USMB Coffee Shop IV

[Nosmo King]

Hello Coffee Shoppers! Nosmo King checking in. I have to report another victim of the coronavirus. The Easter Pageant on the Hillside has been shelved for the year. This would have been the 50th year for the pageant and my 17th. But concerns over spreading this plague made the choice to not bring a cast of 60 together every Sunday o practice our play. Let alone bring 200 people together to watch our performances. So, there's that.

I also decided to pull the plug, temporarily, on Movie Night at the East Liverpool Community and Learning Center. It was really taking off too! Last Thursday I screened The African Queen for a crowd of 20. They enjoyed the movie and the fresh popped popcorn I provided. C'est le guarre. I hope to resume sometime in April after the crisis has passed. If I only had some lamb's blood to paint on the posts and lintel of the doorway to ward off the Angel of Death, but I don't know if such a Judaic remedy would work for a bunch of uptight Calvinists.

Otherwise, everybody is doing great. Mom is well and stocked with groceries thanks to some prudent planning by my brother and me. Daisy has a month's supply of kibble, so she's a happy mutt. Last Tuesday I bought a 3 month supply of toilet paper before the run on it made tissue as rare as hen's teeth. There are 12 cans of soup, 6 loaves of bread in the freezer and a half dozen boxes of Rice-a-Roni in the pantry. I lack green leafy vegetables, but we can't get everything.

The upper Ohio River Valley is relativeimmune to natural disasters. We don't get earthquakes. Our perpetually cloud shrouded skies keep plenty of moisture handy, so no wildfires or droughts. It floods occasionally, but that effects a very small number of folks as we live perched upon our steep, wooded ravines. But a pandemic doesn't pay attention to natural surroundings. We are learning lessons in preparedness that we don't need to know otherwise.

I guess this is God's way of reminding us about hubris.

 

[blackhawk]

 

[Gracie]

MrG and I are in deep doo doo. Asking for prayers again. Big time.
Cali is really fucking us over, medical wise. Sigh.

 

[beautress]

Good night darlinks. I really do love you guys. No change in the vigil list.

But I'll leave you with a tip for the day to sleep on:

The most unlucky man on Earth

Hope and pray he and his wife get well and stay that way for years to come.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Well...some news. One not so good. Poor Abby has cancer and will probably be sent off to Rainbow Bridge in a month or two. I'll keep an eye on her and when she gets poorly again..then I will send her on her way. I refuse to let her suffer. Took her to vet yesterday. Lymphoma. Shes feeling a bit better but it won't last. So next round of her being poorly...off we go to send her. .
Thankfully, Evie is doing fine but she is going to miss Abby. So will MrG since Abby is his cat.

And...we got a letter yesterday from Chico. Apts there will soon be having an opening and we are #2 on the list (after wwaiting a bit over 2 years). So now its a race between home..and Chico. Chico is 16 miles from snow when we are in the mood to go play in it. But the apts have no balcony or patio. So we will be stuck inside, waiting to die. Nice place, but it looks like a high end motel. I soothe myself that I can have an indoor garden with houseplants but..its not the same as being outside. Ever since I was a kid..I always wanted to be OUT THERE..not surrounded by walls. But...I don't have much choice if they call first, before home does. Home has the beach. No patio or balconey either, but its two blocks to ocean. And its home. However..if Chico calls first..thats where we will go. I left it up to God to choose for us and when He sends words via a manager "your unit is ready for you"...then I will go where He means for us to go. He sent us to Paradise of all places for some unknown reason..maybe we are supposed to go to Chico too. Then again..if He sends us to Osos..that would be great. For me, anyway. But He sometimes says "no" to what we want, right? So now..its still a waiting game but we are getting th epaperwork ready for Chico.

Maybe Chico will be right for you, for now. Things will change. Will you be able to have fur-kids at Chico?
As far as God goes: "Men rarely if ever dream up a god superior to themselves. Most gods have the manners and morals of a spoiled child." (R.A. Heinlein) I've read Heinlein and Michener since I was in high school and both have had a significant impact on my life philosophies and choices.
I hope for the best for you, Gracie. Good luck.

