Apropos of Nothing v.8

Very surprised over the game. It was good. I never expect anything out of the commercials anyway. After all look what crap the serials turn out. They won't hire any writers over 30 years old. What more can you expect?

Jnette - I just visited the Xera plants website. They're growing it this year, too.
I will check with WM about whether they'll carry it, but if not, I can special order from them.
Let me know if there's anything else you're looking for.

Well, I love a good commercial. It's such an art form, like the short story vs. a novel, or haiku vs. (what ARE those long poems called?).

Katye how nice of you. That would be wonderful. I always have really liked the KB from the first time I saw it several years ago. I had to have one and sent away for it. I have never seen any sold locally.

Thank you. That would be great. Let me know.

I have been sitting here thinking "what is WRONG with this fire, i'm freezing" ... until i realized that it's 44 degrees out & my doors are wide open.

stupid weather.

Would you ask them if they are going to have both of them? The KB and the Bristol Cross? I would love to have both of them. Thank you so much. That BC is gorgeous, as is the KB. I had never seen the BC before.

Well SK, who was the - - - - - - that left the doors open??? LOL, 44 degree weather?? You are talking our temps this year. It's wonderful.

Yeah, I tracked down 3 doors that needed to be closed & guess what, it's just on the cool side now, where the air still feels fresh going into the lungs.

This climate is such a blessing. I honestly can't understand why anyone lives anywhere else. Well, OK, maybe Key West about 25 years ago.

Honestly, I kind of go around singing all day long. This cracks me up: I am not exactly a GOOD singer but the cats love it regardless -- they trail me around looking blissed out, no matter whether I am singing "Amazing Grace" or "Smells Like Teen Spirit."

They seem to view it as some sort of miracle.

I also love the climate here, but now I'm needing sunshine. Cold sunny days are the best. After living in Southern Cal, London, and San Francisco, I am loving the clean air here. I think my body had to adjust to the high oxygen content!

Maybe you could come visit me, Judi? Clouds & drizzle are easier to bear if you are watching the surf pound in.

I'm with you Judi - needing sunshine. Even 15 minutes makes a difference for me. Well, I do prefer several hours, especially if I'm not at work.
I am bummed because today it was supposed to be sunny - NOT!

Friday was sunny & today was sunny. Made all the difference for my week, that's for sure, if only because I got outside & horsed around. Even leaf cleanup can feel like gardening.

Plus, I wish all of you the sheer joy that comes from your first spring in a new, kinder climate PLUS the blessing of a garden that is already grand & glorious.

I enjoyed the second half of the game and ever tho I come from Indiana, I wanted NO to win Just Because they need it. I also enjoyed watching The Who.

I had the oregano before. Found it locally. Think I will look for both of those now that I will have a greenshed maybe they will survive.

Plus, I've lived in beautiful houses, quirky houses, architecturally significant houses & cool houses, but never one that is so close to functional perfection as this one.

SK you need to do the fairy queen dance. You sound so happy.

Wanna tell you guys something. I went up to our little local clinic last fall for something. Can't remember what and the dr. up there, who I had never been to before, we got to talking, and he told me that there has been a study done, he said by who but I can't remember, and it was determined that people living in the northern hemisphere do not get enough sunshine. Vitamin D. He ran a lab test on my blood, and said it was amazing how little vit. D, I had. So, he prescribed 50,000 units for me to take once a week for 3 months. He said that would fill up my tank. And then to take OTC after that.

The next time I went to my primary dr. I told him what I was taking and he proceeded to tell me what all Vit. D, does for your body. I gotta tell you, even if this winter hadn't been so wonderful, weather wise, I do not think I would have been nearly as depressed as I was last winter.

I suggest that you all do some googling on Vit. D., and go in and have a little lab work done, and see what they come up with.

I would be interested in how many of you have enough in your systems.

Jeanette

I am taking the max of Vitamin D & getting outside EVERY DAY & I have one of those lovely little, addicting sun lamps.

Preachin' to the choir here, J ...

Off to fairy dance ... tango this time ...

My D is good, which surprised my doc. I like milk and I get outside often. On another note, I won't buy a skin cream that does not include an SPF, no matter what the anti-wrinkle claim is. Had enough of those pre-cancer thingies.

If you didn't take the overall cleanliness of my house into consideration, I COULD be a Martha Stewart. I am totally obsessive about weird things. IT HAS TO BE BEAUTIFUL.

I'd shibori-dye my toilet paper if it would hold up to the process.

SK - that would make me pause before...uh...using. but i agree - why isn't everything possible functional art?

Jnette - I have been on daily high dose D3 for several years - makes all the difference in the world.
I do not use sunblock - but i am cautious about how much direct sun I am exposed to. Working in the shade or (horrors!) indoors from 11-2, then I'm good to go.

Jnette, we do vitamin D and also treatment lights all over this forum, so you are in really good company. Bonehead, I'm surprised yours was high enough. That's lucky. Almost no one up here has enough vitamin D in their system. summerkid, you sound really happy. Have you been using your light a lot lately??? :)

I do have to use sunblock on my face and chest. I get burned too easily. I don't really use it much anywhere else, but face it, I'm outside almost literally all day long if the sun is out, even if the sun is NOT out if it's not pouring down rain. Even with some sunblock on, I should be able to get enough D. Nope. Not.

