phyllser

Well, I found my baby! Kept looking at the picture of the little 6 mos old Imperial Shih Tzu in the paper every morning and today decided to call the lady one more time... the one who told me last week she was turning me down... and ask if we could come and meet the puppy. So we had a long conversation on the phone, and we agreed to go out to her farm at 3 pm. Bottom line... we both fell in love with this puppy and brought her home with us. She is a total DIVA!! But adapting so well, and she is going to be perfect for us, I think! We took her to DD & SIL's for dinner and she behaved very well! A little afraid to play with the big dogs but they were very gentle with her. Got jealous when DD had her little Gigi on her lap so she had to let our Zoey sit on her lap, too! And when DGS came home, barked at him until he picked her up and let her lick his face!!

Yeah, we might need the aerobed if you have room to bring it. I followed up on several of those puppies and no one was getting back to me. And every morning when I looked at the classified ads in our paper I saw that little 6 mo old Imperial Shih Tzu staring back at me. So this morning I asked the lady if she'd let us come and meet her... The lady who told me last week she didn't think the dog was a good fit for us! So we went to meet her at 3 pm today and after about 1/2 hr visit, we decided to bring her home with us. She is a real sweetheart. I had reservations because she was so hyper, but she has settled right down. WE took her to Tracy & Jim's for dinner tonight and she had a blast with their three dogs. She was a little timid about getting down to play with the two bigs ones, but if she could sit in our laps and "play" with them from there, she was fine! WE went and bought her a crate, and she is very comfortable with it. Put her in it in the car and she curled up and went to sleep. She is very friendly and has to be picked up by everyone she meets or she gets upset. Grandson came home while we were out on the porch and she actually barked at him until he finally picked her up and let her lick his face! Then Gigi got up on Tracy's lap and she was jealous and barked at her until she put her on her lap too! She is a DIVA and has to be the center of attention! Quite a personality. We got a good price because she has a "hare lip" and cannot be bred.

Janet's idea of "winter clothes" just means long sleeves!! LOL She doesn't know what REAL winter clothes are! Heck... a couple of days ago I headed out in a sweatshirt and came home and put on first a hooded sweatshirt and then a zip up the front sweatshirt! And if I'd thought of it, I'd put on my big thick fleece Alaska jacket!! But... It's almost 70 today and the sun has been out all day! Things may be looking up! I don't usually do well with bread either, but I can eat it if it's thin, crispy, etc. I eat the sandwich rounds once in a while, but not very often. You probably need to just try on some of those pants. I like the relaxed fit/petite...PL. But... I carry a LOT of weight in my butt and thighs, and I'm very short... like barely 5 ft. I agree... rehab for dad sounds like a GREAT idea! Canada... last year the "7's" went to Wasaga Beach.. very pretty up there. Also love Victoria BC and Whistler BC. Great summer places to visit. Banff... gorgeous! Canadian Rockies are just spectacular!! Wine for breakfast.... Hmmmm, maybe that orange juice/champagne drink... can't remember what you call it... Mimosa, I think.. Very good... but can't imagine wine for breakfast! Egg white omelet??? I'd pair that with the Mimosa!! LOL I consider my self a "techy grandma", but... I got an iTouch for Christmas and still trying to figure thigns out! I have recently been successful in downloading some eBooks and I enjoy reading my books when I'm on the bike, or at night in bed! I can't figure out the right format to download audio books from my local library, though! I think Apple has given way too much control to itunes for syncing the itouch! If you can't sync it with iTunes, it won't sync. I need a grandchild to help me!! I am very tempted to get the new iPhone, though! DGD thinks her iPhone is great and has talked DD in to getting one... She is one of the 600,000 waiting for the iPhone4!! She ordered one last week! I am tempted to get one. I'm due for an upgrade and I already have AT&T, so I think I can get the new one for $200. I think Desert Rose sounds great. You have my vote for that. I informed Earl yesterday of our Vegas plans! C'mon now... quit your whining and figure out how to get away for a couple of days!! We NEED you to come!

