Another August AF ~ week 3

[dill]

?I had no idea what time I?d left, how I?d gotten home, who?d been up here, and how long he, she, or they had stayed. Another night, added to the hundreds that had gone before, shrouded in mystery. Really, when you thought about it, it was creepy. My own life was a secret to me.?
― Heather King, Parched

Hello All, it's time to get week 3 going. I thought I'd start it out with a reminder of why it is that we are here!

[Lavande]

Another August AF ~ week 3

Good morning friends!

Dill, thanks for starting up a new week
That quote is a bit creepy in that it's so true. Makes me even more grateful to have my mind back ~ I missed it while it was gone.

I hope to get some outside work done today but reserve enough energy to survive watching my grandsons for several hours tonight :H

Wishing everyone a wonderful AF Saturday!

Lav

[Stargazerlily]

Another August AF ~ week 3

Happy Saturday!

Dill, that is a sad quote,scary too.

I have been having problems with this site, has anyone else? I have to log in each time, sometimes my posts get lost, it's just weird.

Anyway, to all, have a great day. The weather here is again beautiful. I am storing up the memories for winter.

[Rusty]

Another August AF ~ week 3

Hi Everybody,

Dill-wow, that really is a frightening quote, and thank you for starting us on Week 3. You're right....why wait for a reminder?

Star-yes, recently I have had the same trouble you have experienced. I find that whenever I want to post, I highlight my text to Copy it so I can Paste it a little later if the site is acting goofy. The weather is great here, too.

Lav-I wish you good weather and much energy today.

Off to begin this lovely day before the wedding.

Pap-thank you for the PM, and taking time to write us a wonderful catch-up post. I am thrilled your boss is praising your work. You deserve it. I wonder what changed her attitude? Who cares. She did, and that's ALL that matters.

Fly-thanks for popping in! You have A LOT to contribute so stop in again, and stay a little longer. I have always enjoyed your posts!

Have a wonderful Saturday, friends.

[Lavande]

Another August AF ~ week 3

Good morning friends!

I'm looking at a cloudy & damp day here, oh well, at least it's not hot too

Had tons of fun with my grandsons last night & guess what? They're coming back this afternoon :H
I am so blessed :H

YB has asked a carpenter to stop by today to see about building a screened room on a portion of the deck. It would really make the deck much more usable & give protection from the south facing sun, not to mention all the stinging ufos out there :H This project was his idea so he'd better be paying for it too

Dill, how's the weather out your way? I think this rain is coming from the south this time around.

Rusty, how was the wedding?

Star, I hope you are getting some R&R this weekend.

Greetings to papmom, Witts & anyone stopping in today. Have a great AF Sunday one & all.

Lav

[papmom3]

Another August AF ~ week 3

Morning all! Starting to get warm here in the NE again. Hope its only for a few days-I'm ready for Fall!!

Had a very nice day yesterday-fun demo and then lunch with my ex work friend (she isn't an ex, but neither of us work where we met anymore). 3 hours of catch up and it was great! She looks fabulous- retirement really really agrees with her. She takes long walks with her dog which is also a socializing time for both, takes yoga, goes to the gym and is starting a crochet class! Her hubby with the brain tumor us doing just great-can't even see the tumor anymore on MRI. They are taking advantage of his good health but keeping busy and traveling. She says I have a better aura about me and I suppose I do. She got a kick out of my maine story and I was finally able to laugh about it!

I had more fortune showered about me this past week. A pap club member who is an accomplished seamstress has decided to concentrate on her new photography hobby and put a post out on FB that she wanted to give away her Singer Futura embroidery machine and Singer serger with all the trimmings (pun intended!!). 8 of us expressed interest but because of some very sweet words spoken to her by a good friend on my behalf, she chose me!! My hoarder friend was at the even where the machines were and loaded them into her van for me. I'll get them at Quilting on Tuesday. I'm so excited! This could well be over a $1000 worth of equipment and accessories that I am getting for free! It's going to take a lot of time and work learning how to use the machine and I'll probably have to download a patch from Singer so that my Windows 7 machine can talk to the Futura which I believe is only compatible with XP or lower operating systems. But, if I have to spend $100 to get this thing to work, it's money well spent!! I've already got many projects in minds because one of the CDs included is all about agility patterns!!

Rusty-how was the wedding?? Spill!

Star- you should take some pics of your yard and neighborhood during this gorgeous weather so you can pull them out in the doldrums of winter.

Dill-scary quote but so so true. I still have to read that book!

Lav-glad you are having fun with the Gkids. Hope you'll post pics of the finished screen room!!

Hello to everyone on this mid summer day. I'm off to another demo at 12.

