I say yes, you say no, OR People are Strange

suzieq60

(((((((((((Athena & Scuttlers)))))))))))

Athena - what are you doing up at this hour???

1Athena1

Good question, Susie - lol! My sleeping habits are notorious for their inconsistency.

suzieq60

It's 9pm here - I'm exhausted, so going to bed any minute.

How are you going work wise now?? I hope you have found something.

alexandria58

Athena:  At some point, we have to exchange bad older sister stories.I have a LOT of stories, but my favorite is when she put a DNR on my father - who had at the time early stage Alzheimers for which he had been hospitalized - without asking me or my mother (who was still alive at that point).  My sister has never acknowledged that it was inappropriate even though  he was not terminal, as evidenced by the fact that he's still here, four years later.   

Scuttlers:   brussel sprouts with bacon sound amazing, but not slimming.  Hang in there.

janice:  like the balsamic vinegar and dill weed idea.  Can you eat anything between milk shakes and steak - chopped liver, hummus maybe?  Anyway, here's wishing you a wonderful steak dinner as soon as you've recovered.

I'm off to the hand doctor today.   Also, my 29th anniversary with DH.

Anonymous

{{{{scuttlers}}}} gentle hugs, so glad that AWFUL experience is in the past, hoping you're able to be more mobile now with med that also lifts depression - what a delicious combination.  Thought of you when heard on radio ( yes, NPR) of fires in ID now too.  Yikes, is there anyplace not in danger?  We have fire warnings all over the woodland areas of MA cuz of dry conditions.  Lots of people go to camp around here, no 'smores this year.

I have been reading, not posting, except for here, safer that way

I heard the DEFINITIVE description of marriage when I was 25 yrs old.  A married woman said, to a few of us not married girls ( we were girls then) "The only problem being married solves is the problem of not being married."  THen of course there's Oscar Wilde.  

The zeitgeist is still filled with the MYTHS of Norman Rockwell - did anyone know how often his wife suffered and was treated for severe depression.  Don't see much of that part of his life in his mistywatercolormemories pictures.

I'm not cynical, I am ao appreciative of being deeply content with myself, and Solitude ( which includes birds, my garden and all my artistic activities) is sustenance for me, blessed to be this way, and family ( not related by blood) sustains this lifestyle. 
Hoping all have a lovely day - rain where it's needed, and SUN for the Seattle gangstas.

1Athena1

Susie - as it turned out, I was only home for two weeks - been busy all summer.

Sun - the inimitable Oscar Wilde - are you thinking about his quip that Niagara Falls was the "second" disappointment of marriage for Victorian couples?

lassie11

I was married. That ended some years ago. Two of my children are married. My parents were married for 50 years.  Some of my friends are married. Some are not. The only conclusion I can reach is that marriage seems to come in many varieties. Single life seems to come in a lot of forms too. We each make our choices out of what the world offers us.

pupmom

Happy anniversary, Alexandria!

I've gone 2 nights without my hand braces and no sign of carpal tunnel, YAY!

It's raining and 61 here in KS, WOOHOO!

Gotta have some brussel sprouts. Gotta have some brussel sprouts. 

1Athena1

Hey, happy 29th Alexandria!

gardengumby

Happy anniversary, Alexandria!!!

I've been married to my DH for 22 years now, and we've been together for 34.  I love him dearly and know he loves me as well.  That said, we've certainly had our share of "issues".  Some of which were monstrously huge some of which were (in retrospect) tiny.  Like anything marriage is what you make of it.  Yes, it is wonderful to have someone to share with - it can also be difficult - because sometimes you REALLY feel like being selfish, but need to be unselfish for the other person.  I knew from past experience with my husband's illness, that he was suffering at least as much as I was when I was diagnosed.  So, I needed to be there for him, in the same way that he needed to be there for me.  We have what I consider to be an excellent marriage and I would never trade it.  I know that I'm not the easiest person in the world to live with, and neither is he.  We are a good pair.

Brussels sprouts sound good, but right now I'm working on a LOT of zuccini....  Remember how I said in the above that neither of us are the easiest to live with?  Well, he decided we needed 10 plants of zuccini......  Can I donate zuccini????

