Small Talk: The Prayer Closet

[jcbrown]

My sister is on her way here (San Francisco Bay Area) as I type! She got out of the Midwest on the right day, turns out.

This is the look I got from Lucy when I suggested how festive she would look in a Santa hat. I believe that's a hard pass.

[ChristmasCandy]

21 hours ago, Notabug said:

Mdue to high winds.  We're expecting 30-60 mph here and we are not likely to be anywhere near the hardest hit.

Stay safe!

Where I live 30-60 mile wind would be a nice breeze.

[ChristmasCandy]

I have just realized that my pickle soup cousin's family is turning into the Duggars. The great grandparents, grandparents, parents, their kids and the grandkids first name all of them started with a J. Please help me get out of the nightmare.

[Minivanessa]

8 hours ago, ChristmasCandy said:

. . .  the way shit is going on in my pickle soup family I wouldn't be surprised to find out somewhere along the line I am related to the Duggars.

[From the Sweet Fellowship topic.]

That cracked me up. Here in Denver a subzero weather party's been going on outside. So I'm sitting in my warm condo, and have been working on my ancestry.com family tree some more. It's all too easy to keep on adding people and my tree is outta control, what with second marriages, etc., lol. So far, no Duggars have turned up but there are a bunch of folks in the Louisiana/Arkansas area so who knows what may turn up? 🙄 No Duggars in my actual blood relations, but I've been adding people to some related-by-marriage families. Could still happen.

 

[Scarlett45]

It's -5F/-20C in Chicago right now, I bundled up to take Cosmo on a short morning walk once the sun was up. He seemed fine, but he kept looking back at me. Maybe he could smell that I was "stressed" in this cold. I grabbed my Mom's coat from downstairs as my coat is too big so it doesn't hold my heat in as well. I feel a breeze!

I looked at Columbia online, and they only have XS,  in our coat (link included, if you are an XS and want an idea for a coat), I will likely take my Mom's coat and buy her a new one next season- of COURSE when she leaves the house I let her wear her own coat). My 2x, which was loose up top when I bought it (gotta love those hips yo) is now a nightgown- weight loss is expensive. I will need to replace all my winter coats next year- I like to have three, A hip length Northface  with a nice breast pocket for my phone, (for between 45-32F), a long Columbia with Omniheat (that I wear when its below 30F), and something that is rain resistant but does have a warm lining to it for when its raining but chilly and I am out with Cosmo. (I will keep wearing my plain rain coats, if they are too big thats okay, they are just for water not warmth).

Speaking of coats I am going to join the committee at work that does the school lunch and winter apparel drive for underserved children in Chicago. In the fall children need coats, boats, gloves etc, but they need food and personal items all year long.

Today's outfit- footie socks, Christmas leggings, fleece lined snow pants (gifted to me by my BFFs Aunt, who is SUCH a sweetheart, she is always buying me warm toasty things although I am grown woman with a job "you have to walk the dog" 🥰), cami, Christmas t-shirt, Nightmare Before Christmas sweatshirt, scarf, hat, eyeglasses (to protect my eyes from the wind). I am going to order hand warmers from Amazon because my fingertips were pink even with the thick gloves!

Early dismissal today from work, holiday meal tomorrow evening, presents with my Mom and sister the morning of the 25th, presents with my BFFs family the evening of the 25th, and M is taking a much deserved day off the 26th, but I scheduled L to work, so I am taking my Mom out to see Avatar: The Way of Water since I dont have to work until the 27th. 

May everyone have a safe and happy weekend, and if you celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas, I know for many the celebrations start tomorrow.

[Dehumidifier]

7 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

It's -5F/-20C in Chicago right now, I bundled up to take Cosmo on a short morning walk once the sun was up. He seemed fine, but he kept looking back at me. Maybe he could smell that I was "stressed" in this cold. I grabbed my Mom's coat from downstairs as my coat is too big so it doesn't hold my heat in as well. I feel a breeze!

