Wednesday 5 by 5

[Lilac]

Dh just told me that they will know on Friday whether the out of state guy will take the simulator instructors position. He is just burnt out on his job. It is so stressful. He has already talked to HR about quasi retiring soon after his 62nd birthday next week. He would take his retirement funds and put that in the hands of the financial advisor he plans to use. Then he would either be the simulator instructor or if one of the shift supervisors takes his job, there is a possibility he could take their job. That is really his preference, for 2 reasons. It would be less of a pay cut and he would be working shift work again. They work a 5 week rotation with 12 hour shifts, so that every 5 weeks, he would have a full week off. If he is the simulator instructor he will work 4 10 hour days per week, either Tuesday thru Friday or Monday thru Thursday. I did tell him that if he goes back to shift work, I want to install a security system and he agreed. He worked shift work for 28 1/2 years but has been on all days for over 11 years. I was younger and not diabetic then. I need my sleep and can't be sleeping so lightly, like I do when he is not at home.

Dd2 could really use my help getting her house ready to sell, but with our trip a week away, I have my own stuff that needs done. I did tell her that if she still needs help, I will help her after our trip. Today she had a professional painter give her a quote on painting both upstairs baths, the master bedroom, den, living room, kitchen and dining area plus the large entryway and hallways. The ceilings are 12 ft. He measured and he will be painting 12750 sq. ft of wall space. He will also stain the sliding door that had to be replaced by the sellers when they bought the house. The price includes the paint and all supplies. It was just under $5500.00 before tax. Eeeeeeekkkk, but her dh said to go ahead and have it done. He hates to paint and she doesn't have time to paint and get the house ready to show. Months and months ago she decided to paint the trim white in the bathroom and paint the bathroom walls. She made a real mess and never finished it, so the guy will have to mess with her mess. It is too bad she did that because that was the only room that didn't need painted except to change the color. The painter wants to start tomorrow because business is slow right now and he told her that as soon as the weather is nice, he has a lot of house exteriors to be painted and will be busy.

Dd2 and dsil plan to try to sell their house themselves. They are only going to do that for 10 days to 2 weeks and if they don't get a buyer, they will turn it over to their realtor to list it.

School is out tomorrow and Friday for teacher/parent conferences.

I need to buy groceries and run errands tomorrow. There is a chance of snow on Friday and I don't want to get out in it. We recently ran the SUV thru the carwash and planned to handwash it before the trip, but since the weather is turning cold after tomorrow, dh nixed that idea. He is a real stickler for the interior to be vacuumed and wiped down. So I hope to have time to do that tomorrow, so he won't have to do it in the cold.

Harmony, I really appreciate you keeping us updated. I just hate what you and your dh are going thru. That was really a tacky way to send a card. I know how hard this is for you with your dh being different these days. I hope his helper and the first sub can get the job started. I am sure that each day, it will get easier for him to walk with the cane. I find it really encouraging that he is still interested in his business and just not throwing in the towel. Many hugs and prayers for you both as he continues to rehab.

[Ivy]

I sure wished I'd have felt better most of the day, so I could come here to see Harriet's WONDERFUL Wed. 5 x 5!!! P & P are super clever, smart, inspirational, and motivating gals! So are YOU, Harriet, for posting this lead-in! It can be used on ANY day!

I don't know if I'm losing my mind, but..... Today I washed towels, then dried them, so put another load in the washer, which was going. Then, later, I checked to see how many minutes the washer had left. It's digital computer pad said: PLEASE CLOSE LID! And so I opened the lid, closed it, and it said the same exact thing- but this time, it kept beeping! So DH has tried everything. He finally called the store where we bought it in Dec. 2004, we found out the company no longer makes this model, nor has parts for it, but gave DH a # to call for repairs. THAT guy said to just slam the lid down, hard as you can on the right front corner. That should fix it. It did NOT! DH called another repairman, but he never answers his phone, has no voice mail or machine. And "Inc." is after his name, too! So DH called another #, left a message, is awaiting a call tonight or in the a.m., to see if they can fix the washer or if we'll get a new set. We might get a new set. But this is almost 10 years old, the digital panels have been starting to go out, I noticed, about 1 year ago. We'll "see". Of course the towels smelled fine, were not soapy, and got dried.

