Whose blog is that anyway?

In no particular order, here are the owners of our blogs. If you aren't on this list and you want to be on it, please let me know!


In Between The Gray Lines: Sue/Sizzie

Musings By Margo Margo

Texas Babbling Brook Becky

dancinnana Joyce

Probably Too Much Information: Lynn1

The Adventures of Super O: OrkMommy

The TV Show Must Go On: Jackie

Looky Here .. Adventures In Nature .. A New Yorker in Houston: Sydney

Whatsnuwitu: meb

For My Circle of Friends: Elaine (PDX Granny)

Just Letting You Know: Donna in AL

Search for Tyler & Kyle Dickson: Terry in CA

Sassy and Silver .. Miles to Go: Laurie

Ramblings by Delee ... Delee

All The Things You Never Wanted To Know About Me ... RBennie

Keeping the blog open ...

Now that so many of us have created our own blogs and we can jump around from place to place to chat, we don't need this for the original purpose but it seems we do need it for other reasons. We have lots of information here from when we first moved in and set up our little houses with our gardens and pools and pets. We also have links to our new blogs that are helpful as a directory.

So, I'll keep this blog available to all of us for reference and for going down memory lane. You never know ... it could come in handy for something else one day!

Tag! You're it!

Here's the tag that has been going through our group of friends. Please copy of this message and put in your respones in the comment area. There's no right or wrong way to do this. You can make a list, answer in one word ..... It's all up to you!

1. Clothes

2. Furniture

3. Sweet

4. City

5. Drink

6. Music

7. TV series

8. Film

9. Workout

10. Pastries

11. Coffee

New Blog List!

I added a list of our blogs today. See them at the left of this post? I didn't ask permission but I'm hoping it's okay with you that I added your blog. These are the ones I know of. If you have a blog you'd like promoted from this one, please let me know and I'll add it right away!

Also, if you would like to blog here just let me know. I'll be happy to add you to the list of people who can contribute to the content. The more the merrier!

This picture is my little Harlie Cat. She is a feral rescue and is just a delightful creature. Very independent and loves to be outside. However, she stays in our yard and comes inside when called. She loves the creature comforts of a warm bed and regular food!

Chicago Visit Fall 2008

I can hardly believe that just a week ago I was in Chicago, enjoying a cold rain and a bit of a breeze. The visit went so fast. It was good to finally see where my daughter, Karen, is living now. I can picture her in her apartment, going to school, taking the L downtown and even going to Target.

This trip was an adventure for me, having never been to Chicago and not being a huge fan of big cities. Karen picked me up at the airport when I got there and that evening we went to the symphony downtown. We rode the L that night so I got experience with how to do that right away.

On Friday I was alone for the day while Karen was at school. I took the same L downtown and discovered I was in the Theater District. I played the wide-eyed tourist, snapping pictures and stopping to look at the buildings and the people. I saw lots of beautiful coats, scarves, boots and hats! We just don't see those things here in San Diego.

Over the weekend we were fortunate to have my brother, sister-in-law and niece come down from Green Bay to visit with us. We spent Saturday downtown doing some shopping and some sight seeing. Again, more pictures and gawking ... it's fun to be a tourist! We were on Michigan Avenue for most of the day and it was packed with people going both directions. I didn't like that part but I did enjoy the Hancock Building and the walking when the crowd thinned out. We saw a wedding in the middle of the street. That was a first for me!

On Monday I took two buses into Evanston so I could attend a class at Northwestern with Karen and see some of the campus. I sat in on a Language Development class and thoroughly enjoyed it. The time flew by for me. When we got out of class it was pouring rain. Guess who left the umbrella on the table back at the apartment? K borrowed an umbrella for me and we forged ahead. We walked over to the cafeteria area for a late lunch and then took the scenic route back to my bus stop and K went on to her next class. The walk was good for more photo ops!

Tuesday morning was "get up early and get to the airport" ... no time to waste. Next time I'll arrange to take a later flight home. Karen went with me on the L part way to the airport, making sure I make my connection to the other line and had a seat. Then she got on the train going the other way, back to school, and I went on to the airport. It all worked out, in spite of my anxiety about all of it.

So, the trip was a huge success in my mind. I loved my adventures, loved seeing Karen's apartment and seeing how at home she is already. I can feel that my mom-nerves are more settled now that I've seen some of her world for myself. It was fun helping her study again (it's been a long time since I've been a part of that) and getting to know just a bit about her field of study. It was great sharing a place with her and Cleo for a few days and feeling so comfortable around her familiar things, albeit in a new environment. Of course it was fantastic being able to see my Wisconsin family during the Chicago visit. I can hardly wait to return ... although the next visit belongs to Tim. Maybe he will want me to tag along so I can show him the ropes!

