Miralax in Gatorade Glacier Cherry Frost wasn’t bad for prep. Some of my clear liquids included chicken broth and homemade apple juice jello made with grassfed beef gelatin. With a variety of clear liquids on hand and the fun texture of the apple juice gelatin I didn’t feel too deprived.

After college I taught at a school on a Lakota reservation and lived in a cabin with other teachers. There was a beautiful dog we named Virginia who used to hang around campus and was absolutely brilliant and regal. She looked like a yellow lab/shepherd mix. We used to feed her sometimes, and she loved to go on walks with us through the hills. One time when I was hiking with her about a mile from my house really heavy snow started falling, and even though I knew the area like the back of my hand I got lost in whiteout conditions. When Virginia realized I didn't know WTF I was doing she lead me home. A few years later, as she got older a family took her in because she was getting cranky with kids in the playground, and needed not to be around the school. She still roamed free around their house, and one time she came home barking and barking until they followed her outside. She kept barking until they followed her all the way to a roadside ditch where an elder had fallen. When I heard that story, long after I'd moved out of state, it was like a fabulous update on an old college friend I'd lost touch with--someone I always knew would do great things!

Maybe contact your local or regional Council on Aging or Elder Services, tell them what kind of services you'd like to offer and ask if they have a list of providers they share with elders and their families? They may want references or something to include you on their suggested provider list.

It's good we have a legal system to sort this out, because I'm confused about what happened just based on the video and differing accounts. Really do hope everyone receives fair treatment and that the truth comes out.

I really love listening to Lincoln in the Bardo while following along with the text, since there are multiple actors giving voice to different characters. It's a unique audio performance and well worth the purchase, for me. Fun to recognize some celebrity actors' voices. Another fave is Jenny Lewis' Gilgamesh Retold, a feminist translation that is just gorgeous. Looking forward to other recs because I have credits to spend too!

Totally agree on the ferritin. Dd20 was 16 after Covid, and it made a huge difference in her energy levels when she brought it up to 80 through supplementation. Ferritin is one thing that I think doctors don't check enough, especially when hematocrit and hemoglobin are normal. Also what many labs call the "normal" range for ferritin often extends way, way too low. Functional medicine can help identify nutritional deficiencies that may be easily treatable through supplementation. I need to make dinner now but will DM you a functional medicine doc we like too! ETA: Dd was so exhausted she was spending full days on the couch when her ferritin was 16, and the lab that did the test counted that as normal! Different levels affect individuals in different ways, so that doesn't mean someone else would feel exactly the same way, but it was clearly severe deficiency for her.

I think we're not too far from each other, and I'm going to DM you a Psych NP I think is great. Haven't tried anyone else in the practice, but at least a couple others don't get good reviews. I do think it's important to check reviews or get personal recs, because individual practitioners vary so much. She's knowledgeable, respectful, kind and can prescribe meds. I experience her as someone who has a healing presence, and that isn't how I perceive many healthcare providers, tbh. I don't believe she does talk therapy, but you could check. Talk therapy also can be an amazing support through tough times in our lives, but again the practitioner matters so much. We look in-network which makes it $20/session, choose people who have good reviews or some kind of online presence that gives a sense of who they are and how they practice, and have had two duds on the way to finding great therapists for everyone in the family. If it's not the right fit, move on and try someone else. Sometimes it may take 2-3 sessions to be sure. The purpose of those first visits is simply to listen to your heart about whether it's potentially a good fit, since it does take time to establish a therapeutic relationship. I really hear you on the challenges of living with difficult circumstances that continue long term. Taking care of our emotional health can still make a big difference in how we experience our lives, even when--especially when?--some hard things don't change.

Same here--they're essentially an appetizer while we grill, and usually gone before dinner. If there are leftovers, it's the lucky person who snags them the next day as a snack or topping for pretty much anything.

Any cookbook faves?

Were you the one who suggested grilling chickpeas on my thread from last summer? If yes I owe you a huge thank you, because grilled chickpeas are the bomb! No matter what we're making, the first thing on the grill is a basket of chickpeas tossed with a touch of olive oil, salt, smoked paprika and whatever else...Penzey's Turkish seasoning is my current fave. Such a treat!

Hopefully it's a step in the right direction that FDA is holding a meeting on patient-focused drug development for LC tomorrow? Any progress we make understanding and treating Long Covid certainly depends on listening to the folks who have LC, and healthcare providers who are trying to care for them with humility, curiosity and compassion. If you'd like to post a public comment for the meeting tomorrow, here's a link. FDA is interested specifically in hearing patient perspectives on the impact of Long COVID on daily life, patient views on treatment approaches, and decision factors considered when selecting a treatment. https://www.regulations.gov/document/FDA-2023-N-0363-0001 It says comments will be open until June but I'm guessing commenting today or tomorrow may be most effective. Don't worry if you don't have the bandwidth to come up with anything fancy. The number of people who simply show up asking them to move quickly matters too. Because comments are posted publicly, I didn't include identifying info in my comment. In the blocks below where you fill out personal info, I just used the first letter of my last name because they do show that above each comment.

