Newbies Nest

[Slo]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good morning, Nesters! Hope everyone is well and staying Covid-free.

I had a nice birthday. It was just how I like my birthday to be -crisp & cold, and super sunny & snowy! Our mom & her HB had me & my twin sister over for dinner & cake, so that was relaxing and nice.

I’ve decided that Kensho is right: life needs a little chocolate in it. So I have been having a piece of chocolate each day from a box I was gifted at Christmas. And I had a piece of cake last night, since she made me a whole cake. But I’m still staying pretty low on sugar anyways.

That’s a coincidence that Pav & Lav made the same soup!

Wags, sorry you’re having a long week, and hope you get one of the weekend days off. And Pav, you’re due for a good weekend off too.

[Pavati]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi, All:

Checking in on a beautiful Saturday morning. I woke up early and watched one of my guilty pleasure shows that my husband doesn't like. I'm going to help my mom tidy up her office room today and hopefully get rid of some junk along the way. She is stubborn though... I like this type of satisfying work, and I wish someone would come do it for me. It is a lot easier to do it for someone else when I am not emotionally attached to anything.

I hope you all stay warm and dry, or cool and wet. Whatever you need. I know you'll all be sober because we don't drink!

x
Pav

[KENSHO]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi Nest, I'm flying fast this week. I got the two new projects I was talking about, and fly to California tomorrow to help one client. She's my dearest, longest-standing client, so worth the travel. Here's hoping the quick flight is indeed quick! I'll be in touch soon - keeping in mind that balance is the key to it all.

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters,

Keeping up with the soup theme I made another today, haha vegetarian pasta fagioli - yum Kept it low salt & saturated fat free so i’m happy.
Below freezing all day & we’re supposed to have freezing rain & sleet tomorrow, swell.

Wags, hope your weekend is shaping up nicely. Have you noticed in increased day light?

Slo, glad you enjoyed your birthday with your sister & Mom.
I hope the rest of your weekend is good as well!

Pav, if someone came over & organized my workspace it wouldn’t last long. I tend to be a bit of a slob in there but I know where everything is Lol

Kensho, great on the new work, I hope it all goes well for you.

Hello to all & wishing everyone a safe & cozy night in the nest!
Lav

[available]

Re: Newbies Nest

afternoon nesters

Happy belated birthday Slo. I didnt realise you had a twin sister, is she the drinking/not drinking one?

Been a busy week here at work, everything changing more often than not. My 5 registrars are off with covid, the hospital wont have any doctors soon. we have turned one floor into a 300 bed covid ward, not including the other wards we have for covid. covid in winter and now covid in summer. i went shopping this morning and there was hardly anyone about so was a nice shop.

Slo, i cant have one piece of chocolate. if i have one i have to have the block, like cake so i have decided not to eat any for the time being. trying to lose the weight i have gained since i have been immobile. still trying to walk 30 minutes a day with the boys.

Wags, glad your fur baby is doing well and your feeling better in yourself.

Lav, thats a lot of snow, seems surreal to me. we are having a lot of humidity atm and we dont normally get that.

Had my booster the other day and felt like i had been hit by a bus, ended up having to take some migraine meds but still have a lingering headache.

Hope you have safe travels Kensho.

take care xx

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

Slo - Happy Birthday!!! It sounds like you had a really nice day.

Ava - sorry to hear your covid numbers are so high. They are here too. Hospitals are crazy busy. Stay safe and healthy!

Kensho - congrats on the new work. Keep that balance in mind, and have safe travels.

Lav and Pav - good to see you both and hope you're having good weekends.


Hellos and waves everyone, and happy sober weekends to all!

[Slo]

Re: Newbies Nest

Happy Sunday -the Day of Rest!

I agree it is much easier to sort through someone else’s stuff, with no emotional attachments, Pav! I avoid my own decluttering because of the emotional attachments. It is satisfyiny work, and can be fun to work together; if your mother doesn’t get too stubborn.

Work sounds incredibly chaotic at the hospital right now, Ava! Just so you don’t succumb to Covid too. Pregnant daughter is trying to get over it now, but still has lingering bronchitis-like stuff going on. Little brother is in the throes of it now.

We had HB’s sister over for a roast beef dinner last night. HB would never play games, other than his one card game; but now that his sister needs helps and needs brain stimulation for her dementia, we were able to play my new Scrabble game last night! That was fun. And also watched a Betty White documentary on Netflix. No alcohol was involved, since she just wanted milk with dinner.
No alcohol was involved at dinner at mom’s house last night either, which made for an easier evening for me. Usually her partner wants his wine flowing, but since twin sister’s alcohol dependency problem is well-known (yep -we’re twins all the way, Ava!), and mother seems to have finally cottoned on to the fact that I am AF; then none was served.

