July's jocundities and jolts

Another month... may all our happiness grow; and our troubles and sorrows be brief!

Thanks for starting the new thread.

I was tired this afternoon, so i laid down for a rest, and slept FOUR HOURS!

Jolt: so now I am awake waaay past my bedtime...

fuzzi-
what made you so worn out that you slept that long??

Probably the heat, chg1. It drains me even if i don't do much outside.

yeah---heat'll do it faster than anything. Drink a lot of water & snack on high protein bars...
If there's any consolation, I slept a lot on Saturday also (EDT) and at almost 2:20 AM Sunday, am still awake (and it is STILL HOT & STUFFY)

NOW the year is half over!  Kinda bugs me when people say that at the beginning of June. :p

can you blame them? After all 6 IS half of 12 :-)

at one time I was answering 2 when my Dad asked "How many 6cent stamps in a dozen/"

But I know what you mean.

LOL chg1!

My son turns 17 today--I guess he can no longer be called a boy. And he's a senior in high school--I don't know if I'm ready for this. But he's growing into a good-looking, reasonably responsible young man (although sometimes grumpy, like this morning).

We still have no power after the storm last Friday. It's a mess here. 15% of the people in town have power; luckily my parents are one of the few. We've been staying over here. My husband won't be at work until the power gets back up, so that's most of a pay check he won't be getting. :/

On the upside, everyone in our neighborhood has been super awesome during the power outages. Sharing ice, cooking together. It's like a block party.

Yikes, Oracle, hope it comes back on soon. Block parties are only fun for so long. ;)

My sincere sympathies to anyone without power and/or air conditioning when it's so hot.

I second the motion.

It only got up to 86 degrees Fahrenheit today, that's a definite jocundity!

Jolts -- Am having to leave work to go home with seriously upset stomach. My office is too far from the ladies room, and when I get there, I can't count on the handicapped stall being available for me and my scooter.

Sorry you're sick, millhold. :(

My internet connection is not working today. I'm at the library. Sigh

Is that a jocundity or a jolt or a bit of both? - AKA - a FWG?

A real jolt last night - we had a magnitude 7 earthquake here. No damage though as it was very deep.

Internet is back on at my home! Yea!

Yippee for Karen!

Jolt (literally) for europhile. Sorry to hear it.

#19 - Had to go see where you are. I never realized NZ had so many large earthquakes. Glad that one was deep.

I am on line, and am writing in my thread all about the George R.R. Martin reading. It was fun! http://www.librarything.com/topic/139350

Yeah Maggie!! My parents got power back Monday night, after losing it Friday. We lost power Sunday night, but only for about 6 hours.

Jam: I hate accounting progams. I happily slept in on the holiday today after the infuriating mess that was yesterday. There are 3 reports I create before doing checks. These reports should have totals that match. And of course no. 3 didn't. So as I backtrack through ALL the entries, I discover the program has done a wild hare and added random entries to random employees. I triple-checked my data entry--it wasn't me.

Is it too much to ask of a computer to only use the data entered and not MAKE THINGS UP???????????? The programmer should have it fixed by tomorrow.

To err is human, to really foul things up requires a computer...

Yay! We were able to bring Dad home from the nursing home to his house for a short time yesterday. My sister-in-law the nurse was great at helping get Dad transferred from wheelchair to car and back. (My brother the doctor, not so much help. Doctors don't DO that sort of thing).

The plan is to bring him home again today while all four of the grandkids are gathered for eating and (at least daytime--not sure if he'll make it to nighttime fireworks since it stays light until about 10).

I imagine he was very happy to be able to be home! Good job, family!

#24 - When that happens at our hotel we call it ghost charges. Hate. It. Takes forever and a very long call to the programers to get it fixed.

Several joys today - main one being I am an Auntie for the first time. Nephew arrived at 12.30 this morning - just 30 mins outside his due date. Big/long healthy boy to be named Thomas. SO cute :)

Also fiscal joy - my daughters final nursery payment is really small due to a deposit I'd forgotten I'd paid. And my tax rate has dropped due to an increase in the tad deductible childcare allowances. Yay!

On weird/worrying news the gas works on the other side of town burst into flames today! No idea what started it but a whole chunk of town has been evacuated. They are having to do a controlled burn to make sure no gas escapes. No one really hurt - a couple of workers in hospital with mild burns but nothing too serious thankfully.

#28 Yes it does take forever and unfortunately, people expect to get paid. Usually it's the 5th, but I did tell them because of the holiday it could be the 6th--thank goodness I did. And it was going so well until that last report.

#29 Congrats Auntie! And glad no one was seriously hurt in the explosion. Yikes!

July 4th--slept in, went to parade with my son and a friend, baked for two hours (but had fun), and am heading for nap. I don't know if I've got enough in me to do fireworks tonight.

#24, #28 Sorry, but that is funny, "ghost charges"! :P

No real jolts here, apart from both the exterminator and the plumber deciding to work here on the same day. This morning, the exterminator sprinkled pesticides on my bathroom and kitchen, and I was super worried about Kitty, so I locked her up in my bedroom while he worked. But he told me the liquid product would dry up in two hours and it's an eco-friendly thing that won't hurt either me or Kitty.

Then, this afternoon, the plumber came to paint the bathroom floor and shower with pool-grade paint sealant, because I'd been having problems with humidity and even leakage to the floor downstairs. And now my bathroom floor is a shocking shade of pooly light blue/turquoise that, while not ugly, it's not too pretty either. *sigh* It's just too... pooly.

So today's been a day of keeping ALL fans going to disipate the fumes of both jobs..

Anyway, at least that's two worries I can forget about. And it's nice that my landlady is on top of things. Totally *not* like my previous landlady.

Jocundity? Well, this cutie:



I just bought that pillow for my rocking chair... but Kitty was the one who used it first. :D

What a good kitty, getting it all ready for you!

"Mine! Mine!"

:D

Another jolt: I can't use the bathroom for at least two more hours... so I have to hold it in. :S

First apartment I moved into: THREE bathrooms. Second apartment: two bathrooms. This apartment: just one. Agh.

#34 - Oh dear, you better not move again!

I bought a new (to me) car today! I feel scared and happy. Happy the search is over, scared because I've signed away a good portion of my future to this vehicle, what if it lets me down? I like the way it drives, I just hope Volvo lives up to its reputation.

Speaking of ghosts, when they tried to run a credit report on me, it took forever. Then the salesman comes back and says, "Are you a ghost?" Apparently, I don't have a high or low credit rating, I don't even exist in their system! Personally, I think that's kinda cool, but it did mean that husband had to co-sign. Supposedly, I will now get a credit rating. We've co-signed on everything all our marriage, but I wonder if it never counted because I never had an income before? Anyway, I may be a ghost, but at least I'm not a zombie!

Ok so I came back to work from the 4th holiday to find a snake in the toilet..eggh..snake in the toilet..oh thank god..animal control is here.

>36: That would have made me run away screaming and never come back. Well done for hanging in there.

Lots of T storms in the region. port Clinton managed to get their fireworks display in between storms. Others delayed , others will try for tonight. (More T storms predicted, the one that passed through this AM is on its way south, more are forming up in Minnisota, Michigan, Canada)
We have leaves all over the place. It looks like Autumn, but they are green. Had to get out the rake!

lilkim - Where are you?! I keep telling myself that is an impossibility, but I always turn on the light in the night to check before I sit down. Oh the humanity!

>39..I'm in North Carolina..right outside Charlotte.

