Well--Let's See What's Going On

Today's high temperature was:  78 degrees

Today's humidity was: 62%

Steamy, plus showers just to make it feel like a swamp

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To celebrate my 75th birthday, I decided that I needed to quit smoking "real" cigarettes.  Can you believe?  I have smoked for 55 years, and as yet have no effects from that addiction.  HOWEVER, I know it is an accumulative effect...so any day now, I could be diagnosed with COPD or worse.

Why have I continued to smoke, when all my friends quit in their late 50's or 60's?  Can't explain it.  It was part of who I was.  I have quit several times for varying lengths of times. Then something emotional would happen and the first thing I'd want "to make me feel better" was a cigarette.

Now--I have been advised not to quit cold turkey.  Because the nicotine has become such an integral of my internal system--almost like a hormone--that if I quit all at once, I very well could have a heart attack or heart rhythm problems, perhaps, even an emotional break-down from the lose of the Seritonin in my brain--the feel good hormone--because---nicotine DOES make you feel good!!

So--Sunday, I traveled up the road to the Smoke Shop and talked to the owner, went over how I had smoked, what I had smoked and all that and then he advised me on two different kinds of Electronic Cigarette Vapor thingies.

I chose this one:

Sorts looks like a flash light, doesn't it.

 I did not want it to look like a cigarette in any way, shape or fashion.  This is a nicotine delivery system--much like the patches, gum or lozenges.

The battery is inside this

It can be recharged

 On top of that is the nicotine oil tank

 Which is filled with this

Nicotine Oil

They call it "juice"

Put the tip on last and

puff away.

This particular one has that button that controls the wattage.  You click on it 5 times and the light shows, red, purple or blue.  The higher the voltage, the more smoke--which is really only flavored vapor.

You can get different strengths of nicotine--similar to the nicotine strength of the ciggies you WERE smoking.  I made a mistake and got 18%.  I thought the top of my head was going to come off.  I have smoked ultra, ultra lights for years.  So, I had to run back to the Smoke Shop and trade it in for 12%.

Later on, you decrease the percentage of nicotine and you also can get different flavors of oils--coffee, strawberry, fuzzy navel, chocolate.  I can't see myself going in for flavors--but who knows.

You still get the nicotine--which is the addictive aspect of smoking, but gradually decreasing.  You still get the warm feeling of smoke in your mouth, you still get the flavor (I chose menthol) AND you still get the sight of the smoke as you exhale.

But--there is no smoke smell--as it isn't smoke at all.  It is merely water vapor--the oil being heated a bit when you puff the "flash light".

What you don't get are the other 7,000 contaminants in a real ciggie.  Just to name a few, arsenic, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide,  lead, ammonia--all the good stuff.

Dar has been using hers for the last 11 months.  She now has no nicotine and is using the flavors--she likes coffee best.  I don't know why she is even using it anymore.  There is no nicotine in the juice--must just be the pacifier effect?

Although I figure it's way too late for me to reap any health benefits from quitting, the price of a pack of cigarettes is so far out of sight that I certainly cannot afford them.  So--onward we go.

I'm just really glad I never drank alcohol--I would be a mess by now if I had.  Probably feel really good, but still, an unhealthy mess.
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My Stack and Grow has filled in nicely, BUT--I see very little dark blue in there--so I took a picture, printed it out and made a notation to put the Dark Blue Tiny Tunia's in the second level next year.  BTW--none of the "fancy" garden centers around here will grow or sell Impatiens--something about a dust mold that occurred two years ago.  So--I bought a flat at Lowe's.  They are thriving!!!

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You might get a kick out of this story:  Dar was over this morning--she had purchased a pretty, glass bird bath and couldn't figure out how to put the bowl on the stand.  It was a pretty easy fix--she had the stand upside down.

She just got back from a 4 day trip up north with her friend, Sheila.  Dar has never seen the Mackinaw Bridge or Mackinaw Island.  She said that most of Sheila's travel itinerary included places to eat.  They did manage to find a small shop that makes Northern Michigan Pasties.  Dar gained 3 pounds!  She would have rather seen some natural sites--the Falls and Big Spring and a casino or two--which are prevalent in that area..  

So--this occurrence made Dar's other friend, Jane, extremely jealous.   So, Dar is going to the west side of our State on a four day junket with Jane.  There will be natural sites to see and...Casino's!

The jealous triangle continues between Jane, Sheila and Dar.  Although, Dar swears she won't get in the middle of it and every time one of them starts to gossip about the other, Dar stops them and says, "Work it out."

Jane sneaks down to Dar's via the back way--between their houses (both on the same side of the street) and the woods.  If Sheila sees Jane walking down the street, she waits until she think she is at Dar's, then calls and tells Dar she had to see her right then because of an emergency.

If Jane sees Sheila walking, via the street, she waits and then calls Dar and tells her she has a problem and has to talk to her "right now!"

Jane and Sheila live directly across the street from each other, but Sheila and Dar work and take lunch together and that makes Jane mad because she feels Dar owes her that extra time too.

Earlier this spring, Jane had a lot of damage done to her place because of the ice storms.  She got her insurance company to pay for a new carport and roof and she paid to have all new siding and windows put in her house.  Quite an expense and it looks real nice.  New raised gardens put in and a lovely raised deck in back of her house with privacy fencing.

Sheila decided she wanted a new back deck put on her house and had that done.  

This morning, Dar told me that Jane is so angry with Sheila's spying and interference that she is putting her house up for sale and moving to another one, two streets over.  That way, she can walk down the far street, just down a few yards from me, and come up the street to Dar's and Sheila won't be able to see her movements!

The trouble is, Jane will never get the money she has invested in her new stuff, out of the sale of her home and the new house is a double-wide and going for $20,000.00, but--she's doing it anyway.

Dar says, "Does this remind you of third grade?"

"Sort of," I laughed.  "You know--it IS harder, or at least I have found it is harder, to have a 3-group friendship.  You need 4 in your group."

"Oh--do you want to join our group?"

"Ah...no thanks!  They get mad enough as it is if they call you and you tell them you are over here!" 
.
"That's why I tell them.  I am trying to show them, I have more friends than just the two of them!"
<which I don't view as very nice of her to try and add me to the mix>

"Well...I can't afford it, but if I could...you and I could take a weekend trip over to the EAST side of the state and drive them both nuts!."

We both laughed.  Just hope she didn't take that seriously.
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Well--let's see who we find today as one of my matches on Our Time:

 Now--he looks like a real, pleasant fella.

Plus--I hate beards!!!

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Oh wait--I just went back and looked and--hm-mm, now.

Not too grizzly.  Kind of cute--although "cute" is a real hard word to use when viewing guys in their 70's!  He looks pleasant.  Hm-mm--he lives in Brighton.  He's 6'1"--he goes to church every Sunday--a Lutheran--well, I can deal with Lutheran's.  He has a summer home on Lake Huron! You know how I love a cottage overlooking the water! OH--oh--he's old=76.

Well now--what do we have here?  75--lives just 20 minutes south of here.  Doesn't say how tall he is, but looks kind of tall.  Wait--he reminds me of someone I know.  

Oh--now I remember.  My ex.

I am having a bit of fun with this dating site thingie.  You can put your profile on it without having to pay a subscription fee.  Of course, you can't message the guys, but.........you get to see what's "out there" every day.  I've got nothing better to do each morning, LOL.