather--it snowed as I boarded our flight to London, while I was away (including snow that stuck several times and again the night before I got home) and again the day after I got back from Paris. London weather was typically gray and miserable. (I lived in Seattle 7 yrs., and its rain was much easier to take). The morning we were to fly from London City airport to Geneva, Hurricane (!) Katie blew through the UK and up into Scandinavia and caused our flight to be canceled. A friend wasn't even allowed to check in--her passport had only 3 wks left on it, and the “Schengen" group of mainland European countries will not let people from outside the EU or their group in unless their passports were valid for at least 90 days after their scheduled departure date. She had to go back into central London to the US Embassy, only to find it closed due to being a bank holiday. The only choice she could afford was to eat a humongous rescheduling penalty and fly back to Chicago. The rest of us got rebooked on flights out of Heathrow, and Swissair paid for the taxis. Got to our hotel in Lausanne, and discovered that prices were over 50% higher than anywhere else in Europe, much less the US. ($95 for a piece of salmon, a salad, and a drink--my first two nights, dinner was an Atkins bar and coffee in the room). Fe_Princess (a BCO sister in Zurich) had warned me but I still got profound sticker shock. Fortunately, the facility hosting our legal conference fed us lunches, lavish coffee-and-snack breaks (with baristas manning the espresso machines) and dinner on our final night. Took the TGV through the Alps to Paris....only to arrive in the middle of a citywide general strike. For 2 hrs, nothing was moving between the station and the center of town--no trains, no taxis. Finally, it ended, and made it to our hotel. Apparently these strikes are called in advance, there are short demonstrations, then life goes on and sometimes the strikers' goals are met due to public sympathy with their cause. Paris was terrific (and a bargain compared to Switzerland). Then two days after flying home, flew to a resort & spa outside San Antonio with my husband for his echocardiography conference. What a joy walking around in a T-shirt, jeans and sandals!
Home now, life is more or less back to normal. (Had a crisis when I was in Europe--kitty needed a tooth extracted and the anesthesia caused him to hallucinate and run around the house crashing into things. He severely bruised his thigh and limped badly for a week--and because he was off his feed and didn't drink, he got dehydrated and his kidneys were on the brink of failing. Fortunately, he turned a corner and is back to normal now--minus a large patch of fur that had to be shaved for ultrasound & CT scan). We got a pleasant surprise regarding our taxes: no liability to the state, and a modest refund from the Feds.
By way of intro, I'm 65, and was diagnosed at 64. Married almost 45 years, one adult son, no grandkids (that I know of). two cats. We were married at a country club on LI that had been turned into a restaurant/event space, capable of handling two events at once. As we were walking down the aisle, we heard a splash--it was the maid-of-honor from the next wedding falling into the pond while posing for pictures. ANd during the ceremony, we were interrupted by the roar of a helicopter--it was my cousins from L.A. and Tel Aviv, who were delayed because the Israeli cousin got stuck going through Customs and they hired a chopper from JFK! (My Canadian cousins couldn't be bothered to drive the 300 miles down). What's amazing is that the wedding cost less than our son's Bar Mitzvah 26 years later--and neither my parents nor we went into debt to pay for either event. (We saved like crazy, though, for a decade). Of course, friends and relatives back in NY threw much larger and more lavish bashes, and their kids had to take out huge student loans later on. Gordy managed to get through 5 yrs. of college without borrowing. (He was considerate enough to pick a college that was cheaper than his high school).
Been spending a lot of time on other threads--especially “Political Junkies." This election is giving me agita--and we're only halfway through the primaries!
Sandra, glad to hear Mike's transplant is finally “taking." His hair will grow back, for sure. Gordy says he hasn't met Allison. I guess the improv and comedy community in Chicago is a lot bigger than most people realize.
Norma Jean, have you tried taking biotin (either on its own or as part of a “hair, skin & nails" formula)? There's also a multi-step product line for thinning hair called Nioxin, which includes a women's version of minoxydil as well as thickening and scalp-stimulating shampoos & conditioners. I've been on letrozole for 3-1/2 months now, and my hair is a little thinner than a year ago--but before bc I didn't pay much attention. I suspect a lot of women experiencing AI and tamoxifen drastic hair thinning had previously lost their hair from chemo; perhaps the effects are cumulative, especially after Taxotere?
