Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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It is bitter cold here with temps at 34 but feeling like the 20's. Our driveway is a sheet of ice so we are homebound until it melts. DH has applied salt, but not sure of what it will do, if anything.
Had plans to address linen closet cleanout, but have yet to start. I did open the doors today and took a look to decide where to start. I think I'll start on the top shelf that has a lot of foam items, used for positioning, that I have bought over the years to deal with back and leg issues. I don't need them, and am not sure if I can donate them. They have removable covers and all have been washed, so they are clean. I'll see if anyone wants them. If not, they unfortunately will go to a landfill.
I spent the morning doing some genealogical research or as my cousin says, "chasing bright, shiny objects". I sometimes try to find cues by looking at other families that have married into ours. Sometimes I get some usable information, but today "nada". Not even a crumb, sigh. I'll try something else later. Finding out I have lost 2 cousins within a year is heartbreaking, especially since I had kept in contact with one on occasion. I sent a card to the brother that lives in New Jersey letting him I know of their demise and offering my condolences. We were a close family when growing up, but once we all became adults we sort of drifted apart and mostly saw each other at funerals or weddings. I only have a few cousins left on my maternal line and a few on my paternal side, but really no contact with those remaining.
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If you're lucky, I think you know what you want to do with your life. I think that's a greater gift that any of the gifts you might have when you do know, if you know what I mean. It must be awful to not know what to do.
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We rented a boat yesterday and had a great day out in the bay. We saw manatees, dolphins and jumping fish. We were almost stranded on a sandbar; fortunate to get off as it was 10 minutes into the trip. Ha! Then headed out into the gulf. Too many waves plus speed boats, probably regular boats vs a pontoon. I turned around and headed back into the bay. I’m not as comfortable as those that boat all the time. We had fun, made it back safely and ate dinner out at their restaurant. It was a great day.
I’m grilling steaks and watching football, after a day of running around.
Weather in the low 80’s. It’s dropping down on Wednesday with a projected high of 66. We’ll be fine. Others will freeze.
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He can who thinks he can, and he can't who thinks he can't. This is an inexorable, indisputable law.
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Winter is back. The wind started blowing during the night. My wind chimes out on the patio woke me up with a jangling noise. Normally they make a mellow, lovely sound.
I went to exercise class today. It tired me out. Back home, I got out the 12 qt. stockpot to make turkey noodle soup with the turkey carcass from Christmas dinner. It was a huge turkey. My sister invariably overcooks a turkey. Then her dh butchers it. He doesn't have a clue about carving up a turkey. The platter of turkey meat is less than appetizing. LOL. I brought home some of the breast meat and managed to make a fairly tasty salad with it by adding ingredients with flavor.
Tomorrow I have an appointment to have an ultrasound of my carotid artery. Arteries? The cardiologist I saw recently asked if I'd had that testing done, and I said no. He scheduled it because of my age, I assume.
I'm glad Christmas is over. It will take me 15 or 20 minutes to undecorate. That includes taking down the lighted wreath and returning it to an outbuilding
Cindy, your boat trip sounds like fun.
I love my Christmas present to myself and dh. The 17 inch digital picture frame. I bought some more flash drives from Amazon. My next project will be putting photos from the Viking river cruise on one of the flash drives.
I hope everyone is doing well.
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Good morning to everyone. It's 35 degrees in south Louisiana and sunny. Coffee is tasting very good this morning. Wishing all a good Tuesday.
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We’re up to 59 from about 54 when I woke up. Not sleeping good again, I’m down to a 5 hour stint. It’s sunny but windy. Carole, if I had chimes down here I’d wake the dead.
My grandniece bought me a garden spinner for Christmas. I put it in my back garden, so I could see it from inside the house. It’s spinning like mad. I teased her that it would fly off if given the opportunity.
I’m in shorts but will put on a sweatshirt to stay warm. I’m driving them to their vacation spot. My niece wishes she could cancel, but she’d lose money. She’ll try to shorten her stay once she’s over there, as the weather will be cold. No beach hanging, unless you’re wrapped up warmly.I’ve been awake so long, I’m hungry again. LOL My body thinks it’s lunch time.
Enjoy your day!
