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April showers bring ....

AgedOut's picture

fertilizer for the flowers? 

Howdy boys and girls, all you glorious stepsters! 

We're days away from May and according to the riddle: April showers bring May flowers and May flowers bring ..pilgrims!

 

So, without further ado

 

How the heck are YOU? 

You not them or him or her or satans evil spawn and the BM they fell out of.

 

How are you doing? What are you doing? Everything good, meh or do you need me to dig a body sized hole in my back yard? 

What is up w/ you???

 

classyNJ's picture

As always, thanks for asking and how are YOU?

My birthday is the 1st week of May and yes April showers bring flowers but also brings rains to my part of the world so DH and I will be jumping a plane to spend the week in Florida.

Tho excited, I am super stressed at work so burning the midnight oil to be sure that I will not have to do too much while on vaca and that causes lack of sleep, no apetite and a desire to bury just about anyone that looks at me.  LOL

Other than that, all is good Smile

AgedOut's picture

Well happy early birthday to you!! 

A vacation sounds wonderful. Especially if it involve relaxing and enjoying some sunshine! 

I'm the same way, I like to take care of all our loose ends before we head off on a trip. Less worry while we're kicking back! 

 

 

CLove's picture

Planted, watered, lounged in the sun, and am calm and relaxed in spite of having to go back to work and we are beginning an audit.

AgedOut's picture

What did you put in, flowers, veggies, herbs, all of those? 

 

Calm and relaxed is wonderful. I can picture you doing your yoga sit and saying "ommm" (if that's what yoga folks say!)

 

the audit will happen whether you stress our not so keep on relaxing!

 

Rags's picture

Audits, never fun."I'll look into and get to you with what we can do." is the answer to any enquiry that is beyond the knowledge of the internal team members. If it is not known, never answer, yes, or no. Always, an affirming statement with a follow up.  Then, follow up.  "I have verified, here is what we have." Or.... "Here is what we can do.".

Never forget, auditors are generally the ones who arrive after the battle and shoot the survivors. They are not your friends. Coach the team to be direct with them, do not talk with them, befriend them, or go down the TMI trail. The more team members blather, the more questions the auditor will likely ask. Answer only what is asked.  If the team does not know, they state that they do not know, then they guide the auditor to the leader.  Lather... rinse.... repeat.

If the auditor is verbose and provides guidance or coaching, write it down, say thank you, then leverage it to your benefit when the auditor has left the bldg.

IMHO of course.

CLove's picture

I picked up the Uke and sang to the grass after I cut it. 

Planted a cocktail plum (diff varieties grafted on one root stock), a goji berry tree, some lavendar, a hibis-cuss. A rose, a lime, bougainvilla, some jasmine...and our soil is clay, so digging is HARD.

Some pruning happened...we danced in the growing moonlight, qued some chicken. 

And now today is gray...and taking a breakie from yard work:D

JRI's picture

I love this time of year when the weather is nice, no holiday drama and I can get caught up.  I'm looking forward to our 50th anniversary next week.  We've got 2 nights booked at the casino, will have our fave meals, Chinese dinner and Waffle House for breakfast, and I'm having a massage after the Jacuzzi.  We are each getting extra casino $.  Life is good!  

Rags's picture

I'm good-ish. Thanks for asking.

Life, outside of work, is awesome.  My bride is stunning and brilliant with a heart of gold. As usual.  Which means I am good.  Truly blessed.

My family is doiing very well. Mom and dad are thriving. Mom is recovering extremely well from her health challenges from mid to late 2023.  It is incredible how detrimental a scar adhesion twisting a bowl is.  She went from looking to be on deaths door step, she looked scary bad, to her usual rosie cheeked and full speed self in short order. I forecast that she will get even better over the next month as she has caterack surgery and gets her three vision field new artificial lense implants.  Her joy is such detailed quilting and emproidery that new eyeballs will be a life game changer for  her. Hopefully dad can keep her out of the dirt so she does not wear herself out with countless 20 hours days of quilting, embroidery, and gardening.  

My grandniece is due in a few weeks.  This is the first GGK for my parents.  Big stuff.   My youngest nephew graduates from Uni with his BS in evironmental engineering at about the time the baby is due. So he will not be at the birth of his sister's baby.  Mom and dad won't be at the graduation due to mom's eye surgery.

