Chit-Chat: What's On Your Mind Today?

[Browncoat]

Google and all its friends (gmail, etc.) are in French on my work computer today.  No, I do not live in France!  I've changed it back to English several times, but it still wants to be in French!

[kristen111]

21 hours ago, Caoimhe said:

I can relate, he’s bored in winter and up until his surgery was playing indoor golf once a week at the nearest golf course simulator. I had to laugh because he saw our cable bill two nights ago and was shocked that we have such an expensive tv package.  I explained that the only reason we have it is for him to watch the golf, and if he wants to change it that it’s up to him.  I don’t see that happening.

Besides showing golf in the USA, now in Europe LIV, whatever.  We sit in separate rooms to watch what we like, unless there’s a certain movie we both like.

Edited January 18 by kristen111

[peacheslatour]

16 minutes ago, kristen111 said:

Besides showing golf in the USA, now in Europe LIV, whatever.  We sit in separate rooms to watch what we like, unless there’s a certain movie we both like.

That's what we do too, in a way. If he's home during the day, I stay in the bedroom with my Law & Order and he either watches Hallmark Christmas movies (they run the practically all year long) or some kind of sports, either football or baseball.

[BlueSkies]

I always knew what I was doing. 😅  Eating your boogers can prove healthy

 

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/according-science-eating-boogers-actually-140805724.html#:~:text=According to both Harvard and,build up our immune systems.

 

And that's per Harvard University as well 

 

 

[Gramto6]

Hi everyone from frigid Montana! Just barely thawed out enough to be able to sit a minute and read! 

It has been unbearable here! From about last Thur-Fri the temps have been double digit minus #'s. We had a terrible blizzard Friday and the wind chill. was like -45° outside. My poor cats food would freeze up minutes after I fed them! I had to keep switching it, frozen in to thaw, new out for them to eat. Then rinse repeat along with water dishes.

And to compound the misery my pipes froze last Sat morning. I have had no water since then! My friend has bringing me coolers full of water as I need it. My storage was not the best this year, I didn't put away enough to get through this long.

Pump guy couldn't get here until Tuesday, nothing broken but frozen up. Unfortunately thawing and changing water filter still didn't help so I have him coming back today I hope. I may need a new pump!! :( He has been inundated with calls, said he got 37 last Sat alone! All the service people are swamped.

I envy you that can take a warm shower! 

Had shots in my hands for carpal tunnel Tues. so pushing the snow brush is about all I can do for shoveling purposes. At least yesterday we were above zero 24 hrs, and trend is to get back into double positive digit #'s consistently by next week.

 

[kristen111]

17 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

That's what we do too, in a way. If he's home during the day, I stay in the bedroom with my Law & Order and he either watches Hallmark Christmas movies (they run the practically all year long) or some kind of sports, either football or baseball.

I LOVE my bedroom.  Made it real nice with pretty quilts and pillows.  Plus, a 44 inch smart tv with all the channels.  Sometimes I go in there at 5 pm for the night on my heating pad.  He rolls in after all the sport shows.  Love tv.  Btw, I started your Great Aunts book.  I’m liking it. 👍

[kristen111]

16 minutes ago, Gramto6 said:

Had shots in my hands for carpal tunnel Tues. so pushing the snow brush is about all I can do for shoveling purposes. At least yesterday we were above zero 24 hrs, and trend is to get back into double positive digit #'s consistently by next week.

My husband had the shots twice in his hand.  Then went for the surgery as he couldn’t sleep anymore from the pain.  Surgery was quick, and he has zero pain now.  Said it was the best decision he ever made.  Maybe you should consider?  But, then you have to go for the pre-op and all that jazz.  In the winter no less.

 

[jennifer6973]

9 minutes ago, kristen111 said:

My husband had the shots twice in his hand.  Then went for the surgery as he couldn’t sleep anymore from the pain.  Surgery was quick, and he has zero pain now.  Said it was the best decision he ever made.  Maybe you should consider?  But, then you have to go for the pre-op and all that jazz.  In the winter no less.

