So, Monday. We meet again.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Helia: the WW program I follow (an older one) says that non starchy veggies are free, therefore potatoes and corn have points. Others include carrots (they are looking at sugar content) something I can't live without so I skipped using that version of the program. I just looked up Carrots in my older points book and see that cooked carrots have points but raw don't. Same with onions. Go figure!

I downloaded a WW tracker program to my tablet this afternoon and have filled in my food for the day so far. I'm hungry now and am out of points. Still have to have dinner.

[Twins' Mom]

I don't know why I am so tired but I am feeling wiped out. Was stressed by level of activity at the temple this morning - maj jong ladies were there and busy yaking. It was interesting, tho to see everyone trying to get a moment to speak with incoming president, while he's trying to get time to speak with temple secretary and get back to his office. I have several things I "need" to do for temple biz, but I just get to the point that I feel like I've done enough for one day.

I went by grocery and picked up ground beef to make chili for supper. Dh is bowling - said he could be eliminated very early and be home early or could be late.

[Cowinkie]

Afternoon y'all...

I seemed to have caught Dee's shredding bug. Did all my morning routines, but am trying to pick up my footprints BEFORE I go to bed at night. Did my Gazelle and put in 2 miles...I always think of you Nancy when I am on mine.

Did a bunch of yard work and before I knew it, it was noon time.

I been working on my desk for the past 2 hours going through files and shredding and decluttering as I go. Feels good to get that out of the way. Yesterday I did all the laundry and Sat I blessed the house so I am in good standing at the moment.

Harmony I had to smile about your observations concerning your friends. I live in a small community and spend time in many of my neighbor's homes for social time. Sweetie and I were at a friend's gathering Thur night. During that time a new neighbor who was at the event invited everyone to walk over to see her new iron front door. Then she and her husband invited all of us, husbands and wives, in to see their new home.

Talk about a BO ...she is one to the max. So BTW is her husband. As she took the gals into her huge bathroom, she apologized for the way it looked. Nothing was out of place, no clutter on the counters, but I did spy a used towel tossed carelessly over the shower stall. I asked her if that was what was bothering her and she said yes. Then she open her shared closet and everything was in perfect order. She hangs her shirts the way that I do...by style, tank, short sleve, long sleve and color...white to dark. It made me giggle.

While we were walking to the front of the house I quietly said to her...it really messes with your brain when things are out of order doesn't?? It feeds your need for control ... She was puzzled by my comment, but said ... exactly .As we were leaving she hugged me and whispered into my ear...thank you for understanding, no one else does...

That brought about a conversation between Sweetie and me yesterday. He said he found it interesting that so many couples in our community...there's only 33 houses...that were so compulsives in the way they keeps their houses. We counted and there are at least 7 couples that are that way. I pointed out that Sweetie can be that way at times as well. But usually it is when he becomes super focused on some project he is working on. Couse his car garage looks like a hospital operating room. During further discussion, I remarked the more stressed I am the less organized I become. My house is a perfect example of that...and trying to keep order in my house when I can't control the stress and chaos in my life just takes too much energy.

Sweetie remarked he is just the opposite of that. We also talked about understanding how efficiency and time play such an important part of being and stay organized. He used his business, which included productions of products as an example. I also commented I felt the same way with my teaching.

Who knew a casual conversation would lead to such interesting observations.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Started dinner. Made up the meal plan before I decided to restart WW so the next while won't be stellar but counting is better than not counting.

The tree has stopped running for now so dh has also started tonight's sap boil. We got 5 quarts of sap so hopefully another cup and a bit of syrup. The ratio was 10:1 our first boil but lately it has been over 15:1 so the sap has less sugar in it. So far we have over 2 quarts of syrup made and containers for it are the issue. We freeze it in smaller jars so we only have to defrost as much as we can eat in a few weeks since it doesn't seem to last as long as the professional made stuff.

There's a chance the tree will run again on Wednesday so dh will put the buckets out tomorrow night. We are to get Helia's rain tomorrow so the sap won't likely run then.

[Twins' Mom]

Kathryn, is you dsis feeling abandoned or unhappy with the situation with her spouse? What is her take on it?

