working out for Disney

[HouCuseChickie]

If you're interested in making candles, you might want to check out Brambleberry.com. They used to stock only soaping ingredients and supplies, but they've branched out into DIY candles, among other things. I buy some soaping items there. She has the best selection of scent oils and colorants. Other stuff, like glycerine, I buy at Amazon.

That sounds familiar, but I'll have to check it out at some point. Thanks!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

It's been a really up and down 24 hours.

I got a shipment notification on all of my 5k goodies yesterday, and when I went to check the anticipated delivery date, it said delivered. So, I had all of my stuff for my 5k for today.

Unfortunately, my 5k plans with my friend were upended by COVID. I got a text from her yesterday afternoon that her husband wasn't feeling well and was going to get tested. She asked if I wanted to postpone or go ahead with things. I opted to postpone, which turned out to be a really good thing...because he tested positive. He's feeling really cruddy today and she's now losing her sense of taste. I am just thankful that she was up front about this, because if she chanced it, I would have been exposed this morning. It came right on the heels of another good friend telling me they all also tested positive yesterday. Not that I want anyone to be sick, but they worry me so much with this. The husband has heart issues and she has Lupus. So, I'm praying they get through this without any real issues. In other COVID news, we were supposed to be down three kids at softball last night due to exposure quarantine, but two out of three were there. So, now we're trying to find out if they miscalculated their quarantine dates or if they (and the coach) knowingly put us all at risk. And of course, only about 1/4 of the people out there masked up. The kids are now supposed to be wearing masks in the dugout, and my daughter kept hers on, but she said some of the kids are pulling anti-masking crud. We've been getting all kinds of spiels from the coach about staying home if we're sick or been exposed as well as taking precautions when we are together, so I'm not happy. So now we have to wait to hear more from him. I don't want to get sick, I don't want to be in quarantine when we're getting ready to travel to see my parents, and I don't want any of the other people around us out there who are taking more precautions to be at risk because of other people's ignorance, hypocrisy and selfishness. Still...here we are taking precautions.

I still went out this morning to put in my miles. I was the only person I saw out there with a mask. I wasn't feeling it, so I just put in 3.5 miles and went home. I only even snapped one pic!

I biked for about 3 miles after that and did some arms, but I'm just sort of over it for today.

And if I sound extra grumpy, it doesn't help that my next door neighbors filed an HOA complaint about our construction debris. Everyone else has had the decency to strike up a conversation if we didn't have the chance to talk to them first, but them...they haven't acknowledged us for at least a good 6 months...maybe longer...when we've tried to say hi. It was already supposed to be hauled off this week. On top of that, the camera lens I treated myself to hasn't gone out and the Amazon store the sale went through is MIA. Thankfully, I haven't been charged yet, but I wanted my new toy! Oh, and one of the pugs got out again...followed me home, but ran off before I could get him in. So, now I have all of these people on NextDoor reaching out to me because I'm the last person to publicly share that I've had interaction with the owners. I'm not in the mood to be playing go between with lost dogs. But...at least my older one's glove was found. That's a plus. Hopefully the day will get better.

 

[Songbird76]

It's been a really up and down 24 hours.

I got a shipment notification on all of my 5k goodies yesterday, and when I went to check the anticipated delivery date, it said delivered. So, I had all of my stuff for my 5k for today.

Unfortunately, my 5k plans with my friend were upended by COVID. I got a text from her yesterday afternoon that her husband wasn't feeling well and was going to get tested. She asked if I wanted to postpone or go ahead with things. I opted to postpone, which turned out to be a really good thing...because he tested positive. He's feeling really cruddy today and she's now losing her sense of taste. I am just thankful that she was up front about this, because if she chanced it, I would have been exposed this morning. It came right on the heels of another good friend telling me they all also tested positive yesterday. Not that I want anyone to be sick, but they worry me so much with this. The husband has heart issues and she has Lupus. So, I'm praying they get through this without any real issues. In other COVID news, we were supposed to be down three kids at softball last night due to exposure quarantine, but two out of three were there. So, now we're trying to find out if they miscalculated their quarantine dates or if they (and the coach) knowingly put us all at risk. And of course, only about 1/4 of the people out there masked up. The kids are now supposed to be wearing masks in the dugout, and my daughter kept hers on, but she said some of the kids are pulling anti-masking crud. We've been getting all kinds of spiels from the coach about staying home if we're sick or been exposed as well as taking precautions when we are together, so I'm not happy. So now we have to wait to hear more from him. I don't want to get sick, I don't want to be in quarantine when we're getting ready to travel to see my parents, and I don't want any of the other people around us out there who are taking more precautions to be at risk because of other people's ignorance, hypocrisy and selfishness. Still...here we are taking precautions.

I still went out this morning to put in my miles. I was the only person I saw out there with a mask. I wasn't feeling it, so I just put in 3.5 miles and went home. I only even snapped one pic!

I biked for about 3 miles after that and did some arms, but I'm just sort of over it for today.

And if I sound extra grumpy, it doesn't help that my next door neighbors filed an HOA complaint about our construction debris. Everyone else has had the decency to strike up a conversation if we didn't have the chance to talk to them first, but them...they haven't acknowledged us for at least a good 6 months...maybe longer...when we've tried to say hi. It was already supposed to be hauled off this week. On top of that, the camera lens I treated myself to hasn't gone out and the Amazon store the sale went through is MIA. Thankfully, I haven't been charged yet, but I wanted my new toy! Oh, and one of the pugs got out again...followed me home, but ran off before I could get him in. So, now I have all of these people on NextDoor reaching out to me because I'm the last person to publicly share that I've had interaction with the owners. I'm not in the mood to be playing go between with lost dogs. But...at least my older one's glove was found. That's a plus. Hopefully the day will get better.

