We awoke this morning to the sounds of a loudly bawling kitten. It seems that the mama cat, who appeared at our house with six of her brood a few weeks ago, has now disappeared, taking five of the kittens with her. We don't know why the little gray one was left behind...maybe he was asleep when the rest of them took off.
The kitten, a juvenile, is skittish and won't let us near it, though it's plenty grateful for dishes of milk and cat food. It was delirious with joy later, when Hubbie gave it the scraps from some sardines I had for lunch.
I hit the treadmill right after breakfast and then did laundry and a few other household chores before playing on the computer. Mother came over around 11:30 to continue working on greeting cards, while Hubbie and I tried in vain to get our favorite team's football game on the radio. We tried every station on every radio in the house...the boom box, the stereo, the radio in the bedroom, and even the little emergency radio that we keep in the pantry (our hidey-hole in case of tornadoes). Finally, I decided to check the team's website to find out what station was carrying the game. The station wasn't listed, but the time was...4 p.m., not 11:30 a.m. Oops!
We sure wish this game had been televised, because our team did a great job. Following a couple of painful (including one especially embarrassing) losses recently, they fought hard this week and won by a narrow margin.
We decided to go to a 7 p.m. movie downtown last night. The football game wasn't over when we arrived at the theater, so listened to it on the car radio until the last few minutes, long enough to hear our team make the winning touchdown.
At the theater, we saw "Journey to the Center of the Earth," rated "PG" and starring Brendan Fraser. This updated adaptation of the Jules Verne novel is very family oriented. It has both its edge-of-your-seat adventure, and its humorous moments. The historic theater that showed the film, however, is not equipped with a digital screen, so the movie could not be seen in 3-D, even with special glasses. I think it would have been more exciting in that format.
The cinema 7 theater on the other side of town has digital screens and showed this film in 3-D several weeks ago, at a significantly higher admission fee. The old theater downtown showed it for $2 admission.
Last night, there was a large audience for the showing. If the audiences were as large for the Friday night and Saturday afternoon showings, then the theater did a good business...especially in concessions. We noticed last night that most folks were enjoying popcorn, cold drinks, etc.
We had our popcorn and cold drinks at home after the movie. It doesn't make sense to us to spend at the concession stand what we saved in ticket prices. But I imagine that families reason that if they save as much as $5.50 on each ticket, then they can afford to splurge on concession snacks. In the end, an outing to this theater is much more economical for a family than going to the cinema 7 theater.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Friday, October 10, 2008
Greeting Cards and Downtown Event
The birthday greeting cards above are three that Mother made yesterday for kids in the family.
Since there was no water aerobics session today due to the college being out on spring break, we got up late, and I exercised on my treadmill after breakfast. We had nothing on our agenda for today, so we just did this and that until after lunch, when Mother and I continued our October movie fest... this time watching Johnny Depp in "Sleepy Hollow," rated "R" for violence. This film isn't as bloody as "Sweeney Todd," despite all the head lopping, but it has lots of eerie moments, many of them done humorously by Depp, who plays the somewhat inept and always frightened Ichabod Crane (Crane jumps up on a chair at the sight of a spider in one scene).
Later, Hubbie and I went downtown for "Second Friday" events. We started at the art gallery to attend a retrospective art exhibit by a 70-something artist. This artist is also a member of Master Gardeners, and is the same one that I did photos for recently. I photographed some of her paintings for a prospective book she is putting together.
This lady is a very talented artist, versatile in several mediums, including jewelry making. This is the first time we have had the opportunity to see some of her acrylics and watercolors, which are just beautiful. Each Friday she paints with a group of women who are breast cancer survivors.
From the gallery, we meandered up and down Main Street, where various musicians were playing in front of businesses. At the pocket park, a group from one of the colleges performed Renaissance dances, but that happened before we arrived downtown. Not a problem, though, since we've seen these dancers during Renaissance Days at the college.
We went on to a new antiques/collectibles/flea market mall that opened this month. We were surprised at how large it is...it's in a former furniture store, which has been modified to extend to the storage area in the back. There are many booths of goods in the mall. It was fun looking through the booths, but I only turned up one item to buy...an audiobook on CD for $3.
