Robbie64

A couple of pictures of a very cold Santa, from my walk this morning. Not the greatest of pictures but it was too cold to hang around and take better ones!





The above was taken at one of the local restaurants. In summer the outside tables can be full of people enjoying a meal. I can't imagine many people wanting to sit outside when it's open this weekend!

Kaily

Thanks everyone. I know what I need to do just could do without the annoyance it will cause. Harris yes a gift of commitment maybe.

Anyway I finally got the car out and went to the park, yay!

I put Daisy and Alfie on a giant snowball. Daisy was not so keen and wanted to jump off.

Canadian Koala

Thanks for this new chapter Mags1

À la Sao (of course!)

Thanks for the funny pictures Robbie and Kaily!

Have a good day friends! ☼

Kaily

Oh I love your Santa pics Robbie!

MLD51

I'm IN! I hope you can get rid of the wine quickly, Kaily.

I'm not crazy about this time of year, for many reasons. I try to keep it simple, but I try to do too much, most years. And it's the end of the semester on campus, and that brings a lot of extra stress. And my man friend is still really struggling with his mental health. I've got a lot on my plate. This morning I woke up at 4 am and really could not get back to sleep, with all of the worrying about little things. I'll get through it, I know I will. I've been having some intrusive thoughts about alcohol, though, and that concerns me a lot. So I'm telling on myself here. There's so much extra advertisement going on during the holiday season, showing people having parties and gatherings with Christmas "cheer" and it gets to me. It looks fun and festive and warm and cozy. I have to remind myself of all the hungover Christmas mornings when the "cheer" got out of hand the night(s) before. I remember clearly one year wrapping presents on Christmas eve into the wee hours, crying because I was drunk and had a huge pile of gifts that I knew I should have wrapped earlier, and I knew I was going to be a mess in the morning. And I was.

I'll be so happy to have this next week over with, my daughter home with me for two weeks, and then I have my trip to Arizona for a week of relaxation and hiking shortly after.

Mags1

Marty the advertisements paint a pretty picture don’t they. They don’t show us the reality side. Luckily for us our eyes are wide open.

Great pics of Santa, Robbie. You’ve got snow too! We haven’t had any here just frost and ice.

Kaily, so cute of Alfie and Daisy. It’s a big snowball

least

The little table lamp I ordered came today and it's really nice. Came with an LED bulb that has three brightness levels. . Also has an AC outlet and a USB outlet in the base of the lamp. . It's really nice and give a lot of light on the brightest setting.

Today is the day the workers from the apt complex come into the apt to do something with the water. I have to hide Franny in the bedroom cause I'm only supposed to have one cat and one dog. . So Franny has to stay in the bedroom. Leaving in an hour or so to go to my appt. Hope they come in and do their thing and get out again.

Kaily

Sorry you are struggling a bit Marty. Yes alcohol is always everywhere but now it's a little bit more everywhere. Loads of special offers too. I have been sober four years but I saw litre bottle's of vodka for the same price as when I was buying them. Incredible really considering the cost of living and how everything else has gone up so much.

I think of alcohol far too much and the fact that I notice prices isn't good either. The other day I did have a little thought of just drinking for Christmas, I mean as if!!

Glad you have your holiday to look forward to and I hope your man friends mental health improves soon

PhoenixJ

Kaily, I see booze everywhere...even being able to predict where booze shops are. That's when I 'play the tape forward'. Consequences, damage done, guilt/shame with drinking.

Xmas is not a great time of year for me...but sobriety remains priority. Everything I have worked so very hard for could be lost in an instant if I drank booze agail.

