Eta: I just saw your second comment on sea salt. Totally agree—depends on lighting. I love those colors, too. We painted another dd’s room (her home at college) sea salt. I will say… it was lighter—more subtle than I was expecting. Another similar color I have used in a bedroom is called rainwashed by SW. it’s a slightly deeper silvery blue green. We had Dd3’s bedroom painted that color when we had dd4’s painted gray owl. I chose rainwashed for our master bedroom in a previous house. Still Love it.

Maybe a soft green like Clary Sage from SW. I was going to say light blue, too. 🙂 If you already have a lot of color in your house, would something neutral be an option? My daughter’s room is BM Gray Owl with an accent wall that is a very dark charcoal gray.

Thank you for sharing this. I would have never thought to look for a podcast for that. Now I wonder what else I might be missing. I had never heard of Lectio Divina either. I looked it up, and that sounds like a wonderful practice to me. Contemplative prayer is really helpful to me, but it’s very difficult lately—to quiet my mind. So thank you for sharing.

Last night I took a Trazodone for the first time. (Since my early 30s) Sweet relief. Insomnia definitely ups my anxiety. eta: just reading through this thread is calming. Thank you.

Wow. You must be in really good shape. It doesn’t take much exertion at all for me to hit 120. I know I’m out of shape.

I recently bought a Withings smart scale. It is telling me that I am in healthy range for body fat percentage—barely—at 30%. I am dubious. I feel like it’s probably a tad higher. That chart you shared…it was odd to me that it gave an average range, and then boom—obese. I’m going to look that up. It is probably in the Withings app, too. Even though I think these scales aren’t the most accurate, it’s really helpful for seeing trends. Especially in middle age because ((apparently)) it is more difficult to build back muscle mass the older you get. One of the reasons I got the one I did is because it tells me how much visceral fat I have. Mine is well within the healthy range, so I was relieved. This is about to be a rabbit hole for me, but I’m wondering how much it costs to get a Dexa scan…

That’s nice they did a survey! We paid for that ahead of time before even getting estimates because our yard is a little wonky. I cannot remember at all what it cost. Several thousand—several years ago. It is partially black aluminum (iron look) and part black chain link. All I know is it was worth every penny to be able to let the dogs out! 🙂

Every time.

I did read a lot into it. I have recently caught up on a couple other threads on that topic (gender, misogyny, etc) trying to learn and understand. At the end I feel like I’m from another planet. Just reading the last comment on this thread has me feeling that way. May be time for me to revisit The Benedict Option. apologies for derailing the thread.

I don’t think everyone knows that—that there is a difference. I’ve not seen it here at all. But if my comments get the thread shut down, I have zero regrets. I will no longer comment on this thread. No worries. we get personal on the boards here quite a lot without getting shut down by mods. I have experienced that at my expense at the beginning of the pandemic. So it seems that it’s okay if one’s comment “gets personal “ as long as it fits the politically correct narrative.

I think this is debatable but for another thread. We need men who are capable of fighting for human rights. In COMBAT. That is exactly what is being played out here right in front of us. And you’re going to demonize “men” for doing just that—-facing the horrors of war? You think men—good men—do this for s;:&$ and giggles? Editing out details for privacy—-And he will LAY DOWN HIS LIFE as an infantryman in the US Army for the freedoms that you and I take for granted. And you would demonize his “masculinity” …his ability to do “violence”. —editing out details for privacy—You think he was toxic for flying dive bombers? You think his “leadership” was toxic for orchestrating a war against evil? To snuff out the genocide of the Jews? Who else was going to step up???? Whereas my passive ass father never went to war and let my toxic abusive mother try to destroy me. We need these good men. Good men who are capable of doing HARD things. Stop blaming men. STOP. Put the blame squarely where it belongs…which is the evil in a human heart. None of us is immune, and it is evil that pits us against one another. Not gender. Not nationality. Not religion.

you haven't met my mother.

paywalled. 😞

The problem isn't "men" in leadership. The problem is a vacuum of good "people" --both men and women-- in leadership. Also, the problem that lead to this thread is rooted in evil. Evil is not limited to one/a gender. But that is better for another thread.

