slidergirl

Random things today because I couldn't find a thread... someone asked about something like the old track suit to wear for flight/embarking or something like that. Depending on how much one wants to spend, I'll recommend going to the Quince website and look at the cashmere pants and sweaters. The price points on Quince are always very good. For me, the cashmere full-zip hoodie (bought it last Winter for work) paired with the cashmere straight leg pants would work. There was a short shirtdress on the Frank and Eileen website that I had been coveting, the Mary. But, no way was I going to pay $295 for it!!!! Lo and behold, it showed up on 70% sale today!!! Under $100 I could do. Multi-purpose dress, as-is, with leggings, unbuttoned with pants as a shacket... Good for work and maybe travel. The wind has shifted a little so the smoke from our forest fire isn't so bad today. But the fire itself is still enlarging and only 25% contained. No chance for Fall camping up there this year 😿

Anita - I thought you had moved up to Seattle. Happy to hear you got through Milton OK. I finally heard from my Cocoa Beach friend. Her 90 year old cottage made it through unscathed. Melody - nice photo. I've seen so many good photos of the Northern Lights from last night. Still smoke in our air from our forest fire. No rain appeared so still going. OOTD: my tie dye hoodie minidress. An old favorite.

My friend hasn't posted yet about her beach cottage in Cocoa Beach. But, I know there was a tornado that touched down north of it and did some damage. I guess the hurricane went right over Cocoa Beach/Cape Canaveral. One of the photos on the Washington Post feed was from CB. I'm seeing posts on FB on some of the CB forums and it sounds like, outside of branches and stuff, they fared decent for the most part. Some stores and restaurants are back up to serve people. Went to the dentist today for my quarterly cleaning. It was surprisingly quick and easy. Dr. J said everything was looking better - probably easing up on the COVID issues. We had a little chat about some journal articles he's been reading on Long Covid issues. It's so nice that he is keeping up on it. OOTD: Got all gussied up since I'm done traveling and wanted to wear something to make me think I'm traveling 😸 One of my River & Sky dresses and my Taos high tops. Oh, and I put on more makeup that I wear in the daytime to feel "special". But it feels too much. Oh well, at least it isn't clown-like...

It is very nice to have a set of EMT/Paramedics just down the street! I did the same thing a few years ago (at the same supermarket). The folks at the store put my things in the ice bag spot to keep it cool. After the EMTs checked me out, they got my groceries and put them in the car for me. I have done this a few times over the years so I kind of know what's coming and I don't panic. This time, having a BP of 124/66 after everything was kind of telling to me. Smoke is very bad again today. We might get a little rain this evening so it may help. the fire is still only 10% contained. But, nothing compared to what everyone in FL is coming up against. Sherri - my friend in Cocoa Beach has had her friends take care buttoning up her cottage. It sounds like people on the Space Coast are taking this seriously. Stay safe! Toblerone - it's so fun that your DH picked up some Trader Joe's goodies! The different calendars they have are so cute with the different goodies inside. The gingerbread house is cool, too. We buy one and set it up at the Lodge every year. In case you are in need of some travel accessories, remember it's Amazon Prime Day... I didn't buy anything for travel, but since my chargeable toothbrush just died, I took advantage and bought a new Sonicare. At least I saved a few dollars there. I see my dental hygenist tomorrow so I know I'm going to get a scolding for my teeth not being as good as they should be - at least I can blame it on manual brushing for 2 weeks 😉 OOTD: Groundhog day - those knee sweats and a (different) Tshirt.

Sherri - good idea to hunker down! My friend who has the beach cottage in Cocoa Beach has her place all sealed up. It's old and doesn't take much to mess with it. I had an embarrassing incident yesterday. I needed to go to the market but I wasn't feeling all that great. My stomach had been bothering me since breakfast so I didn't eat any more. Went and did my shopping and took longer that I thought I would. I started feeling funky doing the checkout and it got worse as I walked the parking lot. The wheels on the cart stuck on a crack and it rocked me a little. My body decided that I needed to pass out right then, only 2 cars from my car. I went down gracefully (I'm good at that). 2 very kind gentlemen stayed with me while a nice woman called 911. Apparently I passed out for about 30 seconds. At least I was coherent when I came to. When my neighbor EMTs (the station is about 1/4 mile down the road from me) arrived, I was able to stand up and they convinced me to at least walk to the "bus" to get checked. All was surprisingly fine (O2, blood sugar, EKG, temp). I think my blood pressure was low because it was normal and it should have been elevated from what happened and I started having stress asthma. They made me sit there for a little before I drove the mile home and they were behind me. I got home, went to the couch and promptly fell asleep. The smoke from the forest fire is really bad today. I can't even see the hills a mile away and it smells awful. OOTD: my old Athleta knee sweatpants and a Tshirt. You're not going to catch me out in that smoke!!!

Lois - I see the next hurricane may come visit all y'all in JAX. As we saw from H. Helene, no side of a hurricane is safe anymore. I hope you're all stocked up and safe from harm! We've got a lot of smoke in the air today from the forest fire that just won't stop up in the Uintas. It's enough that I'm coughing and my eyes are stinging. It's not close to us - it's about 40 miles away. OOTD: Tshirt and my knee-length sweatpants (ancient ones from Athleta).

