Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?

IllinoisLady

Sun is out this morning though it is only 11 degrees. Not sure since our snow was minimal how the roads will be but we will likely give it another whirl today. I likely could have done okay ( being extremely careful ) yesterday but I was alone ( not sure having company would have been a huge boost ) and disliked the idea of something going wrong while we only have my vehicle for dependable transportation. So we will see

Nothing much else to be concerned with as most of my needs were handled fairly well ( kept up with things we were low on ) before we got the ice and super cold temps. We will have at least one real warm day this week ( mid-week I think ) which should do a lot towards ridding us of the ice for sure and likely a lot of the snow as well. Then temps will drop back down a bit. Use to have approx. a month of snow in winter here and a month of really cold temps. Seldom coming in the same month -- so it sort of seems we are doing something of a catch-up right now with temps and snow and ice all together. As mentioned we don't seem able any more to count on much of anything. So -- onward we go.

Hope you all have a great Monday.

Thinking especially of Joan ( how are you doing ? ) and Anne.

ChiSandy

All the way up to 17 now--woo-hoo, heat wave!

ChiSandy

I have found an unexpected beneficial side effect of Letrozole: I can turn down the thermostat in my house, even in this brutal cold with air leaks in the front room!

IllinoisLady

Out today and all was fine. The roads were partly in good shape ( once past the corners ) and once we got to the highway it was totally clear. I think the sun did a fantastic job of radiant melting. So, with some care in a couple of places we went into town ( Dh came along so he could check on his truck in the garage ) had a McDonalds breakfast and Dh went into the Dollar Tree store behind and to the let of McDonalds while I went right next door to Goodwill. Nice to have these two places together.

Soon the new Dollar General will open up that is just up on the highway from us. Within walking distance if it were nice, but we don't walk as far as we use to anymore. They started it before Christmas, but had some rain slow downs. Are now working on the inside so I don't think it will be much longer before it is ready to open. Will be great to have a store so close when you maybe run out of just one or two ( especially if inexpensive items ) things as I could save myself the extra miles going all the way to the opposite side of town for most of the stores that have good pricing. We will have three Dollar Generals and the Dollar Tree and there is another Dollar store in Central City which is right next to us. That is also where the third Dollar General is. Everything is roughly five miles either way -- whether Central City or our town. So something to look forward too.

ChiSandy

Brutally cold out today, as I drove on my few short errands. Bundled up and layered, and still chilled to the bone. (Where are those hot flashes when you need 'em)? New mfr. for my generic letrozole--Princeton instead of Accord. What the hey, they're both made in India. And this one was a buck cheaper than Accord. Bought some new espresso beans, reg. & decaf, both roasted on Fri. so they're fresh, off-gassed and will make great crema. (The old ones were roasted in early Dec. and mid-Nov., respectively, and by last night they brewed up thin and flavorless).

Also picked up a 1L carton of "Oatly" Barista Blend oatmilk. It's carby, but froths up and tastes like regular milk. I've had it before--bought it there, at Metropolis Coffee & Tea, as well as in a latte at Intelligentsia in the s. Loop. When I looked for it on Amazon, I was aghast: the cheapest price was $23 for a liter. Apparently, the demand is so high that Oatly's European mfr. can't keep up with the demand. I had "made do" with Pacific's version from Whole Foods, which froths OK but tastes too sweet. (I never add sugar to my coffee except a tiny bit in espresso when in Europe--like everyone else there does. Can't stand seasonal flavored lattes either--I used to love Starbuck's gingerbread & eggnog lattes--except for the very, very occasional mocha made with one pump of real chocolate syrup).

Oh, and what did I pay today for a liter of Oatly? Five bucks. (Metropolis deliberately puts out only one carton on the shelf at a time to prevent hoarding). I shall judiciously ration out "my preciousssss."

MCBaker

Now that is fairly applied price control.

I stayed inside, made a soup with a turkey leg that must have had some T-rex genes. Roasted it the day before (Scored it vertically so it would cook faster). Black-eyed peas, carrots, onions, dehydrated kale, green beans, oregano, rosemary, bay. After deboning it, I put the business part in the broth to get the rest of the meat off. So good!! The rosemary was the greatest part of the deliciousness, along with the texture of the peas.

