Good Morning Everybody

Hi CriticalMass 😉

Hi Subclinical
WAY TO GO!
Wishing you smooth sailing on the school work.

Hi Tatoulia
Please remember to always put your welfare first.
You are your number one priority.

It will be another hot lazy Summer day here.
Fortunately not too hot, just high 90s.

Had shrimp on a salad. The first time I made it I used too much dressing while trying to be artistic for the photo. It was delicious.

Off to work. Sister is back in life and she's having lots of problems and I need to dig deep and find a way to be compassionate and listen and not offer advice and not see it as a money grab. We took two different paths in life and the fact that I worked toward a corporate traditional situation with an apt in the city doesn't mean I have to feel guilty for having a vastly different lifestyle. Plus I'm taking very good care of mom so that's one less problem for her. I think I can do this. Be supportive but not put myself in debt and not see it as something to feel guilty about.

I can do this and if I can't, then I'll take a step back.

So instead of being occasionally resentful that she does so little for mom, I can view it as a pressure reliever for her.

Good morning all!

Tatoulia, I hope you got a good, healthy dinner!

I'm glad you can scoop the cat litter now.

Dh cooked for me again yesterday!

I am almost (?) done with the syllabus for one English class. I also did some laundry and spent 45 minutes working on shelves in the studio for a change of pace. I had a fantasy that I was going to finish both English classes and a section of ceramics yesterday. - ha! 10 days to the open house and 13 classes to prepare. Fortunately I started with the second hardest, and a few of them only need edits.

So, at it again today.

YEA!!!!
The Scoop Has Arrived!!!

Hi Tatoulia
Summertime is a good time to eat salad with shrimp.
All the goodness of the veggies and nice protein from the shrimp.
Plus it doesn't seem to be too heavy and weigh us down, unless we use too much creamy dressing.

From what I know about losing weight...
We lose some weight then we reach a plateau.
We keep on dieting & exercising and then our bodies start to lose some more weight.
After a bit we reach another plateau.
And so on and so on and so on...

Please don't let the stagnant times discourage you.
You must also remember that with this Summertime heat you have not been able to walk as much without threatening your life.

So, what color is the new scoop?
I have a light blue one for one box and a dark blue for the other box.

Well, if you do decide to walk to the cat store and happen to see someone there who is absolutely perfect you can tell your Mom about him/her.
Maybe just seeing kitties would be a pleasant reward for walking all that way.

So far it's been nice just fiddling around here today.
Of course the cats believe that I should be doing more for them, catering to their every whim.
Got so bad that I had to finally yell "LEAVE ME ALONE" at them.
They decided it was in their best interest to leave me alone. 😉

The scoop has arrived! Yes it is a pity they don't want me to find the scoops!!!

Tillie nice to have a relaxing day! I have a ton more work to do and will need to walk. The air is pretty cool here so I'm feeling fortunate. I just visited with BF. I have half a mind to walk to cat shelter tonight, the one where I got my baby cat. But I'm not sure that's productive other than getting a walk in.

I'm hungry. May make a pasta/shrimp/artichoke dish. So hungry.

Thank you for the encouragement on the meds. I do want the blood to behave. It is putting a lot of strain on my kidneys and heart. I haven't lost any weight and I need to pull it together. I can also just sauté some shrimp and put on salad. In any event I need to eat. I'm very hungry and I'm not taking good care of my body today.

Good Morning Everyone

Hi Subclinical
Yeah, I forgot that a 3 month supply of dry pasta for you would be a lot more than what I would need to store for just myself.

So great that you now have that excited feeling for removing things from your place!
Yes, the dump is the last resort but keeping it at home just makes our homes an extension of the dump.
Plus you now have open space and an easier life without it all there in your way.

WAY TO GO! for getting the grading done when you did!

Have a good time today at your little folding table desk! 😀

Hi Tatoulia
That's wonderful that some employees take advantage of the wholesome food available there.

Fingers crossed that the new meds work exactly as they should (((hug)))

Sorry, but I find it funny that they are hiding the cat scoops from you. 😉

Today there is nothing I have to do.
Of course there is always the cat related stuff.
It will be hot today.
Good day to watch Movies and do beading and pencil puzzles.

Tillie the guy said that a lot of their younger workers buy food for their dinner and put it in the fridge, and that the company is happy and proud to do so!

