Small Talk: We'll Be Right Back

[Prevailing Wind]

RE: the single ply TP.  When this all started and commercial venues shut down, the factories that made the single-ply commercial TP cut back on the manufacturing. The residential, 2-ply factories had to gear up to make more.  Perhaps they, in an effort to supply *something,* took the commercial single-ply and packaged it for residential use.

Have you tried Viagra for Flowers for that hibiscus?

[PrincessPurrsALot]

I think the issue of hoarding was overplayed by the media.  Many of the shortages were based on shifts on the supply chain.  When businesses shut down, the commercial grade toilet paper and other paper products were not needed, leaving a surplus.  Meanwhile people would now be home during the day and require more supplies.  Similarly, while in some areas eating at home was very common, for folks in my area many companies provide sufficient food at work for you to make breakfast and often provided lunch.  It was more common to buy lunch than to bring something if you had a long commute on public transit.  

Some of our local restaurants have been offering "provisions".  This could be flour, yeast, milk, eggs, dairy, meat and seafood as well as paper products.  Some have contracts in place to make purchases that they cannot use and storerooms full of supplies.  So they are repackaging to amounts that people would want at home.  

[CoderLady]

40 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

RE: the single ply TP.  When this all started and commercial venues shut down, the factories that made the single-ply commercial TP cut back on the manufacturing. The residential, 2-ply factories had to gear up to make more.  Perhaps they, in an effort to supply *something,* took the commercial single-ply and packaged it for residential use.

I think you're right. The last time I checked what was on offer at the local Safeway, the TP shelves were filled by 100+ individual rolls, each wrapped separately in very institutional-looking dark blue printed paper. It looked like they'd raided some office building's maintenance closet.

[Brattinella]

22 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

I still can't find any baking yeast.  I don't think yeast has a long shelf life.  If anyone is hoarding it, I wouldn't be shocked if it lost its potency before they could use it all.🍞

https://nuts.com/baking/leavenersthickeners/

[friendperidot]

Apparently tp is still in short supply in my area. I order groceries for delivery and cannot get more than one 18 pk double rolls per order. I'm a little ahead, but not at the hoarding stage yet. Things I can't find are Lysol/Clorox wipes, bleach, liquid hand soap refills, I usually buy one every 2-3 months, haven't been able to get any since February, the small bottles are available, so I'm stocking up, but there's a limit of 2 per order. Crunchy peanut butter is a shortage here also. My sister will only eat creamy and then rarely, she has a stash. I like crunchy and am ordering 2 jars this week, I like the Great Value brand because it does not contain sorbitol and my dogs like a little peanut butter now and then. Sugar and flour seem to be back in the store. I think my sister is still looking for yeast, but I want no part of it. I do not have the strength in my hands to knead bread. I will buy frozen loaves and rolls. Some meat items are in short supply. I want to make pepper steak this week. Finally cereal is back in the stores, for a while that was in short supply. Milk is abundant, farmers around here are dumping it because they can't sell it. 

[mmecorday]

The grocery store shelves are so much better stocked now than two months ago. I cannot believe it's only been two months since this all started in my particular area. It seems much longer.

The other week I had a hard time finding canned peas. I had to go to two different stores to find them. I don't like them, but my girlfriend does. Then one week I couldn't find corned beef hash anywhere. But all this time fresh produce has been available in abundance. I buy lemons and avocados almost every week and there are always plenty.

My TV watching habits are going in the gutter! I rarely stray from TLC trash fests these days. I like too keep my mind off what's going on in the world and if I find myself watching a short guy with no neck put mayonnaise in his hair for entertainment, so be it!

[peacheslatour]

Quote

But all this time fresh produce has been available in abundance. I buy lemons and avocados almost every week and there are always plenty.

The QFC (Kroger's) we shop at has had amazing deals on large avocados so we've been buying several every week. It feels like the height of luxury to have delicious avocados whenever I feel like it.

[peacheslatour]

43 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

One of the most frustrating parts of going to any grocery store is when they don't rotate their stock, leaving expired food on the shelf. 

If something is supposed to be on sale, and they don't have any in stock for the sale, I don't get angry at the people working at the store for that issue.

You can always ask for a rain check. Most places are happy you give you one.

