Well, it's been a while, hasn't it?

Well, it's been a busy week. Getting ready for the Alkathon has taken up a lot of my time. I've washed a lot of toys, finished off the program, started cooking the 3-bean soup for the New Year's Day potluck and taken care of other details as well. It's always bout the details it seems. Anyway, I am psyched and ready to go.

I woke up this morning fully expecting to see a load of snow on the ground, but the inclement weather has not settled in yet. Here's hoping it stays away for a bit longer!!! There's still some set up to do and the banner to get done. Yup! Them details are certainly a bear!!! LOL

Yesterday I put on about 4 or 5 miles walking. Not bad at all. I started out trying to walk to Price Chopper in Putnam from the house so I could catch the NECTD bus. I was at Dunkin Donuts on Woodstock Avenue at 9:45 AM. Not close enough to make the 9:55 bus to Danielson. When what should appear but a friend on her way into Danielson asking me if I was exercising or if would like a ride somewhere. That was too KEWL! I do so enjoy life's pleasant little surprises!

I walked from United Services to QVCC after my appointment. I love that walk for some reason. It's not especially long but I find Rock Avenue a peaceful venue. Then again, I also like walking to meetings. It reminds me that I am still willing to go to any length. That is a reality that I need to keep close to me. That is one of my positives!

After the meeting (it was a good meeting) I headed over towards downtown and ended up getting a ride to the club for a bit. Well, I was gonna go a-visiting but that didn't work out so I hung out at the library, checked by emails and made myself busy. I've always loved the library...since I was a kid. It was my little hide out. It was a safe place...still is.

Went shopping with Carrie, her grandmother and the girls for a bit. It is so funny to see Kimmy in action. She wants to wear boys clothes which drives grandma crazy. Reminds me of all the go-rounds I had with my mom bout the very same thing. Carrie says she was the same way when she was a kid. I guess history does have a way of repeating itself. Anyway, Carrie and I drifted off with Kimmy to the boys' section while Grandma and Robin scoured the girls' section for clothes. A good time was had by all!!! LOL

I had called my friend from Woodstock about a ride home from the meeting, but he had other plans. I was winging it at that point, but I wanted to make the Danielson meeting so I went figuring it would all work out. Lo and behold, he was there as his plans had fallen through so I had a ride back to Woodstock. It's true what they say, "If you can get to a meeting, you can always get a ride home from a meeting." I don't think faith isn't about all that religious stuff, it's just believing that the universe is unfolding as it should. With a day like yesterday, how could I believe any differently?

So, it's time to stir the soup and start on the rest of my day. Have a good one today and a better one tomorrow. Till we meet again as we trudge the road of happy destiny, be well my friends.

ALLERGIES! ARGH!

Yuppers these eyes are an allergy thang! That's what my doctor tells me. Well, aint that dandy and all. I guess it just figures. Last Monday I saw her and she put me on Singulair and now this. She suggested I try some over the counter Claritan but I think not.

I will continue to sleep on two pillows instead of one and use the ice pack. I found those suggestions online. They seemed to help a bit but the itchiness and the tenderness around the eyes is still an issue. I'm dealing with it...not liking it especially...but dealing with it.

I was on Claritan about two years ago or so maybe. One night I woke up about 3 AM in the middle of the very worst anxiety/panic/holy crap attack I ever had. I haven't had anything like that happen since I have been off of it. The jittery was bad enough, but that anxiety attack in the middle of the night was intolerable. I am not going to go that route again unless it is absolutely necessary.

I am still breathing. It is not NECESSARY yet. LOL

On the brighter side, today I walked and walked and walked. YEEHAW! I took the NECTD bus to Dayville and got off at Killingly Commons. I did a bit of window shopping and then headed across the street to the doctor's. Then I took the bus to Danielson and walked around downtown for a while. Next I was off to Putnam and I walked from Price Chopper up to St. Phillip's for the Alkathon meeting. Keep in mind, I did all this walking with a 25-30 lb. back pack on my back. I had grabbed all the books for the meeting and taken them with me so I would have them for this evening. Well, let me tell you, walking in snow with a heavy backpack is quite the workout if you want my opinion.

I came home and took a lovely shower with lots and lots of hot water. Oh the steam is wonderful. It's not just me, the doctor says it will help keep my sinsues happy and clear. The idea of easier breathing is very appealing these days. Go figure, huh?

