New chat spot

Oh, I'm really sorry abt your dad. Losing someone is just so hard, isn't it? Anyway, have you checked out the 7Cups chat room? It mihgt be helpful. And hey, there's this thing called the 7Cups Sharing Circle chat room-I heard they're inviting people to join, so you might want to take a look at that too.

Yeah, hi there! It feels like we've been talking for ages even though it's only been five years. I heard you had an eventful couple of days-guess they were pretty important stuff.

I'm not too familiar with Korean desserts, but was wondering what kind of treat it is? Like a cake or pie maybe? American pudding isn't my thing either, but Greek flan is amazing! There's this place that has the "Mama" making fresh flan and baklava on weekends. I don't usually go out to eat much, but I would for that.

By the way, what kind of dog did thye get? My daughter and boyfriend have an old Lab who can barely move, a 2-year-old golden retriever, and one cat plus a kitten I gave them. It's a lot! But all our pets are fixed now and super sweet with my daughter Rachael. Plus, three go outside so it's easier on litter boxes.

I hope you enjoy your Drambuie with the family, and that the weather is nice where you are too. We had a friend pass away recently-she was in her fifties and had small bowel adenoma cancer. She did get treatment but didn't do well unfortunately. I'm glad we could make the room look pretty for her family during the church service.

The bulbs around my yard are blooming beautifully thanks to those little old ladies who used to live here before me. My perennials planted last year are popping up too, especially this mountain mint that smells so nice. I read about a native plant here that you can make tea from-it's yaupon holly and it has caffeine in it. It grows all the way down from North Carolina. I might look for some to grow myself next week. There's a nonprofit that hires disabled people to work with this, but I'd rather start my own.

Hope u had at least one nice walk! Rachael and I took one last week too. We sometimes walk along a back road next to the wooods and railroad tracks where spring peepers are really loud-it's pretty neat. Happy Spring!

We managed to save all the birthday treats for the dog. The dessert consisted of sweet rice cooked in flavored water, with raisins, green pumpkin seeds, chestnuts, and jujubes mixed in.

I enjoyed visiting my mother's home. My sister was there throughout the visit, and we spent a lot of time playing games together. On Saturday, we celebrated another sister's 50th birthday with fondue courses. My other sister and her husband joined us. We had cheese fondue with various dips, three types of meat in broth, and chocolate fondue with fruit and cake. After each course, we were quite full and played games for about an hour before moving to the next dish. The celebrations led to a few extra pounds, but it was worth it.

This week has been more routine. I stuck to my regular exercise and eating habits, except for indulging in pizza last night. My son and his wife came over to put together a 10x10 dog kennel. When she goes to Korea, he might bring the dogs here during work hours. They can stay inside but will have access to an outdoor area with this new setup. We still need to add the roof, make it level, and fill it with straw or mulch.

My other son's blue tick coonhound is around two years old and seems like she was previously a hunting dog, so she isn't housebroken yet. She whines frequently but appears friendly. They are making progress on training her, and plan to take obedience classes soon.

The cats have ben spending more time outside with the nicer weather, reducing litter box usage, which is convenient. It's good to hear that your cats get along well with Rachael. Animls truly bring a lot of joy.

I'm sorry about losing your friend so early on. Your gesture of setting up the room nicely for her family was kind. I hope it also provided you some comfort.

Our pink saucer magnolia started blooming just before a hard freeze, killing all the buds. I hope it can attempt to bloom again next year. The forsythia and daffodils are flowering now, making it feel like spring. Your mint sounds wonderful; mine has yet to sprout this season. I have spearmint and a small patch of peppermint.

I haven't tried growing yaupon before. I hope you find the plant successfully. We attempted tea plants in the past but didn't take good care of them, so they died before we could harvest anything. Hopefully your attempt will be more fruitful!

I plan to go for a walk this weekend. On Wednesday, my son and I took our new dog out for a walk; it was nice siince he is off between jobs. My only other walk this week was with him then. Walking through the spring sounds wonderful. How did you manage your walks this week?

Happy spring!

