March Chit Chat thread

[Huronna]

Love to hear what you are doing
It's beautiful spring time

[sharoncl]

Good Moring on March 1, 2024.  I just joined this group.  Thanks for having me.  I need to figure out how to add images here. I will be back later to post more.

SharonCl

[Mary]

Happy March and welcome SharonCl

[Flagryl]

Welcome Sharon! To poste images here you will need a storage site where you upload images and then copy/paste the address of the image in forums such as this one.

I use Fotki, a paid subscription with unlimited storage. I buy the 3-yr plan, it's the cheapest: www.fotki.com/us/en/

Some use Imgur, a free account with limited storage and there are limits on the size of the image: help.imgur.com/hc/en-us

Some use Google Drive, I use it but not for posting in forums. Of course there are other sites. I hope that helps.

[Huronna]

Hi Sharon, and welcome.
We also have a couple of tutorials for posting images
animationlessons.proboards.com/board/32/forum-tutorials

[sharoncl]

insert code here[url=https://postimages.org/][img]https://i.postimg.cc/TYSHnR2y/SCL-sclover.gif[/img][/url]
 I use Post images, but can't figure out which code to use.  I need help.  Thanks, 
SharonCl






[Huronna]

Let me get Mary, on this. I think she uses them
Hang on, I'll send her a PM.

[Huronna]

Sharon that is the code, just paste it directly into the message area start with

{

[Mary]

use the top code for the avatar and use the hotlink for forums (layer up from the bottom) for your tag

delete the whole line before you put anything in  sharoncl

[Smilyn]

Happy March everyone! Hi SharonCL; welcome!

Waving at Silk who posted at the end of the Feb thread ~~~~ So glad to see you posting!

Huronna... TV's were a dreadful situation with mom's memory issues, and are actually not easy for me. We do have a flat screen, and 5 remotes in a basket, too (don't ask me...) I leave two out; the one that turns the TV on (though I often push the button on the back and drive Steve crazy, cause he forgets it is there, lol, and the Roku.) I got Steve a Roku for his 65th Birthday; we use that a lot. I pretty much gave up on music when the TV got connected into a system with CD player and the radio etc, as I never get the right remote in hand or the right settings either, but we do manage to stream TV. Only stream, though; regular channels with commercials left our house long ago. Currently we are watching "Northern Exposure" on Amazon Prime TV; we used to love that show, it reminded us of Alaska when we met.
generally we watch foreign movies or series. We saw holiday movies from all over the world until the end of Jan. I think the Danish ones were my fav. Anyway... Just popped in. Have a good weekend all!

[Flagryl]

Glad you've got it figured out Sharon. Our universal remote is working just fine, whew...what a relief. Our old tv just up and died, well we were told it could not be fixed, so we got one of the first smart tvs in 2015 and it died after our chimney fire in 2021, most likely all the smoke is what I was told. So, no choice. We have a Samsung OLED 55 inch and love it. I love being able to stream PBS and Amazon Prime. We have Directv and I plan on getting Apple TV because John wants to watch the Air Force Band of Brothers, perhaps not the real name. It's great to get rid of all the remotes, bye bye clutter.

[Huronna]

Joe's sister and BIL are driving up from Sarasota today. She wanted us to go there, but I said no way!. If you want to see your brother it's time you drove up this way as we have always gone there. Besides they are in a mobile home, with stairs and he is definitely not ready for stairs yet. I invited them to stay overnight but they said they would do it in one day. Then I was a bit insulted as she said that she would bring dinner?/what I don't know how to feed people? I was quite pissed to say the least. She must have thought better of it and called me yesterday and said she was sorry that maybe I didn't want her to bring dinner.Ii was honest and told her that she had hurt my feelings (she things that she is the only one that can cook, but I hate to tell you, she spends hours in the kitchen with edge torn recipes and ready made food you get in Costco tastes better and you don't have to spend all day in the kitchen. Dinner is salad, meatloaf, long grain and wild rice and corn. Simple and easy to do. And I bought tiramisu for desert. I'll lwet you know how it goes