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Life has been busy lately. We received the closet organizer on Sunday a day earlier than predicted and of course, the driveway was a sheet of ice. DH parks his car at the foot of the driveway so he was able to struggle down and put it in his trunk for safekeeping. It was supposed to be easy to assemble, but the instructions made no mention that the plastic clips the shelves sit on have to be locked into one of the grooves on the metal poles. By the time we realized this we had already assembled the smaller of the shelving units. It too us about 2.5 hours to assemble it and I am pleased with it's sturdiness and looks. The closet is in the guest room and is very narrow, compared to most closets, being only 21 inches deep. DH would never have been able to do this alone, but originally told me I didn't need to help. Sorry, he was proved wrong.
Discovered a present that was for DSIL stashed in my daughter's former bedroom. It had been hidden by the overflow from the guest room closet being stored in there. I let him know Santa had another present for him so he is excited.
Toilet in primary bedroom bath decided to clog, so I called a plumber that was highly recommended by others on NextDoor. He was on his way to NYC and will return on Saturday. He asked if I could wait until Sunday, and I can since I can use the hall bath if necessary. He asked me to text him my info so he can call on Saturday to see what will be needed for Sunday. I did and hope he is going to see the ball drop.
Yesterday I spent over 3 hours trying to find out why I cannot access my Acorn account on my laptop. I forgot to register the gift certificate my son gave me to my existing account and then the account expired on 11/25. I thought this might be the problem, but it wasn't. First I talked to an agent from Acorn who walked me through the registration process and after an hour of trying everything, he said he would send me further instructions via email. He was able to apply the code so I can access Acorn via my phone and via my smart tv. Then DS who is an UT expert was given remote access to my computer and he tried every trick he knows and was still unable to get me access on my computer. So the problem is my computer and it is old so time to look for a replacement. It is giving me fits because random keys don't work, mainly numbers, but now the letter "K" doesn't always work. Plus it i no longer supported for Windows 10 and is too old for Windows 11 to be applied.
My Holter monitor results showed up yesterday in my portal. Some slight abnormalities were attributed to age and given low occurrences, considered normal via my cardiologist's office nurse.
DH is installing wall stabilizers for the closet organizer and then he can start adding back his clothes. It will be so nice not to have the guest room bed covered with clothing and he can clear out what he stored in DD's former bedroom. One less area of chaos to deal with.
Next I have to start dismantling china closet so DB can paint the dining room. I have the paint, so once he is available next week, we are ready to go. I'll remove the crystal cups from the chandelier and the wall sconces to protect them. I'll clean them before I put them back.
Started loading clothing onto the closet organizer and found that shirts on bottom hanger touch the shelf beneath it so nothing can be stored there. If it was a foot or so taller then everything would hang better, but it is still better than what he used to have one long rod and 2 wooden shelves above it. The top one needed a stepstool to access it so it was used just for storage that didn't need frequent access. There is room to add a shelf above this if needed, but I am hoping we won't need it. We need to pare down and it is evident with the number of shirts we just hung up, that has happened. He does need some new dress shirts because his neck size has increased. I'll order them from Land's End.
We have a very windy, cold day. Temp is currently 33 degrees but with wind, the chill factor is in the teens. Fortunately the ice has melted so the driveway is passable. We'll head to TJMaxx to see if we can find a gray dress shirt since Land's End did not have any. There is a burger place nearby, so I think we'll do dinner there for a change. I haven't really been out of the house since before Christmas so I have some cabin fever and it will be nice to go out before the next storm hits us later tonight. More snow which was not on my wish list.
I understand the midwest is getting hammered by snow tornados, so anyone living there please stay safe and indoors.
Waving "hi" to everyone and hope you have a great day.
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Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.
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Sorry, forgot to do quote earlier. Better than than never.
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betrayal - thank you for continuing the quote tradition - it is much appreciated. Happy to hear you are making progress with the closet organizer. Like you, I need to make another sweep through my closet and get rid of some clothes. Good news on the Holter results. Do you need to go back to the cardiologist to discuss further?
Cindy - you are busy as always. I love hearing your stories. The water spray in your freezer gave me flashbacks to earlier this year when my refrigerator water dispenser leaked while we were on vacation. Glad you were home to take care of the issue immediately. Hope it warms up for you soon.
