| Tatoulia | Posted: 27 September 2019 - 06:50 AM |
Good morning and coffee clinks!!! Starting Phase 12! Happy Autumn! There's a proverb that says, Life starts anew when it gets crisp in the fall. Let's do this!!!! | |
Replies (1187)
| Subclinical | Posted: 27 March 2020 - 04:15 PM |
They say "made in Canada". | |
| Tatoulia | Posted: 27 March 2020 - 04:07 PM |
I marked it as private because BF was on Instagram and I wanted to just have a little peace and quiet. It was short-lived so I opened it again. I was disappointed that my Earth Breeze sheets were made in China but I'm very happy with them otherwise. No discernible scent and my clothes are very clean. It is sunny and beautiful. Kitty's in her window and she's just so pretty. SubC are your TruEarth sheets made in Canada or somewhere else? I won't need to buy for a long time but thought I should check in. | |
| Tillie | Posted: 27 March 2020 - 01:52 PM |
Thank you Tatoulia Of course you miss the people you spent time with daily. Open windows and fresh air. I bought 114 (2 57 count boxes) sheets of "ecosnext". But they were made in China Amazon and Chewy.com were both very picked over and many items were out of stock, not available. Like the Rolling Stones sang... 😉 | |
| Tatoulia | Posted: 27 March 2020 - 01:28 PM |
I think we call the greedy people greedy and selfish. I'm sheltering in place. It's hard. I miss the BF. I have my windows open and will change my sheets today. Which laundry sheet brand did you buy, Tillie? Ok back to work. I'm doing better today, mentally. Better focused at work. I'll fix my Instagram. I had to put it on private for a bit. Will open it back up. | |
| Tillie | Posted: 27 March 2020 - 11:20 AM |
Good Morning Everyone Hi Subclinical How considerate of the rain to allow you to do morning chores before it starts. Your Dd's work routine seems safe. That's so wonderful that you will be using the plates you handmade and letting go of some others to make room for them. WTG! for Dh using the boring conference time to declutter his desk area!!! Now that I have my laundry sheets and the cats have the hairball cereal I have no plans or need to online shop. I want to find a new name for normal regular people who "hoard" and people who plunder. On my way out now to hang my linens on the line. | |
| Subclinical | Posted: 27 March 2020 - 04:20 AM |
Count me among the ayes. Tillie and Tatoulia, it says private to me too. CM, I'm glad things went well yesterday. And how good of your aunt to take that weight off your mind. I hope you got some rest. I woke up wide awake at 4:15 again. Hopefully this won't happen next week when I am teaching again. Dd went to her job site yesterday. She says she will now go once a week. She stands outside and has a conversation with her boss from 6-8' apart, then walks around by herself inspecting the work without touching anything, has another conversation with her boss, and goes home. She said it is surreal. She also said that based on traffic, no one is changing their behavior. I don't know. I still hear traffic here, but it is quieter in the evening when people would be coming home from work. Dh and I found nine mismatched plates that we decided could go and be replaced by the plates I made, so that is taken care of. They are waiting in the donate pile for someday. Dh also asked me for a paper bag and cleaned out his desk and the surrounding area for donate while he was bored on a conference call. I thought about having a small comfort item shipped to Dd yesterday and Dh told me "she doesn't need that. The shipping system is overwhelmed right now and it is irresponsible to place unnecessary demands on it." The weather report says the rain will wait until I finish morning chores. So polite. | |
| Tillie | Posted: 26 March 2020 - 11:50 PM |
Good Evening Ladies AYE! CriticalMass Pib is adorable 🙂 Now your obligations away from home are completed hope you can relax and enjoy all the free time to do things at home. Going to sic Badger on to your monkey brain so you get to bed early enough. Stay home and stay well (((((HUG))))) Hi Tatoulia Happy you slept and hope you get lots more. WTG! getting trash & recycling out but next time do it before sundown. For a few weeks now I thought you made Susan Kitty private. From watching statistic videos on the virus it looks like the vast majority of people will only have a normal level of flu like sickness. Not much different around here. | |
| CriticalMass | Posted: 26 March 2020 - 10:33 PM |
It has been a blessing to gather here frequently. And I second the motion that no one is allowed to get sick. All in favor say Aye. Got home from my aunt's funeral about 2:00. On the drive over and back, the highway had hardly any traffic. The funeral went really well though different. It was a cloudy morning and one side of the church's stained glass windows were covered for maintenance. So along with the small numbers of people, a hushed but peaceful atmosphere. Got go spend a little while with the cousins. One owns a business and he was my aunt's DPOA. There is a trust going to be set up which will buy the other unmarried aunt, and me, our preplanned funeral arrangements. This will be a load off my mind. Now I just need to do my Swedish cleaning. Not planning to depart ahead of schedule