Chat for week of 11-17-14, a day late

started writing this hours ago - so better make it quick

Finally reached week 6 (of 6) of this virtual training - Friday cannot come quickly enough!

It was 70* and tropically humid at about 6 last night. Woke up to windy & 28*.

Perfect sinus pain weather!

That's about all really. Day by day we soldier on, looking forward to some full days off at Thanksgiving

My home office is in the converted attic (full ceiling so a decent space) so I bought a small heater for up here this week (highs in the 30's for most of the week now) so I don't have to run the whole house heat. Bugsy thinks its fab and is snoring away underneath it.

Sending my best out to Jackie and Charles and others in need

My mom in NW MI is getting hit pretty hard with snow.  It flurried for a bit this morning, but that's done, and our daily high of 36 has already started its slide downward.  Going to be below zero tonite.  Brrrrrr!

Still sending healing thots to Jackie and Charles.

Tina, I've got a friend who lives in a neighborhood where many tenants leave cats behind when they move.  Her back porch has become the "homeless shelter" for these kitties.  Sometimes it's easy for her to handle them and do what she can to help (rehome, bring to the shelter, etc.), but for the ones that are really timid, she puts out little houses for them -- cat carriers with doors removed, lined with blankets and towels.  After enough cold and rain, they take shelter in there, and after eating on her porch a while, she almost always can eventually catch them.  Maybe you can put out some kind of shelter space to lure the cat to stick around more at your place?

As for the birds and the birdbath -- I've wondered the same thing, and our weather is nowhere near as cold as yours!  One day I expect to see them using ice skates, circling around the frozen bird bath!

Karen, I can't believe the change in your temps/weather in one day.  Talk about one extreme to the other!  Definitely tough to make clothing decisions!  How is your husband liking his new job, by the way?  And how is Bugsy doing with the longer days on his own?

Today is our last day of dry (but very cold) weather.  "Normal" valley weather to return tomorrow -- rain, temps in the 40's.  I've liked all the sun, so I'll be sad to see it go.  And speaking of birds -- the hummingbirds stick around all winter here, and the cold and ice have been hard on them. We take in their feeder at night so it doesn't freeze.  When I carried it out this morning, one little guy dive-bombed my head as I was hanging it up!  He was very hungry!

whoa VERY cold this morning - 18* on my outside thermometer at 5, not windy so felt a bit better. Bugsy thinks this weather is fabulous, so we had an energetic walk.

Tracy DH is transitioning, he likes to complain but I honestly think he's doing better with some different tasks. Plus he enjoys working downtown and taking walks at lunch time.

Bugsy did fine - well he was a wild pony by Thursday night - last week. It still amazes me how much energy he has, LOL.

OK three more days of this virtual training.........I am so over it

Stay warm everyone

All the Floridians around me are moaning about 40 degree weather & I keep shutting them down with "try being stranded on a road in feet of snow in your car for hours and hours and hours and being barely able to breathe for the carbon monoxide fumes and wondering if you will even get **home** tonight!" .  My poor folks in western NY are SO slammed, but I've never been able to convince them to move.  It's bad enuf to have weather like this in January, but not before Thanksgiving.  **blowing all of you some warm air** -- still thinking good thots & sending prayers for Jackie & Charles. and all else.

Gosh, and I thot it was cold here at 19!  Thank goodness for the pellet stove!  We managed to run out of oil and it can't be delivered until tomorrow.  The stove keeps the house pretty warm, other than downstairs, and there we have baseboard heat as a backup, so no one is shivering.  And, at least the sun is shining today.

Callie, hope that your folks get some relief soon.  It's a horrible worry having aged parents in that kind of situation....almost as bad as being there yourself!

Still sending good thots and prayers to Jackie and Charles and to Ron and Ginger as well, and anyone else who is in need.

I see that this site still hasn't fixed the problem of not being able to log in with Firefox.  