At one booth, there was a faux fur (mink-like) collar, with a clip at the head to attach to the tail. I had one very much like it when I was in Catholic high school, back in the 1950s. One day, when I wore it to school, one of the boys dared me to attach it to the veil of the nun's habit who was teaching our class. I did, and as soon as Sister discovered it, I was summarily sent to the principal's office. I don't remember my punishment. All I remember was the giggles of my classmates as Sister strode up and down between our desks with that ridiculous "animal" attached to her veil.
Touring the mall was like a walk down memory lane, finding items similar to things we remember our parents having, or that we had in our own homes. Often are the times we have regretted getting rid of items that would bring a fortune today.
While we were at the mall, a lady exclaimed that we should all go over to the bay door windows to see the sunset...a spectacular view as the sun glowed through cloulds, turning them to deep pink and purple against a dark blue sky.
After the mall, we went back to the pocket park, where I intended to catch the local dance studio students in a performance, but we got there just as it ended, drat it. So we walked over to the dance studio, where the doors were open, and a group was dancing to some new step that Hubbie and I are unfamiliar with, which meant that Hubbie was not game to join in.
By this time, it was 7:30. A series of "Betty Boop" cartoons was to be shown at a coffee house at 8:30, but Hubbie didn't want to wait around for it, so we came on home, and I played a movie I'd recorded on DVR..."Hoosiers." This 1986 "PG" movie, starring Gene Hackman, Barbara Hershey, and Dennis Hopper, is very good. I don't remember seeing it before, but even if I had, it was worth seeing again. It's about a volatile middle-aged man who comes to a small town to whip a basketball team into shape, but has to overcome the town folks' hostility and rejection of him.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Greeting Cards and a Movie
It was pretty nippy this morning when I left for Cardiac Rehab, but warmed up quite a bit by the time I finished the session. One lane of my route to Cardiac Rehab, which I use to avoid construction on another road, was blocked on my trip home this morning, meaning the lane I was in crawled at a snail's pace. Finally, I turned down a side road and meandered through town on this street and that until I got to the road leading to my house.
Hubbie was gone to a monthly Master Gardener's meeting when I got home. So Mother came over, and we made several birthday greeting cards, which we'll use during the next couple of months (16 family members and friends have birthdays starting at the end of this month and continuing through December). The greeting cards shown (ones that I made) are intentionally busy, because they are meant for children and young people.
After lunch, Hubbie and I ran errands...to one of the stores that has a sale every weekend to get a gift card for Hubbie's sister for her birthday, and to the WDCS for several grocery items (milk, mainly, since we were completely out).
When we got home, Mother and I settled in to watch the musical, "Phantom of the Opera," on DVD. We both love this perfect-for-October movie. Hubbie, not a real fan of musicals, went outside to do chores, like washing the truck.
Mother went home after the movie, which ended around suppertime. Hubbie and I had leftovers for supper...a recipe of low-salt, low-fat Salisbury steaks, with mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and turnip greens. After that we settled in to watch TV.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Water Aerobics and "Sweeney Todd"
The pool was chilly for water aerobics this morning, probably because more water was added to it, which hasn't had time to heat, yet. One of the other ladies said it was even chillier Monday. I wasn't there Monday, since I attended Cardiac Rehab as a make-up day for missing my regularly scheduled session yesterday.
The news from the pool is that on Monday one of the ladies experienced severe indigestion and left early to go home. Later, the indigestion became intolerable enough to send her to the hospital, where she was diagnosed as having a heart episode. Today, she underwent stent implantation. She's the third one of us since the first of the year to be diagnosed with heart disease, each of us experiencing different symptoms...an "ice cream headache" type of pain in my left arm, severe acid reflux symptoms in the esophagus of another woman, and severe indigestion in the third...proving that heart attack symptoms in women can be very different from the classic ones often experienced by men.
When I got home, there was an e-mail message from Daughter-in-Law saying that she cannot access my blog. I tried, but also cannot access it. I spent the rest of the morning studying information from blogger.com, but can find no clue to the problem.
Mother came over after lunch, and we finished an arts council project begun at a member's home. Several women gathered at the host lady's home to work on creating clear, beveled glass Christmas tree ornaments in various sizes of diamond shapes edged in leading. Some of the ornaments feature star and ice crystal etchings, and some are plain. The lady who hosted the work session is a skilled stained glass artist.
Mother's and my job was to attach tags and hanger cords to the ornaments. There wasn't time to finish the job, so today we finished making the tags and punching holes in them. Tomorrow, Hubbie will deliver the tags to the gallery, where other helpers will attach them to ornaments. We want a sufficient supply of ornaments available for sale at the gallery for Friday night's "Second Friday" events downtown.
