ocotillo

Just a FYI.... Apples is here and settling in to her new abode. Didn't spend much time with her because they are both tired and need a little time to adjust. I'll read the posts and catch up a little later. Eva

Morning....just a fly by....need to go to Benson and pickup some kitchen stuff out of the trailer down there. I've been working on my document so some progress there. I was sort of in shock yesterday, but getting back to normal now. I am still appalled by what happened yesterday, but we we must go forward. What a nice way to greet visitors to our area....geeze, go to the grocery store and get shot. Tucson really isn't any worse than any other city, but it sure sounds like it is now. Linda, we have four Trader Joes in town and they are all busy. They built a new one and it's nice. The isles are wider and it was built for Trader Joes, the rest of them are converted from other stores. I really like TJ's for dairy, eggs, dried fruit, nuts, olives, and a few other things....oh, I buy dog food from them because my dog has a very delicate stomach and can tolerate that food well. I also buy laundry detergent there but the eco friendly stuff is becoming more widely available. Okay, gotta run. Will catch up with everyone later. Eva

Wow, it is quiet on the thread today. I've been watching CNN but finally had to give it a break. Not only is there all the hate rhetoric on one side, now there will be a response to it. All it does is create more hate. As I've posted on FB....this all scares me. Phyl, I know what you mean about wanting to eat....me too....very emotional today. It is my choice not to eat, right? I've been working on the document. I've made some progress....not done, but at least there is some progress. Not much else going on today....still in shock. BBL Eva

Just found out one of our Congresswomen was shot in the head at a grocery store "Congress on your Corner" event. I really like this person (Democrat) and she did represent our corner of the state. This is very disturbing. Somewhere between 15-19 people shot...maybe 5 dead so far....no one is reporting clear details yet.

Linda, I'm so sorry you have to deal with the drug issues and your GD. No one is going to make Katie straighten herself out but Katie, no matter how much we wish it. I don't understand why people do that to themselves especially when they have a child, but they do. I'm so glad you are seeing a counselor about it. Hopefully they can help you resolve your feelings. What you said about your mother really resonates with me. I was never good enough for my mom either. I know she loved me and I loved her but I couldn't rake a yard as well as she could or anything else. I'm still working on those issues and I'm not a perfectionist...I think that is genetic and I'm not genetically related to my mother. I think I scared her towards the end of her life because I did do well with my life and I don't think she expected that. HUGS to you and your family. Arlene, I'm so sorry to hear about your Mom but glad she has enough sense to know when she needs help. Prayers for her. Joyce, Marana is on the north side of Tucson....sort of all runs together. It's sort of a sprawling area. Hello Chris, sorry about the suckiness! Janet, maybe you are having after holidays blahhhhhhsssss. I believe because we have nothing to look forward to in the short run, we get a little depressed and/or we run around so much during the holidays the slower pace afterward brings us down. You'll perk back up soon, I have no fear of that. Not being perky for a while will recharge your perkiness and you'll come back as bubbly as ever. Phyl, prayers for your Mom too. Man it's hard to deal with failing parents. Zoey is so cute and yes they are smart. Glad you are back in the desert. Lori, sorry about the 5lbs, but they'll come off again. I find it interesting that our Mom's have such on influence on us and our lives either way, good or bad. You know you are a beautiful woman and should not feel inadequate in any way. When I visited SLC I remember those inversions you get. I couldn't believe how ugly it was in town, but drive up to Park City and it's beautiful. Our dinner with our friends was very nice and I only ate 1/2 of it. They really like to talk and it is always interesting. They are older than us, late 60's - early 70's and we never have a problem relating to them. They also have no children so I think they enjoy our company because we aren't gushing about the grandkids all the time like most of their other friends. It's not like they don't enjoy kids, they just didn't have any. So I'm going to work today on Ron's stuff and I started vacuuming...my house is a mess again and I need to dust and vacuum. You do realize I don't like house keeping. It's a never ending cycle....yuck. I'd rather pour concrete. Okay....off to the trenches. Check in later. Eva

Apples, don't bring that cold weather with you. It's finally nice outside today and I like it that way. Hope you make it out tomorrow but if not we can enjoy you junking up the thread more.