>37..believe me..a lot of work wasn't done while the wait was on for the animal control people to get here. A lot of pacing the floor and keeping distance between myself and said toilet.

Update: When animal control got here of course the snake was gone. They said the snake probably went back down into the sewer system and because we are on the city sewer system, he might pop up somewhere else or he might come back here. We have been having toilet issues all week and now we know it was the snake clogging up the toilet. Pesky bugger. Ah well, here's to hoping he's move on somewhere else.

#35 Might be that the next one will be an outdoors toilet?! :0 (Don't even want to think about it. I've always wanted to live in a woodsy area, kind of rural, so... hahaha)

I'm glad you're not a zombie. :D

#36 OUCH!

#39 MrsLee I also do the same. Dreamcatcher scarred me for life. :S

Today's (well, last night's) jolt: I waited until 10pm or so to take a shower, as the plumber guys had told me it'd take about 4 to 5 hours for the paint to dry. Considering they finished around 4pm, and they told me to wait until 10pm, I knew I was in the clear.

Turns out I was not. The paint peeled right off the floor. :/ Shoddy work. I wish it wasn't a permanent fixture with local contractors, oh, but it is... *sigh*

Lilkim714, did you think to flush it, or was the snake too big?

>42..well the snake is not really big, but we have tried to flush him, but he keeps coming back. He just put in a return appearance in the toilet a few moments ago. Apparently there have been toilet problems since last week and the snake keeps clogging the drain. A little bit ago the toilet overflowed because he was hanging out in there. I hate snakes. Of course, as soon as he comes he leaves, so animal control can't catch him because he is too fast. Stupid snake.

edited: well I really shouldn't call him stupid, because he is actually pretty smart with getting out of the way before being caught

lilkim714 ~~ Were I to find a snake in my toilet, it would just have to move out of the way, becasue it would scare both liquids and solids out of me! After something like that, I would dare it to return.

>44..I've been alternating toilets at nearby businesses all day. I refuse to use the snake toilet. I think I am going to have snake in toilet issues now with every toilet. I am beyond freaked.

#36, 45, etc. - living somewhere with no snakes, I'm fascinated by them, but would definitely draw the line at one in the toilet. I have to ask, though, what kind is it?

And for those who do have lots of snakes around, how do you get rid of them? (I loved the Rikki-Tikki-Tavi stories as a child, but I'm guessing mongooses are not a practical way to get rid of snakes in North Carolina.) And how would they get into the plumbing in the first place? If it went down the drain, could you use a plunger to force it out the other end?

To be honest I think (from the little bit that I have seen) that it is a black snake, so I am thankful it is nothing poisonous as it would have been terribly embarrassing to go to the ER and have a snake bite on the butt if it had bitten me.

Apparently because the place where I work is on the city sewer system apparently snakes and mice can get in there from holes in the sewer pipes somewhere and crawl along until they pop up in someone's toilet..or find a way out through another hole or something. I have no idea really how the snake got in the pipe/toilet/sewer and no one seems to have any information. We have tried to use the plunger to get the snake out, but he is in there and won't come out. I don't know if he's stuck or just really crafty. The pipes here are so old as the house in which I work was built in the early 1900's, so the pipes are all small and not like today's standards and maybe because they are old the snake got in a hole or something. I have no idea really, I just wish we could get him out. I don't work on Fridays so I am not looking forward to coming into to work on Monday morning to find a snake in the middle of the floor or half out of the toilet or something along those lines. My uncle is a plumber so I might talk to him tonight to see if he knows of something that can be done. At least thank god, this isn't at my house or I would be even more freaked out than I am now. It's been one hell of a day.

Can you put a trap of some sort in the toilet? I'm not kidding.

Maybe they can turn off the water, and drain the toilet, and put some sort of a block on it to discourage him?

I dunno, I've never had this problem, so I'm not sure what methods could be used to discourage or catch the snake.

OH GOD! OH GOD! OH GOD! OH GOD! OH GOD! OH GOD! OH GOD! OH GOD! OH GOD! OH GOD! OH GOD! OH GOD! OH GOD! OH GOD! OH GOD! OH GOD! OH GOD! OH GOD! OH GOD! OH GOD! *she said as she read with fascinated horror*

Sorry, I know, no religion, but OH GOD!

MrsLee: (-:

#45, etc. Okay, you have seriously freaked me out. Worse than when the very large spider crawled out of the sink drain. And when I tried to drown it, I discovered it could SWIM! Snakes are seriously worse than that.

#31 Yeah, it was almost funny until after resolving the first issues, I discovered it had decided about 1/3 of the employees had requested advances, and deducted somewhat largish chunks of cash from their checks. Ummm, the program has completely lost its freaking mind. It's fixed for now, but I don't trust it.

Said goodbye to my daughter and granddaughter tonite. They are moving to Minnesota tomorrow.

52- :( *hug*

((((((((((theexiledlibrarian))))))))))

Just popped on after quite a few days away. You all have been busy. Snakes in toilets? Yikes!!

#52 hugs!!

Went for a quick trip to the city to visit Powell's Books. Love that place!! I picked up Insurgent and Unwind, which sounds incredibly creepy. Oh, and I bought a disappearing Tardis coffee mug! They had a little Doctor Who display. :)

I've been away from LT for quite a while, about a month, so I've missed a lot I'm guessing. Glad to be back, at least for now. Life has gotten busier which overall is probably good.

Jocundities:
I got a new bed, a grown-up queen-sized one that I'm really loving. I've been wanting one for close to 10 years but it just hasn't happened until now. The awesome new bed has room for two people and a cat. Now, all I need to do is find the other person.

I also got a bite guard to wear while sleeping so that I don't continue to wear down teeth from grinding, and it should also help prevent dental sensitivity to cold (from putting pressure on vulnerable points). I wore it for the first time last night, had a good night's sleep and woke up with it still securely in my mouth. Thank you, Dr. Dentist!

Jolt: July is a very busy time for me at work, and I'm afraid I'm falling behind without realizing it. Sigh.

Hugs to those who are afraid of snakes and spiders. I share the latter issue, but thankfully not the former. Our VBS curriculum has an insect theme, and I intend the kiddies to explore amateur entomology. So I ordered two insect field guides yesterday. :)

>55

I'm jealous. I have to order from their call center after checking the website (I don't do online financial stuff). Sometimes it is not easy living on the other side of the country, but thank God they have a toll free number!

>56
Sugar & Spice & Everything nice,
That's what little girls are made of.
Snakes & snails & puppy dog tails,
That's what little boys are made of.

(Spiders,too. I used to read about snakes & had a few varieties as a kid, I also read a lot about Arthropods and who hasn't read "Charlotte's Web???).

Got up at 4 am to start the fires. By 5 I had two pork butts in the smoker. The brisket goes in around 10. By 5 pm people will start arriving for the fundraiser the Redhead and I are hosting and they should have some excellent BBQ by then.

Saw "Jersey Boys"; 5th Row Center. Awesome show, great music. Husband has earned major points for this one. Frankie Valli is coming to the same theater in September; I would really like to see that too.

Jolt: On top of all those panzer-mosquitoes something I don't know what has taken a bite off my right knee-fold. A five-centimetre hard red swollen circle surrounds the bite. Last time this happened it was my right foot - all of it swelled to double size. That time it was Cuban mozzies. No such here up in northern Sweden but not anything else even remotely fatal for humans except ticks carrying borrelia and encephalitis and a tick it's NOT so it's just a case of waiting for it to recede :(

Insects aren't a problem, usually, but this year - whew! Late spring, later summer, lots of LOTS of rain, and standing water on our plot. And the birds... I don't know, there's usually lots of them but this summer I've hardly seen any. Maybe the Hawk Owl we saw the other night is the reason? It is said to be very aggressive, even towards humans, so perhaps it has scared the insect-eaters away.

