Carol, I read the article you posted on statins. It is very interesting. I know so many people on statins. John's doc is an excellent internist. He sees him every 3 months. He has never had John do a stress test.
Awww Jan. Those are great pics. Should have posted them earlier. If you have more just keep posting them every couple of days. We all love the pics. I like your new friends.
The top 2 pics were in Costa Maya. The last 3 pics were taken in Roatan Honduras. I will post some more later. The dolphins are so amazing. I love the sea lions too.
The sea lions are like little kids. When we first approached their area, they stayed away from us. We sat on a bench to rest and after about 15 minutes they lost their shyness and came up to the fence closer to us and played together. The bottom 3 pics are taken at an animal shelter. All the animals there were rescued from different situations.
Jan, a welcome surprise...all of it looks like so much fun...
We are managing here, just going about what has to be done, hoping it will end soon...but so far no end in sight...the tremendous amounts of snow everywhere are just so depressing...will take a long time to melt, whenever the temps actually stay above 35 for awhile...
Coreen, thinking about you here. This must be the worst winter for your area. I wish we would get some snow. Very dry here. If we don't get some moisture soon, we will be having fire danger later on. Wish you could send some snow here.
we just got word that one of my nephews is in Intensive Care with an aortic aneurism. His blood pressure is very high. They must get it down. Don't know yet whether they will consider surgery. His brother is a doc and he is in a major hosp so I am sure he is getting good care.
Carol, I am still thinking about your comment on another post about you and Arthur and Katie. I wonder where Katie is now. She had 2 boys I think. They are grown now I am sure. The last time I saw her was when we went to Colo springs on our way to ski. I got cards from her at Christmas for several years but I have moved so much that we lost touch with each other. When did you last hear from her?
The other day I linked a story about the Florida R Rep who wanted a law to seriously fine or imprison any medical person who asked parents about having any guns in the house so they could do safety teaching. Today I read a story on Huff Post about a 5 year old kid who had a loaded gun fall out of his pocket at school. Hmmmm.
That law would affect my work. We have women who are being physically abused - and I ask if they have any weapons in the house to determine lethality of the woman's situation- especially if she has kids in the home.
Yes Carol, we are definitely going to have colder weather and predicted to have 6-10 inches of snow. brrr. Maybe I will get some snow days off. Wouldn't bother me.
Our winter weather has arrived. The temp has dropped greatly in the past hour. We are getting a wet snow. I have a home visit in the morning but I am not driving if the roads are slippery.
Do you have plenty of milk, bread and toilet paper Jan?
I'm not sure why people run and clear out the stores of that stuff before a storm. I usually get enough when I shop to last at least a week. I could actually last a couple of months here without going to the store. I would be in trouble if the power went out unless it was cold outside.
Our temps are also dipping starting tomorrow and there is a slight chance of the white stuff overnight Thursday/Friday morning. Chloe also...40%. Highs aren't getting out of the 40s, lows in the 20s for several days so it will be cold in owl camp. Yuk. With the warmer weather here the last several days, it's been the first time I've been close to getting 70 degrees inside.
Our precip has stopped. Supposed to be really cold. We have plenty of everything. We are a mile from grocery. I can always walk there if I need anything. I am still planning my home visit tomorrow morn. Students need experiences so "off we go"
We are having winter weather storm. streets are bad. schools closed (thank goodness). I did a home visit health screen this morning with a mom and her child. I didn't have to do it, but she had taken off work for the screening. She does not get paid when she takes off. John drove me there. Streets were bad but we made it there and back.
Stay safe you guys. Glad you're back home Jan. I had to go to Lafayette for a meeting this morning. While there, there was a tornado warning here. I was worried about Maggie in this tree house all alone, but I'm home now and everything is still standing. It's suppose to be in the low 20s here tonight and we had so much rain that there's water over the road out here. If that turns to ice, I'm not getting out tomorrow. The road runs right along the river and one false slip and it's not good.
They keep changing our forecast for Thursday and Friday with threats of ice and snow. We don't do that well down here.
Sorry to hear you guys are experiencing a little of the disastrous winter we have had since the day after Christmas...the only good thing for you is that there will be a warm up relatively quick...that is the problem here, no real warm days (over 35)....
So far we are ok here...the first storm passed with about 2" of icy snow...but they are bombarding us with the threat of the ice storm crossing the midwest...have to say that the media has terrified so many people with this weather...from the large amounts of snow on roofs, to the ice that may down trees & power, they have everyone spooked...
As far as my house, there is a lot of snow on the roof, maybe 18" on my kitchen roof where the skylights are, the porch & the garage, the other high roof has a lot of snow, but not as much as the rest...
When I was out yesterday, most of the homes were covered with lots of snow like mine, lots of really long icicles all over & the majority had not had any snow removed...remember roofs on these homes are pretty high, hopefully the pitch will prevent problems..like leaks &/or collapse...just hoping against a disaster...
My biggest fear is losing electricity & of course heat...I had them deliver oil yesterday thankfully, but if the ice storm does cause power loss, not sure what will happen...
Carol, remember I lost power in that summer storm for over a day & that was really awful, but it would be worse now, since it is so cold...
One of my friends was in a hardware store today getting ice melt & he said there was a big line of people he thought were waiting to pay, but they said they were there waiting for a delivery of roof rakes...
P.S. Hope no one utters the words 'global warming/climate change' as the cause of this horrendous winter!!! in my presence, since my response would be less than respectful...
And Carol, we keep the heat between 68 to 70,71 which is comfortable for us...
Ok, here's the latest ice storm waring...it is freezing drizzle now, will turn to freezing rain during the overnight hours...they expect significant icing in the a.m...a coating to 1/4" ice south of the Merritt Parkway & 1/4" to 1/2" ice north of the Parkway...
I live 4 miles north of the Parkway...so it remains to be seen just how far 'north of the Parkway' will have the most ice....1/2" of ice on power lines will snap them...so we shall see what happens by the morning...
We had an ice storm a long time ago...while the visions of the ice coated trees & everything else always make great pics...it was a nightmare to experience, which I am hoping not to repeat now...
Oh Coreen, I hear ya, we did have an ice storm here in the early 90s and it was horrible. I was at my house and it's almost as airy as my camp but with a better heater, heat pump, but had no power for three days. My house is in the piney woods and when I went outside, it sounded like a war zone. You would hear the trees cracking and then the huge pine trees would lose branches and hit the ground like bombs going off.
I have a small fireplace that I found is mainly for looks. I did keep a fire going but could only warm up one butt check if I sat on the hearth. Mary had power in her part of town but I had a zoo, two birds, a cat and dog, so I didn't want to pack them up to leave.
I'll pray that you don't have another one. And yes, we're due to warm up by Saturday and Sunday.
Coreen, you definitely win the prize for worst weather. At least we can get out and about. Take care. The ice storms are the worst. We had those in Arkansas. I can see why those steeply pitched roofs are good in winter.
Carol, hope you stay warm. Glad you got home from Lafayette and Maggie was ok.
Our temp is going to be 0 tonight or tomorrow night. I think our high tomorrow is to be 18.
Do you think P. Phil will see his shadow today? I really don't think he'll come out of his hole, if he knows what's good for him. I just heard that they think he will see his shadow. Yuk, 6 more weeks of winter.
My hot water pipe in the kitchen was almost totally frozen this morning. I left the cold water running but didn't run the hot water. Those pipes are wrapped and I figured all the warm air escapes under this camp would keep my pipes warm enough not to freeze. Wrong. Even my drain pipe were almost totally frozen.
Outside my window is 23 and I think that's the lowest it's been since I've tried to live here. I hope my roomy is on top of things at my house. I'd hate to have a sprinkler system going over there when it thaws out. Repairing those pipes would be a nightmare.
I'm going to go in late today because I'm not leaving here until I think it's safe to turn off the water. Also the roads were covered with water from the rain yesterday and I'm pretty sure that froze so I'll wait until they are thawed to drive over them.
Jan, Yes, we're getting all that same cold weather here. Like Carol said, we haven't seen it this cold since the early 90s. Right now it's 19, and we'll be lucky to reach a high of 40 for the next three days - with chance of snow on Friday (almost unheard of).
Like the rest of you, we most dread a power outage. We bought a propane tank and generator months ago, and never hooked it up or had the propane delivered (speaking of procrastination!). We have a small gas generator that that is big enough to keep our water and a few small space heaters going, that we used after that hurricane a few years back, but it's a real pain to keep going, and gas starts to get hard to get.
It was so nice to see your vacation post when I logged on this morning. Ironic, because of the beautiful weather you were in, but nice to be reminded how good it can get.
... my Yahoo page shows you at -10 tonight Jan. Is that right?
Carol, yours and my weather are usually almost identical, but it shows you around 30. I know these predictions are normally off a little. We're a little colder than Houston up north here, and it says a low of 22 today, but it's 19 anyway. I figure we're close to the same temp, no matter what it says.
Coreen, stay safe and I'm hoping along with you that there are no power outages there.
You too Solar - it looks like your low is 0. I don't know how I'd get through that for any length of time. I'm not complaining (much) because like Carol said, we're supposed to see more relatively warm weather by the weekend. That's what keeps me going.
Meant to say how great you and John look in those pictures, Ja! Great shots and it looks like you two were having so much fun. Loved that you caught so many of the wildlife.
It's 24 outside my window right now Chloe. I was hoping to be able to turn off the water before leaving but I'm not sure it will warm up enough to do it until close to noon.
My bedroom is 56 right now, with my heat on max. That is pretty warm for what the outside temp is.
Phil didn't see his shadow afterall. Early Spring?
