yeah Deb, as fellow multi pet lover.I'd like to know too.."humming all creatures great and small"

I get to go somewhere!!!size=14>

For the first time since the surgery, I get to actually go and do something!! I'll probably pay for it with a lot of pain, but I'm gonna take my pain pills and do my utmost to enjoy doing something besides being in this house for the whole weekend, even if I am stoned for the majority of it!

We are leaving when Cliff gets off work to join his Mom and Stepdad at their lake house on Lake Eufaula!!! I can't go on the dock or out on the boat, but I can sit in a comfortable backed camp chair and FISH!!!! Cliff and the boys will be there to deal with anything that fights too hard for me, but I'll get to be outdoors and I'll get to FISH!!!!!!It's a two hour trip by car, so I'm going to dope up, and we'll stop when I need to move about for a few minutes. I can recline the seat and we'll figure out how to make that comfortable with some throw pills we're taking for that purpose. But I'll get to spend some of this evening, tomorrow and part of Monday FISHING!! LOL, can anyone figure out that I'm just a little excited about this? I've had to miss several family gatherings and events, including the big 4th of July family thing Cliff's Aunt Rita does every year... and I LOVE going to their farm. I've had to miss several family camping, hunting and fishing trips too. Not to mention all the family gatherings and events I had to miss before the surgery. I was really afraid Cliff was going to say no, it'd be too rough on me this time too. But he said to have the boys water the gardens well and mow the grass and get the house all cleaned up and get packed. He said he figured out after the 4th of July that I was going to be in pain at home too and miserable because we were missing a family gathering. So I might as well enjoy myself despite the pain. I'm taking the walker with me just to have something to rest against a little as needed. My surgeon told Cliff that going wouldn't do any more damage unless I fell, so take the pain pills in the exact way they are prescribed to me rather than the lighter schedule I've been taking to not be doped up all the time, and called in a prescription for more muscle relaxers as well as a muscle rub. Of course, Cliff called my surgeon before he called me, but at least it got the green light!! They both know how depressed I've been at not being able to do anything and are hoping this will help with that for at least a little while. I think they're starting to worry that I will need to be put on something for the depression.

I'm so excited about this!!! I hate missing family gatherings. Cliff's family is wonderful and I really enjoy their company!

Off to get things together to pack :) Linda, I'll get my package together for the Rainbow swap once I get home, so I'm gonna be squeaking the wire on it. Just so ya know.

Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend, all!!!

HUGS,
Kathy

Kathy! I'm sooooooooooooooooooooooo excited for you!!! "jumping up and down"...hurrahhhh!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh Kathy. I am so happy for you. Have a wonderful weekend. I wish you well and am so happy for you.

Nichol

Wow Kathy, that Cliff is a great guy. I am so happy you are able to get out and about. It will do you a world of good. Can't wait to hear all about it.

Hey fish, get ready to bite cause Kathy's comin!!!

Enjoy the weekend! I hope the weather and fish cooperate for you!

Run boys! Word in the water is that Kathy the Fish Slayer is on her way.

So glad you're getting to get out. Have a great time and catch one for me.

Becky

GO KATHY GO!!! GO GET'EM!!! THAT'S FANTASTIC NEWS!!!

{{gwi:1294770}}

Yes, Kathy! I hope you have a GREAT weekend! You deserve it! :O)

Somewhere, in some not-so-distant alternative universe, it's the 10th of September.
WHERE'S THAT PARTNER LIST???

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE!!!

I have this list..does that help?.."blink...blink..."

updated list of players:
Linda
Kathy
Margo
Melissa
Dan
Joan
Becky
Annie
Carmen
Robin
Nichol
Carol
Tracey
Carol
Deb
Tracey

official lurkers: Tammy

Do I have everyone?

c'mon lurkers."rustling bushes"..I know you're out there!!

so, I find this big pile of chocolate, just laying there, and was wondering if you could use it Linda, to maybe entice some more people into our littlw swap? anyway, here it is...

in the words of the immortal B. Bunny... "ain't I a stinkah?"

Linda - Tracey's on your list twice and I am....missing.

~CA

CA, that's because Linda's busy being incorrugated again. That happens when you've had more bailey's than you can handle.