 

My dad had shots first then surgery on both.  No problems since.

[annzeepark914]

17 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

That's what we do too, in a way. If he's home during the day, I stay in the bedroom with my Law & Order and he either watches Hallmark Christmas movies (they run the practically all year long) or some kind of sports, either football or baseball.

I watch TV in the evening. A couple news shows, then I hunt for something like Fixer Upper or Maine Cabin Masters. He's in his basement lair: an office and a TV room, watching football, basketball, etc. The cat's in another room (either in the basement, main floor or second floor). So, the "three" of us do our own thing 😸.

@Gramto6 Gosh...good luck getting your pipes fixed. And I hope the shots give your hands fast relief from pain. Be careful out in the snow/frigid cold.

[Gramto6]

Yes, I am going for the surgery, but it can't be done until three months after this round of shots. That works for me because Winter will be mostly over and I won't have the stress on newly operated on hands, of shoveling snow. The dr did say the surgery is most effective on the thumbs, not always so much so on the other fingers. I am having all Trigger Fingers done any way!

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, kristen111 said:

I LOVE my bedroom.  Made it real nice with pretty quilts and pillows.  Plus, a 44 inch smart tv with all the channels.  Sometimes I go in there at 5 pm for the night on my heating pad.  He rolls in after all the sport shows.  Love tv.  Btw, I started your Great Aunts book.  I’m liking it. 👍

I did something like that. I'm not a fan of huge TVs but I have a 32" in the bedroom and I have painted, wallpapered and decorated it just the way I like it. I'm going to be sad to leave this house because we put a lot of sweat equity into remodeling, the addition and all the things I've done to make the garden beautiful but we need a house that is not 80 years old. Lol, we're not the kids we were when we bought it.

[kristen111]

24 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I did something like that. I'm not a fan of huge TVs but I have a 32" in the bedroom and I have painted, wallpapered and decorated it just the way I like it. I'm going to be sad to leave this house because we put a lot of sweat equity into remodeling, the addition and all the things I've done to make the garden beautiful but we need a house that is not 80 years old. Lol, we're not the kids we were when we bought it.

So, will you be moving?  Maybe?   Our last move was it.  Thank goodness the Association does all the outside.  We cannot anymore.  Our Son is constantly doing stuff in the inside for us, and it’s always something like plumbing, etc.

Edited January 19 by kristen111

[kristen111]

19 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

That's what we do too, in a way. If he's home during the day, I stay in the bedroom with my Law & Order and he either watches Hallmark Christmas movies (they run the practically all year long) or some kind of sports, either football or baseball.

Seems we all have the same lives.  I used to read a lot until I got the I- pad.  Now, I’m on it day n night.  I have to start reading again.  I do love my tv tho.  Turner Classics the most, then Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune together, then our other stuff .. separately.  Same routine everyday.

[peacheslatour]

16 minutes ago, kristen111 said:

So, will you be moving?  Maybe?   Our last move was it.  Thank goodness the Association does all the outside.  We cannot anymore.  Our Son is constantly doing stuff in the inside for us, and it’s always something like plumbing, etc.

Yep. We just can't handle the yard and the old plumbing, lack of furnace and all the maintenance. We did the kitchen over in the eighties but we desperately need a new kitchen. Our son comes up once a month and I always have  a list of things I need help with.

[ECM1231]

33 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Yep. We just can't handle the yard and the old plumbing, lack of furnace and all the maintenance.

You're in the Pacific Northwest, right? I've never been but from what I understand the climate is such that you don't get bone-chilling winters, or tons of snow, right? I bolded 'lack of furnace' b/c this is something I don't understand. Is this common in your area not to have a furnace? You mentioned your home is 80 years old, but back then it wasn't common to build homes with furnaces in your area? When my son lived in Austin (and yes, his home was built in the 50s, so maybe a bit newer) he had central air and forced air heat, and their temps rarely went below freezing, If it was in the 30s in the morning, it would creep back up during the daytime, but still, he had heat. 

