Newbies Nest

[KENSHO]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi Nest!

LAV… way to keep us in suspense. Looks like your state chose optimism, honesty and maturity in the end. Would you mind sharing your sweet potato soup recipe? Sounds yummy!

G, Im glad you’re able to make music outdoors! Sounds like you are having an easier time of Covid with warmer weather. Our cases are sky high.

Wags and Pav… I thought your POS was a typo for GOP… and then it dawned on me. Really disheartening that so many people either don’t know or don’t care about his tremendous ineptitude as a human and a leader. PAV, you sound so much like my husband with such a love for live music. He has been hurting too!

Julia, HUGE accomplishment on 10 months! Especially during a challenging time. Way to go, and way to take care of you!! High five!

NS, I don’t think I ever commented on your furry friend. I’m sorry for your loss. They truly are the best, best friends for humans. Exciting that you may have a new one enter your life…

I don’t know how I feel about the election. Super glad that we may have an adult in office, vs. a lying, tantruming toddler, but really frightened for those susceptible to the disinformation. How we gonna deal with that? It’s only a slight sigh of relief for me. We have SO much work to do. Starting with money in politics, and propaganda being legal and all.

Last Tuesday (election night), I made two mistakes. One was watching results that wouldn’t have any real say until days later, and the other was cooking with wine. I can do that now without much thought at almost 3 years sober. But that night felt really stressful to me and I looked at the bottle more than once. I ended up pouring the unused part out. Not because I thought I’d drink it, but because I didn’t want to think about it. A good friend reminded me that “when it’s there, it talks”. Thanks friend

I did most of my weekend chores yesterday, so more time with the kids and fun. It’s really windy, which I dislike. On the good news front, I have three really big job opportunities. We will see if any of them pan out. Supposed to speak with one later today, which is hard for me - can’t get my work brain out on the weekends so well. But what shall be will be.

Thanks for everyone being here. I love this group of people. No good path forward drinking… get yourself over the initial challenge of saying NO - and your life will improve by leaps and bounds!!!

[Byrdlady]

Re: Newbies Nest

So with my 300 lb weight being lifted from my chest with this election, we’re up to 900 lbs the Nest last lost! What a long 4 days of waiting and watching. The best news? The new Chief takes office on my 10th sober anniversary, Jan 20th. I can’t wait.
G man, the diligence of Oz in taking control of this virus is enviable. We continue to have record numbers of cases. Hubs went downtown this morning and said you would never know there was a pandemic, hustle-bustle, very few masks. It’s a shame we have to learn everything the hard way. I worry as we head into winter.
Lav, thanks to Pennsylvania for being the keystone state.
I am filled with joy and hope. Stay sober, everyone, nothing is worth starting over. Hugs, Byrdie

[NoraC]

Re: Newbies Nest

I have not been able to get excited yet. I feel like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. Isn't that weird? I don't know why. I do feel some of the tension leaving my body so maybe I am beginning to believe it now. :thumbsup: I agree with Kensho that there is so much work to be done. It is certainly not a topic that can be discussed with 98% of my relatives for sure.
Trump is tweeting up a storm today. Trying to wind everyone up - probably hoping for rioting.

Speaking of alcohol............
I had a weird thing going on. I was cleaning around my kitchen sink with white vinegar. I had grabbed a glass to pour the vinegar in and it was a tall shot glass. My brain immediately flashed to a shot of clear tequila sitting in that shot glass. It bothered me every single time I looked at that stupid glass. Just an uncomfortable feeling. Maybe a little bit along the lines of your "when it's there, it talks". (At the end of my drinking days that was what I was sneakily drinking but straight from the bottle. Isn't that a glorious image that I never want to do again.)
I guess it is good that I get these little reminders of where I never want to be again. But, it was a little unnerving that my brain jumped to that.

Much of my family does not believe covid is worse than the flu. Just think we should do herd immunity. They just want everything to be opened up. So, I don't know how we are going to get it under control. Of course there was all that celebrating without social distancing so I imagine there will be another rise in cases in a few weeks.

[NoraC]

Re: Newbies Nest

Well - that was just a post filled with sunshine wasn't it. :victorious: I'll try again.

We are having a windy day. My wind chimes are going crazy out there. I have several wooden wind chimes. I just love that sound.

Byrdie - I think that is an awesome sobriety birthday present!!

NS - I'm happy that you found a friend. Can't wait to see pics. Please let us know how it's going.

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters,

Well I’m still happy about the election results & my husband continues to hide, haha! He just cannot bring himself to vote for any Democrat, even when the Republican candidate is a proven loser. How stupid & stubborn is that? He can hide as long as it takes to come to his senses as far as I’m concerned haha!
My grandson is still here, hopefully someone plans to pick him up before bedtime.

Kensho, I found that sweet potato soup on Salted Plains – Gluten-free, real food recipes.. I have to look thru her website & see what else she has

I think we’ve all been thru the wringer with this election, Covid, family loss, job loss & so much more this year. We should be patting ourselves on the back for staying strong & not turning to AL to cope. It’s OK if we have weird thoughts & dreams, just so we don’t act on them, right?

