Post a good thing that happened in your life today

[Betty LaRue]

Yesterday it seems I made a humongous leap into wellness. I’m almost back to normal now. I had a bit of coughing to clear out upon arising this morning and that was it.

Bryan, I so hope your recovery from Covid is going well. Two symptoms different family members had fairly universal with Covid were a nasty sore throat and a ongoing bad headache, which can make one miserable. I hope you escaped those.

[Ed Rooney]

On 14/12/2022 at 16:36, Allan Bell said:

 

 

THAT is a new one. Buying a car from a vending machine.🤪

Allan

 

 

I don't have a real car or even a car from a vending machine. I just have a digital car and I have trouble driving that around on my worktable. 

 

'Tis great you're getting better, Betty. 

 

Edited December 15, 2022 by Ed Rooney

[Bryan]

4 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

Yesterday it seems I made a humongous leap into wellness. I’m almost back to normal now. I had a bit of coughing to clear out upon arising this morning and that was it.

Bryan, I so hope your recovery from Covid is going well. Two symptoms different family members had fairly universal with Covid were a nasty sore throat and a ongoing bad headache, which can make one miserable. I hope you escaped those.

Good to hear that you are on the mend Betty, and thanks for your good wishes.  I have again tested +ve for covid today, but have no nasty symptoms.  We've been out walking in the sunshine and ice - avoiding contact with others.  I only hope that I get a few -ve tests before Xmas as we were scheduled to meet the family on Xmas day, there's plenty of time yet .......

[Betty LaRue]

5 hours ago, Bryan said:

Good to hear that you are on the mend Betty, and thanks for your good wishes.  I have again tested +ve for covid today, but have no nasty symptoms.  We've been out walking in the sunshine and ice - avoiding contact with others.  I only hope that I get a few -ve tests before Xmas as we were scheduled to meet the family on Xmas day, there's plenty of time yet .......

Okay…I’m a bit worried about you. Going out in the cold weather taxes the body. Not sure I would do that if I were you until you are -ve.
Just call me a worried mother hen type. My kids always said, “Mom, when you’re cold, why do we have to wear coats?” True, that.  You probably think the fresh air outdoors is healthy for you. Maybe so. I just think 🥶.

A couple of days ago I watched children next door jumping on their trampoline when it was 50 F, twilight, no coats. I looked out the window hugging myself. Then I remembered running around without a coat when I was a child. Difference…I usually did get sick. Mother mostly made me stay in when it was cold, except when the chill set in at sunset & she didn’t realize it had turned cold while I was out.  That usually resulted in two weeks of coughing & menthol plasters on my chest and her watching me like a hawk the rest of the winter.
Usually it was me pressing my nose against the window watching my two older sisters play outside.

I need to quit projecting my troubles on others who have stronger constitutions.

And thank you, Ed, for your good wishes.

I’m settled in at 8 pm with a throw over my lap listening to Willie sing “My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys”. Ahhh.

[Bryan]

4 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

Okay…I’m a bit worried about you. Going out in the cold weather taxes the body. Not sure I would do that if I were you until you are -ve.
Just call me a worried mother hen type. My kids always said, “Mom, when you’re cold, why do we have to wear coats?” True, that.  You probably think the fresh air outdoors is healthy for you. Maybe so. I just think 🥶.

 

I don't like the cold Betty, and when I'm out I'm well covered, and the trick is to keep on the move and walk briskly. I have found that a combination of thin gloves and mitts, along with activity, keeps my hands warm. There is a psychological benefit from being out in the sunshine and clear blue sky and the exercise gets your juices moving, which I assume is beneficial. I guess that I am lucky to be reasonably physically fit for my age, possibly due to my having cycled to work etc for many years. The real danger is that of a slip and fall on ice, something I'm acutely aware of.

[spacecadet]

2 hours ago, Bryan said:

a slip and fall on ice,

Crampons. A life-saver. I was tripping down the street yesterday when everyone else was pussyfooting. Or penguinating, as OH charmingly put it.

£4.95 off ebay. Too late now of course.

Edited December 16, 2022 by spacecadet

[Harry Harrison]

1 hour ago, spacecadet said:

Crampons. A life-saver.

My wife got me a pair of those, from the Charity shop but new, a fiver. I thought they looked a bit too 'Mickey Mouse' to be useful but you've made me change my mind. Probably not the ones to use to climb Scafell Pike but maybe just to get to the emergency phone on the motorway (perish the thought). I'll keep them in the car.

[Bryan]

The government has finally got around to issuing advice on energy saving measures

 

I think most of the recommendations are sensible but would query "Turning off radiators completely in rooms you are not using is less energy efficient as this means your boiler has to work harder to increase the temperature again than if kept at a low setting. "   Just leave them off !