I'm glad you found the glove, but sorry about all the other stuff. What is the complaint about the construction debris? You have the proper permits and all that for the remodeling, right? So why is that a problem? I've never belonged to an HOA (Thank goodness, because I wouldn't do well with that) so I don't really understand how it all works, but I know my friend in Florida went through years with the head of the HOA targeting her for things she didn't even do. Like saying her garbage bins were in sight of the street when they weren't, telling her she wasn't allowed to have these flowers that are native to Florida and therefore against the law to ban them...I know if you get someone in an HOA who has a vendetta, it can be almost a war. I hope you can get it worked out!

Do you wear masks outside? I only ever go to work and the grocery store, and I don't wear my mask outside where there's no one around, but it drives me nuts at the grocery store when people aren't following the rules. I saw someone the other day with no mask on...I don't know how she got away with that, because it's mandatory and the store employees are supposed to enforce it, but they saw her and didn't say anything. Then yesterday, I was coming through and the doors aren't wide enough for 2 carts to fit through and there's only one set of doors. So I was coming in and my cart was halfway through, and some selfish woman came barreling through to leave instead of waiting until I was through. So there was only a couple inches of space between us. That really bugs me because it would have taken about 3 seconds for me to get through and get clear of the door so we could distance, and instead she couldn't wait those 3 seconds so we could safely distance. I feel like I'm the only one who is bothering with it. And yesterday they added a curfew in the evening so you can't leave your house after 9pm until 4:30 am unless you are going to work, going to the hospital, or to walk your dog and you have to have a permit for those things. And they reduced the number of visitors you are allowed to have at your house to one. Cases aren't going down, so they keep strengthening measures, but the problem is hardly anyone is following them, so then it's going to take even longer.

 

[Sans Souci]

It's been a really up and down 24 hours.

I got a shipment notification on all of my 5k goodies yesterday, and when I went to check the anticipated delivery date, it said delivered. So, I had all of my stuff for my 5k for today.

Unfortunately, my 5k plans with my friend were upended by COVID. I got a text from her yesterday afternoon that her husband wasn't feeling well and was going to get tested. She asked if I wanted to postpone or go ahead with things. I opted to postpone, which turned out to be a really good thing...because he tested positive. He's feeling really cruddy today and she's now losing her sense of taste. I am just thankful that she was up front about this, because if she chanced it, I would have been exposed this morning. It came right on the heels of another good friend telling me they all also tested positive yesterday. Not that I want anyone to be sick, but they worry me so much with this. The husband has heart issues and she has Lupus. So, I'm praying they get through this without any real issues. In other COVID news, we were supposed to be down three kids at softball last night due to exposure quarantine, but two out of three were there. So, now we're trying to find out if they miscalculated their quarantine dates or if they (and the coach) knowingly put us all at risk. And of course, only about 1/4 of the people out there masked up. The kids are now supposed to be wearing masks in the dugout, and my daughter kept hers on, but she said some of the kids are pulling anti-masking crud. We've been getting all kinds of spiels from the coach about staying home if we're sick or been exposed as well as taking precautions when we are together, so I'm not happy. So now we have to wait to hear more from him. I don't want to get sick, I don't want to be in quarantine when we're getting ready to travel to see my parents, and I don't want any of the other people around us out there who are taking more precautions to be at risk because of other people's ignorance, hypocrisy and selfishness. Still...here we are taking precautions.

I still went out this morning to put in my miles. I was the only person I saw out there with a mask. I wasn't feeling it, so I just put in 3.5 miles and went home. I only even snapped one pic!

I biked for about 3 miles after that and did some arms, but I'm just sort of over it for today.

And if I sound extra grumpy, it doesn't help that my next door neighbors filed an HOA complaint about our construction debris. Everyone else has had the decency to strike up a conversation if we didn't have the chance to talk to them first, but them...they haven't acknowledged us for at least a good 6 months...maybe longer...when we've tried to say hi. It was already supposed to be hauled off this week. On top of that, the camera lens I treated myself to hasn't gone out and the Amazon store the sale went through is MIA. Thankfully, I haven't been charged yet, but I wanted my new toy! Oh, and one of the pugs got out again...followed me home, but ran off before I could get him in. So, now I have all of these people on NextDoor reaching out to me because I'm the last person to publicly share that I've had interaction with the owners. I'm not in the mood to be playing go between with lost dogs. But...at least my older one's glove was found. That's a plus. Hopefully the day will get better.

Yikes! I am sorry you didn't get to run your 5K. I hope today is a better day for you. If anything, COIVD has shown to me that it is completely unpredictable. My 87 year grandma had and she has an neurodegenerative disease--she came through the other side unscathed. I honestly though we were going to lose her, because of her age and she is also obese. So, I hope your friends are ok.

My friend had COVID and she didn't know she even had it until she got tested for the heck of it. She was negative, but had the antibodies. She only had what she thought was a head cold for a few days--no fever, sore throat. She was just congested and nobody in her family got sick!

I'm so sick of the anti-maskers. My son tells me they don't work, but he won't leave the house without one. He told me he doesn't want to get vaccinated, either.

I don't understand what your neighbors expect you to do about construction debris? It is an ongoing project, no? It's not like you finished months ago and you've still got the dumpster out there. They would freak if they saw my neighborhood, so many people are renovating their houses right now and there are dumpsters everywhere. Some of these are big projects, so they've been out there for months now. I don't understand why people get upset about things like that? The noise can be bothersome, but debris?

I hope the coach about gives you clarification the kids showing up. Maybe it was a miscalculation, because I don't want think about people being so selfish.

 

[Sans Souci]

Good morning

I did a stretching routine this AM for something gentle.

My bread turned out surprisingly good. It was very sour, but that's how we like it. My husband and my son both devoured it. So, it was a good mistake. It had nice holes and had a nice chewiness to it. I am making another loaf today.

