what are you doing right now?

[raeoflyte]

Beautiful picture Finn.

[Cookies Galore]

Oct 10, 2023 18:58:54 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Oct 10, 2023 18:11:15 GMT -5 msventoux said:

I love eggs, scrambled, fried, boiled, etc.  But if I eat them in the morning within a couple hours of waking up I will vomit. I’ve always been that way, I don’t know why.  I’m not a morning person, or a breakfast person, but eggs are the worst for me. 

I don’t particularly love eggs, they are just pretty much a breakfast staple for me. I love potatoes, however they are cooked, but eggs aren’t the same thing for me, I like them enough that I am okay with eating them, but only scrambled, and preferably with cheese but I don’t love them like I do potatoes, which I like mashed, fried, baked, whatever, so I understand the difference. 

I’d have to go look to be certain, but I don’t think eggs are on the FODMAP diet I’ve been given to help with my GI issues. I’ve never had an issue with eggs, even after my stomach went haywire.

But even with my GI issues, when my stomach acts up, I do feel nauseous sometimes, but my stomach hurts really bad, and when I’m racing to the bathroom, it’s not because I’m about to throw up.

So even though I am willing to entertain the idea that eggs might have recently become an issue for me, and right now, you couldn’t pay me to eat some eggs, I honestly think my experiences the last couple of days might be more likely due to what azucena shared. I never even considered I might have anxiety issues, until I started my latest round of counseling, and she suggested that it sounded to her at my first visit, that that might be what I was experiencing. Before then, when I’ve struggled with my mental health, I was always told it was depression. But the reasons she said she thought it might be anxiety, struck some chords with me, and made sense. And there is also the fact, that makes everything even more complicated, that according to the experts, a person can experience both at the same time. Ain’t THAT some SHIT?!

Anyway, whatever diagnosis is correct, it has become obvious that what’s going on in my mind, has started having direct effects on my gut and my digestive system. 

Not that I am a doctor nor do I know anything about you personally aside from what you share with us here, but anxiety absolutely wreaks havoc physically, mentally, and emotionally. I have generalized anxiety and obsessive compulsions and I am exhausted right now. I've been having a rough few months, and my rough time is nothing like what you've been experiencing for the past year plus! My anxiety definitely contributes to gut issues. My stomach hurts because I'm anxious, I have to use the bathroom constantly because I'm anxious, my neck and shoulders are rock hard and tense because I'm anxious, I can't shut off my brain because I'm anxious. And oh boy, if I do my night time checks inadequately or I get intrusive thoughts then I have to do it all over again. It's exhausting; don't ever let someone who is neat and tidy giggle as they say "I am so OCD." It's exhausting and you're a prisoner in your own mind.

Anyway, I've been doing pretty well for a while with my GAD, only taking clonazepam as needed, but life has been getting in the way so I'm not taking care of myself as well as i should have and it is affecting me hard right now. I just bought the Anxiety and Phobia Workbook and and am going to make an extra effort for myself but it is hard to get back to an even state after being so heightened for so long.

All this rambling about myself to say, maybe anxiety could be a contributor. I don't want to suggest it's the only thing causing your physical issues, but it could definitely be adding to it. Chicken or egg scenario.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

We used to throw a blanket over the kennels, that helped with them being more comfortable and less stressed in it because they couldn't see us and it made it more den like.

We had to keep Midnight kenneled during the day for her own safety.  She went through windows like the Kool-Aid man not once but twice when we were not home.

The kennels were their safe spaces.  Midnight even put herself to bed at 9:30 pm.  If I didn't come shut the door and put the blanket over it she would come out, look at me, whine, then go back in until I got the hint.

It worked really well with the kids too because we taught them those are the doggies' rooms.  When the doggies go into their rooms it means you leave them alone and you never ever ever follow them in there.

Sabah and Midnight were crate trained from day one.  Leonard was not I decided not to crate train him he was too set in his ways when I got him.   Wilbur is crate trained but he sleeps with us now.

