Good morning everyone. I didn't realize til I went back to catch up how MIA I have been. I did take a few notes and if I missed anyone I apologize.
@flyingdumbo127 - a meet post pandemic sounds like fun and something to look forward to
@Pea-n-Me - I have never been a fan of Tom Brady for some reason. He always seemed a bit arrogant to me, of course I could be wrong. The Bucs are playing the Eagles tonight and I am actually hoping he beats the Eagles. I am not happy with the Eagles organization right now so I root for them to lose.
@lynxstch - I sympathize with the back issues. That was one of the reasons I retired early. I have bulging discs along with a couple of other issues but I am bull headed and persevere through pain. If it gets to bad I take an Aleve, really bad prescription strength Ibuprofen, I usually throw half of them away each year. Of course one of the reasons I persevere is I have no choice and I always hear my mom's voice in the back of my head telling me to suck it up. I am taking it easy today although that wasn't my plan. I have the weird tingling sensation in my left leg which means the sciatica is acting up again.
@Snowysmom - I am so sorry for your loss.
@Kirby - hope your family is doing better after the Covid diagnosis. One of the things about this virus that is so perplexing is how it affects people. My daughter's family had it late spring and one of the boys never had a single symptom.
@footballmouse - that's great your son had such a weight loss that he didn't qualify for the study. The dress you picked is nice but I'm not a great judge of dresses. I hate them. I told my kids if they tried to force me to wear one when they got married I would get a tux.
@Pea-n-Me - love the boat pics. I would love to get a boat but my husband is not a fan. I was lucky I got him on a cruise a few years ago.
OK I am caught up. Life has just thrown me a lot of curveballs lately. I missed Anthony's last tournament this past weekend. The weather was horrible - cool and wet. I didn't want to drive over an hour away to be miserable. Instead I stayed home and felt guilty that I missed it.
Monday I took a couple grandkids to Lancaster for the day since I couldn't get them down the shore. My granddaughter asked if 2 of her friends could go with us. Nothing like three 12/13 year old girls in the back of the car giggling the whole trip. While I was there I got a phone call from my dad asking if I still had my husband's walker. I did and my dad needed it. I ran that down to him when I got home. I was up at 6 AM and ran till almost 7 PM. It was a LONG day.
Tuesday was just as bad. I had to get the grandsons to school. Of course Ben needed his morning poo. He comes out of the bathroom and announces the toilet is clogged but he tried to fix it - WITH HIS HAND!!! Scrubbed and sanitized him and got them to school on time. Then I had to get Mikey and drive him to school because he just missed the bus. Came home and wolfed down my coffee, then had to take my husband to his monthly breakfast with his former co-workers. The retirees get together once a month for breakfast and he has no one to drive him so I take him now. Dropped him off and did a few errands. I got a new comforter for the bed but forgot to restock my mask supply for the car. Picked up my husband and then had to get my granddaughter and take her to the doctor's and then for bloodwork. Dropped her off and then had to get the boys from school and drop them off at home. Finally got the food shopping done. Dinner was frozen pot pies because I was too tired for anything else and of course the cat ate half of mine.
I finally heard from my mom around 7. She had taken my dad to the ER. He evidently fell on friday and refused to go to get checked out. That was the reason for the walker. Dad has had some balance issues and has been falling alot. The hospital is setting it up for a home health aid to come out and work with him but the reality is he may need the walker for good. He has early stage dementia also so that isn't helping. Watching my superhero facing the frailties of life has been very difficult to say the least. Dad is 85 and has had some serious health issues the last few years so I know the inevitability of life is approaching but it is still hard to watch. My parents just celebrated their 66th Wedding Anniversary this past Sunday. They defied all the odds. No one expected them to last because they were only 17 and 19 when they married. My mom was still in High School. My kids love the story of how they got together. My dad it was love at first sight,. He thought my mom was "cute as a button". Mom thought Dad was a creep. She changed her mind and they eloped because her parents HATED my dad.
I'm taking it easy today. Tomorrow is the deep clean of the bedroom. I like to do it in cooler weather because changing the mattress covers is hard work. Saturday I am doing the New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge with my granddaughters. Crystal is having some real issues right now. She is suffering from anxiety so I want to take her out to do something we enjoy and just chat. She is a senior in high school and is so worried about her future. She also has health issues and the former friend that bullied her, is in 2 of her classes. She said it doesn't bother her but I know from the look in her eyes and the tone of her voice that it does on some level. The doctor wants her to see a therapist but her father is not a fan. Honestly I'm not either. I saw a therapist and have a degree in psychology and don't believe in them anymore. My reasoning probably is from the last one I saw. Her answer to everything was "Cut them out of your life". I would be an orphan, single and childless if I did that. I wanted to figure out how to cope with what annoyed me and that was NOT a solution. Since I cut the therapist out of my life I am doing much better. I am hoping to teach Crystal the one lesson I learned. I call it Finding your Zen spot. It's a way to get inner peace and then coping with what life throws at you.
I am caught up and hope not to go MIA like this again. Have a great Thursday.
Good news on your foster pup!
Feel better all-around, my friend. 
for 
I guess that’s common, from what we hear. DS was a little embarrassed, but we had teary fits of laughter over dinner that night reliving the experience. 
(I think the gas mixture was off or something like that from the boat being out of the water for a few months.) Second outing went off like a charm, thankfully. Weather was gorgeous - not to hot, and not too cold. Toto had a great time and got to wear his new life vest. I’m happy that DH and DS are happy. 
) and bought a little stable with all the ceramic nativity figurines for $10! (If you remember, I was looking at them last year since the one I have had lost the unique folk figurines.) I will have to pull it out of the things we wrapped it in to get some pics. Should be cute to set up somewhere. I still have my other one, too, and I did see some figurines in a catalog that might work with it. We’ll see.
.
. I like putting my nativity setup out during Xmas but my dog thinks the people are new chew toys. I thought I would outsmart her one year and put it on the sofa table, well the cats decided to knock the people off the table 
. I decided to throw in the towel and it stays packed away.
Bulging discs, yup. Been dealing w that w DH for years ever since he slipped on stairs years ago. The sciatica is the worst. Can wind up with nerve damage if not dealt with. He maxed out on cortisone shots and finally had a minimally invasive discectomy which was the best thing ever and took care of the problem for years. Just recently had an MRI and has a mild progression of disease so he is going for a shot again. We’ll see what the doctor says about repeat surgery, where was in and out in a few hours, had long term pain relief, and we wished he’d done it sooner. I meant to mention to 
to all of you especially Pea and Taz for your above posts.
