A lovely picture of you and your bride.  Hm. 1974~ well, I had you beat by a few years….Joe and I married in 1969.  I gave birth to our daughter, Molly, in 1975.

I am, of course, saddened by the news of the Forum closing its doors after helping so many.

I am wondering why?  So few smoke any more?  Ex Smokers too busy to take the time??

Thank you for being part of this journey with Kitty and myself  I hope we can figure out how to all chat on FB Messenger!   ?? Susan

Thanks for your message susan

it is sad that the forum is coming to an end. I think I started reading about how to quit on this forum in about 2002.  It took me till 2008 to finally have a serious attempt at quitting and I would not have been able to without the help of all the people here.  Have a grand future

cheers

Good morning Kitty.  We had the same snow on trees here.  I was going to just let the snow melt off

the driveway but then granddaughter said she was coming over to see the puppies again.  Did the

snow removal and later picked up the gravel I managed to pick up with the tractor bucket.  We're

supposed to get more snow tonight and tomorrow morning but it will melt soon with days in the 40s

and 50s.  Our pine branches are weighted down onto the pool fence. 

Worked on my 2 meter amplifier yesterday.  Found they left out the coaxial relay that drops the antenna

back to receive when not transmitting because they didn't need it.  So I found a new one on ebay for

less than half price, still $50.  The amp was used for a wireless PA or paging system so they didn't receive

any signals.  I have quite a bit of wiring to do that was left out but a ham radio operator sent me a diagram

so that's a big part of the battle.  I might even have it working before the forum shuts down.  Yesterday I

spent an hour cleaning ink off the front panel where they wrote instructions.

Our family doctor we had for decades retired 5 or 7 years ago.  We've had a few doctors since, they keep

finding better paying positions and moving on.  The best one left to run a residence program so if you make

an appointment with him you get one of the resident doctors.  He's the one that pointed me in the right

direction when I had the dizzy spells.  He sent me to some ultrasound tests that weren't covered by insurance

but just had to pay $20.  So the dizzy spells were actually stopped by taking low dose aspirins which I had

avoided because of bloody noses.  In the ultrasound tests they found my Aortic Aneurysm and they checked

it again in the Spring, found it was getting larger.  So had the special 2 piece stent installed.  Other people I

know have died when they burst.   So happy to be alive from a lucky sequence.  Aneurysm most likely caused

from smoking that left plaque on the artery walls.  It's a huge artery, 3/4 inches wide normally.  Loses a lot of

blood internally in a short time.  There is a special tool they have to insert and leave the mesh and then the two

pieces of the stent.  I imagine it costs a fortune.  I was getting bloody noses from low dose aspirin that would last

for hours but they seemed to have stopped for the last few years.

Wife and I are glad to be retired.  Insurance isn't nearly as good though.  Wife isn't on medicare yet and they got

her into tests for cataracts saying would be around $3000. but then said they don't do the surgery at our hospital

anymore so would be $14000.  We haven't found anyone to do it yet.  When I was working just about everything was

covered near 100%.  Also, we aren't poor enough to be covered for dental and other stuff.  Neither are the clebreties

on TV after they get paid for the commercials they're on saying they get that coverage.  You would have to be dirt poor

and living with relatives to get that coverage.

Enjoy the day Kitty.

Ernie

Our farm in the 50s

Good morning Susan.  Wedding was long ago, lucky I still remember that day.  1969 was Woodstock year.

I lived only couple hundred miles away but didn't know it happened until 1970 when I heard the 8 track

tape.  I remember hearing it in the back seat of a Chevelle Malibu.  Marriage was and still is the best decision

I made in my life.

I think probably much fewer people stopped smoking in this virus thing but just my thoughts.  There were

many things to help me stop smoking but the forum was a big part of it.  I'm grateful my granddaughter

talked me into this last attempt, that worked.  She was about 3 1/2 years old then.  Now she's 18.  Bought

my Subaru Baja then which I've had for 15 years.  Almost lost it in the Fall.  Had to put in a new rear subframe

and have two frame rails welded into the uni-body.  I looked at getting another vehicle and the cost is way to

high right now.  Used smaller pick-up was 38k and the larger one used was 50k. 

...Cocoa was born and came into our lives then also, sadly she left us in May, 2019.  I will always remember

her and love her.  She was a very smart dog and helped lots in opening my eyes to what special beings dogs are. 

When she was a little puppy I tried to walk up the hallway around her, she ran in front of me and sat there facing

me.  Will never forget that moment. 

Enjoy your days Susan.

Ernie

Cocoa foreground, Brandy background.

