In the garden, and RAIN!!!!

POSTED BY: SIGNYM
UPDATED: Thursday, December 25, 2025 04:27
VIEWED: 1008752
PAGE 5 of 116

FIRST PAGE PREV PAGE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 NEXT PAGE LAST PAGE

BRENDA

Wednesday, May 9, 2018 3:46 AM (P)

Just listened to some music with my hearing aids on and my left ear was working.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Wednesday, May 9, 2018 5:36 AM (P)

Thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately, I can't eat chicken or pork because of my teeth until I get the dentures. Steak is out of the question too :(. The only way I can eat it is if it's ground to the consistency of baby food. My brother makes these great pork things that he starts by putting pork chops in a slow cooker, but by the time it's all ground down there's more butter in a single serving than I eat otherwise in an entire year. They're amazing, but they're so bad for you. Eating a few of those sandwiches makes you want to hibernate.

(It only now occurs to me how difficult it is going to be for me to eat with others, even though it's such an uncommon occasion).

I actually don't use any cooking oil right now. Should I be? I'm sure it would make the meals I make taste better, but for me I'm happy just filling my belly with anything that isn't outright disgusting. I actually just throw a bunch of vegetables and rice in a pot or a pan and boil them, then I throw on some cayenne pepper. I heard that you can loose nutrients from vegetables by boiling them, but I've gotten real good at using the right amount of water and what the rice doesn't absorb gets boiled out and I'm not actually dumping out any water by the time I eat it.

Bummer to hear about the white rice. I was a little worried about that when I bought them. I was eating some brown rice I had sitting around from god knows when, but that's a lot more expensive since it's much smaller boxes. I couldn't find any brown rice in bulk bags today for some reason. Maybe I'll have to look online for them.

I think I went years without any potassium. Not even joking. I don't know how I'm still alive. I'm sure I was getting some incidental doses here and there. Not sure if there's any in skim milk or not. Do vitamins count, now that I'm taking them?

So... you liking those hearing aids yet Brenda? Are you hearing instruments in music that you forgot were even there yet?

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Wednesday, May 9, 2018 6:44 AM (P)

Vitamins do count Jack and they will help repair the damage you did to yourself.

You can eat bad things once in a while as a treat. I eat ice cream and "hot" apple pies from A&W every so often.

I didn't hear anything that wasn't already in the music but I was hearing as I was meant to hear it. *L* And on the flip side. My ears aren't that tired today.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Wednesday, May 9, 2018 8:23 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Vitamins do count Jack and they will help repair the damage you did to yourself.

You can eat bad things once in a while as a treat. I eat ice cream and "hot" apple pies from A&W every so often.

Well if vitamins count, then without looking at the bottle I'm pretty sure I'm getting my daily dose of pretty much everything I need. Part of me still thinks they're just made of sugar and sand, but who knows. I'm sure it's better in any case to be getting the nutrients from actual food than vitamins, but there's no way I'm going to be eating a "perfect" diet. Right now it's at least far better than I was eating.

I don't really need to treat myself. I still smoke, and that's kind of my "treat", since I have no plans on quitting that habit. I suppose once I start getting this all under control that my "treat" could be to just not worry about what I'm eating if I'm out with other people who cooked or at a restaurant. I'm sure something against my current diet won't kill me if I'm not gorging on it. I'm not actually gluten intolerant, at least like people who have severe cases of it anyway. My brother's friend absolutely had to get off of gluten for medical reasons. She was becoming extremely ill and that was the reason for it. Generally speaking I feel better now than I have in years and that was probably just quitting the booze and losing all the weight and just being a lot more active. I don't think the gluten was killing me or anything.

Quote:

I didn't hear anything that wasn't already in the music but I was hearing as I was meant to hear it. *L* And on the flip side. My ears aren't that tired today.

Yeah. That's what I meant. I bet you're listening to some of them oldies right now and hearing parts of the songs that you've forgotten were even in there. I was amazed listening to my favorites the first time I treated myself to a decent pair of headphones. I can only imagine what it would be like to be listening for the first time while wearing a device that restores hearing.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Wednesday, May 9, 2018 8:37 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Vitamins do count Jack and they will help repair the damage you did to yourself.

You can eat bad things once in a while as a treat. I eat ice cream and "hot" apple pies from A&W every so often.

Quote:
Well if vitamins count, then without looking at the bottle I'm pretty sure I'm getting my daily dose of pretty much everything I need. Part of me still thinks they're just made of sugar and sand, but who knows. I'm sure it's better in any case to be getting the nutrients from actual food than vitamins, but there's no way I'm going to be eating a "perfect" diet. Right now it's at least far better than I was eating.

Getting vitamins from real food is better. Diet doesn't need to be "perfect" just right for you.

Quote:
I don't really need to treat myself. I still smoke, and that's kind of my "treat", since I have no plans on quitting that habit. I suppose once I start getting this all under control that my "treat" could be to just not worry about what I'm eating if I'm out with other people who cooked or at a restaurant. I'm sure something against my current diet won't kill me if I'm not gorging on it. I'm not actually gluten intolerant, at least like people who have severe cases of it anyway. My brother's friend absolutely had to get off of gluten for medical reasons. She was becoming extremely ill and that was the reason for it. Generally speaking I feel better now than I have in years and that was probably just quitting the booze and losing all the weight and just being a lot more active. I don't think the gluten was killing me or anything.

Don't mind me saying this Jack. But you can do with out the smokes. I know that is a hard thing to kick but you have already gotten out of the alcohol trap and I'm sure you can get out of this one. Like I said before whatever Your diet looks like is what is right for you.

Quote:

I didn't hear anything that wasn't already in the music but I was hearing as I was meant to hear it. *L* And on the flip side. My ears aren't that tired today.

Yeah. That's what I meant. I bet you're listening to some of them oldies right now and hearing parts of the songs that you've forgotten were even in there. I was amazed listening to my favorites the first time I treated myself to a decent pair of headphones. I can only imagine what it would be like to be listening for the first time while wearing a device that restores hearing.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

Actually what I am watching on YouTube right now is an old tv show called "Hec Ramsey" starring Richard Boone. I used to watch this on the late show at around midnight when I just hit high school.

I'm hearing this clearer that is true.

SIGNYM

Thursday, May 10, 2018 2:50 AM (P)

Quote:
Thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately, I can't eat chicken or pork because of my teeth until I get the dentures.

You can cook pork shoulder roast and chicken thighs until they are fork-tender, if you want. But not necesary if you don't want to bother. Still recommend canned salmon and/or tuna once a week, think tuna salad (tuna, minced onion and celery, mayo).

Quote:
Eating a few of those sandwiches makes you want to hibernate.

HAHAHAHA!!! That's like Indian food, you get these tiny bowls of lentil curry or spinach (palak paneer) but they're like butter-bombs!

Quote:
I actually don't use any cooking oil right now. Should I be?

absolutely. There are some oils that your body doesn't make that are essential for producing sex and anti-inflammatory hormones, they are alpha-linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid) and linoleic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid). Peanuts are an excellent source for many good nutrients, but not linolenic acid. Flax seed is, but if that doesn't sound do-able then walnuts and canola oil are good alternate sources.

Quote:
I'm sure it would make the meals I make taste better, but for me I'm happy just filling my belly with anything that isn't outright disgusting. I actually just throw a bunch of vegetables and rice in a pot or a pan and boil them, then I throw on some cayenne pepper. I heard that you can loose nutrients from vegetables by boiling them, but I've gotten real good at using the right amount of water and what the rice doesn't absorb gets boiled out and I'm not actually dumping out any water by the time I eat it.

Sound great! Just throw in some canola oil!

Quote:
Bummer to hear about the white rice. I was a little worried about that when I bought them. I was eating some brown rice I had sitting around from god knows when, but that's a lot more expensive since it's much smaller boxes. I couldn't find any brown rice in bulk bags today for some reason. Maybe I'll have to look online for them.

Well, nobody's diet is perfect. Don't sweat it.

Quote:
I think I went years without any potassium. Not even joking. I don't know how I'm still alive. I'm sure I was getting some incidental doses here and there. Not sure if there's any in skim milk or not. Do vitamins count, now that I'm taking them?

Vitamins don't have enuf potassium to make a difference. I recommend beans, again. Good source of protein (incomplete, but rice makes up the difference) and many valuable nutrients as well as fiber.

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

America is an oligarchy
http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876

BRENDA

Saturday, May 12, 2018 3:54 AM (P)

I HATE AIRLINES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ruttin' strike by a Canadian company and I may have to cancel my plans to go out to Edmonton next weekend.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Sunday, May 13, 2018 9:22 PM (P)

DAMN.... Forgot to buy Canola oil after work! Oh well. I had my first 10 hour long shift and was in so much pain that I wasn't really thinking straight at that moment.

Good news, I did run out after work and pick up some pretty expensive Dr. Scholls "shock absorption" pads that I'm going to try out next week. I don't expect them to end the pain altogether, but maybe it will make it slightly more bearable.

Now that I got the ants out of my house, the mice are back. Been a few years since I've seen one of those. Got me some of those nice reusable Jaws traps, so they should be taken care of by the end of the week.

Also got me some outdoor bait traps, although after looking at the initial ant hills that had started on my patio I think I might have killed them all already using the poison pellets last week. Can't hurt putting them out though.

Also bought about 5 different sprays for weeds and insects. Once it stops raining we're going to have a big 'ole poison party outside.

Rent's due, bitches.

I'm taking my house back, baby.

(I'm going over to my bro's house this week. Won't be having my Niece over while all of this is going on).

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Monday, May 14, 2018 12:02 AM (P)

I wish you good luck with all you got to do next week Jack. Hope you can get rid of the mice.

Had to deal with one mouse in an apartment one time. Pain in the butt but he was nailed dead.

1KIKI

Monday, May 14, 2018 12:10 AM (P)

Hey jack - what was that you used for the ants?

As for pain - do you have a bathtub? maybe a good warm soak would work.

SECOND is a troll because it constantly misrepresents what people post, fails to address their actual positions, and resorts to personal attacks when its brain isn't working (which is most of the time).

6IXSTRINGJACK

Monday, May 14, 2018 8:13 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
I wish you good luck with all you got to do next week Jack. Hope you can get rid of the mice.

