Maintainers Weekly Chat January 30 - February 5

[BillBlueEyes]

Was warm enough to go out birding where the water is usually frozen but got to see Coots and Goldeneye Ducks swimming leisurely. My pessimistic side just assumes that we'll pay for mild January days with deep February blizzards.

I'm still fighting excess snacking - sorta left over from the long-gone holidays. I need to declare eating season over.

[silverbirch]

Bill, what does your optimistic side say? Consider going with that, if it's any better. That's my advice, anyway.

It's a lovely day here: sunshine, new snow on the mountains and the cockerels crowing madly next door.

[EZMONEY]

I share your concern here too BILL...

we have had, for the most part, nothing but 70-80 degree warmth here during the main part of the day, for the last 2 weeks. A little cooler today and tomorrow then back into the mid 70's...

not that I'm hatin' it!

[Mudpie]

Bill According to the weather "experts" at Environment Canada we will have a mild winter. Why? Lake Ontario is still relatively warm and the ground in Toronto remains largely unfrozen at the end of January. I know Boston is some distance from us and on the Atlantic ocean but perhaps there will be a similar moderating effect?

Silverbirch I'm glad it's a beautiful day where you are.

My week is not starting off well. Apparently I will be losing little Happi in the "oncoming future" due to my client's inability to manage his funds and life. I feel very sorry for Hap - she will get more and more frustrated with no outlet for her boundless energy. And I will miss her terribly. I will have to enjoy her company all the more as I now know our relationship will end.

And my scale is reflecting all the binge eating I did last week. Back on the horse etc. I started yesterday so I'm hoping to be back under redline by Friday's weigh-in. SIGH. Like a snake eating its tail.

Good Monday all!

Dagmar

[Megan1982]

Morning all,

I did it! Once again Monday rolls around with no regret in sight, and the scale tells me that I've done well. Amazing how this works. Since tomorrow is the last day of January I'll post my loss for the month then. I slept too well Friday night bc Saturday and last night I had some trouble sleeping. I think it was anxiety-related as I couldn't seem to turn the "off" switch in my brain. After rehearsing every day this weekend, we have tonight off, and I think I'll go to bed early and take something to help me sleep.

In addition to worrying about this play I'm in, which opens this Friday, BF has finally made an appointment for a skin cancer screening with the dermatologist free clinic for Tuesday afternoon. He's had some suspicious spots on his face and I've been battling with him for 3 years to go. He doesn't have health insurance and is really worried about the expense. We have many friends who have had skin cancers cut off/out, done the chemical peels, some of them with very similar spots. I'm very worried about what the doctor will tell BF. That's what I lay awake thinking about last night, even though I was very tired, and I couldn't fall asleep. Please that he hasn't waited too long.

PSA of the day: wear your sunblock, all the time! Hats & sunglasses, too. And have your kids do it, too. Melanoma is a very "young" disease.

Dagmar, Bill, Gary et al, it is indeed strange how mild the winter has been. Of course my winter isn't as cold as yours but we should get something of a temperature change. Saturday afternoon I was walking the dog, sniffed and thought "smells like spring". The pine trees have started shedding pollen, they're definitely confused.

Dagmar, I definitely vote for kidnapping Hap and taking him to live happily ever after with you! Sorry your date night didn't end the way you hoped. I'll bet you looked great all dressed up!

Saef, glad you had such a nice time with your friends! Perhaps you could put that on your "to do" list when you're feeling anxiety. Reach out to a friend. I'm sure we could all do that more often.

Have a great week everyone.

[alinnell]

We went to see a stage production of South Pacific yesterday. Very good show.

It's been warm here, too, and with it, we've gotten ants. I've said for a couple of years that the ants were living in our house--inside the walls. Now I think I have proof. The kitty had been staring at the wall in our utility room for a few days--really freaking us out. Well, we determined that he was staring at it, waiting for an ant to crawl out so he could eat it. They were in the garage and we found a hole that they were using to get into the wall and then they come out through a crack between the wall and the tile. I guess now we'll need to call an exterminator.

