Daily Check-In Thread

[Lady Sarah]

It was down in the 40s here again last night. Squirrelly weather everywhere.

If recent history tells us anything, come July and August, the severe heat will hit the northern states with a vengeance. Better make sure your AC units are in tip top condition. Maybe even pick up an extra window unit or two before the stores run out.

 

[DogMan]

2, 3, 6. Response to traumas. Thoughts begin as intrusive memories and flashbacks, turn to imagined response. Shoving coworkers heads into desks or windows, from old workplace where I experienced bullying. Setting fire to doctors’ clinics who have belittled, coerced and mistreated me. Tayla after coercion to NDIS, stomping on her throat, messing up her hair etc. More often verbal shouting thoughts, but also visual with sense of proprioception involved. Several hours a day. Suicidal thoughts also, and trying to work out logistics of jumping in front of a train


21, 22. Was context dependent and tied back to adolescent/childhood abuse. I worked in child care in Canberra, I had always been taught that i was a monster. Changing nappies, I would experience repulsive image based thoughts of rape. Experience repugnant groinal response


23. Towards recent health professionals. Particularly Beenish 2016, bending her over and fist fucking her. Some towards Tayla, after she tried to coerce me into NDIS. Towards Dr Wong, if he ever blocks the exit


37. Neighbours sometimes make me question if they are hallucinated. It can seem that way. My first period of hearing voices began as thinking it was neighbours shouting commands, but it wasn’t


42. Heart palpitations and stiff jaw, particularly when tired, after GP and cardiologist drew attention to these. I often watch porn, to correct heart rhythm


54. Mental checking for intrusive memories and thoughts “Am i thinking about Beenish?”. Checking for updated policies by organisations tied to trumas, for reassurance that it won’t happen again. Mental checking/Reviewing traumatic memories


58. Counting down toaster. Accompanied by walking to back door and touching door handle


61. I sometimes attempt to plant an earworm/catchy song, to replace repulsive thoughts


62. Emails. To health care, MPs, government bodies. CCed to friends and family for them to check the email that I sent


64. Staying awake to prevent harm to mum or other events in my sleep. Avoiding medication to avoid side effects and control by doctors and health professionals


67. Grade 5 I went quite bald, but it was at least partly psoriasis related hair pulling

 

[Lady Sarah]

Nice weather today. Got most of my stuff done before noon. Decided to smoke a turkey. First food item to get cooked in the smoker I built. After 3 hours of sitting in an open pot with 4 cans of beer, it turned out nice and juicy. Very subtle flavor of beer throughout the bird. I used Lone Star, which is nasty to drink, but great to cook with. No chance of getting drunk on the turkey, since the alcohol is cooked out (vaporized). I call this a win for my smoker, since it met all my expectations.

 

[misswish]

Morning!

What the heck happened to having a Spring? It barely started, now we're in the high 90's and breaking 100*! It's way too early for these temps. I'm glad I only have to leave the house once or maybe twice a week. Even Jessie won't go out during the day, poor girl. And boy is she ever shedding! I'm afraid to brush her more than I am, I don't want to tear up her skin.

I'm still slowly working on down-sizing stuff around here. I've found things that I haven't seen since we moved! That I haven't even thought of. Makes it easy to put in the donation box. A few things are useful to me.

Stay safe and healthy

 

[DogMan]

mostly in the 50s F or 10s C here



terrible

 

[nadalama]

mostly in the 50s F or 10s C here



terrible

Not all that much different here. Computer says 65 F, but it doesn't feel that warm, probably because it's damp and overcast outside.

I'm interested to know how the year generally goes for others, anyone who feels so inclined and has the time.

Our weather by month in a relatively normal year, at best an average:

Jan cold/snowy, Feb cold, Mar chilly/windy, Apr temperate/rainy, May temperate/rainy, June hotter, July hot/dry but humid, Aug hot/dry but humid, Sept mostly temperate/damp, Oct cool, Nov colder, Dec cold

Hot is mid-seventies and up at night to mid-nineties and up during the day
Hotter is mid-to-high sixties at night to high eighties/low nineties during the day
Temperate is fifties at night, seventies to low eighties during the day
Cool is thirties or forties at night to mid-fifties during the day
Chilly is twenties or thirties at night to mid-forties during the day
Colder is teens to thirties at night, high thirties to mid-forties during the day
Cold is teens to twenties at night, at most mid forties during the day

I'm sure there is a big variation even between different areas of the States, but we and Oz are turned on our heads in relation to each other, I expect, possibly except for temperate months.

