Small Talk: The Polygamous Cul-de-Sac

[SunnyBeBe]

I’m waiting for the rain to start.  Hoping the storm isn’t any worse than expected.  I’m panning to stay put tomorrow until things settle down.  Anyone in Florida?  

[Libby]

Me and my husband own an RV. They can be powered multiple ways. You can hook up to electricity, run off the built in generator, or even run off batteries (although the batteries won't last long if you are powering the whole rv off of them.)

We use our rv as a vacation home. We take 4 to 5 trips a year.

Ours is a 36 foot mobile home. We drive the rv and tow a car. They are very comfortable. We have taken several trips on the east coast in the winter. Between the heater and the electric fireplace, we are not cold.

Granted, I wouldn't want it to be my full time home in the winter, it's fine for a week or two.

[65mickey]

So she would have to have a generator running off of propane to provide power as there is no way to hook up to power on Coyote Pass. Seems like it would have been more sensible to move outside of Flagstaff and find a rental rather than sinking all of this money into an RV. And didn't Janelle say that last winter she did just that?  

[Libby]

8 minutes ago, Dustbunny said:

That's what I'm wondering as well,

Didn't she move into an apartment in town for the winter and she had the RV hauled back to the dealer for "repairs" and to be winterized?

Why on earth did it need repairs? is that normal for a brand new RV?

RV's are light weight. They are not heavy duty like a house. They need to be light enough to travel down the road. If they were using it full time, like a house, I could see things breaking.

My husband is handy, he's always fixing something in the RV and we only use it for vacation.

I could just imagine Janelle and Savanah full time, with of course, no help from Kody. I bet it needed a lot of repairs.

Edited October 5, 2022 by Libby

[Joan of Argh]

For all the other crazy cat ladies out there…

Just had to share this. 😸

[xwordfanatik]

5 hours ago, Joan of Argh said:

For all the other crazy cat ladies out there…

Just had to share this. 😸

Crazy cat lady here!  How cute!

[SunnyBeBe]

I ordered a Halloween costume yesterday.  I’m planning on attending a party.  Lol

https://www.partycity.com/adult-sarah-sanderson-costume---disney-hocus-pocus-889743.html

[goofygirl]

On 10/5/2022 at 4:02 AM, Joan of Argh said:

For all the other crazy cat ladies out there…

Just had to share this. 😸

Love it!!! If that cutie patootie kitty comes WITH the table, even better!

Edited October 8, 2022 by goofygirl

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 10/4/2022 at 6:51 PM, Dustbunny said:

Why on earth did it need repairs? is that normal for a brand new RV?

Definitely.  That's one reason people in the know usually recommend buying slightly used instead of new--let someone else spend the first year driving it back and forth to the dealership to get all the manufacturing defects corrected.  We're all spoiled by how cars are so well made these days, and RVs couldn't be more different.

[deirdra]

6 hours ago, goofygirl said:

Love it!!! If that cutie patootie kitty comes WITH the table, even better!

And the hole has enough shoulder room for kitty to stand up straight, reach over and grab food off plates or out of hands and sit back down on the perch to eat.

[crazycatlady58]

11 hours ago, deirdra said:

And the hole has enough shoulder room for kitty to stand up straight, reach over and grab food off plates or out of hands and sit back down on the perch to eat.

Well, of course!

[Teafortwo]

17 hours ago, deirdra said:

And the hole has enough shoulder room for kitty to stand up straight, reach over and grab food off plates or out of hands and sit back down on the perch to eat.

Or wiggle through and climb onto the table.

[Sandy W]

Many thanks to those who have noticed my recent absence from the board. 

I have been diagnosed with Cholangiocarcinoma, and last month had surgery to correct. Unfortunately, my elderly ( 85 year old ) blood vessels could not support the Whipple procedure attempted, so I will be taking the chemo/radiation route.

Rabbit Hutch, I could only wish that some hunk'a burning love had swept me away to Temptation Island, that may have put a spring in my step. 🤣

[Mahamid Frauded Me]

1 minute ago, Sandy W said:

Many thanks to those who have noticed my recent absence from the board. 

I have been diagnosed with Cholangiocarcinoma, and last month had surgery to correct. Unfortunately, my elderly ( 85 year old ) blood vessels could not support the Whipple procedure attempted, so I will be taking the chemo/radiation route.

Rabbit Hutch, I could only wish that some hunk'a burning love had swept me away to Temptation Island, that may have put a spring in my step. 🤣

I am sorry to hear, prayers to you. 

[Irate Panda]

1 hour ago, Sandy W said:

Many thanks to those who have noticed my recent absence from the board. 