Saef~glad you got out with friends and got out of your funk.

[traveling michele]

Allison-- sorry you have ants, but glad you found out why kitty was staring at the walls! Funny!!

Saef-- I'm also glad you spent time with friends. We need to remember to nourish our friendships.

Megan-- let us know about bf's appointment. I'm glad he's going. I have had skin cancer (not melanoma), but I've known many others with melanoma. I now keep a close eye on myself and dh.

Dagmar-- do you think Hap's owner would even consider you taking him? Would you want to if you could? You might never know unless you ask?

Bill, Silver and Gary-- yes, we've been warm here too. I love the warmth so I hope it isn't just a teaser and winter will come back with a vengeance.

I went to my friend's dh's funeral on Saturday. Very emotional day. Now I need to see how to support her down the road. I keep thinking of new things (to me) to worry about. Last night I started wondering about medical insurance. I don't know if/how long she keeps dh's medical insurance. I was going to recommend a therapist to them, but if they don't have insurance they would never be able to afford it.

This week is dh's birthday. He always wants the same thing-- vanilla cupcakes with vanilla and coconut on top. He'll be 49. I don't know how the years have gone by so quickly. When I met him, he was 22 (and I was 18!). I was telling him this morning that there will be no point in having a big party for his 50th, because both girls will be in college out of state so we'll likely be celebrating alone. Maybe a trip?!?! I'm still trying to talk him into a trip for our 25th anniversary this summer, but finances don't look too likely for that. I'm also hoping we hear very soon whether or not they want to interview him for this new position. The way he sees it, he is the ONLY logical candidate for the position and it is all but his. We'll see.

Happy Monday all!

[alinnell]

Michele~DH wants to go to Europe for our 25th anniversary which will be in 2013 and now that you mention it, that's also the year that we'll both be turning 50. Yeesh--where does the time go? Our only problem is that 2013 is also the year DS graduates from high school. While we're confident enough in him to leave him for a trip (we did it this year when we went to Costa Rica) I kind of don't want to go while he's still in school, yet if we wait until he graduates, I wonder if he'd want to go on the trip as well, and then we'd feel obligated to take DD. Meanwhile, since we're taking both kids, my in-laws and my sister and BIL to Hawaii this summer, I now feel obligated to do something nice for my brother and SIL in the way of a trip. Why do I feel such guilt?

[paperclippy]

Well, we had some excitement this weekend. Carter *almost* made it a year with no medical emergencies, until last night! Luckily this was a much more minor emergency than last year's ruptured disc.

So yesterday evening Carter started barking and I looked outside and saw two dogs running loose through the neighborhood. They were wandering around outside our fence and looked like they wanted to come in. Carter was freaking out, but I thought if I could go outside and let them into the fence I would be able to call the owner. So I start to open the sliding glass door, using my body to block Carter from getting out since I didn't want him causing trouble, but he somehow managed to squeeze past me and launch himself into the yard. The dogs were on the other side of the fence so he couldn't do anything to them, but it was a decent amount of work from me and DH to get Carter back inside so I could let the other dogs into the fence. So I let them in, then come back to the back door to go inside to call their owner, and I hear DH yelling at Carter and find that he's locked me out.

Eventually he gets the door unlocked and I come in and there is blood all over the place. (Thus the yelling -- DH was trying to get Carter to stay still so he wouldn't track blood all over the carpets.) Turns out on his way launching himself out the back door, Carter managed to kick off the cover on our heating vent and slice his paw on the jagged piece of sheet metal underneath. He wasn't even acting like he noticed it -- he was too amped up about the other dogs. I managed to apply pressure until it slowed down and get a boot on his foot while we took care of the other dogs.