 

[gallantwarrior]

I use my laptop in the living room when watching TV and for travel of course, but I really REALLY prefer my much more versatile desktop PC and 26" monitor for most computer tasks and for surfing and playing games. The laptop is a lot less satisfying and pleasant for me.

My laptop is all I have. No space for a desktop at home and I use the laptop almost constantly at work. It's portable and I usually have my personal wi-fi device linked in. All I need is a 12V receptacle for my converter. Two of the trucks at work have no 12V capability so I avoid them when I can.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Well I am back from a trip to the grocery store. I expected some things but not what I found there. Or, more accurately, what I didn't find there.

--No paper goods (toilet paper, napkins, paper towels, tissues) to be had. Shelves were bare.
--No anti-bacterial agents or any form of disinfectants. (They did have some regular soap which is an excellent disinfectant though.)
--No canned soups, chili, meat, or other ready to eat canned edibles except for a few cans of tuna hidden behind the last remaining cans of green beans. (I got those.) There were a half dozen cans of canned salmon at $8+ a can. Otherwise shelves were bare.
--All beans, rice, pasta, ramen noodles and such gone. Shelves were bare.
--Most frozen foods like lasagna, pizza, and other heat & eat items gone. The cases were pretty empty.
--The fresh beef, pork, chicken, fish section completely cleaned out except for a very few undesirable or extremely expensive cuts. No hamburger, steaks, or chops to be had. I did find a small processed ham and got that. but it was expensive.
--All luncheon meats, most brick cheese, and all bacon and sausage gone including the most expensive and the yucky precooked stuff. Not even a package of hot dog wieners remained. The whole section mostly bare. I was able to get some bagels and cream cheese.
--No flour of any kind or any brand! There was one 20 lb. sack of flour in a cloth bag and because I was out, I got that. Guess I'll be making a lot of biscuits and bread.
--No cornmeal to be had.
--No milk except for a few gallon jugs all almost at their expiration dates.
--No butter. No eggs. Shelves were bare.

Our freezer is fairly well stocked with meat so we're okay for awhile. I have plenty of flour, sugar, salt, pepper, and there were plenty of fresh veggies in the store. We won't starve.

I just hope and pray that this isn't our new normal for the foreseeable future. It brings out the pioneer in us maybe as we have to adapt and improvise. But it's also a little scary.

Do many of those folks even know how to cook rice?

 

[gallantwarrior]

Well I am back from a trip to the grocery store. I expected some things but not what I found there. Or, more accurately, what I didn't find there.

--No paper goods (toilet paper, napkins, paper towels, tissues) to be had. Shelves were bare.
--No anti-bacterial agents or any form of disinfectants. (They did have some regular soap which is an excellent disinfectant though.)
--No canned soups, chili, meat, or other ready to eat canned edibles except for a few cans of tuna hidden behind the last remaining cans of green beans. (I got those.) There were a half dozen cans of canned salmon at $8+ a can. Otherwise shelves were bare.
--All beans, rice, pasta, ramen noodles and such gone. Shelves were bare.
--Most frozen foods like lasagna, pizza, and other heat & eat items gone. The cases were pretty empty.
--The fresh beef, pork, chicken, fish section completely cleaned out except for a very few undesirable or extremely expensive cuts. No hamburger, steaks, or chops to be had. I did find a small processed ham and got that. but it was expensive.
--All luncheon meats, most brick cheese, and all bacon and sausage gone including the most expensive and the yucky precooked stuff. Not even a package of hot dog wieners remained. The whole section mostly bare. I was able to get some bagels and cream cheese.
--No flour of any kind or any brand! There was one 20 lb. sack of flour in a cloth bag and because I was out, I got that. Guess I'll be making a lot of biscuits and bread.
--No cornmeal to be had.
--No milk except for a few gallon jugs all almost at their expiration dates.
--No butter. No eggs. Shelves were bare.

Our freezer is fairly well stocked with meat so we're okay for awhile. I have plenty of flour, sugar, salt, pepper, and there were plenty of fresh veggies in the store. We won't starve.

I just hope and pray that this isn't our new normal for the foreseeable future. It brings out the pioneer in us maybe as we have to adapt and improvise. But it's also a little scary.

I and a few more here remember rationing during WWII. We'll have no trouble surviving. I started 1st grade in Sept '45 and we still had rationing until the end of '45.


