July 14, 2020

Tuesday Night Bullets

Some random Tuesday night bullets...

► I have been craving basil like crazy for a while, which is really random. It's cheaper to buy a live basil plant at Kroger than it is to buy a little package of basil, so I bought the live plant. I've never in my life been able to keep a plant alive, but somehow, I managed to keep this basil fresh for at least a week--and I never even took it out of the bag! I just added a little water every other day or so. Today, I made rigatoni with (ground turkey) meat sauce with parmesan and basil. It was the best!



This was after I took off the leaves for the rigatoni today...


► Speaking of food, I've been slowly integrating into intermittent fasting. I have no problem waiting to eat until about 4 PM... I wake up at roughly 7:00 and then I stay really busy until I cook dinner before Jerry goes to work. The problem is that I don't really "close" my eating window, and I graze until I go to bed (way too late--at like 2:00 AM).

► I loved being able to chill out last night. With Jerry working nights, I have some time to myself. It's kind of funny, because my "chill out" time last night consisted of watching several episodes of "Billy the Exterminator" on A&E. Hahahaha! I watched one episode and I was hooked like an alligator ;)



► I went to Lowe's today and bought most of the things needed to finish the garage. It was a bit frustrating when I got home, though--I bought a ceiling fan to put up where the "man cave" will be, and I had to replace the electrical box in the ceiling. I should've done that before drywalling, but I didn't have the ceiling fan idea until afterward. It was a pain, but I finally got it done. I'll probably hang the fan tomorrow.

► I feel like I'm in a "mixed state" with bipolar, because I feel hypomanic at night (staying up so late and not feeling the least bit tired) but I feel a bit of a crash in my mood during the day. I really need to start getting into a good sleeping pattern. The problem is that I never feel tired! My body feels exhausted after a busy day in the garage or something, but mentally, I'm wide awake all the time. After listening to the audiobook 'The Obesity Code', I realize how important sleep is.

► Because we had to cancel our plans to go on a family vacation this year, we made plans to go to my sister's property in the upper peninsula of Michigan later this month. It'll only be our family with Jeanie and Shawn, so it's socially distant, but still a sort of "vacation" from our typical life. This is a video from three years ago when we went...



► I ordered an anti-bark collar on Amazon for Joey because he barks when cars drive by our house. Our street is very quiet but we get about 10 cars that drive by each day, and Joey barks. With Jerry working nights again, the barking wakes him up. The collar cost about $28. When it arrived, there was a card in the package that offered a $30 gift card if we give it a 5-star review. I was SUPER pissed about it, because one of the reasons I ordered it was that it had something like 11,000 reviews. I'm returning it. Anyone have ideas for how to get Joey to stop barking during the day? I am curious about ultrasonic devices. I don't want to use a shock collar, so any other repellant would be better.


► I listened to a podcast today that really opened my eyes to how horrible COVID has been to health workers. I don't listen to This American Life very often, but it caught my eye last night when I saw that the recent episode was about health workers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. This American Life is a super popular podcast with millions of downloads, and I was surprised to see HFH in the spotlight. That was the hospital where I spent six nights after breaking my jaw. It's a great episode, and I highly recommend it!

I think that's about it for what's happening right now. Nothing too exciting!

37 comments:

  1. I am also transitioning back into a system of intermittent fasting. It just frees up so much of that stress and worry about eating. Perfect for a food addict like myself!!

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    1. Yes! I love that part about it. Jerry has loved it as well, especially at work--he doesn't have to pack a lunch and snacks.

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    1. That sounds like it would work better for me, I think--maybe eating something small at 2:00 or so, and then a large dinner at 6:30-ish, and then nothing. If I could just go to bed earlier, it'd be easier!

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  3. We use a bark collar that sprays citronella. We bought it years ago, so I'm not sure what model it is. In fact, we don't even load it with the citronella anymore, so it just blows a blast of air in their face. It works great -- WHILE they wear it. It does make our dogs a bit "sad" because it is inhibiting them, but it doesn't hurt them.

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    1. Something like that might work well for Joey. He doesn't need to wear it all the time... just during the day when Jerry is sleeping. He's so odd! He NEVER barks--not at other dogs, not to be let outside, etc. But he picked up a habit of barking at cars that drive by.

