Small Talk: The Prayer Closet

[Nysha]

1 hour ago, Scarlett45 said:

So you do NOT chill it first? 

No, the leftovers get put in the refrigerator but initially it is served at room temperature.

It's so interesting to see the differences in how people eat something as simple as watermelon. Truth be told, I would have never thought to cube it if I hadn't seen it on sale at the supermarket that way. One of my aunts use to use a melon baller (?spelling?), but she was childless, rich, and put on airs according to the rest of the family.

[GeeGolly]

Apparently this is the new way to cut watermelon.

[Oldernowiser]

1 hour ago, Mindthinkr said:

She was totally up to date on her vaccinations. They were the office that gave her them.

I think the tech just had an attitude problem or didn’t like being told to stop. 

Yep, that was bullshit. Cat nails are comparatively easy to trim, but a senior cat likely has arthritis pain issues. If the owner tells you to stop, you stop. 

Man I’d take kitty nail trims all day long compared to dachshunds or worse, chihuahuas. Black nails made out of titanium and you’re going to get snapped at, if not outright bitten. It’s not if, it’s when. 

Edited July 3, 2020 by Oldernowiser
Because it might have sounded opposite of what I meant.

[Scarlett45]

3 minutes ago, Oldernowiser said:

Yep, that’s bullshit. Cat nails are comparatively easy to trim, but a senior cat likely has arthritis pain issues. If the owner tells you to stop, you stop. 

Man I’d take kitty nail trims all day long compared to dachshunds or worse, chihuahuas. Black nails made out of titanium and you’re going to get snapped at, if not outright bitten. It’s not if, it’s when. 

Yes. Mr. Norris really didn’t like getting his nails cut the last couple of years. A PROFESSIONAL like a vet tech should know better. 

11 minutes ago, Nysha said:

No, the leftovers get put in the refrigerator but initially it is served at room temperature.

It's so interesting to see the differences in how people eat something as simple as watermelon. Truth be told, I would have never thought to cube it if I hadn't seen it on sale at the supermarket that way. One of my aunts use to use a melon baller (?spelling?), but she was childless, rich, and put on airs according to the rest of the family.

I too have seen the watermelon ballers which to me is just an elevated cube. If I had a party I would certainly ball the watermelon. I am childfree and hope to be rich someday😍. 

[Zella]

My family always puts the watermelon in an ice chest--or the freezer if they are impatient--to cool it. And they act like rocket scientists calculating how long to keep it in there. 😄 Then they cut it in wedges, eat it, and put any leftovers in the fridge. 

[Albanyguy]

1 hour ago, Scarlett45 said:

@AryasMum

 

This quote from the Jessa thread intrigued me! So I brought it over here. 
 

I love love love watermelon in a way that embodies all sorts of racial stereotypes😝😝, so I have to know, HOW do you cut, chill, eat and store your watermelon if it never enters the house? Why is your floor sticky?
 

I just have to know because a summer without my weekly watermelon sounds so sad. I just had a bowl with breakfast. 
 

Every black family I know was always taught that after the prep of the watermelon you MUST take the rind directly to the alley and wipe down the counters but I have never had a sticky floor. I have seen many of my white friends eat triangle pieces of watermelon with the rind on (like in the picture of Jessa’s kids) and I am intrigued. My Mexican American friends put salt on it. I love knowing how everyone eats watermelon because it’s delicious. 

My family aren’t Mexican-American, but they always put salt on their watermelon. I don’t, because I love the taste of watermelon just by itself. My grandmother used to save the rinds to make pickles, but I haven’t seen those in years.

[Scarlett45]

4 minutes ago, Albanyguy said:

My family aren’t Mexican-American, but they always put salt on their watermelon. I don’t, because I love the taste of watermelon just by itself. My grandmother used to save the rinds to make pickles, but I haven’t seen those in years.

Rinds for pickles!!! That’s interesting. I am learning so much thank you. 

[doodlebug]

4 hours ago, Brookside said:

Meanwhile the President is attending an event at Mt Rushmore today with thousands of participants - no masks required.

And the governor was careful to announce that social distancing wasn't happening either despite the fact that the 7500 invitees are coming from all parts of the country including those experiencing surges..  Not to mention that it has been 10 years since fireworks have been held there due to the drought and the risk of fire in the nearby forested land.

