@MusicCandy @SadMe70 A place to communicate

I want to go to that wildlife creek with you. We don't have to talk or anything. . I am looking forward to having some more time to explore or kayak with fiance. i am noticing that my mental outlook needs some R &R. sometimes that feeling is not noticable in yourself,but i know I am agitated just below the surface. Last week was one more thing on top of everything else. I turned on the news and watched in horror - it was kind of like 9-11 ; waiting for the other tower to fall. I think we all have a litle PTSD over past traumatic events.

I hope you manage with the pants shopping . Can you fing leggings that stretch and a long overtop? I wore that combo a lot last year, but now - i really don't care. School should stay virtual - period. The numbers are still going up every day and now there is another very transmissable variant. It is just not worth it. I wouldmn't be afreaid of the Moderna Vac if you can get it. The hospitals are getting more and more patients positive and it won't get better until spring. hospitals, inluding ours and back to no visitors, and church services are no more small gatherings - all virtual. I know we are all tired of it, but the seriousness can't be ignored or taken lightly.

I am trying not to eat in bed- I have a smaller glass of wine before getting in bed( that's a start) and i keep a small botle of water to sip and some hard candy. not perfect, but better. I got a pitcher that filters the water to alkaline and I keep it handy. I got the manuka honey - 65 dollars! It is thick and labeled medicinal. I try to take a teaspoon every day. I think i have seen some improvement, but I was certainly shocked to realize that Silent Reflux is one form of GERD that you don't even notice unless someone describes it. It feels more like post nasal drip. I'll keep it up for awhile anyway.

Homemade pizza sounds delish. I never tried to ake the dough, but i guess you have some good goat cheese to add. Yum. I like pizza with thin crust - no I take that back - i like the stuffed crust with goorey cheese - but I try to avoid it. I do pile on the vegetables .

I hope you have a peaceful rest of the weekend. Work is just tiring and I'm glad when sunday afternoon comes and i pick up Rachael and we walk. That does help a lot. Send some happy vibes to the trees and wildlife on your hike for me.

I wrote a post on Saturday morning, and I just came to check for your reply and I see my post is not even here! Grrrr!! I don't remember everything I said either :-( I will try again next weekend. Sorry about that :-(

Hello! Yes, you understand completely! It's the free flow of writing about my week that I enjoy, and trying to remember and recreate is hard!

I did remember two good things from that message. One is about my hike on my Friday off. I ended up going to Crow's Nest in Stafford County. My last trip there was January of last year, so it was very nice to be back. I figured a winter weekday would not be crowded, and there were only a few cars there. It was nice weather and I walked 4 miles. I was also off this past Monday, and I went to a nature preserve near me and had another great 4 mile hike. I am hoping to go tomorrow to one of the local state parks.

My other good news is that my husband's doctor wrote a note with the sentence required by my HR, saying that due to his age and medical conditions, I need the accommodation to work from home until I am vaccinated. I would have liked it to say until HE is also vaccinated, since there is no proof yet that you cannot still transmit the virus once vaccinated, but this buys me a month anyway. I got my first shot Wednesday. My arm was very sore for two days, I did not sleep well Wed night, and by Thurs afternoon was very achy. Part of that was just me feeling all my regular pain worse due to the lack of sleep. I took two Tylenol, went to bed at 7PM, and felt fine Friday morning. Our second clinic is not yet scheduled. My husband is trying on 3 fronts to get his, but no luck so far (local health dept., local hospital which has clinics once a week or so when they get them, and the VA). My Mom was able to get her first shot on Thursday, so I am glad of that.

So, Thursday our K-2 kids came back and I started working from home. The vice principal did not have time to make a schedule for me yet, so the teachers helped me put together a temp schedule of support which filled my days, so the VP would not think I was just doing nothing. I am hoping that once they put together a full online schedule for me, that after a month the teachers would protest if the VP drops that support to make me work in classrooms, so that I can continue either at home or in my closet at school. The paras at school are being required to move between two different classes each day, including monitoring in-classroom lunches for both classes. So they are being exposed to about 40 people per day, with no masks on the kids for at least a half hour. It is crazy and I will be so scared if I have to do that before my husband is immunized.