I looked at Columbia online, and they only have XS,  in our coat (link included, if you are an XS and want an idea for a coat), I will likely take my Mom's coat and buy her a new one next season- of COURSE when she leaves the house I let her wear her own coat). My 2x, which was loose up top when I bought it (gotta love those hips yo) is now a nightgown- weight loss is expensive. I will need to replace all my winter coats next year- I like to have three, A hip length Northface  with a nice breast pocket for my phone, (for between 45-32C), a long Columbia with Omniheat (that I wear when its below 30), and something that is rain resistant but does have a warm lining to it for when its raining but chilly and I am out with Cosmo. (I will keep wearing my plain rain coats, if they are too big thats okay, they are just for water not warmth).

Speaking of coats I am going to join the committee at work that does the school lunch and winter apparel drive for underserved children in Chicago. In the fall children need coats, boats, gloves etc, but they need food and personal items all year long.

Today's outfit- footie socks, Christmas leggings, fleece lined snow pants (gifted to me by my BFFs Aunt, who is SUCH a sweetheart, she is always buying me warm toasty things although I am grown woman with a job "you have to walk the dog" 🥰), cami, Christmas t-shirt, Nightmare Before Christmas sweatshirt, scarf, hat, eyeglasses (to protect my eyes from the wind). I am going to order hand warmers from Amazon because my fingertips were pink even with the thick gloves!

Early dismissal today from work, holiday meal tomorrow evening, presents with my Mom and sister the morning of the 25th, presents with my BFFs family the evening of the 25th, and M is taking a much deserved day off the 26th, but I scheduled L to work, so I am taking my Mom out to see Avatar: The Way of Water since I dont have to work until the 27th. 

May everyone have a safe and happy weekend, and if you celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas, I know for many the celebrations start tomorrow.

Are you determined to have the plum color? It looks like they have all the sizes in the "marionberry."

Hmm. as I'm looking back they  added a medium to the plum. Someone must have deleted from their cart or a cart expired. Keep checking. 

[Scarlett45]

3 minutes ago, Dehumidifier said:

Are you determined to have the plum color? It looks like they have all the sizes in the "marionberry."

Hmm. as I'm looking back they  added a medium to the plum. Someone must have deleted from their cart or a cart expired. Keep checking. 

Thanks! my mom has the marionberry and I refuse to be the Bopsie Twins because she is ALWAYS buying something after I buy it! So I can wait until next season, as I do have a coat to wear. But I will keep checking. I appreciate it!

[Dehumidifier]

10 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

Thanks! my mom has the marionberry and I refuse to be the Bopsie Twins because she is ALWAYS buying something after I buy it! So I can wait until next season, as I do have a coat to wear. But I will keep checking. I appreciate it!

There could be returns after Christmas too.

[zoomama]

i guess we are the fortunate ones here in cali as we are expecting lovely weather for the christmas weekend. i wont turn that down! the texas kids had snow flurries yesterday and temps in the teens.  we are hoping for rain next week tho. our state needs rain desperately. 

we are expecting a quiet weekend at home....self-imposed  mostly as husband has surgery scheduled for early next week. could be a big deal, praying it is not. 

[oliviabenson]

On 12/21/2022 at 8:38 PM, jcbrown said:

My sister is on her way here (San Francisco Bay Area) as I type! She got out of the Midwest on the right day, turns out.

This is the look I got from Lucy when I suggested how festive she would look in a Santa hat. I believe that's a hard pass.

Lucy is adorable!

[Absolom]

75 predicted for here on Christmas.  I had to replan what I'm wearing.  

[sagittarius sue]

Here's some nifty graphics from a weather article in WaPo.  It should work OK as it's a gift link.

https://wapo.st/3WK0Ku5

[Minivanessa]

25 minutes ago, sagittarius sue said:

Here's some nifty graphics from a weather article in WaPo.  It should work OK as it's a gift link.

https://wapo.st/3WK0Ku5

Thanks for the link. I'm in Denver, and I think we probably came close to the predicted biiggg drop in termps as shown in the graphics in that article.

Fortunately, we're having a fairly dramatic warm-up. Tomorrow and Sunday should see highs of 45F and 50F, which in the low humidity and sunshine is very comfortable. I just checked; at the moment it's 4F outdoors, and sunny - we broke out of the negative numbers, yay! 

[Salacious Kitty]

Checking in from the Bay Area. It won't be 75, but we expect mid 60s tomorrow and Sunday. Then the rain moves in all next week. Can't complain, we desperately need it.

