Good morning All. Coffees on.

[Adrianna Danielle]

I believe my boyfriend is up to something good and will be coming up with something good.Said he has always wanted to spend the rest of his life with me

[Ashley0616]

Well, I tested positive for Covid last night. Yesterday all I did was sleep. I hope it's only a weeklong. 

[Mmindy]

Good afternoon everyone, 

 

It’s been a lazy Sunday here so far. We are going to pick up the camper and load it up with groceries and clothes for a morning departure to a three night camping trip to see how the cats and dog do. We will increase the time for our trips, preparing them for months long trips as we become snowbirds heading to the Southwestern United States. 
 

Mindy🌈🐛🏳️‍⚧️🦋

 

 

[awkward-yet-sweet]

Just now, Ashley0616 said:

Well, I tested positive for Covid last night. Yesterday all I did was sleep. I hope it's only a weeklong. 

 

Is it your first time going through it?  It seems the experience is different for everybody.  I had it just after Christmas 2020, and I was fine.  Felt like a mild flu.  GF had it the same time as me, and she was really, really sick...but she usually gets severely ill even with normal stuff.  My husband's parents also had it in 2022, and both were fine in spite of being up in years.  There's various remedies out there, but I'd say a big dose of vitamins C and D, and plenty of fluids and sleep.  Some people swear by having a big drink of whiskey before a long sleep, but not sure I'd recommend it. 

[Willow]

[hailey]

Got my mom out of the house today,did go grocery shopping and she used an electric cart to get around.Her knee surgery recovery is going well.Did get what we needed,did get myself a 12 pack of beer too.She knows I do drink,it is usually 1 to 2 drinks that I have.Learned responsibility very well growing up

[Ashley0616]

Just now, awkward-yet-sweet said:

 

Is it your first time going through it?  It seems the experience is different for everybody.  I had it just after Christmas 2020, and I was fine.  Felt like a mild flu.  GF had it the same time as me, and she was really, really sick...but she usually gets severely ill even with normal stuff.  My husband's parents also had it in 2022, and both were fine in spite of being up in years.  There's various remedies out there, but I'd say a big dose of vitamins C and D, and plenty of fluids and sleep.  Some people swear by having a big drink of whiskey before a long sleep, but not sure I'd recommend it. 

This is the first time. I don't know how I got it? I don't really leave the house. Maybe last trip to Walmart? So far it has been fever of 103, migraines and exhaustion oh and chills. 

[awkward-yet-sweet]

Just now, Ashley0616 said:

This is the first time. I don't know how I got it? I don't really leave the house. Maybe last trip to Walmart? So far it has been fever of 103, migraines and exhaustion oh and chills. 

 

Hopefully it goes away soon.  For me, the fever phase was kind of the middle third of the experience.

 

 

This weekend was interesting and weird.  My GF's ex showed up.  I'd met her before, and only knew enough about her to feel super insecure.  She's wealthy, talented, and beautiful.  But she didn't come here for GF, actually to help our county and work with my husband....who apparently she wanted to marry many years ago, but her interest wasn't returned.  So yeah, there's a whole crap-ton of history I know nothing about.   But I got to talk with her a bit, and underneath the wealthy life, she's still a small-town girl and kind of like me.  I wouldn't say that I exactly made a friend, but it wasn't what I expected. 

[Birdie]

My usual Sunday date blurted out "I love you" before signing out of our Zoom call. 😲

 

OMG, it stopped me in my tracks! I never thought in that manner whilst conversing with him. I am speechless. 😲

 

I quite enjoy our daily text messages, and look forward to the Zoom call where I can dress up really nice and actually see him, but LOVE doesn't quite describe my feelings for him. I am quite content with "one toothbrush on the counter."

 

The hints have been coming in, and I thought they were just in jest. 😲

[Birdie]

[Birdie]

Strangely at the centre, things have been going okay. 

They were of course coming up with “unwritten rules” almost on a daily basis, and I wasn’t the only one complaining of this. Apparently many participants and staff were complaining about it. 

They compiled an addition to the dress code and accepted behavior. The new sheet had to be signed by everyone. It of course addressed modesty standards, but includes everyone. 

I am no longer the only one being singled out. 

Bra bands and straps must not be visible under clothes. It doesn’t expressly prohibit tank tops, but does pretty much exclude them for ALL women attending. 

