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Mentor

What's outside of your picture window today?

Posted by John, Volunteer Mentor @johnbishop, Nov 25, 2020

As we get ready for the real winter to show up and COVID-19 still playing a major part in our lives I like to spend moments of my day de-stressing about what's going on in the world today. All I have to do is look out the window and observe some of natures beautiful creatures, how they interact and ponder how small it makes my troubles seem. Sometimes I may even get the opportunity to take a photo or two. How about you? Anything going on outside of your window(s) that you want to share?

For those members that have the ability to size your photos before you upload them to the discussion, may I suggest using the following sizes:
– 500 x 335 pixels (landscape)
– 210 x 210 pixels (square)

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Just Want to Talk Support Group.

Mentor
Lori, Volunteer Mentor | @loribmt | Aug 27, 2021
In reply to @johnbishop "Hi Elizabeth, Our friend @loribmt mentioned the swatters a few weeks ago and I bought a..." + (show)
@johnbishop

Hi Elizabeth, Our friend @loribmt mentioned the swatters a few weeks ago and I bought a couple of them. Mine is rechargeable and has a flashlight in the handle. Easy to use but never seems to be around when I need it 🙃 You just hold a little button down on the handle and swat the little buggers.

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Ooo John, you went deeeluxe! I saw that one too but went with the lesser model and bought 3. Still 3000 watts and the “smite” button is quite effective. LOL. Hate deer flies! It works on skeeters too but I’m not out when the worst of them are biting. You saw my non-existent eye today after the mosquito bite 2 days ago. I’ve never been bothered by mosquitoes before! Must be my new blood type? CraZY.

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Lori, Volunteer Mentor | @loribmt | Aug 27, 2021
In reply to @ess77 "@sueinmn, @johnbishop, @loribmt, @becsbuddy, and all... I've been resting all day upstairs in my recliner, on..." + (show)
@ess77

@sueinmn, @johnbishop, @loribmt, @becsbuddy, and all...

I've been resting all day upstairs in my recliner, on the phone making appts, hiring housekeeper, etc.
You will never guess what I'm now doing. ITCHING! In the last couple hours, I've gotten bitten several times by skeeters! Arm. elbow, back of knee, ankle, thigh......just killed one! I can't slap them 'cause of the arthritis in my fingers/hands/wrists etc. Bought a solar zapper for pario, it helps but not enough. Just got one for inside. I have it hanging in the den/kitchen area off the patio. Good. It catches and dehydrate them!!!! Tiny bit of guilt at killing, but not much at all!

NOw, have another one I ordered should be here tomorrow, plug in to use outside a little and inside upstairs a lot. Also, did you know they make huge fly/skeeter swat zappers? They do! I got 2 yesterday and will have one upstairs, one downstairs as soon as I figure out how to make them work! Now, this is a whole lot of energy expended on killing little biting bugs. Guess what Sue could do with my project????

Just killed one on the laptop screen! i'm getting better...
Love you all. Gotta' go and get some benadryl. CBD cream and to be. elizabeth

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Oh, Elizabeth. You have my empathy!! Those buggers are so awful this year! Since I’ve been tapering off my immunosuppressants, I’m reacting more to the mosquito bites than ever. Each time I get a bite it swells up like half a grapefruit, even after packing with ice.
2 days ago I got a small bite above my eye. Took Benadryl right away and when I woke up yesterday morning, I had a egg sized bump over my eye. It morphed last night into a marshmallow involving my eyelids and area around. LOL. I look like I got decked with a fist!! My husband’s embarrassed to go out with me anywhere for fear someone will think he punched me in the eye. 👀. Hahaha.

For the itching though give the hot spoon trick a try. Actually I use a table knife, more surface area. Anyway, run it under very hot tap water then apply to the bite! It takes the itch away.

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1 reply
Mentor
Chris, Volunteer Mentor | @auntieoakley | Aug 27, 2021
In reply to @joyces "Although western Oregon is known as being rainy, we're really suffering from drought, even here on..." + (show)
@joyces

Although western Oregon is known as being rainy, we're really suffering from drought, even here on the normally moldy, damp coast! Last September, we had a forest fire seven miles north of us that took nearly 300 homes, mostly of low-income tourism workers, a real tragedy. We've been on fire alert since early April. We've already packed the most expensive of our mass of collectible fly fishing tackle, and I have an outsized box ready to hold the most valuable original art, fly plates, for when we're evacuated this year. Last year, I learned that while you're throwing things into the car to evacuate, you really need to look at what you're wearing: we have a well, so no water without electricity (which had been out for three days), so I'd been dipping water out of our creek to force flush the toilet, wearing my absolute worst yard clothes. I did grab a basket that had come out of the dryer just before the 'lectricity went out, but it didn't have anything useful for when we were staying in my son-in-law's late gramma's house in a very upscale neighborhood. This year, we are better prepared! I've owned this place for 60 years and have only worried about too much moisture in the past...hard to believe that everything's so terribly dry.

