how about drinking?

Jazzy, just a tad of moisture last week. Not really enough to account for anything significant. Good for you jumping on the weight loss wagon, good luck. While in Phoenix and looking at campers, you know everyone wants to shake hands. Well, we declined all of them and told them it was due to germs and flu.

Illona, have fun at the cabin. Snow? In TX? Let us know how the weigh in goes too.

Cami, I call treating my hands and feet like putting lipstick on a pig. It might look good at first, but take the lipstick off and it's still a pig! Will be thinking of you Les all day. Please let us know asap. I'm surprised Joey went to school. Hopefully he is taking this all ok.

NM, that coat is adorable. DH and I just don't do well on a queen bed. And they do have them available, just hard to find. This is one we looked at, you can click through the pictures.

Jazzy, just a tad of moisture last week. Not really enough to account for anything significant. Good for you jumping on the weight loss wagon, good luck. While in Phoenix and looking at campers, you know everyone wants to shake hands. Well, we declined all of them and told them it was due to germs and flu.

Illona, have fun at the cabin. Snow? In TX? Let us know how the weigh in goes too.

Cami, I call treating my hands and feet like putting lipstick on a pig. It might look good at first, but take the lipstick off and it's still a pig! Will be thinking of you Les all day. Please let us know asap. I'm surprised Joey went to school. Hopefully he is taking this all ok.

NM, that coat is adorable. DH and I just don't do well on a queen bed. And they do have them available, just hard to find. This is one we looked at, you can click through the pictures.

Jazzy, just a tad of moisture last week. Not really enough to account for anything significant. Good for you jumping on the weight loss wagon, good luck. While in Phoenix and looking at campers, you know everyone wants to shake hands. Well, we declined all of them and told them it was due to germs and flu.

Illona, have fun at the cabin. Snow? In TX? Let us know how the weigh in goes too.

Cami, I call treating my hands and feet like putting lipstick on a pig. It might look good at first, but take the lipstick off and it's still a pig! Will be thinking of you Les all day. Please let us know asap. I'm surprised Joey went to school. Hopefully he is taking this all ok.

NM, that coat is adorable. DH and I just don't do well on a queen bed. And they do have them available, just hard to find. This is one we looked at, you can click through the pictures. http://www.lamesarv.com/2018-Dutchmen-AEROLITE-VN105067

Still loving the weather we are having but we really do need some moisture. Had a nice salad last night with lettuce out of the garden. But what does my DH get at the store???? Ice Berg lettuce!

Hi friends- busy morning and just finished a webinair and will be heading to a business call shortly on the new contract work that came in last week. I got on the scales this morning and they dropped 3 lbs since yesterday, WHAT? Now that being said, I know some of that is water weight, as I came home a couple lbs up from the retreat (vegetarian food that is sometimes salty too). So I call it a lb from yesterday and like seeing the scales going in the right direction again.

Cami- the candle is lit for Leslie and sending much love to her for a successful procedure today. I am sure everyone must be very much on edge, including you as her dear Mother. And of course, different watching her go through this than your own experience. You sound like you have a lot of great support. People bringing food over to you sounds so loving. I hope Joey does okay today, may be distracted at school. I remember being in school a couple times when my mother had surgeries and was so scared. I wish work were not so busy, but to your point, maybe keeping you from not ruminating. I am bad with that when I have too much time on my hands. I can overthink anything. Let us know how things go as you can.....

NM- I love that coat you found, hope it is warm too? I am like you, washing my hands all the time. Many stores now have those wipes as you come in and use those regularly too along with my hand sanitizer. I am with you on the flu shot protection, knowing the stats for this year. Lets both stay healthy! I find the biggest challenge for me with getting sick is sleep deprivation and have a lot of that with periodic insomnia.

Goldie- sounds like you are dry as we are. Waking up to overcast skies here and cold and humidity is up but the moisture it out east. Some chance this weekend, but low. Sigh. I think you were smart to not shake hands with people, good move. I have two prof org events this week and will follow your lead on that.

Ill- wow, more snow for Houston, so unusual but you are in a definite moisture path this past year with the hurricane and also this winter weather. Glad you can stay home. Good luck with the fitness challenge. I have done those with companies before and they are a great way to get yourself in a better place and with the support of others. Let us know how you do sister?

Chi- lots of snow up your way too.

Karen, Celia C, Teka, Mema, and others, wishing you all a good day and hoping everyone is staying warm!

Ill- I talked to one of my biz partners in Austin and flurries there.

Hi everyone just poopin in to say both surgeries are done and everything is all good---she's in recovery now, not as long as we thought they would be actually took 16 nodes out and saw no more cancer in there but still has to wait fo the results to figure what to do next. whew

Cami- thanks for the update. Whew, lots of node removal though. Keep us posted on how she is doing.

Get some rest tonight. I am sure you are exhausted.Cuddles with Joey too......

Karen, having to postpone a chemo round is frustrating enough as it is, but having a cold is the pickle (not the cherry) on top of the sundae.