Edited July 3, 2020 by doodlebug

[Jynnan tonnix]

I love watermelon (or "waterlemon", as my granddaughter says) pretty much any way you want to throw it at me as well. Chilled, unchilled, in wedges, in cubes...a couple of years ago I also discovered heirloom tomato and watermelon salad - chunks of both with basil, salt, pepper, a splash of balsamic vinegar and feta cheese. It does tend to turn soupy almost immediately, so you can't make it ahead at all, but YUM!

 

[Temperance]

My mom has friends who can't/won't go to church, because the priest won't require people to wear masks. (no idea how they're handling communion). Her friends are higher risk than some other folks.  They wanted to priest to have one mass with masks only.

Church still seems risky to me, even with masks. 

I also someone who has mono right now. They're young and healthy, except for the mono. 

[Westiepeach]

1 hour ago, doodlebug said:

And the governor was careful to announce that social distancing wasn't happening either despite the fact that the 7500 invitees are coming from all parts of the country including those experieoncing surges..  Not to mention that it has been 10 years since fireworks have been held there due to the drought and the risk of fire in the nearby forested land.

We’re all gonna die...

[doodlebug]

38 minutes ago, Westiepeach said:

We’re all gonna die...

Some of us sooner than later....

[emma675]

This year can't be over soon enough.

My parents won't get the results of their tests until early next week, not that I'm 100% trustful of whatever the tests say. My friend is married to a pediatrician who has tested negative twice but definitely has it (she was around a coworker who has it and she's got fever, lost her sense of taste and smell, and has had other common symptoms). I'll feel comfortable about 3-4 weeks from now if they haven't had any symptoms.

In the meantime, I may need bail money if I ever run into the guy who exposed them. He knew he wasn't feeling well but still went and played golf anyway. Jackass. 

[jcbrown]

2 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

Yes. Mr. Norris really didn’t like getting his nails cut the last couple of years. A PROFESSIONAL like a vet tech should know better. 

Hillary had her nails trimmed when she was 19 because they were just untenably long. She only weighed a bit over five pounds but it took a muzzle, two vet techs holding her down, and the vet doing the trimming to get the job done. She REALLY did not want her nails trimmed. My kitty was tough.

I saw a recipe recently for spring rolls containing watermelon, jicama, and herbs, to be served with a coconut cream/fish sauce dipping sauce. I was thinking of trying it but my husband is not a watermelon fan. I may make it anyway, as he eats whatever I cook because I am the one willing to do the cooking so he figures it's the least he can do to do the eating.

[galaxychaser]

I can’t eat watermelon since my mom died. Watermelon and cherries she couldn’t get enough of. I still put stuff in the cart before remembering she isn’t here anymore.  I don’t think I will ever be the same or stop grieving. 
 

And watermelon had to be room temperature. 

[Nysha]

1 hour ago, emma675 said:

In the meantime, I may need bail money if I ever run into the guy who exposed them. He knew he wasn't feeling well but still went and played golf anyway. Jackass.

I'll chip in. These morons who go around other people when they're not feeling well should be charged with attempted murder.

[zoomama]

6 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

the Intracoastal Waterway

what does that mean? i hear it mentioned on  house hunters but i cant fathom it.  also, just for general curiosity, why do front doors open out in florida? is it for safety in a hurricane? i probably sound so dumb but both those things are so foreign to my quiet little life here.   and MINDTHINKR, i can appreciate not giving your specific location. 

Edited July 3, 2020 by zoomama

[Scarlett45]

Im counting down the hours until my extender gets here. My system kept logging me out and freezing so I couldn’t use my mouse. I sat in the middle of the living room to finish one task but it was so hard because I couldn’t see the entire screen. I then went back into my office with my dual monitors to send out the last emails. This is too painful. I have deadlines.....at least things were slow today because of the holiday tomorrow. 😔

 

Everyone have a good holiday. 

[wilsie]

This is from a friend of mine on Facebook.  They shared from another friend.  I hope it's a help. 

I think it’s time to end the mask debate. This was written by a New Yorker.

