Small Talk: The Prayer Closet

[BetyBee]

Good News Sunday - my brother was in the hospital this week for tests and thankfully, his new issue (vertigo) is not due to a return of his brain tumor or due to a stroke. He's back home and doing well. I'm so grateful!

I baked sourdough bread from my own starter for the first time this week. It was pretty good. There was optional extra kneading which I skipped and I shouldn't have. The crust is too firm. Next time I'll do the extra kneading.

Does anyone else watch Virgin River? I binged the new season and then started reading posts on the VR thread here. There are hilarious comments that cracked me up. It's basically a soap opera and I haven't watched one of those in years!

[Zella]

On 7/29/2022 at 5:14 AM, GeeGolly said:

It had been trying so hard to rain earlier in the week here - a little spritz, a little sprinkle - well last night was a crazy success with heavy duty downpours. It didn't break the humidity though, but it looks like a nice weekend before we creep back into another heatwave.

As to quote Jill, yay! :) It's finally rained here four days in a row. It will be clearing out today and get hot again but at least not forecasted to be 100+ days in a row. 

[Mindthinkr]

9 hours ago, BetyBee said:

Does anyone else watch Virgin River?

I just started season 1 today. 
 

I’m happy to hear the good news about your brother. 

[Jeeves]

I've been editing photos this morning. Sat much too long here at the computer, having fun with some new watercolor effects in Photoshop.  I'll share this one, from a walk in our Botanic Gardens on Sunday.

I hope everyone has a good day. We're having a hot one, but not unseasonably hot, so there's that. 

[Nysha]

Jeeves, that picture is beautiful. It would make an outstanding greeting card or framed photo.

[Turquoise]

Small vent about something that I realize is a minor annoyance in the big picture...

So I moved from Nashville to southern Illinois a year and a half ago to be close to my aging parents and my son/grandchildren. In the last few months I have been contacted by multiple recruiters in Nashville (nice, where were they when I lived there? LOL). I always thank them and explain I moved. Then I get "I have positions in Chicago too!"

I live closer to Nashville than Chicago. By over 100 miles. It is annoying yet hilarious how many people think Chicago is synonymous with the state of Illinois. I volunteer I would be open to hear about remote work, I work remotely in my current position. Crickets.

Like I said, small annoyance. I do have a job. I had this experience again today, so it's fresh on my mind.

[zoomama]

i have been somewhat distracted away from here for most of my free time lately. i am working on a huge project that my brother asked me to do for him. he sent me a box of neckties that he had worn over the last 40+ years for employment and asked if i could stitch them into a queen size quilt. stupidly, over-confidently, (naively) i said yes, i am capable of that; i have sewed since i was about 12 years old.  hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  that was  such an over estimate of my skills.  however, with help from three quilty friends, i am on my way to getting it done. it has been such a source of angst for me. i FINALLY  have all the ties processed, cut into strips and some have been sewn into long strips (think jelly rolls, if you quilt).  i made my own version of a quilt wall to hang the strips so i can visualize the rows and now i am ready to join them all up.  when it comes to the actual quilting part, i am farming that part out.  i had no idea what i was getting myself into but i sure am learning a lot and having some kind of fun too.  i need to be finished for delivery by october so i am gonna be busy for a while. 

[lookeyloo]

4 minutes ago, zoomama said:

i have been somewhat distracted away from here for most of my free time lately. i am working on a huge project that my brother asked me to do for him. he sent me a box of neckties that he had worn over the last 40+ years for employment and asked if i could stitch them into a queen size quilt. stupidly, over-confidently, (naively) i said yes, i am capable of that; i have sewed since i was about 12 years old.  hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  that was  such an over estimate of my skills.  however, with help from three quilty friends, i am on my way to getting it done. it has been such a source of angst for me. i FINALLY  have all the ties processed, cut into strips and some have been sewn into long strips (think jelly rolls, if you quilt).  i made my own version of a quilt wall to hang the strips so i can visualize the rows and now i am ready to join them all up.  when it comes to the actual quilting part, i am farming that part out.  i had no idea what i was getting myself into but i sure am learning a lot and having some kind of fun too.  i need to be finished for delivery by october so i am gonna be busy for a while. 

I am a quilter too, so understand this.  I have neckties from my late brother and Sweet Son and have the intention to do something with them.  I have been looking at patterns and meanwhile just look at the ties and feel sad.  I'm already old so hope I can get this done.  Right now my mojo is MIA.  Please post a picture when  you are done.  Eye candy for sure!

[Notabug]

5 hours ago, zoomama said:

i have been somewhat distracted away from here for most of my free time lately. i am working on a huge project that my brother asked me to do for him. he sent me a box of neckties that he had worn over the last 40+ years for employment and asked if i could stitch them into a queen size quilt. stupidly, over-confidently, (naively) i said yes, i am capable of that; i have sewed since i was about 12 years old.  hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  that was  such an over estimate of my skills.  however, with help from three quilty friends, i am on my way to getting it done. it has been such a source of angst for me. i FINALLY  have all the ties processed, cut into strips and some have been sewn into long strips (think jelly rolls, if you quilt).  i made my own version of a quilt wall to hang the strips so i can visualize the rows and now i am ready to join them all up.  when it comes to the actual quilting part, i am farming that part out.  i had no idea what i was getting myself into but i sure am learning a lot and having some kind of fun too.  i need to be finished for delivery by october so i am gonna be busy for a while. 