[Turquoise]

My Chihuahua was most unhappy with the cold and snow this morning, but he is also the same creature who is a nightmare to try and get in a sweater. He is remarkably efficient getting his business done in bad weather. We maybe got two inches of snow, but it is bitterly cold.

[Quof]

5 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

I refuse to be the Bopsie Twins

Now, Scarlett45, we have had this discussion before. It's Bobbsey Twins. 

And for the record, the Bobbsey Twins were 2 sets of boy-girl twins.  

Edited December 23, 2022 by Quof

[ChristmasCandy]

8 hours ago, Jeeves said:

[From the Sweet Fellowship topic.]

That cracked me up. Here in Denver a subzero weather party's been going on outside. So I'm sitting in my warm condo, and have been working on my ancestry.com family tree some more. It's all too easy to keep on adding people and my tree is outta control, what with second marriages, etc., lol. So far, no Duggars have turned up but there are a bunch of folks in the Louisiana/Arkansas area so who knows what may turn up? 🙄 No Duggars in my actual blood relations, but I've been adding people to some related-by-marriage families. Could still happen.

 

Hi neighbor I am in Thornton 😃

[Scarlett45]

58 minutes ago, Quof said:

Now, Scarlett45, we have had this discussion before. It's Bobbsey Twins. 

And for the record, the Bobbsey Twins were 2 sets of boy-girl twins.  

Yes we did! Thank you. “Bobbsey” NOT “boppsie”. 🥰

[Zella]

4 hours ago, Jeeves said:

Fortunately, we're having a fairly dramatic warm-up. Tomorrow and Sunday should see highs of 45F and 50F, which in the low humidity and sunshine is very comfortable. I just checked; at the moment it's 4F outdoors, and sunny - we broke out of the negative numbers, yay! 

We're not too far off from you. The low last night was -10 with windchill around -20, but today has warmed up to a balmy 10 (with -5 windchill) and Christmas it will finally get above freezing! 

[Scarlett45]

27 minutes ago, Zella said:

We're not too far off from you. The low last night was -10 with windchill around -20, but today has warmed up to a balmy 10 (with -5 windchill) and Christmas it will finally get above freezing! 

Does anyone else feel that once it gets below 0F it all feels the same? How does a windchill of -10 feel different than -25? I dunno!

 

I know when it’s cold like this it feels so much harder to do EVERYTHING (outside). Of course I know it’s harder walking in the snow, but I feel that I’m still a human being at 20F, but like this I’m just a bundle trying not to freeze to death with my eyes watering and snot running down my nose. 

[sagittarius sue]

33 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

but like this I’m just a bundle trying not to freeze to death with my eyes watering and snot running down my nose. 

I know the feeling well.  I remember I didn't mind masking up last winter as it kept the cold air away.  When it gets way below 0 I wear a scarf to cover up my nose and mouth.

In the SW part of MN theyve closed most of the roads, and are begging people to stay home because there are already cars in ditches and blocking roads with almost no visibility.  The governor just activated the Natl Guard to assist in that area.

It's not so bad in the Twin Cities, but only slight improvement with the temps, and wind chill temps are still in the -15 to -28 range tomorrow.  It will truly start to improve starting Monday.

[oliviabenson]

It feels like it’s 20 degrees in NYC. It’s windy and cold. 

[Scarlett45]

1 minute ago, sagittarius sue said:

I know the feeling well.  I remember I didn't mind masking up last winter as it kept the cold air away.  When it gets way below 0 I wear a scarf to cover up my nose and mouth.

In the SW part of MN theyve closed most of the roads, and are begging people to stay home because there are already cars in ditches and blocking roads with almost no visibility.  The governor just activated the Natl Guard to assist in that area.

It's not so bad in the Twin Cities, but only slight improvement with the temps, and wind chill temps are still in the -15 to -28 range tomorrow.  It will truly start to improve starting Monday.

Oh yeah, I wear a scarf over my nose and mouth in this weather as well.
 

My friends wanted to go to the arboretum for a light event and then dinner. (We planned this before Thanksgiving) It would’ve been an hour on the interstate for me. It’s far too cold for that- if the car had broken down it’s not like I could just hop in an Uber home. Dinner in the city I would’ve been up for. You know it’s cold when I miss a social event and eating!