[Flagryl]

Sounds Yummy. We love meatloaf. BTW, although we do a lot of cooking from scratch, both oven and year round outdoor grilling, we also buy some cooked meats from Sams Club [no Costco here] and local grocery stores that we freeze for easy dinners. Like cooked, sliced beef brisket and those roasted chickens. I make soup on the second day. I even like the canned chicken breast at Sams, use it for chicken salad. I've also bought some Mexican style shredded or pulled chicken. Great as is or with tacos or burritos. I'm fussy about the amount of sugar/salt/fat in some of these items. We are not diabetic but my taste buds just don't care for the excess.

Do any of you have favorites? I'm always looking for options when we have afternoon/evening events.

[Mary]

oh that does sound good. I love meatloaf too  We are having beef and noodles over mashed potatoes

[Smilyn]

Noooo... not the Universal remote... So many horror stories over the years trying them. We gave away 5 between our house and mom's. Maybe it's some kind of tech curse. Steve won't even try anymore.

Just popped in to say hello. Trying to get some organizing done. Sadly I added back a few pounds and now my pants are tight again. I gave the larger ones away. I hate that! Wait... Maybe I kept one pair... Gotta go check. Sleep well all!

[Huronna]

Ugh...don't even talk about weight. I think I have gained ten pounds in the past two month.

[margie52501]

Good morning all. Can't wait to spring to get here. Then of course we have daylight saving time. Also hubby's birthday is on the 20th. Welcome aboard Sharon, nice to meet you. Checking in for March.

[Flagryl]

Weight is such a struggle. I keep fat clothes and thin clothes. And, cover me up clothes, ha ha.

Plumber was out today to take care of a faucet issue and I told him about our infloor heating inconsistency in our bathroom. He's such a bright young man, he's coming out sometime in the next couple of weeks with a new mainfold part. Why didn't I call last winter? Oh well.

[silk]

Good morning friends..I will gladly take any excess weight you might have Milyn. I weigh just 50 Kg.( I don't like it at all ) I tried a pair of my summer pants on and they fell right down.
One thing I'm sure you must have in the bathroom is heating Flagryl.
Meatloaf sounds great.I love cooking but can no longer manage it. I still read recipes though ,and drool. Huronna...I would kill for tiramisu .
A big welcome Sharon.

[Huronna]

Silk, the meat loaf was a frozen diner by Stouffers, the wild rice was "rice a roni" The Tiramisu was from a bakery.
There was enough for left overs for Joe and I tonight with a salad and a nice glass of PInot Grigio. Did out taxes today, on Turbo Tax, will file electronically tomorrow

[Smilyn]

Aging is one strange journey; that's for sure. It's almost as trying as Huronna's last cruise!

Silk; I don't know how your height, but I know your struggle. Poor little mom was so thin. In her case there was not a health reason; more a dementia or obstinate vanity issue. She loved to be 100 lbs and bragged that she weighed 92 when she married dad and she wanted to weigh that again. Her Dr wanted her at 112 at least, but she would not eat. She had gotten shorter as she crossed 90 and that conflicted with her desire to fit into her size 6 slacks. She was fixated on the little belly she could see pooching out. The Dr and I both told her many times that she was literally complaining about having internal organs as there was no fat to be pinched, but she would just nod and refuse to eat. I ate all the things I was not supposed to in efforts to get her to put something in her mouth - becasue she would eat some if I was. I gained a ton but there was still no flesh on her back, no bottom to sit on, no thighs or arm muscles. The one thing she never lost was her "floaters" (aptly named by my dad as she tried to teach him to swim and he told her she cheated using those floaters.) In the Assisted Living home (I eventually had to place her in due to dementia wandering, falls, and refusal to take meds,) being quite busty with bright blue coquettish eyes got her a lot of attention. Sometimes unwanted, like the guy who kept entering her room at night. Mostly though they were heavy, and made her uncomfortable; nearly as uncomfortable as having no padding to sit on or keep her back warm. I bought cushions and wraps, but nothing works like the real stuff. I very much wish I could share some of mine. Wouldn't it be great if we could do that? Maybe somebody could ship me a bit of hair in trade, lol.

