That's the Way It Crumbles, Cookie-Wise

[Nancy Hart]

Haagen- Dazs Chocolate Cookie Crumble Ice Cream Bars - Krogers​

I just checked. Each one of those has 780 calories. They come in a 3 pack. That's more than the total calories I could burn in a day, even if I mowed the lawn. No way I could stop at just one.

Incidentally there's one thing I don't like about the new Kroger. Kroger carries chocolate covered peanuts (Torn & Glasser brand) in one-pound containers that are to die for. In the old Kroger they were hidden in a corner where you didn't pass by them unless you went looking for them. It still was tempting. In the new Kroger they are right out front. Can't miss 'em.

 

[Joe Riley]

I just checked. Each one of those has 780 calories. They come in a 3 pack. That's more than the total calories I could burn in a day, even if I mowed the lawn. No way I could stop at just one.

Incidentally there's one thing I don't like about the new Kroger. Kroger carries chocolate covered peanuts (Torn & Glasser brand) in one-pound containers that are to die for. In the old Kroger they were hidden in a corner where you didn't pass by them unless you went looking for them. It still was tempting. In the new Kroger they are right out front. Can't miss 'em.

Say "Hello" to 'product placement' & 'impulse items'!

 

[Nancy Hart]

I would see a Chiropractor first, if I were you!

Probably any chiropractor worth his salt would order some tests first, just for CYA purposes. The place she sent me to has all the imaging equipment right there. I went there for the wrist fracture 20 years ago. Very efficient. They get you in and out quickly. No unnecessary repeat visits. As I recall I never actually saw the real doctor. Passed by him in the hall once.

I opted out of surgery back then. A PA type person set my wrist manually like in the western movies. Very painful, and they didn't even give me a bullet to bite on. Take a picture on the spot to see if they did it right before you leave.

The surgery to fix this, if it's what I think, looks very primitive. For now, I just want to know what's really going on. What should I be doing, and what should I NOT be doing. Probably just one more thing I have to learn to adjust to. Could be a lot worse things. I've been lucky so far.

 

[Yvonne Smith]

I think that all chiropractors will take x-rays before they will work on your back and shoulder. For some reason, chiropractor x-rays are not covered under Medicare, like all other x-rays are covered. However, some chiropractors will offer a new person special where they do the scans for free and give you a discount on the first treatment.
If you have facebook, just do an online google search for chiropractors in your area (which might show specials), and then look at your facebook page, which will then be full of ads for chiropractors who are offering the free consultation special.

Bobby just went to see our chiropractor last week, and i looked at their website for some reason, and now facebook is full of ads for me of chiro specials.

 

[Nancy Hart]

The bluebirds settled into the summer house for a second nest about a week ago. I wouldn't have noticed except the two teenagers from the first brood are helping. This adult pair is very secretive, like the chickadees. But the older kids are constantly flying between the deck, the trees, and the top of the bluebird house. So much for privacy.

 

[Joe Riley]

The Bluebird Belles

 

[Nancy Hart]

(5/9/25) Appt with Orthopedic Surgeon

All they did was take an X-ray. The doctor said everything looks fine, no fractures, no dislocations, which of course I figured all along. Plus no arthritis, no bone spurs, even the joint socket looks deep (discourages dislocations). Although they do an MRI at that facility, you have to schedule it in advance. Next Friday. Then back to the doctor the Friday after that, and we go from there.

I read that an MRI can't always show what you need to know unless you tell them specifically what to look for, so I finally told him what I thought it might be. All these appointments are definitely ruining my momentum.

 

[Joe Riley]

(5/9/25) Appt with Orthopedic Surgeon

All they did was take an X-ray. The doctor said everything looks fine, no fractures, no dislocations, which of course I figured all along. Plus no arthritis, no bone spurs, even the joint socket looks deep (discourages dislocations). Although they do an MRI at that facility, you have to schedule it in advance. Next Friday. Then back to the doctor the Friday after that, and we go from there.

