THOROUGLY THURSDAY

[Indiana]

I was going to tell Kathryn the same thing - thyroid are TSH.

I am anemic and my cardiologist said to start taking a different vitamin. Instead of a multivitamin I need to start taking a vitamin for pregnant women. It has a higher % for iron than the other vitamins. It also has higher amounts of some of the other things too. I am already on B-12, potassium, and magnesium oxide by script.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Welcome, Ellyphant!

We have a couple of BO people here. I'm not one of them!

TSH is the only thyroid test that was done. My level is 4. Hmmmmm, within the limits according to the printout but I've now read about the controversy about the 'normal' range and I'm outside of the proposed normal range. Might raise that with the doctor (not that I'll be going back to her - we never get called back in after a blood test and I wouldn't even know what my results were except I'm now asking that all results be faxed to me too.)

BTW: my total cholesterol (at 5.22 mmol/L) is just over the desired range (less than 5.2 mmol/L) In Canada we calculate numbers differently so those numbers will seem strange to most of you. OTOH, my Triglycerides are .82, my HDL is 1.89 therefore my LDL is 2.95. My TC/HDLC ratio is 2.8 which is excellent so I feel free to ignore the 5.22 TC number. It will be interesting to see if my doctor mentions this or not.

I'm wondering if my LDL number is higher than in the past (no way of knowing because I don't have previous results.) If so, it's probably because I've been eating beef almost daily to offset the effects of the bleeding. And looking at my reduced ferritin levels, it's a good thing I was!

Indiana Cos tco stopped carrying our multi-vitamin but still had the senior version. Feeling old these days, I read the label carefully and decided against it because it didn't have iron in it. So I'm using the much more expensive name brand until they get my regular one back in.

Over in Health and Fitness I asked if anyone else had been following the new controversy over calcium supplements. I take some, but not a lot, despite being told to do so by the rheumatologist (she wanted supplements of 1500 mg of calcium and 1500iu of Vit. D.) I chose to up my dairy intake instead. I will admit to not getting enough calcium when I'm on the road. On the ship and in Asia it is virtually impossible to find fresh milk and neither dh nor I like UHT milk (unless we sweeten it with syrup.) So when on the road, I'm hard pressed to get one serving of milk a day and count on my supplements (which add up to two servings, or just 550 mg) to carry me through until I'm home.

I'm not old enough to have had a bone-density test yet but I'm hoping all my weight bearing exercise will hold me in good stead if I'm not getting enough calcium.

[Sadie]

Happy Birthday Dee!

Welcome Home Indiana!

Welcome to ellyphant!

Waving to all!

[Twins' Mom]

Waving to all this morning. Had a good meeting with the rabbi; afterwards walked around to the street side our our building, which we rarely use. Homeless people in our area use our front steps for shelter and have been defecating and urinating in a side area that is secluded. I'm thinking we need to install an attractive tall metal fence to close off that area. Ya know, I don't mind them using our steps and covered area but the stench in this more secluded area was nauseating.

I will try to take some photos to post here sometime soon!

MT, so do you hear "Bob-Whiiiiiite"? all the time with your quail around? It's been eons since I've heard one.

[DeeClutter]

What sweet birthday wishes! Going to have to copy them and save them to look at as the year goes by.

We're all 'friends' here, Ellyphant and we're glad to have you among us!

Took dh to H Dep to get more lumber he'd forgotten for the new steps to our main sliding door. He went for 2x10's, had them cut to save him time. When he put them on the cut-out steps he realized he'd bought 2x12's! So that time saved has evaporated. We also bo ught 8 bags of mulch and some wave petunias for under our tree out front. He figured on finishing the steps and getting them primed, but I'm not sure he'll get that all done. He's going to the funeral home about 3 and has a game to go to at 4:15. Then we're going from there out to dinner.

Discussed his shortness of breath (etc) issue and he did say that his Dr. had mentioned COPD -duh! I've thought that for ever so long! I know there's no cure but do feel they may be able to help him. He is so used to being active and it's increasingly difficult for him.

Made up the bed once we got back and have been cuop since. Need to call DB/DSIL and give them DSis's address. She wrote me last night so it was good to finally hear something from her. She's 'doing' about as I expected. Some up/some down. Still don't know when dniece's ashes are being buried. She's waiting for her ex's say-so.

[Nancy]

Happy Birthday Dee!
Welcome Ellyphant.

