hello Tuesday

[grammynmaggie]

Good morning everyone... It is going to be warm here low eighties for the next three days... that will cool down again... not much going on except my lower stress & my peace was short lived.. they say you can't change spots on a leopard and you can't change old men my dad has reverted back to his old ways and my stress is back.. almost to the point where I don't care anymore... a week and a half and I get to go camping again that's about all I can think about right now... the paint is peeling off the hood on my rig I guess I will try and send it off today and put a little spray paint on it... coming off in big chunks what a lemon... have a good one & B safe...donna

[Colliemom]

Good Morning Donna and those who follow,

Well, after yesterday's good new about your dad, sorry to hear that he s not going to take care of himself. Being a caregiver is hard. But on the flip side, so glad to hear you may have a buyer for your house. Keeping toes, fingers crossed for you.

One bit of good news too this morning is that Punxsutawney Phil says we are going to have an early spring this year. Those of us who are in or under Winter weather warnings, blizzard warnings etc. I'm sure will look forward to that We are going to miss the brunt of this big storm Kayla here. But not by much and I have never known mom nature to pay attention to county lines. Winter Weather Advisory in effect for my county here but next county up is under a Winter Storm Warning. 3-6 inches of snow is no big deal here and sounds like it will be rain overnight too.

Another bit of good news for me is that I was able to snag the campsite that I wanted for the first week of August when the reservation system window opened yesterday morning. I will be camping at McLain State Park near Hancock in Michigan's Uppe Peninsula from August 1-5, leaving on the 5th. If anybody cares to join me, there are more than welcome, but be advised hat park is very popular and hard to get into, so make reservations ASAP. I have yet to determine which parks I will stay at on the way to and from home as it's too far to drive in one day from here. Well, one can do it, but on two lanes, you don't make time and it's the journey not the destination that's the best part they say. At the moment it will be either Indian Lake State Park near Manistique or Van Riper State Park near Champion, both in the U.P.

Miss Piper is adjusting well to her new home. So well in fact, that the puppy mischief is starting. Nothing destructives, but just getting into things. Yesterday she unrolled a roll of toilet paper and shredded it in my bedroom, and then dragged my boots out and left them laying on the floor in breezeway, living room and bedroom while I was gone to town. this morning she is investigating my book case I'm glad to see her doing that as it tells me she is comfortable with her surroundings and is adjusting to Molly and I. I need to be a little careful in disciplining her right now due to her being a timid pup, don't want to come down too hard and make her afraid of me. So firm but gentle is the word. We all took a walk yesterday afternoon and she did fine. Bit nervous as new places and of course Molly and I can walk that road everyday and maybe a car might come by or we may not see one for a few days. Yesterday 6 pickup trucks came by, figures. Kind of scared Miss PIper for a bit but she's getting used to it. She fell asleep in my lap for a while this morning, so I'm working on bonding.

Right now, want to run to town to insurance company and see what's up with truck insurance. Sent an electronic payment earlier last month to pay it for next 6 months and then yesterday, get two refund checks for overpayment and also a bill for the same amount of the checks. Seems like they split the amount into a 50/50, reimbursed me the 50% and then billed me for the other 50

[BirdbyBird]

Sue, I know that you are not fond of crating pups but it is dangerous to leave a young one loose in the house when you are gone. Hopefully her adventures don't go beyond tearing toilet paper but she could easily decide that electrical cords might be nice to chew on.....just a thought. Puppy brains are not predictable and need some guidance about making good decisions.

Donna (((hugs)))) and put some of that burden down woman. He is competent to make his own bad decisions, as the professionals would say. If your sister and you can't face him down as a team, you should not expect to back him down by yourself. Is you sister involved on the front line at all?

Hope most of you are able to find some good adventures and discoveries in the day. I am off for a dog walk around McIntosh and later Brenda and Sarah and I might make some plans for the up coming week.

[Othersharon]

Good morning! Well, the groundhog has spoken and says we're going to have an early spring! We'll see! We have had a string of sunny days and it's been so nice! I got out the other day and cleaned up after the dogs. Not something I can usually do this time of the winter! The sun felt so good!

Donna, I was happy to see that you were finally able to get your house sold. I know that's been a big stress on you. Sorry to hear that your dad has reverted back to his old ways. I had some of the same problems with my mom so know it's not easy. Just don't let it get to you to the point you get sick.

Not much going to happen here today. I may run to Sam's Club to pick up a couple of things I need. It's supposed to be rainy and windy tomorrow so I'd be smarter to get my running done today. I need to go out and run the generator on Lola today too. I'm starting a list of things I need Jim to do to her this spring. One thing he and I have talked about is a bypass on the water pump to make it easier to winterize. (I think that's what it's called) The pump is in the very back of the lower cupboard so everything has to come out and he practically has to crawl into it to get to the pump. Again, not something I thought about when I bought her.

Carolb, sounds like you're staying busy! Already on Plan C! Barbie, hope you get some relief for your knee. Hope everyone on the move have a good travel day. Be safe and have a good day.

Sue, see you posted while I was typing this. Sure sounds like Piper is getting comfortable! And into mischief already! The joys of having a puppy in the house!

