11th January 2024, 06:46 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
 only fruit tastes normal.  but I know it could be a lot worse, for example nothing like the fatigue you described. 
|
|
11th January 2024, 09:19 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Knock wood, I still haven't had my time in the barrel with the 'rona yet. It's the variability of symptoms that give me the willies. Everything from "I barely knew I had anything!" to fatigue, smell loss, brain fog, etc.
Eldest reported a scary level of mental impact from when she had it back in November. Fortunately it resolved, but one never knows in the moment if it will or how long it will take.
|
|
11th January 2024, 09:33 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Friend of mine's stepdad said he was a month in the hospital with neuro symptoms when he got it--that's almost scarier than going on a vent.
Snot rockets are good, actually, helps to clear out the sinuses which ought to help with the headaches. Might try having some pho delivered in, the aromatics from the basil and hot pepper oil really get things moving and it's hard for even the 'rona to mess up the flavor of pho! Day off (-ish, might go Uber before picking up the grandkid) and I finally got around to cleaning my very skanky stovetop--been putting it off due to coping with schedule change and fatigue from the new job and it got really nasty. Seemed like a great time to put on some nitrile gloves and go to town all over it--ending score was about a third of a roll of paper towels, one cleaning rag that went straight into the trash bin and the sink/stove sponge followed it shortly after, allowing the current dish sponge to be demoted and a new one ensconced in its place. Stove cleaning is one of those things I truly hate doing but love it once it's done.
|
|
11th January 2024, 11:40 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Cleaning the stovetop is my favorite hate, too. I have a gas stove, and I completely cover the top with heavy duty aluminum foil, and put the grates on top of that. The foil catches all the grease and crud, but can't prevent grease from getting all over the grates.
So once every two or three months I take apart the stovetop and put the grates and all the removable parts into a special plastic bin which I fill with hot tap water and Krud Kutter. Then I remove and discard the greasy aluminum foil, and clean the stovetop. The foil keeps 95% of the grease away, so this part is easy. The hard part is scrubbing all the grates and assorted small bits with a wire brush to get off the cooked-on crud. Then I line the stovetop with fresh foil, replace the cleaned grates and all the small hardware. Bleh! What a chore. I swear my next stovetop will be an induction one, if I can afford it. The second most hated chore is cleaning Venetian blinds, and the third is cleaning behind the toilet.
|
|
11th January 2024, 12:38 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Dragging out the stove and fridge to muck out behind isn't on my list of favorite hobbies either. I keep a square of cardboard to go under the front feet and make it slide better. It doesn't happen as often as it oughta but at least theres no alien life forms taking hold.
|
|
11th January 2024, 04:34 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Too much to type, so I'll just say hello.
I was a radical and didn't go to the grocery store like everyone else on the planet ahead of the Big Snow we have coming tonight and tomorrow. I've heard 2-4 inches (yawn) up to 16 inches (yikes). Hope all are safe and warm.
|
|
11th January 2024, 07:38 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
I am slightly disappointed that our forecast foot of snow has gone away. It will be cold enough but dry. Saturday looks like the coldest day, with a high of 28 and a brisk 20 MPH breeze. I have the long johns all washed and ready.
|
|
11th January 2024, 07:41 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
It's currently -3°F outside.
Got the wood stove going and fortunately I bought two cases of those sweet Duraflame Golds yesterday.
|
|
11th January 2024, 07:58 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
I’m bored. Time to guzzle 16 ounces of Michelob Golden!
Last edited by Diamonds02; 11th January 2024 at 08:03 PM.
|
|
12th January 2024, 10:23 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Hey my lovelies (and you jerks), I am not dealing as well with words as I thought so I’m going back to stupid games (and neurologist) before I make a complete arse of myself here (for the 25th time over the years), Thanks for the friendship and patience.
Be well!
|
|
12th January 2024, 03:18 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
 Quote:
|
|
12th January 2024, 08:40 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Hoo boy! Fifteen degrees and breezy, its cheek freezing out there tonight. Fortunately the shack is nice and cozy. Had to thaw out the hummingbird feeder this morning and you should have heard the language from hungry customers. I have no idea how they make it through a night like this naked in a tree, but every morning there they are.