I had been complaining about getting into a cold bed. My husband surprised me with an electric blanket. Oh, it is absolute bliss to get into a warm bed. There is a "preheat" function that I turn on about 30 minutes before I go to bed. It lasts an hour, so it turns off automatically. I only need it for getting into bed, after that, I am OK.

I am hoping to get out for a walk today. It's kind of cold, but I'll just bundle up.

Take care.

 

[Songbird76]

Yikes! I am sorry you didn't get to run your 5K. I hope today is a better day for you. If anything, COIVD has shown to me that it is completely unpredictable. My 87 year grandma had and she has an neurodegenerative disease--she came through the other side unscathed. I honestly though we were going to lose her, because of her age and she is also obese. So, I hope your friends are ok.

My friend had COVID and she didn't know she even had it until she got tested for the heck of it. She was negative, but had the antibodies. She only had what she thought was a head cold for a few days--no fever, sore throat. She was just congested and nobody in her family got sick!

I'm so sick of the anti-maskers. My son tells me they don't work, but he won't leave the house without one. He told me he doesn't want to get vaccinated, either.

I don't understand what your neighbors expect you to do about construction debris? It is an ongoing project, no? It's not like you finished months ago and you've still got the dumpster out there. They would freak if they saw my neighborhood, so many people are renovating their houses right now and there are dumpsters everywhere. Some of these are big projects, so they've been out there for months now. I don't understand why people get upset about things like that? The noise can be bothersome, but debris?

I hope the coach about gives you clarification the kids showing up. Maybe it was a miscalculation, because I don't want think about people being so selfish.

We're not even allowed to go to work if we have even light symptoms like a runny nose, for precisely the reason you mentioned...some people don't know they have it because the symptoms are light. What I do disagree with is that we can go to work if someone ELSE in our family has symptoms, unless they have a fever.

That's really interesting that your son doesn't believe in masks....obviously he didn't get that from you. My daughter has a friend who is anti mask and anti vax, too, which makes no sense because her mom works in healthcare. But she tried to get my daughter to stop wearing masks before they were mandated. My daughter has been wearing them since the beginning of the school year and the mandate for masks didn't start until like the end of october at her school, and in December for public spaces. But this girl told E that wearing a mask is bad for you because of the carbon dioxide, bla bla bla.

That's what I was wondering about the debris...how are you supposed to do home improvements without some debris? And how does it affect the neighbors? I've never understood the point of HOAs. I don't think it should be anyone else's business what kind of flowers I want in my yard, or if I want to have a different kind of grass, or what color I want to paint my house. Taste is so subjective....I HATE the color orange. It's so jarring and just hideously ugly to me, but it's my BIL's favorite color. What one person likes, another doesn't....we don't all have to be the same. So what exactly is the purpose of an HOA other than to force everyone to conform to one person's taste? I don't get to choose your husband for you, why do you get to choose my flowers for me? It doesn't seem logical. Sorry....rant over.

 

[Goofyernmost]

That's really interesting that your son doesn't believe in masks....obviously he didn't get that from you. My daughter has a friend who is anti mask and anti vax, too, which makes no sense because her mom works in healthcare. But she tried to get my daughter to stop wearing masks before they were mandated. My daughter has been wearing them since the beginning of the school year and the mandate for masks didn't start until like the end of october at her school, and in December for public spaces. But this girl told E that wearing a mask is bad for you because of the carbon dioxide, bla bla bla.

This entire situation has just brought more and more attention to how ignorant the public is or maybe how lazy they are. They hear something and that becomes fact. They don't bother to find out for themselves or at the very least listen to someone that really has the experience to know. Ask all the nurses that work in the Covid and other areas, ask the surgeons that spend their whole days wearing masks. I haven't heard of anyone passing out because they were wearing a mask. The proof is right in front of everyone. Some are able to see it, others do not. Some what to see it, others do not. Those that probably don't know that there is a difference between Carbon Dioxide and Carbon Monoxide feel qualified to give advice.

 

[Sans Souci]

We're not even allowed to go to work if we have even light symptoms like a runny nose, for precisely the reason you mentioned...some people don't know they have it because the symptoms are light. What I do disagree with is that we can go to work if someone ELSE in our family has symptoms, unless they have a fever.

That's really interesting that your son doesn't believe in masks....obviously he didn't get that from you. My daughter has a friend who is anti mask and anti vax, too, which makes no sense because her mom works in healthcare. But she tried to get my daughter to stop wearing masks before they were mandated. My daughter has been wearing them since the beginning of the school year and the mandate for masks didn't start until like the end of october at her school, and in December for public spaces. But this girl told E that wearing a mask is bad for you because of the carbon dioxide, bla bla bla.

That's what I was wondering about the debris...how are you supposed to do home improvements without some debris? And how does it affect the neighbors? I've never understood the point of HOAs. I don't think it should be anyone else's business what kind of flowers I want in my yard, or if I want to have a different kind of grass, or what color I want to paint my house. Taste is so subjective....I HATE the color orange. It's so jarring and just hideously ugly to me, but it's my BIL's favorite color. What one person likes, another doesn't....we don't all have to be the same. So what exactly is the purpose of an HOA other than to force everyone to conform to one person's taste? I don't get to choose your husband for you, why do you get to choose my flowers for me? It doesn't seem logical. Sorry....rant over.

Honestly, there is so much crap on the internet and this is where people are picking up this nonsense. I am convinced someone is an anti-vaccine plant in the covid thread in News and Rumors. She claimed to work for a pharmaceutical company and said she and other colleagues where not going to take it when it came out. She was eventually banned from the thread, so then she started using the laughing emoji to "respond" to people in a mocking tone. I never saw this person in any other threads and she joined as soon as this whole pandemic was heating up. I got a mocking laughing emoji from some simpleton in the covid thread in Politics. I posted an article about an athlete who had covid and could no longer train at her previous levels. I guess he thought that was hilarious. I called him out on it and he changed it to the shocked emoji to avoid getting in trouble. Some people are absolute tools. I always hope Karma bites these people in the butt, hard.

