October chitchat

[agate]

It's October, and some trees should be changing color. I haven't seen any of them doing that yet around here but maybe this isn't going to be a good year for bright fall foliage.

Imagine yourself going down the path in the photo. I'm glad not to be raking those leaves. Virginia, I don't think you have to rake leaves, do you?

I'm thinking of Linda and wondering if this is her big season with the farmer's market activity.

Speaking of farmer's markets and that kind of produce, someone brought some fresh produce into this building for people to take, and there were some gigantic rutabagas. I've never had a rutabaga. Can someone clue me in? What do they taste like? Are they good?

I hope people will check in even if it's just to say Hi. No word from soul lately. Or Parsi. Or lots of others. Sunshine 2, I hope you're getting along OK. Snuggles, how are things going there?

[Virginia]

Thanks Agate for keeping the lights on and things going around here.

When I picture myself walking down that path in the beautiful picture above I see me walking with no help, straight and tall with no limp and no fear of falling.

I haven't noticed any leaves changing around here. The storm that hit the east coast certainly blew a lot of pine straw down around my place. I don't have to do any raking and no longer could, but I did go out on my deck and sweep it one day. It was covered in pine straw.

I hope Linda and John are doing well. I hope she was able to get something to help John get in and out of bed safely. I am sure she has her hands full.

Would be nice to hear from some other long timers around here. I hope everyone has a good October.

[agate]

Virginia,I sent you a couple of PMs today and thought I should alert you as I haven't been finding PMs for quite a while because apparently there isn't a very clear notification system, or else I haven't figured it out.

I know what you mean about that leafy path in the picture. I'm seeing a slope and a lot of leaves to slip on. But at least looking at it in a photo can be restful.

It is time for stuff that has to be swept on my patio. I've been out there sweeping but I'm not as diligent about it as some neighbors. Some of them get out there every day and sweep the patio.

[Snuggles]

Hi everyone,

Things are fine here. My hardwood floors were installed in my dining room and we have cleaned up from all of the dust from our remodel.

Fall will be very busy here. We have a large maple tree in our front yard that will be losing it's leaves soon and that means raking. We have porch furniture to put inside. We will be traveling to a bridal shower later this month, travel for Thanksgiving and a wedding to travel to in December. That's in addition to our weekly babysitting of our grandkids!

We vacationed in the Outer Banks of NC for a week in September and had a wonderful time. It was nice being with family and relaxing on the beach for the week. Next year we plan to go in June. We have never been there that early in the season and I am hoping it is warm but not too hot.

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the Fall weather. We are having a great weather week here, temps in the high 70's and low 80's, sunny but with low humidity. I wish it was this nice all year round.

[agate]

Wow, Snuggles, you've been keeping busy! That hardwood floor project must have involved major effort, and I hope the results were good.

I'd prefer this kind of weather all year too. The days have been absolutely perfect lately.

Is your maple tree changing color by now? The trees around here haven't been showing much color yet but maybe that comes later.

[Virginia]

Snuggles, I am sure your floors looks great. I had a neighbor who went through that in her kitchen and foyer and hall. When I talked to her about it she said she would never do it again while she had furniture in the house. She put up a barrier to her living room and covered the furniture, but she said months later she was still getting saw dust fallout in her living room. This has been a number of years ago and I think they have come out with better equipment now. So it probably is not nearly as bad. Her floors turned out beautiful and I am sure yours are.

You have been one busy lady this fall and it sounds as though it will go on through the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. I am sure you are having a great time. It is a lot of going, but as long as you can do it I know it is fun and enjoyable.

We are also having beautiful weather and it is expected to continue all this week. I certainly hope it will, at least through this coming Saturday. We are having our family reunion at my younger brother's on Saturday. My older brother had been having it in Hilton Head every year. Since he died last year it is being held here this year. I had been unable to go for several years, so this one I plan to attend. My older brother's children and some of his grandchildren will be there. Also, my nephew's 2 daughters plan to be there. He died in May. I hope it will not be a sad time for a lot of these people. I am feeling a little of the strain due to so much sadness this past year. I just don't let anyone know.

[Virginia]

Agate, funny you should mention PMs. I had a notice last week that I had one and when I went in it first appeared to be there but then went away. I almost asked you if I was dreaming. I have not had any PMs lately. Seems our "private message" is broken. I don't know any other way to look for them, or any place to get them. I am going to send one to you and see if you get it.

[Virginia]

Agate, guess you didn't get my PM earlier today. I did not start a new one, I hooked a line onto one where we had talked about Jeanie's address. Let me know.

