I found out that sleeping with a pillow between my knees can help with lower back pain! I’m a side sleeper. For quite a while now I’d usually wake up in the morning with a sore lower back but once I started moving around during the day it would be fine. A few days ago I stumbled across an article suggesting the pillow. For the past 3 nights I’ve done this and the back pain is probably 80% better each night. Looking online it also suggested a new mattress, probably the next step since the current one is about 10 years old.
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I learned that legally an assisted living facility can sue adult children for the cost of their parents’ care in many states. It sounds like it rarely happens, but is legally possible.
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Sleeping with an small pillow between your knees also helps if you have arthritic knees and even after knee replacement surgery.
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I learned that two weeks after emailing a charitible foundation about donating 5K anonymously, a total lack of response indicates that offering 5K is considered unworthy of acknowledgment. I get it, it’s not going to get my name on a building, but one would think every little bit would help.
So, I contacted a charity that is dedicated to mental health of active duty and veterans of US military and they indicated that they would be grateful for the help.
Can you imagine working full time for a foundation and getting paid to obtain donations, only to completely ignore an unsolicited offer?
I don’t get it.
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Wow—all the charities I donate ANY cash to have sent me grateful acknowledgment letters—$100 to $5000! I do request NOT to be added to solicitation letters or campaigns.
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Oh dear. My hope is that assisted living only persues children for payment where parents had gifted assets to children(?)
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Wow - I had a kind of opposite experience. I donated $1,000 to our local food kitchen. I got an unexpected call of appreciation from them.
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Not totally surprised that Colorado is #5. (Admittedly “most educated” does not always mean “smartest”… still it made me smile.) CO_kid2 lives in MA - not at all suprised to see it was #1 with sooo many colleges in Boston area.
Screenshot:
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I learned that our medical school, John A Burns School of Medicine, JABSOM has a lot of videos on YouTube for their mini med school, geared toward the community and especially seniors. They are free to view for anyone who is interested and well done about a variety of topics. I highly recommend them for whatever topics people may find of interest.
So far, I have viewed one on Blue Zones, one on aging and Alzheimer’s, cataract surgery, heart rhythms, and handling medical emergencies at home. Each presentation is about an hour long and includes Q&A from the audience, live and via zoom. There are dozens of them and I am planning to continue watching them to age as well as possible.
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I decided I want to install a gas fireplace insert in my living room. So I went to two local dealers this morning and let me them educate me about types of inserts, advantages/disadvantages of each, efficiencies of various models/brands, unit costs, installation costs and the permitting required.
Estimators will be coming out in a couple of weeks to assess whether it’s possible to install an insert. (No gas line or electrical lines currently connected to the fireplace so the site needs to be inspected to see of those can be added without doing major construction.)
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We had tried to have this done in our home. The fireplace would not fit any of the inserts that were sold so we never did it.
I had an insert put in my bedroom fireplace at my previous home. There was already a gas fireplace set up (gas line with turn off key), but the sellers had taken the ceramic log set with them when they moved. (Who does that?)
So I had a sealed vented insert installed. (With a heat exchanger, remote starter, electronic ignition. Very nice and it warmed up the master bedroom and ensuite bath very nicely.)
I’m now in a different house. A much older house, but one with fairly standard-sized fireplaces. 32 wide x 28 high x 26 deep . One of the smaller commonly available sizes will fit. Won’t even need to be special ordered.
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I’d love to hear follow up on this. We have a similar situation - wood burning fireplace was at some point turned to gas with the logs and the key. When we bought the house H and I - unbeknownst to us - “cleaned out” the dirt (actually the needed sand stuff) and removed the logs - and we can’t find them! I went to one fireplace place and they were quoting in the thousands to help us out. Made no sense to me! We obviously need to have someone come out and give us options.
What I learned YESTERDAY. You can revive a stale French baguette so easily by running it under water for a good minute (soak that thing!) and then sitting it as is directly on a rack in a 350 degree oven for like 5 minutes. Good as new.
Can’t believe I’ve never known this. I’ve thrown away many a perfectly “good” baguette! 
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Sounds like your fireplace is already plumbed for gas. That is usually the most expensive part of the project. A gas log set shouldn’t cost thousands. Maybe $500 tops. A handyman can install one easily. When we were buying our first house, the builder already put in a wood burning fireplace. We wanted gas, so put in our offer a clause that the builder was to plumb the fireplace for gas log set. They did. We bought a set at HD, and Mr. B installed it.
