Just need to talk to my friends (220)
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Rainy here today.
Today I am going to put up my flatware and move all coffee things to a dedicated area…grinder, French press, Nespresso and capsules etc.
Sorry about the continuing rat saga. Have you tried Peppermint oil yet? That is the scent that has worked here.
How wonderful to have fish and deer friends
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Good morning.
Lorita, does Stormy alert you when a vehicle is coming?
Iris
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Good morning. Less heat and humidity here today but the air quality is a little worse. I worry about my mom and bestie who both have asthma and cardiac issues.
I need to run out for a blood draw later— my B12 is low and the doc wants to see if supplements have helped. I am finding my stamina improved somewhat so fingers crossed this is enough. I follow up with hematology is a week or so. Mom's labs came back mostly normal so that's good. I think I'll pick up some chicken at the Amish market to go with the sweet corn I bought.
Deer are not my mom's friends.
HB
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Beth, your garden is beautiful. My mother used to always have two, long rows of flowers in the garden, mostly zinnias, marigolds and cosmos.. Those do the best in our summer heat. She also had some asparagus and she used the ferny asparagus in her f!ower arrangements she always bad in her house. I miss that since I no.longer have a garden p!us the cats won't leave flower arrangements alone - they end up on the table because they pull the flowers out of the vase.
Iris, when the alarm goes.off Stormy goes to the window, pulls the curtain back and barks. It's hard to hear anything outside but he barks if he hears something. He can be aggressive if someone comes inside until he realizes he knows them. He is protective and big- over 100 lbs. but as sweet as can be with me. I like the name Stormy - I had a.bull named Stormy a few years ago. I sat in the barn during a storm waiting for him to be born. What else.could I have namrd.him? Once I had a couple of plumbers here and I kept talking to Stormy using his name. Then one of the plumbers told me his name, or nickname, was Stormi.
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Lunched today with a man who said he has contracted Alpha Gal syndrome. His legs swelled like tree trunks and he had other problems, and had to go to a doctor to get treatment (antihistamines, probably). After the test results, he was told he has to avoid all mammal-based food. We were eating chicken burrito bowls. He could eat the chicken and veggies but had to leave off the cheese and sour cream and couldn't drink the milk. He can't eat beef, pork, ice cream, butter, yogurt, and a lot of other things.
His main concern is getting enough protein to keep his muscle weight up. He does heavy work and needs to stay strong. He can eat poultry, eggs, fish, and beans but doesn't much like beans. His first wife cleaned out the bank accounts and maxed all the credit cards when she left, and he ate beans and potatoes three times a day for a year and a half while he paid it off. He really likes Burger King whoppers, and I suggested the Inedible Whopper with plant-based ingredients.
It appears the deer have found a way to defeat us. They carry ticks into our yards, the ticks bite us, and we can't eat venison anymore.
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That's funny, Lorita. I had a plumber over once whose name was Sammie, just like my cat Sammie.
FYI: Many have read about the high cost of housing in California. Here are some numbers from today's newspaper. The median cost of a home in Los Angeles County is $899,250. A 20% down payment would be $179,400. Monthly principal and interest payment at 6.5% would be $4,547. This does not include property tax or homeowners insurance or HOA fee if in a development, nor utilities.
In contrast, the median cost of a home elsewhere in California, away from the big cities, is $748,000. The median cost of a home in the US is $370,559. This is why young people are moving away from California, even though it is the state that has everything and has the best weather.
Iris
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Iris, I don't doubt that a bit. You are paying $2 per gallon more for fuel than I am too, and higher prices for lots of things. Living in California looks great if one has money, but living in a tent or van isn't very appealing.
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Good morning
Ron
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Good morning.
It seems I've had a multitude of things going on and will again need to catch back up with everyone. The good news is the new hot tub was delivered. The not so good news is the installers were, hmm how to put this, let's just say not the best. When they worked it was good, but they spent more time pretending to be working rather than working. They made multiple mistakes with the install. Nothing terrible, but enough that they've made my work to "fix" their mistakes a burden on me. Sales people / show room, etc are great, scheduling is great, instillation not so much. I'm going to raise a very polite hissy fit today to get my point across and service to come fix the cover. When that doesn't happen holy heck will happen!! I realize its a hot very heavy job, etc, but when the installer were finally leaving he had the nerve to say "we accept tips." I was shocked and just looked at him. (In fairness I do usually tip service people who come to the house. But in my heart of heart I didn't think this delivery deserved a tip. I might be wrong, but to ask for a tip?)
