Coronavirus, Covid 19 Discussion and How It Has Affected Your Daily Life Chat Thread

[MROO]

My washing machine broke. It was close to 20yo. Couldn't even get parts anymore. In the intervening time, laundry machines have gotten significantly bigger. We couldn't get a machine that would fit in our laundry room. I've had to have the gas and water plumbing moved to another wall and have all the cabinets moved so I could get machines in there now.

No. Way. was I going to spend a day every week with perfect strangers in a laundromat! A month -- and an ENORMOUS pile of dirty clothes later -- the machines just left S. Korea last Sunday.

Ya know, Holiday decor planning does NOT need to be so complicated. That's an awfully convoluted excuse for putting Santa out on your front yard with a bathtub full of fake bubbles. Next year, just put the blasted thing out there and let people draw their own conclusions on the "why." Hey ... we could make it an essay contest! Now THAT would be entertaining!

 

[SnapdragonQ]

So, we got a fair bit of snow here on Christmas Eve! But first it poured rain so everything iced up then it was triple heavy snow. Decided to stay up and make multiple trips out to the barn so I could sweep/clear/whatever thing you can call the not so fun stuff I did to keep the snow from piling up on the raptor netting. But it worked, so while I was tired yesterday I was also happy not to have to be concerned about that.
I think we got around 8 inches total. The birds were not (and still are not) pleased.
And COLD too! (cold for here)

Given the way this year has gone, I deemed yesterday a day of fun! Fun foods, fun games, and fun activities...cuz, you know... no matter what, parents still have to entertain their kids. Human or furry. Too many cookies were baked, too many videos were played, and general silliness which is exactly what my little family needed.

Late (as usual) but in response to dogs-
I really like Standard Poodles too btw. Or all the ones I have known anyway.

My last dog, my heart dog, left a pretty big hole in my heart so it's taken me a while to be ready again. Standard Poodles are on the list, as are Giant Schnauzers, but more than likely I'm going to adopt from a Greyhound rescue in my area. Been around them before, I love their personalities, and I've always loved the sight hounds. Usually there are a few older or special need dogs there that need homes. The younger ones (under 2) get snapped up in a heart beat, but I'm more than happy to give a forever home to those that have seen their fair share of days. I don't need the puppy phase (although I lurve puppies) to bond with my dog.
And, as a quilter, I can make all the coats, booties, and quilts a dog like that could ever need. Next year might be the year to bring one (or two) home.

 

[IamRainey]

How did your hot chocolate bombs go down, CM? I can't tell you how much I admire that you made your own!

The ones I bought from Costco were a major hit here. They delighted my 34yo son as much as my 10yo grandson. When my son and daughter were packing up their leftovers they took home hot chocolate bombs as well.

 

[TropicalBabies]

Good morning all and Happy Boxing day! For me it is separate the recyclables day. Not as big of a task when one does not have kids living with them and with Covid it has become even less of a task.
DH and I are a little snippy with each other (again). That is definitely how covid effects my day as it has seemed to have been a theme for the last 2 weeks. Guess we will get to the bottom of it eventually- like what is REALLY bothering you???!!! This morning it was just chicken poop vs dog bowls . I don't know what he is talking about....

and I'm sure when we are done with our individual projects. Him- working on reinstalling the solar and feeding horses. Me- total pet care, painting the back railings, home cleaning, cooking, rubbish, recycle, wash vehicles, etc. & lol, we will come together and laugh at ourselves as we usually do, hopefully during this evenings walk. All the crappy news just compounds things... (at least we are not shrugging off a crappy job to go golf and make hate -the brighter side of my day- we are not horrible sub humans!)

A few years ago I lost my dad on Dec 27th, his birthday was Dec 15th. My daughter's b-day is the 20th, mine the 21st, aunties the 25th. I like the season of Christmas and the reason for the season but never really liked the commercial deal and all the hoops we are supposed to jump through because big business and big brother needs us to spend money so they can make the world go round with our materialism according to them... I think reused and handmade are the funniest gifts ever. Losing dad in December did not improve my opinion of anything in Dec but I am happy he is not longer suffering or afraid. He would have hated this pandemic and the state of our country.

Of course this spiel of mine is coming from a person who lives in a little home- and I personally hate clutter at which I seem to be swimming in it (nervous twitch...) at this moment. Time to get outside and start working. Oh, and it is Saturday after a major Holiday... so good to be retired lol. BUT on the flip side of my flip side- it is a gorgeous day today and as always, I have a ton of real tangible things to be grateful for- hope you all do too!!!

Have an awesome day all!!!!! Aloha!

 

[ChocolateMouse]

How did your hot chocolate bombs go down, CM? I can't tell you how much I admire that you made your own!

The ones I bought from Costco were a major hit here. They delighted my 34yo son as much as my 10yo grandson. When my son and daughter were packing up their leftovers they took home hot chocolate bombs as well.

They were kind of funny - we forgot to put out directions for them and some people bit into them like chocolates and had regret. XD Oops but it was funny and most people took it in good humor.

They worked well enough but were kind of a pain to make. We really needed bigger molds.

 

[IamRainey]

What cuties, TropicalBabies!

It's hard for me to wrap my mind around Christmas in the tropics. Of course, it was a tremendous shock to me to move from the NE to SoCal with respect to Christmas too. But over half a century I've gotten this far... And at least our trees are mostly bare and the temps are cold. Maybe not cold enough for snow but cold for us.

We were in HI once just prior to Kalikimaka. I was amused by the trees decorated in tropical colors but I have to admit I was happy to get back home in time for a more traditional Christmas.