Having tight pants is more than uncomfortable. It causes the Candida lodged in my small intestines to create trapped pockets, which is very painful. The best explanation I have heard is bread. Candida is yeast. Yeast makes bread rise. Sometimes tight dough creates big bubbles in the bread. Same inside me: The big bubbles under my waistband press on nerves. Back to a diet of nothing that feeds yeast! Meanwhile, I have found one oversized pair of sweatpants I am living in atm. I tried to order new ones online yesterday; what a mess! I don't know it they are coming are not, lol. My last pair of jeans that fits is nearly worn through on the inner thigh. I am going up to try magic re-weaving with my embroidery thread. Have any of you done that? It's nearly a lost art, I guess, like darning. I have my darning egg in a wool sock waiting to do that as well.

Huronna; I truly love meatloaf. I started making it at 9 and created many varieties - even a turkey one with cranberry. I remember my sister calling me to ask me how to make it without ruining it. I thought that was funny; I didn't know you could ruin meatloaf! Maybe not as great as you wanted, but ruined? Never happened to me. I loved playing with ingredients; it was one of my favorite things to make before I gave up meat, tomatoes, onions, and salt. But packaged foods have so much salt that if I eat a meal like that I can't breathe for three days after. Fluid builds in my chest. Not to mention the sugar. I have to say; I offer to bring food with me when I visit someone as well, or avoid meals. Even a salad gets complicated; onions? tomatoes? cucumbers? peppers? prepared dressing? cheese? croutons? It hurts feelings, and it's difficult. And Stouffers was a treat we kept in mom's freezer for days I was too exhausted to cook. She loved it! I'm so glad you got to enjoy that. It all sounded delicious. Tiramisu! Don't delicious foods have yummy names? There are so many foods I miss. Everybody eat something delicious for me. OK? Very kind of you to 'suffer' for me.

Hugs to all... on with my day!

[Huronna]

Milyn, I used to cook from scratch when I was married to my first husband and then also with Joe. We always had a freezer and I would make spaghetti sauce, chicken cacciatore, chile, Sloppy Joe's and other stuff in batches and have it in containers in the freezer. Then I would just have to thaw stuff out. When we were in Italy we had a big apt and I can't how many times we had the guys from Joe's ship over for dinner. Every holiday they were in port. I actually think it was when I got involved in the MSN groups and ferrets that I had better things to do than be in the kitchen. and I guess it had continued since then which was about 1999. I'm like, "it takes and hour maximum to go from the freezer to the table"...then I'm happy

[Smilyn]

I remember similar days, though I was cooking for six and more by the time I was ten. The freezer was full of containers ready to feed a bunch. So many used Campbell's soup and other canned items (Oooohhh; Spanish Rice with pork chops; a one electric skillet meal with Campbells's mushroom, Lipton's onion, Stewed tomatoes, rice, pork chops, water, and slow heat. So good, and I loved making it. I could get it started, make a salad and a pudding, and have free time to read!) I loved cooking efficiently; one pan meals were my fav. I hate dishes! I really miss cooking. It was so much fun to explore new dishes, especially in the USAF. I still have my military wive's of the world cookbooks - and so many from various cultures and styles or restaurants ("Loaf and Ladle" from Maine... sigh... Loved making those breads!) And soups! Spaghetti! Pot Roast! Roast Turkey! There's so much I miss. I will now go eat my half a faux sandwich and be grateful I have that. Then back to work. Happy day all!

[Grassy]

Hello all! Welcome to the family Sharon!

