WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR SEPTEMBER 2017
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Gloria - You are sounding so much happier and stronger than you were a while ago!
I do strength training every day. I don't think I am doing it to a level that I need rest days. I do yoga type body strength exercises for 12 minutes plus some dumbbells for 12 minutes. Not a lot, but I never miss, except for yoga days. I have built up to 20 lb dumbbells for bicep curls etc and use lighter ones for side raises. I do balance exercises also - v important as we get older. I'm afraid my triceps are still baggy and flabby, but my biceps aren't too bad.
Going to cook the Instant Pot Greek meatballs today, eat some and freeze some for my friend's visit. I'm not convinced it will work, but I'm following This Old Gal 's recipe she posted on the Facebook Instant Pot Community. I've got a lot of recipes off there. I bookmark them in files on my tablet. The site makes for interesting reading and I get a good insight into the American way of eating. I'm glad that a lot of young mums who have never cooked in their lives are having the courage to switch it on and fix something for their kids that is not entirely out of a box or from a drive thru. It can be quite touching to see their joy. In the recent floods the IP has clearly been a blessing to many, all you need is a power point and you have a hot meal for many. It even works on a generator. Churches etc have been using them.
Lots of love to all, Heather UK xxxxxxx
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First weekend of spring. Bit of a bicycle ride today.
We had everything out there ... cloud, lots of cloud, a few rays of sun, wind, rain ...
This was a 'route checking' ride for an event we're hosting at the end of October. There will be a few changes ... but this is why we like to ride these things in advance.
Nouveau Trois!
Distance: 161.9km
Elevation: 1,124m
Moving Time: 8:11:28
Elapsed Time: 9:23:27
Estimated Avg Power: 71w
Speed; Avg: 19.8km/h | Max: 51.1km/h
Heart Rate: Avg: 142bpm | Max: 166bpm
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(((((Heather)))))1
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morning all2
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Good morning all, went to family wedding yesterday and one of my nieces said she wouldn't have recognised me as I look like a young kid with the weight loss and no specs. Not sure about the young kid bit but nice to know how far I've come.
Kate UK8 -
Hello all! I am here and I have survived the last week of summer. Barely. I think my last post on the August thread was before I headed to my Uncle's Celebration of Life Memorial and then, the next day, my sibs and I headed up to the family property to spread my parent's ashes. 'Bout time, as they both passed in '93. That was a nice, but emotional weekend. My older sister was up from Florida, so I spent the night with her at our aunt's house. This aunt is one of my mom's siblings (there were 12, now six are left). It is funny how certain people can make you feel like you have come home, when it has never been your home. Just proves that "home" is a feeling and not a place. Anyway, arrived home Sunday night at about 7:30 and got a few things ready for the next day. Monday ended up being Mad Science Day (I didn't have the energy to decorate the house for a big party day), Tuesday was our Luau, Wednesday was our Space/Glow Day, and Thursday was Merry Chrisummer (Christmas) Party. I left the Christmas deco and trees up for Pajama day on Friday. It is always a fun week for the kids and I; but the un-decorating, and re-decorating and prep for each day extends my hours well into the evening. By Thursday, I was going to bed in tears because my ankles, legs, and back hurt so bad (not enough time off them). I was very glad for Friday's easy day. I had a weekend of rest planned. Only getting done what HAD to be done. Then...the call came. My MIL fell in the bathroom and broke four ribs! As it is Labor Day weekend, all of her boys are out of town on vacation EXCEPT DH and I. And DH has bronchitis. Needless to say, I had a little mini meltdown last night. (Yes, I know, totally selfish of me because some one got hurt and it is ALL about me). MIL's hubby wants some one to be at the hospital with her every day. He wants things recorded in her "health" notebook. I get it! It is a great idea, that notebook! Matter of fact, I gave him the idea, because we did this during my mom's cancer years to keep track of things. I am just being like a spoiled child because I am not getting what I want ( a weekend to myself). Ah well, I feel better about it this morning, after getting a good night's sleep. My body doesn't hurt quite as much. Now, my inner child is merely sulking and dragging her feet and grumbling quietly to herself. She will get over it. I can't help but think, if anything ever happens to me and I end up in the hospital, I will want people to leave me alone. It may be my only chance for a vacation where people take care of me.
