Fibromyalgia Support Group
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Good morning,a nd hopefully this finds our FLoridians still with us. Hurricane Irma is a slow mover, alas. Again, NOAA predicts it's end as a tropical depression in (now) western Tennessee, Ohio Valley, so please be careful of the rainfall potential over the next few days if you're in that region.
Today, trivia that starts with... M for Monday. I'm reaching, I know. Sorry.
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Mosquitoes have a favorite human sweat smell!... It's sweaty feet. Also, they are attracted to Limburger cheese, which really does remind me of stinky gym shoes, so fair is fair. What is really weird is that anyone studied which body part sweat a mosquito prefers. Seriously? Foot stink? Ew. How about a smell they hate so they go away? Like, y'know, Avon Skin So Soft lotion back in teh 1980s was awesome that way. No idea why, incidentally, as they don't carry it now in the same formulation.
Meerkats aren't cats. The'yre mongooses. Which aren't called mon-geese. My dad tried to use that for Scrabble word once, to be a smart-a**, but that was his way. Testing us constantly, smirking to see us get it wrong, baiting us to get us riled up, and generally making a meerkat look cuddly by comparison.
The India gray mongoose is, btw, the species that is noted for killing snakes, such as cobras. Documented. Rikki-Tiki-Tavi by Kipling wasn't all bullspit. For whatever reason (maybe co-evolving where there are some darn deadly snakes, such as cobras and the dust krait and similar), that species of mongoose has acetylcholine receptors that make the INdian gray mongoose resistant if not immune to many snake venoms. The same species eats scorpions without regarding the stinger, btw, so presumably that holds for scorpion stings. Sadly, as cute as Kipling's mongoose was, the real Indian gray isn't so adorable. Kinda like a cross between an American possum and a ferret, for my money. Indian Gray Mongoose
The mockingbird really does mimic the sounds of other birds around it. So it's strictly speaking a mimic-bird. It's a useful skill to know how to cry like a hawk if you're not a hawk, let's face it, and some kinds of mockingbird can learn new sounds all their lives. Scary smart? Yes. THey also remember enemy humans up to 60 days in some species, and enemy cats possibly forever to judge by the mocker who scolds LilMiss so regularly.
A mussel is a bivalve mollsuc --- think "opens its shell in two halves" --- but belongs to a family of critters known as mollusks (or molluscs, depending on your English), which includes snails and squid, too. Basically, it's a big old mollusky family.
Acidification of ocean waters by a tiny amount can affect a mollusk's ability to hang onto its habitat (bed), and weaken their shells, which are made of calcium carbonate where shells apply. So it's like adding vinegar to baking soda creatures' water. Ouch. OK, not that dramatic, but same idea. Consider that bone dissolves in acid, too, so when you have acidified water (and since pH scales are logarithmic, not straight algebraic), even a tiny tiny change in pH can make a difference.
While we know best the praying mantis, the mantis family of insects has over 2000 known members. THe praying mantis male has his head snapped off and eaten while he's fertilizing the female. She eats him down to his --- well, his private part --- and that is documented to sometimes keep going when nothing else of the male is left. I leave you to fill in the sniggering for yourselves.
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May your Monday be peaceful. LilMiss is recovering beautifully, and the skunk drove off the raccoon from the lucrative "garbage can inspection" job, by the smell of things. Yeesh. Mama Skunk took her babies around earlier this year in a parade to show them how it's done. There's Mama, and three little ones, in a line, and she'd stop, and use her paws, and folks, if you don't secure your trash well, don't blame cats and dogs, look at the skunks and possums first. Raccoons are third on the list of usual suspects.
Off to deal with laundry and stuff. My pain's been too high for me to do the usual daily 20 minutes of low-impact aerobics but today seems safe to try again!
Hugs to all!
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We're all troubled.WSo, to remind ourselves we're not at rock bottom (this is a reverse optimism thing I learned as a kid):We are not living on the island of Krakatoa when the volcano goes boom!Yeah, okay, that sucks.***Toay in 1942, Pierre Laval announced that the way to free France was for Germany to win WW2. Pierre did not win a lot of friends. When the war ended, quite quickly he was tried...
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Another day, another ouchie?My bruised achilles tendon (don't ask) makes my foot numb. Wonky on meds, whacked it.Now, as to fibro:A lot of reports are going around some parts of social media that fibro (and dang near anything else) are caused by post-Covid, post-flu, post-vaccinations, post-pick-something.1. Your risk of death or serious complications beyond "ow, that shot hurt!" are typically...
I never knew mosquitoes had a preference. I knew they liked some people more than others, but, I never knew they were drawn to Limburger. So by this theory, if I am cleanly showered and step out back to relax, skeeters should then keep their distance? Then again, the bees flock to me.
Oh well, I just figure I'm in their home when I go outdoors.
And the acifidication test on calcium was a gross but interesting science experiment we did here with the boys. Add one chicken bone and 1 can of coke and wait 3-5 days and reinspect. We did another one in vinegar too. Stinky kitchen that week. One chicken bone turned "coke" brown and was clean as a whistle while the other one was just stinky and kinda slimy/rubbery.
