The "what's On Your Mind?" Thread -2020

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Lari

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My 99 year old grandma died today. She's been on her last legs for a while and last I'd heard she'd stopped eating and drinking.

I think I'm sad? She was not a very likeable person, but she was my last grandparent.
 

segelkatt

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I was allowed into the consulting room for the first examination although I had to wait outside the building until the previous patient came out. Two days later, I met the vet on the doorstep to hand over Katy in her carrier before her operation. I was allowed inside (alone) when it was time to pick her up. I wonder how we'll go on next week, when the stitches have to be removed!


Another interesting point: We've been told to do our shopping just once a week!
I have always made just one main shopping trip a week and was quite an expert at shopping, cooking, eating and producing no waste (apart from wilted lettuce leaves, potato peelings (but not always), etc. Of course, in addition, I was able to shop for other, mainly non-food items whenever I felt like it - which was quite often.

I never imagined that shopping once a week would be simply impossible!
Why?
Because, perhaps a third of the items on my shopping list are not available. Natural yogurt, fresh milk, kitchen paper, lettuce, cherry tomatoes, rye bread, plus items I was planning for meals are just a few essentials I couldn't buy yesterday. If I pick up alternatives on the spur of the moment, I can guarantee that half of them won't be eaten and have to be thrown away - particularly when it comes to fresh stuff.
So, at the moment, I go shopping more than once a week in spite of C. - but I'm still working on a more elaborate (interactive?) shopping list.:hellocomputer:
There are tricks to keeping fresh veggies from wilting, molding, turning slimy etc. Since I am one who hates shopping but loves to cook, indulges in salad every chance she gets and is certainly green, I can give you instances on how to keep your fresh veggies fresh.
First I do wash all my veggies but potatoes and onions as soon as I get them home. Then I dry them, a salad spinner is a great help for that. Celery stalks get put in a jar of water which I replenish every few days. Carrots, cucumbers, squashes, bell peppers, leeks are wrapped in paper towels and then put in a zip lock bag in the crisper of the fridge. Green beans, pea pods, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, radishes, rhubarb are put in a ziplock bag with a damp paper towel and then in the crisper. Anything leafy like spinach or lettuce, kale and Swiss chard gets wrapped loosely in a paper towel after getting as much water as possible of them, maybe let them dry on the counter first, then the loosely packed veggie in a ziplock bag or a plastic grocery bag, leave open a bit, then in the crisper drawer of the fridge. These veggies will stay fresh for a week or more. Special attention to green onions, spring onions: cut the white and green separately into 6 inch pieces. Then put them in a row on paper towels, fold the towel from both ends and both sides over the onions so that you have a flat package, put the package into a ziplock bag and into the crisper. These onions will last a month. When you use them inspect the ones you are putting back into the fridge for any that do not look good anymore and discard those. Potatoes, yellow, red and white onions, avocados, whole pumpkins, all citrus, apples, melons, whole garlic bulbs, kept in the dark (basement, garage, a closet?) in cardboard boxes. NEVER ever put tomatoes in the fridge, just keep them on the counter. Soft fruit such as peaches or apricots can ripen on the counter and then put in the fridge loosely. Same for bananas.Berries are a special case as they tend to rot within 2-3 days. Pay attention to this: Wash them thoroughly so that there is no dirt attached to them. Drain, then put fresh water, enough to cover the berries, into a big bowl, add enough cheap vinegar to make 4:1 solution and dump the berries into this solution . Let stand for at least 15 minutes, swishing the water around a few times to make sure all the berries get a bath. Drain and give the berries a swift shower with fresh water and let them dry. I store mine in the fridge in the colander and they will last a week or more, all but the strawberries will be eaten long before that and there will be no vinegar taste.
Here are pics of some of what I bought last Friday (the strawberries came from a farm stand).
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These pictures were taken today, Monday. The bottom picture is a leaf lettuce wrapped in paper towels, I opened it up so you can see how fresh it still is after 4 days in the fridge. I then closed up the paper towel and the plastic grocery bag again. I used the grocery bag because it is much larger than a ziplock bag and I don't want the lettuce to be crushed.
These tricks I have learned over the years from various sources including the internet.
 

artiemom

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My 99 year old grandma died today. She's been on her last legs for a while and last I'd heard she'd stopped eating and drinking.

I think I'm sad? She was not a very likeable person, but she was my last grandparent.
Oh, I am so so so sorry... I do not know what to say... (((((HUGS)))))))
 

Lari

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Oh, I am so so so sorry... I do not know what to say... (((((HUGS)))))))
You're too sweet. I'm pretty sure I'm okay - disappointed she just missed 100 by a few months, but her quality of life had really gone downhill. She lived with my twin aunts, so she wasn't alone.