Welcome new ladies
Everyone else, I have been reading posts and following along. It sounds as if most of us are on an upswing of "good" things going on in our lives. Sending love and warm thoughts to those of you still struggling with injury and illness. big hugs to you Becca as you hear from your youngest son.
Texas and Harvey path friends- Like the others I am watching the news and most days stunned with the amount of water/water damage. As with most communities, there are many relief efforts being organized in my community. Gathering of supplies, water, funds to help. Sending you all my love. My DD and her family are in the Fort Worth area and were not directly affected. She did say that the gas stations are running out of gas, lines are long at gas stations that have gas and that gas prices have jumped by about $1/gallon.
I booked my tickets to DFW for the October trip. I found tickets to fly out of Chicago for $85, and by the time I bought them a couple hours later, they went up to $155! I am thinking due to the rising cost of gas?! Anyway, still a great price for round trip. Four days with Joaquin! That will give me a couple of days to do whatever needs to be done (or relax) when I get home.
I weigh in on Monday. I see a gain in my future My eating has been everywhere and I have had at least one Mike's hard lemonade every night as I decorated/prepped for each day. I don't think it is TOO bad, but I also didn't take the kids on any walks this past week.
Goals for September, will be the same as August
Log in daily
Follow my meal plan
Prep for meals
drink my water
walk daily
gotta get busy! ttyl xoxoxo KJ (Kelly)7 -
Machka, Happy Spring to you. As the days get shorter here, I am heartened at thinking that they are getting longer for you. I love the changing of the seasons and would not like being somewhere that didn't have the changes throughout the year. Now I have to be more mindful of changing the batteries in my flashlight since I take the dogs out around 4 AM for their first walk.
Kate, That was a great comment from your niece. When I lost weight, one of my friends said that she thought I'd reinvented my life. That might be true for you, as well.
Kelly, good to see you again. I too, like time to be left alone and I rarely get it.
Barbie from increasingly darker, but still warm, NW Washington5 -
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Hi, Group! This is my first time to join you on your monthly journey. I am ready to jump into the deep end of the pool! Yahoo!
Here is what you have laid out and I will do my best to do it with you:
September 2017 Resolutions:
1: Log every bite and swallow; I am doing that
2. Cardio exercise at least 3 days a week. Work on strength and stamina. Getting into the pool at home daily for my pt
3. Have fun every day. Having fun in the pool!
4. Drink at least 3 glasses of water a day. I slosh!
5. Monitor sleep. Average 7 or more hours of sleep nightly. Doing that, and it is showing on my CPAP monitor.
I think, no, I know that I can do this! Yes I can! Yahoo!7 -
Karen loved seeing the toys!
Joyce Happy Anniversary!3 -
Marcelyn - thanks so much for the pictures and telling us all about what's happening. Really makes it much more personal. You have no idea how much we all appreciate this. Glad things are somewhat looking up for you. I thought I remember hearing about a bedding store that opened so that people could sleep on the display models. Is that true?
