Fashion

[KonaKat]

Good morning, shopping friends! Welcome to July. Our day will be filled with a mixture of sunshine and storms, but I'll be focusing upon the sunshine.

The cardiologist appointment went well. I guess I'm either a good little patient or that all things are falling in place for control for the present time. It has been one year since I've been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. I'll not bore you with the details on this but last year in July my heart was having long episodes of not beating in rhythm and racing along at 150+ beats a minute. Right now, with the nice expensive meds, it is under control but I'm aware that can change at any time as the usual course is for it to progress to a different type at some time. There is an five times increased risk of stroke with this, so I'm definitely trying to keep it under control. Yesterday, my rate was 64 and the EKG was normal showing that all chambers were doing what they were supposed to be doing at the right time. I go back for another EKG in 3 months and go back in 6 months to see the cardiologist unless something changes before then.

I had lunch with a friend at the Outback where I had the grilled tilapia with steamed veggies. Afterwards, I shopped the "gourmet" WalMart for groceries. The "gourmet" Walmart is located in the affluent part of the city and carries lines not easily found in the other WalMarts. Why do I do my shopping in the city for groceries? Just one example: a can of Progresso Light soup was $1.79 at WalMart; here at the local supermarket it is $3.29. I'll not bore you with other price comparisons, but the major thing is that the local supermarket doesn't carry many foods I like. Oh, a can of Maxwell House coffee is consistently $3 less at WalMart than at the local place.

I'm finishing up my second up of coffee and then I'll get ready to go to the senior fitness center. When I come back, I might look for something to reward myself for yesterday's success. Last year was quite a struggle, especially in the first three months after diagnosis.

Have a great day. If you shop, shop wisely....and always look for the positive or the sunshine!

[LindaLatte]

Good Morning! Thanks for getting us started Jean. Very happy to hear about your cardiologist visit yesterday, hope you continue to do well. Also hope you do well at the fitness center. Funny aside, when I was at the gym on Sunday, I asked which of the bikes were considered to be recombinant. I just wasn't sure, but my guess was correct. I have only used the bikes once or twice, but I may do so in the future. The bikes, particularly that variety, are in high demand at "my" gym.

The locksmith ended up spending nearly 7 hours here yesterday (came at 8:30 and left at 3:15)! I was nervous because I had a physical therapy session around noon, but he said don't worry because he would still be here. He ended up re-keying the locks because we had a sort of off-brand. And, he ended up taking the front door handle (which had a lock in it) apart and putting it back together. He set up a table on the front porch to do much of the work. It got up to 106 or higher yesterday, and he was really sweating. I provided some water, but still he was extremely sweaty and hot. I felt very sorry for him.

It isn't like this is a high crime area or anything, but I thought the front door lock was very flimsy. Anyway -- that was quite an experience. Now I need the lock box guys to come back and replace the key with the new one.

Physical therapy went well, and eventually I made it to Curves as well as to buy DH some ice cream. He has ice cream every night twinny, but he doesn't need the no sugar/low fat type. I used to buy that, but then I realized he could use some more fat, etc. since he is pretty thin, etc. Like you, I'm just not a big ice cream fan. I will have some occasionally, but usually only in the warm weather and only once or twice a month then.

DD told me that DGD was very upset about the death of their guinea pig, and they bought a new one yesterday. I was surprised since I didn't know she cared so much about the guinea pig. Hope the new one works out as well as the old one who lived about six years.

Today I am going to my volunteer job -- hope that works well. I plan to go to the gym this afternoon (if I'm up to it), and we have an Independence Day concert (Army band) this evening. Pretty full day for us.

Waves to Kathleen, Arlene, twinny, Susan, Rosa, LindaR, Marijane, Karen, Sonya, Gayle, Nancy, Val, Kathy, and all of our posters and readers.

Hope everyone has a nice day!

Hugs,

Linda

[twinny70]

Jean, I am so glad that your appt. went well yesterday. I am sure you are a good little patient, so it is nice when the tests come out to be fine. I don't blame you for going into the city for shopping. We have 3 nice grocery stores in our town, so I have lots of things to pick from. That is without 2 dollar stores & WalMart. I think it is good to treat yourself when you get good results for something as important as you are going through at this time. Yes, the price of meds. can be daunting too. I take one pricey med. so I don't get gout in my big toe. Pain there is no fun.