Getting ready for my trip to NC next month to attend and perform at the SERFA folk music conference at Montreat in Black Mt., NC (40 min. e. of Asheville) and then on May 22, playing a benefit concert for the Healing Touch program at Vitality Medical Spa in Hickory, which provides free spa services to breast cancer patients. (Our own Happy Hammer is organizing this). I was a little conflicted about going to NC because of the discriminatory anti-LGBT laws its state gov't passed; but the Montreat conference center (Presbyterian-run) has issued a statement denouncing those laws, and I wouldn't dream of penalizing a wonderful charity like Healing Touch because of the mean-spiritedness of its state's legislators & Gov. I hope those in the Asheville-Charlotte corridor (as well as northern GA and SC) can attend!
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Good morning. Another beautiful day here!
God my car back yesterday, from the body shop after being backed into on Mammo day. They not only put on the new bumper , but gave it a wash and wax, looks better than new!
Reading about weddings and sometimes suffering thru those awful bride programs on TV, or the house hunters, show the "look at me, how much I have "values of this generation. Be it houses, weddings or cars. Stuff is valued so much more these days. It's sad. we had a home reception for my first marriage and a church reception for the current marriage. Only family in the wedding and a friend did the pictures. This generation wants MORE of everything!
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I agree, Bonnets. A lot of emphasis on "stuff."
DH and I slept in this morning. It felt good not to have any compelling reason to get up. It's cloudy and raining but the sun will probably pop out later. Today is my sister's day to go and spend time with my mother at the nursing home where she's having rehab. I may get out my sewing machine and work on a project that was interrupted when my mother had the stroke last month.
ChiSandy, that was quite a trip. I enjoy hearing about your travel. I have some beautiful pottery that I bought in Black Mountain, NC, years ago. There were wonderful potters in that area. I just saw a funny video on Facebook about a guard standing at the door of a public rest room (toilet) and checking ID's. I can't see that it would matter who goes into a women's rest room since they always have doors on the stalls. About this year's presidential politics, I just shake my head with amazement. And concern. Enough said. We steer clear of polarizing conversations on this thread.
Anne, you live in the midst of a lot of family conflict but your motherly love seems to help you deal with it.
Jackie, I love your protectiveness toward your new car! I know the feeling. I'm still in love with my little 2014 Prius. I had planned to wash it today. I guess I could park it out in the rain!
Wishing everyone a good Friday.
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Join the great company of those who make the barren places of life
fruitful with kindness. Carry a vision of heaven in your hearts, and you
shall make your name, your college, the world, correspond to that
vision. Your success and happiness lie within you. External conditions
are the accidents of life, its outer wrappings. The great, enduring
realities are love and service. Joy is the holy fire that keeps our
purpose warm and our intelligence aglow. Resolve to keep happy,
and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulty.
Helen Keller -
You won't get disagreement from me that the newer generation wants it all -- and not a care in the world if they can't pay for it. Bigger, better, best. I think maybe years and years ago, only a very few could have along with publicizing it, a big, big expensive wedding. Somehow ( I think it started with some mothers my age ) little ones were pushed/guided into life in big ways. Starting so early with mental ( the best schools ) and physical ( all sorts of different sports and competitions ) challenges. No wonder when it comes time to marry -- let no expense be spared.
Wren -- I so agree with you though. You can save all the money, do something quite small and meaningful and well over 50 yrs. later know that you didn't miss a thing. Perfection can happen in any situation and be just as memorable. I had a "Church" wedding the first time. That marriage survived for 10 yrs. but most of them were miserable, so having a "Church" wedding ( though not so expensive in those days ) did not help a bit. Second marriage done by JOP ( happened to be a minister who was Johnny Cash's best friend ) and we were married in his living room on Lemonwood Ave. 41 yrs. ago this coming July 19th. I still remember it like yesterday. Just as the Rev. pronounced us man and wife, the clock on his fireplace mantle chimed 10 times. The very small wedding party of 7 people went out and had brunch.
ChiSandy, don't know how you do it. You seem to breeze though complications like they were almost nothing while I would have melted down at the first cloud. Glad it all worked out ok, but I think that level of stress would finish me. You're made of sturdy material. Glad you will go to NC and support your charity and be bigger than the 'crazy' controversies.