I have been diagnosed with Cholangiocarcinoma, and last month had surgery to correct. Unfortunately, my elderly ( 85 year old ) blood vessels could not support the Whipple procedure attempted, so I will be taking the chemo/radiation route.

Rabbit Hutch, I could only wish that some hunk'a burning love had swept me away to Temptation Island, that may have put a spring in my step. 🤣

I hope you are better soon.  I know it’s a tough road, but I bet you’re a tough lady!  Only good thoughts to you .

[Joan of Argh]

2 hours ago, Sandy W said:

Many thanks to those who have noticed my recent absence from the board. 

I have been diagnosed with Cholangiocarcinoma, and last month had surgery to correct. Unfortunately, my elderly ( 85 year old ) blood vessels could not support the Whipple procedure attempted, so I will be taking the chemo/radiation route.

Rabbit Hutch, I could only wish that some hunk'a burning love had swept me away to Temptation Island, that may have put a spring in my step. 🤣

So happy to see you posting again Sandy… the 3 Amigos just wasn’t the same without you! 😋   
                                                
Now stay put!  ❤️

Edited October 13, 2022 by Joan of Argh
Autocorrect

[Teafortwo]

I've missed your posts, @Sandy W . My thoughts are with you, and I wish you all the best. 

[Cetacean]

@Sandy Wyou are one feisty 85 year old.  If anyone can beat this, you can.

[SunnyBeBe]

22 hours ago, Sandy W said:

Many thanks to those who have noticed my recent absence from the board. 

I have been diagnosed with Cholangiocarcinoma, and last month had surgery to correct. Unfortunately, my elderly ( 85 year old ) blood vessels could not support the Whipple procedure attempted, so I will be taking the chemo/radiation route.

Rabbit Hutch, I could only wish that some hunk'a burning love had swept me away to Temptation Island, that may have put a spring in my step. 🤣

Thanks for posting this Sandy W.  I hope you’re feeling better soon and back on the boards.  🌸🌞

[SunnyBeBe]

With all the violence in the world, it can sometimes be so scary.  I know I’m dealing with anxiety like never before.  So, it was super nice when I had such a positive encounter with a stranger at a local (Raleigh) UPS store last week.  I was there for a business matter and was struggling with an issue.  This young guy, who was also a customer, volunteered to help me and was so nice about it.  I might add the two staff members were nice too.  The young man, who was the customer was very thoughtful and chatted a bit.  Asked about my day…..His personality was so outstanding that I found him incredibly attractive too!  Lol. He was way too young for me, but I definitely got a flirty vibe.  Maybe, that was my wishful thinking. Lol  Anyway, he really helped me out, saved me time and money, plus, made my day with some awesome male energy.  Sadly, later that day Raleigh had a very horrible experience. (Mass shooting, killing 5). I’m trying to focus on the goodness in people in the aftermath.   🙏

[TurtlePower]

3 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

With all the violence in the world, it can sometimes be so scary.  I know I’m dealing with anxiety like never before.  So, it was super nice when I had such a positive encounter with a stranger at a local (Raleigh) UPS store last week.  I was there for a business matter and was struggling with an issue.  This young guy, who was also a customer, volunteered to help me and was so nice about it.  I might add the two staff members were nice too.  The young man, who was the customer was very thoughtful and chatted a bit.  Asked about my day…..His personality was so outstanding that I found him incredibly attractive too!  Lol. He was way too young for me, but I definitely got a flirty vibe.  Maybe, that was my wishful thinking. Lol  Anyway, he really helped me out, saved me time and money, plus, made my day with some awesome male energy.  Sadly, later that day Raleigh had a very horrible experience. (Mass shooting, killing 5). I’m trying to focus on the goodness in people in the aftermath.   🙏

Hugs. I have anxiety too, and any positive encounters with other humans in public mean so much. It reminds me there are decent people out there — they’re just less noticeable than the bad ones. 

[the-grey-lady]

On 10/12/2022 at 2:59 PM, Sandy W said:

Many thanks to those who have noticed my recent absence from the board. 

I have been diagnosed with Cholangiocarcinoma, and last month had surgery to correct. Unfortunately, my elderly ( 85 year old ) blood vessels could not support the Whipple procedure attempted, so I will be taking the chemo/radiation route.

Rabbit Hutch, I could only wish that some hunk'a burning love had swept me away to Temptation Island, that may have put a spring in my step. 🤣

So happy to have you back @Sandy W! Best of luck with your upcoming treatment!

[Sandy W]

16 minutes ago, the-grey-lady said:

So happy to have you back @Sandy W! Best of luck with your upcoming treatment!