Quick update...well, so far so good...icy everywhere...but my outside temps say 32 & the huge icicles on the house are melting...the reports are about 3 more hours of this icy mess...
have not tried to open the garage doors, since the window screens facing that side are ice coated...don't want to have the garage doors get stuck open at this point...even threw bird seed out the kitchen window as best as I could...
Really sorry that you are all suffering from this very cold weather...it is the pits...
As far as Punx. Phil, they dragged him out as usual & of course he didn't see his shadow!!! PA got their share of the storm before it hit the east coast...
Unfortunately the weather guys here are all saying the jetstream path that has been entrenched since the first snow storm has not changed at all, so they don't see much chance in a weather change soon...as it is they are saying another storm Saturday snow/rain & again next mid-week...until the jet stream moves, we are in trouble....
It got down to zero last night and tonight supposed to get below zero. We left water in kitchen running a little last night. OK this morn. Tonight will do the same. We don't have any generators. Don't think we will lose power here. Our main roads are fine. Small roads icy. The schools including universities are closed here.
Coreen, I am sure if you had the conditions we have, schools would not be closed. but its all relative. We actually seldom get bad weather. I think things are closed because of cold, not snow.
I do have some screenings at the agency but they are on 2 hour delay so I will go in at 10:30. I bet the families I have scheduled do not show up.
I hope all of you stay warm today. I know this is tough on you Carol and Chloe, since where you live is not prepared for this kind of weather.
Still 24 here. Crazy. Came home for lunch and kitchen is in the 40s. Can't leave space heater on in there when not home. Have the wall heaters up high. This is ridiculous. Forgot to take care of a faucet under the camp so if and when that thaws, I may have a sprinkler system. Then I would have to turn off the water main and leave.
I don't think it will get much warmer today. Yes Jan, this place is not set up for these temps.
Just slept for a few hrs, now im off for another round of 24hr non sleep, work and non-work-related......been a lot of fun so far HUH?...later ....thanks for the concerns, Coreen been thinking about you....hang in there kido.!
ps, been thinking of you all........
nother ps.....going to shoot that rat-bastard-gopher looking rat, that showed his shadow today......hahha think im kidding??
That's the whole problem. We don't even really know how to dress in weather like this - we're a bunch of sissies. But we sure can take the heat... then we're prepared and tough as they come (what choice do we have). I just love the casual life style that comes with summer. Less clothes and less work (except for gardening). Less food and longer days too. And I love all the fruits in season then. Can't wait to put on a pair of flip flops again.
I knew that you were around...I could feel it...remember what I say about those thins...................and further more...........got it?
Working hard is better than not working at all.! Keeping up with regular exercise and eating the right foods, is getting me thru it ....the only thing lacking is the proper sleep....haven't had that for many years....so will rest up a little later.....an eternity to rest up after all no?
Solar, you be careful if you are going out into the tundra.
I finally got my kitchen up into the 50s, warm front. I have on just about every heat generating appliance I have out here, except my iron. That's later.
It's now fairly comfortable inside, that is, in my longjohns, sweats and jacket. The upside is..if I fall and break anything, I won't need a cast, I'm in one.
Chloe, we both have some type of freezing precip forecast for tomorrow night and Friday morning.
Just finished talking to one of my friends who works at one of the large industries here and she said they have no water out there. All their water pipes are frozen. It's not just us summer camps that aren't prepared for this kind of weather that are having trouble coping.
I think it is more dangerous for those news reporters to be over in Egypt than in the war zones where they are embedded with troops. In the war zones, it's usually easier to tell who the enemies are and their escorts can shoot them.
Carol, That wet weather is what I've been dreading most, because that's when our power tends to go out. If there's freezing rain, tree's and branches start falling- and inevitably a power line goes down. Yesterday a huge grid went down that started only about a mile from us and went on for about 20 miles. Happily, we lucked out and didn't lose power (a miracle, no less), but decided to prepare by getting our little generator ready to go in case of an emergency. I always keep plenty of space heaters handy (just in case), and it doesn't take much to at least keep them going, along with the fridge and water pump (using the smaller generator). Hoping we won't need to though. .
Jan, I know how much I've complained about cold weather, but I'm trying to take Solar's advice this year and take it all in stride. But I still have to admit that I can't believe how much different (at least to me) the world looks through this kind of weather. Everything I do feels like so much more of a struggle. It's especially hard on the animals - I don't think there's 'anyone' that's not suffering to some degree - isn't this storm supposed to be about 2000 miles across? I just heard on the news that we now have a 60% chance of snow tomorrow, and 40% chance on Friday. If our power does go out, I know it will be at the worst possible time (I believe in 'Murphy's Law' - the way i heard it - from Robert Winger so many years ago, was: 'If anything can go wrong, it will, and at the worst possible time'). But I also know that we'll get through it just fine, as I know all the rest of you will too.
Carol, I know what you're going through. We have huge amount of heat wattage in our house, and our heaters are struggling too. Like you, our insulation is not the greatest. I can get it warmer than you are, but they are running most of the time. Our electric bill is going to be out of sight. To make things worse, for some reason, during cold weather I crave ice creams - and then I'm really freezing. I've been eating tons of Blue Bell (mostly Rocky Road), but haven't gained an ounce. I guess the cold weather is really burning the calories. Actually, since I lost that weight during that last diet I was on a while back, for the first time ever I'm having trouble keeping weight on and have lost more. That's never happened to me before ( Mary, I guess that's what you're going through too). I still love to eat though, but have been hitting the sweets way too often again.
But hang in there Carol. Sun on Saturday and Sunday predicted, and that heats up everything,
Glad you're making use of your pressure cooker, Jan. It's such a healthy way to prepare food. I'm going to make a big beef stew in mine on Friday. I have to wait until we finish up the huge casserole I made yesterday. I cook like I'm feeding an army. We'll be eating it for days.
Chloe, so good to hear from you. We too are making the best of the cold weather. I am making a big pot of chicken soup today. We will eat on it for 2-3 days. I love leftovers- as it means I don't have to cook. John is great. He will eat almost anything as long as I fix it. I even dish it up and serve it to him. He loves that. He drives me around. I hate to drive in bad weather. He took me to my home visit with a family tuesday and sat in the living room and talked to the grandmother. They had a huge goldfish and he loved watching the fish. He said the fish stared at him the entire time we were there.
It is hard to believe but the schools have been closed for 3 days here. The snow was only on the ground on Tues. I am having a great vacation. I have been able to do some quilting. I love to walk outside but when the temp is zero or below or in the single digits I am not going to walk outside. We have a treadmill and elliptical downstairs and I have been using them for 3 days now. I am dying to get outside. It is supposed to get up in the low 20's today. I can walk in that temp.
Carol, did you stay warm last night?
We have a back door off the kitchen that is not well insulated. It badly needs weather stripping. We will get some today. In the meantime I hauled an antique hall tree in front of the door and hung a down comforter over it and against the door- made a big difference in the temp in the kitchen.
Chloe, I have been on a weight loss program for a year. I have lost 10-12 lbs over the past year. No diet. I just make sure I eat 8 or more servings of fruits and veggies and plenty of water. We have almost stopped eating out, and I exercise about one hour a day. It has made a difference. I am just going to keep this up. I would like to lose about 10-12 more lbs and I will be where I want to be but plan to do it slowly.
I have given up sweets except for a little ice cream about once a week.
"He will eat almost anything as long as I fix it. I even dish it up and serve it to him. He loves that. He drives me around. I hate to drive in bad weather."
What a great partnership/relation you two have Jan. John sounds just as wonderful as you are, proving likes attract likes.
Congrats on your weight loss, and I am most impressed that you've gone slowly and done it the healthy way. That takes a lot more determination and will-power than any of the crash diets do.
Glad that you're getting a break because of the school closures. Still don't understand how you can walk in the 20s though. No wonder you keep losing weight.
Do you think the 'Mindfulness' class you took had an influence on you?
.. hope you get your door taken care of. When it gets this cold we sure start noticing the weak spots in our houses. Your blanket idea was great. That's the same type of thing I do when the need arises. Whatever works - it's all good.
You can walk outside when it's in the 20s Jan??? I can barely walk inside when it's in the 20s outside, my joints don't bend very well.
Night is my best time here since it's nice and toasty under the covers. I have lots of covers.
I came home early and they have just about closed the town down in prep for a little ice pellets and maybe a flake or two of snow. The emergency people are on TV scaring me right now. I guess it's better to be safe than sorry.
Roomy told me the washing machine pipes at the house were frozen when she tried to wash last night. I knew that place was going to have problems with the really cold temps the last two days. I got the warm water to come on from a trickle to full blast in the machine and the cold to trickle but the hot water wasn't hot. I went outside and the breaker had snapped. I reset it so I'm not sure what happened there. Never happened before.
I got the water to run but couldn't get the pump to drain the washer. I guess that hose is frozen. My washer and dryer at the house are out on a screened in porch on the north side of the house. Not good for these temps. I told Roomy she can come here for a hot shower until we figure out what's wrong.
Roomy broke up with boat/swimming pool man and has a new boyfriend who is a cop but was in construction before that. I hope he can figure out what is wrong at the house. I hope I don't need an electrician and a plumber.
My front deck was covered with sleet when I got home but I haven't seen any since leaving work. There is blue stuff on the radar but can't see anything falling out there now. The worst is due this evening and in the morning. Fortunately will warm up the next day.
I'm warm enough inside with all my layers. Just couldn't tolerate any power outages. It takes everything going full tilt just to keep it half ass livable in here. I'm sure my electric meter is smoking.