Pictures are here:

Karen's Neighborhood

Northwestern Campus

Theatre District

Downtown Chicago

If you don't have a snapfish account, use lauriegayle@gmail.com as the login and sassy as the password.

The Shack - A Friendly Discussion

I am currently reading The Shack by William Young. My dear friend, Terry, read it a few weeks ago and recommended it to me, telling me that she would loan it to me but she wanted to re-read her copy and mark it up. She was sure I would want to have my own copy for the same reasons. She was right!l

I haven't finished the book yet, although I probably will finish it later today. When I first started the book I could not put it down. First of all, it was taking place in an area I visited just last month so that intrigued me. I could literally see the road the family was taking on their trip, and stopped at the very falls they did. I even visited the gift shop! Now, I'm slowing down in reading the book because it has changed from an exciting mystery to ... well, an exciting mystery of a different sort.

Let's talk about this book .... Remembering to respect each other and not be judgmental. Remember, it's a work of fiction this man wrote for his family. It's become a bestseller and very controversial ... I love that it's controversial and challenging people!

A Side Note to The Shack

I was in Portland the end of August on business. I met up with an online friend, Elaine, who offered to take me to see some of the scenery and a few waterfalls. We hit it off as soon as we met and had a great time getting to know each other as she drove me through some beautiful company. At our first stop we met up with two women from Canada who were sight seeing after attending a spiritual conference. We continued to see them at each stop we made along the way, laughing and making comments and taking pictures together.

Our final stop was Multnomah Falls (the very place the family stops on their camping journey) where I was deeply affected by the beauty and the spirituality of the area. I remember commenting that it reminded me of how I felt when I saw the Grand Canyon and Niagra Falls, humbled and overwhelmed by the awesomeness of it all. Our new friends were there, too, and were continuing their journey north while we were returning to Portland. We chatted for awhile, took pictures and had pictures taken of the four of us, and then said goodbye. At that point, one of the women handed my friend Elainea book and said she wanted her to have it. I paid little attention to that as I was still exploring my own feelings about the Falls and the spirituality that was in the air.

Today I found out that the book our new friend gave to Elaine was ... The Shack. It all makes sense in "the Universe is Perfect" kind of way, doesn't it?

Negative People In Our Lives ...

A post was made at Jackie's blog that got me thinking it would be a good topic for over here. Here is the post made by Clementine: "Syd: A few days ago, Renny and Keesha were talking about how they had a new perspective (after the BB experience) and what they would change when they got home. Both said that they would stop associating with certain people in their lives (who brought negative energy). I got the impression that Keesha was talking about some party friends and that Renny was talking about family members." What do you do about negative people in your life? Do you tolerate them? Do you join in their negativity? Do you avoid them? Do you cut them out of your life? Are you one of them? Do you fight negativity yourself?

I'd like to explore this topic a little further. Care to join me? Oh, the image was chosen to get rid of any negative energy for this topic and this blog. I took it when PDXGranny (Elaine) and I were on what I call "The Oregon Waterfall Tour". There was no negativity that night!

Prayers for teabbfan's mom

This post is copied from Jackie's BB blog and is from teabbfan.

...I dont know if I am supposed to do this but MOM isnt eating refuses to go to dr can yall pray or send good thawts to her I am so worried ..Yall are just starting to feel like real to me as u talk about ur outside lives.

Please keep MOM in your prayers.

Plantar fasciitis - not a snack food!

With so many of us dealing with this foot problem I thought it would be a good idea to start a thread about it. Maybe we can help each other out!

I'm not currently having any symptoms but they can flare up at any time. I had never heard of it before I was diagnosed many years ago. My doctor at the time told me to wear shoes with some cushion, not to go barefoot (in San Diego!) and to roll a can around with that foot. Also, I think she had me take Ibuprofen for inflammation but I could be wrong about that. All those things did help. I do still go barefoot around the house, but I buy good shoes and do stretches with my foot. No flare up for a couple of years. *knock on wood*

A stretch that my physical therapist suggested just for general strength around that area is to put my leg out and write the alphabet with my foot, making sure I come back to having my toes up between each letter. I have to say it is helping my foot/ankle strength in general and is easy to do.

Please pray for Meb

Meb's daughter posted the following information on Jackie's blog. I wanted to post it here, too, in case anyone misses it there:

I'm MEB's daughter:Mom has been in the hospital since Friday. She was at the doctors and her heart started racing so they took her over to the ER. Praise God, because when this has happened in the past at home she wouldn't go. As a result they discovered her blood count was 5 when it should have been 12 - 14. (after 4 blood transfusions she is at 11) To figure out why this has happened they ran some tests and say she has a blockage in her colon. They are conducting more tests and feel they will have to go in and remove part of her colon. I say, they don't have the final word!! So please get some prayers going and lets watch God get the glory. You are all so special to Mom and she appreciates her prayers. God Bless you all and I am excited to see God's mighty power working in this situation. KLB

I'll continue to cross-post any information I see on Jackie's blog. If I miss something, please let me know.