Thank you The-Grey-Lady, I am confident in a positive outcome.  I am lucky to have a truly heroic team of health care professionals onboard for this journey.

[oliviabenson]

2 hours ago, Sandy W said:

Thank you The-Grey-Lady, I am confident in a positive outcome.  I am lucky to have a truly heroic team of health care professionals onboard for this journey.

Wishing you a speedy recovery! 

[oliviabenson]

6 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

With all the violence in the world, it can sometimes be so scary.  I know I’m dealing with anxiety like never before.  So, it was super nice when I had such a positive encounter with a stranger at a local (Raleigh) UPS store last week.  I was there for a business matter and was struggling with an issue.  This young guy, who was also a customer, volunteered to help me and was so nice about it.  I might add the two staff members were nice too.  The young man, who was the customer was very thoughtful and chatted a bit.  Asked about my day…..His personality was so outstanding that I found him incredibly attractive too!  Lol. He was way too young for me, but I definitely got a flirty vibe.  Maybe, that was my wishful thinking. Lol  Anyway, he really helped me out, saved me time and money, plus, made my day with some awesome male energy.  Sadly, later that day Raleigh had a very horrible experience. (Mass shooting, killing 5). I’m trying to focus on the goodness in people in the aftermath.   🙏

A 15 year old just got shot/killed on the subway. I am truly frightened to take the subway! It’s a different/more dangerous world out there! 
 

I am glad you had a positive experience with a nice person! It’s a rarity nowadays!

[Roslyn]

7 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

With all the violence in the world, it can sometimes be so scary.  I know I’m dealing with anxiety like never before.  So, it was super nice when I had such a positive encounter with a stranger at a local (Raleigh) UPS store last week.  I was there for a business matter and was struggling with an issue.  This young guy, who was also a customer, volunteered to help me and was so nice about it.  I might add the two staff members were nice too.  The young man, who was the customer was very thoughtful and chatted a bit.  Asked about my day…..His personality was so outstanding that I found him incredibly attractive too!  Lol. He was way too young for me, but I definitely got a flirty vibe.  Maybe, that was my wishful thinking. Lol  Anyway, he really helped me out, saved me time and money, plus, made my day with some awesome male energy.  Sadly, later that day Raleigh had a very horrible experience. (Mass shooting, killing 5). I’m trying to focus on the goodness in people in the aftermath.   🙏

My husband has traveled for work for 26 years and I have always had low to high level of anxiety about it.  Slowly I got used to it (back then I had young children to focus on) and in all that time he has done so safely with only two fender bender type road accidents and a handful of breakdowns. He has met great and not so great people and has avoided any kind of violence, tho he has been in the neighborhood of some scary situations (Downtown Philly during the BLM protests and lockdowns and the white house armed security storming the room he was working in across the street because the new guy "stood by the window too long").  He has developed a kind of sense of his surroundings and knows what neighborhoods to avoid in many many cities all over the country. On the upside he can drive through Philadelphia, Manhattan, Queens and Washington DC without a map and he knows every worthwhile restaurant to eat at in New Orleans and many other cities.

After he went back to work after quarantine in 2020 my anxiety was always at high levels with everything I would read online. With all the issues in the US since then he is very good at just touching base with me, but not making it too obvious that he is "letting me know he is okay" but at the same time...doing just that. These last weeks/months of seeing headlines with shootings all over has made his new news easier for me to accept the new transition.

He is now taking a trial run for the next 3 months at an in office job. He is hoping to then transition to a work from home version of this job. While the biggest part of me is very relieved for him to end his traveling in the world as it is, the other part is freaking out just a bit.  I am very used to living my life my way for the week and then my life a different way on the weekend. 😂  While he is very much romanticizing working from home, his new boss is making it a full trial run in case he really hates it and wants to return to traveling.

Wish me luck that we both make it still married on the other side. 🤣

[Sandy W]

1 hour ago, oliviabenson said:

Wishing you a speedy recovery! 

Thank you Olivia.

[goofygirl]

Feel better soon Sandy W!!  Thinking about and praying for you.

[oliviabenson]

11 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

With all the violence in the world, it can sometimes be so scary.  I know I’m dealing with anxiety like never before.  So, it was super nice when I had such a positive encounter with a stranger at a local (Raleigh) UPS store last week.  I was there for a business matter and was struggling with an issue.  This young guy, who was also a customer, volunteered to help me and was so nice about it.  I might add the two staff members were nice too.  The young man, who was the customer was very thoughtful and chatted a bit.  Asked about my day…..His personality was so outstanding that I found him incredibly attractive too!  Lol. He was way too young for me, but I definitely got a flirty vibe.  Maybe, that was my wishful thinking. Lol  Anyway, he really helped me out, saved me time and money, plus, made my day with some awesome male energy.  Sadly, later that day Raleigh had a very horrible experience. (Mass shooting, killing 5). I’m trying to focus on the goodness in people in the aftermath.   🙏

According to daily mail the 15 year old shooter killed his brother and the rest were strangers. 