IllinoisLady

The poor long for riches and the rich for heaven, but the wise long for a state of tranquility. -Swami Rama

IllinoisLady

MC I am so enjoying ( not quite able to taste ) your description of your Turkey Soup. I make it too -- boiling all the turkey bones after all the meat is cut off. I really identified with your talking about texture. I also make a taco salad --- pretty much all the items you'd think -- gr. beef, onions, lettuce, black olives, grated cheese, tortilla chips crushed smaller and added. On the bottom I put some cooked macaroni pasta. I don't know -- maybe left-overs, but one day I discovered that the texture of pasta was to me almost a perfect compliment with the Ortega Taco Sauce falling down onto the pasta.

With all that it makes a pretty full dish -- so usually only one helping. My kids make it the same way and I assume for the same reason. It adds more to the dish rather than detracts. Peas are a huge favorite of mine by the way. They are I think good potassium. My Mom got me started though on those early Lesure green peas and I basically never buy anything else. I've never used rosemary and now thinking I have been missing something good.

Anneb1149

Hi all,

I am happy to report our weather is exactly what if I could, I would order every day. Lows during the night that sometimes dip into the 40’s or 50’s, and days are in the 70’s and 80’s. Some rain here and there, but that’s okay- the tress and grass need it.

I don’t know if I told you I need a new shower in the master bathroom. The seat the guy put in years ago didn’t havet proper support and it is pulling away from the wall. Luckily, the insurance is covering $80% of the cost. It took us long time to pick the tile as my DDand I have totally different color choices. She has changed this whole house into tans, beiges etc. I am much more to the greys and soft colors although I do love the 2 bold focus walls we have in the two “living areas”. She has finally said that greys are very popular now and it’s okay I with her if we use grey as the base color. If I decide to do that, I will find someone to paint it all. My DD can do it but it would take weeks if not months and I don’t want to live in the renovation planet again.

My brother has gone back to NC for just a few weeks, we hope. He has finally gotten health insurance and his Dr won’t give him a new Rx without seeing him. He is on Blood pressure meds and cholesterol, and one or two others He also has a hernia he needs fixed. He’s had 2 double hernias fixed before and wants to use the same surgeons.

Meanwhile, he has discovered Haulover Beach- which has a section where clothes are optional. I told him I will not be going there because I have had no reconstruction done, and I think mt booblessness would attract too much attention. He understands that, and I have gone with him to the parts where clothes are needed. I didn’t tell him another major reason is because that I can’t fathom seeing my 63yr old brother in the buff. If I were with my late husband and had not had cancer and it was on an island because of a cruise, I might have considered it, years ago but it it seems somewhat incestuous to do with my brother. He seems to really enjoy it and was going as often as possible before he left.

Yesterday was my second grandson’s 17th Birthday in GA and I wasn’t there. It was fine with everyone that I wasn’t. The disasterous trip to NY last fall has kind of put me off about traveling in the cold weather, at least for now. About 5:00 last night I got a text from my daughter saying “where are you?” I told her I was home, but why was she asking? She said even her brother had called Andrew, but I hadn’t called, but I they were out for dinner, so not to call then. I explained I had been running around all day, buy I didn’t forget his birthday-why did she think her brother called. Whenever it’s a family members birthday, I group text everyone, and when it’s a grandchild I include their cellphone number so they can talk or text the niece or nephew directly. I did get to talk to Andrew about 8 last night and was disappointed to hearthat my card had not arrived yet. Usually, I don’t send cards, but his orchestra at school is going to Disney in a couple of weeks, so I thought the best gift this year was some extra cash in his pocket.

That’s about it from here. Hope everyone is warm and cozy.

Anne

IllinoisLady

Anne, so good to see you. I was feeling some concern over how you were. Glad your weather has been good. It has been wild lately in so many places, even a few tornados in the past two or three days. Just wow. Wonderful news that your insurance will help so much too on your shower/bathroom repairs. Glad your daughter can accept grey as a more standard color now. I've never been a grey fan but I think mainly because our large living room in the house I grew up in was painted a truly industrial grey color that we lived with for yrs. My dad painted and wall-papered for a living and had it as left-over from a job he did. Many yrs. later we had a fairly dark green shade which was awful as well. At least it was a very lg. room so some of the sting of dark colors were not quite as bad.

I have seen some greys that are not bad ( not industrial shades ) but I think it would still be difficult for me. I think I'm more of the very light cocoa, mauve, ecru, butter yellow, mint green -- mostly paler colors.