Hey Linda, want some more tea?

well..the body count is the same!
updated list....again

Linda
Kathy
Margo
Melissa
Dan
Joan
Becky
Annie
Carmen
Robin
Nichol
Carol
tracey
Deb
CA

Good Evening All;
I cannot resist any longer, we all need some hugs and healing. I am in....
I also wanted to show off a floral arrangement I brought to a friends home that all came from my gardens.

Diene that is a beautiful arrangement!!! I only one problem
How can you bear to cut those day lilies??? It hurts me just to look.LOL Those are stunning.

Thanx for sharing
Carmen

Hello Carmen;
Just remember, they are daylilies so they only last a day and I was told at a young age that if you want lots of flowers, you need to cut them. The plant won't make them if it does not think they are needed. I cut flowers all year long and my gardens do quite well.

THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING IS MARCH 21ST, 2010

(not that I've begun counting...yet. lol)

Hi Diene!! :O)

Linda-I haven't read all the posts here but I just wanted to say that I love the name of this swap! I think all of us need a hug especially these days. I've cut way back on my swapping this season. Can't believe the cost of postage now days.

We're back home :) I'm beat and hurting, but we had a GREAT time, caught lots of fish and I even got to go out on the boat because it's a pontoon boat with a deck level to the dock! Gonna go unpack and lie down. The traveling has me really hurting.I'll tell more about the trip tomorrow :)

Diene, so happy you're joining!!! Mariann, great to see you!

HUGS,
Kathy

oh noes! I think Im missing from the list! I have most of my box together already, and once I know who my partner is Im going to personalize some goodies too.
YAY!
~Laura

new list:

Linda
Kathy
Margo
Melissa
Dan
Joan
Becky
Annie
Carmen
Robin
Nichol
Carol
tracey
Deb
CA
Laura
Diene

lurker: Tammy, Mariann?

Linda I need to drop out,maybe catch you next time you run a swap.I have way to much to do,and not much time to get it all done.

I'm sorry to hear that Robin! I hope you get caught up on everything. ((HUG))

Diene! It's good to see you back again!..((HUG))

Mariann..are you going to play?.."pouring you a cup of tea".

Laura, I have you on the list as well as CA AND I took Tracey off one.

Been drinking too much tea I think...."hic"

newest list:
Linda
Kathy
Margo
Melissa
Dan
Joan
Becky
Annie
Carmen
Nichol
Carol
tracey
Deb
CA
Laura
Diene

lurker: Tammy, Mariann?

Thanks LInda for understanding (((((HUGGGG)))))
We are into cold weather too soon,I am way behind on work

Alright, I've rested a little and managed to work out some of the knots and kinks caused by the roadtrip. So, we left Saturday and got to the lake house about 5 pm. Mom and Robert were so happy we'd arrived :) The boys unloaded the van and we got things settled in our rooms, then went straight down to the lake with poles in hand! Mom and Robert joined us for a little while before going back up to grill burgers and hot dogs for dinner. Cliff and the boys and I started pulling lots of perch (for bait), crappie and channel catfish out!

Oh, did I mention the house is about 50 yards from the lake's edge? The walk was a long one for me each time. It took me much longer than I had thought it would to make the walk each time. I was really tired and sore afterwards, but at the dock I had a chair to sit in and they arranged worms, tacklebox, etc right where I could reach without stretching and someone would unhook my catch for me. I normally deal with my own catch, but the fish baskets and stringers were all down in the water , which means I couldn't get to them. So, someone else would unhook my catch and drop it in the basket for me :)

So, after dinner that night, Cliff and I drove up to the bait shop and picked up some more worms. I was really just fishing for bait fish because that's about all I could manage to fight. We took the boys down to fish for a little while longer, then when Mom and Robert went back to the house, they took the boys with them and got them bathed and in bed. Cliff and I stayed out and fished until about 1 am. There was a storm that rolled in. Lots of lightening, lots of thunder, sheets of rain. We were still fine and happily fishing away until the wind switched and blew what must have been a blue norther wind at us. I was about flash frozen!! Cliff gathered everything up real quick, and we made our slow way back to the house. We were drenched and freezing when we got there! But Mom had put coffee on and it was waiting, so we changed clothes and sipped coffee to warm up and snacked on cheese and crackers and grapes that she'd left out for us on the porch facing the lake.

