USMB Coffee Shop IV

[Foxfyre]

Ollie! How are you? Is that one of your grandchildren in the photo?

Great Granddaughter. I;m doing well, Staying busy. I'm still an American Legion Commander, I am now a member of the Circle of Trustees for the Butler Institute of American Art, And I have been giving Ceramic Classes twice a month at an assisted living home... And still find time to do other things... Might drive over to DC for a few days next month. And tomorrow I'll celebrate the 27th Anniversary of my 39th Birthday.

SFC Ollie!!! I'm so happy to see you here again!! I used to be Freedombecki but forgot my password, I'm just glad to be back, too. I took a couple of years off because of my husband's illness and his loss was hard for me. But I'm getting back into the swing and have been enjoying USMB a lot.

I tried looking you up a couple of times, and couldn't find anything after 2014. Welcome back!!

I do a lot of FB, and I did loose my wife 2 years ago. But I still am admin at another place (although really really small) so I stay pretty busy

Thanks so much for dropping back by here when you have responsibilities elsewhere. It's just been a privilege to know you, and if the job falls through, and you can come back someday, you'll have many cheerleaders.

I think the chance of Ollie getting fired are slim to none. If I knew nothing else about him, I know he does his job and he keeps his word. The board where he admins is quite small though and I don't know how much longer the owner will want to incur the significant expense of keeping it open. But for now all is well.

 

[Kat]

Just stopping by to pay my respects to Tiny dancer. And of course say hello to all my old friends here....

 

[Oddball]

Saturday afternoon!...Busy morning.

It's springtime, when a cat's fancy turns to thoughts of ....playing the bass fiddle!

Let the cartoon begin!

 

[Oddball]

Just stopping by to pay my respects to Tiny dancer. And of course say hello to all my old friends here....

 

[SFC Ollie]

Another year anyway....

 

[Foxfyre]

Another year anyway....

And my wishes for you and all of us are many more to come.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Ollie! How are you? Is that one of your grandchildren in the photo?

Great Granddaughter. I;m doing well, Staying busy. I'm still an American Legion Commander, I am now a member of the Circle of Trustees for the Butler Institute of American Art, And I have been giving Ceramic Classes twice a month at an assisted living home... And still find time to do other things... Might drive over to DC for a few days next month. And tomorrow I'll celebrate the 27th Anniversary of my 39th Birthday.

The great grand daughter is a cutie, for sure. You teach ceramic classes? One of those crafts I've never had the courage to attempt. It's always amazing when one of the Coffee-shoppers reveals some heretofore hidden talent of skill. It's good to know you're doing well and busy. Travelling, too?

 

[gallantwarrior]

I Mentioned I had a head cold a while back (couple of weeks at least) and the wife caught it also. Well we just got home from a trip to her primary care doc (2PM appt) followed by a trip to the ER for another 6 hours......... She has a mild pneumonia and probably some bronchitis and her blood O2 levels were low and some of her heart labs were borderline high so they almost admitted her. The treatments they gave her helped to put her back in the normal range so they sent her home and she will be seeing her PCP tomorrow.

Do you expect them to hospitalize her? That all seems pretty serious, especially given the current treatment she's under.

That's why we ended up in the ER, the idea was to rule out other life threatening possibilities as a pulmonary embolism which was not found so as for now she's fine with what's currently being done. Doesn't mean she couldn't end up hospitalized if her condition worsens, I'm keeping a close eye on her.

Eagle Eye Ringel! I hope her condition doesn't worsen. As a matter of fact, I certainly hope she starts doing better.

 

[gallantwarrior]

So sorry.

Not seeing that part of your life again.

It's like a big turn of the wheel. My dad passed away a little over a year ago - so now I'm an adult orphan. Not a club I was eager to join.

You're not in such bad company. I've been an adult orphan for...22 years now? The pain fades but the good memories persist. Not easy, being so recent, though.

It's still pretty new to me. We're in the process of getting the folks' house ready to sell. A lot of tears going through their things.

My brother had that task. He lived the last few years with my Dad after Mom died. Dad was progressively less able to care for himself and he didn't want most of us to see him that way. Now my brother has been gone for...I guess about 7 years now? First of the siblings to go, he had a massive stroke and we had to decide to let him go. He was one of three bachelor brothers and the other two brothers grieved for him terribly. He was always the funny brother, holding forth for hours until you face ached from laughing. I do find myself wishing I could talk to my mother and let her know all I've done since she died and how I am basically happy and satisfied with my life. I think she'd like to know that. She always worried that we children would be adversely affected by our childhood.