I'm a quilter for 40+ years and I feel ya.  I pretty much stopped doing full sized quilts a while back because they are so darned time consuming and I get bored easily.  I do baby quilts, lap quilts or wall hangings and that's about it.

I love picking the patterns and colors for quilts, by far my favorite part.  But, once I've done that, I need motivation to get the thing put together and done.  I currently have multiple quilts in various stages of completion, some of them started years ago.  I'm making a throw type quilt with Christmas fabrics for my sister which has been lying on the shelf just needing quilted since 2018 or so.  Another sister has a similar quilt, this one in spring colors to match her living room, also in progress for years.  Then, a dear friend's daughter was diagnosed with a rare and very bad cancer a couple months ago.  I started making a prayer quilt for her back when she was diagnosed.  It's in bright colors and contains panels with Bible quotes that are positive and affirming.  Stuff about strength and power.  I could've gotten panels with quotes about sickness and healing but I wanted it to be upbeat, she's only 30 years old.  Anyway, it's sitting here on a table in my living room, the top is almost done, I think I have a mental block about finishing it.

I won't begin to tell you how many bins of fabric I have in my spare room, waiting for me to get to work.

I do not like the quilting part very much, so I just 'stitch in the ditch' or, for something really nice, hire someone else to quilt it.  I got a couple of beautiful quilt tops after an old family friend died, she'd pieced them together in the 1950's or so and never finished.  I finished putting them together but they were too nice and too special for the likes of me to do the quilting.  I had them done by pros and ended up giving one of the finished quilts to my sister who was very close to our friend and kept one for myself which is on a chair in my bedroom so everyone can see how pretty it is.  The pattern is called 'grandmother's fan' and the colors are gorgeous.

[zoomama]

10 hours ago, Notabug said:

I'm a quilter for 40+ years and I feel ya.  I pretty much stopped doing full sized quilts a while back because they are so darned time consuming and I get bored easily.  I do baby quilts, lap quilts or wall hangings and that's about it.

I love picking the patterns and colors for quilts, by far my favorite part.  But, once I've done that, I need motivation to get the thing put together and done.  I currently have multiple quilts in various stages of completion, some of them started years ago.  I'm making a throw type quilt with Christmas fabrics for my sister which has been lying on the shelf just needing quilted since 2018 or so.  Another sister has a similar quilt, this one in spring colors to match her living room, also in progress for years.  Then, a dear friend's daughter was diagnosed with a rare and very bad cancer a couple months ago.  I started making a prayer quilt for her back when she was diagnosed.  It's in bright colors and contains panels with Bible quotes that are positive and affirming.  Stuff about strength and power.  I could've gotten panels with quotes about sickness and healing but I wanted it to be upbeat, she's only 30 years old.  Anyway, it's sitting here on a table in my living room, the top is almost done, I think I have a mental block about finishing it.

I won't begin to tell you how many bins of fabric I have in my spare room, waiting for me to get to work.

I do not like the quilting part very much, so I just 'stitch in the ditch' or, for something really nice, hire someone else to quilt it.  I got a couple of beautiful quilt tops after an old family friend died, she'd pieced them together in the 1950's or so and never finished.  I finished putting them together but they were too nice and too special for the likes of me to do the quilting.  I had them done by pros and ended up giving one of the finished quilts to my sister who was very close to our friend and kept one for myself which is on a chair in my bedroom so everyone can see how pretty it is.  The pattern is called 'grandmother's fan' and the colors are gorgeous.

i can totally understand the bored part -- mens ties...bleh!  my bro must have worn red/burgandy almost every day in some form. but i am determined to finish what i have started here. 

on another but similar note, can i share this group with you quilters/sewers here? its called "i found a quilted heart' . i saw it on facebook and i have included a link to explain it. i joined the page and its a feel good moment every time i see a post. i am in the process of making some hearts now and will hopefully be stashing them around soon! good use of scraps!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I Found A Quilted Heart

Community

IFAQH is a community of volunteers leaving quilted hearts in a public place to be found by a random stranger. We share a small selection of the hearts reported on this Facebook page. All the hearts reported are on the web site at www.ifaqh.com #IFAQH

http://ifoundaquiltedheart.com/

[GeeGolly]

1 hour ago, zoomama said:

i can totally understand the bored part -- mens ties...bleh!  my bro must have worn red/burgandy almost every day in some form. but i am determined to finish what i have started here. 

on another but similar note, can i share this group with you quilters/sewers here? its called "i found a quilted heart' . i saw it on facebook and i have included a link to explain it. i joined the page and its a feel good moment every time i see a post. i am in the process of making some hearts now and will hopefully be stashing them around soon! good use of scraps!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I Found A Quilted Heart

Community

IFAQH is a community of volunteers leaving quilted hearts in a public place to be found by a random stranger. We share a small selection of the hearts reported on this Facebook page. All the hearts reported are on the web site at www.ifaqh.com #IFAQH

http://ifoundaquiltedheart.com/

I've seen that but have not wanted to click on the unknown link. Can you share what it says?