Oh yes, it is true. But it wasn't just a bedding store. It's the largest furniture store in Houston. Gallery Furniture. Jim MacIngvale (Mattress Mack) on the very first day of flooding not only opened up his huge showroom but sent out his trucks into flood waters to rescue people. He had over 600 people (I heard maybe up to 800) living and sleeping in his showroom. He emptied out his mattress warehouse and brought in all the mattresses (high dollar ones) for people to sleep on and then set up a kitchen and basically had 600 house guests. People are still there. Mattress Mack is well known in Houston for his wacky sales promotions. Like every year he has an offer... if you come in between certain days in December and January and buy furniture and then enter your pick for the winner of the Super Bowl (this is after it's announced who will be in the super bowl), if your team wins he reimburses all the people who picked that team their purchase. Seriously, ALL the people who picked that team. I'm sure he buys insurance to cover the cost of it but that's the type of stuff he does. I love his radio commercials. He gets on there and says, "get out there and work! It's a man's lot in life to work and working makes you feel like you are worth something and builds self-pride. So don't sit there waiting for someone to do it for you, go out and work! And then when you get money saved up come see us at Gallery furniture." lol He is truly a generous man though, good for the community.
There was also a Pizza Hut in a flooded community that wasn't flooded. They baked up every pie they could and then went out and delivered free pizzas by kayak to people stuck in their houses. A Chick-fil-a manager went out with a jet ski and rescued a regular customer when he called in for his regular breakfast order, and a boat. Those have made the news but the unseen are the people who are out there just helping strangers pull wet sheet rock out of their houses, ripping out carpet, sorting through stuff. Tuesday a lot of people will be back at work and I will be down at a help-center getting my assignment to go help someone in need. This is going to be taking a long time to remedy. Some people still have water in their houses. I have a good friend who still has three feet of water in her house. She was out of town when the flooding started and then couldn't get back. She is flying in tonight and we the Dive Club we know her through will all be there to give her hugs when she gets in the area of her home. But first we have to get her because her car, which was parked at an off-airport parking lot got flooded with 3 feet of water so she doesn't even have a car.
My problems are minor, super minor. I lost some trees, our neighborhood has developed a sink hole (not a major one but it's taking a bit of extra work to get it fixed), I ripped out my sheet rock (bottom 2 feet) in my garage that flooded but I lost nothing but some insulation. NOTHING compared to people in other areas. They say over 100,000 houses flooded. The danger is life gets back to normal for those not flooded very quickly, in fact I'd say this weekend for a good part of Houston they will feel life is normal other than a shortage of gas and grocery stores being limited on a few items. But it will be "normal." And that leads to people thinking there isn't a need anymore, yet there is because like I said, some people are still underwater! And those in the process of ripping out the guts of their house the shell-shock is just beginning.
Hey, don't you love JJ Watt's fundraiser? He set of goal of $200,000 and now has over $16 Million donated. He will do a good job getting it to the people who need it. That's one NFL player I like. (Everyone likes JJ, he's SUPER with kids and old ladies. )
And of course we see Washington playing politics already. That's fine though because I know Houston, they are overwhelmingly generous and willing to help someone in need. We are the most diverse city in the US. Over 180 languages are spoken here and people from over 70 nations reside here. Nobody is looking at anything other than helping others. Here's proof. Know what this line is for? Water? Food? FEMA? Nope, this is the line of people wanting to volunteer on Wednesday and the line has been longer every day since then. It is amazing. We will pull through, it will be tough for many people though.
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Joyce: Happy anniversary!
Yvonne: I sure hope your family members with the total loss and those with damages had FEMA flood insurance. We are required to have it because of our proximity to the Columbia River. It isn't cheap, but it is an assurance that we can rebuild in a worst-case situation. :flowerforyou:
Beth near Buffalo: 64 oz of water every day seems like a LOT. Good luck with that!
Lenore: I love your advice to Yvonne, "I think it is important to not look at the total you need or want to lose; as it does get overwhelming. Set smaller goals, then reward yourself with something not related to food, a pair of new earrings, maybe a top to go with a pair of slacks that fit you. Numbers can get ‘in the way’ of success when we think we need to be a certain size or lose a certain amount. Losing weight is a ‘lifestyle’ change, it isn’t a ‘diet’. A pound a two a week I think is pretty realistic if you want the weight to come off and stay off. There is no easy overnight fix."
Dana: I cannot imagine finding an alligator in my house. Yikes!!! :noway:
Machka: Your fitness level is inspiring. Your bike route is 100.59 miles in just over 9 hours! I am astounded and impressed. Happy spring!
