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Post by kansasterri on Aug 27, 2021 7:59:02 GMT -6
Yeah, new restaurants work best if you ask for a to-go bag. With familiar restaurants you know what the portion sizes are and can order with that in mind, but with a new restaurant it is a big gamble, even if you substitute a salad for the potato.
I love new restaurants. Fortunately it is a bit of a drive to get to where the new restaurants are, and I generally do not bother!
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Post by papaof2 on Sept 1, 2021 17:30:34 GMT -6
Chapter 41
Wednesday, 3 May, 2028, 21:30 CDT
It's been a long and scary day for all of us but even more so for Lily and Katie. Lily almost kidnapped and Katie coming to her rescue with the .22 rifle that's now always on her shoulder when she's outside. That's a tale for later as Susan is getting them out of the calming bath with a little lavender oil in it and she's telling them to tell me 'Goodnight' and head for bed.
"Grandpa, will you read us a book? A 'feel good' book like 'The Night Before Christmas'?"
"Yes, Lily. That's a short book and reading it won't keep either of you up much later."
"Yes!"
"Me too!"
"Settle down, you two. We'll sit on the sofa with Katie on my left and Lily on my right so I can get my arms around the both of you well enough to hold the book. Lily can turn the pages for me. Ready?"
"Yes, Grandpa."
"'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.' Next page."
"I got it Grandpa. (yawn) Lily's already asleep."
"Thank you, Katie."
"'The stockings were hung by the chimney with care in hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.' Next page."
"(yawn) I got it, Grandpa."
"'The children were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugarplums danced through their heads.' Next page."
"No more pages tonight, Jack. Your calming voice, being snuggled safe next to you and their long day has caught up with both of them."
"Along with the low dose of children's diphenhydramine drops you added to the warm milk they had with their bedtime snack."
"That also helped calm them. I'll take the book and then I'll carry Lily and you can carry Katie. Their bed has already been turned down. Remember the goodnight kisses on their noses."
"I will."
"Covers up under your chin, brave girl. Goodnight, Katie."
"'Night."
"Covers up under your chin, sweet girl. Goodnight, Lily."
"'Night."
"Love, I think that's the most zonked out I've seen either girl."
"They haven't yet said much about what happened but the video of Katie responding to Lily's scream looks more like a military training film."
"Sheriff Tucker said he only recognized two of the dozen who tried to 'capture' the house. The one that survived long enough for questioning said they'd heard there was food here from one of Bo's cousins and they decided to grab the smallest girl for a hostage. They considered Katie a child who couldn't hurt them. So much for their macho thinking. Katie did a good job on the one that was running after Lily and one more while you, Tom and I took out the others. I'm not sure how much more shoulder time Katie will need over 'I killed someone!'"
"Susan, I think she got much of that out - after her long session on your shoulder and its two interspersed trips to the porcelain throne. Still, she'll probably need more shoulder time from the both of us and Lily will need more shoulder time from Tom and Erin. Today's events have certainly moved 'gun lessons' to the top of Lily's 'things I need' list. I think she mentioned it at least once every hour."
"At least. And she much more appreciation for how much damage that 'toy gun' can do than the one who asked Katie 'Whatcha gonna do with that toy gun, little girl?' Then she said 'Protect my cousin!' as she pulled the trigger."
"Love, we're in some dark days when a ten-year-old is protecting a six-year-old in that manner."
"Jack, the positive side is that after all the loss Katie has experienced, she can still love someone else that much even if Lily isn't 'family'."
"Don't think you could convince either of them that they're not 'family'."
"Not after today."
---
"Tom?"
"Yes, Mom?"
"Did you check Lily's blood sugar before she got to bed?"
"I was too busy calming Erin after she calmed Lily to even think of it. That L-Theanine you gave Erin surprised me - I didn't know there were anti-anxiety herbals which were that effective. Glad you could take care of Katie and get both girls bathed and that Dad could then get both girls settled down for sleep."