Jocundities: Rhubarb, reading time, and family.

Joys - scored some locally made, organic, raw, goat's milk yogurt and while we chatted with the farmers, he gave us some raw, unaged cheese because he legally can't sell it. Sweet. Also got some other great things from other local farms.

Jolt - It's so damn humid. Yeah, that's all I got.

#62 - Cheese.... *drool*

I may have a second job at a used bookstore. :)

oh! that sounds like a great job! Woo hoo!

Dangerous job...

I have been laid up this weekend with a very sore foot. It started feeling sore about two weeks ago, but despite rest, cold and ibuprofen, it is worse. I can barely put pressure on the heel. I think it may be plantar fasciitis, so Monday I'll look into making an appointment to see the 'foot doctor'.

Propping it up all day has at least given me some reading time...

66-

fuzzi-

be sure to ask for an x-ray as it could also be a bone spur

Thanks, chg1!

Sitting here at 10:30pm wondering why the plumber hasn't shown up at the hotel I work at to fix the broken pipe in the ceiling/wall. This is not cool, because not only does it mean more damage to the walls while we wait, it also means loud noises while guests are trying to sleep, which means discounts and complaints, and all sorts of trouble. I talked with him personally at 7:45 tonight and told him to come ASAP. Where is he? Argh.

Joy: Tomorrow is my day off, even if I get tons of calls from the hotel. I can still go back to sleep after the calls. Doing. Nothing. Tomorrow.

Jolt: After I got to work this morning, the right side of my tongue began swelling about half way back, and down my throat. It was swollen to the extent that I was having trouble swallowing. There was also a rash.

Joy: I went downstairs to the Subway, got a large cup of ice with soda--which I don't usually drink--and a straw. By sipping the ice cold soda down the right side of my tongue/mouth, I've been able to get the swelling to go down, and the rash has gone away.

Sounds like an allergic reaction, millhold!

Jolt: my foot has been painful for three weeks, so since it wasn't getting better with 'home treatment', I called the podiatrist's office and was worked in.

The bad news is I have plantar faciitus.

The good news is it is easily treated!

Joy: after the doctor bound up my foot, the pain went away, and he told me I could go ahead and walk as I do normally! Woo!!! :happy dance:

Jolt: Have had some kind of digestive system disorder for the last day or so. I think it's easing up some but I'm afraid to eat anything for fear of starting the internal roiling again. And I'm hungry!

#62, #64 Cheese, used books... *drool*

#66 Ouch! That's really painful. I've had that kind of pain a few times, although I never did get it checked and it eventually went away, but yes, it certainly could be plantar fasciitis, fuzzi. Take care and I hope it's nothing major. I think most of us tend to neglect feet, even though they may be some of the most important body parts what with them supporting all our weight and all...

#71 Oh, and now I read that. Yay for pain going away!

#72 One word: GINGER. Ginger ale, ginger tea (masala chai? heavy on the ginger), some fresh papaya with shaved fresh ginger and a few drops of lemon juice (papaya is also supposed to be good to the stomach lining).

Jolt: last night Kitty "regaled" me with a dead roach on top of MY BED :( At least it was on the bedspread and not the bedsheets, *sigh* Kitty looked so proud... HA!

Joy: I got through Monday ok :) That's a huge deal for me right now.

Drove home tonight in the creepy glow of a smoke filled sky at sunset. Fires all around our valley. Very typical July/August/Sept. occurrence here. Yucky nonetheless.

>73 Many thanks . . . I think I'm on the mend now, but during the worst of it, there was no way I would have left the house to shop for soothing items. I think I need to get some ginger tea for future possible distresses, though.

ejj, for nausea I always keep a can of Coke (Coca Cola) on hand. It soothes my upset stomach like nothing else!

The dx (diagnosis) is plantar faciitus, but the nice doctor attached some sort of pad, taped up the entire foot and gave me a 'night splint' to wear while sleeping.

Joy/Jocundity! The pain disappeared after he wrapped my foot!

#73: I would take that as a joy, in that kitty is KILLING the nasty things, and not just watching them run across the floor...

Joy! Took the great nephews and niece to the waterfront in Seattle yesterday. I wanted to ride the new Great Wheel, a glorified Ferris Wheel with enclosed booths. They are like little VW cabins. It was fun and we expected to go around 3 times; but, then there was an announcement that because their ticket selling soft ware was misbehaving.... we would be given extra trips around because there were no people waiting to get into our little car. Wheeeee

So, I think we got 6, maybe 7, tours around and certainly had great views of the city and Elliott Bay. Nice. Kids thought it was awesome!

Joy - the horned bladderwort is blooming in the bog!

pretty

I've read of "bladderwort" in books, but never before knew what it looked like. Lovely. Thanks.

Joy: Just signed up for the LT ReadaThing at the end of the month. It's nice to make a date to read with lots of other people. Plenty of time slots still open!

Joy? Background: Twelve days ago my mum reacted to something she had eaten, presumably. Doesn't sound too bad but this past Wednesday, she called me to tell she hadn't been able to go over to our place to water our plants (we're 960 kilometres north, in the cabin) because she still wasn't well. She also told me dad was ill too - he was in Italy, with my sister and her family.
I told her to go to the ER and barring that (I know her, knew she wouldn't do it) try to get some fluid replacement and not eat fried or fat or fibrous stuff. And perhaps get a protein drink.

She managed to get some of that, and seemed to at least not get worse. Then; dad's flight home got cancelled (broken radar in Münich) with next possibility the next day. Then he got stuck in Zürich, increasingly worse. Luckily he travelled with my sister's in-laws so at least he wasn't alone. But never did he tell anyone how ill he really was so we all thought he'd be able to care for mum once he got home. Ha!
Immdiately it was clear he was in an even worse condition but mum told me "we're too tired to go to the ER". Ha! again - I really wish I had been home so I could had forced them to go!
Luckily dad has some self-preservation instinct becaus the next morning (two days ago) he finally went to the hospital where they immediately admitted him and put him on a drip.

That was joy #1.

Joy #2 is that mum FINALLY went there too. She was there all day, and given a drip too, before being sent home with orders.
I have been so worried.

Dad's still in hospital but at least things are looking up.
And perhaps I can concentrate on being on vacation, for now.

How horrible, Pella. I do so hope things have turned around for you.

Hugs Busifer.

I am tired. My parents' 50th anniversary party is this weekend and it will be a blast if it doesn't kill us first. We've got 200 guests confirmed to come---not counting the random people I'm sure my dad invited. He know half the county and if runs into them at the store, they could be at the party. And I feel like a bad mom. Well, not really, but I know I hurt my kid's feelings. The short version (I'm too tired for long) is he has gotten reobsessed with his SWTOR game to the point of blowing off other responsibilities/ignoring me today. So I informed him he pulls this stunt again I will pull the plug regardless of where he is in the game. I also dumped the "you need to get your act together" speech all over him, in spades. He's basically a good kid and rather sensitive, and it's only become a problem within the last 48 hours, but you just hate it when they feel bad about themselves.

Oh well, better I bust his chops now than some professor or employer really busting them later. (And if plug pulling doesn't work, I have password rights to all his programs. I can just change the password and lock him out if he doesn't shape up.)

Oh, password rights! That is a great tool.

Those electronic wizards do like to grab our kids by their .... throats, don't they.