Not much going on here in the wide world of wonder.....I have a little feathered friend that I've been watching over. It's just a little common house sparrow. And it likes to just sit on the ground bobbling for food. Its tail feathers go way up and almost tips over when it bends down to eat. And when it tries to fly off, it flops against the ground for 5-10ft before taking off (almost acting like it's wing is broken and never gets more than 3-4 ft off the ground). It's much better at scooting against he ground than taking flight like the other sparrows do. And it certainly does not have the coordination to jump onto the wisteria bush or up to the feeders. And it's concerning me that this little one is going to become some kind of cat chow or a hawk / falcon will scoop down to dig into it.
And I know that this is the whole circle of life thing. But my heart is taking to this little fella. He seems to have a few other sparrows who kinda watch over him a bit. And while I know he would be well taken care of in a wild life rehab place, but I'm worried that his little birdy heart would be crushed. So, each day I go out, sit next to him and we just talk about things, like the dishes I should be doing or the ironing. He tells me about all of the cool stuff he sees.
I need to build him a winter home I think before the snow flies. I also need to be domestic today. I put off working this weekend for play. And we have the good folks from the mortgage company coming over Wed for the closing on our refinance. The thought of "people I don't know" are coming and "What will they think" running through my head. When in reality, they probably don't care at all. I'm such a putz to myself some days.
Anyways, I hope all of our Florida folks are safe. Praying for those still dealing with the impact of the storm and what it's still trying to produce.
Happy Monday to all.
Leo, the praying mantis....hahaha. Too many jokes going on in my brain right now.
Glad you are able to try some exercise today. Take it slow.
Hubby got sick with a sore throat and cold on Saturday night. I went to our outdoor church service and picnic by myself. I about froze. We were under a pavilion, and it was windy and chilly. I was really aching by the time I went home.
Yay, the Packers won yesterday! Good game, but our O-line needs to step it up.
Tomorrow is my sigmoid test. Not too excited about that. I do want to know what is going on though, so it can be fixed.
One errand today, then laundry.
Take care, all.
I forgot to mention that we have been keeping in contact with hubby's employer in Florida. As of last night, they were doing alright. Not sure how they are this morning. The storm has passed their area now, according to what the map looks like.
Wonder-I hope your little sparrows wing heals, it sounds wicked cute
Ida-sorry your husband isn't feeling well, I hope you get some answers tomorrow
I'm already done with today. I was late for work because they had road construction during freaking rush hour. In a town with a ton of traffic on a good day, and convoluted roads that were made before there were cars. There couldn't be a worse time to close an entire lane down to pave sidewalks. I barely slept all weekend and I'm in a ton of pain and I'm so out of it. My parents are bugging me to meet my bf, so I know I need to just get it over with so I can stop agonizing over it. I think they'll like him, but they might think he's a little bit of a hick and I think they're a little biased against him simply because I didn't tell them about him. He's a really great guy and their thoughts on the matter won't change anything, but it could make my life hell.
Leo, great trivia today. I hope your low impact aerobics goes great. It's so hard keeping up a fitness routine when we feel so bad everyday.
Wonder, you are so sweet, your little birdie sounds cute. Don't worry about Wednesday it will go fine, and you are right they probably don't care.
ida, sorry you had to go to the church service alone, and that you were so cold. I can't handle the cold and our church is freezing inside. It's so cold to me, that it makes me not want to go, the cold just really affects my pain levels. I know you understand.
Miki, I hate being late for work, I hope it doesn't affect your whole day. I understand your hesitation on letting your parents meet your BF. I hope it goes great, and they don't make it harder for you than it already is. Have a good day at work.
My neck is hurting so much today. It started last night at dinner. I wish I could go see the chiro and get a light massage. I'm having a hard time right now with everything. The pain is oh so consuming, and my marriage is dead. I feel heartbroken and I'm trying so hard to be a good mother when all I want to do is breakdown. I might go to a bookstore at lunch to find a few books, someone suggested The Power of a Praying Wife, and then I think The Hurt and The Healer sounds good. I'm broke until Friday but maybe I can find a cheap paperback.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Wonderbaby What a warm story about your little friend. He sounds so cute and loveable.
Idajoy Sorry your husband isn't well. Hope he is better soon. I've been trying to get laundry
caught up since yesterday in case we lose power for a long period of time because of Irma.
I did get it finished.
Miki26 It's frustrating to run into to a lot of traffic when trying to keep to a schedule.
Hope all goes well when your parents finally meet you boyfriend.
TwinMomab You are a good mother just going through a hard time right now.
The books sound like a good idea.
AngelaJo Hope you can rest and recoup this afternoon after you ordeal this morning.
Bless you.
Everyone have a wonderful day full of hope.
Wonder, that sparrow sounds so cute, but it’s not good not to be able to get away from predators. I hope he gets the hang of it soon. That’s so nice of you to take care of him and sit with him. I hope you have a good Monday too.