Purplrks3647

Robbie64

Kaily, I know what you mean about checking out the price of alcohol and how it is the same (or even cheaper) than what it was a few years ago. I was in Asda the other day and noticed that they were selling three boxes of what was my favourite lager for £21 (ten cans per box too). I actually stopped in my tracks when I saw that as it really caught my attention. I felt unsettled afterwards and to be honest I've not felt totally comfortable since. I even thought about how I would have got the cans back to my house (I would have had to get a taxi). I did what PheonixJ has mentioned above, I played the tape forward, and thought about what would happen if I had bought them. I would have drank them all within 2 days and would have bought more. I would also have bought cigarettes with the guaranteed certainty of being very ill at some point in the next few days. That is something I certainly don't want to happen.

Cityboy

Alfie, king of the giant snowball!

PJ, I'm certain that I would be back exactly where I was three years ago in an instant, with little chance of another go at sobriety. Not happening.

Mags1

CityBoy, I’d be right back where I finished off too, I’m sure. I’d go from zero to comatose and it’s not a good thought.
That’s not what stops me from drinking though. I just don’t want to drink anymore. I’ve no desire for it. I like my life, Sober.
Knowing I’m an addict I make sure I have my sober ‘tools’ and sober ‘muscles’ at the ready. Just in case.

LoveHateWhine

I’m in. Thank you Mags!

least

When I started drinking again in '07, I trashed 20 yrs of sobriety. And within six months, I was drinking every day, all day. . I will never drink again. I've got too much to lose cause I love my sober life.

Had my wound appt and my mammogram and when I called for the taxi to pick me up and take me home, they said (again!!) that they were looking for a driver. I cancelled the ride (or at least I thought I did) but an hour later, I got a text from the taxi that they were on the way to get me. That took over an hour after I was done before they taxi would have gotten there. I called ck and she sent me a Lyft and I got home in fifteen minutes. Tomorrow I'm calling the family health plan number and tell them about the cab company taking so long to get a driver. I'd think that having had five days advance notice, they could make sure to have a driver ready.

I guess the complex did their work today. When I came home the water had been turned back on.

Mags1

Good to see you LHW

Pleased your water’s back on Least.

Caramel

How important it is to notice the small things:
out in the busy town, saw a little boy aged about six, bouncing along hopscotch-style on the fancy paving-slabs in the footpath; his grandmother missed rejoicing in his delight, because she was striding ahead.

"The days that make us happy make us wise."
(Masefield)

least

Caramel, it's somewhat the same thing that when I walked my dog(s), I always walked slowly, letting them sniff and investigate every blade of grass, every tree and bush. . They have such powerful noses and I love letting them sniff and look around. . I get a kick out of watching them sniff so intently. Their nose quivers and their body stiffens. I am curious to know what goes thru their mind sniffing at something like that... I read the book How Dogs Love Us, by Gregory Berns, MD, PhD, and he did MRI images of his dog's brain during different tests. What he saw was that about one third of a dog's brain is devoted to smells and sniffing. . One third! . And the top three sniffing dogs are; first, bloodhounds; second, basset hounds; and third, beagles. . With such a smart nose, I have to let her use it.

Watched a cool video on YouTube the other day. It showed a lady just coming back home after being deployed somewhere in the military. Her dog didn't recognize her by appearance but after getting close and sniffing her, the dog went wild with happiness. . Jumping and bouncing and licking the lady, almost knocking her over in his joy. . I've seen dogs whose owners had been gone for a long time or the dog had been gone for a long time, but after sniffing, the dogs' recognize their buddies.

I'm sitting here thankful for my sobriety and happy living in my nice place, with my dog and cats, and everything I need.

Kaily

Yes I always think of the consequences ... but still the thoughts come.

Strange thing yesterday. That handyman that was a bit too familiar with me when doing my ceilings phoned me. It was very random, he just chatted away asking me how I was etc.

Least you could play find it games with Billie in the flat. Put her out of the room and hide treats. She will then work her nose and brain finding them. I often do it with Alfie and Daisy, they love it. It's good to give them something to do.

calmself

End of Day 397 - sad to read about the spurious liquor tragedy in India where tainted alcohol has killed 50 so far. This poison and its associated demon, the AV are truly hell for everyone and their families.