Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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Sandy, if only you could take all your bathrooms, bang them together, and come up with one complete (all you would need for the two of you). Or do you not have a functioning vent anywhere? Has to be so frustrating.
Anyway, just bopping in for a comment. Typing is such a pain.
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We drove from Letterkenny into Belfast. But of course my gps lost service using an e-sim for Ireland and when I switched to the UK e-sim it showed it was searching but no service. UGH! Belfast felt like NYC, and we barely knew where we were.
We saw a gas station and it turned out to be unattended, but a man doing maintenance helped us locate our hotel, which we probably had driven past.I’m totally unsure if my GPS on the phone will work once we’re outside but I’ll check before we drive anywhere. Totally unsure what we’re doing tomorrow. Maybe the Titanic place, maybe a zoo, or a botanical garden. Tonight the plan is to walk to dinner.
So no new pictures. But I’ll put up some pics of the interior of the castle from yesterday. You’ll need to zoom if you have any interest, otherwise carry on!
The castle was for entertaining, not for fighting to defend it.
Enjoy your day!
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Imagine what a harmonious world it could be if every single person, both young and old shared a little of what he is good at doing.
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PS - cell phone operator error. I’m new to e-sim cards and when I switched from Ireland to the UK, I didn’t know I had to turn on “cellular” data - I thought it was already set up to be on BUT I was wrong.
We walked around to find a restaurant for dinner, eating not far from the hotel. While in there I checked the gps for a map to the zoo, it came up “turn on cellular data.” I looked in settings and luckily for me I found it, turned it on and everything is working.
Dinner at Robinsons bar in the saloon.
Great lamb stew with a cold Smithwicks, and live music too.
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Cindy, Thanks for sharing those pictures. I can see myself sitting with an Ale. LOL
My little cabin was a good price, since my budget was peanut size. It doesn't need repairs. Or at least there isn't anything that I have found. It is small 596 sq ft. 2 bedroom 1 bath, small kitchen and living area. It has a big deck, bigger than the house. I have 5 cabins near by. Everyone I have met has been pleasant and one lady even helped me get a futon into the house. I did put it together by myself. I have the bruises to prove it.
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Petite, your cabin looks perfect!
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We need to give each other the space to grow, to be ourselves, to exercise our diversity. We need to give each other space so that we may both give and receive such beautiful things as ideas, openness, dignity, joy, healing, and inclusion.
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Rather slow here lately. The weather is cooler so I decided to try to finish mulching the area next to the azalea bed. I need about 6 more bags, DH will do a Home Depot run today, so I will have it for tomorrow. Need to take advantage of these cooler days where you work up a sweat, but it is not dripping into your eyes or off your chin. I did apply about 7 bags and he has finished the fence area for the azaleas. I need to weed under the white hydrangea and mulch around it for it to be finished, but not today. I hope to finish both areas tomorrow.
I am tired and my back hurts. It has been hurting for the past week or so, and is not responding to the medication I have for it. The spasms occur in the same spot, come and go, but seem to get more painful if I am doing something where I am using my right arm in a rhythmic movement like vacuuming, sweeping or ironing.
DD is so excited about the cruise and her DH is paying for us to have facials on one of our at sea days. I love them and she wants to try one. This is the first time we have traveled together with out her DF and her DB. It should be a good time.
Sandy, I get it now about your bathroom situation. Hope you are getting things done while Carrie is there. Extra hands are always great.
petite1, I love your cabin. It's like you, petite, but a second bedroom gives you a guest room and I am sure you will have family that want to visit. The setting looks so tranquil. Glad you were able to realize your dream.
cindyny, loving the travelogue and I want to visit some of the places you have highlighted. I'd like a Harp, please. Keep posting the pictures.
Chris, how are the hands? Are you still sewing?
harley07, I think you volunteering at the food bank is admirable. I reached out to a local cat rescue, heard back that they would contact me, and then got ghosted. I guess they got a better offer? I'll look for something to volunteer at when my fall trips are done. I hate to start something and then have to tell them I'm not available.
intolight, sorry for thr loss of kbl. I did not know her, but it seems she was a help to so many on different forums, so they have lost a friend and supporter. ((HUGS))
Need a shower because mulching is so dirty and even with gloves on it manages to stain my nails. It will come off with a good soak and scrub though. This is why I do not get manicures, lol. If I did I'd have to ask for black polish.
Hope everyone has a great day.
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Today was the Belfast Zoo, then the Belfast castle - used for weddings.
