Click here for your birthday card, Bubba!!!!

Gift boxes full of kisses and hugs!!!!

Happy Valentine's Day, Bubba and Dee.

I'm so glad to hear you're feeling a bit better, Tee! Sending heartfelt hugs, kisses, and healing energy your way--I just hope to see sunshine, hearts, and flowers in your future.

A. <3 <3 <3

I hope you're warm and well, Bubba--haven't seen you around in a week. Sending you lots of love and absolutely none of this cold weather. :>)

Hang in there, Bubba.

I sent you a PM.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX  Me

How's it going, Tee?  

Good that you're staying out of the hospital; not so good about the ankle. If it ain't one thing it's another for you lately. Sheeeesh!

Giving you  huge hug, being careful not to step on your foot.

Where's the Guinness?

Happy St. Patrick's Day, O'Bubba!

Oh, good God--don't tell me you're back in the hospital! What a raw deal, Bubba!

You sound good, so I'm hoping it's going to be a short stay. What is it this time?

I can't think of anything remotely funny to say, but I can hope that you've got at least one nurse like this and that you're on a liquid diet...

Hugs and kisses, and a regular feeding program. :>)

Keep me posted.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX A.

Happy Easter to Diego, Dee, and you, you ol' snuggle bunny. <3 A.

HAPPY EARTH DAY, Tee!!!  I hope all is well with you.  XOXOX A.

OMG--I had to laugh about your Kooner debacle, Tee. Four or so years ago, I think (I'm bad with time/space stuff) the exact same thing happened to me. I'd never said a negative thing to her or to anyone about her. It's a flabbergasting phenomenon, to say the least, but obviously it's a pattern, so try not to worry about it. I'll read the explanation which you posted, but I think there are three little words which pretty much sum up the Miss K- situation.

I'll let you imagine what those are. 

I'm so glad your bod is making progress, Bubs. Once that sucker gets some momentum, you'll be unstoppable.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX Me

TeeBubba, I was around when the same thing happened to Angharad. K is Bat Shit Crazy! Not in a good way, a betrayals and conspirisy's behind every bush kind of way. Don't let it weigh on your mind or heart My Brother it Is Not understandable.

P.S. Its not a woman thing- its a fucked up kind of thing.

love yuoMy BubbaDee

How are you doing, Tee? I just scouted the site to see if you'd been around and found a post on April 28 that said you are back in the hospital. I hope you're out by now, and that whatever was wrong has been corrected. I'm thinking they may be fiddling with your stent again.

I'm thinking of you. I'll tell DD tonight that you've been out of circulation again. I'm sure she'll look for you or Dee on Facebook (I deactivated my account several years ago).

Prayers are flying up as I type for a final happy resolution to all of this pain, stress, and uncertainty. Hang in there, Bubs.

XOXOXOXOX A.

SO glad to hear from you, Tee! I'm hoping you're coming home today, or very soon, and all your numbers are good again. DD will be very happy to hear you're okay.

Fingers and toes crossed that this will be your last unplanned visit to the hospital.

<3 <3 <3 

Glad you're home again, Tee! Now stay there, darn ya! :>)  XOXOXOXOX

Last week took 3 wreckers and 4 wheel drive tractor to get truck out of pasture. This morning a wheel tried to come off the truck. The Dingos area of town did not flood.

Out of the mouths of babes:

Hey, Bubs, I just saw your message. Geez, no wonder you're bummed! This has been a real grind for you! Your body is like mine--it seems to go nuts making scar tissue.

I wonder if a drug-eluting stent could be used in a ureter? Drug-eluting stents are coated with medication that is slowly released (eluted) to help prevent the growth of scar tissue. I know they're used in angioplasties, but have no idea if one would work for you. I guess if it would, they'd have tried it...

Give that good body of yours a talking to! I mean even efficiency can be taken too far. :>)

I'll keep sending good vibes. I always do.