Had to deal with one mouse in an apartment one time. Pain in the butt but he was nailed dead.

Thanks.

The mice won't be a problem. I've dealt with them a few times before. They're pretty stupid and they can't resist peanut butter. They'll be gone by next week without any poisons or anything. I just feel kind of bad about killing them. Not that I'm a tree hugger or anything, but just kind of wish they didn't come inside so I didn't have to do it.

Quote:
Originally posted by 1kiki:
Hey jack - what was that you used for the ants?

As for pain - do you have a bathtub? maybe a good warm soak would work.

For the ants inside my house I used Hot Shot liquid ant bait. You get 4 of these translucent pods with a yellowish liquid in them. Once it warmed up enough in my house for them to remain active they were gone in about a week tops. It's as if they were never inside.

For the ant hills on my patio, I used Amdro ant block. Technically it's supposed to cover something like 500 linear square feet around your home, but it can be used directly at the source if you see the hills. I probably put too much of it out, if anything. But unless the water quickly melts the pellets, they must have brought them all back to the colonies, because there's no evidence that I even dropped it a week later. We've had a lot of rain, but when I checked this morning I didn't see any new hills, and the old ones for the most part have washed away. Fingers crossed.

I do have a bathtub. I only used it a few times after I nearly cracked my back in half. I just slept about 10 hours and the pain is pretty much gone. It's not a constant thing, but the longer I'm on my feet the more my feet, ankles, heels and shins hurt until it becomes pretty unbearable. I'm recovering quicker from it than I used to, but the goal is to not feel the pain in the first place anymore. I think I might just go and buy a new pair of shoes too. I've put a lot of miles on this pair since the middle of November.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Monday, May 14, 2018 10:00 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
I wish you good luck with all you got to do next week Jack. Hope you can get rid of the mice.

Had to deal with one mouse in an apartment one time. Pain in the butt but he was nailed dead.

Thanks.

The mice won't be a problem. I've dealt with them a few times before. They're pretty stupid and they can't resist peanut butter. They'll be gone by next week without any poisons or anything. I just feel kind of bad about killing them. Not that I'm a tree hugger or anything, but just kind of wish they didn't come inside so I didn't have to do it.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

It's never good to have to kill something as little as a mouse but for health and safety reasons they have to be dealt with.

I must confess to being something of a tree hugger. Have been most of my life. But when you have to do something then you have to.

BRENDA

Monday, May 14, 2018 10:01 AM (P)

Another three hours till I have to change the batteries in my hearing aids for Monday.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Monday, May 14, 2018 5:58 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:

It's never good to have to kill something as little as a mouse but for health and safety reasons they have to be dealt with.

I must confess to being something of a tree hugger. Have been most of my life. But when you have to do something then you have to.

Yeah... I feel bad about it. I don't give ant's a second thought, but even something as little as a rodent makes me feel bad because they're just doing their own thing and looking for food. I remember having a pet mouse as a kid. Not really a great pet or anything, but since my Dad wasn't going to get a dog we had quite a few strange pets like a guinie pig, a rabbit, a turtle and other small caged critters.

I wish I knew how they were getting in so I could just keep it from happening in the future. Strange that I can go a few years without seeing them, but then out of the blue for whatever reason they become a problem again.

In other Jack news... I think I've resigned myself to my necessary car repair being beyond my capabilities. There's a chance I could pull it off, using the youtube videos, but given the age of the car the likelihood of accidental problems like stripping bolts or breaking a belt that I didn't spring for increases a lot.

I only need to replace the oil pump gasket, and possibly the shaft seal, and I've priced the two parts at under 8 bucks plus shipping (since none of the places near me seem to actively carry it). But the labor is easily over an hour for a professional, and that can be very pricey. Online searches on what this might cost range from slightly under 300 bucks to over 600 bucks.

I'm going to call around and see what I might be able to get it priced at.

I've only met my brother's brother in law once or twice, but he's the car guy in that family. I've actually been working on something that will be incorporated into a favor that he was going to do for him. Maybe I can ask if he'd be willing to do this for me and have me around so I can help out and learn a few things. If he'd be willing to do that I'd even spring for a few other misc parts to replace while we're at it since we'd be removing the old ones just to get to that.

As always, fingers crossed. :)

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Tuesday, May 15, 2018 6:52 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:

It's never good to have to kill something as little as a mouse but for health and safety reasons they have to be dealt with.

I must confess to being something of a tree hugger. Have been most of my life. But when you have to do something then you have to.

Yeah... I feel bad about it. I don't give ant's a second thought, but even something as little as a rodent makes me feel bad because they're just doing their own thing and looking for food. I remember having a pet mouse as a kid. Not really a great pet or anything, but since my Dad wasn't going to get a dog we had quite a few strange pets like a guinie pig, a rabbit, a turtle and other small caged critters.[b/quote]

Nothing wrong with strange critters as pets. When I was a kid we generally had cats around. Though we had a Budgie once that my mom insisted on calling it after my dad. My dad was not amused.

Quote:
I wish I knew how they were getting in so I could just keep it from happening in the future. Strange that I can go a few years without seeing them, but then out of the blue for whatever reason they become a problem again.[b/quote]

My suggestion is go looking for holes around your house. That's the best way to find out how they are getting in then seal those holes up good.

Quote:
In other Jack news... I think I've resigned myself to my necessary car repair being beyond my capabilities. There's a chance I could pull it off, using the youtube videos, but given the age of the car the likelihood of accidental problems like stripping bolts or breaking a belt that I didn't spring for increases a lot.

I only need to replace the oil pump gasket, and possibly the shaft seal, and I've priced the two parts at under 8 bucks plus shipping (since none of the places near me seem to actively carry it). But the labor is easily over an hour for a professional, and that can be very pricey. Online searches on what this might cost range from slightly under 300 bucks to over 600 bucks.

I'm going to call around and see what I might be able to get it priced at.

I've only met my brother's brother in law once or twice, but he's the car guy in that family. I've actually been working on something that will be incorporated into a favor that he was going to do for him. Maybe I can ask if he'd be willing to do this for me and have me around so I can help out and learn a few things. If he'd be willing to do that I'd even spring for a few other misc parts to replace while we're at it since we'd be removing the old ones just to get to that.

As always, fingers crossed. :)

Do Right, Be Right. :)

Well, again with cars you gotta do what you gotta do to keep it running. And since it is necessary for you to get to work with then you have no choice.

I hope you can get help with making the repairs.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Tuesday, May 15, 2018 8:14 AM (P)

My bro is going to talk to him about it. He said he's sure the guy will help out unless it is something over his head and he doesn't feel comfortable doing it. I'm pretty sure this doesn't apply since I'm just barely erring on the side of caution here myself with almost zero car maintenance experience outside of changing tires and spark plugs.

I even told him to tell 'em that he doesn't even have to get his hands dirty if he doesn't mind taking the extra time to walk me through what I need to do. Either way, I want to be a part of the process to learn how to do it myself. Really, after watching the videos I could probably do it right now, but I'd feel a lot more comfortable in a garage that has all the tools under the supervision of somebody who can make sure I don't make any catastrophic mistakes. :)

The car needs a new windshield, new breaks and new tires too, but I didn't want to pay for all of that if this oil leak wasn't fixable. Once I'm sure this did the trick I'm going to be sinking even more money into it, but I'll probably get another 4 or 5 years of life out of her at least. She's already lasted me 10 years at a cost of only $2,000 and some minor repairs along the way.

I'm going to be a regular Kaylee when this is all done. :)

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Tuesday, May 15, 2018 9:07 AM (P)

Boy are you ever.

But I think you are making some wise moves with your car in the long run. And the longer you can hang onto it the better.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Thursday, May 17, 2018 12:30 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Boy are you ever.

But I think you are making some wise moves with your car in the long run. And the longer you can hang onto it the better.

Oh yeah. I looked at Carmax for a used Camry for under $7,000, which is the maximum I'll pay for a car. They didn't have one. They only had a few Corollas that had 20,000 more miles on them than my car does, although they were around 10 years newer than mine.

If I can get the oil leak under control, it's totally worth putting the money into it to get her running so that I'm not fraying my nerves every time I get on the expressway to and from work. (Winter driving was a nightmare with 4 bald tires and a massive oil leak, and no cell phone). She's only got about 150,000 miles on her and easily has another 50k if I treat her right. I'll still have the electrical issue, but that's something I've learned to adapt to and really is only a problem if it's been outside during a long spell of near 100% humidity, which is a rarity.

I only put on about 30,000 miles since it was purchased. I'll probably be damn near 50 by the time I need a new car if I can take care of these issues.

My backyard is poison city. Weed n feed spray all over the lawn and the patio, and I put 8 outdoor bait traps for the ants (that have made a small comeback). Saving the front lawn for next week, although it's all mowed so I'm no longer looking at the 2,000 dandelions..... Guh...

Let the neighbor know not to let his kids come over to my lawn for a day or two since they practice their baseball in the back yard and have to go to my lawn sometimes if the ball goes over. :)

I got a feeling I'm not going to be saving any money this year, but that's cool. My only goals are to get in even better shape and take care of all of the things I was neglecting. Once they're paid for and out of my head, I can focus on the next goals.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Thursday, May 17, 2018 6:21 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Boy are you ever.

But I think you are making some wise moves with your car in the long run. And the longer you can hang onto it the better.

Oh yeah. I looked at Carmax for a used Camry for under $7,000, which is the maximum I'll pay for a car. They didn't have one. They only had a few Corollas that had 20,000 more miles on them than my car does, although they were around 10 years newer than mine.

If I can get the oil leak under control, it's totally worth putting the money into it to get her running so that I'm not fraying my nerves every time I get on the expressway to and from work. (Winter driving was a nightmare with 4 bald tires and a massive oil leak, and no cell phone). She's only got about 150,000 miles on her and easily has another 50k if I treat her right. I'll still have the electrical issue, but that's something I've learned to adapt to and really is only a problem if it's been outside during a long spell of near 100% humidity, which is a rarity.

I only put on about 30,000 miles since it was purchased. I'll probably be damn near 50 by the time I need a new car if I can take care of these issues.

My backyard is poison city. Weed n feed spray all over the lawn and the patio, and I put 8 outdoor bait traps for the ants (that have made a small comeback). Saving the front lawn for next week, although it's all mowed so I'm no longer looking at the 2,000 dandelions..... Guh...