I understand in Australia and New Zealand where they're in full blown Summer, Christmas is a barbecue on the beach affair. We weren't in Cape Town long enough to experience their version of Southern Hemisphere Christmas. I think everyone should celebrate in the way that makes them happy and seems traditional in their culture. I truly do! But, as I said, I just can't wrap my mind around it.

 

[IamRainey]

They worked well enough but were kind of a pain to make. We really needed bigger molds.

I hear ya! I saw beautiful handmade ones that had additional chocolate drizzled around them like the rings of Saturn. And then they were rolled in crushed candy cane or Christmas themed sprinkles. Very attractive and fancy. But I figured there's enough going on at this time of year without having to temper chocolate and mold it. Maybe anoother time... For now, I was grateful that Costco had them at a good price.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

@TropicalBabies I feel it. We've been snippy at eachother in my household too on occasions. It's tough to break it down and figure out what's wrong. Today it's that D is feeling overworked and I'm feeling slightly useless because I'm not doing much due to various reasons - there's an "easy" fix to this (just swap who is doing what) but it's taken a few weeks for us to suss that out anyhow. Good communication and figuring out what's actually wrong takes time sometimes. Best of luck.

@IamRainey I spent Xmas in FL one time with G's family. It was VERY strange seeing xmas stuff everywhere while walking in shorts and a tshirt. It's disorienting to be sure. I love that when I'm celebrating Yule people in the southern hemisphere are celebrating Litha. It's very cool in some of my international groups seeing them celebrate the summer while I'm celebrating the winter.
Our cocoa bombs were really simple but if I do it again I'm putting sprinkles on them.

 

[MROO]

So, we got a fair bit of snow here on Christmas Eve! But first it poured rain so everything iced up then it was triple heavy snow. Decided to stay up and make multiple trips out to the barn so I could sweep/clear/whatever thing you can call the not so fun stuff I did to keep the snow from piling up on the raptor netting. But it worked, so while I was tired yesterday I was also happy not to have to be concerned about that.
I think we got around 8 inches total. The birds were not (and still are not) pleased.
And COLD too! (cold for here)

Given the way this year has gone, I deemed yesterday a day of fun! Fun foods, fun games, and fun activities...cuz, you know... no matter what, parents still have to entertain their kids. Human or furry. Too many cookies were baked, too many videos were played, and general silliness which is exactly what my little family needed.

Late (as usual) but in response to dogs-
I really like Standard Poodles too btw. Or all the ones I have known anyway.

My last dog, my heart dog, left a pretty big hole in my heart so it's taken me a while to be ready again. Standard Poodles are on the list, as are Giant Schnauzers, but more than likely I'm going to adopt from a Greyhound rescue in my area. Been around them before, I love their personalities, and I've always loved the sight hounds. Usually there are a few older or special need dogs there that need homes. The younger ones (under 2) get snapped up in a heart beat, but I'm more than happy to give a forever home to those that have seen their fair share of days. I don't need the puppy phase (although I lurve puppies) to bond with my dog.
And, as a quilter, I can make all the coats, booties, and quilts a dog like that could ever need. Next year might be the year to bring one (or two) home.

Back in my misspent dog-show youth, i met the Rosens - the couple responsible for starting the Greyhound rescue in my area. They were the first to "export" retirees and speed-failures from the Massachusetts tracks to the MId-Atlantic, often bringing twenty at a time. Betty was a gem! She described greyhounds as very large lap-cats. Clean, quiet, crazy-fun when excited ... it SO fits! I will warn you, though. If you plan on getting two at once ... you'd better have a BIG couch, 'cuz that's the only way you're gonna have a place to sit!

 

[MROO]

Good morning all and Happy Boxing day! For me it is separate the recyclables day. Not as big of a task when one does not have kids living with them and with Covid it has become even less of a task.
DH and I are a little snippy with each other (again). That is definitely how covid effects my day as it has seemed to have been a theme for the last 2 weeks. Guess we will get to the bottom of it eventually- like what is REALLY bothering you???!!! This morning it was just chicken poop vs dog bowls . I don't know what he is talking about.... View attachment 2464112and I'm sure when we are done with our individual projects. Him- working on reinstalling the solar and feeding horses. Me- total pet care, painting the back railings, home cleaning, cooking, rubbish, recycle, wash vehicles, etc. & lol, we will come together and laugh at ourselves as we usually do, hopefully during this evenings walk. All the crappy news just compounds things... (at least we are not shrugging off a crappy job to go golf and make hate -the brighter side of my day- we are not horrible sub humans!)

A few years ago I lost my dad on Dec 27th, his birthday was Dec 15th. My daughter's b-day is the 20th, mine the 21st, aunties the 25th. I like the season of Christmas and the reason for the season but never really liked the commercial deal and all the hoops we are supposed to jump through because big business and big brother needs us to spend money so they can make the world go round with our materialism according to them... I think reused and handmade are the funniest gifts ever. Losing dad in December did not improve my opinion of anything in Dec but I am happy he is not longer suffering or afraid. He would have hated this pandemic and the state of our country.

Of course this spiel of mine is coming from a person who lives in a little home- and I personally hate clutter at which I seem to be swimming in it (nervous twitch...) at this moment. Time to get outside and start working. Oh, and it is Saturday after a major Holiday... so good to be retired lol. BUT on the flip side of my flip side- it is a gorgeous day today and as always, I have a ton of real tangible things to be grateful for- hope you all do too!!!
View attachment 2464117View attachment 2464115View attachment 2464116View attachment 2464132
Have an awesome day all!!!!! Aloha!

Beautiful Babies!