Hi there,

I'm sorry I didn't reply last weekend. I really enjoy reading about your family adventures and your mini farm. This week, I have day shifts for two days and everyone's on spring break, so hopefully, I'll find some time to write back. Fingers crossed the weather stays nice this week.

Cheers!

I just wanted to say thanks for sharing how you feel-it takes a lot of bravery to open up like that. It's definitely not an easy thing to do, I get that. You're really awesome, my friend-I think you're truly amazing.

i guess i really appreciate you taking the time to share what you think, maybe it helps a lot to heaar from people like you.

Hi there! The last couple of weeks have been pretty hectic for me. My daughter-in-law just left for her three-month visit with her family. There was quite a bit of last-minute drama trying to find somewhere to do the necessary COVID test within the 48-hour window since most places that say they offer quick tests often can't deliver once you get there. Luckily, she managed to get it done and almost missed her connecting flight because her first plane arrived late. But thankfully, she made it!

My son drops off his two dogs here every morning at 6:30 AM, so my husband has to deal with them all day long. He has to trust them to go outside on their own since he can't walk them. So far, everything's going well, but they keep getting into any food left out and trash as wlel. We don't have a secure container for the garbage because our dog usually doesn't do that.

My son and I plan to take walks together every Wednesday so we both have something fun to look forward to and it gets me more active too. Last weekend, we spent time with my older son celebrating his birthday. He introdced me to Dungeons & Dragons in person for the first time-something I was dreading because of social anxiety-but I ended up having a good time.

Between spring break and the two birthdays, I've put on some weight but am working hard to lose it again. My goal is to be at my 20-pound weight-loss mark by the end of the school year and aim for an additional 5-10 pounds off over summer once the kids are out of school.

My son's fiancée's birthday party is coming up this week, so we're planning on ordering sushi from a place I haven't gone to in a while.Just her and my sons will be there-no one else-so it should be nice and relaxed.

School's been okay. Testing season is here now too, and I'll help with some kindergarten assessments next week. Though it can get tiring, the work itself is interesting and breaks up the routine. Also, they need more staff to compress what usually takes two weeks into three days for state testing. I'm not thrilled about it but glad it's getting shortened.

I think there won't be any baby goats this year again, which makes me a bit sad because it would have been nice to see them around. But the other animals are doing wll and my goose is in her laying season right now. For my son's birthday, I tried making a pound cake with one of her huge eggs. It turned out super light and fluffy instead of dense-it was amazing but not quite what I expected!

How did your day shift go? Are you back to night shifts yet? Must be tough switching back adn forth! Hope you're getting some nice walks in. I haven't been outside today, but it looks sunny so maybe later on! Have a good week,friend!

Good to hear school's fine. Hope it stays that way.

Hi there, I think I finally found some time to catch up. The mid-week shifts and extra hours last week were pretty tiring but not too bad work-wise. It just made it harder to fit in walks with Rachael, meals, and laundry. My other shoulder has been bothering me too, which hasn't helped my sleep.
I used the overtime pay to cover a timeshare fee for my ex-spouse and daughter at Massanutten. The deed was supposed to transfer after our divorce, but we never got around to it. So I had to go thorugh two rounds of paperwork by mail, with documents signed and a fee paid-luckily, that's the last bit I need to do. My other daughter can use the timeshare satrting in November when it's all reserved and paid for. It's fine though; we're on good terms.

You're so kind to look after two dogs that aren't yourrs, even if dealing with outdoor messes is manageable. For me, cleaning up their garbage wouldn't be fun at all. Sometimes my other daughter and her boyfriend go away on weekends, asking friends or her dad to take the dogs out-one of them barely walks. I know it's not really my thing, but at least dog walking gets you outside for some exercise and fresh air. Hopefully your magnolia tree will bloom again-those are beautiful, especially in North Carolina.

I understand no baby goats this year mean more focus on personal goalls. I've never had goose eggs either, but a coworker sometimes brings duck eggs-they're very rich indeed. She has four cute goslings in her pond now.

