I talk to the trees
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Posts posted by I talk to the trees
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I’m not sure if a place like that exists, but it sounds like you just drew up the perfect setting for a cozy mystery! You even have the perfect protagonist (spunky, sage homeschool mom) and her massage therapist sidekick!
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I am so very sorry for your loss! She was a beautiful girl, and I am sure she knew how much she was loved!
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2 hours ago, Dmmetler said:
Usually, I’m adapting in the other direction, but yes, standard flutes will be the same. Do check if you’re getting a student flute to make sure it hasn’t been adapted for smaller hands. Most companies have at least one model that is, often at the less expensive end, especially if you have a Suzuki flute studio in your area.
For an adult with larger hands and who will care for it, you may want to go ahead and start with an intermediate level open hole flute with silver plating vs nickel, and he’ll be able to handle the weight. Most good music stores will rent intermediate instruments as well as beginner ones.
This is a nice, reasonably priced one. https://www.wwbw.com/Pearl-Flutes-525-Series-Intermediate-Flute-466905.wwbw#productDetail
*nods head rapidly in agreement*
Pearl flutes are very well made, even in their beginner/intermediate models. The action is very responsive and so are the headjoints. A good headjoint will make a world of difference to a beginner flutist, because it requires much less effort to produce sound in the right octave, so you can concentrate more on those fiddly fingerings!
Sighing, and kinda wishing I had never sold my Pearl...
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I hope things are better and brighter today! 🤗
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I use baking soda and peroxide toothpaste and an old toothbrush. It’s not perfect, but close enough, and the fumes don’t bother my asthma.
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I am so sad to hear this! I will be thinking of her family!
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3 hours ago, mommyoffive said:
For me precautions make me feel less stress.
Me too. At least if one of us (or all of us) get sick, I won’t feel the need to beat myself up with “If only I had just…” !
Honestly, masking, distancing, and hand washing/sanitizer have become completely routine for us.
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Spencer, you're rocking that Mozart, kiddo! The technical bits sound very solid! (*ahem!* Gentle reminder not to rush the “easy” bits.) Now relax and have some fun with the piece! Imagine you're flipping out your tuxedo tails when you sit down to play. Now play it the way you would sing it, with a bit of drama, and you'll have the audience in the palm of your hand. You've got this!
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1 hour ago, Corraleno said:
It's worse than invisible — anti-vaxxers are already pushing the narrative that the spike in excess deaths in Europe, which exceed deaths officially attributed to covid, are not post-acute complications of covid, but rather proof that vaccines are killing hundreds of thousands of people and the government is covering it up.
Chatted with a nurse yesterday when dd went in for a tdap booster. She said that the local docs are seeing more and more unvaccinated (routine vaccines, not just Covid) little ones. She sighed a very weary sigh and said that people seem to think that polio and measles are nothing to be concerned about. 🥺 I didn’t want to cause a stink, so I cautiously asked, “Politics?” And she gave a quiet little nod. I feel so bad for HCWs. They just can’t win!
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Gentle hugs and quick-healing vibes coming your way!
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We have found Happy Masks to be the most comfortable and have the best fit of the reusable masks we have tried. They do have a toddler size available, and the prints are charming!
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1 hour ago, Corraleno said:
I think the CDC has just totally given up on trying to prevent spread, which basically throws the elderly, vulnerable, and immuno-compromised people under the bus, and they are pretending that long covid does not exist and does not have very real long-term costs, both for individuals and for the population (and economy) as a whole.
I understand that public health folks need to find some balance between what is scientifically accurate and what people will actually listen to and comply with, but you don't find that balance by just splitting the difference between "prudent recommendations based on scientific fact" and "idiots who refuse to do anything at all," because you just end up with half-assed measures that don't provide any real protection to those who truly need — or even just want — to protect themselves and/or vulnerable loved ones.
Reducing quarantine for sick people to 5 days while knowing full well that many people are infectious well beyond that, AND knowing that many employers will use the 5 day "guideline" to force infectious people back to work, AND knowing that a huge percentage of the population will not mask when they are forced to return to work while actively shedding virus, makes these "guidelines" worse than useless. Either tell people to do whatever the hell they want and let it rip, or tell people the truth so those who want to protect themselves can.
This. It absolutely makes my skin crawl to hear people say “There have only been X number of deaths.” Those onlies are not just some random number on a list of statistics. They are- or were- someone's husbands, wives, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers and friends. They are real, and there are real people out there going through real heartbreak and loss because someone shrugged their shoulders and said “Well, since our ICUs aren’t at the absolute breaking point right now, I don’t see the need to wear a mask in public. After all we have only had a few dozen deaths in my city.”
Remember complaining to our parents that “Everyone's doing <fill in the blank with something unwise but popular> “ and our parents would respond with “Would you jump off a cliff because everybody was doing it? Hmmm?” I see that with the anti-maskers. Doing things that they know are unwise because of (let's be honest here) peer pressure. This sort of behavior does not bode well for other emerging viruses.