Is that seriously what that hack was about? I got the email. 😕

@TravelingChris @YaelAldrich my older DDs are big history buffs and have been doing a deep dive into the history of Israel and the mid east. One of them discovered a young woman named Debbie Lechtman. @rootsmetals on Instagram. She is unique in all of the garbage I have been wading through in the media (not social media—ALL media) in that she lists extensive footnotes/references on her articles (including primary sources). Then provides link to her website for an even longer bibliography. My youngest has been asking a lot of questions revealing my own embarrassing gaps in knowledge of history. I have been using Lechtman’s material to try to fill in some of those gaps because it is well organized and accessible. Are y’all familiar with her? Same dd(17) also happens to be taking a course this year on "wars and revolutions". One of the books the teacher is using as a spine is Why Nations Go to War. (John G. Stoessinger) We aren't far enough into the book yet, but it will get into the Israeli Palestinian conflict in depth. Interestingly, all on her own, she just started reading Ordinary Men-- Christopher Browning. To answer the OP, I am not concerned for myself. I am slightly more concerned for dd and son in law in DC. SIL is a Ranger--now Old Guard. He is careful, and I really don't think he is too worried. Like others have said I am much more concerned about acts of violence/aggression in our Jewish communities. Not my own personal safety. My city has been very "quiet" so far today. No news of protests, etc

interesting that our wastewater is trending worse. I am not hearing of people having it like I was in August/September. That is just anecdotal. Maybe it is hitting rural areas harder now.

Thank you! That is more encouragement! I am particularly concerned about wanting to be able to exercise. I was in really good shape until my autoimmune symptoms hit several years ago. The fatigue was debilitating. The plaquenil has helped some with the fatigue, and regular exercise is also recommended for Sjogren’s. I desperately want to be able to exercise again.

That’s encouraging. I have such a small social circle—when 3 of my friends had surgery in a few years time—and I had that fall. I’ve been scared. I know surgery isn’t the end of the world, but I have had more than my fair share of surgeries… That sounds whiny. I know it’s going to be okay. It’s like when you jump off the high dive for the first time…and you think yay I did it…and yet it’s even scarier the next time because you know…

did you have to have an mri?

Thanks, y'all. I think I will go ahead and get it checked out. That ortho practice and PTs have so much of my money already! lol But I am certainly grateful for them. Those PTs can work some magic. I'll be a little embarrassed if I have to go back! Cervical radiculopathy in 2016. Then a broken ankle in 2018.

It’s raining here! Light but steady for a couple of hours and expect to continue for a few more hours. We really need it! adding a pic of 3 baby African violets I grew from seed. I have several more downstairs under lights that are still too small to pot up. This was fun. Can’t wait to see what color blooms the lighter green one has. The edges of its leaves are bleached because I had them under too strong of a light.

That is good to hear. Thank you so much for sharing.

A few years ago I fell and caught myself on my right arm. My shoulder really bothered me for a few days, but then it seemed fine. Then months later I would feel some discomfort with certain movements. Really minor and sporadic. Fast forward to now... Every night in bed when I go to pull my weighted blanket up with my right arm, I have some pain in that shoulder. 😞 Just lifting that arm straight out to my side is uncomfortable. It just seems like it's gradually getting worse. I think I have answered my own question. sigh. I would prefer to be in denial because I have 3 female friends my age who have had shoulder surgery in the past few years. I really don't want that to be me. Anyone been through this and NOT ended up needing surgery?? Maybe I'm just paranoid and need to take Advil for awhile. eta: I'm pretty sure I aggravated whatever this is a a couple of weeks ago doing wall push ups. I have been (((trying))) to be a little more active and do something to not lose muscle mass. These wimpy wall pushups were an exercise I did in PT years ago, so I thought it would be safe. 😞

I am surprised you get tomatoes to set fruit at those temps. That is so interesting! I am really going to protect my tomato plants and see what happens. I should be able to get tomatoes through December here with frost blankets based on your temps. We'll see. I know daylight hours plays a role, too. That may be the deal breaker for me going into fall.