Joyce, the Marriott is fairly close to my house...if it's the Marriott at Starr Pass...I think there might be another one in town, but not sure. We'll work something out when you get closer. A little competition, that's always a good motivator. We are going to dinner at friends house this evening, guess I should get ready for that. Talk to you all later. Eva

Jodi, I had masks for my wedding and I got them through a mardi gras site...they were under $3/each, but I'm not sure you have time if you are talking about this weekend. Just do a search on Mardi Gras masks....or try a costume shop or party shop in NYC, they may carry them. You can see some of the masks on Face Book in my wedding album. A arts/crafts type store like Michaels or I can't remember the other big one that we don't have here will have stamping supplies. You can buy an inexpensive stamping kit with ink and cute stamps for the girls to use. Cut a piece of regular card stock (what ever color you like, but probably a lighter shade would be easier to read) in half, then fold the halves in half. This will make a "tent" card, each sheet makes 2 cards. You can print what ever you like on the computer and then use double sided tape and tape it on the inside and outside if you want to do it that way, or have the girls stamp something on the outside and hand letter it?

Apples, there is a strike through button just below the "other styles" bar. It's the S. I'm sure someone will help with the junking process. Joyce, it's warmer here, but not that warm, at least not early in the morning. It will warm up today and is supposed to be nice and that includes sunshine. I've been typing my messages just normally in Fast Reply, then go back and highlight the entire thing or portions of it and change the Font, Size, and Color afterward. Seems to be working.

Morning Ladies and Gent, The site was down last night by the time I got here, so I didn't read all the posts. Phyl is back in the desert. Welcome!! Now you can rest up so you can go play some more. Lori, I really like the idea of your can organizer. I may have to go look at costco to see if I can find one. Of course one Costco doesn't necessarily have the same stuff as another. I too buy my paper goods there and some meat, like salmon. I only go maybe 4 times a year though, when I run out of toilet paper or paper towels...LOL. I hope your daughter can hang out for the remainder of the time. I bet it will drive her crazy, but the longer that baby cooks, the better. Keeping my fingers crossed for her. We bought our new TV at Costco and it has a gremlin. The volume bar appears and the volume decreases to 0, all by itself and not just during commercials. It also fights you trying to raise the volume. It does this many times then stops for a while then starts again. So I call the Costco concierge service and he had me reset some stuff, but it did it again that night so I had to call again yesterday. The Costco people finally had to call the Vizio people and we went through some more menus and reset something else. Well it worked just fine last night, so maybe it's fixed. I was impressed by the service people at Costco, they were helpful and nice and they were American. I'm really am not prejudiced, but I do have a bit of a problem with companies sending our work to other countries. It may help the company's bottom line but it sure doesn't help America. Enough of that soap box. Linda, I'm amazed at how dedicated you are to your life style. I'm so glad you are there for your GD because she needs someone stable in her life. I'm sure her mom loves her but she seems to want to take the easy way out a bit and that isn't a good example for Aylah. I haven't seen laughing cow cheese but I haven't really looked for it either. Might have to do that. Meredith, good for you. Passing by all that good stuff does take determination. Arlene, I'm sorry to hear about your Mom. Guess it's your time to sit at the hospital, your friend and now your Mom. Hope she recovers quickly. I've noticed my "old lady" friends getting more and more stubborn as they get older, like my parents were. It is hard to deal with sometimes. Apples, are you on your way? I better get my backside in gear because I don't have the bed set up over there yet....don't even have it moved over there yet. LauraK...Mr. Filet Mignon? Sounds interesting. Joyce, are you going to have time to call when you are here? I'd love to meet up with you or you can just come over. It will make me clean my house. Janet, thanks for the recipes. I love stuff cabbage rolls, but DH isn't so fond of them. Maybe for those of you that don't care for cabbage, you can substitute zucchini. Jodi, I've been to a couple of bar mitzvah's for my friend's boys. I even got to participate in one of their ceremonies. Both of them had big parties, expensive parties, but that's what they do. I've always been impressed by the ceremony and the community involved. Enjoy this time, as I know you will. So you have a date? Going off of memory and I can't.....remember that is. Hello everyone else. I worked on the computer yesterday and fell off the wagon. I guess I needed to understand it is my choice to stay focused and today I'm back on. I didn't even get all that much done on the work I needed to do, but at least it's started. I made chili....just regular old ground beef/turkey with no Beans. It came out wonderful. DH even ate two bowls. I ate too much last night, but as I said, back on the wagon today. Working on my coffee with Protein powder. I have to get moving and get more stuff moved over to the house. DH left me his truck and is perfectly happy letting me move stuff....hahaha, he's still going to have to assemble the beds whether he likes it or not. I'll try and check in tonight EVA