I am going to be going to my dad's for our annual Christmas supper tomorrow night. We always do our holiday thing separate from the holiday. That works out well. I will be doing the Pomfret meeting and then going to help my sponsor prepare for her Christmas Eve Open House. I won't actually make the open house as I go to Joan's on Christmas Eve. It's a family tradition, one which I rather enjoy. It's about the only time I get to see Georgie, Lena, Phil, Annie and their kids. Holiday traditions with family is nice.

Then I will do the 11 PM mass at Trinity in Brooklyn. There's something about the late night mass that I really like, maybe it is the karma of the thing. (LOL)

I am planning on getting down to the club on Christmas Day. I will bring the banner for the Alkathon so we can work on it there. Saturday was the day to get the thing done but the weather did not cooperate. Thank goodness for plan B.

Carrie's grandmother called and Sue called. Carrie is among the missing according to them. I don't agree with someone from the rooms telling a non-AA whether someone was at a meeting or not...and helping them by tracking down folks from other meetings to see if she was there is over the top.

It is what is. Whether she was where she said she was gonna be and whether she is where others think she is supposed to be is not something that I want to be dragged into. I really don't need the drama (like anyone really needs drama) in my life. So I was very curt during that phone conversation which ended very quickly.

Well, my Singulair is making me rather tired. I think that I shall grab my ice pack, go rest on my two pillows and then drift off to sleep all comfy cozy in my nice soft bed. Ahhhh! Good night all!

The "EYES" have it...

I just don't know what IT is!

I was okay around 5 am when I woke up with a bladder call. Then, when I woke up again aroudn 8 am, the 'bags' under my eyes were SWOLLEN. I mean, they feel weird and all. I called my pharmacist to make sure I wasn't having a reaction to the Singulair. Apparently, I am all set on that front.

I took a 3+ hour nap today. I almost never feel tired enough to actually hit the hay in the middle of the day. I don't do those 20 minute power naps. I need hours of sleep once I am in that mode.

I woke up tired and applied the heating pad. I've been getting muscle spasms again and I can feel them right on the edge. It's odd. My muscle spasms are usually a night thing, not a waking thing yet, here they are. My hip is killing me...from the inside out. Today it seems the groin area of my hip is soooo painful. OWIES!

I got up about 4:30 and started supper. I felt okay to begin as I started cooking. It's sitting in front of me, even as I type but my stomach isn't feeling 100% now. I've got that 'almost queasy' feeling. ICK! I want to go and hit my bed yet again. My head feels full and I keep having these spastic coughing jags.

My eyes are feeling real itchy right now and my cheeks are starting to get that itchy feeling as well. I know something is definitely up. And that would be something besides the yellow stuff I keep blowing out of my nose and hack up regularly.

I have a vague recollection of having had this eye thing before. I can't remember the who, what, when, where or why's of it though. I'm not sure if it is related to my upper respiratory stuff or not. But, it would be nice to be able to take a nice deep breath. It would be nice if my eyes and face stopped itching. It would be nice if my stomach stopped doing flip flops. Lots of things would be welcomed right now.

I just came across this...

I just came across this article on the BBC. A gentleman at church just went through the effort to estblish a playground for handicap children as his youngest daughter has some physical challenges. I had read the article about that in the paper a bit ago. If I didn't know them (Nate and Nora) I might not have bothered to read this. If I hadn't read this, you might not be reading this now either. Take the time to check this out. It's is very neat!!

BBC NEWS
Accessible toys help disabled

By Geoff Adams-Spink
Age & disability correspondent, BBC News website

As the Christmas rush goes into top gear for the final week of shopping, spare a thought for those who have a disabled child to buy for: many of the hi-tech toys available are unsuitable - or at least they were until now.

AbilityNet - a charity whose mission is to make technology accessible to people with all sorts of disabilities - has launched a range of toys suitable for children whose motor skills and dexterity are limited.

They range from a collection of soft toys that sing songs and move in time to the music to a head-mounted controller for games consoles and battery-powered cars and boats.

There is also a range of arcade-style computer games that can be played using a single key or an external switch.

Inclusive Christmas

AbilityNet has formed a partnership with Excitim Ltd - a company that uses technology originally created to help a young boy who was paralysed from the neck down in a car accident.