Let the neighbor know not to let his kids come over to my lawn for a day or two since they practice their baseball in the back yard and have to go to my lawn sometimes if the ball goes over. :)

I got a feeling I'm not going to be saving any money this year, but that's cool. My only goals are to get in even better shape and take care of all of the things I was neglecting. Once they're paid for and out of my head, I can focus on the next goals.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

I've never owned or driven a car, so I don't know much about the prices new or used either here or in the US.

No you aren't but in the long run you are. That's the way to approach things. One thing at a time. Tackle each issue as it comes up and then once it's dealt with you can basically forget about it.

BRENDA

Friday, May 18, 2018 8:15 AM (P)

Off to Alberta tomorrow for the May long weekend we got up here. See everyone when I get back.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Friday, May 18, 2018 5:46 PM (P)

Have a good time Brenda. See you when you get back. :)

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Friday, May 18, 2018 7:24 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Have a good time Brenda. See you when you get back. :)

Do Right, Be Right. :)

Thanks. I haven't been out there in almost 5years. Going to stay with some friends I met through my late guy.

Am flying out but I'm not the best flyer.

BRENDA

Wednesday, May 23, 2018 3:59 AM (P)

I'm baaaaaaaaack!!!!!!!!!!!

6IXSTRINGJACK

Wednesday, May 23, 2018 7:43 AM (P)

That was quick. Welcome back. Did you have a good time?

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Wednesday, May 23, 2018 8:00 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
That was quick. Welcome back. Did you have a good time?

Do Right, Be Right. :)

Thanks Jack. :) I just went for the May long weekend. Monday was Victoria day up here and so the friends I stayed with their kids were out of school Friday, Monday and today.

I had a really good time. Lots of talking, joking. Beautiful weather though they couldn't have a fire in their fire pit as there is a fire ban on in Alberta. It's too dry out there right now.

Went to a couple of malls, had a barbeque over the weekend. Sat out in the backyard. Really, really, nice.

BRENDA

Friday, May 25, 2018 11:27 PM (P)

Going out without my hearing aids today.

BRENDA

Saturday, May 26, 2018 11:47 PM (P)

Looking cloudy out.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Sunday, May 27, 2018 2:59 AM (P)

Sounds like a good time. :)

I think the mice must have heard me. There's been zero activity since I bought the traps. Looks like I didn't have to kill any of them afterall. Strange, that. If they were still here, they would have already gone for the peanut butter. I haven't heard a peep out of them since I put the traps out, and they were making it very obvious they were here when they were around.

The outdoor ant traps aren't working as well as I'd hoped. Those little f****ers are really getting on my nerves. Maybe I just need to give it more time. I really had a bad infestation last year. I'm thinking there are just a ton of them and probably a lot of queens.

Oh well... at least the weed poison seems to have done the trick. I'm going to go buy more and give everything a 2nd dose for good measure.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Sunday, May 27, 2018 3:06 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Sounds like a good time. :)

I think the mice must have heard me. There's been zero activity since I bought the traps. Looks like I didn't have to kill any of them afterall. Strange, that. If they were still here, they would have already gone for the peanut butter. I haven't heard a peep out of them since I put the traps out, and they were making it very obvious they were here when they were around.

The outdoor ant traps aren't working as well as I'd hoped. Those little f****ers are really getting on my nerves. Maybe I just need to give it more time. I really had a bad infestation last year. I'm thinking there are just a ton of them and probably a lot of queens.

Oh well... at least the weed poison seems to have done the trick. I'm going to go buy more and give everything a 2nd dose for good measure.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

It was a good time and I came back in a much better frame of mind. :)

Glad your mouse problem seems solved. On that one I wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Ants sound more difficult. And time could be what that problem needs.

No more weeds is a good thing too. But even dosing them, you know that they will come back.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Sunday, May 27, 2018 4:13 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Sounds like a good time. :)

I think the mice must have heard me. There's been zero activity since I bought the traps. Looks like I didn't have to kill any of them afterall. Strange, that. If they were still here, they would have already gone for the peanut butter. I haven't heard a peep out of them since I put the traps out, and they were making it very obvious they were here when they were around.

The outdoor ant traps aren't working as well as I'd hoped. Those little f****ers are really getting on my nerves. Maybe I just need to give it more time. I really had a bad infestation last year. I'm thinking there are just a ton of them and probably a lot of queens.

Oh well... at least the weed poison seems to have done the trick. I'm going to go buy more and give everything a 2nd dose for good measure.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

It was a good time and I came back in a much better frame of mind. :)

Yeah. Sometimes you just need a change of scenery for a little reset. I was hoping to do something similar with my time off right now, but it just wasn't in the cards. I'm hoping to go down south to visit my brother soon. Gotta wait until my other bro or my dad can go though.

Quote:
Glad your mouse problem seems solved. On that one I wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Ants sound more difficult. And time could be what that problem needs.

No more weeds is a good thing too. But even dosing them, you know that they will come back.

Well the mice problem is solved.... for now. I'm actually quite happy they moved on. I don't know what was here that attracted them this time, but it seems they're gone now and I didn't have to kill any of them this time. :)

I'm hoping I can at least get the ants to the point where a few traps per season will keep them away. My big problem is that I had all that firewood and other sticks and crap sitting there rotting for so long and I had no idea there was a monster colony there until I removed all of that last year. When I displaced their home, they moved all over my yard and patio and into my house. Shame on me. I know better now, but a lot of damage was done.

I'm hoping by next summer I can afford to put some nice stones down in the landscaping. It's just bare dirt around the hastas now, and the weeds are insane every year. I'm getting tired of all this work trying to keep it looking at least like somebody lives here though, so I might just get mulch instead.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Sunday, May 27, 2018 8:02 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Sounds like a good time. :)

I think the mice must have heard me. There's been zero activity since I bought the traps. Looks like I didn't have to kill any of them afterall. Strange, that. If they were still here, they would have already gone for the peanut butter. I haven't heard a peep out of them since I put the traps out, and they were making it very obvious they were here when they were around.

The outdoor ant traps aren't working as well as I'd hoped. Those little f****ers are really getting on my nerves. Maybe I just need to give it more time. I really had a bad infestation last year. I'm thinking there are just a ton of them and probably a lot of queens.

Oh well... at least the weed poison seems to have done the trick. I'm going to go buy more and give everything a 2nd dose for good measure.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

It was a good time and I came back in a much better frame of mind. :)

Quote:
Yeah. Sometimes you just need a change of scenery for a little reset. I was hoping to do something similar with my time off right now, but it just wasn't in the cards. I'm hoping to go down south to visit my brother soon. Gotta wait until my other bro or my dad can go though.[b/quote]

True enough and I will get to see them again around Christmas this year or into the new year. They have a tripped planned and are going down to the US by train. They have a stop over in Vancouver but when I get to see them will depend on their trains.

Sorry you didn't get your little trip. Hope you can work something out. We all need a break sometimes.

Quote:
Glad your mouse problem seems solved. On that one I wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Ants sound more difficult. And time could be what that problem needs.

No more weeds is a good thing too. But even dosing them, you know that they will come back.

Well the mice problem is solved.... for now. I'm actually quite happy they moved on. I don't know what was here that attracted them this time, but it seems they're gone now and I didn't have to kill any of them this time. :)

I'm hoping I can at least get the ants to the point where a few traps per season will keep them away. My big problem is that I had all that firewood and other sticks and crap sitting there rotting for so long and I had no idea there was a monster colony there until I removed all of that last year. When I displaced their home, they moved all over my yard and patio and into my house. Shame on me. I know better now, but a lot of damage was done.

I'm hoping by next summer I can afford to put some nice stones down in the landscaping. It's just bare dirt around the hastas now, and the weeds are insane every year. I'm getting tired of all this work trying to keep it looking at least like somebody lives here though, so I might just get mulch instead.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

Well, the mice I would guess found a lot of food around your place for a bit. That's probably all it was.

No wonder the ants! Wood piles like that can attract ants, termites and maybe even the mice.

I hope you can get things in better shape next year. Will make for a nicer home for you. :)

BRENDA

Friday, June 1, 2018 10:14 PM (P)

Rain still heading my way. Hasn't got here yet.

BRENDA

Saturday, June 2, 2018 8:33 AM (P)

Aaaaarrrggghhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My landlady is going to make my head explode with her idiocy. This time it is the fact that her mother can smell me cooking sausages. OMG! So now if I do that I have to open the door or a window.

Also I am not suppose to go grocery shopping. They see me leaving with a bag sometimes.

She also asked if I take food to someone because of all the cooking I do. Unlike them I have to eat as I have a blood sugar condition. Also that is none of her freaking business.

Godam people.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Saturday, June 2, 2018 5:39 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Aaaaarrrggghhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My landlady is going to make my head explode with her idiocy. This time it is the fact that her mother can smell me cooking sausages. OMG! So now if I do that I have to open the door or a window.

Also I am not suppose to go grocery shopping. They see me leaving with a bag sometimes.

She also asked if I take food to someone because of all the cooking I do. Unlike them I have to eat as I have a blood sugar condition. Also that is none of her freaking business.

Godam people.

Don't let them boss you around Brenda. There are no laws against cooking food in your apartment or bringing a bag outside with you. They can kiss your ass. I'd love to see the police's reaction to a call on either of those things.

You're right, it's none of their gorram business. None of it.

How long until you can move to the better place? Isn't that day coming soon?

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Saturday, June 2, 2018 11:23 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Aaaaarrrggghhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My landlady is going to make my head explode with her idiocy. This time it is the fact that her mother can smell me cooking sausages. OMG! So now if I do that I have to open the door or a window.

Also I am not suppose to go grocery shopping. They see me leaving with a bag sometimes.

She also asked if I take food to someone because of all the cooking I do. Unlike them I have to eat as I have a blood sugar condition. Also that is none of her freaking business.

Godam people.

Don't let them boss you around Brenda. There are no laws against cooking food in your apartment or bringing a bag outside with you. They can kiss your ass. I'd love to see the police's reaction to a call on either of those things.

You're right, it's none of their gorram business. None of it.

How long until you can move to the better place? Isn't that day coming soon?

