Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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Betrayal, We fostered a Basenji/Pit Bull for the shelter. We had to use a gentle leader to keep her from pulling hard. It pulls their nose down and stops them from chasing after squirrels. Callie didn't like it, but our rule was no gentle leader, no walk, so she put up with it. Getting pulled off your feet is no fun and can be really dangerous
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Mavericksmom, Glad to hear you are doing well.
Sandy, Happy and Heidi do sound like Miss Felix and Midnight Louie.
The newly renovated house has hit the market.
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We came here because the earth is abundant and alive--a rich,
rich field of lessons for us to learn. The lessons are not comfortable,
because if we weren't challenged, it would mean that we didn't need
to learn these lessons of the soul: courage, patience, faith, learning
to love, embracing eternal life, and the most magical lesson of all:
It's not what I do, it's knowing I am. We are here to learn about love,
to let others love us, to discover that love is a living force--real,
broad, encompassing. I have also learned that universal love is there
for me, and will be there for me, if I'm open to it and believe in it.
Melody Beattie0 -
25 is I think likely a record or very close for a cat. Oldest in house only made it to 21.5. Amazing. Glad to hear the rental is ready and going on the market. Progress is a good thing. It is cool today here. Likely will stay that way too. We have had some winds the past couple of days so extra leaves on the ground and smaller twigs and branches.
Intrigued about the card games. Many yrs. ago we played a game called Stack em' with friends. Both friends passed on several yrs. ago. We thought we'd never forget how to play the game which was just fun in a sm. group. Spoiler alert. We have little idea how the game went other than a stack of cards on front of each player face down and cards for your hand. I think you had to get a stack in front of you up to 15 or something like that. If anyone is aware of this game, I'd love to have the rules again. We always had a good time playing and sharing snacks and meals which gave us a break in the several hours we usually played.
Nothing too special planned today. Likely a Walmart trip to grocery since most days we need something -- either forgotten from the previous trip or something we have used up and use on almost daily basis.
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Jackie, loved today's quote.
I feel like I've crossed another bridge of "older womanhood" as I picked up my hearing aides yesterday. So far, so good and they have had a rough break-in as I played bridge in a relatively small room with 5 tables of bridge players this afternoon.
Bridge is my only card game although played lots of canasta as a teen-ager. Our Michigan friends tried very unsuccessfully to teach me to play Euchre. Have played some duplicate bridge but find I'm not competitive enough. I play social bridge every Friday and Thursday night and 2 Wednesdays. We pay a grand total of $2.00 to play and I am ahead with the prize money but we certainly have hit a dead spot recently. One of the things about social bridge is the cards will turn.
BridgeBase is a free site which will not only let you play with a robot but the robot talks to you about the bidding. You can also select your player level. You can play alone or with a group of your own ability. Several of us played together on line during Covid. One of the smart ones of the group also managed to merge our phones so we could visit. It was one of my sanity savers, golf being the other one.
My current technological challenge is to get Prime on the TV before next Thursdays Cardinals game. I think it's going to take a phone call since computer doesn't seem to know that I'm already a Prime member.
Grant application due next week so I must tackle my desk. Happy Weekend, everyone.
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taco, my DH loves to play cards. He is from Michigan and family plays all the games you mentioned. I don’t generally like playing cards or many other games due to the fact that I was the youngest of five kids and always lost when playing cards, not to mention siblings did fair share of mocking me no matter what card I laid down.
My MIchigan SIL doesn’t like to play either so when everyone got together to play cards we would enjoy drinking tea and chatting with each other.
I Healing from surgery and as long as I keep up with pain medications, all is going well!
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Glad you’re doing well mavericksmom.
I hope everyone is having a enjoyable Saturday. Yesterday we went to our local museum - Museum of Shenandoah Valley. They have an outdoor origami exhibit we’ve been wanting to see. Metal structures that look like origami. We walked through the gardens, saw the structures and then walked one of the trails that surround the museum. Today we just walked around the neighborhood.
Here’s a picture of one of the structures. Enjoy the rest of your day.
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Not much of a card player myself--pretty much limited to War, "Indian" Poker (where you stick a card on your forehead and everyone but you knows what it is), and Go Fish. Not much for games at all, come to think of it, except Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble.
I spoke too soon about Happy. First, he has already grown tired of his special kidney-support food. Then, on the third day after his steroid (we'd previously been giving it every other day) he began puking at least once, sometimes twice a day. So I'm putting him back on it every other day and cutting his kidney food in with the regular stuff. Will call the vet on Monday.