I read that an MRI can't always show what you need to know unless you tell them specifically what to look for, so I finally told him what I thought it might be. All these appointments are definitely ruining my momentum.

No, you have just switched to medical momentum. Don't allow yourself to be frustrated.

 

[Nancy Hart]

No, you have just switched to medical momentum. Don't allow yourself to be frustrated.

You are right. How wonderful.

When the doctor walked in yesterday, he set his smartphone to record and laid it on the table near us. He said he records our conversation, then uses an AI app to transcribe it into text and put in the files. Saves him having to write down notes. Got an email last night saying the transcript was available on their patient portal. They forgot to give me read permission. Probably best I don't read it just yet anyway.

 

[Nancy Hart]

Once again I thought the (upper) walls in the bathroom looked almost perfect. Couldn't keep from sneaking in there and running my hands over them. Then I got out that nasty flashlight. So, today I did a second round of fixing flaws, and sanded tonight, both while holding a flashlight. Just got finished putting a coat of drywall sealer on everything. It should be about as good as I can get it now, except possibly the corners.

The bottom 3 feet doesn't look so good but that will be covered with the PVC planks. I've never glued anything to a wall before, especially not behind a toilet with 2" room to work with. I can see glue smeared everywhere and panels ending up stuck to the toilet instead of the wall. Need patience.

 

[Joe Riley]

View attachment 576
Once again I thought the (upper) walls in the bathroom looked almost perfect. Couldn't keep from sneaking in there and running my hands over them. Then I got out that nasty flashlight. So, today I did a second round of fixing flaws, and sanded tonight, both while holding a flashlight. Just got finished putting a coat of drywall sealer on everything. It should be about as good as I can get it now, except possibly the corners.

The bottom 3 feet doesn't look so good but that will be covered with the PVC planks. I've never glued anything to a wall before, especially not behind a toilet with 2" room to work with. I can see glue smeared everywhere and panels ending up stuck to the toilet instead of the wall. Need patience.

Cover the toilet before you glue and do NOT get any glue on the toilet seat!

 

[Joe Riley]

 

[Nancy Hart]

But look how much more floor space they have now. And this is only a guest bathroom.

 

[Marie Mallory]

The Bluebird Belles

Whats with the 'All Shook Up ' song with the girls 1.44 minutes into the video? But I did enjoy the classics they sang.

 

[Nancy Hart]

Speaking of bluebirds, I saw one of the 2 young ones from the first nest feeding the other one seeds from the feeder. They are imitating their parents. So cute.

I wandered around the basement looking for something to make another bird feeder. Ran across a long piece of insulated vinyl siding left over from the porch project. The vinyl can be easily separated from the Styrofoam backing. It will be perfect to use as strips along the edge of the shower opening.



Similar PVC that long and thin can only be found in 4' x 8' sheets. Saved all the trouble of hauling it home and dealing with the waste.

 

[Nancy Hart]

I didn't always hate painting. My mother made me help paint walls as soon as I was tall enough. I thought it was a big deal to do grown up stuff.

At one time I could cut in around the ceiling with right or left hand. But somewhere along the line they started making paint dry as fast as possible, as if that was important. I suppose if you're a paint contractor and want to do 2 coats, collect your money and move on to the next job, it would be. The preparation and clean up are more than half the job anyway. That doesn't change, just because the paint dries faster, does it?

Try cutting in at the ceiling with a brush now. The paint dries on your brush, brush won't slide along, brush strokes start to show because paint has become too thick to self-level. And it ruins a good brush to let it dry out that much. You really should stop and wash out your brushes before you even finish one small room.

Now they sell paint additives to counteract the fast drying. Claim to increase the working time by 10-15 minutes. I'm painting the bathroom ceiling with real ceiling paint today with one of those additives. We'll see if it works.

I can also remember when painting a ceiling with a roller meant you ended up with tiny paint spray spatters all over your hair, face and eyeglasses.