Now, I'm trying out a new external hard drive, and I'm trying to find which USB port and which mode for my laptop brand it works better in, to re-charge the battery, when the laptop's in sleep mode, hibernation or turned off. I've tried this twice, in Mode 4, but the battery charge was still 10%, which is low. I'm now trying Mode 1 in a different USB port. Honestly, I never knew how to use "hibernate". So when I put it in hibernation, left for awhile, came back and wiggled the mouse, I was so surprised to see it come to life! It was too funny! I'm sorry, but I just crack myself up sometimes.

The doctor wants me to take thyroid med in wee a.m. hours, then the IBS med 1/2-hour prior to breakfast, which I did. But then I ended up with IBS, so read, hindsight, on his print-out how if this happens, to go on a liquid diet for 24 hours. I got so weak! Then, I read how I'm supposed to have drinks with electrolytes in them, some glucose in fluids, to replenish, etc... So I messed up! I re-wrote the grocery list, took an older IBS med, had a normal dinner, feel much better, so we'll try this new med again tomorrow a.m., but the weirdest thing- to *me* is how I've had this med before. But DH said I've been sick for 3 days. Then I told him remember the 18th, how I cancelled on my dfriend because I thought I had the flu? He said yes, so I'm hoping tomorrow with a breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast, I'll feel better, and get back to normal. This drug worked before, so by golly, it's going to work again for me! I just was ordered to say away from dairy, which is my problem, as I'm lactose intolerant, love cheddar cheese sticks and a.m. yogurt. DH is going to look on the box of rice milk, to make sure there's no dairy in it. I have Almond Breeze, which is wonderful, too, but not much protein in it. I get weak, is the problem, and I run out of good protein ideas. Found some Kellogg's new bars with 10% protein in them with antioxidants, which I put PB on, so that's good, but you can't eat too many bars or you can cause gastric distress. I'm not eating 1 daily or more than that either. So that's not the problem. Also, the doctor said after the IBS is gone, after the 24-hour diet, to do the BRAT diet, so we got all THAT stuff. I laugh because it sounds like only BRATS GO ON BRAT DIETS! I do apologize! I'm sitting here listening to fast FM classical music on my boom box while I do computer things!

OH! A funny here: My dementia dfriend-neighbor saw DH today and exclaimed, "OMG! When did you grow a mustache?!" DH said, "Only about 40 years ago!" and she laughed and laughed at herself, her DD did, too, and so did my DH! Our neighbor-friend who had the stroke comes home SOON! He'll be on a schedule and he'll only have a short window open for visitors. I imagine they'll wear him out, he'll need to rest, take meds, have help eating, as he's having problems speaking and there will be visiting nurses in and out, too. Their Ddil is coming to stay for as long as they need her, too. Lovely!

I'll sign out now. I need to hibernate my laptop, and "see" if my Mode 1 worked on re-charging this external hard drive in this particular USB port. It's be lovely if it DID!

[Elizabeth]

Hello everyone! I have a new name, MUD. Last night, I looked at my Thursday schedule rather than today's and completely missed an appointment at DD12's school. The X and DD were there, but I was still asleep. Flat out didn't see it. I got a job application out and found a place to send a paper cover letter/resume to. They are not advertising any openings on their web page, but it can't hurt. Also did some searching on companies on my master list.

A nice lady who is downsizing her house is letting the animal org handle the estate sale and keep all the money. Tonight, I went there to help with hauling stuff downstairs and organizing. Kind of fun actually. Makes me wish I could go help Kathryn with her packing. Such things are much easier and pleasant with company.

When I got home, I realized I had better pay some bills! So I did that, updated Quicken, and transferred some money between accounts. I still need to do cat care, get a snack, and probably other stuff that eludes me. Last night, I did a freezer inventory and I realized that I do not have to buy any more meat for a while. I just need to cook what I've got and that will probably do me for another month! I did toss a few things, and organized the rest, and posted a list on the door.

Booksaver: For even more feline fun, dip that sponge in some CATNIP! Not only will your cat be entertained, she will entertain you!

I'm off to do that cat care now.