As someone who is always cold, and keeps the thermostat set at 70 degrees, and am still wrapped up in blankets and robes during the day, I can't even imagine how cold you must be feeling. 🤗

[peacheslatour]

26 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

You're in the Pacific Northwest, right? I've never been but from what I understand the climate is such that you don't get bone-chilling winters, or tons of snow, right? I bolded 'lack of furnace' b/c this is something I don't understand. Is this common in your area not to have a furnace? You mentioned your home is 80 years old, but back then it wasn't common to build homes with furnaces in your area? When my son lived in Austin (and yes, his home was built in the 50s, so maybe a bit newer) he had central air and forced air heat, and their temps rarely went below freezing, If it was in the 30s in the morning, it would creep back up during the daytime, but still, he had heat. 

As someone who is always cold, and keeps the thermostat set at 70 degrees, and am still wrapped up in blankets and robes during the day, I can't even imagine how cold you must be feeling. 🤗

My husband's grandfather and his drunk friends built this house as a rental in the forties. There was an oil furnace in the living room. The thing was as ugly as sin and very expensive to use but by god, that thing put out the heat. My DH decided to go all electric and bought a very nice electric furnace that heats the living room, entry and kitchen pretty well. In the rest of the rooms we have electric radiators. We got rid of the oil furnace but winters have been getting colder here every year and summers are hotter. We finally got A/C a couple years ago but nothing is central. I can't take it anymore.

[isalicat]

53 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

We got rid of the oil furnace but winters have been getting colder here every year and summers are hotter. We finally got A/C a couple years ago but nothing is central. I can't take it anymore.

And this is why I left beautiful Mt. Shasta after living there for 25 years...I just visited there last weekend and it is still gorgeous (and the town remarkably gentrified all of a sudden, with lots of new tony restaurants and lodgings), but it was SO cold and we got a foot of snow between Friday and Saturday night so I got to rediscover the joys of shoveling and clearing the car...Plus the summers there are now on average 10 degrees hotter than when we first moved there in 1991. Anything over 85 degrees is too hot for me. We had a wood stove (a must as the power would go out all the time) and space heaters. No air conditioning, just the night breeze off the mountain. Thus: I now live on the beach in central coastal California where there is pretty much two seasons - nice and nicer. 😸

[peacheslatour]

14 minutes ago, isalicat said:

And this is why I left beautiful Mt. Shasta after living there for 25 years...I just visited there last weekend and it is still gorgeous (and the town remarkably gentrified all of a sudden, with lots of new tony restaurants and lodgings), but it was SO cold and we got a foot of snow between Friday and Saturday night so I got to rediscover the joys of shoveling and clearing the car...Plus the summers there are now on average 10 degrees hotter than when we first moved there in 1991. Anything over 85 degrees is too hot for me. We had a wood stove (a must as the power would go out all the time) and space heaters. No air conditioning, just the night breeze off the mountain. Thus: I now live on the beach in central coastal California where there is pretty much two seasons - nice and nicer. 😸

I would love nothing better than to move to CA, up north near Ft. Bragg. But I'll never pry my DH away from his beloved PNW.

[shapeshifter]

19 minutes ago, isalicat said:

And this is why I left beautiful Mt. Shasta after living there for 25 years...I just visited there last weekend

I'm sure we've sorted this out before, but I lived in the Mt. Shasta area from 1978-1997, mostly in Lake Shastina, the so-called "banana belt" (because of fewer inches of snowfall). I'm pretty sure you lived there later?

My oldest daughter goes back every few years. 
In hindsight I realize all that cozy wood heat gave her asthma. 
Here in Rochester NY almost all the homes still have fireplaces, but they aren't used much anymore.

