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*Jessica*

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Everything posted by *Jessica*

  1. Americans, maybe all humans, we’re lazy. We don’t want to have to do more work than we have to. As a whole, we don’t want to have to research and dig for the truth when we can just look at our favorite news or social media and press like or share; to spend our precious few hours off of work...well, working on our own education; to challenge ourselves to examine our prejudices; and we certainly don’t want to realize how lacking our educations were when it comes to the most important parts of belonging to a society. We also really don’t like to be made to look stupid. Even so, many of us are never going to do the work it takes to continue to grow and be better people. This board is full of intelligent research-loving individuals, but it’s an anomaly. Most Americans aren’t spending their time the way many boardies do. I don’t know how you change that. Well, I have ideas, but I don’t think they’re realistic in today’s world.
  2. I think we need to listen to what the psychologists, historians, and experts on cults say to do; and probably other experts I’m not thinking of at the moment. I wish we had a tv channel that was all education for citizens surrounding what’s happening with current events, their historical context, etc. Not opinion, just straight news reporting and education. I’m sure if it started under Biden’s presidency Trump Loyalists would call it a socialist propaganda tool and never watch, but I would hope that the majority of Americans would recognize the value. It’ll never happen, though. Unless I become ultra-rich, then I will totally find a way to make it happen!
  3. I usually use white beans in a quick dish I call Beans and Greens. Similar to this recipe, but I usually use Swiss chard.
  4. Did you click the link? Homeschooling is very clearly included. ETA~ I mean, I hope I’m wrong, but that’s certainly how I read it. Bolding and underlining by me.
  5. Ooof! I received notification today of the reintroduction of Assembly Bill A3272, now listed as A1317 regarding an “enforcement mechanism for non-public school educational standards” which includes homeschooling. The changes include this addition: I actually support some oversight of homeschooling, but I am not ok with a law that says this can happen if a written complaint is made that instruction is not “substantially equivalent to the public school district.” Just thought I should bring it to the attention of other NYers.
  6. And my mom’s test was negative! It has to be a false negative. She was exposed to my grandparents who both tested positive, and she lost all sense of taste and smell. She’s never done that with an illness before. It not being COVID seems very unlikely. They told her she no longer had to quarantine. I told her they were wrong, and she’s not allowed to leave the house until her 14 days are up.
  7. Oh, yes, we know! I should have clarified. I was just happy that she felt better so fast since she has kidney disease and I was worried what would happen if she had a severe case!
  8. I wasn’t ready, and then I woke up with a horrid headache so I took ibuprofen and acetaminophen and Claritin and Benadryl and put a warm compress on my sinuses. I promptly fell asleep and woke up at 11:30. My 9yo had cleaned the living room messes up, done her cursive copy work and math, made herself waffles for breakfast, brushed her teeth!, and was watching educational television. Oh, and she answered the phone and FaceTime when my grandma and mom called. I slept through it all. My 15 and 17yo were also up and doing schoolwork! We still haven’t put the Christmas stuff away, but we’re planning to take the ornaments off the tree and redecorate it for the rest of the holidays this year, or at least for Valentines Day and Easter. The twinkly lights are so cheerful and we finally found a place for the tree that keeps it out of the way, so we don’t need it to be taken down. The rest of the holiday decorations will get put away this weekend.
  9. Grammy and Poppy are feeling better, she still can’t get him to eat much, though. They are cleared to leave quarantine in the next day or two, but she said she’s worried her lingering cough will make people nervous so they’re going to stay inside a little longer. I think part of his not eating is depression, so I’m hoping she doesn’t make him stay home too long. He’s quite upset about not being able to walk to the mailboxes in the building for his daily dose of socializing. That’s probably where he caught it, though. My mom still doesn’t even have her test results back but she already feels better, just a tiny bit of a cough and still fatigues easier than usual. She only started symptoms 6 days ago. She either had it really mildly, or it wasn’t COVID at all, though that seems unlikely since she was exposed to my grandparents and they were both positive. She has chronic kidney disease from being born with a deformed and non-functioning kidney, though, and as this is one of the high risk factors for a severe case I was quite worried about her. Fingers crossed my dad, who had a liver transplant 11 years ago, doesn’t catch it!
  10. Cook rice. Cook burgers or ground beef. Rice in bowl, burger on top, cover with whatever burger toppings each individual likes: ketchup, mustard, chopped pickles, shredded cheddar, sautéed mushrooms, sautéed or raw onions, shredded lettuce, and bacon feature most often in our house. DH also sometimes makes a copycat Big Mac or Whopper (not sure which, I don’t eat it) sauce. Bowls like these are really similar to a taco or baked potato bar, so customizable!