 

No mention of simple and cost effective measures such as using double sided tape and kitchen foil behind radiators on outside walls, or avoiding having curtains hanging over radiators etc,  - but better than nothing I guess.

Edited December 17, 2022 by Bryan

[Allan Bell]

34 minutes ago, Bryan said:

The government has finally got around to issuing advice on energy saving measures

 

I think most of the recommendations are sensible but would query "Turning off radiators completely in rooms you are not using is less energy efficient as this means your boiler has to work harder to increase the temperature again than if kept at a low setting. "   Just leave them off !

 

No mention of simple and cost effective measures such as using double sided tape and kitchen foil behind radiators on outside walls, or avoiding having curtains hanging over radiators etc,  - but better then nothing I guess.

 

Closing curtains and blinds at night.  I also have some of them closed ALL DAY.

 

Allan

 

[spacecadet]

On 16/12/2022 at 10:51, Harry Harrison said:

My wife got me a pair of those, from the Charity shop but new, a fiver. I thought they looked a bit too 'Mickey Mouse' to be useful but you've made me change my mind. Probably not the ones to use to climb Scafell Pike but maybe just to get to the emergency phone on the motorway (perish the thought). I'll keep them in the car.

Unfortunately the rubber is not very durable and one of mine snapped yesterday. Fortunately the snow and ice is quite well-behaved by now and I only had one hairy moment.

But I've fixed them up with superglue and staples today, still worth having. The main thing they give you is confidence.

 

[spacecadet]

Bought tiny little pairs of mittens for the grandsons today and they went straight on. Even though cold hands and feet on a baby are actually a sign of good health, try telling that to a besotted Grandmark.

Like a baby smiling, I think the mittens and little bootees are specifically designed to make grownups go "Aah".

Let's try it.

 

 

[Allan Bell]

5 hours ago, spacecadet said:

Unfortunately the rubber is not very durable and one of mine snapped yesterday. Fortunately the snow and ice is quite well-behaved by now and I only had one hairy moment.

But I've fixed them up with superglue and staples today, still worth having. The main thing they give you is confidence.

 

 

Beware too much confidence and not enough caution.

 

Allan

 

[Bryan]

I've just woken to the sound of heavy rain, it looks like the snow and ice that we've had for the past several days may be gone by morning. What a transformation !

[Betty LaRue]

I went out & did my Christmas shopping today. My son met me back at my house for lunch that he bought & brought.  Pastrami on rye sandwich and a cup of hot cheesy broccoli soup. We ate, visited, then when he left, I went out again & finished shopping. It was pretty imperative for me to get it done, because after today, we’ll not see above freezing high temps until possibly Christmas Day when it might just reach the even freezing mark.
I don’t like bitter cold weather & am loathe to get out in it. If it was just cold by itself that would be one thing, but almost always we have wind with it and the wind chill is brutal. 
I think tomorrow I might make a custard pie, one of my favorites. Custard, apple and coconut are my favorites. Then pumpkin, lemon and pecan, 2nd tier. Then cherry & chocolate. Fried pies are apple & apricot.

I need to quit listening them before I drool all over my iPad. Fried apple pie here.

Edited December 19, 2022 by Betty LaRue

[Ed Rooney]

 

After an early breakfast, on this dark warm morning, I was able to watch the highlights of four tight games -- the Giants, the Jets, and the Cowboys playing American football and finally the World Cup Final. Whatever else is going on in South America, those guys can still play football. I need a rest. And I was just watching. 😀

[Betty LaRue]

6 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

After an early breakfast, on this dark warm morning, I was able to watch the highlights of four tight games -- the Giants, the Jets, and the Cowboys playing American football and finally the World Cup Final. Whatever else is going on in South America, those guys can still play football. I need a rest. And I was just watching. 😀

The college bowl games have started now, but not many I’m interested in, yet. The better ones will start before long & I’ll watch those. 

[Bryan]

Negative covid tests today for the Mrs and me, looks like Xmas may be going ahead after all !

 

Celebrated by visiting the allotment and barrowing in 6 loads of muck, happy days.....

 

Shops to look forward to next, can hardly contain my excitement.

[Betty LaRue]

2 minutes ago, Bryan said:

Negative covid tests today for the Mrs and me, looks like Xmas may be going ahead after all !

 

Celebrated by visiting the allotment and barrowing in 6 loads of muck, happy days.....

 

Shops to look forward to next, can hardly contain my excitement.

So happy for you & the missus! Jingle Bells & all that! Enjoy your family time. I’ll be by myself this year, as my three children are meeting with the other side/family.