[Rusty]

Another August AF ~ week 3

Good Sunday Morning Friends,

I am off to Utah in a little while and just wanted to pop in and say hi.

The wedding and reception were just fabulous. I saw a lot of people I knew from the fitness center I belonged to for years. Both the bride and groom's families made me feel so welcome and loved. And no, Pap, I did NOT upstage the bride. :H This is my friend's daughter....my friend's husband had a stroke a year ago and his speech is impaired, but when he gave his father-of-the-bride speech last night, even men in the audience were in tears. It was obvious he had worked very hard to compose it, and everyone was impressed.

Lav-you are superwoman with all the babysitting you do. Have fun with da boys again today! How nice of YB to think of CONSTRUCTING/PRODUCING something instead of CONSUMING. Yes, a screened portion of the room is a great idea....who wants bugs flying in their mouths when trying to eat? Where I live, on the bigger lake homes, people have a portion of their decks screened and another portion unscreened, so you can have sun and bugs....or not.

Pap-I was in a hurry yesterday and I didn't comment on your hoarder friend and I just wanted to say how badly I feel that an event that you had looked forward to for so long turned out to be such a disaster....and totally avoidable on your friend's part.:upset: Maybe it's time to cut this friend loose? Good for you for distancing yourself. After watching "Hoarders" for so long, I can see where the OCD behavior could not possibly get better without some serious therapy. Like problem drinkers, they're in denial, too. I don't know if I ever told you about a woman I befriended on a plane ride to DC last year. She seemed so sweet, intelligent and very well put together. We became instant friends and since she lived only an hour away, I asked if she would want to meet up. She eagerly agreed, and since she was having some serious financial issues, I offered to drive the hour one way to pick her up at her house. When I got there, she was standing outside her house, waiting for me, and I asked to use her bathroom, and she was very hesitant but reluctantly agreed. OMG! When I got inside, it was obvious to me that she was a hoarder. She came to my house for the day and kept commenting on how lovely it was, etc., and how she couldn't afford to buy the possessions I owned. I felt like screaming, "IF YOU DIDN'T SPEND ALL YOUR MONEY ON JUNK, YOU COULD!!!" And, she has a college degree, too. I just had no interest in pursuing a friendship with her after that, because it was obvious her brain was just so jumbled.

Anyway...

Blonde, a belated Happy 41st Birthday to you! I meant to PM you on Friday, you b-day, and I forgot. I'm so sorry.

Witts, Star, Dill, and everyone else. Hope you are well and happy AF Sunday!

[papmom3]

Another August AF ~ week 3

OMG Rusty-you nailed it!! That is exactly how my "friend" is-brain jumbled. And financially the same thing! When (and if) she retires next year, she will be SOL. Right now she makes a good salary and collects SS. She has NO retirement money left-blew through that paying back the IRS for when she and her ex husband didn't pay taxed for years. How does one not know taxes aren't being paid? Both of them got zapped and she had to pay back 80K. She had to tap out her retirement in order to make ends meet. Of course, is she didn't have 12 dogs, 2 horses and a flock of sheep and a houseful of JUNK, maybe she could have muddled through with just a little retirement assistantce (she was well over 65 when this all happened). Next year she will only have SS and there is no way she will be able to live. She won't talk about it, won't plan. I swear she thinks everything will be OK. I've already told I can't be there to pick up the pieces when the Board of Heath condemns her house.
Unfortunately I can't just cut her loose. We are too intertwined in our hobbies and interests. But, I don't have to go on outings/travel with her anymore and can limit it to dog classes and quilting class. When it comes time to enter her BC in trials, I'll probably make it a condition she can't come along because her dog will be too distracted by her. We'll see. that's a year in the future so who knows where I or she will be by then. You are very lucky you didn't have to continue that relationship. It would have been a nightmare. And thank you for recognizing that that agility weekend was MY weekend, not hers.
I am feeling better and less angry and it sure feels good that my friends here get it and get me.
Happy birthday Blondie!! Hope you had a great AF time!!
OK, off I go!

[dill]

Another August AF ~ week 3

Lav, the weather here has been perfect all weekend and in fact Mr. D and I had a good afternoon yesterday out on the boat. It was awesome. We were kid-free!!

Rusty, I'm glad all went well with the wedding. I am doing my best to follow your advice about getting out at least once a week.

Papmom, I am glad you are able to get some distance from the trip with your hoarder friend and are now able to laugh at some of it!

Star, I have not been having any trouble with the site. I'm sorry to hear you are.