TV Remotes - when I worked at Charter as a Video Repair Technician, it was so stressful to try and tell people how to program their remotes when I didn't know what I was doing and the customers were already angry and only understanding part of what you were telling them because they had skipped some steps or did not understand the directions. I felt bad for the elderly people who called because they were confused and many had visual problems and couldn't see to program the different remotes and boxes there were. I got written up once because a man called in and he said his dog had chewed up the remote and the Charter store was closed and he couldn't get a new one so what was he going to do since he was not going to get up and change channels at the box? He would not do any of the helps I had suggested, so finally I got frustrated and said "Sir, would you consider reading a book tonight because your TV is not going to work if you won't get up?"
I can't believe I worked at Charter ten years ago! Remotes have gotten even more complicated since then too.

How is everyone?

I love meatloaf too! Yum!
I love good old-fashioned simple home cooking. I love gourmet meals too, but I am a better home-cooking cook. I did not learn to cook until I was in my 40's after my separation. Weird to think I have only been cooking for about 15-16 years. I can make basic things. I am a better baker than cook if that makes any sense.

Weight - I have remained obstinately at 232 for a couple of weeks now. No matter what I eat or how much I walk. Grrrr.

Milyn I understand about the candida. I had esophageal candiditis (candida albicans) for a few years during my recovery from breast cancer. I took Diflucan and Nystatin for a year to get rid of it as it was so stubborn. It was such a drag! I feel bad for your intestines and am sending you love. Do you have issues with gastroparesis too?

Not too much is happening here. My brother and his family are coming to visit next week. I am very excited!

[Flagryl]

I basically cook more things from scratch, but it's easy because John grills meat 12 months a year so that means I just do the veggies. Meals usually take 1/2 hour. They also have a starch like rice [Ben's or Rice a Roni Wild Rice combos or Jasmine], couscous or baked fries or potato and a salad which we have every night. I've made that easier because I now buy red baby butter lettuce and baby spinach from Sprouts that is prewashed, not the shredded kind that doesn't last. I love Organic Girl Romaine Hearts. They need washing but I trim and wash the stalks, spin them and wrap in a large tee towel for a day and then transfer to a Debbie Green bag. Those are great and really keep veggies for an extended period of time. We are fortunate here because we get very fresh veggies from Calif and Mexico. I vary the veggie ingredients on the salad. I even love to put pickled beet slices on them sometimes. But mostly its cuc, yellow squash, broccoli, lil green onions, etc. I also shred hard aged Parmesan cheese at the last minute. I'm a true Rabbit! Once in a while I'll fix spinach lasagna with Sweet Italian Sausage links from Sprouts and freeze portions or make a pot roast from a very large chuck roast which generally gives us 3-4 meals. I freeze the roast portions in old corning ware containers so they go from freezer to oven. I add fresh potatoes and carrots, some water and in one hours whala...dinner is served. I do buy pesto instead of making my own. We love to buy packaged ravioli from Trader Joe's, they have the best. Just drop 'em in boiling water for a few minutes and you're done. I use to make sauces but I am now experimenting w/buying some premade sauces.

Grassy, you've done so well...just stick with it. Fun to have your family visit. Huronna I hope Joe is doing better and his appointments are over so you can relax a bit more.

John was finally diagnosed w/Alzhiemer's from a blood test. He's been through the whole testing regime, which is good going forward for treatment that will be covered by insurance. There's a new drug just approved by the FDA but it's an injection and only given down in PHX, every 2 weeks for 18 months. John's not sure he wants to do all that. But, he may not be a candidate anyway because he has a leaky heart valve, tho very small and the cardiologist is not concerned. He's fairly high functioning, but when the file drawer is full he struggles. Like you Huronna, I manage most things in our life. With a detailed list, including aisles, he can do the grocery shopping but does call me. The new iPhone is a challenge but he's getting on with it and it's actually better for him in some new ways.

That's it. John is grilling chicken legs and I have baked fries in the oven. Time to make our salads. Best to all of you!!! Milyn, what the lastest word per surgery?