I would guess Charlotte is probably crate trained having been raised to hunt.  Since we are not 100% sure what her past is we don't take the chance of stressing her out.  Plus kennels for dogs her size are freaking expensive!  If we still had the old ones I would try it because it would be nice to know in an emergency but I'm not going to purchase one for the experiment.

[countrygirl2]

I would look at the oil being used to cook things in. I know there are certain kinds I can't use. For some time I had to quit eating at fast food restaurants. They were using something that gave me the runs 20 minutes after eating and cramps. I still don't know what it was. That's why I started using avocado oil.

There is something wrong with our food now, GMO? Who knows, but I think they are feeding us crap and its killing our stomachs.

[minnesotapaintlady]

I have a big crate in my laundry room that Ed uses when he visits.  I put him in there at night and when I'm going to be gone for a long time.  If it's just a short period of time I close the baby gate to the upstairs and he has free run of the basement and laundry/entry, but for long stretches I don't like to stress the cats out trying to get past him to their litter boxes in the basement.  He is cat friendly, but they don't believe me. 

I've always had crates for all my dogs.  With my shelties I had two of them stacked and Ex 1.0 built a deck around the top one with stairs going up to it.  LOL 

[andi9899]

Sitting at the airport. My flight is delayed. Boo! At least I have a killer smoothie to kill the time with.

[Pink Cashmere]

Oct 11, 2023 8:04:00 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

We used to throw a blanket over the kennels, that helped with them being more comfortable and less stressed in it because they couldn't see us and it made it more den like.

We had to keep Midnight kenneled during the day for her own safety.  She went through windows like the Kool-Aid man not once but twice when we were not home.

The kennels were their safe spaces.  Midnight even put herself to bed at 9:30 pm.  If I didn't come shut the door and put the blanket over it she would come out, look at me, whine, then go back in until I got the hint.

It worked really well with the kids too because we taught them those are the doggies' rooms.  When the doggies go into their rooms it means you leave them alone and you never ever ever follow them in there.

Sabah and Midnight were crate trained from day one.  Leonard was not I decided not to crate train him he was too set in his ways when I got him.   Wilbur is crate trained but he sleeps with us now.

I would guess Charlotte is probably crate trained having been raised to hunt.  Since we are not 100% sure what her past is we don't take the chance of stressing her out.  Plus kennels for dogs her size are freaking expensive!  If we still had the old ones I would try it because it would be nice to know in an emergency but I'm not going to purchase one for the experiment.

Yeah, not only have I had to buy expensive crates so they are big enough, they also take up a lot of room. The one we got for Newbie took up a lot of space in the laundry room. We had to use a divider when we set it up for Boy, because he was so tiny at the time and the crate was so big. 

Then Mister wanted to move it to our bedroom, hoping Boy wouldn’t cry so much at night if he was at least in the same room with us. Didn’t help. We tried covering it at night. He didn’t care lol.

[daisylu]

Appetite came back last night, and feel fine today. Still only eating bland foods today.

[cooper88]

It's going to be back in the nineties again today. I'm heading out with my dog before it gets hot. We'll do a short hike at the wildlife refuge. They recently had the dragonfly festival there, and they are all over my yard too, so I'm hoping to see a lot more of them. Then to Home Depot and Target, pick up some lunch, and bag out through the heat of the afternoon.

[andi9899]

Oct 10, 2023 22:40:38 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Oct 10, 2023 21:46:04 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Ooh! Can I go? I'll high tail it back to KS same day. They'll never find me.

Omg, it does my spirit good when you say stuff like this. 

But if I go see Mister’s brother, Imma want him to know it’s me that has a problem with him and why I showed up. 

The way he has been acting lately, I’ve been questioning how he functioned as a whole adult when he was making all the money he use to make. And talking to Mister this evening, their Mom managed his money for him, even when he was married. Which made sense when Mister said it, because when he said that, I remembered that when we were going through her stuff trying to find info after she died, a lot of her stuff was financial records for Mister’s brother. So he really is clueless.