"Does Lily do OK overnight most of the time?"
"Yes, but 'most of the time' doesn't include being involved in a shooting or the need of being rescued by her new cousin. I should be concerned?"
"We need to check her first thing in the morning. Her elevated adrenalin levels may mean that she burned a lot more calories than we're aware of. A slightly low blood glucose level might just have her lethargic. If she's marginally responsive, we can spoon small amounts of honey into her mouth until she's functional."
"Good thing the ER staff is right here."
---
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Post by udwe on Sept 1, 2021 19:53:02 GMT -6
Wow!
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Post by papaof2 on Sept 17, 2021 15:55:12 GMT -6
Chapter 42 Thursday, 4 May, 2028, 05:10CDT "Grandma! Grandma!! GRANDMA!!!" "I'm here, Katie. What's the matter?" "It's Lily! She's drunk or somethin' and slurrin' her words like Daddy did!" "She's not drunk, Katie. Lily missed her blood sugar check at bedtime and all the excitement yesterday took that level lower than we thought it had. Wash your hands and bring me Lily's meter bag." "Yes, ma'am. She's gonna be OK?" "As soon as I check her blood glucose level we'll probably be feeding her small amounts of honey until she's back to normal." "Can I help?" "Why don't you go knock on your Aunt Erin and Uncle Tom's bedroom door and tell them what I'm doing?" "OK. What else can I do?" "After you tell them, you can bring me a small spoon and the jar of honey from the pantry." "Yes, ma'am." knock! knock! 'Tom, who'd be knocking on the door without saying anything?' 'Maybe Katie? I'd guess telling 'Who is at the door' wasn't a lesson from her father.' 'But why?' 'Won't know until you ask, Erin.' "Who's there?" "It's Katie. Lily's sick!" "Sick?" "Grandma's checking her blood sugar and she wanted me to bring her some honey." "We'll be right there." 'Checking her blood sugar, Tom?' 'That got lost last night in Mom and Dad getting the girls calmed, bathed and asleep and me getting you calmed.' 'You're right. Nice to have an in-house ER nurse.' 'Let's get dressed and go check Lily.' --- "How is she, Mom?" "Blood sugar is 57, Tom. Low for a child her age, but not dangerously so when we're aware of it this soon and can take steps to remedy the problem." "How much honey, Grandma?" "Another half spoonful, Katie. Very slowly, so she doesn't gag on the stronger locally produced honey." "Yes, ma'am. And then we wait another ten minutes and check again?" "That's correct. Your body can correct a lot of things if it has proper help but those corrections take a little time. Meanwhile, I think we need to start on breakfast." "Dad's already in the kitchen." "Then we should go see how much help he needs. Katie, will you stay with Lily while we fix breakfast?" "Yes, Grandma." "Would you like to check her blood sugar next time?" "I can?" "I think that you've watched me enough so that you are able to. I'm just giving you permission." "What you said about 'can' and 'may'?" "That's my smart girl!" "Watch me while I do it?" "Yes, Katie. You say it and then do it." "I already washed my hands, so I get out a test strip, then wipe her finger with alcohol, then open the lancet package, then hold her finger like this, then the little poke, then squeeze out and wipe away the first drop of blood, then squeeze out the next drop, then touch the strip to the blood drop, then wipe her finger again and then wait for the meter* to…" beep! "And the meter has 71. Is that good?" "72 is the bottom of 'good' for Lily but breakfast is in progress so she'll be fine after she eats…" "Yes!" "Thank you for helping." "You're welcome but I was just taking care of family." --- "You have a Candy Striper uniform that will fit Katie?" "I don't, Erin, but I think I should talk with her about the Candy Stripers and offer her a red-and-white-striped apron." "I think you were correct about her being a keeper." --- * Representative blood glucose meter with 100 lancets and 100 test strips is about $30US in July 2021: www.amazon.com/Care-Touch-Diabetes-Testing-Kit/dp/B076VSN7TRDepending on the patient's metabolism, testing and injections could be 4 times a day: test before breakfast, insulin as needed, test before lunch, insulin as needed, test before supper, insulin as needed, test before bedtime, insulin as needed. In that case, 30 lancets and 30 test strips are a one week supply. The Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) is recommended for those needing to test that often because it can be read by a phone or tablet with Bluetooth. In a grid down situation, meters, batteries and test strips might be difficult or impossible to get, as would commercial insulin - plus any number of other medications - heart, blood pressure, HIV, Alzheimer's, depression, etc.
