What is Happening, part II

[Priscilla]

I saw on a news site that there was a huge traffic pileup in Virginia caused by snow and jackknifed trucks, etc. People were stranded for many hours.

Are you getting a third vaccine at your doctor's office or a pharmacy/hospital setting? Our very first was a drive through at a University parking lot handled by the National Guard. The second and third were at a local hospital. I have never seen them done at a doctor's office.

[Cheryl]

Originally Posted by Priscilla

You've never noticed the non-member (banned) michellern60 at the bottom of the page in the "online" list, multiple times a day?

User profile looks like a bot. Anyone in the banned group can't even view the forum/threads if they're logged in, so the bot can't even crawl the site to try to mine data. Pretty stupidly programmed bot.

[Priscilla]

Thanks, Cheryl. I had wondered about that.

[BD1]

What annoys me is when someone calls my name, then doesn't want anything!!!

[BD1]

I'm mad!!! I asked a guy to watch my potato chips while I was out, when I got back home, the chips were basically GONE!!!! I had told him to WATCH them, not eat them!!!! Just now told him "I guess watching them is eating them!!!" While brandishing the chip bag!!

[Priscilla]

Just had an email from a good friend. She has the virus for a second time. She had not been vaccinated when she got it the first time (her first dose was supposed to be a week after she got the virus - very bad timing unfortunately). This time she has had all 3 doses and says it is not terrible but definitely not pleasant. The vaccine keeps most people out of hospital. I told her if we can do anything we'll leave care packages on her doorstep. The last time I saw her was the Wednesday before Christmas so at least Jeff & I won't have gotten it from her.

We got 2 free test kits and 3 N95 masks from our town. Well, I say "free" but our taxes pay for them. I wore one of the masks at the grocery store today. The advice seems to be they are the best protection against the latest variant.

[Mausey]

Originally Posted by Priscilla

Our daughter and Mike got a hot tub late summer. I have not asked how often they use it. Did you use yours a lot and did you use it all winter? I can't imagine being in one if the air temperature was -30 C! 😨

At a cost of $1000 to maybe fix it that seems like a lot but not the $5000 or so for a brand new one. Decisions!

We've had our tub for over 15 years and for the first 10 we were in it almost every evening. We might have had to shovel the walk to get there but we used it no matter what the temp. Hubby built a partial enclosure for the tub against the garage. So it has a roof with walls on 3 sides and the 4th is a short distance from the house so nice and sheltered. We'd be out there with knitted hats on and our hair covered in frost but it was nice. The novelty started to wear off and the past year we've only used it a handful of times. I think some of what happened was we'd get involved in a book or a game and when we're resurface it was too late to go out. We bought ours on sale and it was more than $10k. It is a fairly large one as our youngest often had the football team over after a game.

[BD1]

Took a shower and I'm calm again!!!

[Mausey]

As the tree was shedding very badly it came down this morning. I usually wait until the first full weekend but the tree was telling me it was time. So Christmas is all tucked away until next year. Hopefully by the next one I'll be more in the spirit and things will be a bit more "normal" I admit not being able to get together with family and friends again this year put a serious damper on things.

I'm suffering from a bad case of my give a shit is broken right now. I swing from opening everything and let the chips fall as they may but I have to many family members in the medical profession who have to shovel said chips and they are tired. It's not going to magically go away so we have to learn to life with it and fast. I got my first 2 shots at a clinic and the booster at a local pharmacy. I don't know if the Dr.'s were giving them or not. The government announced that everybody would be able to get 2 rapid tests kits every 2 weeks for free and they were gone within hours and I haven't seen any since. Some places you could get them at a pharmacy and others had to go to a clinic to pick them up so I'm not sure what's really going on anymore.

I saw the people stuck on the road in the snow, been there, done that and was thankful we had lots of water and snacks. A drive that usually takes 45 minutes took us 12 hours. I think the biggest difference is we're used to the weather and had plenty of supplies, extra clothes, a couple blankets etc. If we have to travel in the winter we pack snowsuits, extra gloves, the serious heavy boots and enough food for a couple days.

[SpaceCowboy]

I got my booster over the weekend at work where I got my shot of the single dose vaccine the first time. My doctor actually wants me to have a titer test to check both my levels of coverage and the type since he believes that I have had mild cases at least twice possibly three times. One of them before it was officially here in March of 2020. At this point I am the only person who was at the WALMART that I work at in March 2020 who hasn't taken time off for it since it was thought that I had a common cold the two times I may have had it in the last year plus.