[SunnyBeBe]

19 minutes ago, oliviabenson said:

According to daily mail the 15 year old shooter killed his brother and the rest were strangers. 

That’s what the reports say.  The 15 year old shooter is in critical condition with multiple gun shot injuries, including to the head.  It’s unclear if he will survive. Another  person remains in critical condition as well.  A k-9 officer has been released from the hospital and the other 5 are deceased.  Once of the victim’s dog was killed as well.   

[Yeah No]

My apologies for being so absent from this thread for so long.  I know most of you have seen me posting elsewhere, so you know I'm still around.   I just don't know where the time is going these days....I've been on a diet for a little over a month now and between that and a few other things it's been all-consuming.  I'm on a medical weight loss program through my hospital.  I couldn't take the stuff they prescribed me (Metformin - for weight loss not diabetes).  My stomach went nuts on just one half dose so now I'm doing this solo until the doctor decides to put me on something else.  So I've only lost 5 lbs. so far, but if you add the 3 I lost before going on the program that makes 8 altogether, which is great.  My husband is also on the diet with me.  He recently found out he's a type 2 diabetic so he has had to make some radical changes.  He no longer eats fast food when he's out working and has cut out a lot of garbage.  Me, I haven't really made that many changes to my diet because I'm always eating pretty healthy.  I was doing pretty much the same thing before except now I've lowered my portion sizes and cut out a few more starchy carbs.  It's been rough at times, though.  Not because of feeling deprived because this is how I always eat, but because I'm feeling HUNGRY because I'm eating less of it!  But in general I'm feeling a lot better!

Re: Anxiety levels, tell me about it!  @Roslyn, as you may or may not remember, my husband drives for a living.  He was hired by a mega-rich client last year to be his family's personal driver.  At first it was like a part time job but now that they are going back to their pre-pandemic lives more and more, he's become busier and busier.  So not only do I have the worry about him out there at all hours of the day and night driving over 100 miles a day with all the crazy drivers, but I also have the worry that one day he's going to bring Covid home (and yes we have had all our boosters).  Oh, and the kids are horrible, they don't even give him 24 hours notice.  So forget it if we had planned on anything....

Here in CT we now have daily news of violent crime and horrible accidents.  Now the big thing is wrong way drivers.  We just had one horrific crash on a major interstate where two obviously stoned or drunk people in a car crashed into a tractor trailer.  The truck driver survived, but they died.  These accidents are becoming commonplace now.  They beg the question of just how stoned out of your mind you have to be to do this???

And just last week we had a horrific cop shooting in a town a few over from here where one of my good friends lives.  Three cops responded to a "domestic dispute" and were met by gunfire.  Two died and one was injured and is going to be fine.  This whole week was taken up by this situation.  They had a huge procession of police vehicles when the bodies of the two deceased officers were brought to the Medical Examiner's office, which is at the hospital where I go for a lot of my medical appointments.  The presumption was that the dispute was between two brothers because they were both outside when the police arrived.  But then the story changed when certain details were uncovered that is making them think the two brothers faked the 911 call to lure cops to their house just so they could shoot them!  You can't make this stuff up!  This is how twisted things are these days!  I think one brother died in the exchange of gunfire.  Suicide by cop?  I can't even.....I'm wondering if this story made the news out of state.

Edited October 16, 2022 by Yeah No

[Gramto6]

This kind of makes me happy I can live as a hermit and order most of what I need online. I only go out about 2 times a month to pick up bills at the PO and a small grocery run.

Life out in the world has become scary.

Edited October 16, 2022 by Gramto6
added on to post

[Yeah No]

9 hours ago, Gramto6 said:

This kind of makes me happy I can live as a hermit and order most of what I need online. I only go out about 2 times a month to pick up bills at the PO and a small grocery run.

Life out in the world has become scary.

I hear you.  I haven't even been to that town where the police shooting occurred in 2 years because we keep hearing about crime there.  And it used to be a very quiet town that way.  I'm just happy all this happened when my friend that lives there was away on vacation overseas.  She's already regretting having moved there.

My radius is shrinking every day.  I try to remain close to home because this area has not seen the crime that some other towns have.  I've owned my car 2 years now and only put 7,500 miles a year on it!  And that includes several trips to NYC, too, which are 220 miles round trip.