Later, we sat down to watch Johnny Depp in the musical movie, "Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street." This "R" rated movie is very bloody...more so than the filmed stage production starring Angela Landsbury. Some have said that Depp's singing is not especially good, but I thought he was fine...his rendition seemed to fit the dark and evil Todd character nicely. This movie is definitely Halloween month fare, but with all the spurting-blood-throat-slitting, it is not for those with weak stomachs.
The news from the pool is that on Monday one of the ladies experienced severe indigestion and left early to go home. Later, the indigestion became intolerable enough to send her to the hospital, where she was diagnosed as having a heart episode. Today, she underwent stent implantation. She's the third one of us since the first of the year to be diagnosed with heart disease, each of us experiencing different symptoms...an "ice cream headache" type of pain in my left arm, severe acid reflux symptoms in the esophagus of another woman, and severe indigestion in the third...proving that heart attack symptoms in women can be very different from the classic ones often experienced by men.
When I got home, there was an e-mail message from Daughter-in-Law saying that she cannot access my blog. I tried, but also cannot access it. I spent the rest of the morning studying information from blogger.com, but can find no clue to the problem.
Mother came over after lunch, and we finished an arts council project begun at a member's home. Several women gathered at the host lady's home to work on creating clear, beveled glass Christmas tree ornaments in various sizes of diamond shapes edged in leading. Some of the ornaments feature star and ice crystal etchings, and some are plain. The lady who hosted the work session is a skilled stained glass artist.
Mother's and my job was to attach tags and hanger cords to the ornaments. There wasn't time to finish the job, so today we finished making the tags and punching holes in them. Tomorrow, Hubbie will deliver the tags to the gallery, where other helpers will attach them to ornaments. We want a sufficient supply of ornaments available for sale at the gallery for Friday night's "Second Friday" events downtown.
Later, we sat down to watch Johnny Depp in the musical movie, "Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street." This "R" rated movie is very bloody...more so than the filmed stage production starring Angela Landsbury. Some have said that Depp's singing is not especially good, but I thought he was fine...his rendition seemed to fit the dark and evil Todd character nicely. This movie is definitely Halloween month fare, but with all the spurting-blood-throat-slitting, it is not for those with weak stomachs.
Tuesday...Road Trip
After a rainy night, we awoke to a cloudy, cool day, which was fine for a trip south to the capital city, where I was scheduled to meet a 2 p.m. appointment with my dental surgeon. Since we had to be in the capital city anyway, we decided to make it a play day, as well, and left home around 8 a.m. in order to arrive at one of the museums when it opened.
The drive down was very pleasant. On the way we enjoyed the hills dotted with trees tinged in autumn colors and adorned with cotton ball puffs of fog. In a field, a white egret gracefully took wing, and a pair of wild turkeys hunted for food in someone's yard.
An audiobook on CDs...Sidney Shelton's "Are You Afraid of the Dark"... kept us entertained as we rode.
At the first museum, we toured four exhibits, including one displaying toys of yesteryear, which included many that we or our children played with, like Tiddledy Winks, toy soldiers, dolls, and rocking horses. It's said that rocking horses have been around since Egyptian times. The wooden one on display dates back to the 19th century.
Information at this exhibit stated that there has never been a child who did not have toys. This is so because even impoverished children manage to make toys from whatever is at hand. The doll exhibit, for instance, showed examples ranging from those made of rags and corn cobs, to finer ceramic and bisque ones.
Another exhibit features original music manuscripts, including penciled editing, of such great composers as George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein, and Stephen Sondheim.
One of the other two exhibits centered on seating furniture...popular couch and chair styles over the years, while an upstairs exhibit featured two diverse artists, one working in Chinese ink and mixed media, the other using items like window frames, screening, and old metal signs to make statements.
By the time we'd toured these exhibits, it was time for lunch. So we drove a couple of blocks to a bookstore/art gallery/cafe combination, where we ordered sandwiches and soup. Mother and I opted for turkey club sandwiches on sourdough bread, and Hubbie got ham and Swiss cheese on sourdough bread. I ordered a small bowl of tomato Florentine soup (meaning it had spinach in it), which was delicious. Mother and Hubbie sampled it and liked it, too.