  11. Yes, I’m sad, too. Life seems very bleak and joyless.
  12. I thought I should update about my family. Grammy, 86yo started having hot flashes while on a birthday drive to see the Christmas lights on December 20th. The windows were down because they were cautious being in the car with my mom, and all 3 were masked. We live in NY and it was very cold outside. The hot flash caused overheated Grammy to remove her mask, and they also ate together in the car, a mistake that probably infected my mother who started symptoms 10 days later on the 30th. We are waiting on her test results, but she has cough, headache, fatigue, and loss of taste and smell so we’re pretty confident it will be a positive result. Dec 21st, Day 2 - Grammy and Poppy, 90yo, both had diarrhea. Dec 22nd, Day 3 - Poppy started coughing overnight from day 2 to 3. Grammy had headache and started coughing. Insisted it was just a cold. Dec 23rd, Day 4 - Mom took them for COVID tests (they don’t drive any more) and both had rapid tests that came back positive. She gave them her pulse ox monitor. Dec 24th, Day 5 - Fatigue sets in. Poppy not eating, and not drinking much. O2 levels for Grammy are ok, but Poppy’s are in the low 90s. I start trying to talk them into the ER for him. Dec 25th, Day 6 - Poppy’s O2 readings dipping in high 80s when he’s ambulatory. Mom and I insist on an ambulance. She calls 911 who check both Grammy and Poppy and decide he needs the ER but she is ok. She finally gets some rest while the ER checks him out. He’s there 11 hours and after fluids and tests they determine that he’s ok to release, but dementia has him thinking he was there 3 days. The ER is so busy that nobody can find him a blanket, so he’s freezing. When he is returned home via private service he is barefoot in NY winter temps! His slippers were left at the hospital. They at least convince him of the need to eat and drink, so he’s finally hydrating and not seeming as weak. Dec 26th, Day 7 - More coughing, fatigue, headache; the same as every day. Dec 27th, Day 8 - Same Dec 28th, Day 9 - Grammy sounds a bit better to me. Not so tired. We drop off groceries through her window. She probably overdoes things. Dec 29th, Day 10 - Diarrhea again. Fatigue. So much fatigue. Grammy has tightness in chest, but O2 is fine. We worry that she’s getting pneumonia and will need the ER, then what do we do with Poppy who has mild dementia?! Dec 30th, Day 11 - Day 1 of symptoms for Mom who wakes with a sore throat and cough. Not feeling too sick, but knows it’s probably COVID. Grammy not feeling so bad, so maybe no ER needed. Or is she faking so we don’t worry? Dec 31st, Day 12 - Grammy tired but maybe coughing a bit less? Poppy starting to not eat again. Still drinking, though. Mom day 2 has COVID test, but not a rapid test so no results for 3-5 days. Can hardly taste or smell. We decide that if she’s positive at least she can stay with Poppy if Grammy needs to go to the ER. Jan 1st, Day 13 - Grammy feels like maybe she sees the light at the end of the tunnel. Poppy hasn’t had anything to eat when I talk to them at 11, but I talk him into at least eating a Nutty Bar (one of his favorite treats) and Grammy is making chicken noodle soup so fingers crossed he has some of that. Day 3 for Mom, who can’t smell or taste at all now. Pissed at my dad, who expected her to drive to my disabled brother’s house with him to take groceries. She refused, rightly. WTF is he thinking. I may kill my father. So that’s where we’re at in case anyone enjoys long accounts of a stranger’s family account of COVID. 😜
  13. We used to enjoy curried rice pilaf before DH went keto. Also, this wild rice dish. Oh, and mujadarrah! Oh my, now I want that but I have no lentils. We used to do burger bowls, or taco bowls, or fajita bowls, etc by placing whatever toppings we wanted over a bowl of rice. I’m sure you have vegan favorites that would work the same! Roasted veggies over rice, drizzled in some garlic-infused olive oil with some red pepper flakes would be yummy.
  14. We also celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. The best thing that happened for us in 2020, though, was that our child came out to us as transgender. After years of struggling with anxiety and depression and hiding her true self she is so much happier, and it is wonderful to see our beautiful child smiling again!
  15. My RN friend says anything below 93 means a trip to the ER to head things off before they get really bad. She also says lying prone can help, and sleeping on your back or sitting back in a recliner is not recommended because it puts too much pressure on struggling lungs. If he was near that 93 mark a few times I probably wouldn’t make him go, but being in the 80s is really quite low and I wouldn’t be comfortable with him staying home. Has he been up and moving around? Knowing his number when he’s ambulatory or immediately after is apparently the important number.
  16. Quoting myself again. They are sending him home, which is both fantastic because that means he’s not as sick as he seemed to us, and not for Gram’s sake because she is going to wear out. I feel like I should consider moving in with them for a couple of weeks to care for them, but I don’t know how I could safely do that.
  17. She is 86 and he is 90. She’s so relieved that my mom and I made the call to have him go to the hospital. I really hope they keep him so she can continue to relax a bit. She was going to wear herself out trying to keep an eye on him while being sick herself. I was about ready to move in with them if the ambulance didn’t take him in. She’s not nearly as sick as he is, and she will also treat food and drink like medicine and eat/drink even if she doesn’t feel like it.
  18. Poppy had O2 sats dipping down to as low as 89 after moving around and wouldn’t eat anything and was barely drinking, so my mom called 911 and they went and evaluated both of my grandparents and took Poppy to the hospital. If the ER doesn’t think he needs admitted, which seems unlikely, the ambulance will return him home. It is so hard to not be able to be there to care for them.
  19. Quoting myself. They did rapid tests and Grammy and Poppy are both COVID positive. When Mom picked them up Poppy fell out of his chair getting up. 😭 I’ll keep the thread updated with symptoms as it progresses.
  20. Ugh. Thanks. I’m glad you’re feeling a bit better now! Hopefully your dh is better soon, too!
  21. Did anyone here who was sick have the gastro symptoms and the respiratory symptoms? My grandparents had diarrhea yesterday and what Grammy called cold symptoms. She woke up today with a sore throat and Poppy is coughing. My mother is taking them for a COVID test at 1, but they are 86 and 90 years old so I’m worrying. Ugh, I HATE not being able to go take care of them!
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