Oh, but on the joy side he got a 4 on the AP Comp Sci exam. That ranks him as "well qualified" in the subject and could count as Comp Sci 101 or such in college. So I"m proud of him.

Jolly: He learned a lesson in being over 6 feet. If you need to stretch, make sure you're not standing under the ceiling fan. He's got a bruise on his wrist now.

Jolly - one more day of work then a 5 day break for me :)

Jolt - I'm tired & grumpy & still got 4 hours of work left today :(

Busifer, glad your parents got the proper care! A big clue that they needed it was the "I'm too tired to get help."

(78) Pretty flowers, GORGEOUS picture!

Busifer, sorry to hear about your parents' problems, hope they are much better soon.

Rita, no one ever said raising children was easy...it's easier to let them get away with 'stuff' than sitting them down and reading them the riot act. Been there, done that.

Two more days of work for me. Oh, I need to add my jocundity and jolt...

Jolt: I am overworked, we're 1 1/2 people short, and one of my pseudo bosses (an administrator who really doesn't have much to do with me) decided to give me yet another ongoing task. That was the straw that broke the camel's back.

So, doing what I thought was the right thing (thinking outside the box, and all that), I found a coworker who agreed to take on one of my 'other duties as assigned', the one duty that keeps me from doing my primary duties.

Jocundity: I thought the administrator would be pleased, for me finding a solution to a problem and solving it.

Jolt: She was not. Apparently in order to pass this duty to someone else, I needed to get her approval, and then get the signature of the entire facility's director. That's what she said, but I don't believe it. Anyway...

Jocundity: The person who I gave the task to is going to do it anyway, and on the record we're "sharing" the task. That should keep everyone happy, including the administrator.

Why do they have to make it SO difficult to do our work??? :rolling eyes:

Now I'll get off the soapbox, thanks for listening... ;)

fuzzi, (((hugs))). Some people get so wrapped around the axle about stupid things. So long as it's all getting done...

Jocundity: Two copies of my August book arrived from my publisher, and it's bee-yoo-ti-ful! The designer did a wonderful job, and I'm delighted with all the little whimsical touches she included.

Thanks, Marissa!

Jocundity: After a month and a half of jolts, aka, job interviews and calls and letters and nerves and all that... I got me a new job! Woohoo! And for once I did it all on my own (I didn't know anyone who knew someone who owed someone a favour).
The job where I currently work told me they are not giving me a new contract at the end of this year because of cut backs, and it felt so good to know that I didn't have to care about that, because I already had two offers waiting for me :D
I'm pretty proud of myself, even though it scares me to death (the new job, moving, new industry)...

Congrats divinenanny. That's a lot in the current economic situation.

Jocundity?: Listening to NPR yesterday while getting ready for work. Heard part of a possibly-bizarre news story - a blood-sucking parasite just discovered in Jamaica has been named after Bob Marley!?!?!? Did I hear it right? With so many appropriate candidates for such an honor? (I love Bob Marley.)

Congrats, Divinenanny!

Fuzzi: people... *sigh*

Great news, divinenanny! Way to go! :)

(94) Busifer: 'Bureaucrats'... *sigh*

Betty30554-

Yes, you heard right; I heard the same story and yes, I can think of far more suitable people for names for blood sucking parasites (think politicians)

#96 - Yeah... we have s special word for people who just NEED to follow (or invent) crazy rules - "paragrafryttare".

>Marissa_Doyle --Is this a new book of yours? Congrats!

Jolt: the last two nights we've had big thunderstorms between 2 and 4 AM and after two nights of interrupted sleep I'm very dozy at work today. Last night's storm also featured hail and I'm hearing reports of gardens in some areas pounded flat :(

Joy - the storm-related hail in my area was light enough that the damage to my garden is minimal.

(98) I once heard that there are two basic types of people, ticks and dogs.

Dogs work for a living, but ticks are parasites, living off the work of the dog.

So, are you a tick, or a dog?

(I'm a dog) :)

I'm a cat. :-)

I'm a Tick Terminator ;)
Joking aside I take my job seriously and some people think I'm a PITA. But in my case the casualties that result from the laziness of those peeps are the everyday users of web sites and computer based work tools. So I think I'm justified.

Jocundity: I am on a 4500-mile westward journey with my son and his friend, visiting national parks: currently at Teton, left Glacier a few days ago.

Jolt: I can't take the altitude. I think I'm going to have to bail at SLC tomorrow and fly home 6 days early. I've spent all day today (while they were hiking above 10,000 feet) nursing what I judge to be an adrenaline hangover from a white-knuckle ride through Teton Pass yesterday. They were cool, but I suffered through every mile of steep grades, some ranging 6% - 10%, on mountainside roads miles above anything, where I'd have felt dizzy even standing still. I'm a sea-level gal, I guess, and I don't think I can take any more of this.

It's been a trip of magnificent views and a real sense of place, both country and space, in regions I've never seen before. But I am far from being a fit, healthy 28-year-old, and I think I've reached my limit.

Meredy, it's okay, none of us is 'supergirl'. If you can't do it, don't.

Jolt: boss told me that *I* have to take back the task I'd farmed out. Oh well...

Big Jolt: my uncle was admitted into hospice today. I'm having a hard time with it.

>104 Meredy, you probably know this, but make sure you are well hydrated up there. It can help.

>106 {{{{fuzzi}}}}, sorry about your uncle.

Jolt: Have been reading the Freeh report about the Sandusky case at Penn State, which I have always been proud to call my alma mater. I'm about halfway through it but am having trouble justifying my urge to defend Joe Paterno. Whatever else can be said, sadly, it seems not to have occurred to anyone that the first thing to do was protect innocent children and aid the victims.

(((((fuzzi)))))

ejj1955- I am sorry you are having to deal with this. I do understand having many conflicting emotions about the whole deal. It is true that our children should always come first, but it is also true that people do make grave errors in judgment and that does not mean they are evil people. Your coach did not make the best choices, but he did have some good influence on many people. It is hard and you have my sympathy in having to feel your way through it.

Marissa, thank you for the hugs. I'm better today.

He is still in denial, that he can't possibly be dying, etc.

Oh, I'm sorry, fuzzi. It's so hard when you know you have to look final things in the face at last, and the hospice forces you to do that if you're aware. I have heard some wonderful things about hospice work, though, and wish him and you and your family a gentle time of it.

The road out of Jackson toward SLC looked a lot better, and I started to feel better too, and my son said there are no more Teton Passes to come. So, yes, the altitude was part of it, I think, and man, can that do a job on you. It was like the worst hangover or seasickness ever. I couldn't walk around, could hardly even sit up all day long, and couldn't eat until about 7 p.m. But I did drink water all day.

Anyway, I decided to stay with it, and I'm glad I did. The Arches National Park in Moab, Utah, is amazing, and tomorrow we go on to Zion. My son says there won't be very many more edges.

I'm glad you will be seeing more of the truly beautiful places.

Zion National Park is hands down one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Easily in the top ten. I hope you enjoy it as much.

Vacation Bible School is done for the year; now on to the killer fundraising festival that always wipes everyone out. Would that it will go as well as VBS did.

Yep, Zion is an amazing place. You'll love it.

Meredy, I'm glad you've stuck it out. To visit all the parks would be a vacation on my bucket list. :)

Jolly: My DH and I did a cancer fundraising bike ride today. We rode 25 miles. We were able to shave 45 minutes off of our time from last year!! And there were 400 more riders this year!

Joy: FINALLY finished my FAFSA, so I may get to start school on Aug. 22! *crossing fingers* We also got our new insurance card in the mail, so I can start making much needed appointments!

