I have a simmer burner too... it's also quite high and I'm often burning my rice in less than 15 min.

Yes, I am. I was actually at an appt. today and this very thing came to mind. There is so many chemicals that we're using. I do worry about how it will affect our health and the environment in the long-term.

I heard an interview with the author this morning on BBC and I think it might be the balm I need. I thought others might be looking for something more uplifting to read too. It is set to be released on June 2nd. I can't find the BBC interview to post here. But, you may have heard story "The Real Lord of the Flies" about 6 boys who were shipwrecked for 15 months back in the 1960s. The story is part of this book. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/may/09/the-real-lord-of-the-flies-what-happened-when-six-boys-were-shipwrecked-for-15-months I've heard so many people say they've lost faith in humankind. That makes me so sad that we only hear awful stories and awful/stupid things people do. Not that we should stick our heads in the sand but social media and the news make it seems to concentrate on the worst stuff. From the Book's Amazon page:

Thanks for this kickstarter thread. I've been researching and trying to figure things out. I find that I am hungry all.the.time. So with that in mind I'm going to start with Keto for about 2-4 weeks. I don't think it's sustainable long-term, so I will move to SB diet after that. It has a lot more wiggle room for long-term weight management. The hunger issues are always a problem for me. I tried WW several years ago and it was not a good fit for me. I've done Atkins in the past and Keto is pretty similar but they encourage more whole foods. I can't tolerate the fake sugars. I have to scrutinize anything pre-made. I may join DietBets to help me stay focused and have a team reminding me to stay on track. Right now it is so much harder to stay focused on anything. So I'm utilizing any method I can find to help me not lose momentum. Plus, I do have a little competitive streak and playing this "game" might be enough to keep me going.

@chiguirre - that is hilarious. It's only 27" high so I immediately think of this...

this is what I do as well.

Could you talk about DietBet a little. I've heard about this before and am interested. I went to the website but the info was very fundamental. Do you get to pick your own diet method - or are there separate pools based on diets? How do you prove you've lost the weight? Is there minimum weight loss challenge?

oh yes, that way. But, there is a way to make the flame less intense. For instance, for my stove the "low" setting is much more like "medium" .. it is not a low flame at all. There is supposed to be a way to adjust that too.

I made some masks for a few family and friends. It was a collaborative effort. I had a sewing machine but no good fabric or elastic. My sister had fabric and my daughter had elastic. They dropped it off with me and I made what I could with what i had. My daughter is a much better sewer than me, but she's busy with 4 kids and full-time job. I won't post any photos - most of them are gone anyway 🙂 I kept 2 here at the house with a little more elastic to make 2-3 more if necessary. Since only one person is going out at a time I think two is fine for now. Other than that I haven't done any crafting since before Christmas. I finally sat at my loom earlier this week. After about 10 mins I realized I was not happy.. just blah. So I walked away. Kind of made me sad, but I think it's a by-product of this season in our lives. Is anyone else having trouble getting their mojo going? But, I got the soap making bug after a 2 yr hiatus (and a need for more soap!! LOL). I made some with a new mold on Sunday and now they're curing.. Oh, and I went back to my loom today. I definitely had to force myself to do it, but this time I'm glad I did it. I felt more at peace doing it and was happy with my progress. Here's two photos from my work.

Thanks for some of these recs. We enjoy lawn games. Also, our daughter is getting married in July. The reception is at a manor with lots of outside space. If the wedding is still able to happen she wants to have lawn games available at the reception.

That is so wonderful. I'm always happy to hear these stories. I still don't feel like i've found "my thing".

I have a gas stove for the first time ever. I really do like it but I find it cooks things faster, especially on the stove-top. There is a way to adjust the flame but I have not figured out how to do this even with Youtube and looking at the online manual. Sigh. I usually add extra water if I'm cooking things like rice on the stove top. I've also had more trouble with oven fires when cooking things like bacon. Otherwise, I'm happy with it. If I had lots of money and time I would prefer a gas stovetop and electric oven.

We have a house on the main road that has a big couch/bench unicorn on their front lawn. I really want to figure out how to get a photo. It is hilarious.

LOL-- maybe it's some kind of hidden tower talking to the stars... 🙂 Please share a photo when you can.

this has me too. I was going to try and lose 15-20lbs before my daughter's July wedding. Instead, I've gained back the 5lbs I lost just before Christmas. It is SO much harder now that I'm in my mid 50s.

now i'm going to have to go check it out! edited to add: Nicely done. You have a lovely, lovely pure voice and looked very good in the green.

I remember hearing about the Hong Kong flu but that is it. I would have been about 4-5 when it hit.

yes, I was talking about a different article but the same subject. Sorry, my bad.

Yes, I was referencing a different article about the same subject. Sorry. It is an interesting snap shot but it is low on data: https://www.aier.org/article/woodstock-occurred-in-the-middle-of-a-pandemic/

The article only mentions that by the 1960s we were much more scientific and they didn't want to be like "the middle ages" when people would quarantine away from diseases. They felt that science was showing the herd immunity was best. Funny how things change. But, read the article. It's been almost a week since I read it, and I may have forgotten a point or two.

I saw the article about Woodstock and asked my dad and aunt. My dad remembers the HongKong flu. I think it informs his way of dealing with this new pandemic - he goes out. And, to his credit - he hasn't gotten sick. My aunt had no memory of it and even checked her diary from that time-frame. She said there was no mention of it. She was 19-20. My dad was probably 32ish. It is an interesting article for sure. I don't know that 24/7 news has helped us. People are so unforgiving and tense. It's really rather sad to see. But, i'll refrain from saying more.

I'll help you out.

What you said makes sense. I suspect we will be able to compare the data for suicides just like we can see the uptick in deaths the first three months of 2020 compared with previous years. Hopefully, we will have that information sooner than 50yrs. But I agree that surgeries and life-extending treatments may be harder to quantify and attribute over to covid. I guess we could compare year to year for any given death-reason (cancer, heart-attack,etc.) and see if there is an unusual rise in 2020. Perhaps that would give us a bit of an idea.

@SquirrellyMama I don't know but I'm sure there is a body of evidence being gathered. I have a friend whose dad has put off testing procedures... whether it means it will be too late is not yet known. She's leaving tomorrow to be with him in another state because his symptoms have progressed and now she's pretty worried 😞 She's one year out from her own cancer dx so she must be very concerned. I heard of a couple of people (friends of friends) who have committed suicide during this. It is awful.