[athousandclowns]

I lived in the central coast 98-2001 and 2004-2013 and there are many things I miss but happy to be where my son wife and grandkids are in my hometown in the Bay Area. If I had the money and family with me I’d love to live Mendocino. Used to visit and stay in Fort Bragg too! 

[StatisticalOutlier]

16 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

Pacific Northwest, right? I've never been but from what I understand the climate is such that you don't get bone-chilling winters, or tons of snow, right?

I've spent winters in Seattle/Tacoma, in Olympia, and in Portland, Oregon, and I never felt warm.  It wasn't cold by thermometer standards--usually within 10 degrees either side of 42 degrees--but it was persistent and a different kind of bone chilling.  Plus the sun went down early, and even when it was up, it was almost never sunny.  So no radiant heating like in Denver, where if the sun is shining on the windows in my motorhome, I have to open them to keep from roasting, even when the outside temperature is in the 30s.

I remember once on May 1 in Tacoma, I decided, "It's time to quit wearing long underwear."  I went out that day, and the next day, put it back on.

I'm in Austin right now, and the high on Monday was 24 degrees, and the high on Thursday, three days later, was 77 degrees.  Crazy.

[kristen111]

3 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Yep. We just can't handle the yard and the old plumbing, lack of furnace and all the maintenance. We did the kitchen over in the eighties but we desperately need a new kitchen. Our son comes up once a month and I always have  a list of things I need help with.

Thank God for good Sons.  We have two daughters too, but our go to is our Son for some reason. 🤷‍♂️  I know you love your garden, but if you buy something with maybe a patio like us, it’s enough.  We have a patch of grass in the front and pots on the patio, then plant flowers in the spring.  It’s enough.  Then, I have a nice swing with a canopy, table n chairs, etc.  It’s all we need.  I used to have a very big garden for vegetables, but it got to be too much.  Had to down size a bit.  I do plant tomatoes tho.  Good luck with the looking for a new place.  Been there.  It’s a lot.

Edited January 19 by kristen111

[peacheslatour]

Just now, kristen111 said:

Thank God for good Sons.  We have two daughters too, but our go to is our Son for some reason. 🤷‍♂️

So true. I don't know what we'd do without him. I could ask my DH to do a lot of it but he gets grumpy about it whereas my son does it with easy grace and a smile.

[shapeshifter]

11 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

So true. I don't know what we'd do without him. I could ask my DH to do a lot of it but he gets grumpy about it whereas my son does it with easy grace and a smile.

With 3 daughters who seem to have not paid any attention to my feats of carpentry or automotive troubleshooting, or minor plumbing (or even sewing!) skills when they were growing up, I often declared: "If I don't get at least one son-in-law out of the deal, I'm going to feel ripped off." 
Now I have a son-in-law, but he is not handy at all. Sometimes he tries, but I've reached the point where I just wish I could find a decent handyman to hire.

Actually, my middle daughter fixes stuff, but she has only come to visit once in the last 4 years.

Edited January 19 by shapeshifter

[kristen111]

3 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

With 3 daughters who seem to have not paid any attention to my feats of carpentry or plumbing (or even sewing!) skill when they were growing up, I often declared: "If I don't get at least one son-in-law out of the deal, I'm going to feel ripped off." 
Now I have a son-in-law, but he is not handy at all. Sometimes he tries, but I've reached the point where I just wish I could find a decent handyman to hire.

My Sister in Florida lives alone in a big house.  Husband died and she won’t mov.  She has all the neighboring husbands do all her work in and out of her house.  Carpentry, plumbing, everything.  I don’t get it.  She’s not ashamed to ask for help.  I would never.  I’m hoping she at least pays them.  Bet she gives them a bottle of wine, and that’s it. Lol.