He doesn't think they work and he thinks that's why this is continued to be spread. I told him he was half-right and I reminded him that they work optimally in concert with social distancing (if possible) and when others are wearing them. We live in a state where people are complying with masks, etc. Our numbers have been going down. He still wears one when he goes out, which isn't often, because he's scared of catching this. The only way he leaves the house is if you tell him you're going to Trader Joe's and then he will accompany you to purchase have of the inventory. He gets food deliveries and has the delivery person leave it on the porch. Then he waits a few minutes "to let the air clear of germs." Then he scrubs his hands after handling the bags, etc.

He is worried about the vaccine being rushed to market, but I told him they built upon pre-existing research. He focuses on these outliers you hear about in the news where someone has a known allergy and they have a reaction. I think being at the back of the line for the vaccines will work in his favor, because as more people get vaccinated, he'll see that reactions are few and far between. I also think when he sees how restricted life will become without one, he'll be singing a different tune. I don't think calling this "Operation: Warp Speed" did this effort any favors and I wish someone challenged whomever came up with that name before going public with it.

 

[Sans Souci]

Good morning.

Checking in with a full body workout. It is part of a 6 week challenge I did this time last year and I was about 30 seconds slower today than I was last year, when I last did this challenge.

I baked a loaf of sourdough this morning after letting it proof in the fridge all night. I turned the oven on 500 with the Dutch oven inside before I worked out. So, everything got nice and hot. When I was done, I put the dough in. You're supposed to turn the oven to 450 once you put it in, but I forgot. I looked great in the oven, when I took the lid off to let the bread brown on top. When I took it out, it looked beautiful, except there was a small hole on top. It's been cooling, so I haven't cut it open yet. I hope it's not a loaf with cavernous holes. You can't use it for sandwiches when it's like that.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I'm glad you found the glove, but sorry about all the other stuff. What is the complaint about the construction debris? You have the proper permits and all that for the remodeling, right? So why is that a problem? I've never belonged to an HOA (Thank goodness, because I wouldn't do well with that) so I don't really understand how it all works, but I know my friend in Florida went through years with the head of the HOA targeting her for things she didn't even do. Like saying her garbage bins were in sight of the street when they weren't, telling her she wasn't allowed to have these flowers that are native to Florida and therefore against the law to ban them...I know if you get someone in an HOA who has a vendetta, it can be almost a war. I hope you can get it worked out!

Do you wear masks outside? I only ever go to work and the grocery store, and I don't wear my mask outside where there's no one around, but it drives me nuts at the grocery store when people aren't following the rules. I saw someone the other day with no mask on...I don't know how she got away with that, because it's mandatory and the store employees are supposed to enforce it, but they saw her and didn't say anything. Then yesterday, I was coming through and the doors aren't wide enough for 2 carts to fit through and there's only one set of doors. So I was coming in and my cart was halfway through, and some selfish woman came barreling through to leave instead of waiting until I was through. So there was only a couple inches of space between us. That really bugs me because it would have taken about 3 seconds for me to get through and get clear of the door so we could distance, and instead she couldn't wait those 3 seconds so we could safely distance. I feel like I'm the only one who is bothering with it. And yesterday they added a curfew in the evening so you can't leave your house after 9pm until 4:30 am unless you are going to work, going to the hospital, or to walk your dog and you have to have a permit for those things. And they reduced the number of visitors you are allowed to have at your house to one. Cases aren't going down, so they keep strengthening measures, but the problem is hardly anyone is following them, so then it's going to take even longer.

They labeled it as trash and are making the HOA think we've just got trash piling up on the edges of the yard. It should be gone this week, but it's really annoying when everyone else is good with it and they decide to complain.

We don't typically wear them outside, but I will if I can't distance or don't trust my surroundings in our sports circles. After learning that the older one's team is full out anti-maskers and goes out of their way to shop places where masking isn't enforced inside, we started distancing ourselves from the other parents and started masking up near them when we couldn't. We're closer with the younger one's team and thought they were better about these things, but that's not the case. At least half of the team had to quarantine after the holidays because they either had it or had been exposed due to large family gatherings. The stuff that prompted my previous post about this team turned out to be a bit of a misunderstanding, but coach also informed my husband that he does not fear the virus. In other words, he also doesn't fear being part of the spread and getting others deathly ill. While these softball tournaments are outside, there are usually many areas where it's extremely tough to distance and many people just refuse. If I sit in the bleachers, I could wind up with a bunch of random people around me that are unmasked and breathing and cheering all around me. We went to Saturday's games after talking to the coach and had our daughter mask up in the dugout, since that's the highest risk spot for the kids, but she was the only kid doing it. She was so upset and worried about the lack of care and precautions that she decided she didn't want to play yesterday. She's on the fence with next weekend's tournament.

It's also not like some of these families haven't seen serious cases. In fact, one of the families has someone literally on their COVID deathbed. The girl's grandfather (dad to one of her parents) is in the hospital on a vent. He is about at the point of now return and they are about to take him off to die. They are taking turns at softball with the daughter, but no masks! Not even on their other set of grandparents. You've got a parent/grandparent about to die from it and you still refuse to mask up in close contact situations!!!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Yikes! I am sorry you didn't get to run your 5K. I hope today is a better day for you. If anything, COIVD has shown to me that it is completely unpredictable. My 87 year grandma had and she has an neurodegenerative disease--she came through the other side unscathed. I honestly though we were going to lose her, because of her age and she is also obese. So, I hope your friends are ok.

My friend had COVID and she didn't know she even had it until she got tested for the heck of it. She was negative, but had the antibodies. She only had what she thought was a head cold for a few days--no fever, sore throat. She was just congested and nobody in her family got sick!