1Athena1

gardengumby: I think one of the most painful things about being married during a cancer diagnosis is to know how much your loved one is suffering and how hard it is to navigate two different types of suffering as a couple. Grief of any kind is hard on families to manage harmoniously. It doesn't necessarily bring people together, either. It is a tricky thing to handle. God knows my poor mother went through hell, and I know it was awful for my other sister.

crazy4carrots

It's been a rather difficult summer here for DH and me.  He has had some complex, hard-to-DX health issues, a couple of them very, very worrisome.  Fortunately, except for a newly-dx'd heart condition (A-Fib), the other issues seem to be resolving in a good way.  But.......I have been more worried about him than ever before.

 

Four years ago, when I went through the initial BC DX, then surgery, then chemo, he was super-supportive and remarkably calm.  I asked him the other day how he managed that and he said the most difficult part was waiting for the DX.  Once the plan of action was in place, he could relax.  Because he was so calm (and because I had my daily ativan:) ) I really didn't worry about him and his feelings.  Selfish, I guess, but it was his general attitude's fault hahaha!

But the big difference is the "not knowing" and the "worrying about what could be" that's the truly difficult part.  In a partnership, it's often the case that neither partner wants to worry the other, and thus each keeps his/her feelings and worries locked up tight.

  

1Athena1

(((Lindasa)))

YramAL

Scuttlers-so glad to see you here and so sorry to hear you've had such a rough time lately. I hope you're feeling a little better, at least. 

We're actually a little dry here in Seattle! My lawn is yellow but that is actually a proud Seattle tradition. True Seattleites don't water their lawns. It's supposed to get up to 90 later this week and I am loving it. I'm trying to soak up all of this sun-ly goodness to help get me through the gray days later.

Mary

(one of the Seattle gangstas-love that,Sunflowers!) 

bluedahlia

((((((((((((Scuttlers))))))))))) I missed you!  My scottish grandson is as handsome as ever.

I'm still in pain.  Ray did some reflexology on me and massage today so am a wee bit better, but not much.

Ray has been with me through 2 cancer diagnoses and he knew about the PD when we met.  He's a saint.I can't even begin to describe his goodness.

scuttlers

GardenGumby - some uses for zucchini.

1. Shred, seal in bags and freeze. Put into cornbread (yummy, chewy, and sweet!). Use in soups, casseroles, and cakes. Make zucchini pancakes (like potato pancakes but better).

2. Slice lengthwise, seal in bags, and freeze. Use in place of noodles in lasagna. (very yummy). Use in place of cabbage in cabbage rolls. Also yummy.

3. Slice rounds, seal in bags, and freeze. Make zucchini au gratin (like potatoes au gratin).



Donate to local food pantry. And last resort - fill grocery bags, look for unlocked cars in the church parking lot, and leave your gifts in the drivers seat! Do this during service to make sure you are not caught.

YramAL

Lindasa-it looks like we were posting at the same time. I agree that much of the stress of illness is the "not knowing" part. I guess we wouldn't worry about each other if we didn't love each other, but it's hard. My husband has had some health issues over the years, and I think it's almost harder to be the loved one who can't do anything but worry.

Scuttler-it sounds like you are very experienced in "drive by Zucchini-ing".

Mary 

Chickadee

Good morning all.

Cleaning ladies are here.  We were blessed to find out about Cleaning for a Reason.  4 Free cleanings for breast cancer patients.  We had our 4 and have budgeted to have them in once a month to do the hard stuff I can't do anymore.  So Im sequestered in my hideout room with 4 doggies.  One we are babysitting for friend this week.  The babysat doggie smells like doggie.  I think I'll give her a spa day in the tub in the garage if I can get my son to lift her in.

Happy 29th Alexandria.  We just celebrated our 30th on Aug. 6th.  The cruise in Oct. will be our present to each other.  30 years(29 as well) is about surviving..........the ups and downs, the wonderful highs and miserable lows.  For better or worse, in sickness and in health, boy did that one turn out to be true.  My DH has been there for me for the last 4 years.  I've been holding his hand through heart surgery and 15 stents, one heart attack this last April.  So mortality is a big question mark around here.

riley702

Do you need to cook the zucchini before freezing it?

scuttlers

No cooking needed. I just wash it real good and cut the ends off before running through the kitchen aide grater or slicer. I don't even peel it. When my DH does it though, he peels it.