[Silver Raven]

5 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

One of the most frustrating parts of going to any grocery store is when they don't rotate their stock, leaving expired food on the shelf. 

If something is supposed to be on sale, and they don't have any in stock for the sale, I don't get angry at the people working at the store for that issue.

My local supermarket has had the same two packages of deli ham on the shelf since Monday, with an expiration date of June 20.  They were already expired on Monday, and they're still there.

 

[peacheslatour]

1 minute ago, icemiser69 said:

Missed expiration dates happen a lot in the vegetarian meat section.

Wait... what?

[Bastet]

They're sell by/best by dates; treating them as "expiration" dates leads to a tremendous amount of wasted food each year.

[isalicat]

True, dat, about the expiration dates being more of a sell by than use by....but I unexpectedly found a sealed large plastic bag with three entirely unopened packages of corn tortillas (a dozen each package) in the back of my freezer. Reveling in my good fortune I thawed a package and went to use a couple last evening and they smelled weird. Not super strong and there was nothing visible about the tortillas but I googled how long corn tortillas last in the freezer and the answer was 6 months - these were over a year old so I binned the whole lot. Who knows - they may have been fine but I just did not feel like this was a good time to take the risk.

[chessiegal]

6 minutes ago, isalicat said:

True, dat, about the expiration dates being more of a sell by than use by....but I unexpectedly found a sealed large plastic bag with three entirely unopened packages of corn tortillas (a dozen each package) in the back of my freezer. Reveling in my good fortune I thawed a package and went to use a couple last evening and they smelled weird. Not super strong and there was nothing visible about the tortillas but I googled how long corn tortillas last in the freezer and the answer was 6 months - these were over a year old so I binned the whole lot. Who knows - they may have been fine but I just did not feel like this was a good time to take the risk.

I'm with you on the smell test. When in doubt, throw it out.

[Bastet]

13 minutes ago, isalicat said:

Reveling in my good fortune I thawed a package and went to use a couple last evening and they smelled weird.

And that's exactly how it should be determined whether or not to toss food - what it smells, looks, feels, or tastes like - not what date is printed on its packaging.  It's widely estimated that 30-40 percent of the U.S. food supply is wasted each year, and that treating those dates as "expiration" dates accounts for 20 percent of it.

[peacheslatour]

35 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

For me, it depends on the type of food.  I am not as concerned with dates on frozen foods or canned goods.

Vegetarian meat substitute (the non-frozen kind) is a whole other matter.   I had a really bad experience with something that shouldn't have gone bad, and was well within the expiration date.  I cooked it in the microwave, and the smell was so bad, I don't think I have ever smelled anything worse.  Normally that product is fine, smells good.  However, the last time I tried that item, it took me forever to get the smell out of the microwave and out of the house.  I don't think the company that made that item offers it any longer.

I tried cashew yogurt (non-dairy) the other day and I couldn't tell the difference between that and regular yogurt.  it was really good.

I also like the tangy flavor of cashew cheese.

Have you ever had oat milk?

[chessiegal]

From the discussion about the ad of the woman walking in the bathroom and finding her FIL in the shower. My husband mowed the lawn this afternoon in 90 degree heat. When he came in to shower I was in the great room watching tv, which connects to our master and master bath. I heard him cough loudly like maybe he had swallowed water, then heard a thud. I went flying into the bathroom ready to find him slumped in the shower and call 911. We have a walk in shower with frosted glass and I could see he was showering away. Background - he had a medical emergency last year on a treadmill at the gym that sent him to the ER - finally diagnosed as a one off extreme migraine event. Bottom line - the thud was him dropping a bottle of shampoo. He knew I would come check on him. Got me off the sofa faster than I've done in awhile.

[Kimmmmmm]

34 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

From the discussion about the ad of the woman walking in the bathroom and finding her FIL in the shower. My husband mowed the lawn this afternoon in 90 degree heat. When he came in to shower I was in the great room watching tv, which connects to our master and master bath. I heard him cough loudly like maybe he had swallowed water, then heard a thud. I went flying into the bathroom ready to find him slumped in the shower and call 911. We have a walk in shower with frosted glass and I could see he was showering away. Background - he had a medical emergency last year on a treadmill at the gym that sent him to the ER - finally diagnosed as a one off extreme migraine event. Bottom line - the thud was him dropping a bottle of shampoo. He knew I would come check on him. Got me off the sofa faster than I've done in awhile.