Now to drain the new hot tub the installers incorrectly added chemicals to. What a waste of water, and start over doing it properly, myself. Gurr. Then to the showroom to voice a concern.
Let's be safe everyone.
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Good afternoon. Storms forecasted but so far, I hear what might be far-off thunder or maybe a dumpster being emptied. We need the rain; since the start of the year storms have been splitting to track north and south of us. It would be nice if the rain improves the air quality.
Beth— The flower garden is very pretty.
eaglemom— Ugh on those installers. Sounds like you ended up with the B Team.
Iris— Those prices are eye-watering.
Carl— In my corner of PA, there are a few "Freedom Fuel" stations— gas at $3.47.
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My bloodwork is back. Evidently the B12 supplement did the trick— now it's high.
The drama around godchild's dad and stepmom continues. SM was readmitted. Dad seems to be improving.
HB1 -
HB, what B12 supplement? My B12 is usually somewhat low.
Eagle, sorry about the not so good hot tub installation. They probably just grabbed people off the street to do the job without experience. Tip? For what, faulty installation? You should get the tip!
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This morning I had a wonderful long conversation with one of my "other children". She said we were "rabit holing". Hmmm. So I am a divergent thinker, quantum leaper and rabbit holer. Any one else here one of those?
"Rabbit holing" (or falling down the rabbit hole) means getting deeply absorbed in a topic or a time-consuming distraction, where one interesting link, fact, or idea leads to another. Popularized by Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the idiom describes losing track of time while researching. [1, 2]
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Good morning.
Carl, I've heard of the Alpha Gal Syndrome. I wonder if it is permanent, or will it resolve over some time?
Eagle, did the store recommend that installer?
HB, are you taking sublingual B12?
Midwesterners: Years ago when I lived in Kokomo, Indiana, the big thing was gasohol. In fact, so much corn was diverted to gasohol that animal feed was in shortage. The reason I bring this up is because the other day when I bought gas, the pump said that 10% of the fuel could be ethanol. Question: Is gasohol still big in the Midwest?
Iris
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Iris and Lorita— The hematologist said to take any 2000mcg daily and retest ahead of our next appointment. It can be hard for some vegetarians get the RDA from food alone although dairy and eggs are great sources. I have no idea why mine was low; I do include some meat, fish, eggs, and cheese in my diet along with about 2c. milk a day.
I can't recall a station locally that doesn't have the 10% gasohol/ethanol disclaimer.
HB0 -
Alpha Gal should be considered to be a permanent condition. It is a relatively new disorder and we are still learning about it, but for now there is no treatment other than dietary restriction and carrying an epi pen in case you have an allergic reaction. For instance, eating something made with lard or tallow might cause an acute reaction, and that can happen any time you eat out or at the home of a friend. I don't know what was in the last pie crust I ate and don't know what fat was used to cook my last order of French fries, for example.
It is my understanding that we lose some of our ability to absorb vitamins and minerals from food as we age. Thus, our doctors prescribe supplements. My doctor recommends that I take B12, D, and folic acid every day despite maintaining a fairly healthy diet.
Gasohol is and will be a big deal in the Midwest and elsewhere. Oil companies are required by law to make a certain amount of gasohol. The excuse is to reduce the use of petroleum. In fact, more petroleum is required to raise grain and manufacture gasohol than is saved. The requirement remains because it increases the demand for grain, and corn farmers in Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, and elsewhere benefit from higher prices. Congressmen from agrarian states strongly support laws that increase the income of their constituents, and high grain prices benefit grain farmers as well as the communities in which they live. This results in higher food prices and wasted petroleum, but that's the price we pay for democracy.
Eagle, reading your struggles with your hot tub over the past year or two makes me wonder if owning a hot tub is worth the trouble. They surely feel good, but OMG! Hope your trials with this thing are near an end.
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Good Afternoon.
Lorita. Sorry to hear your having to deal with Rats again. Especially making a nest in your car. Hopefully a wild cat shows up and has babies, giving you barn cats. Did you get your driveway alarm fixed yet, im sure you feel safer when its working.