that's great! Sometimes I use my Wii to exercise, too. There's a walking thing on the Wii Fit, and I love the balance games, bowling and golf. Some of my friends use those walking DVDs for inside exercise... walk in place. I should get one of those maybe... I need to walk more. I've heard of others doing that couch to 5k thing. One of our gals on our "lucky 7's" thread is doing marathons since she lost her weight. Another one participated in a 60 mile, 3 day walk for breast cancer last summer. Me... I want to get a dog I can take for walks!

Glad you're going to be able to come! Still chilly here... may hit 70 today, though, and the sun is out. Yesterday must have been a day to make chili! We made some, too.. tasted it but we saved it for today's dinner. It's pretty healthy.... lean burger, lots of beans (3 cans), lots of tomatoes, onions, green peppers. It's yummy! Yes, Earl is definitely weakening about the dog! He still says he doesn't want one, but he's helping me look! I send him profiles that I find online and he rejects a lot of them... doesn't want a chihuahua, for example.... No short haired dog! I'm telling you.... he wants another Gigi! I found a really cute puppy online last night... very mellow, dachshund mix, 9 weeks old, sounds perfect...He says she looks TOO BIG!! I'll look at her anyways if they let me. This one you have to submit a "preliminary" questionnaire before they'll even take an application! My keyboard quit working. Fortunately, SIL gave me one he didn't need a month or so ago. It's actually more convenient... lightweight and in my lap. Typing on my laptop is a bit of a stretch, so no big tragedy that it quit working, but just another annoyance... I won't buy another Acer laptop!! It's possible it has a key lock button somewhere that I inadvertently hit, but can't find one anywhere. So will live with this until I figure it out. I've rebooted several times to no avail! Yeah, I'm going to be really disappointed if our weather doesn't warm up by the time you gals get here next week!! We'll still have fun... but I am looking forward to enjoying that beach front deck. We'll for sure be building fires in the fire pit! We'll have to gather driftwood off the beach... there's lots of it! There is a "cell phone" parking lot at the airport. We will wait there for a phone call because the airport police are venomous! If the person you're picking up isn't out on the curb with their luggage, they make you move! I am sure you can stay with my sister the night before if you want to. You can take a cab to the airport.. or one of them can give you a ride. She & my BIL both go to work pretty early and airport is close to where they live. Or... hotels across the street from airport... on Genesee St in Cheektowaga. What is bone scan about?? I have to make mammo appt SOON. And I still haven't seen eye Dr. about blurry spot on right eye. Food today.... one thin slice of whole wheat toast... VERY thin, with one egg over easy. 16 oz SF,FF latte, 16 oz Crystal Lite, salad w/feta cheese and couple of slices of shave turkey w/FF Catalina and a shot of Sesame Drsg. 100 Cal skinny cow, glass of wine. Gym... 1 hr pool PT...resulting in sore back because I was showing off for lady who wouldn't do anything, and 20 minutes on bike. Did I already say all that??? I'm old... I forget stuff!! HAHAHA!! I say that TOO much lately!! LOL This is Darcy. She does look big in this picture... but looks much smaller in the other two photos they've posted. He thinks her paws look big, so he's afraid she will get too big! I think she's adorable!

Yeah, Karen!! CONGRATS!! That's wonderful! It didn't take long for my doc to drop one of my cholesterol pills. I still take Fenofibrate, but even since last year... total cholesterol went from 168 to 158. She's had to cut my BP meds a couple of times, and I think my BP is still kind of on the low side. But you know what happens when you go to the doctor... you walk back there, get on the scale, etc. and by the time they start pumping up the BP cup... my BP is up to about 110-115/75 or so and she says "perfect". But if they were to let me rest... it'd be about 90/50 and I think that's a little too low. When I had my knee replacement last summer...I scared those people. I think they stopped giving me one of my BP meds while in the hospital because my BP was so low. It's fun getting healthier, isn't it!! I'm doing an hour of vigorous pool PT twice a week and using the adjoining gym for wgt machines and recumbent bike several times a week. So hope to see the scale moving once again.

