What's on your Mind Thread - 2023

[iPappy]

Our central air conditioning motor went out on Mon, hopefully getting fixed later today. Hottest stretch of humidity and temperature so far this year. Landlord brought over 2 small AC window units. We have one upstairs and one downstairs and are running a total of 3 ceiling fans, 3 standing fans, three 9" desktop fans and 5 larger desktop fans just to keep it bearable. Didn't even have to go buy any fans! Didn't realize I had so many til I started checking the basement & closets. Gypsys holding up just fine during all this. If she doesn't have one of the hooman fans on her she has one of the small usb fans that got us through the 4 day power outage. She also has cooling mats but is bummed cause its too humid to take her out. Her hair has grown back from the Revolution but don't know what to use for flea treatment for her.
11 minutes ago, just going to get worse.
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Oh no, dustydiamond1 that's terrible. If you have any of those ice packs that frozen things are shipped in, strap them to the back of fans to help cool the room.

 

[iPappy]

I'm right there with you. Woke up to no AC. The emergency maintenance number is not answering. I THINK It is the thermostat, which is totaIIy dead. DID check the breakers, they are good. The office is onIy open Mon-Thurs, so no one there tomorrow. IF I don't hear back from maintenance tonight, wiII caII the home office in Raleigh in the AM. I hate to do that, but I do NOT want to go aII weekend with no AC, and iffy heart and Iungs!

No, you do NOT need to go all weekend in this heat!! I feel like with the heat as bad as it is, they would consider this an emergency worth being on call for.

 

[Margot Lane]

NO AC. Sorry to hear. As well as ice packs (good thinking, there), tamp your face w/ a cool washcloth and get it near that fan! Every little breeze helps. 🧊

Relieved, as back home w/ my baby after the ultrasound. Won’t know results until tomorrow, but glad to have him grounded and home...it was a bumpy, windy road, 2 hours each way. I’m told he was feisty, and didn’t settle just for the gabapentin but had to have a short acting drug called…er, “retrobinal?” “betrobonal?“ Who makes up these names?

 

[susanm9006]

I'm right there with you. Woke up to no AC. The emergency maintenance number is not answering. I THINK It is the thermostat, which is totaIIy dead. DID check the breakers, they are good. The office is onIy open Mon-Thurs, so no one there tomorrow. IF I don't hear back from maintenance tonight, wiII caII the home office in Raleigh in the AM. I hate to do that, but I do NOT want to go aII weekend with no AC, and iffy heart and Iungs!

Did you check to see if your thermostat has batteries? You have to pull the cover off to get to them.

 

[strider rose]

im sick and miserable too

 

[dustydiamond1]

Oh no, dustydiamond1 that's terrible. If you have any of those ice packs that frozen things are shipped in, strap them to the back of fans to help cool the room.

That's a great idea! Gypsys dad takes his lunch and there's no fridge at his work so we have lots of ice packs

 

[kashmir64]

Did you check to see if your thermostat has batteries? You have to pull the cover off to get to them.

I was going to suggest this, you beat me to it.

 

[iPappy]

Our heat index is supposed to be 104F (40C) today. It's not bad out right now, but it's definitely warming up fast. The cats are in the catio lounging around and I told them, "It's going to be VERY hot today, so you're going to have to come inside eventually." They said, "LOL, we all know that in order for that to happen, treat bags will have to be opened and lids of Fancy Feast will have to be popped, hooman."

 

[dustydiamond1]

We're looking at 99°f with a feels-like temp of 106°. Central air still out. After we texted him yesterday (he'd said it would be ready Thur) landlord texted back he was looking for an ac person, he's such a lying inconsiderate a-hole he jerked us around for 7 months on the dishwasher and 3 months replacing the leaking gas stove when we moved in a year ago... let alone not fixing all the stuff he promised to do...
Right now it's 86°f with real feel of 96°f Gypsy wants to go out but it's so muggy I can't handle it for long so I gotta take her out now before it gets worse.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

93 feels like 107 here. DH took the day off so before the mail came he filled a ziplock bag with ice and a water and gatorade and left it for our mail lady. She left a note saying thank you. Fortunately only another day or so and this heat should break for us. It's still supposed to be hot; but not this hot.