I'm a fake quilter - a quilter who doesn't quilt. I've made many a patchwork blanket with no quilting and I still love them. Depending on the quilt I may tie the corners, machine sew down the seams or maybe add ribbon around the squares.

I am a fan of the tie quilts that use the shape of the tie fanning out like a flower/sunburst. I also saw a great one years ago that had shirts as the squares with the ties coming down from the collar.

Good luck on your quilt!

[Notabug]

12 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

I've seen that but have not wanted to click on the unknown link. Can you share what it says?

I'm a fake quilter - a quilter who doesn't quilt. I've made many a patchwork blanket with no quilting and I still love them. Depending on the quilt I may tie the corners, machine sew down the seams or maybe add ribbon around the squares.

I am a fan of the tie quilts that use the shape of the tie fanning out like a flower/sunburst. I also saw a great one years ago that had shirts as the squares with the ties coming down from the collar.

Good luck on your quilt!

I went to the site and have already downloaded the instructions, my neighborhood is going to be peppered with hearts soon!

It's a random act of kindness thing.  People make little hearts out of quilting fabric and leave them to be found in public places, sort of like the painted rocks that were popular a few years ago.  The website has printable tags to put on the hearts and they specifically request no other messages be placed with them; no Bible verses, no pamphlets, nada.  The tags contain a link to the website where they ask people who've found hearts to send a picture and tell the story of how they found it.  Lots of people very encouraged/uplifted by the experience.

[GeeGolly]

9 minutes ago, Notabug said:

I went to the site and have already downloaded the instructions, my neighborhood is going to be peppered with hearts soon!

It's a random act of kindness thing.  People make little hearts out of quilting fabric and leave them to be found in public places, sort of like the painted rocks that were popular a few years ago.  The website has printable tags to put on the hearts and they specifically request no other messages be placed with them; no Bible verses, no pamphlets, nada.  The tags contain a link to the website where they ask people who've found hearts to send a picture and tell the story of how they found it.  Lots of people very encouraged/uplifted by the experience.

Oh! I very much love this!

[zoomama]

8 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

I've seen that but have not wanted to click on the unknown link. Can you share what it says?

I'm a fake quilter - a quilter who doesn't quilt. I've made many a patchwork blanket with no quilting and I still love them. Depending on the quilt I may tie the corners, machine sew down the seams or maybe add ribbon around the squares.

I am a fan of the tie quilts that use the shape of the tie fanning out like a flower/sunburst. I also saw a great one years ago that had shirts as the squares with the ties coming down from the collar.

Good luck on your quilt!

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IFAQH is a community of volunteers leaving quilted hearts in a public place to be found by a random stranger.

We share a small selection of the hearts reported on this Facebook page. All the hearts reported are on the web site at www.ifaqh.com #IFAQH 

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Did you find a quilted heart? Send a picture, the location, and the story of finding the heart! Hearts are reported on the web site:

https://www.ifo…

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http://ifoundaquiltedheart.com/

[Scarlett45]

On 8/2/2022 at 3:29 PM, Turquoise said:

Small vent about something that I realize is a minor annoyance in the big picture...

So I moved from Nashville to southern Illinois a year and a half ago to be close to my aging parents and my son/grandchildren. In the last few months I have been contacted by multiple recruiters in Nashville (nice, where were they when I lived there? LOL). I always thank them and explain I moved. Then I get "I have positions in Chicago too!"

I live closer to Nashville than Chicago. By over 100 miles. It is annoying yet hilarious how many people think Chicago is synonymous with the state of Illinois. I volunteer I would be open to hear about remote work, I work remotely in my current position. Crickets.

Like I said, small annoyance. I do have a job. I had this experience again today, so it's fresh on my mind.

Even as a Chicagoan, I understand your frustration and annoyance. This is a big state! Not as big as Texas but still. I also get annoyed when people say they live in Chicago and I say "oh where" and then they say Rockford- look if your suburb doesn't touch Chicago do not claim it! LMAO. 

Speaking of Chicago, work took us to a baseball game yesterday! White Sox vs Royals! There was a rain delay but it was so fun. I do think the food gave me a tummy ache, I have a pretty strong stomach, but the popcorn with faux butter probably did something (I have popcorn all the time, but with sea salt and 10ml oil, yes I measure, because I need to). I got a veggie dog, popcorn, a bottle of water for $21- we had a $20 voucher for concessions. 

 I am not sure whether its being in a small calorie deficit the last two years almost, or getting older, or both, but I am less ravenous than I used to be. My hunger is much reduced which is quite pleasant! 

[Scarlett45]

Do any of you guys drive an electric car? If so how do you like it?