The Dream-Products range is being marketed through the charity's website, and it uses any money it makes to subsidise its free services for disabled people.

"For many children, play options are severely limited by their condition," said AbilityNet's development director, David Banes.

"Play is critical to the social, psychological and educational development of our young people, as well as their well-being and self confidence."

Mr Banes - a former special school headteacher - says that he hopes the toys will create "a truly inclusive Christmas for disabled youngsters".

The soft toys - which cost just under £40 - are brought to life by using an external switch.

Mastering consoles

For children who are non-verbal, switches are likely to play an important role in their ability to interact with the world around them.

So establishing a link between cause and effect at an early age is crucial to a child's development.

At the Willow Dene special school in south-east London, the children in the nursery class use switches for a variety of activities - interacting with a computer, operating a fan or a lamp and animating a toy in a group storytelling session.

Assistant-headteacher, Claire Barnes, says that the soft toys are a welcome addition.

"At this level, a lot of the children are developing an understanding of cause and effect...and that's a really key part of learning to communicate," she told the BBC.

"They [the soft toys] are fantastic - they really motivate the children...almost all of them can gain something from the responses the toys make when they hit the switch."

Older disabled children have often found computer and console games difficult to master because several buttons have to be operated simultaneously.

Barrie Ellis from Billericay in Essex runs a website called oneswitch.org.uk that is a resource for developers of one-switch games and those looking for new titles.

He says that, all too often, games publishers adopt a "one size fits all" approach.

"It is a fairly common problem that a lot of game developers don't give a lot of consideration to," he said.

"But there are certainly a lot of alternatives out there now."

One-switch PC titles include Frogger, Whacka Monty Mole (which should appeal to those who like hitting things) and an "on rails" space shoot-em-up called Aurikon.

Mr Ellis also believes that, with a bit of imagination and perhaps some help from friends or family, games consoles also lend themselves to use with a switch interface.

"You can play as a team - you could have one person using the traditional joypad controller while another person uses a switch."

Fancy headgear

The Dream Gamer incorporates tilt switches into a baseball cap to provide a joystick-type interface for the Playstation. With the right adapter, it can also be used with other consoles.

And the same concept is behind the Dream Racer: a tilt of the head - up, down, left or right - will operate a remote-controlled model car or boat.

At around £160 for the Dream Racer (depending on which radio-controlled model is chosen) and £120 for the Dream Gamer, these are certainly not cheap options.

But for disabled children who have had to watch as friends and siblings enjoy the fun, there is now an alternative.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/technology/7783486.stm

Published: 2008/12/17 09:56:23 GMT

© BBC MMVIII

UNCLE!!!

Last night was gawd-awful! After my long, hot, soothing bath...ahhhh....I hopped into bed to cough and spit my way through the night. I'd love to lay down to sleep, but I doubt sleep is possible as I am coughing spastically with little reprieve. My ribs hurt, my hips hurt, my lower back hurts, my right shoulder hurts like hell, my head hurts and sometimes my face even hurts! AND MY EARS WON'T STOP ITCHING!!! I am going nucking futs with that! I can't stand it! OHMIGAWD!!!

The good news is that the twitching in my airway seems to be pretty much gone. The bad news is that my rescue inhaler, which was providing some relief, is now useless. Then there is the phlegm coming up in living color yellow. ICK!

I spent an hour in the shower this morning and all I managed to do, besides stand there to allow the gloriously hot, soothing water to pour all over me, is wash my hair...oh, and cough and cough and cough.

Ordinarily I would throw myself at the mercy of the nearest couch and veg out in front of the television, but even on a good day, sitting on the couch makes me cough and cough and cough. The cats sit there. Those damn allergies! Somehow, since I already have these breathing issues I can't help but think that the couch would be almost a suicide maneuver at this point.

Now, for my next amazing feat, I shall put my sneakers on, aching lower back and all. Film at eleven...you just have to figure out where! LMAO

YET AGAIN!!!

It started getting bad again last night. I should have known. Between going to the auction in a car with smokers and sitting behind the ladies at church yesterday who apparently feel the need to dive into a 55 gallon drum of perfume before going out in public...well, my breathing is rather impaired right now. Not to mention my ears are soooooooo freaking itchy I want to scream. I thought perhaps I was sick or something but my 97.5 F temperature doesn't really say sick to me. Besides, the twitching in my throat is responding quite nicely to my rescue inhaler. UGH! Well, it responds quite nicely for a little while and then I am back to square one way before I am supposed to take another dose of it.