Another thing I have to do Monday? Call the IL Secy of State (DMV). When we bought our Tucson Hybrid, we traded in the Fusion Hybrid but transferred the plates--which it turns out were in my name. But the dealership assumed that since Bob would be driving the new car, they put the new title and registration in HIS name! Of course, the DMV caught the error and notified us, walking me through the process of adding my name to the title & registration (which required me to submit a signed handwritten application & check by snail-mail). We have USPS Informed Delivery, which showed that an envelope from the DMV was due to arrive yesterday.
But by 4:45, the mail had yet to arrive (which ever since DeJoy took over the USPS is not unusual). We went out to dinner, and when we got home at 7:30, saw our mail sticking partway out our front door's mail slot--obviously, it wasn't delivered by our regular carrier, who always pushes the mail all the way through the slot on to our floor inside the house. This time, anyone walking by could see it through our closed storm door. The envelope felt oddly light for its size. When I opened it, all it contained was the new registration--handwritten (badly) on one sheet of multi-part paper, with perforated top & bottom edges. No certificate of title! It was only then I noticed that the envelope had been closed with a piece of Scotch tape. Either it was an inside job (there have been a lot of disgruntled untrained underpaid temps at the USPS lately, courtesy of DeJoy's budget cuts), or porch pirates saw our mail sticking out the door and went "harvesting." I e-mailed the DMV, and tried to call...but...weekend. I am going to have to go through the application process all over again--including yet another fee. This time, though, I'm taking it all to a local DMV office and having THEM send it to Springfield. Of course, I'm still at the incompetent/corrupt mercy of the USPS on the receiving end.
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When you make the decision to look at. . . your own life and the way you think about it, you do something courageous. You dare to be yourself. It may be terrifying to search inward, particularly when it's so easy to look over someone else's shoulder. After all, when you peer inside, it's hard to know if you've made the correct choice. What if the answers are wrong? What if you don't know enough? But even if someone else's answers are right, they may not be right for you. Making the distinction may not always be easy, but once you see the benefits, you'll develop more faith in what's inside your own heart. -Leslie Levine
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Sandy, that is the absolute pits about your registration and the very? errant post office. Our DMV isn't open on Mondays but Tues. thru half a day Saturday. Since we live in such a small town, and I can easily drive to DMV which is in fact a half a block from our Post Ofc. that is what I do. Speaking of post office, I think the price of stamps is going up again. I started quite some time back only mailing a couple of bills and delivering the rest by hand. Can be done even on the weekend because there are drop boxes most places.
Sure, hope you can get that resolved. Most things have to be automatic; I think. I had trouble getting Infor about our Charter/Spectrum acct. at the office since Dh opened the acct and I had to have him add my name before they would do more than take the check from me. So too bad that spouses aren't added automatically unless specified.
Cool today but sun which is nice. Sounds like we are going to start having a few frosty mornings coming up and no build up much during the day. Thr ground will sure fill up with leaves. Will have to keep the lawn tractors going for a couple of weeks.
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I discovered that my DH did have me listed on the registration of his 16 year old Camry several years ago. Spoke to DMV and decided it wasn’t worth it to go through the paperwork hassle. It was bad enough getting his smart ID. He’s a Jr, goes by his middle name. Trying to find documents that all had the same name setup the same took several trips back to the DMV. Record keeping has gotten much stricter.
Hope everyone has a great day.
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Got my Covid booster and flu vaccine. Had to go to 2 different pharmacies as the one I made the appointment with was out of the 65+ flu vaccine. I was able to get both in the same arm. The pharmacist who gave me the Covid booster suggested I take 2 "tylenol" when I get. home and repeat every 6 hours so that's what I will do. Need to bake DH birthday cookie for tomorrow and make lunch for tomorrow - oven "friend" breaded (with ground up pretzels) Tilapia, rice and salad.
Cool and gray out, but appreciate the cooler weather. Warming up. to 70s tomorrow.
Have a great Sunday
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Cardplayer, just hope this goes through! I responded about how I loved your photo from the exhibit , but BCO made it disappear even after submitting went through! Arggggg!
I am having a bit of a rough day due to side affects of Oxycodone! (Yep, good old constipation). I seriously never want to take that stuff again!!! Thank goodness I didn’t take all my surgeon prescribed, an he didn’t prescribe very much! After a bit of an ordeal, I think I am past the worst.
What bothers me most is that I experienced some weird memory/ maybe hallucination episode, this 18 hours after last pill! Scares me! I hope it was from the drugs and not from a form of Alzheimer’s! My mother had Alzheimer’s and I always fear becoming like her!
