All Things EARTH... part 2

[Sailor_Sally]

Melody , So sorry you are having a rough year health wise. Getting older does have it's rough points especially with the amount of doctors we accumulate .Last year I was at a party with long time friends and we were all talking about which specialists we go to .That is why I always encourage younger people to do it now and not wait for retirement .Hope they find out your problem and it is an easy fix.

[awhfy]

Yes Anita, that ph motility was probably the worst test I’ve ever had. I forgot to add, colonoscopy (routine) & mammogram (& recall for diagnostic mammogram & ultrasound, come back in 3 months for repeat). I’m beginning to wonder if my warranty is wearing out. My gyn said, opt for the extended warranty! The hiatal hernia is quite large (was 6cm up to 10cm). I’ve been referred to a thoracic surgeon (that Les has seen, he’s the chief of thoracic surgery at our trauma hospital & is awesome. The cardiac issue may be related to the hernia (we hope).

 

Sally, I now have 27 doctors (between Les & I) listed in my phone contacts (all starting with Dr so I can find them [emoji849]). Melody

 

 

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[Sailor_Sally]

Melody ,You are handling all the medical crap much better than I would and I was a nurse for 40 years .I hope you have a great vacation and take a break from thinking about all this .Also hope you ace your stress test .Don,t forget to study .

[awhfy]

Sally, I am getting a bit tired of the constancy...medical crap, boy do you have that right!!! I just keep going. Last count, the medical bills this year are over 300K [emoji849], Medicare & Tricare for Life...thank goodness for both of them! I also hope to pass the stress & echo with flying colors, I’m studying like crazy [emoji6]. Melody

 

 

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[Sailor_Sally]

Melody , If I lived close to you I would bring a huge bottle of wine to your house and maybe some chocolate !

[awhfy]

Sally, we do think alike!

 

 

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[laurspag]

Yes, you could use some Apothic Inferno. A very tasty wine that will make everything better!

 

Seriously though, you've gone through a lot this year. Please keep us posted.

 

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[awhfy]

Laurie I tried the Inferno for the first time last week. It’s delicious. I’m trying to find some more but it’s limited availability out here, I’ll continue looking

 

It definitely hasn’t been my healthiest year!

 

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[MJC]

Gee, you guys, I go away for the weekend and you leave me all this reading to catch up on. :) Just, wow, so much information I don't know where to start.

 

I went to see my Dad. Long story short, he's doing ok physically, but his mind has gotten much worse since the loss of my mom. Not a surprise. He can be very volatile at times so I was extremely stressed all last week about going, but it went ok. My flight home on Sunday was cancelled due to the gale force winds and torrential rain in NYC, so I drove to a Detroit airport hotel that night and left super early yesterday instead. The wind gusts were still pretty bad at up to 50mph, and I was on a regional jet, so we basically bounced our way down the runway on one wheel at a time, but eventually came to a stop. I was over an hour late for work, but at least I got home in one piece.

 

Melody, you've had so much going on health-wise this year, and your spirit remains so strong, I have great admiration for you. I hope everything goes as easily and and well as it possibly can.

 

I knew my thyroid was in the toilet again, and on top of that I thought I had finally gone through menopause since I had been months without, but guess who's back. After taking a break all summer from seeing my nutritionist and following his supplement plan, I finally had a consultation again last week. I asked him to treat me like a new patient, so I'm going through his battery of assessments, which includes hormones, heavy metals, parasites, liver enzymes, and all kinds of things. My body temp is hovering around 97 degrees so that tells us a lot right there. For me, the issue isn't thyroid function, which is fine, it's that I don't metabolize the thyroid hormones well, so my body says hey I have enough, lets slow the thyroid down. That in turn slows down my whole digestive process and then my food sensitivities act up.

 

Several years ago, I was in the early stages of acid reflux disease and my doctor suggested medication. But, my nutritionist told me to take an HCL tablet before eating, and I've never had problems since.

 

Laurie, that color for your laundry room is beautiful. I couldn't be here when they painted our apartment the color I had chosen, and while I like it, I might have gone a shade darker had I been here. This photo is not of my home, but this is our wall color, Benjamin Moore Cloud White, and we have white trim and a dark floor like this one.

[MJC]

Sally, I look forward to hearing about your trip to Disney. Perhaps you'll come back with some tips for me. :) Have fun with your grandkids!

 

Laurie, the chicken, lol. I hate when I do that, but at least we can get food delivered here from any number of places. One of my favorite cookbooks, and it really taught me a lot about the proper stocking of a kitchen, is Keep It Simple by Marian Burros, full of 30 minute menus. Between that and Betty Crocker, I basically taught myself how to cook when I was first on my own. I knew how to bake but I barely knew how to cook anything.