I almost fucked up and forgot to cover a hose bib. Finally noticed it around sundown while fetching the mail. I had to use channel locks to gently bust loose the hose without taking the faucet off with it. Sure enough the hose was solid but it looks like the faucet is OK. Now I'm wearing two layers of sweats, an oversized fleece, and fuzzy slippers. The plan for later includes a pile of blankets with only my nose showing.
|
|
13th January 2024, 06:10 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
It's -17 outside right now. We got about 2" of snow last night. I'm going to wait a bit before I go out to shovel the sidewalk. I was going to take a run to metal recycling today, but now that is looking overly chilly.
|
|
13th January 2024, 06:12 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Stay warm, everyone. The wind is picking up here and the wind chill is dropping along with it. Still, the sun is trying to peep out and since December was so dreary, it's nice to see, even if it is way too cold for me.
|
|
13th January 2024, 08:47 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
I gotta find the good gloves. These weak-ass gloves ain't getting it done at -4.
I did get the sidewalk, a walkway up the driveway and the walkway to the front door swept off before my hands froze.
|
|
13th January 2024, 08:53 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Yep, mid teens here too and the snow is coming down in those little pellets that really start to add up after a while. I woke up several times in the night panicking that ALL THE WATER LINES ARE FROZEN and had to make the rounds to prove to my brain that the faucets are all trickling, the shower works, the toilet flushes and so far the crapshack seems to be holding as well. Of course the real test is when it warms up again but the extra pipe insulation and an oil radiator in the affected area seems to be doing the trick. Knock wood. Had to go kick the wooden gate a few times to get it open but at least it got cold and dry first so the wood shrank a little and it's not bound up with ice. We'll see how that holds up to the sleet they're promising for later. I have plenty of foods, the propane's in good shape and with any luck we should come through okay. Probably gonna have to work tomorrow though and the West Hills oughta be fun after THIS shit!
Watched a squirrel navigating the back yard while carrying a huge frozen apple in its mouth--there's this one spot where the cherry limbs get thin and it requires a bit of a leap to get to the sturdier maple branches but that spot is also right where the wind comes over the neighbor's roof and the squirrel was really struggling to figure out how in hell to get home with its prize of food. Must've made it, I checked a couple minutes later and he was gone.
|
|
13th January 2024, 09:38 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
|
|
13th January 2024, 11:14 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Thank the gods, the kitchen staff couldn't get in to make the meals so we will not be delivering tomorrow, whew! Was NOT looking forward to having to white knuckle my way through it all.
We're getting wind gusts up to 50mph out there and a bunch of really huge trees have fallen over all around the city, leaving a bunch of people without power in the cold. And people thought I was crazy when I insisted on propane heating in the shed. If I lose power I have backup battery chargers for my phone and tablet so I can read and surf the internet but I am not a fan of trying to keep from freezing inside my house so I insist on a heating source that isn't weather dependent.
|
|
13th January 2024, 12:04 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
For the first time this winter, I've put a portable heater under my desk.
How cold is it? There is frost forming inside the double pane window in my office.
|
|
13th January 2024, 12:10 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
I have a frost berm on several of my double panes too--it's something that's gonna happen when you heat with a vent free propane furnace, puts a bit of humidity into the air so there's condensation.
|
|
13th January 2024, 12:13 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
I'm watching some Weather Dude who drove down from Washington to live stream on youtube in the blizzard. He's at Vista House Crowne point and sure looks unsafe to me - current wind is 85 mph he says - NWS not getting readings because their anemometer has blown away?
his fans are donating money so I guess that's enabling? 91 mph gust...why? why am I watching?
|
|
13th January 2024, 12:50 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
Last edited by C2H5OH; 13th January 2024 at 01:19 PM. Reason: Added Italics for emphasis...
|
|
13th January 2024, 01:21 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Its a veritable heat wave over here, we're up to a sweltering 25 with a relentess east wind. I had to thaw out the bird feeder twice so far and will need to do it again for the sundown dinner crowd. Every time I get near the thing, half a dozen hummingbirds threaten to kick my ass. Keep yer feathers on, I'm thawing as fast as I can! Aside from that my day has mostly been hard core, one percenter, recidivist flooping. The evening schedule includes staying home and not freezing my ass off. I'll do useful things tomorrow.
|
|
13th January 2024, 01:29 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
It's actually 2 days before the half-way point this month, and I still have 6 bucks and change left in the account. Yeah, they are giving me plenty of food money...