Why not let her decide? If she know's what she wants to do as a career, the decision will be easier. (but if she chooses a science degree, she will need Calculus) (just saying)

I did talk to both kids about it. I think this is a newish program. I feel like I looked at it a few years ago but it's expanded and improved since then. They recommend starting with what they are interested in; and I would if we had time. That's how we spent 2 years studying space and then moved on to a "winged creatures" science program. At this point I'm just trying to make sure we are aiming right to slide into those high school and college requirements. So I ordered Chemistry. I think that's what she's had the least exposure to. DS is already very familiar with one of the components of the Physics set because he's been playing with it for years. We'll get him there!

I'm not concerned about her math readiness. She's using an excellent program online and that's her strongest subject. She'll get calculus her senior year. 4 years of math is required but it looks like some schools offer a consumer math class for seniors. We only needed 3 when I was in high school. She has no idea what she might want to study in college yet; but I think the pressure to make those choices so young is ridiculous anyway. I mean most of the adults I know don't really know what they want to be when they grow up. How do they expect young teens with hardly a drop of life experience to make that kind of decision? Especially with what college costs. I'm really hoping she will go for some dual enrollment classes her senior year. Even if it's just something like English 101 or things like that that transfer easily.

 

[susanm9006]

93 feels like 107 here. DH took the day off so before the mail came he filled a ziplock bag with ice and a water and gatorade and left it for our mail lady. She left a note saying thank you. Fortunately only another day or so and this heat should break for us. It's still supposed to be hot; but not this hot.

I did talk to both kids about it. I think this is a newish program. I feel like I looked at it a few years ago but it's expanded and improved since then. They recommend starting with what they are interested in; and I would if we had time. That's how we spent 2 years studying space and then moved on to a "winged creatures" science program. At this point I'm just trying to make sure we are aiming right to slide into those high school and college requirements. So I ordered Chemistry. I think that's what she's had the least exposure to. DS is already very familiar with one of the components of the Physics set because he's been playing with it for years. We'll get him there!

I'm not concerned about her math readiness. She's using an excellent program online and that's her strongest subject. She'll get calculus her senior year. 4 years of math is required but it looks like some schools offer a consumer math class for seniors. We only needed 3 when I was in high school. She has no idea what she might want to study in college yet; but I think the pressure to make those choices so young is ridiculous anyway. I mean most of the adults I know don't really know what they want to be when they grow up. How do they expect young teens with hardly a drop of life experience to make that kind of decision? Especially with what college costs. I'm really hoping she will go for some dual enrollment classes her senior year. Even if it's just something like English 101 or things like that that transfer easily.

The good thing about college is that while you might need to declare a major, the first year classes are pretty much general requirements for all degrees so it really doesn’t make a difference what your major is.

 

[kashmir64]

93 feels like 107 here. DH took the day off so before the mail came he filled a ziplock bag with ice and a water and gatorade and left it for our mail lady. She left a note saying thank you. Fortunately only another day or so and this heat should break for us. It's still supposed to be hot; but not this hot.

I did talk to both kids about it. I think this is a newish program. I feel like I looked at it a few years ago but it's expanded and improved since then. They recommend starting with what they are interested in; and I would if we had time. That's how we spent 2 years studying space and then moved on to a "winged creatures" science program. At this point I'm just trying to make sure we are aiming right to slide into those high school and college requirements. So I ordered Chemistry. I think that's what she's had the least exposure to. DS is already very familiar with one of the components of the Physics set because he's been playing with it for years. We'll get him there!

I'm not concerned about her math readiness. She's using an excellent program online and that's her strongest subject. She'll get calculus her senior year. 4 years of math is required but it looks like some schools offer a consumer math class for seniors. We only needed 3 when I was in high school. She has no idea what she might want to study in college yet; but I think the pressure to make those choices so young is ridiculous anyway. I mean most of the adults I know don't really know what they want to be when they grow up. How do they expect young teens with hardly a drop of life experience to make that kind of decision? Especially with what college costs. I'm really hoping she will go for some dual enrollment classes her senior year. Even if it's just something like English 101 or things like that that transfer easily.

Talk to a High School counselor. They should be able to help you out with these classes based on her career choice.

 

[Margot Lane]

Waiting for the vet to call w/ results is the hardest part. Zorro is coming round, but they gave him two sedatives as he put up a fight during the ultrasound— he just vomited, which actually I’m hoping got rid of some of the residuals. But his purr is gurgly and his meow a small croaky ’cheap.’ I want my cat back. I know w/ cats -as w/ people- though that sometimes doing nothing is the best, most healing medicine.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

The good thing about college is that while you might need to declare a major, the first year classes are pretty much general requirements for all degrees so it really doesn’t make a difference what your major is.