But I still get angry when he uses the excuse with Mister, his brother born from the same parents as him, that he can’t handle even simple tasks, because of his grief, as if his grief is greater or more important than Mister’s. 

And when I said to Mister that I have a problem with that, because he is a man just like Mister is, and not in his early 20’s or something where youth could maybe be an excuse for not being the kind of man Mister believes men should be, Mister said “I’m going outside” and left the room.

My sister is like this. My parents don't handle her finances, but she's always lived with them. I think she moved out of the house for one year back in her 20s. Outside of that she's lived with my parents for her entire 44 years of life. I don't get it. I bought my house when I was 23 and never looked back. I was renting it for a while before then. I can't imagine living at home at this age.

I play the role of Mister where I make sure everyone and everything is taken care of. I also do a lot of fussing at my parents because I'm going to end up being ultimately responsible at the end of the day. It sucks to be in that position. Especially when the 💩 hits the fan.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Oct 10, 2023 22:22:44 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Oct 10, 2023 21:45:11 GMT -5 busymom said:

We crate both of our dogs at night, Pink Cashmere .  But we also make them comfortable.  In the Winter both crates get a nice, fluffy fleece blanket to help them be warm & comfortable.  (We tried the dog beds, but both of our dogs are chewers.)  Speedy loves his crate, and will actually go in his on his own when he wants a "safe" space from our other dog, or just to nap.  Our girl Lola needs more encouragement to go into her crate, but does sleep in there.  She's our more energetic dog, but she is younger, so I'm waiting to see if she settles down a bit more in the next year.

I’ve used crates for my dogs, and we had one for Newbie. When I had my standard poodle and my Bullmastiff, when I was getting my stuff together to leave home, like my purse and keys, the poodle would go in his crate without me telling him to. By then, it was unnecessary, he had free run of the house when I wasn’t home, but him going in there was a sign to me that it was a safe place that he was okay going to.

Newbie, if we told her to go to her crate, even if we left the door wide open, she was okay with being in there until we told her to come out. The crate was also where she went to hide her “treasures” (toys), under the blanket in there. 

Imo, crates are more than a way to contain a dog when needed, it’s also a safe space for them, where they can retreat to and not be bothered, because that is a rule for the humans, if a dog has retreated to their crate, that means they need some alone time, so leave them alone and don’t pester them.

Harriet and Kronk get crated at night too.  They both have fleece blankets they can huddle in, and both dogs get crated when there is no one keeping an eye on them.  The cat is the only one who gets free rein in the house……because he doesn’t poop on something when he is pissed or jealous, or destroy things.  

[swamp]

Oct 10, 2023 12:44:14 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Oct 10, 2023 12:36:00 GMT -5 cooper88 said:

Pink Cashmere   Yeah, skunks have that smell even when they're not trying. A few years ago they demolished the pool in the park about two blocks from my house. A huge skunk showed up and stayed in my yard and I'm assuming he lived in the park. Anyway, he went under my shed during the day and came out at night. He was pretty gentle. He ate a bunch of bugs, then he discovered the mulberry tree on the property line that drops a lot of fruit. He happily ate that too. After all the destruction and construction was done, he went back wherever he came from. However, he still comes to visit from time to time, and stays for about a week when the mulberries drop. I feel like we should name him.

I have never even seen a skunk IRL lol.

I thought they only sprayed or whatever causes that smell, when they feel threatened? 

While they do spray when threatened, they just stink in general. 

However, they are adorable. 

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Something blew in last night and I woke up sneezing, congested and my eyes itching.  I think we are having a true fall, last year we pretty much went from summer to winter and I don’t remember things being this bad.  
Friends we met on the world cruise pinged me yesterday.  They’re going to be out in WA, so we are getting together for lunch.  They sent a pic of another group of friends from the cruise who are visiting them now.  The week before they get here, we are getting together with the other couple who lives in Bothell.  They are back home a month, then are off to Palm Springs.  

