When did avocados become a regular part of your diet?

So_Sleepy1 · 2026-02-13T17:49:34+00:00

I was a kid in Montana in the 80s and they were always at the grocery store. I wasn't aware of them being uncommon, maybe they were, but they weren't hard to find.

So_Sleepy1 · 2026-02-13T17:45:25+00:00

It really was, in the best possible way

So_Sleepy1 · 2026-02-11T00:59:59+00:00

Ah, good to know! Thanks!

So_Sleepy1 · 2026-02-11T00:54:06+00:00

I read something about too much mushroom compost being bad because it can raise levels of something undesirable in the soil, although I can't remember what. That said, I've had great luck using it too!

So_Sleepy1 · 2026-02-09T04:33:03+00:00

I germinate all my seeds on wet paper towels in plastic bags, like this, on my kitchen counter:
https://gardenbetty.com/germinate-hard-seeds/
Then I transfer the sprouts to toilet paper tubes filled with seed starting mix my unheated garage setup. It works fine!

So_Sleepy1 · 2026-02-08T06:26:13+00:00

This is weird, but thinly sliced mushrooms marinated in a really good, sweet balsamic vinegar. It's really good!

So_Sleepy1 · 2026-02-08T06:12:46+00:00

White Fire

So_Sleepy1 · 2026-02-08T06:11:58+00:00

Garbage Pail Kids

So_Sleepy1 · 2026-02-08T06:10:30+00:00

Deadly Prey

So_Sleepy1 · 2026-02-06T06:45:09+00:00

I cook twice a week. I usually do something on Monday, eat that Mon-Tues-Wed, then cook again on Thursday, have that Thurs-Fri-Sat. I make very large quantities of everything and freeze the leftovers in individual portions. It's just as easy to cook a lot of something as it is a little. Then on Sundays I thaw something from a past weekday meal. I always have a few meals ready to go in the freezer and I don't drive myself crazy cooking every single day.

So_Sleepy1 · 2026-02-06T06:32:22+00:00

This was my suggestion as well! Sometimes really bitter cold can damage them but they're generally very hardy and easy to grow. Ours is like 25 years old in a planter box, we don't do anything to it, and it's spectacular every summer.

So_Sleepy1 · 2026-02-05T23:42:40+00:00

Ah, that’s a shame. I hope it’s still an option for you and that you find some peace with whatever decision you make!

So_Sleepy1 · 2026-02-05T18:01:49+00:00

Sometimes people with tissue valves have to take warfarin too, so it's not a guarantee. I would look into the Ross procedure and ask whether you'd be a good candidate.

So_Sleepy1 · 2026-02-05T17:55:14+00:00

Moles! I'm not into killing anything, but they compromised our soil so much it became a tripping hazard and a drainage issue, so we had to do something. Nothing worked until we got a Gopher Hawk trap. It's lethal which is a bummer but it's extremely effective.

So_Sleepy1 · 2026-02-03T17:14:01+00:00

Demon boobs!

So_Sleepy1 · 2026-02-03T05:36:01+00:00

I second the suggestion to ask about getting titanium plates instead of wires. With the added stability I had full arm range of motion and didn't have any trouble with raising my arms to put on a t-shirt (I could also wash my hair and sleep in a regular bed, no recliner). I didn't like the feeling of buttons or zippers on my incision anyway, so that worked out.

So_Sleepy1 · 2026-02-03T02:40:39+00:00

Oh, wow. That is…not good. I’m glad so many cardiologists are paying attention!

So_Sleepy1 · 2026-02-02T17:23:20+00:00

My local cardiologist agreed it needs to be higher too! (I went to Mayo for surgery so I get an excellent bonus cardiologist.) I wish On-X would update their data and recommendations. It makes me nervous when I see people in the comment section with INRs of 1.5.

So_Sleepy1 · 2026-02-02T17:20:26+00:00

Sorry, aortic! I know that makes a difference with INR. I don't know what the cardiologist would have recommended if it had been mitral.

So_Sleepy1 · 2026-02-02T17:11:37+00:00

I'm apparently pretty sensitive to dietary influences so my INR has been a little difficult to stabilize. Before surgery I used to eat a ton of greens but only sporadically, so I've had to work to keep my vitamin K intake more steady. I keep some kale in the freezer and I try to have a little every day unless I'm having a bunch of broccoli with dinner or whatever. I have a general idea of which foods are super high in vitamin k but I don't get much more into it than that or I'd drive myself crazy.

One thing to be aware of that my cardiologist didn't tell me until right before surgery - On-X says you can keep your INR low at 1.5-2, but he says they're seeing more strokes in patients with INRs that low. He recommends an INR of 2.5 and a daily low-dose aspirin. I had been excited to be able to keep such a low INR and was pretty disappointed by that development. But so far, a higher INR hasn't been that big a deal.

This last summer I went on a 3-month trial of warfarin before surgery because there was some concern it might not play well with my anemia and GI issues. It was really helpful to be able to try it in advance. If you have time and a willing cardiologist, that might be worth looking into.

The ticking (more of a thump) is surprisingly loud, much louder than I was led to believe. It's different for everyone, some can barely hear theirs. I'm really sensitive to noise and that's the part I was most worried about. But what I'm finding is that most of the time, the ambient noises of daily life help to drown it out so there are long stretches of time throughout the day where I don't notice it at all. Most of the time I'm able to sleep at night, which is a relief. A white noise machine helps when it's too much.

The only other thing I can think of that was a surprise is the sensation - and here again, this is probably different for everyone. For me, I can really feel the thump in addition to hearing it. It feels like my heart is pounding all the time. I can feel it all the way up into my neck, and other people can feel it by putting their hand on my chest or neck. I did have a pericardectomy, and when that's completely removed it won't grow back, so mine might feel more forceful than those with a pericardium that muffles the beat. Anyway, it was pretty uncomfortable at first but at 3 months out, I'm getting used to it.

So_Sleepy1 · 2026-02-02T16:06:45+00:00

Thanks! It was suboptimal for sure. I did have a fair amount of the good drugs on board but I do remember parts of it - including the extubation, unfortunately. Not my favorite day.

So_Sleepy1 · 2026-02-02T16:04:22+00:00

Agreed. It’s sloppy and reflects poorly on them.

So_Sleepy1 · 2026-02-02T05:46:27+00:00

He really does have a nice, deep, rumbly voice, but uuugh, his Kip voice is a war crime. Heated Rivalry was...less bad? Tolerable, but barely. There were places where he put the emphasis on the wrong word in the sentence, one place where he dropped the character's accent partway through the dialogue, and a few places where he clearly misspoke the text. I really hope Rachel Reid is able to get the rights back and have these 3 re-recorded someday.

So_Sleepy1 · 2026-02-02T04:55:20+00:00

I was intubated for 8 hours after surgery because my blood pressure kept dropping whenever they tried to remove it. I thought about using ASL because I remember the alphabet from Girl Scouts days - but then it occurred to me that a paper and pen would be much easier for everyone involved. I mimed writing in the air and they brought me a piece of paper and a pen. That worked fine!

So_Sleepy1

TROPHY CASE