I'm so sick of the anti-maskers. My son tells me they don't work, but he won't leave the house without one. He told me he doesn't want to get vaccinated, either.

I don't understand what your neighbors expect you to do about construction debris? It is an ongoing project, no? It's not like you finished months ago and you've still got the dumpster out there. They would freak if they saw my neighborhood, so many people are renovating their houses right now and there are dumpsters everywhere. Some of these are big projects, so they've been out there for months now. I don't understand why people get upset about things like that? The noise can be bothersome, but debris?

I hope the coach about gives you clarification the kids showing up. Maybe it was a miscalculation, because I don't want think about people being so selfish.

That's just it...so many people have it without realizing it. My boss said his wife had it just before Christmas. All she had was a headache. I'm so glad your grandma came through OK. I just try and check in with my friends periodically and send little things to keep their spirits up. The one friend has been getting a steady dose of Golden Girls clips, Seinfeld stuff, and Prince things. I feel bad because she can't taste a thing and is having some mild stomach issues, but needs to eat some just to keep herself going.

Yeah, I don't get it either. I've seen enough cases where masks did work that I'd rather wear one than not. The people here just seem to be fixated still on the hoax stuff and exercising their "freedumb."

Maybe it's because it's the smaller haul bin they're using vs. the full on dumpster? They referred to it as trash vs. construction debris. I think the sinks and giant mirrors kind of give it away that it's more than that + the bin has the WM logo on it (Waste Management). It should be finished up this week and hopefully hauled away this week, but these people are odd.

The kids turned out to be non-issues and weren't in scenarios where they should quarantine, but coach isn't enforcing any mask rules in the dugout, even though he said he wanted the kids wearing them and in the more crowded spots at these sports complexes. As I noted in my other post, he's not afraid of the virus and not actually going to make anyone do anything, so he's still a hypocrite and part of the problem. It's unfortunate, because my kid wants to play and he knows they aren't as good without her, but she shouldn't have to worry about getting sick or getting others sick just because of his backwards thoughts on all of this.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I sort of got in a workout yesterday. It came super late because I had so much to do, but I biked for about 50 minutes + a cool down and went a little over 15 miles. It's something. The older one had to be at school at 5:45am today and I'm planning to nap during lunch, so I guess whatever I do will be after work. At least we have leftovers for at least a couple of days from last night's dinners. We got tired of these frozen burritos taking up space in the freezer. The kids used to love them. So, I turned them into a Tex-Mex lasagna topped with chili con carne. Huge hit.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Honestly, there is so much crap on the internet and this is where people are picking up this nonsense. I am convinced someone is an anti-vaccine plant in the covid thread in News and Rumors. She claimed to work for a pharmaceutical company and said she and other colleagues where not going to take it when it came out. She was eventually banned from the thread, so then she started using the laughing emoji to "respond" to people in a mocking tone. I never saw this person in any other threads and she joined as soon as this whole pandemic was heating up. I got a mocking laughing emoji from some simpleton in the covid thread in Politics. I posted an article about an athlete who had covid and could no longer train at her previous levels. I guess he thought that was hilarious. I called him out on it and he changed it to the shocked emoji to avoid getting in trouble. Some people are absolute tools. I always hope Karma bites these people in the butt, hard.

He doesn't think they work and he thinks that's why this is continued to be spread. I told him he was half-right and I reminded him that they work optimally in concert with social distancing (if possible) and when others are wearing them. We live in a state where people are complying with masks, etc. Our numbers have been going down. He still wears one when he goes out, which isn't often, because he's scared of catching this. The only way he leaves the house is if you tell him you're going to Trader Joe's and then he will accompany you to purchase have of the inventory. He gets food deliveries and has the delivery person leave it on the porch. Then he waits a few minutes "to let the air clear of germs." Then he scrubs his hands after handling the bags, etc.

He is worried about the vaccine being rushed to market, but I told him they built upon pre-existing research. He focuses on these outliers you hear about in the news where someone has a known allergy and they have a reaction. I think being at the back of the line for the vaccines will work in his favor, because as more people get vaccinated, he'll see that reactions are few and far between. I also think when he sees how restricted life will become without one, he'll be singing a different tune. I don't think calling this "Operation: Warp Speed" did this effort any favors and I wish someone challenged whomever came up with that name before going public with it.

Probably the same one that came up with "Defund the Police" which gives a horrendously incorrect image to what is meant by it. I understand that it takes more then three words to actually give a reality image but it basically is 'transfer some funds to the social agency's to take care of social problems and fund the police to take care of law enforcement. Nothing about cutting back on Police, just taking some of the responsibility away without affecting coverage just redistributing funds to the places that are responsible for correcting social problems leaving the Police free to do their job. You wouldn't ask a fireman to wash your car just because he has access to a hose would you?

 

[Songbird76]

Honestly, there is so much crap on the internet and this is where people are picking up this nonsense. I am convinced someone is an anti-vaccine plant in the covid thread in News and Rumors. She claimed to work for a pharmaceutical company and said she and other colleagues where not going to take it when it came out. She was eventually banned from the thread, so then she started using the laughing emoji to "respond" to people in a mocking tone. I never saw this person in any other threads and she joined as soon as this whole pandemic was heating up. I got a mocking laughing emoji from some simpleton in the covid thread in Politics. I posted an article about an athlete who had covid and could no longer train at her previous levels. I guess he thought that was hilarious. I called him out on it and he changed it to the shocked emoji to avoid getting in trouble. Some people are absolute tools. I always hope Karma bites these people in the butt, hard.

He doesn't think they work and he thinks that's why this is continued to be spread. I told him he was half-right and I reminded him that they work optimally in concert with social distancing (if possible) and when others are wearing them. We live in a state where people are complying with masks, etc. Our numbers have been going down. He still wears one when he goes out, which isn't often, because he's scared of catching this. The only way he leaves the house is if you tell him you're going to Trader Joe's and then he will accompany you to purchase have of the inventory. He gets food deliveries and has the delivery person leave it on the porch. Then he waits a few minutes "to let the air clear of germs." Then he scrubs his hands after handling the bags, etc.