if I can help it, but I want to dig in and get more done. Met a distant cousin at the funeral - descendant of great grandfather's brother I think. I wrote it down. My first cousin with the business has an office manager I got to meet. She is a tortie tabby he calls Pib - stands for Pain in the butt. I can tell how much of a pain he thinks she is by the way he skritches her belly. Pic on IG. This aunt we buried today was the second youngest of my dad's five sisters. She and the youngest never married, stayed with grandma till she passed then it was just the two of them. It was a couple years or maybe a bit longer that their health declined and then they were nursing home roommates. The younger one has some dementia now. But she had said she saw her sister walking with grandma and grandpa. The sister who passed has not been able to walk for a long time. I shall treasure this. And I'm glad my youngest aunt had a comfort like that. ♡♡♡♡ Took a nap when I got home because I pulled another stay up too late last night. Must be stricter with myself on that. My monkey brain probably disagrees... Roommate had a work meeting online but it was shorter and quieter. This evening we watched another episode of Blake's 7 (British sci-fi from 70s-80s) on YouTube. I do feel less wound up now that preparing for the funeral trip is done, and like maybe I could go to sleep earlier. Will put screens aside and go for a book, perhaps. Keep on flattening the curve my friends. | |
| Tatoulia | Posted: 26 March 2020 - 08:42 PM |
Tillie that is a good use of Scooter's boxes! And amazing! SubC your life is so rich! I'm often In awe of you, your life, the sweetness and understanding of your husband, the kindness you have for your students, your amazing mom.....need I go on? I slept after work and BF called me at 8:45 Pm. I took the garbage out and the recycling, including Scooter's big printer/scanner box. It was prime cat sitting material but kitty never even looked at it. Tillie I have a picture of Tigger sleeping in a peanut M&m box, so I'll try to get it on Instagram for you. It's adorable. Okay I'm running the dishwasher and going to call BF back. The city is very eerie and I won't wait for dark before taking my garbage out again. I don't have any chest congestion, no fever, etc but I do feel a little weirdness. So I've got 13 more days of isolation. I'll pay cleaner next week and have her come ASAP after my 14 days are up. | |
| Tillie | Posted: 26 March 2020 - 07:59 PM |
Hi Subclinical Tying a goat to the fence is a win-win. So happy you got to spend time outdoors! That's a good mix. Sunny days getting exercise outside and rainy days working on school work. The Cottontail bunnies never nibble the Iris but years ago when I first put them in, the rhubarb leaves were nibbled a tiny little, but not any more. Scooter is still playing with his pre-virus box so he is not really deprived. Maybe Steven is realizing that all that stuff really is not needed or necessary and in fact makes life here harder and poorer. Since he can't acquire right now the next best thing is for him to "shop at home" and do a reversal of objects. ;D | |
| Subclinical | Posted: 26 March 2020 - 06:21 PM |
Oh my Tillie, I am sorry that scooter lost his boxes, but I hope he can understand that they went to a good cause. Now if Steven just donates the donations... Maybe the virus has inspired him to do a little Swedish cleaning. Tatoulia, rest and take care of yourself and feel better soon. I am very tired because I did a lot of work outside today. Feeling the sun and wind. I tied one of the bucks to the fence and let him clear the fence line for me while I weeded irises. Usually goats will only take one bite of an iris, and the iris recovers. Tomorrow has to be a school focused day, which shouldn't be too hard. The rain is already firing warning shots. | |
| Tillie | Posted: 26 March 2020 - 02:51 PM |
Good Afternoon Everyone Hi Subclinical You & DH have everything. Hi Tatoulia I know BF will take good care of you but make sure he understands that chocolate at this time is a necessity. 😉 Last time I went to the store I really, really, really wanted to get some peanut M&Ms but out of all the candy that was on the shelf only that space was empty. Put fresh water in the bird baths and gave my blooming Hyacinth and Daffodils a drink too. Noticed my empty quarantined Chewy.com boxes were not where I had placed them so I went to investigate. | |
| Tatoulia | Posted: 26 March 2020 - 12:16 PM |
Cheered me up to read your posts. Although I never left the house yesterday, I am counting today as Day 1 of my 14 day quarantine. If I have it, I'm infectious. If I don't have it, my system is fragile right now. I will have to think about taking my garbage out tonight. I can do right at five when no one is out back. I'll wear my gloves and mask and I won't touch a thing. But no stores, no saying hi to BF, etc. he will drop off what I need but I'm all set for water and juice. And I made a big pan of lasagne yesterday. So I'm fine. He will still insist on a drop off today. | |
| Subclinical | Posted: 26 March 2020 - 11:28 AM |