And honestly, I’m just venting. I know that I’m powerless to change any minds. The only thing to do is keep chugging forward and doing what I can to protect myself and my family. It’s frustrating, but that's life.
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22 minutes ago, Frances said:
I’m so sorry, this all sounds terrible. We lived with the constant beeping from 7 am - 5 pm for two years during a major construction project across from our house. It got to the point that I was hearing it in my mind even when away from home. When a large construction project was later announced down the street, our neighborhood group got involved and convinced the construction company to minimize backing up, so as to reduce the constant beeping. It made a huge difference. Maybe your neighbors can band together and try something similar?
I would add that I agree with documenting everything. We inherited an unknown issue when we first moved into our house due to previous city sewer work. Fortunately, we lived next door to a very well connected and well respected long time resident. As he was also affected, he led the charge with the city and not only did everything get fixed for free, but we got lots of additional, unrelated work done for free and got to choose the contractors ourselves.
I was going to respond to your post with the sad face, but I like the way it turned out fine in the end for you, so 😞and 🙂.
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What type of attorney would one contact? Do real estate lawyers deal with homeowner/city conflicts? I hope it does not come to that, but I want to be prepared and know exactly what the city is and is not permitted to do in this sort of situation.
(Sorry. bringing this back out of nowhere. But the situation has not improved, and it is unlikely to do so spontaneously.)
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11 hours ago, mommyoffive said:
This is so depressing. According to the Johns Hopkins data, my state alone has suffered reported covid deaths equivalent to seven 9/11 incidents. That’s in one state out of 50! I want to be sad or outraged, but I’m emotionally drained. It’s like we, as a country, have collectively decided to shoot ourselves in both feet!
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8 hours ago, BeachGal said:
We haven't been masking much lately, either. One son went to Paris and southern France and only masked on the plane. Another went on a cruise and then ran an overnight ultramarathon afterward. My husband and I have travelled a lot and have been eating and shopping in enclosed restaurants and stores. We all live in different multi unit apartments and condos in cities where we share elevators, laundry, etc. with other people. None of us are getting sick or testing positive (cruise requires negative test).
We do use Xlear nasal spray and take a few supplements that I think might be helpful.
We all have had two doses of vaccine, Pfizer, and had omicron infection (most likely) in late winter and spring.
If you are worried and prefer to mask but would like more protection, you could try adding a layer of material soaked in salt that has been allowed to dry. Salt is able to physically destruct viruses which could reduce viral load. There are how-to directions on the internet.
Ultimately, Fauci’s advice about masking led to a lot of this confusion. If you go back and read the transcripts or watch his videos, you can see that his message wasn’t consistent.
That poor man was trapped between the devil and the deep blue sea! He had to walk such a fine line between reaching and helping as many people as he could, and losing his job for speaking truthfully. Remember what happened with toilet paper for crying out loud? Can you imagine what would have happened if he had dared to suggest that n95s were the best option? The limited supply of n95s that (rightly, imo) went to our nation's HCWs would have wound up sitting in Billy Bob's basement, to either be the object of price-gouging on the Amazon marketplace, or to rot away and never be used.
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Hugs to you, OP! I know it’s rough. Dh is on an immunosuppressant, dd has a grab-bag full of autoimmune issues, and I have asthma, so we have been super cautious from the start of this thing. (Dh’s parents are pretty much COVID deniers, and dh himself was very reckless at the beginning, but I think having a Crohn’s diagnosis and being put on an immunosuppressant, along with losing a couple of cousins, cured him of that line of thinking.) We are still masking with n95s whenever we are indoors (except at home), but not outdoors unless there is a large group, or there is no room to distance. We have been on the receiving end of some pretty hostile glares, but I have also noticed that when I do see others who are still masking, there is a genuine gratitude in their eyes. I always smile back under my mask and hope I project the same to them.
To anyone out there who is still masking, either out of necessity or out of thoughtfulness, please accept my sincere thanks! It really does mean a lot when I encounter a fellow masker, so know that you could really be making someone’s day not by smiling at them, but by covering that smile!
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15 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:
I’d absolutely get media involved. If they’re not interested, contact journalism students. If they don’t bite, document it all yourself and upload to YouTube. That’s bull$h!t
And this is why I love the hive! I am sitting here thinking “Nah, the local stations don’t give a rip.” But ya know, a young journalism student just might. Good idea! I started taking photos today, beginning with our foundation, and the blocking of the driveway.
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52 minutes ago, MEmama said:
I’m so sorry—that sounds awful 😞
I wish there was anything I could do from here, other than virtually sending you lots and lots of hugs, some delicious Indian rum to settle the nerves, and some unkind words to the shady developer.