He is worried about the vaccine being rushed to market, but I told him they built upon pre-existing research. He focuses on these outliers you hear about in the news where someone has a known allergy and they have a reaction. I think being at the back of the line for the vaccines will work in his favor, because as more people get vaccinated, he'll see that reactions are few and far between. I also think when he sees how restricted life will become without one, he'll be singing a different tune. I don't think calling this "Operation: Warp Speed" did this effort any favors and I wish someone challenged whomever came up with that name before going public with it.

They are calling it Operation Warp Speed?? Is that just in the US? I haven't heard anything over here! How long have they been vaccinating for it there? We just started it 2 weeks ago in the Netherlands, so they aren't very far yet, but so far I haven't heard anyone with a severe reaction. And of my friends and family in the US who have gotten it, no one has reported anything more than a sore arm and feeling a bit run down. I don't know where E's friend gets her information, because her mom works in healthcare, but she is against everything. I kind of think it might be more not wanting to believe that masks work and vaccines are safe because she doesn't want to wear a mask or get a shot. She's in E's class, and E's in the highest level of high school, so the girl must be pretty intelligent, so I can't fathom how she is against the stuff unless it's more just not wanting to have to do those things. And I get that it's not fun, but to me it's better than getting really sick and possibly dying. No one knows who is going to get really sick and who is not. There are statistically more people in certain groups, but it's no guarantee that if you aren't in those groups that you won't get it bad, or that if you are in one of those groups you will get it really bad. So I don't want to just assume I'd be one who doesn't get it severely. I'd rather wear the masks and get the vaccine, and we'll see how it goes. We've also got the British mutation going around here that supposedly spreads faster and also may be more deadly...they are researching it now. Is that going around where you are, too? Or has that been kept at bay with travel restrictions? As far as I know, we still aren't even allowed in the US, so if Europeans are banned, then you might be safe from it there.

 

[Songbird76]

They labeled it as trash and are making the HOA think we've just got trash piling up on the edges of the yard. It should be gone this week, but it's really annoying when everyone else is good with it and they decide to complain.

We don't typically wear them outside, but I will if I can't distance or don't trust my surroundings in our sports circles. After learning that the older one's team is full out anti-maskers and goes out of their way to shop places where masking isn't enforced inside, we started distancing ourselves from the other parents and started masking up near them when we couldn't. We're closer with the younger one's team and thought they were better about these things, but that's not the case. At least half of the team had to quarantine after the holidays because they either had it or had been exposed due to large family gatherings. The stuff that prompted my previous post about this team turned out to be a bit of a misunderstanding, but coach also informed my husband that he does not fear the virus. In other words, he also doesn't fear being part of the spread and getting others deathly ill. While these softball tournaments are outside, there are usually many areas where it's extremely tough to distance and many people just refuse. If I sit in the bleachers, I could wind up with a bunch of random people around me that are unmasked and breathing and cheering all around me. We went to Saturday's games after talking to the coach and had our daughter mask up in the dugout, since that's the highest risk spot for the kids, but she was the only kid doing it. She was so upset and worried about the lack of care and precautions that she decided she didn't want to play yesterday. She's on the fence with next weekend's tournament.

It's also not like some of these families haven't seen serious cases. In fact, one of the families has someone literally on their COVID deathbed. The girl's grandfather (dad to one of her parents) is in the hospital on a vent. He is about at the point of now return and they are about to take him off to die. They are taking turns at softball with the daughter, but no masks! Not even on their other set of grandparents. You've got a parent/grandparent about to die from it and you still refuse to mask up in close contact situations!!!

I have no words!! That is.....wow. I don't even know what to say to that. How incredibly selfish! Are they allowed to have contact with the one on his deathbed, or are they banned from visiting? I've heard that people with covid aren't allowed visitors and that's been a major problem for a lot of people, because their loved ones end up dying alone, but on the other hand, if people are going to be irresponsible about it, then they SHOULDN'T be allowed to visit, because they are just going to spread it further. I hope they are not going to visit, because then if they are still attending the softball practices and games and they are not wearing masks, etc, that's extremely dangerous for everyone around them! I don't blame your daughter for debating whether or not to participate! What I don't get is, knowing someone on their deathbed because of it, how can they be ok with spreading it to other people? How could you be ok if someone else loses their loved one because of you? Or loses their own life because of you? I would feel bad just making someone else sick, even if they didn't die! I don't understand that mentality of "Who cares if I spread it. I'm ok with getting it, so everyone else should be, too."

 

[Songbird76]

That's just it...so many people have it without realizing it. My boss said his wife had it just before Christmas. All she had was a headache. I'm so glad your grandma came through OK. I just try and check in with my friends periodically and send little things to keep their spirits up. The one friend has been getting a steady dose of Golden Girls clips, Seinfeld stuff, and Prince things. I feel bad because she can't taste a thing and is having some mild stomach issues, but needs to eat some just to keep herself going.

Yeah, I don't get it either. I've seen enough cases where masks did work that I'd rather wear one than not. The people here just seem to be fixated still on the hoax stuff and exercising their "freedumb."

Maybe it's because it's the smaller haul bin they're using vs. the full on dumpster? They referred to it as trash vs. construction debris. I think the sinks and giant mirrors kind of give it away that it's more than that + the bin has the WM logo on it (Waste Management). It should be finished up this week and hopefully hauled away this week, but these people are odd.

The kids turned out to be non-issues and weren't in scenarios where they should quarantine, but coach isn't enforcing any mask rules in the dugout, even though he said he wanted the kids wearing them and in the more crowded spots at these sports complexes. As I noted in my other post, he's not afraid of the virus and not actually going to make anyone do anything, so he's still a hypocrite and part of the problem. It's unfortunate, because my kid wants to play and he knows they aren't as good without her, but she shouldn't have to worry about getting sick or getting others sick just because of his backwards thoughts on all of this.