Working outside in the yard recently got me into some poison oak; my arms and wrists are covered in blotches even though I wore gloves. It started on Wednesday-Thursday was awful, and I had to come in at 11 a.m. Fortunately, one of the nice docs wrtoe me a script for prednisone which has helped quite a bit. It's still itchy but not unbearable now. The prednisone also helps wiht my shouldeer inflammation, along with ice packs that ease the itch too.

Testing can be such a pain-I totally get what you mean about it. We have an upcoming JACHO visit and we all nede to attend a 30-minute class, even on days off. Since I'm working Wednesday anyway, I figure doing a few extra hours is worth it for travel time. It's frustrating that the inspectors are only around during daytime shifts.

I have a busy week ahead: Monday has a free Medicare course and then work on Wednesday and reading at the church service during Holy Week. There's a lot of chanting and extinguishing candles, but Ive got good directions. Only five people volunteered this year, all veterans who've done it for years. The egg hunt went well-tables are filled with candy already; there should be leftovers for the shelter.

I have a couple of patients now so I'll sign off. Hope your visit with your DIL goes well and she's back safe soon. Plus, I hope you get some downtime after the dogs go home. And don't forget to pray for Ukraine-putting up a yard sign and their flag can help spread awareness too.

Hey there, Happy Easter to you too! I really hope your Holy Week services are going smoothly. I hadn't heard of the Service of Shadows before-does that happen just for Easter? Back in the day, my church used to do a long vigil service on Holy Saturday night with candles for everyone.

Our kindergarten had an egg hunt, and it was super cute watching all those little kids running around. There were five classes set up like stations along a track-three games,one for finding eggs, and another for snacks. It went by pretty quick but was so much fun! I got lucky and helped out with my kid's class. My second-grade lessons were canceled that day, but I popped in to see if the teacher needed any help. Two of her students just wanted to come hang out with me, and we spent some time reading books together-it felt good seeing them interested in chilling like that.

We had a nice dinner on Wednesday at my son's place for his fiancée's birthday. We got sushi to-go, and it was super yummy! She turned 26 this year, just like my daughter-in-law did last year-what a fun coincidence! My sons are 25 and 28 now, so one has someone older than him, and the other someone younger.

My eating habits have been alright, but my shoulder has been acting up again recently. I don't know what's causing it, then I got this pesky knot in my neck that brought on even more pain. Trying different strtches and rubbing the knots isn't really helping much.

I didn't exercise at all yesterady since I was off, hoping to go for a walk today though! During the week, I managed two one-hour walks-one wiht my son who had his allergies flaring up despite taking meds. He couldn't stop sneezing and kept telling me how miserable he felt.

It's so great that you're giving your daughter the timeshare spot; my son and I stayed there one when his robotics team was in Harrisonburg for a competition. Five families rented it together, making it cheaper for everyone.

I'm happy to hear your daughter will get lots of use out of it! Our magnolia tree looks like it might not bloom again this year but the dogwoods are beautiful now, and azaleas are starting to show their colorrs too. Spring is such a lovely time!

The lady down the street who buys our eggs wanted some goose ones this time for her granddaughter to decorate. She asked if I could sell her six last week, and they were super pretty when she sent me pictures from last year.
Sorry about the poison oak ordeal-when I got it as an adult it was really bad too. Hope that doc was nice and helped you get prednisone. Didn't know the oil could spread it or cause lasting issues like that!

Our school is pushing state SOL testing into just three days now instead of two weeks, which means they're cramming in a lot more test security stuff. I had to go through this mandatory training about not being allowed to even look at kids' screens while supervising-talk abt overkill!

Hope your week and weekend end up great! Happy Easter!

Thank you for your message. The Service of Shadows, also known as Maundy Thursday, is observed by Catholics and Episcopalians, along with some other denominations. It typically includes an agape meal, foot washing, Eucharist, and the stripping of the altar-removing all coverings and decorations to symbolize Christ's departure from Earth while Psalm 22 is recited or sung. The priest then returns in black vestments, covers the baptismal font with black cloth, places a cross on the bare altar, and everyone leaves quietly. This year, we skipped the meal and foot washing but still had an hour-long service.