Melody - those two look so cute! I saw the shoes before I read your comments. Yes to them!!! My grand niece had her Homecoming dance last night, too. She was elected as Homecoming Queen!! She went in a "herd" with her girlfriends and their dates.

Lois - yay for the river cruise! Were you the one who told me about Hotel des Marroniers? If so, you can get the chance to stay there! I'm jealous for your TA from Lisbon. I've been doing some research on what I want to do for my Spring vacation and it's looking definitely Portugal. Lisbon sounds wonderful. We've got smoke in the air again today. A forest fire just a little ways away that just won't go away, plus we have wind and low humidity, so it's a red flag day today. Sigh. It never stops.

Purple - so glad to hear from you! Glad you all are OK. I hear daily from the friend who is part of the kayak/rafting community in NC and it just breaks my heart.

What I saw in the change to my eye was that it seemed like someone took some petroleum jelly and swiped a little across my eye. The vision itself wasn't blurry, but it just seemed like I was looking through it, if that makes sense.

Lois - getting cataracts taken care wasn't all that bad (for me, at least). I just got the "basic" done as apparently there are different kinds of replacement lens available. My eyes were done a few year apart, thanks to all the steroids I had taken over the years - I had them done early in life at 56 and 60. I ended up with almost monovision - my left eye is good closeup and my right eye is good mid-long range. I still use readers, though as my right eye is my very dominant one and tries to override my left one.

My kayak friend has been posting out messages on FB for the community. So many of them are from people looking for lost relatives and friends. Some of the descriptions of the "last seen" just break my heart - "last seen on roof as house slid", "fell into creek trying to get dog", things like that. But she's also posting out the messages of all the help that is getting around and that gives my heart a bit of a buoy. People collecting needed items, private planes & helicopters flying the items, mule trains into inaccessible mountain terrain, restaurants cooking up the food that will go bad (without power) and handing it out, places with power letting people charge cellphones, contact loved ones. All sorts of good works. Gives me some hope. A light note: today is both International Coffee Day and National Taco Day. I had my coffee, will have tacos tonight. Take care all.

My cellphone is T-Mo. I've had them since back in the 90s when it was Voicestream around here. I have had no issues with it plus I love it when I travel. I have hotspot on my account so I can use my iPhone as a hotspot for my iPad anywhere. Saves a little because I only have wifi and bluetooth on my iPad. Hey, I'm worried about Purple Hays. I don't know what part of NC she lives in. I know she was just through Ashville last weekend. It's so absolutely horrific what has happened in the W. NC area. I have an old friend who is part of the kayak/river running community back there. She has been posting all these photos and videos from the area - it is beyond comprehension what has happened. Keep all those poor souls in your thoughts!

I still have my landline. I don't carry my cell around the house - it's always in my purse sitting on the kitchen counter and it's always on silent mode. I don't give out my cell number unless I have to (work, some friends, contact in case of emergency on vacation). I have it down to basic service so it isn't that expensive. I keep a dumb "princess" type phone around in case the power goes out or something like that - just plug it in and it'll work. I just don't want to rely on my cell for everything. I do have Xfinity for my TV and internet. My TV in the living room is from 2009, so it isn't the "smartest" one and I can so some streaming. My TV in the bedroom is totally dumb so it needs cable - can't do rabbit ears up here in the mountains. I lost a day somewhere! I swore today was Sunday. oops. OOTD: It's going to get up to 80 today so it's Tshirt and shorts today,

I didn't realize it was going to get nasty on the east coast of South Carolina. One of the relatives down in Beaufort had roof damage and a big tree fall over in the yard. There was some tornadic wind activity in the area due to the hurricane. Fortunately, nothing catastrophic. Tyler works for an aborist so he has all the tools there at home and knows how to dismantle the tree damage. Haven't heard anything about the rest of the SC family groups who live in Charleston and around. I saw there was a good amount of beach erosion around Satellite Beach/Cocoa Beach - some friends posted photos. Hope Sherrie fared well around there. I do hope Cynthia is just hunkered down and staying safe!!

Did a trip down the mountain to TJ's after my visit with my hair stylist. As I suspected, it was a "holy cr$p" trip when the things were rung up. They had more pumpkin things that I remember for September. I did get my pumpkin bagels & cream cheese and the pumpkin bisque. The rest was mostly stock ups for quick meals from the freezer since I just cleaned it out. And 4 bags of whole bean coffee. They did have the Autumn refrigerated sides in - the stuffing, scalloped potatoes, etc. Didn't get any this time, but will in November, Oh, the pumpkin Kringle was in stock. Picked up my pastas and some bottles of the $1.99 marinara. It was hot down in the Valley today - my car thermostat had 90 degrees at 4pm! It was 80 up here at home when I started down the mountain at 1:30. OOTD: my white & blue pinstripe linen button down shirt with my faded black overall jumper short dress. White leather Taos high tops. I'm learning to like dresses for casual running around over shorts...

