24 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 1-17-23”

  1. Beautiful picture, Kare.

    There is a Facebook page that is called, ‘View from my Window,’ which shows nothing but views from people’s windows all over the world. The beauty and variety are so amazing.

    Liked by 3 people

  3. Good morning, all. My dad is up and breakfasting. Laundry is started. My brother arrives today and will stay three days, taking over my dad’s care. Always good to see him but never more so than these days! Other brother continues to prep the house for sale and get belongings distributed. Last week he brought down two of the dining room chairs giving my dad and dad in law a more stable soft seat at the table. They were using rolling office chairs. I am glad God has given us this place to care for them and my brothers to assist. Hoping He will also give them new hearts.

    Liked by 4 people

  4. Nice to hear, Mumsee, every bit of help is a blessing.
    Well, I will be going to Portland to visit my family Thursday to Sunday. It was another of those things that was too hard. Then my son went online and figured out the tickets. I will be flying standby. And my granddaughter is in a play.

    Liked by 6 people

  5. Do you think it’s easier for children to get the flu now than it was when we were growing up? Is the flu worse? If so, why?

    I don’t remember anyone in my life dying of the flu. But, obviously, a lot of people do.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Good question, michelle. I wonder if deaths weren’t always known to be from the flu? We also have so much more information shared now in general via all the electronic sources.

    I was wondering the other day about our old TV news weather forecasts, they weren’t nearly as nuanced as they are now, showing all the various regions (LA now has 5 at least including low and high deserts, mountains, Inland, LA city proper, “coastal” …

    We have sunshine today but it’s colder than it was yesterday. The wind has died down, though. No rain in the forecast, for now.

    ___________

    Back on homeless stories, had a big staff call yesterday with many assignments to go around. I have 2 (but narrowly escaped being sent out the the San Fernando Valley — an hour away — at night to go out with homeless count teams).

    Liked by 1 person

  10. The flu, much like Covid is hardest on those with other pre-existing conditions, i.e. obesity, diabetes, asthma, heart, blood pressure issues and what not. Some die from just the body’s over-reaction to the flu as well.

    https://www.health.com/condition/flu/how-do-you-die-from-flu

    “How Does Someone Die From the Flu?
    Some victims may contract a second infection while already battling the flu, like pneumonia (an infection of the air sacs of the lungs), which can be severe enough to lead to organ failure and ultimately death, Dr. Salber says. The flu can be further complicated by sepsis, a life-threatening reaction to an infection that happens when bacteria have entered the bloodstream.

    Other people may die from the flu because their immune systems are already compromised by another illness. “Getting the flu can exacerbate conditions like diabetes, asthma, and chronic lung disease,” Dr. Salber explains. “If someone with diabetes has mild renal failure, gets the flu, doesn’t keep up with hydration—which makes renal function worse—and can’t fight off the flu infection as well because they already have a lowered immune response, they can start to spiral out of control.”

    But even healthy people can die of the flu, as news reports of deaths among children often suggest. “Young kids who look really healthy may be getting overwhelmed by their own immune response,” Dr. Salber says. In some cases, the body may increase immune defenses so much that infection-fighting proteins build up in the blood and damage other organs. “For example, you can get this immune response in the lungs,” she says, which in turn makes it hard to breathe. “Kids complaining of shortness of breath is not regular with the flu.”

    Who Is Most at Risk of Dying?
    Older adults and young kids are most at risk for serious complications of the flu, including hospitalization and death. Older folks are more likely to have weakened immune systems, to begin with due to underlying health concerns, and they’re also more prone to developing a secondary infection, Dr. Salber says. Kids may be more likely to have an overwhelming immune system response simply because they may not have had previous exposure to a particularly aggressive strain of the flu.”

    Liked by 2 people

  11. https://www.healthline.com/health/influenza/facts-and-statistics#Prevalence

    “Most people who get sick with flu will have mild illness, will not need medical care or antiviral drugs, and will recover in less than two weeks. People at higher risk of developing flu complications include:

    children younger than age 5, especially those younger
    than age 2
    adults older than age 65
    residents of nursing homes and other long-term
    care facilities
    pregnant women and women up to two weeks
    postpartum
    people with weakened immune systems
    people who have chronic illnesses, such as
    asthma, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, and diabetes
    people who are very obese, with a body mass
    index of 40 or higher
    The flu has resulted in 9.3 million to 49 million illnessesTrusted Source each year in the United States since 2010. Each year, on average, five to 20 percent of the United States population gets the flu.