[andi9899]

Man! My flight got delayed again. I didn't have to get up at 5:30 this morning. I could have slept longer.

[minnesotapaintlady]

Our concert shirts arrived yesterday!  We're ready to rock and roll!  All we need now is ear plugs.

[minnesotapaintlady]

Oct 11, 2023 8:47:22 GMT -5 swamp said:

Oct 10, 2023 12:44:14 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

I have never even seen a skunk IRL lol.

I thought they only sprayed or whatever causes that smell, when they feel threatened? 

While they do spray when threatened, they just stink in general. 

However, they are adorable. 

Probably because it's pretty hard to not get spray on themselves when spraying at something else! 

[daisylu]

Going to have to do a grocery run this evening, mostly because I need to dye my hair before my next trip. And since I am sure DH will live on PB&J while I am gone there is no need to restock produce until after I get home.

ETA - Ordering no meat or produce, so placed an order for pickup. $50 and it stops me from roaming the store.

[bean29]

Oct 10, 2023 22:40:38 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Oct 10, 2023 21:46:04 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Ooh! Can I go? I'll high tail it back to KS same day. They'll never find me.

Omg, it does my spirit good when you say stuff like this. 

But if I go see Mister’s brother, Imma want him to know it’s me that has a problem with him and why I showed up. 

The way he has been acting lately, I’ve been questioning how he functioned as a whole adult when he was making all the money he use to make. And talking to Mister this evening, their Mom managed his money for him, even when he was married. Which made sense when Mister said it, because when he said that, I remembered that when we were going through her stuff trying to find info after she died, a lot of her stuff was financial records for Mister’s brother. So he really is clueless.

But I still get angry when he uses the excuse with Mister, his brother born from the same parents as him, that he can’t handle even simple tasks, because of his grief, as if his grief is greater or more important than Mister’s. 

And when I said to Mister that I have a problem with that, because he is a man just like Mister is, and not in his early 20’s or something where youth could maybe be an excuse for not being the kind of man Mister believes men should be, Mister said “I’m going outside” and left the room.

I know mister might really want to help his brother, but the question is - When does it end?  Is Mister going to support him all the way until retirement?  He will most certainly want to help his daughters and his Son at times in the future, and given our discussion on longlevity - he could easily live until late 80's Mid 90's, so he needs to worry about his own financial future.  DH and I have a number of family members that are trainwrecks or living on the edge of poverty.  We can not fix all their problems and have a solid footing for our retirement years. Still it is not easy to say no.  I have been harping on my DH of late though.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

We found out GU had been supported his entire life by my grandmother.  We were shocked at how much money she gave him.  I'm confused because I told dad I can roughly estimate what grandpa made and I cannot fathom how she was giving GU up to $30k a year.  I know she saved but the math just does not add up. 

I've mused that maybe that is part of why he just. . .broke.   This was not something grandma could bail him out of.  She couldn't save him from himself this time and he didn't have the ability to save himself. 

That's what really bothers me about it all.  He could have lived a perfectly fine life at home and still going to church if he had just followed the instructions the blind society gave him.

It's messed up when you allow yourself and someone allows you to get that co-dependent.  It's even more messed up when the expectation is that your son will continue the co-dependency.

Mister's brother is still young enough to pull his head out of his ass and become an adult.  If he doesn't then he can figure out how to live on the dole.   Mister should not be expected to take over where their parents' left off.  That was their choice to enable their son.

[susana1954]

Penny sleeps in her crate when I am in the office and gets "sent" to it when she starts trying to bully me as only the owner of a small dog would understand.  She gives me a "look" (mostly pitiful) as she goes to it, but she does go to it.  She was obviously crate-trained before I got her.  I also put her in it when I have workers over; that's the only time I shut the door.

Whoever suggested it - thank you.  She has the run of the house most of the time and sleeps with me at night, but there are times when she and I both need a time-out from each other.