Janet, no good-byes, just confession. Spent the day cleaning blinds and mopping floors, etc. I'm tired again but the house is coming together. I'm going to have to work on documents tomorrow. My, something I'll get paid for, yipee. Just checking in. food has been very good and lots of physical activity today. Might check in again later. Eva

ps....I'm very tired still from yesterday's yard work out so I'm empathize with you Lori. ee

Morning....fly by because I'm on my way to "the house". I finally got on the scale and don't like what I saw and knew it was happening. So that has ended and I'm back on the wagon. I have set a new goal for me, although it's baby steps, at least it's steps in the right direction. Although I've gained weight...10 lbs, this is a first for me. Usually my weight gains are all of what I've lost plus....you all know this cycle. This time it wasn't even 1/4 of what lost. This still isn't good, but I'm not going to beat myself up too bad, just get on Arlene's train and chug away at it. I haven't had to go up a size in my clothing yet. What I seem to be having trouble with is eating hot food. By the time I can get things chewed everything gets cold. In some ways that is good because then it's unappetizing, but I'm getting really tired of cold eggs. So the last couple of days (since I've been on the train) I've been adding Protein powder to my coffee and then about 10:30 or 11, I've poached an egg in V-8 (for some that may sound disgusting, but I love it). I've actually been able to eat the egg hot and then sip the V-8 warm. This seems to be helping me deal with the cold food issue. This could be because I've been so cold lately. I'm also doing more Soup, but that is also helping with the cold food issue. Last night I had shrimp with leeks and mushrooms. I made a one-pot dish and put the left over brown rice in it. It was very good, but because I really chew the shrimp slowly, I end up eating it cold. I threw out the rest of it. So this is my confession and it's probably the last you will hear about for a while. New year, new focus. Eva

Lovely lyrics Jessica. Thanks for sharing. Cheri, hope your parents find a good place for themselves. It will help take some of the worry out of your life if you know they are in a safe place. Wish I could have convinced my parents of that. Linda, maybe those extra pounds are all that extra skin....never thought about that. Glad work is keeping you busy now. Being bored isn't any fun either. Sunshine and 30 degrees....at least the sunshine is nice. Charlene, I had to break down and get some gym pants too because I had nothing that would work in the long pants area. Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do. Apples, glad you had a nice lunch with DS. Sounds like you are really gearing up for the trip. Lori, my GF just bought a new kinect that came with a dancing game. They were playing it at NYE and it was pretty funny. It also looked like a pretty good workout. We have more hummingbirds in this part of the country than anywhere else in North America. We have several species that live here year around and a few that winter here. The rest travel through spring and fall. What I'm seeing predominately are Costa's and Anna's. Janet's going to me tired when she gets home from boot camp....but in great shape. My bushes kicked my butt today. Got everything trimmed and hauled out to the street. I texted my DH that the bushes kicked my butt and he texted me back...."guess that means you're bushed"....maybe you had to be there but I thought it was pretty funny. My arms and back and legs are tired. Tomorrow, I have to work at my "job" and then go to Jeff's Mom's house and clean it so I can get it set up. I guess I don't let the grass grow too much under my feet. This retirement is a lot of work...LOL. food good today and so was the exercise. Going to watch TV with DH. Have a good night everyone. Eva