OMG, how relieved you must have been!!!

[janie jones]

On 6/27/2020 at 7:16 PM, isalicat said:

True, dat, about the expiration dates being more of a sell by than use by....but I unexpectedly found a sealed large plastic bag with three entirely unopened packages of corn tortillas (a dozen each package) in the back of my freezer. Reveling in my good fortune I thawed a package and went to use a couple last evening and they smelled weird. Not super strong and there was nothing visible about the tortillas but I googled how long corn tortillas last in the freezer and the answer was 6 months - these were over a year old so I binned the whole lot. Who knows - they may have been fine but I just did not feel like this was a good time to take the risk.

Were you worried about it making you sick, or just tasting raunchy?

@chessiegal that's super scary!

[Silver Raven]

23 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Have you ever had oat milk?

I read that as cat milk.  😄

 

[peacheslatour]

2 minutes ago, Silver Raven said:

I read that as cat milk.  😄

 

Quote

My vision isn't the greatest.  I first read that as 🐱 milk.

Lol, looks like you're not the only one.

[Nicmar]

On 6/2/2020 at 5:04 AM, icemiser69 said:

I don't want to hurt any chipmunks, but I have to find a way to get them away from the bird feeders.  Chipmunks aren't supposed to like thistle (nyjer) seed, but this chipmunk apparently does. 

I have also been chasing a cat away from the bird feeders for years.  The cat is so scared of me,  that yesterday when I walked toward him, he scaled a six foot white plastic section of a neighbor's fence just to get away from me.   I don't know how he was able to get over the fence.  I won't harm any animal. 

I do need a solution to my chipmunk problem.  I feel bad that the birds aren't getting their bird seed because of the chipmunk.

 

I put out the black oil bird seed and the squirrels practically ate all of it. They are such pigs...

[Nicmar]

On 6/30/2020 at 2:50 PM, icemiser69 said:

For me, it depends on the type of food.  I am not as concerned with dates on frozen foods or canned goods.

Vegetarian meat substitute (the non-frozen kind) is a whole other matter.   I had a really bad experience with something that shouldn't have gone bad, and was well within the expiration date.  I cooked it in the microwave, and the smell was so bad, I don't think I have ever smelled anything worse.  Normally that product is fine, smells good.  However, the last time I tried that item, it took me forever to get the smell out of the microwave and out of the house.  I don't think the company that made that item offers it any longer.

I tried cashew yogurt (non-dairy) the other day and I couldn't tell the difference between that and regular yogurt.  it was really good.

I also like the tangy flavor of cashew cheese.

Miyokos, treeline and VIO are really good nondairy cheese brands

[Cobalt Stargazer]

23 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

I read that as cat milk.  😄

 

 

23 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Lol, looks like you're not the only one.

[Brookside]

On 6/4/2020 at 3:48 PM, Annber03 said:

Oh, yeah, you're right that they can do damage. My mom's car was banged up pretty good a few years ago after a deer ran into the road and into my mom's car. She had to wind up getting a new car. 

Many decades ago we stayed on a working farm and the cows decided they liked the taste of the paint on my parents' car.  Totally scratched up because of their very rough tongues!

On 6/7/2020 at 1:04 PM, Prevailing Wind said:

When I worked at a law firm in the billing department, the "intellectual property" department had a client trying to patent Lion Dung Mix... as a deer repellent. Even though our American deer don't know what a lion is, they smell "predator" when you spread their manure around and the deer stay away.  So...perhaps you can make a deal with the zoo?

 

Our local zoo used to sell/give away manure from the big cats to use for this exact reason.  (Not sure if they still do.)

On 6/18/2020 at 2:27 PM, icemiser69 said:

I found two dead baby birds on my sidewalk.  They were right next to each other.  I am not a happy camper.  Actually I am quite both sad and pissed off about it.  I don't know what animal got to them.  I don't think it was a cat, the baby birds weren't torn to shreds, but they were attacked.  Buried them in the back yard.  I hope it wasn't a chipmunk, but wouldn't be shocked if it was.  They are omnivores..

