Thursday "Everyone is getting ready for the weekend" What are you doing today?

Hi Mary,

Corned beef is a tougher cut of meat to begin with, so I just boil it to death ;)  But you are right it could have been your body reacting to it.  Next year might be better. . .  though personally beef is still harder for me to digest.

Take care, Laureen

Good morning Mary and everyone on OFF!

We're supposed to have another beautiful day and each one warmer than the one before.  I love it!

Mary, how long ago was your surgery?  I don't enjoy some meats I used to make all the time--like chicken.  Chicken has to be braised or crockpotted for hours or it's too tough for me.  :(  I love corned beef but I find it's gotta cook in water or juices at least an hour longer than I used to make it.  It also has to be sliced real thin.  Oh well.  Sorry to hear about your cousin.  I wonder if she'd be calling every day if she wasn't drinking?  If it gets to be too much, you'll need to set some boundaries.  People with alcohol problems have trouble with boundaries.

I'm not sure what I'm doing today.  Definitely more writing, hopefully walking and probably cleaning.  No doctor appointments today, yay!

Happy Thursday, all!
Cassie

Hi Irish!

I had my surgery July 14 2009.

I know, I hate to not answer the phone but she talks for 2 hours and some of is just babbling.

Don't know what to do.  I have a lot of stress in my life and don't need this too.

I think she wants some kind of relationship however she tells me how much she loves me and it has been over 40 years.  Weird

Thanks

Peace

Mary, you're a couple of months behind me and I know I still have issues with some meats.  If everyone else loved the corned beef, it might be new tummy talking.  It'll get better.  :)  I still need to cook nearly all my meat in liquid though.  Once a week I'll make fried chicken or oven roasted chicken or pork so that my kids can enjoy the "old" stuff.  I usually have soup or something then.

That's really too bad about your cousin but it's not right for her to monopolize your time like that.  If you want a relationship with her, you could answer the call once a week (or as many times as you want) and then just put a limit on how long you talk to her.  You could either say up front you can only talk a half hour (or whatever) or you could set a timer (heh) and when it goes off, say "oops, sorry, gotta go!"  I've done that.  :)

Best of luck with that, your cousin sounds very needy.  :P    Irish

Good Morning Mary, Jan, Susan, Sybul, Cassie, Margo & The rest who follow,

Yup Cassie another beautiful day in our part of the world, and I will be at work again. . .  oh well, living life these days is expensive.

Mary, it's sad when someone has to lean on alcohol to alleviate their sorrows or pain, I know first hand what that is like, and because of it I found a new and better way to live life, one day at a time, I am grateful each day for that gift and hope your cousin and Jan's daughter find their way to a better way of living sober.

Well folks I'd better get moving, time to dress for work. . .

Have a wonderful day and wishing you all the peace and strength you need to carry on in your lives!

Hugs, Laureen

Good morning OFF family,
Happy Thursday and it's going to be a great day for sure! It's almost Friday and payday Friday!

Went for a bike ride at home in the country with SD and my GD.
Rozzie did pretty good for a 7 yr. old but it was a long ride for her. Tonight I'm going by myself and ride like the wind!

Don't you just love Spring? Yep, we probably will get snow on Sunday but I'm embracing the sunshine while we have it!! Wwwwhhhooooo!!

Take care everyone and have a joyful fun filled day! Hugs and prayers to those in need. -Debbie

Good morning all. Mary, sorry about your cousin. Sounds like she needs someone to sympathize with her.

Happy Birthday Sybul, hope it was all you wanted it to be.

Well, I have a cold. It has been a long time since I had one.
We have been on the road a lot & I missed a lot of my vitamins. Supposed to go shopping yesterday, but wasn't uo to it. I will try to today.

Our new puppy is doing great. For less than 8 weeks old he is 50% puppy pad trained. Now we have 4 in our bed with us. Mommy is not nursing anymore except when he catches her sleeping. So much energy!!!

Not much else is new, I do say a prayer for all in  need( which is all of us) every day. My son will be home from Afghanistan in a month!! Yea!!!! Have a great day & enjoy the sun if you have it.
Nan

Hi Mary and my OFF family:

Good news: I got my unemployment payment! Yey! It's been a month ... well, actually six weeks since I was laid off, but a month without any money coming in, so it was nice to get some money at last.