No scoops. Or I'm looking in the wrong place. One or the other. Or both.

SubC. That is an amazing mind shift!!! Yay you! Terrific work.

Today I am focused on work and a few household things. Took my new meds this AM. Setting an alarm to take each day at 10:30.

Scooter's optimism is so great.

Good morning everybody!

Tillie, my biggest concern about the pasta is the amount of storage space it takes up in my pantry.

Scooter is an optimist!

Here we have litter scoops at the grocery stores.

Tatoulia, I understand that feeling of relief! I feel the same way when I gave a big car-unloading day like yesterday.

It's funny, I used to get really excited when I would go out yardsaling, thrifting - or even better - dumpster diving and come home with a big carload of goodies. Now I feel the same way about filling up my car and delivering everything to its optimal location. Even if that optimal location has to be the landfill. It's still very hard for me to make that initial decision to put something in a trash can, but once it's there, it feels good to just get it out of my house.

I am sorry your craigslist guy was a flake.

I need to do laundry today. I will not be hanging mine though, because it has rained the last few days, and even though it is not raining right now, there is a heavy fog and it would probably take days to dry. I will hang a few things inside.

We got the grading done just in time! There are a few puddles, but it looks good.

Today I need to buckle down on the school prep. I will be getting out the folding desk, putting on some music, and spreading my materials out in gorgeous array. I told dh to expect a "mess" when he gets home. Hopefully I will find some recycling as I go - I will keep the box handy.

Good Evening Everybody

Hi Subclinical
Pasta keeps so well.
Glad you took advantage of the sale!
Even going back for another three months is alright.

WAY TO GO! for getting things to where they all needed to go!

So glad you swam again and in another new suit too, YEA!

Hi Tatoulia
Hard to believe there are NO litter scoops in your city. LOL
Here, Dollar Tree always has them.

What a lovely lunch.
What a nice place he works at.
I'd have my main meal there every day. 🙂

You MUST do whatever you need to do for you and your health.
This means saying "NO" to people and events and not feeling guilty no matter what.
You have enough on your own plate to deal with.
You do not need any added drama or stress.
Your walks, diet and Dr. orders all come first.
(((HUG)))

10:30pm I am doing laundry.
Will hang it out over night.
Not sleepy or tired, it was a very lazy day.
The paper filled box kept Scooter occupied almost all day.
When he would be elsewhere I would put the papers back in and he would spend a long time digging through the papers again looking for snax and toys.
Even though I hadn't added any more. ;p

SubC you are so industrious!!! WTG!!! And another new swim suit! I am glad you treated yourself to properly fitting and good quality swim suits!!! Well deserved.

That's so nice about son's office!!! Sign me up!

I decided to do a quick mall lap on my way home. And so I've stopped for half a second.

Love you all. I got my garbage and recycling out last night. Big relief. I cannot find a cat litter scoop anywhere so I ordered on amazon last night. It'll be here tmr.

I have a list of bills to pay on Friday. I will be so relieved. I will pay the remainder of the dishwasher then the Following paycheck will cover cat hospital expenses. Then done with the emergency card. We think. 😀

What a relief my life is now. Oh Craigslist guy flakes again. It's okay. I put cabinet back in kitchen and with just a few things in it, my life feels lighter. So no rush. I re listed it so let's give I another shot to sell!!

Ok will head home now. So humid.

Tatoulia, we crossposted.

You must take care of yourself! Remember, your oxygen mask goes on first - you can't take care of anyone if you don't take care of yourself first.

Lunch sounds nice!

Ds's work subsidizes healthy food for them. You can bring your family to the restaurant too. It is cheaper than what it would cost to make the food yourself. And they have a lake with a beach in the middle of the office complex. I told dh, if he had worked there, I would have brought the kids for lunch and swimming every day all summer!

Hello Tillie,

Sorry we left you alone all day. At least scooter was there to entertain you!

I had a full day - doesn't a few minutes working in the studio, then loaded up the car.

Stop at trader joe's for dh juice. Also got some almonds and fresh bread.

School stuff to school, bucket and trash in the dumpster. Organized my classroom for a while and attached all the kid project tiles from last year to my wall with liquid nails.

Dropped my recycling, then stopped by dd's house and took her a cupcake. (She left work early today for a pre-baby dr. Apt.) when the kids were growing up, we always got ice cream after a dr. Appointment. When I showed up to surprise her with the cupcake, she said "you brought me a cupcake!" Then she blushed and said "I already had ice cream on the way home."