 

Anita, your trip sounds awesome. And I love your opera outfit, you look really good. For some reason in my mind I always picture you with a bob, I was surprised at how long your hair is!

 

We are very excited that we are getting new and better insurance with DH's new job. None of my doctors (who I've had for years) were covered in our latest plan, and since we started on it I haven't even been able to find a gyno in that plan who was taking new patients. I am two years overdue for checking on my fallopian cyst. :eek: I was just about ready to pony up the $1200 to see my old OB/gyn, but now she'll be at least partially covered. And we have dental and vision again, woohoo!

[awhfy]

Glad you’re getting your gyn appt Margaret, they’re too important to not go to. I’m a 34 year survivor of cervical & endometrial cancer, don’t miss those appts. Melody

 

 

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[MJC]

Melody, I know, I've been bad. It's one of the many things that have fallen through the cracks because of my parents' needs. You can't imagine how hard it is to find a gyno in NY, mostly because of insurance. I don't know how many referrals from friends fell through because of that, or they don't take new patients, or they only do OB. On and on. I'll be happy to go back to my old one.

 

I got a catalog called NorthStyle today, and I really like this mocha coat:

 

https://www.northstyle.com/itemdy00.aspx?T1=NE626+MC+M&srccode=NXCNC6&utm_source=google&utm_medium=comparison&utm_campaign=datafeed&source=pla&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIl9-Krqec1wIVzFuGCh0jdgoCEAQYBSABEgLaDPD_BwE

 

And I like this shirt, even though none of the colors are very EARTHy:

https://www.northstyle.com/itemdy00.aspx?T1=NG487+BL+M&GASearchTerm=a-line

 

I like this a lot, though I don't think that I could wear it to work:

https://www.northstyle.com/itemdy00.aspx?T1=NG447+TE+S&GASearchTerm=floral%20pintuck

 

This seems like a nice, basic staple that's a little dressier than a t shirt:

https://www.northstyle.com/itemdy00.aspx?T1=NG340+CHN+3X&GASearchTerm=jewel

 

I like how the pattern runs vertically on this:

https://www.northstyle.com/itemdy00.aspx?T1=NG464+MUL+S&GASearchTerm=vertical

[Sailor_Sally]

They need a South Style catalog . I droll at all the fall clothes and then just toss the catalog .I do have that solid tunic top but mine is from JJill and I love it . It requires no ironing and still looks great .

[aoknkentucky]

Dang, Melody! You've been through the wringer this past year. I sure hope medical issues ease up on you soon.

 

Margaret, if not for regular pap exams, my cervical and endro pre-cancers would have been full-blown. My total surgery was in 1996, so I've had regular pap and mammograms since, All clear is a nice feeling to have when they call with the results. Glad you are able to start taking care of yourself.

 

Laurie, I like your autumn orange paint color. Our bedroom is aqua and shades of light orange through dark rust. DH and I both enjoy the fall season. As a result, our house is EARTH color heavy. I recently had the kitchen painted a pretty aqua color. I bought curtain material, but haven't cut, let alone sewed the first stitch. Since I have company coming for Thanksgiving, it might behoove me to get started on them. (yn)

 

Anita, it was good to "see" you again. I always picture you as your avatar shows you--with that beautiful smile on your face. I'm glad NC is working out well for you. Sounds like y'all are having a blast.

 

I hope everyone traveling soon has a fantastic journey. I'm home within 100 miles until February.

[aoknkentucky]

Sally, I wish they had a few more spring colors! I'm hopeful their catalog will give me a few options after the new year. I'm already so tired of dark and dreary--clothes in stores, skies overhead, and driving home after work in the dark. I envy your sunshine and warmth.

[awhfy]

Deb, when we first moved into this house (31 years ago) after living in military housing (white walls, no painting allowed) for ever! First thing we did was paint the kitchen. Now mind you, I’d never ever bought paint before. We decided on Aqua. Les stayed home to steam the wallpaper (brown wallpaper with orange pumpkins & yellow squash—hideous). Off I go to the paint store, tell the guy behind the counter what I want & show him the sample. No problem. He mixes the paint & I said it’s pretty pale can you make it a little brighter, guy says trim? I said nope a kitchen, he smiled. Ok, yup, that’s it. Get it home, Les looks at it, looks at me, doesn’t say a word. Puts the first roller on, looks over his shoulder & says two or three shades. I said three. He says, you’re going to live with it. It was the brightest turquoise that I’ve ever seen, the kids still roll on the floor when they talk about it. I never had to turn the lights on, it glowed [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]. Three years (yup) later we were doing some renovating. The contractor asks, so lady, are you married to this color? I said no, I’m thinking Almond, he said good choice. It took 5 coats to cover that turquoise! [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]. Melody

 

 

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[Anita Latte]

That's a lovely room you posted Margaret. I'd love to see a photo of your reno whenever you feel like it's done enough to share.