I've been feeling sympathy for everyone who is having all the bitter cold and snow so early in the season.  We had a few cold nights and cold days but now it's warming up again and sunny skies.  We should hit 64 today and tomorrow.

Charles is doing pretty well considering. He had been feeling pretty bad but today he's feeling better. He was able to drive himself to the doctor to get hydrated. He has to do that three times  a week. The chemo is very dehydrating and that is not good.  Just when we think things are settled into a routine of sorts something happens. He had to get a temporary crown on a tooth right before he started chemo. Yesterday the crown fell off. He went to the dentist, and after the dentist consulted with the chemo doc, it was decided to not mess with it for fear of causing an infection. Charles is at the point in this chemo cycle when his white blood cell count is very low. He got an injection Monday (super duper expensive injection) to help bolster the white blood cells but he's at high risk of infection right now.  I'm so worried that I'll catch a cold and pass it to him. I'm super careful these days with hand washing and using hand sanitizer.  People who spread their germs are my new enemies. lol   Anyone who sneezes or coughs without covering their mouth gets a drop dead glare from me. I think I'll start carrying a can of Lysol and spray the next one who is so inconsiderate.

I've gotten several cards from idog members and they are very appreciated. If I didn't thank you personally, it's because my mind is scattered these days.  Thanks for all the good thoughts, prayers and vibes. Much appreciated. Deb sent a hilarious T-giving card. It came with a hilarious picture that is R rated. Imagine that! lol Cracked up both up.

Tracy, after reading your post yesterday about the lady and the cats, I went home and set up an empty plastic cat litter container to set the cat food in so it doesn't get snow covered. My neighbor has an old shed where the cat was hiding previously, so it has some shelter if it's still there. I don't have an extra carrier right now and I really don't want a feral colony inhabiting my yard. If I can catch the cat I'll figure out what to do then. The shelter here automatically euthanizes ferals, but there is another organization who might neuter and release if I trap it. Of course, that's assuming it is feral.

I'm so ready to go home. The past several days have been stressful here at work. Sometimes I don't understand how people can get where they are in life because they sure don't seem to have an ounce of common sense. Must be luck.

Callie I'd forgotten about your parents living in Buffalo. My good gosh. They have gotten hammered and already as much snow as they would have for the season. That's about 3 1/2 hours west of us. Then about 1 hour Northeast of us they got hammered as well. Not as bad as Buffalo but enough.
We've had snow every day since last Thursday but nothing that amounted to anything....just enough to think...dam that white stuff is in the air. We did get around 3 to 4 inches, a few days back, and there is a bit of that still on the ground. Hope your parents are okay and at home.
Hope things are okay with your Mom Glenda, as well, with all of the bad weather they are getting.
Wow Tracy, the hummingbirds stay around all winter? Never would have thought. Funny about the one dive-bombing you.
Karen, glad to hear that Bugsy has been surviving okay with the additional hours he's had to be alone.
Jackie that is odd that you can't log it with Firefox. I've been using Firefox for quite some time now and have no issues logging in. Thinking of you and your hubby Jackie and sorry for the bad time he is having.
My husband is one of those who doesn't cover his mouth and it drives me crazy. They not only should cover their mouth, they should sneeze into the crook of their arm and not their hand.
About providing shelter for cats, I think it is best to use straw and not blankets, as the blankets can get wet and then freeze.

Maureen, after reading your comment about using straw in the cat shelters, it dawned on me -- straw IS what my friend uses on her back porch.   Definitely a better choice.  

Tina, keep us posted about the cat near your house.  The spay/neuter clinic at our local shelter has a very affordable feral cat package (sterilization, ear tipping, basic vaccinations).  They've done hundreds of ferals over the years, often running special TNR feral promotions so caregivers can bring them in.  Do you have a clinic like that nearby?