Yeah, where's Karla today?? We had a few minutes of sunshine a little while ago. Gone again now. It is so cold.. I wore a hooded sweatshirt plus fleece vest while riding around today. Went to the gym for a while... 30 minutes on the bike, about the same on the wgt machines. Earl went, too. Was glad to see him going back to exercise. He is having a hard time keeping his weight within TOPS "leeway"... 7 lb under goal or 3lb. over. He's been over for a few weeks. Eating is okay... but he's not been exercising. So, he skipped TOPS again this morning! Next week we'll be camping, so we'll both miss. I was down 2.8 lb today... got to wear the "crown" for the whole meeting (LOL), and got the fruit basket.. everyone brings something to put in it and the best loser of the week gets it all. So I got about 4 apples, an orange, 2 tomatoes, a banana, pkg of sugar free Jello, couple of Breakfast bars and $1 in quarters!

I had two free trainer sessions. Valuable because 1st time he just interviewed me... goals, health concerns, etc. Second time he showed me 4 wgt machines he thought I should use and watched while I went through that routine... critiquing and helping me decide on the correct amt of weights. I've added one machine since then... thigh abdubctor. But, very worthwhile indeed. We ALWAYS miss you when you're gone! It gets TOO quiet here! Teeth photos are GREAT... very impressive outcome! Such a lovely lady!! Camp.... too funny! You are a kick!! Wonderful news about your dad!!! I am still spending too much time shopping on the internet for a puppy! Jessica, where are you??? Julie??? Who else are we missing today?? Jodi... still enjoying Fire Island! Here we are still wearing sweat shirts and DH & I just made a crock pot full of chili!! High today... about 61 ! High all this week... maybe 71 if we're lucky... on Wed., I think!

Yeah... I know Janet has a favorite shopping place in Vegas but she'll have to tell us which one it is. Wii says I'm down 2 1/2 lb this week. Hope the TOPS scale agrees. Definitely open to all options including a puppy. What kind of dog does your friend in Denver have??

Good Morning! Yeah.. such a shame... beautiful dog! She's only been with this foster family 3 weeks and she has certainly warmed up to them... was sticking to both husband and wife like glue. So I know she would have warmed up to us, but we didn't think that personality would be very conducive to RVing. She'd be facing new situations all the time when we're on the road, and living in an RV.... not really a "sanctuary" where she can hide from everything. People at the door all the time... and we like to leave the door open whenever possible. She just wouldn't be able to handle it. And, yeah... it really touched my heart that Earl put out so much effort to try to make friends with Bella. I told him how much I appreciated that knowing how he feels about getting a dog. After I said that... he spent at least an hour searching on the internet for a dog for me!!! What a turn around!! He kept emailing dog ads to me! It's kind of funny because now he's being really picky! No Chihuauas, etc. I'm telling you... he's looking for another Gigi!! Yes... he is a good guy! Even though I complain a lot.... you guys know he is a good man!

Yeah, the Petco surroundings totally freaked her out. And she would have eventually warmed up to us... but, she's going to continue to be skittish in new situations, and when we're on the road... it's new situations every time we stop! And the biting was very concerning. And they said she "alert barks"... not sure of the extent of that, but living in a condo part of the year, and RV park.. we have to be sensitive to the barking issue. But if we weren't RVers, it might work.