XOXOXOXOXOX

Happy 4th, Bubba!

Thanks for the notes and the loving concern, Bubba. I've been laying low lately. Haven't felt the best ever, and a bunch of problems in my world have made for a perfect storm of yuck--the kind that only mass quantities of this 

 or this  

or this   will fix, and I don't have any of those. Damn--where are all the vices when you need 'em?

Ah, but heck, things will get better.

Or NOT. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

How have you been? Well and home, I hope!! Don't want to be the sole support of your local hospital. 

If you can, get out in the (early morning) Florida sun and think of me. 

Hugs and kisses to you and Mrs. Dee.  XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Oh, Tee, I'm sorry that you're inundated by "yuck" too, but I have to smile at how similar several of our problems are!! I have a hole in 2 sections of roof, my central A/C went out 3 years ago, and like yours, my list goes on.

I just read this quote from Dicken's Nicholas Nickleby, "Weakness is tiring, but strength is exhausting." I think the exhausting need for strength is one of the conditions of getting older. But, hell, we should at least get a BIG bowl of our favorite ice cream or a trip to the toy store as a reward.

I'd like to take you up on a drink and a smoke. Or five...

This is how I feel sometimes:

Shell shocked, BLINK BLINK, little feet ready to run, dazzle 'em and make an escape! "My feathers. LOOK AT MY TAIL FEATHERS!!!!"

HAHAHAHAHA!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX Me

HAHAHA! Duly noted. 

Two days of palm tree wrestling. Now that is love! 

You're a love! I am feeling a bit better, thank you, and apparently you're feeling a LOT better. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!!

I'm SO glad to hear you're out in the yard, hands in the dirt, enjoying the sun and breezes!!!! Man, I miss that!

I ADORE plumeria!!!! They come in so many lovely colors, and their fragrance is divine. I lived in Hawaii in the 60s and used to make leis with plumeria all the time. My dad was a Captain in the Navy at that time (he ended up an Admiral), and my parents had to entertain every weekend. Handing out the leis I made to guests was one of my "jobs."

I have always been pulled back to Hawaii. It feels like home. There is a legend that when you throw a lei over the side of the ship as you leave Hawaii, if it returns to shore you will go back. Mine must have gotten detoured. LOL.

As for those cacti--my mom used to plant smaller varieties under our windows to discourage burglars. She was one practical and creative lady!! 

Hugs and kisses to you and Dee Bubba.  

Wow...that is one big prickly pear!

And one big hunk by the pool.  Is that your pool? 

You and Dee will be having a house guest as soon as I can blow up my water wings. :>)

I am THRILLED to see you up and about, Bubba, and that's NOT walking around the nurses' station in the hospital. Are you feeling past the hump? You look GREAT!

Hooooooooooooraaaaaaaaaaay!

Lots of love and   

Let's hope that door #3 breaks the mold! I vote for it concealing a zillion dollars in place of another problem.

I can hope, can't I?!

Sounds like you're one handy dude who can take care of most things that come your way--and I don't just mean corroded wires.  

I'm so glad you're doing well, Tee!

<3

DAMN! I didn't know you were still headed for surgery--you've been looking so healthy lately, and no hospital stays. Is it the scar-tissue occluded ureter?

I'll start pumpin' out the good vibes, and praying for your surgeon to have an exceptionally good day and your body to cooperate. C'mon BOD, you can do it!!!!!

Until then, get out there by that gorgeous pool and relax. Suck in some more mango lime pie--yum, SLURP!!!--and get loved up by Diego, Dee, and any attractive, passing stranger who's into snuggling. :>)

'Cause you're right, being alive, loved, and in love, is what counts the most.

XOXOXOXOXOX  A.

Yikes, Tee!!! I'm so sorry for this huge and continuing DUMP of stress and loss you're suffering.