[flatcap]

Glad to hear everyone is doing well, considering or whatever other qualifier might apply.

I have been doing pretty well myself, except for having night sweats all the time (my sleep pattern is irregular, so it happens day and night) and some trouble with my mood. (Basically, I worry too much and have been very depressed lately.)

I searched night sweats on the forum and found this thread from 2018: Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...

Both agate and Virginia posted in the thread.

I am pretty sure my own case boils down to my MS. Bouts with it, some lasting many months, come and go. However, my neuro disagrees that the night sweats are caused by the MS. He says I have no lesions in the region of my brain that regulates body temperature.

One takeaway I got from reading the thread was Lazarus's report of her also suffering "very sensitive spots on [her] head that hurt with any touch. Excruciatingly painful."

I have had the same thing happen many times, and Linda (Lazarus) was right: It hurts a lot. If you're like me and have a low tolerance for pain, you have to just let your hair run wild on those days. I always wear a cap when I go out, so it's no big deal for me. I can tolerate wearing the cap. In fact, it seems better with my head covered. Maybe that's just wishful thinking. The hard part comes when laying my head on a pillow. Right now, thankfully, it isn't happening.

I think my case is like Linda's. It appears we both suffer from night sweats and what I guess you might call scalpitis (although it's more of an intense ache than anything else). It seems she also believes it is all MS-related. I can't think of anything else, either, and have been given no other explanation for it that would seem to apply.

Weather here has been cool, approaching chilly. This afternoon, it started raining, and it still is, which has only cooled things further. I love it when it rains, though, so you won't hear any complaints from me. I am simply staying inside tonight to keep warm.

My new scarf is still on the way, so no report yet....

Enough, already. More later.


PS to agate: I don't remember ever having a rutabaga or anything made with them. Sorry I can't be of any help.


Updated Weather Report: OK, it's officially chilly. The temp at the airport is 59°. Tomorrow AM it is supposed to reach the low 50s. That is downright cold in my book.

[agate]

flatcap, night sweats are miserable, and I hope you can find some remedy.

I almost hate to mention this because it's a problem most people think of as having gone away but actually it's still around. Have you been checked for TB? Night sweats are a common symptom, and I believe you mentioned weight loss?

It's very possible to have TB without knowing it. I had TB without knowing it, and on both lungs. I wasn't having any symptoms. Surely your doctor has thought about ruling out TB?

[Virginia]

Flatcap,.so.sorry you are suffering night sweats and the sensitive spots on your head. I am in total agreement with Agate that it could be TB. I had a brother-in-law who had it with no symptoms, though he did lose weight. I suggest you check in with your PCP. I hope you get some answers and some relieve soon.

[flatcap]

Well, I never would have thought TB was a possibility. I will bring this up with my PCP when I next see him on 11/6. I mentioned the night sweats before but got no feedback. He is aware of my problem with losing too much weight and has me on the nutrition shakes for that. My weight seems to have stabilized. We'll see what he says about TB. Thanks for the tip.

[flatcap]

I received my Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register..., and I must say, it looks like it's just the ticket. It's a nice, soft wool and not at all scratchy. The overall color is a rich, dark brown, and the understated herringbone pattern is, for lack of a better word, lovely*. I was a little worried about its 42" length, thinking the scarf might be too short, but it seems like it will work OK. When shopping on Etsy, I got the impression that something around 65" was the standard length, but I now think that might be too long unless you wrap the scarf around your neck. I might have to try one like that sometime anyway. Meanwhile, we'll see how the 42" length works out.

Now, on to shoes. I am still waiting for Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register... to make just the "right" pair to replace my old ones. I have been wearing them for about ten years, and it shows (although they are still more or less presentable). I have been following the Vivobarefoot website for many months now, but I am looking for something more understated than the shoes they have been making as of late. I hope they come up with something soon. I wouldn't wear anything else unless I had to. If I have to settle for a "loud" pair, I probably will.



*Probably OK to say "lovely" if you're British.

[agate]

flatcap, you will be very well turned out by the time you finish replenishing your wardrobe! It's nice if the new scarf is comfortable. A scratchy scarf or one that is suffocatingly warm can be really annoying.

Just wondering, though, why it would be OK to say "lovely" if you're British and not so OK if you're not?

[flatcap]

Probably OK to say if you speak English, I guess.

The only time I have heard it recently was in a line spoken by the lead female character in the movie, Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register..., so that's all I was really thinking about.



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