I hope others had similar issues when prescribed Oxycodone!
My DH and I did real IDs in PA before the pandemic hit! What a complete fiasco! We had to get new birth certificates and I had to get new marriage license to prove name change. It took 3 times at DMV for me and 4times for my husband and almost $200! Totally ridiculous!
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Sorry to hear all the DMV/USPS issues. Generally I'd say we have had the opposite experience. I even got my driver's license extended when I got my "star". I did have both birth certificate and marriage certificate with me on the first trip though. DMV was great when I needed handicapped licience plates when Ken got sick. Got both plates for him and a placard for me even though at the time I wasn't sure he would ever drive again.
BBF was complaining about mail last night too though. Said his ballot hasn't arrived yet although Ken and I got ours and he just lives down the street.
I wouldn't want my name automatically added to anything owned separately by Ken or vice versa. I think an "op in" system is much safer than an "op out." When people are trying to flee domestic violence situations, a separate account is an absolute necessity. It also allowed me to establish credit in my own name rather than just as a married women. I know it was a long time ago, but my MIL's experience when she was widowed convinced us of the importance and we did it very early in our marriage. I. also have my own checking account because Ken doesn't want me messing the joint one up. And I would! Of course, I would pay all bills on line and he still wants to put the increasingly expensive stamps on payments. So he does and we are both happy. On the other hand, I feel totally confident that I can manage our money when the time comes.
MM, try not to panic yet about the post drug reaction. My experience is that it will resolve itself fairly quickly.
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I did ok here with DMV and bringing all sorts of paperwork with me. I’ve got the enhanced license and I’m good thru 2026!
I received my homeowners insurance renewal for our FL house. Increase of $651, pretty steep. But with the roof claim in process and the likely hood of us finding another carrier at any significant discount is slim to none.
I drove by my old dentist office, she shut down as Covid set in. As I was approaching the bend in the road to see her house/office I wondered if I saw her sign out maybe she’d reopen. So as I came around the bend I saw a sign- a FOR SALE sign. I’m assuming they’re moving to California where her son and his family live.
Here’s another one of my Dr stories. I had a call at 6:38 PM Saturday night on my cell, unknown number. I didn’t answer but they left a message. I listen to the message. It was my oncologist office saying they’ve canceled my appointment for 11/7 and scheduled me in for 12/6, they’ll mail me a confirmation. I leave for Florida on 11/9. First thing tomorrow morning I have to call to straighten that out.
It was a beautiful weekend, perfect sunny fall weather. But all good things come to an end, lots of rain expected tomorrow. I hope you all had a great weekend.
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Birthday party for DGD was fun and she was pleased with her gifts. Nice to gather with family since they are so busy on weekends with children's activities.
Yesterday, I planted 90 daffodil bulbs (45 of mixed daffodils and 45 of large daffodils) in newly cleared area by stream. Glad bulbs arrived before ground got too hard to dig. As it is our soil is rocky so you have to extract many rocks to just get enough planting area. We supplemented with top soil that was mixed in, added bulb supplement and will mulch later this week. DD and DSIL came for dinner (takeout from Cheesecake Factory) and I had made Italian sausage with peppers, both sweet and hot, so they had some to take home for meals this week. Dessert was pumpkin cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory which is a favorite of mine. Lovely day to be outside.
Today is gray in anticipation of rain later and cool. Have some inside projects that I can address such as drawers that have not cleaned out in several years. So I am cleaning them out, donating some of the contents and repurposing them for new storage such as extra bed pillows, etc. items specific for use in that room but which take up too much closet space. Hall linen closet is not overly large so if I can store the items in the room that's a win-win. This is only for the spare bedrooms.
Have a good day.
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Cindy, hope you got your doctor appointment straightened out!
Betrayal, so nice reading about your spring bulbs! I need to do more drawer cleaning but that’s on hold. Actually I have a lot of cleaning and “getting rid of things” upstairs! Yep, it will wait!
I feel so much better today and I am actually enjoying watching aHallmark movie in the afternoon without feeling guilty!
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Hope everyone is have a healthy day. Glad you’re feeling better mavericksmom.
I’ve been reading about OTC hearing aids. So much to learn and they’re so new in the US. I have a appointment with my audiologist Wednesday to see if she can fix the popping noise from my one HA. I’d been researching Kirkland HA, but they’ve taken them off the market due to battery issues. Have an appointment with Costco next week, since they still carry other models. Lots of research to do.
