rachels.haven's Journal

[Bruce]

And here they've closed all the DQs, no Whataburger anywhere (though I have to say I wasn't all that impressed when I went to one).

 

[rachels.haven]

Aw, that's too bad, @Bruce . They probably should close them here, along with schools and as much opportunity to spread things as possible. Mass has a chance at control of this covid thing and the general feel here is that the storm is over, which leaves me feeling kind of like we're sitting ducks. Not sure it's necessary or wise to open indoor dining, bars, or schools with 3' student spacing. I feel like we watched part of this happen already in Ca and now Ca is topping the charts and it won't be long for us under current circumstances.

That being said, our DQ was an outdoor pickup window with all the masks and rules and safety shield windows in place to protect the workers. I bet VT could get away with that-maybe even on limited staff so there's even less exposure? But whatever I guess...

As I type this, I realize this whole situation is lousy and lonely. We need a vaccine, or a month to six weeks of strict control measures to wipe it out (painful though). 2020 is turning out to be one lonely year.

 

[Bruce]

When I say closed, I mean permanently gone, some years ago. Almost all of the Friendly's went the same way. And many Pizza Huts.

 

[rachels.haven]

Oh no! Not Friendly's! Guess we're never moving to VT. Those were dh's favorite childhood restaurant(and they're never packed here, so it wouldn't surprise me if they aren't doing well).
But on a more serious note, wow, that's rough. General decrease or lack of business over recent years?
In any case, that must feel a little odd. Those pop up like mushrooms anywhere else. We don't use any of those much, but there always seems to be one within an hour here, which is good for the location. They're nice to have around for those 2-3 times a year we go out with kids and don't want it McDonald'sish or too formal.

 

[Bruce]

There is 1 Friendly's left in Vermont, in Williston (near Burlington). The one in Colchester is now a CVS. There used to be one in Brattleboro off Exit 3, there was a Pizza Hut there as well. We stopped at one of them for lunch after picking DD2 up from Riding camp (in NH) for many years. The PH is now an Urgent care place. If the Google street view image capture date is correct the Friendly's is abandoned with a chain link fence around it.

We used to have A&Ws as well. YEARS AND YEARS ago we'd go to one for lunch from work on occasion. It closed and was replaced with a quick lube place. The only VT A&W that I know of is in Middlebury and it is still a drive in, not open in the winter.

We had an Arby's YEARS ago, closed and became a Blockbuster (shows how long ago that was). Now it is a 5 guys. I think that is the only "something turned into a new restaurant" I can think of.

 

[rachels.haven]

GASP. (DH would be scandalized)
Actually, that reminds me of where I grew up, except instead of replacing businesses in the buildings they'd just go vacant until somehow they would be "given away" for $5 if anyone wanted them (my guess is the landlords stopped paying mortgage and beat it when the rent stopped and the cascade of ownership went from there). People usually didn't want the buildings so the town slowly got less and less full but still got by somehow. There weren't lots of choices of food or shopping in town...or within about an hour's drive. Not sure what it's like now, but rural places don't change quickly (outside of businesses closing, apparently), so it's probably the same.

I hope 5 guys is doing it for you, since that's what you've got, sounds like. We had two pizza places in town that tried to hang on for the longest time (and got closed soon after I went to college for health code violations), a chinese restaurant an immigrant family opened right before I left, and a BK and McD that opened around the same time as the chinese place. One of the two hotels nearby tried to run a diner if that counts. No clue what's left now. The hotel may have had yet another fire. I may have to google maps that and see who's still around.

There weren't really enough people in town to support all that and very few that could afford frequent eating out. My dad made 5 figures so he was one of the better off ones, but he had 6 kids, and a few of my siblings had extensive medical issues so we didn't eat out much either-lots of beans and rice (which was oddly better for me because of my wheat issues that would make me sick after bread, not so much for my normal siblings, who were probably justified feeling a little deprived, but what can you do).