The zoo has a very interesting building on it that used to have gardens surrounding it. It looks destroyed as it awaits repairs. We walked out patoots off today. The zoo has a ton of paths at a strep incline, like we go to the top of a mountain and meander back down. We got over 10k easily. The most I’ve walked since the toe surgery.
Belfast Castle
You can see for miles from up there, and the setting for a wedding is fabulous.
We travel tomorrow from Belfast into Dublin, for our last night. We return the car tomorrow after hotel arrival, and take the shuttle back from the airport - so Thursday morning we all shuttle back to the airport without needing to deal with the car (nor pay for an extra day as it sits). This concludes my travel. It was a blast seeing so many new places, but as always I’ll be glad to get home.
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Cindy - the castle gardens are beautiful. I could happily meander through there for hours. I am really impressed with all the walking you are doing so soon after surgery.
Betrayal - it must be frustrating to have reached out on a volunteer opportunity and not heard back. I do think that is something many non-profits need to improve upon. They claim to need volunteers but do a lousy job of recruiting.
Petite - your cabin is a perfect size. Happy to hear you’ve met some neighbors.
Nothing new here although our weather has cooled off a bit after the weekend storms.
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betrayal, the sewing was immediately post-cortisone. i regretted working on a jigsaw puzzle yesterday. Transportation failure again last Monday. They called me yesterday and I have yet another appt scheduled on the fourth. Remember this guy is also my plastic surgeon and gave me a cortisone injection during my implant exchange back last spring.
Making hummus right now.
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Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.
Sam Ullman
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My last night in Ireland. We drove down from Belfast in partial sun but cooler weather. We were able to check in early and received an upgrade too. After unloading the car, we immediately went to fill the gas tank, and head to the airport to return the rental car.
We ate at the hotel, had a beer at the bar, and headed to our room. Everything fit in our luggage ok. All my Belleek gifts fit in a tote bag that I had tucked in my luggage - the nice paper bag they gave me, the handle broke. Now to hope the suitcases weigh 50 pounds or under. I left the scale back home figuring I can take something out & put it in my carry on if necessary.
I think it’s the first time I’ve posted my picture. I’m a brunette, haha, when my white roots showed too often & the Florida sun kept bleaching it lighter, I’ve gone dark blonde. And still think I’m a brunette until I see a picture or look in a mirror.
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Cindy - lovely picture of you and SO. I have really enjoyed travelling ‘with’ you to Ireland. Safe travels!
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Started typing this long post on my iPad yesterday at the house, but one errant twitch of the fingertip swiped the window away and took away the post. So I'm up late (pulling a semi-all-nighter, more about that infra as we used to say in legal briefs) typing on my laptop which is stabler.
Cindy, you look wonderful. Funny that you still feel like a brunette. I've been blonde since 1982 (first strawberry, then in 1986 ash and finally golden). I have one "resistant" white streak that looks like a highlight. But from time to time, in my dreams I find myself a brunette again, mourning the loss of my blonde-ness and regretting the reverse dye job. As a blonde with my grays coming in more salt than pepper, I find I need touchups far less often,
In a couple of hours (zero-dark-thirty), Carrie's ex-neighbor will be picking her up for her flight back home to B'ham. She has medical appointments and a family reunion in Gulf Shores, so can't stay longer, but will be back mid-Sept. to help me go through more of the remaining boxes. 500 delivered thus far, about 200 gone through & broken down (tons of stuff discarded), 600 to go. The restoration team says this is the largest pack-in they've ever done. Most of our furniture is back, but still no basement fridge; my dresser has yet to be returned (though some of the drawers were); TVs (two of which will be recycled when Abt brings the new ones), treadmill, and more kitchen electronics (including my Breville oven and large professional espresso grinder—my espresso machine is sitting on the counter, unused and gleaming, seemingly taunting me. Yesterday (Tuesday, actually) the team said they'd be back today, but the crew chief said this morning I'm not on the schedule and he doesn't have a time or date yet when they'll next have the big truck. Bob joined us today to go through his boxes and he was very disciplined about throwing stuff out. We hung around till 5:45, which was when FedEx finally delivered our new rugs from Wayfair.