“I live in a part of the country that was once the epicenter of the coronavirus. To stem the spread, we sheltered in place for three months. We didn’t go anywhere. At all. We wore masks, bandanas, neck gaiters, anything we had on hand to keep each other safe. We sewed homemade masks, held bake sales and fundraisers to buy others, and donated our own supply — because there weren’t enough for our healthcare workers and EMTs, Firefighters and police officers. We wore gardening gloves to the supermarket when we ran out of latex ones. We crossed the street to avoid each other and kept a six foot distance. We washed our hands constantly, opened doorknobs with our elbows and closed car doors with our toes, made homemade hand sanitizer, wiped down everything with Clorox and Lysol and bleach. We isolated ourselves from each other, even though it cost us companionship and intimacy and socialization and the comfort of touch and hugs and kisses, and quite possibly, our sanity. We stayed put because you were afraid that we would bring the virus to other states. We were terrified, and acted like we weren’t for the sake of our children. We stayed at home even though we were furloughed, lost our jobs, had to close down businesses, and went bankrupt. We taught our kids at home while trying to be productive as we worked from home - often in the same room, and at the same table. Our friends and family, coworkers, neighbors and frontline workers all died in staggering numbers. We couldn’t gather together to bury them, or to mourn. We missed weddings, births, bar mitzvahs, 50th anniversary parties and babies’ first birthdays, graduations, Easter, Passover, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. We cancelled the St. Patrick’s Day parade in New York City for the first time in its 150-year existence. We watched Broadway go dark, Times Square sit empty, Fifth Avenue go silent. We closed down all sporting events, missed spring training and a day at the ballpark with our dads and our kids. We put up caution tape around neighborhood playgrounds. We had to visit our 95 year-old mothers and fathers in nursing homes with a cold, hard pane of tempered glass between us. We didn’t sleep for days. We cried, raged and bargained into our pillows at 3 am. We developed headaches, muscle tension, anxiety and depression. We made wills, wrote down funeral plans. We couldn’t be with our loved ones when they died alone in hospitals. We asked nurses and doctors to bend down towards their hollowed ears and whisper our children’s names and our pet names for our spouses and our everlasting love and our thankfulness that it had been them and that they had chosen us and our steadfast promises that we would be alright and that they would never be forgotten and that it was ok to let go even though it wasn’t ok at all.

We did this while you said it was just like the flu and that we were overreacting.

We did this while you mocked our precautions and said it wasn’t that bad.

We did this while you drank shoulder-to-shoulder in bars, swam in crowded pools, ignored data and doctors and science for a beer and a burger.

We did this while you disputed our infection numbers and death tolls, as hazmatted men wheeled body after body into refrigerated white trucks discreetly hidden from sight in hospital parking lots.

We did this while you protested about your right to get a mani-pedi and a haircut.

We did this while you booked cruise vacations en masse, and boarded planes to take advantage of cheap fares.

We did this while you criticized our governors for their “overaggressive” approach.

We did this while you sent death threats to Dr. Fauci and others in the medical field, skilled professionals who have literally taken an oath to do no harm, and who have made it their life’s work.

We did this while you coughed and spit on Starbucks and Home Depot workers getting paid by the hour.

We did this while you banged on shopping mall doors, screamed at its workers, and demanded that they open for you. Because you need to shop.

We did this while our president delayed the rollout of PPE equipment, testing and protocol. We did this while an administration behaved ineptly, irresponsibly, and quite possibly, criminally.

We did this while you let us die.

And all you had to do was wear a mask.”

[galaxychaser]

Anyone own this or something similar? Once my microwave dies I want one of these. looks like something I’d use a lot.
 

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/instant-trade-omni-trade-plus-toaster-oven/5485383?keyword=instant-omni-plus

[wilsie]

43 minutes ago, galaxychaser said:

Anyone own this or something similar? Once my microwave dies I want one of these. looks like something I’d use a lot.
 

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/instant-trade-omni-trade-plus-toaster-oven/5485383?keyword=instant-omni-plus

That looks really nice.  There's a forum about kitchen gadgets if you want to check there.

 

[Ohiopirate02]

1 hour ago, zoomama said:

what does that mean? i hear it mentioned on  house hunters but i cant fathom it.  also, just for general curiosity, why do front doors open out in florida? is it for safety in a hurricane? i probably sound so dumb but both those things are so foreign to my quiet little life here.   and MINDTHINKR, i can appreciate not giving your specific location. 

I live in the same region, the Intracoastal waterway is a system of rivers, canals, and sounds designed to allow a boat to sail from Maine to Florida without having to go into the Atlantic ocean.   The US government dug and maintains the canals that connect the various rivers and sounds.  In some areas it is very developed and homes have been built to take advantage.   In others like where I live, the IW is the natural sounds between the mainland and barrier islands. 

