Thanks. This is helpful.

I haven’t talked to the doctor, but I guess I should. Yeah, I think some (or most) of the hydration packets probably don’t have the best ingredients. I like them, but I don’t use them a lot. They are convenient at times. Actually I use 500mg pink salt in lime juice and water just like your doctor recommends. I don’t add any sugar when I do that.

Salt is just all over the place with daily recommended limits, depending what source you read from. I’ve head it said before that salt is poison (kidney doctor), and I’ve heard that we need more salt in our diets than we think and all the salt fear mongering is hype. I recently watched one of Jessica Valant’s YouTube videos where she said that she gets dizzy due to low blood pressure. She did not mention having POTS or anything. I get dizzy too! Getting up from sitting, pulling weeds and repetitively bending/standing. Or if I get hot outside. I tend to notice that I feel lots better if I have a hydration drink, even if I am inside doing nothing. Jessica says she drinks a Liquid IV every single morning because of this. It made me wonder if I have the same problem. My blood pressure is not scary low, but it stays on the pretty low side and I think that can make you feel tired. So, hydration with salt helps, but the salt……how to know how much? Is it really bad? Is it really okay? Homemade recipes and store bought packets vary from 100mg all the way to 1000! LMNT has 1000. It makes me feel so much better. So I go for a happy median of 500mg in 16 to 20 oz water. The rest is plain water. And I add magnesium to my morning smoothie, which also contains banana. I never encountered anyone who says they feel a bit dizzy until they use hydration formulas until Jessica, not including people who have POTS. Oddly, my younger son experiences this, too. He’s been told it’s because he is so tall. 🤨I’m not sure if that makes sense to get so dizzy just because you are tall. His blood pressure runs lower, too. Anyway, if I count the 500mg of salt in my drink, I get roughly 2000 per day or less. I don’t eat canned foods, but I do moderately salt my cooked beans/greens. Sometimes I just eat beans with salt broth instead of a hydration drink. I add lots of liquid to the beans and it makes a tasty warm “soup”. I have no idea if I’m harming my health, but I feel sluggish and sometimes dizzy if I don’t do salty liquid. Does ANYONE else deal with this?

My vote is for tannish linen with a few select pieces that add color, but not too much.

@Eos here is our kitchen casino. We will set this up later for when the boys visit just to make them laugh. We’re not doing cash games or tournament style….just goofing around. Please don’t quote photos!

@Kassiahugs. I wish you didn’t feel that. You are such a great person.

I’m sorry, Scarlett. I hope you something…anything to help. Have you tried an app like Calm or BetterSleep? Meditating? Valerian root, chamomile, and magnesium glycinate before bed? Theanine supplements? Trying to list everything I can think of. How about getting up early, staying really busy, make yourself tired, take the above suggestions at bedtime, and fall into bed exhausted and full of sleepy supplements?

Love that! I don’t think I would figure that out about the balcony…. But I did find a secret bathroom. You have to go upstairs and down a long hall toward the office areas where they used to have cooking classes. There is a bathroom for men and another for women. Beside those is a very large one-toilet bathroom that you can lock. No one is ever in there. I don’t think many people know it’s there. Shhhh. The carrot ginger soup is good. I hope your store has it.

We have speed queen washer and dryer. They say commercial heavy duty on them. It’s a top loader washer. We bought the washer the same year they made changes. We’ve had no trouble. Very reliable and does a good job. I’m not sure what model they are.

😍 Oh my. (I like Food Lion, too). ETA: You know, you should walk there on a cool, fall day and get some carrot ginger soup from the food bar. Sit outside on the balcony, sipping slowly on the soup. You know, so I can live vicariously through you! 😊😊😊

We know little about our ancestry, but we are not natives of the South.

ETA: please don’t quote! So, if anyone remembers the wedding (my niece) I been talking about and was dreading having to attend: The wedding was traditional Catholic with Latin rite. I had never been inside of a Catholic Church before. The wedding went fine. My pretty much estranged dad sat next to me. My mom and gc brother did not go. My mom and dad were at the reception, but my mom only stayed for a few minutes. My ex sister in law would not come to our table (where mom was sitting briefly) because they do not get along. My mom and dad don’t get along, but she wasn’t there long enough to complain to me and make my dinner miserable. My dad (I later found out) said something very very very crass to the groom about the honeymoon night. It was bad. This was his own granddaughter’s wedding. The day was beautiful with perfect weather. My niece had a great wedding. My nephew (the one going to culinary school) kind of stayed off to himself. So, I was able to talk to him and learn of his plans for school. My mom and the bride also have a somewhat strained relationship, but all went well. Later, my mom tried to get information from everyone, including me, about what my dad said or did and what my brother (bride’s father said or did). And did so and so talk to so and so? And about how much money the groom’s family has. She got information from family members she usually trashes, and then tried to relay all that to me, while being negative and trashing some people to me to varying degrees. Then, when she tried to test the waters with me, all I gave her is “Oh, I don’t know.” Or, “I’m not sure. I wasn’t paying attention to that.” Or, “It was fine.” So she lost interest, lol. So, overall, the mental and emotional impact was not bad on me. Not like I thought it would be. And it’s over.

Oh gosh, Eos. You have to post pics! I’ll show you my casino, lol. 😅

You lucky dog

I used to shop at that Earth Fare. It has changed, but I still love it.I stopped going when the traffic through there just got to be too much. It’s the same now with the Trader Joe’s. I can still easily get to the Earth Fare in Fort Mill for some special things. Their good bulk beans selection, for example. Now I have easy access to WF on my side of town (not South Park) and Aldi in my own area. I am REALLY trying to be able to shop without having to go into Walmart and simultaneously not overspend. That proves to be difficult, but I am willing to over pay within limits to avoid that place.