 

North style has some nice things...I'm all about things that will translate well for Alaska right now though. We're getting geared up...LITERALLY...to go on an overnight backpacking trip here. Filling in the blanks for gear and clothing...DS has boots on order now, and we'll be needing to break them in.

 

I found the Smartwool base layers at Sierra Trading Post. Much better pricing there for the closeouts, which I believe are last years colors. We ordered each ordered one...we all got the 1/4 zips...I just didn't find the crew necks attractive enough to wear by themselves, but I know how much I like a zippered overskirt. I know these could be base layers...but I think we'll end up using them as the warmth layer in my layering. Those are on their way too.

 

My hair grows so fast. I was already pretty motivated to grow my hair longer...and moving away from my beloved Stephanie hairdresser...and now I'm definitely on track for growing out my hair. I know I need some reshaping done and get the ends freshened up...but I'm still kind of sad over losing Stephanie...she was so awesome.

 

I painted murals in the bedrooms of the first house we bought. The first one was super easy...I made the outline of a mountain range in a deep green and painted the sky a, you guessed it, sky blue. The mountains were like tall wainscoting, but not flat. I did a whole beach scene in the other room.

 

We had a period there where it was very cool, cold even...but we've warmed up again...at least during the days. The lows are pretty low. It's the first real fall like weather that I've experienced in a while. I'm loving the layered outfits...and so happy that I've gotten some layers to play with.

[awhfy]

Anita, I love the SmartWool 1/4 zips. Just about live in them in the winter here. I’ll hit Sierra tomorrow I could use a couple more

 

 

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[Anita Latte]

I don't why the ladies tops were more than the men's...so irritating, but we went ahead with the purchase because the men's were 50% off...ladies like 44% or 40%? Good enough and much better than $110!

 

I found the code EMY17 online. It's for free shipping. It worked for me. Valid for purchase over $75.

[MJC]

I will post pictures of our renovation when the rooms are ready. The hard work is done, but the decorating is taking some time. It's like dominoes: I don't want to hang the mirror over the couch until we really know where it should go on the wall, which we won't know until the new TV comes, which we couldn't order until we had the cabinet... and on and on. So far I only have one lithograph hung on one wall. The painting for the hallway won't get hung until that wall is repaired, etc. So many little things. I finally hung the full length mirror on the back of the bedroom door, only to chip the corner when it slipped as I finished screwing in the bracket. :( Heading to Target tomorrow for a new one. Now that we have the new rug in the LR, I don't like the pillows on the couch. You know the story.

 

We have a crystal chandelier over our dining table, and I was thinking of getting something more modern. But the few people who have been here since the reno, mostly neighbors, all say how pretty it is, so now I might keep it. Even though it's very traditional, I'm thinking that anything I buy now is going to look dated in 10 years anyway. More pondering. I'm also trying to spruce up the parts we didn't work on that look a little shabby in comparison, so yesterday, for example, I scrubbed and sealed the grout on the floor in my kitchen. Fun times.

 

Between working, closing up the lakehouse, getting ready for vacation, and my dad, I just try to inch along on apartment stuff a little bit every day.

 

Yesterday was an odd day at school because of the terrorist attack on Tuesday. I work with the international students, and many of them didn't come to class because they are scared, or because their parents called them and they are scared. Coming on the heels of the Las Vegas shooting, it's a challenge to try to put some perspective on it for them. Some of them are talking about going back home. It's a sad thing to have to think about bollards and unattended packages every day. Since 9/11 I never wear earphones when I'm out and about, I like to know what's going on around me. My brother worked for years in corrections, and he says just about anything can be made into a weapon, so awareness is really our only defense.

[aoknkentucky]

Oh, Melody! I almost rolled! Such a fun memory. My kitchen is very old fashioned because we live in an old farmhouse and I happily inherited my grandparents 50s-style dinette set and Alan's family Hoosier cabinet and still use them daily. I have a picture given to me by the daughter-in-law of the family that owned the large farm before it was divided between the children. The county property valuation stamp on the back says Apr 3, '94. Since we bought the house in 1986, we've always assumed that date meant 1894 since no electrical lines are connected to the house and we'd never seen a 3"x6"photo. The photo would be called panoramic these days. I updated the kitchen this year, but only painted walls, tiled the floor and installed subway tile backspash and new laminate countertop to coordinate with the 50s vibe. I love my kitchen. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I grew up with a sunshine yellow kitchen--walls AND ceiling in gloss enamel. I was 16 and repainted it all by myself the last time before we moved from that house. It was easier to clean and the window faced north so Momma wanted it to feel cheery. It did.