I'm with you -- no nude beach for me. I also feel ( though no brothers and only sister deceased ) that at a later age it would be very difficult to have a 'nude' experience with any family member. I don't think of myself as a real prude too much, but small town living where there are more churches than anything else plus age, not even considering family, just cancel any consideration of it being something I'd have any desire what-so-ever to do. I get all the nudity I want taking a shower and changing clothes.

Happy Birthday to your grandson.

Some of our new snow is gone, and the roads are passable from the ice of the past two days. I was jumping for joy then heard more rain late this afternoon. Not sure if there will be another day of staying in so will soon go to the store for a couple of things. Nothing desperately needed -- but I'd rather do it now and not feel any pressure with milk or bread being used up right now. Getting a bit ahead of things you will soon use isn't a bad thing. I hope there is enough warmth that maybe we won't actually freeze but hard to figure weather these days. It is not the usual thing to get rains this time of yr.

Wren44

I refuse to have gray in my home. We have gray skies and dark days way too much to mimic it indoors. Not fond of beiges either, probably because it's not a color I can wear. I have lots of orange and hot pink and reds. Not on walls (except for a minuscule kitchen that is bright pink), but on beds and in decorations. My soul craves color. I would fit in to the southwest since I also love turquoise.

jo6359

I have no issues at all with clothing optional beaches. I pm Anneb. I haven't been in over 5 years because of sun avoidance. I used to go with my sisters and with friends. None of us thought anything about it. I can never recall any awkward moments. I love Haulover Beach. The only awkward moments were when tourist came with their cameras to take pictures of people's titi's and pee-pees. It is amazing that adult males think it is okay to go to a clothing optional Beach to laugh and to take pictures. One of the wonderful things about a clothing optional Beach is you're not being judged by your body. People look out for one another to make sure you are also not being harassed. You have me thinking. Maybe it's time to go back to Haulover. I had my BMX without reconstruction January 29th 2018. I have an anniversary coming up.

IllinoisLady

We build too many walls and not enough bridges.
- Isaac Newton

jo6359

iillinoislady- beautifully stated.

IllinoisLady

Couldn't choose ( actually several places I frequent were awash in great quotes ) so I just decided to use these several from one place.

If you cry because the sun has gone out of your life,
your tears will prevent you from seeing the stars.
- Rabindranath Tagore

Only when life is difficult, are we challenged to become our greatest selves.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

When It's Darkest, Men See the Stars.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

IllinoisLady

Sun shining bright outside. I worried about ice/sleet storm yesterday but it finally got cold enough for it not to happen. In fact on the way home from Taco salad night at the local Moose, there were little vey dry snowflakes -- really small. Nothing visual to see this morning so what came down stayed that way. Very minimal. Glad for the snow but it is going to be windy and stay cold. Around 30 degrees. Sigh !! We seem to have an adventure most days as of late for weather. Warm and maybe rain to turning cold ( hoping for no ice on the road ) to cold enough not to rain, but snow.

So, onward we go. Hoping you all have a really good day and not too much inclement weather. I'm hoping we start to warm back up soon, but who knows with our off and on buttons. The engineer has to pick the right one, eh !!

Anneb1149

Hi all,

Rainy day here. Glad I don’t have a lot of running around to do. I am meeting a friend for dinner later, otherwise I am home for the day. The cleaning service was due at 2:00, but they haven’t arrived yet. They give you a two hour window of arrival, so I’m not too worried yet.

They are going to start replacing my shower on Mon, and my guy says they should be done by Fri. I am trying to hold down the costs on this to what the insurance gave me, but don’t know if I will. I decided to get a new vanity top, leaving the existing vanity as it looks is, but my DD and I have very different ideas on the new top, and then, when the contractor came by to get his deposit, I asked him if he could do that and he said no, it was all one piece and he would have to tear the whole thing out- and there is no good reason to get rid of it, except that I wanted a new vanity to match the new shower.

My brother called to say he has his two specialists appointment next week and he hopes to have the procedures done the week after. He needs a hernia repair, and he has a growth (benign) removed from his back. He will be back as soon as he is given the okay to drive. The house is really quiet all day without him.

Hope everyone is in a clean dry space, enjoying their day.