[SunnyBeBe]

Just a little good news. I was at Duke Ophthalmology today and got a good report.  No damage from diabetes, which is a great relief for a type one.  
 

I also saw this article and was so thrilled.  I hope it happens sooner.  I have lost so many people to cancer.  It’s so cruel.  
 

https://abc11.com/cancer-vaccine-2023-biontech-mrna-covid-and/12341811/

[Rabbit Hutch]

On 10/16/2022 at 12:10 PM, Yeah No said:

I hear you.  I haven't even been to that town where the police shooting occurred in 2 years because we keep hearing about crime there.  And it used to be a very quiet town that way.  I'm just happy all this happened when my friend that lives there was away on vacation overseas.  She's already regretting having moved there.

My radius is shrinking every day.  I try to remain close to home because this area has not seen the crime that some other towns have.  I've owned my car 2 years now and only put 7,500 miles a year on it!  And that includes several trips to NYC, too, which are 220 miles round trip.

Look, I know it's a little scary out there, me and DH live with it daily with the horrible drivers, out of control protests, robberies, shootings, food deserts, you name it.  But it's far worse to let fear completely dictate your life.  If fear takes over in such a manner then you've already died spiritually, and then whats the point?  Take precautions, practice situational awareness, and get on with your life.  You're too young to start giving up.  

Rootin for ya.  

[TurtlePower]

5 hours ago, Rabbit Hutch said:

Look, I know it's a little scary out there, me and DH live with it daily with the horrible drivers, out of control protests, robberies, shootings, food deserts, you name it.  But it's far worse to let fear completely dictate your life.  If fear takes over in such a manner then you've already died spiritually, and then whats the point?  Take precautions, practice situational awareness, and get on with your life.  You're too young to start giving up.  

Rootin for ya.  

This happened to me. As someone with anxiety, PTSD and autism the world felt so scary, there were moments I didn’t want to exist in it anymore. I grew tired of fighting for my right to exist in peace — to go running and not worry about being abducted (almost happened to me), to not worry about home invasions and shootings or looking at someone wrong and being run off the road. Some days, I don’t understand what everyone is so angry about to take their anger out on absolute strangers just trying to mind their own business. 

[Teafortwo]

I have a bit of a dilemma. My refrigerator is shot - alternately too cold/too warm and it's over 15 years old, time for a new one. It's a GE but the new GEs mostly won't fit my space (there are a couple that might work, but are around $1300 which is too much. I have to get a 24" x 28 " (max) fridge. 

Does anyone know which of these brands has the best fridge? I don't subscribe to Consumer Reports anymore and it's tough to trust online reviews. My choices, in no particular order, are:

Summit, Whirlpool, Frigidaire, Haier. They're all around $600 - all are on sale right now.

The store I usually use is a local chain and super easy to deal with if there's any delivery damage, plus they cart away the old appliance. But the rep I usually deal with pushed for me to get an Avanti. I had a bad experience with an Avanti in the past so that's out. I got the sense that's what they have available now but I'm willing to wait for a better brand. 

ETA I wonder what happened to the poster from NYC @iwantcookies ? She'd be able to relate to this and is likely familiar with the store I'm referring to. I hope she's okay.

Edited October 20, 2022 by Teafortwo

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, Teafortwo said:

I have a bit of a dilemma. My refrigerator is shot - alternately too cold/too warm and it's over 15 years old, time for a new one. It's a GE but the new GEs mostly won't fit my space (there are a couple that might work, but are around $1300 which is too much. I have to get a 24" x 28 " (max) fridge. 

Does anyone know which of these brands has the best fridge? I don't subscribe to Consumer Reports anymore and it's tough to trust online reviews. My choices, in no particular order, are:

Summit, Whirlpool, Frigidaire, Haier. They're all around $600 - all are on sale right now.

The store I usually use is a local chain and super easy to deal with if there's any delivery damage, plus they cart away the old appliance. But the rep I usually deal with pushed for me to get an Avanti. I had a bad experience with an Avanti in the past so that's out. I got the sense that's what they have available now but I'm willing to wait for a better brand. 

ETA I wonder what happened to the poster from NYC @iwantcookies ? She'd be able to relate to this and is likely familiar with the store I'm referring to. I hope she's okay.

This is so funny, I was just reading refrigerator ratings on Consumer Reports' site yesterday!  They sent me an email with a link to an article.  I am a subscriber, BTW.  I also recently purchased a new fridge last year.

Shall I assume that you are looking for a top freezer model?  Because their recommendations are specific to the style of the fridge.  They say that top freezer models consistently get the best reliability ratings overall, but people tend to prefer the convenience of other styles, like French Door and side-by-side fridges.  But I know that in apartments you're usually too limited in width and height to get one of those.