 

I love my SmartWool socks and have several merino/cashmere full-zips that I started wearing again last week. 1/4-zip anythings drive me bonkers! I can't get them on and when I get warmish, I'd gladly cut them from my body. More aggravation than my shoulder/back wants to deal with. Anita, I've been known to buy from the men's section. Many times the quality is better too.

 

Margaret, I've become lax and constantly need to remind myself, but it is Always best to be aware of our situation and surroundings. Sad that we are the most privileged and this is still the case. I'm so out of the mainstream it was necessary to research what bollard meant. We have them--I just didn't know what they were called. I've never realized their true purpose. Again, self-awareness.

[awhfy]

Margaret, I thought of you Tuesday & wondered how close you were to the attack.

 

Les & I both worked for the AF & I was a Boston police paramedic for 6 years as well. Situational awareness is key to your safety. If something feels off, it probably is. We were in Cozumel 2 years ago walking they the shops to the taxis. Les spotted a backpack up against a pole. I went & found security & Les directed people out of the area till security arrived (under a minute, no Manyana (sp) now. Never did find out what happened but don’t take a chance

 

 

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[laurspag]

Margaret, I fully understand the idea of inching along with a renovation. Sometimes for us, the process of finishing things takes longer due to desire to decorate vs. the desire to hold on to things. I know I have discussed this before, and we are right in the middle of all this again now.

 

One of my daughters has been very sick the week, and so it affected the schedule I had laid out for getting some things done at home. Hands down, family first. But she has been getting better, so I did manage to pain the laundry room as planned.

 

How do I explain this color? It is not as muted as it the sample was, and I had a feeling based on how the color looked online. That's okay though, I like a cheery laundry room. I spend a lot of time in there! We were having the washer and dryer delivered today,and they gave us a window of 1 to 4. So we did our usual gym visit, came home, cleaned up, and started to finish moving things out of the room and sweeping and so on. They called and said they were going to be earlier than planned, around 12:15. Then around 12:30 they called and said they'd be another ten minutes. Too funny.

 

But I am happily doing some laundry now, and have a lot of things slowly moving to where they need to go. The exception would be pictures. We have lots and lots and lots of pictures! All kinds - photos, paintings, miscellaneous things. My MIL was a painter, and her work is really nice. We have a lot of it, and I try to have some throughout the room. The dilemma I created with the laundry room is that I have been holding some prints that I acquired on various cruises with the intention of putting them in the laundry room. By putting up the cruise prints, I had to take down some paintings.

 

And so it begins. We have some pictures that were just setting in the laundry room plus the ones I took down. There is a panoramic "Last Supper" print, a watercolor of some flowers, my pencil drawing of Sacred Heart Church, and some print of the Pope? Oh, and two framed photos from one of our cruises. Those landing in the laundry room when we repainted the family room, and I was trying to reduce the clutter.

 

So it's a tedious process. I am all for keeping the paintings, and we can switch them around from time to time. But the print of the Pope hasn't hung on a wall since the 90s, I think.

 

I understand about being aware of our surroundings. I often think that easy targets are where people gather in large groups. We often shop at (and one of my daughters works there also) at Destiny USA, one of the largest malls in the United States. And my husband works events all the time at the Carrier Dome, and we go there a lot for games as well. I am always thinking about it.

 

I think about terrorists all the time. This is just my thought, but anyone looking to kill innocent people, and as many as they can, is a terrorist. So that could mean the situations I mentioned above, or could mean someone walking in to where I work and attacking innocent people. It makes me so sad.

[awhfy]

Finished our cruise clothes selection. I’ll iron Les’s shirts tomorrow & we’re done. Melody

 

 

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[MJC]

Melody, you're way ahead of me. I'm just going through the spring clothes I brought to the lake, seeing what fits and what might work. I've been so focused on work clothes and dressing for fall, I actually have a couple of summer tops I completely forgot about.

 

Laurie, the artwork... I get it. With three painters in my family, I have way too much to put on my walls, not to mention all the photographs and whatnot. I always have stuff in closets that come in and out of rotation, and favorites that stay put. At the lake, I was much more discriminating, and I like it better. So, I'm trying that approach with the apartment and taking my time deciding what goes where, and what I'm tired of looking at.

 

I'm thinking of Sally because the November J.Jill catalog came and there is something I like on practically every page. After going through two closets today, though, I just have waaaaay too many clothes in too many sizes. It is rather motivating for the diet and exercise, non?