KJ: I'm afraid you have a hospital stay mixed up with a spa stay unless you can afford a private room and one is available. I've only been in the hospital to have babies or visit relatives, but DH has had a couple of stays. After his stroke they put a person coming off drug addiction in his room. I went to the nurse's station and complained because of all the loud yelling and moaning. The patient's doctor happened to be standing at the nurse's station and the man was moved to a room where nobody would be subjected to his noises within just a few minutes. :ohwell: A spa would be a LOT more fun.
BelovedElf1: Welcome to a great group of supportive women. You seem to be off to a good start. Stop by regularly to give and get support.
We have another hot day forecast and I'm planning to go to the stable early and ride. Since it is almost 8 am here, I need to get busy. Have a great day!!!
Katla in beautiful NW Oregon
"So many of us believe in perfection, which ruins everything else, because the perfect is not only the enemy of the good; it's also the enemy of the realistic, the possible and the fun."
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. morning peeps-
beginning of a 3day weekend. going to the new gym this morning. only 1mile away (y was 3 mi, still not far)4 -
Marcelyn Thanks so much for sharing how the people are uniting to help those in need.
Joyce Happy 45th Anniversary!
Carol3 -
Neighborhood annual garage sale day today. Traffic in my quiet neighborhood is crazy. It is not safe for me to bike in this traffic so no gym/swimming possible. (My husband is sticking to his decision to only use gas for work commute- any errands will have to be on the way.)
I walked the neighborhood sales - mostly overpriced but some great buys if I needed anything. I did buy a chair for five dollars- it is beat up but very sturdy and we can pull it up to dining room table if the family comes for X-mas instead of a folding metal one. I had to carry the chair home 3 blocks, I wish that counted as my actual exercise today.
Otherwise things are mostly same here. I'm in awe of M's bike ride since the 1.5 mile ride I do to and from gym kicks my sorry *kitten". Hot Flashes are especially intense lately, frequent but not long lasting. No news on job front. With husband home this long weekend I'm considering getting that home office/extra bedroom cleaning started. Glad we have pot roast in freezer b/c husband doesn't even want to use gas to go to grocery and I don't feel like making that trek today. He doesn't think it is a big deal "hey we can just order pizza" but I'm not going to eat that.
Laters and best wishes
Rye in Texas
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I drink 64 ounces of water a day plus the 8 ounces of water that I put in my Isagenix shakes. I keep a glass on the counter next to the gallon of water and fill it so I can have a swallow as I walk by. When I finish a glass, I put a tally mark on a paper I have nearby so I know how many glasses I drink each day. I take 24 ounces of water in a reusable water bottle when I go to my line dance class and make sure I drink it all. I bring a bottle of water with me when I go out in the car to do errands and make sure I finish it before I get home. I don't drink any water until I get home from my dog walking (usually between two and three hours) but I start drinking as soon as I get home.5
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Happy World Beard Day!
Austin is hosting the 2017 World Beard & Mustache Championships this weekend. What a world.
Lenora – Thanks for the welcome back! I don’t generally obsess about numbers too much, but as a motivational tool the 60 pounds/60 years thing just resonates with me. However, that would require a steady loss of more than a pound a week, which is why I said I wasn’t going to try to get all the way there. I’m not on The Biggest Loser – I’ve got a job, and other things to do, and I can’t afford a trainer! Slow and steady is the way to go.
Dana – I love the idea of making hot tea with water straight from the springs!
Joyce – Before we moved out of Austin to Taylor, we had FEMA flood insurance because the neighborhood suffered from drainage issues and we flooded twice. Luckily for us, we weren’t in a designated flood plain despite the flooding so the insurance was less than $500 a year. I’m guessing it costs a lot more if you live in a flood plain! I know my dad’s rates went up when they redrew the maps and designated his area a flood zone when it hadn’t been before.