It's so strange...isn't it mandated there? I thought almost everywhere had a mask mandate now. We don't have one for outside, but then all sports games are canceled and parents aren't allowed to stay at practices. All adults sports are completely canceled, I think, and only youth sports can continue, but only if they are outside and can distance. Soccer isn't allowed, but tennis is. But we can't take A to tennis. He goes by bike...we could drop him off and pick him up, but it's only a few minutes for him by bike because there are shortcut bike lanes, so since we aren't allowed to be there anyway, it's faster for him to go by bike. But anything in public indoors or anywhere that's difficult to distance is a mandatory mask place. At work, I don't have to wear one unless I'm working closely with someone else, like if I'm training someone.

The only person I know personally who has gotten covid got it really bad and it took her a few months to recover, and she is anti mask and anti vax. To be fair, she can not get vaccinated because every vaccine she's ever had made her deathly ill, so she's in the group that can't get them, and I understand that, but then it's weird to me that you would not want OTHER people to be vaccinated. But all the research I've seen says the masks don't really reduce your chance of catching it, but significantly reduce your chance of SPREADING it, and if both people wear them, then the chance of it spreading is almost nothing. So she was wearing a mask as was mandated and caught it, so she swears they don't work. But she doesn't seem to understand the statistics...it isn't 100% effective. And if the masks don't protect the wearer, then it's no surprise that she still caught it. But she wasn't at home...she had gone with a friend to help her clean out a relative's house after he passed. So she was out of state and her insurance didn't want to cover her health care costs in another state. She had to go to the ER and get a nebulizer because she couldn't breathe. But she is still anti-mask and anti-vaccine. I don't get it. She was separated from her family for something like 3 months because she couldn't go home until she got negative tests, which took ages. How can you go through that and still think "Yeah, it's ok if other people get it."

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I have no words!! That is.....wow. I don't even know what to say to that. How incredibly selfish! Are they allowed to have contact with the one on his deathbed, or are they banned from visiting? I've heard that people with covid aren't allowed visitors and that's been a major problem for a lot of people, because their loved ones end up dying alone, but on the other hand, if people are going to be irresponsible about it, then they SHOULDN'T be allowed to visit, because they are just going to spread it further. I hope they are not going to visit, because then if they are still attending the softball practices and games and they are not wearing masks, etc, that's extremely dangerous for everyone around them! I don't blame your daughter for debating whether or not to participate! What I don't get is, knowing someone on their deathbed because of it, how can they be ok with spreading it to other people? How could you be ok if someone else loses their loved one because of you? Or loses their own life because of you? I would feel bad just making someone else sick, even if they didn't die! I don't understand that mentality of "Who cares if I spread it. I'm ok with getting it, so everyone else should be, too."

It's so strange...isn't it mandated there? I thought almost everywhere had a mask mandate now. We don't have one for outside, but then all sports games are canceled and parents aren't allowed to stay at practices. All adults sports are completely canceled, I think, and only youth sports can continue, but only if they are outside and can distance. Soccer isn't allowed, but tennis is. But we can't take A to tennis. He goes by bike...we could drop him off and pick him up, but it's only a few minutes for him by bike because there are shortcut bike lanes, so since we aren't allowed to be there anyway, it's faster for him to go by bike. But anything in public indoors or anywhere that's difficult to distance is a mandatory mask place. At work, I don't have to wear one unless I'm working closely with someone else, like if I'm training someone.

The only person I know personally who has gotten covid got it really bad and it took her a few months to recover, and she is anti mask and anti vax. To be fair, she can not get vaccinated because every vaccine she's ever had made her deathly ill, so she's in the group that can't get them, and I understand that, but then it's weird to me that you would not want OTHER people to be vaccinated. But all the research I've seen says the masks don't really reduce your chance of catching it, but significantly reduce your chance of SPREADING it, and if both people wear them, then the chance of it spreading is almost nothing. So she was wearing a mask as was mandated and caught it, so she swears they don't work. But she doesn't seem to understand the statistics...it isn't 100% effective. And if the masks don't protect the wearer, then it's no surprise that she still caught it. But she wasn't at home...she had gone with a friend to help her clean out a relative's house after he passed. So she was out of state and her insurance didn't want to cover her health care costs in another state. She had to go to the ER and get a nebulizer because she couldn't breathe. But she is still anti-mask and anti-vaccine. I don't get it. She was separated from her family for something like 3 months because she couldn't go home until she got negative tests, which took ages. How can you go through that and still think "Yeah, it's ok if other people get it."

To be perfectly honest, I don't know. In the early days of us playing in the middle of this, it sounded like everyone was taking precautions and being smart about not exposing anyone, but the more I'm learning...the more I'm seeing that that's probably not the case. I've heard that some of the hospitals are starting to allow people in to say final good-byes, but it's very limited on who can go in and there are tons of rules and precautions for those that do. We have one kid who had been playing, but is now opting to sit out because of Covid concerns (vs. exposure) and I'm wondering if we're going to need to go that route. I want my kids to be able to play, but I don't want to increase our risk because they are ignorant and inconsiderate in such critical health matters.

Masks are now mandated for the next 100 days in all US Federal buildings/lands, but beyond that, it's up to states. Texas has a mask mandate, but they are only mandated indoors and if you're unable to distance outside. That being said, it's rarely enforced outside and depending on where you go, they may not also enforce it inside. There are people going out of their way to shop in counties that refuse to enforce it. I haven't been allowed into my office since March, but I know if I am cleared to be in there, masking will be mandatory. It's starting to sound like June will be the next time they look more heavily at allowing people back in. Youth sports were cleared here back in June, but schools go back and forth on allowing and not allowing; however, schools also do much more to enforce the mandates. Private teams are sort of free for alls.