A little bit about my life, I don't drive much. I never take road trips, and I commute into the office 2-3 days a week (so at most 60-70miles week). If I am feeling fancy I go to the suburbs to meet friends. My Mom is still driving while her vision allows, we will be a 2 car building until she gives it up (daytime only).

I live in the city of Chicago, I have a garage, my car would spend most of the time sitting. There is extreme weather here (ice, snow, frigid temps)- that concerns me more than anything, need to be able to get through the SNOW in Chicago alleys.

My Subaru Forester is 16yrs old, and still going strong, but it won't forever. 

I got this link in promotion SUBARU ANNOUNCES PRICING ON ALL-NEW SOLTERRA ELECTRIC SUV- My goal was to save $30k for a new forester,  if I save $30k, and the new electric is $47k, I would borrow the difference, the note would be minimal (even at 3yrs).

Lets see how I feel in a year or 18months. No gas is appealing.

[jcbrown]

41 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

Do any of you guys drive an electric car? If so how do you like it?

A little bit about my life, I don't drive much. I never take road trips, and I commute into the office 2-3 days a week (so at most 60-70miles week). If I am feeling fancy I go to the suburbs to meet friends. My Mom is still driving while her vision allows, we will be a 2 car building until she gives it up (daytime only).

I live in the city of Chicago, I have a garage, my car would spend most of the time sitting. There is extreme weather here (ice, snow, frigid temps)- that concerns me more than anything, need to be able to get through the SNOW in Chicago alleys.

My Subaru Forester is 16yrs old, and still going strong, but it won't forever. 

I got this link in promotion SUBARU ANNOUNCES PRICING ON ALL-NEW SOLTERRA ELECTRIC SUV- My goal was to save $30k for a new forester,  if I save $30k, and the new electric is $47k, I would borrow the difference, the note would be minimal (even at 3yrs).

Lets see how I feel in a year or 18months. No gas is appealing.

We've had our Tesla for going on a decade and love it. The car, that is, in spite of the asshole at the top of the company. It drives like a dream, it's quiet, the acceleration is nutso, and I have not put gas in a vehicle other than a rental car since 2012. We had a bigger circuit installed in our garage and just charge it overnight at home. We've taken it on trips to the Wine Country which it handles easily. Charging is a lot more readily available out in the wild now than it used to be. I don't see ever going back to a gas-powered vehicle.

[crazycatlady58]

11 minutes ago, jcbrown said:

We've had our Tesla for going on a decade and love it. The car, that is, in spite of the asshole at the top of the company. It drives like a dream, it's quiet, the acceleration is nutso, and I have not put gas in a vehicle other than a rental car since 2012. We had a bigger circuit installed in our garage and just charge it overnight at home. We've taken it on trips to the Wine Country which it handles easily. Charging is a lot more readily available out in the wild now than it used to be. I don't see ever going back to a gas-powered vehicle.

Just curious is your electric bill a lot higher?

[Rabbittron]

My mom is back in the hospital this time around her blood work showed she was about 2 pints of blood low. She had so many tests and they couldn't find out where she is losing the blood from because all tests came back normal. 

[Scarlett45]

15 minutes ago, Rabbittron said:

My mom is back in the hospital this time around her blood work showed she was about 2 pints of blood low. She had so many tests and they couldn't find out where she is losing the blood from because all tests came back normal. 

Thinking of your Mom and that they find answers soon. 

1 hour ago, jcbrown said:

We've had our Tesla for going on a decade and love it. The car, that is, in spite of the asshole at the top of the company. It drives like a dream, it's quiet, the acceleration is nutso, and I have not put gas in a vehicle other than a rental car since 2012. We had a bigger circuit installed in our garage and just charge it overnight at home. We've taken it on trips to the Wine Country which it handles easily. Charging is a lot more readily available out in the wild now than it used to be. I don't see ever going back to a gas-powered vehicle.

Yes I would have them install the proper outlet in the garage (I have an electric dryer and they did that without issue in the basement). 
 

Thank you!

[Zella]

I had a coworker who had an electric car--he's actually one of the people from Buffalo I just mentioned in another post--and he said it worked much better for him when he lived in a Buffalo suburb than when he moved to the Ozarks. So, I assume cold weather may not be an issue. I honestly don't remember what his complaint was about it here. I just remember him being an asshole to the rest of us when we tried to warn him about driving in ice around here, and then when he got stuck in it in the parking lot, we were more amused than was maybe polite. 

Edited August 5, 2022 by Zella

[Salacious Kitty]

29 minutes ago, Zella said:

I had a coworker who had an electric car--he's actually one of the people from Buffalo I just mentioned in another post--and he said it worked much better for him when he lived in a Buffalo suburb than when he moved to the Ozarks. So, I assume cold weather may not be an issue. I honestly don't remember what his complaint was about it here. I just remember him being an asshole to the rest of us when we tried to warn him about driving in ice around here, and then when he got stuck in it in the parking lot, we were more amused than was maybe polite. 

Maybe lack of charging stations out of town?

[Zella]

13 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Maybe lack of charging stations out of town?