My only big plans this weekend are another DnD session today, and a hike tomorrow. Otherwise chores, groceries, cooking - the usual! My exercise, eating, and alcohol have been mostly good except weekends. Last night I drank two cocktails, and then I end up eating lots of chocolate because my will power is low. We have been watching old movies lately, and I'm enjoying that a lot. Last night we watched a Vincent Price movie from the 40s called The Bat. Well, ok, I slept through half of it as my cocktails kicked in, but I like the parts I saw!!

Regarding Facebook messenger, they seem to be phasing in a new thing where messenger opens in a separate tab with a separate login. My account was forced to do this but my husband's did not, so they may be phasing that in randomly. So that would at least mean that you could log into messenger without going onto actual Facebook. I am frustrated by FB as well, because I like to keep up with my friends' lives but the majority of what I see is political crap, arguments, and ads. I do follow a literary jokes group and I enjoy that quite a bit!

I don't blame you for not wanting to go eat out yet. I would not be comfortable either. A few more months and hopefully we can start to do more things. I am glad Rachael and your fiance are able to do fun things together! I know that is a huge help for you, so that you are able to take the extra shifts.

I hope you have a great week! I am copying this before I hit Post, so if it fails I can just paste it back in and try again!!

Hello, and, is it snowing yet? We gor spoiled with nothing last year and now winter is half over - Thank God. I'm at work and they are calling for mostly a wintry mix here, but we are right on the lne for more snow or more ice. fiance will bick me up tomorrow (Sunday) morning and I won't have to go out again. Rachael is at her Dads for the week-end. Her siter is planning to go over tomorrow for a Dad birthday lunch and she says she can bring her back to my house so neither of us have to make an extra trip. i imagine yo will be more in the snow range so maybe you will have a real snow, no school, day Monday

I'm glad you got at least the first dose of the vaccine. That is what it will take for everyone to get things back to normal eventually. I hope they don't make you have to supervise in class lunches. That is still risky even with the vaccinnated people. They don't know if you can catch the virus and give it to someone else even if you don't get sick. You are right to be concerned for your husband. Everyonewill fit in some catagory, but i wish Vets would be near the top.

My health habits have improved a litle with the reflux, but not as much as I should. I'm still having wine late, but trying not to eat snacks on top of the wine at bedtime. The bedside candy helps, but I need to get some sugar free at least. I'm just too tired sometimes to do the right thing and have herbal tea instead. Esercise is still OK, and Rachael and I walked every day last week but one when it was really windy and cold. Next week we will miss a day or 2 I'm sure. I can exercise indoors, but she doesn't get aerobic exercise except our walks, and the mall is mask only. We will do the best we can untill spring. I get it having a couple drinks and chocolate. After the first one, willpower is impossible. good to hear that you had a nice hike anyway. I just want winter to be over ASAP.

Work has been busy and I didn't even do the stairs like usual, but I got plenty of walking just going up and down the halls with patients. We are still seeing a lot of Virus positive folks in the ED. I am just grateful I did get the vaccine as much as anything. It will get better by ealy summer, I feel sure. I'll be thinking of you getting out in the cold to take care of the goats ect. I'll be sleeping until i feel like getting up - that will be a treat.

Hello! We did get a bit of snow. Not that much, but enough that the in-person kids could not go in on Monday or Tuesday, so they had to make both days asynchronous for everyone. Yet another reason that going back in person was dumb. If everyone was virtual, we could have had classes both days. Parents on the FB group for my school had a cow and said they refused to make their kids work because they needed a real snow day for a break! This is one week after we had a 4 day weekend on MLK weekend, which was a few weeks after our 2 week Christmas break. PLUS we are off this Monday for a teacher workday and next Monday for President's Day, so we have tons of breaks. Then the same parent who posted that complaint, wrote yesterday that the teacher workday this week is ridiculous because our kids are losing so much instruction!! The SAME person bitching about both sides of the coin. Sigh.

I quite enjoyed the time off and cooked three big meals that lasted all week. I made a spinach and bulgur pilaf, chili, and a lentil dish. My eating has been so-so this week. My meals were good and snacking not too bad because I cut up carrots and peeled oranges on Monday so that I would have ready to eat healthy snacks. However, I drank at least a little every single day, breaking my during the week ban, plus ate a ton of chocolate. My exercise was also spotty - I skipped a couple of days. Depending on the weather (we are getting more snow tomorrow apparently), I hope to go back to Crow's Nest on my Monday off. Since it's not a holiday, it should not be crowded.