Now, way up north in this thread, you mentioned that the areas outside Boise are boring and I respectfully disagree. That's some of the best raptor watching in the entire country. Also fossils. Beauty in a special kind of way. I'm not saying it's the same kind of beauty as the Oregon Coast, but definitely worth looking closer. Have you driven through the panhandle of Texas? Now that's boring, until a tornado comes your way.

At the risk of murder, what is a 'super bowl'... :)??? HAHAHAH! I heard on NPR that you can buy a small state government for what a 30 second commercial spot costs on that show.

Portland, where did Redchic go? I was thinking of sending her a seed packet. What happened to her?

I've had too many 'sunspots' removed to chance going outside without sunscreen, and I try to wear hats as well, dorky as I look in them. Skin cancer runs in my family (primarily German Irish heritage).

Summer the next time I go over to the coast I will definitely visit you. My dog Koka loves the beach and I often drive over in the summer.

Hooray for Vitamin D! Good stuff! Research seems to have determined that even if you are in the sun a lot in the PNW, our latitude is such that you still don't get enough Vit D from sun alone.

Now I have another doctor dilemma. I received paperwork from the new doc's practice explaining how they are organized. You can see your doctor in the normal fashion, or you can join their "premier" patient group, which allows you to be seen the same day and to have immediate access to the RN. That also entitles you to phone conversations with your doc. For this you pay either $500 per year or $50 per month. So in my mind that means that people who can afford to pay this extra fee have better access to healthcare than someone who cannot afford this. They explain that the fee allows the practice to see fewer patients, therefore reducing waiting time, etc. I am not liking the "two standards of care" - it seems quite unfair to me, even though I can afford the extra $$$. I don't think I can sit in the waiting room knowing that the person sitting next to me, who may feel like crap or be frightened, has less access to their doctor than I have. Also, I would be subsidizing the doctors in the group so that they can practice better medicine. ???????

Pix, I don't know what happened to Redchic. She just kind of disappeared.

Judi, guess that is what I was trying to say, about the sun (what there is of it) in the PNW is not the kind that gives you the vit. D. i.e. Northern hemisphere.

I often complained to my primary dr. that I didn't have good balance, asking if any of the meds I was taking could be causing it. Not once did he discuss Vit D. Not until I told him about the dr. at the clinic putting me on 50K units of it. THEN, he starts telling me all of the things that are affected by vit. D, or lack thereof.

I also received one of those letters from my dr. but without the offer of the "premier". Maybe because I am on Medicare? They just joined this group, feeling they could give their patients "better" care. Wonder if I would have heard about the vit D from him if I had had the premier.

I guess this all points out just how important it is to be in charge of our own healthcare and do the research that applies to us. I cancelled my appointment with the "premier" doc and after checking the credentials of all the docs in the Family Medicine dept at OHSU I made an appointment there.

I also take Vitamin D with Caltrate for my bones and also a Centrum Silver for women. It helps to expose your chest and face to the sun for D. So lets all do that.^_^

I think katie knows about redchic. I think she intends to come back. Hope so, she was neat.

Willow, I also take Caltrate and Centrum Silver for women. Great minds!

I hope Redchic returns as well. She takes great photos.

She's still without a PC apparently . . .

Well if she had one of those tin foil hats and it was adjusted properly she could tune in that way.......

LOL Judi,you are ever so correct about that.

LOL!

So, I was so excited I just had to take a picture this morning. It was almost LIGHT when I left for work this A.M. (well, kind of, but I could see the mountain and I could see shapes in my yard!) Spring is coming boys and girls!!!!!!

It is always exciting and never grows old. Hurray for spring!

The muddiest, hungriest, most matted black & white cat EVER just snuck in my back door.

I don't want to let him back out -- he's affectionate enough to be someone's pet, and he definitely knows what a door is, but he also is kinda wild. He was rolling all over my feet just now but then attacked my ankle when I walked away, and drew blood.

Awwwwww. He picked you!! Maybe he has a message from an ancestor.

Some cats are easily stimulated. My brother's cat, whom they've had his whole life (12 years, I think) can only be petted for a few minutes before he "goes feral". He nails you and then goes into attack mode. It's pretty scary. They don't let the grandkids touch him.

It's a bummer that your buy is so matted, though. Those mats can grow into the skin and cause real problems. And most cats in that condition need a shave and a bath, which even the nicest cat isn't about to do.

It might have been afraid you were going to throw him out.

He's terrified of the other cats. (She?) Not sure what to do, but my cats should be up on all their shots, so he's not going back out into the night until I at least check with the neighbors & get a shot at clipping some of those tangles.

Unfortunately, we do get some dumped animals up here. Not as bad as in Kankakee, but someone threw some kittens into the ditch right after I moved. We all got stabbed to death trying to retrieve frightened kittens from the #%*&% brambles without a flashlight.

Here's poor kitty, getting even dirtier in the garage. He has really bad breath & might be in pain. He just growled to himself when I wasn't anywhere nearby. The mats alone could be problematic.

My brother's cat did that once when I was there. They took him to the vet and he had some "fever or unknown origin". They wormed him, gave him some antibiotics and he bounced right back.

You can rent traps most places. I know that money doesn't grown on trees, but maybe it'd be best to get him anesthetized so they can clip, scan for a chip and examine him without traumatizing him too much . . .

You have a good heart.

We took our stray to the vet for all that and she scared the vet. He wouldn't touch her for quite a while. I think after we left he must have sprayed her with a sedative of some kind.

I know I would!