I try to sneeze into the crook of my elbow now, even though as kids it was drilled in our heads to cover our mouths.  It's hard to change an old habit.  Recently I saw something funny on TV about this (maybe Jimmy Fallon?).  They were talking about how people are being encouraged to use "elbow bumps" as greetings now, to avoid the spread of germs and contagious disease.  The comic said, "That's a great idea . . . until you remember that we've been coughing and sneezing into our elbows for a while now!"  

Jackie, I hope Charles has more good days than bad when it comes to feeling the side effects from his treatments.  You're both continually in my thoughts and I'm sending an on-going stream of strong vibes from out here.

Callie, I sure hope your parents are okay.  The images on the news of the places covered in a few feet of snow are just unbelievable.  I love snow, but that's way too scary.  Trapped in cars, doors and windows collapsing due to weight of snow against them, etc.  And the melting, when it happens, will create even more problems.

I had a flu shot 2 days ago, and my arm is very sore, red, and a bit swollen.  I also feel very crummy - achy, tired, etc.  That happened the last time I got one a few years ago.  I've got a busy 2 or 3 days ahead; I better not get sick!  

It's up to 20 degrees F.  That is an awful thing to be happy about.  I may have to wear gloves when I take junior to the WMA.  

I returned a pair of winter work gloves.  $30 gloves that were cold, uncomfortable, and hard to put on.  The waterproof lining bunched up when the gloves were removed, and made it really hard to get the gloves back on.  I learned this while working outside at 10 degrees with a 30mph wind.  Clerk wanted the tags and receipt. The things you throw away when you put the gloves on and go to work.  I rarely get mad at clerks, but I was tired and my fingers were frozen. Supervisor looked nervous as he gave me a refund

Got 4 cribbage boards almost done.  Took some time to adjust the saws to cut accurate angles, and life got better.  A miss cut miter cut is almost impossible to fix.  I know.  I tried.  Junior helps by picking up small wood parts, chewing them until soft, then hiding them so I don't yell at him.  I don't mind the pine so much, but oak and cherry cost a bit.

The last class session with Junior was pretty much a waste of time.  He was not focused at all.  As he seemed interested in marking everything in sight, I assume puberty is the cause.

I am trying to picture 5 ft of snow, all at once.  I lived on the U.P. for a year and saw constant lake effect snow, but 5 ft overnight.  Wow.

Has warmed up here this weekend. Not sure what is going on in Buffalo now. Haven't checked the news. I know they were worried with the warming and possible rain after all that snow. Trying to post a link but guess they won't let me. So you'll have to copy and paste. Hopefully this will take you to the leaf picture album I created on Google +. Just wanted to give you an idea of how many leaves I was tossing about Tracy.

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/107140760059271717042/albums/6084625008900417185

Ah, the lovely leaves!!  Since it was warm enough today, we got most of the backyard done.  Will finish it up tomorrow when it's supposed to be even warmer.  We had done the front and sides a couple weeks ago, but then the weather went to heck in a handbasket so today was the first really good day to do it.  The entire length of our backyard on one side has a 4 foot wide garden....didn't know that because of the hosta's and a mess of leaves caught in them.  Now all the dead stuff is cleaned out and it's amazing how BIG that garden actually is.  I got the tiered gardens along the driveway cut back and cleaned up, still have a couple plants to cut back tomorrow.

Never in my life have I understood the meaning of the word chortled.  Until yesterday on my way back from the gas station!  The place I go has a "return and earn" card and last time I got a great deal I paid 51 cents a gallon for gas.  Mind, I only buy stuff I would buy anyone, and only when it's on sale, but the savings really add up.  Yesterday I paid, drumroll please, $1.75 for FIFTEEN gallons of gas!!!  Not $1.75 per gallon, but $1.75 for all fifteen!!  Gosh, I was totally blown away by that!  Filled my tank and a 5 gallon gas can!

Had to explain to DH just exactly how spoiled he is.  He asked for stuffed peppers yesterday, had to "settle" for chicken picatta, so he got his stuffed peppers today.  He's going 2 for 2.....am almost afraid to see what he asks for tomorrow!