Cashmere, I had a delightful conversation yesterday with a good friend who moved to Soajo, in the north of Portugal last January. He and his wife are retired and they are loving it.

I will never retire and I'm not much of an outdoors person, but J & K are overjoyed with the hiking and gorgeous national parks nearby.

Their biggest problem is a herd of wild horses that routinely break into their garage. So far, no damage to the car, but a few sanitation issues. If you know what I mean.

They had looked into Ireland because J has direct family ties, but the peacefulness and cost of living are far more attractive in Portugal. I could not agree more.

In fact, J thinks my biggest problem is going to be a need for patience with slow pace of things. Trust me. I will adapt.

That's a lot, Sheryl. Sending healing thoughts all round.

I'm sorry, askye. It's hard when you know your loved one is ready, but you aren't ever going to be ready.

Portugal sounds lovely. I can't see DH choosing to live permanently far from family despite his globe trotting youth. Maybe I could talk him into extended visits elsewhere but that is about it.

Best wishes for all the ailing elders. I realized - several times over - that my next birthday I'll be 70. I don't FEEL that old ... I think the Buffistas help keep me young in attitude.

I can't think of another country that would have me - my mother was doing the genealogy thing and it seems the last time anyone immigrated was in the 1790s. One from Ireland and one from France. Otherwise, I seem to be descended from people who were on the losing side of every political, social and religious dispute in various areas of Europe. Plus the great-grandmother who was Native American of some sort - I'm suspecting Choctaw since she came from the reservation in North Carolina. Whatever ... I'm not eligible for any other country.

that my next birthday I'll be 70. I don't FEEL that old

I know I have told this before, but when I was about 9 I asked an older neighbor what it was like to be old. She was probably younger than I am now! Anyway, I still remember her answer. She said she was the same person she was in her youth, it was only how other people treated her that had changed.

I may have pushed another person to get vaccinated. Was talking with one of my nurses this morning. She is in very rural Georgia and I talk to her pretty often. She mentioned that she had some staff out from exposure to Covid. We got to talking about how bad it was, particularly in her region. She mentioned a 20-year-old recently lost. I told her I was getting my booster tomorrow and she asked if I minded telling her which one I took. I let her know that I had Moderna, DH had Pfizer, and my son had J&J. She then asked about our side effects. I told her the truth of course that Brendon and I had none, but that my son was sicker than a dog. Also shared my theory that younger people have a harder time, but of course, it is still way better than Covid. She said that she was by no means an anti-vaxxer, but she was hesitant and afraid. We talked some more and she ended up saying that she thought she would go ahead and get it this week to surprise her doctor who is out of the office until Friday. Her doctor has been asking her regularly if she has done it yet, but hasn't forced the staff to do so. I think the final straw was knowing several people who have died and knowing that she could pass it to the patients in her care without even knowing.

So, maybe one more jab in Georgia. (I'll ask her next time I talk with her!)

Oh exciting, fingers crossed Laura!!

Askye, I'm so sorry. This is one of those situations where any decision you make will be the right decision AND it will still hurt.

My father is the second of eight from a fairly small town. There are still a few circumstances where I introduce myself as "Bill's oldest." THEN I'll say my name.

Good work, Laura!

When my dad was in the rehab facility just before he died, his roommate turned out to be from the small Arkansas town he grew up in, and remembered our family from... the 1940s and 50s, I guess.

Thank you for your patience and taking the time to talk to the nurse, Laura.

Remember how I had a bum leg a couple of weeks ago (likely a burst Baker's Cyst)? Now my OTHER leg hurts in the same way. So bizarre! And painful and annoying. Today's the first day of my unemployment and I wasn't planning to do much but was hoping I could at least go for a walk.

That is a bummer, lisah. Leg~ma! But what is this about the first day of your unemployment? I feel like I have missed a piece of news.

I am on the first day of not knowing what the hell my job is anymore and it's going about like I expected. My one coworker who was supposed to be out on sick leave got her surgery postponed because her surgeon had a death in the family so she's now planning on working this week (although not today because she's got to reschedule her life and that TOTALLY MAKES SENSE if I were her I would be taking off more than just today, probably) which will likely make things easier for me in the short term (mostly it's just such a bizarre situation to come up - clearly nobody's fault or anything but so weird)

Leg~ma lisah!

Yes, it was a nice surprise to have a calm rational "normal" conversation about the vaccine.