Sunday morning I got up for the final time about 8 am. Mom and Robert had gone to mass, but left coffee ready :) They are so wonderful! I sat on the porch facing the lake and enjoyed my coffee and watching the hummingbirds play around the trees and feeder. At one point there was this one male guarding the feeder and I kid you not, about 8 more came to gang up on him and try to drive him off! Believe it or not, the same male ran off ALL 8! I know it was the same one because he had a scar on his chest from some past injury. The chittering and whirl of wings was everywhere! They dipped and dove and chased just a couple of feet from me! It was wonderful!!About 9 am I woke Cliff to come and join me and watch the show. He was laughing at the antics and we really enjoyed that time together with the hummingbirds!

After brunch, we went out on the boat. It's a pontoon boat with a level deck, so they held the boat steady and I was able to step onboard. Cliff helped me settle into the corner seat where I was padded on three sides. I was easily able to see large waves coming and "lift and brace" taking the impact in my arms rather than in my back and hips. We went all over the lake. Went trawling and saw how the topography changed beneath the water because Lake Eufaula is a man made lake. Using the fish finder sonar we could watch it and see the presence of structures beneath the water, watch the shelves rise and fall off. It was amazing! You could really see where there had been different structures that were not removed before the dammed and flooded the area! You could also see some of the smaller buttes and the plains that had been there! Later in the afternoon everyone but Robert and I went swimming off of the boat in about 65 ft of water. I didn't go because even with a life jacket to help me not have to struggle with currents, I would not have been able to pull myself up from the ladder. I had planned to go swimming from the shore later with Cliff right beside me, but was so worn out that I didn't. I was happy just to sit on the dock and fish :)

We fished from the dock until about 6 pm, then went in to eat grilled BBQ chicken prepared by Cliff's stepfather, Robert. It was soooooo good! Then we went fishing again until about 10 pm and went back to put the boys to bed, shower and just sit on the porch and visit. We were all up early Monday. Got the van packed, had breakfast- a good old country breakfast with homemade biscuits and gravy, fried potatoes, the works! Helped Mom and Robert clean up and get ready to close the house up, then went down and fished for about 2 hours. Loaded the rest of the fishing gear up, said our goodbyes and headed home.

It was a wonderful weekend and I'm really hoping we'll be able to go again soon. The lake was really busy, so the fishing wasn't as good as it normally was- too many boats and jet skis driving the bigger fish deeper. It was fine for me, but Cliff and Robert and the boys wanted to catch bigger fish! We did catch a few keepers- small mouth bass, channel catfish. But Robert and Mom said it would be a much better catch the next time we go :)

I think I really needed this weekend! Though the trip and the walking was hard and I had to stay pretty doped up, I was able to sit there and fish, bait my own hook, bring my catch in myself... it was much more independent for me! And I had the most fish caught :) Cliff was surprised. I'd told him I enjoyed fishing and was a pretty good fisherperson, but this was the first time we've gotten to go.

I hope everyone else had as wonderful a weekend as I did! I came home not depressed, feeling more like myself and really looking forward to going back to the lake house soon!

HUGS,
Kathy

So glad to hear you had a wonderful weekend, Kathy! It sounds like it was just what you needed. :O)

We went to my parent's house, and my daddy smoked some wild turkey, chicken & ham. Mom & grandma made all the fixin's (tater salad, baked beans, deviled eggs, fried green beans, rolls..), and we had ice cream for dessert. Not that I got to eat much of it...LOL...this morning sickness is depriving me of all kinds of goodies. :P
I was hoping I'd get to see more family, but evidently there was a race on, and our TV wasn't big enough. LOL My younger brother went fishing & my older brother stayed home cause he was sick.