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I think you’re probably right. Our minds are 
that we did what we did when we thought we were taking care of that fireplace!
It needs some updating anyway. I’d like to get someone to repaint/recoat the inside - it’s ugly and worn in a way that is obvious with the eye. I’d also like to remove the wire screening and get something else. And besides a guy who came and replaced something on top of the chimney on the roof we haven’t had it checked out since we moved here. So it’s on the list!
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I’m waiting for the estimator to come out and look. He’s supposed to be here later this afternoon. Basic installation cost $1900, but that’d doesn’t include the electrical line and I’m not sure how much of the gas line installation will be covered for that price. The $1900 covers fitting the new fireplace unit into the existing fireplace space, installing the air vent lines, a turn off valve and a new chimney cap (required by state law), connecting electrical and gas lines and making sure it all works.
There isn’t a gas line currently in either fireplace. There is a gas water heater in the utility room that’s directly behind the basement fireplace, so that should be easy to plumb. But there’s no gas line on the main level. A new line will need to be run up through the wall to the next level. SIL said he’s willing to have one side of the wall opened. (There is brick surround around the fireplace in the living room. The wall behind the back of the fireplace is dry wall and in the entry foyer. Repair & repaint for the dry wall shouldn’t be terribly expensive. )
I definitely want a sealed unit. Sealed units don’t vent combustion gases into the house. The gases go up the chimney. There are two air lines installed inside the chimney for a sealed fireplace: one for fresh air to feed the fire and one for combustion gases to exit out above the roof.
Since we have multiple small children and pets (3 kids under 5–two of whom cannot resist turning every knot and pushing every button they see, a dog and 3 cats), I just don’t want any risk of natural gas or combustion products from burning gas entering the house.
The original unit in my former home was an open unit with gas logs. The gas logs by themselves are easy to replace. You can sometime buy at a set at Lowes/ Home Depot
/Ace Hardware. Cost is $200 and up depending on how big and/or realistic you want the set to be. Logs for vented vs ventless fireplace are different. Make sure you get the right type for your fireplace. If there is a local gas/wood pellet/wood stove store nearby, I would check in with them if your local hardware doesn’t stock them.
You can install new logs yourself if you or your partner is handy. Or you can hire a gas line installer to do it for you. There are several independent gas line installers (pipe fitter?) in our areas. Do an Internet search. The installer charges by the hour so unless there’s some problem with your gas line, the price for installation should be reasonable.
The unit I had installed in my former home was a sealed gas fireplace unit. The unit has a heat exchanger with fans to blow the hot air into the living area. It had electronic starter with a remote. The glass front is a single piece of glass which cannot be opened. (Well, it can by a trained service person, but it takes special tools.)
If you have an open unit, you may be able to replace the glass doors if the unit is a standard size. Contact your local fireplace/wood stove retailer.
The several thousand dollar quote you got is likely for installation of a new unit.
Depending on the size of the fireplace, a sealed unit costs around $4800 and up. Installation will another $2000 or so, plus gas line installation and electrical installation. (You need to be able to connect the unit to an electrical line for the fans and electric ignitor to work. Many fireplaces have back-up ignitor that uses with a couple of AA batteries or a D battery so you can light your fireplace in case of a power outage. The fireplace will work, although the blowers won’t run.)
I’m not sure if the metal fireplace liner can be replaced without replacing the entire unit. I rather doubt it. You might want to have a technician come out to clean the unit and see if it can be repainted–although I’m doubtful that possible.
RE: the sand. It’s easy to get more of that. Your local gas fireplace store sells bags of it. It’s pure silica sand. You may be able to buy it at your local hardware store. Make sure you get pure silica sand–not playground sand or sand used to make mortar.
OK, estimator just called. He’s on his way!
Update: No problem installing gas lines on either floor since the fireplaces are basically stacked one on top another. Just a small drill hole in the upstairs foyer wall.
The issue is going to be where to install the gas turn off valve upstairs since the fireplace is in the middle of a brick wall. Drilling the brick may destabilize the wall.
Will have to have electrical lines moved upstairs since there needs to be an outlet within 5 feet of the fireplace. The fireplace store doesn’t handle electrical work. I’ll need to contract with an electrician/
Will have to wait for the salesperson to call me to get the final price for unit(s) + installation.
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Sounds like you work for the company! You have lots of info and understanding!
Not my first rodeo…err…fireplace insert.
BTDT
Can’t help with the fireplace, but can’t help laughing at this - isn’t that redundant?