This unique business is fun to visit. The first floor of the business houses not only the small cafe, but a collection of books discarded from the adjacent public library that are for sale at very reasonable prices. The book collection is big enough that there are several shelves of them in the basement level, too. Also for sale are older issues gardening and birding magazines, and music CDs, along with other, new, gift items. I bought two "Chicken Soup for the Soul" books..."Chicken Soup for the Couple's Soul," and "Chicken Soup for the Woman's Soul." I'll add these to several other Chicken Soup books I've collected, including "..for the Dog and Cat Lover's Soul," ...for the Golden Soul," ...for the Writer's Soul,"..."for the Lover's Soul," and..."for the Scrapbooker's Soul."
After lunch, we visited the two upper levels. One level exhibited the works of children around the states...ages ranging from kindergarten to twelfth grade. I just love looking at children's art. Kids are so uninhibited and free in their expression. There were some quite remarkable examples in this exhibit.
The other level featured handmade jewelry and pottery, some of which was exquisite but very expensive.
From this exhibit, we traveled to the other side of the city for my dental appointment. All was well with my teeth, so I wasn't there very long. In giving my hygienist the information about my heart episode, though, I learned that both he and the dentist have also had stent implant procedures. The hygienist suffered from a blood clot that caused his attack. He had classic symptoms of shortness of breath, tightness in the chest, and a pain in his left arm that "felt like it was in a vise," he said.
Before coming home yesterday afternoon, we stopped by a discount warehouse store to pick up groceries and incidentals. When I'm in the area of that store, I like to load up on fruits...today, we got plums, apples, two varieties of grapes, and bananas, as well as a large container of grape tomatoes (I love them). Among other things, I also picked up a package of three ink jet cartridges, in anticipation of the price going up on them in these hard economic times.
We were on the road back home by 4 p.m. On the way, nature provided another spectacular view...a gorgeous rainbow arced across the sky against the clouds. It has been a long time since we've seen a full rainbow like that.
For supper tonight, we had leftover vegetable-pasta soup and bran muffins. Later, Hubbie and I ended the evening watching the presidential election debate.
The drive down was very pleasant. On the way we enjoyed the hills dotted with trees tinged in autumn colors and adorned with cotton ball puffs of fog. In a field, a white egret gracefully took wing, and a pair of wild turkeys hunted for food in someone's yard.
An audiobook on CDs...Sidney Shelton's "Are You Afraid of the Dark"... kept us entertained as we rode.
At the first museum, we toured four exhibits, including one displaying toys of yesteryear, which included many that we or our children played with, like Tiddledy Winks, toy soldiers, dolls, and rocking horses. It's said that rocking horses have been around since Egyptian times. The wooden one on display dates back to the 19th century.
Information at this exhibit stated that there has never been a child who did not have toys. This is so because even impoverished children manage to make toys from whatever is at hand. The doll exhibit, for instance, showed examples ranging from those made of rags and corn cobs, to finer ceramic and bisque ones.
Another exhibit features original music manuscripts, including penciled editing, of such great composers as George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein, and Stephen Sondheim.
One of the other two exhibits centered on seating furniture...popular couch and chair styles over the years, while an upstairs exhibit featured two diverse artists, one working in Chinese ink and mixed media, the other using items like window frames, screening, and old metal signs to make statements.
By the time we'd toured these exhibits, it was time for lunch. So we drove a couple of blocks to a bookstore/art gallery/cafe combination, where we ordered sandwiches and soup. Mother and I opted for turkey club sandwiches on sourdough bread, and Hubbie got ham and Swiss cheese on sourdough bread. I ordered a small bowl of tomato Florentine soup (meaning it had spinach in it), which was delicious. Mother and Hubbie sampled it and liked it, too.
This unique business is fun to visit. The first floor of the business houses not only the small cafe, but a collection of books discarded from the adjacent public library that are for sale at very reasonable prices. The book collection is big enough that there are several shelves of them in the basement level, too. Also for sale are older issues gardening and birding magazines, and music CDs, along with other, new, gift items. I bought two "Chicken Soup for the Soul" books..."Chicken Soup for the Couple's Soul," and "Chicken Soup for the Woman's Soul." I'll add these to several other Chicken Soup books I've collected, including "..for the Dog and Cat Lover's Soul," ...for the Golden Soul," ...for the Writer's Soul,"..."for the Lover's Soul," and..."for the Scrapbooker's Soul."