[kristen111]

2 hours ago, ECM1231 said:

You're in the Pacific Northwest, right? I've never been but from what I understand the climate is such that you don't get bone-chilling winters, or tons of snow, right? I bolded 'lack of furnace' b/c this is something I don't understand. Is this common in your area not to have a furnace? You mentioned your home is 80 years old, but back then it wasn't common to build homes with furnaces in your area? When my son lived in Austin (and yes, his home was built in the 50s, so maybe a bit newer) he had central air and forced air heat, and their temps rarely went below freezing, If it was in the 30s in the morning, it would creep back up during the daytime, but still, he had heat. 

As someone who is always cold, and keeps the thermostat set at 70 degrees, and am still wrapped up in blankets and robes during the day, I can't even imagine how cold you must be feeling. 🤗

70 at night here.  Right now, 73 in the house and I’m on Long Island like you.  It’s bone chilling today with the snow.

[shapeshifter]

15 minutes ago, kristen111 said:

My Sister in Florida lives alone in a big house.  Husband died and she won’t mov.  She has all the neighboring husbands do all her work in and out of her house.  Carpentry, plumbing, everything.  I don’t get it.  She’s not ashamed to ask for help.  I would never.  I’m hoping she at least pays them.  Bet she gives them a bottle of wine, and that’s it. Lol.

That's the advantage of having lived in one place for a long time.

[kristen111]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

I'm sure we've sorted this out before, but I lived in the Mt. Shasta area from 1978-1997, mostly in Lake Shastina, the so-called "banana belt" (because of fewer inches of snowfall). I'm pretty sure you lived there later?

My oldest daughter goes back every few years. 
In hindsight I realize all that cozy wood heat gave her asthma. 
Here in Rochester NY almost all the homes still have fireplaces, but they aren't used much anymore.

Yes .. all my kids have fireplaces, but never use them because of asthma.  They are just for show now, and one son-in-law is a City Fireman.  He never lit it.

[kristen111]

Good Lord.  I’ve moved five times in my life and always packed up the house by myself.  My husband would grunt and complain, so I did it right.  I could never go thru that again.  I lost lots of things in the moves somehow.  My yearbook and lots of other things like books .  I think the movers screwed up, but you don’t realize until it’s over.  From Florida to N.Y.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Oh, the snow! 'tis so purty! Been snowing since 3 this morning! While it's slowed down some, it's going to continue for another 11 hours.

No one will convince me it's only an inch! BAH! At least three!

[ECM1231]

3 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I'm in Austin right now, and the high on Monday was 24 degrees, and the high on Thursday, three days later, was 77 degrees.  Crazy

Yep, Austin weather is crazy. My son lived there for 7 years. He's now upstate New York in the Hudson Valley as he loves the mountains and hiking. 

As I age and get more and more decrepit, I appreciate the flatness of Long Island and our milder winters, compared to upstate.

Edited January 19 by ECM1231

[StatisticalOutlier]

35 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

Yep, Austin weather is crazy. My son lived there for 7 years.

I lived there for about 25 years, and it's still been my "home base" while traveling fulltime for the last 20.  I remember usually getting one or two hard freezes a year, but not being followed by temperatures pushing 80 a few days later.  Then again, I was younger and I didn't really notice the weather that much--I just dealt with whatever it was, as young people do.

I used to make fun of old people talking about the weather, but now that I'm an old person myself, I get it.  It's interesting.

I spent last summer in the Chicago area and a friend who was broiling in Houston asked me if it was cooler where I was, since it's farther north.  I had to think about it, because usually northern latitudes ARE cooler that southern latitudes.  Or maybe that's just the average temperatures?  Because it gets hotter than hell in Chicago in the summer, and the humidity can rival Houston's.  But the season doesn't last as long as it does in Houston, and the winters obviously bring down the average temperature in Chicago a lot.

On 1/17/2024 at 9:24 PM, Annber03 said:

The weather forecast could be wrong about EVERYTHING else, no matter what they predict...