    It is estimated that the flu results in 31.4 millionTrusted Source outpatient visits and more than 200,000 hospitalizationsTrusted Source each year.”

    Liked by 1 person

  12. I think after three years of masking and sanitizing, our kids have not been exposed to as many viruses and have lost some natural immunity (or simply are too young to have been previously exposed). I know my twins are getting sick a lot, but they also did not go much of anywhere for the first year and a half they were born, in part because parents were not vaccinated and were excluded from restaurants and other gathering places.

    Liked by 4 people

  13. There were many bouts with illness when Wes was young while we tried being part of church schools. The final straw was an illness that kbocked him out of classes for a month that we’d paid for. His asthma made it all worse. When we started homeschooling he did not have to be on a round of antibiotics monthly along with steroids and high-powered nebulizer treatments. It was a real blessing to be able to homeschool but it felt so isolating because we were also in travel mode so frequently, sometimes daily, to go take care of my mother who lived at least an hour away on no traffic days.

    Liked by 1 person

  17. It’s Tuesday yes? I headed out early this morning to drop off a package to the post office then had a 4 hour coffee meet up with a dear dear friend. I am one blessed girl to have life giving friends in my world. Encouraging, challenging, thought provoking with a side of laughter!

    Very pretty frosted tree up there snow is moving in now and the predicted accumulation amounts are all over the place. Could be 4,6,8 or 12 inches! I do know it’s cold!

    Honestly I do not recall anyone having the flu when I was growing up. Mumps, measles, chickenpox, ear infections, sore throats, scarlet fever..that’s about it. I know I have had the flu once in my life..after getting the shot. Done and done.

    Congratulations on the new car Aj!! Love the color too!! As my son would say “sweet ride”!! 😊

    Liked by 1 person

  18. I had a horrible case of the flu as a kid, it was during one of those epidemic years. And it’s why I won’t eat soft boiled eggs to this day. Don’t ask.

    I never had mumps, measles or chickenpox, but lots of my classmates did. I finally got chicken pox in my 40s. That was fun.

    And I’ve had the flu only a handful of times, had a bad case in the 1980s when there was a bad strain going around. Never got the shots until recently when I realized it made sense as our immune systems aren’t quite a strong as they once were. 🙂 But I’ve been fortunate and never had much of a reaction to vaccines, no reactions at all to the flu shots when I have gotten them.

    AJ, glad you’re getting a car you love. I think the car I have now is the first one i’ve just never “loved,” it was bought on the fly and I thought I’d warm up to it, but … Nah. Oh well.

    And I’m wondering how well this new dog is even going to fit into it, it has less cargo space than the previous Jeep (which, of course, I LOVED). sniff.

    Liked by 4 people

  19. While walking on the driveway when it was almost dark, I heard a big guy-sized sneeze, actually two of them. I hollored across the way, “Bless you!”

    It reminded me of long ago shen the man across the street would be inside his house and we could hear him sneeze from inside our house (the front doors of both houses were open). As a kid, that cracked me up. I could not believe any one could possibly sneeze that loudly.

    Liked by 2 people

  21. Speaking of finding cars — my cousin bought a brand new Subaru a few years ago, she did not want silver but wound up accepting that color as she was hating the bargaining process and just “wanted to get out of there.”

    First time she went to the mall, she walked out and saw …. a virtual sea of silver SUVs filling the massive parking lot in all directions.

    Liked by 4 people

  22. I think kids catch the flu easier because they are so insulated from germs and dirt. If they had a greater relationship with outdoor animals and dirt, I think they would build some better antibodies.

    Liked by 2 people

  23. This year has been a very different flu season. Typically, adults get flu A, with children getting flu B. We started the season with LOTS of pediatric flu A, very few adult flu A, and I still have not seen a single flu B this season.

    Liked by 2 people

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