It’s always wonderful we have these photos and memories of our loved pets.  Do you believe that we will see them on the other side?  I pray we do!  Phoebe’s ashes are going with me… probably Finn’s too.  My collie was buried on our property in North Canton.

Sadly watching this horrible destruction to the people and country of Ukraine.  
 

Even though I am not here daily, I will miss the Forum.     Susan 

Sweet Bronwen, the love of my life…. 

Let’s all gather on FACEBOOK.  The Forum has added years to my life.  I feel sad that it will no longer be here!!  Susan

wonderful memories and picture....a beautiful sunny day  temp up to 54...then supposed to cloud up and rain/snow later tonight....all is well here....and yes Susan lets stay in touch...shouldn't be hard.....

Good morning Susan and Kitty.  We are in that snow storm that came across the country then joined up with another.

Hope this is our last.  In the 40s and 50s every day after Sunday.  So it will melt if I decide not to clean it up.

We don't need to get out until Monday groceries.  Looks like snow until noon.  I probably won't go down to

help the people on the farm until around the 17th.  My sister and I both get tired of them not helping themselves

when it's obvious they could do much more.  My sister says she is only staying there a couple days a week this year.

Last year she lived there until she got sick, then left for Florida. 

I think if I have some place in a better place I would give it up to the more deserving canine beings I've known in this

life.  They were much better than me and much more deserving.  Our puppies are buried in the back yard with IDs

and solar lights.  I still love each one of them, they helped me to get through this life.  I hope I did enough to make

theirs happier and more comfortable. 

I guess I'm not surprised at the Russian guy.  I saw a lifetime of people that forgot they were human when they got to

work, scheming against the person working in the same company and country, forgetting that they were hurting a whole

family.  Wasn't the exception, was the normal.  Maybe wife and I were in the wrong industries.  I won't even talk about

the politics of the past 10 years.

I didn't do much yesterday.  Waiting on the coax relay that can switch 1000 watts for the amplifier I'm working on.  It's

purpose in business it was used for didn't need one so was built without one.  I'm lucky I have friends that have sent me

diagrams of some of the wiring and descriptions.  I should be able to figure it out. 

Wife and I went out and got a couple things before the storm.  Mostly stuff to make salad.  We both usually have salad for

lunch, me because I have to be careful not to eat more than I burn off.  Have the war on diabetes for the duration.  I didn't

look into diabetes remission deep enough.  Most of us have to exercise and diet for the rest of our lives to stay in remission.

I went from around 182 lbs down o 143 lbs and seem to be holding steady at around 150.  So usually keep my glucose around

100 without any diabetes meds.  I was on 3 different meds and headed for having to have insulin shots every day.  I have to

try very hard to exercise fast enough and hard enough to keep the numbers down.  When I'm walking dogs again I will have to

also put in some time on the elliptical and weights.  I can't walk fast enough to get the numbers down low enough.  I love the two

new puppies we got, they are great.  I will get a picture transferred over to the PC soon. 

I had limited myself to one day a month on facebook because of the politics on there but will go back to logging in routinely.  I just

have to be able to ignore them.  I have a hard time with things that split the country and families like the virus, politics, and religion.

My grandkids are growing up so fast and looks like the last of them.  Remember when my Kaitlyn was here so much of the time.  She's

18 now and only here once in a while.  When they are small it seems like it will last forever but time passes quickly. 

Enjoy the day Susan and Kitty.  I didn't see if you're getting this storm over there to the west.  I know Kitty will get it after it leaves here, hot sure

if all rain over there in Ct. 

Ernie.

Cocoa's dad, Buddy.  Two days before he died with Kidney disease.  When I approached my daughter's house Cocoa's mom, Princess would jump around and bark.  Buddy would let out a huge howl. 

Hi Ernie and Miss Kitty ~
We received about an inch of snow yesterday. The cold has returned but I believe it will be short lived.  Spring is definitely around the corner..there is hope!

Dear husband has found a place for a week next February at AnnaMarie Island. Siesta Key, where we were, has become extremely crowded. Traffic is a nightmare. Even bike riding is perilous.  A young man came up on my left and I turned the bike to the right and hit the stone curb. Didn’t go completely down but very close!  So, we will explore a less traveled place.  Perhaps Kitty is familiar with the town.

I will pray our loved pets will be with us in some way!  They bring us so much joy!

We are attending a St Patrick’s Day party tonight.

Not a drop of Irish in my DNA ~ 99.9% German!

Enjoy the weekend.  Susan

Isn’t there a way that on Messenger FB that we can develop our own Chat room?   I’ll explore this. Susan