Earl will drop me off in my pjs, and with my blankie, at 7a.m.!! HAHAHA!! Yeah, right... NO MORE SHOPPING!!! Okay, Janet! We'll see how long that lasts! LOL YAY!! You can take a LONG DEEP BREATH! Glad to hear the pain level has backed off a little! Yes, I love those filets... they're so nice and tender. I cut in to tiny bites. Had one either last night or the night before... House repairs... doesn't sound like much fun! I have a hard time with chicken, too, and it's one of my favorite things... I could live on seafood and chicken! But.. these days, I only do dark meat, and not very often, and it has to be moist. You need a special TV remote or something... sort of like my cookie jar... Did I tell this story before??? WE have a policeman cookie jar and if you lift the lid it literally shouts, "STOP!! Move AWAY from the cookie jar!" Was there someone here who said they were addicted to cookies??? I should send it to them because we never buy cookies! So you maybe need a remote that shouts at you if you tune to QVC.... "STOP! Turn the channel NOW!!" We went to BBQ place after church, too... with DD & SIL & 3 grandkids... 4,7,8 yrs old. I wasn't as good as you were..I ordered pulled pork w/potato salad and baked beans. Took half the meat home with me but ate the beans and salad, except for the things I picked out of the salad. This salad had THREE things in it that I DON"T LIKE.... dill pickles, green olives and black olives! But.... nothing to eat tonight except for about 1 oz of white cheese with my glass of wine. I would take 100 degrees in a heartbeat right now! Clouds, rain, cold.... "JUNUARY".... have made me pretty depressed this past week and coming week doesn't look much better! Quesadillas sound wonderful! What else to do in Vegas????? SHOP!! I want to check out the mall I hear people talk about! Had 1/2 hr visit with the dog... Bella... decided she is not the right dog for us. Very skittish. She finally got to where she would take a treat from the palm of my hand, but she wouldn't let me touch her. She was starting to let DH scratch her under her chin... but that's it. We're looking for another Gigi (DD's dog), and this was definitely no Gigi! Beautiful dog though... and just the right size for us. But.. she would be facing new situations and different people constantly while we're traveling, and all those outside parties at the RV park... and we didn't think she'd adapt well to that lifestyle. It seems like she's been extremely traumatized. And we found out that the reason her owners surrendered her was because she bit one of their kids. She tried to bite DH when she first got there.. because he didn't know better and he reached for her. I'll just keep watching the paper and the internet sites. I have to give DH kudos, though, because even though he still says he does NOT want a dog... but I can have one if I take care of it, he went out of his way to try to make up to this dog... to the point of sitting down on the floor at Petco to get down to her level.... in his "Sunday pants" and got dog hair all over himself because we were in an area where they do dog training classes! And he tried and tried to get the dog to come to him. She would take treats from him, and a couple from me, but she obviously preferred him. But I don't know how we would've even got her home or dealt with her for the next few days until she decided she would trust us because she absolutely would not let us approach and never would've let us pick her up. A far contrast from Gigi who races across the room when she gets here and leaps in to my lap, and then DH's! Wish I could clone her!! LOL

Hi, Had 1/2 hr visit with the dog... Bella... decided she is not the right dog for us. Very skittish. She finally got to where she would take a treat from the palm of my hand, but she wouldn't let me touch her. She was starting to let Earl scratch her under her chin... but that's it. We're looking for another Gigi, and this was definitely no Gigi! Beautiful dog though... and just the right size for us. But.. she would be facing new situations and different people constantly while we're traveling, and all those outside parties at the RV park... and we didn't think she'd adapt well to that lifestyle. It seems like she's been extremely traumatized. And we found out that the reason her owners surrendered her was because she bit one of their kids. She tried to bite Earl when she first got there.. because he didn't know better and he reached for her. I'll just keep watching the paper and the internet sites. I have to give Earl kudos, though, because even though he still says he does NOT want a dog... but I can have one if I take care of it, he went out of his way to try to make up to this dog... to the point of sitting down on the floor at Petco to get down to her level.... in his "Sunday pants" and got dog hair all over himself because we were in an area where they do dog training classes! And he tried and tried to get the dog to come to him. She would take treats from him, and a couple from me, but she obviously preferred him. But I don't know how we would've even got her home or dealt with her for the next few days until she decided she would trust us because she absolutely would not let us approach and never would've let us pick her up. A far contrast from Gigi who races across the room when she gets here and leaps in to my lap, and then Earl's! Wish I could clone her!! LOL