Here's the relevant excerpt from their article regarding top freezer models.  I put it in a spoiler box:

Spoiler

Top-Freezer Refrigerators

Short on style and features, this traditional configuration offers the best value. Only 6 percent of refrigerators in CR’s survey are top-freezers.

Top-freezers, as a category, have the highest predicted reliability. Despite these high marks, most top-freezer brands are rated low in terms of owner satisfaction.

Within the category, seven of the nine brands earned Excellent ratings for predicted reliability: Amana, Frigidaire, Kenmore, LG, Maytag, Samsung, and Whirlpool. But only LG received a positive owner satisfaction rating (earning a Very Good score), making it the best top-freezer brand to choose.

GE and Hotpoint top-freezers got Very Good ratings for predicted reliability, but both brands received Poor ratings for owner satisfaction.

They recommend the LG as best overall, but only because it scored higher in owner satisfaction than the other brands that received excellent reliability ratings.  The other brands recommended as excellent are Amana, Frigidaire, Kenmore, Maytag, Samsung and Whirlpool.

Based on my own experience I've had 4 Whirlpool fridges in my life in various places and times and all of them were fantastic.  I still have two of them, LOL.  The one I bought last year (a huge side-by-side) and the one before it which is 15 years old and now lives in my garage. 

My father bought a Frigidaire at PC Richard within the past 15 years and it was nothing but trouble. 

Let me know if you need CR's opinion on any other styles of fridge.

[Yeah No]

16 hours ago, Rabbit Hutch said:

Look, I know it's a little scary out there, me and DH live with it daily with the horrible drivers, out of control protests, robberies, shootings, food deserts, you name it.  But it's far worse to let fear completely dictate your life.  If fear takes over in such a manner then you've already died spiritually, and then whats the point?  Take precautions, practice situational awareness, and get on with your life.  You're too young to start giving up.  

Rootin for ya.  

Thanks so much!  I used to be fearless but since the pandemic, the rise in crime and general danger out there, and now seeing my senior years on the horizon with medical concerns and issues (nothing major thankfully but some serious enough for concern) I am feeling more vulnerable than ever about everything.  

My husband is now 66 and just found out he's a type 2 diabetic.  Talk about feeling more vulnerable!  His attitude has changed too, although I don't think as much as mine has.  He's pretty fearless about the driving, like I know you are.  I used to be, but it's just gotten so bad out there that it's changed me.

We don't eat indoors in restaurants anymore - well we have a few times since the pandemic but only when we were sure the Covid numbers were pretty low at the time, and in situations where we weren't seated close to anyone else.  Even this year neither of us wants to get together with his entire family around the holidays.  His nephews and their SO's are not that careful about Covid and both have had it more than once.  And they're not the kind of people you can ask to take a test before you see them.  So we'll just see his sister and her husband alone around the holidays and we'll all test beforehand.  But that means that neither of us have seen his nephews now in at least 2 years.  Both are in their 30s and to be honest they don't really care.  So my husband doesn't either.  Not my family, but whatever.

We also don't go to group events either anymore.  Not that we ever did that much of it but now forget it.  And about safety, I find myself making sure I don't leave anything on the seat of my car that a break-glass robber might want to snatch.  And forget about going walking alone on walking trails.  Uh uh, not happening.

Don't forget, I have PTSD from having lived in the Bronx for the first 33 years of my life at a time when things were pretty rough.  I'm always watching my back, it's second nature to me.  And I'm very prone to catching viruses and get them worse than most people.  When others have a sniffle and a headache I'm in bed on my back for a couple of weeks.

So some of this is at least understandable.

One thing though is that it hasn't really crushed me in any spiritual way other than make me sad about the direction I see the world going.  I'm generally an introvert and so some of what looks like avoidance of life and giving up is just my nature in general.

As we go into Winter I tend to suffer from SADS no matter how much walking I do, sitting outside or Vitamin D I take.  And that contributes to my outlook too.

But thanks, I appreciate it, it's nice to know people care!  🧸

[ginger90]

8 hours ago, Teafortwo said:

I have a bit of a dilemma. My refrigerator is shot - alternately too cold/too warm and it's over 15 years old, time for a new one. It's a GE but the new GEs mostly won't fit my space (there are a couple that might work, but are around $1300 which is too much. I have to get a 24" x 28 " (max) fridge. 

Does anyone know which of these brands has the best fridge? I don't subscribe to Consumer Reports anymore and it's tough to trust online reviews. My choices, in no particular order, are:

Summit, Whirlpool, Frigidaire, Haier. They're all around $600 - all are on sale right now.