[Lilac]

We just made a big decision. It was the right one but I am still disappointed. Dh was going to redo my bathroom. It has been put off all winter. Recently I had been thinking that maybe we should just wait on it until he retires. Otherwise, it will take months and months. I had cleaned the bathroom today and told him to take the before pictures. After he had taken them, he asked what I thought about waiting until he retires. I told him that I had been thinking that we should do that, as much as I hate waiting. He said he would go ahead but we both know that waiting is the right thing to do. I just get frustrated because I have a lot of money set aside for these reno projects and all we have done, is his bath. I want all of the dark woodwork upstairs replaced with white trim and doors. I want new windows, new front door and new door to the sunroom. Right now it is a sliding door, so it will be either a white sliding door or French doors. Then there is the matter of new carpet up and down. Ugh, a lot of decisions. As far as the bathroom goes, I am not real sure what I want, so this gives me more time.

When we had the garage sale, I took the shelf off behind the toilet. Now I am looking at wallpaper there, because dd2 painted over the wallpaper. I have several big pictures that are not hung, so I think I will put one there. I just hate losing the storage.

I am going to take my grumbling self upstairs and vacuum..................Sorry for the vent.................

[helia]

Kathryn, regarding WW veggies - yes, good point. I don't actually think of potatoes or corn as vegetables since they are starchy. In my meal planning, I use potatoes interchangeably with rice and pasta - and corn is just an extra starch. We rarely eat it on its own, except fresh corn on the cob in summer. But I can see how others view them as a vegetable. I think other than that. our leader tells us to consider all the others as free. I think she is encouraging us to eat a lot of veggies - and more veggies than fruit. --Not avocados, if anyone considers them a vegetable. They're very high in points. (And oh so good!)

[Nancy]

Got another section of weeding done in the front yd. Dson showed up and sprayed the drive way. So we have made great progress here today. I dud tbe floors here this morning too. Dgson is not here today so I am heading out for another round of weeding. 75* today and tomorrow here. Front yd. Is done weeding dandilions until the next ones grow and bloom. Lol!

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Twins: my sister at the moment feels that my dsil should be in the hospital because that's the only way to stop her from over-doing things. She also feels that pumping someone full of drugs, seeing a reduction in symptoms and sending them home before the drugs have left the system does not equal a cure.

And on that point she is right, my dsil is now feeling quite awful and the bad rash has returned. Benadryl (what she was told to take at home) doesn't seem to be working. This doesn't surprise me, either, since they never really diagnosed the problems that landed her in the hospital (1. plummeting blood pressure to the point where her body will not pump drugs throughout her system if the IV is anywhere but the neck, and 2. antibiotics not healing the infection from her wounds from two weeks ago and 3. flushing the antibiotics she had a life-threatening reaction to out of her system.)

If you recall, I had three trips to the ER before it 'stuck' and I was declared ill enough to be admitted. On the other hand, my dsil was in ICU and then released, all without any diagnosis. The low blood pressure is an ongoing issue that no-one seems to be able to discover the cause but it seems to be making other things worse.

None of this addresses the stress in their marriage. My sister feels trapped but won't leave nor will she go to counseling. There's a major disconnect in their relationship and always has been. For instance, I don't know if she still does but even a few years ago, my sister was charging her wife rent. So I never got the sense it was a partnership. Yet, my sister says she loves dsil.

Communicating with my sister is frustrating because she is always right - if she says the sky is green, no matter what proof you offer, you are wrong, there's a flaw in your logic, the colours in your camera are off. As well, the things she finds good are much better than anything you find good in your life and any difficulties she has are much greater than anything you've experienced and therefore you can't possibly understand her angst and she must go on and on and on, explaining it to you. I can see why my dsil would just stop communicating and hide away.

But hiding away doesn't explain the obsession with body and so there's something mentally/emotionally wrong with dsil. She lost control of her moods after a "30 day shred" she did which seemed to knock her hormonal system out of whack and it has never recovered, partly because she won't increase her calorie intake.

Money is an issue. In theory she makes a good salary but spends every penny. She's also messy, as is my sister, and neither will clean up after the other. In fact, I noted my sister made her clean up her mess when she got home so her sister wouldn't notice when she arrived. So that's totally foreign to my definition of what makes up a relationship.

It seems very dysfunctional but it is both of them, not just one or the other. I figure the marriage is doomed although I'm not sure where that leaves my sister since she can't afford to leave. My dsil is broke but working (she's almost 20 years younger than my sister). My sister is retired. But she could retire before 65 because of the money she inherited and she got married after Dad died so that means all that money is communal property. If there's no prenup, then I expect my sister would lose half her retirement savings to a breakup. Which would mean she'd have to go back to work.

I'm glad I don't live in the same city since I'm not in the middle of this. Although, at some point, being 9 years younger than my sister, I suspect her care will fall on my shoulders if she's not married.

[Twins' Mom]

Wow, Kathryn. Lots of issues there, I hardly know what to say.