The surgery is a tough call. Has the surgeon said it's a "now or never" scenario? Will the ureter just get worse if nothing is done now, making the likelihood of complications greater as time goes on? Or is there an acceptable option to wait a while as you get in the best shape possible and other options are pursued?

What a scary mess.

Believe me, I understand cases in which the "cure" seems worse than the disease.

It's heartrending about your mom. Yup, the anger, unpredictability. irrationality, fantasy ideation, disorientation, and memory loss all definitely sound like Alzheimer's, or a similar form of dementia. Sometimes an accident or surgery can trigger the mind's final letting go--that happened to my paternal grandmother.  Losing a loved one while they're still living is one of the saddest experiences in life. DD would be a good resource for how to navigate your mom's sudden decline. She has years of direct experience with that.

My dad died 35 years ago; my mom 11 years ago (after I'd cared for her 24/7 for 17 years). Even though I was 53 when I lost my last parent, I still felt suddenly alone in a very primal way. I think that's a common human response. My point is, that feeling of loss is an added stress I wish you didn't have to carry right now.

Hold Dee even closer, if that's possible. Take her hand and meditate on the joy of being together. Take care of yourself the best you can. Laugh when you can. And beyond that, FUCK IT! Once you've done the best you can, I figure your responsibility is over and it's in the universe's hands.

Does the universe have hands??!

You're always in my (nontraditional) prayers.

XOXOXOXOXOX

P.S.--your note was cut off at "My sister"...

Halloween is my second favorite holiday! It's only second because I get to give presents on Christmas, and that's my favorite thing of all. I ADORE decorating for Halloween, and LOVED hearing everything you're doing.

The chandelier with cobwebs and spiders is right up my alley! One year I let silver candelabra tarnish and then set the dining room table to look as though it had been left that way for years (a la Miss Havisham in Great Expectations). Then I covered everything with cobwebs which stretched over to the sideboard and up to the chandelier. I added lots of spiders, just like you did! SPOOOOOOKY!

With no children in the house for years, I got into REALLY creepy, grown-up decorations. With Diego, I love the way you go for the fun side of Halloween. Please be sure to post lots of pictures of your house when you and Diego have finished decorating, and include a photo of the limes (what a great idea!). I remember how wonderful your house looked in the photos you posted a couple of years ago!!!!

Sorry about the repeat CAT scan, and lousy blood vessels. I know all about blown veins. Ain't it all a PAIN?! The poor phlebotomists would apologize before they even tried to stick me--HA!  They used to affectionately call me "the pincushion." 

Your choice not to have the surgery sounds good to me. What's more important is that you (and Dee) are happy with it. I agree that sometimes living with constant irritation and discomfort is better than taking a huge risk with an uncertain outcome. And I know how it is to finally be feeling better and not want to jeopardize that. I say--get the hospital shit behind you. Live it up (sensibly--hahaha) and continue to pursue good health mentally and physically. I truly believe that love; healthy, nourishing food; sunshine; exercise; laughter; and peace of mind are the best weapons against a recurrence of cancer. And lots of snuggles... :>)

I think you're right that trying to make the trip to be with your mom and sister would probably do no good. I understand your sister's feeling of being overwhelmed, having cared for my own mom for 17 years. I think that the best thing you can do for her is be available, by phone or Skype, to listen to her whenever she needs to vent. That may be quite a bit at first. But, especially because your mom is hospitalized, your sister has time to let her emotions settle a little, and then embark on making future plans for your mom. The hospital will help with that, at least with information, and perhaps you can do some research and help your sister sort through options. I think the actual setting up of things is far less stressful than the decision-making process, and you can certainly help your sister with that.

And now for something entirely different... 

Now, just try to get this song out of your head...

LOVE in GIANT cabbage rolls to you!!!!!!

"Mmmm, Mmmmm, GOOD!"

XOXOXOXOXOX A.

Sounds like your house will be a favorite gathering place for all the ghosts, zombies, and other supernatural beings in that part of Florida! You and Diego have done a lot of work. I love the extra atmosphere the fog machines and strobes will add--particularly the effect of Mr. Skeleton's beating heart. Please be sure to post pictures at some point!