We just got back from a trip to SpermLand to celebrate my MIL's 70th.  That was surprisingly drama free.  So, I am way good since I did not have to go all pull your heads out of your asses on them all for upsetting my wife.  Not that I really ever have to. She shuts them down in a hurry but there is always a backlash of emotion for her when she has to.

I know, I talked mostly about everyone else. But, if they are all good. I am good.  

I'm easy.  Everyone else, not so mucn.

Now for work, creating something from nothing in the vortex of a hurricane, is, infuriating when no one sticks to the agreed upon model.  So, this job, may not work out as my final rodeo as I had hoped.  But, I will stick with it until m badge stops working.

Drinks

AgedOut's picture

That's okay, I'm a 'taker carer' person too. If my human's aren't running smoothly, neither am I.

 

I'm hoping your mom's surgery goes well. I do counted cross stitch and when my eyes started aging I struggled to do it. 

I  will keep my fingers crossed for your work pace, hoping you remain on the level!

Cover1W's picture

Peeks of warmer spring weather arrived!  Yard work is much easier this year after a lot of years getting native plants in, easy to care for beds, etc. I am going to set up my deck planters this weekend and look at getting some tomato starts for the summer.  YUM.

Other than ongoing uterine fibroid issues (more doc visits to come this week!), feeling good in my health, job, life in general.

AgedOut's picture

I am so jealous. What are you looking to plant???

 

Have you been able to find any relief from the fibroid pains and problems? 

Cover1W's picture

I wing the deck planters every year.  Usually I'll put something in there I can replant in the fall, like salvia, herbs, or some groundcover/rock plants.  I have enough lavendar and sage at this point so no more of that. I have to plant things deer don't like too as they will decimate everything except a handfull of things. Anything with spikes is good. I also think that maybe a burning bush or an azalea would be nice too!  I don't grow edibles other than tomatoes because it's too much work, I can see DH getting all exited about it - it's one reason we bought the house because he loved the yard, but guess who does most of the work....yeah, not doing vegetables on top of it (plus deer; the tomatoes can be grown on our back upper deck to be away from them). 

Relief from pain is better, I have an IUD again which has helped with that and the heavy, heavy bleeding. BUT now I'm getting my period 2x a month for at least 7-8 days in a row, with a 1-2 week break in between. Still throwing some clots too. Going in for another ultrasound to see if the IUD is in place or if the fibroid has grown and pushed it. Fun times. If IUD doesn't work I'm seriously looking at a hysterectomy as my only other option.  If only I had followed up on this several years ago when my last gyn dismissed my concerns as "perimenopause" and I believed her.  I should have had my IUD replaced way back then.

Dogmom1321's picture

Just got accepted into a graduate program that my employer/school-district will fully fund! Otherwise the graduate classes would cost $5,000+. I'm not looking for an immediate change, but having this extra schooling will definitely be beneficial in the long run :) 

Glad to be doing something for ME!  

Rags's picture

Awesome news!  Enjoy school.  A qualification is never a wasted effort. They pay off is for the rest of your career.  It may not result in a pot of gold falling on your head as you walk out of graduation, but it does pay off in financial and intangible ways over time.

Congratulations.

AgedOut's picture

Congratulations!!! That is awesome! And have the finance help is a huge burden lifted. You deserve to do things for you and you deserve to reap the rewards of your hard work!

AgedOut's picture

Me? same old, same old. hopefully it will change soon. I am waiting for the insurance approval and date for my hip surgery. I saw the surgeon a week ago today and she is going to be doing a replacement. I am petrified but cannot wait. Everyone I know who's had it says that it really will be  miraculous and if I follow the Dr's orders I should be literally back up and walking soon. Good news to me because it will be a year in June since I started having issues w/ the hip. 

 

Other than that? it's baseball season and that's my happy place even when I can't walk my laps  before the games. 

Rags's picture

Mom had both knees done in her late 60s and it was a whole new world for her after she finished recovery.  We could barely keep up with her before she got her bionic knees. Now, not a chance.

Your life will change incredibly with this surgery. Take care of you.

Give rose

Cover1W's picture

My dad had hip replacement surgery earlier this year and it's been AMAZING. He was up and walking the next day. He said it was painful at first, but much less than his grinding hip. He was diligent with his PT and exercises. He was annoyed with himself for putting it off for so long!

You will be GREAT!

Yesterdays's picture

Thanks for asking AgedOut ❤️ I am better now. Still a bit stressed. Planning a vacation for Europe coming up soon with my husband and kids. So excited!! I think we all need the nice break Smile

Eta I don't know why but the dog pic threw me off and I didn't clue in at first it was you lol. 