It's also probably going to take me 3 to 4 weeks to heal. I do eat yogurt and cottage cheese and slowing working back on other foods. I will get me some Flagyl, how often do you take that? I have also been warned about eating things with nuts and seeds. But I do love popcorn. Im sorry to hear how many times you've had to deal with this, it not fun. It's a pain in the you know what!! Right now the doctor has me slowing coming off the BART diet. I go back in for a check up 2 weeks.
Iris. Thank you for the well wishes, iam feeling better. I have family still in Sacramento, telling me how high things are. My niece her boyfriend my nephew all live together, just to be able to afford rent.
Carl. It's so sad to hear that the kids were harassing the Bison. Hopefully they are ticked for cruelty. And the bison overcomes what happened.
HB. Thank you for the well wishes. It's good hearing your mom's testing went well, being perky is a good thing. Im sorry to hear she lives 20 miles away, she is lucky to have a daughter like you ❤️ does she live well by herself?
GG. Thank you for ths well wishes, i did not mind loosing ths 8 lbs, I'm afraid now that my appetite is picking back up i will put that plus more back on. I love that picture of the deer, I miss seeing the deer in Oregon. They would come rignt up right to my window.
Beth. I love your garden the flowers are very colorful and beautiful.
Eagle Mom. Hopefully you get your hot tub fixed so you guys can enjoy it. I don't blame you I would be calling and making a big fuss over it. That guy was very rude hinting for a tip. Hopefully by now you're enjoying your new hot tub.
This diverticulitis has got the best of me. I think I'm on the road to recovery. Two weeks later the doctor told me I could go back to small amounts of coffee. I tried today and I think I prefer the chi tea I have been drinking. Has a lot less caffeine. Im getting ready to make me a cup right now.
Hugs to all. Zetta
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Zetta, haven't gotten the alarm fixed yet. Waiting for a set of tiny screwdrivers to come. I may try using a nail file. Was going to do it today.but didn't have time. I wish a cat or two would come to.stay like they used to.
Take it easy with the diverticulitis. Once you have it you can tell when its happening again. When that happens I take the Flagyl one three times a day. Normally you take that with another antibiotic but this works for e. Ot.has a terrible metallic taste, like you've been sucking on a doorknob. Ond thing my doctor çautioned me about is if you use pepper don't grind your own, use the kind in a can. Nothing with seeds, no nuts popcorn. Once you have it, you tend to.be careful what you eat. Also no.corn. I know they say all.of that isn't necessary.but when you have it one time, you're more careful. I keep.juices and Pedialyte so I have it if I need it.
I'm watching Steel Magnolias , again. Such a good show.
You all sleep.well tonight
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Ha! Iris and Beth - deer friends and fish friends. 🙂
HB - your mom's plants are really pretty in spite of the deer.
Beth - your garden is so pretty and colorful!
Carl - Alpha Gal makes me not want to go outside (I'm only exaggerating a little bit). So many foods processed even slightly may have milk products in them, or vitamins that have gelatin. I guess the only thing to do if you've been infected is to become a strict vegan.
My doctor has said the same thing to me about vitamin and minerals and using supplements as we age. I make sure I take vitamins, especially vitamin D.
Zetta - diverticulitis sounds miserable. I'm glad you're on the mend.
I don't see deer very often. Sometimes when I'm driving in more rural areas I'll see a few of them together, but it's fairly rare. Rare enough that I get excited.
Lorita - I still haven't managed to see Steel Magnolias and I'm pretty sure I'd like it - such a good cast.
We've been having great weather in the PNW - the kind of July we all hope for.
I've been staying up late, dancing in the atrium, reading… it's been good.
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Good night.
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GG or Beth, is this you?
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Iris, nope, not me! I can deadlift 75 lbs 25 times but some of those other things on the video I cannot do! Those women are pretty inspiring though!
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Morning. What is this about Alpha Gal and.vitamins? I try to not eat anything with gelatin but I know capsules may have it but how can you avoid that? GG, I have read that five minutes in the sunshine gives you all the Vitamin D you need that day. I try to remember to take Vit D, B-12_ calcium and Areds 2. I don't always remember so need a better system.
Took me ten minutes to get on the website this morning for some reason. I haven't seen and deer lately but a couple of months ago I saw a small herd just north of our house at the edge of the meadow.My neighbor told me he thinks they stay in the line of trees along the west property line-lots of trees and a little pond. Before the trees grew up along the drive we would see them grazing with the cattle. I don't understand how someone can shoot them.