[Priscilla]

People in our more Southern states don't do ice or snow on roads.

Our tree will come down by the end of the week. We've had Christmas lights around the 3 garage doors ever since the virus started in about February 2020. I light them every evening and turn them off at 9 pm.

My son gave me a box of UK snacks for Christmas. Cadbury Flakes, other chocolate and a bag of Worcestershire flavored potato chips and 2 bags that are supposedly Guiness flavored.

[vyon]

My tree isn't a tree, so it stays up all year in a dark landing near the top of my stairwell. This year I had the "tree" but only three decorations, because I'd spent a week back in Tauranga for my mother's funeral. That was followed by the better part of the next week catching up on the lost week plus going to hospital twice to have a heart monitor fitted and then taken off again. I'll hear what the result was later this month, after another scan. And then I'd lost the decorations when I took last year's tree down to make room for the people fixing the window at the top of the stairwell.

I made the tree out of a bunch of flax (phormium) flowers, which go black, with long curly black pods. The decorations are mostly small ethnic dolls, many of them from the Trade Aid shop, so not specially christmassy. I also hang all my odd earrings on it instead of traditional baubles. The whole lot stands a bit taller than me, just over five feet.

[Priscilla]

Our daughter has a 5 foot tall, black, artificial, Nightmare Before Christmas tree in their finished basement/tv room area. She collects the ornaments and it is well covered. They also have a regular tree in their upstairs living room that can be seen from the street through the window.

I like your tree idea. The odd earrings is a good use for them.

I am sorry about your mother. You probably mentioned it before and I may have missed it.

[Allen]

Originally Posted by BD1

What annoys me is when someone calls my name, then doesn't want anything!!!

Hey BD1!

[Allen]

I've avoided the various conversations about Covid and vaccinations/boosters because to me, here it's too politically driven and yeah, we don't do political on this board, so...

But my wife and I are in our 70s. We take multivitamins that are almost mega doses of the ingredients, and at the first sign of any cold or flu symptoms, I get the 1000mg time release vitamin C out of the freezer, and we take that twice a day. So far, so good. It helps that we live in a more rural area where cases have never hit epic numbers, I'm sure, but we've also travelled extensively during this whole thing to metropolitan areas like Springfield Missouri, Quincy Illinois, and as far as Kokomo Indiana. We've only worn masks when forced to, most of the time wearing face shields instead if allowed. Other than coming down with a couple of colds which I then passed along to her (we won't stop kissing, so sue me), we've been pretty damn healthy. Did I mention that we're unvaccinated? We haven't had any flu shots, me for over 45 or 50 years and my wife ever. We've never had the pneumonia shot either.

On the other hand, my sister's family is also unvaccinated. Her husband probably contracted Covid at work and brought it home. He ended up in the hospital first with Covid, then with the pneumonia that often follows. Sis and niece both had a rough go of things but nephew, who has his own "man cave" in the basement has been well through it all. All three are slowly recovering now and are extremely weak, husband is on O2. But they ARE on the mend.

No, wife and I are not considering vaccinations mainly because we have friends who were and still came down with it. One couple we know were both vaccinated and he even wears a mask everywhere they go. They both took sick and were tested. He had Covid, she didn't. They quarantined, he was pretty bad for a while, then just as he started feeling better, she started feeling worse, not getting over her "cold" at all. She went back to the doctor who then said she might have developed a mild case of Covid and gave her another round of meds. They're both better now.

[BD1]

Originally Posted by Allen

Hey BD1!

What?!?! I didn't mean in here!!!

[BD1]

Allen?? You want my cold??? Almost over it, though!! Started Vitamin C yesterday, and a day quil-like medicine that melts on the tongue!!! Cough medicine in the evening!

[Priscilla]

I'm really glad that you have done so well, Allen. I don't believe in politicizing a virus that cannot differentiate one "group" of people from another. Stay safe and I'm happy for you.

[Priscilla]

A few inches of snow here. Very fluffy and pretty.

[R'zil]

Originally Posted by Priscilla

A few inches of snow here. Very fluffy and pretty.