Mom and a Dad are home safely. They had Mom wait in the car and Dad was in and out with minimal contact in 45 minutes. So hopefully all good. Tillie, I don't know about the little boy - it will be a day or two before I know if he is getting enough to eat, and there could be something else wrong that I can't see, but he seems happy enough. I have learned that nature gives some goats short lives and I can only make them pleasant. Dh and I are very fortunate! People often look at my life and say "you don't have anything out there." And I try to tell them "i have everything out here." I have a nice house and a beautiful yard, gardens, animals, vegetables in season, eggs and milk, firewood, exercise, rural delivery, electricity, running water, phone service, and even broadband! And now I have Dh all the time! | |
| Tillie | Posted: 26 March 2020 - 10:51 AM |
Good Morning Everyone Hi Subclinical Wishing good things for Maple's little boy. YEA! for a break in the rain there! You are fortunate that you and DH have enough space in your home that you can get distance from each other when working. WAY TO GO! for finding and putting some of Justin Cases' stuff to good use! 😀 I have no problem buying second hand from thrift shops or other types of sales. Hi Tatoulia What puzzles me is they say some people have only mild symptoms but still be quite infectious. OK, so Mom will be getting pens and stamps, good. Have a GREAT day at (home) work today. Looks like tomorrow no rain predicted to fall here. Staying home is easy and enjoyable for me. | |
| Tatoulia | Posted: 26 March 2020 - 08:57 AM |
Sending love and comfort and hope to Cm and to SubCs parents. My temp is at its usual low around 97,2 today. I'm sneezing and feeling a little weird but in fact, I'm just in hysterics, Tillie. Still I will stay home for two weeks. Bf will drop off a case of water for mom today with ballpoint pens and stamps. Back to work. I'm feeling positive about getting things done. | |
| Subclinical | Posted: 26 March 2020 - 08:08 AM |
Oh, I keep forgetting to tell you - I used some of Justin's stuff when I packed the take home kits. | |
| Subclinical | Posted: 26 March 2020 - 08:07 AM |
Wow, our little online community is much busier now that we are more limited "IRL". CM, I hope you were able to find some comfort in your aunt's funeral. I am still pro secondhand goods - most of which can be washed and I always have. Letting something sit untouched for two weeks doesn't seem like a hardship either, but stores in general - ug. Any place where people are likely to pick up merchandise, look at it, and put it back is an issue - we just are more aware of that in thrift stores. Dh yells into the phone when he works from home. We created a plan where we will be on separate floors with two doors closed between us when we are both working. Glad your bunnies are adjusting. Tatoulia, hang in there! Too cute about your work badge. I think your earth day ideas sound good too. I am not pleased that the single use bag lobby is trying to use this thing to overthrow plastic bag bans. If they want me to bag my own merchandise I will - one less person touching my bags - even better. My laundry sheets were also plastic free, and I thank you for the lead! Tillie, yay fir garbage going out! I hope that things are ok for your neighbor kids. Maple the goat gifted me two little bucklings yesterday morning. She did not want to be left alone, so I cleaned stalls instead of working on my classroom. One of them is white and has a slight jaw malformation, so crossed fingers for him. The break in the rain is supposed to continue for much of today, so I will be outside again. My parents have to go to a medical center in a major city in a high infection area (not NY) today for essential treatment for Dad. Please keep them in your thoughts. | |
| Tillie | Posted: 26 March 2020 - 12:06 AM |
Good Evening Everybody Hi Tatoulia Glad your video conference went well and you were properly dresses, name tag and all. You are FORBIDDEN to get sick. Everybody is waking up thinking they are getting sick. WAY TO GO! for making your bed!!! Hi CriticalMass Sewing with bunnies seems like a wonderful pastime. Unless we all work at it we will all be a bit pudgier with less muscle tone from stress and social isolation. Hope your headphones help muffle the noises enough to give you the quiet you need. I compulsively wash my hands excessively because I am a surgical assistant and it was my job to wash my hands after I touched something not sterile and then wash my hands again before touching something else. Didn't rain here, predicted to still rain here. | |
| CriticalMass | Posted: 25 March 2020 - 09:38 PM |