Why so many boxes, you ask? Did we really accumulate all that much stuff over 38 years? Not even close. You see, what got packed out was more consolidated (and because I couldn't handle the residual smoke smell I couldn't be there to direct them as to what not to save; and they wouldn't let me come to the storage facility to tell them what and what not to bring back). But for the pack-in, they used an insane amount of packing paper, with very little actual stuff (bubble-wrapped like crazy) inside each box. As an example, ten LPs in a box nearly the size of a wardrobe. One small basket full of wine corks & stoppers occupied a 3x3x3 ft. carton. So much packing paper that they must have leveled an entire forest. We made enough progress to forge a path for the TV installers to set up on Friday.
Meanwhile, my public adjuster is ghosting me after saying he'd meet with me this week (when I asked him when, he replied "I don't know"). Text after text to him, no answer. I hate to do it, but I'm going over his head and contacting Corporate. We have to be completely out of this Lincolnwood house (fully-cleaned) by the 31st unless we can tell FHS (landlord's mgmt agency) definitively by the 28th we need an extension (and Zelle it to them that day).
My landscaper/handyman will have his helpers come by at noon to lay the rugs, cart away the boxes we've filled with trash, break down some more of them (the restoration company wants them saved) and haul away bags & bags of crumpled packing paper. We're saving some bubble wrap for glassware and spice/condiment bottles we bought (or were given) during our stay. As soon as we have where to put back stuff at the house, we'll start carting it as soon as this Saturday. Meanwhile, we're putting boxes of free stuff (e.g., DVDs that the library doesn't want, school supplies, duplicate utensils, etc.) on the porch marked "FREE" (so the porch pirates won't want to bother with it) and put the word out on Nextdoor. Sorry, but I'm not dropping it off or setting up a formal yard (non) sale—I don't have the time or energy for that. If they want it, they can come & get it.
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Using a long-handled brush and our small power washer, I attacked the job of cleaning the outside of the 5th wheel yesterday. The worst area was the front cap, so I started there. Next the back. The camper is very tall so I had to get the neighbor's step ladder. Then I cleaned the side which is our "front" with the deck. Where we sit, looking out at Mary's flower beds and the creek. I was quite exhausted by the time I quit. There is still the street side to clean.
DH had returned to the dermatologist in Bemidji, 33 miles away, for a skin graft on his poor mangled ear. It took a full day of MOHS procedure to get clear margins on the skin cancer. I'm hoping the ear looks normal when healed. He's supposed to take it easy for a week to avoid bleeding. He had to sleep last night without his sleep apnea gear.
I'm beginning to look forward to going home to more conveniences. I especially miss my dishwasher and washer and dryer.
Happy Thursday to all.
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Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for the truth.
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LOL. I was born blonde and have been many shades since. I let it go gray, now white, since I was 62.
Cindy you look great and what a fun picture. Thank you for sharing.
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The transition from blonde to white is so gentle. Most people can only get grey.
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Rained yesterday off and on so no yard work done. So I did laundry and some cleaning around the house that gets overlooked when I am gardening. Have 2 loads of wash today: bedding and towels.
Today is overcast, only 62 degrees, and damp, but will try to get mulching on the hill done. Last place I want to weed and mulch is bed down by rail fence which should only take one day weather permitting. I still have other weeding to be done but I won't mulch those areas. Like to weed after it has rained because roots are easier to remove.
I call my hair gray, but it is more white, though I still have a salt and pepper section on the back of my head. What surrounds my face, including bangs, is white. I had brown hair, but not dark enough to be a brunette and frosted it ash blonde for many years. I don't miss those hair care bills at all.
Leo, my 14 year old cat, went to the vet yesterday for his 3 yr. Rabies vaccine and a checkup. He is a fly weight but has actually gained a pound and weighs in a tad over 10 pounds. He has always been lean in the 13 years I have had him. He's my love bug, must sleep with me, and be touching me at that time. He's also not very social and stays in my bedroom for most of the day. He gets along with Misty and Regan well. Regan is his second dog and he loved the last one, too. His vet was the sister to my PT.
Misty has not been interested in being brushed for the past 2 days. I will try again today, but she hasn't been tracking me either, until I do it. Nope, not today again. I'll try later.
They are paving the road in front of our house which has needed this for at least 5 years. It was getting so the patches, if made, were not lasting and we have had the same pothole hidden by the yellow road stripes, forever. Right now they are grinding up the top in preparation for new asphalt. The road is in rough shape due to the increase in cut through traffic over the last 10 years. The section where it abuts the major artery is so full of potholes that they have attempted to fill, but with freeze and thaw, they don't last more than a year. It is what I would call an acned road. It is a problem when we get snow or ice and it doesn't seem to be on the repair list for this year. I'm just happy we will have the repair done. The posted speed is 25, but only the locals do that and the others do in excess of 50 or more. It is a 2 lane road with no passing, but they will pass if they think you are driving too slow. This is a residential area and we don't really need all the traffic. I used to walk the dog on this road, but haven't done it for nearly 10 years due to the dangerous drivers.