Clothes must cover appropriately, so their collar bones, elbows and knees policy is pretty much a given. 

They know I dress solely in womens attire, and are quite content with androgynous. I will continue to dress this way even after my legal gender is revealed to them. I don’t want to disrupt our unspoken agreement. I’m not going to wear a skirt just to make a statement, but I have pushed the envelope about as far as it can go by wearing sheer compression stockings. 

My new legal gender will of course get me back out of the men’s loo. They were talking me into the all-gender loo but management decided I needed to go into the “men’s.” I will of course suggest that I should revisit using the all-gender instead.

I need their services, and they have grudgingly been working with me. I shall be kind enough to return the favour. 

[hailey]

Packing up for a big job,replacing 4 doors in a house.Customer's now ex boyfriend got violent kicking them in last week.She got an estimate from me and I got the job.I still have to go to Lowes for nails for my finish nailer,almost out.

[KymmieL]

Did a whirlwind run up to Sturgis. Up and Back in about 15.5 hours. Haven't been since, 2018. It was great. The wife got some pin-stripping done on the bike along with new slip-on  exhaust. Sounds way better than the ultra quiet stock exhaust. 

I even had a vender say to us, "Have a good day, Ladies." Even at Sturgis bike week.

 

Had some rain on the way home but made it. I am getting too old for that shite.

 

Hugs,

Kymmie

[Ashley0616]

4 hours ago, awkward-yet-sweet said:

 

Hopefully it goes away soon.  For me, the fever phase was kind of the middle third of the experience.

 

 

This weekend was interesting and weird.  My GF's ex showed up.  I'd met her before, and only knew enough about her to feel super insecure.  She's wealthy, talented, and beautiful.  But she didn't come here for GF, actually to help our county and work with my husband....who apparently she wanted to marry many years ago, but her interest wasn't returned.  So yeah, there's a whole crap-ton of history I know nothing about.   But I got to talk with her a bit, and underneath the wealthy life, she's still a small-town girl and kind of like me.  I wouldn't say that I exactly made a friend, but it wasn't what I expected. 

I'm glad that things went better than expected. It's always interesting how people's expectation isn't what it always happens. Never know until you give them a chance.

[Ashley0616]

48 minutes ago, Birdie said:

My usual Sunday date blurted out "I love you" before signing out of our Zoom call. 😲

 

OMG, it stopped me in my tracks! I never thought in that manner whilst conversing with him. I am speechless. 😲

 

I quite enjoy our daily text messages, and look forward to the Zoom call where I can dress up really nice and actually see him, but LOVE doesn't quite describe my feelings for him. I am quite content with "one toothbrush on the counter."

 

The hints have been coming in, and I thought they were just in jest. 😲

Well who knows maybe it will take time. I wished I could hear those words romantically. I'm not giving up even after all the hell I've been through. Maybe he wanted to leave you with a cliff hanger and to think about what he said to you? I wish you good luck on the decision you make. 

[Petra Marjorie]

On 8/3/2024 at 10:29 AM, Willow said:

Good morning 

 

I guess we are in the wait and watch for what TS Debbie decides to do. Personally, I don’t plan on going any where and I believe we already have sufficient food.  The only thing I may do is get our emergency water jug (large contractor’s water jug) out of storage, and start up our ice maker to make food preservation easy in case of power loss.  We have a countertop ice maker also in storage for when we need extra ice.  I really don’t think they will be needed.  All new construction for years has had underground utilities, and the utilities have been doing a lot of work in recent years to bury all the feeder lines so that power loss is unusable but not impossible.  The large grocery stores all have their own backup power systems, Many since Hurricane Michael was so bad in 2016.

 

First cup on board going in for another.

 

@Petra Marjorie I see you have already found others with similar experience.  And there are many more willing to share.  Enjoy your “coffee”

 

Willow

This is a subject that I am intimately familiar with in at least the preparation side of things. 

I am an avid proponent of the Survivalist/Prepper arena (minus the Black Helicopter conspiracy stuff) and having self sufficiency aspects on hand are to me one of the most important things one can do for one's self health and well being. 

[Willow]

 

Well, it’s Monday morning 

 

I did not bide my own warning, I didn’t run!  I hit it head on.  And now look, I’ve got a court date!  lol not not really.