Going to take Dh to Marion V.A. today for his eye exam. May work later --- depends if they choose tonight or tomorrow night as the night out. So, may be a long day for me but that is ok. If we have time we will likely stop at the Steak & Shake in Marion so I can get my Garlic Burger FIX after the eye exam is done.
We will have another stunning day full of sun and warmth which will make me most cheerful and content. Who could ask for anything more --- well, maybe just to win a huge lottery. Other than that, I'm good.
Jackie
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Mornin all,
I had a stress free day yesterday, which was a nice change. My passenger rear tire haD started going flat twice this week. Thank God for the neighbor next door. He filled it with air both times, then my daughters found a nail or something. Dave came back over and marked where the leak was,then told me where to take it to get it fixed. I am always afraid to go into anything like that alone. I think They must have someway of telling I am an older woman on her own, that knows nothing about cars (all true) and think, wow, we can really make a bundle here. But they were reasonable and my tire is fixed. Funny part is I called them first to see if I had to make an appt or just come in. The guy says "there's no one here right now" I assume all the techs are at lunch, so I asked if there would be anyone there later in the day. He said"I have no idea". Now I am scratching my head, thinking this is a business and he has no idea whether anyone is working today??? Finally the lightbulb goes off above my head. " you mean there is no one waiting for service right now, not that there are no techs, right?" He said of course that is what he meant. And my tire is now fixed.
I have made travel plans again. I am heading to Georgia on Apr 25th. I have a BS appt on the 27th, and my oldest grandson will be 17 on the 29th. His brother is having his final orchestra recital on May 9th. He is not sure if he is going to play it in HS so he wants me there. I will fly back here on May 11th. I will try to get over to see Lucia for a few days while up there. Then it's bAck here for showers, a birth, rehearsal dinner and wedding. That's as far as I have planned at this point. I looked online yesterday for my dress for the wedding. Saw a bunch I liked, but have no idea what size to order. Some say order two sizes larger than usually size, others say they run true to size, but whose size? Every country sizes differently. guess I'm going to have to see if I can find something locally to get the fit correct. All the ones I saw online were between $100 and $150. As much as I love my son and his fiancée, that's my budget for a dress I will wear once. If I can find something on clearance, even better. The bride has volunteered to go with me, but I don't want to spend what she things is normal.
Have a great day and a calm weekend. Puffin and Sandra, you are in my prayers daily.
Anne
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Chevyboy......I may not be able to wear hats in Texas but look at what I found on another list that you could put your talent & skills to.......
http://www.knittedknockers.org (Guess you will have to copy & paste the link since it didn't come through.)
It does after I hit the submit button.
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Yes Norma, the link worked! I had seen those before...That would have been great for my Mom.... I remember how embarrassed she was, trying to get one of those heavier, life-like breasts to fit in her bra... This was about 1990... In those days they did a complete mastectomy.... I mean they took everything even close! She did okay with it though....
Same with my Aunt.... but with her, it started out everywhere I think.... at least before they found it in her breast.
We have come so FAR these last few years.... Thank God for that!
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*Good Morning*
*NormaJean65* *Cherylista* *mhmama*, Hi and Welcome!!!
I'm enjoying the pics.
Yesterday, Husband and I started raking after such a cold start to Spring in the North Country. I only spent one day early in March picking up sticks. Husband also uncovered the tiny frog pond with 2 frogs surfacing and soaking up the sun.
Enjoy the weekend.
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One does not need to fast for days and meditate for
hours at a time to experience the sense of sublime
mystery which constantly envelops us. All one need
do is to notice intelligently, if even for a brief moment, a blossoming tree, a forest flooded with
autumn colors, an infant smiling.
Simon Greenberg -
Oh, the morning sunshine is so pretty and just nudges such gratitude in me. These early Spring days when my little corner of the woods is coming back to life and renewing just set me up perfectly to be happy and to want good things for everyone. Probably sounds a little Pollyanna but it is in my nature and some time back I decided not to deny it. There is a purpose to and for everyone and I am completely willing along the way to look for and expand on whatever seems to me to make life worthwhile while I'm attempting to fulfill that purpose --- even if I'm not totally sure what it is all about.
I'll be back later to chat, but I'm hoping you are all starting out with a gorgeous day and a little joy tucked away just itching to spring forth. See you all later.