Not much going on otherwise.
cindyny, loved the photo of you and SO. I really enjoyed your trip photos, so thanks for sharing them.
Sandy, I hear you about the boxes. We boxed the contents of the living room and basement, but the restoration company did the primary bedroom and attic so there was no rhyme nor reason to the way they packed. My living room and dining room became store rooms for over 2 years and when they started to work in the living room, the items were returned to the finished rooms or moved to the basement. Glad I did not have to hire a storage area for 3 years. Since our house was partially habitable, SF would not pay for storage offsite, except for dry cleaning. One plus to this was as we returned items to where they had once been, we were able to cull them as well. This was something I had planned for my retirement, but the timeframe got moved up and hurried with the tree strike. It gave me something to do onsite, while they were here working, so I could supervise or answer questions from the workers. It sounds like you are making headway even if at a slower pace than you'd like.
Hope everyone has a great day.
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great holiday pictures!
my natural hair colour is chestnut brown. When it got to the stage of having to dye it every 3 weeks I switched to more blonde. I ebeen auburn dark and light. Currently a motley mix of blonde. My salt and pepper is hideous. Went that way once looked a thousand years old so decided not for me. I need a bit of colour. Many look fabulous with silver or white.I am on a two week drug holiday as I switch from Letrozole to Anastrozole. Also getting a CT of my lungs as the right side is still unhappy. The week just flew by! Lunchtime then off to do more theatre things. Have a great Thursday everyone.
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Sandy - reading about your 1100 boxes prompted me to get off the couch and cull a few things from my closet. So thank you for the gentle nudge. Like you and Betrayal, we culled many of our kitchen stuff after the water leak was repaired earlier this year. It also prompted me to cull the many, many tchotchkes that were in the China cabinet.
Carole - I hope your DH’s MOHS surgery and skin graft are successful. My DH had the external stitches removed this week from his melanoma and does not need to return to the derm until January.
I had dark blonde hair most of my life but started getting gray strands in my early 30’s. So I used blonde highlights to camouflage the gray. By my mid 40’s I needed all over color every 4-5 weeks. I got my first real haircut in 15 months this past Monday. The chemo waves were fading and my hair style was nonexistent. I had her give me a pixie cut and I’m staying gray. It’s more of a steel gray not the lovely silver I would like. But I don’t miss the expense of color and highlights every 5 weeks. I’ll figure out the style as I go as I’m not sold on the pixie as I have a very long neck but it is easy to take care of it. My hairdresser works out of her home so she can be available for her young kids. So as a bonus I not only got to visit with her, but also see the kids when they came home from school, as well as her elderly dog (who I adore), two cats and nine chickens. The chickens are kept in large hen house in the backyard which is mostly hidden by trees because it is not legal for her to keep backyards chickens in her suburb. They are very well taken care (even spoiled) and her neighbors on either side don’t mind. So it was a fun visit.The weather has been in the 70’s the past few days - Hallelujah!! I was able to get in a nice bike ride yesterday which was great for my mental health.
Waving hello to all. 🤗🤗🤗
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We're off to a blue grass music festival today. It's a long drive, maybe an hour and a half. We plan to stop and have breakfast along the way. It's supposed to be quite warm, up to high 70's, and we'll be sitting in the open. This weekend the weather will turn cool with highs in the 60's.
I've been blonde most of my life. White blonde as a child, then sun streaked blond in later years. Then dyed blonde. Now I'm gray and silver. It took some getting used to.
Betrayal, I like your quotes.
Cindy, you look like a happy woman. A good look.
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When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.
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A laugh for today.
Sorry I could not get it to load correctly.
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love the cartoon
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wren44, thanks. It reminded me of the commercial for Fancy Feast where the mom says get 2 band-aids.
carole, thanks for the feedback on the quotes, I appreciate it. I hope your DH's skin graft heals with minimal discomfort. The skin on ears is so thin and so hard to protect from the sun.
harley07, glad you got your bike ride in. Loved the story about your hairdresser and her chickens.