 

[gallantwarrior]

OMG! This just gets better n' better...partner came in from doing whatever it is he does outside. We decided to play a hand of cribbage. He took off his gear and came in to the living room. The stink was unbearable. I tried but after I pulled my shirt up over my nose, he got insulted and declared the game at an end. He's been sleeping downstairs in my bed but went up to his bedroom this evening. The stink lingers. I've been away about 2 1/2 weeks, he's been here for three weekends to care for the animals. I found out he hasn't showed or bathed since before I left for Okinawa. The stink in my house isn't just because he wouldn't take time to let the poor dog outside and she had to do her business on wee-wee pads and in front of the door, or the fact that the cat boxes haven't been cleaned since I left...a three week filthy human is pretty rank. He's been using my car, too. I thought that smell was me because I hadn't had a shower since the day I left Okinawa, two days ago. I hang my head in shame. How could I claim close affiliation with an animal like this? How can I find a way to "divorce" him?

GW, I'm so sorry for your situation. Is your partner depressed? Medicine in the psychiatric industry has likely come a long ways since more is now known about brain mapping and what to look out for. He may also be suffering from dementia caused by a blow to the head before adulthood, shaken baby syndrome, which doesn't always show symptoms before the age of 50, and sometimes is a lifelong battle. There's so little we truly understand about human behaviors like what you describe. I know from experience that anger does not resolve issues with a person suffering from a brain disorder or a brain chemistry issue. I will put your partner on my prayer list, and you too for the hassle you've experienced when you love animals so and are like children to you. Abuse is complex. It can be controlled with the proper psychiatric and medical care. Sometimes.
Best wishes, gallantwarrior. Oh, and do-it-yourself psychiatry may not be a good idea considering that mistreatment of animals is more illegal in some states than others. Please be careful if he needs hospitalization.

Beau, I believe I've mentioned before that my partner is not only a hoarder, he's a passive-aggressive controller, a very successful one. Unfortunately, even if a p-a-c recognizes and acknowledges their problem, it is such a successful coping mechanism that there is almost no way to deal with them. I never thought of some of the underlying causes for his personality flaws. I know he believes that people should be productive and make or build things. It is so strange that he seldom completes a project, so his success at making/building is pretty iffy. Maybe he is depressed because he is a failure, in his own eyes by his own standards. He has a lot of good things about him, generous to a fault and always trying to be helpful, but sometimes those characteristics are just not enough to overcome his failures. I'm afraid if I ever "ditched" him, he would either destroy himself or destroy something I care for. Passive-aggressive control is kind of like that. I do appreciate the insight you all can give me, probably why I air my dirty drawers here. I hesitate to discuss him at work because he works there, too. My daughter is my usual vent because her husband is so very much like my partner.
How are you doing lately? I saw the pics of your quilts and admire your art and talent. While I was on vacation, I started a knitting project I had laid aside over 13 years ago. It's a lace shawl with a cat motif that I intended to donate to the local no-kill cat shelter. It's made of an airy, fine yarn, 70% baby mohair/30% silk. When I get it done, I'll try to post a photo of it here.

Thanks, GW. You've got friends here.

Probably why I keep coming back. I don't like to talk too much about my partner, especially at work. He works at the same place I do and most of them don't know him as well as I do. Superficially, he's a funny and generous guy, always helping the others do their work. Some of the others who have gotten closer either understand and are helpful to me dealing with the pard, or they just don't come back to visit again. It can be pretty off-putting to see him in full-on real self mode.
One buddy comes up fairly often, he likes hanging out around the place and considers pulling stumps as anger management and therapeutic. One summer, I was teaching my daughter to do frame construction, building a storage shed. The partner had been assigned his very own project but just couldn't resist coming over and trying to direct and correct our work. The buddy came over, listened a bit and then suggested that both my daughter and I had hammers and seemed to know how to handle them well enough...

 

[gallantwarrior]

After my return from Okinawa I've been feeling a bit "off". I thought maybe jet lag, but then it occurred to me; I left the first week of March and came back three weeks later. There's a lot more daytime now than then. We celebrated the Spring Equinox while I was gone. Discombobulated until I get adjusted to the increased sunlight.

 

[saveliberty]

Probably why I keep coming back. I don't like to talk too much about my partner, especially at work. He works at the same place I do and most of them don't know him as well as I do. Superficially, he's a funny and generous guy, always helping the others do their work. Some of the others who have gotten closer either understand and are helpful to me dealing with the pard, or they just don't come back to visit again. It can be pretty off-putting to see him in full-on real self mode.
One buddy comes up fairly often, he likes hanging out around the place and considers pulling stumps as anger management and therapeutic. One summer, I was teaching my daughter to do frame construction, building a storage shed. The partner had been assigned his very own project but just couldn't resist coming over and trying to direct and correct our work. The buddy came over, listened a bit and then suggested that both my daughter and I had hammers and seemed to know how to handle them well enough...