Jackie
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Good Morning Ladies,
Welcome to all the newcomers.
Carole, I hope your mother is doing better.
Puffin and Sandr, you are in my thoughts and prayers
Bonnets, I had similiar pains like that along time ago and it took the drs. 2 yrs to figure out it was my gallbladder.
Anne, keep looking for your dress, you will find it when you least expect to and it will be exactly want you wanted.
DH and I finally moved into our house on Tuesday and we were called home on Wednesday for a family emergency. I stayed here but dh flew out Thursday morning. We were having furniture being delivered on Thursday and a worker was coming to measure our extra bedroom for a murphy bed. The emergency turned out ok and Dh will be back on Sunday. Very interesting trying to find way home in the early morning hours from the airport in a new area. The kitchen is pretty much together and the living room furniture is set up. No tv yet, comcast has not come yet.Just a radio and crocheting to keep busy with after dark outside, The weather is great and I love sitting out on the back porch and eating breakfast. Sorry I haven't been on much lately but our computers are not working well right now. Some times we can get on and other times there is not connection.
Have a great weekend
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I ended up going to the walk in clinic yesterday afternoon. All the tears had aggravated my eczema and my left eyelid was swollen, red, itchy way up to my eyebrow, and skin on my face was red and itching from my eye to my hairline. Dr said to quit using cold wet compresses - it felt good, and I thought it would decrease the swelling. He said it's like licking your lips, only makes it worse. I'm to use 1% cortisone cream on my lid for 5 days with generous aquaphor throughout the day. The intense itching does seem to be improving.
Just spent 2 hours cleaning and sorting in the shop, found 5 rolls of 36 exposure film - anyone know where that can be developed? Taking a break and having some pumpkin bread and homemade grape juice. Then I'll load up the car and head for the recycling collection box.
Finally got the title transferred to my name for his junker car and hope to get rid of that this afternoon. Found out I'm not the beneficiary of his 401K and the company won't tell me who is. Hope it's his kids, but I could save them a lot of hassle if they told me so I could tell them the kid's addresses and phone numbers. I got a call from the ND unclaimed checks office in response to my claim. I thought I was applying for all 7 uncashed checks and turns out I only applied for 1 so she's going to send the whole packet back to me with the additional 6 forms. The web site doesn't show the value of the checks, I almost fell off my chair when she told me they total $25,000.00. There's payroll checks going back over 20 years that he never got around to cashing.
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Oh my goodness, Puffin. That is amazing about the checks. I'm so glad that you did what you did. I'm thinking in my grief and general frustration about ALL the work it takes to deal with un-expected events such as the loss of someone close I'd have probably just let it go never knowing what I was doing. I'm sure there is always solid reasons, but sometimes it does feel odd that different places can't give out SOME information. I mean, if things are a certain way ( something definitely in someone's name ) it can't be changed etc.
Guess though these places have ways of getting information --- silly though it seems when someone is RIGHT there to provide it.
You know, I'd have used cold compresses too I'm sure. So many times you'd like to avoid "medication" and more so if something like plain water could do. Hopefully the flare-up will subsist quickly now.
Hope you are having some good weather there.
Jackie
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Puffin, When FIL died they found a year's worth of uncashed paychecks with the clothing he had packed for a flight to Washington, DC. Fortunately they were able to get the money.
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Termite, glad you are getting settled in your new home. It's too bad that you had to come right back for an emergency but I'm glad that everything is O.K. now. Always good to see a post from you.
NormaJean...I don't know the school name where my college girlfriend teaches. We only keep up with each other once a year at Christmas as she doesn't do Facebook or any of the social networking. If I remember, I'll ask when send the Christmas cards. Her last name is Morris.....ring a bell at all?
Puffin....what a surprise about the checks! Wow! That will help!
Today is a beautiful day. I have worked around the house all day. I decided that I could restore my metal patio furniture (table and 6 chairs) that was rusting and avoid buying a new set this year. I washed it all down, cleaned off all the rust and sanded it well and then spray painted it with a dark bronze metallic paint. It looks pretty good, even if I do say so myself! It took me all day because I had to stop every so often and stretch and walk because it was bothering my back to lean over that much for any period of time but it is done! YAY!