A wide variety of commodities were rationed during World War II in the United States.
Rationing ended when supplies were sufficient to meet demand.

Rationed Items Rationing Duration
Tires January 1942 to December 1945
Cars February 1942 to October 1945
Bicycles July 1942 to September 1945
Gasoline May 1942 to August 1945
Fuel Oil & Kerosene October 1942 to August 1945
Solid Fuels September 1943 to August 1945
Stoves December 1942 to August 1945
Rubber Footwear October 1942 to September 1945
Shoes February 1943 to October 1945
Sugar May 1942 to 1947
Coffee November 1942 to July 1943
Processed Foods March 1943 to August 1945
Meats, canned fish March 1943 to November 1945
Cheese, canned milk, fats March 1943 to November 1945
Typewriters March 1942 to April 1944

Well I am back from a trip to the grocery store. I expected some things but not what I found there. Or, more accurately, what I didn't find there.

--No paper goods (toilet paper, napkins, paper towels, tissues) to be had. Shelves were bare.
--No anti-bacterial agents or any form of disinfectants. (They did have some regular soap which is an excellent disinfectant though.)
--No canned soups, chili, meat, or other ready to eat canned edibles except for a few cans of tuna hidden behind the last remaining cans of green beans. (I got those.) There were a half dozen cans of canned salmon at $8+ a can. Otherwise shelves were bare.
--All beans, rice, pasta, ramen noodles and such gone. Shelves were bare.
--Most frozen foods like lasagna, pizza, and other heat & eat items gone. The cases were pretty empty.
--The fresh beef, pork, chicken, fish section completely cleaned out except for a very few undesirable or extremely expensive cuts. No hamburger, steaks, or chops to be had. I did find a small processed ham and got that. but it was expensive.
--All luncheon meats, most brick cheese, and all bacon and sausage gone including the most expensive and the yucky precooked stuff. Not even a package of hot dog wieners remained. The whole section mostly bare. I was able to get some bagels and cream cheese.
--No flour of any kind or any brand! There was one 20 lb. sack of flour in a cloth bag and because I was out, I got that. Guess I'll be making a lot of biscuits and bread.
--No cornmeal to be had.
--No milk except for a few gallon jugs all almost at their expiration dates.
--No butter. No eggs. Shelves were bare.

Our freezer is fairly well stocked with meat so we're okay for awhile. I have plenty of flour, sugar, salt, pepper, and there were plenty of fresh veggies in the store. We won't starve.

I just hope and pray that this isn't our new normal for the foreseeable future. It brings out the pioneer in us maybe as we have to adapt and improvise. But it's also a little scary.

I and a few more here remember rationing during WWII. We'll have no trouble surviving. I started 1st grade in Sept '45 and we still had rationing until the end of '45.


A wide variety of commodities were rationed during World War II in the United States.
Rationing ended when supplies were sufficient to meet demand.

Rationed Items Rationing Duration
Tires January 1942 to December 1945
Cars February 1942 to October 1945
Bicycles July 1942 to September 1945
Gasoline May 1942 to August 1945
Fuel Oil & Kerosene October 1942 to August 1945
Solid Fuels September 1943 to August 1945
Stoves December 1942 to August 1945
Rubber Footwear October 1942 to September 1945
Shoes February 1943 to October 1945
Sugar May 1942 to 1947
Coffee November 1942 to July 1943
Processed Foods March 1943 to August 1945
Meats, canned fish March 1943 to November 1945
Cheese, canned milk, fats March 1943 to November 1945
Typewriters March 1942 to April 1944

The unfortunate fact is, there were plenty of other options available and people were more self-reliant back then. Farm produce was also more readily available to more people. That moose in my goat shed is looking more tasty every day, though.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Well I am back from a trip to the grocery store. I expected some things but not what I found there. Or, more accurately, what I didn't find there.