[sagittarius sue]

2 minutes ago, oliviabenson said:

It feels like it’s 20 degrees in NYC. It’s windy and cold. 

Years ago I discovered that out east your temperatures felt 10-15 degrees colder than they do in MN.  It's due to it being a damper cold.

[ginger90]

In a way we’ve lucked out in my area of Pennsylvania, so far. We had the rain, snow, and a 50° drop in temperature, It’s 3° now, with a windchill of -18°.
The rain stopped before the temperature got below freezing. Then the wind picked up and helped to dry the roads somewhat. Any standing water is now ice if course. Power has gone on and off for a few hours now.

Stay safe all!

 

Edited December 24, 2022 by ginger90

[Mindthinkr]

I’m continuing to make the best out of my situation. Even though I was exposed (a lot) to Covid, I remain negative on all the tests and feel fine. Perhaps I’m one of those people the virus doesn’t think is a good host. Today is Day 5 of isolating and I’ll test again on Sunday. It’s too late to get together with my family as they all went on to make other plans after I wasn’t sure if I could host. The cats and I will have chicken and whatever else I can dig out and cook. 
 

Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday. Stay safe and keep warm 🥰

[Scarlett45]

19 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

I’m continuing to make the best out of my situation. Even though I was exposed (a lot) to Covid, I remain negative on all the tests and feel fine. Perhaps I’m one of those people the virus doesn’t think is a good host. Today is Day 5 of isolating and I’ll test again on Sunday. It’s too late to get together with my family as they all went on to make other plans after I wasn’t sure if I could host. The cats and I will have chicken and whatever else I can dig out and cook. 
 

Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday. Stay safe and keep warm 🥰

I’m glad you aren’t feeling poorly but it’s still sucky to have to change your plans. (((Hugs)))

[sixlets]

Baltimore has lucked out once again.  We had nearly 2 inches of rain, but it completely stopped before the big temperature drop, so we never got the ice or snow.  Parts of the street are a bit icy, but nothing we can't handle.  We do have some errands to run tomorrow, but we're mainly getting things ready for our parents arrival.  We're currently sitting at 9F; our parents are at -3F.  I fully expect to find all 4 cats in our bed tonight.  They're not stupid 😉

If you are in the praying/good thought arena, please include 3 families that live on the street above us.  We heard a ton of sirens yesterday, which is a very common occurrence.  Except these sirens got close and stopped.  I opened the door to find at least 6 fire trucks up there.  The middle house was on fire with smoke just pouring out the front and back windows.  As far as I know, there were no injuries, and our temps were in the mid-40s, so ice wasn't a factor for the firefighters.  I want to find out who lives there, and see what Mr. Six & I can do to help them.  The response was insanely quick, but my heart just breaks for all of the families involved.

 

[Mindthinkr]

[Scarlett45]

55 minutes ago, sixlets said:

Baltimore has lucked out once again.  We had nearly 2 inches of rain, but it completely stopped before the big temperature drop, so we never got the ice or snow.  Parts of the street are a bit icy, but nothing we can't handle.  We do have some errands to run tomorrow, but we're mainly getting things ready for our parents arrival.  We're currently sitting at 9F; our parents are at -3F.  I fully expect to find all 4 cats in our bed tonight.  They're not stupid 😉

If you are in the praying/good thought arena, please include 3 families that live on the street above us.  We heard a ton of sirens yesterday, which is a very common occurrence.  Except these sirens got close and stopped.  I opened the door to find at least 6 fire trucks up there.  The middle house was on fire with smoke just pouring out the front and back windows.  As far as I know, there were no injuries, and our temps were in the mid-40s, so ice wasn't a factor for the firefighters.  I want to find out who lives there, and see what Mr. Six & I can do to help them.  The response was insanely quick, but my heart just breaks for all of the families involved.

 

That is heart breaking. I will keep that family in my thoughts. Yes stay warm. Cavendish and Lady Reese are the first bonded pair of cats I’ve had that don’t cuddle, but they both did get on my lap this evening and were very close together. 

[sagittarius sue]

13 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

I'm doing that also.  I'm even a bit proud that I haven't eaten #22 chocolate, but then it's not the only sweet thing I have around. 🤣

[jcbrown]

14 hours ago, oliviabenson said:

Lucy is adorable!