AgedOut's picture

that's our Rudy, he's a grumpy old doggy but he's ours and we love him and by "we" I mean me!

 

Europe sounds great, what's on your to see list??

Yesterdays's picture

Awww he's cute!!!

We're going to Rovinj in Istria, Croatia, it's like a little Venice on the Adriatic and we're going to snorkel and go to the beach etc. Then we head to the mountains in Slovenia for a bit of hiking and to see Lake Bled/, Bohinj and Italy at the end (Conegliano area)

Stoked! 

PetSpoiler's picture

Thanks for asking!  I'm doing alright.  It's spring, which means planting.  We've had a rough start on the tomato plants, bell peppers and cucumbers. My son got too eager and planted too early, so the plants outgrew the little planters and died.  We replanted though.  He discovered some watermelon plants that we didn't plant. He found SIX of them.  We think some watermelons from last year that got busted let out some seeds and now they're growing.  I'm loving it!  Hopefully we have a bumper crop and can either sell or share.  That is if one of the guinea pigs, Princess Popcorn, will allow it.  She is crazy about watermelon.  I think she can smell it a mile away and then goes crazy.  She's normally not loud but she gets loud about watermelon.  

The Princess has an ovarian cyst so she has me worried.  We may have to do something but I'm hoping not.  As long as the cyst isn't bothering her, then the vet doesn't see any need to intervene. 

I'm going in two weeks for another follow up mammogram and ultrasound.  Fun, fun.  They found a cyst that they want to watch.  I'm not really worried as it's a less than two percent chance that it's anything bad.  I just wish they could go on and remove it so I wouldn't have to keep coming back.  If they tell me the percentage has gone up, then I'll start worrying.  

I'm wanting to start putting up wind chimes all over the yard.  I love wind chimes.  I also want a bird bath.  Hobby Lobby has the most beautiful bird baths but they're made of glass.  I'm afraid they'd get broken here but I still want one.  

My daughter is graduating high school next month.  Then it's off to online classes.  She didn't want to go in person and with the way the traffic is where the college is located, I don't blame her.  She's gotten a couple of scholarships to help pay for it, which is a good thing because we can't afford it.  But who can afford college anymore?  She's working so she'll still interact with humans other than me, her dad, and her brother.  And my son will be starting high school.  Not sure how I feel about that.  My babies are growing up fast.  I know if I don't let them then I'm not doing them any favors, so I'm just going with the changes the best I can.  My mom made it look so easy to let go when my siblings and I were growing up.  

AgedOut's picture

Thinking happy thoughts for the watermelon loving Princess!!

 

I have many (too many?) wind chimes in the yard. We haven't put them out yet, we store them on the porch in thr Winter. 

 

Congratulations to your daughter and to you as well. She made it to this mile stone because you put your time and love into her. You must be so proud of both of you!!

 

Merry's picture

I'm somewhere between pretty good and meh. DH is recovering from a recent hospital stay and needs lots of help still. He just doesn't have much capacity to help out around the house, but he tries. Can't fault him, but dang I'm tired.

So instead of feeling mad and out of control and eating a path through oblivion, I started a diet. I know it sounds nuts, but the structure really helps my head and I physically feel better too. Down 5 pounds. 

AgedOut's picture

It doesn't sound nuts at all. Having a set thing to do can be comforting when life seems at odds at times. 

is DH able to fold laundry? it's a small chore that can be done just about anywhere in the house and it gives him a sense of acomplishment and helps you out too!

Merry's picture

That IS one of his tasks!

He can use a walker to get around but his excuse was that he couldn't carry anything. Well, buddy, there are baskets and carriers for those things and one is coming in the mail tomorrow. He's a lazy slob at heart--drives me bonkers.

MorningMia's picture

Thanks for asking. It's fun reading all the responses!

I have my green peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, parsley, cilantro, cosmos, and other flowers--all seedlings--hardening in the screened in porch. Have my hummingbird feeders out and we have our first hummers of the year! 

We're heading to the mountains in a few weeks. Meanwhile, I'm working on work projects, personal projects (I'm a genealogist), and health. Got my running back up to 3 miles (I want to surpass that) and I'm swimming and rowing. Feeling good! 

greyskies's picture

Hey!  Doing well, how are you today?  Finally made an account here and am excited to post and get to know everyone.  I just got off work and am going to be prepping dinner here shortly for myself.  Also got some errands I need to run!