[zoomama]

3 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I live in the same region, the Intracoastal waterway is a system of rivers, canals, and sounds designed to allow a boat to sail from Maine to Florida without having to go into the Atlantic ocean.   The US government dug and maintains the canals that connect the various rivers and sounds.  In some areas it is very developed and homes have been built to take advantage.   In others like where I live, the IW is the natural sounds between the mainland and barrier islands. 

thanks for telling me that.  i wonder what made the idea be done in the first place....maybe the ocean is too rough travel for smaller boats. 

[Sweeneyswt]

I know this is off topic, and I’m sorry. I think whatever is wrong with Jill is what’s wrong with me. I’ve been a lurker for years. Could any of you kindly point me to some advice if you have any? I’m sorry. It’s just the loneliness I’m feeling is suffocating recently. Therapy has never worked for me. 

[Oldernowiser]

Sweeneyswt, welcome! I lurked here on Small Talk for a long time. I get that it’s a little intimidating to join in, but this is really the nicest bunch of interesting people you’ll find online. And diverse and global, which is even better.

 I moved recently across the country and then was injured and couldn’t go anywhere for a year. I finally recovered and was all set to start trying to find social connections here in January...join a yoga class, find a walking buddy, go out for coffee...then Covid. Oops.

Honestly, this forum and a few others I am on are my social life these days. Maybe yours, too? Please feel free to tell us something about yourself if you like and chime in. Snark is always appreciated but there’s plenty of just chitchat. See if we can help?

[Sweeneyswt]

Thank you for your kind reply! I’m 35, divorced, and I love to try new things. I hope to try some real life groups eventually, too, but y’all have been my home spot. I know that sounds strange! I’m sorry!!

[CalicoKitty]

2 hours ago, galaxychaser said:

Anyone own this or something similar? Once my microwave dies I want one of these. looks like something I’d use a lot.
 

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/instant-trade-omni-trade-plus-toaster-oven/5485383?keyword=instant-omni-plus

I have a Breville "toaster oven" very much like this one.  I use it all the time, instead of my big oven.  It is great as a toaster, but also regular baking.  I have used it for baking bread, and it works well.  It keeps the kitchen cooler in the summer.  It will hold a 9 x 13 pan, if it doesn't have handles.

Edited July 4, 2020 by CalicoKitty
added more info

[CalicoKitty]

RE: Watermelon  I bought a gizmo on QVC that is supposed to be used on pineapples.  You kind of screw it in, and it cuts the pineapple into slices and removes the core.  I also use it on small watermelons.  It makes perfect ring-shaped slices, just like pineapple rings,  and the place where the core of the pineapple comes out makes a nice watermelon section.  I don't know what it is called, but it works well.

[marypat57]

Re:  toaster ‘ovens’:

I bought an Oster countertop oven last year (also in BB&B).  I use it for toasting, baking, broiling and roasting.  I’ve made meatloaf, chicken cutlets, ham, roasted veggies and baked bread, cookies and cupcakes.

I think the only time I use my regular oven is if I am baking a few sheets of cookies at once.  Besides, if I used my regular oven, I’d have to take all of my pots and pans out of it —and then put them back in😊. 

I think I did look at the Breville, but decided on the Oster.

[galaxychaser]

My oven is full of extra plates and the cast iron skillet I can barely lift 🤣. 
I want an air fryer so bad but the decent ones are like $100. So I figured I might as well get a combo air fryer/Oven unit. 
 

[Scarlett45]

33 minutes ago, Sweeneyswt said:

Thank you for your kind reply! I’m 35, divorced, and I love to try new things. I hope to try some real life groups eventually, too, but y’all have been my home spot. I know that sounds strange! I’m sorry!!

Hi! Nice to meet you. We talk about anything and everything on here. Everyone is so kind and has so many interesting things to talk about. 

[galaxychaser]

1 hour ago, Sweeneyswt said:

I know this is off topic, and I’m sorry. I think whatever is wrong with Jill is what’s wrong with me. I’ve been a lurker for years. Could any of you kindly point me to some advice if you have any? I’m sorry. It’s just the loneliness I’m feeling is suffocating recently. Therapy has never worked for me. 

Welcome!!! Nice to have you join us here. What Jill are you referring to?

[Scarlett45]

Did any contemporaries of @Christina87 and myself read the BSC books? Or any Gen Xers? We’ve got a little discussion going in Other Dramas. This show is so cute so far. 

[Jenniferbug]

1 minute ago, Scarlett45 said:

Did any contemporaries of @Christina87 and myself read the BSC books? Or any Gen Xers? We’ve got a little discussion going in Other Dramas. This show is so cute so far. 