Jolt: My mom has back surgery in a few days, so my days will be filled helping her out. I'm glad she's getting it done though, since she's had trouble walking for the past 6 years. She's stressing over it, which I expected, but it's getting me stressed out, too. :/

Oracle, I hope and pray your mother has a successful surgery, and that you both will be relatively stress-free!

Yeah- Good lock, Oracle!

Hugs and hoorays to everyone!! I am too tired to reply to all the news.

50th anniversary party was a success. About 150 people showed (about 50 fewer than my math major sister's estimate). We spent Friday making 220 cupcakes. My niece did most of the decorating, because she's still young and energetic enough to decorate 200 cupcakes. My cousin came in to help too, which was a Godsend. The cupcakes took about 8 hours, and that was with the church letting us use the mega ovens, so we could bake 4 dozen at once. Then back to the church to set up tables and the sound system. Saturday morning was getting the cake for them to cut, putting out tablecloths and all the decorations, and giving much thanks and praise to the United Methodist Women who made all the fruit/veggie/cheese trays and all the beverages. Then the party, which my parents loved, and then we got to clean up everything.

My legs are still sore. I guess rheumatoid arthritis has ended my days of marathon baking. The jab at my sister the math major was we ended up with a ton of leftover cake mix because she misread the boxes as saying "makes 12" instead of "makes 24."

And not only do the UMW make the most amazing reception food you will ever see or taste, they informed us we did not have to pay them their work fee or the church rental fee. They did it as their gift to my parents. So we ended up only having to pay for food ingredients and decorations.

But a good weekend, and we got to see lots of family we haven't seen in forever.

Now I have to drag my sore knees to the store to restock OUR pantry.

Whew, what a job, but I'm glad it went well!

Go put your feet UP and read a book. :)

Moving. The Redhead and I found a house to rent, just around the corner from the disaster we are now renting. We found it Thursday, sealed the deal on Friday, and now are half moved in.

***back pains***

#121 The only thing worse than massive party prep is moving house. At least it will be nicer once you're done. (Would you care to trade back pain for knee and ankle pain--so we'd have some variety?)

(121) Back pain? The perfect solution is a lengthy back massage, preferably by a red-headed massage therapist. :)

Rita: I hate moving. Nuff said.

I already have the knee pain, so the back pain makes it a matching set.

I love moving; not the work, obviously! but I love settling into a new place, choosing where to keep the books, where the kitchen stuff is put, all that and more. I love making it mine!

We will be glad to be in the new place, but like you said, the getting there is the hard part! In this case the journey is NOT the destination!

127>

For your knees & back, have you tried anything along the lines of hatha yoga AND nutrition? I have found both to be quite helpful, although neither is an overnight cure.

I have thought about that. I am getting really creaky, and am willing to try anything that might help.

Google 'anti inflammatory diet' if you have joint pain.

I discovered a few years ago that diet played a big part in my joint pain. I stopped eating 'nightshade' vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and potatoes), and anything that contained HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) and other artificial ingredients. I found a huge difference, which became apparent whenever I fell off my diet, because I would start hurting worse again!

FYI: Berries and pineapple and yellow vegetables are GOOD for you. :)

(It's WAY past my bedtime as I gotta get up early for work)

but use the spice TUMERIC liberally- Get it at either a health food store or a Chinese herb store. The foods that Fuzzi mentioned are OK (very light, if at all, for potatos) IF DONE IN MODERATION; Much depends on your overall constitution and regardless of what you read or are told, you'll have to experiment. Listen to what your body is telling you.

(now...goodnight!)

My experience with both Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoarthritis is that diet must be individualized. My body has never responded with pain to the "deadly nightshade" foods but I believe there is a connection as I came down with the RA after I quit smoking. Nicotine is one of those deadly nightshade plants. And I have seen some British research has linked nicotine and RA. Fascinating stuff.

In any case, if joints are painful it is a good idea to try a really good, careful diet for a couple of weeks and see if any improvement arrives. Cut back on things like sugars, artificial ingredients, and too much fat.

I am thinking of trying this currently popular Paleo Diet...

eat like a cave man, I guess !

I'm wondering if there isn't a connection with some joint pains and hormones as well. Seems like my pain is on a cycle which coincides with the other one, if you know what I mean.

I am beyond wondering about that connection, but you may be right. I also think there are theories about hormones and weight gains, too. Hormones are mighty powerful!

I have, unaccountably, lost about 8 pounds this month. I haven't been trying, except that I have changed my eating habits, trying to remember to take half the food I think I want, eating meat and vegetables and very little grains. I want to close my eyes tight so that I don't find them again, because I feel very much better this month than I have in a long time.

Way to go, MrsLee!

I've had some success with the 'eat one half' type of regimen, but lately I've been struggling with it. Stress makes me want to eat, and it's been extremely stressful at work, lately.

#136 I know the feeling - I did really well with calorie/fat/carb counting before xmas and lost a good chunk of weight, but lately I feel like I'm putting it back on. Stupid stress :( I'd wish I was one of those people who couldn't eat when stressed, but having lived with my Mum that's not a great route either.

Still, well done Mrs Lee - I'll try not to be jealous :)

#134 My first rheumatologist, ages ago, said that RA is definitely linked to the female reproductive cycle, and that learning more about that should lead to improvements in RA treatment. RA occurs most often in women of child-bearing age. I also had another doctor say there was a chance that when I reach menopause, I could go into permanent remission. This apparently occurs in a minor percentage of female RA patients.

Way to go MrsLee!!

I'm just back from 40+ hours of flights and airports (4 time zones between +1GMT and +9GMT and about 3 hours of sleep), but I am indeed home from Spain, where I had a delightful time with OH's family and achieved many of my goals:
- old stuff (basically everything in Toledo)
- at least one castle (the Alcazar in Segovia)
- at least one gothic cathedral (again, Segovia)
- swimming in the Mediterranean (at Elche, near Alicante)
- seeing a squirrel (in Albacete - I almost died of cute!)

Now I'm trying to avoid the temptation to sleep through the afternoon, despite the bed calling me seductively with its delicious comfort.

Joy - Taj & Tilly, 'nuff said :)

Jolt - The lady that runs the no-kill cat shelter I volunteer at has suspected breast cancer :( She went back in for a 2nd set of biopsies yesterday & will get the results next week (first set of biopsies had inconclusive results). Any positive thoughts sent her way would be appreciated!

Welcome back! Sounds like a wonderful trip. Pictures?

140- Thinking positive!

Holding my thumbs for Seanie's cat-shelter friend.

>139: Sounds like a wonderful trip!

>139 Oh, lovely! Apart from the squirrels, which are irritating vermin that chew on my house.

>140 Thinking hopeful thoughts for your friend.

(139) Choreocat wrote Now I'm trying to avoid the temptation to sleep through the afternoon, despite the bed calling me seductively with its delicious comfort.

I like how you described your bed...

Seanie, I'll pray for her, that's my way of having 'positive thoughts'/'holding thumbs'. :)

(((((for all who need them)))))

#139 Choreocat ~~ I too loved the description of your bed.

Hugs are good. :)

I don't recall if I mentioned this before, but I have been 'volunteered' to coordinate yet another conference. Sigh. I can't get my work done as it is, but by dropping it and other sundry jobs (unrelated to my job description) on my desk, they can justify not needing to replace my coworker.

144, 145 - It's exactly how it felt. Getting into bed last night, after being unable to lie down for so long, and having been in strange beds for a couple of weeks, was an experience that can only be described well as 'delicious'.