Ida, I’m in North Carolina and it was still chilly here. Luckily I didn’t have to go outside much. Good luck tomorrow.
Miki, that’s crazy about the road construction during rush hour. There is a bit of road under construction in my city but at least they wait until rush hour is over to start closing down lanes. I hope things go well with the boyfriend meeting the parents. It probably will be good to get it over with. I hope you’ve prepared your boyfriend for the meeting.
Twin, I’m so sorry to hear about your pain. Your marriage stress I’m sure is making it worse. I pray you find something that helps you.
AngelaJo, I hope the DBT group goes well. And then PT, yuck. I hope you get some good rest after all that.
JanieB, I hope you are doing well.
Well, I think my cat, Leo, is finally out of the woods. He was still throwing up Friday after getting the flea spray on Wednesday, so I gave him a bath as soon as I got home from work. I had him laying down next to me on a towel on the couch and he had some kind of a seizure. Once he was dried though, he batted around a toy so he was feeling better. He still threw up through Sunday, so I gave him another bath and sprayed all kinds of water on him. I think he’s finally better now. The other cats have tolerated the flea spray, and my dog, Chloe, is doing great. She had been so miserable and her skin was turning red from scratching so much, but she’s not scratching now and seems so much more at peace. I’m going to spray the yard this coming weekend because of all the rain we’ll get this week. I think the tide is turning and the flea debacle is almost over. I’ve been in a lot of pain. I’m trying to go off the Lyrica so I didn’t take any Saturday night. I couldn’t get much sleep because of the pain so I took a Lyrica Sunday morning. I then slept for five hours from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Didn’t get much done. I did nail some of the boards on my privacy fence in along the driveway and my arm just burned. I don’t like not being able to do things. I feel that my neuropathy is getting worse. It’s very frustrating. I hope these new medicines I’m on start working soon. I hope everyone has a good day.
Take care, Susan
Miki, sorry your day didn't start out so well. Don't let your parents get you down....but I know that's hard from experience. What they think about your bf doesn't matter. It's what you think that counts.
Twin, I'm sorry for your continued struggles. I wish I could do something. I think you need a good therapist to help you cope. I know it all costs money, unfortunately. Prayers for you.
Angela, I just know you will get through today. You are stronger than you think. Let us know how everything goes.
Janie, thanks for giving us hope. It's about all we have some days. Good to be positive, even though it's hard.
Susan, I'm glad your Leo is feeling better. Bummer to have to use such strong stuff to get rid of the fleas. I sure hope it worked.
I got my errands done. Dinner is in the crock pot for hubby. BBQ pork with carrots and onions. I get a can of chicken noodle soup because of my test tomorrow. Oh yay.
Hubby's employer and family are ok. Just their fence was ruined from Irma.
Everyone take care.
JanieB, Thank you so much! May your day be filled with hope too, and I hope you don't lose power from Irma.
Angela, I hope the group and PT turned out just fine. I know we can get ourselves worked up more than we should. I do it too.
Susan, thanks for the prayers. I'm so glad you're seeing progress in your cat and in the flea treatment. That was scary there for a second I'm sure. When I got off Lyrica I had to take Sonata to sleep, I can't remember the generic name. It's the only sleep med that doesn't kill my stomach and doesn't give me a hangover. You might ask for it and just give it a try. I had major withdrawals when getting off Lyrica. My nerve pain was 10 times worse, and sleep was impossible. Good luck.
ida, I would love a good Christian counselor that I could see weekly. Enjoy your soup tonight, and treat yourself tomorrow after the test. :-) I'm so glad hubby's employer and family are ok.
Leo, glad to hear LilMiss is doing well :)
Struggling with depression through the weekend and today. To add to it, opened my calendar and was reminded that it's 9/11. Really wish I could forget this horrible day.
A couple of... strange / interesting things to share. I'm upset and angry about a furniture situation that occurred and I'm trying to make sense of it. I put my foot down about replacing the broken futon my husband's been holding onto, and somehow my husband got it in his head to put the FUNCTIONAL loveseat on craigslist -sold it yesterday. He showed me the ad, but that was when we were going futon shopping the other day and I assumed we would come home wtih new furniture. When we didn't find anything, I should have taken the ad down -but forgot. I guess I'm angry that I say "dump the broken thing" and he gets rid of the only piece of functional furniture instead... so now I have to replace TWO couches??? What the fudge
I have a birthday potluck coming up (I'm throwing for myself) in Oct... and now I don't have anything for guests to sit on. I may have to cancel if I can't find anything by then. This is what I get for moving to a rural island.
The other interesting news: mom has a new bf. Yesterday was her first day in about 8 yrs. And last time she had a bf was well over 10 yrs lol. The guy is actually someone we know from our old church on Oahu (back in our old neighborhood). He moved here a few months ago to THIS town and started coming to church here lol.
Back in a sec.
Fantod, good to see you check in. Don't do too much.
I just had a 2 hour nap. I just get so tired from sleeping crappy at night. I should be doing laundry.