I feel like I just can't cough like I used to do. I noticed that right after the surgery cause I was having these same symptoms two days after I got home. Back then I chocked it up to those stitches and the healing process. I still can't cough the way I used to but it was a deep, hacking, bronchitis cough back then. Now it just seems when something triggers this I just can't breathe for days till it gets better on its own though the runny nose just hasn't ever gone completely away since September. ENOUGH ALREADY!!!! I am going to call my doctor tomorrow. I had to use my rescue inhaler last night and all day today so tonight I will sleep with the fool thing in my pocket so I don't have to grope in the dark for it.

I could use another dose of my inhaler, but I just took my last puffs at around 8 PM. That is only 2 hours ago. The twitching (some kind of spasm?) is back and in full swing. My throat hurts from my nonproductive, spasmodic coughing. I got to get another hobby, fer sure.

I am running my bath water, even as I type. My shower this morning felt soo wonderful. Of course, it always does. My poor aching joints don't move until I loosen them up with hot water. This morning I was breathing much easier after the steam infected my lungs but I wasn't 100% even with that. I want to sit, relax and maybe listen to some music. I feel exhausted from trying to get enough oxygen to keep my lungs happy. I'm pretty sure this is not good.

On the lighter side of things...the Xmas party at the club went off as planned. Lots of food, folks and fun. The kids had a good time. My little buddy Trevor wasn't too sure about sitting on Santa's lap so I offered to sit on one knee while he sat on the other. He managed to quit squirming till mom and grandma got some pics of us. I had a good time even if I did manage to provide fodder for future blackmail attempts. LMAO Truth be told, if I can get some copies of them, I may post those pics here and beat them to the punch line. So, keep an eye out...you just never know with me!!!

THREE SURPISE DAYS IN A ROW!!!

Let's recap...Thursday I was gonna do a couple of meetings and then do the NORML support group at the hospital. Well, the weather wasn't especially cooperative so after the morning meeting I did a couple of errands instead of the second meeting. THEN, Thursday night there was no support group at DKH. I had told Loren at church about it. He and I were the only two who showed up. There was no cancellation notice that I was aware of so we sat and chatted for a bit.

Friday, I was gonna to Mrs. Gunderson do some cleaning but Carrie's dad ended up at UMASS so we spent the day up there. Her grandmother was worried sick and really didn't need to be alone. Carrie wasn't sure what to do. After Gregg stabilized I made a billion calls (seemed like I did) from the hospital so I could get to the auction to get the items for the party on Sunday. Well, Linda, Cathie and I ended up at the auction...and a GOOD TIME was had by all. They had never been there. Emily picked me up at the club to get me back home. The strategics of it all was absolutely amazing. It all worked out but I still have no idea how that came to be.

This morning I was going to do the meeting at DKH but Jeanne's father called. He was stranded at Westover Air Force Base. He had taken a flight there last night and his brother was iced in up north. Sooo...I head there this morning instead of to my meeting. It was a bit tricky...my directions were to the Westover Airport, not the base. Fortunately, they are something of the nature of siamese twins in a military-parred-down-and-turned-over-to-municipality-kinda-way. Mission accomplished though I did get lost for a bit on the way home which caused a 20 minute delay. Oh well. All's well that ends well. Her dad made it to the wedding! VERY KEWL!!!

And, a lovely wedding it was. The ceremony was beautiful with so many family and friends to join in the joy! The music, the readings, the whole kit'n'caboodle was just fabulous. It really all did come together wonderfully. I'm so glad for them. They were just beaming and glowing. It was a delight to be a witness to that!

I'm bringing Beth and Jeanne to Warwick tonight. They decided that instead of getting up early to hit the airport they would spend the night in Warwick so they could be relaxed and refreshed for their flight. I still don't know what time I will be doing that. It all depends on when they get back from the church. I came home bout an hour ago. I needed to get out of the crowds. There was a lot of perfume around. thought of surgically implanting my rescue inhaler is very enticing at this point. Besides, I still have the headache I woke up with this morning. Less noise seemed like a winning idea.