Vacation starts tomorrow after work. Although my library is about 99.5...% uploaded (the rest is not worth it), I lost a lot of it on my machine due to a virus and I will be in the long delayed process of both restoring that and re-uploading some book images that were overexposed.

Thanks for the positive thought for Kerri!

Today's Jolt - stupid dermatitis flare up again. Well I'm not even sure its dermatitis any more, the dermatologist said its a 4 month course of AB's to get the full anti inflammatory properties from the AB's & its only been 3 of the 4 months so I guess I'm jumping the gun a bit saying its not working or the diagnosis is wrong - but it feels like an allergic reaction & it did clear up for about a month & then has come back quite badly which seems more like an allergy than dermatitis to my mind... Anyway, last night I must have attacked my face in my sleep because when I woke up this morning my left eyelids were so swollen that I could only just see out of that eye :( The swelling has gone down & I'm just puffy eyed rather than swollen now, but the skin is so red & raw & stingy - & itchy!!!!

To add insult I've got eczema / heat rash on the inside of my elbows & behind my knees so I'm feeling like I'm itching & stinging all over!!!

I know there are so much worse things than bad skin (Kerri's a good example) but its so hard to feel OK about myself when my face is red & blotchy & sore & I'm fighting myself not to scratch :(

*sigh*

hey Seanie...eczema is an autoimmune disease and both me and my bro have suffered from it in the past. For us, legumes and some other foods are causes. Maybe do a nutritional reset to identify which are yours. This is a good one - http://whole9life.com/category/whole-30/ - basically you eat only whole foods for 30 days and then add one food at a time back in (dairy, legumes etc) until your eczema flares up - then you know your culprit.

I hope you are able to pinpoint the triggers! Having itchy skin is hard to tolerate. My Niece's kids have some skin issues which for them are triggered by being wet for a long time, like after running through the sprinkler and playing in kiddy pools, and then not changing into dry clothes. Or not drying off well after a bath or shower. Some hypoallergenic creams work well on their skin to treat the itchy patches.

Oh, Seanie, I hope you find some comfort soon!

Speaking of itching.... I went on a beautiful hike yesterday and saw some gorgeous lakes! The bummer is, it was a mosquito nightmare! I have counted over 20 mosquito bites so far! 10 of them on one shoulder. Ugh. Imagine if I hadn't used a repellant. :)

Seanie, it sounds like allergies, but I'm not a doctor, just an allergic person.

Maggie, that can be caused by a fungus that is easily contracted in fresh water ponds/lakes.

Jolt: I am feeling low this evening: my aunt got a call from hospice that my uncle was not doing well. She and the rest of the family went to be with him in what will probably be his last evening alive.

So I'm just losing myself in reading, mostly, don't feel much like chatting.

I'm sorry, fuzzi.

{{hugs}} for fuzzi...

I'm still jetlagged and have a lot of things to do. I really don't want to do them. I want to go back on holiday. :( Is this normal? Perhaps I shouldn't go on holiday if it makes me feel like this when I get back.

(((fuzzi))

I get the "leave me alone, I'm reading" moments so much! Story of my life, often.

Take good care of yourself.

#156 Yes. A wise soul on a different forum once commented that the saddest sight he knew was the entrance gate of the Kruger Park ... in the rearview mirror, as he left. And in the last week or so both daughter and I have been thinking how good it would be to return to your country and see it in more detail (the conference we went to was in Oz exactly a year ago.) A propos of which, big thank-yous all over again to Seanie for a great guided tour of Melbourne's bookshops!

Hooray for insomnia. Not!

158 - If you're willing to visit the North this time, I can tempt you with a palmetum only a short walk from my house, and tropical plants all over the place. I'm told there's a pretty good mix of native and introduced plants here.

found another elusive beauty yesterday - definitely a good thing!



It's cardinal flower.

Holding my thumbs for you, Seanie. Itchy swollen skin is terrible :(

Mostly good: back home.
The three weeks in the cabin just flew by, despite lots of rain, cold weather, and an abundance of mosquitoes - we're already making plans for our stay next summer :)

I have a huge stack of unreads, here and elsewhere, and I don't think I'll manage to read just every post everywhere. Oh well.

And a big joy is to come, as son perceives it - next stop Legoland. We leave on Tuesday for Copenhagen where we do a short stop before proceeding to Vejle, which is as close as you can come to Legoland by train. Back home next Friday, which will mean even more in the way of backlog ;-)

#159 Wish! But the bank account forbids doing more than dream about it. But if I had my druthers, northern Qld would be the centre around which all else would be planned :) (For one thing, you have one of the main world centres of diversity of mangroves, with some 30--40 species, compared with just 7 on the east coast of Africa and 3 in the Atlantic basin.)

#162 - I thought about you as I visited the botanic/alpine garden in Jokkmokk. No mangroves, but lots of different kinds of spruces and birches, not to mention an extensive selection of plants typical of the region.

Some of the birches that hey have used to be very common but are nowadays rarely seen.

No good pictures to show, though, because the light didn't collaborate.

Many thanks. It would be great to see the conifers and birches, too :)

Hugs to fuzzi and Seanie.

Joy: I'm off to Lille tomorrow for four days, going with a friend from my uni days. We met 20 years ago and have been friends ever since, so a trip to France seemed like a good way to celebrate that!

Jolt: 20 years ago . . . that means I'm getting old :-(

Thanks for the well wishes guys!

My face seems to have settled a fair bit. I'm only blotchy pink now instead of blotchy red, the itch & sting are only mild rather than making me want to rip my skin off & I'm not swollen any more...

Jocundity: Tomorrow I'm off to the RWA National Conference in Anaheim, where I'll have my annual visit with my dear friend and co-blogger who lives across the country from me--we call it our "yearly sleepover party". :) And I have four more Mary Russell books loaded on my Nook that I've been saving for the plane flight--woot!

Jolt: We're giving a workshop, and I'm kinda nervous...

>166

Seanie-

from your description, it sounds as if the other posters were right about it being an allergic reaction to something. Anyhow, I'm glad that you are getting better.

Thank you to all those who have offered kindness and support. My uncle is holding on to life.

Seanie, I'm glad you are feeling some better. Over the weekend I did a dumb thing: I mowed part of the front yard, and all the pollen and molds that were stirred up knocked me for a loop! I sneezed repeatedly and explosively, until my face became swollen all around the eyes. My nose ran, and even taking antihistamines only helped a little.

Hope you're better now, Fuzzy!

Those of you who know me on facebook already know this, but as a result of the US Great Plains drought, we are having serious wildfire problems. In my part of the state this usually means grass fires, but just north of where I live there is a wild river canyon area with a bad fire that started Thursday (lightning). The terrain is rugged and the deep canyons are choked with brush. The fire seems to rage on and on, and any prayers, good vibes, or rainy thoughts you might send our way would be welcome.

We had a fire this afternoon south of town, set by a baler and burning grassland and bales. We had trucks coming from everywhere jumping on it, and they managed to nip it in the bud - Thank God. The bales are still smouldering, but the grassfire is out and not spreading. Gonna be a long night for our local volunteers.

Will keep the situation in prayer, MM.

Thanks, chg1, I am. When my allergies hit, they usually feel some better in a day or so, but I have to avoid known allergins longer...no chocolate until the weekend. :(

Seanie, glad you are feeling better.

Fuzzi, I hope you're feeling better and hugs for everything else.

MerryMary, I'll be praying and thinking of you and your area. I hope they are able to contain the fires soon.