Good Morning! Yeah, photos of the dog are adorable. I think Earl is okay with it now. He willingly took me to Petco yesterday. Then when the dog people didn't show up, had me go back in and get the phone number so I could call later and see if they were there yet. Then he suggested we go hang out at the mall for a while. So we walked around for about an hour and then called the store. They still weren't there so we came home. I know he would prefer we not get a dog, but he's no longer saying NO! We're going south this morning... go to Jodie & Al's church and out to lunch with them. Then we'll hang out there for a while. Store we have to go to for meeting the dog is half way between our place and theirs.. Karla.. when Tracy started dating Jim... she was 20 and she told me she thought he was "about" 30. He was 32, divorced for a year or two, and had a 4 & 5 yr old! And the night she came home from the first date I knew she was going to marry him. So I can relate to your newest concerns. Of course, he DID have a job and he wasn't living at home, but he was living in a house his parents owned, across the street from them. Well.... I better start thinking about getting in the shower since we have to leave in about an hour. Long drive south.

I often have steak, but must be very tender... I don't eat more than 4 oz, often not that much...so DH buys me filets. We get packages of them at Costco and he divides them up in single portions for me and freezes them individually. Yes... papaya or pineapple juice when you're "stuck". Once a month, if there is a Riteaid near you, they sell the "pharmasure" brand, 2 for the price of 1. The store near us usually only stocks 2 bottles a week, but will give me a rain check if I want more than that. Don't have a store very close when we're in CA, so I often stock up over the summer! This is Bella... 18 mos old, 9 lb Shih Tzu mix. We are supposed to meet her tomorrow at 6pm and if we want to keep her and the "facilitator" agrees, we can take her home.

This is Bella... 18 mos old, 9 lb Shih Tzu mix. We are supposed to meet her tomorrow at 6pm and if we want to keep her and the "facilitator" agrees, we can take her home.

Yeah, if I get a dog in the next 10 days, it will be coming to the beach house with me! But.. the way things are going, it doesn't look like that's going to happen! Even with Earl cooperating today, no progress. Dog rescue people didn't show up at Petco. Emailed me that they are coming tomorrow instead. But asked names of dogs they are bringing and none that I am interested in... mostly males. No yorkie mix, no small dog that I want to take a look at. Besides that, we're going to the south end in the morning to go to church with Jodie & Al & kids. yeah... very boring day here with nothing to do. Trip to Petco and then to the mall to walk around for an hour or so... then called Petco... rescue people still not there, so we were back home by 2pm! Uncle Ed in cardiac care until at least Monday with no real diagnosis as yet... but my sister, Shirley is the only one with medical background and she has to work all weekend. Don't know if anyone has actually talked to the doctor about what is going on. Talked to my mom last night and she seems to be doing okay. Probably should call her in the next 30 minutes or so to see if she has an update. I think you would enjoy Pike Place Market. Not too touristy.. fresh fruits, veggies and seafood plus crafts. I only went to gym twice this past week... good workout both times, but only twice, plus some walking. About 550 miles from your house to beach house, so if she's picking you up the morning of the 1st.... at least a 10 hour drive I'd say.

WHERE IS EVERYONE??? No new posts on any of the threads I subscribe to!!