In any case after the other dogs' owner came to pick them up we took Carter to the emergency vet, where he had to get knocked out and have stitches put in his foot (both in the pad which was sliced open and the webbing between toes). They sent us home with antibiotics and painkillers for him, with a e-collar (cone) and a big bandage on his foot.

Then today DH was working from home to keep an eye on him, and he somehow managed to pull off the bandage despite having the cone on his head. Sigh. So it was back to the vet again -- the regular vet this time, who is much cheaper -- and the vet said it was fine to leave it without the bandage as long as it doesn't start actively bleeding, and that we should just wrap his foot in saran wrap whenever we let him outside to do his business, and keep him on a leash outside. I definitely appreciate that the vet gave us the consult for free, because the ER charged us $550 for sewing him up!

In any case, he's fine for now and DH says he hasn't been seeming like he minds wearing the cone too much. He's supposed to leave it alone and keep it clean and dry for two weeks.

In other news, DH and I went downtown to check out the Super Bowl Village Saturday night. It was pretty neat although probably more fun if you're more of a football fan than I am. The zipline through the middle of downtown has to be the craziest attraction! This whole town is going nuts. I hope it will be a good showing for Indy because for the most part it really is a nice town.

[iriswhispers]

Sunday morning was my 4-mile race and I am soooo happy, I finished in 45 minutes which was my goal! It was my first cross country sojourn, so I was really not prepared for all of the ups and downs, in and out of sandy washes, but I made it! There are pictures on my shutterfly site: http://starcat.shutterfly.com There are also pictures of my foster dog in the second album down =)

Jessica, what an experience with Carter! I hope his paw heals quickly. Also, a zipline through town?? I can't even imagine it!

Michele, good luck to your DH on the job.

Allison, yuck, ants! Glad you finally discovered them, though, so you can deal with the problem.

I'll agree with Megan on the sunblock PSA, for sure. I'll keep your bf in my prayers.

Dagmar, sorry to hear about losing Happi as a client. If you need help with a dognapping, let me know...

EZ and Bill we are having some unseasonably warm weather here, too, but I am loving it!

[saef]

It's seasonably cold here and snowy, with the usual dreaded "lake effect" snow warning keeping my mother from venturing out last night to the Indian casino in Oneida to play the slot machines. I also did not go to the gym this morning. Of course, since we changed our plans, nothing happened. The capricious winds spared the village where my mother's house is located. But the town just a few miles north of us got 30 inches of snow overnight.

I'm back to my bleak feeling this morning, despite or perhaps because of being overcaffeinated. (Since I didn't go to the gym after waking at 4 AM, I used my time before logging in at work to roast veggies and bake muffins and brew up two consecutive pots of coffee.)

Still staring in incomprehension at the kitchen plan that the contractor's assistant scanned and emailed to me this past Friday.

And my antique-buying has taken a narcissistic turn. Among my most recent spate of purchases are four different mirrors.

- One is a nickel-plated "scissors" or extension mirror with a beveled glass, which goes in the bathroom, and around the turn of the century, was used to aid gentlemen in shaving. (I find they're great for makeup application.)

- One is a carved mahogany mirror, made probably in or around Albany around 1835 or so. The glass is in two parts and is smoky-looking in that wonderful way of old glass. This will hang in the guest bedroom with a sconce on either side.

- One is a hand mirror with a beveled frame, and a stand it rests on, Anglo-Indian, from the late 19th century, and is likely destined as a present for a friend of mine in Connecticut. She loves antiques, she loves stuff from India (including her husband, who's Bengali) and it's a natural for her. Now I just have to wait for the right occasion to come along. I frequently do this, find things that people whom I know really ought to own, or that I know they want, and then keep them hidden away till the right time arises.

- One is a very tall walnut-framed Victorian mirror in the Eastlake style, from the 1880s or 1890s, which I'll hang in the foyer just outside my apartment door, so I and the guy next door can check our coats and scarves on the way out the door. (Now I need a lighting fixture to hang near it -- preferably scarlet and lurid, like something that would hang in a bordello in a Western town.)