It was gorgeous yesterday. I wanted to do more but after the movie I didn't feel good ... maybe it's the popcorn? It never bothered me before but the last two weeks I've felt nauseous after eating popcorn. I don't eat the whole bag, either. I went to see "The Hurt Locker" ... good movie, very intense. I belong to this "Big Screen Club" that our local theater runs and members get benefits ... after five movies, you get a free popcorn and pop. Well, yesterday I was eligible for my free popcorn and pop, but it was dollar popcorn day. So for $4.99, I got a movie, popcorn and pop. Almost like the old days.

I've been loving watching spring training baseball the past few days. Can't wait for the season to start. And today, the NCAA basketball tournament starts, so that will keep me occupied (it also helps me catch up on my magazines ... I can read and watch basketball/baseball all the time). 

And in the meantime, my brother and I are planning our spring vacation. Yesterday, he bought our Williamsburg tickets online, so I wrote a check to him so that part of our vacation is paid for in advance. Only a month till our trip.

The weather is supposed to be wonderful again today ... it's 41 degrees already and heading up to the 60s again. Wow, it feels like spring. A few wispy clouds in the sky. I know we're going to get snow on Sunday, but that's spring in the Midwest.

Mary and Jan, sorry about your relatives and their drinking. I had an uncle that drank a lot. My father didn't trust his brother at all ... he drank and stole from his mother, plus my dad cosigned a loan for him and then stuck my father with the loan when he didn't pay. We all called him Uncle Bum because he was a drunk and didn't want to work ... he mooched off Grandma and she allowed it. He was her "baby" and she made excuses for him. It's hard to deal with any kinds of addictions ... I should know, I have my own.

Sybul, happy birthday.

Well, have a great day. Enjoy the nice weather if you are having it like we are here.

I have shopping ahead of me this morning, then basketball this afternoon.

morning mary and the rest that follow....

mary sorry to read about your new found cousin....seems like they tell you they love you all the time when they are drunk. my ex had a friend that did that all the time also when he was drinking alot. sad.

as for your not liking the meat...i find alot of foods that i used to like awful now. has to be the WLS huh?

well its another sunny day here and supposed to get up in the low 60's WOOOHOOOOO have to work 1-5 today so that isn't to bad. but tomorrow its 8-5, sat 8-430 with training and sunday 8-330 i believe. not sure what the schedule will be for next weel with the pregger one off now. i am sure more hours and that is ok as long as its not alot of closing for me. i hate closing up. but i do it...its my job....

took a ride down to the lake again yesterday to see how much ice was gone....still some out there and it is still pretty with the little bits of ice flows here and there. but i will be happy when this cold weather is all gone!!!

my bbq ribs were great...even the potato sald was good!! ricks mom made some for the lunch at her cafe and rick brought one home for us to share...omg it was so dry and tough!! rick said to me hon your ribs are so much better!!! got to love him....he loves my food...but then he does most of the cooking for us with my work schedule.

well time for the shower and them off to work again. have a great day and remember i AM thinking of you all!!!!! ;-)

I, too, have a busy week PLUS am enjoying the gorgeous, sunny spring weather in Minnesota.  Although I hear that's about to come crashing down tomorrow - temps only in the 40s and lower -  and rain/slush/snow predicted for the Friday and the weekend.   In Minnesota, we don't expect winter to be over in March!  But, still, it's greening up and the snow can't last.

As far as talking to drunks, not fun!   I'm in recovery, too (30 years!) and it's rampant in my family.  I agree with the others, kindly and patiently, listen and bit, then have a reason to get off the phone.  She may not even remember that.   Eventually she MAY get the hint, or you may have to be more direct.  How wonderful it would be if we used honesty "I love talking to you when you are sober" or  "You didn't make a lot of sense when you called me the other night, were you drinking?" - - would have stopped me in my tracks.  To be honest, you'd be doing HER the favor!

Life is strange.  We get our love in all kinds of places.  I give everyone a fair shake, but I won't be used to listen to inane blabbage of a drunk!  Not to be mean, just value my time!

Take care all you good people and have a great day.  I'm working and all is going well at home.  Michael is losing weight and getting exciting about that lately.