Kelly – Oh, dear, I do feel for you! We women tend to try and take care of everybody, but you need a weekend now and then to take care of yourself! I hope your mother-in-law does well and that you can at least find time for a mini pampering soon.
We’re keeping close to home this weekend, because we need to conserve gas for Philip’s commute to work. People have utterly lost their minds and basically created a fuel shortage by running in and filling up every container they could (no kidding – 55 gallon drums, open buckets, big water cubes, you name it) with gas. It makes things hard for people who just need a regular fill-up! Gas stations all over the place have run out of gas and are having to close until they can be refueled. It’s complete madness.
Hope you all enjoy your weekend!
-Yvonne in TX2 -
Dana – We’re actually right across the LA/MS line in Clayton, LA; when we get ready to leave we will head home on Sunday so Louis will have a day to rest up before next week starts over with its grind. We postponed our TX trip until spring, hopefully it will be planned so that we can come back through Louisiana and maybe the ‘baby’ will be here. Tami still has 6 more weeks of daily injections to go. After that they will refer her to another ‘specialist – OB’ who handles ‘high risk pregnancies’. She is considered ‘high risk’ because they went through I.V.F. as their ‘last ditch effort’ to have a baby. She has been taking some sort of medication and/or injections since last year when we were here. During that visit they went to Jackson one day to ‘pick up something’; and, that was actually when they took out the eggs. Said at that time, her ovaries were both the size of baseballs. If we were going to make our trip to TX this time, we would have been a week ahead of “Harvey.”
Joyce – When we went to get our marriage certificate, I realized ‘oh $#*T’ it asked for how many times we had been married before. So, while my Daddy knew that Louis had been married before and had a child; we had to tell him about his 2nd (no children); but, that did not matter. He ‘knew’ we were in love (beyond a shadow of a doubt). It did not matter to him. After we got married our preacher told us, I haven’t signed this document yet; but, I can wait until after you go on your honeymoon – if you find you cannot stand one another – all I will have to do is ‘tear it up’. LOL!!!!
Happy Anniversary! We just celebrated our 45th on the 20th of August. Hard to believe we’ve made it this far, through all the lumps and bumps, good times and bad, for richer or poor, till death do us part … I would not have it any other way. I’ve learned so much from Louis; but, he has also learned so much from me, too.
Allie – I, personally, would not leave anything packed up in the house with TomCat either. If nothing else, he could unpack everything and make you repack it. I would not trust him as far as I could throw him on a windy day with the wind blowing in my face. In other words, I would not trust him for squat’!!!!!!
Well, if he is going ‘out-of-state’ … maybe you don’t have anything to worry about.
Katla – I liked your quote about being perfectly normal and all the Gods must be crazy. I feel pretty normal most of the time and my Bipolar disorder and my seizures are now being controlled by medications. I have an ‘aura’ before both and I know the difference. When it comes to one prior to a seizure – I go get into my bed (or lay on the floor if need be). DH, bless his heart, thinks that when I am having an ‘aura’ before a bipolar episode thinks all I need to do is ‘go to bed and sleep it off’. That doesn’t happen … it is usually brought on because all my medications are ‘out of whack’ and need to be ‘reset’. I really ‘hate’ having any new medications added to my already overwhelming number of pills (but, more than ½ are O.T.C., vitamins and supplements.
Lenora2 -
Happy holiday weekend Saturday! The weather is gorgeous here and I will be out gardening. It's been so long since I had nothing absolutely required on a Saturday that I just sat here so of paralyzed lol.
The rental sale went fine and the money has already been wired into our account and I paid off 1 bill. I'm keeping the rest until the next sells because we have some big expenses coming up...the deductible on our roof alone is $4300, plus one of the rentals needs one too. We will owe taxes from last year I am sure and our long term care bills will be due soon, so I'm hanging on to it. After the next rental sells, we will be totally debt free other than the mortgages on the 2 remaining rentals.
