2017--This Year is Our Year!!!

mdubbs1

Pam - yes, I know about irritable DH's. Mine has so many chronic problems and I hear about them all the time. I'm glad you're okay and hope your SIL in Houston stays okay. It sounds like Houston is going to take as long to come back as New Orleans did after Katrina. I try not to think about the animals. I see video of people with animals being rescued and know they probably won't be allowed in the shelters with them so wonder what everyone will do. Someone on my cat board had to leave her cats in her house after Katrina and they perished. I started thinking about where we'd go. Right now we could go to the family home but that won't always be there. I guess my baby brother's since he's squarely in the middle of PA - quite landlocked.

PamS53

Maryanne, my SIL said the shelters in Houston were allowing people to bring their pets, so at least they weren't forced to make the decision to leave them. I know a lot of animals were brought up here from the shelters in advance of the storm, so our animal shelters are at capacity now and more are expected. I think you are right about how long recovery will take. It's still raining and now they are having to release water from the reservoirs, which will increase the flooding in many areas. As of this morning, my SIL and MIL are still dry and have power. They are very fortunate.

mdubbs1

Your SIL and MIL are very lucky! That's great that the animals can go to the shelters. A step in the right direction!

I don't think I could leave my animals. I think we'd live or die together. Of course you don't know what you'd do unless you were faced with it.

DH already suggested CROM make a donation. I wouldn't do that but I certainly will donate personally once I identify the right organizations.

PamS53

The Salvation Army and Red Cross seem to be the agencies that most donors are being directed to, but area food banks and animal rescue organizations are also accepting donations. People are also being encouraged to donate blood, as a shortage is expected. Let me know if you'd like information on any local organizations that I know to be assisting.

mdubbs1

The ASPCA is apparently gearing up to help. https://secure.aspca.org/donate/2017-web-har-bre1-T1-P1?ms=em_eap_har-bre1-nd-p1-20170828&initialms=em_eap_har-bre1-nd-p1-20170828&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=eappeal&utm_source=bre1-nd-p1-20170828&pcode=AHWEBP1&lpcode=AHWEBP2&eml_name=2017.08.29 August Breaking News Harvey 1 Non-Donor

I'd love any information you have about local organizations that are assisting. I can also share with my CROM volunteers.

mdubbs1

Here are two articles about helping:

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-tropical-storm-harvey-donate-help-20170828-story.html

http://cheezburger.com/3202309/pets-arent-forgotten-in-the-wake-of-hurricane-harvey

PamS53

My SIL didn't come up with anything specific for donations other than Red Cross and ASPCA. The fund established by football player JJ Watt is getting good marks as well if that appeals to you. My SIL did report that the sun came out for a little while today, which was very welcome. She was able to get out and drive over to check on her son's home and found that it was in good shape. She thinks she may be able to go to work on Thursday, possibly. She is an RN case manager for a hospital about ten miles from her home. She's been able to work some from home while this was going on, so at least she should still get paid. All in all, she was extremely fortunate.

Helene610

It's nice that lessons on saving pets from the storm were learned during Katrina. Some of the people that dies did so because they couldn't take their pets to the shelters so they refused to evacuate and lost their lives. Now it looks like provisions were made to house the pets at animal shelters so everybody could be safe. It's sad that anyone perished but it seems like the death toll is lower than Katrina because more people evacuated when they could still do so. The rescue pictures coming out of Houston are heartbreaking. It's wonderful so many citizens are pitching in for the rescues since thousands didn't leave when they should have. I guess there will always be those who feel they can shelter in place and ride it out. I'm not in that group. if my area was told to go, I'd be heading west while the storm was days away. We have two bridges off the Cape, built in the 30s. They have 2 lanes on, 2 lanes off. Even if they changes it to 4 lanes off, it would take days to get everyone off the Cape.

Helene610

I also meant to say I'm glad Pam's SIL is okay and that her son's home survived.

PamS53

Helene, the situation in Houston was so complicated. During the last major hurricane an evacuation order was issued and hundreds of people died in their cars due to flooding because they couldn't get out of town in time. This time the order was given to shelter in place by the mayor of Houston, although the governor of the state was advising people to evacuate but not ordering it. Also, the storm intensified very rapidly from a category 2 to a category 4 in a day's time, which meant that at that point it was too late to try to evacuate a city of over 6 million people, many of whom would not have had their own transportation. Either way, people would have died and there was no clear answer as to which was the better choice. I believe that in the days and weeks to come they will find the death toll rising significantly due to the many people who weren't rescued in time or refused to leave.