...but whenever they say it'll be windy, by god, it's windy :p. 

Sounds like someone who's never been skunked after driving to a windsurfing launch based on the forecast.  😀

[Cloud9Shopper]

I am such a wimp when it comes to driving in the snow. I’m pet sitting for my parents the next couple weeks while they’re on a cruise but my own house is 10 minutes away and I needed to go there tonight to clean my cat’s litter boxes. So I ordered takeout and figured I would go pick it up, eat dinner at my house and then shovel snow plus clean the litter boxes and do other house chores.

Well, naturally on my way to get my food, the snow started up again and I managed to pick it up, but then I panicked and cried at the mere thought of getting on a bridge to go to my house. So I came back home to eat, and now the snow seems to have stopped again so I’m giving the drive another try. 

It’s a wonder I even have a license LOL. I hate driving in the snow, hate driving when it’s raining in the dark, and am afraid of highways and turnpikes. I just got a license because not being able to drive where I live is super limiting and I decided to learn pre-COVID when remote work wasn’t as widely available. (My area isn’t rural but spread out enough that you need a car.) I will just never be a driver who can do more than go from A to B.  

[shapeshifter]

12 minutes ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

I am such a wimp when it comes to driving in the snow. I’m pet sitting for my parents the next couple weeks while they’re on a cruise but my own house is 10 minutes away and I needed to go there tonight to clean my cat’s litter boxes. So I ordered takeout and figured I would go pick it up, eat dinner at my house and then shovel snow plus clean the litter boxes and do other house chores.

Well, naturally on my way to get my food, the snow started up again and I managed to pick it up, but then I panicked and cried at the mere thought of getting on a bridge to go to my house. So I came back home to eat, and now the snow seems to have stopped again so I’m giving the drive another try. 

It’s a wonder I even have a license LOL. I hate driving in the snow, hate driving when it’s raining in the dark, and am afraid of highways and turnpikes. I just got a license because not being able to drive where I live is super limiting and I decided to learn pre-COVID when remote work wasn’t as widely available. (My area isn’t rural but spread out enough that you need a car.) I will just never be a driver who can do more than go from A to B.  

Have you had your eyesight checked in the last year by an optometrist? Even if your vision is good enough by the Motor Vehicles standards, it might not be as sharp as it could be.
I personally do not feel comfortable driving — especially at night — if I can’t read all the signs.

[Cloud9Shopper]

I actually just got new glasses like two weeks ago. 🤷‍♀️ I don’t really have vision issues; just a matter of I don’t like the anxiety driving in bad weather and on the highways brings when most drivers are not really cautious these days. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

1 hour ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

I am such a wimp when it comes to driving in the snow.

Several years ago I was in the Chicago suburbs seeing movies in a theater all day.  When I got out, it was dark and it had unexpectedly (to me, anyway) snowed and was still snowing.  Oops.

I was driving Mr. Outlier's rear-wheel drive sports car with wide tires on the rear that were street tires but not made for weather (he likes to race around).  A more snow-unworthy car can hardly be imagined, but I'm a good, and confident, driver. 

It was a 20-mile drive on surface streets, and the beginning wasn't bad because there was enough traffic that the snow on the streets wasn't sticking.  But the final 8 miles was on a perfectly straight farm road through cornfields, which hadn't been recently plowed and the falling snow was covering any tracks that might have been left by a previous driver in either direction, so it was a challenge to know where the asphalt ended and the ditch on the side began.

So I'm driving along, not going fast, and not maintaining a steady speed, like you'd think I should, but the road isn't entirely flat and I need momentum to be able to get up the rises, so I'm having to calculate how fast to go down the downhill parts to be able to get up the uphill parts without spinning my tires.  It's a delicate balance, but I'm pretty good at it.