Hugs and prayers and good thoughts to all of you. Joyce, belated happy anniversary! Everyone in bad weather's way or wake, stay safe. Take care all, Meg from Omaha5 -
I am back trying again. I am not sure if I even remember how to use discussion forum. I am starting with really small goals.
Goal 1. Make sandwiches using one piece of bread.
Goal 2. Only fruit, yogurt or cereal when I get up in the night hungry.
Goal 3. Keep phone on me so I can measure steps.
Today is Sunday. Hoping I can stick to this until next Sunday. Then I will have slightly loftier goal.4 -
Lenora A belated Happy Anniversary to you!1
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I'm going to share this long post here. If you have a mind to copy it and put it in a file where you can refer to it if you are ever in the situation that we are here in Houston. It's a great great post on how to help people who have flooded. I'm sure it would work for those who have suffered in a fire or other disaster.
Sharing this info from a FB post by Matt Williams:
HOW TO HELP THE FLOODED
I'm not much for writing long posts. Making an exception in hopes it helps the flooded.
TRAUMA IS TRICKY
A flooded home is a traumatic event. Like any trauma, it is tricky to know how to help someone experiencing such a terrible event.
Jen and I flooded on Memorial Day 2015 (see photo) and again on Tax Day 2016. The second flood came just days after completing the restoration and decoration of our house from the first flood. If cruelty was a color, we saw red for a long time.
Flood victims often experience what I liken to shell-shock meets heart break meets chaos. Toss in moments of exhaustion, terror, and rage and you've got a pretty fair description of what's in store.
When people wrestle with trauma like this, one of the last things they will ask for is help. But it's what they need most.
BE THE TORTOISE
The good news is that if you want to help someone who has flooded, the best way is to show up.
Helping the flooded comes with an understanding that this is a marathon, not a sprint. They'll need you more in the weeks after, when most have moved on and the adrenaline has worn off. So pace your help and pace yourself. Be the tortoise.
If you know someone who flooded, get out your calendar and pick a day or two a week for the next ten weeks or more and write down "show up."
One day drop off something and say hi. Another day work for an hour or two. And another day have them over for dinner on a weekend. If you can only do one thing, one time, then do it. No act of showing up is too small. Dropping off a hot cup of coffee will be remembered for years to come.
As a rule, don't just ask if they need anything, ask if they need anything else. Say "I'm coming by with trash bags and lunch, need anything else?" This signals that you've already committed to coming by. They're likely to tell you what else they need.
GESTURE UP
Jennifer Castillo De Williams and I will never forget when someone we hardly knew drove up to the side of our yard. It was so full of flooded belongings that the driver didn't get out. She rolled down her window and handed over a giant bag of Chick-fil-a. She smiled, offered her sympathies and drove off. We were exhausted, caked in mud, and heart broken and in that moment, Chick-fil-a never tasted so good.
We promised we would remember how simple gestures like this meant so much to us at the time. They offered beautiful brief moments of normalcy in between many long abnormal ones.
Help of this kind is fairly easy. Try to work it into your weekday or weekend routines. Plan ways to make thoughtful gestures for anyone you know who has flooded.
LIFE ON MARS
When you flood, you might as well be on Mars. Everything that was easy and familiar is now complex and foreign. You can't find files, documents, cards, keys, devices...you name it. Simple tasks get sucked into massive black holes of work. It's maddening.
Then there are the things of sentimental value: the drawings from the kids; the shoes they wore on their first step; the wedding album. Those treasures, they're all gone.
Yes, it's just stuff, but make no mistake, sifting through the filthy wreckage that was once your life's memories is brutal. You will have some good, long cries as you toss them out en masse. But you will get through it and you'll be tougher for it, maybe even enlightened.
FLOOD CLUB
Those who survive the salvos of Houston's floods enter a club that knows something about loss and have an appreciation for what matters most. For me, it brought a little less whining.
