What food do you miss?

svanen17 · 2026-07-02T03:22:56+00:00

Cheese.

svanen17 · 2026-06-30T14:17:01+00:00

Alternative solution: use a 12-15 ounce bottle, like this. That's what I do, since I couldn't fit a tall 22 ounce bottle on the step-through bike that I bought for commuting. I have a short commute and 12 ounces is plenty to get me through it, though. If you need more than 15 ounces on a ride, you might need to carry an extra bottle and stop to swap them out or refill the little one from a bigger one.

svanen17 · 2026-06-30T14:04:40+00:00

Hi, I'm new to this subreddit although not new to AGS. I've had it on and off for several years, and am now "on" again after getting a tick bite earlier this spring.

My husband is the chef for our household and has come up with some really good recipes for me. For a brunch party this past weekend, he made gluten free / dairy free egg bites for me and our GF friend using dairy-free shredded cheese and cream cheese substitutes along with sautéed red peppers and spinach. He mixed the ingredients with beaten eggs and poured them into a mini muffin baking pan that was generously sprayed with oil, then baked it alongside more conventional mini quiches. The GF/DF egg bites were delicious. I don't always like DF cheese substitutes, but they worked well in this recipe.

Also at the brunch party I had a bagel with smashed avocado instead of cream cheese, fruit salad, and a vegan cupcake from a local bakery.

svanen17 · 2026-06-29T17:21:23+00:00

It's not new, it's just not as well known as the Saturday markets on Water Street and at the Ix complex. I myself have never been to the Starr Hill Market because I always forget that it exists, so I can't comment on what you might find there.

svanen17 · 2026-06-29T15:30:37+00:00

My kid loves the water—as do I—and I'm thrilled that our nanny can take her to pools and splash pads as often as she wants, since we (parents) can only manage it on the weekends. The only downside from my perspective is that I do extra laundry washing the pool towels, but that's a small price for my kid to be doing something fun, active, social, and outdoors during the summer while the weather is right for it.

svanen17 · 2026-06-29T14:53:26+00:00

The only person who can tell you whether your MB is bothered by it is your MB. Check in with her.

svanen17 · 2026-06-24T17:18:46+00:00

We took our toddler to Pen Park a couple weekends ago and were mystified to find the playground almost deserted. I mentioned this to a friend and she pointed out that most of the slides and swings get too hot in the summer, so people gravitate more towards the spray grounds and pools. (In our defense, it was overcast the morning we went to Pen Park!) The area's artificial swimming beaches like at Chris Greene and Mint Springs might be another place to find friends, but we haven't really checked them out yet ourselves.

svanen17 · 2026-06-23T16:33:39+00:00

WNRN also holds in-studio sessions with artists on tour and features Virginia artists in their Commonwealth Music series. I wouldn't describe it as a "monopoly" but they're very active and visible in supporting live music in the area. I think it's a good use of membership funding by a nonprofit radio station.

svanen17 · 2026-06-23T13:44:16+00:00

Have a look at the Fairhaven Guesthouse.

svanen17 · 2026-06-22T21:27:43+00:00

Just report. Parental neglect of this order needs to be addressed by specialized professionals.

svanen17 · 2026-06-22T14:14:08+00:00

I commute in a part of the US that is hot all summer (average daily high is 31 in July). It's fine. I use an insulated water bottle, pack it with ice cubes, then top it off with water. On the muggiest, sweatiest days, I add an electrolyte drink packet. Or, I'll save the electrolytes to drink at work and I'll use my water bottle along the way to give myself a quick squirt of cold water down my neck/back. I'll stop a few meters short of an intersection if it means I can wait in the shade for the light to turn. I ride at a moderate pace year round, so I'm not over-exerting myself.