After lunch, we visited the two upper levels. One level exhibited the works of children around the states...ages ranging from kindergarten to twelfth grade. I just love looking at children's art. Kids are so uninhibited and free in their expression. There were some quite remarkable examples in this exhibit.
The other level featured handmade jewelry and pottery, some of which was exquisite but very expensive.
From this exhibit, we traveled to the other side of the city for my dental appointment. All was well with my teeth, so I wasn't there very long. In giving my hygienist the information about my heart episode, though, I learned that both he and the dentist have also had stent implant procedures. The hygienist suffered from a blood clot that caused his attack. He had classic symptoms of shortness of breath, tightness in the chest, and a pain in his left arm that "felt like it was in a vise," he said.
Before coming home yesterday afternoon, we stopped by a discount warehouse store to pick up groceries and incidentals. When I'm in the area of that store, I like to load up on fruits...today, we got plums, apples, two varieties of grapes, and bananas, as well as a large container of grape tomatoes (I love them). Among other things, I also picked up a package of three ink jet cartridges, in anticipation of the price going up on them in these hard economic times.
We were on the road back home by 4 p.m. On the way, nature provided another spectacular view...a gorgeous rainbow arced across the sky against the clouds. It has been a long time since we've seen a full rainbow like that.
For supper tonight, we had leftover vegetable-pasta soup and bran muffins. Later, Hubbie and I ended the evening watching the presidential election debate.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Monday is usually water aerobics day, but this morning I went to Cardiac Rehab, instead, because we'll travel tomorrow to the capital city, where I have a dental appointment.
The story from a 40-something Cardiac Rehab patient this morning: a few years ago, on Thanksgiving Day, when his grandparents failed to show up for dinner, and didn't answer their phone, he went to check on them at their house, and had the horrendous experience of finding them dead of carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a faulty heater. This man said that his grandparents had been complaining for a few days of having headaches, a classic sign that a home might have a carbon monoxide problem.
The Environmental Protection Agency has issued information at its website (http://www.epa.gov/) regarding carbon monoxide poisoning (see below):
Carbon Monoxide Can Be Deadly
You can’t see or smell carbon monoxide, but at high levels it can kill a person in minutes. Carbon monoxide (CO) is produced whenever any fuel such as gas, oil, kerosene, wood, or charcoal is burned. If appliances that burn fuel are maintained and used properly, the amount of CO produced is usually not hazardous. However, if appliances are not working properly or are used incorrectly, dangerous levels of CO can result. Hundreds of people die accidentally every year from CO poisoning caused by malfunctioning or improperly used fuel-burning appliances. Even more die from CO produced by idling cars. Fetuses, infants, elderly people, and people with anemia or with a history of heart or respiratory disease can be especially susceptible. Be safe. Practice the DO’s and DON’Ts of carbon monoxide.
CO Poisoning Symptoms
Know the symptoms of CO poisoning. At moderate levels, you or your family can get severe headaches, become dizzy, mentally confused, nauseated, or faint. You can even die if these levels persist for a long time. Low levels can cause shortness of breath, mild nausea, and mild headaches, and may have longer term effects on your health. Since many of these symptoms are similar to those of the flu, food poisoning, or other illnesses, you may not think that CO poisoning could be the cause.
Play it Safe
If you experience symptoms that you think could be from CO poisoning:
DO GET FRESH AIR IMMEDIATELY. Open doors and windows, turn off combustion appliances and leave the house.
DO GO TO AN EMERGENCY ROOM and tell the physician you suspect CO poisoning. If CO poisoning has occurred, it can often be diagnosed by a blood test done soon after exposure.
DO Be prepared to answer the following questions for the doctor:
Do your symptoms occur only in the house? Do they disappear or decrease when you leave home and reappear when you return?
Is anyone else in your household complaining of similar symptoms? Did everyone’s symptoms appear about the same time?
Are you using any fuel-burning appliances in the home?
Has anyone inspected your appliances lately? Are you certain they are working properly?
Prevention is the Key to Avoiding Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
DO have your fuel-burning appliances -- including oil and gas furnaces, gas water heaters, gas ranges and ovens, gas dryers, gas or kerosene space heaters, fireplaces, and wood stoves -- inspected by a trained professional at the beginning of every heating season. Make certain that the flues and chimneys are connected, in good condition, and not blocked.
DO choose appliances that vent their fumes to the outside whenever possible, have them properly installed, and maintain them according to manufacturers’ instructions.