The store I usually use is a local chain and super easy to deal with if there's any delivery damage, plus they cart away the old appliance. But the rep I usually deal with pushed for me to get an Avanti. I had a bad experience with an Avanti in the past so that's out. I got the sense that's what they have available now but I'm willing to wait for a better brand. 

This one is at Lowe’s, it’s a bit smaller than  the space you have:

[Teafortwo]

16 hours ago, Yeah No said:

This is so funny, I was just reading refrigerator ratings on Consumer Reports' site yesterday!  They sent me an email with a link to an article.  I am a subscriber, BTW.  I also recently purchased a new fridge last year.

Shall I assume that you are looking for a top freezer model?  Because their recommendations are specific to the style of the fridge.  They say that top freezer models consistently get the best reliability ratings overall, but people tend to prefer the convenience of other styles, like French Door and side-by-side fridges.  But I know that in apartments you're usually too limited in width and height to get one of those.

Here's the relevant excerpt from their article regarding top freezer models.  I put it in a spoiler box:

  Hide contents

Top-Freezer Refrigerators

Short on style and features, this traditional configuration offers the best value. Only 6 percent of refrigerators in CR’s survey are top-freezers.

Top-freezers, as a category, have the highest predicted reliability. Despite these high marks, most top-freezer brands are rated low in terms of owner satisfaction.

Within the category, seven of the nine brands earned Excellent ratings for predicted reliability: Amana, Frigidaire, Kenmore, LG, Maytag, Samsung, and Whirlpool. But only LG received a positive owner satisfaction rating (earning a Very Good score), making it the best top-freezer brand to choose.

GE and Hotpoint top-freezers got Very Good ratings for predicted reliability, but both brands received Poor ratings for owner satisfaction.

They recommend the LG as best overall, but only because it scored higher in owner satisfaction than the other brands that received excellent reliability ratings.  The other brands recommended as excellent are Amana, Frigidaire, Kenmore, Maytag, Samsung and Whirlpool.

Based on my own experience I've had 4 Whirlpool fridges in my life in various places and times and all of them were fantastic.  I still have two of them, LOL.  The one I bought last year (a huge side-by-side) and the one before it which is 15 years old and now lives in my garage. 

My father bought a Frigidaire at PC Richard within the past 15 years and it was nothing but trouble. 

Let me know if you need CR's opinion on any other styles of fridge.

Thank you! You're right, of course - PC Richard. I always buy from them. I bought a Bosch dishwasher in 2018, after much indecisiveness. It had a hole in the water line LOL. They took care of exchanging it right away. I can only get a top freezer, that's the only kind that will fit the spot. Thanks for all the detail. Weird that Frigidaire got such good ratings on CR but your father had problems with it.

My food is alternately freezing and warming. It's causing stomach problems!

9 hours ago, ginger90 said:

This one is at Lowe’s, it’s a bit smaller than  the space you have:

Thanks, Ginger90. That's an undercounter fridge - I'm very happy that I can fit up to 62" even though the width and depth area is small.

[CalicoKitty]

I have had Whirlpool refrigerators for many years (including their KitchenAid line), and I have never had any problems.  Whirlpool makes Whirlpool, Maytag and Amana refrigerators in Amana, Iowa.  I think GE's are made in Kentucky.

[deirdra]

My Whirlpool was new in 1996 and is still going strong & I've never had a problem with it.

[Yeah No]

6 hours ago, Teafortwo said:

Thank you! You're right, of course - PC Richard. I always buy from them. I bought a Bosch dishwasher in 2018, after much indecisiveness. It had a hole in the water line LOL. They took care of exchanging it right away. I can only get a top freezer, that's the only kind that will fit the spot. Thanks for all the detail. Weird that Frigidaire got such good ratings on CR but your father had problems with it.

My food is alternately freezing and warming. It's causing stomach problems!

Your welcome!  Unfortunately I think my father got stuck with a lemon.  It happens, I guess.  I told him to contact the company about it but he never did.  He just kept paying for repairs.  Ugh.  By the time he bought it he was up there in years already and his interest in following up on stuff like this was pretty low.

Interestingly the lawyer that handled my father's apartment when I sold it wanted the appliances for an apartment for his daughter.  I warned him about the fridge but it was free and in good condition so he didn't care and arranged to have it and the stove moved to Yonkers to her apartment.

Not that I know anything about these things but it sounds like what's wrong with your fridge might be solved by a relatively inexpensive repair.  The only time my previous Whirlpool needed any repair was when some gizmo that regulates the temperature went.  That was 3 years ago pre-pandemic.  I had an authorized Whirlpool repair person come and he replaced it for around $200.  I told him we were thinking about getting a new fridge so we could have a garage fridge for large items and beverages.  He told me these old Whirlpools are workhorses and never to get rid of it.   Actually I misremembered how old it is - It's actually 17 years old.