--No paper goods (toilet paper, napkins, paper towels, tissues) to be had. Shelves were bare.
--No anti-bacterial agents or any form of disinfectants. (They did have some regular soap which is an excellent disinfectant though.)
--No canned soups, chili, meat, or other ready to eat canned edibles except for a few cans of tuna hidden behind the last remaining cans of green beans. (I got those.) There were a half dozen cans of canned salmon at $8+ a can. Otherwise shelves were bare.
--All beans, rice, pasta, ramen noodles and such gone. Shelves were bare.
--Most frozen foods like lasagna, pizza, and other heat & eat items gone. The cases were pretty empty.
--The fresh beef, pork, chicken, fish section completely cleaned out except for a very few undesirable or extremely expensive cuts. No hamburger, steaks, or chops to be had. I did find a small processed ham and got that. but it was expensive.
--All luncheon meats, most brick cheese, and all bacon and sausage gone including the most expensive and the yucky precooked stuff. Not even a package of hot dog wieners remained. The whole section mostly bare. I was able to get some bagels and cream cheese.
--No flour of any kind or any brand! There was one 20 lb. sack of flour in a cloth bag and because I was out, I got that. Guess I'll be making a lot of biscuits and bread.
--No cornmeal to be had.
--No milk except for a few gallon jugs all almost at their expiration dates.
--No butter. No eggs. Shelves were bare.

Our freezer is fairly well stocked with meat so we're okay for awhile. I have plenty of flour, sugar, salt, pepper, and there were plenty of fresh veggies in the store. We won't starve.

I just hope and pray that this isn't our new normal for the foreseeable future. It brings out the pioneer in us maybe as we have to adapt and improvise. But it's also a little scary.

I and a few more here remember rationing during WWII. We'll have no trouble surviving. I started 1st grade in Sept '45 and we still had rationing until the end of '45.


A wide variety of commodities were rationed during World War II in the United States.
Rationing ended when supplies were sufficient to meet demand.

Rationed Items Rationing Duration
Tires January 1942 to December 1945
Cars February 1942 to October 1945
Bicycles July 1942 to September 1945
Gasoline May 1942 to August 1945
Fuel Oil & Kerosene October 1942 to August 1945
Solid Fuels September 1943 to August 1945
Stoves December 1942 to August 1945
Rubber Footwear October 1942 to September 1945
Shoes February 1943 to October 1945
Sugar May 1942 to 1947
Coffee November 1942 to July 1943
Processed Foods March 1943 to August 1945
Meats, canned fish March 1943 to November 1945
Cheese, canned milk, fats March 1943 to November 1945
Typewriters March 1942 to April 1944

One of my earliest memories as a very wee tyke was my mother mixing a new invention called margarine to substitute for the butter that was unavailable to buy near the end of the war. They weren't allowed to sell yellow colored margarine so you got this hard white brick of whatever they made it out of, and she would soften it and mix in a packet of yellow coloring to make it look more like butter. Fascinating to watch.

Our margarine came with a yellow pellet that would break and Mom would mash into the greasy mass.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Well I am back from a trip to the grocery store. I expected some things but not what I found there. Or, more accurately, what I didn't find there.

--No paper goods (toilet paper, napkins, paper towels, tissues) to be had. Shelves were bare.
--No anti-bacterial agents or any form of disinfectants. (They did have some regular soap which is an excellent disinfectant though.)
--No canned soups, chili, meat, or other ready to eat canned edibles except for a few cans of tuna hidden behind the last remaining cans of green beans. (I got those.) There were a half dozen cans of canned salmon at $8+ a can. Otherwise shelves were bare.
--All beans, rice, pasta, ramen noodles and such gone. Shelves were bare.
--Most frozen foods like lasagna, pizza, and other heat & eat items gone. The cases were pretty empty.
--The fresh beef, pork, chicken, fish section completely cleaned out except for a very few undesirable or extremely expensive cuts. No hamburger, steaks, or chops to be had. I did find a small processed ham and got that. but it was expensive.
--All luncheon meats, most brick cheese, and all bacon and sausage gone including the most expensive and the yucky precooked stuff. Not even a package of hot dog wieners remained. The whole section mostly bare. I was able to get some bagels and cream cheese.
--No flour of any kind or any brand! There was one 20 lb. sack of flour in a cloth bag and because I was out, I got that. Guess I'll be making a lot of biscuits and bread.
--No cornmeal to be had.
--No milk except for a few gallon jugs all almost at their expiration dates.
--No butter. No eggs. Shelves were bare.

Our freezer is fairly well stocked with meat so we're okay for awhile. I have plenty of flour, sugar, salt, pepper, and there were plenty of fresh veggies in the store. We won't starve.