I am still trying to find a way to get those chipmunks out of the yard without them getting hurt.

The gold finches are still singing for their food, but I can't put it out, because of those chipmunks. 

 

 

I used to mix a little cayenne pepper along with the bird seed.  The birds didn't care but the chipmunks and squirrels did.

Edited July 4, 2020 by Brookside

[Zahdii]

On 6/2/2020 at 3:04 AM, icemiser69 said:

I do need a solution to my chipmunk problem.  I feel bad that the birds aren't getting their bird seed because of the chipmunk.

Try this?

[mmecorday]

Re: cats being allowed on countertops.

I live in a household where I am outnumbered by felines. Only two of the cats are still spry enough to actually jump up on the countertops, but they can all get up on the kitchen table, which I think is worse. I hate sitting there realizing that their butts have been in the vicinity of the food I am eating. One day recently Simon, my 11-year-old diabetic orange tabby, decided he wanted to be a part of our lunch experience and jumped up on the table. When I removed him, he tried to hold on to whatever he could to keep his place on the table. His claws got hold of a paper napkin, which he wielded like a shield. It was far more hilarious to witness than it is to write about.

[peacheslatour]

2 hours ago, mmecorday said:

Re: cats being allowed on countertops.

I live in a household where I am outnumbered by felines. Only two of the cats are still spry enough to actually jump up on the countertops, but they can all get up on the kitchen table, which I think is worse. I hate sitting there realizing that their butts have been in the vicinity of the food I am eating. One day recently Simon, my 11-year-old diabetic orange tabby, decided he wanted to be a part of our lunch experience and jumped up on the table. When I removed him, he tried to hold on to whatever he could to keep his place on the table. His claws got hold of a paper napkin, which he wielded like a shield. It was far more hilarious to witness than it is to write about.

If you want to know where the cat's butt has been, put lipstick on his or her butt hole.

[Ashforth]

The Slinky solution for keeping squirrels from climbing up to the birdfeeder is ingenious! Humane and so entertaining to watch!

[peacheslatour]

29 minutes ago, Ashforth said:

The Slinky solution for keeping squirrels from climbing up to the birdfeeder is ingenious! Humane and so entertaining to watch!

I love the way it refused to give up. Can't get at it one way? Go around and sneak up on in from the other side!

[Bastet]

In non-pandemic times, I give precisely zero thought to germs (and I now merely stay home for the most part and make sure to wash my hands when I come home [and don't touch my face until I do]; I am still not disinfecting daily, I just do my usual cleaning), so I couldn't even begin to muster up some interest in whether or not my cat gets on a counter or table.  Every once in a while, she feels compelled to sit on top of the refrigerator, and the counter is just a springboard to do that.  She likes to sit on the kitchen table to sun herself sometimes, but mostly she uses the loveseat in the study for that.

With my previous cats, who were social (Riley doesn't like people other than me), I did train them not to get on the dining room table, ever; if it was always off limits, I didn't have to worry they'd potentially disturb someone at a dinner party by hopping up there to say hello - it was a manners thing.  (The kitchen table was fine, because the only people eating there in addition to me would be one of my parents or best friends [when it's just two of us for a casual meal, I serve there rather than in the dining room], and none of them care any more than I do about a cat joining in - we just let them sit there or relocate them into a chair/our laps.)

[peacheslatour]

28 minutes ago, Bastet said:

In non-pandemic times, I give precisely zero thought to germs (and I now merely stay home for the most part and make sure to wash my hands when I come home [and don't touch my face until I do]; I am still not disinfecting daily, I just do my usual cleaning), so I couldn't even begin to muster up some interest in whether or not my cat gets on a counter or table.  Every once in a while, she feels compelled to sit on top of the refrigerator, and the counter is just a springboard to do that.  She likes to sit on the kitchen table to sun herself sometimes, but mostly she uses the loveseat in the study for that.