Be aware there is something unsettling that lingers for some club members. I suppose it's a kind of mild PTSD that seeps in between the evacuations and ridiculous toil. When I hear the rain now, it's no longer my soothing friend. It's kind of a sinister thing that taunts me when I look outside to see what's coming up to the door.
It comes down to this: every thoughtful thing you can do to help someone recover from a flood is probably one less thing they'll have to manage alongside their overwhelming grief.
So try to give the flooded a few moments of peace in what feels like a strange unprovoked war.
SHOWTIME
Here are some practical ways to "show up" by bringing or doing stuff. Feel free to add to these lists in comments, it's endless.
Stuff you can bring
-Cases of bottled water
-Floor fans
-Old newspapers for packing
-Cases of paper towels
-Cases of toilet paper
-Cases of sanitizing wipes
-Battery powered camping lanterns
-Power strips
-Work gloves
-Pop up tables to place and stage stuff
-Step ladders
-Drop cloths
-Hammers, blade utility knives
-Sharpees of different sizes and colors
-Good first aid kit (many cuts and scraps during clean up)
-Rolls of duct tape and packing tape
-Hand sanitizer
-Plastic bins/containers of different sizes with lids
-Cardboard boxes (small, medium, and large)
-Bags (contractor, trash, gallon zip locks)
-House cleaning solvents
-Bug repellent (mosquitoes are vicious inside a hot, muggy, muddy flooded house)
-Fast Food (buy several kinds of fast foods and just leave it. Someone will eat it and be thankful)
-Boxes filled with easy to eat snacks (chips, bars, nuts, and fun stuff)
-Paper plates, plastic utensils, cups, napkins
-Prepared Foods are nice, but more complicated
-Gift cards for food (this is for a dinner after a long day, they can get take out at their hotel or temporary place instead of having to cook)
-Gift cards to Marshalls, Target, Walmart, Lowes (they can get clothes, supplies, and other needs)
-Clean old or cheap t-shirts that can be worn as throw aways during clean up
-Clean bedding sheets, blankets, pillows
Stuff you can do
-Laundry (We loved this. People would come by and put a bunch of dirty clothes in a bag, wash, and return them folded to us).
-Cut sheet rock, pull out flooring, and clean out house if you're involved with initial 24 hours
-Position and maintain fans throughout house
-help sort what's destroyed from what's still good (our rule: if flood water touched it, it's destroyed)
-Haul what's destroyed into piles in the yard for pick up by city
-Pack and label belongings that might still be good
-Stage "still good" boxes and load in a POD onsite; or on a rental truck for storage
I remember the first day after we flooded. The father of my son's girlfriend asked me what to do. I was still looking at all the loss so I struggled to give him any useful direction. He quickly realized the situation and said, "I'm going to separate good stuff from bad stuff." I nodded and he and some other guys went to work. Hours later we had piles in the yard and the house was beginning to clean out. I have many examples of people who came from no where to help us in many ways, then left without ever knowing their names to thank.
After a flood, there's so much to do, just guess and you'll probably be doing something really helpful.
Last, there's "stuff you can share" that takes more time and commitment but means a lot
-Share your car or truck for rides, pick ups/drop-offs
-Share your garage to store their stuff that survived
-Share your home for temporary living, food, showers or laundry (obvious, but important)
No one who has flooded wants to live with someone else or use their stuff. Understand how much it sucks to be so helpless, it's dehumanizing. The best thing you can do is quietly insist and get to it.
There is a lot to unpack here. For those who made it this far down the post, I hope you found it helpful.
There were so many people who opened their hearts, homes, and hard working hands to us that I still get overwhelmed by their generosity. People are a lot of things, but what we witnessed in our hours, days, weeks, and months of need was on the pure side of love. Know that it's out there and it's there for you.
For our friends who flooded from Harvey, no need to leave a light on, we'll bring you a new one.9 -
Kelly if anyone has the strength and grace to help--it is you.