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Post by udwe on Sept 17, 2021 19:02:22 GMT -6
Wow! fantastic story!
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Post by 9idrr on Sept 18, 2021 20:40:38 GMT -6
Always happy to see more.
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Post by ydderf on Sept 19, 2021 1:42:36 GMT -6
thanks PP2
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Post by papaof2 on Oct 1, 2021 17:04:29 GMT -6
Chapter 43
Thursday, 4 May, 2028, 09:10 CDT
"Lily?"
"Yes, Uncle Dave?"
"I need to check some things at Katie's farm. Would you like to go with me?"
"And ride Buttermilk?"
"Yes, you may ride Buttermilk. You did well riding in the pasture and I think you'll be fine on the longer ride. Buttermilk needs the exercise and I walk much faster than you do."
"No, we walk the same number of steps a minute but your legs are longer so you get there faster."
"Your Grandpa is correct. You are a smart and observant girl. Ask your Momma if it's OK for you to go with me."
"Momma!"
---
"Aunt Erin, can I help bake Lily's birthday cake?"
"Katie, you can and you may."
"Yes!"
"We'll also bake some bread to cover the scent of cake so it stays a surprise."
"That's sneaky!"
"No, we need the bread and hiding the cake makes it a surprise tomorrow."
"So we're doing something that needs to be done and making Lily's birthday better at the same time?"
"Yes, smart girl. Your Grandma told me that she had yellow cake mix, chocolate icing and some birthday candles in the pantry. While your Uncle Dave has Lily out riding Buttermilk down to your farm and then exploring the barn there, we can have the cake mixed and in the oven. We might even get it iced before they get back."
"I really like livin' here and getting' to help with the fun things!"
---
"I smell bread!"
"I smell a kid who smells like 'horse'."
"Momma, I hadta brush Buttermilk when we got back."
"I think you could have brushed her without getting her hair in your hair."
"She's so warm when you hug her!"
"I don't think you'll be wanting much of that 'warm' next month, so enjoy it for now. Meanwhile, to the bathroom for hair washing and a quick shower for you."
"If I gotta."
"You 'gotta'."
---
"Aunt Erin, Lily won't know about the cake until tomorrow?"
"Not if we can keep getting her sidetracked with other things. If she mentions 'cake' again, I'll tell her it's a dessert for tomorrow."
"That is kinda true."
"It is, just not a 'dessert' for one of our regular meals."
"Ice cream too?"
"Your Grandpa is collecting ice from the ice maker in the fridge to have enough ice to hand crank the ice cream."
"Adults or kids cranking?"
"Kids for as long as they last. There are some boys who are ten or twelve and they may want to show off their muscles by doing the cranking."
"Boys aren't the only ones with muscles. I could crank the ice cream almost as long as CJ could… (sniff)."
"I think you need a hug. And maybe some lap time?"
"Un huh. This is the best family ever."
---
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Post by texican on Oct 1, 2021 20:37:26 GMT -6
Covering up the smell of cake with baking bread is sneaky and a good idea.
Texican....
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Post by udwe on Oct 2, 2021 19:12:18 GMT -6
Thanks!
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Post by ydderf on Oct 3, 2021 9:22:46 GMT -6
I agree with Texican baking bread to cover for baking a cake is sneaky. Also a good use of the heat left over from baking cake.