Then a swim in ANOTHER new suit (I am just the queen of fashion!)

Gas, regular groceries, and drop trash,
And then home for dh leftover stew, plus bread and cherries.

The pasta I like was 39-50 cents a pound at the grocery store. It is usually 1.89, but I usually buy it on sale around $1. so I bought ten pounds. We were out. That's about three months worth. It expires in 2022 - i'm Thinking about going back.

Scooter!!! You knew the right things to do there, Tillie!

I have my little one next to me. Mom admitted tonight that she's lonely and blue without a cat. There's a really pretty snowshoe cat at the shelter right now but I know nothing about her. Plus I feel pretty anxious so I'll wait til we go to the shelters to look at cats. Mom doesn't want me to get one without her and I cannot get her to the shelter tmr.
I need to focus on me. I'm not doing anyone any favors by being obsessed about something that ultimately has nothing to do with me.

I have to go get my RX right now. Dr putting me on a combination of things to stabilize my blood issues. Then I need blood work every week.

I need to really focus on myself, one way or another. I had today off and a very full day of volunteer work. One of the people there works at a fancy bank and he treated me and another volunteer to lunch at his company's cafeteria, which was fantastic. His place is a short walk and the company cafe was amazing-salad bar, sandwich line, soups, hot meals. Unbelievable. I got a great salad with squash and cranberries and almonds and other stuff I like. I got a large beverage and some pita bread and a blueberry muffin. The other guy got a custom sandwich and chips and a beverage and our host got a salad and a beverage. All this food for under 15. Total. His place subsidizes the food. The guy treated us then gave us each an umbrella since it was sprinkling. PRETTY SNAZZY. Then we went back to our volunteer jobs. And what was amazing was I had to ask BF for lunch $ since I didn't want to be embarrassed if we went to a restaurant. The host said he didn't have my email so he couldn't let me know he's be treating for lunch. Really nice.

I cannot wait til payday. I feel so far behind.

Hello

Pretty boring around here.
Cats have all gone to sleep.
Got the kitchen all squeaky clean.
Spent a long time playing with cats this morning.
Scooter has a small cardboard box. I filled it with crumpled up paper.
Then, while he watched, I tossed in some of his toys and a small handful of kitty snax.
He had a wonderful time digging through all the paper.
Then he arranged the paper all around the box into a nest and took a nap in it.

Good Morning Everybody

Beautiful, cool and quiet morning here.
No major plans.
Will clean the kitchen, maybe do some laundry.
No need to go into town this week.
My part of the yard is neat & tidy. I have done all the things there that I can do.
Inside the house all my "No Clutter Zones" are neat and tidy.
I have done all I can do.

Really, really wish I could do or get him to do at least clear out the driveway.
It is so depressing to be surrounded by all this squalor.
Even more depressing is the way the house is deteriorating from neglect of maintenance.
Then there is the problem of all the weeds and rogue trees growing thick everywhere.
The roof has not been repaired. The carport roof is still laying there all collapsed onto a heap of hoard.
The biting/stinging bugs and rodent populations are massive.
So many spiders.
Even if I could do something, I am no longer physically able to do much.
Steven is happy/content living this way.
I am not.

😀
Very glad that you learned a lot of things and had fun too.
So happy that even with a busy reorganizing plan you decided to take the class.

Hope they come out the way you want.

Was thinking...
maybe the clothing manufacturer has another line sold under a different name that carries the smaller sizes?
Like the way Este Lauder sells under that name and they also are the Clinique line.
One manufacturing company selling under two different names.

Yes, my community is very generous to the thrift shops.
Most everything I own comes from there.
I never have to wait long before I can find exactly what I need.
Plus the Naval Air Station has people coming and going all the time and they donate so much when they ship out.
Items from their travels around the world and new appliances and household items they don't want to ship.
This base is where the Top Gun jet pilots train.
The flying/aerial footage in the movie was from here.

I'm not sure if I learned something new every class, but I learned a lot of things. I learned three new things today. And I had fun. And I made a couple of pieces that I really like (so far. we'll see how they turn out after glazing.)

I'm glad your community is keeping your store well stocked. 😉

My suits have vanity sizing. They are size 8 - lol! My shorts are 14s. But I looked at the measurements on the website and I was a size 8. I am actually the smallest size they sell suits for, so if I lose weight, I don't know where I will shop!