With my previous cats, who were social (Riley doesn't like people other than me), I did train them not to get on the dining room table, ever; if it was always off limits, I didn't have to worry they'd potentially disturb someone at a dinner party by hopping up there to say hello - it was a manners thing.  (The kitchen table was fine, because the only people eating there in addition to me would be one of my parents or best friends [when it's just two of us for a casual meal, I serve there rather than in the dining room], and none of them care any more than I do about a cat joining in - we just let them sit there or relocate them into a chair/our laps.)

Is that Riley's picture in your avatar?

[Bastet]

2 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Is that Riley's picture in your avatar?

No, that's the late, great Maddie (Madeleine Alice).  She was my cat at the time I joined pTV; she died the next year (and I adopted Riley nine months after that).  Back then, I didn't know how to resize photo files, so that crappy flip phone picture was the only image file I had that was small enough to use as my avatar.  That amuses me in some odd way, so the avatar remains.

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

No, that's the late, great Maddie (Madeleine Alice).  She was my cat at the time I joined pTV; she died the next year (and I adopted Riley nine months after that).  Back then, I didn't know how to resize photo files, so that crappy flip phone picture was the only image file I had that was small enough to use as my avatar.  That amuses me in some odd way, so the avatar remains.

I love it, kitty looks like she's saying "Good day, sir. I said good day!"

[Bastet]

14 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I love it, kitty looks like she's saying "Good day, sir. I said good day!"

She's on my outstretched legs in that photo; I'm in the desk chair with my legs propped up and she's on my thighs - I have interrupted petting her to have a paparazzi moment, and she is not having it.  Here's what happened when my picture taking interrupted a nap:

(She was actually quite a happy and friendly kitty; she just looked particularly amusing the rare moments when she was annoyed.)

 

Edited July 5, 2020 by Bastet

[peacheslatour]

^^^"Harrrumph!"

[Ashforth]

^^^ "Not Cool! I was SLEEPING!"

[Prevailing Wind]

How could you wait nine months before getting another kitty?  At four weeks, I was dreaming about Scooter being happy & healthy again, chasing dragonflies. Two days later, Stella came into my life. Six months later, she determined she wanted a kitten and I had to get Bosco for her. He's her cat, not mine. LOL. Bosco's the black one. Stella is the tortie who never heard of "tortitude." They're waiting for the toys to roll back out from under the washer.

[Suzn]

50 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

How could you wait nine months before getting another kitty?  At four weeks, I was dreaming about Scooter being happy & healthy again, chasing dragonflies. Two days later, Stella came into my life. Six months later, she determined she wanted a kitten and I had to get Bosco for her. He's her cat, not mine. LOL. Bosco's the black one. Stella is the tortie who never heard of "tortitude." They're waiting for the toys to roll back out from under the washer.

I love this story, especially getting Bosco for Stella!

[Bastet]

5 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

How could you wait nine months before getting another kitty?

That's how long it took me to be emotionally ready; everyone has their own pace.

[peacheslatour]

13 minutes ago, Bastet said:

That's how long it took me to be emotionally ready; everyone has their own pace.

Exactly. My Peaches died in Oct. of last year. I really want another kitty but I'm just not ready yet.

[Silver Raven]

I've been looking for a kitten since the beginning of March.  My last cat had to be put to sleep on New Year's Eve, and I was finally ready in March.  But between having to wait for kitten season, and the shutdown, it's been very difficult.  I got a contact from a foster organization volunteer last week, and I may have a kitten coming.  She's scheduled to be neutered on July 14, and then the volunteer is going to meet with me the following weekend to see if we're compatible.  If she likes me and I like her, then I'll be taking her home,  I'll wait till I actually have her before posting a picture, but if I adopt her, her name is going to be Lucy (the fosters are calling her Clyde, for some strange reason).

 

[Gramto6]

I lost my sweet Baby Boo after 12.5 years a few days before Christmas 2018. I am still not ready to bring another cat into my home. However, since Feb, I have been feeding a feral cat on my porch. Ironically, he used to torment my Boo daily from outside ( Boo was strictly indoor). Yet now he makes me smile when he comes to eat. I have never even touched him and he hisses at me even as I am feeding him. What can I say I am a cat lady, but not ready to bring one into my home/heart.