Feeling really bad for you guys...these cold weather problems are difficult for us in 'iceland'...but I know it wreaks havoc where it is not set up for it over extended periods of time...
the southern states have never been prepared for snow/ice situations...from driving to cleaning to heating, so I will hope that it passes you guys quickly with little damage/destruction...
I know you are all 'tough' guys so in the end you too will get through it...but it does require you to reach down deep for that extra strength...
Today was actually sunny but only about 28, so again no real melting, the huge mounds of snow are rock solid (just back into one & you here crunch)...but we can get around...that is until the next storm which is scheduled for Saturday...with a snow accumulation expected...
Just got a call from Roomy. She just got home from work. The hot water heater stayed on. Don't know why that breaker flipped off. Also the washing machine pump thawed and so did the hot and cold water going to it. We may have lucked out. Whew! It's mainly a problem when it gets in the mid 20s or lower.
Yep Coreen, we can't tolerate a day of what you deal with so often.
Carol, so glad to hear that the pipes and washer and stuff is going ok now. I am amazed at all you know how to do with all that. I remember you were pretty handy with stuff. As for me, I am totally inept with anything related to plumbing or electricity.
Coreen, you are so right that we here in the south are not prepared for the cold weather.
We just got an announcement that New Mexico is running low on natural gas. They are asking us citizens to lower our temps 10 degrees. So here goes. The univ closed its doors at 4 pm today and will open at 10 am in the morning to conserve utilities. There are some places without gas right now.
Chloe, I love to walk when its cold as long as I have plenty of clothes on. My temp limit is about 20 degrees. Of course here in NM the sun is shining which makes one feel warmer. I usually layer a lot.
Chloe, I think the mindfulness class had a very wee little influence. I wanted to take the class because I eat so fast - When I think about it I slow down - a little.
Jan, I used to attempt a lot more when I was younger, braver and stronger. Hey, I had to. I looked around to see who could help and it was just me.
But as far as electricity goes, I can flip a breaker on and off with the best of them. No more than that. I respect electricity.
So far, I haven't seem one particle of frozen parcipitation except what must have fallen today when I was at work. And won't be sorry if we get nada. It's actually suppose to be more likely later and thru the morning hours.
Also what makes our heat and cold more uncomfortable is all of our humidity. It keep the skin more supple but makes those extreme temps creep thru your clothes and into your bones.
And speaking of that Blue Bell ice cream, I ended up having a weak moment and buying a half gallon of that Moo stuff. Couldn't find any of the pint size, anywhere.
I think that stuff bypasses my stomach and goes straight to my belly and butt. I can literally see my belly grow while eating it.
I do get the smallest little bowl I have to eat it out of. Of course I do manage to stuff a pretty good amount in that tiny little bowl. I'm not a big ice cream eater but that Moo is so good.
Carol, I don't think you have anything to worry about insofar as that ice cream going to your hips. When John wants a treat - he just says "its a feast day" - and looks up what saint's day it is.
I was telling you about my nephew the other day, the one with the aneurism. He is stable. They are working on getting his BP down and then will talk about surgery.
I saw it was raining outside but still saw no frozen stuff so I went to take Maggie outside to potty before bed and there is at least a half an inch of ice on my deck. I couldn't even get to the steps because it was too slick. Couldn't get a bit of traction. I got far enough, holding on to the icy rail to let Maggie go down the steps on the extension of her leash. Won't even be able to do that in the morning. Too dangerous.
I was watching Parks and Recreation and put it on pause to go do something. When I got back I noticed that on one of the walls in their office they had a pic of Hillary Clinton hanging, like where they would hang pic of the president. I probably wouldn't have noticed it if it hadn't been on pause. I thought that was interesting. I seem to remember that Amy Poehler was a Hillary fan.
Well, I'm up. No snow, no sleet but I'm trapped like a rat by two ice skating rinks outside my doors. Kinda hard to explain to Maggie that she can't go potty because I can't get her out. It's still raining but if it stops I might consider fixing something I can sit on to slide out on my butt. At least I won't fall if I'm already sitting.
Carol, That frozen ice on your steps is the worst (so dangerous). Hope you're tree's around your house aren't weighted down by it. We have splotches of snow, but no where near the 1 or 2 inches the predicted. Also the sun is supposed to come out shortly after noon, and seeing sun will be a real God send.
We thought we had blown a water pipe this morning, but like yours, it turned out to be a tripped breaker. So if we make it through today without losing power, we're home free.
My little pups wouldn't even attempt to go down the stairs this morning, because they saw a microscopic amount of white snow on them. They're as bad as me.
Jan, hope your nephew is stable. Those aneurysms can be scary. Are they having problems bringing down his blood pressure? I've heard that sometimes people don't respond to the medication well.
If it was just steps Chloe, I might be able to fix something to get down them but I have a fair amount of iced deck to traverse to get to the steps. The high is only 36-38 and I'm not sure if that will be high enough to do it.
Yes, I thank God that I still have power. It would only take a few minutes without power for this place to low heat.
.... we're not the only ones that like ice cream in the winter. I had hubby pick me some up on the way home from working the other day, and he said they were selling it like crazy.
My theory is that our bodies are craving the fat in it, trying to keep warm. In Alaska they eat whale blubber or whatever it takes to keep going (ha.. at least they used to).
There are some people who have high blood pressure that is almost impossible to control. Having a captive audience makes it easier to try to manage it. There is not one treatment stategy that works for everyone. Thru experience I have learned what works better for people of different ages, sex, ethnicity, and co-existing conditions. I have some people on something from every different class of antihypertensive and still can't get optimal control. Some of my peeps hate taking just one pill much less a handful of them.
Carol, our steps have snow (very thin) too, and I haven't gone down them yet, but hubby said they're slippery. We have a handicap ramp on a downstairs room that my father-in-law used when he live with us the last couple years of his life. I had to go down there for something a week or so ago - it had been raining earlier, and they were slick. I slid coming down it and fell flat on my back, and I do mean flat. I have never it my head that hard before. I had to lay there for a minute, and make sure I was going to be able to get up.
Luckily I was fine, but I am extra careful since then. I felt like I shook up my brains with that hit.
I'm really lucky, because the first thing my doctor prescribed brought my blood pressure right down. Diltiazem twice a day (I think they're time release). I also take 50mg of Captopril. I had read that it's a brain penetrating ace inhibitor, that also helps fight of future Alzheimers, so when my doctor was going to slightly increase my Diltiazem, I asked him for the ace inhibitor to go with the lower dose instead. It works like a charm, and I never have high pressure anymore.
Carol, get some kitty litter for your deck. It works great on ice. We keep a big bag. I leaned about this in montana. It is great to keep in car too if you get stuck
They at first thought he would need surgery, Now think it can be treated medically. His oldest brother is a doc (internal medicine) and he told me this.
Carol - well guess you can't get to the store to get the kitty litter. Could you put some towels over the ice to make yourself a path to get out. Do you have golf shoes? Do you anything in your house that you could throw out on your deck to make it walkable. They don't recommend rock salt if you have pets as they can get it in their paws.
My Dr. Nephew says that where the aneurism is makes it difficult for surgery. They are still talking about this. He seems to be responding to the BP meds.
Interesting about the ice cream. Night before last John and I were craving something sweet too and I baked some cookies. We have been so good and I was wondering why that night we had the cravings. Now I know why. Thanks Chloe.
Chloe, I fell on my chin ice skating one time and it was not my chin that hurt, but my head. I had my arms out to the side and one leg in the air, so I didn't break my fall with my hands. I could almost feel my brain hitting from one side of my skull to the other. I remember holding my head - and it hurting so bad.
Chloe, your fall on the back of your head sounds painful. I think it must be second-nature to just lay there and assess what is going on with your body.
We have a natural gas crisis in NM. The supply is low and they are asking us to lower our thermostats 10 degrees to conserve. The univ is closed today and through the weekend to try and conserve. The shelters are full. Many homes without heat. We turned our thermostat to 60 last night but had our elect blanket on. I could have turned it off but John can't tolerate it that cold. Even with the elec blanket he slept in 2 sweat shirts. We are keeping our therm down to 64. That is as much as he can stand. I am fine. I will go for a walk in a while - that will get my metabolism going. Our temp is supposed to get up in the 30s today. Its a heat wave!
Jan, I had that idea and it worked. I went down the steeper steps with the smaller deck. I lined it with couch throws and towels and went down on my butt. It worked. Butt's a little damp. It's fine when I get to the ground. Not frozen there. Maggie did her business so we are good to go.
After compacting three of my thoracic vertebrae already, I can't afford one more fall. I would be history.
I do like the ACE Bp meds class. They have heart and kidney protective actions. They don't work in some populations, usually not in the AA. They didn't work for me either. I take atenolol, a beta blocker and Norvasc, a calcium channel blocker. Diltiazem is a calcium channel blocker also.
Jan, great minds must think alike. That towel and blanket solution worked so well that I went back out to feed my birds. I have tons of them eating out there. Probably not much they can get to with this weather. I've gone thru a tons of bird seed in the last couple of weeks. I need to stock up again this weekend. It's more expensive to feed Maggie and the birds than it is to feed me.
Sorry I had to duck out of here so fast, but my little Emma was making demands.
I guess I missed you Jan. "I will go for a walk in a while - that will get my metabolism going."
You are so amazing - I don't know how you can be so dedicated. I used to feel so much better when I got out and ran in the mornings, now I'm just so lazy and usually unmotivated.
We use an electric blanket too, like you and John, but mostly I'm the one who needs it, and I turn it off before I go to sleep. It's a twin size one, but goes over half way across our king size bed. Hubby doesn't usually want the extra heat, so we're the opposite of you and John, I'm the one that gets cold (unless I'm moving around, working - that warms me right up).