 

[DogMan]

@nadalama interesting

Jan hot/dry with frequent electrical/rain storms "90s" in your terms
Feb crazy hot dry in every sense, not humid, 100s/110s
march still days in low 90s, but mostly 80s with increasing 70s
April often wet, 70s
may leaves change on non native deciduous trees (I think there is 2 natives that shed, but not my area) nights 40s and 50s, days 60s. often wet
june dark and getting cold and what we call frosty, but aparently melbourne "frost" is just called "dew" in north usa
july hibernate because days in the 50s, nights in the 30s. the hours light we get are overcast
august as july, wattle trees start blooming with increasing light
september i think we get 80s? more sun, but chily at night (50s)
october is pretty nice, consistent 80s and sun
november more 90s, storms
december higher 90s. BBQs outdoors for the holidays etc. Storms

MELBOURNE'S 6 SEASONS

 

[Train]

Almost through my first year here - so it may vary a bit, but here's what it seems like so far.

Any month: Sunny like 90% of the time
Any month: Evening, temp drop of 30 degrees

Jan 60
Feb 65
Mar 70
Apr 75, windy
May 90
Jun 95
Jul 110
Aug 105
Sep 95
Oct 85
Nov 75
Dec 60

 

[Lady Sarah]

The normal weather for me is now 300 miles to the east due to weather pattern shift. We actually had rain today, but not enough for our outdoor weather station to measure... so less than .009 inches. Today's high was a meager 102°F.

I was able (over the last 2 days) to make a new knife using recycled materials. It took two days because my ass went back in the house to cool off at least once per hour.

 

[DogMan]

Autumn

 

[DogMan]

 

[Lady Sarah]

113°F right now. I'm staying inside the house! The news is flooded with the big story about a major wildfire between that city and where I live. The only town inbetween has been evacuated. We can see the smoke from our back yard, but (fortunately) can't smell it. The fire is big enough to form cumulus clouds.

https://www.bigcountryhomepage.com/news/live-updates-mesquite-heat-fire-burning-in-taylor-county/

 

[Jimi]

Not all that much different here. Computer says 65 F, but it doesn't feel that warm, probably because it's damp and overcast outside.

I'm interested to know how the year generally goes for others, anyone who feels so inclined and has the time.

Our weather by month in a relatively normal year, at best an average:

Jan cold/snowy, Feb cold, Mar chilly/windy, Apr temperate/rainy, May temperate/rainy, June hotter, July hot/dry but humid, Aug hot/dry but humid, Sept mostly temperate/damp, Oct cool, Nov colder, Dec cold

Hot is mid-seventies and up at night to mid-nineties and up during the day
Hotter is mid-to-high sixties at night to high eighties/low nineties during the day
Temperate is fifties at night, seventies to low eighties during the day
Cool is thirties or forties at night to mid-fifties during the day
Chilly is twenties or thirties at night to mid-forties during the day
Colder is teens to thirties at night, high thirties to mid-forties during the day
Cold is teens to twenties at night, at most mid forties during the day

I'm sure there is a big variation even between different areas of the States, but we and Oz are turned on our heads in relation to each other, I expect, possibly except for temperate months.

We had a normal winter
But have had a record wet spring, well if you wanna call it spring, which changed to the 90's, for a few days, set a record one day, All our heat blew up from where @Lady Sarah lives.

 

[Jimi]

113°F right now. I'm staying inside the house! The news is flooded with the big story about a major wildfire between that city and where I live. The only town inbetween has been evacuated. We can see the smoke from our back yard, but (fortunately) can't smell it. The fire is big enough to form cumulus clouds.

https://www.bigcountryhomepage.com/news/live-updates-mesquite-heat-fire-burning-in-taylor-county/

I hope something happens to keep it from gettin to where you live my friend, please keep us posted.

 

[Lady Sarah]

I hope something happens to keep it from gettin to where you live my friend, please keep us posted.

They had to call in what they call "Gold Star" firefighting teams after the fire broke containment on Wednesday. It is currently more than 20 miles from me, which is some relief. It even made the prime time national news on NBC.

As for the heat blowing its way up north, especially along the eastern states (from what I saw on the news) I did tell y'all it was coming. It's early tho. Better make sure y'alls AC units are cleaned before running 'em. Not only will they be more energy efficient, but cool off your homes better.

 

[nadalama]

They had to call in what they call "Gold Star" firefighting teams after the fire broke containment on Wednesday. It is currently more than 20 miles from me, which is some relief. It even made the prime time national news on NBC.

As for the heat blowing its way up north, especially along the eastern states (from what I saw on the news) I did tell y'all it was coming. It's early tho. Better make sure y'alls AC units are cleaned before running 'em. Not only will they be more energy efficient, but cool off your homes better.