I wish I had more time to interact here but it just doesn't work out that way these days. I wanted to share with you all that I had a wonderful lunch with some of my old colleagues on Friday. I was the guest of honor! It was in honor of my retirement. I asked my friends to please not bring me gifts but just to come and have fun. The organizer took my request to heart but she instructed everyone to write down at least 2 memories of working with me over the years to share. Everyone around the table took their turn to share sweet and mostly funny memories. At one point I was laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes. It was the best retirement gift I could ever have hoped for. My friend collected all of them and is putting them in a notebook for me. I have been so blessed to have these ladies in my life.:h

[Stargazerlily]

Another August AF ~ week 3

Good morning...

Dill, lovely time with work friends, the best gifts are the memories. I appreciate your taking time to post here, I kmow you do the best you can.

Rusty, the wedding sounded fun. Have a productive time in Utah.

Pap, wow, you are having some much deserved good luck. I feel sorry for your friend whose life is such a mess...nothing you can do.

Lav, I would love a screened in porch. Hope it really happens for you. YB seems to come in and out of your life. You are a patient woman.

Back to work, lovely weekend.

[Lavande]

Another August AF ~ week 3

Good morning friends

No sun here, it's coolish though so I won't complain.

Star, I often think I was blessed with a bit too much patience & it doesn't always serve me well. Certain individuals take advantage when I'm not looking
I have taken my focus off of YB & placed it on myself, where it should have been all along. I always hoped that he had my best interest in his heart but all he was doing was feeding his own childish ego these past 40+ years. Kind of pathetic really but it was always his choice. I think he is trying to change his thinking but I'm not holding on to any particular outcomes!
The carpenter is putting together a plan & seems very interested in the job. He physically built this house while my brother-in-law played the part of 'the builder'.

Dill, glad you had some free time to enjoy yesterday

Rusty, have a great week on the road!

Papmom, let me know what format your embroidery machine uses - I may be able to help you out with some designs. That's very cool that two machines landed in your lap like that

Greetings to Witts & anyone stopping by today.
I have Curves & some work waiting for me today & will be watching the grandsons for about half a day on Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday - yay.

Have a great day one & all!
Lav

[Rusty]

Another August AF ~ week 3

Good Monday Morning From Utah, August Friends,

It was 97 degrees here and no humidity, not a cloud in sight yesterday when I flew in. Ah, the dry heat. I am surrounded by mountains. Lovely, just lovely. I picked up a brochure on tubing down the Weber River. I think I will do that when I come back next year.

Dill-You got time away with Mr. D on the boat....YIPPEE!! I am thrilled for you.:h

Lav-You really have learned to deal with YB on your own terms.:goodjob: I know my mom has saintly patience like you have, but I think that's why both of you were successful nurses. It wouldn't have worked any other way, right? Good for you for not holding your breath, hoping YB will change.

Pap-I am delighted that you were able to get the embroidery machines...a new hobby for you, maybe?

Star-have a great day at work. I hear it's supposed to get in the high 80s later this week, humid and muggy.

Big hellos to Cyn, Witts, Blonde, Fly and anyone else I missed, have a peaceful AF Monday.

[witts end]

Another August AF ~ week 3

afternoon everyone finally back home .....think i got a speeding ticket on the way will find out in a week
(hubby had a nice fire going as the weather was cooler down here )
Have a big clean up to do mopped the floor surprised by the colour change after .....cant complain as the bankcard is yet to come
okay back to cleaning

[Stargazerlily]

Another August AF ~ week 3

Witts end, welcome back. It is always an adjustment and lots of work after being gone. Laundry, cleanup and groceries. Have fun.

Rusty, Utah sounds beautiful. I love mountains. It is already hotter here, but my office is air conditioned, car andhouse too so I am OK. Outside on my time off though. I love summer.

Lav, you know what? I have lots of respect for you putting up with YB in these later years. Why not, you have history together and financially it might really hurt if you divorced and I am sorry, but money DOES matter. Plus, are you hot to go out with another guy? I know I would not be. Just some food for thought. It is important to focus on things you can control like work and enjoying gkids.

Have a great day.

[Lavande]

Another August AF ~ week 3

Good morning friends

Damn right money counts Star :H
I told him 3+ years ago that if he wants to be crazy, he can go be crazy BUT I am not committing financial suicide to finance that for him :H
YB is so ego driven it's not even funny. His parents were the same way & I'm not going to be forced into following in their footsteps. Hell would certainly freeze over before I went man searching at this point in my life :H

Witts, glad you are home safe & sound!!

I think the AC will be going back on today, it's heading to 90 & the humidity to go along - yuck!
The boys are arriving by 10 this morning so I'd better go prepare.

Wishing everyone a great AF Tuesday!
Lav