July chitchat

[agate]

Virginia, I'm in a HUD-subsidized rental housing community--an apartment building (4 floors) with 58 units. Everyone is over (I think) 62 and some are disabled. Others are fairly agile.

[Virginia]

Tim, I gave you a slightly wrong answer regarding where Agate lives.

What is the weather like in the U.K.? Is it wet? How about yours Agate? It is (I think) usually fairly rainy in Oregon.

[Prot]

It can be rather wet where I live in the SW of England. I'm still waiting for summer to arrive this year.

[agate]

Summer arrived here with a hot spell that seemed to last too long (about a week of 90+ weather) but that miraculously stopped a few days ago, and just now it's really perfect: sunny with highs only in the low 80s or so. The rainy season that some call the monsoon season is in fall, winter, and spring. In July and August there tends to be a drought--and so we get forest fires out of control in summer.

So far those have been far enough away so that we're not getting the smoke and haze yet but summers can have that problem, and people living near those fires can be tragically affected by them.

[Virginia]

I don't know of anything more frightening than a fire burning out of control.

Mostly in N.C. we get hurricanes during the season, which is generally late summer and fall. They are more prevalent close to the coast, but we definitely have gotten some as far inland as I am. I am in the central part of the state.

We have had a tremendous influx of people in N.C. in the past few years, but especially around the area I am in. There has been a lot of good jobs to be had in this area, and also being halfway between the beach and the mountains seems to attract a lot of people. I would have been very satisfied if the people had stopped coming a long time ago. Our infrastructure is just not equipped to handle quite so many people. I know that doesn't sound as though I am very welcoming but the truth is it gets harder and harder to drive in so much traffic and I am tired of so much new construction. I don't even recognize much of the area anymore.

[Prot]

Forest fires seem to occur more frequently nowadays than they used to. It would have to be mid 70s with a mild breeze for it to be OK summer weather for me. Hottest weather I can remember being in was 108. That was in my parent's car, near to (or in) Sacramento. It was over 55 years ago.

[agate]

Tim, that sounds like one very hot car you were in. Maybe there was even air conditioning for cars then but if I remember right, it was much less common at that time.

Virginia, I know what you mean about people moving in to an area in large numbers. Many people seem to like the idea of living in an RV these days, and those vehicles really occupy space on highways, don't they? This area I'm in has also been attracting hordes of people--mainly because of the climate or maybe it's the skiing and the ocean.

[Prot]

I can't remember if there was air conditioning or not..I just remember that it was very hot!

[agate]

Tim, when you mention porridge for breakfast, does that mean oatmeal?

I just ran across a container of oatmeal in my kitchen and realizes I always keep it around just in case I can't eat anything else.

[Prot]

They are 81% wholegrain rolled oats. Copilot says the following

Are porridge oats and oatmeal the same thing

Porridge oats and oatmeal are often used interchangeably, but there is a subtle difference between the two:

Porridge Oats:
Porridge oats are whole rolled oats that have been steamed and flattened.
They tend to be creamier and smoother when cooked.


Oatmeal:
Oatmeal refers to any type of oats, including steel-cut or instant oats.
Its texture can vary—some oatmeal types may have a more chewy or nutty texture.
In summary, while all oatmeal is considered porridge, not all porridge is made from oats. So, porridge oats specifically refer to rolled oats, while oatmeal encompasses various oat types

[Prot]

Had eye test this afternoon. Another thing to add the list= cataracts. Very early stage.

[agate]

I'm sorry you now have an added diagnosis. Cataracts are so common that apparently just about everyone can expect to have them sooner or later. I've been hearing about my cataracts for over 20 years and still haven't had the surgery done but I have many neighbors who have had the surgery.The latest one was a neighbor who is over 90.

[Prot]

I was told 'If you live long enough you'll likely get cataracts' . It wasn't all bad news though. My short-sightedness has improved. That can happen as you get older, or so I've been told.

[agate]

There are some work around for poor vision. I'm finding that if I keep up the eyedrops I have for dry eyes. I can see better. I don't know if eye dryness is a problem for you but it is for many people.

Also glasses seem to need cleaning fairly often, sometimes several times a day. I discussed this with the optician recently, and the result was that I obtained a substantial supply of the special cleaning cloths and try to use them often, rinsing the lenses with water first. I'm always amazed at how much clearer the world looks.

[Prot]

There are some work around for poor vision. I'm finding that if I keep up the eyedrops I have for dry eyes. I can see better. I don't know if eye dryness is a problem for you but it is for many people.

It can be. I have times when I need to use eye drops.

[agate]

I meant "some work-arounds" in that post.

Another Internet outage here since Tuesday -- can't type well using my phone!