Couch 233: Nothing’s Ghana Stop Us Now

L and I are going to do a candle blessing/prayer for my dog tonight. <3 She's been so helpful and supportive. This loss seems harder than previous losses, but I think it's actually having appropriate supportive moving through the grief.

I called the insurance company to see if IOP gets extended into December what my copay will be (because my insurance resets in December. Currently I have met my out of pocket maximum for the year but in December I have to start all over again). Anyway, the copay for IOP is zero! I also asked for what the copay is for PHP (just to know) and it is also zero! So I am good whether IOP ends in November or December. So far my insurance has been really good about extending the days but IDK how much longer that they are going to do that. I guess they haven't really been giving the case manager a problem though. The insurance lady was super nice too. She even showed me where I could look it up online.

This sounds lovely, and caring, Scarlet. I hope it is helpful for you. Kit

We are going to have Italian food for our work Christmas party! I invited a friend of mine (a male friend) from Church to go with me. We don't know each other super well, but I have a secret crush on him. So far he said he will go but I am not getting my hopes up in case he backs out.

We are also having a Thanksgiving luncheon. It is potluck style. I am bringing Bavarian cream which is a pineapple, gelatin, whipped cream concoction. I brought it last year for our Christmas potluck and my boss liked it so much that he asked for it again for Thanksgiving. I am also thinking about making some Ethiopian Dabo bread but I might make that the week before when my big boss is here from NY so she can try it.

So problem #1 with new accommodation request. I explained what I needed to the ADA coordinator in writing and in a meeting. She still managed to get it wrong on the authorization form, so now the form must be redone.

Bodes well.

So sorry @@ that you are having so many problems with accommodations. HUGS. I'm glad you have the couch to vent to but I wish we could do more. Lobby on your behalf! Storm the university! Protest! I'm lucky that my job is pretty understanding and so far has been willing to accommodate me when it has been needed. I'm sorry that your job is being sucky.

That is understandable--I've been much more careful because of my daughter.


Dr. T's son has been vaccinated for months though (he's a teen).

Ugh, that sounds so frustrating...

This makes me think of the Christmas salad that my mom makes that my...now late uncle used to love. It has one layer of red (strawberry?) Jell-o with frozen strawberries in it, one layer of whipped cream/cream cheese blend, and a layer of green (lime) Jell-o with pineapple in it. It's a pain to make, because you have to do a layer, let it set in the fridge, then do the next layer. She'd have to start on Christmas Eve.

Is anyone here good with houseplants? Let me clarify: when I say good, I mean can you keep an unkillable plant alive for a week? I am working from a very low bar here.

My Thanksgiving cacti have scale. I have spent five hours today descaling them with alcohol rub and a knife. I feel more of a manic than usual. I keep spraying them with alcohol because that always makes me feel better, but I wonder if this is best for them and their little chlorophyll hearts.

The mother of thousands plant was a dead loss and I threw her away. Seems absurdly metaphoric.

Have you nursed plants through a scale infection? What else should I do?

Pretty, though - red white and green. Im getting hungry for Thanksgiving!

That sounds pretty! Though I'm not big on fruit in my jello.


This isn't nearly as hard. You have to cook the pineapple and the gelatin and we make homemade whipped cream for it using heavy cream and it has to set in the refrigerator. We are having the potluck on a Monday so we will probably make it on a Sunday. But I'm going to see if I can talk my Mom into making it especially if I choose to make the Dabo as well.

I have no advice, houseplants do not thrive under my care.

It sounds like you are doing an amazing job taking care of them. Good luck!

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The only plant I'm really good with is my Madagascar jasmine. I call it my "happy plant". So long as it gets sun, and full dousing of water once a month (or some watering every week), it just grows and grows. It tells me when it needs water because the leaves droop down. I love my "happy plant".

Seems that I don't have a happy plant. I have a scaly, infested, gnarly old woody plant. Very fitting :/ Jasmine plant sounds fab though, scarlet. I imagine it smells lovely.

It does! I got it by chance. I saw a Hawaiian shop at a fair and bought some perfume. They gave me the jasmine as a freebie. I figured I'd try it, and I wound up not killing it! Me, the person who can kill water and air plants...lol...I finally found a plant I won't kill.

I gave one to my sister, but she killed hers. But she didn't water it for like 3 months.

I seem to kill most houseplants, but have managed to keep this one that has green and cream-colored leaves alive for a long time. It bounces back well if I forget to water it. I figured out that my issue with plants is that they need to be watered either every few days or once a week or so, which is difficult for me to remember compared to, say, feeding my guinea pigs multiple times a day, making sure their water bottles aren't empty, etc. Well, it also helps that the guinea pigs squeal for food all the time...

Is it black scale or white scale? The black scale has a hard shell and you need something different but white scale i have used white oil on successfully but on outdoor plants i am absolutely hopeless with indoor ones.

It's white scale. The alcohol has helped to break it down and remove the spots, but I am not sure what is scale and what is the stem becoming naturally woody with age. How much risk is there of me doing long term damage if I scrape too vigorously or scrape away the woody surface which would ordinarily be useful to the plant?

Has anyone ever heard of therapists using virtual reality? Visa sent out a message via her client portal saying she’s developing with some company a VR therapy experience. Like virtual groups and walk and talks. She needs some clients to volunteer.

I’m not going to volunteer but I am awfully curious about how well that would work and why clients might want such an option? Would you do it?

That sounds lovely and like something my L would do with me. I hope that it is helpful for you, Scarlet.

I would totally volunteer for something like that just out of sheer curiosity.

I am not totally sure but as long as you dont hit the green bit it or completely ringbark it like scrape a ring around the stem it should just scar a little but i am not an expert. I completelt took a chunk out of one of trees with a shovel and it just healed over with a bump

I probably would if I had a VR headset already (you need your own to participate) but $300 for a headset I wouldn’t use otherwise just for this seems a bit much.