Fasting BG 2018

[Tamagno]

143 this morning.

Sure do hope they get you the right antibiotic thus time, Grammabear. You know, when I was having constant UTIs I went to an infectious disease specialist who was great; something to consider if this keeps up much longer.

Last night and yesterday were the first in a couple of months I haven't had my wood stove burning constantly. Seems I hardly know what to do with myself not having to tend to it and it was terrific.

[Grammabear]

149 this morning.

I saw my PCP yesterday and she examined my infected cyst and feels it is starting to heal.  She did however make a small cut in one area so it may finish draining . . . TMI.  I asked her about the infections and this is the explanation I received which makes sense.  I started out with the infected cyst on my back and was given an AB (antibiotic) which as you know destroys all the good bacteria as well as the bad.

As a result of that AB I ended up with a UTI.  The Immediate Care doctor prescribed an antibiotic initially, but when the UTI culture came back, that AB was not the proper one.  So she prescribed yet another AB.  That particular AB is in the same 'family' of ABs that caused me to lose some hearing that Shanny refers to earlier.

My PCP knows I am extremely sensitive to certain medicines, so she prescribed a different AB and she feels confident that this one should do the job of healing.

Thank you for the kind words, it means a lot to me.

[walkerwally1]

84 this morning.  Our overnight low is at 28° (12.2°C) so just below freezing.  No frost as it is so dry. 
Grammabear, hopefully your Dr. has a handle on it and the new AB does the job. 
Tamagno, I know how you feel.  Wood burning is great but it is a bit of work and I always looked forward to the end of wood burning season.  Up on the mountain with the high cost of propane wood burning was worth the effort.  Here with the much lower cost of natural gas it has become not worth it.  We have a wood stove in the house and a fire place with an insert but don't plan to use either unless for ambiance.

[Shanny]

We've been able to live comfortably financially all these years simply because of cheap wood heat and because we enjoy tending to our old stove. It's a big Blaze King and will burn for hours & hours on a full load. Thirty years ago, DH could keep the wood box full just by harvesting/splitting the dead trees on our own property - 20 acres & then some. Since his MI six years ago, we've started buying it, and we aren't always perfectly pleased with how well it's cured, so now we try to get it a year ahead of time so it cures properly on our own time. And in our considered opinions, it's still cheap heat & we're only too happy to be helping the fella who provides it for us.

The other night he found a pile of the old wood & had both kinds in the stove . . . unbelievable how well-cured wood compares to the lesser and more carelessly cured wood! There's no way to hurry the process, but it is definitely worth the time to age your firewood to the fullest.

(This shows the stove . . . it's no beauty, but it really does the job. And ours is prob'ly 30 years old now; we've had it 29 years & it was used when we got it.)

[bigskygal]

94 this mostly cloudy morning, 95 at bedtime last night.

Lightly snowing right now with more overnight. High was 39°F (3.89°C)
with overnight predicted to be 26°F (-3.33°C). More snow for the weekend.

[Tamagno]

87 this morning.

That's one monster stove, Shanny! I just love the heat you get from wood, despite all the work (plus, like oth you and Wally,I also love the savings). This year, my last couple of cords have aged quite a long time and are mostly oak which burns very well and long. Around here, much of what can be harvested is ash, which is not as hard and doesn't need or improve with age. You can immediately tell just by weight.

Speaking of which, we're back to cold here at least for a few days. While there's substantial snow forecast for later today, coming temperatures in the 40s mean it won't last.

Grammabear it sounds like you're making some headway with healing. In the past, I've had IV infusions of antibiotic that helped and were administered at a hospital facility in case of adverse side effects. Perhaps something to consider if these infections syndromes persist.

[walkerwally1]

88 this morning.  We are supposed to get up to 71° today and then tomorrow a cold front is coming through and we are going to be in the 50s and that is going to last for a few days.
We used to cut our own wood but not on our own property.  The only wood around our house was in the National Forest and it was about an hours drive to an area that was marked for cutting.  A permit was only $15 for two cords but it was a bit of work to make the drive, cut and load the wood and then get it back home.  Also only pine was usually available.  It burns hot but fast.  When it got to be too much work we bought wood and usually got almond which is hard wood and lasts a lot longer than the pine.  The cost now is around $250-$300 a cord so it is not a cheap alternative anymore. 

[bigskygal]

85 this snowy morning, 90 at bedtime last night.

It has been snowing most of the day. I've had to go out 3 times so far to clear my satellite dish. It is supposed to turn to rain soon, I sure hope so!

[rocky]

Shanny, That looks like a jumbo stove.

Finally, a Sunday to myself. Plan to do some major cleaning today and then in the evening with mum.

90 this morning. I've been really good and the numbers are showing.

[Tamagno]

136 this morning.

Looks like some fairly substantial snow here last night at around 8-9". I think it'll warm up some later though, so I doubt it'll last.

No idea just what I'm doing today, but doubtless I'll uncover something or other needs doing...

[Grammabear]

118 this morning.

Yeah, my numbers are getting better.  I'm hoping that means my infections are getting better too.

Tamagno - You guys got what we had earlier in the week which was about 9-10 inches of the white stuff.  And we got some more last night, haven't been out to measure the amount yet.

[Shanny]

The cost now is around $250-$300 a cord so it is not a cheap alternative anymore.

More benefits of oak firewood . . . the embers are the best of any wood. Unless we get really REALLY careless and let it go way too long, the embers are enough to just keep adding logs once or twice a day to maintain the fire. But OMG - it's half the price over here, Wally, prob'ly because it's so prevalent - oak grows wild here. We have many right in our yard, & we had to take out two dead ones a coupla years ago. They cool us in their youth (with their shade), and then they warm us in their death. The old adage confirms that 'nothing warms you like a wood stove.'

[walkerwally1]

91 this morning.  Well, the cold front starts going through today with high winds and lower temps.  High wind warning for today and tomorrow with possible blowing dust.  That is one of the cruddy things we have to deal with sometimes.  It looks like it will be cooler for the rest of the month with overnight lows in the 20s.
But no snow here.   
Yeah Shanny, oak is quite good but it is very hard to come by here.  All fruit woods are hard though so almond is quite good also.  There are a lot of almond orchard in the Bakersfield area and they are constantly tearing them out in some areas because the land value has become so high.  But the demand has driven the cost up also.  OTOH in some areas wood burning is going to be history as air quality requirements increase.  A lot of areas now restrict wood burning to only certain days and more are outlawing wood burning altogether. 

[Shanny]

A lot of areas now restrict wood burning to only certain days and more are outlawing wood burning altogether.

That's a shame, because good catalytic wood stoves have emissions that are little more than steam. The industry needs to get its ducks in a row & screen out the polluting stoves, while promoting the clean-burning ones. Our Blaze King needs a new catalyst about every two years, and those cost $400/$500, but it's one of those things that's cheap at twice the price!

[skb]

Yeah, my numbers are getting better.  I'm hoping that means my infections are getting better too.

Scientists do say that. I'm sure you're healing.