A local penny shopper paper today has an add for "Young laying hens $12.50 ea."
for six that would be $75.oo I'm doing some research. Now trying to get a link to see how much chicks & pullets are.

I had wierd dreams about knitting & yarn.

[Emptynester]

Twins: No Bob White. These are Gamble's Quail - they just chuckle. See Picture here: http://www.thatquailplace.com/quail/gamble.htm

Off to PT

[Nancy]

We have quail like there here see 'em several times a week dgd pointed out one yesterday on our walk when she was in the stroller.

Called for prices on younger chicks at one place, h. has vetoed bantums pretty much not sure
if I'm committed enough but it's fun to investigate options at this point. Does any one know what color eggs barred rock lay?

[helia]

nancy, we have barred rocks and they lay tan eggs. You can google barred rock eggs under images and find pictures.

Lovely to have you join us, Ellyphant.

I don't know if we have quail here or not. Maybe we're too far north? We certainly do have skunks; in fact, we have a skunk problem this year. We smell them almost every day, behind our house. Pepper hasn't had her annual skunking - yet. I've seen an abundance of hawks this spring too; not sure what that is about.

I'm home from the picnic and have put everything away. I think I ate OK.

The workers are here. They are very nearly finished!! Maybe I'll post some before and after photos.

My a.m. routine is done. I may make a couple phone calls before the kids come home. I need to start the breadmaker before I leave around 3:10 to take dd16 to her art session with an artist friend. We have the Thursday dinner crew over tonight. Dfriend S is inviting another friend/work colleague to join us, at least for tonight. We had talked about this beforehand, and I had suggested she ask her this week.

I'm feeling SO sleepy now. It is tempting to lay down. . . .

[Harriet]

Nearly frantic to answer here so many thoughts. Yet, interruptions make me nuts. I think I may have news of extensive proportions (NOEP).

Nancy, all Plymouth Rocks lay brown eggs, and nice large ones. Barred Rocks are very hardy, large, and it was a Rock rooster we had who fought off the hawk. (That's how powerful the roosters are, just a heads up! But hens are sweet, of course, like helia's!) HRH was shocked when I paid $15 apiece for the two 6-month pullets I bought, but when you think about all the lady had to provide for so long, and she had to be present every day... ... it wouldn't even be worth her feed cost to sell for much less. I love to look at bantams and they are cheap to feed, but you have to worry about them if winter is cold, if a predator comes.

Kathryn, what did dr say about TSH 4? Different labs, of course, and even different countries for you and me, but TSH 4 for me was a big red flag to my dr. At 3.5 he wanted me on Armour Thyroid pills. I would have to scratch my head more about other numbers - I think tryglicerides sound good, don't they...it? Anyway, HOORAY for insisting upon fax, HOORAY for researching on your own.

Emptynester, you know WHY Twins' Mom and I have not heard our quail in so long, don't you? Coyote. We never had coyote here until I was an adult and even then for a long time it was considered a fluke. Some people didn't even believe the sightings, and thought there was over-reaction to wild dogs. All that time we had so many quail, you would see them all the time. It was commonplace to have to slow a car for a mama quail pretending to limp so you would follow her and not notice her nest. Now their population is wiped out here, and rabbits are almost gone - it's a big deal everyone talks about.

* NOEP
And news here of a really BAD guy NC State professor writes in our regional newspaper that she and others have been intensely studying the introduced Python that is harming the Everglades so much and says wildlife there are helpless against it. AND that the python has no particular need for warm climates, and in native habitats ranges well into climates similar to Georgia, both Carolinas, likely VA. And for those states and any points west of those with similar climate, there is NO animal/carnivore present to give a python any trouble, no natural barrier at all.

Yay, photo possibilities from helia and Twins'Mom.
Twins' Mom, I'll bet you mean you will show house photos, not the photos regarding the sentences just before the photo mention? I'd rather see the house... ...

* NOEP
Yikes, mail carrier (my sweet cousin) stopped me with the big community news - Our "__ and W" cafeteria is closing, and they are now saying the " and W" cafeterias of all first-letter-types may be closing all over!!! WHY? They always have a line. This is sad, for sure. Where else can you buy... you know, FOOD that's ordinary and simple. My dear uncle goes there every other day because his dw is now blind and both of them have teeth issues and he can bring her home good, soft foods from the cafeteria so their meals have variety. Sigh.

Cool to see Indiana's card-file box on the table here.

I believe I have exhausted my information-of-the-day.