Newbies Nest

[Lavande]

Good evening Nesters,

Still frigid here but it is winter
Looking forward to some sunshine tomorrow, just to take the edge off, haha! Kept myself busy & the day went by fast.

Wags, hope your weekend is a good one!

Belle, Congrats on the raise & bonus, nice to be appreciated. That’s something I never got working in hospitals & from what I hear it’s even worse now, if ytou can believe that. Treat yourself to something nice. All celebrations are AF for us, right?

Ava, working from home is great, can beat that! I bet the boys look real handsome with their new hairdos

Byrdie, it’s Girl Scout cookie season up here & your chocolates look like some of their cookies - delicious!!!
I’m glad you treated yourself to something useful that makes you happy.

Slo, I wouldn’t walk a dog in this weather either. I have my dog confined with an invisible electric fence. She can roam around in her confined area by herself & for as long as she likes, Lol
I’ve done a lot of dog sitting too, fun most of the time. Sad news about Meatloaf, he was a great entertainer for a long time.

Hello to everyone else & wishing a safe night in the nest for all!

Lav

[wagmor]

Belle - congrats on the raise and bonus! It always feels good to be recognized, compensated, etc. A treat for yourself (non-al of course) def sounds in order.

I hope all of you in the cold frigid areas right now are staying safe and warm. And then Ava and others in the middle of hot summers -- I hope you all are able to stay cool (including your pups!).


Hoping for some sunshine this weekend. It will still be pretty chilly but having a break in the rain will be a nice change. Take care everyone!

[STEADFAST]

Happy 11th Sober-versary, @Byrdlady! As others have pointed out, you've not only achieved that for yourself, but also helped many other people on here, way to go!
@ava, I hope the knee eases up soon. I tore the medial meniscus in my knee a few years back, but pleased to say exercise has helped strengthen it. I really thought I'd be in pain forever with it, but it's fine now.
@Slo, I feel excited for you beginning a new chapter. I know our situations aren't the same, but a lot of what you post resonates with me. Best wishes on your new condo.

It's really hot in Melbourne right now, but I had some nice chocolate gelati today

Take care everyone,
Steady x

[Pavati]

Hi, Nest:

CONGRATULATIONS, Dear Byrdie! I'm on the team of people who you have helped stay sober. I appreciate your kind and straightforward advice at all times. Pyrex bowls are an amazing gift - store that food safely! You go, gurl! xoxo

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Lav! It is quite possible I have already written that here - my brain is so scrambled these days that my memory is terrible. Monday feels like both five minutes and five months ago. It sounds like you had a great day. What DO the Stella do to stay warm? I would think their little feet would freeze off...

Belle, what ARE you going to do with that raise and bonus? I think a treat is in order...

Wags, something new is a good idea. It is a nice compliment that your client likes your teaching and program enough to want a sister to get support also.

Ava, Steady, Mr. G - sounds HOT down there, which sounds good about now. So grateful for rain this winter, though.

Not much to report. Work has been absolutely crazy, and last week I had something going Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights. All good, but I am happy to be vegging with a cup of coffee and being LAZY this morning.

Happy SOBER Saturday,
Pav

[Lavande]

Greetings Nesters,

Woke up to a brisk 11 degrees today, only went to 30 degrees this afternoon. I’m mostly staying in but I really feel for the folks who have to work outside.
My chickens do just fine in this weather but they suffer in the summer heat. One of my oldest hens hasn’t been out of the coop for more than a week. She has a lame leg & the cold does get to her so she’s doing what I’m doing ~ staying in I’m trying out a new bread recipe today for a multigrain loaf with lots of pepita & chia seeds & other good stuff. Should be ready to bake in about an hour.

Wags, hope you got that sunshine today, we did

Steady, glad you’re finding delicious ways to stay cool in the heat!!

Pav, my birthday was last month. This week was my daughter’s & my son-in-law’s birthdays so we went & celebrated with them.
As long as the bedding in the chicken coop is dry their feet do OK even in this weather. The first few years I was worried half to death about them, typical mother hen, haha!!
I hope your whole weekend is relaxing.

Hello to the whole crowd & wishing everyone a safe night in the nest!

LAV

[wagmor]

Pav - good to see you. Glad you were able to enjoy a lazy morning after a crazy week.

Lav - I didn't realize that chickens could fare so well in such cold weather, but I guess it makes sense -- lots of wild birds do it without a coop to nestle down in! I hope your hen with the lame leg heals up quickly.