My goal for today was to eradicate the creeping charlie from the bed near the rail fence. It is so invasive and had taken over one whole corner of the flower bed. It mixes in with the periwinkle so it is hard to remove without sometimes pulling out the periwinkle, too. I managed to remove it but in has runners and you can never be sure you got them as well. It will most likely return but it will be easier to pull out next time. I mulched and was able to spread about 4 bags before the heat and sweating got to me. I have to hand apply the mulch due to the ground cover and some delicate plants like astilbe. Once I am done we will fence this area, too, because the deer decimated my peonies for the first time this year. I already have chicken wire over the azaleas in this bed to protect them. Putting up a fence will give them a chance to spread out. Several branches were in the ground so they have rooted. Maybe next year I will move them as very small, but new plants to the bed by the stream which is already fenced. It contains daffodils, Bleeding Hearts and azaleas so quite colorful in the spring. Was out there for over 3 hours and walked up and down the driveway. I will make in excess of 5,000 today.
Bumblebee has been singing his heart out for the past 3 days. I have been spending more time in the kitchen so I think he needs an audience. Misty finally let me brush her today so I guess whatever was bothering her is over.
Linner today was a new hoagie called a Gravesend. It featured Italian cold cuts (Mortadella, sopressata, and Parma prosciutto) , baby spinach, sun-dried red peppers and thick slices of buffalo mozzarella. The dressing was Balsamic vinaigrette. It was delicious. I could not finish my half, so I have enough left over for tomorrow. DD had tried it and recommended we try it. The bread they use comes from a South Philly bakery called Sarcone's and it is crusty with sesame seeds on it. Love the rolls since they make the sandwich.
Plan on finishing mulch on rail fence bed and then looking at what needs to be done in my hidden garden. DSIL had started it but I think he just did part of the bottom or exit from the garden. I had stated the top with the help of DGS and DS but it still needs some more attention. I need to see how the ferns are doing. It hasn't been addressed for more than 2 years due to my surgeries, so it suffers from benign neglect. I laid a slate path through it years ago and it sometimes needs dirt swept off them. I can do it in stages but also in a few hours if the weather cooperates. It's been cool but heat is to return over the weekend but with no excessive humidity. So warm, but dry. Need to start early before the temps climb.
Hope everyone has a great day.
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I’m still discombobulated. Laundry is all caught up, I’ve dusted everything downstairs, and between mail & email it took a lot of time to go through. I did pay all the bills that came in while we were gone too. Balanced my checkbook and realized I paid my town water bill with a credit card, but took it out of my checking account!
Is it only me…? I buy gifts from our trip for family and some friends, but once I’m home and unpacking, I want those items out of my house. LOL It makes it hard to get my house back in order with the gifts hanging out. I could easily put them on the enclosed front porch or up in a bedroom.
It was beautiful out here today. When I went out before 9, to deadhead flowers and futz with the pool - I was in my night shirt, privacy fence so I’m hidden. The weekend looks good too. Hope your weather was as good as ours.
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Wow, you guys are all so busy and fun! I have had brunette hair my whole life. I was hoping it would turn a nice white gray as I aged, but even after over 9 years on oral cancer meds, at aged 72 my hair is a dark steel gray with a few strings of white gray running through it. It looks mostly dark. I guess I should be thankful.
I had a dental appointment today to replace a crown that was disintegrating. I hate going to the dentist any time, but by the end of today my dentist said I deserved a purple heart. The old amalgum just wouldn't drill out. I have a very small mouth and the dentist needs to use child-sized tools and it is tricky getting in since I can't open very wide. Anyways, it was tough. I finally broke down and took a pain pill this evening. I don't fault the dentist. He has always been great and is careful not to do anything extra knowing my cancer history. Just not having the best day…
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Cindy - thanks so much for taking us to Ireland with you. That first few days home from a trip are always a hassle. Mail, laundry, time change etc.
Betrayal - thanks for picking up the quote mantle.
DD turned 55 today. Do I feel old or what? She hasn't chosen the life I did, but she seems happy and fulfilled with her choices so I'm happy for her. She's pretty much a loner but when I asked her if old age bothered her, she just told me that I would be dead and shouldn't worry about it. But then always a mother…
Bella's dad is now in the rehab in their life care community and I expect her to go home soon. Jie picked Bella up about 9:30 and I didn't pick her up until 4:00. But now, the dogs are resting in their chosen locations. I thought I had cropped the picture to leave out the TV but that pic didn't save. Bella is on the left and Mutz on the right.
Dinner out with Maureen and Ella tomorrow and our usual lots of sports this weekend. Hope yours is good too.
Marge, aka Taco
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