DO read and follow all of the instructions that accompany any fuel-burning device. If you cannot avoid using an unvented gas or kerosene space heater, carefully follow the cautions that come with the device. Use the proper fuel and keep doors to the rest of the house open. Crack a window to ensure enough air for ventilation and proper fuel-burning.
DO call the Consumer Product Safety Commission (1-800-638-2772) at http://www.cpsc.gov/ for more information on how to reduce your risks from CO and other combustion gases and particles.
DON’T idle the car in a garage -- even if the garage door to the outside is open. Fumes can build up very quickly in the garage and living area of your home.
DON’T use a gas oven to heat your home, even for a short time.
DON’T ever use a charcoal grill indoors -- even in a fireplace.
DON'T sleep in any room with an unvented gas or kerosene space heater.
DON’T use any gasoline-powered engines (mowers, weed trimmers, snow blowers, chain saws, small engines or generators) in enclosed spaces.
DON’T ignore symptoms, particularly if more than one person is feeling them. You could lose consciousness and die if you do nothing.
We will be getting our central heating system checked in the next few days, since cooler weather is on the way. So far, we haven't needed to turn on the heat. Due to warmer winters in the past few years, we haven't used our fireplace since we had it cleaned last. But if we decide to use it, we'll still call the chimney sweep to inspect it. We have a carbon monoxide detector in our bedroom. More information about these detectors can be found at http://www.epa.gov/.
The story from a 40-something Cardiac Rehab patient this morning: a few years ago, on Thanksgiving Day, when his grandparents failed to show up for dinner, and didn't answer their phone, he went to check on them at their house, and had the horrendous experience of finding them dead of carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a faulty heater. This man said that his grandparents had been complaining for a few days of having headaches, a classic sign that a home might have a carbon monoxide problem.
The Environmental Protection Agency has issued information at its website (http://www.epa.gov/) regarding carbon monoxide poisoning (see below):
Carbon Monoxide Can Be Deadly
You can’t see or smell carbon monoxide, but at high levels it can kill a person in minutes. Carbon monoxide (CO) is produced whenever any fuel such as gas, oil, kerosene, wood, or charcoal is burned. If appliances that burn fuel are maintained and used properly, the amount of CO produced is usually not hazardous. However, if appliances are not working properly or are used incorrectly, dangerous levels of CO can result. Hundreds of people die accidentally every year from CO poisoning caused by malfunctioning or improperly used fuel-burning appliances. Even more die from CO produced by idling cars. Fetuses, infants, elderly people, and people with anemia or with a history of heart or respiratory disease can be especially susceptible. Be safe. Practice the DO’s and DON’Ts of carbon monoxide.
CO Poisoning Symptoms
Know the symptoms of CO poisoning. At moderate levels, you or your family can get severe headaches, become dizzy, mentally confused, nauseated, or faint. You can even die if these levels persist for a long time. Low levels can cause shortness of breath, mild nausea, and mild headaches, and may have longer term effects on your health. Since many of these symptoms are similar to those of the flu, food poisoning, or other illnesses, you may not think that CO poisoning could be the cause.
Play it Safe
If you experience symptoms that you think could be from CO poisoning:
DO GET FRESH AIR IMMEDIATELY. Open doors and windows, turn off combustion appliances and leave the house.
DO GO TO AN EMERGENCY ROOM and tell the physician you suspect CO poisoning. If CO poisoning has occurred, it can often be diagnosed by a blood test done soon after exposure.
DO Be prepared to answer the following questions for the doctor:
Do your symptoms occur only in the house? Do they disappear or decrease when you leave home and reappear when you return?
Is anyone else in your household complaining of similar symptoms? Did everyone’s symptoms appear about the same time?
Are you using any fuel-burning appliances in the home?
Has anyone inspected your appliances lately? Are you certain they are working properly?
Prevention is the Key to Avoiding Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
DO have your fuel-burning appliances -- including oil and gas furnaces, gas water heaters, gas ranges and ovens, gas dryers, gas or kerosene space heaters, fireplaces, and wood stoves -- inspected by a trained professional at the beginning of every heating season. Make certain that the flues and chimneys are connected, in good condition, and not blocked.
DO choose appliances that vent their fumes to the outside whenever possible, have them properly installed, and maintain them according to manufacturers’ instructions.