Good point. I had a few classes that didn’t transfer when I changed majors but it didn’t really affect my pace to graduation much.

Ive learned a lot listening to other homeschooling parents who are ahead of us. Sometimes they know more than anyone because they are so involved. But I seem to meet people in random other places. Like at the post office when i was returning books. The postal worker had homeschooled her kids before it was cool and she was telling me all about what they are doing now after college.

 

[iPappy]

Waiting for the vet to call w/ results is the hardest part. Zorro is coming round, but they gave him two sedatives as he put up a fight during the ultrasound— he just vomited, which actually I’m hoping got rid of some of the residuals. But his purr is gurgly and his meow a small croaky ’cheap.’ I want my cat back. I know w/ cats -as w/ people- though that sometimes doing nothing is the best, most healing medicine.

It's been a few hours, I really hope Zorro is feeling better by now.
I don't think it got quite as hot as they predicted but it definitely was NOT pleasant outside. I tried to work outside but after about 45 minutes I was over it.

 

[Margot Lane]

It's been a few hours, I really hope Zorro is feeling better by now.
I don't think it got quite as hot as they predicted but it definitely was NOT pleasant outside. I tried to work outside but after about 45 minutes I was over it.

Thanks for asking…on some levels he is: just such a total shock for him to be in a city, all of a sudden, and see so many animals in cages freaking out. I have got the results and am mulling them over. He has perked up…fresh water oddly of all things I have proffered helped tremendously, and, after all this time, I am always learning something new: he likes his water elevated, not down low. While I was waiting for him all day at the vet’s, I designed a completely different office in my head, starting with one side for dogs, one side for cats. On the cat side, when you enter, there are pots of fresh grass and herbs, perhaps the twittering of birds and bowls of goldfish (y’know, stuff to calm one down). Then, when you finally get to the vet’s office, they’re piping in your cat’s favorite music, and scents they enjoy are filtered in overhead. Smells matter so much to animals. I am sure the shock of all that cleanser scent they have to use at a vet’s office is terrifying for cats. Just now he is sitting down on his Yyyow catnip infused scratcher, and we are both relieved to have the immediate horrors of scary veterinarian visitations behind us.

To all suffering heat: if you can, or if you can find tax deductions, or…if your can write your representative, think about getting minisplits. Does you no good right this second, maybe, but it might help a lot down the road. Solar backup, followed by batteries for blackouts. Just my 2 cents, not pontificating…something tells me this is the beginning, though, so we humans have to think our way outta this. (Sorry for long post, and respect for all opinions here).

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Did you check to see if your thermostat has batteries? You have to pull the cover off to get to them.

I was going to suggest this, you beat me to it.

I did try to remove the front, but the whoIe thing feIt Iike it was coming off! The AC came back onIine at around 8 this morning, first the thermostat kicked in, then the cooI air. SO...for now, I'm ok. I did Ieave a voice maiI for my manager that this needs to be checked. I'II caII her back on Monday, to make sure she got it.

 

[iPappy]

I am glad he's doing so much better already Margot Lane , the water might have helped if he was dehydrated from being away.
One of the clinics I've used has a separate waiting area for cats. There is a huge sign that says "CAT WAITING AREA ONLY" and people with large, unruly dogs ignore the sign and sit in there. It's very frustrating for the cat owners I'm sure, and the people who work the desk that have to be a broken record by constantly telling people "that's the cat side".
Scents are very important, you're absolutely right. When you take him to the vet, do you cover his carrier with something familiar from home to trap the scent in there until it's time for him to be seen? I've found this helps my cats a lot.

 

[susanm9006]

I did try to remove the front, but the whoIe thing feIt Iike it was coming off! The AC came back onIine at around 8 this morning, first the thermostat kicked in, then the cooI air. SO...for now, I'm ok. I did Ieave a voice maiI for my manager that this needs to be checked. I'II caII her back on Monday, to make sure she got it.

I am glad it is on. If it quits again, or just so you know, You can google the name on your thermostat and should find a manual, whether it has batteries and how to change them.

 

[klunick]

Anyone else have cats that will only eat certain flavors of food at certain times of the day? I have noticed that Boone and Gracie will only eat chicken and turkey for their PM meal. If I feed them it in the mornings, it seems to take forever for them to finish. If in the PM, it's gone right away. Normally I feed seafood flavors for the PM meal so I buy my two cases of food (seafood flavors and non- seafood flavors) and have two switch out the chicken and turkey flavors into the PM cases and put two seafood flavors into the other case. Not a big deal but weird in my opinion.