I hope the fire doesn't come anywhere close to you. It isn't just the risk of life/home/property loss, but the respiratory effects of a fire like that can be so destructive for a large area around it. We talk about cigarettes having all the bad chemicals, but random fire beats cigarettes by a mile for its toxic contents and the havoc it wreaks on people.

 

[DogMan]

37*F

and, it is even worse when expressed as 2*C

 

[nadalama]

37*F

and, it is even worse when expressed as 2*C

I'll trade ya. 91F here. Almost 33C? Aircon weather for me.

 

[DogMan]

I'll trade ya. 91F here. Almost 33C? Aircon weather for me.

If it is dry heat that sounds nice

If it is more air like hot soup then I think that I am good as is

 

[nadalama]

If it is dry heat that sounds nice

If it is more air like hot soup then I think that I am good as is

We rarely do "dry" here. Most of the time when it gets over about 85F it's like a steam bath outside.

 

[Lady Sarah]

We rarely do "dry" here. Most of the time when it gets over about 85F it's like a steam bath outside.

Around here, it's a dry heat. But, when it's over 110°F, you can't get away from it, even in the shade. Even the wind will blister and dry out your skin.

 

[DogMan]

 

[DogMan]

 

[Lady Sarah]

Update on the Mesquite Heat Fire:

Mostly under containment. Crews continue to clear areas around the 15 square mile burned zone for fire breaks, and continue putting out hot spots. Most evacuation orders have been lifted.

 

[nadalama]

If recent history tells us anything, come July and August, the severe heat will hit the northern states with a vengeance. Better make sure your AC units are in tip top condition. Maybe even pick up an extra window unit or two before the stores run out.

11 am here, May 21, and it's 95 degrees outside. You were absolutely right.

Great news on containment of that fire. I hope things continue to improve.

 

[nadalama]

Every time you post pics of that water I just cannot believe how clear it is!

All the coastlines I've ever been to (Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Pacific, Tampa Bay, Escambia Bay, Chesapeake Bay), I've only seen water clear like that once. Hubbs and I went to the Gulf coast of Florida on vacation a few years ago and we took an airboat ride out into the Gulf. The captain took us way out from shore, and the water in some areas was less than 3 feet deep, and it was clear enough to see sponges and anemones. Closer to shore, though, it is not clear, I guess because of salt, silt, and sand that stays stirred up all the time.

There are some streams up in the higher mountains that run clear, but even rivers and lowland streams, the water is almost always at least cloudy.

 

[DogMan]

Every time you post pics of that water I just cannot believe how clear it is!

All the coastlines I've ever been to (Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Pacific, Tampa Bay, Escambia Bay, Chesapeake Bay), I've only seen water clear like that once. Hubbs and I went to the Gulf coast of Florida on vacation a few years ago and we took an airboat ride out into the Gulf. The captain took us way out from shore, and the water in some areas was less than 3 feet deep, and it was clear enough to see sponges and anemones. Closer to shore, though, it is not clear, I guess because of salt, silt, and sand that stays stirred up all the time.

There are some streams up in the higher mountains that run clear, but even rivers and lowland streams, the water is almost always at least cloudy.

it's not always like that. Maybe i'm just more likely to post pics at peak prettiness or something?

 

[gopher_byrd]

I got an email from my insurance company this morning. They have approved my hip replacement surgery! This means my doc's office can schedule my surgery this week. He's booked through June so the earliest would be in July which is fine with me.

Walking without pain, what a concept...

 

[misswish]

Morning!

I hope you are all doing well! Sorry I haven't posted, I needed some me time. It's pretty hot here lately, we had very little Spring. Jessie has been keeping track of birds outside and keeping them off of the deck, lol. I've gotten into audio books, wish my library/Libby had a larger selection. They are expensive to buy! Anyway, I'm off to do some mixing before I run out.

Stay safe and healthy

 

[Lady Sarah]

We finally got some rain. It knocked out the internet station for 2 days, so we are switching to another company that we are hoping is more reliable.

The Mesquite Heat Fire is now at 60% contained after burning 11,000 acres. Crews are still working hard. Most evacuation orders have been lifted.

 

[Jimi]

Great pictures, I like seein them

 

[Jimi]

Good Mornin everyone
I hope everyone is doin well
Thought this was worth postin

 

[DogMan]

 

[Lady Sarah]

Today was our day to go shopping in the city. Hubs decided to stop at a vape store to look at their inventory. For some reason, he was looking at ohm readers. Most of what they had were little bitty ones with battery compartments that were hard to open to see what type of battery they used.