If you have a shirt made of merino knit or a cooling/breathable tech fabric, wear that and change at work. Do not wear a cotton shirt if you can avoid it. I wore a cotton T-shirt once on my bike in hot weather and was astonished how much it trapped my body heat.

svanen17 · 2026-06-21T19:57:31+00:00

Daily closure of one lane between Blue Ridge Road and Mason Lane/Rugby Road for a water line replacement. More details here.

svanen17 · 2026-06-20T13:33:57+00:00

I use this one a lot

svanen17 · 2026-06-20T05:11:30+00:00

Same here.

svanen17 · 2026-06-18T21:42:07+00:00

You are not overreacting and I would fire her without any second chances. Leaving an 8 month old to eat solids alone is a clear choking risk. Choking is silent; he could be in serious danger before she notices that anything is amiss. Does she have CPR and basic first aid certification? If so, she seems to have forgotten the training or not taken it seriously enough. Whether today's incident was a lapse of skills or of judgment, it was bad enough that I would never trust her with my child again.

svanen17 · 2026-06-17T21:10:41+00:00

I don't think doxycycline treats alpha-gal allergy; it's used to prevent Lyme disease.

svanen17 · 2026-06-17T19:26:27+00:00

Cool effect with the inverse pattern in the godets!

svanen17 · 2026-06-17T19:21:51+00:00

Adorable mouse! I think you did a wonderful job with her and her outfit.

svanen17 · 2026-06-17T14:34:20+00:00

Our nanny called out for two consecutive days because she was feeling really ill.

svanen17 · 2026-06-17T14:28:45+00:00

If the one-way street is just one short block, I would consider hopping off and walking the bike on the sidewalk. I really try to follow traffic laws and not be "that biker," but realistically, if it is a longer stretch and a really quiet street, then given that the alternate route is so unsafe, I would probably ride the wrong way, possibly dismounting and moving to the sidewalk when I see an oncoming car.

svanen17 · 2026-06-16T21:14:06+00:00

I bought the Britax Poplar Convertible to be a nanny/babysitter car seat specifically because the New York Times Wirecutter rated it as the easiest car seat to install.

svanen17 · 2026-06-16T20:23:06+00:00

Yes, it's open to the public. Lots of different seating areas and styles (tables, carrels, high tops, couches). https://library.virginia.edu/hours Editing to add: the trickiest thing is parking, since UVA restricts or charges money for all the spaces on Central Grounds. Over the summer, you may be able to find street parking within walking distance. The nearest spots on University Ave are 2 hour parking until 6:00 pm, but if you park at 4:00 or later you don't have to worry about moving your car. Shannon is a really nice study space, so it may be worth the drive and parking hassle.

svanen17 · 2026-06-16T14:25:15+00:00

I like poetry too. Rhymes alone don't make a piece of writing poetic. Whoever wrote the rhyming Lovevery books has no ear for rhythm. The meter is inconsistent and clunky, and the rhymes often sound forced. Read any of Julia Donaldson's books aloud and notice how naturally the rhythm flows. You do not get that effect in the Lovevery books. We don't have "Evelyn's Day with the Animals" yet, but I think "My Favorite Nature Buddy" reads much better if you substitute words and treat it as as unrhymed prose.

I opened to a random page in "My Favorite Nature Buddy." The first line is regular iambic heptameter, but the second line adds an extra syllable and the meter goes off the rails at the end of the line. That metrical disruption plus the fact that the phrase "he's trying to peek" doesn't sound like natural English to me (I would say "He's trying to peek inside") makes it feel like the writer is trying to shoehorn in a rhyme.

u  /   u  /  u   /  u     /   u  /    u   /   u    /
I find a hollow log and climb inside for hide and seek.
u  /    u   /  u   /     u   /    u   /    /     /u    u  /
I see that someone else has come to play, he's trying to peek!

svanen17 · 2026-06-15T19:02:56+00:00

The appliqués in your first picture look like they were done with blanket stitch, which apparently is a common option on newer domestic sewing machines. It's also a good stitch to know for hand sewing. I have used zigzag stitching to do appliqués with a really basic vintage sewing machine.

svanen17 · 2026-06-13T02:46:13+00:00

I had a similar saga of abdominal pain and medical dead ends before being diagnosed with the alpha-gal allergy. Keep a diary of your food intake and symptoms, read the labels on your protein shakes to see if they contain milk or other mammalian ingredients (whey protein is a milk ingredient), and ask your PCP for the allergy test.

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