Today DH & I are taking our good friend to that place about 22 miles from our homes for their sr. citizen lunch for $1.00. You never know what it will be, but we have been there three times & have always been happy. Then we will do a little shopping. The guys will do Menard's while I check out the newly redone Joann Fabric Store.

We have had really bad thunderstorms the past two days. So far they have produced over 4" of rain & high winds. It is supposed to be in the 70's & low 80's all week with a chance of thunderstorms this afternoon again. I am just happy for cooler less humid weather.

Hugs to all of you.

[twinny70]

LL, I had no idea that it took so much time to put your new lock in. Those hot temps must have been awful for that poor guy, unless he is used to those temps this time of year. I used to have a recumbent bike, but it broke, & I don't know if I want to replace it or not. It was heavy & took up a lot of space. I am glad that PT is going quite well for you & it is too bad about the guinea pig. Do take good care of yourself & your DH too.

[HappyVal]

Jean, I'm so glad to hear how well you seem to be doing after a year of treatment for AFib. You strike me as a conscientious patient who is her own "best advocate" for good health. I can relate to your grocery woes, as I must drive 18 miles to reach a Kroger or other grocery store. Our local IGA carries many things, but prices are high and they don't have much variety.

Linda, you and DH stay so busy, and yet you still have time for your volunteer job. Sorry about the guinea pig. I remember my girls losing hamsters and gerbils. We had a gerbil that disappeared for 3 weeks until we realized he was trapped in the air ducts (it was springtime so we weren't using HVAC). When we realized where he was, I had to fish him out with a net, and return him to his cage, where he happily lived for another year or so. Six years is a long time, though, and I'm sure your DGD misses her companion.

Twinny, lunch for $1 sounds like a great deal! I am taking my oldest DD to lunch today at Outback in town (thanks to Jean's recommendation for the grilled tilapia). I'm sure it will be more than a dollar a plate, but it's a rare opportunity for us to get together.

[KonaKat]

I'm back from the fitness place where I put in an hour and 7 miles on the recumbent bike. I'm just relaxing now before fixing some lunch. I see some Progresso Light potato soup in the very near future.

Linda--I love a recumbent bike. The orthopedic recommended it to me when I first had knee problems but I bought one of those mini-cycle things to use, which died after about a year of use. I like a recumbent bike because of the support on the back. I take my Kindle with me and read as I cycle, periodically checking to make sure I'm maintain my speed and seeing where I am on the program I selected. I'm using a NordicTrac recumbent bike. I would love to have one of these at home but this is free plus it doesn't take up valuable space at home. The senior fitness place is a five minute drive. I would love to have one of those locks installed in which there is a combination lock. I've used these at condos I've rented and really like them.

Val--There is nothing like competition to keep prices lower. The price difference can easily pay for any gasoline involved. I also fill up with gas when I'm in the city as it is 25 cents a gallon cheaper in the city. All these savings do add up. It is good that you were able to locate the gerbil. After 3 weeks, I imagine he was happy to see you and to be able to eat.

Twinny--Enjoy your outing today. The lunch for a $1 is a great deal; our senior center charges $1.50 for lunch and they do post each week's menu on its web site. Have fun shopping afterwards.

[FunkyHulaGirl]

Hi girls!

I MUST stop procrastinating - I just don't feel like doing this paper, but must - the semester ends on Friday. I'm glad - I need a break; I just haven't had much energy lately.

I just had a frustrating morning. I fed the kitties, but had to add their new flea killer/preventative to their food. It comes in little capsules that you open and mix the powder into food, so I figured regular cat food would be fine, and I'd just add a little bit of oil - the instructions say to feed it with a full-fat food, and I wasn't sure the canned food had enough fat. I also decided to do half the cats at a time. Well, my first mistake was using olive oil - I didn't stop to think that it has a strong flavor, so some of them wouldn't eat it. Then I had cats pushing other cats away from their dishes to steal their food before I could notice, so at this point I'm not sure who ate all the food with the stuff in it, who got a double dose, who got a half dose, and who didn't get any at all. (sigh) What I especially like about this medication is I can easily feed it to my ferals - one little guy has a nose covered in flea bites, so this will take care of it.

