Hey Bandies! Just seeing who is still around and kicking! Hope you all are doing well! 

I’m still here, although… I just joined

Welcome Ashaman to the Band of the Red Hand. I'm Cairos the leader of the Band. How are you doing?

Life got crazy in 2022, ngl. Long story short is I'm getting divorced and am now a single mom since my ex has proven that he's going to do the bare minimum in being a dad. Sigh.

 

But, he's out of the house and I actually feel better now. I wanted to make things work at first but he's now living with a different woman so .... he's never getting me back no matter what he says/does because like hell I'll give him the chance to do something like this to me again. In the process of everything, he blamed me for him deciding to leave, blamed me for his depression, said it's my fault he never got his art career off the ground, said it was selfish and narcissistic of me to ask him to create artwork for my books I wrote, etc. etc. So, it's nice to come home and not have that dialogue being spouted at me anymore.

 

So, I suppose I can say I'm back around - I've been lurking a bit since I still get the digest emails sent to me but just didn't have the brain space to do anything but be a mom and survive work.

 

Hope everyone's 2023 is starting decent! Starting ha it's March so maybe I should say I hope everyone's 2023 is *going* well so far!

Sorry you’ve been having a rough time lately @Jeannaisais 

 

At the end of the day you’ve got to do what’s best for you and for your children and it sounds based on what you said that you’re doing exactly that

 

welcome back 🙂 

*hugs @Jeannaisais* If you need anything just let me know. I'm glad you are back! Everything is good so far. 

On 3/5/2023 at 1:22 PM, whiskey delta said:

Sorry you’ve been having a rough time lately @Jeannaisais 

 

At the end of the day you’ve got to do what’s best for you and for your children and it sounds based on what you said that you’re doing exactly that

 

welcome back 🙂 

 

Oh for sure - I'm going to provide my (not so) little boy with the best life I possibly can! He and I have been having a blast at home together - we're silly, we learn, we make mistakes, we cook together, last night we did laundry together 🙂 Kiddo is about to turn 6 so he's at a super fun age imho!

 

On 3/6/2023 at 1:27 AM, Cairos said:

*hugs @Jeannaisais* If you need anything just let me know. I'm glad you are back! Everything is good so far. 

 

Thanks @Cairos! I'm blessed to having amazingly supportive parents and family that have helped me keep all the pieces of my life together through this transition. I'm also extremely grateful for my church community group - they helped me clean up my yard last weekend and have just been treating me like me and that's honestly the best.

 

Now all I truly need is more adult conversation because going from teaching high schoolers to evenings with an almost 6 year old don't leave much time for adult chit chat lol I get some with my coworkers but it's limited to our lunch time, which is never long enough.

OH and I recently started listening to The Eye of the World to start a "reread" of the series 🙂 

6 is a really fun age! They’re capable enough to take on some independence and also eager to learn more. You’re doing great 🙂

 

my daughter turns 5 this month and my son just turned 10 so I have them both going thru transitions of personality right now lol

I love the age my son is at now but am also excited to watch him continue to grow and learn 🙂 

I’ve been poking my retired nose around. The boards are pretty silent these days. 

Hey buddy! I'm still around roaming and here. Where have you been?

Just working, raising kids, building on my property. Nose to the grindstone, building a life for my family. How are you doin?

I’m good buddy. It’s been a while. I’m a registered nurse now working in a crazy ED in California. Life has been good. Been traveling a lot too. It’s good to see you around!

Where have the travels taken ya? I’ve done no traveling, however, I bought five acres of bare land, and have built a (tiny) house and a shed/chicken coop on it. Plus some irrigation lines for the pasture. Gonna buy a couple calves in the spring, already got my chickens, and probably a couple pigs next year. It’s good for my 2 daughters, having farm chores. That way they develop a good work ethic and good self esteem

Last big trip was back in August to Rome for a Mediterranean cruise. I’ve been to Rome twice already. Cool place. My next trip I wanna go to is Amsterdam or some exotic place. 
 

