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

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WillowMarie

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Trying to sort things out while also processing a lot these past few days. Still not sure what direction to take.

On another note, there is a tornado watch until this evening. One of the many things I didn't miss while away from the midwest these past couple of years. Hope things are boring as the storm rolls through.
 

Willowy

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Trying to sort things out while also processing a lot these past few days. Still not sure what direction to take.

On another note, there is a tornado watch until this evening. One of the many things I didn't miss while away from the midwest these past couple of years. Hope things are boring as the storm rolls through.
Ah, the Midwest weather! Here it's supposed to hail and have very high winds tonight, between 12-6 am. They say the chance for tornadoes is low, but we'll still be in a watch.


When I get to build a new house, I'm definitely having a proper tornado shelter put in. They aren't cheap but I think they're worth it for the peace of mind.
 

MoonstoneWolf

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Wondering how I can go about clobbering a raccoon (Harrison). Every night for over a month he's been knocking over the cam I have in the pet carrier so I can watch the cats come and go to eat at night time. He gets in there, and when the bowl is almost empty he knocks the bowl over so he can get the rest of the food. I don't mind him eating, he's good pest control but he knocks over that cam every single night. So last night I placed two 20 lb hand weights on both sides of the bowl (that equals a total of 40 lbs), and dog gone it. As I watched on cam he pulled out both of those weights to the driveway and then did his usual dumping over the bowl and knocking the cam over in the process. Silly raccoon. He thinks he's a cat
 
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Kat0121

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I think Sophie's kind of missing DD. She's been crying outside her door here and there. She woke me up the other day at 3 AM. I heard her whining from my room. I had to tell her, "She's not here." She came into my room to cuddle.

Here's the thing though. She never really paid DD any attention at all when she WAS here. It's almost like, "You need to be here so I can ignore you." Silly cat. She's also been more clingy and needy with me. She's been jumping up on my lap for cuddles more. No complaints here about that though. :cloud9:

Last night, Lilith was snuggling with me while I was reading in bed. it was so nice and peaceful. Then I saw Sophie stalking her very comfortable sister who was half asleep by my side. The next thing I knew, Sophie pounced on her and we had an all out wrestling match on our hands. Hissing and all. 2 inches from my face. They jumped over me then Sophie chased Lily out of my room into the kitchen. Girls will be girls. :rolleyes2::bat:

Sophie took this selfie the other day when I asked her if she wanted to say hello to DD. She was sitting on my lap. :lol:

1590266276465.png
 

WillowMarie

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Ah, the Midwest weather! Here it's supposed to hail and have very high winds tonight, between 12-6 am. They say the chance for tornadoes is low, but we'll still be in a watch.


When I get to build a new house, I'm definitely having a proper tornado shelter put in. They aren't cheap but I think they're worth it for the peace of mind.
How much are proper tornado shelters? They would be a great piece of mind.
 

Willowy

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I don't (sort of. There is a basement on the property but not in the actual place I live) but that doesn't really matter because if a tornado hits your house directly, just being in the basement isn't enough. It'll tear your floors up, and that's the ceiling of your basement in most cases. A safe room/commercial shelter is the safest. The chances of being hit directly are slim but not zero.

My dad built his own safe room (2 layers of 3/4" plywood all around with something in between, bolted to the cement) but that cost just as much as the commercial shelters.
 

Mia6

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My dad built his own safe room (2 layers of 3/4" plywood all around with something in between, bolted to the cement) but that cost just as much as the commercial shelters.
Smart man. I have no basement either. We had a tornado warning in April around 11:30 pm. God, that incessant, creepy
siren was heard for 15 minutes. Cal was so scared .The downstairs bathroom/laundry room had throws on the floors and pillows, brought my handbag with IDs, etc, all meds, landline phone and drinks It stormed badly. for long time. I waited for a bit and went
back to bed.
 

Mia6

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I think Sophie's kind of missing DD. She's been crying outside her door here and there. She woke me up the other day at 3 AM. I heard her whining from my room. I had to tell her, "She's not here." She came into my room to cuddle.

Here's the thing though. She never really paid DD any attention at all when she WAS here. It's almost like, "You need to be here so I can ignore you." Silly cat. She's also been more clingy and needy with me. She's been jumping up on my lap for cuddles more. No complaints here about that though. :cloud9:

Last night, Lilith was snuggling with me while I was reading in bed. it was so nice and peaceful. Then I saw Sophie stalking her very comfortable sister who was half asleep by my side. The next thing I knew, Sophie pounced on her and we had an all out wrestling match on our hands. Hissing and all. 2 inches from my face. They jumped over me then Sophie chased Lily out of my room into the kitchen. Girls will be girls. :rolleyes2::bat:

Sophie took this selfie the other day when I asked her if she wanted to say hello to DD. She was sitting on my lap. :lol:

View attachment 335852
She is gorgeous!! I could kiss her sweet head 100 times daily! Missing her sissy......aw......💖
 

Mia6

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mostly a matter of money
Maybe you could find someone who has a federal housing assistance voucher, what I have because
of my disabilities. They would pay up to a certain amount and the client is responsible for the rest.
Perhaps find a duplex, you on one side, them on the other? Place an add on a S Cal site?
 