[BarbaraRose]

Good morning all! Sue, looks like you got carried away with the "Submit" button this morning. 4 repeats on your post!

Have the day off today. Got a good nights sleep and so far my knee feels better. There is a snowstorm coming later today but we are on the edge of it so probably only a few inches here.

Am heading out shortly to get my oil changed and Jeep checked over, then sign up for the fitness center and check out their class schedules and see about getting set up with a routine on the fitness machines. Then back home to do laundry, etc, and watch it snow.

Donna, I used to get so frustrated with my dad doing things he shouldn't do, but realized that there was only so much I could do and had to let the rest go. You can't be there 24/7 and monitor everything he does. What happens, happens and he is an adult able to make his own (bad) decisions. Some things I need to intervene on, like his getting involved in the lottery scams, but I can't stop him from doing yard work and other potentially dangerous things around the house. Just have to hope and pray for no big disasters. Who takes care of him when you are up north at your house all summer? He may just be playing you a bit too. Can you find a support group for caregivers in your area? That would be a huge help for you to share your frustrations with others who are dealing with the same stuff.

Hope you all have a good day and stay warm and dry!

[grammynmaggie]

Thanks everybody for your input about my dad... when I look at it from some of the things you say about letting him make his own bad decisions and pay the consequences because he's not listening to me and he's not listening to the medical professionals so you are right I have to just let it go and I'm going to try real hard to do that I was awake all night last night... my sister can not be a very much help but after our last talk when she got so mad at me she decided she does need to help support me if nothing else.... again thanks everybody it sure is helpful to have input

[elkriverrats]

Well, it is afternoon now but Hello Ladies! Hope this finds you all well - I am just returning from (partly) sunny Florida after a quick trip to see hubby! We stayed in Ft Lauderdale, one night in a hotel and one night in a cabin at Oleta State Park. We also walked around John U. Lloyd SP for an afternoon. Beautiful weather. Had a good meal downtown. I had never been to downtown Ft Lauderdale. Reminded me of the summer resorts here. Now I need to tie up all the loose ends from leaving a kid at home. Repairman messed something up on water conditioner - we have no water. And it looks like someone ransacked the place since no one was here to tell kiddo "pick that up, put that away". But it is warm and sunny, even have a window open for some fresh air!
I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of the day
Kelly

[Olive6001]

It's 12:34 here, so I didn't make the morning shift. My morning was all about dog/vet drama. It's a long story that boils down to "why is Matty losing his hair?" Got some allergy meds and will have results of blood tests tomorrow. I'll postpone trip to visit Birdie by a day. No big deal, there. Sure hope the problem is simple allergies. Must remember to breathe and do only what is in front of me.

Donna, I'm so sorry for your pain. In my experience, letting go with love can be hard. At least it is for me. The only way I can do it sometimes is to remember that each adult deserves the dignity of making their own decisions, no matter how wrong I think they are. It's a matter of respecting and honoring the individual. It sucks, but it works for me. I apologize, but I haven't read the rest of the MC posts, today. Dog drama takes it out of me; I need a nap.

Nikki

[BarbaraRose]

Snowstorm has arrived! Looks like we will be getting more than predicted here, maybe 6-8 inches. Looks like a snowglobe outside my window! Coming down heavy but pretty to look at! Sophie keeps jumping at the window after the snowflakes!

It is very noisy outside my door today. They are putting new carpet in the hallway so lots of scraping and pounding going on. No naps today .

Got my oil changed. They said I have some other things that need to be fixed, so I will take the Jeep to my regular mechanic and have him take a look. He will be a lot cheaper anyways if these things do need to get fixed. Also got signed up with the fitness center so will start that sometime this week. Have to look at my work schedule and figure out when I can go. I told the owner about my past horrible experience I had in California when I joined a club there and they pushed me so hard on the first day (orientation) that I passed out and threw up! He said he would just show me what to do on the machines and let me go at my own pace.

Gonna hunker down now with a good book and watch the snow fly!!

[JudyJB]

Taking a driving break and headed to the Tehachapi Pass in a few minutes. Supposed to be 36 and is sunny, so should not be any snow on pavement. But it will be windy--22 MPH, so I will drive very slowly. Pass separates Sonoran Desert from Central Valley in California and goes up to 4,000 feet. Wish me luck!!

Sue, it could be worse. My nephew fostered a dog once. When he came home from work, dog had literally eaten couch and part of carpeting. Also, had chewed some shoes and clothing. Well, he didn't exactly swallow it all, but both were beyond repair! Cushions were shredded as only a big dog can shred, plus arms were down to wood frame. Dog went immediately back to shelter. Nephew did foster other dogs, but from then on kept them in cage while he was at work.

Lots of snow on mountains surrounding desert.

Edit: Made it! Less wind up there than on the desert. Am now back in California and headed to my favorite hangout at Hensley Lake.

[Bethers]

On the puppy issue, people often (almost always) place blame on the new dog/pup in the house, but can also be a reaction from the first member, reacting to a new brother or sister. They can behave like they accept, but act out. And I can't help but wonder if they gloat when the newcomer gets blamed.