No, MsMercury, you are not a bad person, and I say that as a sister of two alcoholic brothers who would not be helped and are no longer with us. It is wonderful to hear that your grandson and DIL are both doing so much better now! You sound a lot better too, without quite as much worry on your shoulders.

Thanks Draclvr. I can't sympathise with someone who lies all the time. All the times she swore blind she had stopped drinking when we could tell just by hearing her voice on the phone that she was lying. She has been an alcoholic since she was in her 20's. She is now 60. She's lucky she's still here. Glad you like my signature, thanks! I can't remember where I saw it.

Thanks oldbroad. I don't know how she's still alive. She has aspirated twice while drunk and she knows very well what the outcome could be but she knows better than everyone else. Sorry you've experienced that. It's not pleasant. We are all over the moon with the news about Grandson and DIL! They have both been through it but are out the other side now. I feel a lot better now, I did seem to have the weight of the world on my shoulders. I felt so helpless at times, not being able to physically help due to our circumstances here, so could only lift them up by listening when they needed to talk and giving them some motherly advice and love.

Mary so happy to hear your grandson and DIL are doing so well and so good to see you posting! Your family is blessed to have you in their lives!

Sending love and hugs and healing prayers for you and all your family.

Gerry

Good afternoon everyone! Enjoyed the coffee and donuts (today) in a quick fly-by this morning Gerry and Connie. Ms Mary, it's always a real treat to hear from you and we will continue to keep you and family in our prayers. Addiction can be beaten by absolute abstention ... but many don't have the 'internal will power' to make it happen. Wishing you all a wonderful evening.

Good Morning all. I'm already enjoying a mug of double dark brew...plenty on hand for you all to enjoy too! Hoping to walk this morning early before it gets to hot. A few errands to run later...a quiet day for me.

Hope you all have a great day!

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts, and Bagels in the Break Room. Mary, you could never be considered a bad person, you have a loving heart. Such wonderful news about your grandson and DIL being free of cancer. Love and hugs headed your way. Robert booked our Keys trip with Chuck and his mom for a week in March. I'm so excited, it's been quite a few years since we've been there. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Oh, that double dark brew is SO good this morning, Gerry! Enjoying it next to my open window to the hummingbird porch. It was very cool last night, but the heat is coming back. I'm going to miss the chittering of the hummers, but I opened up my 130th pound of sugar yesterday! There are swarms of them out there! I guess they are loading up on resources for their migration which will start in about 2 weeks.

Where in the Keys will you go, connie! That is such an interesting place. I love looking at aerial photos - it looks like it just shouldn't even exist that far out in the ocean!

Mary, addicts, including alcoholics, often end up destroying all of the relationships around them because their drug of choice becomes the only thing they care about. You're not a bad person for feeling the way you do. It's a natural response to years of abusive behaviour.

I'm so glad to hear about the good news about your DIL. Like her, my John was told, for years, that his symptoms were just bleeding hemorrhoids. And when I say years, I mean a decade. He finally demanded that our newest doctor requisition the determinative test, and of course by that time it was too late. Your DIL is so fortunate that it was caught so much earlier. It is quite treatable in early stages.

Lots of coffee for me this morning. My lawnmower arrived unassembled and there was much muttering and cursing, but it is now assembled and ready to go. But it's so hot! I might wait until later in the day to take it out for a whirl. Next I need to get a power washer and shop-vac, since I donated my old ones. And some industrial strength vinegar for weed control. This property won't care for itself, unfortunately.

Connie the one and only time I went to the Florida Keys was in the 1950s by car with my Mom and Dad and siblings. I remember crossing the causeways seemed endless, and there was nothing for miles and miles!

Draclvr I'm sure the hummers are going to miss you too!

Hagatha how are Dude and Willow settling in?

Gerry

Gerry, Dude and Willow are very frustrated about the outdoors. Willow will at least come for a walk on her leash, but every time I get Dude out on his leash he ends up hiding under a bush and hisses at me when I try to coax him out. They both stand at the French doors gazing out longingly.

Otherwise, they seem to be getting along better than ever. I think it's because the house isn't Willow's domain. She will always be the Alpha cat, but Dude is far more self-assured than previously. They play quite a bit, in short bursts. And I suppose that they feel like comrades-in-arms when it comes to their desire to go outside. It's a common cause. They lurk near the front door when they hear my car coming up the drive. Dude did get out one day, and it won't be long before Willow charges past me. At least now they've both been around the entire property and know where they are. All my neighbours have outdoor cats, and apparently cats don't go missing around here, so if one of them does get out, it will probably be okay. There's virtually no traffic on my street.