I also attend the Saturday vigil, although it's difficult when I work. Your note about spending time reading with your children made me smile. Encouraging them to read can have a lasting impact on their lives. When I was younger, my parents otfen took me to the town library on hot Saturdays because it had air conditioning.

It sounds lovely that your daughter wants to make sushi for Mother's Day. However, since I'll be working over the weekend, she suggested getting me a copper pan instead of another wall hanging.

I'm sorry to hear about your shoulder pain. Since starting prednisone, mine haven't hurt much, at least not yet. The itching is improving, but my arms look like they've been in a briar patch for two wees now. I am slowly reducing the prednisone dosage while still taking Zyrtek.

We managed to get our usual walks in, and it's good that you did too. This week, though, I haven't done my usual stairs routine because I feel like I'm recovering from the poison ivy. Not too bad so far, but this is worse than when I was a child-I'll definitely be more cautious going forward.

I sympathize with your test-related stress for the children; it can be very stressful and often unnecessary. Hopefully, things go smoothly without any issues. My schedule is lighter next week-just cooking at the shelter on Monday. Spring has arrived in my yard as well, with azaleas blooming beautifully in the woods. My fiancé wants to trim thme back, but I told him to leave them alone.

I imagine your decorated egsg will be a big hit among the kids. With nice weather forecasted for hunts at church this weekend, it should be an enjoyable experience. Wishing you a peaceful Easter Day-we all need some calm now.

hope u had fun at ur bday party lolSAME HERE tho

srry i didnt text dis wknd - allergies r kocking me out. hopefully pollen wil chill soon tbh fr

hey i rlly hate pollen atm. last weekend was rly bad. by fri i had this huge headache & took claritin and tylenol. on sat i missed my cuz's weddiing bc i was so sick in bed all day. i literally just got up to eat, take meds, and go back to sleep. worst time i've been ill since post cvid shots. pollen is hittin me harder than usual too.

also bcs of bad eating & drinking + no walks irl, i put on 5 lbs:(. was hopin to stay at the weight i had in oct but looks like i gotta lose double that now!

gonna head over to my son's place soon for a thing at 10. apparently its' cake tasting but fingers crossed they paln more than just that. not opposed to cake tho lol

short msg, gtg. hope u r doing ok!

I'm really sorry to hear about your struggles with pollen. Luckily, it doesn't bother me much, but I've been dealing with some poison oak itching for four weeks now-it's getting better, but the scars from scratching are still there; I just can't help myself sometimes. I hope your allergies improve soon-they do tend to get better as sprinng goes on. It must be raelly tough missing a wedding though.
Weddings seem more elaborate these days-maybe it's just for the couple,but does everyone else need to participate too? When I was younger, all weddings were fairly similar, with just cakes, cookies (those sugary shortbread ones), nuts, mints, and punch. Did you make it okay? Did you have to travel to Powhatan specifically?

Don't worry about extra pounds right now-it's not always in our control. Work has been hectic for me lately, and when I'm tired, a bite of anything seems good-I've had doughnuts from KK this week, and pizza too. Next week is Nurses Week with snacks, and Hospital Week with more treats and sweets. It would be nice if they gave us gift cards or something non-edible instead.

Things at home are pretty much the same-my daughter mentioned she has an update about her boyfriend. She planned to have "The Talk"-you know, do you want to marry me or not? They've been togteher for six years, and she's starting to think about having a family. He's a nice guy who treats her well, but he keeps saying it's the money. There's always some excuse-he hasn't really committed yet. She couldn't tell me how it went because she was out with friends, but I'm hoping something positive comes out of it.

Work is busy this weekend and I have an extra shift on Tuesday morning-just for the snacks, of course. Actually, my boss said they need the help so I'll be there. The school year is warpping up soon; try to stay as happy as you can.

P.S. Did you know the falcons in Richmond just hatched three babies? They're so cute and you can watch them live online

Oh no, I'm really sorry to hear about the headache. I hope you're doing better now. Maybe consider seeign a doctor if thy keep coming back or getting worse.