Do Right, Be Right. :)

Not going to. Have to pick up a couple of things today as I don't want to do it on Monday.

I don't know. Have to find a place on my own because I can't get any help from any agency because I'm not old enough or whatever their boxes say.

Later Jack. Heading out for a walk.

BRENDA

Monday, June 4, 2018 9:49 AM (P)

Little over 3 hours and 15minutes till I have to change the batteries in my hearing aids for tomorrow.

1KIKI

Monday, June 4, 2018 10:09 AM (P)

Dang about the landlady. I agree with Jack. Do what you want. Let them call the police. But I also agree with you. You need to find a better place. I think yours might be making you sick.

How are the hearing aids going? Well, I hope.

SECOND is a troll because it constantly misrepresents what people post, fails to address their actual positions, and resorts to personal attacks when its brain isn't working (which is most of the time).

BRENDA

Monday, June 4, 2018 1:28 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 1kiki:
Dang about the landlady. I agree with Jack. Do what you want. Let them call the police. But I also agree with you. You need to find a better place. I think yours might be making you sick.

How are the hearing aids going? Well, I hope.

SECOND is a troll because it constantly misrepresents what people post, fails to address their actual positions, and resorts to personal attacks when its brain isn't working (which is most of the time).

I am. This place definitely isn't helping my depression any. Though I have a better handle on it than I did.

This place does aggravate my allergies for sure.

Batteries changed and the aids are helping. Just a pain to remember to change the batteries sometimes. I almost forgot tonight. Just did them a couple of minutes ago.

Discovered that I can't use them with a headset. Hurts my ears.

1KIKI

Monday, June 4, 2018 2:05 PM (P)

If the hearing aids are helping you hear, then yay!!! That's one thing going better than before.

Hope you have a good night.

SECOND is a troll because it constantly misrepresents what people post, fails to address their actual positions, and resorts to personal attacks when its brain isn't working (which is most of the time).

6IXSTRINGJACK

Monday, June 4, 2018 3:48 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Quote:
Originally posted by 1kiki:
Dang about the landlady. I agree with Jack. Do what you want. Let them call the police. But I also agree with you. You need to find a better place. I think yours might be making you sick.

How are the hearing aids going? Well, I hope.

SECOND is a troll because it constantly misrepresents what people post, fails to address their actual positions, and resorts to personal attacks when its brain isn't working (which is most of the time).

I am. This place definitely isn't helping my depression any. Though I have a better handle on it than I did.

This place does aggravate my allergies for sure.

Batteries changed and the aids are helping. Just a pain to remember to change the batteries sometimes. I almost forgot tonight. Just did them a couple of minutes ago.

Discovered that I can't use them with a headset. Hurts my ears.

Any chance you could pick up a carbon monoxide detector if you don't have one?

I'm not saying that you have a memory problem. We all forget things. But I saw a video about some Reddit "mysteries" recently where this guy was finding post it notes around his apartment in his own handwriting that he had no recollection of writing. He was actually starting to freak out that he had developed a split personality disorder.

Somebody there recommended that he get a carbon monoxide detector and he ended up having something like over 100 ppm of CO2 in his apartment. Whatever the number was, it was deadly levels and it was trashing his memory.

I wouldn't worry much about it if remembering stuff generally isn't a big deal for you, but it's something to consider investing in.

As for getting out of that place into real government housing, I think you need to keep pushing on it. Everything I was reading back when I looked into it said you have every right to do it this year. If you don't get anywhere with one person, call back and talk to another person. If nobody there is willing to help you, get in contact with your local politicians. If you still don't get anywhere, take it to the media. At that point, I'd also start taking pictures and video of the living space you have right now with emphasis on the mold and structural problems, and let whoever you're in contact with at the media know that the Government not doing their job is risking your health and your life by doing so.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

SIGNYM

Monday, June 4, 2018 5:53 PM (P)

I have been following this thread but not posting as I don't have anything to add.

I DO have some good news about our formerly homeless employee. This man, let me call him "Dave", has been living in a tent for years. We learned about him thru a former handyman/ gardener, and employed him for $100 once-per week gardening. Well, he got into temporary housing for 90 days, but like many government programs this was helpful but there was no follow-thru, so after 90 days he was into ANOTHER temporary emergency housing.

Then, thru an old classmate, he was contacted about a job up in Idaho as a RV-lot manager. In one fell swoop he not only got to leave LA (a difficult place to live at almost ANY income level!) he got a job AND a place to stay. This developer, an old classmate, bought him a whole new set of clothes and promised him his own RV. I hope things work out for "Dave". I have to say that this experience led me to see the up-sides AND the pitfalls of government programs. They're better than nothing, but they sure don't take the place of a robust economy.

If things don't work out for Dave, we will always have a job, or a reference, for him. But this sounds like such a wonderful opportunity, I think it will lead to better things for Dave.

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

As long as you insist that everything is the Republicans'/ Democrats' fault, then you fail to grasp the REAL problem with American politics.

America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876

BRENDA

Tuesday, June 5, 2018 8:12 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Quote:
Originally posted by 1kiki:
Dang about the landlady. I agree with Jack. Do what you want. Let them call the police. But I also agree with you. You need to find a better place. I think yours might be making you sick.

How are the hearing aids going? Well, I hope.

SECOND is a troll because it constantly misrepresents what people post, fails to address their actual positions, and resorts to personal attacks when its brain isn't working (which is most of the time).

I am. This place definitely isn't helping my depression any. Though I have a better handle on it than I did.

This place does aggravate my allergies for sure.

Batteries changed and the aids are helping. Just a pain to remember to change the batteries sometimes. I almost forgot tonight. Just did them a couple of minutes ago.

Discovered that I can't use them with a headset. Hurts my ears.

Any chance you could pick up a carbon monoxide detector if you don't have one?

I'm not saying that you have a memory problem. We all forget things. But I saw a video about some Reddit "mysteries" recently where this guy was finding post it notes around his apartment in his own handwriting that he had no recollection of writing. He was actually starting to freak out that he had developed a split personality disorder.

Somebody there recommended that he get a carbon monoxide detector and he ended up having something like over 100 ppm of CO2 in his apartment. Whatever the number was, it was deadly levels and it was trashing his memory.

I wouldn't worry much about it if remembering stuff generally isn't a big deal for you, but it's something to consider investing in.

As for getting out of that place into real government housing, I think you need to keep pushing on it. Everything I was reading back when I looked into it said you have every right to do it this year. If you don't get anywhere with one person, call back and talk to another person. If nobody there is willing to help you, get in contact with your local politicians. If you still don't get anywhere, take it to the media. At that point, I'd also start taking pictures and video of the living space you have right now with emphasis on the mold and structural problems, and let whoever you're in contact with at the media know that the Government not doing their job is risking your health and your life by doing so.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

My memory problems aren't connected directly to this place. They stem from the brain tumour that was almost 30years ago now. The neurosurgeon told me not to push my memory as he put it that ,"Was like being hit in the head with a 2 x 4".

So there is nothing I can do there and I will admit that the more stressed I get the worse it can get.

So no need to invest in one of those.

I am going to keep pushing on the government rentals because that is my best bet. I do not want to rent off a person again because of this situation.

Already talked to my local MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly) for my area last year and there is no help there.

Gotta get back to looking to see who can help in the media.

BRENDA

Tuesday, June 5, 2018 8:13 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 1kiki:
If the hearing aids are helping you hear, then yay!!! That's one thing going better than before.

Hope you have a good night.

SECOND is a troll because it constantly misrepresents what people post, fails to address their actual positions, and resorts to personal attacks when its brain isn't working (which is most of the time).

Yeah they are helping. So that is good.

BRENDA

Tuesday, June 5, 2018 8:15 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
I have been following this thread but not posting as I don't have anything to add.

I DO have some good news about our formerly homeless employee. This man, let me call him "Dave", has been living in a tent for years. We learned about him thru a former handyman/ gardener, and employed him for $100 once-per week gardening. Well, he got into temporary housing for 90 days, but like many government programs this was helpful but there was no follow-thru, so after 90 days he was into ANOTHER temporary emergency housing.

Then, thru an old classmate, he was contacted about a job up in Idaho as a RV-lot manager. In one fell swoop he not only got to leave LA (a difficult place to live at almost ANY income level!) he got a job AND a place to stay. This developer, an old classmate, bought him a whole new set of clothes and promised him his own RV. I hope things work out for "Dave". I have to say that this experience led me to see the up-sides AND the pitfalls of government programs. They're better than nothing, but they sure don't take the place of a robust economy.

If things don't work out for Dave, we will always have a job, or a reference, for him. But this sounds like such a wonderful opportunity, I think it will lead to better things for Dave.

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

As long as you insist that everything is the Republicans'/ Democrats' fault, then you fail to grasp the REAL problem with American politics.

America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876

I'm glad Dave is getting such a great opportunity Sig.

BRENDA

Tuesday, June 5, 2018 8:16 AM (P)

Right now I want my allergies to go away. I walked through some dandelion fluff coming back and it is still bothering me. That was almost 2hours ago.

1KIKI

Tuesday, June 5, 2018 9:02 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Right now I want my allergies to go away. I walked through some dandelion fluff coming back and it is still bothering me. That was almost 2hours ago.

I feel for you!!

Some things might help - take a shower and get into clean clothes, put your other clothes in something enclosed, like a hamper. You can carry allergens on you, especially on your hair and clothes, and they'll haunt you wherever you go.

Cetirizine antihistamine works OK, benadyl antihistamine works better but puts a lot of people to sleep.

Do you have a HEPA air cleaner? If not, I would LOVE to send you one - a reliable workhorse that just keeps on running with no fuss (except changing the filters as needed).

Wash your pillow and linens every week in super hot water, if laundry is an easy option. If not - like you have to lug it a fair way and/ or you can't get really hot water - then don't bother with this.

SECOND is a troll because it constantly misrepresents what people post, fails to address their actual positions, and resorts to personal attacks when its brain isn't working (which is most of the time).

BRENDA

Tuesday, June 5, 2018 10:19 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 1kiki:
Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Right now I want my allergies to go away. I walked through some dandelion fluff coming back and it is still bothering me. That was almost 2hours ago.
I feel for you!!