Glad to hear your appointment went well, Jean. That's quite a price difference on the soup! I've noticed that on many things Publix is 20-50 cents more expensive on items than Walmart, and some things in Walmart cost more than Aldi, so I've leaned to go where the best prices are. It doesn't matter if it's only 1-2 things, but the difference can add up to a lot. When Dollar Tree has the Progresso soup, or Publix has it on BOGO, I stock up on it. I used to buy Campbell's, but the taste has changed and some of them are now made with HFCS, which I avoid, so they've lost a customer.

LindaL, so sorry to hear about the guinea pig - I HATE death! Guinea pigs, hamsters, and gerbils are pets I've never had, but they're so cute. It was nice to see you speak of INDEPENDENCE DAY! I hate seeing it called "July 4th," as that's no big deal - every country in the world has a July 4. I guess it's just another part of the "programming" to erase our heritage and bring us into the One World Order. I'll bet a lot of kids these days - maybe most - have no idea of what the day is really about.

I guess I'd better get moving - have a blessed day, everyone!

[KonaKat]

Arlene--Procrastination seems to be contagious. There is so much to do here but it is hard for me to get started. I work well with deadlines, and the problem with not having any deadlimes is that things can be postponed. Cats are so picky about their food so that anything added to change it is a bit tricky. Hope you eventually get them treated successfully. You mentioned Independence Day, and the first thing I thought of was the movie, which is one of my favorites. We don't do anything around here for Independence Day so it is hard for me to think of a holiday coming up. Some of the bigger places have events scheduled but we don't.

I've been checking Amazon out. Believe it or not, it sells Supersmile. What does it not sell? I have some things parked in my cart for a week which I go to visit and debate purchasing.

I saw a watch last night on the IM show which I liked and considered in a certain color. I debated and put it in my cart but then changed my mind. Today, the watch in that color is gone and is not on waitlist. There will always be another watch but this was the item I had in mind for a treat.

[twinny70]

Happy Val, that poor gerbil must have been terrified. I remember when our DS was in grade school, it was Thanksgiving time so his school had a raffle to see who could take it home for the 4 day weekend. We let him in on the raffle as we figured out of 28 kids, he would never get picked. Well, he got picked & it kept us up all night for 4 days. I was so glad when he took it back to school. I like Out Back too, but we don't have one very near us. Today's $1.00 lunch was a pulled pork bar b que with lots of meat on a large bun with either a helping of cole slaw or potato salad. Our friend had 2 bar b cue's with each different side order. He said he hadn't had breakfast. DH & I were very satisfied & also very full. It will be a light dinner tonight.

Jean, the sr. citizen lunch here is at least $3.50 & the people are not happy with it. I guess it used to be very good, but now they have very few people eat it. My mom did have meals on wheels twice a week for a couple of months when it was so cold last winter, but she grumbled with every bite. I used to tell her that she should be glad that the delivery people braved the brutal cold temps to get to her house.

FHG, It sounds like your fur pets are keeping you quite busy. Hopefully they will get fed according to how you want them to get fed. It will be good when your classes are done & you can find time to maybe relax

I went to the JoAnn Fabric store, but the new part will not be open until July 25th. I did shop in the old store & they had lots of 75% off signs in the store. All I bought were two McCall's patterns for $1.40 each. The last time I bought patterns was probably 5 or so years ago. I want to try to start sewing again when fall comes. I used to make all of my own clothes & lots of nice things in the house, but the past 13 years have taken most of my sewing ability away from me. I have difficulty cutting large pieces of fabric & putting pins in fabric is very painful for me so I usually use magnets bought for me by my DD a long time ago through Nancy's Notions.

[kittyfan]

Jean: I didn't realize it had already been a year since your DX. Glad to hear you are doing well. We are certainly blessed to have medical care and medications to help us.

It's hot and humid here today---Only a slim chance of rain toward the weekend.

LindaL: That is a long time for the locksmith---but I do know it doesn't pay (in the long run) not to buy quality locks. The cheaper locks cannot be rekeyed.

LOL about Amazon---I have now started to look there if I see something I am interested in. I can read the reviews and get more information. They did sell a bit of everything and then some. I love their quick (usually) delivery.