Anne

ChiSandy

Anne, I hope the new shower is up to snuff and affordable. Good luck to your brother, especially the hernia repair. Bob had two--they were both same-day surgeries. He took the next couple of days plus a weekend off for the second (he was 65 by then); but for the first (he was 36), he had a bit of a hiccup with sensitivity to the Versed, but it resolved within seconds. His pal the surgeon had reserved a room on the hospital's VIP floor for him to stay overnight; but Bob insisted "At 4pm I'm walking out of here; and by 5 I will be at the Maple Tree Inn, puffing on a great cigar, drinking a Dixie longneck, and enjoying a big fat bowl of jambalaya." He got it a little wrong: we left at 3, and the restaurant owner (a patient of his) opened the restaurant early for him. Wish we'd had phone cameras back then (heck, we didn't even get mobile phones till three years later) and digital cameras were a decade away--I'd have loved to take a shot of him relaxing, feet up on the banquette, cigar in one hand and beer bottle in the other.

Just got back from Warby Parker for my new progressives:

And these are my lashes with one coat of "They're Real" tinted primer (because the flash dilated my pupils, my eyes look brown in both shots even though they're hazel):

IllinoisLady

"No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn."

– Hal Borland

IllinoisLady

Wow !!! Wishing things go well for your brother Anne. I think hernia's have a habit of coming back, don't they??? Dh has had a couple of rounds on it. Anyway, hope things move smoothly and he is soon able to travel and start keeping you company again.

Wow -- I'm impressed with the glasses Sandy....very nice. I need frames that are much more squarish in nature, but I do like a lot of others. Also VERY impressed with the eyelashes. Wow again. Laughing at what seems a pretty good picture that you made up without a camera. I'm glad that we have them now though I don't use my phone for pics. Just too challenged by a lot of today's gadgets. Everyone laughs at me, but it is okay.

Cold today -- but maybe some snow tonight. A couple of warmer ( not that much ) days and then back to frigid temps and on a lot of those days snow will be possible and as we get closer -- maybe more probable. I guess winter is here for awhile. Fairly late -- but I'm just glad it isn't rain. We had one tree go down ( roots just come up out of the wet ground ) and I'm hoping for no more. That was a two or three rainstorms ago when cold and snow would have been the norm. Strange yr.

Thinking of you Joan and sending a hug.

Hope you all have a fantastic Friday.

ChiSandy

6F but snowing again till it goes down below zero. Our snow guy (also landscaper) just switched to blue "Snow Joe" ice-melter, which is definitely kicking butt. The claimed-pet-safe black stuff with the little teeny limestone chips (that are supposed to embed themselves in re-frozen ice to provide traction) has failed miserably. Housekeeper started my car when she went out to dump the garbage, recycling & composting scraps. Started right up, no tire pressure warning lights. I was a bit nervous, as I hadn't driven since Mon., and I thought it was too cold (15F) then! Staying put indoors--I know I said I'd attend a coffee-hour for my preferred mayoral candidate tomorrow, but no way. Where are those A.I. hot flashes when you need 'em the most?

Still haven't heard back from Ember about the peeling ceramic at the bottom of my "smart mug." Guess it's because by now it's out of warranty. (Had I noticed it a week earlier it would still have been covered). From what I've been reading, it is a common issue with the white mugs but not with the black or copper. I was weak: just ordered the copper one. And my new watchband just arrived from Apple. I have the "gold aluminum" AppleWatch 4 (sort of a rose gold) and thought I was being smart by buying cheap Chinese knockoff gold and rose gold "Milanese loop" bands on Amazon. Both of them had the plating wear off not just on the magnetic clasp but also the mesh itself. So I bought the genuine Apple version. Hope it holds up. I wonder if you're supposed to wear just the cloth or silicone bands for everyday. (Mine came with the "Pink Sand" cloth sport band).

Let's hear it for First World problems! I have a roof over my head (no rent or mortgage), food in the fridge & freezer, heat for my home, gas in the car, clothes on my back, a fully-stocked medicine cabinet, money in the bank and retirement funds, and a husband who still earns a good living (even as his practice is literally dying off: the child of his first-ever patient just died...of old age). My heart aches for the Federal workers who'll still have to wait a week for their back paychecks (and for the "contractors" who don't get back pay). I remember the bad old days of having to live paycheck-to-paycheck, without credit cards. But we were young, childless & healthy then, with low rent and very low student loan debt. I can't imagine having to feed a family and keep a home with no income, no savings and not even food stamps.

IllinoisLady

Sandy -- yes very much. Hoping that life starts normalizing for everyone though it will be awhile. We are indeed fortunate and I hope to remain grateful for every blessing that comes my way. If I can find a way to share those blessings -- then good for me.