Didn't know about the kitty litter on ice. We have some here to try (and will).
Carol, We're on a well and it needs electricity to keep pumping. That was the breaker that tripped. The hot water is doing fine today, but the piping to the shower would open up last night, even though the other pipes were all working. Today we have our shower working again though.
".I'm having bacon and waffles for breakfast this morning."
That's good Carol. I have no doubt that we need the extra fat to make it through cold weather. It put a tremendous amount of stress on our body (and mind).
Well the sun is out! It's still cold right now. Low was about 25. Hope my washing machine pipes survived since today is go to the house to wash clothes day.
I think we are due to hit close to 50 today and close to 60 tomorrow even though back to cold some next week.
I took out some frozen crappie out of the freezer, thawed it and fried it up last night so I could remember why I'm living out here at the camp.
I left my towel and blanket trail on the steps. They are frozen to the steps but still offer the traction I need to get out of here. I should be able to remove them later today.
Great Carol, glad you are getting out and Maggie too. The fried crappie sounds so good - my mouth is watering for some. We are getting warmer temps too. Because it is so dry here, we don't have the problem of the icy roads except on rare occasions like last tuesday. Water pipes and mains are breaking though. Yesterday on my walk, I came upon an area where a major water main had broken and there was ice everywhere. Had to backtrack in several places to avoid it. Didn't have my ice skates LOL.
Chloe, have to chuckle at your little Emma. No wonder you have to work to put weight on now. I was at my thinnest when my 2 oldest boys were 2 to 5 year olds. They were on the go all the time and of course, so was I.
Chloe, we turn our heater off at night and the house temp drops down to 58-60 most nights. When it was so cold we left the heater on and dropped thermostat to 60 to keep pipes from busting. We have been leaving the water in kitchen sink dripping fast. So many people here have had busted water pipes. The bathrooms pipes are on inside walls so are ok. We love our elect blanket although I could have done without it. We were using a down comforter but just was not enough for John. I must admit I sleep better with the elect blanket.
Can you believe there was a hot air balloon flying a short while ago. It was flying close to our house. it is only 20 degrees here. I don't know how the people in the balloon can tolerate this temp.
Carol, I hear you have lots of blankets you sleep under, but you ought to try an elect blanket on those cold nights. You will be surprised at how wonderful it is. I bet Maggie would like it too. Under the regular blankets you get a warm area that you warm up with your body heat, but if you move any, you have to warm up a new spot. With an elect blanket its all the same toasty temperature no matter where you move under the blanket. I have to turn a lot during the night when I sleep as I have osteo arthritis all over. I guess that is why the elect blanket feels so good too. It helps the arthur- itis.
Jan, I have a couple of elecric throws and I have used them to warm up my bed but don't leave them on. I do have on longjohns and socks in bed so I don't notice the cold spots.
Years ago they said that it wasn't good sleeping under or over a electro-magnetic field, it could cause cancer. Probably nothing to it but I haven't slept under one ever since. Too much cancer in my family so won't chance it.
Found out why the hot water heater breaker went off. Roomy's new boyfriend said the lower heating element went out. I had a feeling something was wrong for that breaker to go off. It's only 11 bucks to get a new element and her boyfriend is suppose to change it. I hope that does it. The water heater is only about 6 years old so why did that element go out??? Did it run out of water? She was running the water so I wonder if the water to the heater may have frozen and the tank drained and burned out that element??? Hope changing the element does the trick.
Do you guys ever ponder the inequity of justice? Maybe not but I am stuck having to because of where I work. I see so many who are stuck behind bars because they can't afford the few dollars it would take to bond out.
It's not only unfair but it cost us all a fortune because keeping people in jail isn't free. It can be very expensive. A significant number of those poor people have a list of medical issues as long as your arm.
Many of the rich not only have the ability to bond out but never even get charged, ie. all those people who are responsible for trashing our economy. They don't just avoid being prosecuted, they get a bonus. Life just isn't fair.
What got me pondering was reading about Lindsay Lohan alleged stealing of that necklace. Sounds like they have pretty good evidence on her and they need a grand jury to decide if she's going to be charged??? Wouldn't need that if she was a poor nobody.
My middle son and his wife are hosting a super bowl party today. I don't hear much excitement from my family members about this one. I suppose Green Bay and Pittsburgh are too far away. Their fav teams are closer to home. My sons are for Green Bay. I don't care.
I am going to be with family today and for the food. I hope to see baby Abigail there. I could care less about this game. The commercials will probably be good.
I have some of those crest strips on my teeth - trying to whiten a little. I drink lots of tea and eat blueberries daily so teeth are very yellow. I will see if this works even a little. I shouldn't care at my age, but they really look gross.
If I had to pick a team, it would be Green Bay since I don't like Rottenburger. Actually I'm pulling for the eTrade baby.
I went a bought a new gasoline pressure washer. I wonder how long I can keep this one. Someone stole the last one off my back porch at the house and I'm pretty sure it was one of the guys who came to do work for me over there last summer. They are hot items for stealing.
I just finished putting this one together and rolling it up the stairs to my upper deck where it won't be so visible. I strained a lumbar muscle doing it. I just hate old age.
Happy with the the Super Bowl results but didn't make it until the end of the game. A loud thunderstorm woke me up at about 11p. Wind, thunder and hail. Since I was awake I checked out the final score.
Up until I quit the game, I wasn't very impressed with any of the commercials.
Actually did not watch the game, we stayed until half-time. Played with baby Abigail the whole time. She is walking everywhere now. She loves to hold onto someone's finger while she walks. I provided her a finger. She is a tiny petite thing - like little Emma. She is 13 months old and weighs 18 lbs.
Jan, Glad to hear you got to spend some time with little Abigail. I bet she's a little doll. Hope to hear more about her.
I'm so surprised your house stay's up to 58 or 60 with your heat off. You must have very good insulation. It's a cinch we don't, but we are improving it in small ways as we go.
.. preparing for 23 degrees on Wed. night again. A few days of that, then back to normal. After that, I'm hoping for no more extreme temperatures until summer.
I do think we'll have an especially beautiful Spring because of the unusual cold this month though. Another good thing, there's not an insect in sight (for the time being), and here, that is unusual. I'm only seeing a few birds, mostly blue jays, and am looking forward to warmer days bring them all back in large numbers. I especially miss hearing our song birds, name those beautiful red cardinals. I can't wait 'til they come back in abundance.
Chloe, I have tons of birds here. I get about 40 lbs of bird seeds a week and some peanuts in the shells for the squirrels. I give my squirrels sunflower seeds also. They have their own bowl and they still climb the feeder and eat there also. They have managed to destroy my anti-squirrels devices, crafty little guys.
I have lots of cardinals, American Gold Finches, that aren't gold this time of year, chickadees, nuthatches, and lots of black bird come and raid the place. I don't care for them but they need to eat also.
Remember all the ducks I had around here last year? I have only seen two so far this winter and that was just recently. Probably hunters scare them off.
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The dolphin's name is Issima. I don't know the names of the other new friends.
Carol, I read the article you posted on statins. It is very interesting. I know so many people on statins. John's doc is an excellent internist. He sees him every 3 months. He has never had John do a stress test.
Awww Jan. Those are great pics. Should have posted them earlier. If you have more just keep posting them every couple of days. We all love the pics. I like your new friends.
Great, you are here.
I just read your comment about you and katie and Arthur. Gosh, those were good days. We didn't realize it then.
The top 2 pics were in Costa Maya. The last 3 pics were taken in Roatan Honduras. I will post some more later. The dolphins are so amazing. I love the sea lions too.
The sea lions are like little kids. When we first approached their area, they stayed away from us. We sat on a bench to rest and after about 15 minutes they lost their shyness and came up to the fence closer to us and played together. The bottom 3 pics are taken at an animal shelter. All the animals there were rescued from different situations.
Keep your pics coming Jan. And your stories.
We need a break from this dreary wintertime. Especially Coreen.
Jan, a welcome surprise...all of it looks like
so much fun...
We are managing here, just going about what has
to be done, hoping it will end soon...but so far no end in sight...the tremendous amounts of
snow everywhere are just so depressing...will
take a long time to melt, whenever the temps
actually stay above 35 for awhile...
Another storm is expected mid week again...
Coreen, thinking about you here. This must be the worst winter for your area. I wish we would get some snow. Very dry here. If we don't get some moisture soon, we will be having fire danger later on. Wish you could send some snow here.
we just got word that one of my nephews is in Intensive Care with an aortic aneurism. His blood pressure is very high. They must get it down. Don't know yet whether they will consider surgery. His brother is a doc and he is in a major hosp so I am sure he is getting good care.
Carol, I am still thinking about your comment on another post about you and Arthur and Katie. I wonder where Katie is now. She had 2 boys I think. They are grown now I am sure. The last time I saw her was when we went to Colo springs on our way to ski. I got cards from her at Christmas for several years but I have moved so much that we lost touch with each other. When did you last hear from her?
Chloe, I guess you are needing to rest up since your company left. Hope we hear from you soon.
Looks like we are all in for some colder weather this week and Jan they do predict snow for you.
The other day I linked a story about the Florida R Rep who wanted a law to seriously fine or imprison any medical person who asked parents about having any guns in the house so they could do safety teaching. Today I read a story on Huff Post about a 5 year old kid who had a loaded gun fall out of his pocket at school. Hmmmm.
That happened in a Florida school.
That law would affect my work. We have women who are being physically abused - and I ask if they have any weapons in the house to determine lethality of the woman's situation- especially if she has kids in the home.
Yes Carol, we are definitely going to have colder weather and predicted to have 6-10 inches of snow. brrr. Maybe I will get some snow days off. Wouldn't bother me.