Good weekend here so far. It's cold but sunny, so we went for a 2-hour walk with a neighbor friend and her dog. Our pup stayed home -- too cold for her to be out that long, even if I carried her in her little dog-carrier backpack (yes, you read that right). It seemed like almost everyone in the whole city was out enjoying the sunshine and dry weather!

I got a new student today and tomorrow I'm talking with the mom of the potential new student (the one needing help with the college admissions test). I haven't committed to doing that gig yet -- a lot will depend on the student's needs and whether she herself has really bought in to the idea of tutoring. I'm not interested in trying to cajole anyone along.

I think I'm safely past the weeks of temptation to drink now, and back on solid ground. SO glad I never caved. This experience reinforced what we all already know: if you get past the moment of temptation, the relief that comes from realizing your quit is intact is better than the "feel good" al was trying to convince you would come from drinking. I'm now enjoying the reward of my persistence and it feels better than a drink EVER could.


On a totally different note, is anyone here doing Wordles???

Enjoy the rest of your weekends everyone!

[Slo]

Hello on a Sunday morning,

I’m up early since I didn’t take NyQuil last night like I did on the previous two nights for my cold. That stuff’s amazing, and I sleep so deep with it! No wonder we like its ingredients, like alcohol and dextromethorphan, too much.

Pav, that is one busy week! You need to veg this weekend.
Wags, yes -no need to take on students who aren’t motivated. That’s the beauty of being self-employed, as you have pointed out: you can choose what kind of student you will work with.

NS, I should try that book you are reading about the opioid crisis. Wags, never heard of Wordles! I love word games though.

Thank you for the confirmation that it was worth it getting through the lengthy temptation period without drinking, Wagmor. It is so hard to crawl back out again once back in, so of course it ultimately is worth it.

Went to daughter’s swim meet yesterday, with HB, and met daughter family with the babies there. I wish now that I was just staying married. I mean we’re old, and have kids & grandkids together. Ach.

Steadfast, I hope you make the right decision for yourself with your relationship.

Do you still have Sunday afternoon gigs, G-man? Hope it was fun!

[Pavati]

Hi, All:

Happy Sunday. Not much to report. Gorgeous weather here - cold (for here) and sunny, so about to go out on my third walk/hike of the weekend. I do love where I live!

Wags, YES to the Wordles! I love word games that that one is a perfect amount of time and thought investment. Glad you had a nice walk, and also I love your description of having made it through those cravings. I watch sports as I think you all know, and the Warriors pulled out a squeaker that should have been a blow out on Friday night. I loved what Steph said - we have perseverance and grit to make it through the hard time. They were sluggish, nothing was going in the basket, key players injured. They could have given up, but they just kept grinding and in the end it paid off. Most of sobriety is not like that, but in those times that are, I think that is a good lesson - keep focused on your goals and keep grinding.

Lav, I'm glad to hear that. That's what I thought but then I was second guessing myself. Happy Birthday to the entire family! Glad the chickens are ok.

Happy SOBER Sunday, all.

Pav

[Lavande]

Greetings Nesters,

Not much sun today but also not quite as cold. Now we’re supposed to have snow showers tonight, haha! It’s always weather whiplash around here!!!

Wags, it’s funny the little wild birds will fly in & out of the chicken coop when I have the big door open all day. The chickens don’t seem to mind sharing space
Glad you’re back on solid ground once again - we don’t drink

Slo, glad you got to your daughter’s swim meet with the family. Hope you have a good week.

Pav, nice that you had good walking/hiking weather this weekend.
My feathered friends are happy, I even got a half dozen eggs today despite the cold.

Hello to all & wishing everyone a safe night in the nest!

Lav

[wagmor]

Slo - glad the swim meet was fun. I'm sure it's hard to look at your family through the lens of being divorced rather than married. The positives of being divorced are hard to visualize because you haven't experienced them yet. I'm so sorry you're going through such a difficult time.

Pav - sounds like a great weekend of hikes!

Lav - that's so great your chickens share their digs with wild birds. I would love to see that


Pretty good weekend here. I had the phone meeting with the mom of the high schooler who needs help with the college admissions test. That went very well and got me excited. Even if this particular student doesn't work out, I'm motivated to learn a lot more about the test so I at least *can* tutor for it in the future.

The one rough part of the weekend is that our pup had another hard night last night. Sigh. I love this little dog but I'm truly exhausted. It's so unfair that such a sweet little girl has such a challenging health issue. Of course that's true with people too. I just feel so helpless with her sometimes. It makes me incredibly empathetic for single parents and for caregivers in general.

I can't drink. I don't want to drink. I want and need to be ready to help my family and friends 24/7.

How about you?