[Prevailing Wind]

When I was looking for a companion for Stella, my vet said I should look for a cat/kitten of the opposite sex, a bit younger than Stella, because she's the boss, but not too young that he can't hold his own if she gets rambunctious.  And Dr. E. just happened to have THAT kitten.  He'd been hanging around a playground for a few weeks, but no one could catch him.  One Friday, he ran up to this little girl and said, "Take me home!"  She grabbed him, named him Cupcake, and asked her mom if she could keep him. Mom said, "You have 5 dogs and 3 cats already. No."  But, as luck would have it, Mom was the lead tech at my vet's office, so she brought "Cupcake" in to work on Saturday AM to find a home for him.  And there I was with Stella and her need for a kitten. She was 9 months old; he was 3 months old. Perfect match!

I brought him home on Monday (he had to stay to be checked for diseases and passed with flying colors), the first thing Stella did was throw him to the ground and start washing the top of his head.  She STILL does this, 8 years later.  In the morning, when we wake up, he walks over to her and presents the top of his head for her to lick.  They are SO bonded.  When he had to spend the night for his manhood surgery, she was bereft.  He was out of sorts, too, when she was in the hospital for 5 days having exploratory surgery.  He became so very needy and clingy and hasn't given that behavior up after she came back home. 

It ain't easy having two cats on your lap simultaneously when one of 'em (Bosco) weighs 16 pounds.  The ironic thing about when I brought him home was that the only kitten-sized collar that I had was pink with cupcakes printed on it!  Nevertheless, I changed his name to Bosco. I think if anything happened to Stella, Bosco would survive. If anything happened to Bosco, Stella would grieve herself to death.

And now that I'm old, if I ever get another cat, it's gonna be a senior. I don't want my pets to out-live me. I don't want to worry about what's gonna happen to them while I'm dying (which isn't happening yet, but, y'know, eventually will.)

[peacheslatour]

43 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

In the first few episodes of Gunsmoke, Chester acts normal.  Somewhere down the line, a few episodes later, he started acting like he got kicked in the head by a horse.🐴

The same thing could be said about Festus.  Early on he was some what normal, and then all of  a sudden he started acting squirrelly.🐿️

There isn't a squirrel emoji so I guess I will have to settle for a chipmunk.

 

There's an episode call Mayblossom where Festus' cousin is raped. The rest of the episode is just him hunting the guy down. At the end he finds him sitting under a tree. He walks up to him and says "Stand up." Guy starts to stand and the screen goes black and you hear two shots ring out.  The end.

[peacheslatour]

13 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

I am recording the episodes and watching the transition in character personalities.   I haven't gotten to season 9 episode 20 (Mayblossom) yet.

In Did you See the Sun Rise, Thomas Magnum (Magnum PI) did they same thing when he shot Ivan as the screen goes black.

It was a particularly satisfying moment and I loved Festus for ever after.

[peacheslatour]

9 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

Sundance is showing one of the best episodes of Columbo tonight at midnight, A Stitch in Crime.🔍

As I have said before, Sundance is now airing a lot of the same shows that MeTV airs.  Add Columbo to the list.

Ooh, Leonard Nimoy!

[Ashforth]

Columbo is hands down one of the best TV shows ever.

Edited July 8, 2020 by Ashforth

[peacheslatour]

56 minutes ago, Ashforth said:

Columbo is hands down one of the best TV shows ever.

Peter Falk was brilliant in the role. He invented an unique, unforgettable character. 

[Ashforth]

When I was a teen, my dad bought the 8-track tape of "Redheaded Stranger" and we wore that thing out when we rode in the car. I wouldn't suggest it for people who don't already have an appreciation for Willie Nelson, but it is a gem of a concept album, recorded without frills and often hailed as one of the greatest albums of all time.

Still, it took me a long time to fully appreciate Willie's songwriting genius and overall musical artistry. He is a national treasure, imo.

If you don't care for his music (or think you don't, haha), I won't try to say you're wrong. I feel kinda bad for you, though. If nothing else, give this one a listen and see if it doesn't touch your heart and soul. I never hear it without thinking of my late sister (who, ironically, was no angel... but still). 

 

 

Edited July 9, 2020 by Ashforth

[peacheslatour]

11 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

My Serviceberry bushes have berries on them.   The story behind the Serviceberry bush is kind of gross.

Do you make pies with yours?