ChiSandy

Of course, two hours after ordering the copper Ember mug and an hour after the e-mail confirming it's "shipped" (at this stage, just created the label for it), I got the customer service e-mail from Ember asking me to supplement my photo of the chipping interior and typed serial # with a photo of the serial #. I complied and asked if they could send a black one instead so that the peeling wouldn't recur.

IllinoisLady

Self respect cannot be hunted. It cannot be purchased. It is never for sale. It cannot be fabricated out of public relations. It comes to us when we are alone, in quiet moments, in quiet places, when we suddenly realize that, knowing the good we have done it; knowing the beautiful, we have served it; knowing the truth, we have spoken it.

Witney Griswold.

IllinoisLady

Hmmm, Murphy's Law kicking in again, Sandy. Grrr. Well, I guess one could say that there were things learned -- like the other colors usually don't peel. Still, it is learning the hard way.

Have a dusting of snow outside and mainly pretty cold temps remaining. Could have some more flurries during the day. No accumulation so not a bad thing. I just am not fond of the cold though it is tolerable as long as their isn't much of a wind. The sun was out so bright yesterday but though it is nice and light ( snow dusting helps ) outside I think we won't have sun -- just those clouds with flurries in them.

I hope you are all going to have a great Saturday.

Vanmama

We've had more snow today... it was very pretty but it stuck to the roads and made travel a bit tough. It's also very cold and only going to get colder. On Wednesday, the high isn't even supposed to make it to 0! 

IllinoisLady

When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.

- Paulo Coelho -

IllinoisLady

Dusting of snow and sleet today but will warm and should rid us of anything that makes being out difficult. Just not going to be too nice for a bit. So, outdoors has a white look and I won't know till I check it out if I can go out to find the feral kits and feed them. They will come out ( from I hope warm shelters ) when I honk so I can go later on if need be.

Looking forward to getting through this cold snap but I really feel our weather pattern is only good for a day at a time anymore. I get an app from St. Louis, Mo which gives me 5 days worth and that gives me an idea for what 'may' becoming just in case I want to plan something, but I don't depend on it much anymore.

Lots I can do today. I may stop over and see my doggie pals. The rough weather and being down to one vehicle for a week or so had slowed down some of my 'fun' things since Dh and I are sharing my car. Being retired he usually wants to go with me when I'm doing something. He is ( I've discovered this affects a lot of males ) one of those types who doesn't have to do all that much ( and he really doesn't ) but just has trouble spending a complete day at home. Even if he only goes into town and picks up a McDonalds coffee to bring home -- he just has to get out for a bit. I've gotten used to it but it works better when he has his own vehicle.

I hope you all have a good day and vanmama -- hope Mt. Vernon is doing okay in this weather. I imagine you are getting the same thing.

Saying hi to anyone not posting lately. Joan and Puffin.

ChiSandy

We got 3" more overnight, but some of it is "sublimating" (evaporating w/o melting) in today's sunshine. Going up into the low 30s late tonight or in tomorrow's wee hours before the next wave--5-10"--hits. Then starting Tues. it's Chiberia for sure. Lows below zero; Thurs. is predicted to have a high of -5 and a low of -17 (air temps, not wind chills). It'll be below zero by the time we need to leave Fri. a.m. for our flight to Vegas. When we get to Midway (and indoors--no way we'll stand in line outside for curbside check-in) we'll put our winter gear (swapping UGGs for loafers) into an empty suitcase to check. There will be 3 of us, so we'd get up to 6 free checked bags on SW. Of course, while we're away it's supposed to get up into the 30s here, at least next weekend. It always seems that whenever we leave for warmer climes, we miss nice weather here too.

Hope Bob & I get our usual TSAPre-check status (usually on SW when we specify "senior" fare--even if it's the same as "Gotta Get Away"--we automatically get it). Gordy probably won't, as his ticket is an adult "Gotta Get Away" fare.

MCBaker

I am scheduled to leave for chemo in LaCrosse Wednesday morning when the temperature is expected to be -27 F without windchill. Every time I recheck the weather prediction, it gets worse. I am going to call them tomorrow to see what their standard recommendation is for such conditions. My body is already stressed, do I need to add more stress to it. I mean, I inhabit this body, and I don't want to leave it for another fifteen years. Yes, I am that scared.