I hope you can at least leave your house tomorrow and take the dogs to the park— their poor nerves must be rattled too 😞
Aww, thanks! Rum and hugs sound pretty good right now!
I think the dogs and I are probably in a feedback loop. They jump or bark or go hide in the bedroom with the noises, then I get upset because something is upsetting them, then they get more upset because I’m upset, then…🤪The old girl is stone deaf, though, so at least she’s happy.
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58 minutes ago, Catwoman said:
I'm so sorry you're stuck in the middle of that nightmare!!! Do you know how much longer they will be right near your house?
Sending lots of hugs!
Edited to add -- If you think there's anything toxic that you or your pets could be exposed to, is there a TV news station near you with one of those consumer advocates on staff, who might want to feature this mess on their station? Sometimes a little media exposure can go a long way toward getting things done safely and properly.
It’s a 1/4 mile hill that has to be lowered, and there are only 8-10 houses affected, 4 on each side of the street, which basically means that we are all affected for the duration of the project to some degree. They’re not actually digging up my yard yet, but I’m guessing they will be by next week.
I’m guessing that the city really doesn’t give a hoot about the complaints to the media made by such a small number of people, and at least 3 of the houses involved are rentals, so not sure the landlords care about their tenants’ inconvenience.-
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The shortest version available of a very long story: Filthy rich developer (in a very shady, back room, good ol’ boys deal which was against the wishes of just about the entire city) bought last remaining large tract of land in my city (less than 1/2 mile from my house) with plans to build tacky McMansions. Intersection of streets near me deemed unsuitable for increased traffic by DOT, who insisted that the road be lowered by several feet, which will also mean the lowering of all utility pipes/lines. Those of us in the project zone were told that it would be a 3 week project, beginning and ending in March of this year, and that we would only lose water/ sewer for a total of 1-2 hours, ONCE. I was told this repeatedly by the city engineer in charge of the project. I’m sure it will come as no surprise to hear that we were lied to.
The construction didn’t begin until the fifth of July, and is now looking like it will be late October at the earliest before it is complete. Water has already been shut off twice and there are plans to shut it off again tomorrow for at least 3 hours. In addition, we have been unable to get into or out of our driveway (or yard even, for most of today) because the construction vehicles completely block access. Good luck getting an emergency vehicle in here if we needed it- which I hope we don’t!
Some runoff has been gushing down our driveway and into the top portion of our backyard for days, and while I am trying my best, because of the way our back porch is built, there is no way to completely block my dogs out of the area. I’m terrified they will get into something toxic and die. I have thought of trying to sandbag the driveway, but don’t know how well that would work. Ideas for keeping the runoff out of the dogs’ yard are welcome, if anyone has them!
My anxiety is through the roof, and the constant beeping and loud construction noise is inescapable. Because of the fumes and the debris in the air, we are unable to be in our own backyard any more. I feel like my insides are shaking and I am going to vomit all the time, and there is no relief in sight. No, with three dogs, there is nowhere else we could go, even if we could afford it.
If you have read all this garbage, thank you, and if you could just agree with me and send me some calm vibes and some healthy, not-getting-into-nasty-construction-chemicals vibes to my pups, that would be great!
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What an interesting and fun thread!
Username: I talk to the the trees
Pronounced: Throatwobbler Mangrove
Origin: One of the first musicals I played in the pit for was Paint Your Wagon, and this was one of my favorite songs from the musical. It also happens to be the title of one of my favorite episodes of The Good Life (1970's brit-com - I even have several plants named Douglas.) And it made a heck of a lot more sense when my avatar was Treebeard.
Likes: Dogs, walking (with dogs whenever possible), plants, 80's music, brit-coms, cozy mysteries, and puns.
Dislikes: People who are mean to animals, people who lie, the rather depressing state of the world right now, and beets.
Frequents threads about: Animals, organizing, podcasts, funny things, and the rather depressing state of the world right now. 🤦🏼♀️
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I have no real words to help, but know that I (and I am certain, many others here) am sending gentle hugs from one mama heart to another!
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52 minutes ago, wintermom said:
I've done this far too many times to remember. 😅
TRUTH!😂
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Almost 3 years in to Covid I ought to know but don’t
in The Chat Board
Posted
Poor thing! Asthma plus anxiety is a horrible combination! One seems to feed the other! I agree with others who say he should be seen. I know that means more stress, but high fevers and low O2 are nothing to mess around with. If he goes to an urgent care/ER, they should be able to give him a nebulizer treatment and order him a nebulizer and meds for home use, which will mean *less* stress down the road because he will be able to just keep some vials of albuterol on hand and not have to go somewhere for a treatment.
Can you keep him on the phone long enough for him to do the swab part of a Covid test, then let him doze and call him back when it’s time to check the strip?
Hugs to you! It must be extremely stressful for you trying to help him navigate health care from across an ocean!