Venecia

PS to Else: I'm sad that you and the mare parted, but it sounds like it was still the right decision.

Hugs to you, Else. You're brave. We'll remind you of that, too.

Elseware

I have found that my horse, India, is doing very well with her new herd. I very glad she is making a good adjustment. She is with her own filly and 3 other horses and she gets to be the lead mare. Over here she got pushed around by some of the geldings. When you find a new home for an animal you pray it will be a good one. I got lucky.

This is the first time I've not had my own special horse in many years. I'm going to choose another horse I think but I will wait for the spring time and try to pick carefully. I want one that is a little milder in temperament. Not getting any younger you know. I picked India partly for her beauty. Before her I had a gorgeous blood bay who bucked like a son of a gun. This time I'm going to pick one who just walks nice. That's enough.

I am feeling well and pretty strong although I miss India. However, I don't miss the work owning a horse requires.

Today I'm driving down to California for Halloween. My sister has little kids and were going to celebrate! We're going to move all the living room furniture out on the front lawn and dress up like zombies......just a kid at heart!

foolsgold66

Glad India is doing well, Else. The Halloween thing sounds fun. I've been staying busy, work and incremental progress on some house projects. My wife took a very challenging new job about six months ago, so I've been trying to help her out with some adjustments for more productive work from home days and doing more of the cooking and chores.

Oceanlady

Else, sounds like you made the right decision with your horse. Granddaughters have grown out of Halloween hay hide that we have been doing for several years. Just can't scare them anymore. So I don't think we will have many kids come by.

FG, how nice to help your wife! I'm sure it makes her day!

advbike

Doing fine here in the tropics. Spent last weekend at a nice little resort in a diving town on the other coast, with my gf and her son. Rented a car and had a nice drive over the mountains, spent one morning rafting at some cool waterfalls, and just relaxed. I'm also buying a car to get around, a little hatchback. Tired of waiting for taxis and this will make it easier to explore. Still grinding up the pass on the bike 2-3 times a week and swimming daily in the pool.

Sounds like everyone else is doing well also.

Oceanlady

Can you believe we might have snow this weekend!!
Not doing so well with oceanfellar vodka use. Came home yesterday feeling great..he comes to Greet me and I smell vodka . I go ballistic ! We have to leave for his MR! On his injured knee. I give him the lecture on how he smells. He yelps than goes quiet...told him we need to talk calmly at some point about this....don't understand my explosive anger at the smell of vodka or maybe trying to blame me!

foolsgold66

It's just now gotten into the 30's here overnight, the leaves were barely turning and dropping before now. We've been having a pretty warm fall. You may have all the snow OL, I require none. I just want some freezes to kill these pesky allergenic weeds everywhere.

My wife still drinks and smokes. Otherwise she's pretty great. I don't want her to, I care, but I don't control her actions, and I've not been a good example much of the time. I'm keeping her drinking and smoking firmly in the 'not my problem' category these days. But that's me, and my mindset, which I believe is the right one for me.

Weekend's almost here, I'm planning on a quiet peaceful one, some working on chores, some relaxing.

Elseware

We went to the Halloween parade today and now we are decorating the front yard. We've been carving pumpkins for days! My sisters kids are so adorable. They're just the right age for this! I'm a cowboy, of course, (my usual self). We made gummy worms and pumpkin cookies.......

Venecia

Hi, all.

Here's the jack-o-lantern gracing Mom's porch -- just finished it a few minutes ago. Home for today and then back tomorrow to my place after a family lunch at a lovely place in a nearby historic town.

Shaking my fist at Father Time has proven futile. Today, I turned a year older. I've chosen to look at it as the start of another full year, age-wise, of sobriety.

Best to all.

Old Me

Dee74

Happy Birthday Venecia

D

Oceanlady

Happy birthday V!

advbike

Orn, where ya been, man? Hope everything is going well for you. How about an update?

Kadi, you too.. miss those insightful posts.

Happy Birthday V!

foolsgold66

Elseware

Hi, Venecia! I had a nice birthday picture for you but I couldn't up load it it! I hope you have a wonderful birthday!