The temperatures are dropping which is kind of a bummer. I was just gonna leave my skirt on for the ride but I may switch to something warmer like long johns and pants...LOL. I am going to pick up the color books and crayons, probably on my way back from dropping them off so I will be out even later...and later is colder in dropping temperatures. It's an interesting turn of events. Before I couldn't wait to get out of my dress clothes and now I rather enjoy being well-dressed. The times they are a-changing!

I made some rice crispy treats for tomorrow's Xmas party. They are chilling even as I type. I shall gather up the kids' Xmas movies (Charlie Brown & Frosty...cause I wanna see them!), Santa's bag and the other miscellaneous so I am ready for tomorrow.

Loren is having an open house which starts just before the club party. I am going to go there for a bit. He told me he has a couple of couches that he can offer me when I move. I thought I would scope them out and see if they would fit the apartment I am hoping to move into. He even offered his truck to help me move whatever I have to move. That is so sweet of him.

So, after church I will stop at the club, finish getting everything ready and then dash off to the open house for a bit with time to get back to Danielson before Santa arrives. Busy? You bet your butt I am!!! It feels good.

If tomorrow doesn't turn out the way I planned, I won't be exactly surprised. I seem to be on a run of changed plans lately but going with the flow seems to be working for me. Change is good...and to know that is to live it! Right before the holidays, schedules seem to change again and again and again. That's just par for the course. Today I'm okay with that.

I freakin lost it tonight!

So, I'm on the phone with someone who is dicking me around about getting the raffle books to the raffle chair person...

Well, I was nice at first. Let's get this done. Let's get this to the right person. Let's not wait until the last minute. And I get the um, ahh, well, ohh, um, ahhhh, geez crap as she is trying to think of a way to avoid doing that. I said enough. Let's get this to the person whose taken on this responsibility so they can do their job I'm not liking being put off like this.

Well, I'll talk to him. So I hand the phone to him and she goes off on him cause of what I said. I think she thought she could harass and intimidate him. I heard her yelling at him from like 20 paces. I pout the speaker phone on and she is being verbally abusive and just downright vile to this guy cause she thinks he is the "weak link" in the organization. She can't yell at the rest of us...is that it?

Well, I took my cell phone back and I laid into her. She hung up just as I got started. I told her if she had a beef with anything I said, she should take it up with me not take it out on an innocent person. I am so glad it was a phone situation...I was a very thin pubic hair away from losing all reasonable control.

This idiot thinks she can intimidate a man into getting her way. His voice was shaking and his hands were unsteady. I can't believe she thought she could do that and get away with it. I'm not going to throw someone to the wolves (or a she-wolf) and walk away letting them fend for themselves. Her issue was with me not my friend. She just saw him as the easy target, THE EASY MARK FOR HER BULLYING! That was truly SICK!!!!! And I would have told her exactly what I thought of her bullshit if I had had a bit more time on that phone. I got enough in to let her know exactly where I was coming from. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!

I am so glad that I don't have to deal with this sadistic individual on a regular basis. Taking your anger out on someone cause you think they won't fight back is just plain pathetic. It's the mark of the school yard bully. There's not enough Valium in the western hemisphere (remember that aspirin commercial?)...which is good, cause just don't get me started! LOL I'd like a nice warm bath right now to calm me down, mellow me out, relax me. The tub wouldn't be full until midnight and my patience is not something I want to test right now. Maybe a shower...yeah, that might do the trick to wash off those dirty dealings.

My stress level is way up right now. I've got to do some things to take care of me and help me relax. Usually by this time, the television is shut off and there is peace and quiet in my space. TV sucks!!! The house guests are watching something or other. I have to play music when I go to bed so that I'm not bothered by the boob tube. It drives me crazy...and I don't need to drive there, it's really a short walk.

I want to throw the TV out of the flipping window. It's news all day...the same news channel with the same stories and interviews .... AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN. Waterboarding has nothing on this. The company leave the TV for a couple of hours while they are off doing other stuff and cop an attitude when they get back cause I shut it off. Well, for pete's sake, if I am home alone and don't want to listen to the damn thing shutting it off is much better than throwing it out the window.