Carole - you aren’t much warmer in Louisiana than I am in Chicago. It’s 20 and light snow here.
My son was home for four days over Christmas and it was wonderful. A very relaxed holiday for us. We did go to Wisconsin on Saturday to celebrate with DH’s family and my son was very happy to see his cousins. The three grandnieces are adorable and to watch them play with each other (two 5 year olds and a 2.5 year old). There were 23 of us there so I didn’t really visit with either sister-in-law or BIL’s partner. One of SIL’s told me she was happy I was free and clear of ovarian cancer. I stood up for myself and firmly explained it doesn’t work that way. Then she doubled down on the ‘well, at the 5 year mark you will be cured.’ Again I firmly told her either cancer can recur at any time. This is the second time in the last few months I’ve been told by someone that I will be cured at the 5 year mark. For some reason it just annoys the heck out of me.
Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday week!3 -
Just checking in - we've had a good holiday although I will admit it's more of a family/tradition rather than a religious holiday for us. We spent time with friends and had good conversations with my sister, Debbie, and Ken's nephrew.
Bella's Dad is coming home tomorrow but I don't think they will be ready to take her.
I saw my ortho today. Sounds like maybe it would take a "small" twik to get my knee to be less painful. Have to do a MRI and blood work and then he said "we'd talk." This is the full replacement I had 6 years ago and the chronic pain is getting worse.
Weather's been beautiful but another rain/cold front is coming in. Doesn't look like the northeast is the place to be. DD said she had 17 inches of snow and then it rained. Now it's cold again. Glad I'm here rather than there.
Sending good wishes for the new year. Let's hope we can manage whatever 2026 throws our way!
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Let our New Year's resolution be this: we will be there for one another as fellow members of humanity, in the finest sense of the word.
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It's so nice to have folks posting! The forum was lonely for a few days.
Betrayal, you are coming up with excellent quotes.
My Weather Bug app told me the temperature wouldn't dip much below freezing last night, so I didn't run a dribble of water. We set the thermostat to 58 and did not open a window in the bedroom. It was definitely cold this morning when I got out of bed and hurried to the hallway to raise the setting on the thermostat. White frost outside. But the sun is shining. The temperature will rise, and dh just headed out the door to go and play golf. The big plus is no wind this morning. I will put my little collection of succulent plants back outside in the sunshine.
One negative with the YMCA is that it closes with any holiday excuse. No senior exercise class today. I'll get some exercise going to a supermarket and more with a walk in the neighborhood.
Today I'll thaw the corned beef brisket in the freezer and cook it tomorrow with cabbage, potatoes, carrots and onions (held together with toothpicks) for New Year's Day dinner. In addition to cabbage, the tradition is to eat black-eyed peas, but I may tempt fate and skip them. They're not a favorite legume for us. And we have red beans cooked with sausage in the refrigerator.
My ultrasound of my neck yesterday revealed no significant blockage. To my surprise, the cardiologist's nurse called within hours with the result.
2025 had some challenges but was overall a good year for us. DH had some health issues but we dealt with them. In 2026 I plan to have my hearing checked, get new glasses, and, like every year, lose some weight.
We will be staying home tonight and listening to the explosion of fireworks. People spend thousands of dollars and light the skies. I may open a bottle of Prosecco and make myself a cocktail with Chambord at cocktail hour instead of having an old-fashioned, our cold-weather cocktail.
Happy New Year to everyone.
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carole, thank you for the feedback on the quotes and thanks to harley07, too. I try to find something that will please some or those that resonate with the season or moment.
The guest room closet is now officially done. We are awaiting a new shoe organizer, which will arrive today, and the new tie rack will arrive on Tuesday. Currently the ties are in a bin. He needed some new dress shirts since his collars were too tight and I did order the white and blue from Lands End, but they did not have either a beige or a light gray. I did find some new Van Heusen ones on Poshmark and did purchase a beige one, plus a tie he needed. Still trying to find a light gray one. We went to TJMaxx, but they had no shirts that fit the bill. I don't want to have to go to a mall and can't honestly remember the last time I went to one.