Some things might help - take a shower and get into clean clothes, put your other clothes in something enclosed, like a hamper. You can carry allergens on you, especially on your hair and clothes, and they'll haunt you wherever you go.

Cetirizine antihistamine works OK, benadyl antihistamine works better but puts a lot of people to sleep.

Do you have a HEPA air cleaner? If not, I would LOVE to send you one - a reliable workhorse that just keeps on running with no fuss (except changing the filters as needed).

Wash your pillow and linens every week in super hot water, if laundry is an easy option. If not - like you have to lug it a fair way and/ or you can't get really hot water - then don't bother with this.

SECOND is a troll because it constantly misrepresents what people post, fails to address their actual positions, and resorts to personal attacks when its brain isn't working (which is most of the time).

I did put in some eye drops a while ago and things seem to have settled down now.

Yup, that is true. Don't have room for a hamper, so I just sniffled and sneezed my way past it.

My seizure meds are sensitive to antihistamines and have to be very careful which is why I only use something by mouth when I have trouble breathing. And I have experience with Benadryl putting me to sleep. So I avoid it.

There is no where in here to plug in a heap air cleaner though I have thought of it over the years. This place has three double outlets and I don't need another extension cord to worry about tripping over. I appreciate the thought though.

No can do the linen thing. I try to vacuum as much as possible in Springtime because of my allergies.

But I am having a run of bad luck. Vac's about to go and just run out of eye drops.

BRENDA

Tuesday, June 5, 2018 10:20 AM (P)

Right now need a snack and the only thing on the menu is my seizure meds. Bleech!

BRENDA

Friday, June 8, 2018 10:50 AM (P)

I want my allergies to go away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also would like to be able to heat this azzhat place without my idiot landlady flipping out.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Friday, June 8, 2018 5:53 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
I want my allergies to go away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also would like to be able to heat this azzhat place without my idiot landlady flipping out.

Man.... I can't wait to hear that you finally got out of there. I've had some pretty terrible apartment management in my life, but I couldn't deal with what you're going through right now. I said I'd never rent again after I got out of my last apartment and they weren't half as bad as yours are. :(

It's still cold up by you?

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Saturday, June 9, 2018 3:28 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
I want my allergies to go away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also would like to be able to heat this azzhat place without my idiot landlady flipping out.

Man.... I can't wait to hear that you finally got out of there. I've had some pretty terrible apartment management in my life, but I couldn't deal with what you're going through right now. I said I'd never rent again after I got out of my last apartment and they weren't half as bad as yours are. :(

It's still cold up by you?

Do Right, Be Right. :)

Neither can I Jack. Neither can I.

That's why I want to move into an apartment so I am not under someone else's thumb. I can heat and cook and whatever how I want to.

It's Spring in BC which means on the Lower Mainland where I am rain. Which is what we got today and it is not a warm rain but cold. So, yeah I am still cold in this place.

Environment Canada is predicting a long dry, hot summer. Which will be a welcome relief to me. Bad for forest fires in my province and possibly other parts of the country. But I will welcome the heat as my allergies will go away.

BRENDA

Saturday, June 9, 2018 10:08 AM (P)

Well either my landlady or her husband decided to take it on themselves to deliver my mail and my neighbour's. He meaning my neighbour leaves his for days on end. I would have probably picked mine up tomorrow after I got back from doing my washing.

SIGNYM

Thursday, June 14, 2018 1:03 PM (P)

Quote:
Environment Canada is predicting a long dry, hot summer. Which will be a welcome relief to me. Bad for forest fires in my province and possibly other parts of the country. But I will welcome the heat as my allergies will go away.

I'm sure someone has told you this already, but if your allergies are worse in wet weather, it's probably due to mold, and not pollen. Possibly cherry blossoms just signal weather that's warm enough for the mold to start sprouting!

Yanno BRENDA, I feel that Vancouver is just not going to be the place to find reasonably-priced housing, at least not until Chinese buyers stop bidding up real estate prices so ridiculously. I know that you used to live in Edmondton, but with rising oil prices, home prices are going up too ... altho not anywhere near as ridiculous as the Vancouver area! Is it possible to move someplace else? Do you have a friend that you can stay with for a few months? Because with RE prices are they are, I think that with you trying to find decent affordable housing where you are, you're just swimming against the tide.

*******

In the meantime, "Dave" called me up from his new home in Idaho, and he sounds like a different person! Living as he was in LA .... where life is difficult at ANY income level! ... he was just being swirled around the temporary-housing bureaucracy, and in a situation where it was difficult for him to know what to do because, well, frankly ... most of the factors of his life were out of his hands anyway.

He sounded happy and confident, whereas before he was always so very, very careful not to offend, to be meek and grateful no matter how much he was kicked around. So he has a job, he knows how to do it, and it's clear to him what he needs to do to survive decently. The differences between "here" and "there" - more work; housing much much much cheaper; and wages not depressed by a large population of illegal immigrants. Plus, the intangibles: It's pretty and peaceful. I DID warn him about winter, tho! That's something he has yet to experience!

As I gathered from conversation he had never been out of LA before and was hesitant to leave, but the beauty of Idaho just blew him away. There's a place where I mow the lawn, and there are two horses there just waiting for me to feed them. _____, it's just so beautiful he said. I'm so happy for him, I hope things will continue to go well. He always has a job here, but honest to god, why would anyone move back to LA if you can go someplace else???

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

As long as you insist that everything is the Republicans'/ Democrats' fault, then you fail to grasp the REAL problem with American politics.

America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876

BRENDA

Friday, June 15, 2018 10:03 AM (P)

It probably is mold now but it does start off as pollen allergies.

It is not possible for me to go back to Alberta financially.

And no there is no one that I can stay with until I can find another place. I've already mentioned that to people and they just turn me down.

I can't move out of the area as I need transportation. I do not drive and bus service is not good when you get out into the valley also that would just isolate me. Not good for someone who suffers from mild depression.

I'm glad Dave is doing good though. I'm happy that is on a better track and happy.

SIGNYM

Friday, June 15, 2018 5:54 PM (P)

Well, yes, I thought of some alternatives for you then canceled them out because of your need for transportation. (Long story but if you're interested I'll tell you what they were.)

You also mentioned that you work for a lady somewhere? Is your job of critical importance also? Or do you think it can be replaced readily? Are there any other factors - like (a) doctor(s) who know your history - that tie you to that specific area? Because right now, you're facing a human wave of Chinese billionaires competing for living space, and until that stops (and that will only stop when you have a real estate crash) it will be very difficult to find affordable housing alternatives.

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

As long as you insist that everything is the Republicans'/ Democrats' fault, then you fail to grasp the REAL problem with American politics.

America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876

SIGNYM

Friday, June 15, 2018 6:38 PM (P)

Well, "Dave" worked for us for about 4.5 hours one day a week (from 9-2, with about 30 minutes for lunch), and he kept the place in pretty good shape. I figure if I work about a an hour a day (in the AM, when it's cool) I can keep it up, and even make some progress.

So far, the plan has been working OK, but I'm definitely going to have to hone my handyman (er, "handywoman"?) skills. Some ahole broke off an irrigation sprinkler, and unfortunately part of the "riser" thread was still stuck in the threaded "T". I tried turning it out with pliers and then making a sort of home-made easyout with a chisel which didn't work, but fortunately when shopping for replacement parts (couplers, riser, T, and glue) I found an easyout for irrigation risers, yay! That little piece was really stuck, I had to get s small piece of pipe to extend the handle of the easyout and kinda bent the handle a little, but come out it eventually did. I have a feeling that by next month I'll know everything there is to know about irrigation systems and how to fix them.

I managed to lever some 3' X 1' X 4" slabs of concrete over into the veggie garden as walkways, designed and installed some "rose trellises" from heavy-duty shelf supports attached to the block wall and 6' posts attached to the supports, and sprayed the avocado trees with Neem oil (first time they've ever been sprayed for persea mites; I used a pump-sprayer but before next weekend I'll have to fix the hose end so I can use a hose-end sprayer).

Planted four tomatoes, four eggplant, two basil, one bu chives, two zucchini, and one cantaloupe. Oh, and I trimmed and picked my Christmas lima beans (planted last winter) and gathered about 1.5 pounds. If we had to live off the garden, we'd starve, but I'm developing my "farmer" skills.

One of the things I realized is that - despite my age, aches and pains, and health issues - I still LIKE "doing things"! My happiest times as a chemist were in the lab, fixing/tweaking instruments and attempting new methods. It was something I missed when I was promoted and got buried in endless reams of paperwork and data files. I had to learn to work THRU other people .... no matter how good a person is, they can never do the work of a dozen other people ... and so the role of a supervisor is to make those dozen other people more effective and then pick up a big broom and follow the elephant parade. Still, I guess I would rather "do things myself"; it's more fun.

There are so many things to fix/ modify this summer, starting with the irrigation system and doing some major pruning on bushes encroaching on the driveway, then somewhere in the middle repairing and washing windows and ending towards winter with cleaning off the roof, cleaning out and repairing the gutters. I realize it's "low value" work, but that's the beauty of being retired ... I don't always have to be so careful with my time; I can do some of what I want.

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

As long as you insist that everything is the Republicans'/ Democrats' fault, then you fail to grasp the REAL problem with American politics.

America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876

BRENDA

Friday, June 15, 2018 10:41 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Well, yes, I thought of some alternatives for you then canceled them out because of your need for transportation. (Long story but if you're interested I'll tell you what they were.)

You also mentioned that you work for a lady somewhere? Is your job of critical importance also? Or do you think it can be replaced readily? Are there any other factors - like (a) doctor(s) who know your history - that tie you to that specific area? Because right now, you're facing a human wave of Chinese billionaires competing for living space, and until that stops (and that will only stop when you have a real estate crash) it will be very difficult to find affordable housing alternatives.

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

As long as you insist that everything is the Republicans'/ Democrats' fault, then you fail to grasp the REAL problem with American politics.

America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876

Doctors are of importance. As I have to medical clips in my left breast from mammograms finding calcifications and they needed to do a biopsy. I am clear on that but still need to go in and get that done at my local hospital every so many months. I need to be near a neurologist if my seizure meds stop working. My family doctor knows my history.

As long as I am living where I am I do need this job. And jobs are another thing that is hard to come by when you have limited work skills. I can walk to my job.