Oh, I forgot to mention hummingbird watch. There were seven birds on the feeder this morning. There are only 6 holes, so two of them had to share. It was too dark (sun not up yet) to get a picture, but DH saw them too. Just amazing because they are very territorial and will chase each other off of the feeder. The females seem a lot more willing to share, but those boys, they strut their stuff. I enjoy watching the hummingbirds so much. The cardinals are fun too, but just not as interesting, but they are pretty. Melissa, I forgot you in my previous post. What you have to do is very hard, but you can do it. You can't mess around with the diabetes. I have type II and it's well under control. I only take 1/2 the meds the doc prescribed, but the doc says as long as my numbers are down, no problem. I know you know this, but you really need to incorporate it into your being. Fighting the depression isn't easy either, but you are strong and can do this. My doctor prescribed my blood pressure meds so I could get them at Wal-Mart. They are cheaper there than with my insurance's co-pay. He figured that out and I can still get three months at a time and don't have to claim on my insurance ($10 for three months worth of pills at Wal-Mart and $25 for three months through my insurance.) You might want to ask your doc about that.

Morning ladies, The traveling shoes is so funny. I can't even imagine taking 12 pairs of anything on a trip. I think I own at least 12 pairs of shoes but certainly don't wear them. For a two month trip I would have four or five pairs...maybe. Depends on whether it's summer or winter. I love shoes, just can't wear most of them because of my flat feet. I would never be able to walk any distance in regular shoes....have to have my inserts. So I spend a lot of money on a few pairs of shoes that are comfortable. food was very good yesterday. Did have a few moments of grazing behavior, but resisted eating any bad stuff. Got quite a bit of exercise in chopping and hauling branches. I trimmed the trees along the driveway and did some more oleanders. I did not get to the front bushes and may try that today. My arms are sore and so are my legs. It's good for me. My friend Ron came by and gave me work, but I just can't seem to get interested in it. I will get to it, but not until later today or maybe tomorrow. Julie, congrats on the adoption. That is wonderful for Mimi. Jessica, I like your hair...yes it may be a little dark, but the cut is cute. You are looking so good. Good for you reaching out. It's hard, but you can do it. You may not connect with everyone you reach out to, but eventually you'll find the right person. Meredith...good luck with the math test. I hate those too. You've done very well with your weight loss. Great, good job with the carb denial. Boy that one is hard. Glad you had a good visit with your friend. It is important to have those one on one relationships. Tina, so sorry about the doctor's appointment, but Thursday will be here soon. Keep posting especially if it's helping you. Arlene, good for you and your walk. I'm hoping to walk to school when it starts. It's a little more than 1.5 miles each way, so that should give me a good walk each day. I've starting on my pilates machine again too, but the hedge trimming is absolutely a workout. Just ask my arms a legs right now. Laura, you'll get back into your routine with Nels in school quick enough. It's good you enjoy him so much because they do grow up quickly. My DH's son is 17 and I can remember when I met him at 4. What a difference in that time. Alrighty, I need to do something...it's too cold for outside, so maybe I'll work on my "job". Later ladies. Eva

Morning ladies, Once again, some quite revealing and emotional posts. You guys are the best. It's warmer here today....31 this morning and warming up. I'm going to finish the oleanders and then Ron will be here this afternoon. They say no more freezing temps this week. That's what it's supposed to be like here. I am drinking my Breakfast today. Protein Drink. I have lunch and snack set up and will be cooking shrimp and veggies for dinner (one pot meal) since I don't have an oven. I'm on the train today and no excuses. I've thrown away all goodies and left overs or frozen stuff for future meals and will pretend I'm getting banded again. At least this time I'm starting from a lower weight than I've done in the past. Usually I've gained everything I've lost back plus some before I start the process over again. I have gained some weight, but I'm not even close to what I was when I started. Exercise will be yard work today. I've already taken the hedge trimmer out and trimming those bushes is more work that you can imagine. I'll be sore for a couple of days. I'm planning a trip to Phoenix either later this week or early next week to go to IKEA. You know there are some things there that just aren't anywhere else. Off to hedge trimming. Later Eva