Tomorrow I plan on hitting the golf course after church. Dave as left his taxes until the last minute...as always...and I really prefer to hide out somewhere while he's doing them. I think it will be a much more pleasant environment! :-)
I'm off to made a gluten free cake now so we have something to snack on this week. Sometimes the gluten free things turn out good and sometimes they are best left on the shelf. This is a Pillsbury box mix so we shall see. It would be great if it was actually good. I keep searching for those good recipes.
Everyone enjoy this lovely weekend.
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Rita, I found a gluten free dump cake we all liked, made with GF yellow cake mix, canned peaches and crushed pineapple. think im gonna make it with just peaches next time. Gluten free is a challenge, especially when we travel. The chef on our favorite American Queen paddlewheeler is very good about making gluten free items. Add to that I'm also caffeine free, so no chocolate either. Really miss that!
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Anne, there's a chain of stores (online too) called “Rent the Runway." They feature rentals of designer dresses at up to a 90% discount from retail--and $100-150 will get you something that would be the envy of everyone at the wedding. If you're only gonna wear it once, might as well get maximum bang for your buck. (Men do this all the time for formalwear). You might also scrounge designer consignment boutiques--not as cheap, but you do own it outright once you buy it, but can also bring it back for consignment to recoup some of the cost.
Puffin, a dermatologist friend once joked that his specialty can be boiled down to one saying: “if it's dry, wet it; if it's wet, dry it; otherwise prescribe a steroid." Funny how often what we logically think would work doesn't, and what does seems counterintuitive. Case in point--a few weeks ago I took a nasty spill and got a large scrape on the elbow of my lymphedema arm. Instinctively, I washed it and began treating it with antibiotic ointment and secure bandages, changing the dressings twice a day. When I packed for my Europe trip, I reasoned that the ointment would be easy to get over there (surely if stuff that's Rx-only here is OTC over there, then stuff that's OTC here would be OTC there as well), so to save space & weight I left it home. Wrong! In both the UK & Switzerland, antibiotic ointment is Rx-only, due to concerns about developing resistant bacteria. So all I could do till I got to Paris was use antiseptic and band-aids, and it simply didn't heal--in fact it was quite clearly getting infected, and it hurt like crazy to try to turn over in bed if I accidentally leaned on my elbow. Just before boarding the TGV in Lausanne, I asked the pharmacist at the train station, and after looking at the wound she urged me to find a doctor as soon as I arrived in Paris. At my Paris hotel, I asked the concierge about the nearest doctor--and he said my choices were either to kill an entire day at a clinic or pay at least $150 for a doctor to make a house call to the hotel. He suggested I walk around the block to the English-speaking drugstore and ask the pharmacist for advice. I did, and the pharmacist told me I was treating the wound incorrectly--“it needs to breathe, dry out, and scab over." He sold me an antiseptic spray, nonstick porous gauze pads, tape, and a tube of antibiotic ointment, explaining that in France licensed pharmacists have some leeway in selling stuff over-the-counter that would normally require an Rx--so he winked and also sold me--upon request--a Ventolin inhaler (“can't have you stressing out over this and getting an asthma attack") and a month's worth of Celebrex (“for the pain in your elbow"). He had me disinfect the wound, apply a dab of ointment, and loosely cover it with a single gauze pad, taping down only the corners and letting air circulate. It worked!
(BTW, the brand-name Celebrex was $18, vs. $65 for the generic celecoxib here; the Ventolin $5, as opposed to $32 here. He drew the line at Fermara, Singulair, Benicar & Dexilant, though--can't win 'em all. One of the reasons France lets registered “pharmaciens" sell prescription meds at their discretion and at cheaper prices is that if not prescribed by a physician, a drug is not paid for by their national health system--and commercial pharmacists are not employed by the system either. Wonder how much money consumers, insurers, and the gov't could all save if the US adopted that policy)?
-
Interesting experience at the pharmacy, ChiSandy. I have read and heard that Americans pay far more for prescriptions than Europeans. At the end of 2015, I had to pay full price for 6 Benicar tablets to finish out the year. I've forgotten what the cost was, but it was shockingly high. My discounted price picked up again at the beginning of 2016.
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Learn to become still.
And to take your attention away from what you don't want,
and all the emotional charge around it,
and place your attention on what you wish to experience.
- Michael Beckwith -
yes, thanks for sharing your Paris story ChiSandy, it made several interesting points.
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