BRENDA

Saturday, June 16, 2018 3:18 AM (P)

SIG, I like doing things too. Which is another reason for staying in this area. My mah jong group meets at least 4 times a week. That I enjoy.

SIGNYM

Thursday, June 21, 2018 1:15 AM (P)

Since our gardener left for bigger and better things (Gosh, the pix he sends me of Idaho look so pretty!) I've been a lot more involved with the garden!

Right now, my poor avocados look like they're being devastated by the dastardly persea mite (Again. This is a recurring problem as the persea mite has become established in southern CA). So I did a quick spraying with Neem Oil last week, and bought some live predatory mites (Neoseiulus californicus).

Well, they arrived today and I was left puzzling over how I would distribute the damn things. First of all, they are TINY ... almost microscopic! I know because I wanted to check the delivery, so I poured it out on a piece of paper (they come mixed with vermiculite and finely-ground corncob) and saw these teeny-tiny specks running around, much MUCH smaller than the period at the end of a sentence!!

They came with small french-fry bags and the instructions say ... distribute them among the bags, staple the bags to leaves, so that the leaf reaches the bottom of the bag. This will allow the mites to crawl out of the bag.

RU effing kidding me? These are backyard avocados, not "production" avocados ... they're at least 30 feet high, and the lowest leaves are well out of reach, even with a ladder. I'm not about to reach any of the leaves, let alone staple anything to them.

Hmmm.

So I wet the tree leaves, xfered the critters (and their media) to an empty spice bottle with a "shaker" top, and taped the bottle sideways to the end of my very long avocado-picker. That way, I could hoist the bottle into the tree, rotate the picker so the bottle was upside-down, and bang the picker against a branch/ over a bunch of leaves until I saw media falling out. I'm sure I xfered SOME of the critters into the trees, I hope it was enough. I'll just have to keep checking the progress of the trees. Fingers crossed!

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

As long as you insist that everything is the Republicans'/ Democrats' fault, then you fail to grasp the REAL problem with American politics.

America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876

6IXSTRINGJACK

Thursday, June 21, 2018 3:06 AM (P)

The ants, I do believe, are finally gone. :)

Amdro ant block is probably the best thing I've bought since I bought my house.

The little indoor bait traps did eventually get the ones in my living room gone, and I had even thought they were successful in getting them out of my kitchen too, but then the weather got warm there seemed to be no stopping the hoards of them coming inside. Every time I'd make a pot of coffee go back for a refill, I'd lose 5 minutes killing about 100 of them with my fingers, only to come back later and kill 100 more!

I was out on the front steps taking a break in the middle of mowing my lawn when I saw what was happening. Along my front concrete patio there were 8 trails of ants marching back and forth between the front of my house and the hasta beds. Not just a few here or there, but a constant progression of armies of them!!!!!

I took my bottle of Amdro ant block that seems to have been successfully killing the ones on the back paver patio to the front and sprinkled just a little bit at the front of the lines where the dirt met the patio and even more along side of the house. The next day there were literally thousands of ant carcasses surrounding each pile of the bait. There was still some residual marching to and fro, so I put a second application down, and by the next day there was no activity at all outside. I haven't seen a single ant in my house for days now either.

Even on the back patio where the activity was the highest and they totally decimated it by pulling up all the sand from under the pavers, the activity has slowed to a crawl. Most of the ant hills have died (the telltale sign being the holes are closed up), and all it takes is a small sprinkle of the stuff when a new one pops up and they're gone.

After two years of trying different types of poisons and even considering paying big bucks for the Orkin man to come around, a single 7 dollar bottle of the stuff was all it took. :)

Do Right, Be Right. :)

SIGNYM

Thursday, June 21, 2018 5:30 AM (P)

Quote:
the activity has slowed to a crawl.- SIX

HAHAHA!

No pun intended???

Around our house, the ants are small and polite. They only come in once in a while. Plus, they keep the subterranean termites away, so I'm happy with the ant-ecology here! But, should the situation ever get out of hand, I'll definitely keep it in mind!

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

As long as you insist that everything is the Republicans'/ Democrats' fault, then you fail to grasp the REAL problem with American politics.

America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876

6IXSTRINGJACK

Thursday, June 21, 2018 10:36 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Quote:
the activity has slowed to a crawl.- SIX
HAHAHA!

No pun intended???

Around our house, the ants are small and polite. They only come in once in a while. Plus, they keep the subterranean termites away, so I'm happy with the ant-ecology here! But, should the situation ever get out of hand, I'll definitely keep it in mind!

Can't say I can take credit for the pun.

The ants I had were all small ones. I've seen big black ants before, and these weren't them. That's actually probably the reason I never noticed them out in the front porch before. That's not the first time in the last two summers I'd stopped to have a coffee and a smoke while mowing my lawn. I probably only noticed them now because the sheer volume of them was outstanding and it was practically making solid black lines going into and out of my house. The majority of them that were inside my house must have been in the crawl space under the visqueen where I'd never notice them, because at the rate they were coming in there had to be 10 times as many inside the house than I was seeing in the kitchen.

Funny thing was that second day when the activity was almost gone I noticed the ants were even smaller. I figure the ones that were left weren't even matured and the hives were in desperation mode at that point. (Hives plural, because I'd imagine with how many were around my house since last summer there must have been quite a few queens).

For anybody having similar issues, I now swear by this stuff. You're going to want to make sure to keep the dogs and any kids away from the areas you apply it for a few days though.

https://www.amazon.com/Amdro-Block-Home-Perimeter-Granules/dp/B001H1JK
SY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1529555287&sr=8-3&keywords=amdro+ant+block

I'd shop around... This Amazon listing is really high priced. I got the same size bottle for less than half this price at Menards. It looks like the only bottles on Amazon that are worth the price are the much larger ones that aren't all that much more expensive than the 12oz bottle. My Menards didn't have a larger size. You probably won't need more than 12 ounces though. I'll buy a second bottle when this runs out just to have on hand to prevent this from getting out of control again in the future, but I doubt that I'm going to even use the whole bottle by the time this is taken care of.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Friday, June 22, 2018 8:08 AM (P)

First day of summer and it was trying to rain up here. Don't know about the weekend. I hope not.

BRENDA

Saturday, June 30, 2018 5:47 AM (P)

Rain today. Could mean a soggy Canada Day on Sunday. Hope not.

SIGNYM

Saturday, June 30, 2018 7:33 AM (P)

Happy Canada Day! May the weather be bright, sunny, and warm!

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

As long as you insist that everything is the Republicans'/ Democrats' fault, then you fail to grasp the REAL problem with American politics.

America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876

SIGNYM

Saturday, June 30, 2018 7:38 AM (P)

I mentioned somewhere that I had surgery on the 28th. It was sinus surgery to (hopefully) clear up the chronic sinusitis that I've had since last Thanksgiving, when I could no longer smell ANYthing. (Garlic, vanilla, strawberries ... all the same to me. Can't smell smoke, either.)

I kept asking them what they would be doing... turns out that they run a tiny camera up your nose and just do whatever they think needs doing: In my case, bilateral maxillary sinuses (which I expected), bilateral ethmoid sinuses (not expected but not exactly a surprise either) and turbinate trimming (a total surprise).

It was the worst anesthesia I've ever had, both going under and coming out I felt as if I were suffocating. But my nose has more-or-less stopped dripping blood so I hope that the swelling will go down soon and then I can get a decent night's sleep.

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

As long as you insist that everything is the Republicans'/ Democrats' fault, then you fail to grasp the REAL problem with American politics.

America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876

BRENDA

Saturday, June 30, 2018 8:26 AM (P)

Thanks Signy.

Glad your surgery went okay and I think you did mention it up the thread somewhere.

Camera up the nose sounds almost like laposcopic surgery that they do nowadays for gallbladder removal.

I've had that done and was bummed out that I wouldn't get to see what they were doing to me.

SIGNYM

Saturday, June 30, 2018 8:51 AM (P)

Quote:
Camera up the nose sounds almost like laposcopic surgery that they do nowadays for gallbladder removal. I've had that done and was bummed out that I wouldn't get to see what they were doing to me.

I think that's it exactly - laparoscopic procedure. How was your recovery from gallbladder? That's a lot more consequential than sinus surgery!

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

As long as you insist that everything is the Republicans'/ Democrats' fault, then you fail to grasp the REAL problem with American politics.

America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876

SIGNYM

Wednesday, July 4, 2018 1:17 AM (P)

I got some Xmas Lima beans seeds from a neighbor, and yesterday I made ham and bean soup using homegrown limas. It was GREAT!! (Or, that's what the family said anyway; I wouldn't know). Used up some pork and chicken drippings to make the broth tastier, too.

This looks like another hot humid summer. The avocado tree leaves have been decimated by the persea mite; I guess I didn't spray and release "good bugs" soon enough. Next year, I'll do better.

And family obligations once again take center stage, so I'll be around less. Happy Fourth, for those who celebrate!

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

As long as you insist that everything is the Republicans'/ Democrats' fault, then you fail to grasp the REAL problem with American politics.

America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876

BRENDA

Wednesday, July 4, 2018 3:55 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Quote:
Camera up the nose sounds almost like laposcopic surgery that they do nowadays for gallbladder removal. I've had that done and was bummed out that I wouldn't get to see what they were doing to me.
I think that's it exactly - laparoscopic procedure. How was your recovery from gallbladder? That's a lot more consequential than sinus surgery!

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

As long as you insist that everything is the Republicans'/ Democrats' fault, then you fail to grasp the REAL problem with American politics.

America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876

My recovery was good. Now, I had that done about 20years ago. For the first couple of days after I was sore and stiff, walking kind of hunched over. But I wasn't in any pain and healed very quickly. No infection, stitches came out cleanly.

BRENDA

Wednesday, July 4, 2018 3:57 AM (P)

Suppose to hit 29C tomorrow which is about 88F. I kind of hope it does.

SIGNYM

Wednesday, July 4, 2018 6:38 AM (P)

Quote:
My recovery was good. Now, I had that done about 20years ago. For the first couple of days after I was sore and stiff, walking kind of hunched over. But I wasn't in any pain and healed very quickly. No infection, stitches came out cleanly.