Next is looking at his other closet and the drawers in the two cabinets he has. He hates to part with things and has this thing for socks (they are everywhere). We have to winnow them down since they take up too much space. This closet also has some items that will need to be donated or relegated to the attic; I 'm thinking donating.
I have not been able to address the linen closet full-time due to other distractions, but at least the mess is off the guest room bed and the rug in DD's old room. I'll do a shelf at a time for the linen closet which makes it more manageable. There is additional space under the shelves there and I would like to clear this as much as possible so may be I could get the vacuum in there.
carole, we typically have roast pork, oven roasted potatoes, gravy, and a vegetable on New Year's day. This was my mother's custom and I have kept it. She used to alternate dinner on New Year's day with her friend after we all left home, and always complained about how her friend could "kill a pork roast" by overcooking it. Your dinner is what we do for St. Patrick's day. When I worked in the city, we used to have an annual Christmas party where everyone brought a dish and one of my favorites was black eyed peas cooked with ham hocks. For some reason I got assigned this dish one year and I had to remind them that this was not "native" to my culture, but I would give it a try. Surprisingly, it turned out and everyone said it was good.
DD, DSIL, DH and I are going to Gillifty's for dinner this evening. It is an Irish pub and one I haven't been to yet. I'll sneak a look at the menu before we go. DH and used to always go to one place for New Year's dinner, but early in the evening. Over the years what they offered got to be less and less first getting rid of the piano player, then the complimentary glass of champagne, then the hats, tiaras and horns, and the menu became less and less of something special and more like their normal fare. So we stopped going because the price no longer reflected what we were offered either.
The best time was when a drunk guy started berating his wife at the top of his lungs in a nearly empty restaurant and no one said anything to him. I finally called the waitress over and told her management needed to intercede or we were leaving because this was abuse we were witnessing. She did finally go get some male presence and they escorted him out. I felt for his wife because she declined assistance and I am sure got more of this later. That was also a turning point, that one guest was allowed to disrupt the meals of those already there.
For those who have plans tonight, have a ball. I am glad so many of you got to spend Christmas with family and hope you can spend tonight with them or with friends. Happy New Year to all and best wishes for the best of health, happiness and friendship in 2026.
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May we all have a happy & healthy New Year!
We’re off to a neighbors for a gathering of about 20 of us. They tried to start the gathering at 7 PM, so people can make it to midnight! At Christmas by 9 some were falling asleep. LOL We’re the older group.
We have a pork tenderloin for tomorrow’s dinner, which could be earlier than normal. We went to BJ’s this afternoon to get the propane tank filled. My fear was having it sputter as it emptied while I was cooking, it was that lowEnjoy your night!
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New Year's Day. A fresh start. A new chapter in life waiting to be written. New questions to be asked, embraced, and loved. Answers to be discovered and then lived in this transformative year of delight and self-discovery. Today carve out a quiet interlude for yourself in which to dream, pen in hand. Only dreams give birth to change.
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Icy New Year's Day in the Adirondacks.
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It's 50 degrees and sunny outside. Tomorrow will be in the low 70's. The weather see-saw continues. I didn't take a walk in the neighborhood yesterday but hope to do so today.
The fireworks were nonstop until midnight.
DH has cataract surgery scheduled in February. Our eye doctor was booked up until then. I hope dh's surgery is as successful as mine was when I was in my late 50's. I was able to stop wearing contact lenses. The only glasses I needed for years were "readers."
This is one of my favorite times of the year. When the holidays are over. No letdown. Just a sense of relief and cautious optimism that some good things will happen in the year ahead.
Happy New Year's Day to all.
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The party was good. Food on top of more food. The funny thing is, even starting the party later (7pm) by 10 pm we had the first couple leave. He had taken a fall on Monday so he wasn’t in top shape. Then another couple needed to go home so he could take his meds. Next was a new widow, we were glad she even showed up. Before we knew it, as midnight approached, we had 2 couples and the folks that live there.
We’re all getting older, less apt to care if they see in the New Year!Any thoughts of cooking dinner today are off the table. Long story short, I bought a large Angus beef sirloin. Host was doing all the grilling. He over cooked it to be well done, felt so bad he went out and bought another piece - cooked it and sent me home with the whole thing. I told his wife he didn’t need to do that! There was enough food to feed an army. That’s my story.
