how about drinking?

This balloon was right in the back yard cruising through today

Mornin ladies.

Oh Kim don't feel guilty for a second. U are always willing to help ur mom, just seems like she wanted you longer than thought. Sorry u missed out, but I have to say now that u have explained it all, it doesn't sound as scary to me, BUT I don't like it for Sadie, she barely can control herself on land for things, imagine all she'd see in the water. I like ur writing for HIV/CORONA. Of course I can understand it but I could never repeat it but I do get it.

Jazzy I'm looking forward to seeing how u make the pasta. So ur yard is looking good now, but more really hot weather is coming there right??? Cuz it's happening to us. And yep August is right around the corner, I can't believe it. really doing nothing and yet it's flying by. And it's looking like all the schools will be open soon here, but anything can change. Everyone is confused. And of course money is playing a part in this too.. I know I have a different feeling but it's cu of Joey. I think they shoul wait a little longer, not cuz I know anything except things are picking up again. I just worry, that's all. And yes I miss my guys, the other nite Bob and I talked 45 mins. just talking so that helps, but it's not like seeing him and I see Dan a very little and not much talking either. Believe it or not I really miss these guys. We do have fun together. Oh well.

Illi u r really good at pics. of drinks so get going with them. No more resting with that. LOL

Oh my kids sat me down to talk to me seriously about my Drs. visit cuz Les doesn't think I look well at all. So I told them cuz of weight loss that she said if I ever have a taste for anything at any time someone should go get it for me, and that's about it. I don't think they believed me, Jeez it's hard to get away with these things I should have left out the any time part.

Lori how r u guys doing??? Will u be home soon.I'm sure it's still hot tho. At least here, but Sandy u might be getting some good breezes from the lake, hope so.

OK for now, I'll check back.

LUBS U ALL

Jazzy, my mouth watered just looking at the picture!

Goldie- you sound like you are not feeling so well today. I hope you can get the D under control. Sorry about the camping not working out right now. Cancer surely sucks. Hoping you feel better soon.

Cami- your girls worrying about you is a good thing. Hoping you are staying steady despite a lot of things changing.

NM- your commentary about HIV being aligned with a gay rights issue (at least initially) and now Covid being focused around minority communities (that are being so impacted by this) is very true. There always seems to be too much blame towards certain populations that are most impacted at first. HIV and Covid both don't discriminate and are looking for hosts, they just move differently? We are going to learn more and more about Covid and all the ways it impacts people. As several have commented, we don't have a public health focus in this country, it is more disease management. My hope is that we will have some better things in place in the future, as this probably won't be our last rodeo......

Good Morning, Loungettes!Happy Monday Monkey Day! Sadie and I are getting up to a very warm and sticky ayem, and very glad for the AC in the bedroom. We slept pretty well last night despite the stickiness. Yesterday saw rain and rumbles of thunder off and on all day, didn't even get to sit out on the deck but for a few minutes before the rain started. Oh, well, more days are coming, summer isn't near over yet, still chances to get the kayak out. Hard to believe that July is almost over.

Jazzy--I like the "accrued needs" description! So descriptive of the situation. I'm starting to worry about what it's going to be like when Mom does find an apartment and starts living alone. Every time she has a "day off" from Dick she wants me to be with her. I think she's a bit afraid of living alone and hasn't realized or admitted that fact. If she doesn't move into a senior living place or similar situation right off (most have waiting lists, she hasn't put herself on any yet), I'm afraid I'm going to be On Call for everything she wants company for.Oh, well, will cross that bridge when, and if, it arrives.

Wow, what a sight in the backyard!

Cammy Cat--Don't be too worried about Sadie, she's a water dog through and through. She swims like a fish. If we ever get to the point that she is going out in the kayak with me she will be wearing her own life vest, just like me, for safety. Do any of your kids go with you to your doc appointments? That would give them a chance to ask the doc questions about things and might be reassuring for them.

Jazzy--such a pretty dish! I would be tempted to eat around the shrimp, it looks so good!

Morning, Beaver!

Goldie--Yes, I do know that my time with my Mom is limited. She is 84, and remarkably self-sufficient, but I can see signs of decline and I know she won't be able to be totally independent forever. Yes, I do wear a life vest when kayaking. Sorry to hear the D is still a problem. Could it be a side effect of the cancer meds? Have you talked to your Onc about it? DD's post does tug on the heart strings! I pray you find a way to have a visit with her when she comes. The connection may be more important than the risk after all this time.

Jazzy--we really do not have a public health focus in this country any more. I do hope better plans get put into place before the next pandemic, but I have my doubts. We didn't learn from H1N1, I don't see where we are learning from this one. And there will be another, and then another, and on and on until either we wise up or the viruses win.

Illi--what a great looking meal! I hope you enjoyed it thoroughly!

Black Monday Ingredients

• 1 oz Dark Rum
• 1 tsp Cherry Brandy
• 1/2 oz Black Sambuca
• 1/2 oz Lemon Juice

In a shaker half-filled with ice cubes, combine all of the ingredients. Shake well. Strain into a cocktail glass.

Best served in a Cocktail Glass.