Marcelyn amazing to hear your viewpoint.
Had a lovely 3.5 mile walk with my bff--had been missing that this summer and I feel so content to have such a dear friend and she feels the same way
Feeling sleepy, I'm going to roast a chicken and then make bone broth
In the IP. My new adventure will be cooking chickpeas from dry beans. Heather I'm thinking chickpeas, sautéed with spinach dill and feta. Can't wait to see how that turns out.
NYKAREN
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Kelly - Don't think for a minute you are being spoiled or selfish for wanting a little time to breathe. Glad you have the tickets to visit Joaquin-my DH says a change is as good as a rest and I think he's right. It's just around the corner!!
Joyce - happy anniversary! Your relationship with Charlie sounds familiar. We build history with our DH's and as long as the good outweighs the bad, and most of the time it does, it's well worth it.
Marcelyn - thank you for your heartwarming stories. So nice to hear from someone "in the field". I have always had great respect for JJ Watts.
We don't have flood insurance since we're at the "top of the hill" and at over 600' above sea level and miles from any creeks or rivers. But, we do have earthquake insurance. We're not that far from Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens and have had a couple little jolts since we've lived here.
Worked in the garden this morning - picked tomatoes, pulled onions and have them drying in one of the sheds. Picked apples, stuck them in the garage and hope they keep until next weekend when I want to make more applesauce - it stays fairly cool out there. Watered some little trees.
Kind of a race to avoid the heat of the day for the next 4 days. When I get overwhelmed, I think of last year when the fall rains came so early, most of the onions rotted in the garden and I had hardly any tomatoes at all. This year, tomatoes are the best we've had in a long time. I threw them in the freezer whole (first cored them and squeezed out the seeds and watery liquid) and will cook them down into sauce, and maybe even can them this winter - we'll be needing some heat and moisture in the house when DH gets the woodstove cranked up.
Enjoy the long weekend!
Lanette
SW WA State3 -
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NY KAREN -sounds gooooood! Squeeze of lemon?
I cooked the IP Greek meatballs which turned out fine. I also did the IP Babaganoush (eggplant dip) which was great with added hickory smoke. Served it with a tzatsiki and a tahini /yoghourt lemon dip. Lots of garlic - heaven! The best thing is, I have loads in the freezer for my friend and other meals. I love my freezers. Both if them are full to bursting! I was pretty knackered and have spent all day in my pyjamas.
Going to watch my favourite Italian detective this evening - Inspector Montalbano. He is my secret pash. Ssssshhhh! Don't tell DH. Most of my working Italian comes from that series.
This pm I watched a grest fun French comedy, Le Gout des Autres. Unfortunately I have just got the very bad news that my CD service is stopping end of October. Got to find another way of getting my foreign films. It is my Saturday pleasure while DH is upstairs watching his sport.
Love to all, Heather UK xxxxxxx3 -
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Marcelyn Thanks for your picture of hope and wonderful stories. I posted your picture on my Facebook page because I think it sends such a powerful message at this difficult time.
I also made a copy of Matt Williams post. Thank you! I have a better idea how to help.
Margaret2 -
Thank you for the good wishes. There were times when my girls were young that they would ask me why I didn't divorce him. He was very opinionated and was the only one that counted. As they gave grown and life happens he has mellowed. They have told me that they are glad we didn't divorce. They like this Dad more.
Marcylynn, your list brought me to tears. You could write a routine column in a newspaper and everyone would want that to be the first thing they read every day. Through the course of all of this flooding, I have read several columns that the guy you mentioned and a posted. He also has wonderful insight and turns his pen into such a beautiful piece of art. I also read an article today on what they really don't need sent to them. I guess this was written by a person at one of the receiving a
Warehouses for clothing. They sorted it all out. They do not need dirty underwear and old prom dresses. Those were wactually things they have pulled out of bags.
Wonderful weather for us today, 68 degrees!
Joyce, Indiana3
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