Meanwhile please be praying for her and for those who are caring for her!

++++++++++++++++++New info from MEB's daughter++++++++++++++++
KLB here for MEB. Thank you all so much for your kind words and prayers. I copied and printed all comments and took it to her today. She was blessed. In the last two days they have found a second blockage in her colon so at 12noon Tuesday, they will be removing 85% of her colon. She is in good spirits and at peace with it and I know will feel 100% better when recovered. They anticipate anywhere from 3 to 7 days in the hospital. Boy will she have a lot of BB10 taped to watch and a ton of blog to read. Please continue to pray. God is our strength and peace. I will let you all know how she's doing tomorrow evening.
7/21/2008 6:57 PM

July in the Neighborhood

What says July better than sunflowers in full bloom? This plant is full of bees which warms my heart since they are in short supply these days. Luckily, bees don't scare me!

The 4th was nice here on our little Jackie's Town cul de sac, with the flags flying and the food cooking. The fireworks were magnificent and nobody got hurt! My favorite was the vanilla ice cream hand cranked by everyone who wanted to share in the bounty later.

Now it's time to put all that away and get into the realy business of summer. What is it like in your real life? How do you feel about summer?

My Aplolgies

My apologies for not keeping up on this blog. As you know, it was created with the intention of keeping up a community while Jackie was laid up. I fully intended to do my part of keeping things going.

Sadly, I lost my momentum after returning from our cruise. Real life and some health problems got in the way of me being online very much, and when I was it was to keep my forum going. Anyway, it looks like Jackie is back and things are going strong on her forum.

I'll leave this up for a couple of weeks and then close up the blog. If someone else wants to take it over, I'd be happy to have that happen.

Again, my apologies for flaking out on all of you. I certainly didn't intend for that to happen.
Laurie

Alaska Pictures!

Greetings everyone! I have some of my pictures loaded and wanted to share them with you. I'm not finished yet, but you can see me on a glacier, Terry on a zip line, and Butchart Gardens in Victoria BC Canada. I will get more loaded up later tonight or later this week.
To see what's up so far, go to www.snapfish.com.
Username: lauriegayle@gmail.com
Password: sassy
I have videos of a few things, too. You can get to those by going to www.youtube.com/lauriegayle
Enjoy!

What's News?

Bon Voyage Terry and Laurie!  By this time they must be on the ship, having gotten to Seattle I guess... I am piecing together that they flew up there to catch the ship then cruise to Alaska from there, otherwise Nana in the NW would not have been telling them what the weather's like where she is (Tacoma).  We hope they check in with us and give us an update soon!

Well, Jackie is back and has put up her first post, complete with a pic of her knee, which looks remarkably unswollen and not at all bruised. Click the link on the side of this page to see... after commenting here.

On TV season finales abound and a few are just starting up. Temperatures have been wacky all over the country. Places that are usually mild, like LA, Seattle and Portland have been in triple digits and places like Houston has been humidity free and even a little chilly at times.  And in places where people have had a looong winter they are not seeing the warming that is due to come by now.  I thought global warming meant just that... it got warmer everywhere.  

This is the time of year for season finales and summer shows to start up on TV, to pack away winter clothes and pull out the summer ones, to plan for vacations or anticipate summer movies. Memorial Day weekend is just around the corner.  What will you be doing for your long weekend?

GREEN GOSSIP

If you watched Mr. Rodgers you can sing along with me... "It's a beautiful day in the Neighborhood, a beautiful day for a neighbor.... Will you be mine?  Will you be Mine?"

Have you noticed that more and more, the nation is going green... where are you at on the topic? 

Seems whatever our situation, there's something we can do.  Just thought this might be a nice place to say what little shifts you might have begun to make (or were already doing) to help our little planet. Also, please put down any tips you may have for good books, websites, ways to conserve, mulch, buy organic more affordably, burn less energy, etc. etc...<

Sisterhood of Support, continued

So many of us jumped on the bandwagon to talk about wanting to get support for losing weight and getting healthier, that I thought each week I'd put p a new post so there is a fresh area to talk about what we need to, rather than try to scroll waaaayback down.

So here's the newest fence post to lean over with your gardening gloves on and have a little chat about that!

How did you do this week? And what's on your mind today, as we start the weekend?

Summer's just around the corner...

Hi all- It's Sydney writing... While Laurie and TerryinCa are away, I will keep posting so we can continue our chats on successive posts, like we did at Jackies -- and at the same time, maybe the specific subject headings for things like books and movies can always be returned to. Whatever suggestions people have, whatever works in our little neighborhood.

