November 2017: No-noes and (happy)Noises!

Thought I would start the new thread, but I haven't much to post.

Life is good enough. Work, well, let me just say that I told my husband we should buy one lottery ticket a week to support the possibility of never having to go to work again. He bought one.

But will he buy one next week?

Cars not flying out the door? Is it the time of year with everyone waiting for January to buy a 2018 model?

The last quarter tends to be slow for car sales here. It looks like we are to benefit from the car sales people trying to boost their 2017 Q4 figures. We are being offered a model upgrade that will be a lower monthly payment than our current figure. Visiting the showroom on Saturday.

PS A lottery win is right at the heart of my career plans too.

Almost literally a happy noise. I think it was @jillmwo who queried where Jane Austen mentioned Vin de Constance. There was a programme on BBC4 about this wine aired today. If you go to
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09cmbnh
in the next 4 weeks you can hear all about the wine, and hear a tiny snatch of reading from Sense and Sensibility. Yes, it's made once more -- at a price about eight times what I would normally expect to pay for a decent bottle at the cellar door!

>1 MrsLee: >2 pgmcc: I think many of us place a lottery win at the heart of career plans... I'd be able to write full time. :)

>2 pgmcc: Car sales are not too bad. Lots of ranchers get trucks this time of year to offset their taxes or something like that. No, we are planning an open house next week and there are too many cooks in the kitchen, so to speak. The owner of the business has five siblings, three of whom think they know best, even though they do not own the company. His wife has her own ideas. I am stuck in the middle of it all trying to actually make it happen and come off well rather than a lot of hot air being blown around.

Whhoops! Opened a little vent there.

>5 MrsLee: Ugh! An unenviable position to be sure... :-/

I am so thankful I am able to telecommute and miss out on nearly all of the office politics.

No-Noes here I guess. Does one win anything for not having and matching numbers? Sigh. Guess I better go back to work after lunch.

>4 gilroy: it's disappointing to work out just how big that win would have to be to support a lifetime of not working. Especially at the moment with interest rate returns being quite low. 1million equals a lifetime salary of 20,000 which is nice, but doesn't actually earn enough for mortgages et al. Everything you spend as capital up front, hits that annual return thereafter. Obviously if you've only 10 years left to work then it gets a bit easier.

Not that this has been on mind at any point......

>8 reading_fox: Oh, believe me. I've run many numbers. I've also said, even if I win, I won't quit my present job. I'll just be more ... free... with the use of my leave. (Someone asked why I wouldn't quit. I said because health insurance and because I can continue to be thorns in the side of people who want me gone.)

>9 gilroy: lol

The Husband and I often play "What would we do if we won the lottery" game. Heh, we might want to actually play in order to win. :)

It's been an exhausting week. Halloween and the day after should be no school days.

Having the joyful noise of a kitty purring on my lap while trying to do things on the computer is dubious. He is not the sort of cat to take mindless petting with a good humor. If he feels you are not really paying attention, he gives you a sharp bite to remind you of priorities. Also, he is endlessly fascinated by the keyboard and screen, but when I activated the printer he went into full panic mode and I was very lucky to come out of it unscathed.

>9 gilroy: Like you, I've run numbers, and at my age, have figured if I hit a lottery where I came out with around seven to eight mil after taxes, I could do the things I'd like to without the need to work. As for quitting work, I've often joked that I'd keep working at least for awhile, but be as much of a PITA as I could be without giving them a reason to fire me.

I ran my first half marathon today. 13 miles of single track trails. I was doing pretty well (11 minute miles) until I fell at the 8 mile marker. Then my time got considerably slower. I fell hard, hurt my shoulder, my knee, and hit my head. I had to take my wedding ring off at the 10 mile aid station because I had cut my finger and it was bleeding. I did get back up and run the rest of the way after the fall. I feel good about that. But, boy, am I sore!

OMG I'm so sorry. Falling just sucks in so many ways. I hope there's no serious injury and that you have plenty of advil and the beverages of your choice.

>14 catzteach: Well done for finishing! Sorry you fell, and hope that you heal quickly.

I hate falling! Makes you feel so vulnerable. Proud of you that you finished and have that success under your belt.

Sorry about your fall! But way to go on finishing!

>14 catzteach: Well done for getting up and carrying on to the finish! Hope you can take time to look after yourself and recover soon.