WillowMarie

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Felt a little bit lighter this morning. Maybe sorting old grocery bags out on the deck in the beautiful crisp air helped. Maybe seeing my lettuce seeds had sprouted and were visible this morning in my outdoor pot helped. Goal is so get things done today. Been feeling in a rut with time slipping by quietly.

Since getting back into keeping plants, I've been excited to add more succulents and had an urge to check out local chains that carry succulents, but talked myself out of it this morning. It's something to keep me busy and once I succeed in propagating, selling leaves, cuttings, or plants can be a fun side gig.

Randomly, noticed an article about horoscopes and out of curiosity read my horoscope for this coming week:

Aquarius | Aquarius rising
You've hit a wall in terms of your daily routine, so maybe it's time to consider fostering a small creature or loading up on some greenery? The calming benefits of caring for something close to nature could do you good. If that's not your thing, pay close attention to what your body is trying to tell you, and cultivate your habits accordingly. Really focus on how both sustenance and information you consume affects how you feel.

Um.... UMMMMM... that's telling me to get more plants, right?? Right??? :cool: :jive::bliss::cool:
Specifically uses the term "loading up," which implies lots and lots of plants.
 

Graceful-Lily

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On my mind... It's been 2 days now and no new growth of fuzz in my aquarium. I'm in the process of slowly removing the salt I added to combat it. All my water babies are depressed. I feel terrible for them.

I decided to change the filtration system I have currently to something more efficient. I'm going to do a sponge filter system instead of the hang on back. Maybe they won't get sick as easily then.
I've bought 3 out of 5 of the sponge filters so far. I had to order the gang valve online. Won't be able to set it all up until it comes.
20200524_131555.jpg
 

WillowMarie

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I'm not sure if I'm Aquarius rising or Pisces rising, but seeing as this is me:
View attachment 335958

I think I won't be loading up on greenery.
Too funny! I was just thinking about that this morning and how most of my plants kept in the past (before trying succulents) died and wondering how all these vegetables I'm growing for the first time will be... 🤣

Succulents are my friends though. Even leaving them in a dark box with no water and sunlight for 3 months some survived, haha. Much easier to care for! Those are the plants I'm looking to grow in my collection.

On my mind... It's been 2 days now and no new growth of fuzz in my aquarium. I'm in the process of slowly removing the salt I added to combat it. All my water babies are depressed. I feel terrible for them.

I decided to change the filtration system I have currently to something more efficient. I'm going to do a sponge filter system instead of the hang on back. Maybe they won't get sick as easily then.
I've bought 3 out of 5 of the sponge filters so far. I had to order the gang valve online. Won't be able to set it all up until it comes.
View attachment 335959
Sorry to hear things have still been stressful with your fishes.Your fishes are lucky to have a caring human, like yourself. Even if they feel a bit stressed, sounds like you are doing everything within your power to take care of them and provide a healthy space to live in. :heartshape:
 

segelkatt

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Maybe you could find someone who has a federal housing assistance voucher, what I have because
of my disabilities. They would pay up to a certain amount and the client is responsible for the rest.
Perhaps find a duplex, you on one side, them on the other? Place an add on a S Cal site?
My income is too high for a housing voucher and just about all the lists are full anyway with a waiting list as much as two years. Although I have been paying quite a bit more than 1/3 of my income in just rent it is still considered to be "too high" an income for housing assistance. SoCal is just sooo expensive and the rest of California is too. I live in a duplex right now but my landlady lives in NorCal and only owns half of the building, the other half is rented out also but has a different owner. There is an HOA that makes sure the neighborhood stays decent although just half a mile down the road I would not live because of what is there: dilapidated houses, 10 cars parked every which way, dirt road, thank goodness there is wide open space between here and there with rabbits and coyotes living there in the brush. I am also used to certain amenities that I am not willing to go without, nothing fancy, just nice. If I could transfer the duplex where I live now to a place with better weather and a lower altitude I would be perfectly happy. A 45 year old duplex with 2 bedrooms, a small yard where I can grow veggies, a patio for BBQing and hanging out and some flower pots (this patio is large but all concrete, hardly anyone has lawns because it is so dry here and everything is xeriscaped) and hummingbird feeders, a real garage so my car's paint won't be eaten by the sun and where I can store stuff including extra groceries (I hater shopping so always buy the big packages and then repackage them in vacuum bags.) In SoCal that would run at least $2500 and then the neighborhood would be iffy. That is just much more than I could afford no matter how thrifty I am. I could possibly find some place way out in the sticks but at my age that is not practical with medical issues creeping up and one day not being able to drive anymore and no public transportation. At least for right now I am stuck but without the hope that this will not always be so I would just curl up my toes and die. So I trooper on.
 

segelkatt

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W WillowMarie I couldn't grow anything until I was past 40, even ivy died. Now I am an accomplished gardener and I will try anything. There are still things that for some reason just won't grow for me but those are few, I still keep trying, hoping that one day I will find the magic formula. This year is particularly trying because of the altitude, the late spring and thus a short growing season when I am used to having two growing seasons and gardening year round. My corn is only 6 inches high and I will absolutely have no fresh corn for the 4th of July, more like Labor Day! Same goes for everything else: tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers. Only the lettuce is doing well and I will probably be able to harvest some a week or two from now.
 
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