I will also say that Penny was born to live in a retirement community of old people, all of whom know her by name (me not so much), and where the dogs are all her size.  She loves this place!

[TheOtherMe]

Oct 10, 2023 20:48:21 GMT -5 Opti said:

Oct 10, 2023 20:20:54 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

Update on friend's dad who had the stroke.

Hospital dismissed him to a rehab center.  Things were going okay and he was actually making progress with therapy on his left side.  He was up to 75 ft with a walker at rehab and he was excited.  Other things were happening at the home that made my friend feel it was not a safe place for him to be so she made arrangements to move him today to a nursing home 5 minutes from her house.

Since she told the rehab center about the move, there have been no therapy sessions, all of his clothes have disappeared and they have not bathed him.  This was last Thursday.  She had to make someone come and bathe him.  When she arrived this morning, his depends had not been changed.  He also has developed bedsores.

I am really hoping for both of their sakes that new nursing home takes better care of him.  Therapy doesn't stop because a patient is leaving.  He took the therapy as a challenge and looked forward to it.  If he had been up and getting therapy. he probably wouldn't have bedsores that she didn't know were there until this morning when she made them change the depends.

We really don't care for the elderly in this country.  It's horror stories like this why people fight going to them.

I am feeling so bad for him and your friend. That stuff should not happen but obviously she was right in that it is not a safe place for him and probably for many patients. Once she gets him safely somewhere better, she might want to consider reporting this to the state licensing board. Crap like this should not be occurring, but there are too many bad places out there. 

She already had a letter that she started last week and was continuing to add to it.  Last night she was proofing it before she was emailing it to every place in her state she could think of.  She also plans to turn them in for Medicare fraud if they charged for physical therapy when he wasn't getting any.

It's hard enough to get a person with dementia to actually be accepting of being where he was.  He was when he was getting physical therapy, but languishing in bed set his mental health way back.

He was not happy when she told him he was not and will not be going home again.  She is getting his house ready to sell because he will need the money to pay for the nursing home.  

[weltz]

Finnime, gorgeous picture!

[weltz]

My friend has passes to a health club with a warm, saltwater pool. We're going at 2;30. Sounds good.

[TheOtherMe]

Yesterday I got to wondering if there was a wedding photo of my maternal grandparents because I have never seen one.  Texts were exchanged with older cousins and no one remembers seeing one.  It was suggested I call my oldest cousin.

Last night I called her as her mother was the oldest and got a lot of photos from the parents.  She said there are no wedding photos in the pictures she has.  

Then she started talking about the photos and how her nieces have no interest in them.  We made a deal.  She's going to work at uncovering them over the winter and then I will go down in the spring and she will give them to me.

[steph08]

Two of our dogs our crated, one is not. Our beagle is 12 and only has one eye, so she gets free run of the house. However, she probably needs to be crated the most as she is spiteful. If we are out of the house too far past dinner time, she will find something to eat - be it Halloween candy from the pantry, crayons on the coffee table, toys from the kids' rooms. We have to ensure all doors are shut before we leave the house. 

My other dogs had big wire kennels in our dining room; however, my DH made me a beautiful wooden kennel for them that is now in the laundry room. It works as a piece of furniture (well, I just fold my laundry on it) but also is good for the dogs. Our lab loved his wire kennel, so he's taking some adjusting to the new one, but otherwise, they go in without issue. 

[daisylu]

DH wandered into my office and asked if I ever have the camera on when I am on calls.

20 minutes later he is still laughing at my reply - "Yeah, when I'm on ONLY FANS". 

[busymom]

Yup, our dogs are spiteful too, steph08.  They get even with me for any perceived "wrong", sometimes by chewing on woodwork, but mostly by peeing or pooping.  My previous dog wasn't constantly trying to get even with me.  