All is fine until a pickup comes up from behind me and gets right on my ass, with his headlights shining right in my eyes because I'm lower to the ground than he is.  And he stays on my fucking ass for miles, as my speed goes up and down.  Whyyyyyyy?

And not only that, this obviously ill-equipped sports car driving in the snow has Texas plates on it.  I have never understood how this moron didn't see this combination and think, "Jesus.  This is an accident waiting to happen; I need to stay as far away as possible.  I'll either pass them or drop behind, but it's a terrible idea to be anywhere near them when they start spinning."

We finally got to an intersection with a red light and I stopped and he came up around me and turned right, depriving me of the chance to ask him what good he thought would come from tailgating a Texan in a sports car in a snowstorm.

[shapeshifter]

6 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Several years ago I was in the Chicago suburbs seeing movies in a theater all day.  When I got out, it was dark and it had unexpectedly (to me, anyway) snowed and was still snowing.  Oops.

I was driving Mr. Outlier's rear-wheel drive…

I learned to drive in Chicagoland when all cars were rear-wheel drive (1969).

I have had enough scary experiences driving in snow to respect anyone’s choice to not drive in snow.

Not having snow tires means driving in the slow lane.

[shapeshifter]

16 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

…My DH decided to go all electric and bought a very nice electric furnace that heats the living room, entry and kitchen pretty well. In the rest of the rooms we have electric radiators.
… nothing is central. I can't take it anymore.

My heat was hot water radiators for at least 15 years before I moved from the Chicago suburbs. At least it was clean heat.

For the last 3 years in 2 places in Rochester NY, I’ve had central heat.
I hate it — both for its inefficiency and the unhealthy grime it blows into the air.

To heat the bedroom, it’s necessary to heat the kitchen, laundry, dining, living room, and hallway to several degrees above the temperature in the bedroom.

The portable air filter I bought helps with the air quality.

I was told by the HVAC people it would cost $1,000 to clean the ducts, with no guarantee. The humidifier isn’t working. The system is 20 years old. It would be many thousands to replace. 
BTW: 
Those who think moving yourselves or your parents out of a house and into a condo means you don’t have to deal with this stuff are mistaken.

[Anela]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I learned to drive in Chicagoland when all cars were rear-wheel drive (1969).

I have had enough scary experiences driving in snow to respect anyone’s choice to not drive in snow.

Not having snow tires means driving in the slow lane.

My dad has been driving in it. Even without a full day of deliveries, he was gone all day, because he was being careful. I worry more now, and so does he. 

We've been very lucky, and haven't lost power at home, all week. 

[JTMacc99]

15 hours ago, ECM1231 said:

As I age and get more and more decrepit, I appreciate the flatness of Long Island and our milder winters, compared to upstate.

As they say on the NYC local news: “Snow accumulation 1-3 inches, more North and West of the city.”

Like A LOT MORE. 

[kristen111]

15 hours ago, ECM1231 said:

Yep, Austin weather is crazy. My son lived there for 7 years. He's now upstate New York in the Hudson Valley as he loves the mountains and hiking. 

As I age and get more and more decrepit, I appreciate the flatness of Long Island and our milder winters, compared to upstate.

Upstate is beautiful tho.  Near the City.  Lots of movie stars live there.  Cute little towns and little stores.  Quaint.  We take a ride to Rhinebeck once in awhile. Nice little town.  Long Island has become a huge parking lot, but I’m not moving anymore, besides my kids are here.  I don’t get what’s the big deal about the Hamptons either.  So much traffic to get there.  One lane .. ridiculous.

 

[kristen111]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

My heat was hot water radiators for at least 15 years before I moved from the Chicago suburbs. At least it was clean heat.

For the last 3 years in 2 places in Rochester NY, I’ve had central heat.
I hate it — both for its inefficiency and the unhealthy grime it blows into the air.

To heat the bedroom, it’s necessary to heat the kitchen, laundry, dining, living room, and hallway to several degrees above the temperature in the bedroom.