As far as I know, we have managed to avoid getting COVID.  We have had all Covid shots and booster updates.  And neither of us ever had a reaction to them so I’ll knock on wood we’ve been fortunate in that regard.  We did have a scare a few weeks ago in that I was sitting with a couple during an after church coffee hour who did test positive the next day.

 

As far as I can tell, my wife’s incision is fully closed now.  Yea!  And my ribs are slowly getting better.  The only appointment this week is my wife needs to get an x-ray Friday.  And let’s not forget Debby is likely to visit us.

 

But lookout next week.  Final follow-up with her surgeon, the next day I have; my annual ophthalmologist appointment, immediately followed by an appointment with the vascular surgeon, followed by an appointment for a CT scan all in Charleston. Then Friday after they get off work, our granddaughter and boyfriend are coming !

August could end up being a very busy month once it gets going.

 

Willow

 

 

[Willow]

Just now, Petra Marjorie said:

This is a subject that I am intimately familiar with in at least the preparation side of things. 

I am an avid proponent of the Survivalist/Prepper arena (minus the Black Helicopter conspiracy stuff) and having self sufficiency aspects on hand are to me one of the most important things one can do for one's self health and well being. 

im an old Boy Scout, Be Prepared!  But my wife thinks I over do if.  Yet this time I think she is more concerned than I am.  But the point I’m coming to here is that she has felt that I tend to go too far with things and jump too soon. She points to the aneurysm as, I was all upset and started researching what this could mean for me, and my future.  I looked up the correct diagnosis and followed a path based on that.  I still have pressed forward to get an appointment not so much to get surgery immediately but to get a plan and learn do’s and don’ts.  For example what restrictions do I need to follow.  She has complained I am going too far and a woo is me.  I just want to make sure I am around to achieve the things I’ve started and to support her.  Sort of a potato tomato thing.

 

And I have been after her to get checked out for issues she has complained about.  She has been a bit of what I don’t know I don’t worry about.

 

Willow

 

 

[Petra Marjorie]

First all prayers and good thoughts to you and your SO. 

 

Also I too am an old boy scout.  

 

My other half has Diabetes T2, and has her own health issues as well. 

Dealing with my own personal issues and health considerations, I can understand the aspect that your talking about. 

 

Which is why I do the prepping aspect. 

(no not proselytizing).  I have purchased a goodly amount of food products as of recent for worldly issues and understanding the situation your in, I would not say that your overreacting but being prudent!  

 

Kudos to you! 

 

 

[KathyLauren]

When we lived on an island out west, the ferry costs were outrageous, so we only went into town for shopping once every two or three weeks.  We got into the habit of always having two or three weeks' worth of food on hand.  Also, when the power went out, we were low on the repair priority list, and repairs often took several days.  So we got a generator to keep all that food cold.  (Did you ever try to buy a generator in the middle of an 8-day power outage?  Trust me, it ain't easy!)  So we became sort-of "preppers" without having any ideological reason to - just practicality.

 

We live closer to civilization now, but the idea of being well-prepared persists.  We can get several hurricanes or tropical storms every year.  They are usually post-tropical by the time they get here, but still pack a punch.  We are ready for most conditions.

[Ivy]

We weren't exactly "preppers" either, but usually had a good bit of canned stuff, and dry food like beans, rice, etc. because we just did with our large family and low budget.

We heated with wood in the winter. (I still use propane space heaters)  I still have a number of oil/kerosene lamps also.  The potty is in the back yard and kinda self-flushes.  The well is old-school and I can open the lid and draw water with a bucket if the power goes out. (The current code calls for everything sealed up)

Yeah, fridge can be a problem if it goes out in the summer, but in the winter less of one.  Break out the camping stove to cook.

Back in the day, we used to actually get snow, or ice storms, and that would knock out power sometimes for several days. (I'm just a bit outside of town)  In some ways it was nice, quiet and all.  But now a lot of folks have those generators - so no quiet.  That is actually annoying.

[MaeBe]

Big city girl, here. I was a Boy Scout, but tend to be more MacGuyver than "Fallout" in those regards. Resourceful, but only semi-prepared. That may change with the move to Kitsap County, though. I don't know what to expect out there for services reliability (I did just look up the service record of the only bridge to Bainbridge Island where my wife works and kids will go to school!). Maybe we'll get a generator for the home, it's probably a good idea. We usually have enough food for a couple weeks if we needed it (dry & canned goods, some water, etc.), but we do this passively and not actively.

