Just Another Saturday Morning...

I had a good night's sleep last night. Chloe usually wakes me at around 3am to go out and by the time I get back to bed, I can't go to sleep again. Last night she woke me at 1:30am and I had no problem getting back to sleep. She then slept with us until almost 7. I have been really tired the last week or so because of that.

I am getting very frustrated with the gas prices here in our little town. The crude oil price went up this past week about $6 a barrel and immediately our local stations jacked their prices by 20 cents a gallon. Then the crude price dropped a couple of dollars but the stations didn't drop back down. Why is it that the stations don't wait more than about 30 seconds to raise their prices when the crude price increases and wait a week or more to lower them when crude prices drop???? We are located in the southern part of the state and our prices are the highest in the state. Okay, I am off my soap box.

I've been a little lax the last couple of days and haven't posted. I had nothing to say I guess. Or at least nothing of interest happening in my life. I finally saw Australia the other day and I really enjoyed it. Today we are going to see Clint Eastwood's movie Gran Torino. It looks good from the trailer I saw at the movies the other day. The weather was to have been sunny this weekend but that all changed yesterday. Now they say it will be very cold and foggy. Oh boy!! Better get out my light box that I bought. I got one of those lights that is for the winter where the sun isn't out much. I haven't tried it yet and I guess this is the time to do it.

Hump Day

Here is what my baby looks like when she is in need of a grooming. She has an appointment tomorrow. She has the neatest personality. Keeps us laughing all the time. Her hair usually stands up on top but when it rains she loves it and just walks around and sniffs the ground and comes in soaking wet. Her hair gets heavy and falls to the sides. It stands up again when it dries if we brush it. Obviously this time we didn't brush it. I had my neighbor (82 year old widow) call me a little while ago to tell me she saw me going out this morning and couldn't believe how much weight I've lost. It made me feel really good. I actually haven't lost more than a pound or two since I saw her but I guess she just didn't notice. We've had a dry couple of days and tonight the rain is supposed to start again. Last week our rivers were all getting higher but now they've gone back down close to normal. The temperature today was 50. I didn't even need a jacket. I was wearing a sweatshirt and I was warm enough. I am making some beef stew for dinner tonight. Comfort food. Good for a rainy night. Well, I need to go and check it so I will send this off.

This is another of my violets. I didn't make an entry yesterday because I was busy with other things around here. I also am very tired today. I haven't been sleeping well. I am waking with acid reflux lately. I am frustrated. Since my last fill I have had to take meds for acid reflux. My surgeon said that it would stop as I lost weight but it seems worse now. I made an entry on LapBandTalk.com today asking if anyone else is having this problem. There are many who are I found. Some of them suggested what they have used to alleviate the reflux. One person suggested a tablespoon of cider vinegar before going to bed to neutralize the acid. Another said it sounded like I am too tight and need a slight unfill. I haven't had a fill since August and it doesn't seem like that would make a difference to me, however I didn't start getting this until after my last fill. I am wondering if the reason I can't eat in the morning is because I am swollen around the band from the reflux all night. This can't be good for me. I've tried lots of acid reducers and am now taking a combination of those and PepcidComplete. I still have to take a Tums during the night as I start coughing and can feel the gurgling in my stomach. Yuck!! Do any of my Sisters in the Band have any suggestions?

1st Sunday in January

Here is one of my violets in bloom. I've had quite a bit of luck with violets the last several years. I move them from the east window shaded by a big oak to the north windows depending on the time of year and they bloom profusely. I really like transplanting them and splitting them when they multiply.
We spent most of the afternoon at the emergency room with some dear friends. He has had a bad back for several weeks and nothing has helped him. He tried going to the chiropractor and that didn't seem to help. He also just got back from driving down to California and back to do some plumbing work on his rental property. When he got home he was really hurting and he couldn't get out of bed this morning. His wife couldn't persuade him to go to the ER so she called us and my hubby convinced him and drove them. So after sitting in the ER for 3 1/2 hours he came out with more meds and an appointment for an MRI. He was also told to stay in a prone position on a hard surface for the next 3 days or until he feels a little better. They were very grateful for us taking them. My husband is very thoughtful that way. He will do anything he can to help someone. Even those he hardly knows. He is a good guy and I am very lucky.
It's been very cold here all day. It's usually in the mid 40s this time of year and it was the mid 30s today. I think the highest it went was 40 degrees for a short time. Brrrr! I know some states get much colder than that but we aren't used to it that cold here. But then, my husband was wearing a short sleeved shirt and shorts today. He is nuts!! What can I say except his thermostat is out of whack!!