I just hope and pray that this isn't our new normal for the foreseeable future. It brings out the pioneer in us maybe as we have to adapt and improvise. But it's also a little scary.

I and a few more here remember rationing during WWII. We'll have no trouble surviving. I started 1st grade in Sept '45 and we still had rationing until the end of '45.


A wide variety of commodities were rationed during World War II in the United States.
Rationing ended when supplies were sufficient to meet demand.

Rationed Items Rationing Duration
Tires January 1942 to December 1945
Cars February 1942 to October 1945
Bicycles July 1942 to September 1945
Gasoline May 1942 to August 1945
Fuel Oil & Kerosene October 1942 to August 1945
Solid Fuels September 1943 to August 1945
Stoves December 1942 to August 1945
Rubber Footwear October 1942 to September 1945
Shoes February 1943 to October 1945
Sugar May 1942 to 1947
Coffee November 1942 to July 1943
Processed Foods March 1943 to August 1945
Meats, canned fish March 1943 to November 1945
Cheese, canned milk, fats March 1943 to November 1945
Typewriters March 1942 to April 1944

One of my earliest memories as a very wee tyke was my mother mixing a new invention called margarine to substitute for the butter that was unavailable to buy near the end of the war. They weren't allowed to sell yellow colored margarine so you got this hard white brick of whatever they made it out of, and she would soften it and mix in a packet of yellow coloring to make it look more like butter. Fascinating to watch.

I remember the white margarine with the coloring. Also coffee was rationed but we could buy chicory as a substitute. Fish and liver weren't rationed and we had our own chickens and hogs.

View attachment 312498

Here's a small fact, the yellow coloring in butter comes from the carotene that the animals eat. In cows, the carotene is processed through their systems and comes out in the milk. In goats, the carotene is not processed as thoroughly and goat milk is whiter and goat butter has little yellow color.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Just a pack of smokes, thanks. Camel or Lucky Strike.

 

[Gracie]

Things might not be as bad as I thought. Had a small panic attack last night due to the letter Medi-Cal sent us saying we were being dropped due to being over their limit money wise. We called them today and said no..we dont have the money they think we have. We HAD it, but its gone. They were counting money we used to have which is no longer here. Its gone. And it was not a monthly thing anyway..it was a one time payment due to the fires from different venues. They had it as monthly income.

So thanks for the prayers! Don't stop. They are such a mess down there, no telling what else they will screw up to make us screwed up.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Things might not be as bad as I thought. Had a small panic attack last night due to the letter Medi-Cal sent us saying we were being dropped due to being over their limit money wise. We called them today and said no..we dont have the money they think we have. We HAD it, but its gone. They were counting money we used to have which is no longer here. Its gone. And it was not a monthly thing anyway..it was a one time payment due to the fires from different venues. They had it as monthly income.

So thanks for the prayers! Don't stop. They are such a mess down there, no telling what else they will screw up to make us screwed up.

Did you get the pics I sent?

 

[Gracie]

Things might not be as bad as I thought. Had a small panic attack last night due to the letter Medi-Cal sent us saying we were being dropped due to being over their limit money wise. We called them today and said no..we dont have the money they think we have. We HAD it, but its gone. They were counting money we used to have which is no longer here. Its gone. And it was not a monthly thing anyway..it was a one time payment due to the fires from different venues. They had it as monthly income.

So thanks for the prayers! Don't stop. They are such a mess down there, no telling what else they will screw up to make us screwed up.

Did you get the pics I sent?

No. Just the pic of your house with no snow..one with snow. And your new goat, lol.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Things might not be as bad as I thought. Had a small panic attack last night due to the letter Medi-Cal sent us saying we were being dropped due to being over their limit money wise. We called them today and said no..we dont have the money they think we have. We HAD it, but its gone. They were counting money we used to have which is no longer here. Its gone. And it was not a monthly thing anyway..it was a one time payment due to the fires from different venues. They had it as monthly income.

So thanks for the prayers! Don't stop. They are such a mess down there, no telling what else they will screw up to make us screwed up.

Did you get the pics I sent?

No. Just the pic of your house with no snow..one with snow. And your new goat, lol.

I think that was it, for now.