Wow! You did GREAT! Congrats!! Food was good today except for a small piece of cherry pie! Why did Earl make a cherry pie??? Oh, well... he uses "no sugar added" cherry pie filling that he says is only 30 calories for 1/3 cup, which is approximately one piece of pie. And I think he uses some boxed low cal pie crust. He's never made pies before... this is something new that started a couple of weeks ago and the crust is almost as good as my Mom used to make. OH..... Uncle Ed is in cardiac unit since yesterday. Apparently had a heart attack yesterday morning. Waiting for an update this morning. Tracy and Jim are wandering around eastern WA in search of sunshine. They did find some, but last night called to say the rain had caught up with them. I miss them and Gigi! Gigi was supposed to stay with us while they were gone, but a few days before they were to leave, Jim decided he couldn't bring himself to leave her home! So she is with them. Some Sky Valley neighbors are in the area for a photo exhibit... she won 1st place. So we may drive in to Seattle and go to the U of WA to see the exhibit and visit with them. Then maybe I can talk Earl in to taking me to the Pike Place Market. Haven't been there in years and it's a really fun place. Maybe I can buy some smoked salmon.

I'm pretty sure we'll be down there by Oct. 1, but Aug/Sept won't work for me.

Yeah, those tornadoes were terrible! Hope you didn't have to go to the basement! Thanks for checking out the condos. Sounds good to me... will wait to hear what Janet has to say about the dates. Gym membership is probably a good idea. I know a couple of times after a move I got really depressed because I didn't know anyone. Would be good to do something that makes you get out of the house. Glad you are getting to eat. I am happy to have some restriction back, even though it's not much. Just had two rye crisp crackers with tuna on top for lunch, and about 1/2 cup of cole slaw. Probably would have been satisfied with one cracker, and it took me at least 1/2 hour to get the cole slaw down! Well, the sun is finally out today, so I think I'll go outside and absorb some of it!!

Oh... I bet he's a cutie! No dog yet. Lady decided she didn't want to sell to me! I was the 5th person she turned down. She said she was concerned that we don't have a fenced yard and she's afraid we will find the dog "annoying" because she wants to play constantly and she's always underfoot. follows her everywhere. So... don't know if she'll ever find that perfect person she is looking for. Now I submitted an application to a rescue place or a Shih Tzu mix that I found online. Not sure she is the right dog either.... rescue dogs.... you never now what they've been through. So... I'm still looking. But between that and no sunshine, and rain and clouds... fighting depression big time this week! Finally the sun came out today.

Sorry, gals... lost a long post last night and just didn't feel like going through it all again!! Basically.... lady didn't want to sell me the dog. I was the 5th person she turned down!! Wants the dog to have a fenced yard and is afraid we would find her annoying because she is extremely playful and constantly underfoot. She did refer me to another lady who I have now corresponded with via email about an 18 mo old shih tzu mix named Bella. But the more serious I get about getting a dog, the more adamant and vocal Earl gets about NOT wanting one. And besides that.... I'm fighting depression big time this week. I think it has a lot to do with the lack of sun. Fortunately... woke up to sunshine this morning. And now... I have to get out of here and get to the gym for PT and some machine workout. Later.....

Vegas.... I'm willing to share a room with someone.

Good to hear from you again. I went back to clinic yesterday. They did another esophogram to recheck. Swallowing was so so. They had me drink some barium and they watch while it goes down. Then gave me a pill to swallow. Last time it wouldn't go down at all. This time it took 2 glasses of water before it finally went down. Said my esophagus is still a little dilated. But, after the P.A. consulted with the Dr., they decided to put back half of the fluid I had before... so, 2 1/2 oz put back in. Don't feel much restriction. So I go back in 4 weeks and hopefully they'll get me back to at least 5 cc. P.A. gave her blessing to my 1 small glass of wine and SF, FF latte each day! She wants me to keep a food diary... which I HATE to do, cut carbs wherever possible, and ramp up my exercise. So I told her I was thinking of getting a dog! She got really excited about that... Said the first bariatric conference she went to one of the "experts" said that if you have a patient who is having trouble exercising, tell them to get a dog! And if you don't see them start to lose weight, tell them to get ANOTHER dog!! LOL! So I'm hoping to go look at a shih tzu later today!