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  4. I am not a dog trainer by any means lol but so far for our dog, the thing that works best for any situation is positive reinforcement. She barked at cars too (or basically anything that would dare get near her property lol) so I would make sure I have some treats easily accessible. When she ran to the window to bark I would say "No bark" and when she looks at me and stops barking, she gets a treat! Eventually the barking becomes way less. Now she just wants a treat lol. It's still not perfect but its happening way less!

    Glad to hear things are going well for you! I have to play catch up on reading on your blog! I'm falling behind with summer time here!

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    1. Joey LOVES treats, so I might have to try this for him! The problem is that I would have to be in the house with him, so it wouldn't be consistent. It's worth a try, though!

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  5. We have a SportDog Bark Collar and it's great. I don't know if that's the brand you purchased, but it does work well.

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    1. No, that's not the brand I purchased, so I will have to look into it. Thanks for the suggestion!

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  6. You look forward to your husband being gone at night so you can chill out? What does he make you do when he's home, move heavy furniture? I've been married for 32 years and look forward to every second I get to spend with my husband, and wish it was more. We just almost lost my father on the OR table, he coded, and my mom keeps telling us kids to cherish every second you get with your spouse, it goes in a heartbeat.

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    1. That's amazing that you guys don't ever need "alone time"! Good for you :) I would be super bummed if I couldn't do the hobbies that I enjoy (and Jerry does not); and I know Jerry would be bummed if he couldn't do the things that he enjoys (and I don't). It's rare to find a couple that doesn't have different interests--I'm glad you and your husband have found that joy :)

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    2. We both have many hobbies and do many things apart, don't be ridiculous. I would just never wish my husband to be "gone" so I could lay on the couch. You're young, you'll get it some day.

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    3. Hmm, I must have missed the part where I wrote that I wished (or looked forward to) him going to work... But your comment did make us laugh today. I kept telling him that I wish he'd just go to work already and he told me to get in the living room and move some furniture! Hahaha, thanks for the laugh ;)

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    4. I'm older than you Katie and totally get it as well!! I LOVE spending time with my husband - he's my favorite person to be with - but I also really enjoy time alone. I'm an introvert and just sometimes need that time to myself to think, process, and do my own thing. It's completely healthy and I'm glad that you have that time each day! Your marriage and you are probably healthier because of it! Enjoy!!

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    5. Thank you, Daphne! I adore spending time with Jerry (he's my favorite person!) but we'd both be unhappy if we never did anything apart. When he's at work, I do my own thing; when he's home, we spend time together. And when he's off work, now that he's on nights, he gets to spend the entire night to himself playing video games or whatever he wants to do while we all sleep! It's a win-win all around :)

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  7. Two things--I struggle mightily with sleep and insomnia, and I'm very sensitive to "downers" in that they give me awful hangovers the next day. I can't function for hours after I wake up (even for something as mild as Benadryl!) because of how sluggish they make me feel. Weed is the only foolproof thing that has ever worked for me without a hangover, but when I can't get actual edibles from legal dispensaries (and I'm assuming weed isn't what you were going for anyway) I use 50-100mg of trazodone (prescribed). It's not going to knock you out, and you have to be willing to go to bed the first second you start to yawn after you take it. It's VERY easy to fight it, so if you're not prepared to go to bed/don't have the discipline to go to bed, it doesn't really help. What is great about it is that it doesn't last into the next day.

    Second--This is time/energy intensive, but if you can, you might be able to train this out of Joey. During the day for about a week, sit with him by the window and give him his favorite toy and/or a treat before he can bark at the approaching car. Then when he starts to associate the toy with a passing car, reward him with another treat and get him to bring it to you on the couch or in another room or something. Eventually he will learn to shove something in his mouth and/or seek you out when a car goes by. You can also use a citronella collar in the meantime so you're not the one giving him negative feedback when he barks, only positive feedback when he does what you ask.

    Sorry for the long comment--hope any of it is helpful!

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    1. Honestly, I wouldn't mind weed if it worked for me--but it either makes me super depressed or hypomanic, unfortunately! I've never heard of trazodone, so maybe I'll as my psychiatrist about it. I really hate that I have such messed up sleeping habits.