I guess I am trying to find balance with sugar, if possible. Hopefully I don’t go back down the slippery slope into dependency with it again.

Kensho is right: balance is what we need! -and especially for an AF life.

Well if the surf is up here, then the waves are going to freeze over; because we’re heading into a deep freeze here.
Take care, everyone!

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Sunday evening greetings Nesters,

We really lucked out & didn’t get any of the freezing rain this morning. It’s been just plain old rain most of the day & it’s melting all the snow. It’s just above freezing for now so that’s good.

Ava, the hospitals are crammed with Covid patients here too. There’s a big increase in pediatric cases (under age 5) so they’re not vaccinated, sad. My goal is to stay out of any hospital right now so I’m paying attention to everything I can control. I can’t get out walking right now but I am hopping on my stationary bike a time or two every day.

Wags, hope your weekend has been restful!

Slo, that’s nice of you to host your SIL for dinner. Is she still living independently at this point? I know how hard it is to manage someone with dementia & keep them safe.
Alcohol free gatherings for anyone our age should be the norm. We all know what drinking even a little AL can do to us. Have you tried L-glutamine to break the sugar habit? It helped me a lot when I stopped drinking & developed an M&M habit (or anything sweet really).

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

Lav

[Pavati]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi, All:

Happy Birthday, Slo. No alcohol at a family party would NEVER happen in Pav world. A big bunch of drinkers on both sides of our family. But so far, thankfully, I can't see anyone else with a problem. If it is anyone, it is my kid, but time will tell. So far he's ok. My sister's kids are younger and have had a lot of negative situations in their lives, so they are candidates, too. It is so much easier just to lay off the stuff.

Kensho - brave of you to travel now. I hope you stay safe and COVID free. Where are you going in CA?

Lav, soup sounds good. My husband made a big batch of chili - which is delicious but definitely NOT low salt, vegetarian, or saturated-fat free!

Ava, that is crazy! I live in a county that is very good with vaccines and COVID is still soaring. Thankfully, I don't know anyone who has been hospitalized.

Happy SOBER Sunday!
Pav

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

Week 2 of 2022 here we come! Sounds like everyone in the nest is mostly doing well, even with some challenges.

I'm hanging in there. My aunt is still in the hospital on oxygen but the nurses and docs say she's stable.

My slow time of year for work is coming to an end. I've gotten several new student inquiries this past week or so, and am selectively filling up my slots. I'm giving myself the gift of being extra-picky about who I agree to work with. When you're self-employed in this way, it's one of the few real perks.


Slo - I'm glad you mentioned the Betty White documentary on Netflix - I'll have to track that down.

Ava - my aunt is in the hospital with covid in Los Angeles and she said they're giving her excellent care but they are stretched *very* thin. I can't even imagine how exhausted workers must be in hospitals, schools, grocery stores, etc. I hope that the end is in sight for all of you and all of us.



Hellos and waves everyone. Happy Mondays!

[NoSugar]

Re: Newbies Nest

I'm sorry to hear about your aunt, Wags, and hope she is able to return home soon. At this point I know several people with Covid but fortunately they have not been hospitalized. Thanks for asking about our dog - she generally is ok but I think a stitch must have popped because one little section does not seem to be healing correctly. I sent a photo to the vet so we'll see what she says. Our main problem is that she has energy to burn and we can't let her burn it. We've heard A LOT of moaning! They gave us doggy downers to keep her quiet but it was so awful to see her doped up on the day of the surgery, we haven't used them. Maybe we should have.

Good luck on your trip, Kensho. We are supposed to go to CA in late February. I'm really hoping Covid has calmed down by then.

NoSugar life is kind of boring right now. It is extremely cold, I still can't walk far, we don't feel comfortable being out in public more than necessary, and we can't see our covid-stricken family. So, I spent the weekend watching killer TV. It is entertaining at the time but really, a pretty big waste of time. Hopefully I'll get out of my funk this week and do some fun, or at least productive, activities.

Happy Birthday, Slo! I planned and failed to quit drinking on so many birthdays, at some point they just felt like cruel reminders of the mess I was in. Now I'm grateful to be alive when they come along (but still shocked at how many I've had!).

[Slo]

Re: Newbies Nest

Greetings from the frozen tundra:

FYI, the Betty White documentary is only on Netflix until January 11th here, Wags.
I like how you are now using the perk of being self-employed to your advantage! It sounds necessary, given the deep fatigue you have from the last few years.