We have a couple of inches of snow here too but it's frigid. Single digits (farenheit) and wind chills below zero. Luckily I don't have to go out today and it's supposed to be mid 40s tomorrow so the roads will have a chance to get clear.

[P'ter]

I tested +ve for the Omicron version on the 2nd of Jan. Been self-isolating and feeling okay. I had 1st jab last January; 2nd jab in April, and booster in November.

[R'zil]

P'ter, I hope the vaccine and booster do their job for you and you have the mildest possible symptoms. Good Luck!

[Priscilla]

So do I!

[BD1]

Been getting around the house without the walker!!! I retired the walker!! Not been feeling well the last few days! Stomach pains off and on!!

[mawra]

Orthopedics did nothing for Kibby, except send her for nerve test and moved it around causing more pain. That's it. Didn't give her anything for pain 9r take her out of work. He saw her for about two min.

Kibby messaged regular Dr. office. Dr called back. Listened to her, looked at her records. He took her off work until Tuesday & upped her meds. He also want spine imaging done. Ortho Dr. was an attending. Other one was intern. They can't do nerve test until Feb 21.

[BD1]

Oh, no!! Poor kibby!! Years and years ago, I went to the dentist regularly. One time I had to have a cavity filled and the dentist stuck the needle in and wiggled it around!! Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!! I don't like dentists!!

[Priscilla]

I am sorry about Kibby. I hope she gets some relief soon.

[SpaceCowboy]

I hope Kibby gets the help she needs for that or her life is going to be miserable as she gets older.

[Mausey]

I have my fingers crossed for some warmer weather around Tuesday. Right now it's -22c ( -7f). I'd like to be able to get a walk in without worring about frostbite.

[mawra]

Originally Posted by Mausey

I have my fingers crossed for some warmer weather around Tuesday. Right now it's -22c ( -7f). I'd like to be able to get a walk in without worring about frostbite.

Our temps dropped to low 20s, now mid 40s. I hope you get a warm spell soon.

[BD1]

My stomach pain has stopped!!!

[granath]

Originally Posted by BD1

My stomach pain has stopped!!!

Glad to hear it!!!!! But BD, please, could you stop with the multiple exclamation points already? I normally try to avoid "policing" other people's posts on boards where I'm not a mod and don't have the authority to do so, and I accept that other people are allowed express themselves the way they like even if it annoys me, which is why I haven't said anything before now. But the exclamation points feel like you're YELLING IN ALL CAPS!!!!! And it gets exhausting after a while.

[BD1]

Sorry, granath. See? No "!" s. I might go this Tuesday for my third shot. Don't know yet.

[Allen]

Originally Posted by granath

Glad to hear it!!!!! But BD, please, could you stop with the multiple exclamation points already? I normally try to avoid "policing" other people's posts on boards where I'm not a mod and don't have the authority to do so, and I accept that other people are allowed express themselves the way they like even if it annoys me, which is why I haven't said anything before now. But the exclamation points feel like you're YELLING IN ALL CAPS!!!!! And it gets exhausting after a while.

Originally Posted by BD1

Sorry, granath. See? No "!" s. I might go this Tuesday for my third shot. Don't know yet.

I just thought he was a bit overly excited. He always has been an easily excited lad. Hehehehehehe...

(Didn't want to use exclamation points and upset your apple cart, Granath. Hahahahaha.)

[BD1]

Allen?? I ain't no lad! If you look at my signature , dragcave.net/kathyh371! What "lad" has a name like kathyh371!

[BD1]

Allen, when did you call me Micah??

[Priscilla]

Digging deep into my cluttered and tangled memory banks. There was a "Micah" many years ago at the KT. I vaguely remember (I think) he married someone much older than him who was also a KT member and they lived in Canada. I also think it was a very short lived marriage. Obviously not you.

[BD1]

Nope! Not me! Never been to Canada!!

[R'zil]

Originally Posted by BD1

Nope! Not me! Never been to Canada!!

BD1, not to put to fine a point on it but the multiple exclamation points again!!! Really?!!!!

[Allen]

Originally Posted by BD1

Allen, when did you call me Micah??

When you first "reappeared" here.

I thought you were the NKT's Bronze Dragonrider, AKA Bronzie. His real name was Micah. He did indeed marry another member who was older than him and from Canada. She first moved to the lower 48 with him, then they moved to Canada because she didn't like it in the US. They divorced a relatively short time after.

So please accept my apology for the mistake.