That’s awesome that you are getting chickens for the girls. Awww pigs are so cute. I think they would like it. 
 

so are you back on DM for good or just wondering around lol. 

18 hours ago, Cairos said:

My next trip I wanna go to is Amsterdam or some exotic place. 

Sorry to butt in, but that sounds so strange, even though as a young man I did go to Amsterdam as somewhere exotic, now it sounds so tame and boring. So touristy, lol. I'd say come to the Netherlands and I'll show you the real country, but I doubt I could live up to that promise 😛 

Edited December 2, 20231 yr by HeavyHalfMoonBlade

On 3/7/2023 at 4:22 PM, Jeannaisais said:

Now all I truly need is more adult conversation

Completely off-topic, but this so makes me think of my aunt who after having a prolonged leave of absence after the birth of her twins (the first of four children and she is 4'10") she was in a train on a business trip and interrupted her colleagues to exclaim: "Oh look, there are some moo-moos" and promptly wanted to die, while even back then in the seventies every single person who heard understood and sympathized. 

@HeavyHalfMoonBlade I’ve never been to the Netherlands yet. I would totally come and visit! There’s much of Europe that I haven’t seen yet.

16 minutes ago, Cairos said:

@HeavyHalfMoonBlade I’ve never been to the Netherlands yet. I would totally come and visit! There’s much of Europe that I haven’t seen yet.

I've lived in Europe all my life but it sounds like you have seen more of it than me. The Netherlands is a great country with a rich history (sorry I am bit annoyed as I stupidly clicked on a notification and lost a long post I was making about the Dutch, meh).

 

It is a country well worth a visit, though you would learn little from only visiting Amsterdam. There are cruises up the rivers, like from Rotterdam along the Waal into the Rhine and through Germany that I would love to do (the boats that come through Nijmegen look really nice) but they are not cheap and add in transatlantic flights...If you were to come I could send you a book called the Undutchables that might prepare you a bit so you would know what to look for. Drop and zoute haring  for example, lol.

I’ve been to Germany a long time ago. Only been to Frankfurt. Have you ever been to the States?

I’m from Wyoming, never seen the Mississippi River, or been out of the country……..Sad

Well you have a family Led. Maybe try and do a family trip. That would be great for the girls! So @LedZepMan are you back for good?

23 hours ago, HeavyHalfMoonBlade said:

Completely off-topic, but this so makes me think of my aunt who after having a prolonged leave of absence after the birth of her twins (the first of four children and she is 4'10") she was in a train on a business trip and interrupted her colleagues to exclaim: "Oh look, there are some moo-moos" and promptly wanted to die, while even back then in the seventies every single person who heard understood and sympathized. 

 

My kiddos old enough that I don't use different wordings like that but that would absolutely be a bit mortifying!

 

And it appears that tagging me/responding to my posts is one way to get me to reappear around these haunts LOL

21 hours ago, Cairos said:

I’ve been to Germany a long time ago. Only been to Frankfurt. Have you ever been to the States?

In 1982. I was 4, and were on holiday in Canada visiting a friend of my Dad's that had emigrated. We went to Niagara Falls and visited someone over the border. They had a swimming pool in their back garden which is pretty much everything that I remember about the USA.

13 minutes ago, Jeannaisais said:

 

My kiddos old enough that I don't use different wordings like that but that would absolutely be a bit mortifying!

 

And it appears that tagging me/responding to my posts is one way to get me to reappear around these haunts LOL

I can definitely relate to the feeling. I'm always on the look out for interesting things out the train window, it is a bit sad not to have anyone to share them with. I found my kids when they were small such great company and they teach you to appreciate the world in way that I think more people should.

 

Well, it is lovely to meet you. It seems the day for it for it, with the renowned Mystica Sedai also appearing (which maybe also has something to do with me - I'm sure she'll go easy with me, we didn't cause that much damage to the Red Ajah). I'm Heavy. a Novice recently arrived here *curtsies*