Hey, do you watch "The Walking Dead"? I love that show and can't get anyone to watch/discuss it with me. No matter how much I explain that the show is far less about the undead than it is about human nature, people just can't get beyond the whole brain eating business. Hahahahahaha!
I'm so glad your mom is doing better! I understand that whole heartbreaking delusion she has of expecting to go home again. My aunt with Alzheimer's had the same delusion. It does pass eventually.

Yeah, I can see your situation with your mom's house. I think 6 months is a very generous grace period for your friend's parents. I'd tell your friends first and then your tenants, and all that as soon as possible, so that when your tenants turn to your friends not knowing quite what to do about the (TOTALLY understandable) rent hike, your friends may have some answers waiting for them. Like, "we'll help you cover rent." In a perfect world :>) ...

Good tenants and good friends are precious commodities.

Well, have a Happy Halloween!

And don't let the zombies bite. 

OXOXOXOXOXOXOX A.

Happy All Hallow's Eve, Tee Bub!!!!

It's just about time for you and Dee and Diego to be making the rounds, I guess. Wooooooooooo, what fun for a child of his age!!!! Of course, that's assuming he's at your house for Halloween, and after all that decorating I can't imagine him being anywhere else. I hope you get some pictures of him and the house to post.

I'm in the turn out the lights and hope no one vandalizes my cars mode. HAHA! Of course, in the years I've been ill and alone, the house has gotten to look like a REAL witch's house and the kids are probably genuinely scared to approach it. My house is becoming the makings of an urban myth :>)--The Last House On the Right.

I LOVE your App-o-lanterns!!! VERY cool and creative!

I'm totally tickled to hear about the disposition of your house. Nothing like selling your house before it's even on the market! And I assume it means your tenants will get to live out their lives there--Scott is their son, right? Anyway--it all sounds good. One more worry off your plate, and I'm all for that.

I won't yammer on.

If we don't communicate again before you go to OH, take it easy and get some R&R amid all the work.

I'll be sending good vibes, as always.

XOXOXOXOXOX  A.

I'm honored to have inherited the position as your "person."  Suzan loves you deeply, but she is always busy with the many exigencies in the life of a middle-aged person living alone. I know those pressures well. 

She's just found out that the guy who burglarized and, essentially, terrorized her has gotten out of prison and is living across the street from her. Her order of protection doesn't protect much, so she's making a zillion calls trying to see what can be done. Of course, she was supposed to have been notified before he was released--classic breakdown of the system. What a CF!!!!

Interesting turn of events with the house. Sounds like you have it all sorted out and decisions made. That's good.

I'm glad you saw your mom, but sad you have the gut feeling it may be the last time. From her parting words, I'd say it may be okay with her to move on, and it was clear she wanted you to know. That was kind. I think the Food Channel viewing is probably two things: 1) it's one of the few non-challenging things to watch on TV--like Lawrence Welk or Murder She Wrote; and, 2) cooking probably reminds her of happy family times.  As a person who is pretty much confined to bed, I have taken to watching food shows and comedies, when dramas and Sci-Fi were always more my style.

I also find I don't want to watch shows about happy people doing wonderful things--LOL. Like Suzan joked about a couple of my male married friends who are going to Thanksgiving get-togethers, "OH, PLEASE, pour a big ladle of piping hot gravy over that turkey, surrounded by your children and friends, while I stare at a Campbell's soup can, alone. And underwearless."  The last statement was a nod to me. :>)

My fingers and toes are crossed that your supplier gets their s--t together before you blow like a whale. HAHAHA! I HATE getting old!

XOXOXOXOX  Love to you all  

Happy Thanksgiving!

WOW!!!!!  My page looks like a Christmas explosion!!!! THANK YOU, Tee!!!!