[chiver78]

I threw the pups in the car and took a leisurely drive over the noon hour, since the fires of the past few days were all out (or at least not flagrant!). we explored a particular part of a nearby town on the coast that I'd not been through before. it was all stunning, and where I'll look to buy when I win Powerball tonight.     we got back to the house around 1, and I enjoyed a decent grocery store sushi roll while I caught up on emails that came in while we were out. we are all now outside, it's finally sunny and warm in the direct sun. 

a new question came in via text - do I want a spot in a double cabin for January? I haven't booked this current music cruise after sailing 20 straight. cabin cost is $1600 including all fees, then I'd need flights and a hotel the night before. I told her I'd think about it. I'd love to be on a cruise in January instead of here in the cold (and likely snow) but the music lineup doesn't thrill me and I've previously said 20 was a nice round number and it's time for a break. so idk. there's no extra fees to add me to the booking until 11/1, after which it will count as a name change. 

[bookkeeper]

Oct 11, 2023 12:50:19 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

I threw the pups in the car and took a leisurely drive over the noon hour, since the fires of the past few days were all out (or at least not flagrant!). we explored a particular part of a nearby town on the coast that I'd not been through before. it was all stunning, and where I'll look to buy when I win Powerball tonight.     we got back to the house around 1, and I enjoyed a decent grocery store sushi roll while I caught up on emails that came in while we were out. we are all now outside, it's finally sunny and warm in the direct sun. 

a new question came in via text - do I want a spot in a double cabin for January? I haven't booked this current music cruise after sailing 20 straight. cabin cost is $1600 including all fees, then I'd need flights and a hotel the night before. I told her I'd think about it. I'd love to be on a cruise in January instead of here in the cold (and likely snow) but the music lineup doesn't thrill me and I've previously said 20 was a nice round number and it's time for a break. so idk. there's no extra fees to add me to the booking until 11/1, after which it will count as a name change. 

Have you sailed Princess Cruise line lately?  We are looking at a cruise from California to Hawaii this winter.  Either Ruby Princess or Grand Princess.  We went to Alaska on Norwegian last June, and really didn't care for the large mega ship experience.  Hoping to chillax on a smaller ship with fewer people.

[chiver78]

Oct 11, 2023 13:05:18 GMT -5 bookkeeper said:

Oct 11, 2023 12:50:19 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

I threw the pups in the car and took a leisurely drive over the noon hour, since the fires of the past few days were all out (or at least not flagrant!). we explored a particular part of a nearby town on the coast that I'd not been through before. it was all stunning, and where I'll look to buy when I win Powerball tonight.     we got back to the house around 1, and I enjoyed a decent grocery store sushi roll while I caught up on emails that came in while we were out. we are all now outside, it's finally sunny and warm in the direct sun. 

a new question came in via text - do I want a spot in a double cabin for January? I haven't booked this current music cruise after sailing 20 straight. cabin cost is $1600 including all fees, then I'd need flights and a hotel the night before. I told her I'd think about it. I'd love to be on a cruise in January instead of here in the cold (and likely snow) but the music lineup doesn't thrill me and I've previously said 20 was a nice round number and it's time for a break. so idk. there's no extra fees to add me to the booking until 11/1, after which it will count as a name change. 

Have you sailed Princess Cruise line lately?  We are looking at a cruise from California to Hawaii this winter.  Either Ruby Princess or Grand Princess.  We went to Alaska on Norwegian last June, and really didn't care for the large mega ship experience.  Hoping to chillax on a smaller ship with fewer people.

I despise NCL, but that's who owns the company that does the music cruises. we used to be on Carnival, which was perfectly fine. at least my "frequent flyer" account transferred over to NCL when we changed lines. that was a huge point of contention for the longtime loyal cruisers, the prospect of having to start over with seniority when we were used to perks. I walked onto my first NCL trip as Platinum. I'm Sapphire now, would be higher if I was booking suites, but I like the cheap rooms. I'm only in there to sleep and shower. 

I've only sailed once on the Crown Princess, in 2009. we had a norovirus outbreak onboard, and they handled it miserably. I'm not really in a rush to give them a 2nd chance about it, since the direction came from on high.