Dinner was good.

YEA! for absolutely perfect swim suits Subclinical!!! 😀

Very happy you went swimming too.
With overworked leg muscles it really hurts to do it, but moving around helps.

So, last pottery class.
Did you have fun and enjoy the class?
Did you learn something new with every class?

WAY TO GO! DH!!!
For cooking the supper!!!
Best reason to put off dropping off those bags.

It is ridiculously difficult to find what you need out here.
I could drive over 150 miles round trip and face the insane traffic in Reno to try to find anything.
Or I can do what I do...
Amazon.
I don't have prime but that tea I just ordered was predicted to arrive in a week to ten days, it came in only two days.
Free delivery too.

I also seriously believe that so many of the new, tags still on clothing items in the thrift shop are from mail orders.
The people just didn't bother returning them or waited too long and just donated them.
The sizing is almost always very wrong.
I wear a medium and the clothes are labeled large and the clothes fit me just fine, no way are they a large.
Sometimes items labeled medium are child size.
These are from name brand clothing companies too.
But online shopping is the only chance they have to get the clothes they want without leaving town.
I just pick up their mishaps to wear. ;p

Tatoulia, I hope you got a good nap!

I did swim in a new bathing suit! The suits were exactly what I wanted, and they all fit and look (as) good (as can be expected). I ordered them using the size chart on the website. They were much better than what is available locally and no more expensive. Dh says this is why there are no stores anymore. But so many of the stores we do have, have nothing I want to buy.

I tried to buy something at my local hardware store a while back, and they only had one on the shelf. They no longer keep inventory "in the back", but they told me if I wanted more than one, they could order them for me and I could pick them up on Thursday. so basically they are a display center for items they want to sell. Dh has amazon prime, so I could go home, order them myself for less, and have them on Wednesday without driving back to the store. How is that a business model? The point of the store is immediate gratification!

My legs feel better, and I went to my last pottery class of the session today. I can go back any time this week to finish glazing.

I was going to go to the grocery store and drop off all the plastic bags on my way home (apparently plastic bags were breeding in the pottery studio) but dh called and said to come straight home because he was making dinner. So that got put off until tomorrow.

Lay your head down and doze off (((hug)))

Tillie you are so brave! Good work getting rid of the wasps! And the family wasps too. I'm tired of getting stung.

I am very very tired from visit with my dr but I need to work. I may rest my head for a few. So tired.

I also need info on the swimsuits!!!
At dr. Haven't read up

Subclinical
Did you go swimming in a new bathing suit today?

Yes, you told us you were ordering the new suits but didn't update us at to whether or not they were as advertised and what you wanted. 🙂

Good Morning Everybody

I wholeheartedly agree with everything Subclinical just wrote.
People just hate it when we stand up for ourselves.

My nasty evil sister once wrote me the most vile letter and I simply mailed it straight back to her, no response necessary.

Tatoulia, please continue to concentrate on your own health and happiness.
Surround yourself only with people who truly love and appreciate you (((HUG)))

Hi Subclinical
Sorry about those sore muscles.
Walking stairs is fantastic exercise to make your posterior look good.

Sorry about the basement gridlock.
Sounds like the basement is the one place where things go that need to be moved out of other areas.
You have done so much down there this Summer and I believe that you will be able to find a solution, even if only a temporary one.

You & DH came to a beautiful solution for your low work desk/coffee table need so I'm sure you will eventually get something like a rolling work table. 😉

Hi CriticalMass
Paper wasps made nests in the paper lantern looking hanging things.
The ground nest here was yellow jackets.
very mean and aggressive and they will sting you for no good reason but will try to kill you or any creature if you walk near their nests.
I discovered that ground nest simply because I walked over into the side yard, was not near the nest but about 80 wasps swarmed out threatening me.
I ran away and planned my attack.
Wasp spray for the ones flying around and at the entrance to the nest.
Did this again and again until there weren't so many wasps out of the nest.
Then I poured poison down into the nest, killing the queen and any living thing down in there.
Any wasps that were out hunting when I poisoned the nest then returned and entered the nest at nightfall and were poisoned too.
So scary doing this but it needed to be done.
Late one night several years ago I spoke with Billy "the exterminator" on a message board and he said that I was doing it right.
He also agreed with me that snakes are the best mouse traps. ;D

Only plan for today is to water the trees.
Supposed to only get up into the 80s & low 90s all week and mornings are getting down to 50 degrees.
I am not ready for Summer to be over with but Autumn is right around the corner.
So thankful that this Summer was more like it used to be before the long drought.
Not insanely hot but it was still dry.