Ornithology

Happy Birthday Venecia.

advbike, I'm on here everyday reading posts and following everyone's ups and downs, but haven't been posting much. I have a 5k race tomorrow and a 10k race next weekend. Boats are still in the water but we have a gale this weekend, so not likely to get out the next two days. It's honking about 25 knots at the house right now and expected to build over the next day.
I've been reading a lot lately and spending some time getting to know me. Being continuously drunk or hungover for 34 years didn't allow for much introspection. The good news is I like me. But there are a few things I would like to work on and I have been melancholy lately. I'm not sure why?
My wife and daughter are both wonderfully supportive and life is good.

kadidee

Hi all, just catching up on posts and glad to hear everyone is doing well. Else, it sounds like you're very in touch with yourself and as hard as it was to let India go, you know where you are and that it was the best thing to do. Glad you're having a fun Halloween!

V, Happy, happy Birthday! How cool that your birthday is on Halloween! I hope that you did something nice for yourself and that your mom is doing okay.

I finally got my tenure stuff in. Gawd. Felt so much lighter once I punched those last holes, put it all together, and moved it off my desk. Have been playing catch up this week with stuff I had to put on the back burner, like grading and whatnot. Felt good yesterday afternoon leaving work because I'm fairly caught up. Now I have to focus on my messy house. The recycling, laundry, vacuuming, etc, has been ignored for awhile. And my poor kitty who has some sort of allergy that causes her to scratch and lose hair by the clumps will be going to the vet today.

I have been dating someone for a few months and I think it's the healthiest relationship I've ever been in, which is perhaps odd to say at 42. He doesn't drink either. It feels comfortable and just normal. I didn't know that relationships could just be easy, as before there has always been some drama or insecurity, probably because I've always chosen emotionally unavailable men and then tried to get from them what they couldn't give. I have definitely felt some growing pains recently, a reminder that I'm still playing catch up after so many years of numbing. Orn, what you wrote above really resonates.

advbike

Thanks for the update Orn.. I hope the race was fun. Glad to hear you're doing some personal analysis too.. it's usually a good thing, and sometimes the melancholy feelings are just due to a growing awareness that life is changing. The old ways are gone. Where are we headed? All that stuff, lol.

Kadi, glad to hear from you and that your personal life and professional lives are going well. Interesting observations about choosing emotionally unavailable men before. I think many of us tend to choose emotionally unavailable partners. No drama is great, isn't it?

I'm slowly getting my ego under control, through observation and awareness - after realizing how much craziness it has caused me, especially in relationships. That said, I suspect this will always be a challenge for me. I'm starting some simple meditations to assist and need to find a yoga class. Having a car will make life a lot easier.

Ornithology

Yesterday's race was fun, and I took third in my age group. Yay!
Oceanlady, did you get any snow with this storm or was it rain near the coast?

Elseware

Yay! Way to go, Orn! I hope you had a lot of fun. And third. Way to go fast! I knew you'd get right back on your feet. Hope the toe is good as new.

Venecia

Hi, all --

Good to hear updates from classmates. Hope the weather didn't cause too many headaches for the East Coasters. And, Oceanlady, hope some relief is in sight for you on the home front. Still in California, Else? Glad to hear about the wheels, Adv. Thanks, FG, for your updates. You sound well; I'm glad to read that.

Congrats, Orn, on the race! That's terrific! Good luck with the next one!

I've been doing some running on the treadmill at the Y, though I'm not sure I can envision myself as a runner. I'm old enough to feel cautious about that, given an old knee injury. But it feels good.

Kadi, big congrats on finishing the tenure work. They're lucky to have you. And thanks for sharing the other news. Southernfella! Thanks, too, for you kind wishes for my mother. She's doing all right. Last week, she confided that "the days go by so slowly." It didn't come as a surprise. The previously noted situation with my brother has improved quite a bit, thankfully.

Yes, as Adv observed, the "old ways are gone. Where are we headed?" Those things cross my mind a lot lately. Some melancholy on my part, too, Orn. I think I know how you feel.

I'm coming to realize the degree to which I'm not the old me. Not exactly starting from scratch but, perhaps, recalibrating. A couple nights ago, I had to go to a friend's annual party. Last year, it seemed like an ordeal ... couldn't get out of there fast enough. Ready to go two minutes after I got there.

This year? Well, pretty much ready to go two minutes after I got there! But it seemed easier. Talked a little politics with an old friend about a couple congressional races here. Touched bases with another friend, one who arrived just as I was preparing to leave. And that was that. It just wasn't an ordeal this year. Not that I envision myself as a partier, though, either!

That, I think, is progress. I think I like me.

May we all have a peaceful, healthy and sober week.

V.