My dad spent a lot of time in hospitals & rehab centers(nursing homes) for the last ten years of his life. All had wifi.. just had to ask the right person for access. One hospital, the nurses would leave in his rooms their working laptop that was on the medicine cart.. it had a specific purpose, and one opened full screen full time window just for that program....patient medicine dosages & those records... You wouldn't know it was a windows computer by looking at that screen. But it ran on regular windows .. so I opened IE on it to the shock of the nurse,, suddenly I was online... got a message from IT saying internet access not allowed, please call extension###.. I did.. told them I was visitor in my dads room... IT guy said to use the internet anytime from that pc station, told me not to show the nurses how to open IE .. the nurses were not allowed internet, unless on the break room computer. The one nurse quickly told all I think.. if you need to use the internet.. take the medicine cart to mike.

Hi to my Smaller Homes friends! I appreciate your support and care more than you can know. I have been working toward a weight loss diet since the first of the year. I need to lose almost 200 lbs. In the past I have done liquid protein diets, both without and with other foods. This time, I am going to use the liquid protein to replace some meals and to use between my smaller meals. I figure that doing weight loss this way is a more sustainable way, and that I will likely need to use the liquid protein for some meals the rest of my life. Falling into the fast-food/drive-through habit is too easy for me, since I am on the road for my job. If I can leave the house with a liquid protein packet making a nice cappucino-like drink in home-brewed coffee, I won't be stopping for breakfast with bacon and white-flour breading. That saves a few hundred calories right there! I am trying to leave some snacking (a few individual Dove chocolates at night, a handful of pretzels, some air-popped popcorn) in my diet so that I learn to eat the way I always revert to - but with moderation, instead. DH is the sodium-sleuth, and since he does most of the shopping, I can eat low sodium if I do not sabotage his efforts! We still get take-out, but mostly Middle Eastern, and I get salads with some meat most of the time. So that is my plan - to establish better habits overall, use liquid protein drinks to keep my nutrition up, and eat fewer calories while avoiding sodium and white carbs. I started PT this week. We started with my ankles because that is where the worst pain is. Stan, my PT Man (a genius!) first studied my walk and added to my orthotics (he made them) to correct my left foot's roll. I am doing strengthening exercises, too. Next is my elbows, then my hand. Once I am done with the PT, I plan to get into that nice warm pool at the community center of a nearby suburb a few days a week to work out in the water. I am walking almost as fast as I used to walk as I cruise through my nursing homes, but get out of breath. No major heart pains since the one I had in my first week back at work. I am working to recognize my patterns of tension, worry, and stress. I drive around doing deep, slow breathing exercises and relaxing my shoulders! My biggest, best, and most time consuming change has been working my sauna into my schedule. I have done 30 to 60 minute sessions before bed, a 40 minute session as soon as I got home for work, and even a short 15 minute session before showering to go to work. It feels SO GOOD! I wake up without stiffness if I use it at night. As a matter of fact, it is warmed up for me now, and I am going to go indulge in a full hour in the baking, far-infrared 130 degree little cabin in our smallest bedroom right now!

Happy to report that yesterday I drove the Jeep for the first time. Easy peasy. Going out again for the next three days - grocery shopping at Walmart, two dr's appts. the next two days. A friend is going w/me today, but after today, I'll be solo flying. Hip is soooooo much better, but the old back is the problem, which never gets better - just worse. Still thanking God for my quick healing - just three months ago, I didn't think I'd be this far along. Thanks for y'all's prayers and concerns. Keep up the good work, mosaicists - you're still the best.

Good thought on the lighting, robin. I think we can light the art table well enough. I am getting attached to the idea of the oval table at the window... Hollysprings, this is a Florida coastal place, so we do expect to have midwest and New England friends and family visitors frequently. We can sleep 8 and I want to plan to feed 8 very comfortably. Meals are central in my life. I am OK devoting space to that in the main living area - especially if the table can shrink to a pleasant spot for just us two for cofee, newspapers, puzzles.... We won't be renovating the kitchen. Tearing out 5 year old granite and tile isn't in the cards or the budget, though I agree the space could be laid out better. DH and guests can visit at the penninsula when I cook, doubt we will eat there. Not sure whether to use the breakfast area for eating or office or some combo. Interesting idea on the V shape. Something like this? I considered a V earlier, but that was before I had short sofas, so it didn't fit well. A family member has a LR set up in a V, but theirs doesn't work well. Too contrived? And their V just drops off into space. Odd. This V would have orientation toward the media and could be squared off with a DH chair and pulling over an art table chair or two for a crowd. Hmmmm. Interesting. I'm trying to work out the layout since I have started refinishing, reupholstering, etc. Need to firm up my fabrics/colors plan. Here is one of the CL 'art chairs' in progress.