Hey there,

I haven't had much trouble with pollen for a while now, which is nice, but I've been feeling pretty low lately. Staying inside and being less active over two weeks really wasn't good for me after the weight gain from all those birthdays in a row. I'm up almost 8 pounds in just two months. Last weekend was rough, and even though the actual depression is gone now, I still feel pretty sad. My eating habits haven't been great, and I've been drinking every day too, even if I don't get drunk. I wanted to end the school year at my goal weight after losing 20 pounds last year, but now I'm a bit off track.

School has been going well, though. Only two more weeks left! It's mixed feelings for me-more time to exercise and restart counting calories sounds good, but it also keeps my mind busy so I don't dwell on sad stuff.This past week, I finally went out for a walk again and one of them was really nice. Hoping the weather will let me do a longer one this weekend. I think I need that.

Sorry there's nothing exciting to report this week. Last week I couldn't even log in here. The last month hasn't been my best, you know?

Looking forward to hearing how your week has gone! I hope things are going well with you. Even whne I didn't write last week, I was thinking about you and knowing someone would listen helped a lot!

Don't worry too much about the extra pounds right now-I get it. Work's been tough this month too; when I'm tired, any food sounds good. This week was KK doughnuts and pizza, and next week is nurses' week with snacks everywhere. I wish they'd just give us gift cards or something else non-edible.

Home stuff is pretty much the same. My daughter planned to have "The Talk" with her BF-like do you want to marry me or not. Six years together, and she's feeling time pressure about kids. He's a nice guy who treats her well, but it always seems like there's something holding them back. She couldn't tell me how it went last night when she was out with friends, but I'm kinda hoping they'll figure something out soon.

Work's pretty busy this weekend and next Tuesday too, just for the snacks of course-no really, my boss says we need extra help so I'll be there. The scholo year is wrapping up; hope you can stay happy! Oh, by the way, those falcons in Richmond just hatched three babies!! So cute and you can watch them live if you want!

Aw, I'm really sorry to hear about your struggles. You're definitely not alone-so many of us go through tough times.

Don't forget, places like 7cups are there for exactly this reason, with both volunteers and pros ready to lend an ear or offer support.

Oops, I accidentally included part of ur earlier post in mine-hope it didn't make things too mixed up for you!

Hey three, my friend who's feeling down,
I totally get it; we seem to be on the same wavelength a lot. Last week, I was pretty blue for no reason either, and I didn't feel like logging in, so I kinda left it at that when I saw you hadn't posted anything. And, ya know, Mother's Day came and went, and I ended up just working and feeling tired after-it was more of a nothing kinnd of day.At least you got your walk in, right? Racahel and I managed to go for our walks too, but it left me with this weird feeling like, yeah, I did something-but no joy or anything.

Work can be a mixxed bag though. When I'm hmoe dealing with the stressors that drag me down, day after day of the same routine-man, sometimes work is a lifesaver because at least there's a changge and it helps pass time. And then you have health stuff piling up too.

My right shoulder was acitng up, and once that settled, my left started giving me trouble. I had this ongoing poison oak thing for six weeks, which was a pani. Now I've got these ear issuse-impacted wax-and nothing has been working for days. The mild vertigo came back too; I thought it might be from the ear crystals,but nope-it's that pesky ear again. Tried all sorts of drops and rinses, but my hearing is shot in there now, and every time I stand up or sit down, it triggers the vertigo.It doesn't last long, but seriously, who needs this? Plus, I've been rubbing it so much it's irritated and hurts.

I haven't seen an ENT yet, but looks like that's where I'm headed. My primary visit with a specialist was pretty rough; they tried to flush out the wax, and let me tell you, it felt like a bomb went off in my ear. They said it must have hit the eardrum. Tried it twice and left feeling kinda shattered from that experience-crying for an hour after each time. No thanks.

Right now, I'm just trying to power through these last six hours at work this weekend; so far, it's been okay, but you know how that can change in a heartbeat.
Don't beat yourself up over not being able to chat sometimes though-we both get it. Sometimes life is a real downer and there's nothing much we can do about it.