One summer gathering with my extended family my sister yelled across a field to her daughter, "Don't walk in the tick grass!" So we all turned to my niece, and asked what "tick grass" was. All grass, she said, rolling her eyes. Totally agree that rolling down grassy hills most likely means a ton of exposure to ticks, and same for bushwhacking. Climbing trees not so much. Coming from New England with several family members and their dogs who have been pretty debilitated with Lyme, I'd really try to discourage rolling around in grass or underbrush. I know it's hard with adult children or teens, especially adventurous types. But there are lots of adventures to be had with rocks, trails, beaches...

My gosh, I'm so sorry to hear this. Completely agree that our country has a sickness when it comes to guns. It doesn't have to be this way. I'm sensing a shift in news coverage and the way people talk about gun violence and the politics of gun control, and I really hope there comes a tipping point where things dramatically change. In the meantime, how do we stay politically active and aware without losing our ever-loving minds?How do we take care of the people we love and our own hearts as well? May we be safe and protected. May our children be safe and protected. May we live with greater ease.

I know people who are divorced who don’t want to be in the same room together, and I try to make reasonable efforts to respect that. So the funeral I can understand, and would try to respect. But for this one day’s care he won’t be there, and I wouldn’t consult him on that. Even if relatives say to ask your dad, you could say he won’t be there and you’re not going to do that.

I don't want to undermine your efforts so far, but if it's really intolerable and you have time, tapering down might be easier. Like cut back to 75% of what you were drinking, and stay there for several days or even a week before going down to 50%, etc. But if you need to do this quickly or have already made it through the hardest part of the transition, hang in there, It's tough but you've got this!

What I've seen is there can be what seem like significant self-insight or shifts, and they may even last a while, but that particular kinds of stressors can instantly trigger old patterns of blame, scapegoating, triangulation, elevating the self and denigrating and emotionally abusing others. An NPD meltdown recurring after a period that seemed better made me realize the best that can be hoped for is surface or temporary improvement. That's actually a crucial way to limit damage to others, if the relationship is continuing. But it can be incredibly painful and dangerous to see the person as emotionally trustworthy, or the relationship as one that can truly heal. ETA: I think personal insight can't always override the neurological pathways that get triggered, which are primal and deep-seated. It can look like an instant reversion to a child-like tantrum or emotional immaturity, but with the grievances of adulthood and much more sophisticated methods of taking it out on others.

So kind of you! This is a really tough time for kids and teens who are still masking.

Yes, we're masking in public spaces including school and work. Dd16 unmasked this winter for indoor track events, and dh unmasks at work dinners briefly to eat/drink, but mostly wears his mask at the table. I haven't had Covid that I know of. Dd20 had it twice, once before school shutdown in March 2020 (dx Covid toes that April), and once after the mask requirement was lifted at her college last spring, which resulted in Long Covid. Dd16 had it twice too, once when there was an outbreak on her basketball team (despite masking herself), and once after a friend's party where she unmasked only to eat. Dh had it once after going to a pub in Galway unmasked. It took him 2 months to get back to running and he's a dedicated mask wearer now. I'm figuring out how to make our patio an appealing social space for spring/summer/fall. Almost no one else is masking but we're super aware of the potential long term impacts.

i do appreciate it, thank you.

No, Spy Car, don't rain on my salt cellar parade! I find CA Prop 65 warnings really confusing. Is there a place to get more specific info on a product? The cellar is made of painted concrete. I am seeing that concrete dust can contain traces of lead, which could be a problem if you breathe it in. Is it an issue if it's cured and painted? Sigh.

Just had to share our new concrete salt cellar on this thread! Dh and I both love it. The wooden spoon is adorable. I bought it locally but here are pics: https://www.webstaurantstore.com/salt-cellar-cement-spoon/71411713.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=freeclicks&utm_campaign=GoogleShopping&srsltid=AfAwrE6cMH1OoC-xyaTT-T1bvJEC99dxiHzFRCBM63-OiRyrNRwJjglBADs#reviews

I had the same realization a few years ago, and started buying iodized salt for cooking. Hain's I think has an iodized sea salt. There are better quality sea salts, but I buy either that or Morton's to get some iodine. In a salt cellar on the table I have pink Himalayan and Maldon Smoked Sea Salt. Sometimes I use them for cooking too, depending on the dish.

Hell to the yeah, sister!

Wow, I knew nothing about being called for grand jury duty before this thread. Dh has been called for regular jury duty 4 times and dd20 was just called, but I never have. So weird.

Taco Tuesday, @Spy Car! Any additional celebrations in the works for today?