OT April Chit Chat

[agate]

This place is creepy tonight. Only two members on - myself and Jendie, but there are 43 browsers. Of course the Mods.

I am going to bed, before I start seeing ghost. Goodnight all!

Virginia, I was staying logged in here most of the time but recently have had quite a few problems with being knocked offline, and then I have to deal with that for a while. It's a problem between CenturyLink and Windows 10, or something. I'm going to find out more about it when I feel up to spending quite a while on the phone with CenturyLink.

In the meantime I tinker and tweak until I get back online but often I've just shut the whole PC down for a while.

I've noticed that Friday evenings and weekends tend to be quiet here. Maybe Seven and Sam could drum up a catfight or some other excitement. Cat Dancer's several cats could be involved. And any other cats that are lurking in the shadows.

[Howie]

Well I was a good boy last night. In bed by 11, and despite the coffee earlier in the day, fell right to sleep. I'm up having my coffee.

I scared myself this morning.
I got my coffee and filters out, got it loaded in, hit the switch, then sat back while it was brewing.

I looked over expecting to see enough to at least fill one cup, and there was none at all. I opened the lid, and there's the filter and coffee just sitting there. I turned it off and back on to test the switch, that worked fine, but still no coffee.

And that's when I learned a most valuable lesson. You have to put water in those things to make them work. DOH!!!

Have a great day all!

[Frog42]

And that's when I learned a most valuable lesson. You have to put water in those things to make them work. DOH!!!

Worth the paper it's written on for sure!

[agate]

That's what I like about this place. You always learn something, and pearls of wisdom are available at no cost to you.

Call our tollfree number today! Offer good only while supplies last!

[Howie]

I just ate my big meal of the day. I NEVER eat this early, but I was hungry, even after having two cups of coffee. I'll see if I get hungry later, if I do, I'm going to indulge myself. It's the weekend, so why not.

[Virginia]

Howie, I know this hard for you to understand, but I actually eat three times a day. Morning and noon meals are smaller and evening meal is my big meal. You could try a small meal in the morning, a large meal midday if you like, and a small meal at night. Ever think of having 3 meals a day?

I have started having a glass of lemonade at lunch. It is so refreshing. I found these packs that come in a box of 10. You get two glasses of lemonade with one pack. They are 5 calories per glass. You can get lemonade, pink lemonade or tea. I am going to try the tea now that I like the lemonade so much.

[Howie]

I did the Nutra System one time, not for weight loss, but to have ready-made meals. You eat 4 times a day, and I couldn't do it. In two weeks, I had gained weight, and cancelled it. I ate the rest of it on my own time to finish it up. I hate to waste food.

Eating once a day, I stay the same weight. I also drink beer every evening which adds calories, but it all seems to balance out. I don't burn many calories, so don't need to take in many.

I also have a lemonade I keep in the fridge that's like you describe. In a small packet, maybe 10 packs per container, and zero or very few calories. Best of all, it tastes good.

[agate]

Does the new coffeemaker make real coffee, Howie?

It's always nice when you get something new and it works.

That's the way it's been with this rollator I got a few months ago. I put it together--not very hard to do, for a wonder--and it's still working. I've been finding it handy for transporting laundry and getting the mail and taking out the trash. I don't have to hang onto these things and I can add a bit of stability to the walking by holding the rollator handles.

At night I can walk around in the hall on the first floor and add a few steps to the pedometer in that way.

It occurs to me that I could take it on the elevator and walk around on the other floors but since neighbors are bothered by the elevator noise, I don't use the elevator much at all.

I hope to be back to walking the halls without the walker and using the stairs soon. The cold stairwells have been offputting for some months now but that's no longer an excuse as the weather has been warming up.

The flowering trees around here are bursting into bloom--a very welcome sight!

[Howie]

It's always nice to get something new, and it works better than you expected. Can't you even put a seat on that Rollator, and push yourself along? Backwards, but whatever works.

The coffee maker works great. It's a 12 cup maker, but I can't drink more than 2 or I get jittery. But it looks nice and works well.