The "Wall-of-Soup" was starting to get ridiculous. Last edited by C2H5OH; 13th January 2024 at 01:37 PM.
|
|
13th January 2024, 04:14 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Went to the store today and the tire pressure system was alerting with low pressure. All the tires were the same pressure so it wasn't a leak, it's just cold. Currently -3.
|
|
13th January 2024, 05:29 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Still 12F here but the wind has calmed considerably, which is good. Fucking gale force winds shredded one of my Shelter Logic covers all to shit, which means I can't put off buying another one AND I'll have to put it on in the wet and cold if I don't want my tourney trailer to get damaged. Bleah. Here's hoping the tarp I was kinda patching it with can hold up until I can get a new cover delivered. Entropy, mang.
|
|
13th January 2024, 05:53 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
It snowed tonight and the HIGH tomorrow will be 6 degrees! Of course, we’re still having hockey practice tomorrow morning. Sigh…
Something tells me I won’t be able to hack playing pond hockey.
|
|
14th January 2024, 10:58 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
It's seriously cold here and it snowed more overnight. So I put out a hunk of alfalfa hay for the bunnies. I've seen a lot of bunny tracks in the snow around it, so it looks like they have been nibbling at it.
|
|
14th January 2024, 11:07 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
I'm sure the bunnies are blessing your name!
Wind knocked a fence section all cattywampus, allowing Kosh the Idiot to sneak out and have an adventure on the cul de sac. I have remedied the situation and he has a sad now, no more fun times. Got Agnes all thawed out--didn't have snow on her but the sleet had the windshield well iced and I had to get into her through the passenger door as the lock on the driver's door had frozen shut. She's all squared away in anticipation of having to work tomorrow. Fun. I have had a water issue I've never seen before--the faucets are dripping and staying open okay but the DRAIN only from the shower has elected to freeze up so even though I have hot water I can't take a shower. Guess I'll be doing the whore bath and washing my hair in the kitchen sink later. I've been pouring pots of boiling water down there then bailing it out to try again when it cools off but so far no love. The fun never ends at Squalid Manor, just sayin'.
|
|
14th January 2024, 05:14 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
It's -5 outside right now. The heating system in the rental isn't that even, so some parts of the house are fine and some parts are downright chilly.
|
|
14th January 2024, 05:33 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
I've been getting a lot of mileage out of my quilted down jammies this week.
Went for an after dinner shamble over by the creek. A gorgeous sunny evening but 35 and breezy. Even with a parka, one layer of long johns didn't quite cut it. Could have used gloves too. But it was OK if I kept moving. A nice pink & blue sunset with the new moon peeking through. We have another sunny day tomorrow and then a round of freezing rain before returning to the usual. At this point 50 and raining sounds like nirvana to me.
|
|
15th January 2024, 06:02 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
It's -11 and snowing right now. After pickleball today, I'm going to get a haircut.
|
|
15th January 2024, 06:20 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
18F, clear and blustery AF. Wish me luck, I have to work today and the orders piled up from yesterday so it's all hands on deck. I'm sure we'll be jobbing work out to Roadie drivers too, assuming any of them are dumb enough to essay the experiment. NGL, I'm trepidatious about all this.
|
|
15th January 2024, 07:11 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
I love hearing about the bunnies, Wolf.
 Thylacine, you asked about our visiting chooks and preditors. As far as I know, the chickens in the neighbourhood are pretty safe during daylight hours. (We have no roaming dogs.) I know of two coops that have been broken into at night by racoons, though.  I'm having a hard time getting into the right headspace for work today. Ugh. Oh, and last week I hosted an open-to-the-public Canva Workshop that was so well received (which is nice, sure), that now I've been told I have to host six more of the same workshop. And I just don't wanna. Honestly, I am very whiney today! Whine whine whine whine whine! And now I am reminded of the interupting cow joke...and I feel marginally better. Moo! Smartie, good luck!
|
|
15th January 2024, 08:48 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
|
|
15th January 2024, 02:35 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
I survived! But that has to be the most nerve wracking 65 miles imaginable. I was all over the West Hills and Beaverton, and the power is out all over the WH so the traffic lights are completely out, not even flashing red, so the morons were just acting like there had never even been any lights there and went flying through. Wonder what the accident count was today? On the plus side the weather was absolutely stunning, cold as balls but sunny and WINDY and I was very glad I layered up. We're talking Smartwool long johns, a merino wool undershirt, heavy wool sweater, TWO pairs of heavy wool socks, -20F rated Goretex boots, an actual coat, gloves, wool beanie and a scarf. You'd think it was overkill unless you had to be out in that mess for longer than about thirty seconds.