Thanks! She is a real character. She is part Oriental shorthair, we think, which is related to Siamese cats, so very talky. She has many opinions and she wants us to know them.

[BetyBee]

One of my friends came down with Covid on Wednesday. At first she was still texting me and making comments in our group thread. Yesterday she didn't respond in either. I'm sure she's wiped out and sleeping a lot, but I can't help but worry about her. She is on an antibiotic to relieve symptoms (Paxlovid? or whatever the latest treatment is). She's very sad about missing Christmas with her family. Please keep her in your throughts & prayers. 

[crazycatlady58]

Here in Houston it is 22° with a feels like temperature of 19. Yesterday when I left for work it felt like 9°. No rain which is good because that would have shut us down. We do not have the equipment to keep our roads safe in those conditions.  I do feel for the homeless. 

[sagittarius sue]

You know you're a senior when you decide to attend the 1:30 p.m. Christmas Eve service!  Actually I'd prefer the 4:00 p.m. service, but it's a 13 mile mostly freeway drive, still under a wind chill advisory, and I dont want to encounter black ice in the dark.  It might be one of the last times I go to my old church as a beloved pastor retired, the once independent Lutheran church is becoming LCMS, and I'm not comfortable with their unfriendly LGBTQ+ and no women pastor views.

[oliviabenson]

7 hours ago, jcbrown said:

Thanks! She is a real character. She is part Oriental shorthair, we think, which is related to Siamese cats, so very talky. She has many opinions and she wants us to know them.

She looks like a character! Give her a snuggle from me!

[andromeda331]

Merry Christmas to everyone here who celebrates it. Your all the best!

[Scarlett45]

5 hours ago, crazycatlady58 said:

Here in Houston it is 22° with a feels like temperature of 19. Yesterday when I left for work it felt like 9°. No rain which is good because that would have shut us down. We do not have the equipment to keep our roads safe in those conditions.  I do feel for the homeless. 

This time of year makes me especially grateful for a warm safe place to sleep every night. It’s such a simple thing I admit I don’t think about every day, but I think of the unhoused persons living in our nearby park. One woman I see all the time when I take Cosmo there in the summer months, she’s got a tent with her belongings. 
 

I know in Houston you don’t have the equipment those of us in colder climates have (or even the winter apparel a lot of the time) stay warm. 

[zoomama]

merry christmas, friends. 

[lookeyloo]

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate.  We have the 7th night of Chanukah tonight.  Funny (not funny) story.  We are in metro Atlanta and it is very cold for us.  This morning the furnace stopped. What??????   We put a knowingly fruitless call into our HVAC people. Of all things, Mr. lookeyloo who is along with me, the least handy person YouTubed and found the issue and Fixed It!  At least for now until after the holiday.  This happened once before when we first moved in and the HVAC people said the former owners rarely had the furnace serviced.  Same issue. So we speculated.  And there is of course a YouTube and furnace has been working since this morning.  So, here's hoping.  Kudos to Mr. lookeyloo.

[Spazamanaz]

I hope everyone is surrounded by love and joy, friends and family this holidays season! Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!

[jcbrown]

My sister is here with us from Indiana for the holidays and today her cat sitter/friend let her know that it was 51 degrees inside her house. It looked for a minute like it was a building issue because the boiler was down but that has been resolved and her heat is still out. Her cat sitter is going above and beyond, has been to her place at least twice today to check on the heat and has now rescued the kitties and taken them home with him to keep them safe and warm. They will be freaked out at the changes, but they are not going to freeze!

Have a great holiday, everyone!

[crazycatlady58]

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate and for those of a different faith or no faith may you have a peaceful day. 

[oliviabenson]

22 hours ago, jcbrown said:

My sister is here with us from Indiana for the holidays and today her cat sitter/friend let her know that it was 51 degrees inside her house. It looked for a minute like it was a building issue because the boiler was down but that has been resolved and her heat is still out. Her cat sitter is going above and beyond, has been to her place at least twice today to check on the heat and has now rescued the kitties and taken them home with him to keep them safe and warm. They will be freaked out at the changes, but they are not going to freeze!

Have a great holiday, everyone!