Our winter weather has arrived. The temp has dropped greatly in the past hour. We are getting a wet snow. I have a home visit in the morning but I am not driving if the roads are slippery.
Do you have plenty of milk, bread and toilet paper Jan?
I'm not sure why people run and clear out the stores of that stuff before a storm. I usually get enough when I shop to last at least a week. I could actually last a couple of months here without going to the store. I would be in trouble if the power went out unless it was cold outside.
Our temps are also dipping starting tomorrow and there is a slight chance of the white stuff overnight Thursday/Friday morning. Chloe also...40%. Highs aren't getting out of the 40s, lows in the 20s for several days so it will be cold in owl camp. Yuk. With the warmer weather here the last several days, it's been the first time I've been close to getting 70 degrees inside.
What do you peeps who have really cold temps outside keep your house temps at?
Coreen, are you concerned with power outages?
Our precip has stopped. Supposed to be really cold. We have plenty of everything. We are a mile from grocery. I can always walk there if I need anything. I am still planning my home visit tomorrow morn. Students need experiences so "off we go"
Wow Carol, that is cold for LC.
Chloe, I guess you will get cold weather too.
Coreen, hope it is not too bad.
I think this storm is originating in the west and moving east- so sorry!
We are having winter weather storm. streets are bad. schools closed (thank goodness). I did a home visit health screen this morning with a mom and her child. I didn't have to do it, but she had taken off work for the screening. She does not get paid when she takes off. John drove me there. Streets were bad but we made it there and back.
Stay safe you guys. Glad you're back home Jan. I had to go to Lafayette for a meeting this morning. While there, there was a tornado warning here. I was worried about Maggie in this tree house all alone, but I'm home now and everything is still standing. It's suppose to be in the low 20s here tonight and we had so much rain that there's water over the road out here. If that turns to ice, I'm not getting out tomorrow. The road runs right along the river and one false slip and it's not good.
They keep changing our forecast for Thursday and Friday with threats of ice and snow. We don't do that well down here.
Solar's getting some rough stuff.
Hope Coreen still has power and continues to. Having all those trees isn't good with the ice storm they are due to get.
Sorry to hear you guys are experiencing a little of the disastrous winter we have had since the day after Christmas...the only good thing for you is that there will be a warm up
relatively quick...that is the problem here,
no real warm days (over 35)....
So far we are ok here...the first storm passed
with about 2" of icy snow...but they are
bombarding us with the threat of the ice storm
crossing the midwest...have to say that the
media has terrified so many people with this
weather...from the large amounts of snow on roofs, to the ice that may down trees & power,
they have everyone spooked...
As far as my house, there is a lot of snow on
the roof, maybe 18" on my kitchen roof where the skylights are, the porch & the garage, the
other high roof has a lot of snow, but not
as much as the rest...
When I was out yesterday, most of the homes were covered with lots of snow like mine, lots of really long icicles all over & the majority
had not had any snow removed...remember
roofs on these homes are pretty high, hopefully the pitch will prevent problems..like
leaks &/or collapse...just hoping against a disaster...
My biggest fear is losing electricity & of course heat...I had them deliver oil yesterday thankfully, but if the ice storm does cause
power loss, not sure what will happen...
Carol, remember I lost power in that summer
storm for over a day & that was really awful,
but it would be worse now, since it is so cold...
One of my friends was in a hardware store today getting ice melt & he said there was a big line of people he thought were waiting to pay, but they said they were there waiting for a delivery of roof rakes...
P.S. Hope no one utters the words 'global warming/climate change' as the cause of this horrendous winter!!! in my presence, since my response would be less than respectful...
And Carol, we keep the heat between 68 to 70,71
which is comfortable for us...
Ok, here's the latest ice storm waring...it is freezing drizzle now, will turn to freezing rain during the overnight hours...they expect
significant icing in the a.m...a coating to 1/4" ice south of the Merritt Parkway & 1/4" to 1/2" ice north of the Parkway...
I live 4 miles north of the Parkway...so it remains to be seen just how far 'north of the Parkway' will have the most ice....1/2" of ice
on power lines will snap them...so we shall
see what happens by the morning...
We had an ice storm a long time ago...while the
visions of the ice coated trees & everything else always make great pics...it was a nightmare to experience, which I am hoping
not to repeat now...
Oh Coreen, I hear ya, we did have an ice storm here in the early 90s and it was horrible. I was at my house and it's almost as airy as my camp but with a better heater, heat pump, but had no power for three days. My house is in the piney woods and when I went outside, it sounded like a war zone. You would hear the trees cracking and then the huge pine trees would lose branches and hit the ground like bombs going off.
I have a small fireplace that I found is mainly for looks. I did keep a fire going but could only warm up one butt check if I sat on the hearth. Mary had power in her part of town but I had a zoo, two birds, a cat and dog, so I didn't want to pack them up to leave.
I'll pray that you don't have another one. And yes, we're due to warm up by Saturday and Sunday.
Can you run heating oil furnaces without power?
Coreen, you definitely win the prize for worst weather. At least we can get out and about. Take care. The ice storms are the worst. We had those in Arkansas. I can see why those steeply pitched roofs are good in winter.
Carol, hope you stay warm. Glad you got home from Lafayette and Maggie was ok.
Our temp is going to be 0 tonight or tomorrow night. I think our high tomorrow is to be 18.
Univ of NM has already announced a 3 hr delay tomorrow. This morn they did that and by 10 am had announced closing.
Solar, I am thinking about you too and hope you are safe and warm.
Do you think P. Phil will see his shadow today? I really don't think he'll come out of his hole, if he knows what's good for him. I just heard that they think he will see his shadow. Yuk, 6 more weeks of winter.
My hot water pipe in the kitchen was almost totally frozen this morning. I left the cold water running but didn't run the hot water. Those pipes are wrapped and I figured all the warm air escapes under this camp would keep my pipes warm enough not to freeze. Wrong. Even my drain pipe were almost totally frozen.
Outside my window is 23 and I think that's the lowest it's been since I've tried to live here. I hope my roomy is on top of things at my house. I'd hate to have a sprinkler system going over there when it thaws out. Repairing those pipes would be a nightmare.
I'm going to go in late today because I'm not leaving here until I think it's safe to turn off the water. Also the roads were covered with water from the rain yesterday and I'm pretty sure that froze so I'll wait until they are thawed to drive over them.
Jan, Yes, we're getting all that same cold weather here. Like Carol said, we haven't seen it this cold since the early 90s. Right now it's 19, and we'll be lucky to reach a high of 40 for the next three days - with chance of snow on Friday (almost unheard of).
Like the rest of you, we most dread a power outage. We bought a propane tank and generator months ago, and never hooked it up or had the propane delivered (speaking of procrastination!). We have a small gas generator that that is big enough to keep our water and a few small space heaters going, that we used after that hurricane a few years back, but it's a real pain to keep going, and gas starts to get hard to get.
It was so nice to see your vacation post when I logged on this morning. Ironic, because of the beautiful weather you were in, but nice to be reminded how good it can get.
... my Yahoo page shows you at -10 tonight Jan. Is that right?
Carol, yours and my weather are usually almost identical, but it shows you around 30. I know these predictions are normally off a little. We're a little colder than Houston up north here, and it says a low of 22 today, but it's 19 anyway. I figure we're close to the same temp, no matter what it says.
Coreen, stay safe and I'm hoping along with you that there are no power outages there.
You too Solar - it looks like your low is 0. I don't know how I'd get through that for any length of time. I'm not complaining (much) because like Carol said, we're supposed to see more relatively warm weather by the weekend. That's what keeps me going.
Well - I just wanted to check in to see how everyone was making it through this rough weather.
Take care.
Oh great, the first headline I see this morning:
WikiLeaks: al-Qaeda 'is planning a dirty bomb'
Al-Qaeda is actively tring to secure nuclear material and recruiting rogue scientists to build a radioactive "dirty" bomb, according to leaked diplomatic documents. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/wikileaks/8296956/WikiLeaks-al-Qaeda-is-planning-a-dirty-bomb.html
.... nothing like spreading the joy.
Meant to say how great you and John look in those pictures, Ja! Great shots and it looks like you two were having so much fun. Loved that you caught so many of the wildlife.
Ja = Jan, of course.
It's 24 outside my window right now Chloe. I was hoping to be able to turn off the water before leaving but I'm not sure it will warm up enough to do it until close to noon.
My bedroom is 56 right now, with my heat on max. That is pretty warm for what the outside temp is.
Phil didn't see his shadow afterall. Early Spring?
Quick update...well, so far so good...icy everywhere...but my outside temps say 32 & the
huge icicles on the house are melting...the reports are about 3 more hours of this icy mess...
have not tried to open the garage doors, since the window screens facing that side are ice coated...don't want to have the garage doors get stuck open at this point...even threw bird
seed out the kitchen window as best as I could...
Really sorry that you are all suffering from this very cold weather...it is the pits...
As far as Punx. Phil, they dragged him out as usual & of course he didn't see his shadow!!! PA got their share of the storm before it hit the east coast...
Unfortunately the weather guys here are all saying the jetstream path that has been entrenched since the first snow storm has not changed at all, so they don't see much chance
in a weather change soon...as it is they are
saying another storm Saturday snow/rain & again
next mid-week...until the jet stream moves, we
are in trouble....
It got down to zero last night and tonight supposed to get below zero. We left water in kitchen running a little last night. OK this morn. Tonight will do the same. We don't have any generators. Don't think we will lose power here. Our main roads are fine. Small roads icy. The schools including universities are closed here.
