Bosco-d-gama

Good morning everyone. Earlier this year most who live in the west had to deal with hazardous levels of air pollution due to the many forest fires. ‘‘Twas then that the wife and I bought a Dyson brand air purifier/fan because even the indoor air was pretty awful. We don’t live in a huge home (by most standards). We have just over 1,700 square feet but it does have some volume with one great room (where the stereo resides). That began over a month ago and that Dyson is running 24/7. It is not their largest unit and I believe it cycles about 5.5 cubic feet per minute. It claimed to filter out particulates and noxious gases, etc with a hepa filter, blah, blah, blah....... Here to report that the silly thing really and truly has made a massive improvement in our lives. For starts there is an overtly lower level of dust.... everywhere. We live in ‘dust land’ and never have we enjoyed such a clean environment. That has resulted in far less congestion. Less congestion means no snoring, better sleep. Previously we had visible dust return after a matter of days on cleaned surfaces. Now it does not return at all (seriously). Granted, we do keep the house closed and it is a tight structure. But there’s no nasal drip, no sneezing and no more constant throat clearing. I had no idea how badly our untreated home impacted our general health. This has made a real difference in our lives. From here forward anywhere I live will include adequate air filtration. I am even gonna find some for the cars. Not specifically endorsing Dyson as a product but it is working for us. The unit cost was around $500 which included a replacement filter (from Amazon). But there’s quite a selection and price range for similar devices and larger structures will require larger systems. For those of you with turntables and ye olde records a dust free environ would have to be quite an advantage. Just an FYI.

Xactly..... we change elements of every commercial pattern we use, sometimes to render them simpler other times more realistic. Every background and frame is our own creation. It should be noted that the better commercial patterns also come with glass specifications. They tell you precisely what glass to use and where to buy it. We use the glass we own. We have a large selection of glass and in our opinion turn out better results. I prefer to take a piece of art or a photo and convert it to a stained glass pattern. I’ve converted tattoo’s into stained glass. We’ve incorporated natural shell and polished agate into our work also. For me it is like being a kid. You get to cut out and draw pictures, play with colors and saws and grinders and render an object that’s quite stunning. None of these photo’s do proper justice to these pieces and they change appearance as the sun shifts across the sky.

Interesting account. We hear tons about ‘fat shaming’ and how awful it is when people do this. Well instead of perceiving the message as ‘shameful’ and taking it personally accept it as useful and well intentioned feedback. Feel motivated, not shamed if it applies to you. Of all the things in life your own physical condition/appearance is something you can control.

Excuse my naïveté but I need an explanation on this idea 😔

There are stained glass pattern books and this guy did originate from one. We have done our own and often have adapted stained glass patterns from art in other mediums. I believe there are computer programs that will scan, digitalize and produce patterns from anything. We’ve never used one or thought to. That seems to distill out some of the artistic element from the hobby. Computerization is not my area of expertise so I may be prejudiced in my perspectives. Stained glass patterns can be too simplistic or way too difficult to execute well. Often people see stained glass creations from a distance not knowing that it is a blend of annealed paintwork and stained glass. I like to challenge myself and as yet haven’t exceeded my frustration threshold.

Bobcats all over So. Cal. In a Mission Viejo strip mall a bobcat snuck into a shop and tucked itself into a corner. A customer said, ‘what a pretty kitty’...... and went in to pet the little cutey. It wasn’t nice. They’d snag ducks from the nearby golf course there and just eat the breast meat out of them and leave the rest for the ants. No problems with them in the northwest where I now live. Coyotes, wolves and eagles will take small prey here........ cats/dogs too.

Montana State U.......

Thanks everyone...... btw the wife IS a Cougar, just so ya know. 😏 Last spring we got a huge load of stained glass from a gal who once owned a commercial business in Idaho Falls. You can buy stained glass new and get patterns, colors, textures that are matching. But the truly interesting glass is the vintage stuff that is no longer in production. That’s the case with this puma’s body pieces. They are a high relief heavily figured glass that’s semi opaque. We’ve had parts of this glass before but not in this color. We had enough of the stuff (1 whole sheet) to pull out these pieces. You have to select pieces for direction and color. Ideally they have to fit the actual scheme of the animals fur in appearance. The color here should’ve been more tan shaded but this worked pretty nicely altogether there’s about 3 months into this deal. Fortunately we just sold several pieces so we have some window room.

In this context..... you don’t date older ‘cougar’ women..... they date you.... they prowl the night seeking sustenance.😏😃

Lastly....

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Just completed a stained glass ‘puma’. Here are some pics showing it’s process/progress....

Be cautious with any homemade approaches. I suffer from tinnitus and I also have burning mouth syndrome. The tongue and your oral cavity is very sensitive and already is subjected to lots of environmental abuses through normal usage. If your biology goes wacky in the mouth there are some heavy prices to pay. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-8815659/Eddie-Van-Halen-blamed-tongue-cancer-fact-held-metal-guitar-picks-mouth.html So - wait until this work gets refined and genuinely safe therapies made available...... my 0.02$.