Our anniversary is on Sunday, and hubby keeps telling me he's got a surprise up his sleeve...something he's been planning for 9 months...the guy is bouncing around like a kid in a candy store...big silly grin on his face...
I have NO clue what he's planned. This will be the first time we've done ANYTHING for our anniversary, and we've been together for 15 years! All he tells me is that I can't make plans for the end of the week or weekend...can't go grocery shopping on Friday, because I won't have time & it would be pointless anyway...and that he hopes it'll be relaxing for me.
Well, Okie Dokie! lol!

So...how was everyone ELSE'S weekend?

Hey, Dan!? Got any big plans for the weekend, BIRTHDAY BOY?? Well, any you can SHARE, anyway? ;o)

Hmmm, plans for this coming weekend? Well, I'm still enjoying the holiday weekend, so plans for next weekend will have to wait. Friday night I woke up about 2:30am and couldn't go back to sleep, so when I did finally pass out again later on Saturday all I did was sleep through until Sunday morning. Sunday I woke up to a full-on breakfast, eggs, homemade cheddar bread, bacon, sausage, hashbrowns, and a fresh pot of cherry caramel coffee. Man, was that cool! Sunday afternoon I went out, and that's all I'm saying about that, okay? And ignore the bruises on my neck, if you will. LOL! Yesterday was spent roaming the local countryside with my roommate. We went to a quiet little tourist trap of a town called Leland, which is located right on Lake Michigan. They have a section of town called Fishtown, which is comprised of old fishing shanties which have been converted into little shops and museum-like places, all centered on the fishing industry. That was pretty cool. After that, we came home and I watched movies for the rest of the afternoon, still feeling a little tired from the weekend. And today? Well, after getting some more daylilies from a local nursery, and taking my car for an oil change, I'm about to have lunch before heading out to spend the afternoon planting in the garden.
As for next weekend, well, I do have to work on Saturday and Monday, so Saturday I'm going out to dinner with my parents at a local TexMex restaurant, and I'm spending Sunday, my 44TH BIRTHDAY!, home just taking it easy. At least, that's what I have planned. What my family and friends have planned may be another thing, but I'm hoping not. Since Sunday will be my only day off from now until Saturday the 19th, I'm hoping to just have a nice, quiet day here at the house.

And that's my story. What about everyone else?

Oh, btw, I think I've come up with a pretty good idea for next month's swap. I'll share the details when I post it, sometime around the 20th. hehehe

Um.....bruises on your neck, huh, Dan?
So tell me....did you have a run-in with the car muffler, perhaps?
Or did someone choke you?
Oh, no....I know what it was....your shirt collar was too tight.
Or maybe you played around with the emergency snake bite kit? The one with the little syringe shaped suction thingy? (ask me how I know about those...)
:P

Hmmmm.........

Syringes and suction cups? And people think I'm out there with the whips and handcuffs. I'll make you a deal Melissa. If you don't explain those, I won't explain anything either, and we'll leave everyone else's mind alone, deal? I prefer "hands-on" education anyway, don't you?
Hmmm, maybe I shouldn't ask you that...lol. You DO have a lot of little "seedlings" running around the house.

I've just gotten back into swaps (it's been years), and I'd love to join in :) This seems like a super nice bunch of people with all kinds of stories :)

To introduce myself, I am 41, married 17 years, DD8 and DS3. I come from a long line of gardeners, and my grandmother even owned a florist shop that I worked at in high school. I live in California, on the central coast, right between SanFrancisco and Monterey. We get no rain from June - October, so I try to choose plants that are drought tolerant (otherwise I'd be spending waaaay to much time watering). We call late October - December our 'Second Spring' and can have annuals all winter. I love plants with chartreuse foliage or green flowers, and my favorite plant groups are Salvia, Verbascum, Nicotiana, Echiveria, Aster, Sedum and Geranium (hardy).

Nice to 'meet' you all :)

Heidi

Here is a link that might be useful: My Garden Blog

HI Heidi and welcome. I'm glad to see you're going to join us! Thanks for telling us a little about yourself!

Kathy! I was so excited to read about your wonderful weekend. You sound so much better and "up"...((HUG))

Dan, I don't know what to even say to you about your weekend.."whistling and looking up at the ceiling"...

Bunny I can't wait to hear what your surprise is going to be!!

((HUGGS) to all!!

Is it the 19th yet ???