I'm thinking the June 11 weekend is starting to look good. Let me clarify my earlier statement....none of my friends called me brainless, they just sometimes discount what I say because they think I don't know what I'm talking about which makes me feel like a brainless idiot. I know I'm fairly smart and pretty quick about most thing (except math) but it's more a statement that people can make you feel things you are not. AND you have to allow them to make you feel that way...which is really sad because it's not them trying to put me down, it's me putting me down. It's one of those issues I have to work on...isn't that life's purpose, to work on yourself and your issues? This is one of mine. Okay, the stuff is all put away, yeah. Tomorrow should be nice and I'll finish up the yard work, then my friend (the one that I'm working for) is supposed to be over around 1pm and maybe I'll some work to do. Depending on what that involves I'll be doing that and working on Apples future house. I need to get over there and get some stuff done. I'm really looking forward to it for some strange reason. I've felt a little unfocused since Christmas and now I have something to focus on again. Guess I need goals too so my goal for 2011 is to get to onederland. It's not that much weight and I deserve to treat myself better no matter how hard it is. Later, Eva

Sandy, I really enjoyed reading your post. Satisfaction and complacency are easy once you get to a spot where you feel good. I guess I'm there too and not willing to do the work necessary to get more weight off. It is very important to be happy with yourself. I really enjoy reading your posts to each other and the support you give. I've been on other internet group sites but you guys are really "there" for each other. Lori, I get the "not being good enough" feeling because I suffer with it too and I do let people's comments get to me sometimes. Of course my sister's aren't too much of a problem but I have a couple of friends that sometimes treat me like a brainless idiot. I'm pretty sure they don't realize they are doing it, but I still feel that way. Janet's strength and determination is always available to lean on and she is very practical about her advise. There's no BS there. Apples always has an insightful comment for anyone. Cheri is our little encyclopedia and I really like that she doesn't hold back on how she feels. I can go on and on but you guys get it. Happy New Year, here's to another year of support and friendship. Got the tree "hung" up in a place where it should be out of the way. Still need to pull everything out of where I store the X-mas stuff and go through it so I can get rid of the tree box and some other stuff. It's finally warmer. It's in the 50's today and I'm happy about that. Tomorrow should be in the 60's. Yeah back to normal. Tried to clean my oven today and the heating element went out again so no oven. Boohoo. It's a 10 year old oven but it shouldn't be breaking down. I'll get it fixed again, but really don't want to replace it. It was an expensive oven and is a large one and I use it a lot. I'd have to remove tile and it would be a major problem to replace it. Guess I'll go tackle that storeroom while the sun is out and warm. Talk to you all later. Eva

So lets do this - I am going to put your name down - quote the post and insert when you can make it to Chi Town.. Apples - Charlene - Great - prefer the April dates that Cheri mentioned, prefer no holiday weekends, prefer spring/early summer vs later summer/fall Cheri - Laura - LauraK - Julie - Phyl - Tina - Eva - I'm in class from mid-January to mid-May, so any time after that will work for me. I might drive again, but depends on what is going on. Janet - Open I can go w/the flow (except for 7/15) Linda - Joyce - Sandy - I am open to anytime Jodi - Melissa - Jessica Meredith- May, or spring/early summer is best. Might be going with my aunt to FL in April and summer time gets crazy around here. But, will be able to adjust schedule to fit it this trip. Chris Candice - She's gone for 2 weeks Am I missing anyone ????

Great, the airport is on the south side of town and Apples will be on the north side and I'm in the middle. But this is Tucson and nothing is that far away. Besides we can arrange a guest room, never fear. However, it's cold here and even you would be cold. It should get back to normal next week. LauraK...glad your date worked out well for NYE. Funny post from your DS. Tina, we all post stuff that could be considered junking up the thread....no worries. Its a medium we use to express ourselves in a place we feel safe. We have to understand responses may be tough, but they are given with love and we usually need to hear them. Post what you need to. Linda, we didn't spend the night because we live so close...we walked over there this morning. I'd much rather sleep in my own bed with my cat and DH. It's been a good day. Laura, Turkey is one of those countries I've heard is really nice. I'd like to visit there sometime. Sounds like you have a busy summer planned. Not much to report....been relaxing. Have a good night everyone. food was not bad today....not perfect, but not horrible either. Eva