While it represents a coping method, it is not a healthy thing GW.

 

[saveliberty]

After my return from Okinawa I've been feeling a bit "off". I thought maybe jet lag, but then it occurred to me; I left the first week of March and came back three weeks later. There's a lot more daytime now than then. We celebrated the Spring Equinox while I was gone. Discombobulated until I get adjusted to the increased sunlight.

These help me.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Probably why I keep coming back. I don't like to talk too much about my partner, especially at work. He works at the same place I do and most of them don't know him as well as I do. Superficially, he's a funny and generous guy, always helping the others do their work. Some of the others who have gotten closer either understand and are helpful to me dealing with the pard, or they just don't come back to visit again. It can be pretty off-putting to see him in full-on real self mode.
One buddy comes up fairly often, he likes hanging out around the place and considers pulling stumps as anger management and therapeutic. One summer, I was teaching my daughter to do frame construction, building a storage shed. The partner had been assigned his very own project but just couldn't resist coming over and trying to direct and correct our work. The buddy came over, listened a bit and then suggested that both my daughter and I had hammers and seemed to know how to handle them well enough...

While it represents a coping method, it is not a healthy thing GW.

Ah, yes, but shooting him might prove even less healthy. He's been put on notice that he will not be moving into this house so he's started planning to move into the barn loft. I hope the goats don't mind. When my daughter finally comes home, as she has told me she plans doing, we might go ahead and build the B&B and run that together. Partner will not be permitted near the place. This place is just short of 200 acres, surely we can all find some space?

 

[saveliberty]

Probably why I keep coming back. I don't like to talk too much about my partner, especially at work. He works at the same place I do and most of them don't know him as well as I do. Superficially, he's a funny and generous guy, always helping the others do their work. Some of the others who have gotten closer either understand and are helpful to me dealing with the pard, or they just don't come back to visit again. It can be pretty off-putting to see him in full-on real self mode.
One buddy comes up fairly often, he likes hanging out around the place and considers pulling stumps as anger management and therapeutic. One summer, I was teaching my daughter to do frame construction, building a storage shed. The partner had been assigned his very own project but just couldn't resist coming over and trying to direct and correct our work. The buddy came over, listened a bit and then suggested that both my daughter and I had hammers and seemed to know how to handle them well enough...

While it represents a coping method, it is not a healthy thing GW.

Ah, yes, but shooting him might prove even less healthy. He's been put on notice that he will not be moving into this house so he's started planning to move into the barn loft. I hope the goats don't mind. When my daughter finally comes home, as she has told me she plans doing, we might go ahead and build the B&B and run that together. Partner will not be permitted near the place. This place is just short of 200 acres, surely we can all find some space?

I have every confidence you can be more creative and caring than using firearms. People hit rough patches and change enough to keep things working or their paths drift further apart and leaving comes easier and a more viable option.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Probably why I keep coming back. I don't like to talk too much about my partner, especially at work. He works at the same place I do and most of them don't know him as well as I do. Superficially, he's a funny and generous guy, always helping the others do their work. Some of the others who have gotten closer either understand and are helpful to me dealing with the pard, or they just don't come back to visit again. It can be pretty off-putting to see him in full-on real self mode.
One buddy comes up fairly often, he likes hanging out around the place and considers pulling stumps as anger management and therapeutic. One summer, I was teaching my daughter to do frame construction, building a storage shed. The partner had been assigned his very own project but just couldn't resist coming over and trying to direct and correct our work. The buddy came over, listened a bit and then suggested that both my daughter and I had hammers and seemed to know how to handle them well enough...

While it represents a coping method, it is not a healthy thing GW.

Ah, yes, but shooting him might prove even less healthy. He's been put on notice that he will not be moving into this house so he's started planning to move into the barn loft. I hope the goats don't mind. When my daughter finally comes home, as she has told me she plans doing, we might go ahead and build the B&B and run that together. Partner will not be permitted near the place. This place is just short of 200 acres, surely we can all find some space?

I have every confidence you can be more creative and caring than using firearms. People hit rough patches and change enough to keep things working or their paths drift further apart and leaving comes easier and a more viable option.

The backhoe should be up and running soon. It's got a 15' reach. 200 acres and a backhoe can be quite useful. I'll also be setting up at least one good-sized compost windrow...heh, heh, heh. You know how us cats like to bury nasty shit?