Saying hello to everyone & wishing a safe night in the nest for all! Stay safe out there

Lav

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi everyone, sounds like folks had good weekends for the most part. We're definitely still celebrating here (and sighing with relief) but as Kensho and others have said, our country has a huge amount of work in front of us. It's terrifying that 70 million people supported lies, hate and divisiveness, and they don't even see any of that in him. We've also lost "truth" in information and will likely forever be fighting against misinformation and propaganda. Plus, as Nora said, there's always the sense that the other shoe might drop. I think we've been traumatized by 4 years where a truly wretched man has gotten away with literally everything. I know I am traumatized for sure. But I still see reasons to feel hopeful and I'm trying to spend as much time as possible in that head space while still preparing to do more hard work.

Pav, Kensho, Nora, and others who mentioned unusual al situations over the past week -- so glad you all emerged from those with your quits intact. Absolutely nothing is a reason to drink. Look at all that we've been through, as individuals and collectively, and there is nothing that al would have made better. Definitely nothing that al would make easier. You chose well and you know what to do. Thanks for sharing your experiences -- they help make all of us stronger.

NS - Hope your new little fur friend is settling in quite well and bringing some comfort to your heart. What kind of pup is he? Might there be any puppy pics ??? :heartbeat:


Ok, I'm off to get a (hopefully) very good night's sleep. Goodnight and happy Monday everyone!

[Pavati]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi, Nest:

Lav, that must be tough to live with. What is his reasoning?

Kensho, good luck with your new jobs. I agree, it is hard to feel totally comfortable given we haven't heard a concession yet, from him or any others except George W. Bush. I am still believing cooler heads will prevail, but we'll see.

Byrdie - Can't wait to celebrate on Jan. 20!

Nora - Do you just use vinegar, or do you use baking soda too? What do you do about the smell? It seems like cleaning with vinegar is a lot better for the Earth than some of the stuff I use...

We had a nice picnic with some old friends of my husband's and his sister yesterday. He grew up with them and at this point I've known them for 28 years as well. We spent the first 15 minutes catching up on parental illness and death and I realized this is definitely a phase we're in - the sandwich time between taking care of kids and parents. COVID makes it so much worse because we can't really be WITH them and THAT makes me very mad at the people like you describe, Byrdie. It isn't just about them - it is about us as a community. It feels really selfish. I understand we have to get the economy going, but with Australia as an example, perhaps we could do that sooner and better with a very strict lockdown period followed by 100% mask wearing. I get mad for my mom who in her old age is bored and lonely.

Not much else to report. I had to google "stop eating emotions" yesterday to get some tips (:egad and of course it is ALL what I know how to do. I just have to do it. I have been exercising so my mental health is better - just have to work out the lumps and bumps of my belly...

Happy SOBER Week and Happy Monday,
Pav

[narilly]

Re: Newbies Nest

Happy Un Hung Monday everyone.

The election is OVER thank goodness, hopefully the future will be brighter for all of us. A concession would be good.

I spent all morning looking for a job, gross. There is really nothing out there. Oh well, I have to change my expectations I guess.

I have been eating crazy since this Covid thing started too. It is hard to exercise when the weather sucks and the swimming pool is closed but I will figure it out.

Byrdie- Jan 20th, oh yeah!

Talk soon, xo

[Guitarista]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi gang.

Nar, you've probably done this or thought of it, but are the many free online courses around now from various uni's of any use? Career change etc? Or maybe upskilling in some way. At the very least maybe helping with sanity in troubled times. Take care over there.

Big waves to evabody. Zooming to work!

[NoSugar]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi, Nest

Thanks for all the good wishes.

He's a good dog at home but wants to RUN. He got away at a park by slipping his collar off his head. He got FAR away but eventually came back. However, he would not let us get close enough to get his collar back on. As soon as we would get near, he would bolt. After about 20 minutes of this I was starting to hope he would just run away!! Definitely Drown my Frustration material back in the bad old days. Eventually and for whatever unknown reason, he let my husband approach and put the collar on. Needless to say, a harness should be arriving today!!

The results of the election were a RELIEF. I didn't make it to the point of joy or celebration - still gun-shy, I think. And like many have said, we have so many problems to deal with. One of the gifts of the last 4 years is that bad stuff that many of us did not know about or could manage to ignore, has been revealed. The hope is that we don't try to push it all back under the rug and actually deal with these systemic issues. (Wasn't the focus on alcohol post-election illuminating? And very annoying!!)

[NoraC]

Re: Newbies Nest

Oh - NoSugar!! I can just imagine the frustration at the dog park. Naughty boy. Good idea on harness for sure.
[MENTION=20191]Pavati[/MENTION] - you mentioned the baking soda and this light bulb went off over my head! :radiate: I do use vinegar and baking soda in my laundry sometimes. But, I never used them together on the sink. I'm going to try it and maybe that will help with the vinegar smell. I get bad water deposit stains all along faucets, etc. No matter how much I clean them, the deposit builds up. So, I lay paper towels all snug against the base and then pour vinegar over the towels and let them sit for half an hour so. Next time I'm going to try making a paste and see how it works! Thank you for that idea.