How was Murray’s cheese? 

 

Edited December 26, 2022 by oliviabenson

[BetyBee]

Christmas celebrations continue. Today our youngest and her husband are coming. Tomorrow is her birthday, so it's a double celebration. Our anniversary is on the 30th, so we are also having a loveseat delivered today. It's our anniversary gift to each other. We have a delivery window of 9am-9pm; hopefully that window will shrink as the delivery guys start their day! Anyway, we're not planning on going anywhere today. We got a bit more snowfall overnight and it's snowing right now. Can't wait to see my baby, who is about to turn 36!

I hope every small talker is doing well today!

[jcbrown]

20 hours ago, oliviabenson said:

How was Murray’s cheese? 

 

It was delicious, thanks for asking! I am again putting together a spread of meats and cheeses and fruit and calling it dinner tonight. Pic of our Christmas Eve Eve Eve version of that:

 

Our dueling air fryer Christmas went off without a hitch, BTW. Thanks to all of you who provided empathy and advice.  I am looking forward to getting my oven repaired after New Year's but I was nonetheless pleased to be able to pull off a holiday without it.

Edited December 27, 2022 by jcbrown

[Mindthinkr]

To add insult to injury, as I stated before I had to isolate Christmas due to a neighbor I was in contact with testing positive for Covid. Well Christmas Eve my router died (I’m blaming the Duggars). So I had no tv,or Wi-Fi until late yesterday. I read a few books, cleaned out closets and drawers, but never lost my sense of cheer. Thank goodness I have services again and my tests have all been negative. I get to rejoin the human race today. 
 

I hope everyone had holidays that were special to them. 

Edited December 27, 2022 by Mindthinkr

[Scarlett45]

This weekend has been A LOT. My mom has been sick (she’s getting an appointment with her PCP this week) and taking care of both her and my sister is “A LOT”. You know how I call my sister my “tall toddler” well when my Mom is sick she is my “tall kindergartener”. She is not the most pleasant person when she doesn’t feel well (aka a big baby). Thankfully my sister was on her bestest behavior and just relished in all her presents!(it’s the little things).
 

 I was able to escape to see Avatar: The Way of Water alone yesterday (it was amazing), but this morning my sister’s caregiver called off last minute, she caught something from her family during their Christmas celebrations and is in urgent care. 

I am debating taking some vacation days January 3&4 for just a break. I am TIRED. 

But I got an air fryer for Christmas! (Among other things) and an emoji ONESIE. It’s loud as hell but soft and fuzzy, I tossed it on over my pjs to walk Cosmo this morning. (Of course with a coat and hat and gloves) My onesies from ShopDisney are better quality and fit, BUT I had two Disney ones (Christmas and Halloween) so I asked for something else. I love a onesie for lounging in winter time. 

[Ohiopirate02]

Merry Christmas to all my Duggar Snakers.  Spending the week at Disney with my family.  Just spent the perfect day at Magic Kingdom with them.  Next up, drinking around the world at EPCOT with my sister and Mom.  

[sixlets]

Thank you all for the kindness & support on my last post.  As far as I know, there were no injuries, and it appears the house on the left is habitable already.  That is my single most rational fear.  I wish the family peace in the coming new year.

Our holiday weekend was much too stressful.  I spent my entire Saturday sick and mostly in bed.  At first, I thought it was a stomach virus, but it turned out, it was just a nasty POTS day for me.  Unfortunately, my body likes to deal with extreme pain by giving me nausea.  My mom & inlaws set out at 930am Sunday to make the drive.  We knew they would be stopping at least once (gotta get that free coffee!), but it took them 5 hours to make it down.  The roads in their area were so nasty and snow/ice covered, but they were able to travel behind a plow train, which helped a bit.  They left around 930am this morning, and with one stop, my mom was home around 115pm.  Mr. Six also found out his car needs a new transmission, so we are down to one car for the unforeseeable future.  Thankfully, he's on vacation this week, but I don't like being at home carless with four cats.  
I think I'm ready for 2022 to be over, but I'm sure I'm looking forward to 2023 yet.  Instead of drinking my way around Epcot with @Ohiopirate02, I'm just going to drink my way around my house.  I have Mike's Hard Lemonade in Apple Pear if anyone wants to join me!