Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?

Welcome biggiefoot. If it's been 3.5 weeks and it's more sore than the first time, you might want to let your doctor know. It's probably nothing, but worth checking. I had a lumpectomy followed by a re-excision to get good margins. The second one found an entirely new tumor that wasn't on the mammo or ultrasound, so I asked for a mastectomy.

He who knows others is wise.
He who knows himself is enlightened.
- Lao Tzu

What a lovely rose! We have lots of blooms around here now, azaleas, bridal wreath, wisteria. But no roses.

It was in the 30's this morning but the forecast was for sunshine and warming up to 60's. So I dressed in layers and played in the Wednesday women's golf event at our club. I didn't stay for lunch but came home to check on dh, who is recuperating from skin cancer surgery yesterday. The cancer was on the back of his right ear. The skin for a graft came from his chest. He slept in his recliner last night.

I had an appointment with the dermatologist yesterday, too. I thought sure I had a basal cell on my thigh but it turned out to be a "barnacle," and benign. She zapped it twice.

I finished up a federal tax return for a friend this afternoon. I've been doing her (formerly their) tax returns for over 10 years. I always install Turbo Tax on my computer and can do more than one return with the program.

SoCal, that is a VERY beautiful Rose. My mother loved roses and so the minute I see one I feel deep satisfaction bubbling up in me as I remember one of the most special women there ever was. I'm sure we all feel that way about our mothers and that is a good thing. She made my life a great adventure many times and gave me values I will always treasure. What a mom -- what a great life with her.

It is a beauty of a warm day here. I'm a bit late as I am seeing after my friend's kitties while she is taking a small jaunt to another state to visit an old ( the lady herself is 95 ) family friend. So, it is of short duration -- I'll be done tomorrow night, but took me longer this a.m. than I thought. Not sure I'll be able ( oh drat ) to spend much time out of doors as I have a long list ( nothing hard ) of items that won't wait well.

Spring is here anyway and a more consistent warmth will come later on so even if I don't get much outdoor time today -- it will come.

I truly am thinking of starting to make lists. Not so much because I forget things ( although I do all the time ) but more to prioritize a bit better. Like were I more prepared for it, I might have a page of things to do in Spring when we get a rare day like this one. The weather report did not make it sound near as nice as it seems out of doors. So, something for me to ponder and find one of my little un-used notebooks.

Hope you are all going to have a really beautiful day with plenty of sun to warm you if you are able to spend some time out of doors.

I cancelled on golf today. We've already had a rain shower and the radar promises more. I'm not disappointed at the prospect of a day at home. I need to do some work around the house. I may venture out to Hobby Lobby to the fabric department. I want to buy some fabric for backing a set of place mats that I've embroidered. The embroidery design is baskets of veggies.

I have another set of patterns for teapots. I will buy fabric to use those patterns. I keep the embroidery thread by my chair in the living room. The colors are pretty. It's like coloring a picture with thread. I'll try to sell the placemats this summer when dh and I set up at flea markets with his turned bowls.

For now the crochet stuff is packed away! I like to have something to do with my hands when I'm doing "chair time."

Wishing everyone a happy Friday.

Coming late again today. Today is the last day for doing my friend's kitties at her house. Have to go back in awhile and do another clean-up to include a load of laundry. She has an older cat who can't make it into the litter pan -- so she puts a plastic backed mat down on the floor and puts old sheets on it and that is where the cat goes. It works fine and is kept quite tidy, but it does require ( I choose to do it ) that laundry be done

I like to ( she usually thoroughly cleans before she goes away ) put the house back in the same order I found it, and so I do the laundry, re-sweep floors, wash the outside and rims of the litter boxes the other cats use, and dispose of any trash ( paper towels, cat food cans, discarded litter ) that builds. All the things I do fill in the time I'm waiting for the laundry to wash and dry and so I actually prefer to do those things to counter the boredom of waiting for laundry cycles to finish.

A bit cooler today and some clouds but still fine. I think it actually was warm enough had I wanted to wash my car yesterday. I am appreciating that sun when it does come out. Sure enjoying my little office since I changed the furniture around. My desk used to face the window which caused a lot of glare, especially on sunny days and now I'm facing a wall. I did follow Fengshui to a degree as the doorway coming into the room is at the end of the wall I'm facing. I think the idea is that the energy flow isn't good if you can't SEE who is coming in your room.

I hope you are all having some great sunshine and enjoying your Friday.

Lisa, I'm so glad you're posting your beautiful pictures! I remember you from another forum and always appreciated your photography.

It's a misty morning here. I'm on my 3rd cup of coffee and will be going to the gym soon. Nothing special planned for today. My Saturday routine is to drive to the nursing home and push my mother in her wheelchair to the main dining room for bingo. I guess that is special to spend time with my 95-year-old mother!

Yesterday dh and I went out to breakfast in the rain. We drove in the car so we didn't get wet! Later in the day I went shopping at Hobby Lobby and bought fabric for sewing projects. I LOVE fabric departments. I have been tempted to delve into quilting as a hobby just for an excuse to buy fabric. But I will continue to resist that impulse. My high priority sewing project is to make valances for the bedroom. I have the fabric and the concept and will wing it without a pattern. Now I need the discipline to get out the sewing machine and do the job.