I hope we all gave a relaxing day.
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The dinner last night was fantastic. We had a great waiter who was besieged with so many other tables, yet he still managed to check in on us to see if everything was to our liking. His one table had 19 people between adults and kids who seemed to be having a good time. He told us he never wrote down what they ordered because he had memorized it! Impressive to say the least. We were in the dining room and it was large, but the tables were not all full when we arrived. Several tables were filled after we arrived and he was the lone waiter for the entire room.
He did have help from others delivering the food, but even so his service was exemplary. I did tell him how good he was and made it a point to tell the manager as well.
The food was delicious and I had difficulty choosing between chocolate mousse pie and key lime pie for dessert, so I ordered the mouse for there and the key line as a take away. My chicken dish was delicious and the portion large enough I brought home half for another meal. The chocolate mousse pie was about 3 inches high with an Oreo crust, it was yummy, and I even brought part of it home. I had an Irish coffee with my dessert, it was so good.
We did stay up until midnight and all the crazy neighbors were setting off fire crackers. At 9 the local country club had a fire works display. Normally we drive up to the top of the next street over and sit at the top of the cul-de- sac to watch them, but it was bitterly cold last night so we skipped it. It always makes the dogs crazy.
Today is the 125th annual Mummers parade in Philadelphia and it is televised. I am watching it because I like the string bands who come on last. Their costumes are elaborate and the music wonderful. My nephew is in the Quaker City string band and it seems his youngest son is now a member, too. They used to have a program in the old Civic Center when it was in west Philadelphia of some of the string bands and it was a wonderful show. Now they have the Fancies which are elaborate head pieces and backboards. They used to be in the parade but did not fare well under bad weather. Rain and wind would destroy them, plus they were the very tail end of the parade where the lights made the costumes even more spectacular. However, they might now hit the street until after 8 PM and the participants in the parade are known for no sleep and too much booze before marching. They are now forbidden to drink while they are parading.
They showcased a 93 year old Granny Avril from Wales who came to Philadelphia to visit the Mummer's museum and to attend the parade. She was interviewed and she was quite sharp in her responses. She had been gifted with a gold Mummer's parasol by the the Quaker City Mummers captain and she was waving it. Parasols are a big part of the parade and can be quite elaborate. Seems she hadn't a passport, hadn't been on a plane in over 30 years, but this was a bucket list wish. She is also someone who seldom leaves her flat. Her daughter and granddaughter accompanied her. Her interview made it to Youtube. She was really cute.
I'll put the pork roast in around 3:30 and the potatoes shortly thereafter. We had snow overnight so DH had to clear the driveway yet again. I think I'll make a green bean casserole so everything goes in the oven.
I hope everyone had a good time last night. I am not a fan of Ryan Seacrest, but not a country music fan either, so he was the lesser of 2 evils to watch for the ball drop. However, they did not show the second drop at 12:04 to celebrate the 250th anniversary. They segued to Las Vegas for whatever reason? I am sure I can find it online on Youtube. Happy New Year and may we all have a great 2026.
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Seems the string bands will march without their headpieces and backboards due to winds of up to 30 mph. They not only would have issues with damage and loss to ostrich feathers they use, but they could be hurt if blown about. They plan on having a later parade for them in full costume so it won't be the same today, but I will try to catch the later show. They still wear costumes to represent their themes. It is just starting now and Quaker City has placed first since 2021, let's hope they can do it again. They won't be judged today, just parade. Bumblebee is loving the music and singing his little heart out.
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It’s a brisk 17F and gray here. We stayed in last night and had a very chill day today. Packed up the Christmas decorations and all are put away for next year. In a brief spurt of energy yesterday, I pulled some frozen left over rotisserie chicken from the freezer and made a large pan of chicken tetrazzini which is dinner tonight. Leftovers will be frozen and we should get three meals out of it.
Waving hello to all.
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Yesterday was a beautiful New Year's Day. Perfect weather to begin 2026. I took a walk in the neighborhood and enjoyed being outside. Our New Year's dinner of corned beef brisket and vegetable assortment was very good, the vegetables cooked just right on the stovetop. I used an InstantPot for the brisket. However, I'm thinking the corned beef will join baked ham as foods I avoid because of the saltiness. My wedding band wouldn't budge this morning.
