Honey, Troll Earrings are MILD compared to the stuff they have to endure year round. Like my Volkswagen bus, and my groovy hair. ROFL! No, seriously, dd2 wore the earrings to school today, but they were in her pocket by the time she came home. She said it was because they were too heavy. Shuuurrrre! Dd1 would probably rather have a big nose zit than wear them! :lol:

Not hardly. Naugahyde was/is faux leather, not the real exotic deal. But, it was very popular and commonly found on furniture back in the day.

No one remembers The Nauga from whence all Naugahyde cometh!?

You poor woman!!! Yes to the puke bowl. I had one as a child. It was red. Ew. I have one as a parent. It is white. Ew. But, it has saved me from having to wash many MANY a sheet. I have an idea, though. I think you need to get the kids to clean it up. OK, that's too harsh. Maybe just have them use the same bath towels or something? That way, they're exposed now, and the virus can run its curse (intentional typo) before Thursday. Ya' think? It might be better than all of you being sick again on Christmas day. 'Course, if you've got extra cinn. rolls going to waste, I could give you my address. I'm just sayin'... ;););) I really hope this thing runs itself out soon. Hugs, woman.

I can see how you'd want to know right where to find your pen and paper, your dog brush, certainly, and your floss. But, I'm wondering (really!) how it is that Mr. Troll made it into that box and what purpose, exactly, that he serves for you. You do not need to answer that. I'm just....musing. ;)

If we're rolling the credits, then we really have to include Amy Loves Bud whose post about instant hot water for tea seemed to give us all the metaphor we needed. Nicole took it from there. The rest is...herstory! In all sincerity, there was a lot of giggling and blushing going on in this thread away back when, but I really think (hope) a few of us learned a thing or three. I know I did!

Have you had your tea? May I come out now? Really, I think we can work something out. Steady, girl, steady. ;)

...have not truly lived (heh).

I was sure I'd find you some day! :D:D

Yep, that's me. Just comin' round to stir the pot. Wait, wha??? Pot? Did someone say POT? Oh...that was beansprouts. Who did not inhale. As far as she remembers.

Does this bring back memories? :D This is one of a pair of earrings I haul out every Christmas. People pretty much know I'm a kook when I show up somewhere in these!

I was wondering, though, about your special litter box. I don't really mind the shavings, but I guess, if you had the type that sifts, you just have to continually add more pellets to keep the overall quantity where it needs to be. Is that right?

What a hoot to pop in here and find this thread resurrected. :tongue_smilie: I'm here sometimes, Cindy. Just not so much as I used to be, you know? Too busy with my new toy. (sorry, I couldn't resist that one)

We switched from an unscented, clay, clumping type litter (Was it Tidy Cat?...I think so.) to pine pellets, and I am loving the pellets. We were able to get both cats to transition by mixing half and half for the first month. Boy, was that a messy month! But, now they're using the pellets just fine. Here's what I love about them: They are biodegradable and not mined. I don't have to use a plastic bag everytime we empty the box (1x/day). I can dump the spent sawdust in my flower beds. It doesn't track as badly as the granular litter. It controls superbly except the last day or so before we dump the whole box (I'm getting 2 weeks out of each filling) and start again. I bought a 40lb. bag at our local feed store (it's sold as horse bedding) for only about $7. That will last me for five fillings, or 2.5 months. Not bad! Oh, and they are lightweight, so no having to dump out a ton of heavy clay stuff when we do start again. Finally, it's better for my cats. What I don't love: The pellets are too large to scoop properly with a regular litter scoop. I'm going to have to break down and purchase the one specially designed for this type of litter. That's it.

...was marked by paranoia and exacerbated by depression (we believe). He grew very suspicious of my mother's phone conversations, afraid she was talking about him (which, honestly, she often was, because her situation was so frustrating she needed to vent). But, his fears were not limited to the phone. I'd suggest that he just wants to feel useful. Long before the dementia became profound enough to create paranoia (that was later in the game), he would often seem sad because he'd convinced himself that he had little or less value to the family. He enjoyed opportunities to be helpful, even if it was as simple as answering a question. HTH,

I can function fairly well on 6 hours. I can get by on 5, or 4, but not for more than a few nights in a row. I don't exactly crash; it just takes me a little longer to rally in the mornings and I'm more likely to feel sleepy around mid-afternoon. A week's average for me is probably around 7.5 hours. I think I feel best when I get 8.5 to 9. I have often mused about having the opportunity to sleep, awaken, and eat whenever the "needs" arose. I've wondered what pattern my body would establish, naturally.