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I have been calling a dental clinic for poor folk for the past six months, asking if they are taking new patients. Each time I get the reply "No." This morning I asked for a few moments of her time to explain my problem. Abnormal jaw joints. Only place for chewing action is the very back of the left side. "So you can chew only on the left side?" No, the very back, past the last tooth on the upper meets with the gum on the lower. Very ineffectual. "Oh! Now that changes things. You will get a call back later today." Sigh! I never knew my needs could be more serious than others'.
In other news, I talked with my daughter and sister this weekend. Sister is feeling down a bit after being at the wedding of our other sister's son. Missing our sister-- they were very close.
I knocked off five items on my list. About time to start another sewing project. Going to look through sari collection for something suitable for wide-leg pants.
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Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages.
Thomas A. Edison0 -
Beauty of a day sun-wise. Sure glad old Sol is out there since the temps won't get above 47. I think our cooler weather will been the prevalent thing now. We could have a small Indian summer as it happens most of the time, but all seasons the last few yrs. have been iffy and un-predictable so I'm not really counting on anything.
Maverick, glad your medical issues seemed to have resolved w/o you having to contribute anything but a little time.
Cardplayer, I'm wishing you well with your HA research. I couldn't make it w/o my hearing aids and have worn mine for I think about 12 yrs. now. Got new ones but had to go back to my older ones. They changed the pattern a bit on cleaning procedures, and I just can't seem to get the hang of it.
MC I'm celebrating your good fortune in FINALLY getting through, but just wow. Only because you offered much more detail. I think an angel was whispering into your ear. Seems like you'd have never gotten attention and recognition for your issue otherwise.
No major plans today. I woke up just before daylight and used my bath then came back to bed intending to wait a bit till it was lighter. It was 9 a.m. when I got up. That is VERY late for me, un-comfortably so. Hope you all have a good day.
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So much to comment on, that I can't remember. I liked the sculpture. Very unique. I use to play cards, but it has been years.
Sandy, the last vehicle I bought, I did not get a registration at time of sale, I had to get it online.
taco, My DH and I have separate accounts. I pay some bills and he pays others. Most are on autopay
Illinoislady, I read somewhere the oldest cat was 30 something years.
Maverick, glad you are doing well.
Cindy, I am glad the it is going somewhat smoothly for your claims. I still find it so devastating, that it is just hard to grasp.
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MCBAKER- sometimes it really does take someone to just listen to the issue. Hoping they get you in and taken care of.
I saw my endocrinologist today, not my normal guy but a different Dr. He has told me to take a medicine vacation from the generic fosamax. Made my day! I was hoping to stop it when I stop the anastrazole, so earlier is a bonus. I’m scheduled for a dexa scan in May of next year and I’ll see him right after it.
Oncologist office got me in with my doctors PA, who I’ve seen before, at the same time same date as original appointment. I find it strange but I’ll take it.
Jackie, I was up at 5:30 AM to use the bathroom. I couldn’t fall back to sleep, tossed and turned, light sleep here & there 7 AMbut the next thing I knew it was 9:40 AM! Wasted morning. Fitbit said about 7 hours of sleep.
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Today was the first time since Thurs. that I awoke without my ingrown toenail throbbing. Not sure why. Back is still sore, but whose isn't these days? Temps dropped like a rock yesterday: waiting for the Lyft to take us home from last night's dinner made me wish I'd put some gloves in the pocket of my leather jacket--which went overnight from "too warm" to "inadequate." Breaking out the ol' puffer jacket again, which I'd put away in late April. We even had flurries west of the city this morning. Sigh. (Of course, by Sat. it'll be 70 again).
Spoke to the vet--she agrees with me that Happy's blood levels of the steroid had dropped to zero by Thursday. So we'll give it to him daily through Wed., and also revert to his regular food, very gradually adding in the new renal-support stuff week by week. She's calling me back Thurs. night--if he's still puking daily (or oftener), she'll prescribe an antinauseant.
Meanwhile, got the DMV thing straightened out. Though the USPS is still a DeJoy-fueled fustercluck, our new certificate of title was not stolen after all. The person (in the correct dept., which took several tries) to whom I spoke explained that registrations & titles are processed separately--the titles are printed on forgery-resistant stock that is currently in short supply, and even in normal times they take longer. And the Scotch tape? They don't lick envelopes these days (for understandable reasons), so until the self-sealing ones (unusual size & shape, with glassine window) arrive in Springfield, they're just using tape. Meanwhile, got the annual license-tab-renewal e-mail with both our names on it, so was able to buy the new ones (good till Nov. 2023) online.
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Sandy, glad you got everything straightened out. My weather is not that much different from yours. We had some snow today, but no accumulation. High never got above the average low. Friday is expected to get up to 66. Chilly and windy.