My grandma was kind of a legend in our family. She stuck her nose in everywhere it didn't belong, had no filter and would just say rude things and stir up all kinds of trouble. But the stories we have of her antics. And we'll always have those.
 

WillowMarie

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I had my thermometer on the coffee table (I've been occasionally taking my temperature), and Selene just knocked it off and under the couch. It's too far for me to reach, and I can't move the couch because of my back :gaah:
Silly kitty! Do you have something long and sturdy you could fish it out with? I hope you get your thermometer back soon.
 

Katie M

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Silly kitty! Do you have something long and sturdy you could fish it out with? I hope you get your thermometer back soon.
It's pretty much impossible to get something once it goes under. The couch is too low to the ground. I went ahead and ordered a new one from Amazon.

I'll get the thermometer (and probably more than a few cat toys) back when I move :rolleyes2:
 

Graceful-Lily

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My earbuds broke. After 1.5 years of use, the wire frayed and one side stopped working. Then, later today, the other side. I don't know where else to get earbuds. I *need* to listen to music as it helps with my stress but I haven't been able to all day because I'm afraid to disturb people in the house and my neighbours if I play my music out loud. I don't know if I have ADHD or what but I have a hard time focusing and I haven't been able to focus all day. I usually listen to music (with noise cancelling earbuds) so that I can focus on my work but also bounce back to the music if my mind gets distracted. Without them, I cannot sit and work. I can hear the fish filter, the dog snoring, the cat meowing and then my mind starts to wander.
 

Mia6

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Was this a scheduled visit of 2 weeks? Poor thing, 10pm and no dinner?? Had she spoken to Jon and about having her come?
Well, take some deep breaths and try to stay calm. She's 7 right? She can be of some help to you. Give her little jobs to do like dusting etc. Show her baby clothes online and ask her opinion.] :hugs: :
Nope, it wasn't scheduled. She hadn't spoken to John. John didn't ask to have her during the quarantine because travel isn't exactly safe right now. We were both completely blindsided. And yes, she's 7. Honestly, having her here makes my life a thousand times easier. Aedan adores her and he plays with her and I get a massive break. I have no problem with her being here. I would have just liked to have some notice and prepare. And it would have been nice to be able to ask her mother some questions and see what their risk of exposure was. But she basically dropped off Aislyn off and left right away.
[/QUOTE]

It's nice that you'll be getting a break as you need one. :hugs:
 

Mia6

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My 99 year old grandma died today. She's been on her last legs for a while and last I'd heard she'd stopped eating and drinking.

I think I'm sad? She was not a very likeable person, but she was my last grandparent.
I'm so sorry, Lari. :hugs:
 

Moz

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I think Tango might be the only one on earth who's happy about the pandemic and physical distancing. She's been dealing with some sneezing for the past several days, and since I had the windows open off and on to let fresh air in, I figured that was the culprit. But it hasn't stopped and she now has some snot to go with her sneezing. So instead of wrangling Tango into her carrier and hearing her sad protests in the car on the way to the clinic, I just have to pick up some medication they prescribed for her over the phone since they aren't doing in-person appointments unless it's an emergency. She's still eating and drinking, so they figure it's an upper respiratory infection. :crossfingers:
 

Mamanyt1953

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Im just wondering when this corona virus will be over???And life can get back to normal...:(🙏
It won't...not really. Not the same. There will be a new normal, and a terrible, terrible new awareness of how vulnerable we really are. But we will learn this new normal, and we will go on. A lot sadder, and hopefully a bit wiser.
 

Mia6

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My earbuds broke. After 1.5 years of use, the wire frayed and one side stopped working. Then, later today, the other side. I don't know where else to get earbuds. I *need* to listen to music as it helps with my stress but I haven't been able to all day because I'm afraid to disturb people in the house and my neighbours if I play my music out loud. I don't know if I have ADHD or what but I have a hard time focusing and I haven't been able to focus all day. I usually listen to music (with noise cancelling earbuds) so that I can focus on my work but also bounce back to the music if my mind gets distracted. Without them, I cannot sit and work. I can hear the fish filter, the dog snoring, the cat meowing and then my mind starts to wander.
I get mine from Amazon. A lot of people are having a hard time focusing.If you have Prime they'll come overnight, :hugs: :redheartpump::hugs:
 

misty8723

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It's pretty much impossible to get something once it goes under. The couch is too low to the ground. I went ahead and ordered a new one from Amazon.

I'll get the thermometer (and probably more than a few cat toys) back when I move :rolleyes2:
I was looking at them on amazon for my sister and a lot of them say delivery in June or some such.
But anyway, this was a good reminder to always keep mine where kitties can't knock it off.
 
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