I don't know if I got round to mentioning it but my aunt's funeral is tomorrow morning. My first and I hope last social distancing funeral. It will be weird not to be able to hug my cousins. Going to take some disinfectant wipes in a baggie and swipe the pew, maybe not use the missalette (paperbound book of Bible readings and parts of the Mass) or the hymn book, if we even have songs. Also door handles etc. Having had OCD for so long it's strange watching the rest of the world training themselves to have it... I'm not a huge freak on hand washing, but I squick out over certain things. And have trouble getting annoying or scary obsessional thoughts out of my mind. Bleh. I'm fairly calm about the highway ride, not much energy left to worry with. This all gives quite the sense of perspective. My roommate is having to do her online meetings with her workplace at her laptop in the living room. She has a carrying "teacher voice" that is hard to tune out, though I put on headphones and a fan. And of course I don't want to interrupt her. So maybe when I get home I will go to the back room and sew some doll clothes. I can let my bunnies play while I'm back there. My boy and girl are getting more and more comfortable together. Yesterday I left them out while I was going back and forth with laundry (2 loads plus pressing quilt fabric dry). They didn't fight. Roommate probably will have stretches of more just working rather than meetings - this week is for their planning together so it should quiet down. I want to really work on writing. And declutter my room some - it's harder to do that too with no "staging area," as we know. But there are simple things I can just sit on my bed and do, like go through papers. Anything to help it improve and be nicer to live in, as I will be no doubt spending a fair amount of time here for the foreseeable future! The next-door neighbor has an intact male lab dog, I do want to get outdoors more and I need to do something for cardio. I can feel I've really gotten out of shape. Got on the scale this morning and yep, weight has risen a little. All that comfort food after the dental visit, and nervous nibbling during the zombie apocalypse. Trying not to be harsh on myself for it. I don't want to feel pressure to change radically at this time, but if I can coax myself into small changes that'd be great. | |
| Tatoulia | Posted: 25 March 2020 - 09:11 PM |
Hello everyone! Tillie I must've missed it that you, too, were getting the laundry sheets! I hope you like them. I am so comfortable knowing that I have a year's worth, and I was able to use a coupon. They are expensive, but once I tried them and decided to buy in bulk, the price dropped dramatically. I will await your review! SubC my laundry sheets didn't come with any plastic whatsoever so I was pleased. I am now horrified at the thought of those huge plastic jugs of laundry soap and am so excited that you helped open my eyes. I was going to hold a company-wide earth day event this year, complete with little paper globes that were embedded with seeds for planting and battery recycling buckets at each office so that we can bring in our batteries and properly recycle. Well that will be delayed. We will be doing something modified on line. I showered, dried my hair and slapped on some lipstick for my video conference. For a joke, I put on my work badge (conference was with a co-worker). I'm shocked at how it is the most comfortable thing in the world to have a video conference. I missed my dance class tonight. I wasn't feeling well. I haven't been eating right. I made a lasagne so I could have some food today. I don't feel any better but I don't feel any worse. I do not have a temperature. I've been taking it twice a day but I've upped that to four times and so far, so good. But due to this, I didn't leave my house today. I need to stay in and figure out if I'm getting sick. I'm going to take a Tylenol and a mucinex, prophylactically Again no fever. But I need to take better care of myself. I'll call dr in the AM. To report my hysteria. I'm back to making my bed everyday and that makes me happy. | |
| Tillie | Posted: 25 March 2020 - 04:28 PM |
Good Afternoon Everyone Want to be outside with the budding plants but it's too windy and cold with no sunshine, might rain. Saw Steven take 4 full plastic grocery bags out to the garbage can. According to the emails my laundry sheets are going to be delivered today, but they said that yesterday too. | |
| Tillie | Posted: 25 March 2020 - 10:19 AM |
Good Morning Everyone Hi CriticalMass Once it's safe to gather in crowds again people will be needing to turn to more simple shopping, less expensive, rather than the big stores. Hi Subclinical WAY TO GO! learning how to run a class online! Sounds like things with Dd's and Dsil's employment Sorry if the words we have used "triggered" you. Hi Tatoulia The fireplace burning and Miss Kitty in her chair sounds so cozy. OK, about the neighbor children... | |
| Tatoulia | Posted: 25 March 2020 - 09:18 AM |
Tillie that's fun that you now have a neighbor to wave to! I notice people are being more friendly, from a distance. I too worry about domestic violence situations. So terrifying. SubC, I will absolutely use gentle words. I do not really have anything to get rid of right now. I have one small bag to put in my car. I think ultimately I'm worried about whether thrift stores will even accept things in the future. The future is very scary. Right now I only have a few things to let go of. I also thought about putting in a clear bag out back. There are some pretty solid garbage-pickers abs there always someone looking for something. So I think I can not waste anything at all. And I will be sure to talk about letting go. Thank you! My clothes will go to my cleaners so that is a relief. I have a lot of work to do today, including a video call at 1 or 1:30 so I'm going to have to shower and wash my hair and put on something. I'd like to do this for me as much as for the other person on the call. I'm going to take mom's reserve personal products to my car today, so I can make sure I'm not allowing clutter to creep in the name of COVID. Kitty is in her chair in it's been spot and the fireplace is on to get the chill out of the air. I'm trying not to panic. | |
