Hil, I can highly recommend the Vitamix lite version available at Costco. Of course, it was a gift, so I didn't spend for it. It's super strong...or at least strong enough for me.

What I've been planning on getting is the cheapest Vitamix available on Amazon. I've got an Amazon credit card, which gives me points back whenever I use it, so I've been saving those up. I'm at about $220 worth of points now, which I think I might say is close enough so that I can just pay the rest of the price, since it's summer now and I've got the time to try stuff like cheese-making.

Good plan, Hil.

In addition to being giddy about kombucha, I'm a bundle of nerves over my surrogate mom visiting me today.

She is flying from Santa Cruz to DC and staying with me until Sunday, when I deliver her to an event in Rockville.

It seems she isn't in the best shape, but she IS 88 and full of doing whatever she wants to do.

I sincerely thought I'd never see her face again, so I'm thrilled, but I'm terrified I might break her!

I don't have any safety rails in my bathroom, so I'm thinking of renting a shower chair. I don't know though!

I'm literally chewing my nails...which I have not done in ages.

There are some economical suction cup grab bars which can support my 300lbs self, that might be a useful idea. as in, when I have used them for helping someone else get in and out of a tub, to test for proper attachment, I would lean back as hard and far as possible while holding it. I was confident in it.

Calli, I just read the news in Beep Me. I'm so sorry AND will keep my eyes open for opportunities.

Andi, I think I've found a rail-free option, but thanks for the thought.

I have a tall step ladder that doubles as a chair in the kitchen when folks visit while I'm making tea, etc.

It just fits into the tub and is fairly sturdy, as long as you don't pull it toward you to the side.

It's not meant to be soaked, but I'll risk it. Job done!

Do you know the brands of those grab bars, Andi? I've been thinking I could use one, because I get pretty wobbly when the red blood count goes down.

I'd like the name of those grab bars too.

I used to have a suction cup grab bar in my shower. I don't remember the name of it, though. I think I got it from Amazon. It worked pretty well -- after a few months, one of the cups would sometimes come unstuck while the wall was drying after I took a shower, but as long as I checked that it was secure again before I started the shower, it was fine.

Just ordered the blender. I researched a bit, and decided that the Blendtec was better for me than the Vitamix, and then I found a refurbished Blendtec (from a certified dealer, with all the manufacturer warranties and stuff) for a reasonable price. So, ordered that, plus five pounds of cashews to use as the base for most of the cheeses.

Thanks, Bonny. I'm so glad you get to see your surrogate mom!

Calli, That sucks about your layoff. Best of job~ma to you.

As for the brand of grab bar, I do not remember. It looked like this one [link] If it were me, I think I'd go for one of the ones with 100+ five star ratings over the ones with 25 five star ratings even if the 100+ good comes with 50 one star ratings. We put the grab bar up and took it down each day because there was someone who would have messed with it if left unattended. At least one unfavorable review says that it gets loose "over time". That sounds to me like longer than the length of a long shower. So theirs might have been perfectly fine if reattached or checked daily.

I just got back from taking Harvey to the vet for his annual exam and shots. In the last couple of weeks his energy level has been lower than usual so I made sure to mention that. It surprised me to find that he has lost about a pound and a half since the last time he was there (ear infection in Sept). I had the tech recheck it. She ended up taking him to three different scales to make sure it wasn't an error. The lab work they do on-site only revealed a slightly below-clinical range value on his potassium level, every thing else looks fine. They are sending a sample to an external lab to test his thyroid function.

The vet said it would work just fine to add a sprinkle of No Salt to his meals to supplement the potassium.