You all be careful in the heat. Time for the morning news programs and a cup of hot tea.
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Good morning. The weather here is lovely today— sunny and breezy with a high of 80F. Air quality is good for the first time in several days.
Judith— My BFF and I talk about fall down into the rabbit hole all the time. My reputation is such that when her then 4-year-old assigned family and friends storybook characters, I become Alice. LOL, her dad is Eeyore and her mom is Tigger.
Carl— I was told the same about absorption. My endo has checked my D-3 twice yearly for over a decade. Even with 2000 IU, my serum levels "normal".
Lady Z— Mom's 20 minutes away; it's only 7 1/2 miles but if there's construction (in 2 spots lately), flooding (road closure) and/or rush hour it can take upwards of 45 minutes. During the school year, rush hour started around 2pm.
Mom has been doing well living solo. Her exterior work is covered by the HOA, she has a cleaner every 2 weeks, and she's happy to putter, piddle or putz around between me taking her places. That said, she doesn't seem to be able to reliably walk to either shopping or the club house anymore. I'm starting to think she'd be better served in a CCRC for more social interaction and activities like outings.
Lorita— I really enjoyed "Steel Magnolias". The cast was not just great, they seemed to enjoy leaning into their roles.
I use a couple of cheap plastic pill dispensers for my meds/supplements. I keep my morning pills at my desk and the evening supplements on the chairside table in the living room. Mom has hers made up in weekly pill books with 4-blisters/day.
The 5-minutes in the sun has been debunked. Current thinking is 10-30 minutes daily with exposed skin depending on age, skin type, location, time of day and time of year. Even when I walked 5 days a week in shorts and a tank top my Vitamin D level was insufficient.
Gothic G— I saw about 20 deer last evening. It was foggy and drizzly so they were out earlier than usual. Two idiot deer in the middle of the road on the way to the ATM, a couple more clusters grazing near the Christmas tree farm on the back roads, a couple in the cloverleaf at the entrance to I-295 and a bunch grazing along the shoulder just west of Trenton.
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After all the dire weather warnings, we got less that 1/2" of rain without any real wind to speak of. We'd been under a tornado watch most of the day. Once again, the worst of the storm tracked north of us during the morning wave and well south for the evening part. I need to give the bathrooms a good scrub as I'll have the plumber poking around up there tomorrow morning.
I hope all have a safe and pleasant day.
HB0 -
Good morning.
I do hope I've not bored anyone with the hot tub saga. The installers are from the company we purchased the tub from, we didn't hire them per say. At the dealership we had a wonderful discussion with the owner / salesman. Mortified describes his reaction. He couldn't apologize enough and say that this isn't how an install usually happens. He made no excuses for the installers and said they clearly weren't following company procedures. He said they'd come Monday and drain and get the water balanced, etc. Also he wants to talk with another manager and talk with me again. I did drain the tub part way and get it perfectly balanced. It is tricky because its salt water. Thus far we've both been in it 3x's and really love it. I'll let them come and go over things with me. It is relaxing for sure. I don't have the 'heat' even turned on, so we aren't cooking ourselves in hot water!
Our weather looks to be brutal for the next 10 days. The temp is to be 105+ each day, that means the index will probably be 110ish. Yuck. I hate getting out in the afternoon is that nonsense. It just zaps your energy and gives me a headache. I feel sorry for those who work outside.
Since y'all were talking about angel food cakes I've been hungry for one. I've got fresh strawberries to go with it. Into the kitchen I go.
Let's be safe everyone.
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Good morning Rockers 😄
Lorita. Your so right, once you get diverticulitis you will take all precautions to keep it from coming back. I also enjoyed Steel Magnolias, I have seen it a few times.
I Have cut back on the vitamins I had been taken. I was trying to be real careful while on the antibiotics I was only taken my prescription meds. I go in for my wellness check in two weeks. I will have my doctor tell me what I need to take.
GG. The weather has been really good here. (knock on wood) it makes me feel bad when I hear about all the bad weather other people are having.
HB. Its nice that your mom is doing well on her own. Being independent at her age is good. How old is she?
EM. It's nice your able to enjoy your hot tub, even though you had some issues. I wish I had a hot tub. My BFF had one she also was tired of issues, so she had it removed. She missed it so much, she got another one.