Wow, that WAS a good recovery! I remember when my dad had his gallbladder out, that was b4 laparoscopy, and they had to use the "whipple" incision which went from the belly button to the breastbone. Oh, that was bad!

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Suppose to hit 29C tomorrow which is about 88F. I kind of hope it does.

IMHO there are two kinds of people in the world - those who like hot weather, and those who don't. I'm the kind that doesn't. Kind of ironic, don't you think BRENDA, that I'm in LA and I hate hot weather and you're near Vancouver and you hate cold weather?

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

As long as you insist that everything is the Republicans'/ Democrats' fault, then you fail to grasp the REAL problem with American politics.

America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876

6IXSTRINGJACK

Wednesday, July 4, 2018 7:01 AM (P)

I don't like either, really...

It topped out at 90 degrees in my house the other day. During the winter I keep the thermostat at around 58. I guess I prefer the winter more these days. You can always put on another layer of clothes.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Wednesday, July 4, 2018 7:15 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Quote:
My recovery was good. Now, I had that done about 20years ago. For the first couple of days after I was sore and stiff, walking kind of hunched over. But I wasn't in any pain and healed very quickly. No infection, stitches came out cleanly.

Quote:
Wow, that WAS a good recovery! I remember when my dad had his gallbladder out, that was b4 laparoscopy, and they had to use the "whipple" incision which went from the belly button to the breastbone. Oh, that was bad!
Quote:

My mom had her gallbladder removed before laparoscopic surgery too. She had a nice scar on her abdomen from it but then hers had been infected before she went in for surgery. So the surgeon had to insert a tube for drainage. I can remember her telling me how painful removal of that tube was.

Originally posted by Brenda:
Suppose to hit 29C tomorrow which is about 88F. I kind of hope it does.
IMHO there are two kinds of people in the world - those who like hot weather, and those who don't. I'm the kind that doesn't. Kind of ironic, don't you think BRENDA, that I'm in LA and I hate hot weather and you're near Vancouver and you hate cold weather?
Quote:

I have to admit that I agree with you Signy and it is. But there is a medical reason why I can handle the heat. My blood pressure is normally low. The only real problem I have is that it messes with my blood sugar until my body gets used to it. Once my blood sugar settles down I am fine.

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

As long as you insist that everything is the Republicans'/ Democrats' fault, then you fail to grasp the REAL problem with American politics.

America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876

1KIKI

Wednesday, July 4, 2018 11:09 AM (P)

Jack - just speaking of ants ... so I looked up Amdro for Argentinian ants because those are the little buggers we have here. It would work well! Only, this year I don't have any ants ... so far. I did have the heavily lead-contaminated soil dug up around my house and filled with clean dirt and decomposed granite on top. Maybe THAT fixed my ant problem ... so far? I dunno. It's not that I miss them or anything, but I'd like to know what worked ... so far.

In any case, if they come back, I will definitely be getting Amdro. Thank you for the tip. :)

SECOND is a troll because it constantly misrepresents what people post, fails to address their actual positions, and resorts to personal attacks when its brain isn't working (which is most of the time).

6IXSTRINGJACK

Wednesday, July 4, 2018 5:49 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 1kiki:
Jack - just speaking of ants ... so I looked up Amdro for Argentinian ants because those are the little buggers we have here. It would work well! Only, this year I don't have any ants ... so far. I did have the heavily lead-contaminated soil dug up around my house and filled with clean dirt and decomposed granite on top. Maybe THAT fixed my ant problem ... so far? I dunno. It's not that I miss them or anything, but I'd like to know what worked ... so far.

In any case, if they come back, I will definitely be getting Amdro. Thank you for the tip. :)

No problem.

Seriously... the stuff is amazing. I'm usually really skeptical about everything and I rarely ever go out of my way to sing praises for any products out there, but that 8 dollar bottle of Amdro helped me get my house back. :)

Defo way cheaper to buy it at Menards than on Amazon though, at least if it's the same price in the stores by you. I just went back there to buy some more and take another item back and I verified the price. They also had the 24 oz bottle this time as well for under 12 bucks.

The cheapest I found the 12 oz bottle on Amazon was $12.91, and the cheapest they had the 24 oz bottle was $19.36.

This 24 oz bottle should be more than I need. I've beaten them back. They're completely gone from the back patio they were destroying. They had made a small comeback in the front of my house, but I put a few little piles out there and that was that. I think I'm going to slowly start moving out in circles around the perimeter of my house with it and see if I can't just completely eradicate them from my property now.

Glad to hear that they weren't a problem for you this year. I don't know if the wind or water gets to it, or if ants have always come and gotten all of them eventually, but it seems like whenever I drop the stuff there isn't a trace of it left after about 3 or 4 days. Just remember if you ever need to use this stuff not to use it around areas where you'd have pets or children for a few days. It's got to be seriously poisonous.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Thursday, July 5, 2018 9:01 AM (P)

Rain, rain go away. Come back another day.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Thursday, July 5, 2018 6:16 PM (P)

Dietary breakthrough :)

I didn't want to say anything yesterday, because I thought it was just a fluke.

At lunch I tested my blood pressure and I was around 145/85, with BPM around 85 to 90. This was by far the best reading in all 3 categories I've ever had since I tested it in the last 5 years.

I tested it again today and I was 130/91 with BPM of 91.

This still isn't "good", mind, but for me those back to back readings are amazing.

I never seriously calculated averages before, but if I were to guess my normal numbers were around 150-155/90-98 with a BPM of 105-115.

I'm going to just keep doing what I'm doing and I may be able to fix this on my own without BP meds yet.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Friday, July 6, 2018 5:55 AM (P)

Good for you Jack and I hope you can fix it without BP meds.

SIGNYM

Friday, July 6, 2018 12:32 PM (P)

Damn, SIX! That's progress. Did you add anything special to that diet of yours????

*****

BRENDA ... OMFG if you can believe it, we're predicted to reach 108 F tomorrow in my fair city. Rain, rain, go away from BC and come here!.

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

As long as you insist that everything is the Republicans'/ Democrats' fault, then you fail to grasp the REAL problem with American politics.

America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876

BRENDA

Friday, July 6, 2018 1:01 PM (P)

108F, yes I can believe it Sig. I wish I could send the rain down there.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Friday, July 6, 2018 5:58 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Good for you Jack and I hope you can fix it without BP meds.

Thanks! Me too. :)

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Damn, SIX! That's progress. Did you add anything special to that diet of yours????

Just the canola oil, actually. Not sure if it could have results that fast on top of the rest of my new diet, but I'm not going to stop it now.

I think I'm sleeping better too. :)

Do Right, Be Right. :)

6IXSTRINGJACK

Saturday, July 7, 2018 6:12 PM (P)

136 over 86 with a BPM of 84 today. :)

Fourth day straight and I only had a moderate amount of pain in my feet between last break and end of shift. Was able to walk fine from my car to the house, which after the half hour drive is when it would really hurt and I'd be walking inside like I've got a stick up my ass.

I've got two more days, so I do expect a bit of pain in the future, but usually by day four I'm in agony by the end of the night.

It's been a long time since the phrase "my new normal" has been anything but bad news. I could get used to this.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

SIGNYM

Saturday, July 7, 2018 8:53 PM (P)

SIX: I'm so happy for you! This is nothing but good news! :D

******

Meanwhile, here is So Cal .... it was brutally fucking hot today in my fair suburb of LA. 109 F. Needless to say, I sure didn't plan any gardening, but we did run a number of errands and every time we stepped out of the house/vehicle/ Post Office/ store it was like walking into an oven. The only time I felt something like that was in Phoenix when I helped someone drive their car over there. I can't believe that people actually choose to live there. But then, I'm here in the armpit of the west, so .... hmmm....

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

As long as you insist that everything is the Republicans'/ Democrats' fault, then you fail to grasp the REAL problem with American politics.

America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876

BRENDA

Sunday, July 8, 2018 2:55 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
SIX: I'm so happy for you! This is nothing but good news! :D

******

Meanwhile, here is So Cal .... it was brutally fucking hot today in my fair suburb of LA. 109 F. Needless to say, I sure didn't plan any gardening, but we did run a number of errands and every time we stepped out of the house/vehicle/ Post Office/ store it was like walking into an oven. The only time I felt something like that was in Phoenix when I helped someone drive their car over there. I can't believe that people actually choose to live there. But then, I'm here in the armpit of the west, so .... hmmm....

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

As long as you insist that everything is the Republicans'/ Democrats' fault, then you fail to grasp the REAL problem with American politics.

America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876

Oh sweet heat. Been a couple of reasonably warm almost hot days up here over the week. But today it is trying to rain as I was going out to get my laundry done. Luckily it has held off.

1KIKI

Sunday, July 8, 2018 9:09 AM (P)

Hey Jack!

I'm so happy to read the good news!!

SECOND is a troll because it constantly misrepresents what people post, fails to address their actual positions, and resorts to personal attacks when its brain isn't working (which is most of the time).

6IXSTRINGJACK

Sunday, July 8, 2018 6:19 PM (P)

Thanks everybody!!!

And thanks again for any dietary tips. Can't be sure, but I think putting that canola oil into my diet might have been what finally made the dam break? I had kind of plateaued on any health improvements for a while but only about a half week after starting with the canola oil on top of everything else did I start seeing these results on both my BP and the pain issue. :)

By the way, today was even better...

135 over 79, with a BPM of 84!

I always take these numbers after I've been working for at least 90 minutes too, right before a break. That way I didn't just ingest coffee or a cigarette and inflate the numbers that way. So chances are if I ever tested it while truly "at rest" I just might be copacetic now.

Day five out of six straight and like yesterday the foot pain was only mild and was gone by the time I got home from work.

This is such a huge change from even only a few weeks ago.

An older woman who comes in around 3AM every morning that we've developed quite a rapport comes up and says to me today "lift up your shirt". I laughed and said "what?". She told me to lift my sleeve. So I did and she said "that's what I thought". I asked her what she meant and she said that she was lifting a few of the gatorade and juice packages to fulfill customer orders and she's already out of energy by first break. She didn't know how I could do that all night and she wanted to see my muscles. :)

My job wasn't nearly this physical when I started, and frankly I wouldn't have been able to handle it if it were. It's now known that whenever I work at night I get all the heavy stuff, and I only get help if there was too much in that area and I let them know that I require some toward the end of the night.