 

[007]

OMG! This just gets better n' better...partner came in from doing whatever it is he does outside. We decided to play a hand of cribbage. He took off his gear and came in to the living room. The stink was unbearable. I tried but after I pulled my shirt up over my nose, he got insulted and declared the game at an end. He's been sleeping downstairs in my bed but went up to his bedroom this evening. The stink lingers. I've been away about 2 1/2 weeks, he's been here for three weekends to care for the animals. I found out he hasn't showed or bathed since before I left for Okinawa. The stink in my house isn't just because he wouldn't take time to let the poor dog outside and she had to do her business on wee-wee pads and in front of the door, or the fact that the cat boxes haven't been cleaned since I left...a three week filthy human is pretty rank. He's been using my car, too. I thought that smell was me because I hadn't had a shower since the day I left Okinawa, two days ago. I hang my head in shame. How could I claim close affiliation with an animal like this? How can I find a way to "divorce" him?

OMFG... seriously man, why do you put up with that? Is having a "partner" that important? Good God, I'd go it alone and tell him to take a freakin' HIKE.

I wouldn't put up with that from anyone, for any reason.

I'm sorry pard but that dude sounds like a real MORON. A filthy moron.

If I had the money, I'd go see a lawyer. I had some money put aside but just before I left for Okinawa, someone hacked my savings account and cleaned me out. I've taken care of that situation and am slowly rebuilding my savings...in a new account in another bank.
He's gotten the message and will be converting the hay loft in the new barn into living quarters. I'm not sure the goats will approve, though.

I'm sorry pard... I know I'm being pretty harsh, and I understand up there in Alaska things are a lot different than around other parts.

I just feel sorry ya, man. I wouldn't wish your situation on a my worst enemy. I hope you can sort it all out someday, bro.

 

[007]

Ollie! How are you? Is that one of your grandchildren in the photo?

Great Granddaughter. I;m doing well, Staying busy. I'm still an American Legion Commander, I am now a member of the Circle of Trustees for the Butler Institute of American Art, And I have been giving Ceramic Classes twice a month at an assisted living home... And still find time to do other things... Might drive over to DC for a few days next month. And tomorrow I'll celebrate the 27th Anniversary of my 39th Birthday.

Dang man, there's a guy we haven't seen for awhile. Good to see you man, and glad you're still active in the Legion.

I let my Legion membership lapse quite a few years ago now. I've been a life member of the Disabled American Veterans for probably 30 years now, and had my membership transferred to the town next to me because there isn't chapter here in Podunk. Good bunch of guys. Fun to talk military with other veterans.

 

[007]

After my return from Okinawa I've been feeling a bit "off". I thought maybe jet lag, but then it occurred to me; I left the first week of March and came back three weeks later. There's a lot more daytime now than then. We celebrated the Spring Equinox while I was gone. Discombobulated until I get adjusted to the increased sunlight.

Yup, me too pard. When we start having more daylight than night, it's time for me come out of my cocoon. Took the snowblower off the John Deere. I figure if it does snow again it'll be so mushy that I don't care, I'll drive over it because I know it'll melt really fast. I just love this time of year after being couped up in the house staring out the windows. I absolutely love being outside being able to work on the land. Gives me great satisfaction as I'm sure you agree. It's fun. Work up a good sweat, smell the sweet Spring air and enjoy the heck otta working on your property... sweat equity. I have a more projects than I think I can do but still, sometimes I can hardly sleep thinking about getting at it. Like a buddy of mine used to say at the Supermax prison we worked at... "hit 'er like a biten' sow"...

 

[Foxfyre]

Good night darlinks. I really do love you guys.
And we continue to pray and/or send good vibes and/or positive thoughts and/or keep vigil for:
Harper
Pogo’s friend Pat and special comfort for Pogo,
Rod, GW's partner,
Kat's sister,
Dana, Foxfyre's friend recovering from heart transplant
Strength and stamina for gallantwarrior in his relocation project,
Wellness for Foxfyre's sister and Hombre's sister
Saveliberty's mom for successful surgery and quick healing
TheLiq and family who need prayers and positive vibes now
Montrovant in difficult transition
Drifter for smooth sailing in her new job.
JustAnotherNut for strength and wisdom dealing with challenges.
Gracie & Mr. G in difficult transition and for positive trend to continue.
GallantWarrior for healing and wellness.
BigBlackDog aka BBD for healing and wellness
All those we love and care about who aren't on the list.
And we keep the porch light on so those who have been away can find their way back and we rejoice when they do!!!
Ringel for healing and Mrs. R facing serious health challenges in difficult transition

And we keep the porch light on so those who have been away can find their way back and we hope they do.

Springtime in Wisconsin