My daughter and I are getting ready to go to Starbucks get us some coffee and some pup cups for Molly and Fiona, then to the dog park. Molly is my little chiuacha and Fiona is my daughter's big white German shepherd. They are best buds.
Good day, Hugs Zetta
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Good morning!
Wild life report: one baby bunny, two fire flies and a few ants.
GG…do stream Steel Magnolias…the characters in it are wonderful
EM…do you chemically make the salt water?
My D is routinely checked but I am not certain if my Centrum D is D3…will check.
Mayo Clinic:
Taking a vitamin D supplement or a multivitamin with vitamin D may help improve bone health. The recommended daily amount of vitamin D is 400 international units (IU) for children up to age 12 months, 600 IU for people ages 1 to 70 years, and 800 IU for people over 70 years.
I too have a plastic dispenser for my pills and it sits on top of my computer at night so that I have it in my hand first thing in the morning. Yes, there are business things checked first thing each day.
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I need to get a pill dispenser. Charles had a couple so there may be one in the cabinet.
Zetta, your dogs are beautiful. I have never seen a white German Shepherd. Ate you feeling better? During those 2-3 days of liquids only I really get.hungry. I remember how good scrambled eggs were that 4th day.
I had bloodwork a couple of months ago so will check my Vit D. I got my sunshine dose this morning. Bryon came and mowed and I was out with him while he cut poke from around my new Elm. It is hot with only a little south breeze. He mows on each side of my driveway, over a quarter mile, and he said he sees rats running back into the tall grass every time. He also found another nest in my car, in the back, mostly Kleenex and cedar Guess I will keep Kleenex out of it.
Girls are in the barn so maybe they can get a little south breeze blowing through,- so glad it's open.
Guess I may watch some of the soccer game. Kind if makes me tired watching all that running and falling down. I like football better. Oh,Bryon has that Alpha Gsl.
Stay cool!!
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Beth, that Anatoly is fuBeth, that Anatoly is funny! He reminds me of the guy from Taxi.
Zetta, my friend has a white German shepherd. Is that a distinct sub-breed?
I got my two cats off to the Pet Hotel this afternoon. Now, I can have the time and space to pack for myself.
Iris
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Iris and Beth - Yay for that woman doing all of those exercises!! I still can't do a pull-up - I'm close, but I'm not there yet. Now I'm inspired. She looks great!
When we were talking about a bosu? When she's putting on her shoes and balancing on on foot, she's doing it on a bosu. I haven't tried that, but I have done a lot of balancing exercises on a bosu, so I might just give it a try and see if I can do it.
And that video with that guy was hilarious. Kudos to the gym bros who didn't act like gym bros.
Lorita - the sun in the PNW isn't at all like your sun, or the sun in San Francisco, or other places where I've lived. I don't know how to describe the sun here .. filtered? Somehow it's not quite as bright. I really noticed it one day when Peggy was still alive and I went to go visit her. I got off the plane, and man, the sun kind of hurt my eyes it was so bright. I can well imagine that I don't get everything I need from the sun here - especially in winter. Most people I know here take a vitamin D supplement.
HB - One of my go to Halloween costumes is as Alice. Curiouser and curiouser.
I'm definitely a 'rabbit hole' kind of girl. Oh, the places I went when I was looking up that corpse flower. 😄
eaglemom - a salt water hot tub? I didn't know there was such a thing. What are the benefits? When we were looking at houses in WA state, many of the places we looked at had hot tubs, but I don't remember the real estate agent saying that any of them had salt water.
Zetta - Fiona is gorgeous, and Molly is so cute. I hope you had a good coffee outing.
Speaking of rabbit holes …. a friend of mine sent me the obit of Joe Caldwell, who wrote episodes of Dark Shadows back in the day. Apparently the character of Barnabas was conceived by two gay writers, Caldwell and Ron Sproat, in a gay bar in Manhattan. Barnabas was definitely a very coded character, now I know why! His obit led me to a Dark Shadows blog, which led me to Strange Paradise, a Dark Shadows knock-off, which led me to some of the pages on some of the actors ….. 😄
Today's been a really nice day, weather wise. Lots of (filtered) sun, mid-70s. I can't complain.
Our big meal today was "bowls". If we'd used tortillas, they'd be loaded quesadillas - mushrooms, corn, and peppers for mine, same for my s.o. but he added chicken and cheese. We also had guacamole and homemade salsa. I'm yummed right now.
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