I finally got off sugar a couple months ago, Lav. I am now adding a bit back in. I did use l-glutamine for getting off alcohol, and it was very helpful.

HB’s sister is still living independently, but with caregivers coming in each day, and her siblings carefully spending lots of time with her. She is 65 years old.

A birthday party or holiday celebration would never ever be alcohol-free in SLO’s world either, Pav! That’s why this little dinner of 4 people, followed by the little dinner the next night of 3 people, was a notable, refreshing change! In fact I lost one of my many nascent quits on my 50th birthday when a larger surprise family birthday party was held for us. It was fun though to pound the beers that shut up my thinking mind, and get to just laugh & go with the flow. And that’s the reason I lost so many quits.
You are wise to realize that it’s the people who have trauma in their background who will be the most vulnerable to alcohol addiction.

I will be speaking to a financial advisor about divorce today. Time to get my head in the game and face reality.

Wishing you all good weeks!

[Byrdlady]

Re: Newbies Nest

Happy belated birthday, Slo. I’m glad you had some recognition and a little socializing! That’s chicken soup for the soul, as they say.

Covid is rampant here, too, only nobody seems to be concerned at all! In our county, we have a 34% positivity rate. Having been at home forever, I decided to run to Dollar General on Friday, I needed a can of cream of chicken soup. I was the only one wearing a mask. Then, I heard someone coughing like crazy in the next aisle, so I got the heck out of there. What is wrong with people? My own hubs’ brother was diagnosed and continued with his errands afterwards! No mask! I must say, I am extremely disappointed in my fellow man (or person). It’s almost as if the more information we have, the dumber we get.
Still making chocolates here. I ordered some colored cocoa butter (red) and gave it a try yustaday. When it came time to clean up, it looked like an ax murder had occurred and I did it! Yikes, that pigment really hung in there, too, my fingers are still pink! It was fun to try something new. I really need to unload, I mean, share, the chocolates in my freezer. It’s full and I can’t make more until I rotate some out. My poor neighbors, they are practically running the other way when they see me. Everyone’s on a diet!
All good here, otherwise. Hope everyone has a happy day! Hugs to all, Byrdie

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Greetings Nesters,

Currently 26 degrees, heading down to 16 overnight, Brrrr!! Hope my chickens don’t freeze their feet off.

Byrdie, glad to see you
If only these Covid/vaccine deniers knew how painful it is to be intubated & on a ventilator they’d be getting their shots. I’ve had the experience of being on a ventilator for a few days 20 years ago & I can tell you it hurts, a lot, not to mention the damage to your vocal chords. I guess ignorance is bliss in their delusional world.

Slo, I hope your meeting went well today & you get things set up for your future. What a shame about your SIL, dementia at 65 or any age is rough.

NS, I hope your pup recovers quickly. Her incision will probably be OK. I’ve had dogs do the same thing.
Hope you can get back to your normal routine soon or at least before you go completely nuts :hug:

Wags, glad to hear your aunt is stable. Lots of patients are being sent home on O2 so don’t be surprised if they do that. People are generally better off on Home Care where they can rest comfortably. There’s nothing comfortable about being in the hospital.

Hello to all & wishing a safe night in the nest for everyone.

Lav

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

Byrdie - great to see you! Sorry to hear about the high covid rates though. I'm glad you're keeping yourself safe, although I'm sure sometimes it feels like it's you against the world.

Lav - sending my aunt home on O2 is the plan. I believe it has already been delivered to her home, now it's just a matter of the docs feeling like she's strong enough. I think I mentioned she's also in chemo treatment for multiple myeloma and that makes her much higher risk, so I think the hospital folks are being extra cautious. We're still getting updates every day that she's stable or getting slightly better so things keep moving in the right direction.

Slo - good job on quitting the sugar. I'm so glad you mentioned l-glutamine! I have been struggling with sugar intake lately (trying to find comfort in food mostly) and my sugar intake has increased a lot. I've used glutamine before but had forgotten about it so I'm gonna get on that right away. Thanks also for the heads up about the Betty White doc. I'll make time for it tomorrow.

NS - sorry to hear about your pup's set-back. Can you do a smaller dose of the downers? Or have you tried CBD? If not, be sure to do some research but we've had great luck with it taking the edge off for our energetic and sometimes anxious pupper. Sending you healing energy so you can start walking more.


I got a fantastic new student today! I'm so excited. I've gotten several inquiries from potential newbies over the past week or so, but this one was the first that really excites me about our work together. I've been chatting with the universe about who to please send me and I think this was one answer. Now if I can just get 3-5 more similar students I'll have a decent workload without being crazy. Everyone please visualize eager motivated personable curious students heading Wags' way!