 

[Bruce]

I've only gone to the 5 Guys once, it is down in Burlington. But there is one at (IIRC) National airport in DC so I had a decent lunch there last year. Note to air travellers - don't bother with the burger place in the food court at JFK in Terminal 5!

We didn't go out much when I was growing up either. We did sometimes go to one of the original Marie Callender's (cherry pie for dessert - yum!) or the nearby Bob's Big Boy. I walked past what is now the oldest operating McD's on the way to Jr and Sr High school. It was the 3rd one built, 3 years before I was born. Stopped for fries on the way home once in awhile. And when I say "original" it still is! There is no "inside" other than for the employees. A couple of tables outside.

 

[Bruce]

Today he announced that he is raising our state income taxes by 54%!

You need to do a little research, that statement is false. You can start breathing again unless you are making over $5M/year. The actual % increase over the prior highest tax rate for those people is 28%. I wouldn't be happy about that if I was making $5M a year but it doesn't affect most people in the state.

"California’s top marginal tax rate is 13.3%. The new proposal would add three new surcharges on seven-figure earners. It would add a 1% surcharge to gross income of more than $1 million, 3% on income over $2 million and 3.5% on income above $5 million."

"So the top tax rate would be 16.8%, on income of more than $5 million and the combined state and federal tax rate for California’s top earners would soar to 53.8%. With the deduction on state and local taxes capped at $10,000 under the Trump tax cuts, the top-earning Californians wouldn’t be able to deduct the new taxes from their federal returns.

The tax would only effect the top 0.5% of California taxpayers. But that small group of super-earners — many of them in tech — pay 40% of the state’s tax revenues, according to California’s Franchise Tax Board. The new tax rate would also apply to capital gains, which accounts for a large share of tech income, since California taxes capital gains at the same rates as ordinary income."

CNBC article link

 

[rachels.haven]

Ran a fecal on Saffron-she had maybe 4 coccidia on the entire mcmasters slide, and one lonely barber pole worm egg. Not the issue. Prohibit and Baycox worked if there was ever a problem this week. I should have checked before treating, but she's been in emergency mode for a while now.

Took her temp with my stupid goat flexi tip thermometer (sounds great until you realize goats have anal sphincters, and don't believe in temperature taking, dang it). Between the thermometer bending and my own incompetence, I couldn't get a reading above 92.7. She does feel cool. I'm pretty sure she's dehydrated too. Her fecal pellets were rock hard and her skin texture feels off.

I've got a weak slow motion skeleton goat with a hay belly that just keeps getting thinner and thinner with no more fire in her eyes. She's been routinely tested for the big three goat diseases twice in her tenure here, so I'm counting them out.

So of course I texted the vet again. I feel like that's the theme of this year. She's very busy but will try to fit me in this afternoon if she possibly can.

So far this year I've called the vet once for Avalon the dwarf's udder skin staph infection, then Summer's weird throat issue, Dahlia's dying, and now Saffron. If I lose Saffy, I'll be down to four lamancha does (and three bucks, which is an excessive number for that ratio). I'm starting to feel like my standard goat dears are less hardy than my hard headed, serious, mean, short legged dwarf goats.

This morning before all that I let my winding down favorite goat out to eat some browse, which she did with slow motion enthusiasm. If she's around tomorrow we'll do it again, let her have some soft green stuff.

 

[farmerjan]

I'm thinking there might be some sort of blockage in her throat or further in???? I confess it is more than I am even trying to guess at. The "hay belly" suggests worms that you have eliminated as a cause. What about some sort of blood samples for maybe some weird other disease? Any universities that have vet schools that might be interested in looking at it. Your vet could help precipitate that along..... many of the university vet schools like to have some of the oddball stuff to study and have the students work on? Don't know if UConn would be any help. There is a good vet school in Md and of course VaTech.... also UMiss is supposed to be a very good vet school and there is one in Tn that is good too. Grasping at straws trying to maybe come up with something that might have gotten overlooked. Hey, it took that BIL handyman to look at that tall sliding cabinet in the kitchen to realize that I had other options for a bigger fridge.... Now I see all sorts of other things.