 

@Birdie, wishing you luck on your documents and for positive changes at the Center.

 

@Willow and everyone else in the path of Debby, I hope it blows over quickly and you stay dry!

[Willow]

Well, we skipped right on past the watches and went straight to warnings.  High surf, 4’ surge expected, rip currents, now who would be stupid enough to swim in the ocean during a tropical storm which could regain strength to become a hurricane again at anytime?, flood warning, 12-24 inches of rain over three days.  Now that is the one that most concerns me.  
 

When we first moved to S.C. within the first couple of months Hurricane Mathew went directly over us.  Thanks to underground utilities we didn’t loose power but lots of people near us did.  I did buy a generator after that big enough to run the refrigerator and some lights or fans.  I no longer have it I gave it to my granddaughter and her boyfriend to use or sell.  Their choice.

 

but back to the water, there isn’t much I can do about water if our neighborhood floods.  I don’t think it will but this will be the test.  I do have flood insurance.

 

im probably not as prepared as I could be.  But the biggest issue will be cooking.  I no longer have a camping or Coleman stove so if we loose power I am sunk.  But should I run to the store and buy a camping stove?  That would be a waste of money I don’t have if we don’t loose power.  I need to think about that one.

 

 

[KymmieL]

Never was a boy scout stopped at Webalos. But I am ex-USAF security police and know about survival. As long as walmart is open I am good. They only close when the city asks them too. or they lose power.

 

Boring day at work. Same as Friday. my co-workers had to finish there project at our plant north of town. So, I held down the fort. Can't do jack on the company computer being a DOD contractor. Well you can imagine.

 

My leg is still swollen. so I may have to go back to my Dr to possibly get some more crap taken out of my leg. Oh, Joy. 

 

Well still exhausted from yesterday. I'm jumping in the shower and heading to bed shortly.

 

TTFN

 

Kymmie

 

 

 

 

[awkward-yet-sweet]

7 hours ago, KathyLauren said:

When we lived on an island out west, the ferry costs were outrageous, so we only went into town for shopping once every two or three weeks.  We got into the habit of always having two or three weeks' worth of food on hand.  Also, when the power went out, we were low on the repair priority list, and repairs often took several days.  So we got a generator to keep all that food cold.  (Did you ever try to buy a generator in the middle of an 8-day power outage?  Trust me, it ain't easy!)  So we became sort-of "preppers" without having any ideological reason to - just practicality.

 

We live far away from hurricanes, but my family is definitely in the "prepper" category.  Not really for the end of the world stuff, just a way of life.  We grow most of our own food, and pack it away for winter.  Canning, freezing, drying, and smoking are just part of daily life here.  We're not 100% electrically self-sufficient, but we've got enough solar panels, batteries, and generators/fuel that if grid power disappeared, we'd be fine. 

 

A tornado hit here in 2018.  It damaged our property, and totally destroyed some neighboring properties.  Our nearest neighbors lost everything...what the tornado didn't wreck, the fire that followed consumed totally.  So they lived with us for a long time.  I was new to the family back then, and I got a really close look at the advantages of being prepared, and also the advantages of sturdy construction. 

 

Our house could withstand a direct strike from an F3 twister.  And that's the above-ground part, including windows and roof.  My den is underground, in the secure area.  My husband built it as a nuclear shelter, and in normal times its the adults' bedroom, a couple of offices, and some other stuff.  He didn't build it with me in mind, but I sleep really well at night since I know I'm safe from....basically everything.  There's a lot of concrete, metal, sand, and soil between me and the outside world.

 

It always amazes me to watch unprepared people trying to buy stuff after an event.  Stores my have a couple of things on the shelves, but when everybody wants the same exact items, there isn't enough even for a neighborhood, let alone an entire city. Even here, if there's snow coming the grocery stores suddenly run out of milk, bread, eggs, and a few other things.  I feel like asking people, "You really didn't keep anything useful at home???"  

 

9 minutes ago, Willow said:

I'm probably not as prepared as I could be.  But the biggest issue will be cooking.  I no longer have a camping or Coleman stove so if we loose power I am sunk.  But should I run to the store and buy a camping stove?  That would be a waste of money I don’t have if we don’t loose power.  I need to think about that one.

 

You can make a "rocket stove" out of a couple of concrete H-blocks.  Seriously easy, and dirt cheap.  Then you can cook over just a few small sticks of wood. 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_stove