171: As my son and I passed through Minnesota, South Dakota, and Montana a week or two ago, we saw many smoky horizons, the beautiful views turned a thick mustard brown by blazes in the area and by winds spreading the smoke well beyond the sources. My heart goes out to everyone in areas affected by those terrible fires.

MerryMary -- rainy prayers for your area.

(((((Fuzzi)))))

Jocundity ~~ Just got back from a six month check-up: I've lost 23 pounds in the past six months. Lots more to go.

>175..congratulations on the weight loss..that's great..

Just got back from an afternoon at the spa; facial, massage, mani, pedi. Christmas gift from my husband that I just got around to redeeming. Want more...

175 millhold - Did your doctor check for health problems that the weight loss could be a symptom of? That is a lot of weight to come off in such a short time, it could be cause for concern.

178 ~~ No, I've been trying to drop weight, and it only comes out to about 4 pounds per month. I know the last couple of months I've dropped more than I had previoiusly, but it's just been too hot to eat. I always lose weight in the summer.

Well done Millhold!

It's too hot to eat here too... ooof.

Joy - my sis in law got engaged yesterday, which is lovely. Plus he proposed during a raft race and swam out to it to ask her - so massive applause to him for delivery :)

JOLT -- my last part-time staff person (we promoted the other one) TEXTED me her resignation this morning 15 minutes before she was supposed to be here! Very rude.

We are so short staffed right now, due to vacations, illnesses, and so on.

I hope her cell phone's text function dies a horrible death!

(181) millhold, sorry to hear about your work situation.

Doing something that rude will probably bite your ex-employee in the butt, as she will not get a good reference, right?

Last jolt on this topic: my uncle passed away yesterday.

182: Dear fuzzi, I'm sorry for your loss. I hope your family takes a measure of comfort in gathering in his memory. Shared grieving really can bring new closeness and mend breaches.

(((((fuzzi))))) Holding you in my heart.

And I've already told HR that if anyone calls to say she is not eligible for re-hire.

Dear Fuzzi, I am holding you and your family in my heart during these difficult days of grief. May you LT friends surround you with love and warmth so you can provide the same to your family.

Thank you all, so very much.

*hug* for fuzzi

Well, tomorrow I start calling applicants to schedule interviews. My first time hiring. Here they will be all nervous in the interview, not knowing I am terrified too!

Emergency dentist appointment for a tooth removal for MrMorphy. :(

Hugs to fuzzi and your family. I hope you are all able to share good memories of your uncle and to comfort each other.

Good luck MrsLee!

Jocundity: I had a lovely 4 days in Lille with my friend, enjoying the sunshine, museums and delicious French/Flemish food.

Jolt: While running for the tram last night, I felt a pop in my calf and intense pain; I seem to have sprained or strained something. I've hobbled into work today, but will certainly not be able to manage the 15mile walk I had planned for tomorrow :-/

Had drinks at the end of work today and felt less like an automaton after a long week, being able to have a conversation not revolving around teaching. I really must find something non-work-related to do so that I don't end up being one of those people who can only talk about work.

Do they have any of the recon dancing like you did before?

I don't know if this will be Wonderful or Disaster, but I am starting a three day garage/yard sale marathon today (the entire community is doing this). Weather is expected to be cooler, but no rain. I want to sell my old beat up, stained, but usable leather sofa, easy chair, and foot stool. Please! Maybe I'll be rich by Sunday?? 8-D

Fuzzi, so sorry for your loss. Hugs to you and your family.

Last night one of my cats got hit by a car. My DH found him in the neighbor's yard panting and crying. He's not street smart (the cat, not DH) since we only let him out in the backyard. Yesterday he escaped. We spent three hours at the emergency vet's. The good news is, nothing major was found. He has a bruised lung and bruised liver and some scrapes. He's moving rather slowly this morning, but he did eat some breakfast. He's resting by the sliding glass door. Like I'm ever letting him outside again. :) Later I get to figure out how to give him his pain meds all by myself.

Oh, so sorry, fuzzi - hugs! and for MrMorphy's tooth, although if it was very painful before it was extracted I hope he's feeling more chipper now. And catzteach, I'm glad your kitty wasn't hurt worse!

I don't have any major highs or lows right now (not a complaint!). Just general good stuff: it's Friday, my tomatoes are starting to ripen, the peas are producing well, one of my artichokes is putting up a bud. Okay, one minor jolt - mice are eating my peas at the community garden. They chew open the pods and eat the peas out of them. That garden needs a resident cat! Or an owl or hawk.

#194 - Or, much as I loath to admit/say it, a snake.

195> snakes are fairly rare here. I think we might have garter snakes but have never seen one. My mum lives on the west coast and loves her garter snakes because they eat slugs. She'd love anything that ate slugs, LOL. Down south, in the dryer areas of the province, there are rattlers and hog-nosed snakes - they'd be good against mice. Not sure garters are big enough. Don't want to live with rattlers, anyway. Hog-nosed aren't very poisonous so not so upset about those. It was a hog-nose that we saw on our walk in Dinosaur Provincial Park.

Hog-Nosed are not even SLIGHTLY poisonous. Garter snakes are mistakedly called garden snakes sometimes as they are common there. I don't remember much about hog-nosed snakes as I studied reptiles when I was a kid and had several.
Rattlers, or any snake, are probably more scared of you than you of them and it is usually only the very foolish, or naieve ,
that gets struck.

Thank you, Saker.

Sorry to hear about your leg. You might want to get that checked out: you could have torn a ligament or tendon...the 'pop' doesn't sound like something minor:

Sports that involve repetitive motions or place excessive stress on your leg muscles, such as basketball or jogging, can increase your risk of injuring the tendons, muscles and ligaments throughout your legs. Burning pain, accompanied by a popping sound, can indicate a serious injury that requires expert medical care to heal properly.

Ruptured Achilles Tendon
Your Achilles tendon connects the calf muscles along the back of your leg to your heel bone. Running, jumping and intensive exercise can strain this tendon and cause swelling and tenderness. If you fail to treat the injury appropriately, the Achilles tendon can rupture. Signs of a ruptured Achilles tendon include sudden, severe pain and an inability to bear weight on your foot or to bend it downward

Leg Sprain
A sprain occurs when you stretch or tear the ligaments that connect the bones in your legs. These ligaments support your joints and enable you to walk and run. A tear can occur when you knock a joint out of position and rupture the surrounding ligaments. A severe sprain, in which the ligaments completely separate from the bone, causes severe, excruciating pain. You will be unable to use your leg or bear weight on it. Moderate strains involving a partial tear can cause milder pain and swelling, as well as some joint instability.

Treatment
Seek immediate medical attention if you suspect you ruptured your Achilles tendon. In cases of leg sprain, go to the emergency room if you can't move the affect joint or if you can't walk more than four steps without severe pain. Otherwise, make an appointment to see your doctor so he can assess your degree of injury. If you have a moderate sprain, you might need to wear a brace of splint while the injury heals. Ruptured tendons or muscles, or completely torn ligaments, might require surgical repair.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/431092-exercise-injury-with-a-burning-pain-in-...

(188) Hope Mr. Morphy is feeling better. I hate the dentist...rather, going to the dentist!

(192) I'd be there, if I could. I love yard sales...

(193) So sorry to hear about your kitty, but am glad that he's not badly hurt. Wrap him up in a large towel when you try to give medicine...he might not feel much like fighting you, anyway!