Tatoulia, while I do not have the details, I am going to guess that it is you - you have grown amazingly in the last year! You have learned to stand up for and care for yourself. And when someone suddenly grows a spine after being walked on for years, the walkers do not like it.

I am going to guess that you are not feeling an extra need to apologize to the people who truly love and value you - like your bf and mom.

Keep doing what you are doing! Except, don't feed the bear. The next time your sister tries that nonsense, just delete the emails, tell her out loud (when she is not there, this is for you) that you are sorry she needs drama and stress in her life, and move on. No apologies, no responses. If you are unsure if you should reply to one of her emails, ask yourself "is there any honest response I can give to this that I believe will improve the situation?" If the answer is no, then delete and ignore.

Good morning, all. I'm in need of some sleep. I'm up early because I have dr appointment and I want to work so I can try to keep up.

SubC I bet your calves are hurting!

I'm going to have to read your link CM on the wasps. Tillie good morning.

Okay back to work for me. It's garbage night, which will make me feel good about getting things done!

My sister sent me a series of emails last night, looking for a fight. They were sent about a minute apart. Each one with a little nugget to get me inflamed, I did not take the bait. Then she went one a great deal later attempting to apologize it really just piling it on more. I sent a carefully worded apology in an attempt to de escalate the situation then I waited a bit and sent another apology. I'm not sure that I owed her an apology but I was looking to end it. I'm doing a lot of this lately so I guess it's me and not the other people.

My calves hurt! A lot! They were sore yesterday and I hoped they wold be better today, but it is worse this morning. It's from going up and down the stairs to the loft so many times. I am supposed to swim today, but I don't know if I will. I even have new bathing suits. (Did I remember to tell you guys that I got new bathing suits?)

Mr kitty and I are having his morning couch time and I would like to just stay here all day.

This morning I am feeling sad about the basement. There are two more big things that have to come from the barn to the basement, and I am not sure how I will fit them in. And even if I do fit them in, the basement is almost back to gridlock on one side. (I have been very determined about not adding new things to my almost finished side where my desk is unless they actually belong there - like, pencils into the jar on my desk)

I also didn't tell you that I asked dh about making my rolling table and he is not onboard. I am hoping he will change his mind. (He is very good, but not perfect 😉 )

Tatoulia, I am glad your mom is on board with the cleaning. I bet the idea of a kitty is motivating.

Whoa Tillie - the wasps went for the fake nests?! I wonder if that's only certain species... the interloper in my room was of the yellow jacket sort, is that what you have? I think mine might've been a paper wasp while your nest in the ground sounds like the real badass yellow jacket - at least according to this:

paper wasp vs yellowjacket

Whatever they are, if they would mind their own business that'd suit me just fine.

SubC, it seems you are really rolling along with your system and categorization, and way of working like knowing what not to get bogged down with. The system is both the reason for newfound progress and the result of said progress, if that makes sense.

Tatoulia, enjoy kitty shopping.

Hi Tatoulia

WAY TO GO! Tatoulia's Mom!

Crowds of strange people and being in an unfamiliar place stresses cats and they don't display their natural sweetness and charm.
Best to go one on one with them where they are living.

Good luck! tomorrow at the Dr.!!!
Happy you got to walk & walk now that it's getting a little cooler.

Don't over do, get plenty of sleep.
Understandable you being a bit overwrought but take care of yourself. (((hug)))

SubC I am continually struck by what a nice, loving family you have. You are each matched so perfectly. Great work getting your studio organized and cleaned AND getting to enjoy the space!

Tillie the shelters do great work here! Cats get less expensive as they get older. Everyone wants kittens. BF gave me 200 so if we get someone less expensive, we will save $. Mom and I do not want the crowds of the free cat event. We need to be relaxed while looking at the cats and not being hasty. Plenty of cats to go around.

I walked and walked and walked. I see dr tmr afternoon. I'm busy and a little overwrought but I had a great weekend.

Mom is getting into the spirit of cleaning and clearing, so that's been great.