The rescue efforts have been and continue to be amazing. Last year when Baton Rouge, LA experienced flooding, an organization grew that was called the Cajun Navy, made up of ordinary individuals who owned watercraft of any variety. They sprang into action rescuing their neighbors, as well as strangers during that flood. As soon as it became apparent how serious the devastation in Houston was, they loaded up their boats and hit the road to come and help out in Houston. Additionally, people from all over Texas and Oklahoma have come with their boats and probably other states as well. These people are using their own money, time, equipment, and courage to risk their lives for complete strangers. As horrible as this event is, it is truly heartwarming to read the countless stories like this.

mdubbs1

Fascinating op ed piece on CNN about how this was no surprise and why it was allowed to happen (think greedy businesses):

http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/29/opinions/dutch-america-storms-opinion-ghitis/index.html

mdubbs1

Fascinating op ed pieces on CNN about this being foreseeable, how it could have been prevent and why it was allowed to happen (think greed):

http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/29/opinions/dutch-america-storms-opinion-ghitis/index.html

http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/29/opinions/hurricane-harvey-abbott-needs-to-resign-sachs/index.html

Helene610

I agree that ordinary citizens have been extraordinary in their response to Total strangers needing help. With all the negativity since the election, it's nice to see stories of kindness and generosity.

KonaKat

Helene--If there has been one positive thing to come out of this huge negative for Texas is the replacement of Facebook political negativity with the stories of people coming together to help.

PamS53

And on the diet front, this is my new plan.

Helene610

That's so true about the FB posts letting go of the negative during crisis's. One of the most touching stories was about the furniture store owner who opened his stores and warehouses and made them into shelters. The people lucky enough to shelter there have beds, chairs, food and whatever they need to make it through this. One poor woman was crying, saying Monday was her 83rd birthday and everything she had was gone. He told her he'd give her a mattress as a birthday gift. I bought mattresses last year for FL so I know they can be pricey. What a sweet man. On the other hand, they had a story abut some stores jacking up the price of cases of water. Too bad everyone didn't get the kindness gene but the gougers seem to be few. Pam, I like that graphic. I guess it might work!

KonaKat

Pam--Love the new diet plan.

Helene--That is a great story about the furniture store owner.

Helene610

I gathered he's a very big dealer in TX and he said it was no time t worry about money. They asked if he'd sell the furniture later and he laughed and said he'd maybe have a special storm markdown sale. he didn't call it that but I've forgotten the term he used. They had tables f food that restaurants sent in s the folks were eating prime ribs and fixings instead of MRE's.

mdubbs1

Contrast that furniture store story to the Osteen church story. Sad!

We're dealing with a very strange cat situation this week (cat skinny, desperately needs vet care, but has microchip - we're hoping the people don't respond so we can help it and so far they haven't but it's been harrowing - a cat having a microchip shouldn't be a bad thing but so far we've yet to have it ever be a good thing) which along with the presidential antics and the Harvey stories just has me totally on edge. Having given up my Benadryl I already wasn't sleeping great and all this isn't helping. Trying to convince myself to get back on track diet-wise hasn't been going real well.

We set up for a flea market today. When I get home I have to do billing for work (I'm sure they're going to be upset I'm not doing it this morning but if they want me to hold a day open I need more than a few days notice).

PamS53

Mattress Mack, as the furniture store owner is known locally, has been in business for over 30 years and is known for being very generous in the community. And I learned yesterday that he ships furniture anywhere in the US, so if anyone needs furniture ...

Maryanne, I gave up Benadryl as a sleep aid last year and now I take 10 mg of Melatonin instead. It works well for me, maybe better than the Benadryl did. The recommendation is to start with the lowest dose then increase if necessary. It comes in 3 and 5 mg tablets. I started with 3, then took 2 of those, then tried 5 mg, then tried 3 and 5 for a total of 8 mg. That worked pretty well but I didn't want to keep buying two different bottles, so I just bought the 5 mg and take 2 of them.

Helene610

Maryanne, why did you have to give up the Benedryl? Was it affecting your health? It sounds like not using it is having a negative health effect. Not sleeping will d a number on your pretty quickly. I hope the cat situation straightens out in the manner you want. How long will you wait if there's no owner response? Who has the cat right now? Today's a rehab day. DH just called t schedule a make up day next Thursday since there's no class on Monday. we're trying to stick to the 3 days a week so he's done by Thanksgiving. We'd like to head to FL that weekend after spending Thanksgiving in NJ. We're six hours south of home at BIL's house so we really don't drive home only to repeat that part of the drive a week or two later.

mdubbs1

Helene - google benadryl and dementia and you'll get an earful. Scary. Not just benadryl either. Many other drugs in the category including PPIs like what the gastroenterologist just started me on.

It's been a week since Lil picked up the cat. They haven't put up any signs or responded to the microchip company. I suspect something happened that led them to "put the cat out". Must be a reason it was suddenly sleeping in Lil's back yard. I made the decision this morning that at this point even if the owner showed up we're going to go ahead and vet it. It needs a lot. The cat is at the vet. If they showed up I'd decide whether to insist they pay the vet bill before releasing it. Given that they obviously took no care of it anything I could do to prevent them from taking it I'd probably do.

Pam- I have several sleep aids including time release melatonin, the new RemFresh (which I haven't tried yet) and Irwin's sleep capsules. Haven't talked to the doctor yet about a prescription drug. That would be the next step.

mdubbs1

I'm up and getting ready to head off for the flea market. This may be the last one. They hired a new events manager and I think she thinks the flea markets are beneath her. Just my impression, backed up by the fact that they've removed all further flea markets off their web site.