 

[Foxfyre]

Hello Coffee Shoppers! Nosmo King checking in. I have to report another victim of the coronavirus. The Easter Pageant on the Hillside has been shelved for the year. This would have been the 50th year for the pageant and my 17th. But concerns over spreading this plague made the choice to not bring a cast of 60 together every Sunday o practice our play. Let alone bring 200 people together to watch our performances. So, there's that.

I also decided to pull the plug, temporarily, on Movie Night at the East Liverpool Community and Learning Center. It was really taking off too! Last Thursday I screened The African Queen for a crowd of 20. They enjoyed the movie and the fresh popped popcorn I provided. C'est le guarre. I hope to resume sometime in April after the crisis has passed. If I only had some lamb's blood to paint on the posts and lintel of the doorway to ward off the Angel of Death, but I don't know if such a Judaic remedy would work for a bunch of uptight Calvinists.

Otherwise, everybody is doing great. Mom is well and stocked with groceries thanks to some prudent planning by my brother and me. Daisy has a month's supply of kibble, so she's a happy mutt. Last Tuesday I bought a 3 month supply of toilet paper before the run on it made tissue as rare as hen's teeth. There are 12 cans of soup, 6 loaves of bread in the freezer and a half dozen boxes of Rice-a-Roni in the pantry. I lack green leafy vegetables, but we can't get everything.

The upper Ohio River Valley is relativeimmune to natural disasters. We don't get earthquakes. Our perpetually cloud shrouded skies keep plenty of moisture handy, so no wildfires or droughts. It floods occasionally, but that effects a very small number of folks as we live perched upon our steep, wooded ravines. But a pandemic doesn't pay attention to natural surroundings. We are learning lessons in preparedness that we don't need to know otherwise.

I guess this is God's way of reminding us about hubris.

And I have so enjoyed those Easter pageant anthologies every year for the past several years too. Oh well. We'll survive. And there is next year. Good to hear from you Nosmo and to know you and Daisy are still kicking.

 

[Foxfyre]

Well I am back from a trip to the grocery store. I expected some things but not what I found there. Or, more accurately, what I didn't find there.

--No paper goods (toilet paper, napkins, paper towels, tissues) to be had. Shelves were bare.
--No anti-bacterial agents or any form of disinfectants. (They did have some regular soap which is an excellent disinfectant though.)
--No canned soups, chili, meat, or other ready to eat canned edibles except for a few cans of tuna hidden behind the last remaining cans of green beans. (I got those.) There were a half dozen cans of canned salmon at $8+ a can. Otherwise shelves were bare.
--All beans, rice, pasta, ramen noodles and such gone. Shelves were bare.
--Most frozen foods like lasagna, pizza, and other heat & eat items gone. The cases were pretty empty.
--The fresh beef, pork, chicken, fish section completely cleaned out except for a very few undesirable or extremely expensive cuts. No hamburger, steaks, or chops to be had. I did find a small processed ham and got that. but it was expensive.
--All luncheon meats, most brick cheese, and all bacon and sausage gone including the most expensive and the yucky precooked stuff. Not even a package of hot dog wieners remained. The whole section mostly bare. I was able to get some bagels and cream cheese.
--No flour of any kind or any brand! There was one 20 lb. sack of flour in a cloth bag and because I was out, I got that. Guess I'll be making a lot of biscuits and bread.
--No cornmeal to be had.
--No milk except for a few gallon jugs all almost at their expiration dates.
--No butter. No eggs. Shelves were bare.

Our freezer is fairly well stocked with meat so we're okay for awhile. I have plenty of flour, sugar, salt, pepper, and there were plenty of fresh veggies in the store. We won't starve.

I just hope and pray that this isn't our new normal for the foreseeable future. It brings out the pioneer in us maybe as we have to adapt and improvise. But it's also a little scary.

Do many of those folks even know how to cook rice?

Some of us do. But even the instant rice was all gone.

 

[Foxfyre]

MrG and I are in deep doo doo. Asking for prayers again. Big time.
Cali is really fucking us over, medical wise. Sigh.

You have the prayers. And they include a request for a solution for you two in many ways.

 

[JustAnotherNut]

This has to be a Coffee Shop member before the first cup of the day.



View attachment 311909

Have you been peeking?????

 

[Hossfly]