[Cetacean]

I had a GE that went strong for 30 years, no repairs.  I only replaced it when I redid my kitchen.  So did the stove!

[Teafortwo]

On 10/21/2022 at 8:22 AM, Cetacean said:

I had a GE that went strong for 30 years, no repairs.  I only replaced it when I redid my kitchen.  So did the stove!

My stove dates to 1987, before I lived here!

[Gramto6]

I am afraid to jinx myself.

I moved from CA to MT in 2004. I bought all new appliances as the home I bought was built (Mobile home) in 1976. I bought a GE freezer under refrigerator. It had one small dent on the side when they delivered and was told it would be OK. It died at 2 years 2months (2 months after warranty ran out).  I looked at ads of what was sold locally and bought an old Roper refridg freezer on top, manufactured 1998 and it is running like a champ still. I think I paid $100 for it. 

Please refrigerator gods  don't kill it now!!!

[xwordfanatik]

I *think* we've had three refrigerators since 1988.  We got an LG French door model about 7 years ago.  I love it, I'd never had an ice maker before.  It's kind of small because of the kitchen size.  We also have a basement vintage reefer with just a tiny freezer (no door on it.)  It needs defrosting now and then, but it's over 70 years old!  We bought it in the 90's and have never had to repair it.  We've certainly gotten our money's worth there.

Knock wood!  I hate it when stuff breaks.

[TurtlePower]

I haven’t mentioned this yet because it was so miserable and I’m regretting my decision, but now I feel like talking about it.

About 3 weeks ago I underwent a total hip replacement. I’m really young for that but it needed done — years of archaeology and kicking shovels did a number on my right hip and it was bone-on-bone. So I’m like, yes, let’s do this because it was 3 years of pain. The did a posterior approach. 

Everyone — including the nurses and ortho team — led me to believe this was such a common procedure that it was a piece of cake. Well 3 weeks on, I still cannot walk without assistance. The pain is terrible. Not allowed to bend. Cannot work out on any of my equipment. Am barely eating to avoid weight gain. Yesterday was the first day in 3 weeks I did cardio on a recumbent at PT (I don’t have one of those at home). I cry every day and can feel my fitness slipping away. I can also feel anorexia waiting for its moment to pull me back and I almost want it to.

Why did I do this? Why did they mislead me into thinking I’d be skipping down the hall after surgery? I know I’ll get through it, but it’s really got me down. Just yesterday I tried on my favourite Rock Revival jeans and they fit but I’m worried — I have conditions that make it easy to gain weight and hard to lose it and my strict workout regimen has been interrupted. So I barely eat (one meal a day, evening, eaten very slowly to make it last). I did this when I was anorexic to not go to bed starving (that’s the worst).

Just had to vent. It’s been really rough. 

[lookeyloo]

46 minutes ago, TurtlePower said:

I haven’t mentioned this yet because it was so miserable and I’m regretting my decision, but now I feel like talking about it.

About 3 weeks ago I underwent a total hip replacement. I’m really young for that but it needed done — years of archaeology and kicking shovels did a number on my right hip and it was bone-on-bone. So I’m like, yes, let’s do this because it was 3 years of pain. The did a posterior approach. 

Everyone — including the nurses and ortho team — led me to believe this was such a common procedure that it was a piece of cake. Well 3 weeks on, I still cannot walk without assistance. The pain is terrible. Not allowed to bend. Cannot work out on any of my equipment. Am barely eating to avoid weight gain. Yesterday was the first day in 3 weeks I did cardio on a recumbent at PT (I don’t have one of those at home). I cry every day and can feel my fitness slipping away. I can also feel anorexia waiting for its moment to pull me back and I almost want it to.

Why did I do this? Why did they mislead me into thinking I’d be skipping down the hall after surgery? I know I’ll get through it, but it’s really got me down. Just yesterday I tried on my favourite Rock Revival jeans and they fit but I’m worried — I have conditions that make it easy to gain weight and hard to lose it and my strict workout regimen has been interrupted. So I barely eat (one meal a day, evening, eaten very slowly to make it last). I did this when I was anorexic to not go to bed starving (that’s the worst).

Just had to vent. It’s been really rough. 

So sorry for your experience!  I had mine done that way in 2007. I did have a lot of physical therapy and was mainly very uncomfortable. Every day it should get a little better. I used a cane For a few weeks and thought I needed it until one day in got up and didn't reach for it.  Maybe they need to X-ray and make sure all is where it should be?  So sorry. Hoping it will improve.