Helene610

Sounds like that last event manager didn't last long. It was less than a year, right? Let's hope this next one is better than the last. I'm guessing a lot of vendors must have complained about how difficult she made set up. We tried a new product today. Yesterday's class was on the importance of protein and stressing how most people don't get enough. J mentioned that you should have a serving of protein within an hour of exercising to help muscles rebuilt. After an hour, the effects are minimal. He also said you should have some form of protein with every meal. And remember, we're watching sodium which complicates shopping. He mentioned almond butter which we've never tried as a good protein source for when you get tired of peanut butter. We bought a jar at Whole Foods because it was on sale. There was a more expensive brand with flavorings like honey, maple and vanilla, DH had it plain on his breakfast toast. The brand we picked was bland and runny. We added a couple teaspoons of SF maple syrup to mine. It thickened up nicely and had a really good flavor. He mentioned you get protein from meats, dairy, nuts, seeds and grains. He also said some people drink a glass of chocolate milk after exercise because it's flavorful and easy. So I'll be working on upping our protein.

Perhaps the cat owners moved from the area and never update the registry info. Whatever happened, have the vet take care of the cat.

PamS53

I tried almond butter recently. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. Since it is a lot more expensive than peanut butter, I think I'd rather have that. Of course, my favorite is Nutella, but I don't think it is quite as healthy. I did like the almond butter for dipping apple slices in it, but I can't say I loved it.

Helene610

That's what I thought when I tried it plain. It was kind of bland. Adding the maple syrup really improved the taste. I really like it after that. With Whole Foods new prices (under Amazon), I paid $4.99 which was comparable to a good peanut butter. I'd buy it again.

mdubbs1

Helene - I'm glad you are getting a lot out of these classes! I watch protein and calories but not sodium. I think that one would be the hardest!!

I adore peanut butter (Skippy extra chunky) but the calories are just too high for me to use it as a protein source very often. PB2 isn't a bad sub for something like apple slices. I'd rather have chicken or turkey. One of these days I've got to try roasting a turkey breast! My fall back rotisserie chicken is probably way too high in sodium.

One of the other volunteers was touting these new bars she found. They have 1 gm of protein. I didn't comment but any more I look to max protein at minimal calories, even when I'm not really eating right. I realized the other day I have developed a few good habits, even when I'm off the wagon. I always eat breakfast (not true for most of my adult life). I concentrate on protein. And I never drink calories. I guess that's the good news.

Right now I'm off the wagon. I think I figured out why this also happened last July/August. It's the garden. Strange, right? Garden sounds healthy. But DH wants me to make all this stuff with what he grows and much of it is high calorie. So I slide off the wagon in other ways as well. Last year I stopped weighing. This year at a minimum I'm not going to let that happen.

This is the new events manager. She's been there only since around April even though it feels like forever. She is telling different people different things. A few Pollyanna vendors are giving her slack but everyone else is fed up with the lies. Just be honest with us. Many of us have been very loyal; we deserve honesty. One person was getting customers to sign a petition. Apparently the Board of this place meets in a few weeks and maybe will make a decision. She told a couple people they might "work a couple into the schedule". What I don't think she gets is you can't just throw one of these on the schedule in 2 months and think you'll have all the vendors and all the customers back. We put up signs saying no more flea markets are scheduled; so if you see something you want buy it now. I couldn't believe how many people said to us yesterday "how would we know if there is another one"? The idea that it will be on the arena's web site was no help since they don't have computers. I don't think a lot of people realize how many people still don't have computer access.

Our flea market chair is retiring in a year and moving south. She stores everything in her garage. We don't make enough to justify a second storage unit (and no room in the current one for all the flea market stuff). So my guess is that the flea markets will end in a year anyway. Probably not horrible since at age 67 I'm one of the youngest in the group.

Rained really hard yesterday (remnants of Harvey got to us) so I know I'm going to have muddy dishes at the colonies. I've got clean bowls, scot towels, etc. ready to go. I'm starting to hate rain. I don't remember this from "my" colony. I don't know if I repressed it or what the story is/was.

mdubbs1

mdubbs1

Helene610

I'll share some of the points about protein that Jason talked about in class. I'll do it over the next few days so I don't end up with mile long posts. I enjoy the classes and think it's important to share knowledge where I can. He gave us a formula to figure out how much protein you need. He said multiply your body weigh by a range of .5 to .8 to get your daily requirement. someone asked if you can eat to much protein and the answer is yes. Your body can't store excess protein so it leaves as urine. You can overtax the kidneys if you eat too much more than that range. Jason stressed the importance f breakfast which we probably all eat. He said if you don't snack, split your protein equally over 3 meals. If you snack between meals, put part f the protein into the snacks. For someone who snacks, breakfast might be whole grain cereal 6 g, banana 1 g and milk 8 g. Jason said if he has cereal, he adds a scoop of protein powder to boot the protein.