Yes I would think so! I think he also complained about it not having enough power on some of the hills, but from what I have read, that's not really a problem usually. I wonder if he was doing what a friend of mine from Oklahoma did and trying to use cruise control. That's . . . not a great idea around here. 

[jcbrown]

On 8/4/2022 at 5:44 PM, crazycatlady58 said:

Just curious is your electric bill a lot higher?

Nope, not really. We have higher usage than other homes, as PG&E continually reminds us, but I am part penguin and like my A/C so we've always had a fairly high bill.

The only time we've has any challenge at all in finding charging was a trip to the wine country shortly after we got the car. Turned out one of the wineries whose wine club I was a member of at the time had a charger so we booked a tasting and charged the car during it. Then we found a place like a block from where we were staying where we could drive the car over, valet it, and ask them to charge it while we had a snack at the restaurant. Now, the charging is much more ubiquitous and many hotels have chargers, but I felt both of those options were eminently tolerable at the time. 😆

[CalicoKitty]

Question:  is there an "Electricity meter" at charging stations?  How do you pay?  Do different stations have different prices, like gas stations do?  I'm considering getting a hybrid, but I am curious about how to charge an electric car.

[ginger90]

1 hour ago, CalicoKitty said:

Question:  is there an "Electricity meter" at charging stations?  How do you pay?  Do different stations have different prices, like gas stations do?  I'm considering getting a hybrid, but I am curious about how to charge an electric car.

I just read this article:

https://www.investopedia.com/cost-to-charge-ev-road-trip-5219817

[andromeda331]

8 hours ago, ginger90 said:

I just read this article:

https://www.investopedia.com/cost-to-charge-ev-road-trip-5219817

Thank you for posting. I've have so many questions about that. Especially how much it cost.

[Notabug]

I've jumped onboard Zoomama's quilted heart train and whipped up a batch which I've already started to distribute.  Took a little more than an hour to create the little buggers.  Time well spent, IMO.

[wilsie]

6 minutes ago, Notabug said:

I've jumped onboard Zoomama's quilted heart train and whipped up a batch which I've already started to distribute.  Took a little more than an hour to create the little buggers.  Time well spent, IMO.

In my opinion, too! They are adorable! I would love to find them while walking around.  

[BetyBee]

We have neighbors who are still doing the painted rock thing. My husband always takes one and puts it on the bandstand near our Farmers Market for someone to find. They do brighten the day! These neighbors also have a free library and beautiful flowers. Some houses are just a joy to behold!

[zoomama]

9 hours ago, Notabug said:

I've jumped onboard Zoomama's quilted heart train and whipped up a batch which I've already started to distribute.  Took a little more than an hour to create the little buggers.  Time well spent, IMO.

did you tag them the way the instructions said to or  just left them like we see?  nice job!  i was driving yesterday in a mountainous area and thought how cool it would have been to have left some along the trails up there to be found. 

[Notabug]

47 minutes ago, zoomama said:

did you tag them the way the instructions said to or  just left them like we see?  nice job!  i was driving yesterday in a mountainous area and thought how cool it would have been to have left some along the trails up there to be found. 

No, I copied the tags from the web site and tagged them.  I also put the ones I left outdoors into little zip lock sandwich bags because we've been having intermittent thunder storms all weekend.  I left several out and about outside yesterday and I checked and none of them were there today.  

[Love2dance]

They are so pretty, @Notabug, and I’m sure made many people happy! 😊

[skatelady]

On 8/5/2022 at 9:30 PM, jcbrown said:

Just curious is your electric bill a lot higher?

Nope, not really. We have higher usage than other homes, as PG&E continually reminds us, but I am part penguin and like my A/C so we've always had a fairly high bill.

We have a fully electric car ('18 Chevy Bolt). My husband is an avid data-collector, and he's determined that, with strictly home-charging use, the cost of the added electricity has been approximately 1/4 the cost of gas we would've used. So, yes, our electric bill has gone up, but overall we're still paying considerably less. 

We installed a level-2 charger in our garage (so there was an up-front cost, of I think about $600) but we've long since "made that back". It takes a few hours to fully charge, but that's not noticeable since I plug it in at night and it's ready-to-go in the morning. We get about 250 miles on a full charge in the summer and 150 in the winter - which is more than adequate for the commuting & errands-around-town. 

I took two long trips in the Bolt - 300 miles to Montreal and 200 miles to Boston. I stopped at a rest area in Lake George on the way to Montreal, where it took about an hour to charge (that was a fast charger, and it cost 30c/minute, so, under $20). I stopped in Hartford on the way to Boston, "just in case", and charged for about 20 minutes - also 30c/minute, so $6. For each trip, I had to do some research to locate chargers on the way, but there are many websites with charger maps, so not a big deal. [and now you should be able to triangulate where I live.... !!]

There are also many "free" places to charge. For 3 years, I drove weekly to western Massachusetts to visit my dad, and there was a public charger a mile away from his facility. I parked there and walked. Some might find that an inconvenience, but I enjoyed the walk - a way to "brace myself" on the way there, and "decompress" on the way back. In dad's final days, when I stayed at a hotel one town over from his facility, there was a free charger at a nearby supermarket. (I only charged there at night, and got all my food there, so I wouldn't feel like I was "stealing" from them or their other customers!) Some hotels also have free chargers. 