I know it's only television but this is really getting to me. All I do is remember the fights that Kay and I had. Real ugly fights. She'd leave the TV on in the bedroom to go watch TV in the living room and get pissed cause I shut off the TV in the bedroom so I could sleep. Two TV's in two rooms and one person watching and I couldn't have any freaking peace and quiet. I am reliving and reliving and reliving crap that I want to bury in the back yard but my mind keeps dredging it up. Curling up in a ball until I have peace and quiet is sounding REAL inviting. I'm 47 years old and I want to run away from home. UNCLE! I AM CRYING UNCLE!!!

OHMIFFORKINGWORD!!! THE TV IS OFF! I REPEAT THE TV IS OFF!!! OH JOYOUS DAY! OH GLORIOUS NIGHT!!!! I won't have to play music to go to sleep by tonight. There is a god! There is a god! And the gods have had mercy on me.

Yup! I am gonna grab my stuff and take a nice shower and R E L A X for just a little bit so I can doze off ever-peacefully. It really is the little things like being able to hear the hum of my computer and the thoughts floating around between my two ears.

YEEHAW!!!!!!!

A Holiday Dazzle Day!!!

I don't know how the apartment I was interested in is going to work out. But, I know somehow things will work out. So, I have adopted what I call my Doris Day attitude. "Que sera, sera." If not there, I will find another. There are lots of folks willing to keep an eye out for me. They want to see me back in town so they will ask their landlords, pass along numbers and keep look out for empty apartments.

I take as a tenet of faith (no, not that religious stuff) that the universe is unfolding as it should and I shall find my path and my place. It amazes me how sometimes I can just feel the "flow" of time and space deep within, feeling the reassurance that no matter what happens, no matter how life unfolds, all will be well. I don't need to possess the answers, I just need to seek and the answers will take care of themselves.

I went to the club for the breakfast, had some delicious scrambled eggs (yeah Deb!), had a good time, touched based with lots of folks and we finished off the plans for the Kid's Xmas Party. It feels so good to be involved, participating, working on the positives. I think I needed to come to Woodstock to get ready for the surgery and begin my recovery process, but I am also sure it is time to get on with my life, following my path. It's interesting that at times in my life I have a clear focus and direction. This is a relatively recent discovery (since recovery), but I am really liking it.

I was at the Thriftique in Putnam today and I found a skirt (yes, I said skirt...not a type for shirt) and a pair of jeans. I even had a chance to wander through the antique stores, browsing and reminiscing. I was in the old Bugbees building remembering which department was where, looking at things of old that predated even Bugbees. It was an interesting juxtaposition of time and memory and reality. I was feeling rather philosophical today. Is philosophical a mood? There are times that my thoughts flow that way...peaceful, introspective, quiet times. It's nice change of pace from my quick witted, zany, energetic, typical self.

I went to the Holiday Dazzle Parade this evening. This was my second year going and it was a wonderful parade, beautiful floats and lots of participants. HOWEVER... Holy moley, Mrs. Foley! It was so freaking cold. I saw about 1/2 to 3/4 of the parade and then went and sat in Danielle and Bob's car (with the heat on) where my toes proceeded to ache and pain and send lightening bolts of pain right down to my bone marrow! They said it was the COLDEST parade day ever! I can believe that. The turnout was relatively small, kids were crying and lots of folks left early cause they couldn't stand the cold. The wind was hellacious! The weather went south just after 4:15 PM or so. I had been wandering around town before that blissfully comfortable in the moderate temperature.

I was wearing long john's under my jeans, boot socks with my boots and a turtle neck, a heavy sweater, a fleece vest and a coat that is good for probably 20 below along with mittens which I promptly slid up the sleeves of my jacket (it's good to have short arms), hands and all as well as a scarf and a fleece head thing-a-ma-jig for my ears. I was NOT sweating but I was not uncomfortably chilled either. EXCEPT FOR MY TOES, which I knew felt cold up until the minute the pain shot through me, urging me to run for the warmth and safety of HEAT! Defrosting them was quite the bear. It hasn't hurt that much since I was a little kid. Losing the weight has certainly affected the quality of my winter insulation!!! LOL

Trevor, Danielle's four year old (and my little buddy) made it all the way through the parade. He was there for the fire trucks...fire trucks and construction equipment are his things. That child is a real T R O O P E R ! ! ! The fire trucks were the VERY LAST part of the parade. He was absolutely delighted and completely satisfied that he had seen what he came to see. The moment warmed my heart so much that I could barely recall my frozen toes.