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Post by papaof2 on Oct 3, 2021 14:40:37 GMT -6
Celebrating a birthday or other event is a bit of "normal" for everyone there - particlarly the kids. The bread is needed so there's not much more LP needed to bake the cake when the oven must be pre-heated for either.
My most recent Walmart haul included a box of yellow cake mix and a can of chocolate icing - let's have some normal if things go sideways. If power is off, we have the Coleman camp stove oven...
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Post by bluefox2 on Oct 3, 2021 18:50:17 GMT -6
Celebrating a birthday or other event is a bit of "normal" for everyone there - particlarly the kids. The bread is needed so there's not much more LP needed to bake the cake when the oven must be pre-heated for either. My most recent Walmart haul included a box of yellow cake mix and a can of chocolate icing - let's have some normal if things go sideways. If power is off, we have the Coleman camp stove oven... How well does that oven work on a charcoal or gas grill? Just gathering thoughts for the future.
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Post by papaof2 on Oct 3, 2021 23:31:53 GMT -6
The Coleman oven is intended for use on a Coleman stove burner or similar such as a natural gas or LP cooktop. Perhaps a grill side burner IF it's big enough (BTU) to handle heating the oven plus the heat loss to the surrounding air - probably not as effective at 30F as at 70F. The Coleman oven is one of the few things I've not yet tried, so I can't tell you whether a grill's side burner or a rocket stove would work - although most baking is for longer times than typical rocket stoves burn on a single load - it would need continuous feeding to keep the oven temperature constant (the oven does have a thermometer). I don't know if some external insulation (rock wool or other non-combustible material?) would work to make the oven more efficient (staying at baking temperature with less fuel).
There are multiple vidoes on YouTube so maybe someone there has an answer.
Perhaps testing the oven is a project when the outside temperatures are below 40F and extra heat in the kitchen would be welcome?
If a charcoal grill had the coals in a space that was smaller than the bottom of the Coleman oven it might work (oven's base is about a foot square from memory but you should be able to find 'Coleman oven specs' online.) If the gas grill is big enough to sit the oven on, I'd be concerned about the amount of heat directly on the sides of the oven affecting the thermometer. Remember that baking is a science which Rachel Ray doesn't do because she can't deal with the quantity, time and temperature limits of baking - the oven might not work well with the heat from a 16 inch burner running up two sides :-(
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Post by 9idrr on Oct 4, 2021 20:28:19 GMT -6
Am I bein' remiss here with a reminder that bakin' at altitude can require adjustments?
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Post by papaof2 on Oct 4, 2021 21:54:35 GMT -6
Am I bein' remiss here with a reminder that bakin' at altitude can require adjustments? Depends on how uppity? / up-in-the-air? you are ;-) Many baking mix boxes and baking recipes include a warning about "At altitudes greater than..." When you're just over 1000 feet above sea level, that's not a concern - and, more than 200 miles from the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, neither is the possible tsunami when that volcano in the Canary Islands drops one side of the mountain into the sea ;-)
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Post by 9idrr on Oct 5, 2021 18:05:23 GMT -6
Havin' lived at close to 5000' at one time, one pays attention to those things. When I had my '53 Ford flathead, the guys told me I should get the "Denver" heads that Ford put on cars made to be sold at higher elevation. The increased compression ratio made the car run a little stronger.
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Post by iamnobody on Oct 5, 2021 18:46:36 GMT -6
Havin' lived at close to 5000' at one time, one pays attention to those things. When I had my '53 Ford flathead, the guys told me I should get the "Denver" heads that Ford put on cars made to be sold at higher elevation. The increased compression ratio made the car run a little stronger. Those higher compression motors run a little stronger at lower elevations too. A 11:1 compression in a blueprinted Ford 428 ran just fine.
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Post by 9idrr on Oct 6, 2021 20:08:51 GMT -6
Yeah, a friend's 428CJ Ranchero had no trouble gettin' down the road. Changin' plugs wasn't too easy, as to get to a couple of 'em you had to pull the vacuum booster canister for the brakes.