Thanks guys.

Resting up today and will definitely take it easy this week. I have limited motion in my shoulder. I'm going to let it heal before I start going to the gym again.

It snowed here today. We've been watching the cats try and enjoy the backyard. It's pretty funny: walk two steps, shake foot, walk two steps, shake other foot, repeat. Silly kitties.

Today I get to work from home! I will be baking the goodies for our Open House on Thursday.
Fig bread
Pumpkin cake
Pound cake
Banana cake
Sugar cookies
Peanut butter cookies
Chocolate cookies

First the shopping trip. :)

>14 catzteach: congratulations on the half-marathon! Hope you are less sore today!

>21 MrsLee: Yum!

So a funny/weird thing happened with my shoulder. It had been really sore since my fall. So sore that Tuesday morning I was in tears because I was tired of the pain. That evening I decided I needed to see a doctor. That night, while getting into our very tall bed and trying not to use the shoulder, I slipped and fell onto the bed. Of course, I put both hands out to stop myself. Oh my gosh! The pain was the worst! I almost went downstairs to get a Vicodin but didn't want to move. I thought I wouldn't be able to move my shoulder at all the next day. But when I woke up (I was surprised I fell back asleep), I actually had more motion that I had since the fall! Went to the doc and she thinks I had popped something out when I fell on Saturday, then popped it back in when I fell Tuesday night. I'm in a sling for a couple of days, but am feeling so much better! How crazy is that?

23 - Wow, that is crazy! I'm glad you're feeling better. It sounds miserable.

21 - I would come if I could!

I'm doing NaNoWriMo, and I'm up to almost 20k words. I even wrote through a migraine today, so I'm very proud of myself.

>23 catzteach: I am delighted your shoulder is feeling better. You obviously have had the benefit of good "auto-correct" software.

>23 catzteach: Let's hope the doctor is right!

>24 cmbohn: Just keep writing, writing, writing. :) Good work!

Well, the Open House is over, quite a few people came, and they made inroads on the quantities of food I baked, but there is still about half as much as there was to begin with! I would say that the pumpkin spice cake with orange and cream cheese icing was the big winner of the day, the banana cake with brown sugar and pecan icing coming in second, then the sugar cookies. Oh, the fig bread did pretty well, too. We also had bowls of nuts and olives, and those were quite popular.

Today I get to clean it all up and pack it away. I'm hoping I can find people to take things home, because I can't eat all this stuff and maintain my goals for weight and health.

This week's definitely been a No-Noes. Almost run over while working on Monday, sick on Wednesday, software and hardware issues with work equipment all week. Blahhhhhhhhhh.....

>23 catzteach: Sounds like you fixed it accidentally :)

>24 cmbohn: Very impressive. Keep it up!

>26 MrsLee: Congrats on a successful open house!

>27 BookstoogeLT: Weeks like that just suck.

Great save, Catzteach!

OMG OMG OMG!!

Yesterday we decided to go to Argentina in the spring. We were planning to vacation with some friends a little earlier in the year, but a winemaker friend of ours is hosting a trip that is limited to very few people and has some amazing hotels and tastings and other things baked in. I have to wait until April, but damn!!! We might even sneak down to Tierra del Fuego while we're at it.

OMG!!! As a wine lover, traveler and photographer I'm over the moon. This is going to be amazing and that we can do it in a little envelope of friends and fellow crazy people is even better.

Breathe, breathe, breathe. Get through the winter, woman!

>24 cmbohn: impressive! Keep writing!

>26 MrsLee: it all looked so yummy! If only you were a bit closer....

>29 Bookmarque: OMG! I’m so excited for you! What a fantastic opportunity! Take loads of beautiful pics for us.

My shoulder is healing. Actually, the shoulder itself doesn’t hurt much at all now. It’s my tricep that I’m still having issues with. Every once in a while I move it wrong and it hurts. And my ribs are still a bit tender. I didn’t even know they were sore till I popped my shoulder back in. I guess next time I’m in that much pain I should go to the doctor sooner. 😏 Hopefully I stay on my feet during my next half marathon.

>29 Bookmarque: That sounds like so much fun :)

After a beautiful mild fall in the Carolinas, it's now cool and gray. We need something to look forward to to get through the winter, don't we?!