DO read and follow all of the instructions that accompany any fuel-burning device. If you cannot avoid using an unvented gas or kerosene space heater, carefully follow the cautions that come with the device. Use the proper fuel and keep doors to the rest of the house open. Crack a window to ensure enough air for ventilation and proper fuel-burning.
DO call the Consumer Product Safety Commission (1-800-638-2772) at http://www.cpsc.gov/ for more information on how to reduce your risks from CO and other combustion gases and particles.
DON’T idle the car in a garage -- even if the garage door to the outside is open. Fumes can build up very quickly in the garage and living area of your home.
DON’T use a gas oven to heat your home, even for a short time.
DON’T ever use a charcoal grill indoors -- even in a fireplace.
DON'T sleep in any room with an unvented gas or kerosene space heater.
DON’T use any gasoline-powered engines (mowers, weed trimmers, snow blowers, chain saws, small engines or generators) in enclosed spaces.
DON’T ignore symptoms, particularly if more than one person is feeling them. You could lose consciousness and die if you do nothing.
We will be getting our central heating system checked in the next few days, since cooler weather is on the way. So far, we haven't needed to turn on the heat. Due to warmer winters in the past few years, we haven't used our fireplace since we had it cleaned last. But if we decide to use it, we'll still call the chimney sweep to inspect it. We have a carbon monoxide detector in our bedroom. More information about these detectors can be found at http://www.epa.gov/.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Slow Sunday
We snoozed until 8 a.m. this morning, had a cold-cereal breakfast, and then did little of importance until noon. I took the day off from exercising. When Mother came over, she said she was in the mood for peppy music, so I put three Big Band CDs into the stereo...two Glen Miller and one Duke Ellington.
For lunch, we had herbed pork roast and new potatoes, prepared in the slow-cooker, and served with gravy, butternut squash, and individual cups of cinnamon-flavored applesauce...a very low-salt, low-fat meal.
Mother went home shortly after lunch, and I sat down with the Sunday newspaper. Lately, I've enjoyed working the Numbrix puzzles in Parade magazine, which are designed by Marilyn Savant. These puzzles also appear at her website, though I haven't tried those. Usually, I like word puzzles and brain teasers, but I've found that I also enjoy some number puzzles, like Soduko and Numbrix. It took a while to teach myself how to work Soduko puzzles, but once I got the hang of it, I was very enthusiastic about it. Later, I taught a couple of granddaughters how to work them, and they caught the fever.
Later yesterday afternoon, Hubbie and I went over to the college in time for the set strike of "Jekyll and Hyde," so I could retrieve the glass decanters and costume jewelry that I'd provided for the play. I figured it'd be safer to be there during strike than to risk having the items packed away among the theater's burgeoning props, costumes, etc. at the storage building, where they might be difficult to unearth later.
For supper, we settled for French toast, using whole wheat bread dipped in egg substitute and prepared with cooking spray. The toast was topped with low-fat margarine and sugar free syrup. We finished the meal with cups of hot tea and bowls of mixed fresh fruits sprinkled with chopped pecans.
For lunch, we had herbed pork roast and new potatoes, prepared in the slow-cooker, and served with gravy, butternut squash, and individual cups of cinnamon-flavored applesauce...a very low-salt, low-fat meal.
Mother went home shortly after lunch, and I sat down with the Sunday newspaper. Lately, I've enjoyed working the Numbrix puzzles in Parade magazine, which are designed by Marilyn Savant. These puzzles also appear at her website, though I haven't tried those. Usually, I like word puzzles and brain teasers, but I've found that I also enjoy some number puzzles, like Soduko and Numbrix. It took a while to teach myself how to work Soduko puzzles, but once I got the hang of it, I was very enthusiastic about it. Later, I taught a couple of granddaughters how to work them, and they caught the fever.
Later yesterday afternoon, Hubbie and I went over to the college in time for the set strike of "Jekyll and Hyde," so I could retrieve the glass decanters and costume jewelry that I'd provided for the play. I figured it'd be safer to be there during strike than to risk having the items packed away among the theater's burgeoning props, costumes, etc. at the storage building, where they might be difficult to unearth later.
For supper, we settled for French toast, using whole wheat bread dipped in egg substitute and prepared with cooking spray. The toast was topped with low-fat margarine and sugar free syrup. We finished the meal with cups of hot tea and bowls of mixed fresh fruits sprinkled with chopped pecans.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)