It is healthy. Especially when used to replace noodles or potatoes.

Anonymous

cracking up thinking of scuttlers sneaking around the church parking lot loading up cars with zuccini's - bet the recipients look around wondering if they're on Candid Camera, or whatever it's called today.

Blue - so good to hear you have a little relief, here's hoping for a LOT more.

Athena - realized I was thinking of Samuel Johnson "(Second) marriage is the triump of hope over experience."  But Oscar Wilde is up there as favorite too, also Dorothy Parker.

So happy I live in a state where ALL my friends who want to can be married.  Very happy about that

Marple

Gardengumby, I hear you about the zucchini and we only had 3 plants.  Finally, sick of having it so often I made a fine batch of zucchini relish yesterday.  Easy and delicious.  A nice change at least and it used up 12 cups of the stuff!!!!

crazy4carrots

About zucchini:  Here's a recipe that you can double, triple, etc. and also freeze after baking!

ZUCCHINI PUFFS:

1.  Grate 3 oz mozzarella or asiago cheese

2.  Grate 2 medium zucchini (should be about 2 cups, lightly packed)

3.  Finely chop a small onion

4. Whisk together 2 eggs, salt and pepper  and 1/2 cup bread crumbs

5.  Add the veggies and cheese and mix well.

6.  Divide the mixture evenly into 10 greased muffin cups and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

75 calories per puff!  And you can fool around with different cheeses and seasonings.

kayfh

What a lovely bunch of romantics, all of you.  May you remain ever so.

We are coming up on 38 years of marriage, I was a child bride. Faced down many challenges together, and share much joy. 

Chickadee

38!!!!! Congratulations. That's fantastic,

Moderators

Lindasa -- hope you don't mind -- we're copying down that recipe too! Sounds delicious!

Alexandria, happy anniversary! And happy upcoming anniversary, Kay, and happy belated, Chickadee!

Lots of love in this room

--Your Mods

jancie

I just got back on and saw the mods had posted and thought "OMG - what the heck did we do now?"

All is good though!

gardengumby

Thank-you for the zuccini suggestions!!!  I made zuccini "stew" yesterday with zuccini, tomatoes, onions and cabbage.  It's very tasty, but I only had purple cabbage, so it looks pretty odd.... 

Wow - 38 years.  Huge congrats.  We met 34 years ago last week.  My hubby always counts from then, and I used to count from when we actually got married - so now I just say married 22, together 34.... 

Mary - it's funny what you said about the yellow (brown) lawns in Seattle.  We always have let ours die in the summer - I mean after all, who cares, right?  Well, this year we do care, as my husband really really REALLY wants to sell our house (and so do I).  It's not on the market yet, but he is hopeful that he can get it on the mkt before the rains begin.  So this year we've been trying to keep it at least somewhat green.  Anybody want to move to the Seattle area?  I've got a beautiful house with a great view that would LOVE a new owner.  (Easy commute to downtown, too, as the train station is only a mile and a half from our house. )

YramAL

Gardengumby-we just sort of give up on our lawn every year. It seems like you can water, water, water, and it still looks kind of "eh" but all it takes is a couple of days of rain to bring it back. I don't know why natural rain is so much better, but it is. I would probably be watering, too, if I was trying to sell my house. Good luck with that. It seems like home sales are picking up around here. I'm seeing a lot more "sold" signs.

I, too, saw that the mods had posted and wondered what we had done! Maybe they're sort of keeping an eye on someone else.

Mary 

suzieq60

We have our 35th anniversary in October.

One thing that annoyed me when I was going through chemo, is that Steve kept referring to when he had chemo - still does. I do understand how it would bring it all back for him, but at least he didn't lose his hair. He did have a really nasty reaction to oxaliplatin and then had to be hospitalised each tx. He's very lucky to be here - he was Stage IV bowel cancer and is NED after lung surgery and a second lot of chemo. But he's a "Me too" person. If I say something is wrong he has to one up me and say he's worse - a bit frustrating at times.

Athena - glad you've been busy with work.