Bwaaahhaa! She is a piece of work isn't she?!? :tongue_smilie: Your future dil's (forgive the killing of the kitten there) would love to have "those girl books". Email me if you're not just joshing.

Phew, I bet that is hard. Colleen -- I get so edgy when the wind blows like that for days on end. It's like I'm physically tired when it finally subsides. But, we don't have anywhere near the low temperatures that you get. I suppose one never really "gets used to" the winters in the PNW. I do know how you feel about the lack of presents. I nearly had a dairy cow (sorry, couldn't resist!) today when I absorbed the fact that Christmas is only 9 days away...and dd11's birthday falls immediately thereafter. I'm never as prepared as I hope to be, given that I do have an ENTIRE YEAR to prepare. Yeesh! Sending good thoughts to you and all those enduring the cold.

I shure as schmoo hope she spells FICUS correctly!! :lol: Don't you mean she had some books to send for Ely? Bless her heart. :001_huh:

Well...yes and no. Not all eggs are contaminated. But, if an egg is contaminated, then refrigeration won't eliminate that fact. Only completely cooking the egg will eliminate the bacteria. I suppose it's all in how you define "bad". I think most people associate "bad" with "stinky rotten" when, actually, "bad" could just mean contaminated, right? From the American Egg Board website:

This isn't Gospel, but it does come with a bunch of years of selling eggs to the public and the various refrigeration truths and myths that I've learned in the process. Truth: The US Dept. of Agriculture requires that all eggs sold to the public be kept refrigerated at or below 43° at all times. The EU does not share this policy (see previous post). Myth: Eggs which are not refrigerated will go bad quickly and should be discarded. Truth: Eggs which have never been washed have a natural coating, called "bloom" which inhibits the ability of unwanted bacteria to enter the porous egg shell, thereby protecting the little embryo inside. Myth: Unwashed eggs are better for you. Truth: Eggs kept unrefrigerated will not necessarily bring you the kiss of death, even if they have been washed before. But, it is assumed (maybe even proven?) that there is a greater likelihood of the occurrence of bacterial contamination in eggs which have been washed, because the natural bloom is no longer present. Myth: A bad egg will smell bad. Truth: A truly rotten egg smells bad. Myth: A bad egg will float in water. Truth: An old egg will often float in water. Truth: An egg can be contaminated with salmonella and look, smell, and taste just fine. Eaten raw or undercooked, these eggs can cause illness (sometimes severe) in humans. Truth: Once an egg has been washed and then refrigerated, it is probably *safer* to make sure it remains refrigerated at all times. As the egg warms up, it will sweat and moisture will accumulate on the shell. When the egg cools down again, air, moisture, and possibly bacteria will potentially be drawn back into the egg. That said, commercial eggs sold in the US have not only been washed, but sanitized before going to market. Therefore, the risk of contamination AFTER SALE is very slight. Truth: A refrigerated egg (washed or not) will lose quality less rapidly than an UNrefrigerated egg. Loss of quality means that the albumen (white) becomes runnier and thinner, and the yolk (yellow) flattens out more noticeably when the egg is opened onto a flat surface. Any already present bacteria will grow more rapidly in an egg kept at room temperature versus one kept at 43°. I hope that's helpful to someone. Not trying to sound like a know it all -- but there is a lot of confusion "out there", and I thought this might clear some of that up. Maybe? Or not. :tongue_smilie:

I've often wondered why the little buggers don't just stay OUT THERE where they are meant to belong, instead of trying to sidle up to us humans. It's like vermin sprawl! Sorry for your rough night. How'z about you, a bottle of rum and a shotgun in the barn for a night of...um...fun?

The reason some eggs float is because the air cell, which is a natural part of any egg, has become so large that it acts like a little flotation device inside the egg. Air cells expand as the egg ages, but it doesn't *necessarily* mean the egg is rotten. It just means it's really old. And, that would not happen after an overnight on the counter. That said, unless I was very sure from whence the eggs had come, I'd probably toss a floater. Just not worth the risk of cracking that puppy open! :D