Linda, we watched that NYE show with Carson Daily too but with the sound off except for the 10 minutes before and a few after midnight. I didn't know any of the musical guests either and am not a fan of rap. Guess it's our age that's showing. I use the ham bone to make the broth, but put it in the fridge for a day so I can get the fat off of it. Works great because I end up with a fat free base. I do this with all my home made broths. Arlene, what color are you having your toes painted? I need one of those too, but no one is going to see my toes for months....too cold for me. Great, I agree with you about the fads....they are fads. There's good nutrition and limiting intake and that is what is going to work. I also think I have a need to live by mountains. Tucson has three mountain ranges around it. Not the huge mountains of Denver or Salt Lake, but big enough ones to suffice. I like the fact your DH is doing projects....mine does weird stuff which does not include furniture and stuff. I guess you can't have everything. Melissa, I'm so glad you had fun. See it was so worth it for you to go. It's funny that you texted Janet last night because I got several texts also from some of my family. I was sort of occupied at the party but it was still nice to get those texts. It's a new year and we are going to be successful with our health and our jobs...right? Janet, sounds like you had a very nice evening. I've only cooked lobster once....I think I boiled it too, but I've decided that other people do a better job at cooking it than I do so I'll just eat it out. sleeping late, how nice. Your weather is a little warmer than ours right now. It's still going to freeze again tonight, so everything is still covered. Tomorrow should be a little warmer. Cheri, looks like you are going to have company this summer. Really looking forward to that trip. I like your resolution to find someone to hang out with. Even if you don't visit with the person every day, it's really nice to have someone around to do stuff with. Yes, you should be honored for your teaching ability. It's important our children are educated, they are our future. Apples, sounds like you enjoyed your evening too. Sometimes being home is the nicest way to spend NYE. DH and I have done that several times too. I will have to stop complaining about the cold because what you and Julie and those of you in the northern climes endure is so much worse than my 50's/20's degree weather. We also don't have the snow/ice stuff either. Happy New Year everyone! Pajama party went well, we got home about 2:45 and I couldn't get to sleep until 4am. The phone rang at 9 and we went back over there for Breakfast. There were only 8 people at the party but all of them except DH and I spent the night at my friends. I had a great time, didn't eat too badly and am grateful for their friendship. One of our friends nickname is Spider and he made a ricotta and spinach pie which was delicious. That's what I had for breakfast. Did I mention DH and I and the dog walked over there this morning. It was nice and part of our new year's "let's get out and be physical" resolution. Oleanders got chopped with the chain saw and I put all the ornaments away, so they are packed in their boxes, just not moved out into storage yet. I need to pull everything out and reorganize it. I'll probably do that tomorrow. We are going to watch TV for a while. Glad everyone has had a good holiday. Eva

Happy New Year's Eve to everyone!! I'm eating my dinner right now....scallops, broccoli and roasted potatoes. Everything came out good. I'm making mulled wine to drink tonight because it's too darn cold to drink margaritas which is what my friend is having. We won't go over there until about 10pm so I still have a little while to putz around tonight. I didn't do anything constructive....oh well. Once again, have a wonderful evening everyone and I'm grateful to have you ALL in my life. Eva

Because it's so cold, we are having aerial acrobatics from the hummingbirds. I have a feeder right in front of the kitchen sink window and watch the birds regularly. They are competitive little buggers and usually won't let more than one bird maybe two feed at the same time. Last night I saw 5 hummingbirds on the feeder at the same time and this morning it was up to 6. There are only six holes on the feeder. Now that it's warmed up they are trying to drive each other off again so there are hummingbirds flying all over the place. They are very cool to watch. Eva

Okay, it's warmed up to about 40 now. Still a little cold for me. I'm going to pack away some of the Christmas stuff and try and stay warm. I'm having a hard time doing that for some reason. Oh, wait, I need to get up and get moving instead of sitting here reading the thread. Tina, I would definitely look into finding a therapist if I were you. You are going to have so many many changes both good and bad with the weight loss that having a professional to talk to and already set up would be helpful. Your "not having enough friends" comment is a little scary to me. We all need friends outside of our relationships even if it's only one or two of them. On line friends are great and the men/women on this thread are very important to me, but I still have friends off-line that support me through thick and thin. Linda, I know what you mean about having to go back to work a full week after working short weeks. I remember that last year. Ug. How's the GD? Hope you do get to go to your casino tonight. Apples, glad you are staying home in the bad weather. Be safe lady. We are going to have scallops for dinner (posole which is a hominy soup) is for much later. I have broccoli and maybe a baked potato...we'll see as it gets closer. Later, ee