December 2020 chitchat

[agate]

Artificial plants really changed when they got away from the plastic plants to the silk ones. They look and even feel like the real thing. I still have one Rose bush outside, but I give it no attention. It's a very hardy plant for sure.

So that's what's happened. I've mistaken many an artificial plant for a real one.

Everyone wake up. That classic film, "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians".....it's....it's.....on.

I'm waiting for the sequel, "The Martians Conquer Santa Claus." It may come along soon.

Speaking of Santa, he has to wear a mask this year but it won't cramp his style.

[Howie]

Yeah, he just wants to spread his joy, but not his germs.

[Virginia]

Actually, they are saying that Santa can not get COVID and he cannot spread it. Santa can do anything.

[agate]

Maybe he can cure it?

Apparently he's not immune, or at least the versions of him that kids see in department stores and elsewhere aren't immune. There was a plan to inoculate Santa impersonators with the vaccine publicly, as a way of persuading people to get the vaccine, but that idea was abandoned.

Probably just as well since I read somewhere that kids aren't going to be sitting on Santa's lap in department stores this year anyway....

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[Howie]

That article says "Santa Clause performers". Does that mean the Santa's we see in public aren't the real Santa?

[Virginia]

Oh not to worry Howie, the Santa's really are the real thing. You can go talk to one and ask for what you want for Christmas and low and behold it will appear. The only problem is that you have to have been good all year - so maybe it won't appear?

[Howie]

Be good all YEAR??? Well, that marks me out. Ashes and soot in my stocking!

[agate]

Lets that cat Sam out too, no doubt.

[Lazarus]

Long day...still putting farming materials away for winter and getting everything organized. Almost every tractor is under cover..all trailers are put away..and I think I remember where I put the dozens of items used to harvest crops and go to market! I am fearful that markets will not be able to start in the spring. Right now we have lots of stuff we grew for the winter markets but the winter markets are not going to happen! So my neighbors are eating well.

I actually am enjoying the time to organize the house and I do not mind cleaning and cooking. Oh no! I am turning into a housewife!

[agate]

After several days, the pharmacy says it has my generic Copaxone ready to pick up. There were quite a few roadblocks, and for a while it looked as if this wasn't going to be possible.

I was told I might have to change my insurance. I was told that it had to be ordered from a specialty pharmacy but it wasn't "my" pharmacy's specialty pharmacy, and so they might have to cancel it. Then there was a question about which generic Copaxone they were requesting. There is more than one company turning out glatiramer acetate (generic Copaxone).

But today after a few phone calls, I believe it's all ready.

I decided to request the nurse visit for the first shot.

It would be helpful to learn in person how to use a different auto-inject device. this one is called "Whisperject." The Shared Solutions device was called autoject, I think.

I was planning on getting along without that gadget because I was hoping to skip the arm sites. But the nurse I spoke with today said she didn't recommend skipping any sites. So it looks as if I may be using the arms after all, and for them I needed the auto-inject device.

[Lazarus]

Good luck Agate. I remember raising an arm and putting my hand on the back of my head to inject on the underside of my arm. (In those days I had a lot of chubby padding so it was easy). My favorite spot was in my stomach and sometimes I overused that site. This actually cause a major problem so rotation is important!

Take care....

[stillstANNding]

Good morning, Beautiful People!

It’s cold. In the twenties these last two mornings. The Nor’easter was windy and it rained for a day but we got only a trace of snow here.

Nothing happened with the physiatrist referral so I have to track that down. Bother.

We got an unexpected Christmas gift: a box of produce from a farm in Ohio. Two or three pounds of large rainbow carrots; six assorted sweet potatoes; 3 leeks; a bunch of onions - like giant scallions; rainbow potatoes; rainbow beets; Then there were microgreens, edible flowers, herbs and so many individual heads of lettuce and so much kale we had to give about a third of it away. Oh, and a purple cauliflower.

So, we’ve been cooking. Peter made a stir-fry using kale and the cauliflower and onion and Sunday I made sweet potato hash with apple and onion and thyme. We have a salad every day.

And I made the Basque garlic and potato soup but not with the “fancy” potatoes.

Finding room in the fridge for all of this was a problem but a good problem.

Take care,
ANN

[Virginia]

Ann, that was a nice surprise. Sounds like good food.

I got a surprise today also. My brother and Sister-in-Law brought me my groceries and they came in with my SIL carrying a plastic tray of 3 poinsettias. When they saw the really large one sitting in the Foyer my SIL's face kind of fell. She said "Oh, you have a great big one". I told her I had been wishing I had some small ones to sit around and even things out. I put one on the coffee table, one on a table that is across from my chair and one on the dinning room table. So I am decorated for Christmas. She went upstairs and got my Christmas wreath out of the attic and put it on the front door. I am not having a tree this year, not even a small one. With all my poinsettias and my wreath I don't need it.

My SIL offered to help work on my carpet, but I said "no" to that. It is hard work and they wear a mask all the time they are in my house. They thought so far I had done a good job, but I have quite a ways to go. She had been reading up on how to get the nail polish out and she thought that the method I am using is the right one.

[agate]

Virginia, in my experience with removing carpet stains I found that if I worked too hard at it, I might remove the stain but be left with a spot that was a different color from the surrounding carpet. Some of the treatments I used may have faded the carpet color or changed it somewhat. I hope your treatment method will work well for you.

And you can't really have too many poinsettias! I have two now and the one that is being hidden away every day for 10-12 hours isn't showing any signs of developing red leaves yet but I'm giving it until at least the end of this month. The lobby in this building now has several poinsettias in it, and they really brighten up the place (red ones). I noticed a neighbor has a very impressive white one outside her door.

It's nice to see something blooming at this time of year.

[Lazarus]

Virginia, in my experience with removing carpet stains I found that if I worked too hard at it, I might remove the stain but be left with a spot that was a different color from the surrounding carpet. Some of the treatments I used may have faded the carpet color or changed it somewhat. I hope your treatment method will work well for you.

And you can't really have too many poinsettias! I have two now and the one that is being hidden away every day for 10-12 hours isn't showing any signs of developing red leaves yet but I'm giving it until at least the end of this month. The lobby in this building now has several poinsettias in it, and they really brighten up the place (red ones). I noticed a neighbor has a very impressive white one outside her door.

It's nice to see something blooming at this time of year.

The first year we grew poinsettias I had no idea that the green leaves turned red. I kept waiting for the red leaves to emerge from the green plant. It was quite a surprise when the leaves turned color. They are really pretty. We also grew some white ones that had pink splotches.
I love lighting displays. Near me there is a large many acre park that has spectacular light displays. People drive through the hundreds of acres and look at all the displays. Nice.