I chose not to play golf today and will go to my Friday exercise class instead. I may also go to Target to return a purse calendar I ended up not needing. May also walk around in Belk's to see if anything needs to go home with me. The last time I was there, before Christmas, I wasn't even tempted to buy anything.
Betrayal, I have not heard of a string band. All instruments with strings?
Cindy, over-cooked beef is one of the drawbacks of cooking on a grill. DH does a great job by relying on an instant thermometer. He rarely overcooks steak or lamb chops.
The gym will probably be overflowing with exercisers today as always in January before the resolutions begin to falter.
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Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.
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My brother who was visiting over the weekend just called to say he has developed shingles. He wanted to know if I had stripped the guest bed yet and washed the sheets. I haven't. Nor have I washed the used towels in the hall bathroom that he and my SIL used. He's a vaccine skeptic, so he hadn't had the shingles vaccine. My SIL has had it. So have I and DH finally got it in 2025, after considerable nagging from me. I don't know if he was contagious when he was here. I will do some googling. Any thoughts, Betrayal? I know you're a nurse.
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Here's some information on the Philadelphia Mummer's parade, specifically the string bands:
The String Band division clubs not only wear elaborate costumes like the Fancy division, but also drill and perform playing musical instruments.
The first String Band club was formed in 1901, and featured violins, banjos and guitars. A few years later, drums, saxophones, accordions and glockenspiels were introduced, giving the String Band a unique sound. Parade rules do not permit the use of brass instruments in a String Band. The instrumentation is exclusively saxophones, banjos, accordions, violins, bass violins, and percussion instruments.
Mummers String Bands are known, not only for the unique sound, but also for their elaborate costumes. Brilliant materials, glitter, sequins and feathers are all combined to make the showy costumes. Traditionally, band members, wives and friends made the costumes. Today, most bands contract them out to professional costumers. In Philadelphia, the cost of costuming an average 64-piece band is between $30,000 and $80,000, with the captain’s costume costing as high as $10,000. Total costs for a New Year’s Day production now exceed $100,000!
There are eighteen String Band organizations in existence today. Every year, each String Band selects an annual theme, and debuts their new music and costumes in the Philadelphia New Year’s Day parade. This parade is a fascinating annual tradition, brimming with dancers and marching units. The marching leader of the band or captain makes his elaborate debut doing the “2 Street Strut” (like a catwalk). People from the “City of Brotherly Love” know the excitement of a Mummers performance, and to them the Mummers also bring a sense of nostalgia.
Commitment to the community has always been one of the basic principles of Mummers clubs, especially String Band clubs. It is from the entire Delaware Valley community where musicians and helpers (called Marshals) are recruited and trained. It is also from this community where the clubs derive the funds used for the costumes and operations of their clubhouses. It is to this community the String Bands return the gratitude expressed by making each New Year’s Day theme performance more exciting than the last.
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carole, to answer your question. Did your develop the lesions (blisters) while he was staying with you or after his return home? Once the blisters appear they can break and leak serum on sheets and towels. Washing them in hot water is suggested. If he did not have any apparent lesions while at your house, it should be okay.
As long as the person who comes in contact with them (the linens), has had the vaccine or is not chicken pox susceptible, there is no worry. Shingles do not cause shingles; previous chicken pox infection is the precursor to the development of shingles. As we age, we are at risk of developing a recurrence called "shingles" because the virus remains dormant in our bodies from our past chicken pox infection. Aging with decreased immune response, stress, and other factors can cause a recurrence. I have seen shingles in younger adults due to stress, chemo and other challenges to the immune system.
Perhaps, after this painful experience with shingles, he might consider getting the vaccine to prevent future occurrences. The associated pain can persist for long after the original lesions heal (> 6 months) and disappear, because they occur on nerve pathways. Facial lesions, especially those near the eye, can be very problematic.
Hope this helps. For anyone not previously vaccinated against Shingles, now is the time to reconsider, especially if you had chicken pox as a child.
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Note: having had shingles does not mean you have permanent immunity in the future. It can still reoccur. You also have to wait for any current infection to thoroughly heal before receiving the vaccine.
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