I can't remember if I told you that my husband was able to get a first dose, which was Pfizer. He will now be due for a second dose the same week as me, so even if they make me go back in person, I will feel a little better. I would still rather stay virtual if possible! I am supporting over 30 students every week, some every day and others on alternating days, so that would leave a big gap if they make me come back just so I can cover stupid classroom lunches, etc.

I hope that you fared well in the snow, and that you did not have to drive in it. I am with you on that too - I am scared of driving in it. I am glad you have been able to make some improvements to help you feel better! I hope you can feel a difference in the reflux, so you know it is working and have a concrete reason to help you continue! Evening is when I usually mess up with too many snacks, so I know how hard that can be to break. I need to get myself back to herbal tea instead of wine at night too. I have tons of flavors of tea, and quite a few are herbal and very tasty. I hope that you are able to resist as many nights as possible! I am right there struggling with you so I understand!

Good for you keeping up your exercise! I am glad you get to walk most days! That is great and it's so nice to be outside for a while even if it's cold. I am sure work is keeping you really busy as usual, and I am not at all surprised that you are still seeing lots of positive people. I am so glad you have been vaccinated! I see how irresponsibly people are acting. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law in NC just posted a pic yesterday on FB of themselves eating in a restaurant, at a table wtih another couple, others in the background at other tables. These are intelligent people, and I just don't understand such a lack of concern for safety.

My son's birthday is tomorrow His was the last one we celebrated as a family last year before the pandemic hit. This year we played Boggle online last night, just him and me, and that was our sad little party. They are going to drop something off at our house tomorrrow (weather permitting), pick up his present, and then I am going to buy them carryout to take home from a Thai restaurant owned by people he worked for a few years during college. I am thinking of making him a pie or something to take also, but I am afraid they won't be able to come, and then I will eat it myself!!

I hope your week has gone well, and that we don't get too much snow tomorrow!

Hello! Well, more wintry mix! I REALLY wanted to go to a park and hike this weekend, but that will not be happening! Maybe Monday? I managed to go for two short walks last Monday and Tuesday, but by the time I get there it's too late in the day to go far. Both walks were absolutely lovely though! Hardly anyone there, quiet and peaceful.

After that I did not have a great week mental health-wise. I felt the beginnings of depression Wed-Friday. I actually snapped and screamed at my husband Thursday night and went to bed at 8 to get away from him. Luckily he stayed out of my face all day Friday and I just moped around (no school), and by evening was able to be civil enough that we watched part of a movie last night. Today I feel normal again. I don't know why that happens to me. I did no exercise yesterday, and today I didn't do a video but I stayed outside for an hour with the animals and that was good for me. Then I brought in firewood so I got a little exercise. My eating has not been the greatest, and now I am stuck in the house for several days. I try to be good, but eventually I crack. I did avoid all alcohol yesterday, which was good given my state of mind.

My second shot is Thursday morning, and my husband's is Saturday morning. I think they are probably going to make me go back to school after that, but we'll see. I'm going to try and at least have them hold off for 2 weeks after the shot so it can be at full effectiveness. I am SO glad he was able to get his close to mine, so I will feel better if I do have to go back and be around unmasked people a lot. I hope that Rachael can get hers soon! My mom got her second one in MD yesterday, but my aunt, also in MD, who is 83 and has emphyzema has not been able to even get her first one. MD is moving on to the next phase while current phase people are not vaccinated yet!

My son stopped by briefly on Wed to get his cake and present, but did not stay for me to go get him the carryout, so I'll owe him. The cake is a flourless chocolate cake that uses chickpeas. Since I had time, I even used dried ones that I rehydrated because the cake tastes even better that way than using canned ones. I have a heart shaped pan so it was a really cute cake too. I have extra chickpeas left. My mom said I should make hummus, but I think I see another cake in my future!! Something funny in the recipe is that it says how using chickpeas is better than white flour because it won't spike your blood sugar, but it also has chocolate chips and a cup of sugar in it. I know that is a different type of sugar, but still.

I am like your fiance around sweets - I stuff a ton of it in myself. KK doughnuts would not last long around me either, espec fresh and hot!!

I hope you have a great Valentine's Day! If you have to work, I hope your fiance will drive you. I know you don't want to drive in icy rain!!

Take care my friend!

Hello! Even more winter weather, and maybe more on Monday? My second shot scheduled for this past Thursday was postponed until tomorrow. The VAMS system to sign up was a disaster and now people (including me) have been getting emails saying our appointment was cancelled, but it is still showing if you sign into the system. SO, hopefully I will get my second shot tomorrow. We will see!! My husband got his today, which is really the more important one. So now, if I have to go back to school in person after mine, he will be as safe as we can manage.