The portable air filter I bought helps with the air quality.

I was told by the HVAC people it would cost $1,000 to clean the ducts, with no guarantee. The humidifier isn’t working. The system is 20 years old. It would be many thousands to replace. 
BTW: 
Those who think moving yourselves or your parents out of a house and into a condo means you don’t have to deal with this stuff are mistaken.

Ha!   Outside of condos are taken care of .. the inside is your problem, and there’s always a problem.  Plumbing, heating and cooling, electric, etc.  Can’t get away from it, unless you have a willing Son or someone to help.

[annzeepark914]

1 hour ago, kristen111 said:

Upstate is beautiful tho.  Near the City.  Lots of movie stars live there.  Cute little towns and little stores.  Quaint.  We take a ride to Rhinebeck once in awhile. Nice little town.  Long Island has become a huge parking lot, but I’m not moving anymore, besides my kids are here.  I don’t get what’s the big deal about the Hamptons either.  So much traffic to get there.  One lane .. ridiculous.

 

Love Rhinebeck. Another attractive town is Cold Spring. It sure has changed from back in my day. Lots of cute shops and good restaurants. The dock on the river has been spiffed up, with benches & a gazebo. This is the most scenic section of the Hudson River, across from West Point, where it has that fjord look.

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, kristen111 said:

Ha!   Outside of condos are taken care of .. the inside is your problem, and there’s always a problem.  Plumbing, heating and cooling, electric, etc.  Can’t get away from it, unless you have a willing Son or someone to help.

And you pay for anything taken care of on the outside of condos, with little-to-no choice in the matter. 

 

About 6" of snow accumulation thus far. Snow due to stop tonight, then melt by Wednesday. 

Due in part to the crazy real estate market, I was not able to read the rules and regulations until after purchasing. They include a requirement to shovel snow off of one's balcony. I did it once and then notified the president of the HOA that I would not be doing it again as I'd rather pay fines that be hospitalized. 

I suspect the rule was put in place when snow was measured in feet and/or before the balconies were replaced some years ago, although they still seem very flimsy.

[Mondrianyone]

15 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

All is fine until a pickup comes up from behind me and gets right on my ass, with his headlights shining right in my eyes because I'm lower to the ground than he is. 

When somebody does this to me, I change the angle of my rearview mirror so it shines their headlights back in their own eyes. I don't have patience with morons. It gets them off me a surprising percentage of the time.

[oliviabenson]

Lol and so true!

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, Mondrianyone said:

When somebody does this to me, I change the angle of my rearview mirror so it shines their headlights back in their own eyes. I don't have patience with morons. It gets them off me a surprising percentage of the time.

Wait. So when I flip the rear view mirror so it darkens the headlights behind me, you're saying it actually shines the light in the eyes of the driver behind me??

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

Wait. So when I flip the rear view mirror so it darkens the headlights behind me, you're saying it actually shines the light in the eyes of the driver behind me??

Yep. Works like a charm.

[Mondrianyone]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

Wait. So when I flip the rear view mirror so it darkens the headlights behind me, you're saying it actually shines the light in the eyes of the driver behind me??

No, I'm not talking about flipping the mirror from daylight to nighttime, I mean angling the mirror so I can't see the car behind me but his (let's make it a man) headlights are reflected back at him. So what he sees is a bright point of light aimed at his eyeballs, and I don't see his lights at all. I figure it's perfectly safe until he gets out from behind me, and then I immediately reset my mirror into the correct position.

ETA: For clarity, when you have the mirror correctly angled for driving, it's angled to the left, toward you in the driver's seat. When you want to bounce the light back at the tailgater, you move the mirror to the right, so it's essentially angled straight back.

Edited January 20 by Mondrianyone

[annzeepark914]

I dunno about adjusting the mirror so it shines back at the tailgating jerk. Years ago? Sure. Today, with so many people armed & easily angered? That can be quite risky.