OK, so the pedometer invitation went over like a lead brick, lol. What shall we talk about instead? Memorial Day is coming up three short weeks... can you believe that summer will be upon us?!?! On the East coast, it's an unspoken agreement that summer is boxed between Memorial Day and Labor Day. People go to the Cape, the Hamptons, The Jersey Shore etc.. in droves on the weekends for that brief few months. Suddenly Labor Day arrives and enmasse, everyone decides it's all over, packs away their canvas bags and swimming trunks and fits their still tan feet back into street shoes. Yet the weather continues to be summery for about 4 more weeks, so I would stage my own private protest each year. I decided it wasn't the end of summer til I stopped celebrating it. I continued to wear flip flops, capri pants, brightly colored tees and my straw hat traipsing around Manhattan. I'd make myself a picnic and would go to the park or sit out beside the Hudson River and enjoy the sun, though the quality of the light was certainly changing and the days got a bit shorter... Summer seems so fleeting when you live where the season change, while winter, after the holidays are over, seems to D-R-A-G.

Now I live in a place that does have seasonal weather changes but it's mostly warm and sunny... it's wonderful but not as sweet somehow. Wherever you live, I imagine we all have our favorite summertime rituals. What are yours? Traditions? Family gatherings? Activities you take up? Is there anywhere you regularly visit? Is there anything you're hoping to do this summer that you have never done before?

INCREASING ACTIVITY

In the spirit of continuing the SIsterhood of Support (SOS!!) with our goal of getting healthy, I'm going to post over the next few weeks to encourage us. This is a journey to make us feel and look better --not just for summer (just around the corner!) but for the rest of our lives. I've got a variety so if one isn't your cup of tea, hold on, because the next one may just be. Hopefully several can serve to motivate and inspire!

Having read everyone's comments, I saw similarities. Most say they know how to eat right but don't. Many say they're on the verge of conditions like diabetes, or know they could better their conditions if they lost weight and got more active.... that health is an even bigger priority. And almost all said that regardless, increasing their activity would make a difference.

I wish we could all start a walking club... but I figure we can do things as a group virtrually that might be almost as good. So I have a little suggestion.

Bob Greene, Oprah's trainer, has a really great book out called: The Best Life Diet.

It's great. It helps you go in do-able phases, so you can celebrate the success in each little part, which of course motivates you to keep going. And though it very much covers what you eat, it's not so much a diet but designed to help you make a lasting change in outlook and lifestyle. I highly recommend it!

I like to eat. I eat healthy for the most part, just a little too much of it. And my metabolism has changed recently. I'm not a big dieter. What I can do is look for the little things that have become habits that need to change (like bringing a bag of tortilla chips or pretzels to my computer and mindlessly eating the whole thing. They may be low fat and organic but I still have put on weight) and increase activity. We ALL KNOW it aids health, and burn calories BUT it also helps reduces appetite and gives you more energy... Exactly what we could use! Increasing activity is the way to get an edge and reap ALL these benefits. It's 100% win/win!!!

You have to know where you're at to begin making small, do-able shifts that start improving things. Bob had a chart (p.44) to determine how active you are, which covers Level 0 to 5. An easy way to figure out where you are is to use the number of steps you take per day over a few average days with a pedometer. I tried several and found a great one (listed below). I just put it on when I brushed my teeth in the morning and took it off when I went to bed. I made a note of it. I was at Level 0!

I did not add any judgement on myself -- THIS IS KEY!!!-- I just approached it with curiosity and it's actually great because the only way for me was up! From there it' was fun and easy to set small goals to increase it. I'd write it down in my day planner every night and felt pretty darn good about any increase. When I hit the same number, I'd find myself suddenly motivated to fit in a walk, or go 10 minutes longer. I went from zero to the 3rd level in about 9 months as I slimmed down for my wedding. I started to realize if I DID park a little further from the store or take a flight of stairs (even down rather than up,lol) it made a difference! The awareness it creates is great!!!

I wonder if, to support each other in our quest to increase activity, y'all would like to get a pedometer. They say deadlines help, so how about if everyone who is interested could pick up one by the weekend? There are many brands sold at sporting goods stores and maybe Target or Walmart. They run between $10-20. The one I loved was an ACCUSPLIT model AX120. Check it out:

http://www.amazon.com/ACCUSPLIT-Deluxe-Pedometer-colored-plates/dp/B0007ZGZMK

If you're in, let's just wear it for a few days as we do out regular activity and see what the numbers are. I will post the activity levels and number of steps on the comment area, and we can make notes there. We can add tips on how to increase our daily steps...whatever is fun... and at least try to help each other set and meet whatever increase we individually want!

Are you game???

Musings ...

Here's the place to write out whatever is on your mind ....

Sisterhood of Support ...

Here's a spot where we can discuss our health and our bodies. I know some of us are trying to get healthier by exercising or losing weight or breaking a habit. Let's see if we can help each other along that path.