I had a better week this week, in that I did not get depressed and act like a crazy person. I did not have to do much work at all, due to the weather. They are making what would be snow days into "asynchronous days" where the teachers still have to post work, recorded lectures, etc. so that we get enough instructional hours to hopefully not extend into summer. However, all my work is live groups, so other than some minimal planning, I have nothing to do on those days.

My meals have been good, and I have had alcohol most nights but moderate in amount. We watched a great documentary on Amazon Prime about Scotch, while drinking some really good Scotch! I still eat well most of the day and then start munching indiscriminately in the late afternoon into evening. I say this after eating a healthy dinner of catfish, sweet potatoes, and broccoli, but then followed by a bunch of Hershey kisses and butter-drenched popcorn. My exercise has also not been great. On most of those days off, I slept in and did not get up and do exercise videos, and the weather was too bad to go on a walk.

As much as the weather makes my job easier these days, it makes yours even harder! I would not like having to stay over like you do. My sister is a vet, and she does that as well sometimes. I have a lot of respect for people who work so hard to take care of others. Did you have to stay extra again with this last round of ice? I am glad that at least you don't have to drive yourself! I am also glad you did not lose power! We did not either, and for that I am grateful!

The paper hearts sound so cute! We did not do anything for Valentine's Day, but that is ok with me. As frustrated as I get with my husband, he does do things all year that let me know how much he loves me.

Good for you keeping up with your exercise and nutrition, even with the extra work hours! I hope this last storm was not too hard on you. Think of me at 2:00 tomorrow and hope that I am getting stuck in the arm!

Hello, I hope the 2nd VC went as planned. I had no real effects, just a sore arm. It is a relief at work, even though we are still taking all the precautions.It is just not as worrisome every time we care for a patient that is or may be positive. They say even if you may be exposed it won't make you as sick and they don't know if you can transmit to others unknowingly, It is somewhere to start anyway,

This last storm was not as bad, but it was icy on Thursday and I came in early and worked 2 shifts. My boss who doesn't usually get involved with us shifting around work days between ourselves, sent me a rude text over a point that was really insignificant, and it hurt my feelings. His wife died recently and left 2 little children, and he has been trying to manage mostly alone - i think it is getting to him. I mentally forgave him, and since then he texted me like nothing happened. Must be partly a guy thing. After his comments, I mad an effort to get my shift switched so no OT.

I didnt work any extra shifts after Friday, it was mostly over the bad roads. I have caught up on my sleep now and I feel better. working my last shift now 11 to 7 then I'm off till Thursday night. Unless something changes, haha. I have kept up with my exercise and eating pretty good, but i should be eating more vegetables and fruit. The reflux thing is a little better, but i'm still drinking a small glass of wine propped up in bed. Every night, or morning if thats when I go to sleep. I used to drink Scotch when I was partying and bellydancing at the clubs as a late teen - i hung around with men of means, and yes - it went down REAL smooth. I also can't resist the chocolate- the day after Valentines, it was marked down YEA! My hygienist shamed me about eating popcorn . I like it, but she said no matter how much you clean and floss, the tiny bits of kernal lodge beneath your gum and they have to pic it out - EWW. She says they usually don't even mention it.

Fiance and I watched a 3 part PBS series , Sunday nights ( its over now, but you can pull it up on the computer, PBS, and watch it , free) The Long Song, based on a true story about slavery in Jamaica. It is the story of the plantation owners, slaves and the uprising - very riviting narrative if you can carve 3 hrs . It is in 3 one hour episodes.

Sorry school is so sporadic. Getting out of a routine always makes things hard for me too. I'm teling you though, for your own good missy , pull up a 30 minute exercise video every day and just do it. Rachael and I missed our walk a few days, and I logged on to Walk a mile,(or 2 or 3) with Leslie Sansone. She Has a bunch of different Walks and SHE MAKES IT FUN. I want a good report next week. I hope things get back to normal for you, and hopefully no summer school, we want to be outside when it finally gets warm. Can't wait for kayak weather.