I know the early research showed it protects others more than the wearer, but I know we've seen studies in more recent months that now show that it also provides protection to the wearer. The brother of one of my bosses attended a meeting a few months ago, indoors, with nearly 50 people in attendance. He was one of only two people to wear a mask and they were the only two people who tested negative for COVID after they realized that someone came to the meeting sick. I know they are still doing more studies, and the data and results could change, but for now the things I've read says they provide a decent level of protection to the wearer. Nothing is going to be 100% effective, short of staying home and never having any contact with the outside world in any capacity. I could see how your friend would be anti-vaccine, but the anti mask part kind of boggles the mind. Interesting that she was put on a nebulizer. That's one of the things we have in check ready to use if heaven forbid any of us get it and need it.

 

[Songbird76]

To be perfectly honest, I don't know. In the early days of us playing in the middle of this, it sounded like everyone was taking precautions and being smart about not exposing anyone, but the more I'm learning...the more I'm seeing that that's probably not the case. I've heard that some of the hospitals are starting to allow people in to say final good-byes, but it's very limited on who can go in and there are tons of rules and precautions for those that do. We have one kid who had been playing, but is now opting to sit out because of Covid concerns (vs. exposure) and I'm wondering if we're going to need to go that route. I want my kids to be able to play, but I don't want to increase our risk because they are ignorant and inconsiderate in such critical health matters.

Masks are now mandated for the next 100 days in all US Federal buildings/lands, but beyond that, it's up to states. Texas has a mask mandate, but they are only mandated indoors and if you're unable to distance outside. That being said, it's rarely enforced outside and depending on where you go, they may not also enforce it inside. There are people going out of their way to shop in counties that refuse to enforce it. I haven't been allowed into my office since March, but I know if I am cleared to be in there, masking will be mandatory. It's starting to sound like June will be the next time they look more heavily at allowing people back in. Youth sports were cleared here back in June, but schools go back and forth on allowing and not allowing; however, schools also do much more to enforce the mandates. Private teams are sort of free for alls.

I know the early research showed it protects others more than the wearer, but I know we've seen studies in more recent months that now show that it also provides protection to the wearer. The brother of one of my bosses attended a meeting a few months ago, indoors, with nearly 50 people in attendance. He was one of only two people to wear a mask and they were the only two people who tested negative for COVID after they realized that someone came to the meeting sick. I know they are still doing more studies, and the data and results could change, but for now the things I've read says they provide a decent level of protection to the wearer. Nothing is going to be 100% effective, short of staying home and never having any contact with the outside world in any capacity. I could see how your friend would be anti-vaccine, but the anti mask part kind of boggles the mind. Interesting that she was put on a nebulizer. That's one of the things we have in check ready to use if heaven forbid any of us get it and need it.

Ah, that makes more sense, then. I think that's the problem here, too....you can mandate it all you want, but if no one enforces it, it doesn't help. We have mandates for public spaces indoors, like grocery stores, but I've seen 2 people not wearing masks at the store. One is my daughter's best friend's dad, which was weird to me, because they are pretty strict by Dutch standards....about like my husband and I, and they have not let the kids go out and such. But E did say that he's autistic and was worried about the mask mandate coming up and would have to think of some other way to get groceries, because he can not stand to wear a mask. So I don't know if he got some sort of exemption or if he just chanced getting a fine. Stores are supposed to enforce it themselves, and if they don't they can get in trouble. But it's possible no one saw him without the mask, or that they just figure "What are the odds someone turns us in for one person not wearing a mask?".

I hadn't heard that newer research that the masks protect the wearer. I did always wonder how it could only work one way...it's a protective barrier. How does it keep germs from going one way but not the other? So it makes sense that it protects both, but I had just read that that wasn't the case, so I figured I must be missing something. In any case, even if it's not a huge amount of protection, isn't it better than nothing?

My friend who got it already has some sort of respiratory issue. I think it has something to do with scar tissue, not in her lungs, but in the passage to the lungs. Decades ago, she was eating chips and one went in wrong and cut through the tissue. I was there when it happened on the bus ride home from a junior high basketball game. She couldn't breathe and they had to have an ambulance meet the team as we came into town so she could be taken to the hospital while the rest of us were taken back home. All of us were in tears scared to death. Anyway, it apparently caused some scar tissue to form there and it reduces her ability to breathe deeply enough. So then when she got Covid, it was really bad and she couldn't breathe. But she had problems with her insurance company. They wouldn't pay for anything that wasn't an "emergency" if it was out of state, and even though she HAD gone to the ER, they didn't admit her, but gave her the nebulizer to take back to wherever she was staying, so the insurance was trying to say it wasn't emergency care and they wouldn't cover it. I'm not sure why exactly they didn't admit her, but the nebulizer helped anyway. But having experienced all that, and she wouldn't go home and bring it to her family because it was so awful, why is she anti mask? And I can understand HER not wanting a vaccination since it makes her sick, but why wouldn't you want everyone around you protected so that you couldn't get it from them? She didn't want to give it to her family, but she's willing for everyone else to get it? It doesn't make sense to me. She had it way back before the summer, I think, though. Long before we had a vaccine, back when mask mandates were just starting and only in a few places.

 

[Figgy1]

It's beautiful! I really like the natural rock on the shower floor. Is the barn door pictured the door to/from your bedroom?

X2

 

[Figgy1]

Good morning.

I'm checking in with a 15 minute workout that used dumbbells and sliding discs. It was challenging, but I know I have room for improvement.

I'm getting out for a walk later.

I made a really tasty, vegan and gluten free dinner last night, if anyone is interested. Here is the video. You don't have to watch the video, the instructions are in the description box. It is going to be my lunch today, too.

I have that one bookmarked. Haven't tried it yet because the guys are pitas