On that note, I respect my son so much. His wife died of breast cancer in 2019. She had three children from a previous marriage. Jeff helped raise them (two boys & a girl) through their teenage tumultuous years. Two were out of the house when she passed, one was attending an Ivy League college in NYC ( Columbia, football scholarship) and has since graduated.
Her biggest worry was that her children would be left orphans, because their dad had passed a couple of years before. My son promised her he would remain in their lives, and he has. They turn to him because he continuously flies from Kansas and organizes family get togethers. One lives in Tennessee, one in Texas, the other in California. They ask him about financial decisions, and since he has an MBA, he’s comfortable about giving advice, and they all have comfortable savings & investments now, all in their early to mid 20s.

He’s the glue that hold the three siblings together, and a better father to them than their own father was, who died from liver failure/alcoholism & abused his wife before she divorced him. He was with them over Thanksgiving also.

Bravo, Jeff.

He’s leaving for Texas in a few days to be with them over Christmas.

[NYCat]

I knew we could send for four free boxes of Covid tests but I got an email from Medicare saying....

 

During the public health emergency, people with Medicare can also get up to 8 over-the-counter COVID-19 tests each month at no cost. Find a participating pharmacy near you.

 

I am fortunate and haven't had to use any of the free tests I have on hand. I hope that continues. Also, friends who have had Covid have had mild cases. Feeling good!

 

Paulette

 

[Cecile Marion]

I ordered my four free tests today. I have never tested positive, but the kits have come in handy when I’ve traveled to places where a Covid test might cost me €30. Especially when I wasn’t sure if my symptoms were cold, allergy or Covid. The kits do have expiration dates, and the couple I still have will be expiring soon. 

[spacecadet]

On 19/12/2022 at 16:15, Bryan said:

Negative covid tests today for the Mrs and me, looks like Xmas may be going ahead after all !

 

Celebrated by visiting the allotment and barrowing in 6 loads of muck, happy days.....

 

Shops to look forward to next, can hardly contain my excitement.

Positive until day 13 then. A bit more than standard but I expect you'll tell that second test where to get off😄

The government advice is still 5 days unless you feel unwell, else 10 days.

Edited December 21, 2022 by spacecadet

[NYCat]

15 hours ago, Cecile Marion said:

I ordered my four free tests today. I have never tested positive, but the kits have come in handy when I’ve traveled to places where a Covid test might cost me €30. Especially when I wasn’t sure if my symptoms were cold, allergy or Covid. The kits do have expiration dates, and the couple I still have will be expiring soon. 

 

I got curious about the expiration dates and found out a lot of them have been extended  https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/coronavirus-covid-19-and-medical-devices/home-covid-19-diagnostic-tests-frequently-asked-questions#updated-expiration   It's a bit of a mess finding the lot numbers in their list but some seem to have been extended by a couple of months and some by as much as a year. Probably easier to just get the new ones.

 

Paulette

[spacecadet]

18 minutes ago, NYCat said:

 

I got curious about the expiration dates and found out a lot of them have been extended  https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/coronavirus-covid-19-and-medical-devices/home-covid-19-diagnostic-tests-frequently-asked-questions#updated-expiration   It's a bit of a mess finding the lot numbers in their list but some seem to have been extended by a couple of months and some by as much as a year. Probably easier to just get the new ones.

 

Paulette

Interesting that your had such short dates.

I haven't ordered tests since July, but then they were coming from the same batches that were being issued in spring 2021, and are dated late 23/early 24.

Ours were free without restriction until April this year, and even then, ending free testing abruptly was considered short-sighted by many. Vaccination volunteers can still get them.

We still take the odd test if feeling a bit iffy, but I certainly wouldn't be paying for them. I was the family supplier for quite a while, we used to hand them out at dinner parties. We considered it rather important not to give coronavirus to the daughter pregnant with twins, but then she got it anyway (all was well).

Edited December 21, 2022 by spacecadet

[Betty LaRue]

I buy a certain brand of coffee that has skyrocketed in price since Covid, along with about everything else. I have tried some cheaper brands meanwhile, (not a fan) but always check the price of my preferred brand.

I found a bag of it that was a better price, so I swooped it up & put it in my shopping cart.

A few days later I discovered I’d bought whole coffee beans instead of ground coffee! This is the 2nd time I’ve done that in the last year. The first time, my son-in-law ground them for me, but I was too embarrassed to ask him to do it again. I bought my own name-brand coffee bean grinder on sale at a great price, and used it this morning. I figured if I’d messed up twice, I would do it again.

It is true that freshly-ground coffee is better. Yum. Now I can buy the cheaper beans on purpose. The price of the grinder should be paid for in a year through cheaper bean prices,  then I’ll be ahead.

[NYCat]

Sounds good, Betty. I used to grind my own but now am lazy about it.

 

Paulette

Edited December 21, 2022 by NYCat