Coreen, I am sure if you had the conditions we have, schools would not be closed. but its all relative. We actually seldom get bad weather. I think things are closed because of cold, not snow.
I do have some screenings at the agency but they are on 2 hour delay so I will go in at 10:30. I bet the families I have scheduled do not show up.
I hope all of you stay warm today. I know this is tough on you Carol and Chloe, since where you live is not prepared for this kind of weather.
Check in soon Solar.
Still 24 here. Crazy. Came home for lunch and kitchen is in the 40s. Can't leave space heater on in there when not home. Have the wall heaters up high. This is ridiculous. Forgot to take care of a faucet under the camp so if and when that thaws, I may have a sprinkler system. Then I would have to turn off the water main and leave.
I don't think it will get much warmer today. Yes Jan, this place is not set up for these temps.
Just slept for a few hrs, now im off for another round of 24hr non sleep, work and non-work-related......been a lot of fun so far HUH?...later ....thanks for the concerns, Coreen been thinking about you....hang in there kido.!
ps, been thinking of you all........
nother ps.....going to shoot that rat-bastard-gopher looking rat, that showed his shadow today......hahha think im kidding??
"... this place is not set up for these temps."
That's the whole problem. We don't even really know how to dress in weather like this - we're a bunch of sissies. But we sure can take the heat... then we're prepared and tough as they come (what choice do we have). I just love the casual life style that comes with summer. Less clothes and less work (except for gardening). Less food and longer days too. And I love all the fruits in season then. Can't wait to put on a pair of flip flops again.
Thinking of you all.
Ha! So few months of perfect weather.
We're thinking along the same lines Solar (weird we showed up at the same time).
Nice to see you here. You're working to hard. Been thinking about you a lot, and hoping all is well.
Chloe,
I knew that you were around...I could feel it...remember what I say about those thins...................and further more...........got it?
Working hard is better than not working at all.! Keeping up with regular exercise and eating the right foods, is getting me thru it ....the only thing lacking is the proper sleep....haven't had that for many years....so will rest up a little later.....an eternity to rest up after all no?
Solar, you be careful if you are going out into the tundra.
I finally got my kitchen up into the 50s, warm front. I have on just about every heat generating appliance I have out here, except my iron. That's later.
It's now fairly comfortable inside, that is, in my longjohns, sweats and jacket. The upside is..if I fall and break anything, I won't need a cast, I'm in one.
Chloe, we both have some type of freezing precip forecast for tomorrow night and Friday morning.
Don't kill P. Phil Solar. He's predicting a early Spring. It might just be wishful thinking on his part.
Crap, I just wrote a long comment and then it disappeared.
Too much to reconstruct. I am hungry too. Have dinner cooking now.
Hope you all are keeping warm.
Carol, I am worried about you in your place.
Chloe, I know how you dislike this cold weather.
Solar, saw Chicago on news today. So much snow and cold. Stay safe.
Coreen, hope you don't lose power - praying that you don't
Chloe, I use the elect pressure cooker all the time. It is great.
Just finished talking to one of my friends who works at one of the large industries here and she said they have no water out there. All their water pipes are frozen. It's not just us summer camps that aren't prepared for this kind of weather that are having trouble coping.
I've been watching the situation in Egypt. What a horrible mess that is. I pray for the good people there to get thru this.
I think it is more dangerous for those news reporters to be over in Egypt than in the war zones where they are embedded with troops. In the war zones, it's usually easier to tell who the enemies are and their escorts can shoot them.
It is 11 degrees below zero here. This is the coldest I have been since living in Montana. I came here to escape Montana.
Hope you all are keeping warm.
We got through another storm...still managing..but getting pretty exhausted with it all...
Hope you guys get through your awful taste of
this winter quickly...
Solar, glad to see you stopped by...you are always in the back of our collective minds...
like here, I know you will be able to hang in there...
Carol, That wet weather is what I've been dreading most, because that's when our power tends to go out. If there's freezing rain, tree's and branches start falling- and inevitably a power line goes down. Yesterday a huge grid went down that started only about a mile from us and went on for about 20 miles. Happily, we lucked out and didn't lose power (a miracle, no less), but decided to prepare by getting our little generator ready to go in case of an emergency. I always keep plenty of space heaters handy (just in case), and it doesn't take much to at least keep them going, along with the fridge and water pump (using the smaller generator). Hoping we won't need to though. .
Jan, I know how much I've complained about cold weather, but I'm trying to take Solar's advice this year and take it all in stride. But I still have to admit that I can't believe how much different (at least to me) the world looks through this kind of weather. Everything I do feels like so much more of a struggle. It's especially hard on the animals - I don't think there's 'anyone' that's not suffering to some degree - isn't this storm supposed to be about 2000 miles across? I just heard on the news that we now have a 60% chance of snow tomorrow, and 40% chance on Friday. If our power does go out, I know it will be at the worst possible time (I believe in 'Murphy's Law' - the way i heard it - from Robert Winger so many years ago, was: 'If anything can go wrong, it will, and at the worst possible time'). But I also know that we'll get through it just fine, as I know all the rest of you will too.
Spring! Coming up!
Carol, I know what you're going through. We have huge amount of heat wattage in our house, and our heaters are struggling too. Like you, our insulation is not the greatest. I can get it warmer than you are, but they are running most of the time. Our electric bill is going to be out of sight. To make things worse, for some reason, during cold weather I crave ice creams - and then I'm really freezing. I've been eating tons of Blue Bell (mostly Rocky Road), but haven't gained an ounce. I guess the cold weather is really burning the calories. Actually, since I lost that weight during that last diet I was on a while back, for the first time ever I'm having trouble keeping weight on and have lost more. That's never happened to me before ( Mary, I guess that's what you're going through too). I still love to eat though, but have been hitting the sweets way too often again.
But hang in there Carol. Sun on Saturday and Sunday predicted, and that heats up everything,
"remember what I say about those things..............and further more.........got it?"
Yes Solar, I remember, always.
Remember all that I said too.
Glad you're making use of your pressure cooker, Jan. It's such a healthy way to prepare food. I'm going to make a big beef stew in mine on Friday. I have to wait until we finish up the huge casserole I made yesterday. I cook like I'm feeding an army. We'll be eating it for days.
Chloe, so good to hear from you. We too are making the best of the cold weather. I am making a big pot of chicken soup today. We will eat on it for 2-3 days. I love leftovers- as it means I don't have to cook. John is great. He will eat almost anything as long as I fix it. I even dish it up and serve it to him. He loves that. He drives me around. I hate to drive in bad weather. He took me to my home visit with a family tuesday and sat in the living room and talked to the grandmother. They had a huge goldfish and he loved watching the fish. He said the fish stared at him the entire time we were there.
It is hard to believe but the schools have been closed for 3 days here. The snow was only on the ground on Tues. I am having a great vacation. I have been able to do some quilting. I love to walk outside but when the temp is zero or below or in the single digits I am not going to walk outside. We have a treadmill and elliptical downstairs and I have been using them for 3 days now. I am dying to get outside. It is supposed to get up in the low 20's today. I can walk in that temp.
Carol, did you stay warm last night?
We have a back door off the kitchen that is not well insulated. It badly needs weather stripping. We will get some today. In the meantime I hauled an antique hall tree in front of the door and hung a down comforter over it and against the door- made a big difference in the temp in the kitchen.
Chloe, I have heard it called "Murphy's law" if anything can go wrong, it will and at the worst time.
Coreen, glad you are surviving there. I hope this all ends soon for you.
Chloe, I have been on a weight loss program for a year. I have lost 10-12 lbs over the past year. No diet. I just make sure I eat 8 or more servings of fruits and veggies and plenty of water. We have almost stopped eating out, and I exercise about one hour a day. It has made a difference. I am just going to keep this up. I would like to lose about 10-12 more lbs and I will be where I want to be but plan to do it slowly.
I have given up sweets except for a little ice cream about once a week.
"He will eat almost anything as long as I fix it. I even dish it up and serve it to him. He loves that. He drives me around. I hate to drive in bad weather."
What a great partnership/relation you two have Jan. John sounds just as wonderful as you are, proving likes attract likes.
Congrats on your weight loss, and I am most impressed that you've gone slowly and done it the healthy way. That takes a lot more determination and will-power than any of the crash diets do.
Glad that you're getting a break because of the school closures. Still don't understand how you can walk in the 20s though. No wonder you keep losing weight.
Do you think the 'Mindfulness' class you took had an influence on you?
.. hope you get your door taken care of. When it gets this cold we sure start noticing the weak spots in our houses. Your blanket idea was great. That's the same type of thing I do when the need arises. Whatever works - it's all good.
You can walk outside when it's in the 20s Jan??? I can barely walk inside when it's in the 20s outside, my joints don't bend very well.
Night is my best time here since it's nice and toasty under the covers. I have lots of covers.
I came home early and they have just about closed the town down in prep for a little ice pellets and maybe a flake or two of snow. The emergency people are on TV scaring me right now. I guess it's better to be safe than sorry.
Roomy told me the washing machine pipes at the house were frozen when she tried to wash last night. I knew that place was going to have problems with the really cold temps the last two days. I got the warm water to come on from a trickle to full blast in the machine and the cold to trickle but the hot water wasn't hot. I went outside and the breaker had snapped. I reset it so I'm not sure what happened there. Never happened before.
I got the water to run but couldn't get the pump to drain the washer. I guess that hose is frozen. My washer and dryer at the house are out on a screened in porch on the north side of the house. Not good for these temps. I told Roomy she can come here for a hot shower until we figure out what's wrong.
Roomy broke up with boat/swimming pool man and has a new boyfriend who is a cop but was in construction before that. I hope he can figure out what is wrong at the house. I hope I don't need an electrician and a plumber.