For what they're paying me, it would almost completely be a waste of time for me to work there all night if I wasn't also getting a killer workout every night too. I'm glad my body is finally agreeing with me and that it's starting to become almost easy to do at this point. If I'm still working there by this time next year I'll be palming 50lb containers and tossing them with one hand. :)

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Monday, July 9, 2018 8:28 AM (P)

Starting to look for a publisher again. But sticking to my own side of the border.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Monday, July 9, 2018 6:09 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Starting to look for a publisher again. But sticking to my own side of the border.

Good luck with that Brenda. Wish I could give you some advice, but I don't know anything about writing and publishing. Don't let somebody beat you up into a one-sided contract though.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

6IXSTRINGJACK

Monday, July 9, 2018 6:16 PM (P)

Sixth day is done at last, and hardly any foot pain at all. :)

BP was quite a bit higher when I tested it today than any other day this week at 137 over 91, but the BPM was still really low at 84 compared to my "old" usual of around 110... so there's that. Still not really worried about the higher reading today. All of those numbers are still much lower than I was consistently testing up before the last week, and since all of these tests are being done during breaks in between some pretty hard labor, they're all higher than they'd actually be at rest.

I'm also wondering if my scale at home is not accurate. The same unit also tests your weight, and the two times I tested that this week it said 144 and 145lbs. That seems low to me by about 5-8 lbs, especially considering I'm fully clothed when I test it there. My scale at home always shows 150-155lbs for the last few months. The only other time I tested my weight on that was around 4 months ago and it read 160+, so that's about in line with what my scale at home has said I lost in that time.

Oh well... not really important. It's not like I'm coming up to a weigh in or anything. I think my days of bare knuckle boxing are far behind me.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Tuesday, July 10, 2018 7:14 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Starting to look for a publisher again. But sticking to my own side of the border.

Good luck with that Brenda. Wish I could give you some advice, but I don't know anything about writing and publishing. Don't let somebody beat you up into a one-sided contract though.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

Thanks Jack. I won't. And I just hope I can find one. So *fingers crossed*

SIGNYM

Tuesday, July 10, 2018 10:20 AM (P)

Quote:
Starting to look for a publisher again. But sticking to my own side of the border.- BRENDA

Good luck with that Brenda. Wish I could give you some advice, but I don't know anything about writing and publishing. Don't let somebody beat you up into a one-sided contract though - SIX

Thanks Jack. I won't. And I just hope I can find one. So *fingers crossed* - BRENDA

Like SIX, I know nothing about publishing. But if you have difficulty finding a publisher, there are - supposedly - online publishers who can get your story in e-format. Also, I have heard about self-publishing. My sis used to be a scientific editor, maybe she can fill me in.

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

As long as you insist that everything is the Republicans'/ Democrats' fault, then you fail to grasp the REAL problem with American politics.

America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876

SIGNYM

Tuesday, July 10, 2018 11:11 AM (P)

So, even tho I literally can't smell shit, I am still the family cook! So I came up with a recipes that tastes great (family says), that does great things for hubby's blood sugar, and is cheap!

Ham and bean soup

3 T canola oil
1 c chopped onion, approx 1/2 lb ($1)
2 c peeled sliced carrots, approx 1 lb ($2)
2 c sliced celery, approx 1 lb ($2)
1 diced green or red bell pepper ($1-$2) or minced jalapenos if you like hot!
2 box (4 c each) low-sodium chicken broth ($2 each = $4)
1 1-lb lean ham, cubed ($5)
3 bay leaves
1 splootch ketchup (2-3 T)
4 c cooked beans ($6)
whatever green vegetable available (sliced zucchini; or large handful of chopped spinach, kale, beet, turnip or mustard greens; or parsley; etc) ($2)

Heat oil in large pot, add onion and sautee until golden
Add carrot, celery, and pepper; sautee until just softened
Add ham, broth, ketchup, bay leaves, and beans
Heat to simmer, and simmer until vegetables are soft
Add greens, and cook until wilted/ soft

This makes 8 3-cup servings. Each serving has 20 grams of protein and 2 servings of vegetables (more, if you add more vegetables!), so each serving is an entire meal, for less than $3!

******

I'm working on reproducing a commercially-available pineapple-teriyaki chicken meatball that the family likes; I just HATE buying expensive stuff if I can make it myself!

So I'm closing in on a recipe, and so far its:

1 lb ground turkey
1/2 c dried sugared pineapple
2 T flour (I use quinoa flour)
2 T soy sauce (or, in my case, gluten-free tamari sauce)
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t ginger powder
1/4 t freshly ground pepper

Place the pineapple and flour in a food processor, and process until smooth (it will turn into a sticky ball)

Mix ingredients into the ground turkey (break the pineapple ball up into small pieces before mixing into the turkey; it's a royal pain)

Shape into approx 1.5" meatballs, and brown in grapeseed or canola oil.

It tastes great just the way it is (family says). Just a few more tweaks, and it'll be just like the commercial product (I'm using dear daughter as my taste-tester)

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

As long as you insist that everything is the Republicans'/ Democrats' fault, then you fail to grasp the REAL problem with American politics.

America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876

1KIKI

Tuesday, July 10, 2018 12:05 PM (P)

Sigh. I wish I could help you out, Brenda.

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Starting to look for a publisher again. But sticking to my own side of the border.

Good luck with that Brenda. Wish I could give you some advice, but I don't know anything about writing and publishing. Don't let somebody beat you up into a one-sided contract though.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

Thanks Jack. I won't. And I just hope I can find one. So *fingers crossed*

SECOND is a troll because it constantly misrepresents what people post, fails to address their actual positions, and resorts to personal attacks when its brain isn't working (which is most of the time).

SIGNYM

Wednesday, July 11, 2018 12:31 AM (P)

Saw my ENT post-op. He said my sinuses were "very difficult". They roto-rootered my maxillary and ethmoid sinuses, but because the sinuses drain under the middle turbinates which insisted on blocking up the sinus passages, AND my septum was deviated enough to make the right side inaccessible, they had to put (dissolvable) stents in my sinuses, starting at the left-hand side, then move my septum over and finish the right-hand side. Also, they put (dissolvable) staples thru my septum to tack the two sides together, which kind of explains the hard, shiny, wire-like thing that came out of my nose yesterday! Because the surgery was difficult and the healing slower than normal, I'm to go back in two weeks. Meanwhile, hubby has more consequential surgery coming up this Thursday.

*****

As part of the home renovation we are picking thru our belongings, including a "cleaning up the garage" project. I unearthed some incredibly filthy red/white/blue mo-cycle tiedowns, back from the days of my 'wild youth" when we had a pair of light blue Yamaha TY250 trials bikes. I didn't want to spend a lot of time cleaning them up so I dunked them in water with dish detergent ... it's amazing what dish detergent can do! Now, they're at least clean enough to give away. Sigh. One more indication of "the things I used to do".

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

As long as you insist that everything is the Republicans'/ Democrats' fault, then you fail to grasp the REAL problem with American politics.

America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876

1KIKI

Wednesday, July 11, 2018 1:40 AM (P)

You have to have energy to look back at 'things I used to do' with regret. I look at them and think - thank gawd I'm past that!

SECOND is a troll because it constantly misrepresents what people post, fails to address their actual positions, and resorts to personal attacks when its brain isn't working (which is most of the time).

BRENDA

Wednesday, July 11, 2018 3:47 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Quote:
Starting to look for a publisher again. But sticking to my own side of the border.- BRENDA

Good luck with that Brenda. Wish I could give you some advice, but I don't know anything about writing and publishing. Don't let somebody beat you up into a one-sided contract though - SIX

Thanks Jack. I won't. And I just hope I can find one. So *fingers crossed* - BRENDA
Like SIX, I know nothing about publishing. But if you have difficulty finding a publisher, there are - supposedly - online publishers who can get your story in e-format. Also, I have heard about self-publishing. My sis used to be a scientific editor, maybe she can fill me in.

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

As long as you insist that everything is the Republicans'/ Democrats' fault, then you fail to grasp the REAL problem with American politics.

America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876

I have to go back and take another look at e-publishers. Self-publishing is out of my financial range. Not that I haven't thought about self-publishing but the prices.

BRENDA

Wednesday, July 11, 2018 3:48 AM (P)

Thanks Kiki. I will just keep plugging away. Something has to break sooner or later.

BRENDA

Wednesday, July 11, 2018 3:52 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Saw my ENT post-op. He said my sinuses were "very difficult". They roto-rootered my maxillary and ethmoid sinuses, but because the sinuses drain under the middle turbinates which insisted on blocking up the sinus passages, AND my septum was deviated enough to make the right side inaccessible, they had to put (dissolvable) stents in my sinuses, starting at the left-hand side, then move my septum over and finish the right-hand side. Also, they put (dissolvable) staples thru my septum to tack the two sides together, which kind of explains the hard, shiny, wire-like thing that came out of my nose yesterday! Because the surgery was difficult and the healing slower than normal, I'm to go back in two weeks. Meanwhile, hubby has more consequential surgery coming up this Thursday.[b/quote]

I wish your husband luck. I don't think doing anyone sinuses is easy.

*****

Quote:
As part of the home renovation we are picking thru our belongings, including a "cleaning up the garage" project. I unearthed some incredibly filthy red/white/blue mo-cycle tiedowns, back from the days of my 'wild youth" when we had a pair of light blue Yamaha TY250 trials bikes. I didn't want to spend a lot of time cleaning them up so I dunked them in water with dish detergent ... it's amazing what dish detergent can do! Now, they're at least clean enough to give away. Sigh. One more indication of "the things I used to do".

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

As long as you insist that everything is the Republicans'/ Democrats' fault, then you fail to grasp the REAL problem with American politics.

America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876

I would love to be able to go through my stuff and see what may or may not be broken because of all the moving I have done over the last few years. This place is just not a good place to do anything like that.

To repeat myself. I wish your husband luck on Thursday with his surgery. Also I don't think surgery on anyone's sinuses is actually easy.

BRENDA

Wednesday, July 11, 2018 3:54 AM (P)

I have actually seen sprinklers on today. I can't help but think what a bunch of blockheads, especially with all the rain we have had.

FIRST PAGE PREV PAGE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 NEXT PAGE LAST PAGE