[agate]

I think all rollators come with a drop-down seat but there's a label saying "Warning: Do not move rollator while seated." If I'm sitting in it and want to move out of someone's way, though, I instinctively roll backwards in it while seated.

I'm going to stop doing that because it definitely doesn't feel right. I see why the warning is on there. And yes, it would be moving backwards only. If you want to move forwards in it, you scoot your feet along on the floor to move it--but again, it feels odd. The wheels feel as if they're catching on carpeting. It probably works better on bare floors but there must be a reason for that warning label

I don't sit in it for very long. Like most seats except my wheelchair cushion, it gets too uncomfortable in a short time.

But it's great for stabilizing my somewhat wobbly walking

Glad you have a bigger and better coffeemaker. People have to have their coffee. I'm the same way about Diet Pepsi or Diet Coke. If I'm out of them I'm unhappy. I slog around, get a headache, and feel very tired.

[Howie]

My sister loves the diet colas. That's her way of getting the lift from the caffeine, but no calories. With my coffee, I always use the flavored creamers. It adds calories, and that rich, French Vanilla flavor. There are other flavors, but the French Vanilla is my favorite, oui?

[Virginia]

Howie, if you can only drink two cups because of the jitters, then you already had a two cup coffee maker. Did you just want to spruce up your kitchen with a pop of red?

[Howie]

No, but it does look good, rich red. See, I say one or two cups, those are MY cups which is actually a mug. So with the little coffee maker, I could only make one and a half mugs at a time. Not enough for me.

So I would pour me a mug, then add more coffee and water for a second mug later. Too much work. So now, I pour 2 mugs of water, the coffee, and hit the switch. No timer and all that, just a single switch. Simple and easy.

[Cat Dancer]

Coffee 'sizing" is weird. A "cup of coffee" is measured at 6 oz....barely enough to wet the bottom of any standard mug we use! :) If you look at grandmas china, the cups (used for both tea and coffee) look like dolls dishes, compared with what most of us use these days! I appreciate Howie's frustration with the 2-cup coffee maker...I'd always be making a second..and third..pot. I've taken to drinking a lot more herbal tea than coffee -- the caffeine was making my bladder spasms worse, before I started the botox treatments. But I really need to start the day with a cup of coffee.

I've taken to iced coffee, too. In fact, Tom Cat bought me a coffee pot designed especially to make it. No electricity. You use a fine grind dark roast coffee, ice cubes, ice water, and let it drip and steep (about 4 hours). Then store in the fridge. You can drink it "as is", or it's great with additions...like I mix about 2/3 coffee with 1/3 vanilla flavored soy milk, and serve over ice. Like those way-expensive iced drinks at your favorite coffee shop! :)

As for meals.....I never used to eat breakfast. And lunch was pretty light, a salad, maybe. But after I got so sick and my bodies chemical makeup was so awry, the doctor insisted I eat *something* in the morning, and eat 3 meals a day. Actually, he'd prefer 4, but is OK with three. So we eat something like a bagel with cream cheese, or a muffin with jelly, or an eggo (cooked easily in the toaster), for breakfast, a large meal at lunch, something light in the evening. Howie mentioned gaining weight..the trick of course is to eat in 3 meals what you'd eat in the one you're now eating..stretch out the calories over the 3 meals, and not suddenly dump food into your system all at once, it having to hurry up and start processing it after lying idle for awhile. :) Since I started doing that, my internal chemistry has much improved. I'm still taking a host of vitamins and minerals which I'm sure helps, too.

[Howie]

I just got back from my dump, bank, and store run. Now sitting on the bed, and having that second mug of coffee. With the new coffee maker, I just pour and enjoy after all my running around.

I forgot my creamer at the store, but I'm okay. I have 2 containers of the powdered French Vanilla creamer as backup, but prefer the liquid I've been using. You get the added benefit of cooling the coffee a little so you can start drinking it right after it's made.

I shouldn't have to go anywhere until next week when I do it all again.