| CriticalMass | Posted: 25 March 2020 - 08:14 AM |
Hi I started a coronavirus mega thread in the general forum, for anyone who might come looking for one. Tatoulia, I think you're right with your advice re not stressing over donations. I just checked online and the Goodwill is closed as of today. DAV still open and not even a mention yet of Covid19. But that could quickly change. There are a few other thrift stores but I'm feeling squicky about going to them. Hmmm... this could be a game changer for my scavenging ways for quite some time. There are so many changes in daily life none of us can predict. My church garage sale had been scheduled for June, but even that could change. I'll just have to play it by ear. Fabric and other items that go into making things I will donate or sell, such as quilts for church, should be moving on out naturally. Although the bottleneck of getting them to their destinations is the tricky part. I can certainly understand people's reluctance to accept secondhand goods in these times. I've read everyone's posts and am rooting for all of you. Will pray for those kids at your neighbors', Tillie, and for all who are in danger of domestic violence being cooped up with edgy, dangerous people. | |
| Subclinical | Posted: 25 March 2020 - 06:02 AM |
Good morning. The school system told dsil he can keep his job if he tells them by the end of the week, but that if he backs out on them because things got better he will be banned from the sub list. Then they had a conversation, and Dd called her boss, who told her, "look, I can't predict the future, but we are not the kind of company that fires a promising, enthusiastic young site manager right when her first kid arrives. Would you feel better if I told you there are people we would let go before you? There are." Also dd's unemployment would be almost as much as dsil's salary. So now dsil is going to call his principal (who was very excited about sil's return) and say "sorry. pregnancy hormones, national crisis, women...." This is very good, because dsil was crushed at the idea of not being at home with his baby, and neither of my girls is well suited to that. My kids have always been a team. And Dd1 is especially family first. Tatoulia, do me a favor. When you put things aside to donate or throw in the trash, just say you "got rid of" or "let go" or "removed" I don't want to think about the impact of donation centers being closed right when people are cleaning out. I am sure your presentation will be great. And I'm glad your bf still has business. Tillie, now I am worried about your neighbor kids. I worry a lot about all the kids who are now isolated in homes that are not safe - sometimes with excellent parents but just bad circumstances. I have one student who lives with older grandparents because their single parent is in jail, and I think about the virus spreading in jail, and what would happen if the grandparents got sick. CPS? Would the kid try to hide? Who is taking in foster kids now? Foster kids exposed to the virus?! The veggie seedlings are doing well. I'm glad you are safely getting your cat cereal. Use hand lotion! Yesterday I learned how to run a class online, and then I emailed one of my students who helped me practice. Her mom came in to say hi. The family is doing well but missing the student's little nephew - who is staying with his mom for the quarantine period because his dad is a delivery driver. Today I think I will work on cleaning up and organizing my "classroom" in the morning and in the barn/yard in the afternoon. The weather is supposed to be nice with no rain. I am still on baby goat watch. | |
| Tillie | Posted: 24 March 2020 - 11:52 PM |
Good Evening Everybody So far so good here. Fortunately he has been spending most of the time out in his garage. When he does come inside I sanitize whatever he touches as soon as he goes back out. If he would stay at home AND wash his hands regularly I would be satisfied. Twinkles' stomach seems to be doing better already with the special hairball formula cereal. | |
| Tillie | Posted: 24 March 2020 - 04:58 PM |
Been doing a complete system scan on my laptop today. | |
| Tillie | Posted: 24 March 2020 - 03:07 PM |
Hi Tatoulia Glad you will just be throwing out some things rather than storing them up to donate later. Great precautions you are taking to stay safe. (((HUG))) I've been slowly doing general housekeeping around here. FedEx delivered another item from my chewy order. | |
| Tatoulia | Posted: 24 March 2020 - 01:40 PM |
Checking in! I too will be throwing things out. I don't feel that I have a choice. I can keep any clothes but household items will need to just leave, I'm afraid. I can put some in my car. I am still going out and visiting BF at his work and stopping by CVS. It keeps my brain together. I'm in vinyl gloves and a face mask. I do not wear my clothes a second time. Did quite a bit of laundry today. I'm probably going to vacuum my bedroom at some point. Yes that is adorable about SubC's dad and mom. Very cute couple!! | |