I am IN LOVE with those Tri-Peak tires, Agnes handled it all like a damn BOSS. I had a big laugh after coming back down a not especially steep hill after making a drop and some weenie in a gigantic emotional support truck was crossed up in the road and had to get out to lock his hubs to get up the hill. I rolled my window down as I went past and said "Shoulda bought a Subaru, dude!" then zoomed on outta there. I had one order I could NOT find a way to, Google was trying like hell to get me there using all these crazy ass back roads that were absolutely covered in downed trees, crunched cars and wires everywhere. To no avail, though, the drop was right at the corner of Patton and Shattuck and both roads were completely closed so the crews could get the trees cut up and the wires sorted. Those are both fairly major roads in that area so they really had to get to them first. I even asked a guy in a city truck if there was any wiggle room to get around it and he was all "Hell naw dog" so I returned that one to the warehouse. So there's another front coming through tomorrow but it's not due to hit until after I'm done working and Wednesday it's supposed to be back into the 40s and raining--and that's the day the plumbers are gonna go spare, as the 150K people who were out of power for days have their pipes thaw and find out if they broke anything. I'll be turning my water off at the main when I go into work, I don't need yet another goddamned flood in here!
|
|
15th January 2024, 02:39 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
dang, we are NOT looking at the same forecast WTF.
https://twitter.com/NWSPortland/stat...919527/photo/1 well, NWS says freezing rain tomorrow for Portland.
Last edited by JackieLikesVariety; 15th January 2024 at 02:44 PM.
|
|
15th January 2024, 05:55 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
I went for another shamble before sundown. Still 40 and breezy, but its fixing to rain for a week so off I go. You would think I learned my lesson yesterday but nope. Still froze my ass off.
I ran across the lady who usually gets pulled along by two dogs. She had a brainwave and tied the leashes together. Apparently the dogs can't agree on which way to roam and so they never get too far away. And she was enjoying normal perambulation instead of being dragged. I still officially disapprove of off leash dogs but must admit it seemed to be working.
|
|
15th January 2024, 07:14 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Went to see our new grandbaby this weekend. Bitter cold with whiteout conditions (due to blowing snow) in this one part of the I-94 corridor in Michigan.
Baby was totally worth it! Came home to find frozen pipes under the bathtub (the only bit that still has the old metal pipes). Luckily, I got them thawed in about an hour of combined space heaters (in now empty hall closet and in basement) + hair dryer for almost 45 minutes. I've also upped the thermostat. Tonight it's 0F with a windchill of -11F. Last night was -28F, so I should have anticipated this. I did open all the sink cabinets, but that hall closet door was closed. I swear this house has no insulation. For sure the hall closet doesn't. I could make money storing real furs in it.... This house hates me. Don't talk me out that. 
|
|
15th January 2024, 07:58 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
I'm feeling the house hate myself, Rigs, and although I've done everything I know how to do it's just a plain fact that Portland in general is not set up nor prepared for any sort of extended winter weather. This is supposed to be a Mediterranean climate and most of the time that's true but we get these crazy curve balls and it messes us up every damned time. This Attack of the Killer Trees thing is unprecedented and super freaky. Also, we're fucking pissed off that two weeks after PGE hit us with a 17% rate hike on the electric they fall down on the job and we have people whose houses are literally below freezing inside and that's not acceptable--and not all of those houses are in the worst of the tree attack areas either. I hope you come out of this unscathed and your house falls in love with you lol.
And if you think about it, Jag, those technically aren't unleashed dogs--it's just one dog taking the other for a walk on a leash and they're taking turns being the boss. Seems like a pretty good solution that doesn't have that poor lady getting her arm yanked off on the regular. I dunno what it is about dog competition--I have two well behaved dogs that individually do beautifully on leash but once I have them both together suddenly they're in charge of where we go and how fast and I simply can't disabuse them of this notion. It's super annoying!
|
|
16th January 2024, 05:23 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
I totally believe your house hates you, Rigs. But hooray for grandbabies!