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Post by papaof2 on Oct 6, 2021 21:50:28 GMT -6
Things do change over time - when I was working on the straight six in my '57 Chevy, you could see pavement on either side of the engine - of course, I did a lot more on-the-road repairs to that vehicle in the few years I had it than my Tacoma has needed - and it's now 14 (knock on wood, maybe?).
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Post by papaof2 on Oct 7, 2021 20:19:05 GMT -6
Should have had that wood handy :-( Had the Tacoma in for an oil change - not the local "quickie" but the best auto repair shop in the county - folks I know from church and they've been in business probably 20+ years.
Good to have a thorough going-over before winter and they checked the brakes (front pads and rear shoes still have good wear depth left) as well as everything else. Water pump has been leaking so it got replaced. The total will be $$$ when I pick it up tomorrow but I'll be comfortable using the truck as needed this winter and next spring.
Good to know whom you can trust.
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Post by bluefox2 on Oct 7, 2021 20:24:32 GMT -6
Should have had that wood handy :-( Had the Tacoma in for an oil change - not the local "quickie" but the best auto repair shop in the county - folks I know from church and they've been in business probably 20+ years. Good to have a thorough going-over before winter and they checked the brakes (front pads and rear shoes still have good wear depth left) as well as everything else. Water pump has been leaking so it got replaced. The total will be $$$ when I pick it up tomorrow but I'll be comfortable using the truck as needed this winter and next spring. Good to know whom you can trust. did the same with my frontier recently. A mechanic I trust due to knowing his Dad for many years in the service and afterwards as local LEO's (both of us). Plus the guy knew my sons. Been taking my vehicles to him for years. He is thorough and doesn't charge outragous prices.
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Post by texican on Oct 7, 2021 21:50:46 GMT -6
Should have had that wood handy :-( Had the Tacoma in for an oil change - not the local "quickie" but the best auto repair shop in the county - folks I know from church and they've been in business probably 20+ years. Good to have a thorough going-over before winter and they checked the brakes (front pads and rear shoes still have good wear depth left) as well as everything else. Water pump has been leaking so it got replaced. The total will be $$$ when I pick it up tomorrow but I'll be comfortable using the truck as needed this winter and next spring. Good to know whom you can trust. The wife and I developed a relationship with the Kmart Service Center which also did minor engine repair. Had the Kmart Service Center's telephone number and would call them when we needed something done and most times they could fit us in to their work load. If the wife went in and they told her she needed work done on her Suburban, I knew that the work needed to be done. It is difficult to develop trust in auto repair shops especially for females, but the guys at the Kmart Service Center were honest. We would take them cookies and pies at Christmas for the service that they provided. We were shocked when Kmart closed this store. We the started using an auto repair shop started by two cousins that we grew up with. Texican....
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Post by papaof2 on Oct 7, 2021 23:46:36 GMT -6
"We would take them cookies and pies at Christmas for the service that they provided."
Nothing like a little bribery to get good service ;-)
I've done that for several PT/OT folks over time and got the "You baked brownies?" every time. Being male and having hair and beard turning gray (US) or grey (UK and Commonwealth countries), doesn't mean that I can't turn out a baked sweet now and then ;-) I can also frost a cake, grill one of the two best onion burgers in the Southeastern US (per one son-in-law), rebuild an internal combustion engine (flathead, OHV or OHC), replace a pocket in my work jeans or sew the hem on a 10-year-old Pilgrim's skirt. No, I don't paint pictures - except with words.
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Post by texican on Oct 9, 2021 11:42:04 GMT -6
Nothing like a little bribery to get good service ;-)
When given with good will to the receiver, makes a world of difference to the receiver for they know it is given from the heart.
The night before our 44th anniversary, I gave the wife a purple orchid plant that I saw at Kroger's among dozens of orchid plants and knew that this one was for the wife and she loved it. Gifts given from the heart have meaning beyond description for the receiver and giver.
Texican....
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