And snakes are welcome here, as long as they aren't poisonous...we had a copperhead baby outside the door a couple of years ago. I herded it into a large plastic jar using a stick as a prod, then gave it to someone at the wildlife place. They identified it as a poisonous snake, and were going to release it deep in the woods...snakes are beneficial and eat lots of rats and mice. As long as they aren't by my steps, I'm okay with them being here.

Addendum: I'm going to the 'viewing' (aka 'Wake') and funeral on Monday and Tuesday. My middle sister is flying from Illinois to be there, so we'll get to see each other some. :)

#193--I hope your kittie recovers quickly. Having to dispense meds of all sorts over the years to all types of personalities I know just how daunting it can be. While each situation is different I wouldn't recommend holding the cat to give meds because of the injuries he's sustained--only as a last recourse. If the meds are pill form and if he's agreeable to treats, pickup some Greenies Pill Pockets for cats. The trick is to give them one or two without meds so that they aren't suspecting of them and then later add the pill, followed by a couple more without. The randomness usually helps. Depending on the meds involved, you can get most antibiotics and some pain meds in liquid form which is sometimes easier. If they can be given sub-Q (under the skin) perhaps the vet could provide you with pre-filled syringes--that's really the absolute simplest of them all. Also, unless distance is a factor, don't hesitate to ask the vet staff for assistance, most will be glad to administer the pills for you if you ask:). Keep us posted on his progress!

I love Greenies Pill Pockets. My elderly dog gets his daily pain meds via 1/2 a pill pocket, other dog gets the other half without pill. They both love their after dinner treat!

191 - Unfortunately not. The closest is a type of dancing that I don't like as much, and is primarily people twice my age.

My cat is doing better. We decided not to give him his meds this morning. They made him really loopy and he could barely walk with them in. He was walking ok last night before we gave them to him. So he's up on one of his perches, sleeping. He did try to get on a different one and couldn't make the jump. :( We will take him to the vet in a bit and see if we can get some pain meds that won't make him loopy.

Glad to hear your kitty is improving!

Catzteach - good to hear good kittie news :)

Fuzzi - belated condolences. Some things never gets any easier...

Jolt: In one more day summer vacation will be over. I love what I do at work but I'm in need of a change. Until now work has been able to provide changes and challenges on a regular schedule but I feel a need for a bigger change, perhaps.

I'll see what fall brings.

ETA: a change in employer would not be enough, if at all possible I need a change in trade.

Big hugs to those who need them, I'm reading this thread all at once, as I was totally out of contact for 2 weeks.

Had a fabulous time on a wilderness paddling trip. We had great weather - mostly hot and only rained once - saw tons of animal tracks at every stop, and several bear, elk, stone sheep and mountain goats in the flesh, plus a few bison and a porcupine on the way back.

Good to be home and to see my cats and dog again, though.

Edited to add - we are just having a thunderstorm, which ordinarily I love, but things are very dry around here and I smell smoke...

Update - we actually got a fairly good rain, bright and clear today, no sign of smoke.

>203 Glad to hear good news about your kittie.

fuzzi: Thanks for the advice. I know it wasn't my Achilles tendon that was hurt, thank goodness. And I could just about put enough weight on the leg to get myself home. It has been getting easier to walk each day, although it will be a while until I'm back hiking again. And I certainly shan't be running for a tram for some time!

2 a.m., snoozing peacefully, when outside my bedroom window it seemed someone set off a big string of BLACKCAT firecrackers. I thought they would never stop popping and flashing. They finally did, for a few minutes, then more went off again. Shortly after they stopped for the second time, all the power in the neighborhood went out. It wasn't firecrackers at all, but a transformer that's located just at the back of my property had blown!

From 2:00 a.m., no electricity until around 8:00 a.m. when they finally got it fixed. It was so hot in my house, I couldn't sleep; additionally, when the repair crew got out there to fix the transformer (3:00 a.m.), with all their power tools, they woke up the canine chorus, and I think I might have learned some curse words I didn't previously know. At least not in those combinations.

At any rate, it's fixed now, and I was only a little over an hour late to work.

Was away all week...hugs to you, fuzzi, and for everyone else suffering jolts. ((()))

July Joy at my house: bought myself a new Macbook Air, and cancelled the cable TV. I figure I can put the money saved from not having cable to paying off the credit card which "financed" the Macbook. I can get Weather news on line. I can get local news, national news, and international news on line. I can get entertainment from books! I am so cool!

Hey Maggie, sounds good. Congratulations on de-tethering yourself from cable (you are no longer held hostage... to them at least!)

Thanks. The hard part will be, no doubt, explaining to the kids when they come to visit why they cannot watch cartoons on my TV any more..... awhhhhh'

Joy - My sister made it to the top of Mt Kilimanjaro!!!

Glad kitty is OK catzteach!

212 - A couple of judiciously chosen DVDs will quiet that pretty quickly, and I'm sure the children's guardians can send them along with DVDs if they're that insecure without it. In the mean time, it can't be that long before they'll find other things to do.

yes, Chorecrat, and that may indeed be a GOOD THING! It also means I can be a little more attentive and come up with some good projects. I know how to do that, I think.

This morning, I had the habitual impulse to turn on the news while I was on the computer and remembered: I do not need to listen to that noise!

woo hoo

yesterday it got a bit chilly. I am not ready for summer to be almost over. But today I bought two musk ox wool bracelets which works nicely as wristwarmers also, so I am not cold in the chill

#213 Three Cheers for Seanie's sister! Climbing Kili is a MAJOR achievement. Quite often the super-fit in the party get taken out a few metres from the top by altitude sickness, which strikes unpredictably. So I hope your family is enjoying a spot of eminently justified pride!

Back from my uncle's funeral. I enjoyed seeing relatives I've not seen in 30-40 years! It's too bad it took a loss in order to get us together.

The service was nice: he'd been in the Navy, so he was given a 15 gun salute, and my aunt was given an American flag, folded into a triangular package. I did get teary when they had someone play 'Taps' on a bugle.

#217 - Thanx Hugh :) She did require some pushing from the guides apparently & was begging for more breaks at times, but she made it :)

Amazing, Seanie!

fuzzi, I'm glad your uncle got a fitting send off and that you were able to reconnect with family. It sounds as though it was a very special day.

Jolt: I got my first conference rejection today. It hit me more than it should. It happens to all academics, but I had to struggle not to take it too much to heart - my first instinct is always to blame myself too much and flee. Obviously I shouldn't quite and never do research again, but that's what my stupid-brain wants to do. Instead I'm trying to listen to my good-brain.

Jocundity: At least I have someone to tell me it's all fine and that I'm still their no. 1.

#222 - What is a conference rejection? You are still the tops in our books, too!

#222 - Was that for a paper, ie it was your paper they rejected?
Like Lee says, you're still the tops anyway!

When I am tempted to quit, I think of how many times a toddler picks himself up to try again while learning to walk. If there's no stumbling, there is no learning; and, we do all love to learn don't we?

Good luck with working your way through this little set back. We know you can do it!

223, 224 - Yes, that means I wrote a paper for the conference and it wasn't accepted (which means I can't go, and have to tell a couple of people who are expecting me there why I'm not going). Like I said, it's not exactly rational, but I do like to wallow.

226: No one can attend who isn't a presenter? Really? Is that usual?

Meredy ~~ if things work there the way do here, you can still attend the conference, but you have to pay for everything yourself, instead of them paying to have you come present your paper.

Just to clarify - Most conferences in my area are for the presenters. Otherwise you end up with people coming just because, and presenters don't get their registration. No one will *ever* pay me to come and present at a conference. My research is no way interesting enough for that. Only the biggest names are paid to come and present, and I'm just small fry.