ME!!! ME!! I haven't had a chance to watch the show yet though. I'll join you guys over there when I start watching 😊

[Zella]

2 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

Did any contemporaries of @Christina87 and myself read the BSC books? Or any Gen Xers? We’ve got a little discussion going in Other Dramas. This show is so cute so far. 

I did and really enjoyed them! I didn't realize there was a show?! 

[Jenniferbug]

1 minute ago, Zella said:

I did and really enjoyed them! I didn't realize there was a show?! 

Netflix made one that released today. I've been busy watching Hamilton instead. 

[emma675]

I've read them, too, although I didn't know there was a new BSC show.

Unpopular opinion, I hate watermelon. It's a texture thing.

Sweeneyswt, welcome! People here are great and pretty diverse. I'm usually pretty chill and snarky and not a raging harpy who's threatening to punch old men with Covid in the face, but it's been a week. 

Edited July 4, 2020 by emma675d

[Zella]

2 minutes ago, Jenniferbug said:

Netflix made one that released today. I've been busy watching Hamilton instead. 

Ah okay. I'm still working my way through my GOT rewatch I've had going on since May. My watch has not quite ended. . . . 

[andromeda331]

59 minutes ago, Sweeneyswt said:

Thank you for your kind reply! I’m 35, divorced, and I love to try new things. I hope to try some real life groups eventually, too, but y’all have been my home spot. I know that sounds strange! I’m sorry!!

Welcome!

[Zella]

And greetings, @Sweeneyswt! 🙂 

[Scarlett45]

Just now, emma675 said:

I've read them, too, although I didn't want there was a new BSC show.

Unpopular opinion, I hate watermelon. It's a texture thing.

Sweeneyswt, welcome! People here are great and pretty diverse. I'm usually pretty chill and snarky and not a raging harpy who's threatening to punch old men with Covid in the face, but it's been a week. 

My oldest friend in the world who is now teaching English safely in Taiwan (the best place in the world to be) also HATES watermelon. She says it’s a texture thing too. 

[galaxychaser]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8487559/Heartwarming-video-shows-sweet-moment-little-boy-reunites-best-friend.html
 

cutest video ever aaww

[Sweeneyswt]

25 minutes ago, galaxychaser said:

Welcome!!! Nice to have you join us here. What Jill are you referring to?

I’m sorry! Jill Dillard

[Scarlett45]

Just now, Zella said:

Ah okay. I'm still working my way through my GOT rewatch I've had going on since May. My watch has not quite ended. . . . 

I started a Degrassi rewatch in May but am taking a little break after a character’s suicide. Babysitter’s Club it is!

[galaxychaser]

11 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

Did any contemporaries of @Christina87 and myself read the BSC books? Or any Gen Xers? We’ve got a little discussion going in Other Dramas. This show is so cute so far. 

What books are they?

[Zella]

2 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

I started a Degrassi rewatch in May but am taking a little break after a character’s suicide. Babysitter’s Club it is!

I'm rereading the books while I rewatch, so I'm also just really confused and suffering an information overload. I keep forgetting who is dead and who isn't. (LIke literally reading a chapter that references somebody and me thinking, "Poor old dead so-and-so" and then turning the page to see a chapter from that person's POV. Whoops!) Could use some lighter viewing afterward, and this new show sounds promising! 

Edited July 4, 2020 by Zella

[DangerousMinds]

1 hour ago, Sweeneyswt said:

Thank you for your kind reply! I’m 35, divorced, and I love to try new things. I hope to try some real life groups eventually, too, but y’all have been my home spot. I know that sounds strange! I’m sorry!!

Welcome!

[Jenniferbug]

Welcome @Sweeneyswt! Meant to say that earlier but got super excited about the mention of Babysitter's Club because those books were such a huge part of my childhood. 

I am mostly a lurker here too, but when I jump in everyone is so kind and friendly. Even though I don't post too regularly, this thread does help me feel like I'm socializing. 

[Sweeneyswt]

3 hours ago, galaxychaser said:

Anyone own this or something similar? Once my microwave dies I want one of these. looks like something I’d use a lot.
 

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/instant-trade-omni-trade-plus-toaster-oven/5485383?keyword=instant-omni-plus

My ex has one and hasn’t used it. I think I would, though!!

[DangerousMinds]

4 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

I started a Degrassi rewatch in May but am taking a little break after a character’s suicide. Babysitter’s Club it is!

I love Degrassi! Or did until the last few seasons.