Good afternoon everyone Another dash and go this morning to enjoy the coffee and danish (today) Gerry and Connie. Connie, I've always wanted to go to the keys to check it out after watching James Bond. Have a wonderful evening everyone.

Good Morning and Happy Friday everyone! Double dark brew is ready to start your Friday!

Hagatha sounds like Dude and Willow may have seen those other cats outside from your windows! That would certainly help explain why they want to go out...could cause the "crying" to go out too.

Enjoy your day!

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Drac, we will be staying on Key Colony Beach. That bridge is not one of my favorite parts of the trip. Shopping is on the agenda for later today. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning. Ill be having the dark coffee as usual this morning.

I actually slept in today. First time in a very, very long time. It's so quiet here. I think most of the people in this area are retired and there's no traffic at all in the morning.

I've just been reading about the out-of-control fires here in Canada. Kelowna, one of the biggest cities in BC, is under evacuation alert. Yellowknife in the NWT has been completely evacuated, and Alberta is experiencing some terrible fires right now, too. We're having a drought, that's for certain. Here on the coast we've only had a few days of rain all summer. My garden is desperate for water and I had to surreptitiously leave the hose under one of my small evergreens because it was clearly starting to die. We're under severe water restrictions; no watering at all unless you're holding the hose. I hope we get some rain soon.

Key Colony looks beautiful, Connie. I looked up the bridge too and it looks kinda scary!

Just got home. Had to take hubby to the eye doctor for an eye injection. They are not pleasant, but it is saving his vision in that eye. I guess in the "old days," people just went blind. Grateful for these medical advances!

Heard more about those wildfires on the radio on the way over to the doctor today. Sounds pretty awful. I hope you get some relief soon.

T.G.I.F. good afternoon everyone. Gerry, the Double Dark Brew this morning ... hit the spot 'multiple' times! Connie, your cinnamon crunch bagels got me through the morning. I hope you enjoyed shopping this afternoon. Hagatha, maybe Hilary will bring some rain relief to your area? Have a wonderful evening everyone

The weekend has arrived!

Good Morning everyone. Woke up to nice cool temps this morning in the 50s! It is going to be a beautiful sunny, dry day in the 70s...relief from the horrible hot, humid sunless days we've been having! Double dark brew taste sooo good this morning. Enjoy!

Happy Saturday!

Gerry

Good morning Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. My youngest son and his wife are taking me to Ozello, Fl. for the long Thanksgiving weekend. They go there every year, it's called old Fl. I'm very blessed. Enjoy the weekend and hug someone.

I'll have some of that Double Dark Brew Gerry and today is a good day for Donuts Connie ... thank you both. The weekend is here and it's time for chores, projects, gaming and relaxation at the end of the day. Have a wonderful day everyone.

Fixed hubby his weekly big breakfast, opened up my 140th pound of sugar and fed the hummers... Now it's time for me to enjoy Gerry's double dark brew and relax. The "goal" is to enjoy the beautiful warm and dry weather today. We'll see how it pans out!

Connie, another place for me to look up! Sounds wonderful!

Enjoy your Saturday!

Good Morning Break Room Gang! Got a fresh pot of double dark brew ready to go with Connie's goodies.

Another nice cool start to the day here...great for taking a nice long walk!

Enjoy a peaceful, relaxing Sunday!

Gerry

Thanks for the dark brew Gerry, it's a must every morning for me and the perfect partner with Connies goods. Have a wonderful day everyone!

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Enjoy your Sunday and hug someone.

I did it yesterday! Didn't do much of anything! We are looking at extreme heat again for the next week - 100+ degrees almost every day. Blech.

Just going to enjoy my double dark brew and listen to the hummers this morning!

We're now covered in a thin veil of smoke from the wildfires. It's not really visible, but it's blocking the sun just enough that our temperature has dropped. Also, I've had bouts of sneezing, which means there are particles in the air. If I go for a walk this morning I'd better take my puffer with me.

It's awful to see the fires approaching Kelowna. It's a lakeside city. You always think of cities being safe, and one beside water even more so. Looks like that's not the case after all. The Okanagan region is always very dry by this point in the year but this is something else entirely. It's horrifying.


I'm getting to the point in the unpacking where putting up art is the priority here. I have one very large framed photo of a humpback breaching backwards in the smoke; John took it the last time we had a heavy cloud of wildfire smoke in the air, though in the picture it looks like mist. I'm trying to work out where it's best placed. It's a good thing this house has high ceilings or it would have nowhere to hang.