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good Monday evening Nesters,

We are still in a mild weather pattern here, it’s been nice. Rain arriving Wednesday followed by more seasonal temps. My allergies are out of control (wet leaves) despite taking 2 Zyrtec/day as directed by the allergist. It’s just annoying, haha!

Pav, you asked about my husband’s reasoning - he’s never changed his thinking about anything ever! We both grew up in conservative families, parents were Republicans. That was fine back in the 50’s & 60’s I guess but the party is unrecognizable now, at least to me. No matter how often I point out the problems with today’s Republicans his thinking remains frozen. I asked him if he believed windmills cause cancer but he said no, LOL

NS, glad you got your dog back. Not all dogs are happy on a leash, at least a few of mine were ‘un-walkable’. The harness will help a lot

Nora, have you heard of “Force of Nature’? It’s a cleaner you make at home, non-toxic & easy on my allergies. Force of Nature Natural Cleaner & Disinfectant Home Page - Force of Nature

Narilly, maybe a Christmas temp job will open up so you can at least get some work in before the end of the year.

Wags, I think we’re all going to be OK. I saw the list of Executive orders Biden plans to sign the first day in office. He’s definitely going to follow thru with his campaign promises & reverse the damage done these past 4 yrs. We may all need a little therapy for PTSD but we will be OK :hug:

G, we are trying hard to stay positive despite the grim news re new daily Covid cases in the US. Masks are still needed, social distancing is still needed - now to get the ignorant to comply.

Hello to the rest of the group & wishing everyone a safe night in the nest!

Lav

[KENSHO]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi Nest.

Lav, thanks for the recipe!

PAV, I don't know anyone who is in favor of masks who ALSO doesn't want an open, thriving economy! It's not about control, it's about being SMART. We can have both if we don't ignore science. When did "being smart" become out of style?

Hi Nar, G & Nora.

Sounds frustrating NS! We have the type of harness that has the leash attachment on the front at the chest. It is much easier to control our pup because she is forced to turn when the leash tightens. With a back-attachment harness, she pulls the same as a collar. Some dogs are bred to PULL. Like plows and stuff. Ours is called the EasyWalker.

I have a lot on my plate today. I have too many smaller projects. Not that there's anything wrong with smaller projects, but they take as much concentration, scrutiny and creative energy as the big ones. And I need more of them when small. So I feel like I should be able to whip them out, but they just overwhelm me. Luckily, I have three very large options I'm interviewing for. I'm much happier just fully servicing one or two biggies at a time. They can last a year or more. They can be quite demanding, but at least I feel less scattered!

I have noticed myself viewing alcohol a bit romantically when I see it on TV... BAD ME! Alcohol just made me a distant, dumb shell of a person. Who obsessed constantly and was controlled by it. It was not pretty - it was very ugly. I have to continue to remember that.

Hope everyone has a good day!

[Pavati]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi, All:

Good luck with your paste, Nora. I use it in my tub sometimes, but sometimes I get lazy and use bleach...

Nar, that must be so frustrating. I hope you find something soon.

NS, I guess the new pup will need a running partner? Is he food motivated? I always keep some snacks on hand and reward the swift return when I call. My dogs like to run off leash but I want them to come back. That doesn't always happen when a squirrel is around...

I was stretching this morning and did SOMETHING to a muscle in my back. It feels like a spasm of some sort. Dang, getting old sucks. (But as my dad said, it beats the alternative...)

Happy SOBER Tuesday,
Pav

[narilly]

Re: Newbies Nest

Happy UnHung Tuesday everyone.

It is snowing and cold here. We probably had 4" of snow so far and it is only -1C so not too bad.

Thanks for the wishes on the job front everybody. I am waiting to see if I get a Government cheque- hopefully in the next week. If so, I won't have to worry about work that much until next year. Thanks G, I will look up the Uni Courses. I appreciate that.

NS, hang in there with your pup. Hopefully he will start listening better in the future.

Pav, that sucks about your back. It is So easy to overdo it when you do yoga. I have hurt my back a few times doing yoga which really sucks.

Ken, you sound busy and that is great. I just finished watching 'Kingdom' on Netflix (the MMA one) and they drank ALL the time, it was unreal. I really enjoyed the series though, the acting was superb and I was sad when it came to an end. It was surprisingly good. WATCH IT everyone.

It is so weird Nora and Pav, I was looking at the uses of baking soda this morning, it just popped up on my computer. I am going to try cleaning my tub with the paste, I have some stains in there.

Thanks Lav, Ido you use the Force of Nature products? I checked it out and might sign up.

Anj- hope you are doing well.

Have a good day everyone and don't drink today.