Hello! I got my second shot on Sunday, and felt terrible all day Monday. Body aches, headache, nausea, sore arm, sooo tired. At bedtime I still felt bad, so I took Tuesday off. I got up Tuesday feeling completely fine! So I went and took a walk at the park! I have to start going back into my building on March 8, and they are bringing back the rest of the grades that day. Initially I will continue to support my online classes from the closet I used before. The long-term subs they hired for my team are contracted through March 24, so unless they extend them, I may be reassigned to in-person classes at that time. I will certainly feel a lot better about that now that I am immunized!

I did well with eating this week, not too bad on treats. Still too much alcohol but only really bad one night (last night). I did better at my exercising too! Thank you for the push!! I know that once I start back to school, I will have a lot less time in the mornings, so I am trying to plan short workouts that will be as effective as possible. One of my problems before was that I had so little time, I had to get up and get right to the exercising, which is hard for me at 5:30. Lately I can take 20 min or so doing easy PT or stretching before I start my actual workout. I do like Leslie Sansone! One of her 5 min walks is part of my warmup routine pretty often, and I do longer ones sometimes too.

I am very sorry to hear about the rude text from your boss! I don't know why people do things like that, especially when you are clearly always working your butt off taking extra shifts. It was kind of you to give him the benefit of the doubt with regard to the stress in his life. I remember you telling me about his wife dying. Hopefully he will think about his tone in the future.

I hope you enjoyed your days off, and did not get called in! Good job keeping up the exercise and good eating, and taking care of yourself with regard to the reflux! Did you get some discount chocolate?? My mom sent me a half pound box and I ate it in one sitting. I don't eat popcorn often, but I think I am getting the kernals out with my water pik. I hope so anyway! I have chia seeds and flax a lot of mornings with my breakfast, and tons of that sticks in my teeth, and seems to come out with the pik.

Bellydancing! I always wanted to learn how to do that. I am so awkward and stiff. I never dance anywhere, except in my bedroom to some dance exercise routines! I ordered some heavily peated Scotch from a distillery profiled in the documentary I watched, and it came today! I don't know that I've ever had any heavily peated and I wanted to try it. I will find out tonight whether I like it!

It's a little warmer today, even though it's gloomy. I hope you got a walk. Have a great week!

Hello on a gloomy Saturday evening. Im glad you got your second shot, even though you felt lousy for a day/it was worth it in the long run. It sems to affect everyone differently, neither shot bothered me more than a sore arm like the flu shot. If the kids come back in a week or so, at least you can get back to your little room which is better than the general population. I see a lot of want ads for substitute teachers so there must be some teachers who just don't want to go back. I hope it works out in your favor anyway. the numbers are starting to look better at least for now.

I don't know what it is with my boss. He blames his rough sounding talk on being from N. Y, but I am not used to that from a supervisor. He made yet another rude comment about me in regards to something he did as a mistake abd blamed it on me ! He said it to a coworker in a text, not to me directly and i just heard about it. Nothing serious, just the principle. I am just going to steer clear of him as much as possible and thankfully I only run into him maybe once a week, not on weekends and nights when I'm working. I just don't undertand - he seemed terrific when he first came on, now its like everything is negative and he takes it out on others - not just me, but it seems like every remark he makes to me is bad. I was very kind to him after his wifes death, and sent treats to his kids and then he thanked me - but that was months ago. My closest coworker is supportive when I whine to her, and she makes me feel better. I'm just old enough to not want to put up with this and close to retiring and I work circles around most everyone else here. I hope I can hold out to get all I can from my 401K, thats all.

I hope you love your scotch, I don't know what heavily peated does to change the taste - but I guess you will find out. I did get some chocolate on sale and I have a little every day. Still every day with the wine too. i find myself looking forward to coming home from work and pouring the glass. I should not be drinking it that close to going to sleep after work , but it is what it is right now. The relaxation response with that and a melatonin is quick, and I have to get to sleep quickly to get back up in 6 hours and go to work again.

I'm working 3 tp 11 for a gal who is going to help her parents get in assisted living, and maybe Wednesday too but she isn't sure if she will be back or not. Then I'll have to adjust my 2 afternoon piano lessons. They are going great at least. Thr 9 year old loves Frozen and I got an easy version of the Let It Go song and copied it and wrote all the finger numbers on it since I;'m not with her to help- and she was so happy. My adult student is learing a little jazz in the lessons and she likes that. They are both easy to work with and the FB Messenger stays up most of the time so we can get through it.

Dpo you have any baby goats? My coworked that has the farm has pictures of her 3 new ones - so cute. Keep me posted.