Weekend update: The arctic weather finally made it over our way. Temps below 20s and an inch or two of snow over the weekend, but yesterday the sun came out in what seemed like the first time in three weeks, so that was nice. I read an actual book instead of listening to the audiobook version for a change (granted it was still an ebook instead of a dead tree version, but you can't beat them for convenience). Wavewalker by Suzanne Heywood was a good read. Eldest came home for Sunday dinner because she had a "poopy" week and was craving some home time and also forgot some things at home after break. I finished knitting a hat for her but not until after she'd gone back to school. That's fine because I immediately started on a matching cowl to go with it and will want to block them both before putting them into service. MD was supposed to be working on the set for the school musical, but the HS had no power. The power seems to go out there every time the wind blows. Yesterday the girls and I were off for MLK day, so Swimmy and I went (indoor) ice skating. Today the snow is coming down in earnest and it's not supposed to warm up for at least a week. That's fine with me, it's what January is supposed to do. Good hard freezes mean fewer bugs later.
|
|
16th January 2024, 02:16 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Well, as fast as that cold spell blew in, it blew out. It was -20 this morning when I woke up and it was 39 when I came out of the store this afternoon.
|
|
17th January 2024, 05:42 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
It's 9°F out there but gloriously sunny with deep blue skies. The kids had a 2hr delay due to wind chill being -15°F. Now they're getting ready to leave and it's only -6°F.  The boiler is keeping up. Prior to the roof/attic project the poor thing would have been going non-stop trying to keep up in weather like this. Still need to finish building the rest of those storm windows. . .
|
|
17th January 2024, 06:57 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
This morning when I got up, I could see two bunny ears just over the edge of the deck where one of the bunnies was munching on the alfalfa hay I put out. (I should have put it farther from the deck so we have a better view.) So far the hay seems to be a big hit.
|
|
17th January 2024, 09:40 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Ice storm mode is fully engaged and it is beautifully ugly out there. I got a text around 0230 telling us all to stay home, no workies today and that was a BIG relief to us all. Couple of us have volunteered to work tomorrow to clear the orders out before the weekend. I had a glorious long sleep in and smiled listening to a few idiots trying to get their cars out--give it up, people, it's a damned skating rink out there!
The dogs got a big surprise when I let them out this morning and they tried to do their usual flying leap off the porch, slipped and landed on their fuzzy little butts. They learn quick though and have been much more circumspect in getting around afterward. They now seem quite content to stay indoors where it's warm and dry. Oh look, temps just hit 32F for the first time in days! Of course that means standing water on top of ice which is about as miserable as it gets--I took the precaution of sprinkling salt liberally on the porch steps and being very, very careful when going out to finish morning chores so I managed to get everything reet and skeet without breaking a hip yay. I'd love a shower but the drain in there is still plugged with ice so I'll do the whore bath with hair wash in the kitchen sink again later on. Right now I'm enjoying my coffee and texting with Jackie lol.
|
|
18th January 2024, 04:06 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
We have snow! Only about 7 cms' worth, but it's very pretty!
I have to tell you a funny work story. There's a small, non-profit organization that we partner with in an infrequent way. On Tuesday, I had to submit an application for something that I'd applied for a dozen times before...but the application process had changed, and the online form was glitching big time. It was extremely frustrating and even embarrasing because I had a student with me, and she shouldn't have had her time wasted like that. When I emailed the organization afterward, to hopefully have them right my wrongs, they "helpfully" pointed me in the direction of a new video they'd released to explain the process of interacting with the form. As I watched the first three minutes of it, I felt a little chagrined--it all made sense, and the narrator who was manipulating the form onscreen was just chugging away at it. Until he wasn't. The first "odd" comment was a whispered, "Dang it!" Then, some seconds later, as the narrator was totally unable to fill a field, he said, a little louder but still in a "whisper", "Why the hell does that keep popping up!". And my favourite comment from half a minute later was a non-whispered, resounding "FUCK!"!!!!!! Ohmygod I nearly rolled on the floor laughing for real. It was quitting time for me at that point, and I didn't even watch the rest of the video (I was guffawing too much), but I laughed all night about it! I was going to nicely alert the organization the next morning, but I thought I'd better look at the video one more time...and they'd fixed it. The video has very clearly had new content spliced into it at the three minute mark. I'm a little sad that I didn't get to be the one to bring it to their attention.  The video had been up for nine days at that point.  Now I just hope they fixed the bloody form, too.Happy Thursday, everyone.
|
 |
|
|
Why you hate us, bro?
Linear Mode