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I live in southwest Oregon, this totally brown, smoky space is usually pretty green on the edge of an old growth forest. We live on the 5 corridor not the coast but still this is soooooo crazy this year.
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3 replies
ess77 - Elizabeth | @ess77 | Aug 27, 2021
In reply to @loribmt "Oh, Elizabeth. You have my empathy!! Those buggers are so awful this year! Since I’ve been..." + (show)
@loribmt

Oh, Elizabeth. You have my empathy!! Those buggers are so awful this year! Since I’ve been tapering off my immunosuppressants, I’m reacting more to the mosquito bites than ever. Each time I get a bite it swells up like half a grapefruit, even after packing with ice.
2 days ago I got a small bite above my eye. Took Benadryl right away and when I woke up yesterday morning, I had a egg sized bump over my eye. It morphed last night into a marshmallow involving my eyelids and area around. LOL. I look like I got decked with a fist!! My husband’s embarrassed to go out with me anywhere for fear someone will think he punched me in the eye. 👀. Hahaha.

For the itching though give the hot spoon trick a try. Actually I use a table knife, more surface area. Anyway, run it under very hot tap water then apply to the bite! It takes the itch away.

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@loribmt , @johnbishop , @joyces, and all
Just got back upstairs after an hour downstairs chkg mail, patio, feeders, etc...no open doors or windows....have 5 more bites!

I 'm back upstairs now, took benadryl pills, more CBD cream and now I'm about ok and can get to bed.

I tried the spoon thing, didn't help. Will try again hope it works.

Lori, my dear, this is nuts! You're having a horrible time, too. Can't understand what's happening to you and me. You have new, sweet blood. Might be reason. I don't. Have only autoimmune wonky as reason. Doc did say that can be what's happening....can't fight anything now. I hope there's some way to fix this soon....I have to get relief.

Good night all
Bless each of you and especially Lori and Elizabeth with relief from bug bites.
Ess

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Mentor
Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Aug 27, 2021
In reply to @auntieoakley "I live in southwest Oregon, this totally brown, smoky space is usually pretty green on the..." + (show)
@auntieoakley

I live in southwest Oregon, this totally brown, smoky space is usually pretty green on the edge of an old growth forest. We live on the 5 corridor not the coast but still this is soooooo crazy this year.

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My nieces in Portland had to install central air with an included air purifier, and to forego many hikes and camping trips this year. It's totally crazy. Worst drought here since 1976.

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Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Aug 27, 2021
In reply to @gingerw "This year the deer loved my cherry trees, and the cherry plums. They did leave the..." + (show)
@gingerw

This year the deer loved my cherry trees, and the cherry plums. They did leave the rose bushes alone since there is lavender planted between them. Wild blackberries were fair game, for both the deer and bear. But the roses only flushed once, due to the drought.
Ginger

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We got tired of sharing our apples with the Apple maggots, worms, wasps and DEER- took the trees out. Now we get our apples at the local orchard.
Sue

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Mentor
Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Aug 27, 2021
In reply to @auntieoakley "I live in southwest Oregon, this totally brown, smoky space is usually pretty green on the..." + (show)
@auntieoakley

I live in southwest Oregon, this totally brown, smoky space is usually pretty green on the edge of an old growth forest. We live on the 5 corridor not the coast but still this is soooooo crazy this year.

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Oh, I happily feed them -except the deer. Anyway, it's illegal to put out corn and lure them in the city.

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Mentor
Lori, Volunteer Mentor | @loribmt | Sep 2, 2021

@artist01 @ess77 @lioness @jakedduck1 (just to get their attention. ☺️)
Early morning photos watching the fog burn off the lake. 2 otters swam by at the perfect time. They were a little camera shy though so when they saw me it was, Bloop! Then just a tail…
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2 replies
artist01 | @artist01 | Sep 2, 2021
In reply to @loribmt "@artist01 @ess77 @lioness @jakedduck1 (just to get their attention. ☺️) Early morning photos watching the fog..." + (show)
@loribmt

@artist01 @ess77 @lioness @jakedduck1 (just to get their attention. ☺️)
Early morning photos watching the fog burn off the lake. 2 otters swam by at the perfect time. They were a little camera shy though so when they saw me it was, Bloop! Then just a tail…

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@loribmt What an awesome way to start your day in your little patch of heaven, Lori! Great photos.

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lioness | @lioness | Sep 2, 2021
In reply to @loribmt "@artist01 @ess77 @lioness @jakedduck1 (just to get their attention. ☺️) Early morning photos watching the fog..." + (show)
@loribmt

@artist01 @ess77 @lioness @jakedduck1 (just to get their attention. ☺️)
Early morning photos watching the fog burn off the lake. 2 otters swam by at the perfect time. They were a little camera shy though so when they saw me it was, Bloop! Then just a tail…

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@loribmt Looks so peaceful thanks for sharing

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