I starting thinking of all you Floridians and Georgians last night when I started seeing the forecasts. Just be ready - better safe than sorry!! PH - so heartening to hear that your Dad made progress at PT. Little glimmers will get all of you through. OOTD: It's Groundhog day again... I will get civilized tomorrow for the trip to my hair stylist and hopefully TJ's.

I'm probably going on Thursday. I have a big list of things to restock. I think it's going to be a "holy cr$p" kind of spend. 🙀 Being September, just some of the pumpkin things are coming out. I've always been a fan of the pumpkin cream cheese (smeared on pumpkin bagels) and pumpkin soup (add a splash of maple syrup to it). But other things seem to be too sweet for me. More of the Fall things should come out with the October Fearless Flyer. I will be picking up some small pumpkins and squashes to put out for decoration and later to give to the animals in the neighborhood. OOTD: I'm doing a "Groundhog Day" kind of wardobe - again it's a sweatshirt and sweatpants, but different ones.

Oh my gosh Christy. My heart goes out to you for all that you have been dealing with. So much emotion and stress you've had. Please be sure to take time for some self-care.

I've been poking around and the airfare from SLC to SJU is under $500. The cruises from FL to Lisbon are a tad more than the NCL Viva one from SJU. So, it's kind of a push price-wise. Plus I can use miles to book. My brain is pretty settled on Portugal (I'll know more by the end of next week) so I'd probably want to debark there instead of Barcelona or Rome. Melody - about that travel agent: I'm "scabbardgirl" and I'm part of the comcast.net universe 😉 Blue Bloods fans: I haven't watched that for years. I didn't realize it was still being produced. I will say that my guilty pleasure, Real Housewives of SLC, started up this week. It gives me a laugh as I've never met anyone in my almost-40 years here who dresses like they do. Plus it's kind of fun to see local restaurants and businesses on there. The one who was renting in my old neighborhood has moved to another rental just outside of town. I know for sure of one store they filmed in last winter - I had some guests who wanted to go there and buy a shipload of expensive cowgirl hats because they saw the same store in Aspen on another RH show. The store didn't let them in because they were filming. I sent them across the street to a locally-owned store that had the same excellent hats and they are the ones who did the hats for Yellowstone. Oh well. OOTD: cool again in the house - 59 degrees when I got up. So, sweatshirt & sweatpants again.

Yay! We've kicked up the volume on the group again. Sherri - you're being a traveling fool! I know you did all the visiting this summer, then a cruise, now more driving then another cruise! Nice to see more ships coming/going out of PC. I'm getting more serious about doing the TA next April from San Juan to Lisbon on NCL. A lot of you have done the TAs and I have a big question for you: What type of cabin did you have? I already know I cannot do an inside - I spend time in the cabin and I need natural light. I still get my bouts of fatigue from Covid so I need space to go and rest. I've never had anything but a balcony - I love being able to just sit out on my own private space. I even did it in Alaska at the end of April. Would I be OK with just an outside window for 2 weeks or is it still OK to be sitting out on the balcony all those days crossing the Atlantic? You all know I'm not a person to go out and socialize onboard - I keep to myself. I'd hang around Portugal for about 2 weeks to eat, drink, and sightsee. I have to keep the "hamster wheel" on slow - no going off the tracks and adding on Spain, then "oh, I'm close to Italy..." A month away is plenty (and plenty expensive)!! Only 58 degrees in the house this morning. It's supposed to warm up again this weekend to hit the mid-upper 70s. But, my OOTD is still sweatshirt, sweatpants and my Acorn slippers.

Cynthia - I do hope you felt a few warm and fuzzies from us. We were worried. If you ever need an uplift, I do believe we all will help. Melody - I think the MD needed to put duct tape on Les' retina!!! There is more precip coming across so the kiddos could indeed get the "sitting in the hot tub, sipping bubbles" as the snow falls. I just can't get behind snow yet. I saw a teaser on TV today for some series on ABC coming soon. Looks like it's a drama on the life of the medical staff, especially the MD, on a cruise ship... Maybe like "ER" meets "The Love Boat" on the high seas 🙀 I don't think I'll be watching...

I did a little sleuthing on Cynthia. She's around on a few other forums. So, she might be busy with cruise stuff. I was getting worried. It's that time of year here where you start to wonder if you need to turn on the furnace. The last 3 mornings have brought temps around 56-58 degrees INSIDE the house. But it goes up and isn't bad in the afternoon. It is nice sleeping temp, though. We had snow 2 days ago on the upper elevations of our local hills. And our leaves up there are turning bright already. It's about a week or so early. I've lost track - who is cruising where when? I think we have a few coming up. Lucky you's!! OOTD: sweatshirt, sweatpants, my acorn slippers. A tad chilly in the house right now,

Not related, but: The ladies over on Cruise Fashion & Beauty were concerned. We hadn't heard from you for awhile. Sounds like you're in heavy cruise prep...

Did you have Covid? There is more documentation that one of the after-effects of Covid is hair loss. It's taken a loooong time, but my stylist is noticing more "baby" hairs than usual, which means it's coming back. Also, I've always heard that some hair loss is just due to aging. Ever notice some older women have thinner hair?