Overall, I LOVE the car. It's so peppy! It's hilarious when I pull up to a stoplight and a 20-something with a loud sportscar comes up beside me.... and I leave him in the dust when the light turns green! (What can I say, I'm easily amused). I'm also kind of attached to the car, because it's the first one we ever bought new - in fact, the first one (in almost 50 years of driving) that wasn't a stick shift! (It replaced my 90's-era Honda Civic). It has all these fancy features that are standard to everyone else, like push-button keys and push-button windows, and an Apple screen! Makes me feel so modern!

[GeeGolly]

I did some research prior to the pandemic on electric, hybrid and gas cars prior to buying my car. My conclusion is its a highly personal decision. EVs are better for the environment. The difference in fuel costs was negligible, as was repair/maintenance, however there's a learning curve to maintaining/lengthening the life of the battery system and when the battery system dies in an EV the cost is the same as a new car. I personally only know of one person whose warranty ran out before their battery did, but then again I only know about a dozen folks with EVs. Of my friends 2 are forever EVers, the rest are kind of in the middle and don't rule out going back to gas at one point.

In the end as much as we wanted to reduce our carbon footprint, we opted for an old fashioned gas powered vehicle because it just fits our lifestyle best at this time.

I did however think of trying to invent a tow/portable charger truck, when I was knee deep in research.

[Scarlett45]

2 hours ago, skatelady said:

We have a fully electric car ('18 Chevy Bolt). My husband is an avid data-collector, and he's determined that, with strictly home-charging use, the cost of the added electricity has been approximately 1/4 the cost of gas we would've used. So, yes, our electric bill has gone up, but overall we're still paying considerably less. 

We installed a level-2 charger in our garage (so there was an up-front cost, of I think about $600) but we've long since "made that back". It takes a few hours to fully charge, but that's not noticeable since I plug it in at night and it's ready-to-go in the morning. We get about 250 miles on a full charge in the summer and 150 in the winter - which is more than adequate for the commuting & errands-around-town. 

I took two long trips in the Bolt - 300 miles to Montreal and 200 miles to Boston. I stopped at a rest area in Lake George on the way to Montreal, where it took about an hour to charge (that was a fast charger, and it cost 30c/minute, so, under $20). I stopped in Hartford on the way to Boston, "just in case", and charged for about 20 minutes - also 30c/minute, so $6. For each trip, I had to do some research to locate chargers on the way, but there are many websites with charger maps, so not a big deal. [and now you should be able to triangulate where I live.... !!]

There are also many "free" places to charge. For 3 years, I drove weekly to western Massachusetts to visit my dad, and there was a public charger a mile away from his facility. I parked there and walked. Some might find that an inconvenience, but I enjoyed the walk - a way to "brace myself" on the way there, and "decompress" on the way back. In dad's final days, when I stayed at a hotel one town over from his facility, there was a free charger at a nearby supermarket. (I only charged there at night, and got all my food there, so I wouldn't feel like I was "stealing" from them or their other customers!) Some hotels also have free chargers. 

Overall, I LOVE the car. It's so peppy! It's hilarious when I pull up to a stoplight and a 20-something with a loud sportscar comes up beside me.... and I leave him in the dust when the light turns green! (What can I say, I'm easily amused). I'm also kind of attached to the car, because it's the first one we ever bought new - in fact, the first one (in almost 50 years of driving) that wasn't a stick shift! (It replaced my 90's-era Honda Civic). It has all these fancy features that are standard to everyone else, like push-button keys and push-button windows, and an Apple screen! Makes me feel so modern!

Thank you so much, this is very helpful. 

1 hour ago, GeeGolly said:

I did some research prior to the pandemic on electric, hybrid and gas cars prior to buying my car. My conclusion is its a highly personal decision. EVs are better for the environment. The difference in fuel costs was negligible, as was repair/maintenance, however there's a learning curve to maintaining/lengthening the life of the battery system and when the battery system dies in an EV the cost is the same as a new car. I personally only know of one person whose warranty ran out before their battery did, but then again I only know about a dozen folks with EVs. Of my friends 2 are forever EVers, the rest are kind of in the middle and don't rule out going back to gas at one point.

In the end as much as we wanted to reduce our carbon footprint, we opted for an old fashioned gas powered vehicle because it just fits our lifestyle best at this time.

I did however think of trying to invent a tow/portable charger truck, when I was knee deep in research.

Thank you, I am open, to learning more about the different types. I know a new car is on the horizon in the next year-18 months and have not looked at cars in 16yrs! Well I did go with my Mom to get her 2016 Jeep Cherokee but that was it. 

[GeeGolly]

One thing I forgot to mention, which I feel is important because it involves safety. A co-worker of mine returned their EV a month into ownership because he lives in a community with many walkers, bicyclists, runners, etc. Folks are conditioned to listen for cars, EVs are very quiet and he had too many close calls of pedestrians walking in front of him.