“Grease the fatted palm.....” Once being fat meant that you were wealthy. Other overly well fed ailments included gout.

Generally speaking humanity is getting heavier and accepting heftiness as normal. It will be reflected in some dimensions of their lives and will surely impact their health at some juncture. Humans are not evolved to be permanently fat. It certainly puts people of all ages at great risk with covid19. My concern here is when physical size impairs professional performance. If you owned a busy restaurant would you prefer to hire sluggish or energetic employees?

Eeew......

Tuesday of last week (9/29) I had my right hip replaced. I used a smaller specialty hospital, the procedure went well and after a one night stay I was discharged home. All has turned out nicely so far. But my wife (an RN) and myself (an RRT) both noticed that the care staff at this facility was beyond chunky. Some clearly were morbidly obese. While an inpatient I required the use of a knee brace and shoes that had orthotic inserts..... y’know so that i could ambulate the best possible on this fresh surgery. The staff agreed with the need and accommodated placing these items but it was a serious struggle for a few of them. To put on socks and tie shoes was at the upper limit of their physical capabilities. My physical therapist did his very best to break my shoe laces so he’d not have to use the shoes again. Fluid spills and trash were left on the floor for others to pick up because the person who ‘dropped’ the items was too heavy to bend over to retrieve them. Other than telling the PT to lighten up I said nothing about these problems. We discussed the situation once at home. My wife said that where she last worked that several of the clinical and non clinical staff were heavy, and they were known to be lazy. They did not respond to call lights quickly and avoided any physical chores and relied on housekeeping to follow up their messes. So I wonder..... how would a code blue go with ‘tubby’ responders? If I had fallen in the hallway could they have kept me from going down or have safely lifted me? I got good care in this place but I was an ideal patient. They did 6 hips that day and all of them were in far worse shape than me. I do not know how their care went but I can say they were at greater risk because the care staff was in poor physical condition. Thoughts? I see a lot of obese police officers and wonder how useful they are. Should frontline healthcare workers have to meet minimal physical standards?

Celestial Soda Pop....... Ray Lynch

No doubt the ‘feedback’ method curries many perspectives, good and bad. My point here is that feedback is solicited and in my experience, edited for approval prior to posting. Amazon knows the value of this word of mouth content and how it impacts purchase decisions. Therefore ‘feedback’ becomes an Amazon marketing ploy that is not transparent but is manipulated. The obvious question is.... has Amazon ever removed a product because of consistently poor feedback? From Amazon I have purchased Dremel grinder bits based on positive feedback that were made so poorly that I could break them in pieces using my bare hands. That’s dangerous and could easily lead to user harm. My feedback was declined and those same bits remain available and with largely positive feedback. If Amazon knowingly sells defective products then Amazon should be held accountable for real damages those products cause.

When a customer provides product feedback to Amazon that feedback gets reviewed prior to its acceptance and being posted. Exactly who conducts this review and authorizes its acceptance or declination I do not personally know. But the review verbiage is all 1st person Amazon, ‘does not meet Amazon standards’, or ‘thanks for the review it is now posted’. This should be examined for its objectivity and accuracy.... and source. Personally I have experienced several review declinations that I felt accurately described valid product problems. A few of those included photos of the situation. So - yeah - at least in appearance it looks as though Amazon ‘works’ customer product feedback.

Certainly no legal beagle here....... but........... seems to me that Amazon deploys its customer ratings to represent product performance, and we know that Amazon edits what ratings are allowed and thusly massages product assessments and user performance expectations. And if this ‘rating’ impacts choices then should it not encumber liability for the purchase decisions and the real performance of the product? Amazon is no silent ‘seller’ of anything. It appears to me that Amazon works to impart some level of product quality in its operational format.

Thanks for the input everyone. I’ll try and get some more info from her hospice and the BBB. It’ll all get figured out in due time.

Appreciate the perspectives but........ my family has been seriously dysfunctional for sometime and the parents estranged for most of my life. This grim deed has fallen upon me more by default. I may have a brother somewhere but he’s not been part of the equation for over 50 years and cannot be located. In other words nobody knows what the estate consists of and nobody much cares. I believe there are services for this purpose that are bonded, etc. Rather than abandon the estate I’d like to see it resolved so their neighbors can get back to normal. My mom is not too popular with them or anyone for that matter. Sorry if I sound harsh but not every family is “Father’s Knows Best”. I do have concerns along the lines you mention which is why I am seeking feedback.

Anyone here have any experience with using an estate clean out service? My Mom resides in Arizona and is not doing well. I am the primary heir and live in Idaho and am unable to travel for sometime. She has a home chocked full of lord knows what, that will be needing liquidation. Needless to say I’ve not ever done this before and would appreciate any input/guidance. Thnx......

Need an address........ sounds grand.