 

[Joe Riley]

Brushes have also changed. Most DIY painters use "throw-aways" My Dad worked at SW when he was young, and always painted with a brush. My Uncle was a professional painter. They owned many beautiful brushes and spent more time cleaning and hanging, and wrapping the brushes almost as long as they used them painting. At least it seemed like that to me.

 

[Nancy Hart]

Brushes have also changed. Most DIY painters use "throw-aways" My Dad worked at SW when he was young, and always painted with a brush. My Uncle was a professional painter. They owned many beautiful brushes and spent more time cleaning and hanging, and wrapping the brushes almost as long as they used them painting. At least it seemed like that to me.

SW = Sherwin-Williams?

I prefer to paint with a brush instead of a roller, even for walls, but it's too slow for the fast drying paint. Did all the walls of the guest bedroom with a Purdy brush and Benjamin Moore paint. Only small paint stores here carry BM paint, and they keep going out of business. There are so few open spaces in this tiny bathroom, a full size roller is not very useful. I ordered a smaller roller (with ball bearings ).

This is Vancouver Carpenter. I like his western Canadian accent. He does mostly drywall videos.

 

[Don Alaska]

SW = Sherwin-Williams?

I prefer to paint with a brush instead of a roller, even for walls, but it's too slow for the fast drying paint. Did all the walls of the guest bedroom with a Purdy brush and Benjamin Moore paint. Only small paint stores here carry BM paint, and they keep going out of business. There are so few open spaces in this tiny bathroom, a full size roller is not very useful. I ordered a smaller roller (with ball bearings ).

This is Vancouver Carpenter. I like his western Canadian accent. He does mostly drywall videos.

I liked the video but I do sometimes use oil-based paint and for that I use natural bristles, not synthetic like you would use for water-based finishes. Two different types of brushes and I don't mix them. The natural brushes tend to be much more expensive than the synthetic ones, so I keep them away form my wife, who actually does most of the water-based painting that we do, but isn't as careful about cleaning the brushes, rollers, and other equipment. We have a saying inn our house when painting is concerned: I do it right, but she gets it done. I so dread all the cleaning and stuff that I avoid doing much except fine finishes and outdoor stuff, while my wife just goes ahead and paints what needs to be painted and if we have to throw some stuff away, so be it. My brush cleaning is a bit different than the video, as I make sure the brush well is clean up inside the bristles near the ferrule, which the carpenter doesn't do.

On a different note, I had a shoulder injury similar to what you experienced @Nancy Hart when handling drywall some years ago. I went to a couple doctors and had images done to no avail. Nothing was found except wear and tear on the ends of my clavicle, probably from handling hay, firewood, and other farm-related stuff. As a last resort, I went to a chiropractor who was familiar with sports injuries and he found a displaced tendon in my shoulder by feel. He said the ligament that held the tendon in place had torn and released the tendon. He pushed the tendon back into place and supported it with tape. He also gave me a supply of transdermal steroid patches to relieve the pain and reduce inflammation. He said if the ligament didn't heal, I would have to have surgery to repair it but it healed to a functional level, but I will never be an MLB pitcher, as I cannot throw a ball as I once could. I have suffered no long-term reduction in function though.

I also like water putty and have used it in many situations over the years that were not in wet locations.

 

[Nancy Hart]

Yeah, I turn the brush upside down, hold the bristles apart, and run water down into the brush to get the paint out from inside. Some say that's not good for the handle. The wood can swell up when too wet and get damaged. I have a brush comb but can't ever find it when I need it. Don't use oil based anything except as a primer/ stain block sometimes, and use a throw away brush.

Your shoulder injury sounds just like mine. I'm not too optimistic. How could your chiropractor support anything with tape? I don't want any surgery if at all possible. If a tendon is severed, they drill a hole all the way through your arm bone and anchor the tendon with a clip on the back side. I think I need to work on increasing range of motion, but don't want to do it in a way that makes things worse, so I'd like to know exactly what's wrong.

(Thanks for the comments, @Don Alaska )