Then, an employee said he was looking to sell one of his kits. Hubs knows my birthday is 2 weeks away, and he is always trying hard to figure out what I will actually use. The kit looked to be in excellent condition, and came with extra gear. He bought it for me.

 

[DogMan]

i'm always self conscious of posting about cold in the presence of canadians and northern US folk

but, it is 30s F, gusty, wet, miserable

 

[nadalama]

i'm always self conscious of posting about cold in the presence of canadians and northern US folk

but, it is 30s F, gusty, wet, miserable

No need to be self-conscious. People here in the southern parts of this country are much more accustomed to heat, and they feel the cold much more than some others. Same with you - in summer you live with heat that some of us here can't even imagine. That 117 degrees that Sarah mentioned a week or two ago just blows my mind. A couple of days later, it was 95 degrees here by about 10 am, and we were just about to fall over! That's even with air conditioning going - it doesn't keep up too well when the temp gets upward of about 90 degrees.

The other thing is that people who have never lived near the coast really underestimate how cold 30 degrees feels when combined with the wind off the water. I nearly froze my patootie off when we lived in Pensacola, Florida and I was out and about in the wintertime. Yeah, it was Florida, but it was cold and the wind and moisture in the air makes it feel even colder than the temperature would suggest.

 

[Lady Sarah]

No need to be self-conscious. People here in the southern parts of this country are much more accustomed to heat, and they feel the cold much more than some others. Same with you - in summer you live with heat that some of us here can't even imagine. That 117 degrees that Sarah mentioned a week or two ago just blows my mind. A couple of days later, it was 95 degrees here by about 10 am, and we were just about to fall over! That's even with air conditioning going - it doesn't keep up too well when the temp gets upward of about 90 degrees.

The other thing is that people who have never lived near the coast really underestimate how cold 30 degrees feels when combined with the wind off the water. I nearly froze my patootie off when we lived in Pensacola, Florida and I was out and about in the wintertime. Yeah, it was Florida, but it was cold and the wind and moisture in the air makes it feel even colder than the temperature would suggest.

It does get down to about 20°F during our winters, but never for long. That's about when folks water pipes start freezing up, and then break. Yet, I don't recall seeing that occur up in Wisconsin when it got to -20°F for a week at a time.

Here, you don't walk on any lakes during the Winters. It never stays cold long enough to form thick enough ice. In Wisconsin, they drive pickup trucks to the spot where they drill through the ice to go fishing. Now, climate change may alter that.

The Mesquite Heat Fire is finally under 100% containment. Officially, 10,960 acres have been burned. They are not saying how many homes have been lost. Looking at the map, I went to a moving sale last year at a home valued at over a half million that was in the burned zone.

Between the extreme heat and dry conditions, it doesn't take much for a fire to start. Add winds, and it can get out of control. Driving down the road, we have seen dust devils over 50 feet in diameter on the ground, funnel reaching into clear blue skies. A vortex like that can pick up a piece of wire, strike it against a piece of flint rock, and if there is something dry and flammable nearby, start a wildfire. Sometimes, farmers accidently start them while plowing or harvesting. Dumb shits often start them by welding on fences without taking precautions. Ranchers will often burn debris piles in their fields during red flag warnings. It does take a special kind of stupid.

 

[nadalama]

It does get down to about 20°F during our winters, but never for long. That's about when folks water pipes start freezing up, and then break. Yet, I don't recall seeing that occur up in Wisconsin when it got to -20°F for a week at a time.

Here, you don't walk on any lakes during the Winters. It never stays cold long enough to form thick enough ice. In Wisconsin, they drive pickup trucks to the spot where they drill through the ice to go fishing. Now, climate change may alter that.

The Mesquite Heat Fire is finally under 100% containment. Officially, 10,960 acres have been burned. They are not saying how many homes have been lost. Looking at the map, I went to a moving sale last year at a home valued at over a half million that was in the burned zone.

Between the extreme heat and dry conditions, it doesn't take much for a fire to start. Add winds, and it can get out of control. Driving down the road, we have seen dust devils over 50 feet in diameter on the ground, funnel reaching into clear blue skies. A vortex like that can pick up a piece of wire, strike it against a piece of flint rock, and if there is something dry and flammable nearby, start a wildfire. Sometimes, farmers accidently start them while plowing or harvesting. Dumb shits often start them by welding on fences without taking precautions. Ranchers will often burn debris piles in their fields during red flag warnings. It does take a special kind of stupid.