Cami, glad Les' surgeries went well; hopefully, the neoadjuvant chemo did its thing and she can move on to reclaim her life.

Yes, I've been a bit quiet on this thread, but not everywhere. I was up very late Sat. night online, on a site called Quora.com (on which it seems people ask stupid or loaded questions in the hopes of getting answers from those with more experience or expertise). I had previously answered a question about what happens if one is pulled over by the police, and my answer basically set forth the Miranda warnings. As qualifications for giving that answer, I mentioned I was an Asst. A.G. for IL and an associate in several law firms. Well, one idiot (sorry, but that's the most charitable term I could use) lit into me, saying "listen, LADY," that being an "Assistant" and an "Associate in a law office" (?!) doesn't make me a lawyer (??!!); that I had never read the Constitution (???!!!) and had "no f---in' business mis-informing people as to the law." He went on to cite as proof not the Sixth Amendment but instead the Supremacy Clause (Sec. 2 of Article VI), which has nothing to do with rights of the accused. I told him that if I'm not a lawyer, that's news to the Attorney Registration offices of WA & IL, two U.S.District Courts, two Circuit Courts of Appeal and the U.S. Supreme Court; that I studied a year each of Constitutional Law (not including the course I took as an undergrad) and Crim. Law & Procedure; and that when I was an IL AAG, most of the motions I argued and all of the briefs I wrote (including a section of one before SCOTUS) involved Constitutional law.

Just for spits & giggles, I went to look up his profile--under "education" he listed his high school (in Toronto), his graduation year (2009) and gave his occupation as Security Guard. Yup--I was being lectured by the millennial Canadian equivalent of "Paul Blart, Mall Cop" about my country's Constitution! I was shaking my head in disbelief as I headed upstairs to bed. I didn't notice that the lefto one of my backless clogs had fallen off my foot (the lining felt like the staircase carpeting). When I got to the bare wood floor at the top of the stairs, I put my left foot down. Of course, being bare rather than shod it hit the floor nearly an inch lower than I'd expected--I lost my balance and down I went! I fell on my right side, and in the process got a big blue goose-egg on the outside of my thigh and a huge scrape on my elbow in exactly the same spot as when I fell outside a Milwaukee garage nearly two years ago. I've been coddling it, hoping it won't get infected like the last time (and certainly not with MRSA like the back mole biopsy site). Anyway, someone was watching over me, because I fell toward the bedroom door rather than the stairs

I also sprained my left wrist--but not from that; rather, from trying to open a new bottle of OTC Zyrtec. (I HATE those childproof, actually more like "anti-shoplifter," caps--on some of them, it's nearly impossible to both press down and twist hard enough to open them.

Wrist is better now--but the Aleve I took for it gave me a really bad stomach ache (which, considering Bob's intestinal misadventures, took me briefly to a very dark place until my giant cat Happy jumped on my gut and forced out a huge burp. Whew!

Good morning, Loungettes!Happy Hump Day! Sadie and I are going to stay home and watch the snow come down. Inch and a half so far. Light, fluffy stuff, just coating the trees and bushes, very pretty. And the temp is all the way up to 25 degrees!

Goldie--I'm really loving the coat. It's warm but not so bulky that it's hard to move or drive in it, and it looks nice. I've heard of couples who need king size beds due to restless sleep or multiple fur babies. Hope you can find one in a camper. Wow, that camper is CUTE! And looks really functional, too! It amazes me that you are still getting lettuce and veg out of your garden!

Jazzy--Hooray for the scales going the right direction! That coat is surprisingly warm. I was going for warmer than a denim jacket and lucked out with a really warm coat. Insomnia can be a real problem when it comes to staying healthy, but it can be worked around. We'll take care of everything we can control, do what we can about the rest of it and go forward from there.

Illi--enjoy the snow and the puzzle, and be careful traveling!

Chevy--Lets take our drinks to the inflatable chapel and say a prayer or two for Cammy, Leslie and Joey, shall we?

Cammy--Big sigh of relief, so glad that much is over. Still praying for a swift, comfortable recovery.

Chi--that travel e-mug system sounds complicated, buts it's probably easier than it sounds. It also sounds really nice to have hot drinks stay hot for a good long time. But it sounds like it's been a real process to get the pieces one at a time. Your DH sounds like a typical stubborn male. He can probably think of a whole list of men who should have seen him long before they did for the same reasons he is using, and it probably didn't help them much.

Karen--sorry to hear you are feeling down in the dumps. It happens during treatment, so much going on and so much energy needed just to keep track of appointments and pills and such. Good idea to reschedule and give yourself time to get over the cold is a very good idea.