My front deck was covered with sleet when I got home but I haven't seen any since leaving work. There is blue stuff on the radar but can't see anything falling out there now. The worst is due this evening and in the morning. Fortunately will warm up the next day.
I'm warm enough inside with all my layers. Just couldn't tolerate any power outages. It takes everything going full tilt just to keep it half ass livable in here. I'm sure my electric meter is smoking.
Feeling really bad for you guys...these cold
weather problems are difficult for us in 'iceland'...but I know it wreaks havoc where
it is not set up for it over extended periods
of time...
the southern states have never been prepared
for snow/ice situations...from driving to cleaning to heating, so I will hope that it passes you guys quickly with little damage/destruction...
I know you are all 'tough' guys so in the end
you too will get through it...but it does
require you to reach down deep for that extra
strength...
Today was actually sunny but only about 28, so
again no real melting, the huge mounds of snow are rock solid (just back into one & you here crunch)...but we can get around...that is until the next storm which is
scheduled for Saturday...with a snow accumulation expected...
Just got a call from Roomy. She just got home from work. The hot water heater stayed on. Don't know why that breaker flipped off. Also the washing machine pump thawed and so did the hot and cold water going to it. We may have lucked out. Whew! It's mainly a problem when it gets in the mid 20s or lower.
Yep Coreen, we can't tolerate a day of what you deal with so often.
Carol, so glad to hear that the pipes and washer and stuff is going ok now. I am amazed at all you know how to do with all that. I remember you were pretty handy with stuff. As for me, I am totally inept with anything related to plumbing or electricity.
Coreen, you are so right that we here in the south are not prepared for the cold weather.
We just got an announcement that New Mexico is running low on natural gas. They are asking us citizens to lower our temps 10 degrees. So here goes. The univ closed its doors at 4 pm today and will open at 10 am in the morning to conserve utilities. There are some places without gas right now.
Chloe, I love to walk when its cold as long as I have plenty of clothes on. My temp limit is about 20 degrees. Of course here in NM the sun is shining which makes one feel warmer. I usually layer a lot.
Chloe, I think the mindfulness class had a very wee little influence. I wanted to take the class because I eat so fast - When I think about it I slow down - a little.
Jan, I used to attempt a lot more when I was younger, braver and stronger. Hey, I had to. I looked around to see who could help and it was just me.
But as far as electricity goes, I can flip a breaker on and off with the best of them. No more than that. I respect electricity.
So far, I haven't seem one particle of frozen parcipitation except what must have fallen today when I was at work. And won't be sorry if we get nada. It's actually suppose to be more likely later and thru the morning hours.
Also what makes our heat and cold more uncomfortable is all of our humidity. It keep the skin more supple but makes those extreme temps creep thru your clothes and into your bones.
And speaking of that Blue Bell ice cream, I ended up having a weak moment and buying a half gallon of that Moo stuff. Couldn't find any of the pint size, anywhere.
I think that stuff bypasses my stomach and goes straight to my belly and butt. I can literally see my belly grow while eating it.
I do get the smallest little bowl I have to eat it out of. Of course I do manage to stuff a pretty good amount in that tiny little bowl. I'm not a big ice cream eater but that Moo is so good.
Carol, I don't think you have anything to worry about insofar as that ice cream going to your hips. When John wants a treat - he just says "its a feast day" - and looks up what saint's day it is.
That moolinium crunch is my favorite too.
I was telling you about my nephew the other day, the one with the aneurism. He is stable. They are working on getting his BP down and then will talk about surgery.
How old is your nephew Jan? Can't be very old. Who is his father? How large is the aneurism?
Well, I guess that was a dumb question. He must be your sister's son. I was thinking grandson not nephew.
I saw it was raining outside but still saw no frozen stuff so I went to take Maggie outside to potty before bed and there is at least a half an inch of ice on my deck. I couldn't even get to the steps because it was too slick. Couldn't get a bit of traction. I got far enough, holding on to the icy rail to let Maggie go down the steps on the extension of her leash. Won't even be able to do that in the morning. Too dangerous.
I was watching Parks and Recreation and put it on pause to go do something. When I got back I noticed that on one of the walls in their office they had a pic of Hillary Clinton hanging, like where they would hang pic of the president. I probably wouldn't have noticed it if it hadn't been on pause. I thought that was interesting. I seem to remember that Amy Poehler was a Hillary fan.
Well, I'm up. No snow, no sleet but I'm trapped like a rat by two ice skating rinks outside my doors. Kinda hard to explain to Maggie that she can't go potty because I can't get her out. It's still raining but if it stops I might consider fixing something I can sit on to slide out on my butt. At least I won't fall if I'm already sitting.
Carol, That frozen ice on your steps is the worst (so dangerous). Hope you're tree's around your house aren't weighted down by it. We have splotches of snow, but no where near the 1 or 2 inches the predicted. Also the sun is supposed to come out shortly after noon, and seeing sun will be a real God send.
We thought we had blown a water pipe this morning, but like yours, it turned out to be a tripped breaker. So if we make it through today without losing power, we're home free.
My little pups wouldn't even attempt to go down the stairs this morning, because they saw a microscopic amount of white snow on them. They're as bad as me.
Jan, hope your nephew is stable. Those aneurysms can be scary. Are they having problems bringing down his blood pressure? I've heard that sometimes people don't respond to the medication well.
If it was just steps Chloe, I might be able to fix something to get down them but I have a fair amount of iced deck to traverse to get to the steps. The high is only 36-38 and I'm not sure if that will be high enough to do it.
Yes, I thank God that I still have power. It would only take a few minutes without power for this place to low heat.
that was suppose to read lose heat.
.... we're not the only ones that like ice cream in the winter. I had hubby pick me some up on the way home from working the other day, and he said they were selling it like crazy.
My theory is that our bodies are craving the fat in it, trying to keep warm. In Alaska they eat whale blubber or whatever it takes to keep going (ha.. at least they used to).
That's one thing I 'never' plan on eating!
There are some people who have high blood pressure that is almost impossible to control. Having a captive audience makes it easier to try to manage it. There is not one treatment stategy that works for everyone. Thru experience I have learned what works better for people of different ages, sex, ethnicity, and co-existing conditions. I have some people on something from every different class of antihypertensive and still can't get optimal control. Some of my peeps hate taking just one pill much less a handful of them.
Carol, our steps have snow (very thin) too, and I haven't gone down them yet, but hubby said they're slippery. We have a handicap ramp on a downstairs room that my father-in-law used when he live with us the last couple years of his life. I had to go down there for something a week or so ago - it had been raining earlier, and they were slick. I slid coming down it and fell flat on my back, and I do mean flat. I have never it my head that hard before. I had to lay there for a minute, and make sure I was going to be able to get up.
Luckily I was fine, but I am extra careful since then. I felt like I shook up my brains with that hit.
I'm really lucky, because the first thing my doctor prescribed brought my blood pressure right down. Diltiazem twice a day (I think they're time release). I also take 50mg of Captopril. I had read that it's a brain penetrating ace inhibitor, that also helps fight of future Alzheimers, so when my doctor was going to slightly increase my Diltiazem, I asked him for the ace inhibitor to go with the lower dose instead. It works like a charm, and I never have high pressure anymore.
Carol, get some kitty litter for your deck. It works great on ice. We keep a big bag. I leaned about this in montana. It is great to keep in car too if you get stuck
My nephew is 40 or 41. He is my brother's son. My brother was killed in auto accident in 1989 - he was 42.
They at first thought he would need surgery, Now think it can be treated medically. His oldest brother is a doc (internal medicine) and he told me this.
Carol - well guess you can't get to the store to get the kitty litter. Could you put some towels over the ice to make yourself a path to get out. Do you have golf shoes? Do you anything in your house that you could throw out on your deck to make it walkable. They don't recommend rock salt if you have pets as they can get it in their paws.
My Dr. Nephew says that where the aneurism is makes it difficult for surgery. They are still talking about this. He seems to be responding to the BP meds.
Interesting about the ice cream. Night before last John and I were craving something sweet too and I baked some cookies. We have been so good and I was wondering why that night we had the cravings. Now I know why. Thanks Chloe.
Carol, If you put towels or cloths of some kind to make yourself a path you could crawl out to the outside and then go buy yourself some kitty litter.
Chloe, I fell on my chin ice skating one time and it was not my chin that hurt, but my head. I had my arms out to the side and one leg in the air, so I didn't break my fall with my hands. I could almost feel my brain hitting from one side of my skull to the other. I remember holding my head - and it hurting so bad.
Chloe, your fall on the back of your head sounds painful. I think it must be second-nature to just lay there and assess what is going on with your body.
We have a natural gas crisis in NM. The supply is low and they are asking us to lower our thermostats 10 degrees to conserve. The univ is closed today and through the weekend to try and conserve. The shelters are full. Many homes without heat. We turned our thermostat to 60 last night but had our elect blanket on. I could have turned it off but John can't tolerate it that cold. Even with the elec blanket he slept in 2 sweat shirts. We are keeping our therm down to 64. That is as much as he can stand. I am fine. I will go for a walk in a while - that will get my metabolism going. Our temp is supposed to get up in the 30s today. Its a heat wave!
Jan, I had that idea and it worked. I went down the steeper steps with the smaller deck. I lined it with couch throws and towels and went down on my butt. It worked. Butt's a little damp. It's fine when I get to the ground. Not frozen there. Maggie did her business so we are good to go.
After compacting three of my thoracic vertebrae already, I can't afford one more fall. I would be history.