      I love the idea of training the barking out of Joey--it would be super challenging (simply because we don't have cars drive by very often) but he is VERY food motivated, so it just may work! :)

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  8. Hi! Someone told me to fill a spray bottle with water and spray the dog in the face each time they bark, when someone comes to the door or when cars drive by. I haven’t tested the method, just passing along a suggestion I received at one time. Good luck!

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    1. I just started using a spray bottle for Duck, because he loves to go behind the TV and mess around in the cords. When I see him about to go back there, I say, "Duck, no!" and then give him one small squirt (not in the face, just on his side). After only 2-3 times, he definitely learned not to do it! I keep the spray bottle nearby, but haven't had to use it since. I wonder if Joey would train that easily!

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    2. That's what my neighbor does when her dog barks. She sprays a little water in his face.

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  9. The citronella spray collars work well

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    1. I'm going to check them out on Amazon. I've not heard anything about them, so I'm curious! Thanks for the suggestion :)

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  10. Have you tried taking magnesium? I sleep poorly and fitfully due to my mental health issues, but have started taking magnesium at night (as well as my usual melatonin) and it's helping so much!

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    1. I haven't tried magnesium, but I just heard about it on an intermittent fasting podcast. I'm going to do some research! Thanks :)

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  11. I'm very familiar with the dog barking problem! My dog barks at the beeping commercial vehicles make when they back up, when my neighbor drives in his driveway, or when he hears the dog collar jimgle of the dog next door. Needless to say, it's annoying and too much barking!

    We got an ultrasonic device off Amazon. It was of little to no use for our dog, he ignored it. But it works great for a friend's dog.

    A few weeks ago we got this:
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07R3RTX3L/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
    It has made a HUGE improvement. When we got it, the instructions say you put it on the dog, but don't turn it on. So my husband set it off a few times in his hand, and the dog watched. Even that first day, with it off, the dog barked way less. We put it on the dog for about 5 days (it says he shouldn't wear it more than 12 hours at a time, so we take it off at night). It's cut his barking by 90% which is exactly what was needed. He honestly doesn't set off the vibrate much at all, but the threat of it has improved things greatly. He's barking way less even if we don't put it on.

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    1. Interesting! Joey has super thick fur, so I'm not sure how well a collar would work (I just tried the one I bought out of sheer desperation). But I'm willing to look at all options!

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  12. First of all, way to handle the person who tried to shame you for not wanting to spend every second with your husband. You handled that with a lot of grace.

    Second of all, I try to avoid Amazon, but sometimes I have no other option (not trying to say anyone else shouldn't shop there, just that I choose not to). I really do a lot of research, and I get so frustrated when the item comes with one of those notes. I feel tricked. I wish that wasn't an acceptable practice.

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    1. Thank you... Jerry and I got a good laugh about it ;)

      I find that lately, Amazon has been having problems with certain items I order, and reading some comments has made me wonder how much to trust it. I love the convenience of it, especially when returning something! But I was so mad after I read that note about getting a gift card for a five star review.

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  13. Hi Katie! About the review manipulation, I highly recommend you submit a report to Amazon. You can go to this link and click where it says "notify us."

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=help_search_1-3?ie=UTF8&nodeId=201929730&qid=1526424694&sr=1-3

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    1. I'm going to do that... I'm surprised that's even legal!

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  14. Basil is actually a great “starter” plant if you want to move it to a more permanent pot. Just watch for it to get a bit droopy, then give it a good soak, and periodically harvest from the top so it grows nice and bushy.

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    1. Maybe I'll try that. I LOVE fresh basil, so it'd be nice to use it more often.

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  15. I have been enjoying your blog for years. Thank you for sharing your life. And screw the haters!

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    1. Thank you so much for reading! <3 And yeah, haters aren't cool--but they are entertaining sometimes ;)

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  16. Laughing so hard at Jerry telling you go move some furniture around...LOL! Y'all are too funny...

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I used to publish ALL comments (even the mean ones) but I recently chose not to publish those. I always welcome constructive comments/criticism, but there is no need for unnecessary rudeness/hate. But please--I love reading what you have to say! (This comment form is super finicky, so I apologize if you're unable to comment)

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