Chi--Oh my goodness, what a day! First getting taken to task by someone totally unqualified who wouldn't recognize your qualifications, then the fall. I am so glad you fell toward the bedroom and not down the stairs. I agree, child proof caps are a big PIA and often more of a deterrent to adults than to children. You can help prevent infection in the bruised areas by washing the areas with soap and water a couple times a day. This is one time when antibacterial soap is useful. If you don't have antibacterial soap don't run out and get some, just use some hand sanitizer or plain alcohol, rub it on, let it dry for a full 60 seconds, then wash with soap and water. Have your heard about the thumbtack fix for childproof caps? Pushing a thumbtack through the cap about half way between the center and the edge will connect the inner and outer cap and make it easier to open.

Amazing how helpful our furbabies can be, isn't it? And amazing how curative a big burp can be!

Joy McSparkles' DOTD:

Happy Birthday Cyndie Lou!

Hi girls, nearly wrote happy friday, ugh, only thirstdey!

Checking on Leslie, so glad to hear that all went well at surgery and no evidence of cancer. God is good.

Happy Birthday Cyndie Lou Who, sending you some cold natties!

Gotta run, time to get to work (don't have to be in until 9am during training)!

chEeRs goils and lotsa love too!

NativeMainer, I work for the Texas dept. of transportation, so when we tell people to stay off the road, I am happy to lead by example, lol

Hi friends- the week is going fast and seeing more people in the lounge. Work stuff is really starting to move now and have my atty working on a contract renewal with one client and another new contract related to the award we got last week with one of my collaborating partners coming after some conversations they are going to have next week. My atty who helps me says "wow, you are going to be busy in 2018". Yes, that is the plan!

Today is prof org day- they are all getting started up again with their regular meetings. I am going to a healthcare luncheon today and then a project management dinner tonight. Time to get my networking going here in the new year!

And I am down 5 lbs already on the new diet (whoot). Doing okay on it although I swam yesterday and noticed I did not have the same mojo I normally do, because I am not eating the starches right now (potatoes, pasta, bread, etc.) But I was able to visualize the fat burning as I swam though. There were scuba guys in the pool swimming under me in the deep side of the pool yesterday which made for an interesting experience while I did my laps! Today I will be a bit more challenged on the diet with the luncheon and dinner being provided and hope there will be some salad available for lunch and some chicken and veggies for dinner (usually the case).

Karen- you are certainly entitled to feel sorry for yourself. I certainly did many times going through treatment and with a cold on top, your body must feel such an assault. Like Goldie said, remember this is all temporary and you WILL get through this and things will get better friend. Hoping you are feeling better soon. Lots of rest and fluids.

Cami- I am sorry that Leslie has the pain from the TEs. I remember my sister saying how uncomfortable that was after her MX. And lots of drains too to juggle. Hopefully her pain can be managed and it sounds like you have a lot of help. Jodie is the one married to Ron, right? I know this is SO HARD for you to watch friend, being your DD and just knowing so much about this chit.

Sending you much love girlfriend

NM- I used to sling cocktails in college for one of my PT jobs and used to crack up when people would order drinks with kinky names. Sex on the beach was a common one and when someone would order that with an "I would like sex on the beach please" to which a usual response from me was "wouldn't we all?" That would usually get me an extra good tip if I cracked people up! Never heard of Sex on a Snowbank, but brrr.

Ill- I am glad you work for someone who gets home unsafe it is to travel on the ice over there. I lived in TX years ago and ice storms were not uncommon and worked while in grad school and remember those terrifying rides in the commuter van pool during icy days. I have a real aversion to ice now as I rolled a vehicle on black ice in the northeast (and walked away unharmed, lucky.....) It is warming up here again and hopefully coming your way next.

That is a huge puzzle. I remember those cool swirled lollypops from childhood too, great memory!

Dara- glad to hear the new job is underway as well as training. Hope this one works out perfectly!

Mema- you are entitled to remain in the rabbit hole as long as you want. All this is very hard and just know we care. Share as you wish or lurk, we get it.

Chi- I have seen Quora too and saw some interesting discussions there about narcissism. They got my e-mail and I got bombarded with stuff so I opted out.

It has been very cold this week, but warming up again so they say and rumors have it a much better shot at moisture this weekend. We can only hope.

Wishing everyone a good day and catch up again here this weekend!

Mistyeyes- welcome to our thread!

Celia, sounds like you had a great time. Weather was pleasant, I hope! What a celebration tho!

Jazzy, getting our cool down on Saturday, high in the low 40's. I know some of you would love to have that kind of temp. I think too, we might have a chance, slight one, but a chance, of some precip.

NM, here are some pics of the garden. Everything is in these water bags. I think you bought a few?

^^^ These do the best, in the sun the most and right next to the Shady Lady. So a tad warmer in there, and then the blocks will absorb some heat to keep the soil warm.

This is a red/green leaf lettuce. I just picked the other day, so things are small now with not a lot on them.

^^^ Obviously a red leaf lettuce.

^^^ And some beets. I've been eating the leaves, therefor they won't produce beets. But I do have some that I won't pick the leaves and let them produce some beets.

Great step in the right direction Jazzy, thanks for the article. Although, I do hope the “designed for those over 50” won’t make it out of the question for those of us on the younger side, seems like so many are being dxd in their 30’s & 40’s too.