I do like the ACE Bp meds class. They have heart and kidney protective actions. They don't work in some populations, usually not in the AA. They didn't work for me either. I take atenolol, a beta blocker and Norvasc, a calcium channel blocker. Diltiazem is a calcium channel blocker also.
Jan, great minds must think alike. That towel and blanket solution worked so well that I went back out to feed my birds. I have tons of them eating out there. Probably not much they can get to with this weather. I've gone thru a tons of bird seed in the last couple of weeks. I need to stock up again this weekend. It's more expensive to feed Maggie and the birds than it is to feed me.
Chloe, was it your hot water heater breaker that snapped off? If it was, does your hubs have any idea why that happened?
And speaking of high fat...I'm having bacon and waffles for breakfast this morning.
Sorry I had to duck out of here so fast, but my little Emma was making demands.
I guess I missed you Jan.
"I will go for a walk in a while - that will get my metabolism going."
You are so amazing - I don't know how you can be so dedicated. I used to feel so much better when I got out and ran in the mornings, now I'm just so lazy and usually unmotivated.
We use an electric blanket too, like you and John, but mostly I'm the one who needs it, and I turn it off before I go to sleep. It's a twin size one, but goes over half way across our king size bed. Hubby doesn't usually want the extra heat, so we're the opposite of you and John, I'm the one that gets cold (unless I'm moving around, working - that warms me right up).
Didn't know about the kitty litter on ice. We have some here to try (and will).
Carol, We're on a well and it needs electricity to keep pumping. That was the breaker that tripped. The hot water is doing fine today, but the piping to the shower would open up last night, even though the other pipes were all working. Today we have our shower working again though.
".I'm having bacon and waffles for breakfast this morning."
That's good Carol. I have no doubt that we need the extra fat to make it through cold weather. It put a tremendous amount of stress on our body (and mind).
We had scrambled eggs and pan cakes.
BTW, it's not unusual for us to pop a breaker now and then. We really need to put in a new electrical panel, but never seem to get around to it.
OK - I've got to get off here and do some damage control caused by this maniac 2 yr. old. Oh lordy, she's always two or three steps ahead of me.
No school this week. Like La. Carol, this place is closed down.
Well the sun is out! It's still cold right now. Low was about 25. Hope my washing machine pipes survived since today is go to the house to wash clothes day.
I think we are due to hit close to 50 today and close to 60 tomorrow even though back to cold some next week.
I took out some frozen crappie out of the freezer, thawed it and fried it up last night so I could remember why I'm living out here at the camp.
I left my towel and blanket trail on the steps. They are frozen to the steps but still offer the traction I need to get out of here. I should be able to remove them later today.
Great Carol, glad you are getting out and Maggie too. The fried crappie sounds so good - my mouth is watering for some. We are getting warmer temps too. Because it is so dry here, we don't have the problem of the icy roads except on rare occasions like last tuesday. Water pipes and mains are breaking though. Yesterday on my walk, I came upon an area where a major water main had broken and there was ice everywhere. Had to backtrack in several places to avoid it. Didn't have my ice skates LOL.
Chloe, have to chuckle at your little Emma. No wonder you have to work to put weight on now. I was at my thinnest when my 2 oldest boys were 2 to 5 year olds. They were on the go all the time and of course, so was I.
Yum, pancakes, waffles and bacon sounds so good.
Chloe, we turn our heater off at night and the house temp drops down to 58-60 most nights. When it was so cold we left the heater on and dropped thermostat to 60 to keep pipes from busting. We have been leaving the water in kitchen sink dripping fast. So many people here have had busted water pipes. The bathrooms pipes are on inside walls so are ok. We love our elect blanket although I could have done without it. We were using a down comforter but just was not enough for John. I must admit I sleep better with the elect blanket.
Can you believe there was a hot air balloon flying a short while ago. It was flying close to our house. it is only 20 degrees here. I don't know how the people in the balloon can tolerate this temp.
Carol, I hear you have lots of blankets you sleep under, but you ought to try an elect blanket on those cold nights. You will be surprised at how wonderful it is. I bet Maggie would like it too. Under the regular blankets you get a warm area that you warm up with your body heat, but if you move any, you have to warm up a new spot. With an elect blanket its all the same toasty temperature no matter where you move under the blanket. I have to turn a lot during the night when I sleep as I have osteo arthritis all over. I guess that is why the elect blanket feels so good too. It helps the arthur- itis.
Well, time to get out for my morning walk- that also helps the arthur-itis too. Later in the day, it is more uncomfortable to walk.
Coreen, we have not heard from you for a little while. How are things up your way?
Solar, Are you able to dig out of the snow?
Jan, I have a couple of elecric throws and I have used them to warm up my bed but don't leave them on. I do have on longjohns and socks in bed so I don't notice the cold spots.
Years ago they said that it wasn't good sleeping under or over a electro-magnetic field, it could cause cancer. Probably nothing to it but I haven't slept under one ever since. Too much cancer in my family so won't chance it.
Off to go see SF, wash and shop.
Found out why the hot water heater breaker went off. Roomy's new boyfriend said the lower heating element went out. I had a feeling something was wrong for that breaker to go off. It's only 11 bucks to get a new element and her boyfriend is suppose to change it. I hope that does it. The water heater is only about 6 years old so why did that element go out??? Did it run out of water? She was running the water so I wonder if the water to the heater may have frozen and the tank drained and burned out that element??? Hope changing the element does the trick.
Do you guys ever ponder the inequity of justice? Maybe not but I am stuck having to because of where I work. I see so many who are stuck behind bars because they can't afford the few dollars it would take to bond out.
It's not only unfair but it cost us all a fortune because keeping people in jail isn't free. It can be very expensive. A significant number of those poor people have a list of medical issues as long as your arm.
Many of the rich not only have the ability to bond out but never even get charged, ie. all those people who are responsible for trashing our economy. They don't just avoid being prosecuted, they get a bonus. Life just isn't fair.
What got me pondering was reading about Lindsay Lohan alleged stealing of that necklace. Sounds like they have pretty good evidence on her and they need a grand jury to decide if she's going to be charged??? Wouldn't need that if she was a poor nobody.
yes Carol, doesn't sound like Justice or fairness. I wonder if there is a country where there is true justice.
My middle son and his wife are hosting a super bowl party today. I don't hear much excitement from my family members about this one. I suppose Green Bay and Pittsburgh are too far away. Their fav teams are closer to home. My sons are for Green Bay. I don't care.
I completely agree Carol about your last statement. I don't think that young woman in Italy got a fair trial there. I think her first name is Amanda.
Jan, I don't care about the Super bowl either. I might like to check out the commercials but I figure they will be up on youtube tomorrow.
I am going to be with family today and for the food. I hope to see baby Abigail there. I could care less about this game. The commercials will probably be good.
I have some of those crest strips on my teeth - trying to whiten a little. I drink lots of tea and eat blueberries daily so teeth are very yellow. I will see if this works even a little. I shouldn't care at my age, but they really look gross.
If I had to pick a team, it would be Green Bay since I don't like Rottenburger. Actually I'm pulling for the eTrade baby.
I went a bought a new gasoline pressure washer. I wonder how long I can keep this one. Someone stole the last one off my back porch at the house and I'm pretty sure it was one of the guys who came to do work for me over there last summer. They are hot items for stealing.
I just finished putting this one together and rolling it up the stairs to my upper deck where it won't be so visible. I strained a lumbar muscle doing it. I just hate old age.
Woo hoo, GB scores. My favorite commercial so far is the dog knocking the glass door down on the guy teasing him with the Dorito.
Happy with the the Super Bowl results but didn't make it until the end of the game. A loud thunderstorm woke me up at about 11p. Wind, thunder and hail. Since I was awake I checked out the final score.
Up until I quit the game, I wasn't very impressed with any of the commercials.
Hope you had fun with the fly Jan.
Actually did not watch the game, we stayed until half-time. Played with baby Abigail the whole time. She is walking everywhere now. She loves to hold onto someone's finger while she walks. I provided her a finger. She is a tiny petite thing - like little Emma. She is 13 months old and weighs 18 lbs.
I would like to see the superbowl commercials. I will have to find on the 'puter.
Jan, Glad to hear you got to spend some time with little Abigail. I bet she's a little doll. Hope to hear more about her.
I'm so surprised your house stay's up to 58 or 60 with your heat off. You must have very good insulation. It's a cinch we don't, but we are improving it in small ways as we go.
.. preparing for 23 degrees on Wed. night again. A few days of that, then back to normal. After that, I'm hoping for no more extreme temperatures until summer.
I do think we'll have an especially beautiful Spring because of the unusual cold this month though. Another good thing, there's not an insect in sight (for the time being), and here, that is unusual. I'm only seeing a few birds, mostly blue jays, and am looking forward to warmer days bring them all back in large numbers. I especially miss hearing our song birds, name those beautiful red cardinals. I can't wait 'til they come back in abundance.
name=namely, amongst other errors. Things are normal.
Chloe, I have tons of birds here. I get about 40 lbs of bird seeds a week and some peanuts in the shells for the squirrels. I give my squirrels sunflower seeds also. They have their own bowl and they still climb the feeder and eat there also. They have managed to destroy my anti-squirrels devices, crafty little guys.
I have lots of cardinals, American Gold Finches, that aren't gold this time of year, chickadees, nuthatches, and lots of black bird come and raid the place. I don't care for them but they need to eat also.
Remember all the ducks I had around here last year? I have only seen two so far this winter and that was just recently. Probably hunters scare them off.
The weatherman said we ought to get back to more seasonal/reasonable winter next week even though we may still have some periodic cold days.
Coreen, how are things in your neck of the woods. Anyone sweep the roof off yet?
Roof not quite swept...take a look at the new
post....
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