My porch usually gets filled with leaves, I put a tarp up to block most of it. Interested in seeing if it works. I also have a surveillance camera now. It is likely to be best as an intimidation factor. My bike is very important to me.
Cindy, although my problem is serious, it also won't take many visits to resolve it. Adding me to their client list won't change their situation much, and once it is done, I won't need more dental services for a long time. All I need is a lower denture, and re-lining of my upper.
Cardplayer, the OTC HA's are a very good option, but make sure that your loss is within their range. Only a skilled audiologist can tell you. You might adjust them to what you are comfortable with, but not even know that once you get used to them, you could get better hearing by turning them up in the right frequencies. Or-- that might not be the case, and you would damage your hearing further by turning them up higher.
I forgot every card game I ever knew when my ex turned out to be a vicious shark. It is a psychological thing, and I really don't care to get over it.
I get my shots on Friday.
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This is the week the plumbers expect to get started on the flood-control system, but I suspect they may wait till Thursday when a warmup is predicted to start. It's 37 right now, bottoming out at 33 in the morning--the eastern half of city itself is the only part of the area not under a freeze warning. I picked just about all the green cherry tomatoes as soon as they began to show a little yellow--but we're supposed to hit the 70s again this weekend so will not pick everything still on the remaining regular indeterminate plant. The herbs still seem to be doing OK though the basil is bolting. (I have to leave a few blossoms on it to keep Mr. Bumblebee happy so he'll pollinate the blossoms still on the tomato plants).
The gutter cleaners are coming tomorrow, too--I suspect they'll have to do a second sweep in early Dec. to take care of the remaining dead leaves (some of our trees are still green).
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I feel like I have "cranky pants" on this morning! DH refuses to put our trash and recycles out the night prior to collection, even though we have good cans with lids for both. Sitting here and I heard one of the trash trucks, looked out window, it was the recycles. So, we must either throw away, or keep until next week. We will keep till next week but that means more next week, not sure where we will put them. One never knows when they will pick up trash on collection days. I know they don't have enough workers either, so all things considered, they do a great job. I am once again annoyed at my DH!
DH is much older than I am, at 81 1/2. I am in my late 60's. Seemed so cool when I was in my 20's dating someone in their 30's. Not so cool now. Still, it is love that gets us through. Just frustrating at times. He needs a walker now. I feel trapped sometimes, especially when I am trying to recover from major health issue. I know that is a big reason why this bothers me so much today. I am probably more upset at being in recuperation mode than because the recycles were missed. It is hard when I am normally his caregiver and he should be mine now, but he sits and sleeps way more than I do. I have done dishes, washed a load of clothes, will do another load today, He grilled chicken last night, but I had to set table and make the sides and clear off everything afterwards. I am not keen on him driving me to appointments, or driving in general, but that's life.
I realize this is probably not the time to write on here. I need to get my act together mentally and not write out of frustration! I will say, I love reading all your posts! Life goes on and I am going to go and try to give myself an attitude adjustment!
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Mavericksmom if you can’t vent to us, then who! My partner has a cousin who is in her late 60’s with 82 yr old husband who has many many health problems. When we were in Asheville in May she came up to meet us all, she can’t travel much due to being his care taker. You’re not alone. HUGS
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We the decent people of the world stand for the kind of life that will be good for all of the people, all of the time, everywhere. We believe that this is a beautiful universe and that it is made for love and not for hate; for peace and not war; for freedom and not slavery; for order and not riot; for compassion and not violence; for happiness and not misery. We believe that the ultimate decency is to help people and never harm people, to lift people and not degrade them, and to respect the dignity of all people as individual human beings. -Wilferd A. Peterson
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I so agree Mavericksmom. This forum/thread stays here just for that reason. We can be honest about things that don't work well in our life, and sometimes feel debilitating. I would imagine everyone here has felt your issues in one way or another. My Dh is only 6 yrs. older but he often seems more. He walks slow and slightly bent over (bad back and mostly operations that didn't enhance his ability to stand up straight) and I just hope he has less overall pain. He too naps more than it seems possible for a person. He struggles a lot for words, phrases, and I hate to admit often seems to say things with a certain amount of conviction that really aren't the way the situation was at all.
So, never worry. Your shoes fit most of us. The majority of us have been over our treatments for some time and do stay here because it has become a refuge. There is nothing like a safe harbor and not so amazing -- it does help you exist a lot better within the confines of however your world is behaving just now. Sometimes, just knowing you are not alone and believe me you aren't, is almost enough.
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