People who grew up in places like Wisconsin/Minnesota/the Dakotas come up knowing some of the things they have to consistently do to manage that cold. I'm sure their water pipes are buried deeper than we have around here. They also have things like gas additives to keep the fuel from freezing in cars, heat blankets to wrap engines, and clothing to layer on to keep them from losing fingers, toes, and noses. I wouldn't have a clue how to manage that, and I'm sure there's much more that I know nothing about.

We have a heat lamp, near where the water lines come out of the ground underneath the house, that hubbs plugs in during very cold times in the winter. If it gets below about 25 degrees and stays that cold for a while, even leaving the water dripping inside will not keep the pipes from freezing. I have also heard of people wrapping their pipes in heat tape (I think, but we've never done that afaik). Early in our marriage, I remember hubbs having to dig up the water lines and blast them with heat from a blow dryer to try to get them thawed. We lived in an old tumbledown house then, and nothing was insulated worth a damn.

Some moron down the road lit one of his fields on fire a few years ago and it very nearly got away from him. The community volunteer fire department had to help him contain it until it finally burned itself out. There was also a big fire across the ridge that we could see from our back door, where someone had had some acreage logged for timber, and then decided to burn the mess the timber company left behind. I called 911 on that situation, and was told it was a controlled burn. Well, at least they let SOMEONE know. Still doesn't mean it couldn't get out of control. Makes me nervous!

 

[Lady Sarah]

People who grew up in places like Wisconsin/Minnesota/the Dakotas come up knowing some of the things they have to consistently do to manage that cold. I'm sure their water pipes are buried deeper than we have around here. They also have things like gas additives to keep the fuel from freezing in cars, heat blankets to wrap engines, and clothing to layer on to keep them from losing fingers, toes, and noses. I wouldn't have a clue how to manage that, and I'm sure there's much more that I know nothing about.

We have a heat lamp, near where the water lines come out of the ground underneath the house, that hubbs plugs in during very cold times in the winter. If it gets below about 25 degrees and stays that cold for a while, even leaving the water dripping inside will not keep the pipes from freezing. I have also heard of people wrapping their pipes in heat tape (I think, but we've never done that afaik). Early in our marriage, I remember hubbs having to dig up the water lines and blast them with heat from a blow dryer to try to get them thawed. We lived in an old tumbledown house then, and nothing was insulated worth a damn.

Some moron down the road lit one of his fields on fire a few years ago and it very nearly got away from him. The community volunteer fire department had to help him contain it until it finally burned itself out. There was also a big fire across the ridge that we could see from our back door, where someone had had some acreage logged for timber, and then decided to burn the mess the timber company left behind. I called 911 on that situation, and was told it was a controlled burn. Well, at least they let SOMEONE know. Still doesn't mean it couldn't get out of control. Makes me nervous!

I had my time of helping to clear some land up in the California mountains where a land owner grew some unlawful plants and then burned them when law enforcement was on the way. 5 acres burned, so there were 5 acres of manzanita bushes that had to be removed, piled up, and burned. That wood is extremely dense. It's what they sell at places like PetSmart for parrots to chew on.

We would only set fire to those piles after a heavy snow, to protect the forest around that 5 acres. The flames would shoot up over 40 feet high. The only solid substance I have seen that burned hotter than manzanita is coal. I have burned the stuff in a 55 gallon steel drum, and had the bottom half glowing orange. After a month of doing that, the drum was trash. Those bushes get up to 20 feet tall and up to 12 feet across. Deer and bears love the sugary berries.

 

[JuicyLucy]

Glad everyone is holding up okay - nothing much going on here, we are fine

Peace out

 

[DogMan]

See? Not always clear

 

[nadalama]

Yes, I see. That looks much more like the water at our coasts.

 

[DogMan]

just dropped my mod on my foot in a cold bathroom

aussie bathrooms aren't usually heated. And we don't have double glazed windows and only minimal insulation

 

[nadalama]

If your foot wasn't injured, you might be happy the mod landed on it instead of directly on the cold floor. Your foot probably cushioned its fall!

Hope both foot and mod are ok!

 

[DogMan]

If your foot wasn't injured, you might be happy the mod landed on it instead of directly on the cold floor. Your foot probably cushioned its fall!

Hope both foot and mod are ok!

both OK

just a bruise

winter is stupid

 

[DogMan]

 

[DogMan]

 

[Lady Sarah]

We are going to have to re-home our pit. The dander has gotten so bad that I have got pneumonia-like symptoms due to my allergies. Even my prescription allergy medication won't work against this.

Right now, she is living outside, but we can't make her stay outside when temperatures get extreme. That would be cruelty.

In the meanwhile, I have ordered new hepa filters for the air purifier and have been vacuuming the floors and furniture.

 

[DogMan]

projected last few layers digitally

 

[DogMan]