From <http://www.haveacocktail.com/black-monday.htm>

Good morning! Here it is Monday already. This month has at times dragged and then flown by. I am not sure if I am ready for the dog days of August quite yet. We have had a number of afternoon thunderstorms, but that does not stop the humidity.
Jazzy - That pasta looks soooo good. I need to loose about 10lbs, so am trying to avoid ‘white’ food. Also need to lay off the white wine. This is why dieting is difficult for me. I think of it as giving up what I like to eat.
Cami - You need to eat what you want when you want. My DS gets too busy to eat. I think the not eating effects his moods, disrupts his sleep and makes him generally unhealthy.
Goldie - So sorry you are not feeling well. Do let us know when/if you get info from the MO about the cancer meds. It is scary to feel so bad that you do not take them.
Illi - You did loose weight the hard way! That fish plate looks healthy and yummy!

NM - My husband wants me to canoe with him. I do not have a great deal of upper body strength and am concerned about paddling for very long. Not to mention, he enjoys scaring me by rocking the boat.
Sandy - Still thinking about you! Did you have the procedure yet?

I am off to start the chores. Take care everyone!

The procedure will be in early August. I am so frustrated with communication delays, even w/in the UIC Health system. My ocular oncologist e-mailed me last Sun. (as soon as I got the scan report from the day before) and said he would have his NP order the plaque & seeds on Mon. the 20th. Radiation Onc.'s sec'y called me on Wed., did an intake interview, and told me the Rad. Oncologist and her resident would formally phone-consult with me on Fri., which they did. But she (the rad. onc.) told me that her dept., not the ocular onc.'s, has to order the seeds and custom-make the real and "dummy" plaques (the latter for marking placement of the real one). I asked her how likely the delay would cause mets, and she said "not very." But then she said that if during the surgery the ocular onc notices that the base diameter of the tumor has increased, they'd have to close up and make a new set of plaques. And the needle biopsy would be to determine if the tumor has certain genetic features that would make it more aggressive and likely to metastastize, in which case I would be offered a trial of systemic treatment (most likely experimental immunotherapy) if I qualify. Chemo would be administered if spread has occurred, and it would likely be palliative. Oh, joy.

Cami, I've been a hypochondriac all my life, so medical terminology is my bread & butter. I also have an infinite capacity for useless trivia (had it been useful trivia I would have won my Jeopardy! match).

Jazzy, I was not feeling well. More scared than anything.

BabyGirl, your fish meal looks yummy too. Look at those cute little carrots! A few days at the river sounds nice.

NM, what I'm experiencing can def. be SE's from my meds (Verzenio) The cramping is new, so I quit taking them, it's been 3 days. So nice at 84 that your mom is so self-sufficient.

JCS, I have not called my MO. I have appt. with him on 8/6, I'll let him know. Most he can do is order scans.

Cami, I forgot about you writing to political people. OMG, LOL'ing. I remember when you were banned!

Got a pretty good down pour yesterday and of course still hot here in AZ. Not much going on.

Mornin ladies,

Kim I think we're getting a lot of the same heat thing going on. All humidity, no air.

LC CANOE u r a brave one too. They're scary.

Lori why don't u call the Dr. first anyway, I know ur seeing him next week but a call wouldn't hurt.Oh I member when Jodie got a call to stop me from writing. LOL

Sandy I've been the queen of hypochondria from day one, so I understand but for so.me reason when I got cancer it all stopped. I knew my Drs, then for yrs. and they all expected me to go over the edge <as did my family> but for some strange reason nothing bothered me, I stayed awake thru every test that they would allow me too, it even surprised me and my family thought I was going crazy but I was fine., even taking Joey every weekend and I never missed, so sometimes for whatever reason it can leave you and what a relief when it does.

OK I have some things to do, yes I do so I'll tey to come back alter and see what's up.

LUBS U ALL

Karen, I get that too. It's blossom end rot, lack of calcium.

Jazzy, in your pocket for the upcoming mammo. One upside to aging is that scheduling & approvals have become so much easier under Medicare and my Part B supplement than under my prior conventional insurance.

My ocular onc e-mailed me that rad. onc. orders the seeds and gold plaque to be custom-built, and that takes 10-14 days. So we're looking at Aug. 14 (or the following Monday). I have 3 more weeks of normal reading, driving and TV watching ahead of me before it all goes (temporarily, I hope) blooey.

Jazzy, in your pocket for your imaging to go as well as mine did last week.

Sandy, having to wait until mid August is the pits. On the positive side, more time for your floater to shrink. Filing for long time residence in your pocket.

Update on our hvac issue: after three bids and getting lots of information about details (did you know you can get hvac with wi-fi? And no, we are not!) we are going with the first company who are to do the work next week. We are doing a bit of an upgrade from the original system but not with all the available bells and whistles. Meanwhile, fingers crossed that the one working system continues to do so.

Goldie, may you be feeling better. The big D is very wearing in more ways than one.

To all, take care in this summer heat and strive to be safe.

Sandy 👍

Lori - so what do I do about lack of calcium for the tomato plant? I picked 3 green ones today and one last week that is slowly turning red. I hope they task good. So far no peppers - I see flowers, then nothing happens. They are both in clay pots. DH feeds and waters them. My petunias look awesome though. Hope you are feeling better