Kathy, what a great way to end the summer. Glad you could get away and have a good time.

The weekend was good here. Saturday we went to my son's football (plays JV) game and they won. I went straight to the garden when we got home and started weeding, cleaning, harvesting, and potting up extras for a meet and greet I am going to in a couple of weeks.
Sunday, my husband and I went out to explore another Ohio state park. This one has a boardwalk through the wetlands. When we arrived, we realized a Federal bird banding program was in the works and wow was that fun. The members included anyone who came by to watch, take pictures, and hold the birds. They caught them in fine nets they had positioned in areas along the boardwalk. Migration is in progress so there were birds I had never even heard of. The would band them, determine if they were first year or older, measure and weight them. They had a way of gently stunning them so they would lay on their back in your hand and would not fly away until you turned them over on to the other hand. I was able to take some great pics too. They are going to be there every weekend til mid November so we want to go back in October.
Monday, I planned to do some gardening but by the time I got out there, I got in about a half an hour and the rain came. They said we would get a possible shower and it would end at 4 pm. Well, that was wrong because it rained all day.
When I got home from work today, the rains started and it has been raining all afternoon and into the evening. A lot of thunderstorms have passed through. We just noticed an electric truck out front and realised that some of the houses on our road are out of power. Fortunately, we are ok. It is pretty dark out here in the country so having power out could be a real experience. I can't imagine our 16 year old without his Xbox live. I don't think he would know what to do if he was stuck without that or the computer. He might have to converse with us. Now, wouldn't that be a treat. :)

Linda-I won't be able to play this month. Just wanted to pop in and give hugs.
Mariann

It is now the 10th of September in some parts of the world... where are our partners?????

Carol, I think you've had enough brownies. The date for the partner picking has been moved up to the 10th! But since we do live on one side of the international date line we could actually get our partners today couldn't we???

Well, I'm in trouble now. I just found a farm within driving distance that sells, daylilies, iris, and peonies. I had been planning on ordering daylilies and iris but I think I'll check it out first. Some iris are only $3 and some daylilies are only $5. Yep, I could be in a lot of trouble here.

Linda, I tried the Tastecakes and they are yum! I like them better than our local Hostess brand.

Uh-Oh, Becky! You didn't find Gilbert H Wild, did you?? If so....we may NEVER see you again! LOL!
I *think* that's between you & I, anyway....isn't it? It's only about an hour away from us.

And...I think Dan's right....the 9th IS close enough to the 10th to count!!!

Please, oh please, Miss Linda....May we have our partners today??
Pretty please with sugar on top??

{{gwi:1294778}}

I know how Dan got those bruises on his neck...but I am not going to tell you. Very Interesting Dan...Very interesting!!!!

Kathy, what a beautiful weekend....nice for the soul and good for the mind!

Welcome Heidi...might you be in the Santa Cruz area?

Linda, now pull yourself out of bed and away from that Baileys bottle. You have partners to pick!!

Happy Wednesday!

Annie

Annie - yep, Santa Cruz, good guess! Where abouts in SoCal are you?

tick tock, tick tock

tick tock, tick tock

~ Tracy, waiting patiently

IS IT TIME FOR PARTNERS YET!!

Melissa is going to need lots of hugs and healing. She sent me an email and asked me to exclude her from the swap. She lost the baby. ((HUGS))) Melissa, we're here if you need to talk. More ((HUGS))

okay, this is the revised, revised list. If anyone wants in now is the time to let me know...."rapping gavel"..going once...going twice.....

newest list:
Linda
Kathy
Margo
Dan
Joan
Becky
Annie
Carmen
Nichol
Carol
tracey
Deb
CA
Laura
Diene

official lurkers: Tammy, Mariann

Hugs and prayers for you Melissa.
~ Tracy

Melissa, I am so sorry to hear of your loss. You and your family are in my prayers. We will all be thinking of you.

Hi Linda, I didn't see my name on your list? I'd like to join if I could :)

I received this from a good friend and thought the information too valuable not to share with everyone I know. I hope you find it helpful.

Swine Flu ADVICE -

Latest info from Dept. of Health

If you wake up looking like this,

don't go to work