[Mudpie]

Iris on the race. You look great in the photos. And Chianti has that perpetually worried look that all Shar-peis have - very cute!

saef It sounds like your apartment will be beautiful when you're done. And my vote is to stay up and watch the drag queens. I've never seen the show but it sounds funny.

Jessica Next time Carter is freaking out over dogs put a collar and leash on him and make him sit before opening any doors. Much cheaper! .
I hope his paw heals quickly.

Megan on staying OP. And that your boyfriend is ok. I have all sorts of things on my skin (mostly from all the unprotected tanning I did as a teen) but nothing cancerous (yet).

Allison Travel is always fun. From what I've seen Europe is spectacular, wherever you go.

BTW everyone Hap is a girl. No big deal but she is definitely a girl. And no, I can't have a dog because we rent and our lease specifies no dogs. And the cats are too fragile for this particular dog to live with. I do fantasize about taking Hap and all the stuff I could do with her but it won't happen.

Unless I leave DH. And, from the way he's whining about his boss at the new job, I'm thinking about it (not seriously but I'm tired of the whining). Work isn't supposed to be FUN. That's why they call it work. DH should be thankful he got a job in a new field at his age. If he's so unhappy with it he can bloddy well start looking for something else while employed there. None of this horsehockey about having to be unemployed to job hunt.

Rant done. Time to go check my goat and okra stew. With Aunt May's chopped seasoning. I do like to experiment when I cook. I think this Jamaican market will be an interesting place to get stuff. Tomorrow morning I'm making corn porridge for brekkie. I do have a back-up if it's awful or DH refuses to eat it.

Dagmar

[bargoo]

Sorry, Dagmar your Goat and Okra Stew just doesn't appeal to me at all.

[traveling michele]

Originally Posted by bargoo

Sorry, Dagmar your Goat and Okra Stew just doesn't appeal to me at all.

Ditto! Though it may be delicious!

I'm looking for an easy recipe for a vegetarian main dish to bring my friend and her family. They have organized a sign up for meals so I signed up for a day. It will need to feed 6, including her two young boys so it should be appealing to kids. She is vegetarian so it needs to be vegetarian too. I'll also need a yummy dessert recipe....... My dd gave me a recipe that is delish (I've had it) for a vegetarian shepherd's pie, but the recipe is a little more labor intensive than I'm looking for. I'm hoping I can make something the night before, and then heat it up to bring over the next day.

[Mudpie]

Originally Posted by traveling michele

Ditto! Though it may be delicious!

I'm looking for an easy recipe for a vegetarian main dish to bring my friend and her family. They have organized a sign up for meals so I signed up for a day. It will need to feed 6, including her two young boys so it should be appealing to kids. She is vegetarian so it needs to be vegetarian too. I'll also need a yummy dessert recipe....... My dd gave me a recipe that is delish (I've had it) for a vegetarian shepherd's pie, but the recipe is a little more labor intensive than I'm looking for. I'm hoping I can make something the night before, and then heat it up to bring over the next day.

Michele How about a vegetarian chili for your friend and her family?

The goat and okra stew was delicious - but really fatty. I was surprised - the meat had very little visible fat on it. I'll have to look up some recipes to see if something is done to the meat first to get some of the fat out.

I enjoy trying all sorts of new ingredients in my cooking - some are more of a success than others. DH is very good about trying all sorts of new stuff too.
His first impressions after coming to Toronto (long ago) were of a wonderful and varied international cuisine available here. He's from a small town of mostly British background people and was used to really pedestrian cooking.

My mother reallly liked french cooking and my dad did a lot of russian and german stuff. So I have a varied "eating" background. I don't cook really labour intensive foods (like vietnamese or east indian) which require a whole different kitchen of ingredients but I willl adapt some things to my own recipes.

Dagmar