[Scarlett45]

12 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

One thing I forgot to mention, which I feel is important because it involves safety. A co-worker of mine returned their EV a month into ownership because he lives in a community with many walkers, bicyclists, runners, etc. Folks are conditioned to listen for cars, EVs are very quiet and he had too many close calls of pedestrians walking in front of him.

Thank you! This is something to think about, but I am not sure it would apply to me in the middle of a city though, as there are always a lot of other cars around. But I will certainly keep it in mind. 

[peppergal]

2 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

One thing I forgot to mention, which I feel is important because it involves safety. A co-worker of mine returned their EV a month into ownership because he lives in a community with many walkers, bicyclists, runners, etc. Folks are conditioned to listen for cars, EVs are very quiet and he had too many close calls of pedestrians walking in front of him.

The EV my friend has comes with a factory installed "noisemaker" under the front bumper that is designed to make the car audible at slow speeds.  Apparently it is an actual requirement for where he lives.  It is still quieter than an internal combustion car though.  I wonder if there is an option to have a louder one.  Seems like that would be something all non-IC cars should offer because while we can eventually teach some pedestrians to look out, that doesn't help people who can't actually see well.

My issue with an EV for me is that I live in a town home without a driveway.  If I wanted to charge a car at home I'd have to string my power cord from my porch across the sidewalk to my parking spot, risking tripping my neighbors out walking their dogs and kids playing. 

[Scarlett45]

41 minutes ago, peppergal said:

My issue with an EV for me is that I live in a town home without a driveway.  If I wanted to charge a car at home I'd have to string my power cord from my porch across the sidewalk to my parking spot, risking tripping my neighbors out walking their dogs and kids playing. 

Oh yeah, that won't do. You have a parking spot that's not in a garage? I am always terrified of tripping the postal carrier (who is so nice! Cosmo really likes him) or other delivery people with the holiday light extension cord- so I secure it well next to the concrete stairwell (my outlet is in the back of my house). 

[peppergal]

5 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

Oh yeah, that won't do. You have a parking spot that's not in a garage? I am always terrified of tripping the postal carrier (who is so nice! Cosmo really likes him) or other delivery people with the holiday light extension cord- so I secure it well next to the concrete stairwell (my outlet is in the back of my house). 

Yeah no garage.  It's basically a cul-de-sac of row houses, so there is only street parking, but the circle is big enough that the parking spaces are perpendicular to the curb and assigned rather than first come first serve parallel parking.  And my second parking space isn't even in front of my home.

One one hand it is nice.  I own the land under my foundation, but even my front yard belongs to the community, so I don't have to do any landscaping maintenance, siding maintenance, or roof maintenance which was a big selling point for me when I bought the place.  On the other hand it means I can't do solar on my roof and would have issues with an EV. 

There has been some talk about letting folks run conduit under the sidewalks for running power to the parking spots, but there's also the issue of some entitled folks who would have no problem going out and unplugging your car so they can use your power for free.  Basically something like this if we can solve the freeloader problem:  https://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/876/798/917/

[realityfan26]

This isn't really a spoiler for The Amazing Race, but there is a rumor that there is a team from Arkansas with the names Jamie and Jansen. I immediately tried to remember if anyone has those names.

[SunnyBeBe]

On 7/31/2022 at 10:48 AM, BetyBee said:

Good News Sunday - my brother was in the hospital this week for tests and thankfully, his new issue (vertigo) is not due to a return of his brain tumor or due to a stroke. He's back home and doing well. I'm so grateful!

I baked sourdough bread from my own starter for the first time this week. It was pretty good. There was optional extra kneading which I skipped and I shouldn't have. The crust is too firm. Next time I'll do the extra kneading.

Does anyone else watch Virgin River? I binged the new season and then started reading posts on the VR thread here. There are hilarious comments that cracked me up. It's basically a soap opera and I haven't watched one of those in years!

I haven’t watched it yet, but Netflix really wants me to.  They are constantly pushing it my way.  It looks fairly amusing, except it seems to have a Hallmark movie vibe. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Lol 

[Scarlett45]

To say I am frustrated is an understatement. 
 

I got a text from T today (the weekend caregiver I hired in June) that she found a better job (12hrs Saturday/Sunday with a higher rate of pay), and wouldn’t be returning, but wanted to keep in touch. I thanked her for her time and asked for her feedback to attract a higher quality candidate, and she suggested raising the hours as well as the rate. 
 

So that’s what I’m doing, $25/hr for an 8 hrs shift and see if I can find someone I want to retain and who wants to work here long term. 
 

I do have caregivers lined up the last weekend in August (I got invited to a baby shower for my former co-workers 1st grandchild). 
 

I wish T all the best, but by golly I’m so sick of looking. I would like to FIND SOMEONE and get stability. I understand it will cost more. Everything does these days. 
 

In happy news, I bought these dolls and a duvet (only $50) from my friend’s daughter who just turned 9. She said she would give them to my sister but I said no, I would buy them and she could put that money towards something new for herself. Christmas is completed!