It was a wonderful day. I do wish Anne had called to let me know how Romeo (the Rottweiler) was doing. She brought him to the vet yesterday cause he was having an issue with moving his hind legs that may have been neurological. They gave her some pain meds and anti-inflammatory stuff for him to see if it would help the situation. He has an appointment with a specialist on the 16th. She was so anxious about him. She's worried about him not being okay and the prices for a nerve test with dye (I forgot the name of it) and an MRI are through the flipping roof. She'd willingly pay any amount...her husband doesn't feel the same. I'm praying that Romeo gets to feeling better on the meds...for him and for Anne. At least then, she will have time to figure out where to go from here. It's a tough one!

Wow! It's been a whole week! Who'da thunk?

Well, I've been rather busy. Went to New Haven on Wednesday. I lost another 11 pounds which I consider way kewl. I don't go back now for another 3 months. I am wiating on the results of some blood work. I told them about my muscle spasms (which I've had on and off since I was a kid). They are checking electrolytes among other things.

I used to take a product called EMERGEN 'C' but it is a fizzy drink and not on my diet at this point. That stuff worked like a charm. I did some Googling last night and have found some other electrolyte replacement items that are not fizzy. I am hoping they will help. Waking up screaming from god-only-knows-where spasms is not my idea of a good time...never has been come to think of it.

Sue and Carrie were both supposed to come along for the ride. Sue has been interested in finding out more about the surgery but she canceled so it was Carrie and I. Well, we hit a few second hand stores and I managed to pick up a few things. I go through clothes so fast! (That's an observation, not a complaint!!! LOL) I didn't find any pants, which is a bummer. Somehow I managed to "lose" a pair of green pants. Jeanne and Beth assure me they are not mixed in with their things, though I would be more confident of that statement if they had actually bothered to look. So, I am down to six pairs of pants with only four pairs of casual pants. Keeping up with laundry is a challenge!

Sue knew I was planning on shopping so she calls at 2 PM (my appointment was at 11:40 AM) to ask if we are near Danielson cause she would like a ride to the bank. I said, "NO." Then she kept calling to track our progress. Every call made Carrie more agitated. By 10:30 PM (yes, I am a shopaholic) Carrie was in tears and I was very suspicious. When we pulled up to the house Sue came out and bid me farewell with a "well it's past your bedtime so you better get going." It brought back memories of those days when partying was the MOST important thing in my life. I left feeling pretty sure what the game plan was from that point. Sad. Very, very sad.

I am so grateful to be sober today. I am so grateful to feel good about me today.

I did manage to basically finish my Xmas shopping on Wednesday. There's one or two loose ends, but the basics are done, done, done! I have spent the last couple of days wrapping with the Xmas music blaring.

Last night I put up my little tree in my room. I think it is all of 18" high, but it is a cute one. I am definitely feeling the Xmas spirit...and it feels good!

Today is the Open House for "Stepping Stone Jewelry" and tomorrow is the club breakfast/open house. I won't make the breakfast but I have to stop by before to drop off the newest edition of THE WRENCH which I will print up this afternoon. Then I will stop by after as I am on the committee for the Kids Christmas Party. I want to get to church to touch base with a friend whose husband died last Sunday. Michelle has had a very rough year and can use all the support she can get right now.

Then, I am hoping to make it to the parade in Putnam. I had a lot of fun last year...first time ever I went. I think a repeat performance is in order. LOL

In between all that I have to work up the figures for the Alkathon budget and stop at Wally World to buy ink for my printer.

I wanted to tell Beth and Jeanne I was looking for a place before this weekend. They have house guests who will be here until after the wedding. Things are hectic. They are going to Boston to see Beth's nephew in a play. I was originally invited but apparently that thought got lost in the excitement of company. It sucks to be overlooked but I grew up with that so I will adjust as I always have. Of course, this confirms for me that this is not the place I need to stay.

I will find a way to stay busy tonight. Last week I used the car to pick up a couple of old friends for a meeting. It was nice to be able to offer a ride to someone who was always willing to pick me up. Touching base with old friends is always a pleasure.

There's always so many positive things to do, so many positives to seek out in life if I am willing to do the foot work. I feel so blessed today...like the man in the moon is smiling down on me.