I just booked a Danube river cruise for next summer. I've never been to that part of the world, but my nephew is marrying his lovely Polish girlfriend and we have a family wedding in Warsaw!

No-noes....

Thanksgiving in the US is 10 days away. That means we'll be going into the heavy duty sales period now as people get ready for the holiday. And, based on some overheard conversations, corporate is telling the stores to hold the line on scheduling help when we should really be going into "All hands on deck" mode.

>33 rastaphrog: Oh, I always hated when corporate did that to us. We always needed at least three extra bodies just running cash registers, much less the whole stocking thing. Good luck!

>33 rastaphrog: & >34 gilroy: My poor mailman showed up at work yesterday at about 4:30 for the mail, said he had 2 more hours to go before his route was finished. Post Office has negotiated a new contract with Amazon, it's getting to be the holidays, and they are either not hiring/only hiring part-time workers. What a mess.

I predict that Amazon will be running/own the Post Office within five years from now.

A man went crazy in a little neighborhood 15 minutes to south of my town and went on a shooting spree. He shot and killed the woman he had stabbed in January, then others, and tried to shoot up a school, but was thwarted by officials who had gone into lock down mode as soon as they heard shooting. One child was shot, but not killed. He managed to kill four adults in the community before police shot him.

This is a man who never, even by the current laws, should have had guns.

No political thoughts here, only sorrow for the grieving community.

>36 MrsLee: scary and sad. Makes my sore ribs seem like no big deal.

This seems harsh after yesterday's tragedy, but I have a little happy thing today. I suppose that life is like that, if we couldn't find some happiness in the world around us, in the midst of the tragedies, then it really would be a dark world.

The woman who made my cooking tiles for my kitchen is finished! They are lovely. Please visit my gallery and make comments there, if you want to. I am thrilled with them.

>39 MrsLee: Those tiles are so cool! That artist is very talented.

>39 MrsLee: The tiles are amazing!

I'm at home the next couple of days healing from yet another gum graft. I was not a happy camper last night. Not sure if it was the medicines I got during the procedure or the Vicodin after, but I was so sick! The Husband says I was nauseated with the other grafts, too. I just didn't actually get sick those other times. I stayed far away from the Vicodin today. Lots of ice and soft foods. I have been binge watching Netflix today. I'll finish Stranger Things Season 2 tomorrow. :)

>39 MrsLee: The tiles are delightful.

>41 catzteach: Poor thing! I'm reading that acetaminophen and ibuprofen are complementary and as effective together as opioids in treating post-surgical pain: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/809415 . Check with your MD first, but sounds like bleeding may not be an issue for post-surgical patients (tonsils, adenoids) taking ibuprofen(?)

Maybe try some cherry juice in place of ibuprofen? It works a bit like ibuprofen on inflammation, but isn't as hard on one's stomach: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-inflammatory-life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries/. (Cherry concentrate sold in produce section in my MI grocery store, but also on amazon.) Seems to help my achy knee!
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Title (November noises) drew me to this thread. I overlooked chimes in a tree when prepping the yard for winter.
There can't be a colder sound than wind chimes in November!!

>39 MrsLee: I love those tiles!

>41 catzteach: Sorry to hear about your woes. I hope the sickness passes and you recover soon.

>39 MrsLee: Those are some amazing tiles!

I feel I should mention that the artist has an Etsy site. www.etsy.com/shop/HalpinArt

My brother had his second leg amputated yesterday. So difficult mentally for him, even though he knows/hopes it is for the best and will help in the long run. It was a very difficult operation as the epidural was not being effective and they were a long time in finding the right mix of chemicals for him to endure. He is doing well though.

>43 margd: I hadn't heard about cherry juice being used like that. I think I would like the taste, too. I'll see if my grocery store has some. I'm all for natural remedies when I can.

>46 MrsLee: So sorry about your brother's leg! That sounds like a painful procedure. Positive vibes being sent to him.

The sickness has passed. Yay! I'm so craving sausage that I'm going to try and eat some. I can chew soft stuff. I'm hoping the sausage is soft enough.

>46 MrsLee: Yikes! Sure puts my little problems in perspective. Hope all goes well from now on.

(I once had abdominal surgery under an epidural, which worked for me. Best part was that I got to hear what they talk about when you're "under" (hockey, lunch, in my case). Apparently anesthetist didn't mention that I was sort of conscious to surgeon. ;-)