Your trees are fabulous! So warm and homey. And your dining room table is EXACTLY the way it should look before a truly festive Christmas. It makes me wish to be part of your family.

Just don't touch your elf too often or you'll get hairy palms.

And as for the decorated palm tree, we here in Guizhou Province, China, don't have the vaguest idea what you're talking about...XOXOXOXOXOX A. :>)

Merry Christmas Bubba

Santa needs an intervention...

Hope you're having a great day, Tee!

This many??  :>)

Sounds like a great day!

XOXOXOXOX A.

What it says is, "HAPPY HEW YEAR 2016, Bubba!!!!"

XOXOXOXOX me  

Arrrgh.  If it ain't one thing, it's another. I can say, however, that every person I've ever know who had cataract surgery and lenses implanted had a WONDERFUL outcome. That includes my mom who had the surgery at 86 and in very ill health. She got through it like a champ with no problems at all.

So, that's a good thing.

I bet it will be like a new world when all is said and done! You'll actually be able to see who you're kissing. :>)

For when are you scheduled?

I'm rootin' for you, as always.

I hope you had fun on New Year's Eve. And happy anniversary to you and the beautiful Dee! I truly hope this is a great year for you and Dee and the family.

A XOXOXOXOXOX 

Total bummer about the cataract surgery--or more to the point, about the scheduling CF, and the lack of empathy which left them telling you about it at the last moment. I hate that! You've gone through whatever, often grueling, preparation and then "SURPRISE!" no procedure. Makes you want to tell 'em to shove it.

And don't get me started on insurance companies! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

Have you got a new date mirage :>) ...now you see it, now you don't? I'm assuming they're doing one eye at a time.

My latest entertainment has been being without heat or hot water for the past week. The temps have been in the teens so, while I'm okay in my bedroom with a space heater, I feel like a popsicle in the rest of the house. Long story short, my heating company is sending a sales guy today so we can get a whole new system in the works. Thankfully, this coming week will be warmer. Anyway, I might not be online much until that job is done.

Ahhhh, the joys of--just about everything--in these our "golden" years.

Hahahahaha!

XOXOXOXOXO  A.

HOOOOOOORAAAAAAY about the chemo port. GOOD RIDDANCE!!!!!! One more positive sign your life is movin' onward and upward!

I finally have a new boiler. Woooowhooooo! Heat AND hot water!!!! And, I got a great deal on it. The system cost almost half of what I was originally quoted. Hey, I'm not against using the sympathy factor when I need to. HAHAHAHA! But, seriously, the guys did a good job and were, as always, kind and cordial. They did make a pretty big mess, but they're coming back this coming Wednesday to fix that.

Happy almost Valentine's Day!  Do you have something wonderful in the works to surprise your beautiful Dee?

me XOXOXOXOXOX

Now it's I who've been MIA. Hahaha.

I'm glad you're out and about and keeping your distance from cyberlife for a while. Real life is so much better.

Have you been feeling better generally? For me, when the hospital and doctor stuff finally falls away, it's like being a new person. You had a long, hard run there and you deserve to get back to normal.

Yup, my new furnace has been churning out the heat and hot water. Whew, just one less thing to worry about. 

Love to you and the lovely Dee.

XOXOXOXOX me 

No problem, Tee, I understand completely. TBD prime was the mothership for so many of us. I've never seen another site that's like it was in the day. Like you, I've been a member since the beginning, or almost, and I met some good friends and several loved ones on the original site.

It is sad, as you say.

I know most of the old TBDers are on Facebook now.  I closed my Facebook account several years ago because of privacy issues--doubt I'll be going back.

So just drop by now and then to give me an update on how you and the family are doing. I don't check in everyday either. But, like you, I'll hang out until the end.

Love to you and Dee XOXOXOXOXOXOX

Happy Easter, Tee!

HAHAHA! I can empathize!

I'm having a bit of trouble with the Peter Pedophile affair...