[Love2dance]

So sorry about the difficulties finding caretakers for your sister, @Scarlett45. Hope the new hours and fees will help.

What treasures you found in the princess dolls and duvet! I would have “killed” to get them for my granddaughter when she was younger. I know your sister will love them!

[Absolom]

I don't know how it works in Chicago, but I used an agency for Mom.  It was their problem to recruit and train people.  I know then money goes in their pocket and less to the worker so there is that.  However, I had no choice since I was in California and she was in Arkansas.  

Our county has an assistance program for attendants for low income people which your sister likely is since she can't work.  Included in that is help finding workers.  

Edited August 11, 2022 by Absolom

[peppergal]

@Scarlett45 Have you checked to see if there are any Professional Care Management companies in your area?  We used one for my dad.  Our case manager was basically a certified social worker who was a local expert in what different care options were available in the area, navigating insurance and government benefits, advocating with medical practitioners, what the competitive rates for in hone care were, etc.   She had a huge rolodex of care giving services she knew were reputable and helped us put together a plan of adult day care and in home care services for my dad.

We only paid for her time when she was actively working on our case, and the rates were pretty reasonable.  We had the option of just getting advice and implementing it ourselves, or asking her to get more involved with setting up interviews or contacting third parties and could switch back and forth between the two depending on how overwhelmed we were. 

[Scarlett45]

52 minutes ago, peppergal said:

@Scarlett45 Have you checked to see if there are any Professional Care Management companies in your area?  We used one for my dad.  Our case manager was basically a certified social worker who was a local expert in what different care options were available in the area, navigating insurance and government benefits, advocating with medical practitioners, what the competitive rates for in hone care were, etc.   She had a huge rolodex of care giving services she knew were reputable and helped us put together a plan of adult day care and in home care services for my dad.

We only paid for her time when she was actively working on our case, and the rates were pretty reasonable.  We had the option of just getting advice and implementing it ourselves, or asking her to get more involved with setting up interviews or contacting third parties and could switch back and forth between the two depending on how overwhelmed we were. 

Hi @peppergal yes, thank you for the suggestion. The thing is, finding care privately has always worked out better for us finically and logistically because we prefer LONG TERM caregivers, and my sister is only 34. Economically it works out better to find someone and pay them for 5-10yrs, than use an agency. Also, you'd be surprised how easily flustered people are by non verbal adults. Even those that have done senior care, take one look at my sister  and "I don't know what she wants."- which I understand, if you don't want the job, you don't want the job, just tell me that now.

Also with my Mom being a physician, she was in the thick of individuals working in health care support, so she had direct access to individuals who wanted side jobs in this field. 

I realize times are a changing, and I have no problem with upping the rate. (I mean my Mom doesn't like it but she will pay it without complaint, it has to be done). I have spoken with an agency to get people out here to interview and train. M (her week day caregiver) said she would train people during the week if that worked out of them. (YAY this is great!) But I am not giving anyone the job without a shadowing session- they need to see what she is like during the day (of course they get paid for that) before a commitment is made.

It is just WORK getting someone adjusted to her routine, and I would prefer to just FIND someone and be done with this for a little while. I have been consistently looking since March. 

We do have someone who's in between jobs coming one saturday per month, and if something is really going on (like the baby shower I was invited to), M will work some Saturdays/Sundays, but the weather is about to turn. Winter is coming . Thanks for the support.

55 minutes ago, Absolom said:

I don't know how it works in Chicago, but I used an agency for Mom.  It was their problem to recruit and train people.  I know then money goes in their pocket and less to the worker so there is that.  However, I had no choice since I was in California and she was in Arkansas.  

Our county has an assistance program for attendants for low income people which your sister likely is since she can't work.  Included in that is help finding workers.  

Thanks. I understand. Agencies have their place, and im not against using one, but either myself or M have to train the person, they will have no clue to my sister's routine and that will be a def con 10 tantrum that no one wants to be present for. 

Yes we have those programs in IL- that pays for 1/3 of M's salary during the week, with my Mom having to cover 2/3s of the rest of Ms salary and all the weekend hours. My sister only got 78.5hrs per month at a very low rate. I am glad we have M, but if I could get another one of her, or someone 70% as good as her I would be pleased.

[Scarlett45]

12 hours ago, Love2dance said:

So sorry about the difficulties finding caretakers for your sister, @Scarlett45. Hope the new hours and fees will help.

What treasures you found in the princess dolls and duvet! I would have “killed” to get them for my granddaughter when she was younger. I know your sister will love them!

She’s going to be so happy. I gave her the duvet already because yes I’m a sucker. She loves it but doesn’t understand the concept, she took the comforter OUT and uses it a top her comforter. 
 

It’s her stuff so I’m not going to complain. It gets washed with each use anyway. 

[Absolom]

Your sister is so lucky to have you and that you're so careful and patient with her.  My housekeeper has a daughter I'd send you for weekends if I could.  She's the kind of person you're trying to find.  A few months ago she took a M-F job at a facility where people who simply can't cope at home place their adult children similar to your sister.  She loves it.  She's so patient and kind.