The quilt for the master bedroom that I ordered from JCPenney arrived yesterday and has to be returned. The color wasn't what I expected from seeing the picture online. I'm feeling discouraged about finding what I had in mind. Oh, well. Not life threatening.

Happy Saturday to all.

Lisa - I too loved seeing your pictures - on the Beach thread I think. Hope you'll keep posting.

It is in the whole process of meeting and solving problems that life has meaning. Problems are the cutting edge that distinguishes between success and failure. Problems call forth our courage and our wisdom; indeed, they create our courage and our wisdom. It is only because of problems that we grow mentally and spiritually. It is through the pain of confronting and resolving problems that we learn.

M. Scott Peck

Warming into the 50s here too. Spring is here--the pollen & mold counts have resumed. Moderate tree pollens...hence my clogged sinuses & drippy nose.

Gentleness is everywhere in daily life, a sign that faith rules through ordinary things: through cooking and small talk, through storytelling, making love, fishing, tending animals and sweetcorn and flowers, through sports, music and books, raising kids—all the places where the gravy soaks in and grace shines through. Even in a time of elephantine vanity and greed, one never has to look far to see the campfires of gentle people. -Garrison Keillor

If I can think of myself as loved, I can love and accept others. If I see myself as forgiven, I can be gracious toward others.If I see myself as powerful, I can do what I know is right. If I see myself as full, I can give myself freely to others. -Kathy Peel

Another cable news junkie here--to the point where I bring my wireless ear buds to the cardio room so I don't accidentally yank a headphone cable loose from the treadmills or bikes.

Jackie, those curtains would be SO easy to make. I would use your old curtains as a pattern. Surely you have a friend who sews. Of course, you can buy curtains online on sites like Overstock. The advantage of making your own is picking out the fabric/s.

I slept late this morning. DH roused up, looked at the clock and said, "I guess you aren't playing golf." It's a pretty day, too, but I shy away from spending hours outside in the pollen. My sinus headache and dizziness have gone away.

I'm mentally working out another sewing project, assembling hand-embroidered placemats. I bought an old-fashioned trim called ric rac (sp?). I'm figuring out how to make the trim an edging. I use an "envelope" technique of sewing placemat front and back together, fronts facing, and then turn the envelope through a small gap in the stitching so that the fronts are on the outside. The ric rac will have to be part of the seam.

Just saw a wonderful story on MSNBC about an African American women in CA who has sent over a hundred poor students to college. What an inspiring woman.

Happy Wednesday to all.

Hi all

Welcome to grammatomom. Hope you have gotten the results and have a good idea of what you are facing. I applaud you for taking in your granddaughter. It is not easy with everything else you have going on. I would like to think I would make the same decision, if necessary, but really don’t have the energy. At least on a permanent level. I am , however, hoping to get one of my grandsons for the summer. His parents chose to move about 2 hrs away a year ago. Neither of their older 2 children wanted to move, the third was only a year old at the time, but they were moving from a warehouse to a 2 bed apt. Their now 9 year old son has always been hyper, and extremely smart. He told his parents he would make them sorry they moved. Based on that, he became such a problem at school, they had to withdraw him and Home schooled him this year. I know that part of the problem is that they moved him from a great school system where he was in the gifted class, to a horrible school system and accepted being told there was no room for him in the gifted program. They are in an awful apt where he shares one of the bedrooms with his mom and baby sister. I cannot go to visit them for any significant time (a full day or two) because there is nowhere for me to sleep. We were very close before they moved and I saw him everyday after school.

He and his older sister spent several days of their spring break with me. I had a few problems with him, like him using chocolate milk in his cereal before I woke up. But overall, we had a good time. I drove them home, wishing I could keep them longer. When we arrived, their mom said I should have kept them longer, she wasn’t ready to deal with him yet. Within 5 minutes his Dad said he had gotten a tractor- they have some property there, but don’t live on it. When the dad explained that he had traded something for the tractor and had to pick it up, my grandson told him he was a liar in a very defiant angry tone. Neither mom or dad called him on it. He then got in trouble for teasing his baby sister, who was obviously enjoying the game, and his mom made him leave the apt. When he came back, it wasn’t 10 min before he was sent to his room for the remainder of the time I was there. He got very teary eyed when I had to leave- so did I. So, I am planning to beg her to let him stay with me over the summer. He is supposed to return to regular school in the fall, and I just can’t see him being successful in that. My oldest son, who lives in South Carolina spends the summer here in Fl where he is the director of a day camp. Going there each day would help my grandson adjust to being part of a “class” again, but doing lots of fun stuff. My son would be there to supervise him. My son also happens to be a teacher and behavior specialist, and what my DGS needs most, is calm, consistent rules. And, he would come home each afternoon too tired to get into trouble. It would give them all a break, especially his mom who is totally overwhelmed with her life. Their oldest daughter is 12, and neither parent has held a real, full-time job in all that time. They have drifted from one get rich quick scheme to another, managing to just get by. They survive on food stamps and Medicaid. So yeah- if I had a chance to get those kids, I would in a heartbeat. I would just move in with my daughter in Atlanta, so we could share the load.

Anne